WELCOME TO RAYVEN'S REIGN.

[Alchemist]

{OOC: Refer to here for more information.}

There were many empty blocks in New Orleans. Damaged by what, Julius did not know, for he was not of this world, but it reminded him of many homes he had lived in. All had been wondrous cities, filled with some of that old black magic. All had been laid to ruin.

He kicked in the door to a bar, one abandoned structure good as the others for his purposes at least. A rotted out door and a rusted lock always offered little resistance, and no exception here. Stale air, filled with sickness, infected the place, rising up out of heaps of rats nests and dead birds only to suffuse with the rampant mold that lived in the walls.

"Look at this filth ridden dump," he shouted, his words ringing hollow and without malice, "Look at what was once a haven for a community. Now what? A cellar of death."

He was calling to someone, but nothing seemed to respond. Just the squeaks and scuttles of vermin on dusty ground.

"Once a place of mirth, now only to be looked on with sorro-," Julius stopping in his tirade once he saw it. A shadow in the corner seemed to to grow small as a being filled the darkness. Its eyes were large, with the burst vessels that only come from having drowned, but her skin was as waterlogged as it was ashen and scoured.

You'd almost think it wouldn't cry, if only to not see water again, but it whimpered, plenty of moisture in the walls to feed it's tears.

"Or is it," he said in a whisper, "something more? has it just fallen on hard times? Can it be saved?"

Still the being whimpered, trembling with sorrow and anguish.

"And so, a bargain to be struck. I will do what you cannot, and in return, you will do what I will not. Do we have an accord?"

He reached out a hand, and the figure disappeared, a swarm of rats flying to his hand. he did not withdraw as they bit his fingers, and gnashed on his flesh. He flung them from his hand with a whip of his wrist, and with stomp, did unsettle the dust of the room a feat not though strength but presence.

"Yeah, I wouldn't trust me either," he whispered though a faint smile.

~~~

A bottle tree sat in the center of the room, and Julius in front of it. Its roots were made of broken chairs, its body of broken tables. Its moss was the pocked flesh of rats. Its blood was silverfish, which slid between the bark made of a mosaic of broken glass, and the unharmed bottles hanging from the branches as leaves.

The room was changed by its presence. there was a light turned on above it, pressed to the ceiling and giving it a make-shift halo. It was so bright that the room became darker because of it, all but the tree and Julius hiding in the mosaic light, resting on the edge of shadow. Julius' figure was outlined in its corona, and he sat cross-legged, flat on the ground in his white, bespoke suit.

Dust rolled away from the bottle tree like a tide.

On a silken blanket in front of him, sat thick stack of cards, resting on his white top hat- the backs of the deck facing upward, which glowed quite faintly due to an odd foil gilding it. Catch it in one light, and it was yellow, in the other red, and in the other still, it was green.

In one hand, Julius held out his wand, and the other, and empty gobbet.

All just a matter of time.

***

To others in the city, it would be so very casual: a passing whisper, the speakers unseen. A conversation eavesdropped on, and only after night had settled.

"They say he's giving away magic," the first voice would say.
"Magic? Like voodoo dolls and stuff," the second would ask.
"Kinda. They say they are these little cards, and they do something if you burn them?"
"what kind of something,"
"Anything. Like make someone fall in love with you, give you beauty, make you smarter, even jinx someone?"
"Wow where is this guy?"
"Down in an abandoned bar over in the ninth district."

And that would all voice would say. Very few ever actually followed up on it, but still, he would need only a few.

And there he waited, on a lonely night in New Orleans.

This post has been edited by Alchemist on Jun 12 2012, 02:25 AM

[♔ Ketic]

(Wow! I just have to say you have amazing writing, it was really fun to read. Hopefully my 'style' isn't off-putting, I'm still learning how to make sentences and paragraphs flow well. I added that bit about the countertop because of what you said in the info thread... I hope its alright.)

The sun had set some time ago, but Gabriel had yet to notice. He had been walking all day, not really thinking about where he was going, and now he found himself among a slew of abandoned buildings. His eyes scanned the area as his mind flashed back to a moment prior in the day. Gabriel had overheard someone gossiping about this area of town. Claiming there was a magic man here. It had piqued his interest but the Rippler hadn't actually come here on purpose. Perhaps Fate..?

His dark eyes scanned the street once more before he slowly continued to walk. Gabriel was not scared or uneasy, only cautious. The gray dirty tennis shoes tied to his feet thumped almost noiselessly against the pavement. The Rippler could hear the sound of faint running water but could not pinpoint where it was coming from. He breathed a calm sigh and held one hand up in front of his face as he walked, feeling the air pass between his fingers. From in between his fingers Gabriel spotted something. There was a faint glow coming from one of the delapidated buildings. It definitely did not belong. Maybe it had at one time, but not now.

Gabriel approached calmly and quietly. He didn't want to disturb anyone but his curiousity needed to be sated. Unfortunately for the Rippler all he was met with was a slew of more questions after stepping into the glowing room. There was a man, or perhaps it was not a man, sitting close to the center of the room. Behind him was the source of the glow. A tree of sorts, made of broken things and... rats? The Rippler's brown eyes immediately shifted over to the far right wall of the bar. A very ornate counter ran along three quarters of the wall, with space behind for a barman to work. It looked untouched by time and wear, in fact it seemed to glow simply because of how it stood out in all of the ruin.

"Wow," Gabriel breathed the word almost silently. He could feel something in the air. It wasn't tension though, to the Rippler it felt more like energy. Just raw, thick air. His eyes flicked back to the man sitting down. His hair was blond and from beneath it Gabriel caught sight of bright blue eyes. "Hello." His greeting was measured, but warm none the less.

[✖ Outlaw Fallen]

Closer to downtown, but still in the slums, the beautiful young demon stepped from the confines of a run-down building of several stories that seemed to teem with night life. One could barely make out the faded lettering over the door, almost telling a tale in their own right; three words that changed the lives of many species, 'The Wolves Den'. Of course, those that walked the streets around him either knew his face or had not a clue that the owner was calling it a night.

As he walked among the mundane toward the alley he had parked in, he seemed occupied... engaged in conversation, no less, though his companion was nowhere to be seen. Fallen didn't even notice the looks cast his way, hands tucked in the pockets of his jeans as he made that casual stroll with animalistic grace. "You know, I always hate coming down here. Nothing serious, really, I just feel like I'm going to meet Gambit from the X-men in my club one night, but Louisiana always disappoints. You would think that, with all of the weirdos coming through my place in the land of the Cajuns, I'd get one Remy Lebeau imitator."

"... Well, that's your opinion. I always thought he was a badass." A puff of exhaled air blew the strands of hair from in front of his face for a few moments as he turned down the appropriate alley and swung his leg over the CBR. Without even bothering to put his helmet on, he cranked the motorcycle and started down the road. Rumors had flown rampant through his clubs the past few nights... a creature offering boons of sorts.

No... he knew there was no such free meal. It had to be a gamble, and as he had drawn closer to New Orleans, the feeling surrounding this enigma had become... familiar. He knew exactly where he was going this evening without actually knowing. The very air told him what he was looking for and where to find it. But why couldn't he place it?

There it was; a building in worse shape than his own, light escaping wherever it could. Fallen put the kickstand down and killed the engine, dismounting and crossing the street. The whole block felt empty... abandoned, though he knew there was someone in the building... at least two people.

Stepping through the front door, he could hear the emptiness of the room in his very steps. Rapping his knuckles lightly on the door frame so as to alert those inside, he entered without a word. What jumped out at him only after the room's two sole occupants was the walls and ceiling. As if someone had stolen the decaying design from his mind, it lay scrawled on the wall as if the paint had been laid only hours before.

Black with a silver spackling... the silver formed odd and frightening shapes, though there was no reason as to why it gave such a sense of foreboding as it carved through the bleak background. Branching off, twisting, crawling, the wall told a story that Fallen could spend several lifetimes trying to decipher. He tore his gaze away from it and back to the two in the room.

That was when the reason behind that nagging sensation of familiarity met him, the same beautiful visage that had been... how many years before? He had often wondered about this one. Even though he was in jeans and a white button-down, his grooming still showed through as he offered a shallow bow. "Good evening, Julius. It's been too long." The cards next to the old creature did not go without notice, but Fallen's focus remained on the one before him.

It wasn't simply that magic wielders made him wary, but he was almost acutely aware of the precarious edge this creature's mind stood upon. He knew neither his mind, nor his heart, and could only hope that things did not decend. He had been warned of the dangers in dealing with this man by his brother. Regardless, that did not stop the genuine tone in Fallen's soft voice. "If the devil were trading favors for souls, I don't believe he would get your notoriety."

[Alchemist]

((OOC: And yet, I could not find myself in finer and more patient company))

In the darkness, only his eyes could be seen- the smile upon his face hidden by shadow. Those same eyes stared at Gabriel like both men had met before. Maybe they had: who could say these days? People were just living longer and longer…

Juli drew his eyes to the counter and then back to Gabriel that one would think him a gambler slipping a tell. Even in shadow, you could see Juli’s bright teeth smiling. He was so fond of smiling after all.

“Salutations,” he held the thick stack of cards, and began to shuffle. They let off a sound like snake laughing, a sort of ‘hiss-k” sound, as he cut them and folded them on top of themselves seven times before setting them back down.

“Sit,” he gestured to the dusty ground in front of him, “I have a gift for you.”
He held up a card, and ledgermained it though his fingers, always showing the back, but never precisely what was in the front. Even a… supernatural sort of eye could not see the card he held. Perhaps it was some trickery of his own. Or maybe the card just wasn’t made yet.

“Do not be polite,” his eyes shooting wide to Gabriel, leaning forward with a rapid whisper, “For men as I do not state true names. A good magician can steal a mans soul with less. Give me none. Polite will get you killed.”

There was a knock and another guest entered. His gaze drew slowly from Gabriel to Fallen- half-lidded and opiated he seemed to look to the man. A different mask for each perhaps? No, perhaps just tired from his warning.

He smiled again from Fallen’s greeting, raising both palms up to the man, his face rapt with mock worry.

“O Lord, my God, is there no help for the Widow's Son?”

Only then did he wink to Fallen.
“Pull up a seat old chap; This lovely place has a new bar. I’m working right now… lest you like to make a bargain”

His smile flashed more ivory then a piano.

“And yet ‘Mi-chai-ael’ would strike me down all the same. Woe be to the wretched for ours is the sin of pride.”

His words had his eyes end on the cards in his hand.

“Someone be a dear and make Mommy a gimlet,” what he said was a joke, but he wasn’t laughing anymore.

This post has been edited by Alchemist on Aug 7 2012, 12:40 AM

[♔ Ketic]

He raised an eyebrow and slowly made his way further into the room. The Man with the Hat began to shuffle his deck of cards. For a moment all was quiet except for the sound of shuffling playing cards. Then the strange man set the objects down and gestured for Gabriel to have a seat. Only then did the Rippler's raised brow relax. He sat down slowly, taking his time settling on the ground. He wasn't sore or anything of the sort, Gabe was just careful. Perhaps even overly so. His dark coffee bean colored eyes did nothing but stare and watch as the man produced a card from his deck.

“I have a gift for you.”

The Rippler frowned slightly. So the rumors had been true then? This man was giving away magic? In the form of cards perhaps? No, Gabriel didn't really believe it. His mind was open to anything of course, but better to experience and learn in person before blindly accepting the gossip of normal folk as concrete truth. His frown faded as the 'magic man' spoke up again. Gabriel had just been about to introduce himself and here the man was telling him to not be polite. Could he read his mind? The Rippler was lost for words. If he couldn't introduce himself was he just supposed to accept this strange man's card and leave? What would the card do, if anything? Maybe the card in this man's hand wasn't even the gift of which he spoke.

As Gabriel sifted through his own sea of thoughts there was a light knock on the door. The Rippler turned and his mouth opened slowly. As a new figure entered the old bar, the walls seemed to transform. They darkened and then it was as if a painter was flinging flecks of silver upon the surface. It was almost like running water, or falling rain, Gabriel observed. The silver spread and flowed the length of the walls. Then as soon as the transformation had begun it was over. The newcomer regarded Gabe for a moment before turning to the Man with the Hat.

The two exchanged words and in truth Gabriel was a little lost. Did they know eachother? They spoke like old friends. Or maybe friends of old? His dark eyes opened and closed rapidly for a moment as he tried to catch up. This feeling in the air was making Gabriel uneasy. Yet his unease didn't bother him in the slightest. It was just a feeling sitting in the pit of his stomach like hunger or a last drink before bed. The Rippler straightened the sleeves of his gray shirt and spoke finally, his words slow as if he were measuring the length of each, one at a time.

"So, if I'm correct," His eyes met blue ones as he continued. The other man was of no interest to Gabriel at the moment, though perhaps he should have been. "You don't want to know my name. You have placed this failing structure under a magical spell causing it to... renovate itself. Finally, you are offering me a gift in the form of a playing card?"

The Rippler's tone wasn't hostile by any means. He simply wanted to make sure that what he was experiencing was actually the real thing. Gabe always found magic rather complex and confusing. Could the bar and the walls be an illusion? They definitely could. Maybe that is why Gabriel could feel such a strong energy in the air around him. On the other hand this man before him could be a very powerful being. Either way the Rippler was sure that there was magic afoot.

[✖ Outlaw Fallen]

“O Lord, my God, is there no help for the Widow's Son?” The old acquaintance offered Fallen a wink before continuing. “Pull up a seat old chap; This lovely place has a new bar. I’m working right now… lest you like to make a bargain.” The demon hesitated, but only as his mind tried to work over the gesture he had been met with. He knew its occult nature, but was entirely unfamiliar with its meaning.

Fallen forced himself to step into the room as he mentally made a note to research the meaning of the gesticulation and deliberate sequencing of words. "You flatter me, but know all too well that I am an infant set next to yourself." The beautiful young man came to stand next to where Gabriel sat, but did not sit just yet. "But you have yet to offer me a crooked deal... I do not see why we can't do business."

That ethereal gaze of shattered sapphiric hues and gold fell rather deliberately to the cards. "I just hope you understand my curiosity at what manner of bargain you offer one who typically only deals in his own favor." Surely even Julius could understand the precarious situation and the leap of faith it would take for Fallen. Grabbing a nearby chair, he turned it as he pulled it to himself, placing his weight on it oh so delicately. The thing seemed as though it might crumble beneath him with the breath of a sneeze.

“And yet ‘Mi-chai-ael’ would strike me down all the same. Woe be to the wretched for ours is the sin of pride.” Another cliffhanger... it was as though Fallen's mind could almost perfectly grasp everything Julius said, but something kept him from truly conceiving the notions behind the words. It all had a familiar feel... dark, slippery, and dangerous. He could, however, understand why it was all so close to home... like seeing one's lips move, but not hearing what they were saying.

As Julius' gaze fell to the card in his hand, Fallen's rose to the eternal being's face... a face with youthful and effeminate features like his own. “Someone be a dear and make Mommy a gimlet.” Without the laughter, Fallen could not tell that this was a joke. His brow furrowed as he weighed this idly offered request.

When the silence had hung for a considerable moment, Fallen took it upon himself to rise and approach the bar. Silently, he grabbed a dusty bottle of gin and, after dusting one of the few glasses that was not broken with his fingers, filled it with the old liquor. Next, he cut a lime in half and thoroughly wrung the juices from the fruit. He repeated this process before stirring the drink and returning to the table where Julius sat and setting the glass next to him wordlessly.

"So, if I'm correct you don't want to know my name. You have placed this failing structure under a magical spell causing it to... renovate itself. Finally, you are offering me a gift in the form of a playing card?" The demon took his seat next to the stranger once more, watching Julius carefully. As with anyone else, he looked for a tell... sought intent in Julius' body language, hands, and eye contact... knowing he wouldn't get it. This one was truly an enigma to him unlike any other. Fallen wasn't even sure if his all-powerful brother was capable of defeating this creature.

[Alchemist]

Juli’s mouth sat drawn and pensive, hiding in the corner of his face at the ‘his own gain’ crack that Fallen had offered. All the same, he smiled with his eyes closed, in a would-be ‘thanks’ to Fallen as he was handed his drink, setting Gabriel’s card down upon the top of the deck.

The Man in the Hat seemed to half-listen to Gabriel’s question, spending the other part of his mind fussing with a pocketwatch, before stealing a glance to Fallen, certain the man would recall the overly-large chronometer. Still, by the end of it, he managed to provide his inquiring guest some manner of undivided attention, even it was accompanied by that placid stare.

He took a long sip of his gimlet, clearing his throat afterwards, as that is all that one really can do after sipping a gimlet. He withheld a sigh of exasperation that did always tend to follow before setting his glass down.

“I am not making any magic.”

His lithe fingers reached back to his glass, but instead turned it 180 degrees, a lip print visible even in the over lit fluorescence.

“The both of you are.”

A bright white circle appeared on the ground under where Julius sat.

“Ask yourselves: what do either of you want? Forget me, forget this room, forget everything. Anything, anything at all. One wish, what would you wish for?”

He sat quietly, his eyes jumping between them to see if they were thinking.

“I ask a child, they can name twenty things they would ask for. Some of them pretty good. No thought of repercussion. Most of them ruin their lives. Same with anyone.”

His hand now drew inside his jacket pocket, and took out a long kiseru pipe, it already smoking. The cherry in the bowl flashed in time to a few hesitant puffs.

“The first trick to making a wish is to realize that I am just a granter. I am not the one that fucks over your life. I am not the one either of you should be worried about.”

A long slow drag followed.

“So,” turning to Gabriel, “What card do you think I should give you?”

[♔ Ketic]

(Sorry for the length this time guys, been busy getting ready for school. Hope this will suffice anyways.)

Both of Gabriel's eyebrows lifted as a light appeared under the man who was speaking. This guy claimed, or rather stated kind of nonchalantly, that Gabriel and Fallen were making magic. How? Did The Man in the Hat have some draw that made supernatural people congregate around him? Perhaps congregate wasn't the best word. Maybe... just a draw. Like charisma only different. Of course this man had plenty of both.

"I'm not meaning to create any magic and I'm definitely not doing it of my own volition," Gabriel's eyebrows were still lifted but they were slowly returning back to a natural relaxed state. "Who is then?" The Rippler asked in direct counter to the man's comment about fucking over someones life.

"Responsible, I mean." He eyes the man named Fallen for a moment. What a strange name. Though he'd met people that thought of Gabriel as a strange, antiquated name. "One's self? The 'devil'?" The Rippler left his questions hanging as he continued to speak.

"I'm curious as to why I would willingly recieve a.. wish? Card? In the first place. The way you speak around the magic its almost as if I should fear it... not seek it." The Rippler stood now. This Man with the Hat scared him. Not physically.. but in a deeper way. On a more psychological level. "You know not of my name, nature, intention, or origin. Why give out something you claim to be so powerful for free?"

Maybe coming in here had been a bad idea. The Rippler was becoming confused. His mind kept moving in circles, attempting to over-calculate everything. Was he confusing himself or was it this magic man? Unknown. Gabriel moved to the bar as nonchalantly as possible and began rummaging around for a drink. He wasn't ready to leave just yet but he wasn't going to blindly accept a 'free' token of magic either.

Eventually he came up with a bit of alcohol that didn't seem too threatening. He took a sip straight from the bottle. That wouldn't offend anyone, would it? His dark eyes regarded the card in question and for a moment locked there. Why not just accept it and see what would happen? After all Gabriel had lived for quite a few years... perhaps it was time for something new. Would this card remove his abilities from his body and make him mortal? Would it enhance them in some way and open new doors? Would it change him completely? Gabriel shook his head almost imperceptibly to himself. Now I'm just letting my mind get away from me... He decided to re-focus his attention on the sitting man now.

[✖ Outlaw Fallen]

(sorry for the delay, gents, hope you aren't too frustrated with me... life sorta caught up with me, but I will try to give you something worth reading to make up for it... wrote this one to Sonata Arctica's Unopened)

Fallen's serene visage remained static and unchanged throughout the proceedings of this clandestine meeting, reflecting the blank slate that was Julius' beautiful features. Of course, far more was occurring beneath the masks than they let on. For Fallen, he was once again trying to piece the mad hatter together, and why he was not bothered by the presence of such an obviously unstable creature... like a known-faulty nuclear power plant.

But it was more than that, wasn't it? He enjoyed being around Julius. With the exception of their initial meeting, to look at them know, one would think they were two complete and total opposites. Why, then, did Fallen feel that, with the exception of their powers and their looks, they could be twins? No... that wasn't quite the sentiment he sought... it was getting damn close though.

Without a doubt, the young demon recognized the thing that resembled a large pocket watch. The resemblance for Fallen, however, ended at its shape. He knew Julius could scry into it like some crystal ball. Instead of wondering what he was scrying for in the here and now, Fallen's thoughts instead turned to their first meeting, and what Julius had learned of him when he had first seen something in it... something that he was beyond certain pertained to himself.

Interestingly enough, he and the other fellow were the ones making magic, not Julius. So it was some manner of spell that worked on the impressions of those within its parameters. That was as far as his understanding of magic allowed him to analyze the progression of the bar's metamorphosis. And from what it sounded like, the other man understood magic only slightly less than himself. Still... it was rather intriguing... very fitting of Julius in a way he couldn't quite place.

The serenity of Fallen's soft features was only disrupted when Julius began explaining the manner of boon he offered... and what a boon. Fallen's brow gained an artistic curve as it knitted with thought. Damn you, Julius... He found himself thinking that perhaps he would have been better off heeding his brother's warning for once. Real wishes...

His mind jumped to the first thing he could grasp... the goal he had sought from day one of this adventure. The reaction was so engrained it might have almost qualified as reflexive or muscle-memory. Home... What if he could really go back? Could Julius really quantify magic powerful enough to propel him not only across space, but time, as well? Perhaps, even, into a another galaxy? Or another universe?

There was no hope in these thoughts... no real wonderment or preponderance. Fallen had sought magic so powerful and wonders mystical for nigh on half of a millenia to no avail. The answer had resounded from masters of all walks; without being able to pinpoint the physical location, whether exact or even general, of his home world, there was no way for him to get there. Then there was that time problem, again...

So he did not dwell on such a thing before his mind began wondering at other possibilities... a weapon or ability powerful enough to destroy his brother... a way to increase his own power or remove its draw on his own life force... or even increase the very potency of the Dark Flame. Strange, that he could wonder at such things so freely when they were likely as not the same sort of farce as vaulting him through time and space.

Still... Julius was incredibly powerful... perhaps even powerful enough to tackle his brother. Were such things within his reach? Frowning, his gaze narrowed on Julius as he tried to wrap his mind around such a wonder as the mage offered... a real wish... a whim of the heart for the taking. Once he accepted that such a thing was now a reality, he could more realistically analyze how such things could become detrimental to his well-being or his existence and make an appropriate decision.

Simply declining was not an option here... Fallen had already seen how the older creature took to those who snubbed his generous offerings. Always out of the upper hand with you, Julius... damn you...

[Alchemist]

Julius just sat patiently, his pipe sitting firmly in his teeth, the occasional puff of smoke drifting from his nostrils. They were few and far between, and were it not for the smoke, one might think he didn’t breath at all, or at least, good at holding his breath.

It was an odd moment, and instead, he let the room fill with the somewhat holy scent of mishma, it obvious that his chain-smoking ways did not favor tobacco.

“Not doing magic,” he was responding to Gabriel but did a spit take to Fallen, before returning with the whole of his gaze, undivided attention from such a man seeming as much a bane as a boon, “You’re conscious. You have a will. You have a sense of imagination. I assure you- that is all anyone needs.”

He tapped the ash from his pipe, quite done with his little puff. He examined the brim of his hat, scooping the thing up, regarding with the same care one does a piece of ripe fruit, expecting to find a hole where a worm or a roach might have entered.

“Responsible?” flipping the hat onto his head, “ you talk as a though a crime had been committed.”

He uncrossed his legs, setting his two heels on the ground. With a wink to Fallen, and without touching the ground any further, he rose from his seat on just the angle of his own heel, as though he were being picked up by the shoulders. When he stood, he slid both his feet together, and preened his suit. Standing, he was mere five foot nine inches, and in the stark light he now stood in, it became apparent Mr. Aldoid could just as well be a woman, or perhaps some androgynous non-entity given his voice and features. Whatever he was- it was obvious he loved suits.

“You’re right, I don’t know you sir. Nor your name, nor which card you want. I mean, to know something like that just from sitting with someone, why, that would take magic powers, I would reckon.”

With a flick of his wrist, a wand sprang into his hand, the glossy white wood shining in the light. Lithe, it sat in his hand with a handle the same as a pistol grip on a fencer’s epee.

“I’ll spell it out,” glancing to both men, flexing his shoulders as a black overcloak appeared and drew over him, “A wish is dangerous because it is a heart’s desire. I perform magic to grant it- magic of which is as much a physical property as gravity. I am above suspicion- as I could rend this place to ash just as well as resurrect it. The only danger is the heart that asks the wish. You have already bought the ticket- why not ride the ride? Know thyself, and there is to be no fear at all. But failure to choose- and I’ll choose for you.”

He lowered his wand, so only his face, nestled under its top, had stood there. One could not see his feet, nor the platform he conjured for himself, but for a moment, the top of his hat sat a comfortable seven feet tall. A single card was tossed to Gabriel’s feet.

There sat a card, showing a woman in a white dress, blindfolded and armed with two swords, both pointing upward, as a Cheshire moon sat above her head. It was The Two of Swords of course.

“An impasse sir- that is where you find yourself. Let us hope this card may be of some great use to you.”

And with a hop, the platform vanished, and his form shrank seven inches, and he made his way to the bar, hoping over it with a jaunt before seeming to just glide over so to be on the other side of Fallen.

"Did you know Dear Sir Fallen, that you are the only person I know longer then a day in these parts? Does that make us friends?" he asked, already pulling bottles over and mixing some manner of absurd concoction. Didn’t even draw from the top shelf. He didn’t even look at what he was making. Just looking at Fallen. Dead in the eyes. Not even blinking. He was smiling though.

“So, what will it be? What’s your poison?”

His own glass was still sitting back on the ground.

[♔ Ketic]

Gabriel watched as the strange man seemed to float upwards into a standing position. Then, the Rippler didn't even see which hand had cast it, a card fell to the floor near his feet. It was the Two of Swords. His left hand moved into his pants pocket along with his right. Gabriel didn't know what to think.

Deciding to just take things at face value rather than analyzing all these strange occurances, the Rippler bent and picked up the card. He spent a moment looking at the picture in detail before flipping it over and surveying the back. When his gaze finally rose Gabriel found that the Man with the Hat was no longer where he had been standing before.

His eyes found the two other beings in the room over by the bar. They were attending to eachother. I could walk out right now, and just leave the card here.. Gabriel inhaled deeply. When he exhaled his face was a picture of indecision. The card was still in his right hand so he pocketed it easily. His eyes watched the pair for a moment before he took a single step backwards. Then the Rippler turned and exited the building.

"Thank you." He wasn't even sure if he should be thanking the man, but did so anyways.

The air outside was nice. Gabriel had no car to get in or bicycle to mount so he lingered in the doorway a couple moments before stepping down off the stoop. He could not predict if either of the men inside the building would try to follow him or get him to return. What would he do if they did? Gabriel was a being with power but he didn't like to use it unless completely necessary.

The Rippler was still lingering just outside the building. He removed the card from his right pants pocket and examined it again before sighing. Something didn't feel right about this item. In his left palm the Rippler breathed a petty spark of flame. He considered the card a final time before moving the corner of it over the fire, watching to see if it would burn.

[✖ Outlaw Fallen]

Fallen watched as Julius worked... as only Julius could. The other man did not seem overly enthused with his card. There again, Fallen had no clue what the Two of Swords was, so he couldn't really know if the man should be grateful or disappointed.

What had particularly interested him, though, had been Julius' explanation on the danger of a wish. He had said that it was dangerous because it was a heart's desire. But he had gone on to say that the danger was in the heart making the wish.

It was odd... when presented with the seemingly limitless options, he couldn't decide what his heart's desire was. Before this moment, he might have told anyone that asked that, sure, he knew himself as well as anyone should after nearly a whole millenia.

This choice was a real wrench in his gears. It presented him with the reality of his own lack of self actualization. Fallen couldn't understand how he couldn't know his own heart well enough to make such a simple decision. Then there came that voice that was at once as cold as ice and as enchanting as a siren's song.

"Did you know Dear Sir Fallen, that you are the only person I know longer then a day in these parts? Does that make us friends?" A chill slid down his spine at the close proximity of Julius. Fallen had been so lost in his musings that he had not seen Julius approach.

A chuckle slid from his throat as he cut his gaze at Julius. "I suppose it does, Julius. Though many would consider calling a demon your friend... unseemly." Fallen regarded the glass that Julius was so haphazardly filling for a moment before returning his gaze to Julius'.

“So, what will it be? What’s your poison?” He pondered at the question for but a second before answering as he indicated the glass. "I'll take whatever you cook up." He let the silence follow as Julius mixed a drink that would probably choke a hardened alcoholic.

Finally, he broke the silence to address the real question that hung in the air. "You've probably seen... things... in your little trinket. Things that no one else in this universe know about me. I say all of this because... if you have... you know as well as I do if not better what I want."

"But you also have the fortune of being able to see what... I need. You don't have to see it through my eyes." What he meant was he didn't have the handicap of his own sentiments. For Julius, it was like watching a game of chess from the sidelines; he could see moves that neither player would see because of their individual focuses.

His gaze fell to the bar before raising to Julius's once more. "What would you do if you were me? What should I do?" Julius was probably the only person he had ever spoken to in this manner in the entirety of his life. "And don't take this as a failure to choose, you know damn well that's not what this is. Hell, you probably know my mind better than I do..."

He began thinking that... maybe it was better to simply live this life and leave the past as it was. There were things he had now that... he would be heartbroken to leave behind. That left only the matter of a card that could be used as an effective weapon against his brother...

He regarded Julius silently, wondering what the mad hatter would concoct as an answer to someone he considered a friend. The gods knew he did not want to be this creature's enemy.

[Alchemist]

Julius had once heard a saying of this modern world: 'The glass is either half empty, or it is half full'. Absurd saying in his view, Incorrect to be sure, but he was so fond of the absurd, that he couldn’t help but consider it.

In Juli's mind, the cup is either overflowing-- or it is damn empty.

Proof? Just look at his two guests.

Julius might not of been staring right at the man as Gabriel slipped away, but his absconding guest still had much to learn of mages. Julius cared very little if one left his company, but so long as that card was in play, there business had hardly concluded. Julius still had a few bone's to pick with his first guest, but Dear Sir Fallen was, in his own way, bearing his soul to Juli, and he had not the heart to forsake one conversation for the sake of another.

And so, as the door clacked shut, Julius waved his wand, and on the floor beneath him, a second white circle slid from his own, and followed Mr. Garber.

~*~*~*~

“Unseemly?” Julius considered the statement odd. 'What world is this,' he thought, 'that mages and demonic entities are not ever present to each others company?'

All in all, he shrugged- it took no genius to realize it was not yet his turn to talk. Instead, he noted whatever he had been pouring up for Fallen was more likely to poison him then make him feel better. Putting things away, he left just Tennessee Whiskey, Bitters, and a bottle of Le Clandestine, a top-shelf le bleu Absinthe, marked for its blue color rather then being green. After all, one drinks a Soul, it always seemed more fitting a color. There were also two cocktail glasses, because it was always ungentlemanly to drink alone.

And so Julius smiled and listened to Fallen's side of things, as he made them drinks. He mixed and strained and measured and shook it all up and poured them both there drinks. But he did not return Fallen's gaze as they chatted.

“you probably know my mind better then I do...'
“You are a surprisingly gentle person, for a demon, Squire.”

Julius glanced only for a moment to Fallen as he set the jigger in the sink.

“That's a Soul Manhattan- replace vermouth with Absinthe,” he walked over to the blue bottle, “Odd the place would have this- Absinthe is common for this town, but still, a blue is always uncommon. You'd expect all absinthe was green, and then you find a bottle like this. Makes you wonder what else you have pegged wrong.”

He set the stopper back in.

“Take my watch for example. Or better yet, yourself Fallen. Try the drink, won't you. I never liked this drink to be honest, but you seemed like you needed it.”

An open jar of cherries was set upon the counter, and two sword-shaped toothpicks. Three cherries were lanced and set into Fallen's drink.

“I'll state it simply- I can't wish for you. But, that is a petty excuse. Have I read your past? Certainly- though if you recall, I was more focused, when I did, on those snotty little titans, dear boy. I have magic, I can do much, but only so much at one time- that is a mage's weakness. And your thread is long. Too damn long to have gotten though all of it. But I read enough”

Julius sipped his drink, stifling a choke as whiskey and absinthe hit the back of his throat at once. He looked at his drink like it had said something bad about him.

“I'm not going to sit here and tell you about yourself, Fallen. If I did, I rob you of the one thing that you feel you need so desperately hope to foster. Something, for an Alchemist, one of Fire no less, I am shocked you feel you lack.”

Julius turned his focus back to the jar of cherries, busily spearing as many as he could on a single toothpick. He started chomping on them one at a time while he did, always dipping back into the jar to replace the one on the end, almost forgetting his drink. It was the sugar- if he were a car he'd have candy for gasoline.

“What I will say is that you have a brother that beats the loving shit out of you,” Glancing, to make sure he had a correct gauge of the man,”you're going to kill him or you are going to let him kill you. He won't kill you- lest he feels you won't kill him. I am not a Christian man, so I don't believe in forgiveness, nor should you. But you don't have the will to fight him. Because you been beaten so long, you think you deserve it.”

That was the kind of thing Julius looked Fallen dead in the eye to say to him.

“He has good reason to do so- he can only die by your hand, and you have been a royal monster to him in the past. Don't mind when- you wouldn’t remember anyway. But you're a different man now- and a chance to change. To rule your own fate- for perhaps once in a lifetime.”

A long sip sat between them.

“I can help you- Alchemy teaches self actualization, so that fact that you need me to help you with this is upsetting, but don't mistake me for judgmental- You're far from hopeless and I have done things far worse then you have ever done, and look at me. Mad as a bag of starved dogs- and Even I learned. I will give shit to anyone who dares use Alchemy as a weapon and fails to understand its most basic principles. But you'll have to wish for that another time.”

~*~*~*~

What appeared to be Julius Aldoid was standing outside the bar, staring at a street lamp. This figure was translucent to some extent, but hardly invisible. When it walked, it pantomimed steps but they were divorced from any real interaction with the world around it. There was a term for a being such as this, but all seemed to miss out on the most essential of qualities- shoving it into the same dime-store racket sawing a woman in half.

Call this a hologram. Better yet- a Holojuli.

And so, in the rundown and ruddy remnants of a broken block, this figure watched as Gabriel Garber held the Two of Swords over a lit flame. And like clockwork, an ember just jumped up and ate the card whole.

And, much like Julius, there were then Two Gabriel Garbers, standing one beside the other.

There continuity was the same, but there self hood was unique. They were qualitatively identical, down to every last memory, but numerically, there was not one consciousness split between them. One self-hood was not looking out of two sets of eyes, like that corridor that forms between interposing mirrors. Two men were standing there. Both were Gabriel Garber.

No flash, no warning, just happened.

“You had so much trouble deciding,” Holojuli, “It was like you needed to be in two places at once.”

Holojuli stood out in the street. He pulled a lit cigar from his pocket, puffing away like he hadn't had one in ages. He smiled like a real jackass.

~*~*~*~

“So, to help you out Fallen- I just need to ask you,” tossing his drink over his shoulder, shattering it against the wall. He didn't glance back- he knew it was going to hit, as fast as it was.

“Now you can't name me. Forbidden. But- if you could name one person you know personally, whom you admire and respect above all others. One person you know you Wish you could ask what to do, who would it be? And don't be cute about it- My time is too precious to waste on a clever wise-ass, and I don't think you are stupid enough to test me.”

“Once you have that,” Julius having found his pipe again, still smoking, “Tell me one thing you never would do in all the world that this person would. These two questions are my price to grant the wish you want to ask but don't know that you do.”

This post has been edited by Alchemist on Oct 16 2012, 10:32 PM

[♔ Ketic]

(Wow, okay, gotta say Alchemist finally writing this post was fun. I wasn't really sure where to take this so I just improvised.. hope I'm not deviating from a secret underlying plan that you hold in your puppet master fingers. )

Gabriel felt the warmth of the flame expand as the card caught and instantly burst into a bright fire and then collapsed to ash. His eyes watched the tiny gray flakes fall in the dark. The soft flow of air from between his lips sent the bits of ash floating off of the palm in front of his chin down towards the sidewalk below. He inhaled through his nose, enjoying the scent of burnt pasteboard.

His eyes didn't really wander as he stepped forward off the curb and turned left to head back the way he came. Then he heard a small gasp from behind him. Gabriel turned and stared at himself. As his eyes widened the pair across from his narrowed. Then there was silence. Eye contact was unbroken for many moments as the two--for lack of a better word--twins stared at each other.

"Uh," The original spoke.

"Indeed," The second finally broke eye contact. His gaze shifted over to a streetlamp nearby underwhich the card giver was standing. It wasn't really him though. Something was off. "Look."

Gabriel didn't. Is this what the card did? Create a duplicate of me? Why? He stared at his clone for a moment longer before finally turning and considering the man standing under the streetlight. Was he see-through? The Rippler squinted in the dim light but didn't call out or even make a gesture to the man. He was too preoccupied with the second him.

The original turned to look at his duplicate. Or was he the duplicate? No, Gabriel knew who he was. Both of the men were traveling along the same sort of thought pattern though neither could see it on the other's face. It made him supremely uncomfortable to think that there was a second him. But... he wouldn't do anything that Gabriel wouldn't do right?

Thunder clapped overhead, causing both men to wince ever so slightly. Gabriel's palms immediately filled with small bits of fire and he could see that his double's did the same. A reflex. A necessary reflex. He thought back to the pack of wolfmen that he had done battle with and ultimately killed in the dead of winter the prior year. Fire had been their weakness though it had taken him a hell of a beating to find that out.

Realizing he'd been trapped in his past for a moment Gabriel brought himself back to the present: back to staring at his double in the now drizzling rain. Gabe had no place to be, or plan to which he was adhering, or final goal to reach. He simply was and now that there were two of him he felt rather... stuck. Sure he felt lonesome on the road sometimes but never enough to involve humans in his strange and usually extremely dangerous lifestyle. Looking two feet away at a mirror image of himself Gabriel realized this wasn't his wish at all. He did not want to have another of himself at his side because he was him and his double was not. Was he?

Gabriel was thinking in circles again. Was his double doing the same? If Gabriel were to walk off into the night abruptly would his double do the same? Purely as an experiment Gabe took a step back. His double did nothing but stare at him. So we aren't complete mirror images... That was certain now, right? He sighed and glanced back at the Man with the Hat puffing on his cigar in the street.

"Hey, what am I supposed to do now?" That simple question coming from the Rippler's lips had a much deeper meaning than it might have seemed. For years Gabriel traveled without destination, simply seeking to decrease the amount of suffering in the world. After all if he wasn't decreasing it he was bound to cause it at some point especially with the skillset and abilities he possessed. Perhaps if this riddle-speaking strangely clothed man could create a double of Gabriel he could deduce what the whole point of his existence was in the first place.

"Hey," Gabriel turned around to face his double who was speaking now. "Where are you going?"

Gabriel realized he had taken a couple steps towards the Man in the Hat. He also realized that his double was still kindling flames in both his palms, which slowly closed into fists. Gabriel swallowed apprehensively.

[✖ Outlaw Fallen]

Fallen listened to Julius through the entirety of his part of their dialogue. This... this was conversation Fallen reveled in... thrived in... lived for. The carving of words and turning of phrases to share knowledge and wisdom in an artistic form that, at times, could become almost tangible. When the demon was offered his Soul Manhattan, he took it with a smile.

He did not bother to take a drink, too engrossed in what the mage had to say. It was only when Julius speared a few cherries and urged him to drink that he regarded the glass. The liquid had gone from the bright blue that the bit of Absinthe had offered to a more lavender shade when the bit of syrup hugging the cherries mixed. That is what he expected, at least. The drink mixed in his club used only clear liquors, excepting the absinthe. What Julius offered him was the real thing, so seeing the dark liquid was something of a surprise for a moment.

Odd... that Julius would make him a drink that he had been urged to try on several occasions, but had never really gotten around to trying. Given the nature of his club and it's origin in Manhattan coupled with the deep violet ethereal flame he, himself, was known for... it had become something of a popular drink in The Wolves Den, and many called it a 'Dark Flame' or some other silly name to honor the White Wolf.

All Fallen could figure was that Julius was trying, in a way, to bring his focus back... to remind him of who and what he was. Odd, too, that Julius would pick one of the few mix drinks that called for real Absinthe. Bringing the glass to his lips, the demon began wondering at Julius' words. It was obviously an acquired taste, and Fallen was glad to see that Julius' reaction was stronger than his own, grinning like a jackal at the face the mage made at his glass.

There was no time to lose his focus, though, as Julius continued seamlessly. Fallen felt... a number of emotions that confused him. On the one hand, he was sharing good conversation and drink with one of the few he considered a kindred spirit. They spoke of things like old friends, and that included the content of their discourse. They were talking of things that Fallen hardly spoke about with any living soul.

On the other hand... the young demon felt as though he were looking through his own scrying device when he looked at his personal mad hatter. He couldn't tell if he was seeing a piece of his own past... or future. He gave it little thought, though, as Julius words demanded his full attention. Still... were they truly friends? To speak of the most intimate parts of Fallen's soul and life... were they good friends?

It felt... weird... to speak of these things with one whom he truly hardly knew. Yet... he wanted to know Julius. He wanted to learn both of him and from him. The mage was the ultimate enigma to him, and that he could not crack it almost disheartened him. As uncomfortable as it all might have been, Julius awoke sentiments and imagination in Fallen that... he couldn't say with any certainty he wasn't okay with. A warmth spread to his cheeks that he was sure was visible.

So it came to pass that, when it was finally Fallen's turn to speak, he had much to say, and offered appropriate pauses for his counterpart's rebuttal. His mind had been hard at work as Julius had spoken. It might have been odd, then, that the first sound from him was another one of those darkly musical chuckles.

"I say again... you probably know my mind too well. I would never dream of wasting your time, Julius, but if to offer jest is to do so, then I will refrain from doing so." Fallen took another sip of his drink, and seeing Julius smoke made it nigh irresistible to light a cigarette for himself. As the flame at his fingertip was extinguished, his eyes sparkled in the momentary shadow.

"Indeed, it is unseemly to call a demon your friend in this day and age. Though, I can say that the council of mages is actually one of the few powers that does not consider me a threat... for which I am thankful. I've only been forced to fight a handful of mages, and those were probably my closest calls..." Fallen waved a hand dismissively at his own stories as his gaze hardened, though that was only in the sense that it lost it's momentary mirth in favor of more serious thought.

"I... am glad that you recognize my disposition. There are many that would argue with you, though, about how gentle I am. Surprisingly enough, those would be the ones that don't really know me at all. And there are those that would... rid me of such a weakness. Their words, not mine..." He took a long, contemplative drag from the cigarette before regarding his glass once more. "I love Absinthe... it's likely that I brought it here when I changed the bar. It's becoming so hard to find any of the real stuff with wormwood anymore."

Fallen took another, larger swill of the drink. Indeed, it was an acquired taste, but it was already beginning to go down easier. He made a mental note that, should he grow to like this drink, he would officially rename it. He almost winced as he considered the direction he was about to take the conversation. "So... you have seen my past. What's more you know that I have no memory of it. I can only say I had a strong feeling."

He was certain, now, that when one such as Julius referred to his thread as 'long' he was not speaking of a paltry eight hundred years. A sigh escaped him as he combed fingers through his dark locks. "You're the only one who... knows those things. I've spoken to a few who had impressions... and I've heard enough stories and legends to draw some lines and figure who it was I might have been. I'm not so dense as to miss how some still regard my very name with something akin to... apprehension."

"You could tell me everything... you could help me discover who I was, Julius. And for the first time since I was born, I could understand my damned design and the why. Sure, I've heard legends of The Outlaw Fallen... but I want to know who he was... who I was..." Fallen's gaze, still somewhat hardened, met Julius. "But I feel as though that is the wish I will have to make another time. Or, it is something I am not supposed to know. Only you can know such things."

"Either way, I would only make the smallest request in the form of a question, and hope you fulfill it on this meeting... was I like you? Was I like my brother is now?" He understood what Julius meant about not telling him about himself. He was right, it would rob him of his own growth. But perhaps he would teach him about who he had once been. Fallen realized he was straying from the here and now.

He waved the question off, deciding to move the discussion along. He could wait for Julius answer to that question. "You're right, though. Ascora has beaten me to hell and back so many times. I don't believe I can kill him, though. Even when I tried using the Dark Flame on him, it won't kill him. He's one of the few creatures in existence that can take more than a single dose of it." Fallen sniffled, though he did what he could to hide it as simply clearing his nose. He had never acknowledged the beautiful monster's name to anyone in existence before.

"Though... the truth is... I also don't believe I can kill him because... he is my brother. And I... do believe that I must deserve the torment he brings upon me. I believe it must be some divine remuneration for the sins of my life and past life. I think you would believe me if I told you that... all I want is to have harmony with the one creature that I know was cast from the very same mold that I was."

A tear did slide from the corner of his eye and down his cheek, but he ignored it. "I think I will have to make many more wishes someday, Julius." Fallen said it through a partial smirk before he took another sip of his drink and another drag from his cigarette. "Alchemy... fire... demon... wolf... dragon..." He sighed as he considered these things. All he could hope for was that he and Julius would have many more meetings beyond this one, and he could get more answers.

His eyes came up to Julius' once more, those orbs of shattered sapphire rimmed in gold that could seemingly melt and freeze one where they stood simultaneously. "You know... I don't want power... it is not something that I hunger for. And I don't even know if I could kill him, even if I had it. I don't consider myself incorruptible, by any means, but I do my best to never compromise..." He heaved another great sigh as he considered his host's seemingly simple request.

"So... I can't name you..." The closest people to him... well, there was Tristen, Rowen, and of course, Rayven. Fallen's immediate thought was that he would never so maliciously and needlessly commit to war against an entire race and attempt to drive it to extinction or bring it beneath his own yoke. But... was that a fair assessment?

"... if I was, indeed, The Outlaw Fallen, my unintentional namesake... then I brought all of existence to bend to my will." He was thinking aloud, committing all faculties to answering this one question. "My dark side is even more cruel and unpredictable than her, as well..." He didn't believe that he could, in all fairness, say that he would never do such a thing as she is doing in his right mind. Gods knew she wasn't.

What would Rowen do that he never would? It was hard to say, given the two of them were hardly so terribly different when it came down to what the would and would not do. At least, on things that really mattered. Tristen... "I don't think I could ever dedicate myself to anyone the way he has me..."

It did not take a lot of analysis, though, to discover that he was yet again wrong. He had only just been considering taking Rayven's mark in a misguided hope to repair their relationship... to prove his loyalty and obedience to his mate's desires... even if she would never do such a thing for himself. His cheeks flushed momentarily at the thought.

Fallen found himself once again confounded, though for a different reason this time. But the answer hit him just before his frustration got the better of him. "Ascora... I can truthfully say that I could never willingly and knowingly put another creature through the crucible that he has put me through... I could never do to another what he has done to me... mercilessly and relentlessly tortured and beat another soul to a point so close to death... again and again..."

True... his dark side could do such a thing. It lacked the consciences and compassion necessary to turn a creature away from such an endeavor. While vengeful and perfectly capable of drawing out pain, it was also an ego of whim and bore a god-like psyche. It had only ever quickly dispatched the worst of his enemies in the past. Besides that, it was reasons like these that he kept it bound with the enchanted chain. So, he could in all good conscience say that he would not willingly do such a thing.

He felt rather proud of himself for coming up with such an unlikely answer, even if it was somewhat obvious in its utterance. He took the last sip of his drink and the last puff from his smoke before placing the latter in the former and giving them both a toss over Julius' shoulder into the very wall that Julius had thrown his own. A sigh as he exhaled the smoke, holding the mage's gaze.

"Unseemly..." He considered the word as he considered Julius. "We are friends, Julius... and I should like us to be a great deal more. Did you know that I have never made a pact with any soul so long as I have lived? But, of course you did... how silly of me to ask." Fallen traced a finger over the old wood of the bar top, the smell of wood smoldering rising as his touch left glowing orange ember in its wake, carving black into its surface.

"I have never committed to a soul to share my power and presence. But I would make you this offer, Julius Aldoid. Your demon, to summon and call upon my power in a time of need. Not that you need it... but it could in handy, I'm sure." Fallen watched him carefully after making his proposal, finding that the selling came naturally... and he was almost ashamed at the assumption that it must have been because he was, in fact, a demon.

"I would dare dub it a 'contract', as such a monicker puts a bad taste in one's mouth. Neither are you really trading your soul for anything I have offered... I would rather call it a 'bond', as that is more true to what I am offering... and seeking. Completely noninvasive unless you are summoning me, or I'm calling to you. What say you?" Fallen watched Julius carefully, trying not to swallow so hard. He hoped his pitch was appealing, but given the nature of Julius as he knew him... he found himself fearing rejection.

This post has been edited by Outlaw Fallen on Oct 26 2012, 01:42 PM