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Post by victoria on Oct 13, 2009 23:18:42 GMT -5
"Vierre... interesting." Mana smiled, still verging on flirtatious, "My name is Iria Demarco. It is very nice to meet you, Vierre Renault." she extended her hand to him.
Mana had noticed the entrance of the odd man, but she made no apparent gesture to it. Mana's eyes darted to the clock on the wall for a split second. She had a thing about knowing what time it was, and looking at her wrist watch would have been rather rude in the middle of a conversation. "So where is your shop located at, Mr. Renault? I'd love to peruse your wares. Who knows, I may buy something." she chuckled.
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Post by maximillion on Oct 14, 2009 22:42:47 GMT -5
OOC:(So sorry, terrible case of writers block, along with what I like to refer to as grammar retardation. Not my best work, to be sure. Oh well.)
IC:
"Ah. So good," were the only three words to come from his mouth, as he took a sip of the iced tea that he had ordered moments ago. His lips curved into a genuine smile of beatitude and benevolence, forgoing the former baleful expression across his face earlier. Of course. There was a reason for this drastic change in demeanor, simply put, he enjoyed ice tea very much. One could even say that it was an addiction of his, a serious, ever-present addiction. No other liquid drink could trump it, never in a million years. Though Maximillion was a strange man, after all. Changing interest from day to day, and never, ever staying the same. That was who he was and always would be. Today's interest were finding someone to hold a conversation with, and hoping they could stand him long enough to do so. You never know, might meet someone quite remarkable or perhaps even one who would become a future acquaintance.
The man whom he had just killed moments ago, unlike most others who died by his knife, was just a loose end to be tied up. An informant with a big mouth, that was too greedy for his own good, now at the bottom of some trash dump somewhere. No reason to let that event spoil his day...that was his view. Truthfully, he had all kinds of informants all over the place, especially in the underworld of society.
Maximillion closed both eyes, listening to every word spoken by the man and woman, watching every last movement from the corners of his eye, contrary to the ascendant lack of movement. The part that interested him was their names, though that was not all being the socialist that he was. Shifting his eyes toward the entrance he watched as another man entered, ordered a sandwich and coffee, then took a seat in a corner booth. Maximillion then finished his own food and iced tea, standing to his feet, and pulling a pack of fortune telling cards from his pocket as he did so. Turning his attention toward the man who spoke to the woman, he asked. He was often too perceptive for his own good, a trait which was the source of any trouble to be found around him.
"Say, mister, forgive the intrusion. But, I couldn't help overhearing you speak of rifles. Do you hunt, sir?"
Making no apparent movement to such, he stacked feigned ignorance upon feigned ignorance. Of course, he knew precisely what the man had said, that he was, in fact, bad with rifles. He just pretended that he did not, and what's more, he believed the man to be lying about something. Though one could never be sure what another was lying about, or when they were for that matter, but, that was not why the reason he was there anyways. Ninety nine percent of the human population lied seventy percent of the time anyway, did it really matter?
"Not to sound like too much of a braggart...I, too, am quite interested in hunting. As a matter of fact, I am quite skilled in the art as well. Hahaha," he explained cheerfully, though his words had a double meaning, they were ambiguous, as it were. Then, turning his attention to the woman's direction he spoke.
"Excuse me, ma'am, are you, by any chance, pondering as to what time it is? I couldn't help but notice your gaze was aimed at the clock for a brief moment...and... well, you may use my pocket watch if you so wish it," the sly words seemed to slip from his mouth, perhaps speaking a little too much and a little too forwardly at two strangers. It didn't matter, that is, if it were so, as he had no reason to hold reservations, even with his speech. " Oh dear. How rude of me to come up speaking to complete strangers like that, and without even introducing myself. The name's Maximillion, a real pleasure to make your acquaintance, to be sure,"[/b] he chuckled.
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Post by majesticarchfiend on Oct 15, 2009 19:59:16 GMT -5
Outwardly, Kazuki paid little attention to the peculiar, black-clad character who introduced himself to the other two people in the restaurant as "Maximilion". His focus was on the other two. The man he recognized as Vierre DeMara, a man he knew only from a photograph and what he had heard about him from Ayame, and whom he had never actually met. A disgraced former Britannian soldier with a reputation for recklessness and superb marksmanship, there were rumors that he was now with the Black Knights. The woman he had never seen before. Fair-skinned and dark-haired, she was borderline flirtatious in her mannerisms - body language belied by cold, blue-gray eyes. Whoever she is, Kazuki thought to himself as he looked down at his plate and sipped his coffee, she is dangerous. He said nothing, but continued sipping at his coffee, and watched.
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Post by vierre on Oct 16, 2009 21:21:37 GMT -5
“A pleasure.” Leaning over to taking the woman’s hand, Vierre offered a firm grip and a gentle shake. Perhaps a light kiss to the top of her hand would have been more appropriate for such an intricate woman, but such classical gestures seemed over the top to him, and something entirely more suited to the nobility.
"Say, mister, forgive the intrusion. But, I couldn't help overhearing you speak of rifles. Do you hunt, sir?"
“Hmm?” Vierre looked up to see the conspicuous man who had by now completed his meal. He had suspected the man might have been leaning an eye or an ear in their direction, and he expected the man might at some point introduce himself, but to be honest he had expected this stage to come a bit later.
"Not to sound like too much of a braggart...I, too, am quite interested in hunting. As a matter of fact, I am quite skilled in the art as well.”
“Ah, no, no good sir,” replied Vierre, waving his hand innocently and mimicking the man’s choice of address. “No, I’m afraid I said quite the opposite. Terrible shot here. Just terrible. I would, in fact, pity anyone with me on a hunting trip, as I would be liable to shoot them instead of the prized buck.” He smiled pleasantly, looking the man directly in the eyes, quite comfortable in his lie.
Turning back to the woman who had introduced herself as Iria, Vierre nodded politely, apologizing for responding to the man first. “Visit my store? Oh, I don’t know Ms. Demarco, if I allowed something like that to happen, you might quickly find the whole store to be a shallow cover for some horrendous and dangerous secret of mine,” he said with a grin. “And how awfully impolite that would be of me to subject you to that, hmm?” He chuckled. “No, no, I’m afraid what I mean is that I don’t so much own a store as I… well I suppose I would describe it better as distributing to other existing stores. It keeps my business mobile, you see. I wouldn’t want to be caught standing still for too long, eh?”
With an empty cup resting on his table, Vierre took a moment to fish something from a coat pocket. He then placed a very sizeable stack of credits, easily covering the coffee, the tip, and then some more. He paused to reconsider, then retrieved a few credits off the top of the stack, leaving it simply sizeable instead of “very”. “Regrettably, one must be careful with how credits are spent in times of such poor economy.”
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Post by victoria on Oct 18, 2009 0:27:45 GMT -5
Mana smiled as he shook her hand, honestly having expected him to kiss her hand, but a shake was fine non the less. Her smile slowly faded as Maximillion rudely interjected himself into the conversation. "I've got a watch." she said, showing her wrist watch, "I... was trying to be polite..." she shifted her eyes to the side in disapproval of Maximillion's lack of manners. She thought it stupid to point out she was looking at the clock. What possible purpose could doing such a thing have? Just to direct some sort of attention towards her? He did look like a creep. The type of creep she wanted to keep as far away from her as possible, regardless of his good looks.
Mana turned her attention back to Vierre, smiling at him, a rather sly smile at that, "Oh, so you are a distributor? Here I was imagining you in a small store of oddities, standing behind a counter." she giggled.
Mana wanted to continue her conversation with Viere, but now it felt awkward, knowing that this Maximillion fellow was listening to every word said, and would surely comment on everything.
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Post by maximillion on Oct 21, 2009 1:19:16 GMT -5
OOC:( I feel quite horrible, for holding up this topic, for so long, forgive me. I need more time to work out a post, just felt like crap lately. You guys can go on ahead and skip my turn this time around though, and I'll post the next time it is my turn. For now, just go on ahead and post without me till that time comes. Again, I apologize. I should have said so sooner.)
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Post by vierre on Oct 21, 2009 14:16:33 GMT -5
(OOC: No worries =) Thanks for letting us know. The posting order got messed up a bit, but I'll go after Kazuki as the new order)
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Post by majesticarchfiend on Oct 21, 2009 16:40:08 GMT -5
[OOC: Okay, so I'm up then? Allrighty.]
“Regrettably, one must be careful with how credits are spent in times of such poor economy.”
"That's certainly true." Kazuki spoke up from his seat as he stowed his glasses in a pocket fof the cheap, black sweater. His plate now empty, he picked up the still half-full cup of coffee in his left hand and walked over to stand facing across from "Maximillion" and the woman. He took a sip of his coffee. "I'm Kazuki Makabe." He introduced himself, giving a false name as a precaution - you never knew who you could be talking to in this place.
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Post by vierre on Oct 21, 2009 17:11:53 GMT -5
“Indeed! I suppose the simple title of ‘distributor’ might be appropriate,” replied Vierre while returning an equally sly smile. Yes, he was capable of distributing large inventories of small objects in rapid and efficient fashion. Sadly those small objects were often launched from the barrel of a firearm, and really had no profit margin to speak of. In fact, as with any other resource, it cost him—or more accurately the Black Knights—a small fortune of credits to remain fully stocked. “No, it would just be too dreadfully dull to stand behind a counter all day. A dreary existence to be sure.” Vierre was aware that it would have been far better to assume the full role of an average, harmless, and unremarkable citizen for the sake of his cover, but hints at the true depths of his restlessness would not be masked.
"That's certainly true," spoke another man now, who promptly made his way over, accompanied by his coffee. “I’m Kazuki Makabe.”
Vierre raised an eyebrow, regarding the newcomer, followed by the other man named Maximillion once more. He vented an amused sigh and shrugged in a relaxed and comfortable fashion. “My, my, my…” He grinned, lopsided. “So the party grows once more, hmm? Surely it has nothing to do with me, and everything to do with the presence of a young, attractive woman. Perhaps someone could tell me why there aren’t any women in this restaurant flocking to me, eh?”
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Post by victoria on Oct 29, 2009 20:38:28 GMT -5
The crowd was growing... and it had become too large for her liking. Mana stretched, "Well... I should get going. I need a shower after my jog earlier." she got up and smiled at Vierre, "It was nice meeting you."
Mana took her things and made her way past everyone else, dumping her things into the trash bin. She made her way to the door and walked outside, taking a moment to light a cigarette, going through her mp3 player for a good relaxing track list. Most of the music in her mp3 player was classical music, but there was a few upbeat modern music.
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Post by Josef "Gauron" Totschläger on Oct 29, 2009 21:26:41 GMT -5
Gauron strode aimlessly through the Saitama Ghetto. The area was filled with rundown buildings, refuse, and Elevens on the brink of hopelessness. It was just the sort of place that he had seen countless times in his life. He had helped create more than a few throughout Europe and Asia, actually. Regardless of that, he found the sight to be one of great pleasure. The suffering in the air was nearly palpable.
His reasons for being there were two-fold. On the one hand, he had grown bored of the peace and contentedness of the Tokyo Settlement and so decided to leave for the day. On the other hand, the chances of gleaning information that his so-called superiors within the Chinese Federation would appreciate were slim-to-none within the Britannian city. Any intelligence would likely be found in the numerous ghettos that dotted Area 11.
He had often found that when information was short, a short time spent within stricken areas where blood often ran hot could yield interesting results. If said results were not forthcoming, then he could at least have a little fun. He was walking along a cracked sidewalk when the door to a restaurant across the road opened and a woman with long brown hair stepped out.
Something about her grabbed his attention. It wasn't attraction; no, Gauron had long ago stopped feeling such a thing. The woman had what could best be described as a "feel" to her. Something seemed... different about her. With a sudden flash of memory, he remembered. He had seen her before. Many years ago, when he was working in France for the Britannians, he had been tasked with eliminating morale and rebellious groups.
The bomb had performed perfectly. Dozens of civilians in a resistance-heavy area had been caught in the blast. Morale in the area had dropped sharply, but the Britannians had apparently not appreciated his work and canceled his contract shortly after.
Gauron smiled and made his way to her. She was fiddling with her music player when he spoke. "My, how you've grown," he said simply. "The last time I saw you, you were in France, covered in soot and surrounded by fire. I have to admit, the look on your face was beautiful; not an ounce of suffering or morality. It was like looking into the face of a saint. The neighborhood burned beautifully, wouldn't you agree?"
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Post by maximillion on Oct 30, 2009 15:36:14 GMT -5
OOC : (Ahem. Sorry for the wait, and I do hope this is readable, as I experimented a little with my writing. What I would not do to improve. *groans* >_>; My apologies if it is not.)
Discussion continued whilst the man replied as well as wave his hand innocently there from complementing the cohesive lies that spewed out of his oral cavity. The verbal falsehood spoken by the male induced strong suspicion in Maximillion making it even more disbelieving. The more one lies the more attention they draw to themselves. Unless that individual was either an excellent liar or complete sociopath there were always subconscious bodily signs. Those, which could be interpreted any number of ways but to someone who observed humans day in and day out, they said many things. One of which was whether someone was lying or not. The second evaluated to some degree how adequate a person's combat experience was. In other words, it was instinct that gave the ability to read others and the contingency to turn the tide of battle. Right there was something of interest and something that deserved noticed. The man looked him directly in the eye with nothing but a pleasant smile comfortable despite his obvious deceit. That assuredly was something not just anyone would do. It drew Maximillion’s attention for a short time. Why did this fellow look him in the eye? After all his were the eyes of a hardened killer. A man with not one single hint of kindness in either of his eyes or his heart both filled with cold callousness. Of course, it was aberrant. Such eyes were neither ordinary nor easy to look toward furthering the fact this man could be accustomed to conflict. Those kinds of thoughts were partially subject to the paranoid and overly observant mind of Maximillion. In most cases, they were true however. This man and woman caused reminiscence to take hold of him for a reason unknown to even Maximillion himself. They reminded him of the time before he was saved from death and reborn with cybernetic enhancements. That time when several fully trained Britannian soldiers whom he used as informants had betrayed and cornered him. Though outnumbered he managed to slaughter the lot of them along with everyone else caught in the crossfire. One of the fondest moments in his entire life and the event that earned him the nickname “doctor death”. An ironic title given to him by the few survivors of that incident due of the fact that he was indeed a surgeon then, clad in typical a doctor uniform at the time. Oddly enough, he was better off now than before. As enhanced strength, bulletproof armor, enhanced eyesight in his left eye, and increased reaction times well beyond human limitation all suited his choice of life style. ”For every grain of truth, there are always one hundred lies. Though lies keep people from shoving a dagger in each other’s back constantly, they also encourage one to deny their true nature. That in my opinion is ridiculous, as someone who is in denial can never realize true life.”[/color]
He boldly stated with absolute certainty and confidence.
”For example, I have never betrayed my real self, which is why I am what I am today, a murderer, a killer of men and women. I would not say exactly that I lied as I did say that I was good at the art of hunting yet never stated what it is that I hunt.”[/color]
He bluntly confessed, stating his thoughts on both lies and those who lie to themselves. It was a bit random; such was the mind of a psychopath.
”Very well, played sir but I beg to differ. Even though I heard what you had said, as clear as the starry night sky. Somehow, someway I just do not believe you.”[/color] Dropping the fake ignorance by second nature, he closed both eyes smiling toward the man. That devious smile danced along his face as those sly cunning words melted from his mouth like butter. The confident tone of a man who cared not what those before him thought only of his own fun and game. His true nature began to leak out signaling that the foreplay of fun and games were now over. Onto the main dish forfeiting the lies and removing the mask of obscurity. That was what it meant to be entirely self-interested, completely uncaring to anything else. ”You see an aura carried by those who have seen combat. It protrudes from their very soul like a stigmata or scar of those they have saved and those they have destroyed. That is not something one can simply hide, not in the face of another born of similar origin. Hm? I am certain you have seen your fair share of people incinerated right before your very eyes have you not? Fufufu, I am sure that you have as almost no one is untouched by war and death.”[/color] The words slipped out, leaving a bad after-taste to anyone who heard them. A painfully blunt voice, there was not much room for objection due to that fact he had already made up his mind. Anything else this man said to object his own lies would go in one ear and out the other, no doubt about that. Not like, they were actually bothersome. No one cared about that kind of thing especially not Maximillion.
Up until then a concrete conclusion concerning his, true self left to question. Even at that time, Maximillion portrayed himself still as a rather ambiguous character. Clearly, he could not be trusted or underestimated, for he truly was dangerous to everyone and everything. Beyond the seemingly friendly chat, there was an inconceivable invisible battle raging. While not readily noticeable, the battle was a certain someone attempting to ascertain the nature everyone in the room. Naturally, he could not do it but that would not stop him from trying. Not a thing was impossible in his mind, and he hated those who considered the impossible a possibility. A paradox though nonetheless a sensible one.
Noticing the woman called Mana shift her eyes in disapproval of him, Maximillion chuckled.
”It is all about awareness I am afraid. I wanted to gauge the reactions of those in this room by directing attention toward one person. A failure it would seem.”[/color]
Once again he boldly confessed and this time to his plot. His honesty was unusual only because of the odd mood he was in today.
”Manners and formality are non-existent for me as I find them boring and so I do not bother with them. A bad habit really.”[/color]
Ah. The other man who had enter the restaurant a short while after he himself had so casually walked in the door. The man introduced himself, giving out the name Kazuki Makabe. How interesting, another person joined in the merry little conversation.
”Heh. Why hello there Mr. Makabe Kazuki was it? Moreover, how are you this fine day?”[/color]
A simple greeting came from his mouth, a devious smile still playing dancing about his face.
”It depends on whose economy you are speaking of; as I am sure none of the Britannian, nobility is having any problems.”[/color]
“Oh. That would be because women are fickle and capricious. Hmm. Do the two of you have any goals in life, any dreams or aspirations for the future? Be honest everyone has those and anyone who does not is a very dull person.”[/color]
He asked and stated as simply as possible, no reservations at all. His eyelids slowly opened to reveal malevolent eyes narrowed like a beast of which he gazed out nonchalantly. Also noticing the female leave there was obvious disappointment in his eyes. In addition, with a sigh he spoke.
”How disappointing you had to go so so~~on. Th~~~that’s too bad! Oh well. Fate and destiny are mere words. Everyone meets because of their own actions not fate, and those actions have repercussions. Just as each of us chooses to walk through that door, each of us chooses to speak with one another. I have a feeling we will meet again, sayonara!”[/color]
He spoke in loud voice, obviously attempting to be noticed even though the female had already stepped out the door. Why is unknown but it was probably just his unusual personality acting up?
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Post by vierre on Oct 30, 2009 17:55:52 GMT -5
Vierre chuckled quietly, still looking Maximillion directly in the eyes. The man’s tone had changed quite suddenly and drastically, though it did not come entirely as a surprise. He was obviously the type willing to intrude on what had previously been a private conversation, not unlike how he too had breached the woman’s private meal. He spoke, intentionally mimicking the altered tone. “Who is to say that a lie cannot be born from one’s true nature, hmm?” One corner of Vierre’s lips curved up. “In which case, the lie embraces true nature, allowing it the liberty to, shall we say, play. There is certainly no betrayal.”
Vierre listened curiously as Maximillion went on, speaking of the death of others by his hands. It was a ridiculous statement, but he would not discount it. Nor would he be concerned by it. It was quite the opposite in fact. If this man were indeed what he claimed to be, then Vierre would not be able to help but feel an exhilaration emanating from the laced banter.
Finally the man spoke his suspicions. Vierre had hoped someone would. “Hmm. What is it that you believe of me then? I am just so terribly curious as to what ideas you have garnered. What do you read from my soul?” He chuckled again, this time louder and more boisterous. “By the way, no, I have never seen a man incinerated before my eyes. No, never that… specifically.”
Vierre left his own answer there, incomplete and open threads dangling, inviting anyone to pull at them. He waited, still momentarily interested in what either man might say, but ultimately running out of time. “Women fickle indeed. Case in point,” he traced his eyes back at Mana as she exited the restaurant. “This one has grown tired of the crowd. And I must admit, with my mug empty as well, I don’t have much motivation to remain either. Shall we conclude then that I am the mask of a ‘very dull person’. And what lurks beneath it? Perhaps just a ‘very dull person’ fond of wearing masks. Who’s to say?” Neatly re-stacking the credits for his bill, Vierre nodded to the other two men and stood from his seat to leave. [exit]
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Post by majesticarchfiend on Oct 31, 2009 8:01:17 GMT -5
"Doing quite wll, thank you." Kazuki replied without inquiring further. This man, clearly, was insane. He, as well as Vierre, left the restaurant, leaving Kazuki alone at the table, the woman having left.
Gathering his cup and plate, he threw out his trash and left the plate on the counter, paying for his meal before exiting the restaurant himself. He continued walking, heading towards an apartment he had previously rented here in Saitama before heading out to Shinjuku. He would change, and thence head back into the Settlement itself. It would be interesting to see what the Britannians were doing in response to the destruction they had caused...
[Exit Kazuki]
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Post by victoria on Oct 31, 2009 11:12:40 GMT -5
Mana decided on a playlist: medieval choirs. She took a drag of her cigarette, sliding the mp3 player back into her back pack, draping the earphones over her shoulder before finally looking at Gauron, blowing the smoke out of her nose like some sort of beautiful dragon, "A saint...?" Mana stared straight at Gauron, her icy cold eyes showing a glimpse of her true nature, "Some kind of saint, I suppose, in the full divine meaning of the word." a faint smile played on her lips, "As for fire... it always burns beautifully, no matter what it is consuming..."
Mana was slightly curious about this man... something about him... he wasn't attractive at all to her, but his eyes, and the way he spoke... it was like an obscene version of herself. Mana took another drag of her cigarette, giving a small nod to Gauron and starting to walk away. He was free to follow and continue talking, but she was done with this particular corner of the street and was ready to begin moving again. She knew if she had to she could probably outrun this man. It wouldn't hurt to hear to what he had to say.
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