Chapter Text
Doctor Veritas Ratio. Aventurine wondered which mask he would prefer. The wealthy colleague, the flashy playboy, or the one he used most often, the crazed gambler? Topaz had warned him that Ratio was notoriously difficult to work with. That was fine, so was he. But Aventurine always found a version of himself that helped him get what he wanted out of people. So he wasn’t too worried when the doctor knocked on his office door at twelve system hours sharp for their meeting but left in a huff twenty minutes before it was scheduled to end.
The beginning of the meeting went well. Aventurine stood from his desk and shook the doctor’s hand before gesturing to the opposite chair. “Thank you for being on time, Dr. Ratio. I am the humble Aventurine of the Strategic Investment Department. I’m delighted to meet you in person. I know you’re a very busy man, so let’s not waste any of our precious time and get down to business.”
“Very well. To the point, then,” responded the doctor.
As visible relief crossed Ratio’s stoic features, Aventurine smiled inwardly. That’s right, keeping things to the point was key to staying on this short-tempered man’s good side. Aventurine had expected to see him wearing that plaster headpiece that made him stick out at office parties (it seemed that the good doctor preferred physical masks to more metaphorical ones) but when he arrived, he was bare-faced. All the better to read him with.
“As you know, one of the stains on the IPC’s long and successful history is the loss of Penacony. We’ve tried to retake it many times and failed. This time, Diamond chose me for this project, and I don’t intend to lose. I’m assembling a team of some of the other Stonehearts and a few others to help me with this mission. I know you’re a scholar of much renown, and a puzzle such as Penacony would be much more stimulating than teaching classes, don’t you think? I was wondering if you would like to join me on this little project.”
“An alliance with other Stonehearts? It seems like you have all the help you need. How, pray tell, are my services relevant to this endeavor?”
Aventurine leaned forward. “What I need from you is research. There’s only so much that our friends at the Garden of Recollection will reveal about the current state of Penacony. Sure, there’s a bunch of research we already have from before the IPC lost control, but I’m not interested in the past. I’d bet that things have changed far beyond what we can imagine under The Family’s rule. We’d be walking in blind without your help, doctor.”
Ratio looked skeptical. “You say this with the confidence that you even have grounds to enter Penacony. Or do you already have invitations for you and the rest of your team that you simply forgot to mention?”
“Oh, we’ll get the invitations by the end of the month, I guarantee it. So, what do you say?”
Ratio folded his arms and said nothing. It took a beat for Aventurine to realize he was waiting for something. Surely not a bribe?
Aventurine cocked an eyebrow. “What’s the matter, doctor?”
“An empty promise made with baseless confidence. You truly are a master of persuasion,” he said dryly.
Ratio was getting annoyed, but Aventurine needed to make a deal first. The less Ratio knew, the better. And a little bit of friction between them was what he wanted anyway. Otherwise, his plan could be in jeopardy.
“I’m afraid I don’t have any more details to share. I know you’ve done your research on me, so you should know that I’m a gambler. My projects are just an unending series of wins, so who needs a plan if the outcome is the same? Work with me on this mission, and you have my word that not only will we have Penacony back in our hands, but you will have access to whatever knowledge The Family has stashed behind their gilded doors.”
“I have done my research. And these feats of yours, while remarkably foolish, deserve more credit than chalking it up to good luck. Some might even argue that you orchestrate everything, even what might seem to an outsider as chance. One does not hold a Cornerstone coined the Aventurine of Stratagems for mere show.”
Oh, was that what you wanted, dear doctor? A sparring partner? Someone who was your intellectual equal in this dull world? Aventurine smiled. How funny that Ratio thought Aventurine would be an even match for a genius when all he did was stumble into this position thanks to a supposed blessing from a long-forgotten Aeon.
“You do flatter me, doctor. But schemes are just schemes. I won’t bore you with the details. There’s no need to waste a mind like yours on such trivial matters.”
To Aventurine’s dismay, Ratio stood up and strode towards the door. “I tire of this foolish discussion.”
“Wait! If I have offended you, please let me know what I can do to make it right.”
“Hah! Scrambling to make amends before understanding exactly your misstep was, I see? Well, let me enlighten you.” Ratio turned around and crossed his arms. “From the moment I stepped through your door, you have wasted my time with lies, misdirection, and meaningless flattery. And for that, I will not work with you.”
“I think we have more in common than you think. What about that stunt you pulled on Herta Space Station? You lied to all those researchers about what was really going on, didn’t you? Meanwhile, everything was going according to your plan.”
“That lie served to pose a necessary question to those small-minded researchers. But this situation is different,” Ratio snapped. “Without truth, there is no trust. Without trust, there is no cooperation.”
“I don’t really have the most virtuous perspective on what cooperation entails. Because from where I’m standing, everyone gets that backstabbing is just part of the deal. All that matters is making more than your principal investment. You don’t need trust to cooperate. And you don’t need a strategy to win. You don’t believe me?”
Aventurine unlocked his desk drawer and pulled out a loaded revolver. Without breaking eye contact, he emptied its cylinder, leaving one bullet inside, and shoved the gun into Ratio’s hand with a grin. “Seems like I'll need to get you up to speed on how I do things if our cooperation were to remain amicable. Go ahead and pull the trigger. I’m very lucky, you know.”
Ratio looked at the gun in his hand as if it were a foreign object. “You expect me to believe you?”
“Why not, doctor?” Aventurine pulled the barrel of the gun firmly towards his own chest, drawing Ratio closer. His opponent tried to pull back but Aventurine held firm. He looked up at Ratio, allowing himself for a moment to get lost in the doctor’s eyes, to see him for what he was. So handsome, and yet so plain behind that marble-like bust. Ratio met Aventurine’s provocative gaze with a conflicted look and Aventurine was once again reminded that no matter the accolades, humans were still human. All masks fall away when faced with the inevitable.
Enough waiting. Aventurine clasped Ratio’s hand and pulled the trigger himself.
Click. A blank. It was a simple party trick that he used often. But the consequences were real enough.
Click. Another blank. He had never lost before. Surely his luck would run out–
Click. Of course not.
Unscathed, Aventurine grinned even wider. “Life is a grand gamble, and I'll always be the final victor.”
The gun clattered to the floor as soon as Ratio could pull away from Aventurine’s grip. His plaster mask appeared, concealing anything Aventurine might have been able to read on his face, and he stormed out of the room.