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"The coffee I was used to drinking was good," Havoc pointed out. Military food was rarely described as good, but the coffee.. well, when you had literal life or death hinged on how awake someone was, you made a point of making sure the coffee was good.
"That would depend on the illegal substance," Havoc said. He wasn't intentionally trying to be evasive--he just didn't have much of an opinion. "For the most part I am content to let professionals make the decisions unless there's evidence that it needs to be revisited."
Which was a very long way of saying I'm going to follow whatever rules are already laid out when it comes to illegal substances. Havoc was not the person you wanted to go to if you were looking for someone who would lighten up restrictions on drugs--he was military through and through, and that meant deferring to his superiors in multiple fields.
"That would depend on the illegal substance," Havoc said. He wasn't intentionally trying to be evasive--he just didn't have much of an opinion. "For the most part I am content to let professionals make the decisions unless there's evidence that it needs to be revisited."
Which was a very long way of saying I'm going to follow whatever rules are already laid out when it comes to illegal substances. Havoc was not the person you wanted to go to if you were looking for someone who would lighten up restrictions on drugs--he was military through and through, and that meant deferring to his superiors in multiple fields.
"Well, then I'm curious what to see what you think of the coffee here," Cabel said. He shrugged. he seemed nonplussed by his direct, no-nonsense manner.
He wasn't lying when he said he was friends with a lot of people. He'd met others more regimented than Havok. it didn't bother him too much.
"That's fair," Cabel said again. he was still tapping his fingers off the table. The only time he stopped was to grab his coffee.
"So tell me," he said. "Would it bother you if you were investigated on suspected drug use?"
He wasn't lying when he said he was friends with a lot of people. He'd met others more regimented than Havok. it didn't bother him too much.
"That's fair," Cabel said again. he was still tapping his fingers off the table. The only time he stopped was to grab his coffee.
"So tell me," he said. "Would it bother you if you were investigated on suspected drug use?"
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Havoc wasn't quite sure what the focus on coffee was, but then he wasn't really sure what any part of the conversation was about. He had only the vaguest sense that there was something else going on--some undercurrent conversation he hadn't clued into--but he couldn't figure out what it was ad dismissed it instead.
"I'll have to try the coffee at some point then," Havoc said, although he didn't see the point.
And then Cabel asked his last question, and Havoc... well, Havoc simply stared. His expression didn't change. He didn't seem to have been bothered by the question at all. He didn't even react.
"No," he said simply, leaving it at that.
Internally, there was a little bit more going on. All the questions - was Cabel trying to figure out if he was going to legalize drugs? Did he want them legalized? Was he against it? Havoc was bad enough at figuring out normal thought processes, let alone some sort of strange conspiracy theory.
"I'll have to try the coffee at some point then," Havoc said, although he didn't see the point.
And then Cabel asked his last question, and Havoc... well, Havoc simply stared. His expression didn't change. He didn't seem to have been bothered by the question at all. He didn't even react.
"No," he said simply, leaving it at that.
Internally, there was a little bit more going on. All the questions - was Cabel trying to figure out if he was going to legalize drugs? Did he want them legalized? Was he against it? Havoc was bad enough at figuring out normal thought processes, let alone some sort of strange conspiracy theory.
His reaction surprised Cabel. He demonstrated this surprise with a lift of his eyebrows (well, what was left of them) but it was unclear how much of this was visible beyond his aviators. It might have been the original purpose of the sunglasses, after all, but now they just hid his lack of eyebrows.
"You don't worry that will affect your campaign at all?" he asked.
"You don't worry that will affect your campaign at all?" he asked.
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"No," Havoc said simply. "It would come back clean, since I am not a habitual drug user."
He didn't get it. Someone else--someone a bit more social, a bit more clear on what was expected--might have realized that he was in the midst of an honest to god blackmailing attempt.
Havoc did not. Havoc wasn't quite naive enough to think that they were being asked as genuine questions, but he couldn't figure it out either.
"Is there a particular reason for your questions?" Havoc asked, deciding to get right to the heart of the matter. He didn't see the point in doing like so many others did and beating around the bush. If he had a question, he'd ask it. If there was an issue, he'd bring it up.
He didn't get it. Someone else--someone a bit more social, a bit more clear on what was expected--might have realized that he was in the midst of an honest to god blackmailing attempt.
Havoc did not. Havoc wasn't quite naive enough to think that they were being asked as genuine questions, but he couldn't figure it out either.
"Is there a particular reason for your questions?" Havoc asked, deciding to get right to the heart of the matter. He didn't see the point in doing like so many others did and beating around the bush. If he had a question, he'd ask it. If there was an issue, he'd bring it up.
"Assume you did take drugs, but you didn't know it," Cabel asked. "Would that change the matter at all?
he took another sip of his coffee and then leaned back, hiking one knee up under his leg and adjusting, getting comfortable.
Cabel wasn't really picking sides. They were both a challenge to deal with, but he felt like he and Emily spoke the same language. But not speaking the same language might make Havok useful, too.
"Yes," Cabel said. "I'm looking to make a bargain and wondering what it will take to get a deal from you."
he took another sip of his coffee and then leaned back, hiking one knee up under his leg and adjusting, getting comfortable.
Cabel wasn't really picking sides. They were both a challenge to deal with, but he felt like he and Emily spoke the same language. But not speaking the same language might make Havok useful, too.
"Yes," Cabel said. "I'm looking to make a bargain and wondering what it will take to get a deal from you."
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"No," Havoc said without even the slightest moment of consideration. He didn't stop to consider. He just said no, and then thought about things.
"Even if I had been drugged," which Havoc was starting to clue in on the fact that he might have been, "drug testing can find long term trends. Considering that this is a magical island, I'm certain that at least one member of the police department can detect lies, at which point I could say with absolute certainty that I'd never chosen to take drugs. This would clear me, and allow me to investigate who it was that had drugged me."
It was then that Havoc finally clued in, like a tiny light bulb going on over his head.
"Is this an attempt to blackmail me?"
Because if it was, Cabel had picked the exact wrong person to try it with.
"Even if I had been drugged," which Havoc was starting to clue in on the fact that he might have been, "drug testing can find long term trends. Considering that this is a magical island, I'm certain that at least one member of the police department can detect lies, at which point I could say with absolute certainty that I'd never chosen to take drugs. This would clear me, and allow me to investigate who it was that had drugged me."
It was then that Havoc finally clued in, like a tiny light bulb going on over his head.
"Is this an attempt to blackmail me?"
Because if it was, Cabel had picked the exact wrong person to try it with.
Hmmmmm. he had a point. Cabel was not used to dealing with people who considered these things so rationally. As Havok pointed out earlier, this was an island of misfits, and misfits usually panicked.
So he grinned.
Was it an attempt to blackmail him?
"It sounds like it wouldn't really work, when you put it like that," Cabel said.
Inside, he was screaming. He hoped Havok liked cumming rainbows.
"But if it was, I now know I couldn't go about it that way," Cabel said. "You'd have needed to have been drugged for a long while without your knowing to contradict your statement, and it would be hard to that without suspicion..unless there was something invisible who could do that, and being realistic, it'd be pretty hard to find someone like that unless we were on an island of magical creatures."
He grinned.
So he grinned.
Was it an attempt to blackmail him?
"It sounds like it wouldn't really work, when you put it like that," Cabel said.
Inside, he was screaming. He hoped Havok liked cumming rainbows.
"But if it was, I now know I couldn't go about it that way," Cabel said. "You'd have needed to have been drugged for a long while without your knowing to contradict your statement, and it would be hard to that without suspicion..unless there was something invisible who could do that, and being realistic, it'd be pretty hard to find someone like that unless we were on an island of magical creatures."
He grinned.
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Technically speaking, it wasn't really possible for Havoc to squint. He was always squinting.
Even so, Havoc still managed to squint.
"This is an extremely poor attempt at blackmail," Havoc said after a moment. "It would imply you'd known I was going to run for elections for a while, and that I was being repeatedly dosed with some kind of a drug which was illegal while also having no noticable effects. It would also require you to be extremely stupid--smart enough to set the entire situation up, but not smart enough to realize that as someone with military training, I've been briefed on how to keep secrets."
Havoc wasn't exaggerating. At least a few of his missions had been the sort of things that got a confidential stamp on them, and with that came a certain amount of training on how not to leak national security secrets.
"You would have to be a very special kind of stupid to do all this to blackmail me, and not-"
Havoc cut himself off, a frown finally giving his face some kind of an expression.
"Have you already tried this to other candidates?"
Probably Emily, since she was supposed to be in the running for president along with him.
Even so, Havoc still managed to squint.
"This is an extremely poor attempt at blackmail," Havoc said after a moment. "It would imply you'd known I was going to run for elections for a while, and that I was being repeatedly dosed with some kind of a drug which was illegal while also having no noticable effects. It would also require you to be extremely stupid--smart enough to set the entire situation up, but not smart enough to realize that as someone with military training, I've been briefed on how to keep secrets."
Havoc wasn't exaggerating. At least a few of his missions had been the sort of things that got a confidential stamp on them, and with that came a certain amount of training on how not to leak national security secrets.
"You would have to be a very special kind of stupid to do all this to blackmail me, and not-"
Havoc cut himself off, a frown finally giving his face some kind of an expression.
"Have you already tried this to other candidates?"
Probably Emily, since she was supposed to be in the running for president along with him.
Cabel laughed.
He had one of those laugh's that was contagious. When he laughed at a party, it made the people he was laughing with feel like they'd be friends for a long time and that everything would be okay.
"Your assumption there assumes you'd be the only one being drugged," Cabel said. he shrugged, as if to say, yeah it's stupid but what are the options?
"If you're good with chemicals you can make side effects minuscule," he said. "Things like deja vu, or maybe time seeming to go slower, or waking up stiff, or restless leg syndrome."
Cabel realized he was tapping his own foot and shrugged.
"So it wouldn't matter if you could keep secrets or not if you and maybe a hundred other people were all in this pool of candidates," Cabel said.
Now that he was thinking it, drugging the cafeteria's food would give him tons of data on how to his product interacted with other species.
Had he tried it with other candidates?
"No," Cabel said, easy enough. "Who would you recommend, though?"
He had one of those laugh's that was contagious. When he laughed at a party, it made the people he was laughing with feel like they'd be friends for a long time and that everything would be okay.
"Your assumption there assumes you'd be the only one being drugged," Cabel said. he shrugged, as if to say, yeah it's stupid but what are the options?
"If you're good with chemicals you can make side effects minuscule," he said. "Things like deja vu, or maybe time seeming to go slower, or waking up stiff, or restless leg syndrome."
Cabel realized he was tapping his own foot and shrugged.
"So it wouldn't matter if you could keep secrets or not if you and maybe a hundred other people were all in this pool of candidates," Cabel said.
Now that he was thinking it, drugging the cafeteria's food would give him tons of data on how to his product interacted with other species.
Had he tried it with other candidates?
"No," Cabel said, easy enough. "Who would you recommend, though?"