EGYPTIAN WHEELIES

[obeytherod]

[Malik had found something while looking through the East Wing. Just what that "something" was becomes apparent when an engine roars to life, and the skid of tires on tiled flooring echoes through the halls.

Sure...sure, he could just walk his new bike outside...but where was the fun in that?! This wasn't an ATV, and it likely wasn't going to fair well in the spotty terrain outdoors...

So he's just going to take a few smooth-riding laps in the halls before he goes to test it outside.

When somebody gets in his way, he rears the bike back onto one wheel, skidding a few feet on the floor before the front tire slams back down and he comes to a stop.]

What, are you trying to get yourself killed?

Comments

[whiterosefoes]

Are you kidding? This type of dueling isn't for fun. It's for war, [She's annoyed at the insinuation that she'd teach him powerful magic just because she's bored. Who does he think she is? Bakura?

An "offer", however, is different. Just like with Rosenkreuz long ago, she'll make a deal with the devil if it's for the right reason. However, he has to know that her price is steep. She smiles pleasantly.]

I'm actually kind of a big deal, you know? "The Legendary Duelist", foretold in prophecy. I once decided the fate of an empire with this magic. You'd have to offer me something equal or greater in power before I might consider teaching it.

[But those things, she can count on her hand, and she doubts he'd be willing. Still, what happened with his Yami was unforgivable - and Harriet had not been strong enough. Because of that, Elly had to kill... it makes her want to seek more, something to ensure that could never happen again.]

[obeytherod]

[Malik uses every ounce of his being to not roll his eyes at that "Legendary Duelist" spiel, even if the fact itself meant that Harriet was, indeed, the right person for the job. He couldn't lose this opportunity, not here...

Mind control wouldn't work either, because he needed hands-on practice more than mere knowledge.]

Something equal or greater in power... [He quietly parrots her words back to himself, thinking... He had Ra, and the Rod...and neither of those were options.

But he had one more thing.] I can offer you...information.

[As lackluster as that sounded, he remained confident, raising his Rod to glance down at it knowingly.] You crave power after all...don't you? And with knowledge comes power.

[whiterosefoes]

Nice try. [Her response is immediate. He's the one coming to her for knowledge. That response is not just lackluster, she thinks it's total bullshit.

Though, she wouldn't have blamed him for rolling his eyes at the "legendary duelist" spiel. Everything she said was the truth, but it sounds a bit heavy-handed even without embellishing it. Which she did.]

[obeytherod]

[It was a nice try! He shrugs casually, as if being blown off hadn't bothered him at all.] Okay, Harriet, what do you want?

1/

[whiterosefoes]

[She expected him to go a tier up after blowing him off, rather than outright asking her. Despite his confidence, it comes off rather desperate... then again, she set her bar pretty high, so she can hardly blame him. She could ask him for his God Card or his Rod, but what was the point - he'd never agree to those terms. So she taps her chin thoughtfully]

What do I want... [she muses aloud, crossing back over to stand across from Malik at his bike] ... Indeed, what, from the young boy who brought harm to my friends one by one? You certainly have power that I'd crave, if only to take it away from you. I would do anything for that...

[She leans in a bit, her eyes glittering as though she's seriously asking.]

[whiterosefoes]

[...and then her face turns dark.]

But I know you'd never give that up, so this is really a waste of my time. How 'bout you just drop dead!? [she exclaims as she snaps her arm out to whack the Millenium Rod out of his hand. Harriet doesn't intend to take it from him, but he's had it out this whole time even though he knows what he did to her with that, and she's just damn sick of looking at it. After she's made her point, she intends to head back.]

[obeytherod]

[Even before her face gave away her true intentions, Malik had a feeling she wasn't going to bite. He still held out hope though, tried to guess ahead at what she might say and formulate a response ahead of time...

But all that thinking ahead hadn't prepared him for the Rod being slapped out of his hand. It was so sudden, the feeling of his soul being sucked back into the dark, free-floating space of the Rod that he hadn't even had time to try and utilize the soul fragment in his own body.

Malik's expression wipes itself of any sentience, his eyes shifting to a dull, vacant ten-yard gaze as his body gracelessly crumples against his bike and then slips to the ground below.

The Rod had landed a few feet away, coming to a rest near the edge of one of the many trees.]

[whiterosefoes]

[WHAT.

Harriet steps backwards as Malik's limp body falls off the bike, and folds her other hand over the one that just smacked the rod. He really did it, he dropped dead!]

Hahaha... very amusing!

[...............he's not getting back up. UM. She looks anxiously between his "corpse" and the rod, having rolled into the distance. The normal reaction to this would be to try CPR, wouldn't it? But well, accidents happen, and she's pretty sure preventing random heart attacks isn't her job as per the terms of their deal with Bakura. Frankly, she should just pat herself on the back and go get her free rod.

Harriet then realizes she's been thinking all of these things while checking his pulse, and that he's not, in fact, dead.]

[obeytherod]

[No, Malik's definitely not dead. The slight rise and fall of his chest and the worryingly faint beat of his heart prove that much. It'd almost be as if he were asleep, if not for the fact his eyes remained open and unseeing.]

[whiterosefoes]

[which she's just discerned by waving her hand in front of them. Hmm. She'll feel his chest just to be completely certain that he's breathing, and after about ten seconds of that she'll at least try rolling him into the recovery position.

Why is she doing this? God knows.]

[obeytherod]

[From a few feet away, the eye on the Rod glows, and Malik suddenly snaps back into consciousness.]

Ghh... [Ignoring Harriet entirely, he rolls over and pushes himself up onto his hands and knees. Having such a small fragment of a soul control his empty vessel of a body like this wasn't any easier the second time, but it was a necessity.

He lifts his head, spotting the Rod just a few feet away.

...Okay, he's just got to get to that.]

[whiterosefoes]

[She gasps as he comes back to life, and - what the heck...? He just collapsed, and he's immediately going for the rod? It can't be more important than his health. What does he intend to do with it? This is so pathetic that it swings back around and kind of pisses her off. She's just going to get up and grab it before he can get it, then look at him with disgust.]

This damn rod... Is it really so important that you'll crawl like a worm for it?

[obeytherod]

...I wasn't crawling.

[Maybe he took a slight step towards it, but Malik was working on getting to his feet at the same time. He finally manages to pull himself to his feet, but not before she's grabbed the Rod herself. With her holding it like that...it would be easy to just possess her and force her to give it to him, but that would also expose the fact it was now a soul-container.

He steps over to her and holds out a hand, eyes narrowed, but also seeming to struggle to keep focused.]

Hand it over.

[whiterosefoes]

[that's what it looked like to her, but she shrugs when he manages to pull himself up.]

You look rather dizzy, you know.

[But she'll hand it over, just like that. She doesn't want this stupid thing anyway.]

[obeytherod]

[As soon as the Rod is back in his hand, Malik looks as if he'd never collapsed as all. He quickly hooks the thing onto his belt and then turns to glower at her. There's a real anger in his eyes...before it fades out. He still needs her for other things, and at the very least it seemed she hadn't been about to just pick-pocket his comatose body and run, so there was that.]

...You know...hitting me like that could easily spark something much worse. You're lucky I'm not the vengeful type.

[As if that weren't the biggest load of bullshit he'd ever said. Even Malik can't say it with a straight face.]

Keh keh...well, okay, you're just lucky I find you interesting.

[whiterosefoes]

[Well that was weird. It was like he got a second wind just now...]

That's ... a strange kind of fortune. [His interest in her... she has a hard time seeing the positives in that.]

And why are you acting like you didn't just fall over like a sack of bricks?

[obeytherod]

Fortune is fortune, right? Kehkeh...

[His hand rests back on his Rod unconsciously, the grip around it oddly protective.]

...I think I'm coming down with something. [That was as good an excuse as any.]

[whiterosefoes]

Yeah, something like a blood clot. Your pulse was WEAK.

[Her tone makes it sound like a diss, but... technically...

Of course, it's just shock. She couldn't really be concerned for him.]

[obeytherod]

...You checked my pulse?

[Malik just...stares at her now. She checked his pulse. That was shocking. Once the shock wears off, though...he has to fight with all his strength to not smile.

Perfect. Things were working out for him, at this rate...he really would be able to use her!]

[whiterosefoes]

[Harriet sees him fighting back that smile. And she thinks, if he smiled, she would seriously have to punch him. She pokes her finger at him]

Oy! You stop reading into that! I really didn't even have time to think about it.

[obeytherod]

[Malik holds his hands up, tilting his head away in a mocking gesture of surrender.]

Of course not...your first instinct was simply to make sure I wasn't dead. That's kind of you.

[He watchers her with a knowing look, waiting for some sort of burst of fury on her end.]

[whiterosefoes]

[when he calls her "kind" she practically cuts him off]

That! That right there is you reading into it! Assuming you're somehow getting special treatment or that this means perhaps I don't actually hate you - what planet do you come from?

[obeytherod]

I wasn't assuming anything. I know a lot about hate...I know it's not dissipated so easily, and you have every reason to hate me.

[Malik places a hand at his hip, smirking openly now.] But your feelings towards me doesn't change the kindness of your actions.

[whiterosefoes]

[...he's got her there. That is why that statement is getting pointedly ignored.]

If you understand, then stop smiling, you asshole.

[She's crossing her arms. It's seriously disgusting...]

[obeytherod]

Kehkeh! No...I don't think I will. This is really too amusing. [He strokes the head of his Rod idly.]

You're so mad...over what? The fact I can read you like a book even without the Rod?