It's weird, actually, what goes through Schuldig's mind when he catches sight of that particular item on the hit list; it doesn't send him into an agitated panic the way that Kato's overtures about being furious at Nagi once had, because of course Blake and Nagi are worlds apart and he's always kind of known in the back of his mind that sooner or later his acquaintance with the guy was likely to end with Blake facedown in a ditch somewhere. That's just how it is; the guy's fun, but business is business, and the point of a game is that there's a conclusion to it sooner or later.
And yet there's a stark conflict of interest here that prickles at him in a way that actually catches him a little off-guard; he's weirdly fond of Cobra at about the same level of attachment that's made him weirdly fond of Blake, and what sends him into a brief psychological tailspin is the sudden recognition that he actually doesn't know whose side he'd be on in a clash of the hilariously wacky titans like this.
Of course his first instinct is to bristle, but somewhere along the way a rare moment of sensibility reins him back in. The politics at stake here are bigger than just him.
...Well. It'll be disappointing if something he liked gets broken by a hand other than his, but it won't be the end of the world and if that's how the cookie crumbles then so be it. This isn't the way he wanted to tip his hand and show Blake he's a traitor to their friendship; he'll just have to find a reasonable excuse for why he's staying out of that little skirmish in particular.
...
Shit, maybe he'll just ask about the psychic redhead, now that sounds like someone in his area of expertise, where "expertise" is defined as "fucking people up". Or maybe, he'll note a moment later, he'll see if his own track record has earned him enough credentials to find out who this mysterious fourth target is...]
All right, well, I'll take the bait. Call me curious; who's the magic fourth target?
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It's weird, actually, what goes through Schuldig's mind when he catches sight of that particular item on the hit list; it doesn't send him into an agitated panic the way that Kato's overtures about being furious at Nagi once had, because of course Blake and Nagi are worlds apart and he's always kind of known in the back of his mind that sooner or later his acquaintance with the guy was likely to end with Blake facedown in a ditch somewhere. That's just how it is; the guy's fun, but business is business, and the point of a game is that there's a conclusion to it sooner or later.
And yet there's a stark conflict of interest here that prickles at him in a way that actually catches him a little off-guard; he's weirdly fond of Cobra at about the same level of attachment that's made him weirdly fond of Blake, and what sends him into a brief psychological tailspin is the sudden recognition that he actually doesn't know whose side he'd be on in a clash of the hilariously wacky titans like this.
Of course his first instinct is to bristle, but somewhere along the way a rare moment of sensibility reins him back in. The politics at stake here are bigger than just him.
...Well. It'll be disappointing if something he liked gets broken by a hand other than his, but it won't be the end of the world and if that's how the cookie crumbles then so be it. This isn't the way he wanted to tip his hand and show Blake he's a traitor to their friendship; he'll just have to find a reasonable excuse for why he's staying out of that little skirmish in particular.
...
Shit, maybe he'll just ask about the psychic redhead, now that sounds like someone in his area of expertise, where "expertise" is defined as "fucking people up". Or maybe, he'll note a moment later, he'll see if his own track record has earned him enough credentials to find out who this mysterious fourth target is...]
All right, well, I'll take the bait. Call me curious; who's the magic fourth target?