[hr][center][h1]JAMES PORTER
[color=f7976a]LE BANG KIEU[/color][/h1][/center][hr][center]Collab with [@Liotrent][/center][hr]

James looked over to his roommate, his face flushed a little bit of red when he was asked whether he had 'fun'.

"I'd say it was... Entertaining." He turned on his heels and walked over to take a seat on the couch across from him. "What about you? Eventful night Mr... Uhm... Sorry if this comes out of the blue, but I don't quite know how to address you. I apologize for my curt ignorance."

[color=f7976a]"Ah. Bang Kieu would be my given name. Bang is fine too."[/color] He smiled. [color=f7976a]"I understand. I used to find it curious how the West place their family name at the end."[/color]

James took off his hat and placed it onto the coffee table. "Well Bang, since we're roommates, tell me about yourself. How did you earn your reputation and end up here?"

The Egoist shrugged. [color=f7976a]"Lost a quarter of my body weight in an accident. Survived. Some may regard me more of a motivational speaker than a polymath,"[/color] Bang chuckled. [color=f7976a]"What about you, Mister Porter?"[/color]

"I'm regarded as quite the prodigy with brewing chemical concoctions in my early forays into chemistry. However, these days I'm learning to be parfumier..." James crossed his legs elegantly and gentlemanly as he steepled his fingers, "My current study is focused on the ethical use of formulation within perfumes to affect ones mood. It's akin to drugs, thus, I need a better handle on pharmaceutical studies as well. My encounter with Kalil and his drug vapours tonight makes that fact painfully clear."

Bang blinked.

[color=f7976a]"Ah. I see! Well... that's all fine with me if you partake in your... pharmaceuticals. I'll just request that you keep those activities to your side of our lodgings. My physical condition is still a little sensitive."[/color] He eked out a smile.

"Of course. Chemical experimentation may be... [i]volatile[/i]" he was relieved, it seems that Bang wasn't going to be a bothersome roommate, perhaps the type to keep more to himself. James smiled back before continuing the conversation, "... By the way, you mentioned that you've met with an accident. How did that come about Mister Le? Or would you prefer to be called Bang in a more casual manner?"

[color=f7976a]"Bang is fine with me! I assume we'll be rooming together for a while after all."[/color] He found himself unable to force his smile much longer. [color=f7976a]"It was an Abstraction incident. My brother... bit off more than he could chew."[/color]

"Ah..." James clasped his hands together tightly, realizing he'd stepped on a landmine, "... I apologize for bringing back presumably painful memories."

[color=f7976a]"It's been a long time. It's fine."[/color] Ah, this always happened when he was made to talk about it. Bang cleared his throat. [color=f7976a]"Uh. What about you? You've probably got family missing you too, right?"[/color]

James' face betrayed no emotion, his voice was still holding up the façade, but at this very moment he contemplated his life as he did many times before, 

"... Yes, they're quite proud of me..." [i]A lie.[/i], 

"... They're expecting me to do great things once I'm done here..." [i]I'm expected to be proficient in my job.[/i]

"... They say they'll be waiting for me and give me a warm welcome home!" [i]I don't even have a home, not a real one.[/i]

James smiled earnestly. There was nothing for him before. There'll be nothing for him after. He has a job to do. He let the statements sink in, before switching the topic, "I'm actually quite interested in some of the people here... There was this woman who Kalil spoke to, do you happen to know her? She seemed quite interesting."

Bang restrained his jealousy, thankful for the topic switching away from family.

[color=f7976a]"Hmmm. I didn't catch the chance talk with the fellow myself, I only joined that little group once he stepped away. Are you talking about the Russian girl in the nice dress? Or the quiet British one?"[/color]

"The British one? She seemed like she'd be from the New World with her appearance." he replied. "Ah! Since we are speaking cordially, would you like me to make some tea or perhaps you're a coffee type of person. I hear coffee is quite good in some places of the Orient."

Coffee at this time of night seemed a little...

[color=f7976a]"You'd be correct! Well, since you're offering, I wouldn't mind trying the tea they have here. In exchange, I'll treat you to a Vietnamese-style coffee in the morning!"[/color]

"I'd love some Vietnamese-style coffee!" Yes, one of James' few real pleasures, Tea and Coffee. He stood up and started brewing up some tea in the nearby kitchen, from there he continued the conversation, "... Who else did you converse with? I've only gotten to know two people throughout. Kalil being one, and another person from the Orient... Hana I believe was her name."

[color=f7976a]"Like I said, the group earlier. Kiran Agnarrson, the travelling Technologist. Valeriya Zhukova from Russia and..."[/color] Bang had to take a moment to remember. [color=f7976a]"Ah... Nazca, I believe. Aside from them, I also spoke to Ryuuko. That Japanese defector, if you know."[/color]

"Japanese defector? Interesting..." There were a lot of colorful characters, "... Did your meetings involve less drugs? Because Kalil wasn't quite discreet that he was higher than the chandeliers... I can still feel some of the lingering effects." James put a hand to his forehead.

[color=f7976a]"I..."[/color] Bang blinked. [color=f7976a]"Um. I didn't take... drugs."[/color]

He coughed politely into his fist.

[color=f7976a]"I suppose you and Kalil were...?"[/color]

"I was a little unwilling..." He brought over the cups of tea and placed them by the coffee table. "I'll be honest, I was using a drug, but it was mostly used to calm people. I had no intention of inhaling it alongside whatever Kalil was using. It was a prototype for a type of perfume I'm developing you see."

Okay, that seemed like a safe conversation thread. [color=f7976a]"Is there a demand for perfumes that are... relaxing? I assumed their purpose was to just smell pleasant."[/color]

"As I've said, purely pharmaceutical. However, I can picture some more wealthy people demanding something... Stronger. I don't condone such a thing." James elegantly sipped his tea. "What about you? Do you have a particular pursuit of study?"

At that Bang coughed again, sipping his tea to hide his embarrassment. [color=f7976a]"My Egoist studies specialise in regeneration. After, you know, the accident. It's a fairly, ah, archaic focus but it helps me a lot personally."[/color]

"Hmm, perhaps we could collaborate. Chemical compositions of the body and such are complicated. I could study them for you, though a biologist or a doctor would be more appropriate." James closed his eyes to ponder this thought, Bang seemed to be a rather pleasant person to converse with. There are only a few who don't absolutely annoy him. He finds that even his handlers are assholes with enough time.

The Egoist raised an amused eyebrow. [color=f7976a]"Are you trying to get me into your relaxants too?"[/color]

James then opened one of his eyes as his lips formed a playful smirk, "Not quite..." he then leaned forward slightly, "... What I offer is a collaboration between you, I, and another student to further our research of the human body. Human chemical composition, more accurate human anatomical models... Imagine the lives our studies would save."

'Accurate' would probably be something he'd disappoint the Brit on. Bang allowed himself a chuckle. [color=f7976a]"You're certainly not the first person to present this sort of idea to me, Mister Porter. Sounds promising. Ah, who is this other you have in mind?"[/color]

"I'm not quite sure yet, but I may suggest Ms. Yun Hana. I witnessed her go towards the infirmary after the lightbulb exploded to check on the wounded. However, it's a tentative suggestion since I'm not quite sure she's a doctor, it's just an assumption after all..." The more people he could connect together, the better his social web will be. He'll eventually get to his target, it was only a matter of when.

[color=f7976a]"I think that's a great idea!"[/color] Bang's smile was genuine this time. [color=f7976a]"Imagine all the medical knowledge we'd acquire, all the people we could help with our combined knowledge."[/color]

When Bang smiled, he felt a feeling in his heart that he had not felt before.

[i]There were people like this who cared about others, who cared about his fellow human beings. And here I am, a killer - is that really what I want to be?[/i]

"Then perhaps we should call it a night and see to it tomorrow then?" He stood to shake his hand. "... I think this is the beginning of a fruitful relationship."

[i]... Perhaps this time, I mean that.[/i]

Bang nodded, clamping his artificial hand onto James'. [color=f7976a]"Glad to be working together, roommate."[/color]