MENTAL LINK.

[batmotif]

[Though it may be the first time that Bruce has reached out to everyone mentally, there’s no hesitation in how quickly his voice permeates in other hosts’ heads. As with most things, the man gets right to it — besides, this isn’t exactly being done for the sake of pleasantries.

Straight to business then:]

(If you’ve been paying attention, you’d know that Public Security Commissioner Seong-Hye Ngozi has been hiding something. I plan on visiting her office to find out exactly what that is.)

[Images of the office building itself filters through the link, the fruit of prior research and reconnaissance. And the implication is more than clear that this isn’t exactly going to be a scheduled office visit.]

(I’ll need distractions outside of the Public Security offices. Only volunteer if you’re confident that you know what you’re doing.)

[He’s sure questions are on their way, but he’s not willing to entertain them preemptively. Thus, his words end there.]

((ooc; this is the post for your character to ICly offer themselves to help with the break-in plot. (As detailed here.) Note that while Bruce might not find everyone’s credentials compelling, that won’t stop your character from coordinating with others if they want. He's not your supervisor!!!

Therefore, threadjacking is highly encouraged so all characters can sort out their plotting together!)

Comments

[narcissithstic]

(Not if she's willing to cooperate - I won't jeopardize our mission with infighting.

Otherwise, evaluate our skills. Take whichever one of us is best suited to your needs.)

[I.e. him. According to him, anyway.]

[batmotif]

[He's almost quick to point out that there certainly seems to be a fair amount of infighting right here -- but he also won't deny that Rey seems to be the more... heated of the two.

He'll call her out on it, in their own link. But for now:]

(Both of you can contribute to the mission, assuming you're willing and able to cooperate. But whatever animosity there is between you two needs to be swept aside completely; otherwise, there's no point in even entertaining this conversation.)

[Are you able to do that, he wonders? From what he's seeing so far, he can't be sure.]

[narcissithstic]

(Consider it done.) [He's worked at Hux's side for years, and while their bickering might have bled in private, more often than not it was stowed away and kept close, particularly while on a mission.]

(Anything else you need from me, ask. I won't be far.)

[batmotif]

[Well, that was easy enough. (Un)forunately, Bruce doesn't always believe in "easy", but if he has reservations, they can be sorted out with teammates later. For now, a potential ally is a priceless connection, and one he can't turn away.]

(I still have questions. You mentioned a proficiency in the "Force"; I need more details than just that.)

[What a term that's been floating about so frequently in the Nest, as of late.]

[narcissithstic]

(You don't know.) [A note of surprise; he'd expected Bruce to understand it by now, given the tangible thread drawn between his thoughts and the scavenger's own. Perhaps she's kept it entirely to herself.

Selfishness was always her fortress.]

(It's difficult to explain, easier to feel. All you need to know is that I'm capable of physical manipulation and the mental equivalent of it from a great distance, without exposing myself. Lifting objects, bending them, breaking them, reading minds as easily as a broadcast readout— wiping them clean, if necessary. I was valued for my proficiency.

And that remains true now.)

[batmotif]

[He had sensed it, in a second-hand sort of way. His link with Rey gave him the barest threads of information, but the fact that he did not pry further was no one's fault other than his own. He had made it a point to keep up his walls, to reinforce them so strongly that nothing could get in or out.

It's only recently that he's learning to peek through the cracks, and even then the process is painfully slow. Complete trust does not come easily to this man.]

(And you've implied that Rey's skills are not as honed.) ["Implied" is perhaps a nice way of putting it.]

[narcissithstic]

(Because they aren't.)

[There's nothing untrue about that: she's untrained, untutored and without a teacher to keep her in check. However powerful she might be, it's all raw talent - the sort that saw him overtaking her effortlessly on Takodana, at the beginning of their fight.]

( She needs training. She needs a -teacher-.

Until then, her powers will be wild, unpredictable at best. They'll come to her in desperation, not control. )

[batmotif]

[Raw talent, then. A good thing to have, though wielded clumsily without tutelage. Without focus and control, like Ren is telling him.

But Rey is also a broodmate. This sparks motivation for Bruce to find ways for her to improve, rather than to deny her help in future missions.]

(And there's no one here to teach her? No way for her to improve herself?)