Billy-Ray should have expected that. Anyone who became friends with Pleasant would either be too smart for their own good, or pick up a few tricks along the way. But since the pair were still a good distance from any serviceable staircase - a fact Billy-Ray didn't mind thinking about, along with a certain degree of satisfaction - he still didn't reach for his phone.
"I ain't workin' for him," he answered simply. "That implies money changin' hands. Plus a group of people who don't mind cooperatin' for the common good," he added, his face twisting into a dour expression. Sometimes he felt like if he took his eye off Dusk and Jack for longer than a second, they'd rip each other apart, which - while amusing to watch - would really put a damper on their ambitious plans. "Only thing bindin' us together is revenge. But revenge can be powerful." He smirked. "As I'm sure you well know."
~~
Father O'Reilly rarely remembered his dreams, and he'd never had a problem with that before. Now, he wished he could play through them like movies, just to see if anything like this had ever happened to him before.
He doubted it. The shock was too great. But there was something incredibly unsettling about there being people who could manipulate the human mind like that. No, not just something; everything about it was unsettling. Understandable, given the 'security risk,' but...
It also shouldn't have been surprising that a group of magical people, who had already elevated themselves above the masses and already seemed arrogant to Father O'Reilly after having known about their existence for less than an hour, would call their leader the 'Grand Mage.' But somehow, it was. The assurance that Skulduggery Pleasant would help if Father O'Reilly asked for it... he wasn't sure if that made him feel better or worse about the whole thing. Even if it worked, wouldn't Pleasant be curious? Come around for a visit? A living skeleton detective. Imagining it was hard enough; being confronted and questioned by one would... probably be the straw that broke the camel's back, without a lot more time to get used to the idea.
"Thank you." With a few more gulps, he finished his tea; started on his juice. "I'll keep that in mind."
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"I ain't workin' for him," he answered simply. "That implies money changin' hands. Plus a group of people who don't mind cooperatin' for the common good," he added, his face twisting into a dour expression. Sometimes he felt like if he took his eye off Dusk and Jack for longer than a second, they'd rip each other apart, which - while amusing to watch - would really put a damper on their ambitious plans. "Only thing bindin' us together is revenge. But revenge can be powerful." He smirked. "As I'm sure you well know."
~~
Father O'Reilly rarely remembered his dreams, and he'd never had a problem with that before. Now, he wished he could play through them like movies, just to see if anything like this had ever happened to him before.
He doubted it. The shock was too great. But there was something incredibly unsettling about there being people who could manipulate the human mind like that. No, not just something; everything about it was unsettling. Understandable, given the 'security risk,' but...
It also shouldn't have been surprising that a group of magical people, who had already elevated themselves above the masses and already seemed arrogant to Father O'Reilly after having known about their existence for less than an hour, would call their leader the 'Grand Mage.' But somehow, it was. The assurance that Skulduggery Pleasant would help if Father O'Reilly asked for it... he wasn't sure if that made him feel better or worse about the whole thing. Even if it worked, wouldn't Pleasant be curious? Come around for a visit? A living skeleton detective. Imagining it was hard enough; being confronted and questioned by one would... probably be the straw that broke the camel's back, without a lot more time to get used to the idea.
"Thank you." With a few more gulps, he finished his tea; started on his juice. "I'll keep that in mind."