[center][img]https://fontmeme.com/permalink/240705/77e4a5d8b0c63705032535a944443b1c.png[/img][/center] [hr] Rupa's eyes widened as she gazed around the study. It was exactly what you'd expect from a guy this rich, every surface polished dark mahogany or some other wood. The carpet was soft enough that Rupa could feel herself sink into it even through her dress shoes, and she had no doubt that it would have better back support than her mattress. She could barely hear the music from the ballroom despite the relatively close proximity - the room was probably soundproofed in some way. The desk was equally lavish, barring the scattered paperwork covering it and the multiple picture frames. She nearly cried out when she saw the Gematria doll sitting next to Mr. Peterson's laptop, but she feigned it as a cough and quickly turned away. Thankfully, Mr. Peterson didn't really seem too paranoid about Gematria, assuming it to be some IT device. Thank god, because Rupa didn't have anything to explain that away. [color=lightgray] "I need to take this call, but look at some of these posters while you're at it! Some very exclusive ones. There's me as a young man with Sir Alec Guinness...there's me on the set of The Crow- the original, not the travesty of a remake, though what happened to poor Brandon was awful...oh, and there's me at Cannes! I was actually a feature film juror one year. Anyway, look at some of those memories! Oh, and leave those burgers on my desk."[/color] Rupa was staring in complete awe at the wall, barely managing to put the tray down as her mouth hung open. She was always more of a fan of props from the films, but the stories that must have been behind these pictures was more than enough to make up for it. [color=00a99d]"Y-you got your picture with Ian McKellen? Did you have to go to New Zealand for that, or was it when he was in the X-Men movies? A-a-and that's Ryan Gosling on the set of Drive! He's literally me- well, actually, I think I'm more of a Stallone personally... Hey, how much do you think the jacket from Drive costs? Not like the original, but a rep-"[/color] Rupa quickly shut up when she noticed he seemed a bit more invested in the phone call than she realized, and continued staring at the posters and photos that adorned the wall. She fully decided it then - this guy couldn't be evil! Everybody in the film industry was squeaky clean when it came to morals. This was just a series of really unfortunate business investments. He even offered Rupa a job! Director Powers would probably be pretty upset that the mission was a bust, but at least they didn't ruin Mr. Peterson's big night yet. Eventually, Mr. Peterson put down the phone and began to speak, drawing Rupa's attention away from the wall. He had made a bit of a mess of himself from inhaling those sliders, but Rupa hardly noticed. She didn't have very good table manners either. [color=lightgray]"Sorry about that. I run a big company, and I have to deal with a lot of unwanted business at unwanted hours. The truth is, business hasn't been that great recently. Expanding out of just doing news and telecommunications and branching into entertainment cost a lot of money that I haven't recouped. There's a lot of trolls out there, too. They really drag business down."[/color] Rupa quickly moved closer to the desk, muttering as she noticed Mr. Peterson's change in mood. [color=00a99d]"S-sorry to hear sir! I might know some of those trolls - StallonePwn84 once banned me for-"[/color] Thankfully, Mr. Peterson didn't seem to register that she was even talking to him, and continued on. Sparing him from a completely pointless tirade. [color=lightgray] "But that's what leads me to you! Here's my proposition. The guys I have working in Cinepedia and Spoiled Cucumbers and whatnot...they don't take film that seriously, and they're also like me. They're old. I need young people in this business. But not just any young people. Young people that know the industry, and who love movies. Not that 'I see a movie on a date once a month or some nonsense.' People that really, truly, love the cinema and the hard work that goes behind the silver screen. I think you have a chance to be that person. And truth be told, well, you remind me a bit of my daughter."[/color] Rupa, for once, didn't talk. This was one of the first times someone had ever told her that something she cared about was actually... worthwhile. She was used to it by now - she'd talk about movies that she loved, and after a minute or two of ranting, they'd say something like 'that's nice' and quickly change topics. Or they'd roll their eyes and make some snide comment. Some of them even lashed out - hell, a guest at this party told her to shut the hell up and paid her to leave him alone. It was probably one of the reasons her mother's visits dwindled as she got older. But Mr. Peterson thought that she had something worth saying. Literally - he was offering to pay her for it. For Rupa's whole life, her powers were what made her special. It was the reason she was born, why she was kept locked in a room her whole life. Why she was nearly married to someone she never met. Hell, it was the only reason she was at HERO. If she didn't have them, she'd be some fucking loser shitposting in a basement about movies that were made before she was born. But now, she had the chance to do something completely on her own - turning shit into gold didn't help her into this. It was all her. Rupa wiped the tears from her eyes as Mr. Peterson looked at the photo of his daughter, doing her best to mute the quiet sobs. She killed a sibling in her sleep before. She had turned into a pool of mercury and snuck past the guards, and tried to strangle Rupa in her sleep. By the time the girl had woken up, her sister was a solid statue of bismuth. She didn't shed a single tear. So why was she crying now? It was embarrassing... [color=00a99d]"T-thank you... I-I promise I-"[/color] [i][b][color=lightgray]"KILLING!"[/color][/b][/i] Rupa jumped at the sudden exclamation, eyes wide and shaking. She noticed his eyes and how his body language was almost like a rabid animal, but could barely ground herself in the rush of tension and emotions. [color=00a99d]"W...wha?"[/color] When Mr.Peterson pulled a gun on her, Rupa reflexively fell into a defensive fighting posture and narrowed her eyes. She broke it immediately, quickly holding her hands up to cover her face and doing her best to keep her voice from quivering. [color=00a99d]"W-what are you doing!? P-please put that down, it's dangerous!"[/color] Rupa wasn't afraid of the gun. Back in India, 'pulling a gun on a Paksha' was a dark expression used to refer to an incredibly foolish and dangerous act. The bullet wouldn't be able to scratch her, and even if it was a tranq gun, the needle wouldn't penetrate skin. It would be easy to solve the situation. He couldn't be more than 2 meters at most - she could vault the desk, clear that distance and have her knuckles buried in his neck within a second. Another second and she would have transmuted and ripped through the carotid artery. He probably wouldn't even get a shot off, she could grab the gun an- No. That wasn't an option. She liked Mr. Peterson. He was a good person... well, other than the gun being pulled on her, but considering the change in behavior, he probably wasn't thinking straight. He didn't deserve to die. Rupa thought of Albino - Luna and Joseph told her that he was lying about being willing to surrender, but they tried really hard to make him despite that. And if Rupa didn't rush to attack him, Eva wouldn't have gotten hurt. [color=00a99d]"I-is this a Fight Club situation? D-durden was a bit nicer... Or is it more Freaky Friday and some weird villain is possessing you? I... I don't think this is funny if it's a joke... Y-you should put the gun down before someone gets hurt, sir! The recoil might mess with your arthritis hands, or whatever old people got going on... I-I promise I won't tell anyone about the whole gun thing! Scouts honor!"[/color] She slowly approached, hands still 'shielding' her face. He might not surrender - he didn't sound fully in control of his actions, and jumped to pulling a gun on what he thought was a superhero very fast. But if she could get closer, she could restrain him and cover his mouth before he could call for reinforcements. Her eyes darted to the desk. Quite a few options there - the picture frame was too small-no, it was too personal. Don't ruin his daughter's photo. The tray was better, it was already made of silver and was big enough she could rip it apart and bind his wrists and ankles. Turn it to Tungsten and he might not even be able to lift his arms, let alone break the restraints. She'd figure out what to bind his mouth with later. Couldn't be too small, he was inhaling those sliders without issue and she didn't want him to choke on- [color=00a99d][i]'Please surrender. I don't want to do that... Please...'[/i][/color] Her eyes landed on Gematria and hovered for a few seconds, pleading. She tore them away just as quick, hoping Mr. Peterson didn't notice. That was an out! If she shocked Mr. Peterson, she might be able to knock him out without a fight! Worked with Jellyfish! But Mr. Peterson was old as shit, what if this broke his pacemaker or something? It'd be like that scene in Jurassic Park, except Rupa didn't know CPR- The earpiece in Rupa's ear buzzed a message. [color=paleturquoise]"According to Toreador, Peterson is not the mastermind. He's the fall guy. If anyone's looking for clues right now, please keep that in mind."[/color] Thank god. Rupa visibly relaxed as she heard Wireframe's words, which was pretty jarring considering she was at the other end of a gun barrel. He was being brainwashed or something. Now all they needed to do was restrain Mr. Peterson without injury, find the real mastermind, incarcerate him, and do all of that before the others have their cover blown. This was a shitshow. James Bond wasn't discovered until, like, near the climax of his movies.