Ai looked at Cyr sitting at the doorstep looking slightly crestfallen. He was grateful for the fact that Maki could put him slightly at ease, he seemed to be able to do so with everyone. He took a glance at his wrist-watch 11.46am, still a whole 7 hours until his master came back. He wasn't sure what they would do for all that time but wanted to keep Cyr as happy as possible; hoping that the news they received later would be of a favourable nature and Cyr could go home. It was true that Aiwanted to get to know him better but not under the current circumstances. He hoped that no more problems would arise in the meantime. He though back to the previous evening's strange occurances, and to Yeve's words to him before he left. "Food and companionship huh?" He muttered softly to himself and shook his head, a couple of wavy bangs falling over his eyes. He didn't believe in biting people for the sake of it. His amulet made sure he kept his strength without having to consume blood and if he were to ever bite anybody he want a mutual agreement. The type between lovers. He picked up a chain and wrapped it around the book closing it shut. Grabbing his Jacket from it's hook next to his crafts table he took a glance at some of his items. Picking a couple up; he hoped there'd be no need to use them. Slipping his Jacket around his frame he put the book into his pocket and closed the buckles. He walked out to the steps,locked the door and smiled gracefuly at Cyr. "I thought you'd of walked to the park by now" He smiled. "Thanks for waiting though."
Cyr looked up at the man, blushing lightly as he realized he'd nearly been caught talking to a cat. The brunet stood to his feet, nodding slightly before speaking. "I couldn't leave. You did me the favor of telling me I could go outside without you. I had to repay it in kind by staying here," he mumbled, scuffing his boot nervously against the ground. He probably sounded quite childish, but he didn't care. 'Give and take...any type of relationship, even that between a...babysitter...and their charge is all about that,' he reminded himself. After talking to the cat, he'd decided to try again, to attempt to cope.
The teen fell into step with Ai as he walked, his gaze glued on the ground in front of him as he followed Ai's lead. The two crossed the street and walked a ways before coming to the gated entrance of a park, the stone and wrought iron leading in to what Cyr thought was a pleasant diversion from the downtown area. Lush trees and grass lined the thin, gravel walk way into the park and Cyr found himself relaxing even further.
"...sorry about earlier...again..." he murmured, following behind Ai. It wasn't that he disliked the man, he just disliked the situation. "And sorry, you know...if I made you think I don't like you...hell...I barely know you. But...so far you've been very nice. A-Anyways," Cyr said, his awkwardness in social situations rising once more, "...it's really nothing against you."
Ai smiled and stayed quiet for a moment. "It's no problem" he said, resting his head on the park bench they were sitting on. "It's a strange feeling I know, being stuck with people you don't know all of a sudden." Ai laughed but his eyes held a sad look to them. He shook his head softly and walked over to the play area. The swings were quite well built,even though they were quite old now it seemed like they would hold an adults weight quite easily. So sitting himself down on the seat pushed his legs from the ground slightly and gently rocked there. "I always wanted to come to the park when I was younger." He let out a chuckle. "They always say no though, so I'd sit there and watch while all the other children used to go and play." He leaned back on the swing and stared at the clouds. He wasn't sure why he was suddenly telling Cyr about this suddenly. He'd never really talked about his past to anyone, heck he'd pretty much tried to forget it himself. Maybe it was to help Cyr adjust by trying to get him to think of Ai as less of a stranger... Or perhaps... just because he was fed up of feeling so isolated from everyone else.
"Really?" Cyr asked, rising from the park bench and settling in the swing next to Ai, Maki nestled firmly in his arms. He found himself remembering that Ai wasn't like the other vampires he'd met in his time as an assassin. Ai was inherently more human, a fact which was demonstrated by the expressions that fell across his face as he spoke.
Cyr, himself, had nothing to compare Ai's experience to. He hadn't even known playgrounds and swings and public areas built for fun even existed until the year prior to his meeting the librarian, when Yeve had managed to split Cyr from her son, Alexis, even though he didn't quite know how. Before then, his 'playground' had been a laboratory, his 'swing set' a training room, and his 'public area' a bedroom which was, unfortunately, an area frequented by people he'd rather forget.
The teen surmised that his issue with being held in one location, even by a person only wanting to good, came from the little exposure he'd gotten to the ''outside world''. No matter how kind the jailer was, or how nice the prison was, in Cyr's opinion at least, anything confining which limited his freedom was something to be feared. It seemed all it took was a comment from Ai to cause him to come to that conclusion. Now Cyr didn't know whether to be grateful to the other man for leading him to the revelation, or if he should sit down and cry from frustration, though he'd never actually sink that low.
"What was it like though...I mean...just getting to see it...and stuff like that," he said, referring to Ai's story. Cyr always, without fail, found himself intrigued when people spoke about their lives. He chalked it up to backlash from being trained to take in information about people, places, objects...but he found he didn't mind those skills so much now that he was out in the open. In fact, he often found himself analyzing buildings and people, and playing memory games with objects and cars. "...if you don't mind telling, that is..."
Ai looked up at Cyr; sitting next to him. He looked genuinely interested in what Ai was saying, though it was painful remembering his past. "What it was like huh? Watching the other children go and play while I was left behind? Well, it was painful." Ai looked down at the floor memories of the orphanage coming back to him. "Though...I suppose I was used to it by then. After all no-one wanted to associate with a vampire". He laughed trying to clear the deppressing mood he was creating. "Blood sucking monsters and all that you know". So the shop to me, despite how dark and dreary it may seem to everyone else...Is very bright for me. Most people think I'm strange, it's true I have an affinity towards the moon as any vampire does but I also love being out in the about the feeling of being out in sunlight feels like freedom. After all, I never asked to be a vampire."
Cyr nodded in understanding. He knew what it was like to be something you never asked to be. "...if it's any consolation, I...sort of know what it's like. When I was younger, kids used to avoid me, like they knew stuff about me...you know...killing and all...and it wasn't normal to play with a kid who couldn't feel pain," he said. In truth, it hadn't just been him getting the brunt of the ignoring from the children.
Over the summer, for a two month period, the doctor would let his youngest son, Alexis, leave for warmer climates of France, where his mother, Yeve, lived for half of the year. Cyr remembered the many days he spent talking to Alexis, befriending him from inside his psyche because the people outside his mind, short of his mother, would have nothing to do with him. Part of that was due to the boy's natural colorations. Both Cyr and Alexis had naturally multi-toned hair, though no one knew how...that his eyes changed colors when Cyr would come out, usually whenever Alexis was in some sort of physical or emotional danger, and that both boys lacked the ability to feel pain made for a very unpleasant and lonely childhood.
"Anyways...being an assassin isn't really that much different from being a vampire. We're known as cold-blooded killers...we get blamed for things we didn't have a hand in...we stick to the backgrounds and fringes of society, and the night...as much as I'm loathe to admit it...the night is the one place where every assassin feels at home. I didn't want to be one though...so...I sort of know how it is."
Cyr bit his lip and looked down at his boots, gently rocking back and forth on the swing. The cat seemed to have fallen asleep, snuggled into his arms. He'd told the librarian a lot, sharing a secret for a secret...but there was a lot he hadn't told the other as well, and he planned to keep it that way, unless the vampire pressed him. '...fucking hell...' he thought, sighing, a graceful blush of embarrassment at his rambling demeanor crossing his cheeks.
Ai looked up at Cyr, slightly surprised. he hadn't known it was possible for someone not to feel pain and was quite shocked that Cyr had turned out to be an asassin. A blessing and a curse huh? It would also probably of made him a target for those who wanted to exploit his ability. He couldn't blame Cyr for wanting to keep to himself. He laughed, at least he felt like he knew something about him, he had an impression asassinating people wasn't an everyday topic. He wondered what sort of jobs he did, but that would be breeching a very personal subject so he decided to leave it be. If Cyr wanted to tell him something Ai figured he'd do it in his own time. He looked at Maki; blissfully asleep on Cyr's lap. A slight breeze blew through the park and Ai started humming a tune to himself. He didn't remember his parents or family, the only memory he had from before the orphanage was the feeling of being gently rocked and a melody being sung to him. He couldn't even remember the words but the melody always seemed to cheer him up or comfort him when his mood went in a negative direction. Maybe that's why he had an affinity towards he swing; the comforting sensation of being rocked as a mother may have possibly rocked him before.
Indigo eyes stared incredulously at the man next to him, an elegant brown eyebrow raised in disbelief. "...which part has you stunned, the tragic childhood, the inability to feel pain, the fact that I'm nineteen years old and I kill people for a living, or all three?" he asked, his tone dull. He admitted, silently, that the breeze felt nice. It calmed him, being outside.
Still, he was stuck next to Ai, so he might as well make the most of it. "...and while we're at it...what's your favorite color?" he asked, planning on initiating a variation of the question game he had played with Alexis when the two of them first met. He was confident the vampire would catch on quickly, as the man seemed intelligent. It was simple really, ask a question, answer a question, get to know the other person.
He laughed "I suppose all 3 but don't get me wrong it doesn't worry me. My favourite colour? Black i suppose. What's yours? And what's your favourite animal?"
Cyr paused for a moment. "...grey...I think..." he mumbled before looking at the feline slumbering in his arms, "And really, I like animals in general...but I guess, if I had to pick, I'd pick a cat." he said, smiling softly at the vampire. "So, Ai...what's your favorite bo-" he paused, turning his head around to stare behind him as the crackling sound of gravel reached his ears.
The assassin stood, his good mood broken as he took notice of a group of people, pale, eerily thin punks with dark rings under their eyes. The didn't seem fully human to the assassin, as if they were missing something, some spark.
One of the people held a length of chain in his large hands and was twirling it around expertly, a sharp sneer on his face as his eyes raked up and down the assassins body. Cyr didn't shudder as a second, this one with brass knuckles, did the same. '...fucking slaggers...' he thought in irritation. Three more punks, two armed with knives and the last with a crowbar, joined the fray. Obviously, the newcomers were looking for a fight, but something, a small shred of doubt, teased at the back of the assassin's mind.
"...Ai...hold on to the book..." he whispered, setting Maki on the ground behind him. There was no way he could fight with his hands occupied by the small animal. Cyr fell instinctively into business mode, slender fingers sliding his knife out of its sheath, his face set in a grim mask."...and get ready for a fight."
Ai examined the group carefully and as Cyr suggested ensured the book was still safe. His pockets were closed with locked chains so it would be hard to get anything from them whilst they were closed. It didn't look like the group had much intelligence between them but that was not necassarily a good thing. It could be troublesome dealing with someone who relied on simply pushing forward with brute strength. They seemed to be regular thugs but you could never be too safe; Ai stood next to Cyr who already had his knife drawn. Ai thought back to the previous fight, considering it currently didn't seem like too much of a threat and Cyr was a proud individual he planned to stay back unless he genuinely needed help. Then he'd assist him; and should something go wrong he had the supplies in his pocket to make sure they could get away quickly. It shouldn't come to that he thought, the only one who gave him cause for concern was the one holding the chain, he looked rather experienced. Possibly the leader of the gang and ranged weapons were a pain in the ass to deal with. He nodded at Cyr; letting him know he was ready.
Cyr waited. He would not act until necessity drove him to. The brunet trained his gaze on the thugs, his mind already formulating a plan. It didn't matter which of them attacked first. Cyr was ready. What's more, he was ready to fight without killing. '...something just doesn't seem right about these punks..'
The assassin with the brass knuckles broke first, flying towards the duo. Cyr didn't bother waiting to see what Ai would do as instinct took over. He dashed for the approaching man, catching the punk's raised fist in a hand, a dangerous smirk on his face. "...heh," he snickered, twisting the man's hand high behind his back, two fingers of the hand with the knife falling to the back of his neck as Cyr slammed the punk's face repeatedly into the bars of the swing set. He released the figure as it went slack in his arms, falling into a faint.
One of the knife users and the one with the crowbar attacked next. Cyr didn't mind at all as he adjusted his grip on his weapon, dropping back onto his back leg and snapping a kick at the crowbar. Metal clashed with metal and still the punk's grip held firm, the knife user joining the melee, slashing clumsily at Cyr, whose other foot pushed off of the crowbar, sending the assassin arching backwards gracefully through the air.
Idly, he wondered why Ai wasn't fighting, not that it mattered much to him as the two rushed him. Thinking quickly, Cyr grabbed the swing and threw it towards both men's faces. The one with the knife flinched and soon found himself with a face full of metal and leather as Cyr's boot made contact with his nose, his own knife snapping up to brace against the crow bar using man's hand as the man took a swing.
Cyr pushed the crow bar guy backwards, lunging off his heel, sending the punk head over heels over the swing. The man's legs lay on the flat part of the swing, so Cyr decided to help him a little, quickly using the discarded crowbar to hold the swing in a more compact position. It would be difficult for the prone, disarmed punk to reach his weapon and free his legs, unless he somehow managed to get his large, studded boots off.
Sharp purple returned to the last two punks, waiting for either of them to move, his knife and body both poised to attack. He was in his element.
Ai watched the fight fold out in front of him. As he'd guessed Cyr had the situation pretty much in control. He wasn't shocked seeing how well Cyr could fight cinsidering what he had just been told by the other man. It was quite spectacular watching him fight though, strong yet graceful. If Ai hadn't known what was going on he might have mistaken it to be a dance. He took his focus away from the thugs Cyr was dealing with and fixed hiz gaze upon the thug with the chain. He hadn't made a move as of yet and it concerned Ai. Either the thug had some concealed intelligence or was acting on some kind of orders. Unsure of what the thug was planning and not wanting to upset Cyr he dithered for a second. Until he saw the thug swing his chain above his head and tried to bring it down on Cyr. Now Ai had absolutely no doubt Cyr was an exceptional fighter but event he couldn't manage tp continue dealing with his current opponents and the heavy chain aiming for him so Ai doing the first thing to come to his head swiftly stepped in front of Cyr and grabbed a hold of the chain, small amounts of blood dripping to the floor from where it cut through hus skin. With not so much effort he wrapped it around both hands and with a tug sent the thug into a nearby tree.
Cyr's glare shot over to Ai. '...the hell, I had this under control!' he thought, an irrational burst of anger coursing through his veins. He'd had his attention on the chain user. The man and his weapon hadn't even been close to the assassin. He knew that Ai was only trying to help, but still, the thought made him feel inadequate and hurt as he initiated the attack on the last punk, the second knife user.
Cyr jumped and snapped a kick at the man's head, snickering as the punk blocked his hits. He landed in a crouch and kept coming, kicking the punk's upraised hands repeatedly. They needed at least on of the punks conscious for questioning, and he wasn't about to trust the vampire to be able to not knock them out. The assassin drove the disarmed knife user back into a tree, aiming a bone crunching kick at his arms. It connected and the punk slammed back into a tree, the bones in his arms releasing a brittle crack as he slid down the trunk.
The guy didn't so much as flinch, rather, he became fascinated by the blood and bone from his wound. To Cyr's horror, the punk bent forward, lapping at the marrow from his cracked bones. '...t-the hell?' Cyr thought, stepping back, his eyes wide with mingled disgust and terror. "...Ai...they're not human..." he said, his attention transfixed on the downed punk.
Ai looked on shocked as the thug who'd just been injured took fascination in his wound. Looking around he saw the other thugs getting up also, manic smiles on their faces. This situation was beginning to look pretty bad. They needed the information from one of them but if they weren't going to go down then they could put the book and their own lives at danger. Thinking over the situation he had a couple of items that may come in useful, it was starting to irritate him at the strange creatures he'd been encountering. If he didn't know what they were he didn't know how to equip for them. He had a couple of smoke capsules that would let them get away if need be though he doubted neither he or Cyr wanted to run away from this fight. Their prides in the way as much as the fact they needed the information. It might be necessary to finish the others off and only ointerrogate the one, it would make the job easier; they wouldn't be watching for the others getting back up whilst they were trying to get information. He also had a couple of bombs in his arsenal. Not bombs as such as the big black round ones, small capsules which worked the same way. He strode over to where Cyr was; watching the horrendous creature and asked what their plan of action was.
"...simple..." the assassin breathed, regaining his composure. "...we kill the others and leave this one alive," Cyr laughed with a dangerous smirk on his face. The silver flat of his knife flashed in the afternoon light as he made his move, attacking the leader of the group, the chain punk, head on before the man could fully stand. The teen kicked the man square in the chest, cracking ribs even as he spun, his back facing the inhuman thing as he slammed the knife home.
The figure behind him pitched forward, the heavy body going limp as blood drained from a wound in the man's chest. Cyr had punctured his heart, worse yet, he'd destroyed it as he yanked the weapon out of the punk's chest cavity, the serrated edges of his knife tearing muscle and flesh as he let the corpse drop. Cyr threw the chain to Ai, nodding at the wounded punk against the tree, a silent signal to bind him as he turned to the only other mobile punk.
"...che..." he scoffed, watching the knife weilding punk walked towards him. The assassin ducked beneath a clumsy swipe, grabbing the punk's arm and twisting it around. He slammed the punk into the tree the leader had died against before using the knife punk's own weapon to kill him, chuckling darkly as the second one died.
The brass knuckles punk was just starting to come to as Cyr stalked up behind him, pushing him back to the ground with his boots. He looked to the last man who was frantically trying to get his legs loose from the swing. "...so you guys can feel fear...perfect..." he said, a soft snicker creeping into his voice as he threw his knife down, watching the weapon sink into the brass knuckle man's neck, severing the spinal cord as it slid home. The man collapsed, twitching and spilling blood from both his neck and his mouth as he spasmed.
Cyr turned to the trapped punk. They already had their interrogation target...so he decided to let the crowbar man live. He pulled the man's weapon from where he'd slipped it into the swing, watching as the punk scrambled backwards, a look of terror on his face. Cyr fixed the punk with an ice cold glare, grinning maliciously as the man stared at him in fear. "...hey Ai, what do you think we should do with this one?"
Ai caught the hint. Seemed the group had been organised by someone or someTHING. Scare the punk shitless and he ought to run back to his master tail between his legs. Ai walked away from the chained up thug, an evil smile spread across his face and eyes glinted maliciously. "Hm, I don't know" The grin turned into an innocently coy smile. "We could burn him? Gouge his eyes out and feed them to the crows?" He looked at Cyr seeming to also think the punks reaction was rather amusing. He seemed like he might wet his pants any second then. Ai crouched down in front of the thug. "Or I can eat him." He laughed, that was the final straw for the punk who despite his injured state pushed himself away from Ai with remaining reserves of energy and scrabbled off the ground; half limping half running away.
Cyr's composure cracked briefly as the punk ran off, screaming in fear. The brunet's shoulders shook with laughter as he bit back his chuckles, smiling genuinely up at the vampire. "...couldn't have done it better myself Ai," he said, a hint of his amusement clear in his voice. Cyr picked his knife up from where it still lay, embedded in the corpse of the man whose spine he'd severed. The teen wiped the viscous blood off of the weapon on the back of the punk's shirt and slipped his weapon back into its sheath, his serious demeanor returning.
"We'll leave the bodies here, just in case their employer comes back. Besides...even if the deaths attract the cops attention, the extra activity might keep the area more secure for us," Cyr said, his eyes aglow in thought. It was proven that increased activity in areas often prevented activity of a negative sort from occurring as frequently as it normally did. In the teen's mind, it made sense to leave the bodies both as a warning, and as a method of getting backup without attracting attention directly to themselves.
No one, thankfully, had seen the fight, as the park was relatively deserted during the busy work hours of the afternoon. And, even more fortunately, the dense foliage blocked their location from any prying eyes peeking out of office windows.
Content in that knowledge, Cyr turned back to the trapped punk, his eyes hardening. "...where should we take him?" he asked Ai, pinning the punk with a glare.
"I don't think it would be safe to take him back to the library. Never know if or how their master is tracking them." He put a contemplative finger to his forehead thinking for a moment. "A little way from here, in the big forest at the edge of town...there's an abandoned cabin out there. No one ever uses it as they seem to believe it's haunted. But haunted or not it's far away enough that we should be left undisturbed."
"Sounds perfect," the assassin murmured, bending to pick up Maki, who seemed to come out of nowhere, rubbing against the brunet's leg. Cyr scratched under the small animal's chin, allowing the cat to climb onto his shoulders. He stepped up to the tree, sighing softly "...let's get going," he added, waiting for the vampire to undo the chain from the tree.
Ai nodded; un tieing the thug from the tree but using the chain to bound his hands just in case something were to go wrong. Slinging the thug over his back he took the lead and started his way to the cabin. After around half an hour of silent walking they reached a clearing in the forest; the cabin was surrounded by large trees and undergrowth, making it highly difficult for anyone to sneak in un-noticed and shielded them from prying eyes. The cabin was standing but in shabby condition. Weeds lined up against the walls and vines snaked their way around ot. There were multiple holes in both the roof and windows. Inside; covered in a thick layer of dust their were a couple of chairs, bits of the roof lined the floor. Ai dropped the thug from his back; and grabbing one of the chairs tied the thug to it.
Cyr followed the vampire's lead, scratching Maki's ears gently as he did so. He couldn't help but look around as they entered the deeper part of the forest. 'So we're going to a cabin then...' he thought, stepping lightly over a fallen branch. The routine continued for roughly thirty minutes, Maki's mewling and the sound of dry leaves and twigs snapping under their feet the only sounds playing through the air.
The assassin shut the door to the cabin firmly behind him, smirking slightly as Ai dropped the punk into a chair, securing him in place. He wondered what the best way to go about interrogating the man was. '..good cop bad cop, or the old fashioned way?' he thought, looking to Ai for clues as to how the auburn haired male thought they ought to proceed.
Ai looked at Cyr apparently in thought of how to go about it. From the performance in the park it seemed that the thugs responded best to fear. "Well, first thing to do is wake him up I suppose." Ai looked around the cabin for a means of waking him, spotting an old sink in the other room hidden by a dishinged door; he moved the door out of the way and by luck the sink was working. Filling a cracked bucket with water Ai stepped in front of the thug and disdainfully threw the water over him. Ai watched in amusement as the thug woke and started growling at them, futiley attempting to break the chain that bound him to the chair.
Cyr snickered, setting Maki on a cloth covered table as he went to stand behind Ai, glaring cooly at the punk. "Here's the deal...you're only alive right now because we need information...and you have the choice of giving us the information and dying in a quick, painless manner, at his hands," the assassin spoke, his voice deadly soft as he nodded at Ai, "...or a slow, agonizing death at my hands."
"Neither of them likely makes you feel very comfortable I'm guessing, but I don't give a damn. You'll answer, or you'll die," he said, hardening his glare as he reached forward, leaning against Ai as he set his boot directly on the crotch of the man's pants, his face a mask of cold indifference. "...and believe me when I say that dealing with me will make death at the hands of a vampire seem like a mercy."
The punk whimpered slightly as Cyr applied more pressure to his crotch, the metal edging of the teen's shoe cutting uncomfortably into his private area. The brunet seemed serious. More pressure prompted the man to nod, trying to scoot away from the assassin.
"Yes what? You want to answer our questions like a good captive should, or you want me to kill you so slowly that you wish you'd talked?" Cyr asked, arching an eyebrow.
"...fi-irs-irst..." the punk croaked, pained as the teenager pressed down firmly on his cloth covered member.
"...good man..." Cyr muttered, backing off and leaving the interrogation to Ai to start with.
Ai leaned against the back of another chair faced towards the punk; slow stream of tears running down his face from where Cyr had injured him. Ai crossed his arms. "I want to know who your master is; what you're after and why." He spoke calmly and softly but with tactifully hidden malice behind it. He leaned over the thug and cut a wound on his cheek; blood flowing from the wound. "Of course if you're stubborn I wouldn't mind being a bit less painful."
"D-d-d-d-don't know w=who is is I swear it! We never see him! He just tells us what to do!" the punk simpered, his eyes clenched as Ai slashed a line in his face. "Don't bite me, don't kill me please!"
"...why shouldn't he?" Cyr asked from where he stood, his arms crossed tightly over his chest. "...you're avoiding his question, and you tried to kill him. He'd be perfectly within rights to drain your sorry ass completely dry." Extreme, true, but this punk, while interested by his wounds and not totally human, seemed to be afraid of the vampire, and obviously he could feel stimuli in certain areas. "...course he might just decide to rip your balls off too..." he sighed, closing his eyes.
"...I t-told you I don't know who the boss is...He said go to the park and look for a kid with weird hair. Told us to get a book or something or the kid and-" the man trailed off, his eyes growing wide as his thrashing doubled, a snarl forming on his face. "I won't tell you anything else! I won't, he'll kill me!"
'...the fuck?' Cyr thought, his indigo oculars narrowing. Something was very odd and very, very wrong with the way the trapped man was acting.
Ai pulled the thug up by his chin; chair slightly lifting off the ground. "And what exactly do you think will happen if you don't tell us what you know. We're not exactly here to have a picnic in case you haven't figured." Ai knocked him over on his chair and took one of his 'bombs' out. "Wonder how this would taste"? He asked mockingly.
"Death by you is better than death by him!" The punk screamed, spitting in the vampire's direction.
Cyr cocked his head, looking at the man. "...why are you afraid of him killing you? You're stuck here, and you won't be alive after you answer anyways...you'll have outlived your usefulness," he pointed out. The man's reactions intrigued him.
"Doesn't matter, he'll still be the one to kill me. And when he does he'll send the others after you both. Kill you," he looked at Ai, "nab you," then at Cyr, "and grab that book." He pressed against his chains, the broken bones in his body standing out, a sickly shade of white. "So you might as well kill me now bitch!" he sneered.
The words spoken by the thug intrigued Ai. Nab Cyr and take the book. Was there some sort of connection between the two then? The thug seemed adamant he wasn't going to talk; he'd hoped things could be settled peacefully. But the saying dead men tell no tales wasn't necassarily true. Alive or not there was a way to get the information they needed. Being a vampire had it's quirks sometimes. Ai took Cyr to the side and explained this to him, but he also refused to do it before the man was dead he didn't like feasting on people and this was only an exception as they needed the information.
"...let's hold off on that. I'm not fond of unnecessary killing either, believe it or not. We could tell him though, lord the threat over him...he seems like he's trying to cover his fear with being an asshole," Cyr whispered, staring levelly at the vampire. In truth, however, he was worried. He wanted to know more about why the thug had been sent to collect him, and the book. '...and there's no way Yeve'll tell me if I ask,' he thought, frowning.
"...why did your employer send you after us, besides taking the book. What was the motive behind it?" he asked, staring around Ai's shoulder at the snickering punk, who did nothing more than smirk in response. "...look, I don't really give a fuck what my partner does to you, but I'm willing to help you not join the legions of the undead," he said, glancing to Ai to warn him to play along, " as long as you cooperate."
"...I'll be undead if I tell you anyways, so what's it ma-" the punk trailed off, his eyes dialating. Something was wrong.
"Ai, what the hell is happ-He's having a heart attack!" Cyr snapped, his fists clenching. Even with Ai's help there was no way they could untie the man from the chair in time to save his life. They had no supplies, no medical tools, nothing they could use to keep their captive well.
The chained man's muscles went slack as his chin dropped to his chest, his eyes wide and unblinking. He released one last horrible, shuddering gasp, his head bobbing slightly, before a froth of red foam gathered at the edge of his mouth. Cautiously, Cyr stepped forward, intent on checking the man's pulse, his knife back in its sheath. He reached out for the man's neck, two fingers poised to check the man's vitals and paused...something still wasn't right. '...but what?'
Ai looked at Cyr then to the thug whom had gone limp in the chair, red foaming dripping down his chin. That was something you didn't see everyday. Ai thought over the thugs words, be undead anyways? Was it possible the person responsible fro sending the thugs had somehow managed to do this from a distance? Ai kept a wary eye on the thug unsure if he was well and truly 'dead' or not.
Ai seemed to be thinking along the same lines, Cyr thought, his gaze still focused on the vampire. A shuffling, rattling noise from his side made him jolt, his eyes shooting to the corpse. Dead, unfeeling eyes stared ahead, teeth gnashing against one another as the body in the chair struggled, a loud, unearthly cry rising from the chest of the punk, a pink, bloated tongue lolling out, the hands and legs twitching as he scrambled to get to the human and his companion.
Cyr's heart began to pound. The teenager backed away quickly, tripping over Maki, who'd jumped from his perch on the table to arch his back and hiss at the...at the thing...the zombie...whatever it was. Cyr backed further, jumping as he hit something solid. He looked up into Ai's eyes, his own widened in shock. "...think this is what he meant by being undead anyways?" he asked softly, a slight tremor to his voice.
If they were dealing with someone who could kill people from a distance, and use their corpses as puppets...then the two could be in very big trouble...
Ai watched as the thing, whatever it was broke free of the bonds effortlessly and started coming across towards them. Helping Cyr to his feet again the two backed up slightly. It seemed a dire situation; the thugs had been difficult enough to deal with the first time round who knew what it would be capable of now. Ai looked around the room, either way were they to fight or flee there was no way it would be possible to do so in such cramped quarters. He turned to Cyr, whispering unsure wether the creature was still able to understand or not. Fishing around in his pockets he found the bombs and sweftly throwing them around the ombie like creature a brief distraction to at least get out of the cabin. They would see what they could do outside; he was sure neither ones pride would allow them to flee without trying all available resources and approaches first. Outside the cabin the sky was a fiery red, obviously having spent longer than they realised trying to gather information.
Cyr nodded, following the vampire's lead. He paused momentarily. The creature was blocking the door. Thinking quickly, he grabbed a chair from the table, hefting it up and slamming the zombie across the face. "Let's go! Outside, I don't think that thing can open doors!" he snapped, satisfied that the shambling corpse was having difficulty walking, rigor setting in at last.
The assassin made a break for the door, throwing it open and holding it wide for Ai and the cat, who clawed at the creature in passing. Cyr slammed the door shut, leaning against it and staring at the vampire for further instructions. "..that thing's a zombie, right?" he asked, referring to the monster who was now scratching and moaning at the door.
"Well a puppet to be more precise. This is bad, the only way I know of one to stop is by killing the master or the master deciding to stop and either way that doesn't seem likely to happen any time soon" Ai watched the door strain under the pressure being applied to it from the inside. "I don't like the idea any more than I assume you will but I'd suggest a tacticful retreat. We'll head to the library the ward there ought to hold the thing up even if it should managr to catch up. With the way things are going, it's most likely the person orchestrating this already knows most of our details". He waited for a responce from the assasin.
"Well a puppet to be more precise. This is bad, the only way I know of one to stop is by killing the master or the master deciding to stop and either way that doesn't seem likely to happen any time soon" Ai watched the door strain under the pressure being applied to it from the inside. "I don't like the idea any more than I assume you will but I'd suggest a tacticful retreat. We'll head to the library the ward there ought to hold the thing up even if it should managr to catch up. With the way things are going, it's most likely the person orchestrating this already knows most of our details". He waited for a responce from the assasin.
"Right..." the teen mumbled, fixing his gaze on the door. "...but what if that thing does escape. Is it dangerous to anyone else, if it somehow got back to the main part of the park...?" he asked, looking to the vampire.
Cyr's knowledge lay in science, in the practical side of things, such as physics, chemistry, biology...and fighting. Those were what he specialized in. He found himself feeling fortunate that he'd come into contact with a vampire who seemed to have sufficient information about the situation. '...maybe Yeve knew that this would happen...' he pondered, pinning Ai with a purple-hued stare.
"...your master won't mind my presence, will he?" he asked as well, still leaning against the door, holding it closed.
Ai shooh his head. "They aren't capable of anything else than their master bids them to do and he seems to be preoccpied with us at the moment it would be most unlikely he'd worry about anything else. And no, my master won't mind; he should be back by now too."
Cyr nodded in understanding, risking a move away from the door and scooping the cat up again. "Then let's go. I want to get back to the library...I think we need to ask your master a bit about the book," he said decisively, his voice firm. He jogged briskly in the direction they had come from. The teen was spending no more time than was needed hanging around in the open.
"I figure...if we run...we can cut the time from thirty minutes to twelve...fifteen tops..." he said smoothly as he jogged alongside Ai, the trees passing quickly. He hoped that the puppet wasn't close behind them. '...would be nice if it stayed in the cabin for a while,' he decided, tripping over a fallen log. He recovered his balance and kept running.
"Ai....thanks..."
Ai nodded as they started to make their way back to the library. Matching Cyr's pace it took them 12 minutes to reach the library a soft glow emitting from it. Opening the door Ai called out to his master making him aware of their presence, Cyr followed behind him and this time Ai locked the door. There was a faint yell from downstairs, usually meaning his master was attending to putting something away in his quarters and would normally emerge in 5 minutes or so. Ai took a seat on the counter, nervously interlocking his fingers and twitching when something grabbed him from behind and knocked him over; falling atop of him. "Ouch"! Ai angrily knocked the figure off of him. "I told you before about doing that Daichi"! Ai got up before picking the kid up by the scruff of his neck. Daichi let out a grin and stuck his tongue out at the vamoire. Ai let out an exasperated sigh. Turning to Cyr who was still looking uncomfortable at the door " Cyr this is Daichi, the hyperactive pain in the ass." Ai dropped Daichi who ran over to Cyr and bounced around him. "Wow" Daichi looked at Ai and started taunting him. "Wow you actually have company for once Ai" His tone was light. He faced Cyr and putting his hands behind his head grin in place. "Like he said; I'm Daichi it's nice to meet ya."
Cyr paused in his seat, his lips parted slightly as he stared at the kid. Normally, the assassin found children troublesome and annoying, and this kid seemed to be the same way, fitting Cyr's 'bill of annoyance' perfectly. Still, he needed Ai's master's help and hospitality, at least until he figured out what was going on. '...might as well be nice to the kid.'
His lips formed an uncertain smile as he fixed the boy with a solid gaze. "Nice to meet you Daichi. I see that you take good care of Ai," he said, his tone devoid of any feeling.
Maki rubbed against his cheek, meowing at the hyperactive child as if to greet him. On instinct, Cyr reached out, scratching at the feline's ears as he dropped his gaze back to the table, sighing softly as he waited for the person whom he felt could help them. His eyes cast a concerned glance to the vampire, and the book that sat on the table, in front of him. '...what if his master can't help?' he wondered dismally.
Hearing his name being called Daichi ran out of the room, creating a loud racket as he jumped down the stairs. Ai walked over to Cyr apologising to him. "That's my masters cousin; as far as I know there was some sort of accident with his family so he stays at the shop now. He's an annoyance but generally not a bad kid and actually a lot smarter than he seems." Ai turned around at the sound of his master coming into the room.
"Thank you for looking after the shop for me as always Ai." He sat down at one of the tables; lighting a candle and gesturing to Cyr to sit down. "Now you must be Cyr; i've heard you've both had a difficult time recently. But before we begin looking at things..." He turned to Ai. "If you wouldn;t mind Ai would you prepare some drinks. I myself am parched and I'm sure yourself and Cyr could use with something refreshing to perk you up after your ideal."
Truly Ai simply wanted to find out what was going on but compliantly bowed his head and left the room momentarily to prepare the drinks.
The assassin sat up in his chair as he followed the man's directive. He fixed Ai's master with a calm, purple gaze. "Sir...pardon my rudeness, but how did you hear about us, and our situation?" he asked, his tone non-dismissing. As far as he was concerned, this meeting was about business, not sitting around sipping tea or lattes or whatever the hell it was the man was in the mood for. He kept his face totally restrained as he regarded the master.
Daichi, it seemed had wondered into the room as well, and was currently fluttering around the assassin's seat, his gaze wide-eyed and fixed on Cyr's vest. He shot a sideways glance at the child, minutely shaking his head. There was no way in hell the kid was getting any closer to him, his flacks, or his knife than he already was.
He turned his focus back to Ai's master, waiting for the man to answer his question.
Magnus chuckled, light flickering on his face showing him to be rather aged. "My dear boy information on various things travels quite quickly in the circles I am tied to." He stopped a moment waving a dismissive hand at Daichi. "Daichi; I am sure there is studying you could be doing at the moment iis there not? These are important matters and I think that Cyr may be too tired to deal with your energy at the moment." They watched as Daichi, puffing his cheeks stalked upstairs; not before attempting to trip up Ai who was just walking in with the drinks. Thankfully though Ai managed to keep his balance giving the child a disdainful glare. Reaching for the cup in front of him Magnus took a sip. "How is Yeve doing anyway then" he asked. "She always did make a great cup of tea though i'm not complaining of yours Ai"
Ai took a shocked step back. "You knew Yevette master?"
Cyr was sure he looked as shocked as Ai sounded. A deep scowl broke over his features, his eyes hardening. Of course the man knew Yeve. Yeve had known a lot about the shop, enough to be able to describe it in full detail to Cyr before he ran her errand for her...the errand that had, as far as he was concerned, ruined his life. It made sense that she knew Ai's master.
"Principal," he said, using the woman's nickname from Deathsayers, "is good, Sir. I'm sure she sends her regards." He turned his glass around in his hands, his gaze falling to the liquid in the cup, shoulders hunched. Yeve had set him up, that was plain to see now. As such, he doubted that the man, Magnus, would agree to allow him to leave the library, or that he'd order Ai to remove the bracelet that restricted his movements.
"Sir, I'll be frank. I can tell that both you and Principal know more about this situation than Ai or myself do, so I don't want to pussyfoot around any longer. I want to know what's going on...who's after the book...why they're after it...and what the hell I have to do with any of it," he said, his tone dangerously cold. Cyr was no longer willing to approach the situation calmly.
He had a feeling that Ai would react to his anger, if his respect for his master was anything as strong as it sounded, but quite frankly, the teenager didn't give a damn.
"...and I want to know why the hell you and Yeve set us up."
Ai was aware Cyr was getting angry and really he couldn't blame him. Ai had thought Magnus had always been honest with him and this was quite a surprise to hime. He wondered why his master would be associated with an orgaisation od asassins but considering his masters own line of work didmissed it as not too out of the ordinary. It seemed the logical thing to do would be to attempt to diffuse Cyr's anger but Ai himself was rather angry and upset with his master.
"Master." Ai hesitated having never been displeased with him before but keeping his composure. "Please tell us, what you know. It seems unfair that we've been left in the dark of what is going on if it concerns us."
Magnus put his drink down and looked at both men seriously, his voice in a hushed tone.
"That book is full of evil intent. Written in an ancient language it tells of how to summon evil creatures. Creatures unable to think or feel anything, doing only as their master bids them to. The creature's you've faced recently are prototypes, failed experiments created by villians magick and science."
He looked at Cyr. "Created by the doctor whom 'examined' you.2 He said; not wanting to cause Cyr too much discomfort. "That is how I know Yeve my dear boy". He faced to Ai. "I'm surprised you never noticed Ai, after all the language it is written in is your native tongue. Though I suppose it's possible you've forgotton. Ai was shocked. Exactly what did his master know of him that he himself didn't.
Magnus faced the two boys. "We were unsure of what would happen should you be targeted seperately, we're both aware that each of you have suberb talents but some of your individual traits and talents are stronger than others so we figured it would be safer should you stick together. And Cyr please do not be mad at Ai for the bracelet as he was instructed by me to place it on you and I had not let him aware of any of this information until this moment."
Cyr schooled his tone, making sure it was level and cold as he addressed the old man. He'd been shaken by the news. Dr. Minarette was alive. That put a new, even more uncomfortable spin on things in the teenager's mind. He felt troubled, his face falling. "...that bitch," he whispered, his voice filtered with both hurt, anger, and shame as he thought of Yeve. The woman had lied to him, for how long no one knew.
The teenager felt his shoulders trembling. He couldn't think straight, couldn't concentrate. He tuned the man out, everything he said, listening but not paying attention. He knew he'd absorb the information anyways. The last sentence caught his ire though and he slammed his palms down on the table, pushing his chair back, his glare shooting to the old man. The teacup spilled, warm liquid falling over the table. He shook his head, unable to speak. The betrayal had compacted.
"...fuck this...fuck all of this...fuck you, fuck the book, fuck the doctor and fuck that god-damned bitch..." he gritted through clenched teeth, losing the battle against his emotions. He couldn't stand to be around the old man, the book, or Ai, for that matter at the moment. He didn't care where he went, he had to get away. The only place he could think of in the small building was the bedroom where he'd woken up.
He stalked off, his shoulders shaking as he hugged his chest, his anger apparent in his actions, brushing past Ai as he made his way back to the bedroom. Inside, once the door was shut, the brunet sank to the floor, resting his head on his arms, his knees pressed to his chest, tears that had been threatening to fall since he heard about the doctor gathering in his eyes. He sighed shakily, purple oculars sliding shut as warm liquid trailed down his cheeks. '...she lied to me...she fucking lied to me...'
Ai watched as Cyr stormed off to his room, feeling sympathetic to him Ai currently knew how he felt and thus decided the best thing to do was to leave him be for the current moment in time. He looked towards his master whom was sitting calmly a neutral look upon his face. "How long have you been planning this"? Ai whispered only just audible enough to hear. "This isn't something you would have only just found out. How long have you been hiding things from me"! Ai's voice was raised as he got up from the chair and slammed his fist into the table. His master continued to sit their silently. Ai glowered at the man, he'd been the only person he'd believed he could trust in. And had just been bitterly let down. Ai felt like he'd been slapped. Fighting the temptation to cry he walked away, knocking the chair over in passing and walked out the door with a mighty slam.
Back in the bedroom, Cyr was approaching a breakdown. He'd placed his whole trust in Yeve for years. When he was a child, she was the only person he'd ever bothered to talk to, the only person who'd bothered to talk to him as if he were something other than an object of research. 'Research...' The word sent a shiver down his spine.
He recalled the part of his life he hadn't told Ai about, the years of undergoing testing, meekly obeying the commands of men in white jackets, and larger men in flack vests, much like his own. The teen recalled the time, just three years earlier, when he'd decided he'd had enough. He'd had enough of being misused, enough of being made to feel things no one ought to feel...pain...blinding pain, powerful enough to make a grown man beg for death by any means, as it would hurt less than feeling...enough of being assaulted on a near daily basis.
He recalled the moment when he'd made that will known, taking over Icer's body during a routine medical exam, plunging a spent vaccination needle into the eye of the doctor, killing the guard with a scalpel to the jugular. He remembered running, shooting everything in sight, remembered watching, weak and wounded as the building exploded, shrapnel and debris falling from the sky.
It wasn't done though, the old man had said it wasn't. Yet Yeve had led him to believe it was.
Much as he was loathe to admit it, Cyr wanted to let go of control, to have someone present with him, in the room to control him, to tell him what to do, how to act, what to think. He felt shamed for thinking that way, but as he neared the dangerous edge between a breakdown and control the feeling doubled. He needed someone to take control of him...or else he'd lose it...