midna (midnaslament) wrote in valarlogs, @ 2014-08-29 10:41:00 |
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Entry tags: | !complete, ganondorf, midna |
WHO: Ganon and Midna
WHAT: Discussing new "developments"
WHEN: End of July (YEAH I KNOW)
WHERE: Ganon’s penthouse
RATING/WARNINGS: Language, references to violence, but surprisingly pretty tame all things considered
STATUS: Complete
For all of her sarcasm and instinctual troublemaking, Midna, lately, had really been getting good at keeping herself out of hairy situations. Sure, she had kept a close watch on the comings and goings of the “new leadership” her family had fallen under, but other than that she hadn’t made any moves that would endanger herself or the assets that rightfully belonged to her.
Which is why, when Ganon sent an underling to the Twili estate to summon her to his penthouse across town, Midna went with nary a fuss. Although — 18 and moody — she couldn’t stop herself from shooting death glances at the back of her escort’s head from the backseat of the air conditioned vehicle. Midna hated Ganon’s penthouse. Mostly because she felt most vulnerable there, under the watchful eyes of whatever lackeys the man had hanging around at any given time. At least when he paid his semi-regular visits to the Twili place, he was more or less on Midna’s turf instead.
But truth be told, Midna was curious about what he wanted. Things had been…calm lately. Zant was still being a pain in the ass, of course, but what else was new? Other than that, it was kind of disconcerting, how quiet it had been lately on the homefront.
So she followed dutifully into the penthouse once they arrived, and waited to be announced, leaning against a nearby wall and eyeing the surroundings with an observance and nonchalance she had perfected in her later years as a typical teenager.
The penthouse was outright beautiful - at least to Ganon. Spacious, surprisingly bright and white, with tasteful modern furniture and large, reinforced windows. His backyard was all sand and ocean and building echoed faintly with the sound of waves and seagulls from the distance.
It also smelled like roast pig.
He did have his own security team patrolling. He had to. When someone didn’t like him, he was often in someone’s crosshairs, although no one’s managed to successfully complete the job.
Yet.
He came down the stairs, pressed suit and a casual shirt underneath, with a pair of sunglasses (costing an arm, leg and first born, of course) resting on his nose.
Midna was one of the little shits he hadn’t shot yet. He appreciated the spunk, and other times he was tempted to put a bullet between her eyes and shut her up for good. One could say the asshole had something of a soft spot for her, but rumors were rumors.
“It’s been awhile. You don’t have to look so rigid.”
Of course Midna had noticed the smell as soon as she’d entered the building. How could you not? And despite her desire to play it cool as often as possible, it smelled amazing. Once she was alone in the room, maybe, she had taken a deep breath or two, just to breathe in the smell. She wasn’t much for cooking, by any means, so she tended to eat a lot of meals that just absolutely weren’t roast pig.
Still, surprisingly, it wasn’t an aroma she asked about as soon as Ganon descended the stairs. Instead, she pushed off from her leaning position, unfolding her arms and stepping forward.
“So are all of your summonings this elaborate or do you just call the less fortunate masses on the phone?”
“Only when I’m in a good mood,” he answered, a wide grin spreading across his face. He excused his security with a single nod of his head, and it seemed like they understood the gesture to succinctly translate to something along the lines of Fuck off now.
Midna was lucky Ganon was even remotely pleasant today. Maybe he got laid - who fucking knew - but her sass made his patience run thin often. Today it seemed to have a little more flexibility, but it was still in the testing stages.
“Hungry? I’m sure Zant has wowed you with his fantastic cooking skills.” That was sarcasm. Zant was a fucking idiot.
“Lucky me.” Midna was sure to say it pleasantly, of course, and with a grin, to give the impression of good nature. The last thing she wanted, honestly, was the piss Ganon off today; for whatever reason, she felt even less safe when his security was gone than when they were around. Which was stupid on principle because obviously they weren’t there to protect her. But still.
Letting out a humorless laugh, she rolled her eyes slightly. “I would rather fucking starve than eat anything he sat in front of me.” Midna knew that Ganon kept Zant close for whatever business-related reasons, but she also knew that on a basic personal level, their feelings on the moron were more or less the same. Disdain. So she knew it was a safe thing to say, something that might even keep this uncharacteristic good mood of Ganon’s elevated.
“Which is to say yeah, I could go for food.” At least she was fairly certain that he hadn’t brought her all the way out here to poison her.
Ganon seemed pleased enough with her answer and led her into the open kitchen, furnished with appliances that had too many options and modes than it was necessary. He had a dinner table, sure, but meals were often eaten on the kitchen’s nook, aligned with high bar stools.
“It’s fresh. Killed it myself.” That comment wouldn’t really have been considering creepy if it weren’t for that knowing smile he was wearing; like he was bathing in a secret he knew and she didn’t. He slipped his hands into oven mitts - yes, oven mitts - opened the oven, and pulled the pan out. “Hardly put up a fight.”
Maybe he’d wait to tell her she was going to be eating his pet pig after she actually had the meal. Her reaction would be worth it.
Okay, so this was a little bit bizarre. Midna couldn't recall a time that she had been into Ganon's kitchen, but despite the fact that it was every bit as excessive and immaculate as she would've anticipated, it still felt like she was in a weird warp, where the man before her was domestic (oven mitts...) and cooking and offering her a home-cooked meal.
Still, if she felt put off by the whole shebang, she obviously didn't show it. Instead, she remained impassive as she sidled up onto one of the high bar stools, watching Ganon carefully.
"I can't imagine you'd spend your time inviting me over just for an early dinner," she pointed out wryly, "and I know you have no issue discussing business over food. What can I do for you?"
A healthy sense of skepticism. He could appreciate that. After all, when Ganon invited anyone over, there was often and ulterior purpose that was eventually clarified. He took his time getting out plates, silverware, and glass for drinks.
“We could, of course, catch up. Aren’t you fresh out of the whole high school situation?” He was dancing around the purpose of this meeting. Intentionally. Possibly to just even further aggravate her. Or increase the possible anxiety she was feeling, being generally alone with him.
He began cutting the pig in slices, the blade cutting through the meat like butter. “Given a thought to college?”
"Yeah, I just finished," she replied, simply. There was no way Midna was going to visibly show her discomfort at the situation. And in any case, it wasn't so much a fear as much as it was just the fact that this was all really fucking weird. "Some of your best new employees moonlight as pretty decent tutors. Or whatever the opposite of moonlight is."
And as for college... well, Midna couldn't very well say that her education was invariably on hold until this mess was sorted out, that she had much bigger fish to fry (pigs to roast?) and that sitting in lecture halls was the least idea of fun she'd ever heard basically ever, now could she? "I'm taking a break now. Haven't really decided what I want to do." She chose her next words deliberately. "After all, s'not like I have to pick a career based on income, right?"
Which was, of course, her coded and nonchalant way of reminding Ganon that the fortune he had acquired by getting Midna's father out of the picture still inevitably belonged to her.
It was after Ganon fixed her plate up, brought her a set of napkins, and then poured her a drink - nothing alcoholic, just fresh squeezed lemonade - that he responded. “I didn’t peg you for the college type, really. Books and professors and the sorts.”
He then fixed himself a plate. His drink of choice was an aged red wine, something he swirled in his glass and then smelled before drinking. “And there is a way to earn what’s yours.”
The keyword was “earn.”
Although Midna could be a frustrating little shit sometimes, she still knew how to pick her battles wisely. So instead of pressing the matter any further, she decided to drop it, letting Ganon have the last word on the issue.
She did, however, lift her glass in a barely-there sort of salute -- but really, she was just giving a quick, imperceptible sniff to the liquid inside before taking a drink. Once she'd officially decided she wasn't being poisoned, she picked up her silverware to eat.
"Were you the college type?" she inquired, almost saccharinely. If they were going to play this stupid little small talk game, Midna was more than down to play along.
“I found it more productive to learn a trade,” Ganon said, choosing his words carefully. He’d never outright say what his “trade” or “profession” was in its honest and truest form. He liked describing it as something almost legal, leaving it vague.
“Learned a lot more skills from doing the work instead of studying a book. Although knowledge is power, and I’m not dismissing the importance of literacy.” God knows people needed a lesson or two in that. “Experience teaches you while books simply tell you. I think you’d be a lot more productive, outside of a university.”
Ganon could have her learn anything she wanted. Accounting. Technology. Business transactions. Tracking.
Must better than a degree in English or Sociology.