Aedan had not engaged his emotions with what Van felt was a poor excuse for a compliment, though really, could the man give a genuine compliment even if his life depended on it? Probably not. He was not a gentle man and gentle words would have seemed like shallow pretense in bitter opposition to his true feelings on the matter. Govannon appreciated the honesty of it, even if he wasn’t himself willing to test the same demeanor. The former doctor was of an unobtrusive nature, more than willing to give way to the other’s more pronounced , if rather coarse, personality. It was likely the only way he would have gotten through all of those taxing board meetings as a newly certified physician in his younger years. The way Aedan spoke of testing limits excited him though and his eager mind began to produce all types of new and intriguing hypotheses. Experiments he would never have let himself think about realistically, though he often fabricated the off kilter scenarios in his head like a sort of morbid game. He wondered at that moment what sorts of things the man had done to himself in the name of furthering his own existence if he was indeed referring to his own experiences with the familiar way in which he spoke.<br/><br/><br/>Govannon noticed the displeasure in Aedan’s gaze at being assessed by another trained medical eye or perhaps it was just in the detached and analytical way the researcher appraised him. It was more than likely that he had been the only one to see these scars in the same minute detail other than the Itialian in the other room. They were a mark of shame upon the Irishman, that much was apparent, but how had they come about? It was a curious question that lurked in Van’s mind and there it would remain until the man before him wished to dispel the uncertainty. He had been evading questions from the very beginning and Van saw no reason why he should change in that regard so soon into their first encounter.<br/><br/>-<br/><br/>Govannon’s eyes slipped briefly to the mug of coffee in his hands and then to the large Italian standing next to the frail Aedan. The sudden revelation had struck him deeply but perhaps not in the way that the illness stricken man had intended. He had assumed them to be killers of some flavor, perhaps even serial murderers. It would have explained a lot of the undertones and perhaps ‘assassin’ was not so far from removed from that definition. More likely they could have been war veterans of some kind, which could have also been true. But assassins? Van hadn’t even believed that such a thing truly existed at all, but then, that was the entire purpose of one, wasn’t it? To remain in the shadows, unseen, unknown. To kill from the shadows. He also found it odd that Raff had been Aedan’s teacher with the tender way he cared for the man, though upon closer inspection, the Italian did seem to be closer to his own age if not a touch beyond it. Things like age were not always so apparent on first glance. He reflected to their first meeting.<br/><br/><br/>Raffaello had not been gentle with him at first. He had seized him, pulled the poorly disguised man into that alley, just the two of them and an unconscious vagrant some three dumpsters down. The smell of rotting garbage filled his memory, mixed with the oddly pleasing smell of the Italian’s leather gloved hand pressed over his mouth. He had struggled initially, had thought it was a mugging or potentially something worse before Raff had revealed himself to be the unknown sender of that fateful email. Once Van had agreed to talk with him, and after a sinister warning not to call out for help, things had calmed considerably and he found the man to be almost charming, but only almost.<br/><br/><br/>Govannon swallowed the coffee that he had been holding in his mouth with a quiet look of resentment at the charade. What purpose would either of them have had, inviting him here only to poison him? That could have been accomplished in a multitude of other ways and the pair seemed if nothing else, efficient in their maneuvering. Govannon was not the most careful individual when it came to self-preservation even when it was the one thing he hoped to achieve in his life. He lacked a measure of common sense and was easily distracted by his surroundings in the moment, able to manifest the memory of them as a complete picture only after his subconscious found time to archive it properly. No, the man perhaps thought it was a fun joke at his expense, but they would not harm him so easily when they thought he might still be of some use to them. In any case, he sat the dark beverage aside, finished with it entirely.<br/><br/><br/>He shifted his gaze to Raff and a look of quizzical admiration overtook his features. To have the fortitude necessary in order to not only deal with but also care so deeply for a man such as Aedan was truly an immeasurable feat. He wondered what that story was and if the suavely man would be so obliging as to share it with him. “It is a lovely brew to say the very least. One would assume an Italian roast given your background, but it seems more likely to be a Madagascar robusta? Or maybe an earthy Sumatra...” Coffee talk bored him as he didn’t care for the taste of it, but he knew enough from working with a group of caffeine addicted MDs to speak on the matter with some definitive knowledge.<br/><br/><br/>His attention eventually moved back to the leather chair as the acrid smell of cigarette smoke filled the immediate area. He made no indication of his own disapproval seeing as Raff was showing enough for the both of them. A nasty habit in his mind was a forgivable sin if it helped to soothe or calm the intense Aedan in some way. Perhaps he would be more agreeable afterwards. Likely he wouldn’t, but even if he remained at a consistent level of obnoxious vitriol, the smoking could be overlooked for the time being.<br/><br/><br/>The prospect of an underground lab had Van’s inner exuberance testing the limitations of what his calm demeanor could withhold. Just the knowledge of the space being so close under his feet increased his heart rate and caused his palms to moisten with the anticipation he felt at touching medical instruments and machines once again. He was so full of curiosity at what marvelous accoutrements he would finally be able to get his hands on again that he had to readjust himself in the chair, crossing his legs as to avoid any nervous twitching. “That is truly a relief to hear.” He said as casually as he was able, though some of the excitement was bound to slip into his voice. He did not doubt that the men would pick up on it, as highly trained as they likely were. Reading as many tells has he subconsciously gave them. It was a dangerous game to say the very least, concealing such emotions. Things could be so easily misinterpreted when bare honesty was withheld.<br/><br/><br/>Aedan questioned his lack of a viewable body of work, his research in physical form. He nodded curtly, a reasonable concern for once. “As you know, the malpractice suit against me removed from my possession all of my written work and research. It has likely been destroyed or archived as evidence by the police.” A mixture of both was the truth. He had shredded and burned at least half a dozen filing cabinets worth before they had broken through his security measures to arrest him. Another charge. “If you have a way, you may seek to regain what little is left, though I understand if you do not wish to put yourself through the trouble of breaking into police headquarters.” He half smiled at the thought.<br/><br/><br/>Govannon knew the hidden work he had mentioned earlier would come about at some point, he hadn’t mentioned it so casually for it to be overlooked entirely. There was one thing that he honestly needed and only he could reclaim it. “If you’ve done your research as I suppose you must have, you know that my father ran a marginally successful technology firm before his death. Security, not so dissimilar from your own... military grade. It was not owned by my family, but the benefits from it had not left me entirely without. One of the properties still under my name holds a vault. It isn’t a secret like you have here, but it is protected enough that even with a warrant, the police were unable to gain access. He is long dead after all, so it sits, unrecovered. What they did not know is that I had it recoded years ago, to my own signature. A difficult process, but my own genetic imprint was the closest to my father’s and the software was largely unfinished when it was initially installed. In it is something I will need if our endeavor is to be fruitful.” He paused, looking to Raff, “The property is likely under careful surveillance. I cannot simply walk in unnoticed... Voice recognition software prevents just anyone from attempting to break in without my presence. An added feature that I must say was considered a necessary precaution, makes things a bit more difficult for me now.”<br/><br/><br/>And so the ‘doctor’ played his hand. In order to move forward, they would have to extent to him a measure of trust that he would not run, that is if they were who they claimed to be. Why would they lie about something so unbelievable in the first place? To make him think that he was truly mad? A possibility. In return, he would repay them with his undivided attention to seeing Aedan well, and in the process, fulfilling his one and only dream. To spit in the face of Death...