|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Wed Jun 16, 2010 10:38 am
"Ha-ha!" He mocked as he pulled the door closed then turned down the hall, taking a few large strides to put him next to the petite priestess. "I really do hope it tries, and I don't doubt it. That's why I like you- you're such good bait for things to maim."
Falis, the Order, Raulin, those kids... it was all a horse that was still alive and well and would surely be recieving another beating soon. He'd heard what he needed to hear, and she'd said what she needed to say. Though he certainly still housed his own suspicions, the immediate situation was clearly not as dire as he'd expected.
Hell, the last place he'd expected to find her would be at a major public event in a shiny dress. Finding her like that and without a care in the world had been his first, albeit gentler, slap in the face of the night. He took some satisfaction in changing the subject so abruptly.
"But yeah, I'm starved."
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Jun 16, 2010 10:48 am
"I'm glad my terrible luck can be a source of entertainment for you." Grumbling at him dryly and walking over to the elevator and pressing the call button, the White Mage brushed away some of the meaner things she could have said before settling on a query that was appropriate for conversation. "So aside from beating the crap out of innocent clergy members, eavesdropping on drunkards in bars and thinking that I can't take care of myself, what else have you been doing?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Jun 16, 2010 11:03 am
"Lurking in the basement of the old Black Dragon building. I bought a few of these suits and started running around looking for trouble."
Ding! The doors opened up to an empty elevator, save for the large glaive that was leaning diagonally from one corner to another on the right side of the big box.
"You know," He stepped inside. By the time he turned around to face her, he'd slid a hand down into his pants pocket and produced a toothpick. "Trying to relive the old days." His long, slender index finger pressed the (1) button and he popped the pick into his mouth.
"Where's Black?"
She would know who he meant. Sey'd mentioned a 'date' earlier, and the demon-man had instantly assumed it to be the wrong James. Not Eredas, but James Black. The friendly nemesis.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Jun 16, 2010 11:51 am
Ding! 'Reliving the days when you were a murderer for hire?'She kept her thoughts to herself, laughing inwardly at the fact that the head of an organization like that was getting all huffy over her safety. The clerics were right - she just drew in the worst sort of people. Moving to the opposite side of the elevator and leaning against the wall, she folded her arms before her and looked at the dial marking the floors, suddenly remembering another time in another hotel where they'd been in the same elevator together. Except it was a party of three instead of two. Looking back to Stryphe with a startled expression, Sey cleared her throat and composed herself, right hand unthinkingly clasping the medallion between her breasts. It was just a coincidence, not like he could read her thoughts. "Around."It was a vague explanation from a person whose soul was tethered to the man, but it's not like Stryphe would know any of that. It was more then a simple half-truth as well. If she ever knew exactly where James Black was when they weren't in the same room then it was because his life was in danger, her heaven sanctioned bond warning her of the threat against her Oathsworn. And while she did long for another wonderful morning of waking up to him, she took comfort in the knowledge of not knowing his whereabouts since the opposite meant trouble. "Why?" The word came a bit too sharply to be an innocent question, her want to protect him twisting her voice in to a defensive tone.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Jun 16, 2010 12:13 pm
Meanwhile...Somewhere 'around', a man sat alone at a table in a small room in his boxer shorts and looking like he'd just woken up despite it being late in the afternoon. Such were the inverted nights and days of a person who makes a living off of the things that go bump in the night. As he poured milk into a bowl of cornflakes, he couldn't help but feel like someone was talking about him. Particularly two someones, each of which had a soul bond to him, riding in an elevator... but of course he wouldn't know that, now would he? Fin.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Jun 16, 2010 12:29 pm
Stryphe cocked an eyebrow at the girl while mashing the lobby floor. The doors slid closed as he put his palm against the side wall and leaned against it.
"I figured he was your date."
That and James Black wasn't the man Epothos liked to have around and -not- know what he was up to. Despite all the comradery the two of them had shared and their two-of-a-kind positions as agents of The Watcher, there was a lack of real trust or love for one another and those bonds had been collecting dust for some time.
It was a relationship that the demon-man rather enjoyed. The last time they'd met they came to blows, but that in no way drove them further apart, nor did it really bring them closer together.
They were halfway to the lobby floor.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Jun 16, 2010 12:49 pm
Liquid Lights "I figured he was your date." She replied sadly, willing the elevator to go faster and get her out of the nostalgia causing box. She didn't mean it as a slight to Eredas, but for Sey, no one could really be the right James except for her James. Ding! Staying silent as the floors ticked by Sey tracked the slow creep of the dial down to the lobby with her eyes and nearly jumped out of the doors when they opened, letting out a deep breath as she entered the lobby before turning around to face Stryphe. "And that James isn't anywhere near here either. So I suppose you'll have to be my substitute." They were both dressed up, both thirsty and FAMISHED, and he'd offered to pay. Sounded like a date to her. "So, where to?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Jun 16, 2010 1:52 pm
"Eredas..." He tugged the Midgard Serpent out from between the corners of the elevator with a short grunt, "...I see."
The demon-man emerged from the elevator and into the lobby next to the priestess, looking around for some indication of a bar. The place was ritzy, so there had to be one somewhere.
"Well," He began, sounding displeased only due to the cumbersome weapon that he didn't want to ditch, "I didn't spot any bars on my way in, and I don't think this place has a pub."
One of the receptionists picked up on his quandry and piped up.
"...Thank you." He nodded towards the desk and made for the... poolside bar. Give the Lancer a dank, dim, smokey bar full of ruffians and grease any day of the week. Hopefully they'd be grilling up some steaks or something, though, and given the lot that these tournaments drew in it probably wouldn't be a total fruit-fest.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Jun 16, 2010 2:32 pm
Liquid Lights "Eredas..." He tugged the Midgard Serpent out from between the corners of the elevator with a short grunt, "...I see." She wondered if he knew that she'd joined Heaven or Hell again the year after he'd talked her into it, though this time on his former prelim opponent's team. It wasn't for the sake of proving herself that time around - it was because the Temple was dirt, dirt poor. Wrinkling her nose for a moment as the demon took up the concierge's suggestion, Sey stayed silent and kept her thoughts to herself. While she thought it was a bit silly that they weren't taking advantage of the fact that they weren't covered in blood and in some life threatening situation to go to a nicer place, it wasn't she who was paying for the meal. And Sey wasn't one to turn down gracious offers of food. Beaming her thanks to the concierge and following after him, the mage fell in step on the Lancers right, heels clicking against the polished floor. "So I guess reliving the old days is going well for you?" The fact that he was treating her and that he hadn't stumbled in on her wearing a bunch of stinking rags this time were obvious signs, though she only half wondered what people were paying him to do. Was it her curse to draw and be drawn to people who lived lives that went against His precepts? Or was it her gift to be able to make such cold hearted souls do some good in the world?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Jun 16, 2010 3:21 pm
In the demon-man's case, it was the latter of the two.
"Aside from one really bad day, it was fun." That one 'bad' day had landed him in some rotten old building pumped full of lead with one rotten (a hundred time more rotten) brother nearly trapping his soul in limbo forever. Certain individuals had been there to save the day, though- one of which was about to be drunk and the other was getting his fiber. "The coffee was terrible, though, and the closest thing to a comrade or employee that I had was some hooker I was paying to wash my clothes."
From his tone, it sounded like it had been pretty boring. His time spent alone had been filled with nothing but brooding and mental conflict, drowning in all the best he could with booze and blood. He didn't feel like sharing all that with her.
"Glass of water and shot of Old Crow." He spit a hunk of toothpick off to the side before the bartender could turn to face him and then added, "Please."
He layed his glaive down on the linoleum before leaning his back against the bar, propped up on his elbows, taking in all the poolside tits and a** while the toothpick twitched this way and that between his lips. His eyes narrowed, not at some unsightly back hair across the pool, but at the trouble he was having summoning some sort of... small talk.
Sey had better chances of being wined and dined elsewhere, to be sure.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Jun 16, 2010 7:51 pm
LE EXIT
Round 1 had scarcely ended and already the vampire was moving on to other projects. Only the light of day held him back, the time between his match and the final judgment more then enough for his devices. Until the sun fell however, he had to sate himself with preparation.
Adoring fans clambered around him, many of them ignoring his burns as they cheered and chanted. He smiled to them and signed autographs, the combination of his initialed name and inhuman speeding making the process relatively easy. All the while he was keeping a mental inventory, as well as a conscious tally of local security.
As the crowd eventually began to disperse, KB spread his gloved hands to a few individuals. "Ladies, gentlemen..." He cooed, his predatory smile stuck in place. He needn't say more as he gestured for them to follow, each of them giving themselves over to their desires. They dreamed of a vampire's kiss, of infinite pleasure and romance.
When they reached his room they would find a fate worse than death.
One after another they were drained, revitalizing the vampire and healing him in full. Though, this was a relatively pleasurable experience for the lot of them. The horror came when he had seduced them to the more private portions of his suite, and poisoned each. The mortals lapsed into a deep sleep, and he set to work upon their flesh with crude tools. Through necromancy and technical precision he was able to keep them alive through their operations, depositing devices into otherwise lethal cavities, their enduring spirits shackled to his will.
War, Seyumi.
Hours after his match the vampire left his empty suite behind him, his new thralls dismissed. Unbeknownst to each of them they now carried important parcels. All the mortals knew was their destination and the strong will to arrive there on time, their vacant eyes betraying nothing of their intent. They were only half alive with one foot in the grave, their souls wavering in a vain attempt to shake their newfound communal curse.
As for KB himself, he simply took to wandering the Hotel, exploring with benign curiosity.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Jun 16, 2010 11:13 pm
Liquid Lights Sey had better chances of being wined and dined elsewhere, to be sure. Considering the two people she'd had the terrible luck of falling in love with weren't exactly the wine and dine type of men, their little date at the poolside was the equivalent of a normal Gaian's Cinderella story. She even had the dress on and disgustingly painful shoes too. "Glass of ice water with lemon please." Placing her order and putting her elbows on the bar and putting her chin in her hands, Sey sighed and gave her scowling date a sidelong glance. "You know, you really startled me, showing up here. And of all the things you could have said, saying that you'd always cared..." At the time he'd said it she'd thought it was a joke or a blatant lie. But the fact that he'd actually said something was completely unprecedented, leaving her to reconsider his words now. "Really? You really did?" Purposefully sticking to the past tense, she looked at him through the corners of her almond shaped eyes, waiting.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Jun 16, 2010 11:35 pm
He was halfway through the glass of water by the time she posed her question to him. Just then he pulled the glass away from his mouth and, staring forwards, exchanged the glass of water for the shot of whiskey.
"First person I've cared for." He took the shot and, after a few moments, continued. "But you know what that's worth, so don't get too excited that, yes, it's true. It'd be easier if I didn't care. That's how I know it's true."
He reached backwards and slid the shotglass down onto the bar, careful not to slide it too far back and let it fall off, but far enough to be sure that the bartender know he was more than ready for another.
"Another truth is, and also no consolation, that I'm glad you grew up the way you did. I like to think that you'd be a bit softer if I wasn't such a jerk."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Jun 17, 2010 12:33 am
Now that most of the fights had ended, activity was sure to pick up. Esouna wanted nothing to do with it.
The infirmary staff refused to take her seriously--no bleeding, after all--so the fairy had to wait until the rush of fighters thinned out before the nurses could take care of her. Esouna had bruises over the entire front of her body, her legs, her head, and at the tip of one of her flight wings. All of it sucked. To soothe the intense aches, the diminutive woman slipped into the pool, fully clothed. Her expression remained as that of worn-down resolve, sad and having difficulty with how beaten up she was.
Breathe in, breath out. Relax. Dammit, she shouldn't be having problems with even the first round, if she wanted to achieve her life goal before death. The fairy gritted her teeth, annoyed at herself. Rrgh...she could only hope that she won this fight, and her next opponent would be a pushover. Esouna groaned and lay limp in the water, one arm on the side of the pool to keep from drowning.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Jun 17, 2010 7:37 am
Liquid Lights "First person I've cared for." He took the shot and, after a few moments, continued. "But you know what that's worth, so don't get too excited that, yes, it's true. It'd be easier if I didn't care. That's how I know it's true." Sey trailed off, unable to find the right words that could describe the tumultuous emotions he evoked and how annoyed he made her. Sighing and shaking her head, she looked in the opposite direction he was staring in, eyes locked on the mirror behind the bar and sipping her water. "Well I should be glad that you've learned something at least. I'd hate to think that I'd thrown my clerical career in the gutter for absolutely no reason." He probably didn't even care that she'd flung the mark of her station on his chest after he'd pulled fists on her deity, but that moment was monumental for her. And while she rarely found reason to regret it, it was undeniable that she was still living the consequences of that decision. Liquid Lights "Another truth is, and also no consolation, that I'm glad you grew up the way you did. I like to think that you'd be a bit softer if I wasn't such a jerk." Soft? Well it was better that he thought that way. She was glad that it wasn't as obvious to him as it was her that he was still capable of cutting through the barriers she kept up around herself, his words easily able to release her bottled emotions and make her feel like a stupid, naive sixteen year old girl again. "Yeah, thanks for toughening me up." Sey hoped the words didn't sound as facetious to him as they did her. Finishing her glass of water and looking at her reflection, the mage let out another soft sigh and idly debated with herself about getting a drink. If this was how their conversation was going to go tonight then Gods, she'd rather be inebriated while it happened.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reply
