Govannon was cautious, perhaps more so now at the revelation of these stranger’s true professions. Killing was directly opposed to the hippocratic oath he had taken, a measure of protection in the medical field to keep people on the right path. It was just another rule, one he did not mind bending to fit his purpose but also one he refused to break willingly. These men killed for a living. Society would have called them monsters as well, ostracized them entirely. It made sense for them to want to be careful about their surroundings and with whom they shared their secret. Govannon was not under the impression that either of them trusted him outside of his job description, they had no idea who he was as a man outside of the scientific world that bound his thoughts. In a similar sense, Van was not so sure that Aedan and Raff were even the men’s real names. Code names, perhaps... or maybe a complete fabrication for the sake of throwing him off were he to tell anyone of his plight. They had given no last names after all. Though, who would the former doctor even have the thought to tell? It was entirely still possible that they worked for the government, even if this endeavor fell outside the scope of their employ. If they didn’t, they worked for other criminals, or perhaps they were rogues, hiring themselves out like a pair of modern day mercenaries. None of that mattered, really. He was here and he was under their power. It brought to him a mixture of excitement and fear both in equal parts. Especially if they were willing to kill him so readily. He wasn’t so sure they wouldn’t once they were done with him either, though he had plenty of time to think about that once they accepted his terms.<br/><br/><br/>Aedan, or rather, the man who was referred to as Aedan chuckled at some wayward thought, and the amused expression on his face caught the researcher by surprise. The man had seemed incapable of such a thing and it made his face into something much more agreeable. Govannon found himself in want of more of this, but the fraction of joyous emotion passed as suddenly as it had been revealed. Instead, Aedan turned towards Raff without really looking at him. They communicated through non-speech quite often it seemed, one knowing the other’s thoughts without even so much as a glance. They had been together for a long time were that to be the case. Nonverbal communication and understanding that deep took a lifetime in most cases to reach the level of trust these two must have felt towards each other. Van envied them slightly in that regard. He had never made such a connection to a person in his life, he probably never would. It was a fleeting feeling, in any case, and he moved from it quickly. He did not value such things for what they were, only carried a passing interest in the close relationships he had seen develop in others. True, kinship had its own positive values but being alone was something he personally preferred. Relationships hindered as much as they helped in most cases, and Govannon felt that the benefits from them were so often cancelled out once the reality of a situation set in. His reality being that his work was more important to him than any singular human interaction would ever be. He could not waste his time with concern about any individual’s urges or needs when it was humanity as a whole he wished to affect.<br/><br/><br/>Aedan did not seem to appreciate Govannon’s level of caution as he did his own. It was apparent that he would rather have had the man bring himself and all of his research in tow like some kind of true idiot, without a way of escape. Aedan wanted complete control, something Van would never be able to provide him. Their agreement would never work if he continued in this fashion. That handsome Irish face contorted into a leveling sort of rage at Van’s careful maneuvering and the gun was lifted and pointed at him again. Govannon’s fingers clenched the arms of his comfortable chair as he suddenly wished to be anywhere but his current position. Raff‘s deep voice worked as a deterrent, but voices carried with them no physical barrier in which a bullet could not pass through with ease.<br/><br/><br/>Gaelic, a language the former doctor was aware of but did not understand at all. He had been raised entirely in the states by fourth generation American parents and even having attended a prestigious boarding school, never learned anything other than conversational forms of the common trade languages. The last phrase he understood only because of the resentment that inflated the words like cold air in a freezer. True fear bloomed in his warm brown eyes. He would die then... without trust, he doubted he would be able to leave in anything other than one of the beautifully ornate rugs throughout the manor, rolled around his lifeless corpse to be disposed of in some alarmingly efficient manner. A gaping hole, blasted out of the back of his skull, his beautiful brain decorating the dark walls. All of these images flashed before his creative mind before Aedan’s arm went limp with aggravated cough. He watched the man double over in his chair as he fought against the harsh, dry seizure in his lungs. Brought about by his own bad habits, or perhaps more. By Govannon’s presence in his home. Salvation bidding an attempted escape, though that couldn’t have been further from the truth. Van relaxed a bit once the gun was not pointed towards him. There was little he could do until the fit passed, a cough like that was something that couldn’t be suppressed for long, not until its owner calmed himself.<br/><br/><br/>Govannon watched with intense curiosity as the relationship between the two companions revealed itself before him. Aedan was persistent in his plea for independence, but it was clear that he couldn’t care for himself on a domestic basis like he could with his own medical experience. He smoked, he still likely drank, and from the look of him he didn’t eat much either. A lack of appetite was no excuse for someone who truly wished to regain their strength. These were things that Van could not abide from the man if they were to see him well and he blamed Raff in part for his allowance of such behavior, especially from a former student. Van knew the Irishman had to be difficult to deal with on a regular basis, and he felt for the Italian, but perhaps between the two of them, some of those personal regressive tendencies could be put to rest. Carefully, and laid out like a choice instead of a demand.<br/><br/><br/>Another truth was that Aedan was consistently disagreeable, even under duress and with his own disregard for the nurturing care that Raff attempted to provide. He was clearly a man who needed to crash and burn before he would see the truth. This was a dangerous and unnecessary risk in Van’s eyes, but it was perhaps the only way. Hadn’t Aedan suffered enough? Why was it that he would rather continue such self destructive behavior while still clinging so desperately to life? He was strong and he was intelligent, that much was obvious... but to some degree he still lacked good judgment. He was unable to let go of anything it seemed, especially his own ego.<br/><br/><br/>Govannon said nothing as Aedan removed himself from the parlor. He was glad to be out from in front of the barrel of the gun for now. Twice, over the course of one conversation. According to Raff, he still had one more attempt on his life to look forward to before the night was done... and perhaps many more if he even decided to come back.<br/><br/><br/>“I see why you don’t have many guests here...” came Govannon’s dry reply. “Would you say that today was a good day for him? Or a usual one.” Van did not think that Aedan could have a worse day, every day was likely just a varying degree of caustic ire and self-imposed risks.<br/><br/><br/>He watched the Italian carefully as he moved to clean up the relinquished coffee mugs and place them back on the tray. “He is dying, that much is apparent. You know this or you wouldn’t have sought to bring me here and his consistent refusal to accept the fact is probably part of the reason he is still with us. I can’t help him if he refuses to trust me, however. Part of my research is mental assessment. It will require a certain amount of openness on his part that I cannot fulfill my obligations without.” Van stood eventually, when he felt that his legs were strong enough to carry him without faltering from the sudden and overwhelming emotions he felt over the short visit. He was as much enthralled as he was fearful, but something in Raff’s candor smoothed over the discomfort. Was that how the man killed his marks? By getting in close with his soothing and calculated demeanor? Van mused on the question for a moment before answering as honestly as he felt prudent for the situation. “I am not interested in fame or glory, certainly not from a den of fools as my former colleagues were. The opinion of the world carries little weight for me personally. My qualms are with established rhetoric. I lack the capability to effectively communicate my aspirations and so I find myself alone in my ambition to create a better world for people like Aedan. He may be strong and filled with purpose, but it doesn’t seem to me that he has ever been truly happy or very comfortable for that matter. Which would you say is more important in regards to a fulfilling life? If you had to choose one over the other.” It was perhaps a touch personal, but then every purposeful goal was.<br/><br/><br/>Govannon followed Raff to the kitchen as they spoke. Raff was clearly more understanding of his resolve and he had his own by the looks of it. He wanted to save his partner by any means necessary, and knew better how to talk to him with the familiarity they shared. Van helped himself to looking through the cupboards and pantries, finding little by way of substantial food. He frowned, thoughtfully. “Aedan doesn’t have much of an appetite by the looks of it.” He spoke to Raff as much as to himself. “Cigarettes and other various bad habits can attribute as much to that as his illness.” There were work arounds, but short of establishing in Aedan’s mind that he must eat in order to survive would be the only permanent solution. How could that be done without imposing on the man in his own home? “Raffaello... is there any exercise equipment in the house? If I am to return here for the duration of my research in aiding Aedan, it is something that I will require.” Van was fit physically and it showed through the semi-formal attire he wore even now. Another of his obsessions in regards to living forever was that his body must remain in peak form throughout his mortal existence, until the day his effort gave way to something more. He regularly exercised, and even now felt a mild annoyance with himself that he had been so excited to travel towards this hopeful future that he had not done so for the past few days. He located the bottle of whiskey on the counter and his suspicions were for the most part confirmed. “Irish whiskey... I only assume that you were not the one to put this here.” He looked through his lashes at the Italian but with amusement in his eyes as opposed to disappointment. Any and everything could have been poisoned in this place, but the one thing that seemed the safest was the one thing he probably had no right touching. Van pulled towards him a crystal tumbler and popped the cap, pouring a measure of the deep amber liquid out for himself, as if he were familiar enough with the men to do so or perhaps because he just didn’t care enough to ask. “You don’t suppose he will notice, do you?” He asked solemnly before lifting the glass to his lips to drink.<br/><br/><br/>“The vault in question holds a few of my earlier experiments, preserved for future education were I ever to reach my own purpose in this world. That is not what is important, however... There is a device. A prototype if you will. It is something I have been working on for a while, a way to establish whether or not a subject is capable enough mentally to continue into the more dangerous circumstances of my treatment. We are obviously a long way off in this regard, but even if Aedan completes all of the preliminary tests without failure, I cannot continue without this information. It is perhaps what caused one of my most recent failures and I will not commit the same mistake twice.” He held the whiskey cup in his fingers, tilting it so that the liquor sloshed gently from side to side, resting his hip against the island counter to his side. “I will need a distraction if I am to enter the property unnoticed, nothing either of you would need to be physically present for. I would have done this on my own but I don’t currently have the means to do so. I imagine, now, that it’s something you and your friend could easily enough provide me.”