Once her delectable dessert had been eaten, the plate would be gently placed on the table, with her eagerly adding another on top of the newly-blanked canvas of that same plate, though she does not battle to get it scarfed down quite as eagerly as the first. Instead, she allows it to remain in front of her, momentarily looking at Herta rather blankly. “You’ve grown rather close to Screwllum, haven’t you?”
A sigh escapes the lips of the apathetic genius, her body leaning forward as her fingertips graze the fanciful china before her, her index finger curving to take ahold of the handle, her left hand elegantly—and slowly—shifting the saucer alongside it, before leaning back in the chair. She purses her lips, bringing the cup to her mouth, embracing the scent as the liquid finally touches upon her tongue, splashing over her refined palette. Tea with Herta was always a relaxing experience, even if she refuted to put it into words aloud. Apart from the minor chatter among them, the Space Station was eerily quiet. “I.. have failed in my research yet again as of late. Finding pride in loss is a rather difficult pill to swallow,” her voice was devoid of feeling. Good. “So, I figured gathering some insight into your own work would motivate me.”
Had she already figured out her trick? If so, it would be impressive. Studying the nature of such a stoic woman took a lot of work—impersonating her even more so—it was rather fortunate that Sparkle prided herself on being quite the performer, huh?
“Mm. As a researcher.. and as a genius, do you think they have a chance?” Perhaps such a question would force some sort of emotional response from Herta? It wasn’t likely, but Sparkle was always known for pushing her luck—but she knew that the more she pressed, the more she would fall into the trap of making Ruan Mei sound more like a kicked puppy than a Genius Society member. Was there anyone like that she could manipulate? She supposed there would be an opportunity to toy with her relationship with Screwllum, as well as that with her puppets. Oh, this would be fun.
“If it’s an invitation from you, I’ll gladly take it,” she breathes out those words, hoping that the slight flirtatious meaning behind them would scare Herta away from the prospect of an outright confrontation. After all, there was only so much the brunette could do before being caught out as a fraud—the past always seemed to haunt her—which would lead to an ultimate game-over. “You’re lucky that the Elation are too wrapped up in their own business to bother you. With the Phantasmoon Games commencing, perhaps THEY will give you a break.”
