- IC CONTACT POST FOR MASKORMENACE -

[slightlyoffchilt]

"Hello.

You've reached the direct line of Doctor Frederick Chilton. As I am not available at the moment, you might assume I'm quite busy with something pressing. State your name and business, and I will return your call."

Comments

[slightlyoffchilt]

Are we?

[Chilton lowered his coffee cup, holding it with both hands over his abdomen. Beneath the double-breasted jacket and stripped button-up shirt was a long, precise scar: proof of his former dissection. It was a daily reminder that Chilton could never afford that sense of family, or even anything similar to the trust that Hank now bestowed upon Walter White. No one short of Will Graham could Chilton even humor with his hints about his secrets.

Ah, yes. Will Graham. The bloodhound he had released before this meeting, in fact, he had informed Will in preparation of this meeting. Psychological warfare was a nuanced game.]

You of all people, Officer Schrader, no doubt can understand that any given selection of people will harbor less... Savory individuals. Are we really all in this together?

[schrader]

[ At first, Hank just squints at him like he can't quite believe his ears. Because, well, he can't. What the hell does that have to do with this. Is he going to sic some crazy-ass psych patient on them? The fuck did Walt say to this guy to make him talk like he's Poe all of a sudden? ]

We ain't talking about those people, Doc, unless you're one of them. That's not a threat, is it?

[ Like right in front of the police station? Hank isn't sure how else to take it. ]

[slightlyoffchilt]

It's only a warning. Not a threat.

[The arch in Chilton's brow indicated that he wanted to say more, but he nevertheless restrained himself. Schrader would likely exhibit bluster and disbelief if Chilton illuminated a few facts for the former DEA agent -- but that seedling of doubt would fester in his mind, and ultimately challenge what Chilton had established with Walt.

He couldn't allow that to happen. This pawn to E4, as it were, was invitation, and Chilton wouldn't squander Walt's thoughtful engagement.]

I speak from a perspective of clarity, Officer Schrader. Let's remember what it is that I do for a living.

[schrader]

[ His head jerks back, the flinch of his eyes one of chained indignation. Son of a bitch, is he hearing this right? ]

I know exactly what you do for a living. You whore out people's personal problems at a good ol' hourly rate when you aren't also assraping cop's careers. But he's not your patient, and neither am I. Just because he has your panties all twisted doesn't mean you got any excuse to create problems where there aren't.

[slightlyoffchilt]

[Chilton pursed his lips, taking Hank's colloquial rendition of what Chilton did with haughty skepticism. Sucking on the back of his teeth, the psychiatrist rolled his shoulders into a leisurely shrug.]

You'll see, eventually. [Chilton much preferred the cryptic, in hardheaded cases like these.] You'll see when it's all much too late.

Now. Will that be all, Officer? Or are you interested in discussing, in depth, what else I could do to your policing career?

[schrader]

[ No no no no no, one does not make threatening suggestions about his own family (he can only guess the 'unsavory individual' might be Pinkman), then openly threaten his career practically on his own doorstep and expect no retaliation. Not after he just returned from suspension, not after his brother-in-law's already been through his own version of Hell and back. He'd wanted it to be civil. Hank had been ready to try and explain a little, hoping to display Walt in a more sympathetic light, but red is all he can see at the moment. He can't even ask for more details on what the hell Chilton means, though he wants to.

The ground beneath them both actually tremors as he curls his free hand into a fist, and there's no attempt at a bluff here. Hank isn't trying to peacock, he's keeping himself from striking this fucker down here and now for threatening both his and Walt's reputation, and more. If he's trying to strike a nerve, he's succeeded, but it's not something Hank's going to forget. Any retaliation can't come now, which is clear enough by how he steps back, watching Chilton with a hooded glare, the same way he'd watch any criminal. ]

No. I like us all getting along. Have a nice day, Doc.

[slightlyoffchilt]

[He couldn't help but react to the tremors -- a quick glance down and around, and he was scoping to see what else could be affected by this unseasonal and unlikely minor quake. The impact seemed rather... Contained. That was all the more unnerving, as it whispered the girth of Schrader's possible power.

Chilton pulled up his shoulders, ignoring the coffee lick that had jumped from his cup and onto his fingers. This family proved to clench complications like a spider over prey.]

I have little doubt that we will meet again.

[schrader]

[ Hank would like nothing more than to never see this guy again, and his expression is crystal clear despite how polite he's trying to be. He's dealt with worse stress from much more important people and he's held his own, not that this guy's worth that much effort. Pinkman may have a special effect on him losing his cool, but that was incredibly personal. Chilton really doesn't want it to become personal, but then, most people tend to underestimate Hank's tenacity, and his memory. ]

Definitely won't forget the name.

[ Or the face. And even if it hadn't been intentional the first time, after he walks past Chilton and is back on the steps, the ground jerks again beneath the other man very intentionally. It's a shorter disturbance than the first, but much more jarring, definitely enough to spill most of Chilton's coffee or even make him lose the cup all-together.

Free coffee is for non-assholes. It's the least he can get way with without being charged of anything, and still retain a sense of pride after Chilton got away with acting like such a pissant. ]