The Keepers
Posts 234
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Post by Azoth on Jul 14, 2016 18:10:25 GMT -7
A letter had been sent to Toko. I have a bit of an odd job for you. Since we’re likely to be working together, I wish to get to know you better. Please join me at 4:00pm in three days in the gardens of the usual place for a game and a chat. We can discuss your payment when you arrive. -AzothThe usual place was an old mansion on the west shore of Malachite Isle. It wasn’t Azoth’s usual place of residence; indeed, most of the time the mansion sat empty. Rather it was her solution to the question of where she could invite guests or informants who either she didn’t want knowing the location of her house or knew her as Azoth, and who were either too proud or too respected by the girl to be invited to a simple alleyway. Toko fell in the later category. The mansion itself was originally built over a hundred years ago, back when the mine was still active. The place outwardly showed its age. The brick walls, colored bright blue and pastel yellow, covered in ivy, and the pavement and queen anne styled building were allowed to crack where it would remain structurally and artistically stable. Many large trees dotted the large lawn that had been overtaken by plants that seemed to have once been organized in a victorian style garden, but had grown beyond their originally geometrical shapings until only hits of order remained. She had hired ground workers to keep the foliage a “tame wild”, as the head gardener had put it, and she had come to like the look. Azoth sat at an ornate wooden table for two. A chess board, made of a dark wood and inlaid with gems, rested atop it. Legs for it to stand on were carved into each corner. The peices set in place were made of carefully carved stone, save for the black queen and a single white pawn. The queen was made of wood a shade darker than the board and inlaid with jade. This would be the first time the white pawn, carved out of a white wood and set with amethyst, was used in a game. She had brought along one of her bulters. He stood at the gate of the overgrown garden, waiting for the arrival of her guest - or guests, if her intuition was correct - so he could lead them back to where she resided. As always, if her guests needed anything, they had only make the request and he’d fulfill it without hesitation. She had already claimed the chair that would command the black pieces. Her hands were in her lap and her eyes were shut behind her tinted spectacles. The ocean air was nice today, enough so that she could leave her hood down without fearing frizz or needing too much product to counteract such troubles. Her mind was elsewhere, but she would be listening for the arrival of the super or supers. Toko Kazuki 'Kaz' Yoshida
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The Keepers
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Post by Toko on Jul 16, 2016 12:11:12 GMT -7
"How does she always know which safe house we are at to contact us?"
Toko thought to himself while walking along the street with his literal partner in crime. The question was an interesting one, and perhaps one he could get an answer to if they're chat lead to something like that. Though it brought another pair of questions to mind, what kind of game would they play? and if it were intellectual why invite Kaz as well...He was certain it would not take him long to find out the answer to both those questions but he would not deny slight apprehension of bringing the psycho along with him. Oh well she knew him well enough that she'd only have herself to blame if something went wrong.
"Please Kaz do try to restrain yourself, she is our best and currently only client."
He gave the advice and suggestion quietly, though he was sure she knew this fact, he'd still prefer she not use it to hold over their heads. Besides he heard she was a bit of a genius in her own right and might be able to help him create some new items, perhaps they had the potential to be partners. It would certainly be a smoother relationship than the one he had with his current one. Nevertheless, those thoughts were moved to the back of his mind when he reached the gated area and met the butler. Lifting up his suit case, he flipped it open to pull out a note that had been their invitation. As he knew there were more than a few manipulators who would like to get close to the small Keeper, and so had the evidence on hand to prove their identities. With a nod the gentlemen opened the gate while Toko slipped the sheet back into his case and continued on his way, but not before raising his hat with a slight bow.
"Grazie buon signore."
And there she was, the client he's honestly had the most pleasure of working with, sitting there with a...ah chess. Yes Kaz was going to find this particular evening droll, but Toko cared little for his concerns. Perhaps the butler could provide him with a challenge. Such thoughts were not on his mind though as he took the seat in front of Azoth and set his case down next to him.
"Ah il mio cliente preferito, it is a pleasure as always. Thank you for the invitation."
Glancing down at the board, he couldn't help but notice the custom made white pawn and black queen. It appears psychological warfare may have been the battleground today. Well he was sure she would make it an interesting battle for him at the very least.
"Now do not assume me presumptuous, as I am quite the fan of the game of war, but I assume you have much better things to do with your time unless you had a way to, how would you say...ah yes spice it up?"
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Unaligned
Posts 35
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Post by Kazuki 'Kaz' Yoshida on Jul 16, 2016 16:47:09 GMT -7
God, why was he here again? One moment, they were both hanging out in their safehouse, the next, they got an invitation to client's house. Well, their safehouse wasn't exactly 'safe' if some random messenger could just stroll right in and deliver whatever needed to be said. Kaz was on the edge of stabbing the poor sap to death to keep their place a secret. If Toko wasn't there to silently discourage him from it, Kaz would have followed through. It took quite a while, but they had figured out some bizarre form of non-verbal communication that bordered on telepathy. Anytime Kaz felt like getting a bit violent, Toko somehow always knew, and he had the exact same face for whenever he needed to tell Kaz to back down. He felt a little bit like a dog, but it wasn't a feeling that was very new to him. Though, that treatment was a reason why he had to even come to this city in the first place.
And so here they were, on their way for a meeting with their client; that tiny Keeper girl who had hired them to take care of that dragon. Well, Toko was the one that was going to do most of the talking, Kaz wasn't too sure why he was even here. She probably thought they came in a package or something. In reality, Kaz had better things to do. Still, Toko insisted they honored the letter's request for both of them to be present, and he also felt the need to be formal about the affair. It was typical for the former mafioso to be so pomp about everything. Kaz didn't see why he had to be formal as well, but he went along with it anyways, wearing a matching blazer along with his usual black shirt.
While Toko was all about the niceties and business dealings, Kaz would just silently accompany his partner-in-crime, like some sort of demented guardian oni. When Toko sat down, Kaz noticed there wasn't a seat for him. Well, if she was going to be rude like that, Kaz didn't feel the need to even try being polite. Making his way to the corner of the room, he leant back on the wall and just stared at the chessboard, as Toko started talking in that boring way of his. Truly, this was going to be a thrilling night.
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The Keepers
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Post by Azoth on Jul 17, 2016 1:07:25 GMT -7
The sound of footsteps is what roused Azoth back to the present. It seemed she had been correct and Toko had indeed brought Kaz along, which of course, she cast a glance at the table, meant they’d be needing another chair. She stood as the two approached, taking her seat again once Toko had taken his. “The pleasure is mine. Thank you for coming.”
Kaz had already departed for the corner. He looked dejected, but figuring he would vocalize his needs, she left him to do as he wished. Perhaps he preferred standing in the corner. The large, silent types took her as the sort to favor more ominous means of presence such as that.
As such, she turned her attention to Toko. “Of course. I would not invite you all the way here for a simple game of chess.” She began. “As I stated in my message,” to which she was going to have to hire a new messenger as this one had, quote, ‘seen his life flash before his eyes no less than ten times in the few minutes he’d been in their presence’ and thus was kindly no longer interested in being her messenger, “I wish to get to know you and,” she cast another glance to Kaz in the corner, still looking like an abandoned very large and muscly puppy, “your partner better. I see an opportunity for a very beneficial partnership between us. Please don’t take this the wrong way, as I say it with only the highest of regard, but not many people in this world can be trusted. I wish to know where the two of you lie, and in doing so am offering you an opportunity to judge the same of me.
“This is the game I propose: as we play chess, we will ask of each other a series of twenty questions. Ten from you, ten from me. We will ask our question with the completion of our chess move. There is only one limitation to what these questions can be; once you ask a question, you cannot ask the same or a rephrased version of the question again. Beyond that, ask of me whatever you wish, and I shall do the same. We each get two passes. Not knowing the answer to a question does not count as a pass as there is little that can be done of that. If we chose to answer a question, we must answer it truthfully. The extent to which you answer the question is up to you, but know that if you give me half answers, I will give you half answers in turn. You may leave this game at any time if you wish, just be aware that I will withhold payment until the end, and leaving part way will leave with me a poor impression of you. You may leave now without judgement if this is unacceptable.”
She paused, thinking through if there were any further rules. None came to mind. “Speaking of payment, what would-” The corner of her eye caught Kaz and she found her train of thought derailed. The dark aura around him was… distracting. “Kaz, do you want a chair?” She sighed, waving to her butler. He would return soon after with a nice wooden chair, acquired from inside the house, and place it by the table. Trying to assure herself that job was complete, she turned back to Toko. “What would you like in payment? I consider the questions you ask of me as equal payment to the ones I ask of you, but I still owe you for the chess game and for your time. Does one favor seem fair to you? That’s five pounds of any material you wish or a simple object, or if you would prefer cash, you can name a price that sounds reasonable.”
She placed the black queen back on the table proper. “You, of course, get the first question along with the first move.”
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The Keepers
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Post by Toko on Jul 17, 2016 12:01:59 GMT -7
Toko interlaced his fingers in thought, it was true that Chess being their game of choice had come as no surprise to him, he had a rumor here and there of this girl challenging the resident Keeper A.I. to a game and he would not have been surprised if she actually gave him somewhat a challenge. It was the next part of the game that caught his attention, the opportunity to gain eight to ten answers from her while returning an equal amount. If this girl were not a keeper or super he could've easily seen her making headlines with the business deals she'd make. A dangerous foe but a potentially trustful ally. It would probably be a smoother relationship than the one he currently had with Kaz, though the advantages of that one greatly outweighed the disadvantages of not having it. He also noticed the chair being brought and decided not to comment on it, once again this was Azoth's choice not his own, and he was only able to reign his violent temper so much.
"This sounds like it'll be a lovely evening, of course we have not much to hide so let the game begin as soon as they are in fact ready."
Reaching down into his case, he popped it open before pulling out two knights carved out of ivory, one was a darker shade of white than the other while having a knife carved into it's stand while the lighter one had a rifle shell carved into it's own. Quickly swapping each knight with the gem inlaid ones, he glanced over with a patient smile.
"Apologies I hope you do not mind, but I prefer the implication of my associate and I being a pair of knights instead of a singular pawn."
Though he was a gentlemen, he did have pride in his, and reluctantly Kaz's, abilities. Though he could also see the potential of this pawn playing a bigger role than being just the pair of assassins sitting with her. It would all depend on this game's moves and questions. He moved the pawn next to it two spaces ahead in a simple offense.
"For the favor I believe hmmmm...a pound of rubies, a pound of emeralds, a pound of malachite, pound of platinum, and pound of scorpion venom, those resources are annoying for me to come by without the family's assistance and I would appreciate them."
The typical materials that Toko required for his crafts were not expensive but more just morbid to collect, gems, a few metals, and venom were the materials that required too much time and money to find pure of. Though he was certain Azoth would not disappoint in this acquisition. Now to think of his question.
"How do you know which safe house Kaz and I reside in when you decide to contact us?"
When he asked the question though, he did detect a certain scent in the air and sighed. The smell of rotting corpses was the unfortunate side effect of his work and so he casually removed a pack of Gitanes from his suit, expensive but they didn't smell too awful in his opinion. Before he even opened the pack he glanced up at his opponent.
"Apologies as this question will not pertain to the game, but do you mind? I do not need to but I've been repeatedly told the smell of smoke is preferable to death."
Though he also knew more than a few who would ask what the difference between the two and he could not honestly blame them.
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Unaligned
Posts 35
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Post by Kazuki 'Kaz' Yoshida on Jul 17, 2016 15:38:53 GMT -7
Kaz continued to silently fume from the corner. Despite the girl's sunglasses, he could tell that she was constantly throwing what were likely nervous glances towards him. So much for not drawing attention to himself, the attention brought itself to him. He didn't like it. Being in the background or the shadows were how he liked to operate. Leave the talking to the people who knew how to, like Toko. Kaz wasn't the ideal choice for a negotiation anyway, since he knew just enough English to get by in a regular conversation. Speaking of which, Toko's conversation with the girl was a little hard to understand for Kaz. The only things that he could really make out were that they were going to play another game about questions. Sounded stupid, but Kaz kept the thought to himself.
He was caught a little by surprise when the girl finally addressed him directly, rhetorically asking if he wanted a chair before having one set down for him. The gesture was nice enough, but too little too late. Kaz calmly strolled up the chair, but instead of sitting down, he instead put his hands it as he leaned forward lazily. He was gripping it so tightly that it looked as if the chair was going to be snapped in half. And if it did, so be it. They should have brought a sturdier chair.
While Toko continued to blabber on, Kaz thought about his impromptu partner. In all honesty, he disliked the man. He disliked his suit. He disliked his stupid hat. He disliked how he smelled all the time. But most of all, he disliked the way he spoke. Such a boring, inane way of speech that irritated Kaz to no end. And when Kaz got irritated, things tended to escalate. However, he recognized the hitman's ability, and knew the consequences of trying anything around him. One might have considered his inaction cowardice, but they didn't know Toko.
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The Keepers
Posts 234
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Post by Azoth on Jul 18, 2016 13:57:06 GMT -7
Azoth regarded Kaz from the corner of her vision. He did seem to accept the chair, sort of. He still looked irked. The chair looked like it was facing the last couple minutes of its life. There wasn’t much else she could know to offer him; she didn’t know the man well enough to predict what he could want, and, despite what some people seemed to think, she couldn’t read minds. She would have to leave his other needs to the man himself to ask for.
She appreciated Toko voicing his wants. “As long as you don’t mind my use of a small bit of my power around myself, by all means.” Azoth replied, waving her hand dismissivly to his request. It was unlikely Toko would have noticed her power if she’d used it without asking, but she’d had more than one violent reaction to entirely harmless uses of her abilities. She’d begun asking, especially after an incident where Anonymous used his power on her because she’d surrounded herself in fog, for the sake of preventing unnecessary conflict.
Toko’s choice of payment was noted. “Very well, I will obtain for you those materials after the game. If you don’t mind waiting a couple of minutes after we conclude, I can pass them off to you before you depart today.”
His question was not the opening she had expected, but it was not unwarranted. She would be curious - and more than a little worried - if they always knew where to find her. She mulled over her answer, head tilted slightly to the side, for a couple of moments before answering.
“I don’t. I simply have a number of connections into super and unpowered information networks. Eyes and ears on the streets, you could say. In truth, I sent out six copies of the same letter to places the two of you have either been sighted at in the past or where I’ve located you prior. Obviously, only one reported back to me that they had found you. My thanks for not killing him, by the way; he told me Kaz came very close to doing so. If a messenger does not return to me then I cannot confirm the message has arrived, and have to assume the information they were carrying has been compromised. I would have continued sending letters with a changed time and possibly place. It may have also complicated matters and in all likelihood have given you a poor impression of me, as I would have not come at the time on the letter you received, and thus would have ‘stood you up’.”
Picking up a pawn of her own, she studied the two pieces Toko had swapped out. When he’d first changed them, she assumed he had for the same reason she had the queen and the pawn set out on the board. It wasn’t until now that his true implication clicked. “Ah, you seem to have taken my chess board the wrong way.” She said. “I am not at all suggesting you are a pawn, my apologies if you have been lead to believe so. There is no symbolism behind the pieces on the board; simply, the queen and pawn are from a different set. I would be using their set instead if I could, but presently they are the only two pieces of it that I possess. I would be pressed to have a game without them, and it would be rude of me not to present my best set for play.
“I did purposefully chose the black side because I wanted you to go first, however.” She admitted. She placed the pawn two spaces forward, mimicking his move on the opposite side of the board.
Returning her hand to her lap, she asked her first question without hesitation. “Does your loyalty run only as deep as who is paying you the most, or is there more to it?”
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The Keepers
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Post by Toko on Jul 18, 2016 14:39:51 GMT -7
Toko shot his partner a silent look when he saw him almost break the chair and fill the area with killer intent. It was true he was able to reign in the assassin but it was something he'd prefer to do as little as possible. There was a reason Kaz wasn't in a coffin yet, and that reason was not simply because Toko didn't want to, it's that he didn't know if he could. A true fight between the two was something that had happened only once when they had first met, and they both kept their fights to sparring after that. He was certain there were a multitude of scars left on him because of the knife maniac's skill. Turning back to hi-their current client, he was thankful for the permission and acceptance of payment.
"Thank you, I do not mind I could not smoke but death does have a rather hideous odor. And of course please take your time, procuring such items can be rather difficult otherwise I'd gather them myself."
Pulling out a small golden Zippo, and flicked it quickly to ignite the Gitane and take a quick puff. He was slightly addicted to the little death sticks, and did occasionally calm him down, wish they'd do the same for Kaz. At the very least he released the cloud to his right, away from partner and client. He nodded and gave her a appreciative smile.
"Well then I am thankful we are respectable enough to receive such treatment as this, and it is no trouble about the message. We shall attempt to not terrify them as much next time, but you must understand someone suddenly showing up at our door with a message for us is not to be taken lightly. Protection and all that, I'm sure you understand. We shall have to work out a system for us, perhaps a code, to make this a bit easier on us if we are to continue doing business."
He took another inhale before glancing down at the board in thought, plotting several moves in advance while considering her question. Slowly letting out the puff, he spared a glance to Kaz before focusing on Azoth.
"Kaz and I are a pair who could very easily run for the highest bidder, but our skills and status means we must forgo certain luxuries in exchange for others. We do believe there to be an honor among thieves, if you'd allow me to use such a saying, and particular codes of conduct to follow. Respect is important to both of us of course, we are professionals and have done this for most of our lives, if you treat us like weapons or tools we shan't show our full skills. We both have different origins but we come as a pair and had a fair amount of respect for our original groups, if you are fair to us and stay on our good side then we shall of course have a preference to you as a customer. So to succinctly put it, no we have standards and would prefer being able to stick to those."
Finishing his minor speech of an answer and sparing a glance to Kaz, wanting to make sure the answer was acceptable. Though he spoke for the both of them, he'd sometimes prefer not annoying the man, and he begrudgingly held some respect for his craft. Leaving the Gitane between his lip for a moment, he moved a pawn directly in front of hers before retrieving the death stick.
"Would you see potential of us furthering our relationship and potentially becoming business partners instead of simple client and help?"
If she would like to hit with a hard question, he could come back two fold. Azoth may not be Kaz's preferred client but at the very least she was a good one, and he knew quite a few others that Kaz would probably instead of work with. She respected their craft and that deserved some respect back.
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Unaligned
Posts 35
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Post by Kazuki 'Kaz' Yoshida on Jul 19, 2016 8:40:08 GMT -7
The girl didn't seem to directly respond to Kaz's passive aggressive gesture. If she noticed it, she was probably doing her best to ignore it. It was clear that despite their client's tiny stature and obvious youth, she had the mind of a crafty businessperson around three times her age, perhaps even more. Toko and the girl were practically the perfect match for a business deal like this, they were both painfully professional about everything. And boring. Couldn't forget how boring they were.
As boring as Toko was, there was no denying how dangerous a hitman he was. Kaz assumed that their fight was the only time one of Toko's contracts wasn't fulfilled. Not for lack of trying, anyway. The whole fight seemed like yesterday. He could still remember where exactly Toko had managed to his his mark. Kaz was lucky that it wasn't one of his weirder bullets. Otherwise, Toko would have been payed and this partnership wouldn't even exist.
Kaz mind was naturally drifting as they talked. And talked. And talked some more. Kaz felt like actually ripping the chair completely half just to spice things up, but he didn't think the girl would take it well. Though she was quite fine with the two of them arriving late when the dragon attacked. Their late participation in the battle could be firmly be Toko's responsibility. The fool decided to only join when it looked like the rest stood a chance. And when their safe house was literally burning around them.
Once Toko was finished with his speech, he shot Kaz a glance as if to make sure that answer was satisfactory. The larger of the pair only grunted and continued to lean silently on the chair. Toko's ideals and intentions were his own, Kaz's were separate. He just did what he did best; making use of his own two hands, with a little bit of help from his knives. When one thought about it, it seemed violence was the only thing Kaz was good at. But of course, he didn't think about it. He never considered thinking about it.
From what Kaz could make out, Toko seemed to be negotiating some sort of partnership. Rather than being hired out through contracts, the pair would be on equal footing with the girl. Kaz couldn't care less, but getting more money was a tempting prospect.
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The Keepers
Posts 234
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Post by Azoth on Jul 20, 2016 16:17:33 GMT -7
Azoth was thankful for Toko’s gesture of exhaling some place other than directly into her face. Some of her more prideful clients were not nearly as conscientious. The visible aura of smoke disappeared quickly, carried away by the light breeze. The scent was not yet enough to bother her, and so she let it be.
It was the other aura beside them that was impossible to ignore. She’d become used to other supers attempting to intimidate who they saw as a tiny girl into a better deal, or to achieve what she assumed to be a semblance of dominance when they clearly had none. But, if she gave way every time someone tried to look scary, she would never accomplish anything. She only shifted uncomfortably in her seat a little before settling down. She would not be an easy opponent, she reassured herself, especially against people who used weapons. Besides, they had little reason to harm her, just as she them. They were business.
Her answer came as quickly as her question. “Of course. That’s why I’ve called you here today.” Azoth replied. “If you were only simple weapons, there would be no point to this conversation and I doubt you would have accepted my invitation. Impersonal hiring for a job and then paying when it’s completed does have its advantages, but I feel there is more to be gained from what I would consider a partnership.” She could leave it there; she had technically answered the question, but she supposed he wanted specifics. She was planning on discussing this anyway, and this invitation was a fine time to bring it up.
“There are a number of places we stand to benefit from each other that do not quite fall into what can be contractually traded. One piece of information about you in particular, Toko, has peaked my interest. You study biology, do you not? I have been trying to further my own research into humans - supers in particular - but I have come to a point in which I could use some assistance, someone who knows as much as I do. There is only so much one person can accomplish alone in the realm of science.” However much that irked her, it seemed to be the truth. “There is also the matter of combat. My abilities are not as offensively suited as my knowledge of the two of yours leads me to believe they are. I am, however, extraordinarily efficient at information gathering and storing, and am capable of providing ample backup. As such, I feel we may be able to make for good teammates, but the dues of such a relationship are harder to quantify than that of a contract. It would be simpler to operate on a partnership where we plainly share the rewards of our success.
“This is on top of the resources I can offer you, both in cash and material. Obviously I cannot give you endless supplies of whatever you desire, and I do expect proper payment in return for my services, but I am willing to pay you more than I would normal clients in both money and materials in order to be of a higher standing with the two of you than your average contractor. Precedence, you could say. The same would hold true of me. I wish to be of, how would you say, support? For the two of you, rather than just a source of income, and for the same in return. I wish to be allies?” She paused to ponder her word choice, ultimately nodding that she’d chosen the correct one. “I would also like means of contacting you quickly if I need your aid, and for you to have means to do the same if you require mine. On my part, that’s simple.” She held up her hand beside her face and, between her index finger and thumb, a small slip of paper formed. She held it out to Toko. “That’s my number. Please text, I don’t take calls. I will normally be able to get back to you within the hour. If you want more immediate means of contacting me, I would be willing to figure something out.
“There is one specific thing I would like to discuss with you two, but I have spoken enough on this subject for now. We can discuss it later.” She said, an edge of tiredness entering her voice. She waved over her butler as she picked up her knight. “Can I get either of you a drink? I have a variety of wines as well as non-alcoholic beverages.” After placing her own request for a sparkling cider, it was time she got on to her turn.
“What lead each of you to your current occupation?” She asked, intentionally leaving the question to be open to both of them. She placed her knight to support her pawn and let the question hang for a moment before looking to her unseated guest. “Kaz, if you decide to answer any of my questions yourself, feel free to ask one of me in return. It’s only fair.”
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The Keepers
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Post by Toko on Jul 28, 2016 17:43:27 GMT -7
Toko was a bit stiff as he observed their future partner, if she were to work with them she would have to put up with things just as bad as Kaz. Thankfully it appeared to only bother her a little bit, which given her age and Kaz's skills, was quite impressive. It appeared they had a stroke of fortune in finding each other. She brought many good points, introducing the concept of respect and even the potential of research partners, these were all questions he was willing to answer free of charge, though her last one may be a bit difficult for Kaz to answer. Once again she proved to be very interesting indeed.
"Firstly, in terms of research yes my main field is biology but it has to deal with the study of corpses more than the study of living. I also have fair bit of gun crafting and botanical knowledge, which combined with what I believe to be your vast knowledge of chemicals, could lead to many beneficial discoveries. Secondly."
He reached over to the side, once again for his brief case, and retrieved a black junker cell phone for her, placing it on her side of the table while grabbing the slip of paper with her number. Quickly mumbling it to himself, he stored it away before closing his fist around it as it became ash that he put into his coat. The smell of smoke on his suit would always be preferable to corpses.
"If you would ever like to contact us, use the phone number on there, I shall regularly send texts to it with our newest number so that you may get promptly get a hold of us. Please do not hesitate to text or call whenever, if we do not pick up though we may be in the middle of a job, so I apologize in advance for that inconvenience. Thirdly I will not deny that you have happened to spark my curiousity of what this specific topic could be, but as you said that shall be later. Finally, yes you shall be the highest on our list of clients and I shall offer my services of materials and products, as no offense to you, I'm certain there are objects which I can craft that you would find less than believable. Also espresso please kind sir, whatever you believe to be your preference for making I will gladly accept and now back to the game."
Toko first took a breath of air after his replies before taking another puff of his Gitanes that he blew away from the other three, respecting the client, partner, and servant. He sent a bishop in preperation of a counter attack to the knight, giving him a bit more time to relax before he answered her question. She was also allowing Kaz to ask questions, she is quite fair indeed.
"Money and just happenstance I believe, my research and ideals were not being supported by my necromatic family, so I had to go out and make a living. Unfortunately or fortunately, depending on your views, my skills really only left me one option in terms of a successful business. One kill had lead to another and I was taken in by a mafioso of Proiettile family at a young age. A personal hitman to one of the greatest familias in Italy."
This was info reserved for private conversation typically, Kaz was the only other who knew his story like this. But it was easy to trust this keeper, she was fair as long as you were fair to her. Now for their counter questions.
"In return, what has lead you to your current field of studying supers like you desire?"
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Unaligned
Posts 35
Power Level 18
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Post by Kazuki 'Kaz' Yoshida on Jul 29, 2016 8:15:12 GMT -7
Kaz couldn't really care less about the end result of their meeting. They would have a steady income if they managed a future in business with this tiny girl, but if things didn't work out...he wouldn't care too much. A city like this had a lot of clients, ranging from the lowest mob lieutenant to the richest mogul living in Malachite Isle, all who wanted someone either roughed up or killed. That was their trade, no point hiding or denying it. Toko and Kaz dealt with the nitty-gritty side of business. What Kaz disliked about Toko the most was how he tried to hide it all behind pretensions of being professional. When you're a hired killer, there's no romance behind it, just the grim reality that you're a member of the underworld.
Well, as predicted, Toko rattled off about stuff that had nothing to do with killing, as if the girl had asked him about his hobbies or something to that effect. Kaz wasn't too smart, but he could smell Toko's bullshit, even if it was masked by the smell of corpses and cigarette smoke. Kaz knew it was bullshit, and so did Toko. The Italian clearly wanted to believe he was anything more than just a payed gun, but the truth was a lot harsher; he was just like Kaz.
When he finally got to talking about the real meat of the question, he still glossed over the real reason for his profession. Maybe even he himself didn't quite know his own reason, but Kaz knew what drove himself to become someone willing to see human lives as just another paycheck. He knew it from the moment of his first kill, the moment he realized everyone was just a bag of meat and blood, and once you cut them open, that was it.
Turning his gaze away from the chess board, Kaz looked the girl in the eyes. Or at least, what he could make out of her eyes behind those reflective shades. First rule of conduct: never trust someone who hides their eyes or face. "I was good at hurting people. Then I tried killing. Turned out I was good at that too"
It wasn't much, but it was the truth. He did it for one reason and one reason only; he was good at it. With Toko's question in the air, Kaz was also allowed to have one of his own. Something intrigued him about the girl. She was so young, yet she was in a deadly business. Not just with criminals, but other things. Like that...beast they had been hired to stop. What drove her to do all this?
"Tell me, why does a little girl involve herself with men like us?"
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The Keepers
Posts 234
Power Level 31
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Post by Azoth on Jul 31, 2016 22:59:35 GMT -7
She would have been perfectly content to get number updates to her own phone; there was little risk of her personal phone being traced, and even lower of it being bugged. However, she trusted Kaz and Toko had their own system, and she was willing to go along with it. One more phone was hardly an issue for her. Azoth picked up the cheap phone and held it in her palm beside her ear. Shutting her eyes and allowing herself to concentrate, the phone vanished without a trace from her hand. “I can guarantee it will never be bugged.” She said. A thin smile came to her lips as she returned her hand to her lap. “I agree that our knowledges are good complements of each other. I look forward to what we might discover.” She nodded. “I look forward to working with both of you.”
The smell of smoke was beginning to seep through her scarf. Azoth held her breath. For an instant, the air pressure around her changed dramatically, but before much air would rush inward as physics bid it, perfectly average air for this area and elevation swarmed around her as fog did in battle. The air about two feet all around her was cleared.
Toko’s answer was short but dense. Circumstance and skill, both she could understand. It raised more questions than it answered and was far from complete, but that was the truth of any history. Kaz’s was honestly exactly what she had expected. She looked him straight back when he locked eyes with her, even if his size and aura sent another chill down her spine. It was the fact that he had answered her at all rather than the answer itself that she appreciated.
Azoth considered the board and their questions. “Simply, it was my wish to increase my abilities.” She began. “I assume if I can discover more about how other supers’ powers work, I can learn more about my own, without having to perform research on myself. Further, my powers are well suited for making such discoveries. As you have said, I have a vast knowledge of chemicals and the makeup of objects, including biological ones. I can apply this skill to science to increase my knowledge and abilities, and therefore I will.”
The butler had returned with their drinks. Azoth didn’t often speak this much, and a liquid was a relief. She hesitated to answer Kaz’s question only to pull down her face scarf and sip from the glass. She gave a moment more to allow her throat a break, then began again.
“It is for the same reason that I work with men such as you.” She was looking directly at Kaz; terrifying or not, it would be both rude to him and insulting to herself to avoid his gaze. “My abilities have given my means to a large fortune. People in your profession tend to appreciate such fortune in return for their aid, and I know that the power I seek cannot be obtained by working solely by myself. It is generally a simple relationship, but one that works out well for both sides. I have chosen to pursue a closer relationship with the two of you because, as I have said, I feel there is high potential for great return.”
Azoth moved one of her knights towards the center of the board. “What would it take for you to betray me?”
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The Keepers
Posts 47
Power Level 21
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Post by Toko on Aug 7, 2016 15:28:16 GMT -7
Toko eyes' quickly traced out the outline of the smoke going around her, her power was one of the most intriguing he had had the pleasure of seeing, it was truly a shame she did want to research herself. Perhaps another time he could convince her but that would be when they could trust each other with their own personal power's mechanics. She was clever and well prepared he would most certainly give her that. He took a break by taking a sip of his espresso give a nod and smile to the man who served him, the warmth and taste were very well done in his opinion. He closed his eyes for a moment, considering the question through multiple routes. It was a dangerous question but she asked it anyways, he had to respect it in a way.
"As we are giving you highest priority over the rest of our clients we would like the rules to be followed between us, you are to allow us to handle jobs how we like to. If you need someone assassinated, consider it done as of five minutes before the request was even thought up. But if you question our methods and how we are to perform them then yes there shall be issues where we question our relationship, though of course we won't betray you for that. Now if you were to break one of the rules I shall lay out when we make a geas together, such as bugging our personal location then yes I shall have no issue with hunting you down and I'm sure Kaz would agree. But that is the point of the Geas I create, a little bit of this and that, makes it nigh impossible for either side to betray eachother as long as they know what they are signing and how they create it."
It was a trick he had to learn at the beginning of his career, writing contracts that could be broken under no circumstances, with his eccentric nature and professional skill it was easy to get rich bosses to sign with their blood and fall into the trap. Stopped plenty of assassination attempts on his own life he would assume.
"Though I'm certain you would be the first to find a loophole if you needed one. But that is planning for a later time, now my question. What is your goal Azoth? The reason for you accumulating money, power, and info."
He moved the jeweled pawn forward before returning to taking light sips of his drink.
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Unaligned
Posts 35
Power Level 18
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Post by Kazuki 'Kaz' Yoshida on Aug 8, 2016 8:19:02 GMT -7
The girl's answer wasn't exactly what Kaz was looking for. What he wanted was a straight answer of what motivated a little girl to involve herself in this world. A world of blood and grime. Instead, he got an answer that Toko would give; not a very helpful one. All it did was convince Kaz even further that this girl might as well have been Toko. If he was younger. And was a little girl. And rich. It was like there were two of the same people in the room, and it almost drove him insane.
Her next question was one that struck Kaz as a bit odd, the girl must have been quite paranoid about this sort of thing. But it was not completely out of left field. It was almost like she correctly guessed what Kaz had done to his previous employers. As long as she didn't commit the same mistake they did, she'd be fine. Respect was a two way street, after all. That was an important lesson. A lesson his previous employers didn't quite take to heart. So he ripped it out.
"Treat me like a dog"
Toko in turn responded with something about business, as always. If there was one thing consistent with Toko, it was that he never took things personally. An annoying, yet very useful, trait for someone to have. After his partner answered the question, he retorted with one of his own, one that would have hopefully help answer what Kaz was wondering about the girl. Kaz also had a question of his own.
"You ever killed someone?"
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