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Rethen KelSviet Vice Captain
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 Posted: Sun Nov 08, 2009 3:50 pm
Nights in La'To had been getting odd for many citizens these past few months. There were reports of curious strangers and odd creatures roaming the shadows. Crime was on the rise. There had even been a grizzly murder yesterday in the wee hours of the morning. The residents were nervous. The police were on edge. Fear was thick in the air, just waiting to be tasted and felt.
Rethen rather thought this was what Spring felt like to humans.
The alchemist hummed as he walked briskly though the deserted city center, making his way towards one of the modern buildings that dotted the horizon he saw from his own pleasant home. It had been many nights since he had ventured into the city, too engrossed in his own work to bother treading the paths of humans and their paltry existences.
But tonight, his work was steeping in a cauldron and had to be left alone and the Shadows really were quite horrible at cards. So he had endeavored to find some other form of entertainment.
And that is how he ended up at The NightinGayle.
A club for the posh and powerful during the day, at night it turned into a place of civility for the uniquely Dark. It served only the finest wines and most exclusive liquors and her chef was a master from some other realm that made dishes that tasted - and in some cases literally were - of another world. Rethen had left his mark on the establishment of course. Several of them in fact: one need just look for new plaster on the walls that looked vaguely human in shape to see his effect.
But tonight, the place was scarce and the band played to few. It was early after all. But the barman had seen the green haired man walk in and the pop and fizz of a champagne cork met Rethen's pointed ears. And as he made his way to a table where he could seat himself with back to the wall, a waiter dashed ahead, placing the champagne, a flute, and a menu on the table. And the alchemist grinned as he seated himself.
Ah yes. It was good to walk in the Shadows. They had jazz for instrumentation.
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Posted: Fri Nov 13, 2009 10:59 pm
Waiting was something Tamiel was well acquainted with - waiting for test results, for a recovery, for the line to flatten... Some things couldn't be rushed. But there was no excuse for tardiness. He'd spent the morning running around trying to find the man's ailing wife a kidney – it didn't make any personal difference to Tamiel if she died, but you'd think one would make more of an effort.
At least the meeting place wasn't terrible, he supposed, flicking a glance at the surroundings and then down at his wristwatch. As Tamiel wasn't partial to parties, copious amounts of alcohol and whores, he had no business going to clubs, but the NightinGayle was apparently a very different sort of establishment. He brought the rim of the glass to his lips, sucking an ice cube into his mouth as he pondered, salt and lime on his tongue. And then the figure at the door, waltzing in, metal arm at once dissonant and perfect.
Yes, Tamiel thought, eyeing the shock of green hair and cracking the ice with his teeth. The club quite suited his tastes.
One familiar purveyor of the abstruse and arcane... The doctor hadn't forgotten either him or his demon friend, however distracted he'd been by Ose's possessive display. He stood now, pushed the hair from his face and slid a chair over to the man's table with his foot. He'd been pried out of his lab by an idiot that was wasting his time – seeing as Tamiel was never one to suppress his urges, he thought it was high time he cheered himself up.
He sat, lips peeling back suddenly to expose his eye teeth. "Your corner seems to get special treatment," he said candidly, fingers dancing out to draw a wet line against the woodgrain, and encompassing both the champagne and the quick appearance of the waiter. Mm. Close up, he was something else. Factually, a gorgeous man altogether. But if Tamiel couldn't take his eyes off him, that was only half the reason. At this distance, the shopkeep wouldn't have to try very hard to smash in his skull.
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Rethen KelSviet Vice Captain
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Posted: Sat Nov 14, 2009 5:18 am
Rethen was perusing his menu with hardly suppressed glee. Some of his favorite delicacies were on here again. And it had been so long since he had found a placed that served sautéed devil's tail in a white wine reduction...
And then the scraping of a chair disrupted his ever so comfortable surroundings. His hand that still resembled a hand tightened on the crystal flute and he arched an eyebrow. It looked as though he may have to add another hole to the wall here. And he was so looking forward to a relaxing evening.
But the voice that washed over him made him pause. He knew that voice. His lips curling into a very feral smile at his good fortune. The good doctor from the last dark night. And suddenly his evening had more to entertain him than fine foods and light music.
"One earns a reputation you see," the alchemist purred, folding the menu and setting it aside so that he might better view the other man. "The last time I was here and was not served to my...satisfaction...well..." The alchemist pointed to a coat of new plaster behind his head with his metal arm. "My waiter and I had a falling out. He did the falling. I walked out."
As he talked, he raked his eyes over the other man. Gone was the lab coat and trousers of questionable cloth. In their place was an ensemble much more befitting a man of his...stature. The alchemist arched an eyebrow and let his smirk widen as he took in the pale features and dark hair of the man standing before his table. It was as though the Dark Lord Lestat had called for supper.
Violet eyes danced in merriment as he met the darker eyes of the other man. "Will you join me Doctor?" he asked sweetly, already motioning for another champagne flute and menu.
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Posted: Sat Nov 14, 2009 7:38 pm
Tamiel didn't miss the brief flex of muscles against the glass, and he tracked the fine eyebrow as it lifted, a scant second before he was recognised. Really, he mused, watching those bared teeth and methyl violet eyes – such warm reception was bad for one's ego. His gaze liquefied, looking more at the sculpted arm than the wall it indicated, fascinated by the range of motion. Strong enough to knock someone across a room, Tamiel felt certain. Or to pin someone down.
You'd love to see him angry, his inner voice murmured, and the doctor never had cause to disagree with himself. There was a monster in the alchemist's soul, and Tamiel wanted it.
"Lucky man," he commented cryptically, hooking one leg over the other as salad fork, napkin and beverage list materialised. He hated waiters. He hated all men who didn't realise they were mayflies, who bent at the perfect angle and asked, 'Is the dish to your liking?' But the sentiment didn't reach his face. He curled his fingers around the stem of his wineglass in lieu of running them all along that pretty green burn and thought, with hunger that didn't quite stem from his stomach, I want to swallow you whole.
"It would be my pleasure," he smiled, words cast just above the fremescent murmur of the music and evening meal. Ambience, and Tamiel in one of his better outfits, white dress shirt with a hint of clavicle, slacks and a dark button-up vest. Curiously, this had all evolved into something like a date.
"You know of me then." He tilted his head, idly fingering the cutlery, the leather corners of the menu. Not many bothered with his title. "I wouldn't be averse to Tamiel, now that we've met twice." He wouldn't be averse to a lot of things, coming from this thrilling creature. "And what name shall I call you by?"
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Rethen KelSviet Vice Captain
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Posted: Sun Nov 15, 2009 7:39 am
Rethen could not quite stop himself as he chuckled. Not that he entierly wanted to. This man was contracted: he knew of evil. In that case...why hide?
"Your reputation proceeds you sir..." the alchemist murmured, lacing his fingers - metal and flesh - and leaning on his elbows to peer at the other man. He watched the man's eyes, dark pools that were as cold as coal, but with the same dangerous potential to light and flame. "Information tends to find its way into the Shadows you see. And then to me. When I can read it through the bloodstains." His scar flared on his temple and he chuckled.
"My name is Rethen," he murmured, his eyes flickering to where nimble fingers teased everything possible except the things that would bring the most enjoyment: something that simply must be corrected sooner rather than later. "My specialty is in the occult and bizarre, and in things best left in other realms." As he started talking, he reached over with his metal hand to slowly trace the stem of his glass and smiled.
"I do hope you'll come visit now that you're more...acquainted with the Darkness," he said, his eyes brokering no secret that were they in private, things would be much different. "I'm sure there are many beneficial aspects to our acquaintance Tamiel," the boy said with a coy smile as the waiter appeared again, anxious and fretful at being so near the table.
Rethen's smirk only grew wider as he placed his order.
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Posted: Tue Nov 17, 2009 5:36 am
It was one of the perils of his occupation that everything could be visualised in the context of a lab. Right now, Tamiel had Rethen splayed across a sterile table, and the image was driving him to distraction.
"Oh?" He took a sip of the drink set before him, then glanced down, pleasantly surprised. Years upon years of poor nutrition had ensured a shrivelled stomach; nowadays, luxury came in the form of savoury, five-grain bread and a milk carton, and that was on the off-chance that he remembered to eat. He licked his lips, setting down the glass before he drained it entirely. Restraint had never been his strong suit.
"All good things about my... bedside manner, I hope." Really, he should be more nervous, at a distinct disadvantage from knowing little about a person who knew so much about him, but Tamiel had always had a soft spot for men like Rethen. There was something stimulating about seeing a feral creature doing what was natural, and the alchemist beat any he'd ever played with in that respect. Although...
He straightened his glasses with a slim forefinger, trying not to fixate on the juncture of metal and glass, and where Rethen was gently stroking the vessel as if he wished it were something else. Tamiel was not inebriated enough to be envious of an inanimate object, but he thought in no uncertain terms that the man deserved torture for being such a tease.
"Certainly." He echoed the smile, meeting heliotrope eyes that overflowed with intention. "I make it a point to pursue my interests, and I think ours would align quite nicely."
Only the arrival of the waiter caused him to break off, and he unfolded the menu with a lesser sort of appetite, settling with an intriguing-sounding appetiser. "The chef seems to cater to very particular clientèle." He left the observation open-ended, but his curiosity had been lit by the talk of other realms. There was the matter of Rethen's race, and what of his demon friend? Tamiel knew enough about humans at least to know that co-operation was rarely instigated without some type of ultimate goal.
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Rethen KelSviet Vice Captain
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Posted: Tue Nov 17, 2009 12:00 pm
Rethen's eyebrow quirked at the mention of bedside. His temple continued its steady beat of flashing green every few seconds, but his lips moved into a small feral smile.
Yes...this Doctor was quite attentive it would seem, judging by the way his eyes followed the movement of his metal fingers. Most excellent indeed. And with the parting of the mundane with their desires for dinner, the alchemist saw it prudent to discover just what the good doctor's...interests were.
He couldn't help but smile at Tamiel's comment about the chef. So he was a newcomer to the Shadows then.
"Indeed he does," the petite man said with a chuckle, once again raising his glass to his lips and ever so slightly darting his tongue out to catch a falling drop of the effervescent wine. "Though your statement begs the question of your... familiarity with certain aspects of the world. Particularly those that correspond with recent parties of which we were both acquainted."
Violet eyes flashed with curious glee as he regarded the man across from him, waiting for a response to his dangling question. He enjoyed tinkering, even if the tinkering was just in words and emotions and minds. And the good Doctor seemed perfectly able to pull things apart himself.
That made Rethen wonder just how literal he was thinking, but such digressions could wait until later.
Perhaps when pale was spread upon blood-toned satin. Yes. That would do nicely.
And the smirk that crossed his lips was the most hungriest he had shown all night.
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Posted: Wed Nov 18, 2009 9:44 pm
Tamiel watched that shifting green mark of Rethen's pulsing like a vein, and for all the chilled drinks he'd imbibed in the course of the evening, his stomach thrummed with liquid fire. Admittedly, it didn't take much for Tamiel to warm up to the more carnal pleasures, but this man stirred heat, and deliberately. As the alchemist's tongue slipped out just a fraction to caress the glassware, Tamiel laced his hands. It was a half-innocent gesture coming from an entirely sinful being, and the doctor's nails dug little crescents into his skin in an effort not to launch himself across the table.
Didn't he know what a real threat Tamiel posed to him right now? Or perhaps he did know, and invited it.
The doctor's smile was indolent, but about as harmless as a coiled snake. "My newest project has alerted me to a circle of a different calibre," he said, slate eyes darkening with good humour. There were few worthy opponents these days when it came to verbal spars, and certainly none so delicious as his latest companion. "I suppose you might call me a stranger to your area of expertise, but with recent developments, I wonder if that could change."
His immediate goal now achieved, Tamiel found himself feeling restless. Ose was at once demanding and profitable, a requirement of any hobby, but the doctor remained dissatisfied – partly because he wasn't capable of being happy, but also because the terms of his contract had yet to be validated. Tamiel was the type to feel out the four corners of something, but testing the limits of one's mortality was something Tamiel got over as a teenager, and he had no particular desire to subject himself to experiment. Without the proper incentive, that is.
"You are aware of the gifts your delightful colleague saw fit to impart on me, of course. I find myself curious as to whether you or he might require my services." Nothing came for free in this world. Why would a demon market off others of his kind?
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Rethen KelSviet Vice Captain
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Posted: Fri Nov 20, 2009 5:33 am
Rethen watched with ill concealed amusement as the Doctor regarded him, slate eyes searching his face. Violet eyes returned the favor, watching Tamiel with blatant curiosity and...well...hunger.
"Most likely your knowledge will increase in this new field," the alchemist purred, his smile ever present, "one can expect nothing less from a man with your reputation Tamiel." A pale green eyebrow arched and he smiled across the table. "Of course, how you expand your knowledge remains to be seen. Contractors are such different people all together that it's quite difficult to know just how one will thrust himself into his work."
Rethen watched again, satisfied that he had found a human worthy of actually being talked to and conversed with. More over, he was far more suitable for far more enjoyable enterprises. The petite man smirked.
Oh he liked this new Contractor.
"Require your services?" the alchemist parroted. "Perhaps...though not necessarily in the conventional manner. I am not sure about my associate however. He is mysterious, even to me, despite our long acquaintance." But the boy smiled, his fangs were out and he leaned forward, almost inviting the Doctor to try something.
"But I'm sure you and I can come to some mutually beneficial arrangements. Oh yes indeed," he purred, staring into the other man's eyes hungrily."
Nothing was free after all. It even cost something to feel satisfied.
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Posted: Sat Nov 21, 2009 3:58 am
On the receiving end of Rethen's hungry look, truly the temptation was almost insurmountable. Tamiel wondered if his customers felt unnerved to be stared at as though they were behind glass, or if perhaps such an expression was reserved for a select few. It was perusal that demanded attention, much like the creature himself. For all that he seemed laid bare with the uncloaked arm and boldly marred face, Rethen's was a showiness that gave nothing away if he didn't choose it, and nowhere was this more evident than in the alchemist's words. Polite, crafted to stroke the ego and delivered in a voice that dripped with implication, but he'd revealed hardly anything.
Tamiel recognised the honey trap. But whether or not to step in it was a choice already made. With Ose he was making leeway, but he needed something more to lose his last grasp on humanity, and why not make the slide more pleasurable?
"Flattery will get you everywhere." His smile matched Rethen's. All teeth, though not quite as impressive as the other's protruding canines. Tamiel couldn't help but think that white wine didn't suit the predatory soul. Perhaps, in tribute to the real thing, he'd order red just to see that mouth stained with the colour of new blood.
"Yes, I got the impression that he's rather... stoic." An amused understatement, but having some idea of Rethen's character, Tamiel was surprised they got along. Possibly it was a case of mutual tolerance. "I'd very much like to meet him again." Here the smooth, cultured lilt was replaced momentarily by his smoker's husk. "Not nearly as much as I'd like to meet you elsewhere, in more private quarters." He tilted his chin, so their gazes locked.
"The first time would be a sample," he murmured, letting his eyes fall to half-mast. "I wouldn’t put on gloves. I’d explore every bit of your glorious body with my bare hands." And perhaps you could answer some of my questions in-between the screams.
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Rethen KelSviet Vice Captain
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Posted: Sun Nov 22, 2009 6:45 am
Whatever pretense of civility and common banter that had been established between the two was broken with his last statement. It was all Rethen could do to keep from lunging across the table and challenging the Doctor to make good on his words.
But he did still have some modicum of his upbringing, so he settled for tightening his hands in his napkin and arching a delicate eyebrow over a very hungry eye.
"Indeed?" he purred, leaning forward and smiling at Tamiel, his eyes flashing again. "No gloves? How generous. I cannot make the same promise however..." he murmured, flexing his metal hand and extending it to Tamiel in a slightly inviting way. "Some gauntlets are permanent." Here he smirked, his tongue flicking along his fangs again.
The good Doctor was sending him spiraling into a place he had not been in so long. And it was quite intoxicating.
"I can promise to leave you with several...striking reminders of our acquaintance however Tamiel," he murmured, purring over the last name with such a heady voice that he though he nearly let himself go. But this was just the beginnings.
He had to hold something in reserve.
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Posted: Mon Nov 23, 2009 7:19 pm
The shift in demeanour was palpable; if Rethen's look became any more heated, Tamiel thought there might be scorch marks. It was always a gamble with passionate men. Self-preservation warred with the flirtation of danger, but Tamiel had buried his inhibitions along with his dead mother. If he were to crack open the puzzle of Rethen and his involvement in the unusual direction of recent events, it seemed the doctor would have to resort to unconventional methods.
Granted, it was no hardship to offer himself as bait. It was almost a scientific fact that people were at their most susceptible with their pants down, loose-lipped in the afterglow, especially with Tamiel's coercion of the hard and soft variety, but even if Rethen proved unamenable to his... milking for information, it wasn't as though Tamiel wouldn't enjoy the experience.
"Oh, I don't object to rough handling," he breathed, voice pitched low as he admired the lustre of said gauntlet and imagined what it might feel like against the soft skin of his abdomen. Perhaps it was the wine or the three drinks it washed down; perhaps it was Rethen and the headiness he induced, beckoning like a glittering creature showing off its plumage... Tamiel's hand darted out to catch silvery fingers before they could withdraw, tracing the whorls and dips of where the natural creases would have been.
"What do you say to an exchange of favours, Rethen?" He looked up through long bangs, using the other's name for the first time. "You seem like a man who drives a hard bargain. And then perhaps we could... seal the deal."
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Posted: Tue Nov 24, 2009 12:36 pm
He tossed the keys over to the valet and waltzed inside - for once, looking clean enough to really pass for a rich man. The cherry-red automobile helped, of course - but his hair was clean and combed back and really that made all the difference. He wore a silky red shirt, the collar just a little dog-eared, a three-hundred-dollar white tie and a smart black blazer - buttons antiqued, and just the faintest hint of a purple shadow dodging past his feet from time to time. Duke had gotten pretty good at staying out of sight, and in this kind of dimly-lit place it was easy.
Why he was in this kind of place to begin with, he wasn't really sure. Instinct, he supposed. He'd turned looking for the white-haired man into a sort of hobby, and having scoured the... well, less-refined areas of the town to no avail, he turned his attention to this creepy little hangout. He'd heard about it much the same way he heard about everything, which was good enough for him, because really... the only sources he'd ever trust were his own. Gut feelings, intuition, wild guesses and rumors. And Duke.
Once inside the club, the imp's slightly roundish shadow dodged chairlegs and headed in the direction off - two men at a table in the corner, getting a little intimate. One of the guys had green hair, which Jack took to be a good sign. Didn't really know why. Iclair had white hair, and that was sort of an odd color too. Right? He waltzed right up to the two, pulled up a chair and perched on it backwards, arms folded over the backrest.
"Hey, lovebirds. Don't mind me. Just wonderin' if you could help me out. I'm looking for a guy... named Eclair, or something. White hair, dressed kinda like a hooker, last time I saw 'im. And no, I don't want to slee - dude, you've got like a metal arm. That's wicked."
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Posted: Mon Nov 30, 2009 12:33 pm
Rethen slowly moved back from the imp that was currently crunching expensive stemware and schooled himself into the well trained posture of his former life. He had come very close to snapping the man's wrist when he patted him on the arm. And when he gave him a nickname from a children's book. What he needed now was perspective.
That old existence did have its uses sometimes.
He gave a serene smile at Jack throughout the completely impolitic actions of the man standing next to his table. He ignored the references to the unique man - it was none of his affair. He had never crossed paths with such a human.
Rethen simply quirked an eyebrow and smirked at Tamiel as the conversation turned towards him. Wound up indeed. He vaguely wondered if Mr. Diamond would like to be wound up before he slammed his head into the wall and slowly worked the needles from his metal fingers into his eyes.
And then the imp spoke to him. And Rethen smirked and offered it the other champagne flute. "So are human bones little one. You should try them sometime." The alchemist grinned, his canines shining in the dim light.
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Rethen KelSviet Vice Captain
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