[Game thread] Skull Ruins Pokerole

[Dragonstrike]

Spoiler

As was customary, Ventus first swept the private room for any bugs/listening devices with a casualness that suggested this was routine for the man by now, before he sat on his side of the table, reaching over and grabbing the hotsteaming cup of coffee that Nathan thankfully provided him. He then took a nice long drag of it, savoring the richness of the roast and getting his fill of caffine until he set the cup down on the table with a *clink!*

"Ahhhhhh.......After a long day's work, nothing beats coffee to rejuvenate the weary soul. A shame you are not partial to the beverage, but to each their own, I suppose."

The researcher obviously noticed the total lack on emotional feedback coming from the young scholar, but from little Kirlia could glean beyond his own impressive mental defense he was neither bothered or frustrated by this. In fact, he seemed peachy, smiling kindly and patiently at the boy with no hint of malice or duplicity behind it.

How odd....One would think denying the empath his main form of reading and being stonewalled from the get go would have provoked some form of reaction ......

Until one realized a few crucial details, that is.

The sociologist's empathy was an intergarl part of him, yes, and a massive source of Insight towards others intent, emotions, and thoughts, but it was by no means his only one.

Having a deep, rich, and extensive background in Psychology, Sociology, Behavioral Sciences, and Pokémon Handling, Ventus knew how to read almost anybody with a chilling degree of accuracy.  Doubly so if he was familiar with the person in question. 

Nathan's defensive, apprehensive body language, their quiet, tensed breathing, their forcibly sprawled out posture, the movement and dilation of their eyes.....and much more. All of these little tells that most would ignore or overlook were detected by the researcher, as he took it all in in a frightingly amount of time, casually and almost languidly dissecting them with their scrutinizing gaze.

The boy did his best to hide their feelings, but it was ultimately fruitless; Ventus Zackarieh could read him like an open book.

Normally they would abstain from doing such.....intrusive extrospective analysis of others, but given Nathan natural stubbornness and uncanny ability to shut down/ignore anything he deamed undesirable or uncomfortable, they could make an exception in this case.

Silence. Pure and utter silence. It dragged on without end, with Ventus perfectly content to let it reign for however long they wished.

He could wait.

The sweep of the room confirms one thing for Nathan: Ventus definitely isn't intending to ask about a very savory topic in the slightest...

...

...worrying.

Despite that, though, Nathan refuses to let slip a single word that he doesn't have to.

Almost any other topic, and he wouldn't be acting this way...

"...personally, I find the flavor too strong for my liking."

Quiet silence.

...broken by one question: "What do you know already?"

No specification, no emotion...Nathan's testing the waters.  No need to disturb it with ripples if it's calm...

(I'm on my 3DS right now, so I can't copy the link for the music atm.  Mind putting it in your next post, Windos?)