Scene #2932: A Clown and a Mad Scientist walk into a bar...

Owner	Pose
Hisoka	Many things to do, many plans to make... and so very many of them rely on waiting. Well, sometimes a few things need nudging along. There's nothing wrong with making a few moves while otherwise idle, waiting for plans to fall into place. The rogueish jester is in the bar, waiting for Tesla to arrive. He'd called her through their shared channel and shared interest in the Protectorate and the villains of that world. Details were vague over the connection, just an invitation to come discuss taking care of a few problems. Why, the offer was vague enough and suggestive enough that Hisoka may well have been flirting, requesting Tesla join him at a bar for no other reason than the merely social. Then again, he's been nothing but professional with hr so far. There's just enough of a hint that he's not merely flirting to make his request interesting. He's seated at a booth, working on building a house of cards. He moves with an easy sureness, not rushing but not hesitating to place any pair of cards. He's made a decent wall, two levels high now and beginning work on a third. The exercise, it seems, has his full attention.
Tesla Armadia	If it had been anyone else Tesla might of ignored it due to the importance of the matter she was working on. But seeing it was Hisoka, and knowing that he had been operating in the Worm world as well, was enough to provoke her curiosity. Even if she had a good hunch what he wanted to talk to her about. His presence had been an unexpected but very worthwhile interger last time, so she had little reason to not entertain his request for a meeting The mastermind scientist strides into the bar with her usual impassiveness, spotting the jester at the booth and walking over with little hesitation. She is, at least, polite enough to wait until he's not actively trying to place cards before speaking up. "Hello."
Hisoka	Hisoka picks up another pair of cards before he looks up. He smiles, his smile actually not mocking or unpleasant like it so often is. He twists the cards with his fingers, spinning them, then fanning the two cards into five. He flicks his hand, making three of the five cards vanish once again, leaving apparently the original two. He gestures with the cards to the booth seat opposite. "Please, have a seat. Anything to drink? Someone has been bothering me. I ... told them not to bother me again unless I had a guest." he says, the grin widening somewhat into a smirk. "I'm afraid I miscalculated in the tournament." Hisoka notes offhandedly, almost casually. "If I'd lost my first fights, I'd have been fighting again this week. Now I find myself entirely healed with no one strong to fight." he says casually.
Tesla Armadia	Tesla slides into the booth on the opposite side. "Ah, the tournmanet. Alas, due to the various... projects I have enveloped myself in and require the potential assistance of my underlings I was not capable of entering Shardcore this year. Oh well. Business before pleasure." She rests her elbows on the tabletop, lightly enough to not disrupt the card house structure, and steeples her fingers together. "Then perhaps you will have time to make use of this gap in the affairs." There is just a hint of a smirk at the way he phrased essentially being healthy and bored. "Interested in perhaps investing some more time into the world of superheroes?"
Hisoka	Intelligence isn't exactly on top of the list Hisoka finds exciting about a person, but of course intelligence often rises to the top in those who can fight. Either way, it's something he can appreciate. He doesn't answer the question directly. "I was impressed how you handled Alexandria, the last time we worked together." he says instead. Not that they were technically together, but it's a convenient excuse. "You made her look weak. Made her lose control. Showed she wasn't as strong as she thought she was." he says, crooning slightly. He reaches out, balancing a new card awkwardly on his growing collection. One wrong breath, it'll surely fall, taking the other cards with it. "I don't like trash having too high an opinion of their own ability. Trash should not show itself where others watch, unless it wants to get swept ... away~" he adds, smirking. "But this trash has strong friends, and is supposed to be invulnerable. Difficult to really do what must be done against someone like that, while there's the chance others might interfere. Right~?" he asks the last in a sing-song tone.
Tesla Armadia	"She was fortunate that I had come prepped for a different defender," Tesla admits. Things had come out good for them in the end, but a miscalculation was a miscalculation. Unlike some masterminds Tesla was willing to admit she had made an error, and then learn from it. Was that not how experimentation goes? You find the errors and remove the variables one by one. "She will not get off so easy next time. Especially now that I have personal experience dealing with her." Idly she picks up one of the unused cards between two fingers and turns it over to look at the numerical face of it. "It would seem we are in agreement to that regard. "They are arrogant fools, believing they are the only ones that can save their world. Even when it has been outsiders like us that have done what they could not." She flicks the card between her fingers a few times, then holds it out for Hisoka to take at his leisure. "The commander of their parahuman defense operation has been assassinated. Even as we speak I have compatriots that are prying the cracks wider. Revealing the weakness they have tried to hide. In time the Triumvirate will have no choice but to act themselves. Expose themselves. Vulnerable."
Hisoka	Hisoka nods. He also believes in the power of improvisation, and in learning what you can. "You wish to kill her yourself, then?" he asks, sounding perhaps mildly disappointed. "Mmm well, I could help with the others, I suppose." he says offhandedly. Too offhandedly to sound like he's entirely sincere about being interested in doing so. "I don't know Alexandria's weakness, though I'd bet my life I could find it, if I were to face her without interference. The other two... I'm not so certain of. And besides, I don't know they're trash I'd enjoy disposing of~" he grins. "Are you sure though, you wish to force them to expose themselves?" Hisoka asks idly, looking down at his cards then turning his eyes up to peer at Tesla from just under his eyelids. He reaches out, pokes the card jutting out from his construct of cards. It moves, causing the cards it's resting on to shudder before settling back into place, house of cards still intact. "Better, I think, to cause them to come out at a time of OUR choosing." he says. "Sure, you could probably arrange for her to come out. Her arrogance leaves her... exposed." he says. He studies the table. "Break her, the triumvirate collapses." he adds, pursing his lips and blowing at the lone card. Somehow, possibly with magic responsible, the card doesn't move. The house of cards inexplicably fails to collapse. "Or you could gather force, and hit them when they're not ready. Take them ALL out at once~" he says. Hisoka beckons with a finger, and abruptly all the cards on the table collapse in a seemingly-unprovoked cascade. "If so, I'd appreciate information on the other members we might face. If I'm going to be opposing them, best if I'm properly prepared..." he smirks.
Tesla Armadia	"I am not foolish enough to think I can do this alone. Even if I do manage to isolate Alexandria to my own satisfaction, there will be her allies to deal with. Or the Union. While there is no love between the two organizations right now, they still foolishly believe these supposed heroes are the 'good' guys. Hmph. Moral wifflewaffle." Tesla sat back on her side of the booth, steepling her hands together again. "That is what I meant by exposing them. Making sure our true targets come to us, by ensuring they have no other option but to respond themselves. Be it her or otherwise, certainly your assistance would prove useful if you wish to get involved. I can provide you with information gathered from others' encounters and my associate who is a native of that world, if you wish. As for Alexandra's weaknesses..." There was a pause, and for a moment one could swear there was a malicious glimmer of reflection across the scientist's glasses. "Her hubris blinds her to ways her super abilities are not so infallible." Which is about all she's going to give away on that regard.
Hisoka	On the face of it, Tesla's giveaway is supremely useless. Hisoka's one to appreciate a good troll though, and also to enjoy working things out on his own. You can't always trust what others tell you for free, after all, or even the things you pay them to tell you. "So." Hisoka says, leaning back in the booth and clasping his hands behind his head, a pose of nonchalance. "She is shielded. And she believes that because no one has been able to hurt her, she can't be killed~?" he asks, taking a wild guess. He's got a few ideas how to test her supposed invulnerability, and he's also got his own sources of information. Information that, naturally, he doesn't feel like sharing. It's not THAT important for him to kill Alexandria so long as he can see her face as she dies, see the despair there as she realizes she's not as strong as she believes. Yeeeessss, that would be quite tasty indeed. "Let me know when you're ready to move." Hisoka requests. "And please, send along the information on the other members. Best to know their faces at least." he says teasingly. "I don't care about what others believe to be good or not. Your Confederacy interests me however. Or at least... there's interesting people that are part of it. Perhaps when this is all done, you can... tell me more?" he suggests, eyebrows raising. "Or you could tell me whatever you want now, over drinks?" he adds, smile widening slightly into a suggestive grin.
Tesla Armadia	Tesla grins when Hisoka provides his own analysis, which proves to be rather spot on to her own analysis. "Once more you prove to be much more intelligent that your appearances would suggest to some." And she means that as a compliment. "I shall do so, on both accounts." The subtle flirt-like undertones don't go unnoticed, and are a small source of amusement. "Prehaps afterwards, yes. We could share notes, and drinks. After all, these are hardly the only superpowered entities in the Multiverse. As for the Confederacy... While it is true we willingly and openly employ methods that others may believe are 'wrong', we are hardly the big singularity of 'evil' some would paint us to be. Good and Evil are entirely subjective to societal views after all... and I care little for such things. After all," she seperates her hands to hold them out at her sides a bit, "It may be for my own personal gains in the future, but I am trying to save that world. Primarily from itself before it's rendered to a state to no longer be... useful."
Hisoka	Hisoka's generally somewhat ambivalent at the outcomes of his flirting. If it fails, he's just being whimsical. If it interests the one he's flirting with... well, it's not serious in any case but it's still pretty fun. It's a harmless situation with no downside. He sighs and nods. "The Endbringers." he says, looking irritated. "They would interest me, being strong. But anything that can't be made to fear for its life seems kind of boring to me." he explains. The Endbringers are too alien for him to really enjoy. And what's the point of risking one's life without being able to truly enjoy the outcome? He'd be just as well-off taking up skydiving, or perhaps russian roulette. "People who don't choose their fights wisely don't generally live long enough to get good." he notes, waggling a hand in a meaningless gesture. The statement could apply to his mention of the Endbringers, or it could just as easily be in answer to Tesla remarking on his intelligence. He CAN be subtle... when it suits him.
Tesla Armadia	"I can see how the lack of instillation of terror could... bore one such as yourself, yes." As for the vague remark about wise fights and surviving Tesla just chuckles a bit as she slides herself out of the booth. The words are true. "If you will excuse me, I must return to making the final preperations."
Hisoka	Hisoka shows some regret as Tesla makes her way out, but he's not really upset. "I understand. Work comes before having fun~" he says, once again putting a bit of teasing suggestion into his words. That said, Hisoka turns his eyes back to his table. He slides his hand across the collapsed cards, sweeping them into his hand in a manner that resembles a recording of someone messily smearing an intact deck across the table but in reverse. It's a minor sort of magic, card tricks... but it seems to amuse him.