MOCKING THE MAKER
Mayuri leaned over his Lieutenant, who steadily worked on the main monitor, and guided her actions with a deprecating suggestion thrown in every two to three minutes for good measure.
The swish of robes as Gin entered alerted him to the captain as he breezed in without invitation.
Mayuri slightly turned to face the grinning man. "Yes?" he demanded with no more courtesy than had been shown him at this unexpected entry.
Gin was about to speak when a small beep focused all of Mayuri's attention back to the monitor. "You stupid girl," he admonished, "click back there and right your error."
"Apologies, Captain," Nemu replied tonelessly as her hands glided over the keys to correct her mistake.
Gin sauntered over to briefly glance at the monitor. "Nemu is quite the worker," he announced innocuously.
"In what sense do you use the word 'quite?'" Mayuri enquired.
"The positive sense of course."
Mayuri saw Nemu hesitate for a second before resuming her pace. It irked him to know that she had processed the compliment and so he moved to undo the damage done to his inferior. "Nemu is less than industrious and constantly disappoints."
"Apologies, was my comment ill informed?"
"Your general ignorance knows no limits," Mayuri responded with smugness.
"Oh yes," Gin agreed seriously, his smile diminishing. "Then I must suppose by that, that she is a very lazy and workshy lieutenant. You should see my Izuru; he never stops unless I tell him."
"Oh? Well as you can see," Mayuri said gloatingly over Nemu's shoulder, "Nemu only works hard when I stand above her and even then her work is inconsistent."
"So sad. So little motivation."
"Yes," Nemu agreed automatically.
"So," Gin said pleasantly, "we both agree that Nemu is lazy, bumbling and inferior?"
"Yes," said Mayuri with a slight incline of his head to back up his agreement physically.
"Well...you know what they say?" Gin said in his maddeningly and roundabout way of speaking.
"What do they say?" Mayuri asked. The hint at hidden knowledge, in those words, fuelling his curiosity.
Gin leaned in close to deliver his next words, his smile hitching ever higher with each single stressed syllable. "The creation is only as good as the creator."
Mayuri digested those words with unusual slowness.
"Well better be off," Gin carried on smoothly as if he hadn't just insulted, by implication, the captain standing before him. "I've been away from the office a good six hours now and Izuru will still be toiling away in my absence."