Welcome to Gaia! ::

Damrius came around the corner of the tea shop, and instantly spotted maximos. Easily seen in a crowd, that one. He walked over, and pulled out a chair at the same table. He sat down with a loud plop in the chair, and scooted foreward, causing patrons to glare at him with the scraping sound.

"Hehe... uptight people, eh, Maxi?" Damrius said, a smile on his face. He had called in his order for tea, and it arrived just as he sat down, the waiter- cute butt! - glared at him as Damrius gave him an approving smile as well as an extra heated glare for th scraping of the chair.

"Anyway... As for my message... I was thinking that maybe... You and I... could, you know...?" Damrius said this, waving both his hands around, his right cutting his waving short as it grabbed his teacup, and he bounced his eyebrows like maximos should know of what he was speaking. Damrius basically downed the whole cup in a single gulp, causing him to gag from the heat. A few people behind him tried and failed to stifle laughs.

Damrius gagged on his own saliva as he started to crack up with laughter. The patrons were now just staringly blandly at him, all their looks saying 'shut up. Now.' Yet, that would never stop Damrius.

"Oh... wow.. that was good. I think there is some tea in my nose..." Damrius said, picking up a napkin and wiping his nose very discreetly with it.

"Anyway... I mean... DO you wan to... er.... Perform the dance of blades? Like you did with... Mr. Smith. Only.... this time it's going to be hotter!" Damrius said, basically shouting. Several of the patron's mouths dropped to the ground, a few of the ladies even feinted, yet Damrius just shook his head.

"Not That, people! C'mon! Head's out of the gutters!" He shouted, causing a few guards to start stepping near the area. He sat back down with a quaint little smile on his face, and crossed his legs. He picked up his tea cup, pinky out, and pretended to take a sip. All the while, he had an eyebrow raised in maxi's direction. Hoping he got the point. All the while, Damrius has been flipping a three and a half inch quartz like crystal between his fingers - something Max would have recognized. Or, at least should have.

Damrius exploded in laughter. That was just all together entirely conspicuous. Maybe not suspicious, because they had spoken out loud for all to hear, but it was definitely conspicuous. And Conspicuous was most certainly another "-ous" work in the same family as suspicious, which made Maximos wary, his eyes scanning the guards back and forth as he chucked. A bit, the tail end of a fork sticking out his mouth.

No one drew a weapon, that was a good sign. Maybe one infraction was acceptable.

"Oh... wow.. that was good. I think there is some tea in my nose..."

Something told him it wasnt over, and he leaned back, teetering his chair on its hind legs, as if ready to give a word and have it run off from the guards. He smiled shyly back at Dame, and of course handed him a napkin with a grin.

"Anyway... I mean... DO you wan to... er.... Perform the dance of blades? "

Utter confusion painted his face. He knew a few tangos, several waltz, a lindey, but a dance of sword? He leaned back, catching the center piece of the table with his foot, so that he wouldnt fall as his chair teetered.

"Like you did with... Mr. Smith."

Ah ha! Without a word recognition shown on his face. As if a velor fog has been lifted from his mind, he could see clearly. Mr. Smith. Golden Mountain.

Oh, was that his name? He was the spitting image of you.

It was all coming back to him now. Along with that realization, came the realization that he was not currently drunk or inebriated in any sense of the word. His chair squeaked protesting his wieight. If Maximos could have retreated a few steps back, he might have. But instead...

"Only.... this time it's going to be hotter!"

....the chairs legs slipped...he fell flat on his back with clamor. Now that wasnt suspicious, it was just clumsy and it was something of a sobering smack. He stared as Damrius addressed the crowd, and wondered for a moment, how he got himself into situations like this.

"Not That, people! C'mon! Head's out of the gutters!"

Amused, although embarrassed, he word his way to his feet, his hands busy patting the dust from his clothes, a small smile on his face as he shook his head. Then adjusted his glasses, and ran hand through his hair.

So, let me get this right.

He reached down, picking up his chair and setting it up proper.

You want to fight. Here.

He said, gesturing to the city around them. A city most definitely aptly named. Max remained completely calm. He said this like listing off a grocery list. More importantly, he said it as if he had not just fallen to the floor, as he was trying his best to forget that.

In this living lamentation, filled to the walls with armed guards, and itchy trigger fingers looking in the shadows for something to shoot. Is that right?

I knew you'd say that.

He lifted his hand off the table, giving the guard a plastic smile and a wave as the man walked off. And then with the same hand he pointed directly at the big grinning figure that was Damrius.

Your positively mental. You know it?

He said it with a straight face, but a tone that belied hidden laughter. Its almost as if Max was trying not to show it, while his strategic mind put together how and why this could work.

No...

Maximos said, dragging out the word as he rubbed his chain with his bandaged right arm.

No, fighting in the dark would be too easy. I'd rather not give them exactly what they're looking for...

His fingers slid from his chin and pointed loosely forward.

...but...

He grinned. Maximos grinning was oft a frightening thing.

...to wage a war surrounded by some of the most suspicious people on Gaia, in one of the most wary and suspicious places, and manage it all with only barely stirring the crowd that...

His arms fell to his sides, his right arm staying to point at nothing in particular.

That...would be a worthy challenge.

First!

He said, triumphantly reaching into his back pocket and pulling out a folded sheet of paper.

We find a bar. Those sort of districts wont look as erm...suspiciously at a brawl, as say...a teashop.

He'd unfold the map, and scan over it, before pointing and saying with a satisfied grin.

Here we are! Lets go.

And they were off, aftering paying of course. He'd lead them out, and across a few main roads to the Unblinking Eye Tavern, and then beside it, to a small alley. Is wasnt much cover, but it was definitely more than nothing. He grinned from ear to ear, letting Damrius take the inlet spot while he was closer to the alley mouth his back to the opening.

The alley was surprisingly clean, no trash built up, sickly puddles, even the garbage pales were nearly aligned and didnt stink a bit. The Shadow shook out his arms, before letting them hang loose at his sides.

Alright then, the first move is all yours.

Maximos didnt trust anything anyone using any sort of electrical power tossed at him. Especially if it was made of metal. He did not catch it, brought his right fist up and punched it. The metal crunched a bit, the can dented, and it went flying straight back along the path it came. His right hand, was covered in a full glove, as opposed to his left, which meant there was no contact point for a shock.

And there was really no way a can was going to distract his attention on Damrius. He did however, step forward, cocking his head to the side in a way that sort of silently said, "Are you serious?". Well, neither man was completely serious, but that was beside the point.