#blcckng

" oh is that SO? "

What a bombastic and joyous laugh to follow such an outward response. Bought. Now why would Nathaniel Essex need to be bought out by Sebastian Shaw? No, no, why, he wondered--or perhaps was it possible that...?--would Shaw debate such a thing. If anything--if anything--Nathaniel would find far more of a benefit in buying Shaw. Not the other way around. No amount of monetary value could be enough for Essex, not truly.

Not that he ever needed it. His ambitions in sight, just in reach. How he could hold them in his hands, tightly and never let go. Nails like claws digging into them, refusing to loosen.

" no, no, i'm afraid i can't! but why would you want that, shaw? do you? do you want me? do you want my help, perhaps? have i sparked your needs! have you finally seen my usefulness? "

@blcckng liked for a starter

" now that wasn't very nice! honestly, i'm just trying to find a better purpose for you than sitting around aaannndd......what...? drinking? "

Happiness. An emotion--and more important--, not the baseline for any known living thing. Perhaps, perhaps it could be the baseline for some kind of artificial life. Or, or...it could be implanted into a mind, forced into joy as an endless, though he wondered if that might make it incapable of shifting into fear or anger or sadness...It would be an experiment for another time, one he might some of his own joy in--would a clone of himself with that baseline be a good idea? It would certainly be interesting.

A snort passed by the man's throat, hand passing over his chin, lightly tapping away between his lips in utter thought. People--humans, mutants, inhumans, whatever--didn't deserve the temporary emotion of happiness. Sure, they could attain it, but through natural causes, it would never be something they attained forever. It was almost funny to him, that it was Shaw--mister Black King, the local little mobile accumulator of energy--was the one asking that idiotic question.

Though what came from the man was hardly anything condescending--even if the thoughts were drifting around in his head. Instead his voice was rather calm, collected and perhaps one could call soft. He didn't turn to look at Sebastian, simply staring off into his own direction, his own thoughts.