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 Posted: Wed Aug 28, 2013 7:26 pm
Things had gone poorly for Chase yesterday night, it had been a complete mess really. He should have known better than to have attempted to change up his routine but he had fallen behind on energy quotas (seriously behind) and decided that he would do some collecting. That led to him going to a club, dancing with the wrong girl and having her boyfriend haul him outside of the club and into the alley beside it. From there it had gone completely downhill.
Luckily he had escaped quite easily and quickly but he had left a giant mess behind him in the aftermath. He hadn't thought much of it initially, until he passed by the club and could see the blood splatter from the street. It had been dark and much blood had been shed but he didn't realize how messy it had gotten.
Curiosity had gotten the better of him and he found himself diverting from his path and over to the police-taped alley. He managed to squeeze past others who had gathered despite objections from the officers on scene. Gold eyes swept over the body on the ground, the pool of blood beneath him and the splatters against the wall and across the ground. Unlike the others who appeared horrified, Chase looked amused.
A slight smirk had crossed his lips and his hands pushed down on the yellow tape. He imagined the man's body to feel like ice giving the appearance that he'd been dead for much longer than what was true. The effects of having your starseed ripped from your chest. And the thought led him to instinctively stick his hands in his pockets, fingers curling around the starseed he still carried on him from the night before.
It had been the guy's poor luck.
"Wow," he mumbled, feigning shock but unable to hide his initial amusement. "When did this happen?"
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Posted: Wed Aug 28, 2013 9:29 pm
The clouds hung dreary over the scene, threatening rain to wash away the dregs of evidence. The police milled about in their uniforms, as they always did - counting, checking. Two thirds of a mental disorder, right there. In essence, he watched a poker game from where he stood. The detectives gleaned what clues they could while refraining from divulging that information to the public, who gathered around gawking like it's the world series. Haven't they seen enough of this by now? Destiny City must've given Chicago a run for its money, what with the crime rate here.
What the hell even happened? In the early morning fog, he detected the thick, pungent swells of iron in the air, stinging his nose and drying out his mouth. It clung to the swaths of fog, though it did not linger with the stench of rot. No - that one he knew well, so he discerned this scene was a recent one. The officers' presence confirmed that as well. At least he wouldn't have to deal with decomposition and all the viscous fluid that accompanies it. Though all the people surrounding him gawked at the scene, he wondered if any held as much insight as he... Surely there weren't any others around who were well-versed in bodily cleanup or crime scene investigation?
And a young man with shockingly black hair muttered his own shock and revulsion at the scene, though that didn't pan out quite right. Handsome, too, good enough to ignore that slip-up if the price was right. But even he lacked the gall to flirt at the scene of a brutal murder.
Just kidding.
Adrian stepped forward, brushing ash blonde bangs fron his face for better eye contact. He leaned over the man's shoulder, almost brushing against it with his chin, and he spoke in a low tone - much easier to conceal his lecherous nature that way. "I could make a few good guesses from here. What's it worth to you?" With a wink, he straightened back up, thumbs hooking into his belt loops.
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Posted: Wed Aug 28, 2013 9:58 pm
He watched the police walk away, gaze held low and only peeking up at them. He was mildly disappointed as they lifted and carted the body off. It was like someone was cleaning up his artwork, though this had been all accidental. Still, he was quickly distracted by the voice in his ear.
His body tensed, his grip on the starseed tightened and he turned halfway. He blinked, bright eyes startled by how close the blond was to him. He had pulled back before he could properly react and confusion flickered across his face. "Do you always get that close to strangers, or am I the exception?" He asked, pulling out a hand to adjust the pink and gray tie on his neck.
The crowd had begun to dissipate until only Chase, the blond stranger and a few stragglers muttering to themselves. "It's a bloody mess," he commented, glancing back at the remains of the crime scene. He'd caused it and probably shouldn't look so relaxed, or amused, but the mischievous side of him had gotten a kick out of the whole thing. Sacrifices were always made. "Makes you wonder the reasoning behind it, especially with how often this kinda stuff happens." He was looking at Adrian now, smirk having found it's way back to his mouth. "And they left such a mess!" He left a mess. "I feel bad for the guy who's gotta clean it up."
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Posted: Thu Aug 29, 2013 9:18 am
"Oh, I always get that close to strangers." With a smooth wink, he drew a little closer. Now that the crowd parted as the novelty wore thin, Adrian stood next to the bizarre man while he watched the detectives finish their work. Another missing story, he guessed. Another case to grow cold. "But most strangers don't smell quite as nice as you."
Someone brushed past him, red hair barely concealing the tears paving a darkened path down her cheeks. Why didn't he respond in a similar matter?
Why didn't these scenes rouse an emotional response anymore?
Adrian sighed and coiled the caution tape around his fingers. One of the officers flashed him a dirty look in response. "You know..." He half-turned to regard the man, though he was taken aback by his unusual reaction to the situation. One didn't often display lax amusement at crime scenes. "If you feel that bad for me, you can make it up to me." A sultry grin graced his features. This boy wasn't half bad, despite the abysmally anachronistic response to the blood and death not twenty feet behind them.
Adrian turned, his back to the scene, and pressed against the caution tape behind him. "Do you know something about this? Is that why you're so keen to make lighthearted observations?" That came out a little sharp. He couldn't help it - not only was he failing to treat the mess with proper respect, but he sharpened Adrian's awareness of his own lack of response.
Maybe he could chalk it up to all the bleach fumes and ammonia vapors. Maybe he could blame it on the super clean, or the goo gone. The lysol. The folex.
Adrian released his hold on the tape and approached the stranger, barely brushing against him in passing. "If you don't want me to tell anyone, maybe you'll help me unload the car?" After another quick glance at the man, he proceeded toward the street.
Pretty little thing.
The boy, not the street.
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Posted: Thu Aug 29, 2013 10:19 am
"Well, I do try a little harder than most," he joked, adjusting the blue collar of his dress shirt. He'd been on his way to the office, but opted to call-out and say he'd work from home. After the cascading events of the night prior, he hadn't felt up to dealing with stuck-up businessmen who thought he wasn't cut out for the job (never mind the fact his performance surpassed most). Both hands were out of his pockets now, adjusting the cuffs of his shirt. Nervous ticks. Normally he'd run a hand through his two-toned hair but he'd put too much product in it that morning to consider it.
His brows raised in surprised when the stranger admitted that it was his job to clean up. It was not what he expected. Now he felt a twinge of guilt, he wasn't a messy person and yet he had been careless and run amok. "I'm considering it," he offered looking back again. "Seems like an interesting job, probably have your hands full in this city," he commented, hands pushing down on the police tape behind him.
At the accusation he only grinned, a finger coming up to his lips. There was no confession or denial because really, what could they pin him with? There was one witness and she had been too drunk to give a proper statement. Besides, he had glamor on his side. Money, connections and influence were also factors on his side.
He shrugged at the half-threatening statement. "I've just heard that those uniformed vigilantes had something to do with this." A half-truth. His head turned with Adrian's movements and his body followed once brief contact was made. He debated following, would it admit some sort of guilt on his part or would it just make his stranger more curious. Devious at heart and equipped with a disregard for safety, Chase made a quick decision.
He turned on his heel, slipped under the yellow tape and followed the mysterious blond.
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Posted: Sat Aug 31, 2013 11:38 am
Adrian's reply came coolly, without even a glance over his shoulder. "That's why I moved here, babe." A complete truth - from where Adrian previously lived, very few events transpired that led to him cleaning up a legitimate mess, and as such, he received less pay. Fewer hours, fewer bodies, fewer paychecks. Though it was harsh to consider such things, he needed to make a living and sustain himself as an independent entity. "It was a tie between here and Chicago. I figured Chicago has less gangs, at this point."
And this boy knew about it. At least, he hinted toward it. Adrian wondered exactly how much he knew, and if he truly understood what happened here. His compliance with Adrian's request erred toward guilt, but if he was truly the perpetrator of the crime, the blonde suspected his arrest was an impossibility. "Buuuut, if you're really considering lending a hand... You can tell me what you think happened here and keep me company while I work." With a smug glance toward the stranger, he finally reached his car.
If a car was a reflection of the person driving it, then Adrian was a disheveled vagrant on the verge of death. If the battered and beaten, sunbleached exterior didn't spell out imminent failure, then the sputtering cough of the engine likely clued in the less car-savvy. Not that Adrian intended to fuss with starting the damned thing - far from it. Instead he popped the trunk, and with a protesting groan from its rusty hinges, he exposed a few cases lingering inside, each wedged perfectly against one another. Behind the three cases lay a pair of gloves and respirator with goggles attached. After retrieving the last of the items and one of the suitcases, he nodded toward the trunk for the stranger to fall in tow.
"So you think one of them did it? Or do you think this was supposed to send some kind of message? If there was one, they used too much blood to spell it out." He remarked sardonically. Finally he sighed, more disappointed than anything. "Part of me regrets making a living on tragedy, but part of me doesn't care." But should he even voice such thoughts to a stranger?
"Adrian Frost," he started with a hint of pride. "In case you need a name to go with this pretty face." He wasn't above asserting his admittedly high opinion of himself. And why should he be? Most people coveted such attractive features. "I suggest you return the favor, unless you want to be called 'beautiful' forever." A smirk sharpened his sentiments.
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Posted: Mon Sep 02, 2013 6:25 pm
"Destiny City attracts the most interesting people," Chase commented, hands slipping into his pockets while he walked. The fingers on his left hand traced the outline of the starseed in his pocket before curling around it protectively. It was a trophy of sorts and the right people would know exactly what it looked like. If they didn't, then perhaps he could lead them in the right direction. "If there's anything about terrorists on the news nowadays it's usually about this city," he shrugged. It had been easy to become desensitized to the violence and death.
"If I told you all my secrets, I wouldn't be nearly as interesting," he said in response to Adrian's prying. His smirk gave the impression he knew far too much but was reluctant to share. And then the questions got more specific, so he let go of the starseed and pulled his hands from his pockets. They settled behind his head and he rocked back on his heels when they came to the van. He glanced over the vehicle once, deciding that while it was a stark contrast to it's owner it wasn't worth commenting on. No, there was a more interesting conversation at hand.
"I'm certain they did, messy as they were," he tried not to chuckle. He probably seemed a tad bit insane. "I think they were rescuing someone." A lie, but that wasn't important. He would rather paint a prettier picture than the ugly truth. He had always been a smooth talker. At this point, he had taken to leaning against the vehicle with his arms folded over his chest. Chase had never been good at keeping still.
They were back at the scene of his crime. "There was clearly a struggle, look," he pointed to the knocked over trash cans and the smear of blood on both walls. "Both tussled, thrown against either wall. It had to have gone back and forth, though clearly one of them had the upper hand." Him. "There was a crying woman talking to the police earlier, just before you came," he focused on Adrian's face, the smirk vanished and seriousness all over his face. "She was wearing last nights clothes," an assumption, because he hadn't paid her much attention after the man grabbed the back of his jacket and dragged him from the building, "hair and makeup disheveled and faint ghosting of bruises peeking up from under her collar, sleeves too." He was playing Sherlock Holmes but with more information than he said. The marks had not been left by him, but given to her when she tried to break up the fight. Protesting that the dance was innocent, meant no harm. He hadn't listened and used more force than necessary.
Chase had no regrets about what had happened, only that he had been sloppy.
"Things like this are interesting, there's no harm in making money in something that intrigues you." More assumptions. "Chase Black," he introduced offering his hand to Adrian. "I'd prefer handsome to beautiful but I'd take it either way."
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Posted: Fri Sep 06, 2013 2:57 pm
Adrian shook hands with an easy grip. "Oh, you don't have to play so coy all the time, Mister Black." He rather liked the new pet name he coined - both mysterious, a little ominous, and tantalizing all the same. If anything, it proved a perfect representation of his current impression for the man. Chase knew the dance well enough, and had ample charisma of his own. They could make it out of this as good friends, even though the man appeared to either know too much or have a penchant for lying. "All you need to do is divulge enough to whet my interest, you know."
Adrian knelt onto the concrete and cracked open the first of the cases, revealing a variety of cleaners, solvents, and sprays. First he'd need to saturate the area in a solvent to break up the collective coagulated clumps. For that, he readied a spray set to shower, and donned his gloves and eye protection. However, he passed on the respirator, for he wanted to pick his company's brain regarding the incident. Perhaps as he cleaned the area, destroyed the evidence, the truth would surface in the areas previously caked with blood.
A harrowing thought, but it seemed a valid outcome to their strange budding companionship. Adrian always liked the mysterious types.
He listened intently; as of right now, he had little else to do. The solvent worked to bubble up the blood in thickened clumps, brown like rust and dripping down the wall in droves. And during that time, Chase relayed a story not unlike the scene unfolding behind him - a struggle, valiant acts, and the knight fails to collect the princess, who stood shaken and caked with dragon's blood. Maybe it's an old tale, maybe it remained the perfect truth to this crime. He couldn't tell for sure, but with all the detail he received, Adrian was inclined to doubt his new friend.
However... "Chase, were you here when it happened?" Maybe he played spectator to the crime, and his mind struggled to cope with the harrowing experience. It could've been a ghost to one of the many murders he erased in his earlier days, or it could've been the verdict of the new and unusual crime spree sieging Destiny City. "If you were, was it one of those vigilantes you spoke of earlier? Was it one of the girls prancing around in her ugly dress shouting about the Moon Queen, or one of the dark, handsome, military types?" His words belied his preference - naturally he favored his allies over the enemy, but he hoped he spoke in such a way to hide his direct involvement.
For now they would dance about the subject without fully delving into their intricate stories.
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Posted: Sun Sep 08, 2013 8:58 pm
Though he was busy recounting a mixed tale of truth and fiction, but one all too enthralling, his attention was focused on his companion's motions. Chase had never been much of a cleaner, he was neat in habit, but rarely cleaned up after himself. You could pay people for that, as evidenced by Adrian's career choice. Still, he imagined cleaning up after crime scenes was eventful because he was captivated by the blond's method of cleaning.
The haze in which he seemed to have lost himself in had cleared when Adrian had come calling. He could not hide the coy smile that settled on his lips, but he was reluctant to confirm his involvement. "Why do you think I only gathered this information by being present? Are you doubting my deduction skills?" He feigned hurt, pressing a palm against his chest. "Oh my fellow Sherlockians would be so very disappointed." There was some truth to his favor of Sherlock Holmes, he could recount many a times that he had read the tales at both his father's insistence and his own choice. To say he hadn't picked up on some of the subtle ways Holmes picked up on things or put them together would be false.
While he relished the safety net of his shroud of mystery and aloofness, Chase had begun to think that it was time to bite the bait a little. It was clear, with his companion's words, what side he favored. "To say I wasn't there wouldn't quite be the truth, or a lie," he began, "still the part I played was an important one." He did one good deed from his bloody mistake, if the forceful way the man handled his girl was any indication of their home life. "The military type of course," he stated, his tone showing his contempt for the sailor scouts. "Those monsters have no business in our city or on our home." His disdain was obvious and he found himself reaching down and touching his ankle.
Sometimes his scar would itch if he thought too much about that blasted Princess Iris.
"They're like a plague, littering the city by the masses." He shook his head.
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Posted: Thu Sep 12, 2013 5:37 pm
Adrian leaned over, looking Chase in the eyes with a smug smile. "I'm doubting your deduction skills," he teased. Straightening up soon afterward, he continued in a cool manner. "If there's one thing I remember about Mister Holmes, it was that it's entirely too hard to tell where his sexual preferences lie. He and Watson were oh so close, if I recall... So what does that mean for you, Chase?" Now that he settled his implications, he decided the solvents spent ample time soaking into the blood, and it was time to begin the first phase of his work.
He began scrubbing away the broken bits of coagulated blood while he continued. "If there's one thing you're good at, it's piquing my interest. Let me see if I follow you: you were present for the incident, but you weren't, and yet you still played an important part." Confusing as it was, he surmised that Chase was either drunk, watching the affair through a camera, or an agent. At least, those were the options given his disdain for the senshi. Maybe it was time to take a leap of faith. "I think I understand."
The rigorous scrubbing revealed a stained concrete surface, still bearing the marks of blood. At this point, adrian used a concentrated peroxide to bubble the deeper stains to the surface, though it required more of the waiting game. As he surveyed the scene, he had a long way to go.
A multi-hour job, for certain.
"What if, hypothetically, I was one of those military types too? Would you tell me a little more about what happened here? After all, if those terrorists were involved, or the counterinsurgents, it's not like the police will get anywhere with this case. And what's a little guessing game between strangers, mmm?" Adrian gestured for the two-toned man to come closer, if only to omit the chances of passersby overhearing their conversation. Afterward he dropped his voice to a more urgent level. "I don't think it was one of those senshi, to be honest. Look at the way the blood arcs across the wall - whoever did this had a weapon, and I've never seen a senshi with a weapon."
Suddenly he wondered if the victim might've been one of those very senshi. If so, what was he doing to the woman? Trying to enslave her? He was beginning to wonder if not all murders were unadulterated sin...
And that realization frightened him greatly.
"Do you think the man was a senshi?" He paused in his work, regarding Chase with curiosity, even as the the blood bubbled and popped next to him.
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Posted: Tue Sep 17, 2013 11:37 am
"How rude," he teasingly exclaimed, feigning shock. "Ah, see. That will remain a mystery friend," he chuckled, opting to refrain from stating a sexual preference one way or the other. "Where's the fun in telling you outright when you can guess and deduce it for yourself?" In truth, Chase was simply ambiguous in his preference, even to himself. The man had always dated girls but wouldn't say he was opposed to dating a man, depending on the man of course.
Perhaps pansexuality was the proper term for him.
"I suppose that's the proper way to sum it up," he retorted enjoying this confusing guessing game. "Hypothetically speaking of course, you would find that my like of you would increase ten-fold." The concrete walls of secrecy were beginning to lighten, becoming more transparent as the conversation continued. To say he favored his fellow agents was an understatement. "The police do a ruddy job of protecting this city if you ask me, things are much better in the hands of the...well equipped." He was well equipped in multiple ways; weapon, knowledge, ability and drive.
"I must agree," he admitted, because he knew and he knew that Adrian was beginning to fit the pieces into the puzzle nicely. "But you don't know what they're capable or what type of magic they may be equipped with," he sighed, toying with his tie. "I've seen things go up in flames because of their carelessness or maliciousness." They infuriated him. "Were you here where the reports of rampant fires struck the cities? Work of those bloody senshi."
The topic swung back to the murdered man and he found himself shaking his head. "Perhaps," he could not properly confirm or deny. But he hadn't felt the powered aura emitting from the man. Of course the club had been populated and crowded so it was likely if he was then he couldn't power up. Still, the starseed felt too mundane to be one of a senshi. The pulse drastically different than the starseed of the senshi who killed his father. "If not, likely a supporter."
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Posted: Sat Oct 05, 2013 7:24 am
"Really?" Adrian smiled, cocked an eyebrow, leveled an interested gaze toward his new acquaintance. "So if I were, say, one of the senshi with the military, you'd be a little more interested in me?" He intentionally left his meaning ambiguous, as it fit well with Chase's discretion. He grinned; they reached the depths of their poker game now - down to the nitty gritty. "I'd agree to that, but I think some of the well-equipped you reference need a little guidance before they become well-equipped."
It placed him in a dire situation, that move, but he surmised he articulated his meaning well enough. Chase was not a dense man - he seemed as though he gleaned equal information from Adrian as he dealt it, and someone that versed in perception could not ignore a haphazardly-disguised hint.
Adrian turned around to regard Chase more directly. Blood formed small pools, lifted from the surface of the concrete. The blonde adopted a more serious tone; somber news deserved a certain seriousness. "Rampant fires? No, I only moved here recently because of... Well," he gestured toward the scene behind him, "work." He found it regrettable that he sought to make money off the dead, but inwardly he wondered if that was simply a borrowed concept from his childhood. How much of that baggage did he still carry around? And how much of it would interfere with his Negaverse duties, if it already impacted his typical work routine?
Maybe he should stick his nose into one of the chemical bottles and breathe deep; if he killed enough brain cells, he wouldn't have to think.
Or he could get lost in Chase's bed. He'd prefer the latter, but he'd take what he could get.
"So what happened with these fires?" Time to start scrubbing. "And how did the senshi cause them?" More importantly, how did the Negaverse put a stop to them? He wanted to know for his own faiths as well as an example of how to improve his already meager standing with his faction. While he chased away the blood and soaked the pink-hued brush in ample water, he listened for Chase's answers. If he was truly a member of the Negaverse as he implied, then maybe he was the help Adrian needed to succeed.
He didn't want to do this job forever.
He had to stall the body count somehow.
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Posted: Tue Oct 08, 2013 2:03 pm
"Well," he began, a deep chuckle following the word. "I suppose you could say that a little is a bit of an understatement." To say that he adored his fellow agents over any mundane would be an understatement, depending on the individual. Especially if they could stand the more...unhinged side of him, but Adrian seemed equipped enough to handle it. The man cleaned up gory crime scenes for a living, surely he could put up with a man who's sanity was questionable at times.
No one ever survived fighting in a war and remained completely sane.
"Did you want a private lesson?" The two-toned haired man asked, angling his body in a position that allowed him to lean closer while still maintaining aloofness. The contextual meaning of his words could go multiple ways; he left it up to the blond to decide the proper context. To further the double meaning he added softly, "I'm quite thorough." It occurred to him that a wink might be appropriate but instead he favored displaying a mischievous grin, much like that of the Cheshire Cat.
"We all need to make a living," he mumbled when Adrian returned to the topic of how he earned a living. He himself wasn't doing anything spectacular when it came to work, instead his work life was that of any corporate mundane differentiated in the minor detail of his youth. Had his father not perished, then he would not have been working in the office he did; in fact he might not have been working at all. It meant little to him and often he loathed going in, but it was busy work something to keep him occupied until the sunlight faded and the unsavory slipped from their hiding places and into the streets.
Chase was never good with idle time.
"Magic," he replied with a shrug thinking of the ginger haired senshi whom he encountered only briefly in the large scale order vs chaos battle resulting from the Operation Rota. The debacle still made his stomach turn as he recalled the soldiers who were tortured until their lives were drained. The emotional scars left behind would never fade and likely left the prisoners jaded and bitter. "Naturally, the vigilantes reacted as best they could but the fires flared and the damaged done before the buildings could be saved," he sighed, tugging his fingers through his styled haired. The style held firm, messed only slightly but Chase cared not.
"They're revolting against these terrorist attacks and tussle one on one but the sheer number is almost overwhelming." He kept wanting to say we, to confirm he was involved but his words were lost on the tip of his tongue. All signs pointed that Adrian was one of them, an agent but Chase couldn't shake the paranoia that it was all a ploy. "A few private lessons from the right people though," Him. "And we'll be golden." Oops, there was the slip he'd been avoiding.Strickenized No worries, sorry about my delay!
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Posted: Tue Oct 22, 2013 11:47 am
Oh, how he loved that ambiguity. Nothing better. Poker face at its finest, right there - both alluring and just out of reach all the same.
Yes, he liked this man already.
"If you're offering so readily, how could I refuse?" He returned with a much more subtle smile. In times like these, Adrian spoke with his eyes, and often his hand curled into a loose fist beneath his chin. But as he looked backward toward the stranger, Mr. smooth and mischievous Chase Black, he studied the black-haired man with half-lidded eyes and veiled meaning. He hadn't quite pinpointed the context of their curious bantering, but he liked a solid mystery. Either way he played it benefitted Adrian in the end, so who was he to unravel an enigma so quickly?
It proved a disservice to the art of betraying oneself in subtle hints. "Maybe you should try poker sometime - even if you don't find the game to your fancy, you've got the poker face for it. Just don't wear sunglasses and you can bluff your way to victory." He thought about punctuating his statement with babe, but the man's distaste for the phrase halted that thought.
Mister Black it is.
"Magic, huh?" If he'd met the man during the first leg of his tenure in Destiny City, he would've scoffed at the affair and broken their contact soon after. Who in their right mind would've considered that a believable explanation to a rash of fires? But in only a few short weeks, he discovered the war behind the heinous death toll within the city, and the reason for his growing career in thorough cleanup of such scenes. Maybe magic catalyzed more than a rising casualty count. Maybe these strange gifts bore more than just concrete results. Magic was more than that, wasn't it?
He saw it himself, in the way chemical burns just materialized on the girl's hands, the one with sunset hair and warm golden eyes. And she cried from it - concrete results. But from what action? His own.
Duties soon forgotten, he turned more fully toward his new acquaintance as he detailed just enough to whet his appetite for the rest of the story. A fire caused by magic - one that razed buildings and threatened the city, yet silenced by vigilantes... What happened to instigate such a large-scale assault? Adrian listened with arms folded across his chest while Chase continued with his deductions from the affair.
Adrian still struggled with grasping the entire concept of the war, as something hidden so thoroughly from public view seemed almost random at nature. Sure, he was aware of the vigilantes and terrorists rife in the city, but each attack seemed even disconnected from the last, and only left more work for him. More livelihood built on death. Idly he considered building a house of bones, a necropolis, but he pushed the thought from his mind in favor of more serious analysis. For one, the numbers Chase brought up proved the reason for the deadlock. From what he could tell, it seemed like no one was winning. For two, he confirmed that the senshi instigated these seemingly random assaults, though he found himself wondering about Medea in the context of terrorist attacks. How could a girl so meek commit murder?
That was, until he remembered her words that day: she spoke that she intended to pull him to her side. The declaration in and of itself confirmed her manipulative intentions.
Adrian smiled warmly. "Don't go to Vegas, Mister Black." He shrugged and his arms parted from his chest, raising upward in typical oh well fashion. His poker face slipped, but all was not lost. At least in its departure, Adrian learned that he was indeed among allies here. It only proved natural to return the favor. "You can't afford a slip like that at the tables. They'll catch you counting cards at that rate. Don't worry, though; I don't work for the house." Perhaps in a measured response, Adrian reached outward to correct the minor mess caused by Chase's fidgety disposition. A few blades of hair came out of their previously slicked position, but it was easy enough to correct the problem.
Allies helping allies, he supposed.
"So about those private lessons... Better make reservations for me, babe." He couldn't help himself that time.
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Posted: Wed Nov 20, 2013 1:45 pm
"I only offer to those I see potential in," he stated, as though it needed to be reiterated. Chase did not have time to play with the unworthy, that was a thing of the past. Something about Adrian was immensely appealing to the young man and perhaps the interest was linked to the air of ambiguity between them. Mysteries were much more appealing than the mundane.
"Poker and I are old friends," he replied, reflecting on old habits. He had been quite the card shark when he had been at his peak. His skills with a deck of cards had only diminished slightly, from lack of practice, but he still fancied himself talented. It was the only thing he still clung tightly to from his youth; when he had little to worry about other than being caught by the police for doing something mischievous or swindling people out of their money.
"Alas," he lamented, feigning a heavy sigh. "It has been some time since we have entertained each other." Months and counting. "Other, uh," he coughed, "activities have kept me away." Lines had been melding together for some time throughout the course of their conversation but now, though he was acutely aware that he was doing it, the lines were blurring more than he could separate at this stage.
He laughed, the sound more hoarse than intended, when advised to stay clear of the tables in Vegas. "You seem to be under the impression that I slipped on accident," he shook his head, that mischievous grin plastered his face again. "I only give what I want," he commented proudly. "Life is a game, my dear Mister Frost and like most games," he paused to waggle his index finger at him. "You must master it, then leave your opponents constantly questioning whether they've bested you or not." He liked to think he was a master of his life, giving information only when he please.
He wrinkled his nose, amber eyes following the blond's hand as he righted the mess that was his hair. "Considered them reserved, but fair warning," he paused, stepping back. "I play rough," he finished, this time following through with the urge to wink.Strickenized Apologies about the delay!
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