multiversallogs | anything that's dead shall be regrown

Entry tags:

anything that's dead shall be regrown

Who: Lex Luthor and Adrian Veidt
What: returning home with snake carcasses, hooray!
Where: The House of Ego
When: backdated to after the missions
Notes: italicized words are spoken in German
Warnings: a couple of weirdass mad scientists are up in here

This time when Lex went out for a round of battling creatures he was much better protected. He had worn body armor under his clothes and as he was the team's driver the truck was his primary concern over the fog. He's sporting a few minor injuries but nothing serious, at least nothing serious unless you count the snakebite on his left hand between thumb and forefinger. None of his other team members had died from bites they sustained and coupled with his immunity he sees no reason to be worried. It stung when it happened and now he has a battle scar for the moment. It couldn't hurt to gain favor around the city.

He heads straight for the section of the house designated as the shared research lab between he and Adrian and lays his prize in front of him on a steel table.

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"No, the accent's definitely not Swiss." The remark is made with some authority, as though Adrian Veidt is an expert on European accents. He knows he's walking a perilous line, offering more bits of information about himself than even people like Dan Dreiberg have ever been allowed, but if there's one thing he's come to know about the man sitting across the table, it's that nothing comes for free. If Adrian wants to know more about Lex Luthor, he's going to have to be willing to pay the price.

"We never traveled. In fact I was seventeen before I so much as set foot outside New York." He's made up for it since, of course, but Adrian's childhood was an isolated one. It's no wonder his role models had to come from ancient myths.

The conversation has become far more interesting than the meal. "Yet you've seem to have plenty of travel since then. I wasn't aware that your interest in ancient civilizations lent itself to being an authority on modern European language as well." His voice is casual and not at all accusatory, but Adrian has to know that Lex can read people, and Adrian especially, well enough to notice a detail downplayed as insignificant.

It's not outright saying that he noticed the slip, but he is still following that intended line and giving Adrian enough room to talk without being cornered. There is something so close to the surface that Adrian isn't yet saying, and there's a fine line between coaxing and saying too much.

"I spent most of the year following my parents' deaths traveling the Mediterranean and the Middle East. And of course, I have overseas business investments now." As does Lex, so he knows how that works.

Adrian picks up on the subtle hint that Lex drops, letting him know that the remark about accents wasn't overlooked, and for once he's unsure how to continue. It would be foolish to make a big deal out of it by refusing to acknowledge the subject, but it's an incredibly sensitive subject, and now they're moving into territory that Adrian has never been prepared to discuss. The fact that he's so at a loss is evident even through the mask of cool composure he always wears, and in fact he leaves his seat to refill their wine glasses before making any attempt at a reply.

Once he's seated again, and only after another swallow of wine, he responds. "English is my second language, although I grew up speaking it alongside German. My parents never learned it as well as I, and we spoke German a great deal at home. They emigrated from Germany before I was born."

Lex watches Adrian refill their wine glasses and he instantly knows that he hit a subject that goes far deeper than he had anticipated. He'd added more wine to their glasses not long ago, and Adrian's usually carefully practiced movements are completely unnecessary.

Immigration itself isn't anything to be ashamed of, and Lex doesn't need to insult Adrian's intelligence by saying as much. "My grandparents were from Scotland, I'm not so far removed either." He pulls his own glass closer, at least going through the motions that the refill was necessary. "Is it something you have to constantly think about, hiding your accent?" He doesn't ask why Adrian feels the need to keep his heritage a secret, nor does he ask if Adrian hides an accent. He keeps his voice even, possibly a touch softer than usual and added his own information about himself least this come across as an interrogation.

In a way, Lex being so good at reading between the lines makes this easier on Adrian. He can let things go unexplained and know that he won't be asked. "I sometimes drop the pretense in private," he admits, and surely Lex understands why he's never heard a touch of a German accent before this. "But it isn't a struggle, really. My accent is very slight, it's not difficult cover up."

He looks across the table wryly, and decides that this is as far as he's willing to go right now. If Lex discovers further details about Adrian's background on his own, he'll deal with that when it happens. But there are topics of conversation that aren't suitable for the dinner table. "Have you ever visited your grandparents' home?"

Edited 2011-08-17 16:26 (UTC)

Lex is fine with letting the subject drop. There are certain things he doesn't discuss with Adrian and he knows that the other man has his reasons. Pushing won't do any good, but a little digging might. He doesn't tell Adrian that he can allow his accent to slip here, but if they are already speaking in German Lex reasons that he probably doesn't have to.

"Where I live, that castle I told you about, is supposedly an ancestral home. But as far as my grandparents go, no. They died before I was born and aren't often discussed." It doesn't escape Lex that the topic of conversation as moved back to him.

Edited 2011-08-19 08:06 (UTC)

Adrian is much more used to giving interviews than having personal conversations, and once he reaches the point where he feels he's revealing too much, he withdraws from the topic and finds another. The topic he's chosen this time is Lex.

"I'd like to be able to see that castle someday." He takes advantage of the natural pause to finish his meal, sitting back to contemplate Lex over his wine glass once he's done. "It's just you and your father now?"

"When we leave you'll be the first person I invite over," it's said casually, but it's a promise and Luthors always keep them. It's not everyone who understands rebuilding your status after being transported to an interdimensional city.

"My father doesn't live with me, but yes. I have a half brother, Lucas, though he's not interested in the family and I can't say I blame him." Knowing Lionel there are probably other half siblings that Lex doesn't know about and he's not sure if he wants what he would find if he went looking.

Adrian wonders absently what it would be like to have a brother, what it would be like to be the black sheep who keeps away, whether he would have found it easier to learn to connect with people if there had been someone close to him as a child. Then he dismisses the line of thought as useless and irrelevant. He's on his way to exactly where he wants to be, and even Jon can't travel back in time to change the way things happened.

"And you plan to take over LuthorCorp eventually." It's a statement of fact, not a question. There are some things about Lex that Adrian already knows. "Has that always been your plan for the future?"

"Mostly." Lex remembers a conversation with the only friend he had at Excelsior Academy. It's a memory of a pleasant time, but the bitterness of what had subsequently come to pass mars any would be happiness.

"For a brief time when I was in school I had plans to be a lawyer. Pro bono and helping those who couldn't help themselves because I couldn't imagine anything that would annoy my father more."

Edited 2011-08-20 05:52 (UTC)

That draws a small smile from Adrian, and he raises his eyebrows at the image of Lionel Luthor's reaction to such a plan. "Yes, I would imagine he'd find that a hard pill to swallow. Of course there's no reason you can't still study law, if you have an interest in it."

Adrian is an accomplished businessman and scientist, after all, and he didn't even attend university. There's no doubt Lex is intelligent enough to follow whatever course of learning he chooses. "No regrets about the change in your plans?"

"None at all." There's a visible shift in Lex's demeanor. He smiles, a real smile, not one reserved for polite conversation but one that changes everything about him. His eyes seem almost brighter and though he knows that he shouldn't give too much of himself away, especially not with Adrian, this is something he wants to share with the world.

"I was thinking too small. Yes, that would help people and be a thorn in my father's side, but staying with LuthorCorp can do the same exponentially. I'm using it to change the world, Mr. Veidt. My project before I was sent here will reshape everything when I get back to work on it. Plants will grow in the harshest conditions: sand, snow, places with no moisture. It's not perfect yet, but I've made some real breakthroughs. I'm also working on something that will not only yield more plentiful crops, but keep food fresher longer."

He's leaning forward now, gesturing with a hand. It's nothing broad, but it's there. "I'm going to do more than aid one person at a time while waiting for the law. I'm going to end hunger."

Adrian can appreciate a response like that, and it helps to strengthen his trust in the man as a business partner to know that he's taken what was perhaps not his idea path into the future and made it into something he feels proud of.

"I have...a very similar goal, as you know. I think our work together here in Baedal could be very productive." The impact that putting their ideas together and refining their research and experimental techniques might have on furthering both their visions once they return home is enormous. "I can only imagine the good sharing ideas between us will do for the world, both here and once we leave."

"So does that mean you plan to pursue your goal here too? I don't need to tell you that effectiveness is a completely different animal here."

Lex pushes away his plate and after Adrian indicates that he too is finished Lex takes the dishes away from the table and rests them in the sink. He picks up his glass and begins walking toward the living area to continue their chat.

"I would think the largest things to think about would be scale and procedure."

Edited 2011-08-22 15:24 (UTC)

"I'm aware of that, but I relish the challenge. If I can overcome the unique obstacles presented by this place, what I learn from it can only provide that much more of an advantage when I get home again."

Adrian rises as Lex does, following in his wake into the living room and settling on one of the large, comfortable couches. "Yes, the work here in Baedal is certainly going to have to be done on a much more restricted scale. And not only because I don't have anything near the resources or contacts available to me at home."

He also doesn't have Jon and his abilities to tap into. "It does mean that unfortunately, I'll have to move more slowly as well. And I think income is going to be a factor. I'll need more than what I'm bringing in just working for the city itself."

"So we don't work for the city," is Lex's immediate response. It's not a question of whether or not this is about the both of them, they had agreed to a mutually beneficial business partnership and that is what's going to happen.

"You and I have enough experience working for ourselves outside of this place. I'm sure you already have something in mind." Not that Lex doesn't, but it's an invitation.

Adrian shakes his head. Working solely for themselves would be his preference, but he's not sure they're in a position yet to manage it. "I think we're going to need to continue working for the city for now. We need the income, and while I do have some ideas, none of them would allow us immediate financial independence."

He stretches out his legs, crossing them at the ankles, and sips at his wine for a moment as he thinks. "I have noticed the property values are dropping in certain areas of the city, however. It would be foolish to overlook an investment opportunity like that."

"I'm not saying that we give up our respective jobs completely, simply that a venture on the side doesn't have to involve the city's backing." Lex is a very proud individual but he's not stubborn enough to think that he can make it on his own resources here just yet.

"Real estate would be a perfect example. That area is one of LuthorCorp's subsidiaries, actually." The hint is not at all subtle as Lex sips on his own wine across from Adrian.

"Agreed," Adrian replies, smiling slightly as he realizes that they do seem to be looking at things along the same lines after all. "And in fact I'd prefer any ventures I took part in, aside from the job I already have established, to be backed solely by myself. Or by myself and a single partner."

He raises his glass in a salute toward Lex, clearly suggesting who that partner would be. "Veidt Enterprises has done some real estate investing as well, although that isn't our central focus. Do you have some ideas in that direction?"

Lex raises his glass in return, smiling with instant acceptance. "I'd advise looking toward business districts than residential myself. Also we should take a look as to tends in what the government buys, and where. I would need to see if eminent domain works the same way here as it does back home, but either way, it's a certain paycheck."

The day has turned into a rather exciting one with both discovery and a new business plan in the works. It's refreshing to see the other man just as on board.

Edited 2011-08-30 06:43 (UTC)

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anything that's dead shall be regrown

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