Usually Better ((9))

[victoriousscarf]

Mac considered that for a moment, and smirked at her. "I'm sure I could afford it," he drawled, lighting a cigarette. "I sometimes end up hirin' morons for more than that."

[amanika]

"I'm sure you could, but I don't imagine you're always this happy to let someone else tell you the truth about yourself?"

[victoriousscarf]

Mac froze completely for a minute and then forced himself to relax. "Oh?" he asked, taking another drag from his cigarette. "Anythin' you think you can tell me about me that would make me happy then?"

[amanika]

"If you're as self-assured as you useually come across, then you're probably aware of the majority of your assets. And no, that doesn't mean that you're not aware of the less pleasant sides of yourself, but some, like most cats, I'm sure your mind finds it easier to ignore." Tantomile had finally stopped writing, but given Macavity's request that she didn't write down anything about him, it was clear what she would have liked to have been doing.

[victoriousscarf]

"I'm pretty aware of my less pleasant sides," Mac said a bit wiry. "I would hope so, seein' as I'm not a very pleasant cat."

[amanika]

"Perhaps the facets of your personality you yourself dislike then? Though there's no reason you might not be somewhat self indulgent in those terms." a pause, before Tantomile added, "Hypothetically speaking, of course."

[victoriousscarf]

He inclined his head at the hypothetical part. "But of course," he said. "And if there were facets of myself I did not like, what would you have to say about them?"

[amanika]

"Firstly I'd say everyone has facets of their personality they dislike for one reason or another, regardless of if they'd admit to it. After that, well it would really depend on the specific example." Tantomile replied, trying to ignore the fact her hand was itching for a pen.

[victoriousscarf]

Shifting in his seat, Mac considered. Of course there were facets of his personality he didn't like. He was surprisingly aware of them too, growing up with the father he had. And unlike the other he refused to turn to drink to hide from himself. "So, hypothetically," he continued, voice calm and almost lazy as he blew smoke out. "Any examples that come to mind?"

[amanika]

Tantomile looked hard at the tomcat before her, she had to admit, Macavity was difficult to read. That was probably some of what made this so interesting to her.

"Hypothetically speaking," she began at last, "You've likely got a fear of what you might yet become." for a cat in a position of power like Macavity's, this was quite a safe and even somewhat generic assumption. But despite her fasination, Tantomile's own self-preservation instincts were still in play here, she'd rather this didn't turn ugly.

((also, you want something more specific, you're going to have to give me something I can use ))

[victoriousscarf]

Mac's fur went up at that comment. That statement had struck far too close to home for him, and that time his drag on the cigarette was to calm him nerves and give him time to think more than anything else. He actually was not that afraid of what his position might turn him into--after all, he killed people in the dark of the night with a straight razor and ran arms deals. What did terrify him, though he was loath to admit it, was that he might yet become his father.

He took another drag, looking at her and hoping she had barely noticed him freezing for a long moment there. "Oh?" he drawled, thankful his voice had not cracked.

((That requires me to pin Mac down and have him give me specific. I know his two fears are his dad and becoming a father, otherwise he keeps insisting he likes himself. Not that I believe him...))

[amanika]

Tantomile had noticed the freeze, it was seldom anything slipped by her, and after realising Macavity clearly kept a tight lid on showing show he was feeling, she had been watching extra hard for any little nuances, already concerned about how he might react to her words.

She gave a light laugh, "As I said, I charge by the half hour. If you wanted to discuss this further, hypothetically of course, you could always call my office and make an appointment." Tantomile was mostly joking, as curious as she was to explore Macavity's psyche, she didn't expect him to take her up on the offer in a million years. She was also somewhat concerned about taking this any further here and now. It might be suicidal if she had just touched the nerve she thought she had.

[victoriousscarf]

"I'll keep that in mind," Macavity said, voice above a growl but not by too much, taking another drag and his fur settling all the way back down. He ran a paw through his headfur and looked back down at the files. "Other than that one tom, I see things here are runnin' smoothly. Was there anything else that has come up recently I should know about?"

[amanika]

Tantomile thought for a moment, both glad and dissapointed he had dropped the topic. "You might be interested to know I've been asked back to Felidae PD to work on some witness evaluations for the new Commissioner."

[victoriousscarf]

"Oh? And what is our new Commish like? I've heard some things about him. Your brother thinks he's pretty obstinate. What are your impressions on him?"