The Chained Watcher

The Effect of Manners

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Idly watching Grian work on editing his newest video, Martyn sighs, mind filled with the numerous things he wants answers to that only Grian can answer. He ever so slightly regrets sneaking into the lounge so soon after getting onto the server. Not the action itself, no, just that he didn't try to wheedle answers out of Grian before annoying him like that.

Bored, he asks, "Hey, so..." Grian glances over, just as weirdly nonaggressive as always, "Why was the giant mattress all the way on the far side of the lounge room? There was a gap between the normal-sized stuff and it too. Why's that?"

He doesn't expect anything out of it. At most, an eye roll, or maybe a curt dismissal.

That's not what he gets.

"Mmm? Oh, because a lot of my friends aren't really all that comfortable being close by when I'm not pretending to be an avian." Grian's pupils turn to slits for a moment, betraying his Watcher nature, then round out again. "Not saying they're wrong to be afraid of Watchers, but I have fun showing off cool enchantments, even if Scar's the only one who acts like there's no difference between me when disguised and when not."

He stares blankly at him. He gave him an answer? Like, an actual, non-sarcastic answer? Grian smirks. "What, surprised? I know I kicked you out of my lounge, but that's because it's a space for me and my friends who want to get to know me without my disguise. And no offense to either of you, but just because I'm fairly confident you two wouldn't use knowledge of my Tier against me directly doesn't mean I can trust your coworkers to do the same."

"But you... Why answer in the first place then? You clearly know that this is going in a report, so..."

"An unknown entity is treated much less cordially than a known variable," Grian declares sagely. "As long as whatever I reveal isn't my name or the upper limits of my strength, I don't mind giving you a bit of information so you can make a rough guesstimate for how much of an active threat I pose."

"You didn't answer last time though?"

Grian holds up one finger, pointing out, "Ah, but this is different. Last time, you were already overstepping your boundaries, trespassing on the one place I told you to respect as off limits. You also weren't asking for answers. You were demanding them. This time, you were willing to accept an answer that was nothing more than me saying I don't want to share, even if the only reason is because it's what you were expecting."

Exasperated, Martyn groans, "You're telling me all you wanted in exchange for answers was manners? Really?"

The Watcher chuckles. "Yup. I get that a lot of your worry is for the people around me, so it's hard to get too cross with your wariness. The only thing I ask is that you treat me like a person, not a monster in human skin. Or, well, avian."

Alright, let's try testing the waters. Worst that can happen at this point is he shuts up, right? "Then... What if we ask about the disguise you keep mentioning? Are we... allowed to ask?"

"Basic details, yes, specifics, no."

Interesting. "Then... What's the disguise? Is it why you're a little, ah, below average?"

He laughs. "My height isn't a touchy subject, don't worry. The disguise I keep mentioning is a spell that suppresses my Tier and magic, letting me blend in with normal sapients without raising suspicion as to my species. It's uncomfortable, like a tight shirt, but nothing I can't ignore."

Oh. This has just gotten much more complicated. "...You're saying you're not a Tier 1?"

Grian smiles, looking smug. "Nope. I'm not saying what my actual Tier is, but I'm willing to say it's at least three."

With a ripple of magic, one pair becomes three, the color deepening to a deep violet. Then, Grian's magic ripples again, and the extra wings disappear, the one pair left lightening back to lilac. Very unnerving, considering they've been operating on the assumption that he's a Tier 1, and haven't set up enough to ward off a Tier 3 if he tries to break into their base while they're away.

"Well that's concerning." The words came out before he could stop them, but Grian just leans back, unbothered.

"Yeah, I know. I'm of the opinion that it's better to reveal it to you now than it would be for you to catch me with it partially unraveled and think it's an ambush or a trap though."

That is admittedly something he could see himself assuming, if he stumbled upon Grian with extra wings doing something like looming over someone unconscious. With this warning, he'll not jump to the conclusion that it's a different Watcher due to the wing count.

"Alright, I can see that. While you're still interested in answering questions..." He waits until Grian nods to continue. The slightly upturned corner of his mouth tells him it's the right choice, and he gets a nod, the little Watcher directing his gaze to him with a casual attentiveness. "Would I be able to get you to agree to a recorded interview? Not now, but soon. Probably after the crossover ends."

"As long as you don't raise a fuss over any questions I choose not to answer, I can humor an interview. Just be aware that I'll bail if I get too bored."

"You say that as if that's a new thing," Martyn teases.

"Never hurts to voice the obvious, especially in regards to personal boundaries."

"I guess you have a point."

He goes to ask another question, but Grian holds up a finger to stop him. Grian smiles amusedly, recommending, "I'd suggest you save your questions for the interview."

"Any particular reason why?"

"Because repeats are boring, obviously. If you wanna keep me there for more than half an hour, you gotta make it fun. I'll entertain myself a bit by trying to guess which questions you'll ask, but once I fill out my bingo sheet, how long you've got until I bail is entirely up to your ability to make it entertaining."

"I guess I can save it for later then." He's going to have a lot of questions to write down and order by importance before the interview. Probably best to get the repeats out of the way first... Or maybe speckle them around? He'll have to think on it.

Grian goes back to editing his video, leaving him to his thoughts.

~~~