Advertise/Affiliate Other Forum Main Page The World Before You Play

The Drugs of Temptation (Rhiiiii!)

Started by Anonymous, April 15, 2007, 01:10:04 AM

Previous topic - Next topic

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Anonymous

Mm, Connlaoth was such an interesting place. Mages weren’t welcome; in fact anyone with magical items weren’t welcome. That….oh that made it perfect for him because he was going to cause the most havoc he possibly could in this pathetic little town.. After all they didn’t use magic, they used technology, weapons and devices that could limit and null all magic. Except for his nice little drugs that he had cooked up of course, he was smart and could get around all their little psychic powers and technology at this time. It was still primitive after all, and they had barely any idea how it worked as well. Once it got into your system, there was only one thing that could cure it. Time. Only time could do anything about his little magical narcotics.

Hm. Raining again it seemed, not as if he minded a little rain though. Of course, in his world rain was fire and brimstone. It felt good for him, but burned for other sort of people, like damned souls. Up here it was just condensed vapour falling from the sky. That was fine with him. Though he tended to steam a little in this weather, so he pulled that large very long sleeved trench coat tighter about him. The spotless material was made from a special cloth that was good at being warm, soft, and kept the weather off when he needed to, like in this instance at least. Dark slate grey, it was an interesting colour, a little dreary but it matched the dark clouds of the sky. The sleeves were past the hand, which helped to hide his hands which could very well be large claws at this time, no one really knew.

Whoever was underneath the trench coat was almost impossible to see, he seemed to have been kept in darkness from his clothes, and from the very large brimmed fedora that was stuck right onto his head. He was heading to the bad part of Connlaoth, the poor part of the city because well…That’s were you would always start. In the poor part, drugs were more common, narcotics would go unnoticed. He made sure to do one thing though and that was to not use magic for a week. That kept him ‘clean’ from under the radar of the magic hating psychopaths, the mage hunting fanatics and what not. They were armed, they were dangerous, and they could hurt him with their technology. However, he had already seduced an inhabitant with power and drugs; he kept the person under a nice stream of his narcotics. It had been good, he learnt all about Connlaoth and their ways. Then…the fellow was no longer needed and he was buried.

People were still out despite the bad weather, and that was perfect for him. There was a couple of young teenagers near an alleyway, and he approached them. What did they want? He sniffed the air to get a scent of what it was. Power? No. Money? Nah. Pleasure. Perfect, that’s exactly what he wanted, a chance to try out his new drug on these frail little humans.

“Pardon me children.� His voice was like thunder, rumbling from the back of his throat as he stepped up to them. They could barely see a glinting from under the darkness of his hat, glinting from his teeth that were in dagger sharp rows. The two teens turned to regard him, a bit of fear in their eyes. A female and a male, both old enough to make…their own decisions he hoped.

“W-what can we help you with sir?� The girl avoided his gaze, the boy trying to act strong under his gaze, no matter how piercing it was. The strange man reached in his pockets and pulled from it two tablets that were parked with the letters PP on it. He held them out, balancing them on his coat as he watched the two of them.

“For only a few copper you can be introduced to a world of pleasure you’ve never seen.� He whispered as he knelt forward close to them, showing off his face to them as lightning cracked over head. “Have you kids ever had sex?� He asked them carefully, watching them. They were frozen on the spot, they had no way to escape from him at this time, it was perfect.

“S-sir that’s not…not exactly something you should ask.� The girl was blushing furiously at this time, and the guy looked a little red in the face as well. Of course, it was apparent they hadn’t had the pleasure of having physical relations. Perfect for him. He brought his other hand up take the young male’s hand, placing the tablets in his grip.

“If you want to feel pleasure like you’ve never felt before, take these tablets…then let yourselves explore each other’s bodies. Every touch, every feeling, every lick and taste will set your senses afire with pleasure.� The youth’s eyes travelled down to look at the tablet before he passed it over to his friend, who slowly took it and swallowed it, him following suit.

It began.

Money was handed over, and the two youths headed on their way. He told them it would take exactly five minutes to kick in, so they might want to find some place private. They were running off with their hands locked together the last time he looked. Gods damn it he was going to have fun in this place. If it was this easy to tempt a couple of children, he was going to have a fine year. He wasn’t in it for the money. He was in it for the temptation, to him it was liquid gold for him, he could literally taste it. It was….it was delicious.

This was starting off to be good for him.

He was Akabu.

The Daemon Lord of Temptation, and he was going to wreak havoc in this world as much as he could.

The time of these surface dwellers would come to an end.

Rhindeer

It had been a while since the debacle at one of the local inns where Beatrid had been dispatched onto a...very disatrous scene, a situation that ended in her being outnumbered, her quarry escaping, and her ending up with a huge ol' lump on the back of her head and a massive headache that lasted a few days. Actually, that was a bit backwards. She'd been knocked out and then her target had escaped. Fucking traitors. She was still pissed about that and good and determined that if she ever ran into those fuckers again, screw the law, she was shooting to kill first.

It had been on a day like this that that whole disaster had occurred, with lightning and rain and everything--the only difference was it had been at night. Still, Beatrid felt even more moody than usual as the weather dredged up the all-too-recent memory that her pride hadn't yet recovered from. Elite soldier. Mordecai. And she'd fallen for the classic, "Oh no, look behind you!" trick and gotten her head bashed in. God that stung. And what was worse, those monsters were loose out on the streets still, somewhere. If they were even still in Connlaoth.

Shivering a little as the cold rain soaked through her hair and uniform, which clung to her uncomfortably, another soldier had come to relieve her from her shift and so she headed off toward the palace. Ah, it would be good to spend the rest of the day locked up in her room reading some trashy romance novel. Good entertainment, those. Better entertainment was getting into more rumor inducing predicaments with Hek--what could she say, she secretly enjoyed the rumors because they were both hilarious and impossible and because people obviously found her important enough to care about her business--or hassling a new recruit or two. Hey, she had seniority, she could do that. It was part of the toughening up process, anyway!

The only thing that could make this day utter crap, really, was running into her fellow Mordecai and resident stalker, Kuro. But she hadn't seen him around for ages now, and for that she was infinitely glad. He always put her into situations where she wanted to punch him in the face, and she didn't fancy cleaning out the dog kennels as punishment. She may be a Mordecai, but there were still a few ranks above hers and they could do that.

She knew.

Beatrid cut through the alleyways of the slums as a shortcut, taking a familiar path out out of the bad part of town. She was quite familiar with the streets and knew all the good shortcuts and she really had no reason to be concerned to be alone in a bad neighborhood. There was nothing to really distinguish her from any other soldier; she wore the same uniform as any other soldier, a high collared brass and green frock coat that ended at her knees with matching breeches beneath, and with her chest bound in muslin under her uniform it was pretty easy to mistake her for a very feminine looking male--at least until she opened her mouth, her voice unmistakably female. Well, maybe the long, braided brown hair was also an indicator, but even some Connlaothian men wore their hair long. In any case, nothing about her really screamed that she was different from any other foot soldier, and even if some thugs decided to harass her, well, she had ways of dealing.

She knew how to fight, she'd survived a good many dangerous encounters, and damn if she didn't have the scars to prove it. Including a new one slashing along her ribs, still a little tender, but otherwise healed from a nearly fatal encounter months ago. Still, she'd come out better than her target. He'd gotten a point blank bullet to the head.

Stepping out of an alley, plastered with rain and boots thudding on the wet pavement, another time and she wouldn't have paid the trench-coated man any more attention than she'd paid the other shady characters she'd passed on the streets. After all, his type were plentiful here in the slums and unless they were doing anything blatantly illegal, it wasn't like she could do anything. Unless she had suspicions. Which, for once, she did as she had caught a glimpse of the tail end of some sort of transaction between he and two youths--two youths who seemed in a big hurry to get out of there as soon as it was done.

...Fishy.

She may have been technically off duty now, but the duties never really ended. Making a beeline to him, she wasted no time on pleasantries or formalities. She'd long grown out of that. "I'm sure a good citizen like you wouldn't mind explaining what that was about," she 'greeted', stepping around to face him. His face shadowed by his hat, it was difficult to get a good glimpse at who was under there. Not that it mattered. "You understand, standard procedure and all. Whatcha selling?"

It wasn't so much a question as it was a demand. He would show her, or if he resisted, she'd just have reason to suspect him. Besides...she has a pistol on her, holstered at her hip, and she sure as hell wasn't afraid of using it. It took precious little nowadays, as a matter of fact; her patience had worn dangerously thin, as had her infamous temper.
Adamaris // Aderyn // Aki // Alexander // Angel // Axieva // Beatrid // Briar // Cadmus // Corryn // Einin/Owl // Emery // Fang // Faolán // Faris // Frost // Hayate // Ife // Jayari // Jirou // Juniper // Katxiel // Khaiya // Kota // Kyran // Liam // Makani // Max // Maya // Mei // Nakato // Naovi // Nasrin // Niaaki // Niamh // Noor // Pepper // Qiana // Qismat // Quinn // Raxta // Riyarin // Rook // Sachi // Sahar // Siobhan // Simonea // Sita // Song // Summer // Valor // Yasmin // Yiroa

Anonymous

If humans got any easier to tempt this wouldn't be work for him. No, it would be like a side hobby. A very good little side hobby that just...well it was just going to wreak havoc on the government, and probably the military to say the least. Back in Hell there was no one to tempt...sadly you either there for being tempted already, or you worked there and you couldn't be affected by temptational items. But the Gods of many realms, many universes and existences...oh they created heaven for Akabu, worlds full of humanoids that were easy to offer material goods for in exchange for so much more. And they willingly did it too...because they had no will! Or if they did, it was easy to break that will. Oh humanoids were such amusing creatures!

Great...there was...someone here. His eyes turned to address the woman, focused on her. She was...well everyone was shorter than him, for good reason too. His lips were pulled in a smirk as she talked to hi m. She wanted to know what he was selling! How adorable! She was going...oh my...her surface thoughts were alive with delicious goodness! She was a guard of sort...it was hard to tell just what...but she was a guard! A rather...powerful guard perhaps...at least one that people didn't know about. Oh my. She also had doubts about her abilities now! This was...this was excellent. Handed to him on a silver platter! That weapon at her side, a primitive projectile weapon that used a chemical explosion to accelerate an object of lead and metal...well it meant very little to him. Yeah it could kill him but still...it was primitive!

"I'm selling a new beginning my dear." He took to slowly stalking around the woman. "I'm selling a way to be what you once were. Never want to grow old? I can do that. Do you want to have the reflexes of a cat? Oh I can do that. Do you want to experience pleasure far greater than you ever imagined?" He leaned in close to whisper with that growl of a voice. "I can do that." He loved to play with the mortals, they were so cute and squishy! "I can make your dreams come true, take what you have forever scorned, what you have sworn to cut from this world, and by using that, I can make it so a thug never gets the drop on you again. I can make it so you can track those who have just gotten away from you...oh I can do so much for you." You offer something they want, more so if they are a prideful person who just had that hurt...and usually they were in the bag.

His hands went into his trench coat to dig around for the right thing. He had already tried to do a small summoning but no magic worked at this point. He guessed she might be able to nullify that through technology, which led him to believe these people might be a little stronger. No matter though. He had what he wanted right here. He took a steril syringe from his pocket, the metal apparatus still in the packaging with the needle wrapped properly in plastic, and a small glass vial with a cork stopper.

"You may scorn drugs and magic...but let me tell you this...Beatrid." He had picked her name up in searching for her temptations, not a hard thing to do when such prideful creatures always thought of their names. "With this, you will be able to move faster, stronger, act quicker than you have ever acted before, see farther than any human, and track better than any blood hound you can...conjure." Akabu stood before her now, the needle and vial in his outstretched hand as his eyes watched her hungrily, hoping she would take the bait. The side effects of this drug were great, blurry eyes and sluggish movements...but he wouldn't tell her this. That would be bad, she might not want to take it.

"Imagine how you could rise Beatrid, you could become the greatest soldier of Connlaoth with this. Imagine how many people you could bring in, how you could serve your country better and be recognized finally as what you truly are. The greatest to ever walk this land." Play on pride, play on thoughts, play on dreams, it was the easiest thing to do. He just wanted to keep convincing her to take it so she would. There were two things that may happen. She would take it...and she would be his, or she would arrest him, confiscate it...take it later...and be his. Those were really the only options he could see...he knew he had at least gotten some interest from her. It was only a matter of time.

"Tell you what little Beatrid...I'm offering it free of charge for the next five minutes. This dose will last you up to three and a half hours. If you're not completely satisfied with it, then you're welcome to arrest me and throw me in jail." It was a risk, but he was going take that risk. When you offered some things free of charge, usually humans took the offer because...well...free stuff was such a bargain. It was a sample after all, not the weakest dose...the weakest dose lasted fifteen minutes, and the strongest dose lasted all day...but it was a good dose to allow her to experience her world like she had never experienced it before.

It would be like her first day of living!

Rhindeer

Beatrid never took her eyes off the man as he stalked around her, watching him with flat, calm disinterest as he spoke. Yeah, yeah, blah, blah, typical shady salesperson lines, cut to the chase, man! She was really only interested in making sure he wasn't selling anything illegal like, say...firearms or magical charms. It had happened in the past. Of course, she knew a person selling something illegal wouldn't go right on ahead and flash his wares to a soldier, so the key was watching his body language.

Which seemed way relaxed and open, if kind of...pushy.

But she didn't say anything and just remained where she was, her own posture relaxed, even if one hand did drift down lazily to rest near her pistol. It was more of a habit than anything, to always be prepared. The guy certainly didn't intimidate her, he was just some desperate freak or something that was trying to entice her with far-fetched promises. Though...come to think of it, those promises were kind of odd, even for far-fetched ones. Never want to grow old? Cat-like reflexes? Eh?

It wasn't the first time she'd been solicited, but usually it was for products that would deliver results that were within the realm of reality. Things that would make her hair extra shiny (pah, like Beatrid looked remotely concerned about her hair) or vitamins that would give her a little extra energy (usually made of sugar, go figure) or medicine that would improve her man's libido (which always made her burst out laughing, the annoyed vendor likely mistaking her outburst as either mockery or a giggly immature fit which...well...it probably was). Stuff like that. She'd bought a few things here and there, too. She hadn't been able to help it, when she wasn't being overly cautious she was being curious, and the "libido medicine" had been fun to play with. She'd laced the food and drink of a few guys she particularly loathed and, well...that had been pretty amusing (for her), especially since she'd made sure to time it right before they ran through some military drills.

Ah. There it was. His offer of "pleasure" sounded more typical of what these types spouted off, and Beatrid only stared at him stoically as he leaned in to whisper--or growl--the words. Her expression didn't change much as he continued except to smirk quite evilly. Hmm...maybe she should get some. There were a few people on her "list" that could use some humiliating...the bastards. Maybe she could try those reflex things while she was at it, she thought irritably as the last few incidents, the last few utter failures, popped into her head.

However, what he said next set off warning bells in her head as he produced the vial and syringe.

Drugs. Magic. Both in one sentence. It was only due to years of discipline and practice that she managed to remain perfectly at ease--physically--and not tense up like any other citizen when the dreaded "M" word was mentioned. However, when he went the extra mile and actually said her name--and Beatrid was certain she hadn't told him her name! She had a good memory for those things!--Beatrid did tense, her eyes widening a little before she regained her composure. What the fuck?

Another soldier might have reacted right then, but with some effort, Beatrid just forced herself to smile boredly, letting her arms hang at her sides relaxedly. No, she wouldn't stop him now; she'd let him go through his spiel. After all, it was more evidence for her, and at this point he was a suspect. Maybe he wasn't a mage himself, but he seemed to know a lot more than he should, and was he a mind-reader? Shit, that could be dangerous. It meant he might be able to glean some secrets from certain people's minds that he shouldn't know of...secrets that even she possessed. Ah, fuck! No thinking of those secrets! Beatrid made her mind as blank as she could and focused instead on listening to him, listening to his promises.

"I don't want to be the greatest, I just want to be good," she commented with a small shrug, and it took an even bigger effort not to all-out scowl or punch him as he called her "little." Instead, she kept the smile plastered in place. But if that wasn't an insult, if that wasn't one of her biggest pet peeves ever, she didn't know what was. She didn't work her ass off to get to where she was to be disrespected by assholes. Granted, she was shorter than him, but she didn't tolerate that kind of patronizing attitude from anyone.

...Well, maybe by her superiors, but that was only because they had the power to give her shitty assignments as punishment for her own attitude. She knew better than to do anything but nod and agree with whatever they said, and if they told her to clean the dog kennels, by God she would clean those kennels with a smile and a song.

And Beatrid was smiling in earnest by the time the man got to the part where she could throw him in jail if she wasn't satisfied with his product. How ironic.

She was still smiling as she casually drew her pistol and pointed the barrel at his face. "Actually, how about we skip the sampling and go straight to the arresting, hm? I'd like to thank you for running your mouth. Most arrests aren't this easy, but it's obvious you know way more than is legal. By the way, just so you know..." The gun clicked distinctively as she cocked it.

"I may be 'little' but I'm a big bitch. With a gun," Beatrid said rather cheerfully. "As if you hadn't noticed. And in case you haven't figured it out already, you're under arrest. Now drop the vial, turn around, shut the fuck up, and put your hands behind your back." Already she was detatching a pair of handcuffs from her belt.
Adamaris // Aderyn // Aki // Alexander // Angel // Axieva // Beatrid // Briar // Cadmus // Corryn // Einin/Owl // Emery // Fang // Faolán // Faris // Frost // Hayate // Ife // Jayari // Jirou // Juniper // Katxiel // Khaiya // Kota // Kyran // Liam // Makani // Max // Maya // Mei // Nakato // Naovi // Nasrin // Niaaki // Niamh // Noor // Pepper // Qiana // Qismat // Quinn // Raxta // Riyarin // Rook // Sachi // Sahar // Siobhan // Simonea // Sita // Song // Summer // Valor // Yasmin // Yiroa

Anonymous

She was a cute one, but there was something about her that him not to go against her at this time. She was...she was strong, she had resolve and will power...hard to tempt perhaps...he had never met a soul however that he couldn't tempt, that he couldn't make his own. It would be a challenge and he was going to have a great time doing this. He was going to have a whole bunch of fun with this woman, she was going to be an easy tempt just when he figured out the right buttons to press, the right words to say...the right everything. He would have a lot of fun with her when he figured it all out.

She may have been a soldier, but he had business smarts, and in the same time, he knew his entire plan. She would work out well for this plan.

She had doubts about all the things she had tried in the past, and no doubt she was also dubious about this as well. That was fine by him. As long as she kept her mind open he would be able to look inside her mind and scan the surface thoughts. If only he could go deeper, but sadly his mind wasn't able to do such a thing...he just wasn't good enough with this psychic powers, and there was a strange block on her mind as well. This was interesting...there was psychic powers surrounding her perhaps, or in the very least some innate ability at this time. He was very interested in hearing this sort of thing...It would be nice to have some psychics on his side.

Oh dear...something happened. He said the wrong word. Magic. Damn it. He forgot about that...magic had a certain...well it had a certain response in this city to say the least. A bad one actually, a very bad one...and this one was going to be horrible. he had to rectify it! Soon. Of course, seeing her become tense from him saying her name...that was nice to say the least. She was still human then, she was still...well she was still emotional just as humans were.

"That's right Beatrid. I'm in your mind." He said pleasantly as she tried to not think. She was a clever girl, smart minds were a good thing then. With a nice smart mind he would be able to rule this world, and well, someone with a strong knowledge of this place would also allow him to move easier and figure things out. That would be an excellent thing.

"Why be good when you can be great? You humans are so pathetic. so much potential, and you can have even and yet you decide not to." Akabu murmured as he watched the woman carefully, made sure to keep a close tab on her as well. He wanted her to stay....well he wanted her to stay under his control at this time. If she wasn't under his control, then what good would it all be then right? He would be able to slit her throat and continue on his way. Ah, life was such an easy thing to get around now wasn't it?

"You could have everything you want. You could be the best, stamp out all you need to with only your own abilities, never relying on another pathetic human being again." Akabu loved temptation, and he loved to just...man he just loved to show off his wares and take control of people. Junkies were the easiest most compliant people to handle really. However, there was something going wrong here...heh heh. Well...not wrong. Things were going right.

She wanted him to do what she said. How adorable. The vial and syringe went away and he regarded with a gleaming toothy grin. He had yet to show her what he was, so it would be a surprise when the time came wouldn't it? The time wasn't right though. "You want to arrest me because I used the magic word...literally. But you are a simple minded primate. Allow me to elaborate." Akabu's voice was strong, it was filled with conviction, and it didn't waver as he regarded her carefully. "I use the word magic because YOU simple apes wouldn't be able to understand it. When I use the word magic, it means better technology. You see these 'magical drugs' are created through one simple mean. Technological advancement. I use the word magic because it's simple, because YOU people wouldn't understand complex chemical formulae resulting in reactions that use a combination of long term steroids and special substances which enhance the certain attribute of a choosing. You wouldn't understand the pheromone and hormonal balances that some of these drugs do...it would be over your level of understanding at this point." Words. Pretty pretty words from his mouth. He wasn't just trying to break out of a sticky situations, and this was really the only way to do it too.

"Now unless you want to arrest me for using the word Magic in a technological way which you cannot understand, I suggest YOU shut the 'fuck' up and put your gun away." His hand went up, and he tilted his hat up from his head, showing now his dark black skin, his razor sharp teeth and his now red glowing eyes. "Because you best hope to whatever God you pray to that the shot kills me because if I am wounded I promise you that you will be struck down with all the fires of hell that I can conjure." The power, the finality, the tone of his voice, it wasn't a threat, it wasn't even really a promise at this point. He was telling her exactly what would happen to her if she decided to hit him. He couldn't use magic at this point, he could feel that it had been blocked the moment she came into range of him, but he didn't always rely on magic. He had a syringe and a hundred different drugs he could stab into her at this point. Not to mention  he could probably use his claws and simply rip her trigger finger from her hand then he would. Preservation...though...first option was ALWAYS get her with a drug first. If he gets her hooked, then he was happy.

"So if you aren't interested in any of my wares, then I suggest you keep moving. I have business to handle." His hand was out again holding the the syringe out suddenly and the vial. She wasn't watching after all, so he was able to use a bit of quick hands to his advantage.

"Anything I can tempt you with, or are you going to try to arrest me?" He made sure to lower his hat again to hide his true identity. He didn't want anyone knowing a demon was running about Connlaoth. She wouldn't tell anyone. He knew she wouldn't. Who would possibly believe her after all? Demons in such a city like this? Impossible! Heh. Damn he loved these small minded humans.

Rhindeer

Beatrid nearly pulled the trigger right then and there. Simple minded primate?! Asshole! But though her finger tightened on the trigger, she didn't pull it and instead used what precious self control she had to keep from blowing his head off. Gritting her teeth, lips pulled back into a snarl, her dark blue eyes narrowed as she listened to him go through his spiel, fingers twitching. Ape. He called her an ape. Yeah, she wanted to shoot the smug bastard all right but she behaved and waited--and then her tense, angry expression began to fade away the more he spoke, replaced instead by a perplexed look, her eyes getting a sort of glazed, distant look. Bwuh?

Okay, if there was one thing Beatrid was it was a soldier. If there was one thing she wasn't it was a scholar. Sure, she could kick ass and take names, and sure she read a lot of books, but...the books she read tended to fall into the category of harlequinn romances or history texts. So, she honestly had no clue what the hell he was talking about except that she had heard a few freaky Connlaothian scientists use some of those terms to describe projects they had been working on.

And she knew that whatever the hell it all meant...it sure wasn't magic.

...Alright. So. Maybe she could see his point. "Magic" was an easier way of saying that. However, he sure as hell was in the wrong kingdom to throw a word like that around. He didn't seem to be a mage himself--if he was, he surely would have had some sort of noticeable reaction to being in her presence. Hm. Then...he was probably some ignorant merchant who wasn't really savvy with the country and the social stigmas surrounding that one little word.

Of course, just because she had been wrong and assumed...that didn't make her any less pissed at the snarky ass for what he'd called her and what he continued to say. Yet even Beatrid knew that being called a name was no reason to shoot someone, however tempting it was.

Fucker.

With a soft growl of irritation, she holstered her pistol in one smooth, if angry, movement. "You wouldn't have to worry. I shoot to kill and I've excellent aim," Beatrid snarled, crossing her arms huffily over her chest and glaring at him, frustrated. That of course wasn't true. She rarely shot to kill, but more to disable. She did have good aim, though, from years of practice and experience. His sharp teeth and strange eyes didn't phase her; whatever he was, humans weren't the only inhabitants of Connlaoth, after all. "Just so you know in the future? Don't use that word. Magic. In case you didn't realize it, it's illegal here and grounds for execution. Magic, not the word, though using the word like you did makes you...suspicious."

She glanced down as he held out his hand, the syringe and vial back in his grasp, and then she looked back up at him. Ergh. Well, so she'd just falsely accused him of magecraft. She didn't like him, he felt too seedy to her, but that was still a huge accusation to make on her part--though anyone else would have. Huffing again, she reached out and snatched the vial and needle from his hand, grimacing a little. Ugh. Needles. If there was one thing she hated it was needles. She could take a bullet and get her side slashed open by a blade, but needles she just...She shook her head.

"Whatever. You're free to go, false alarm. But," she held up the vial of liquid and shook it, watching the liquid swish around inside. "How do I know this ain't poison? You know a lot of people would like to sabotage a soldier or two. How do I know it'll even work?"

Goddammit. She knew this was probably very, very stupid on her part. But she was curious, and the terminology he'd used was familiar, if jargon to her. And anyway...he wouldn't be the first shady merchant she'd bought a thing or two from, like the time she'd bought the aphrodisiacs to torment those soldiers among them that she despised. Those had worked pretty damned good.

Good thing she didn't know he was a demon. In the last encounter, the one that had wounded her pride...that had involved a demon. But she had possessed wings, and in Beatrid's mind demons had wings and horns.

An archaic view of demons, but...she hadn't encountered many, either.
Adamaris // Aderyn // Aki // Alexander // Angel // Axieva // Beatrid // Briar // Cadmus // Corryn // Einin/Owl // Emery // Fang // Faolán // Faris // Frost // Hayate // Ife // Jayari // Jirou // Juniper // Katxiel // Khaiya // Kota // Kyran // Liam // Makani // Max // Maya // Mei // Nakato // Naovi // Nasrin // Niaaki // Niamh // Noor // Pepper // Qiana // Qismat // Quinn // Raxta // Riyarin // Rook // Sachi // Sahar // Siobhan // Simonea // Sita // Song // Summer // Valor // Yasmin // Yiroa

Anonymous

Rage. Fury. Passion. Perfect.

Absolutely perfect. He wanted to see if she would actually shoot him, but she was showing restraint...and as he talked, he could see her slowly phase out and just...forget about shooting him. Heh. It was excellent really, having the simple woman now...well...not wanting to shoot him. It was perfect. He was a god of the silver tongue, and he was...really damn happy to no longer have her angry and want to shoot him. Then again, this is Connlaoth, and she didn't seem to be a normal guard, so maybe she had special privileges. Well...let's hope she didn't because then he'd be in a little bit of trouble...being shot usually hurt. Of course if she missed....heh.

Thankfully soldiers and scholars were different here, and not one combined force. If they were, he might be in trouble...not to mention it was also a good thing that they weren't advanced and knew extensively on the subject, he might be in trouble. However, a silver tongue and a primitive culture was all he needed her, and maybe a bit of his shadowy influence. This was going to be one hell of a week though! Really! He was going to enjoy himself here! And this woman was his new plaything.

And she was going to be so fun, if only she knew the plans he had for her.

Heh heh heh. She wanted to shoot him, it was...tempting. Her surface thoughts were open. Damn if that didn't make him feel better! Tempting her like that! It was....well it was genius really. He didn't even KNOW he was tempting her to shoot him. Hah hah hah! Devils below that was just great.

"You better hope so." He growled in return, his eyes watching her carefully. She had put her weapon away, that was good, he was safe for now. For now. She didn't seem scared of him though, that was disappointing. Maybe they had seen Daemons already...or maybe she just didn't know she was supposed be afraid of him? Oh well. "Well, I thank you Beatrid for your...input. I'm glad it made me suspicious. I do love to be suspicious." His teeth flashed again as he winked at her. He wondered just what she was like in private. He'd find out eventually once she got hooked...and well...then he'd get to explore her freely. After all...slaves never got a choice. Heh heh heh. Damn he loved to be evil. No morals to get in the way, no pesky conscience...Just...being himself.

"Poison you? Oh my dear little Beatrid." His hand was quick to brush along her chin as he grinned. "Killing anyone here would be bad. Then I would have less people to sell my merchandise to. Death is a terrible thing for business you know." A smile spread across his face as he quickly put his hands behind his back, just in case she wanted to break his fingers. That'd be a bad thing. He needed those fingers for...well...being useful. Yeah. Ahem.

"Trust me, it will work. If you want, I can help you right now with it. Oh wait, you're afraid of needles. That could be trouble." Ah, her mind had nice surface thoughts sometimes. Heh, well then...How could he help her with that? He couldn't. Though for no charge he'd stab her with the needle when she wasn't looking. Hm, she liked to torment people though. Heh. A few of his pleasure pills ought to be really handy here. Really. His hands dipped into his pocket and he removed a small leather pouch. It held ten pills. If it got her to trust him, then who was he to say?

He tossed her the little leather pouch with a grin. "Crush these up and put it into their food. One pill is enough for a world of fun. Any touching from a man or female will get them...well...let's just say that even changing their clothes can be an ordeal. If you wan to torment your underlings then these will do the trick." Well, it was still being evil, and he did love the idea of a whole bunch of guards being affected by this sort of thing...it'd be hilarious to say the least. That'd throw a little bit of chaos into this city. Magical drugs everywhere. A dream come true.

"Let no one ever say I'm a bad guy. Heh heh. I hope you enjoy it Beatrid."

((Also. Check it. Four posts. BAM! I am ebil!))

Rhindeer

"I don't hope, I know," Beatrid answered seriously before shaking her head. He liked being suspicious? "Fuckin' freak...whatever. Your funeral," she muttered under her breath. Idiot. But oh well, if he wanted to get executed that was his business. He was just lucky she had more experience; a younger, less experienced, and more skittish soldier might have been more inclined to just shoot first and talk later as soon as he or she thought the man was a mage. Of course, Beatrid still wanted to shoot him, but she wouldn't until she had a valid reason that was, well, within the law.

When he reached out a hand and brushed his fingers along her chin, Beatrid jerked her head to the side and threw up an arm to smack his hand away. Luckily for him her was quicker because she would have liked to have given that arm a good twist. "Don't. Touch me," Beatrid told him, feeling her temper start to flare again. She didn't like him, didn't like his patronizing attitude, but if there was one thing she'd never been able to do it was harass civilians...no matter how fucking annoying. Her peers? They were fair game. Civilians, well...there were stricter rules that went with interacting with them. Still, she wasn't about to be patronized. She couldn't stand that, couldn't stand how some people insisted on talking to her that way just because she was a woman--even though she was a fucking Dragoon!

Few things chaffed her more than that. That's it. She was cutting off the goddamned braid.

"And it's Dragoon Al'teir to you. You'll call me by my title, and no, I don't need fucking help. I'll deal, and if you so much as breathe a word about the needle thing to anyone I'll fucking cut you. Now get out of my bloody head and mind your own damned business." Well. Apparently Beatrid's little code of behavior toward civilians didn't prohibit obscenities and, ah, nasty threats. But she was just pissed...and brutally honest, since when she said or did something, she damn well meant it. "Little Beatrid"? Little. Not just little but "dear", like she was a sweet little child and not a twenty-six year old soldier. God.

And the needle thing just made her even more pissed off. Really, the last thing she wanted getting out was that, just because it was so pathetic and embarrassing and no one knew about it or could know about it! Well...okay, so the doctors at the infirmary knew. The last time she'd been hauled in there with a gaping bullet wound in her shoulder she'd thrown a fit when they'd brought out some huge-ass needle wanting to give her some anesthesia. Yeah. She'd shot that right down and insisted on toughing it out. At least, she had until she'd discovered how unpleasant the whole bullet removal process was, after which she'd demanded the anesthesia and some alcohol. Respectively.

Then she'd made the doctors swear upon their very souls to keep her phobia of needles a secret.

After all, she had a reputation to maintain, the scary, fearless reputation she'd come to gain over the years. No one had to know she feared something as insignificant as a needle, and if anyone tattled, yeah. She'd be mad. Just...people didn't have to know these things.

With a slight grumble, she pocketed the vial. Right. That would be bad for business and bad for him, too, since a dead soldier--especially one like her--would rouse a lot of alarm and there would be an investigation no doubt. Just because she didn't like him, just because he was an annoying, shady man, it didn't mean he was a killer with faulty products. And how many other shady people had she bought stuff from before? A few. She wasn't dead yet, either, and even though right now she knew what she was doing was really, really stupid...she was in a foul enough mood to try it out anyway.

Her pride had been bruised. She was willing to give it a shot. Maybe she'd be injecting herself with pure liquid sugar, maybe it'd actually be some miracle potion. Who knew.

The needle...ugh...that would be her biggest obstacle. But she'd deal. God, if she could take a nearly-fatal blow to the side--which she bore nasty, tender scars from--she could take a dinky little needle!

Maybe.

Out of reflex, she caught the pouch as it was tossed to her, blinking. Eh? And then she cringed slightly when he explained. Well, that was nice, he was giving her free pleasure pills to torture the bastards with, but--

"I told you to stay out of my head," she told him, voice dangerously low, though oddly enough she was smirking. With a shrug, she pocketed the pouch, too, not quite so angry anymore as thoughts of just who she'd give those to popped into her head. They'd make even changing clothes difficult? Heh. Well...guess she'd just have to see how they worked.

"Anyway, yeah. Great doing business...whatever your name is." She didn't sound like she really cared. "And it's Dragoon Al'teir. Dragoon," she stressed one last time before, just like that, she turned to leave. No goodbyes, no nothing. That just wasn't her style. She'd gotten what she wanted and, as far as she was concerned, she was done with the seedy guy. Good guy? Bad guy? She didn't care. After all, whether she was "good" or "bad" herself, hah, hell if she knew. She just had a job and she did it.

And she had fun while doing it, too.
Adamaris // Aderyn // Aki // Alexander // Angel // Axieva // Beatrid // Briar // Cadmus // Corryn // Einin/Owl // Emery // Fang // Faolán // Faris // Frost // Hayate // Ife // Jayari // Jirou // Juniper // Katxiel // Khaiya // Kota // Kyran // Liam // Makani // Max // Maya // Mei // Nakato // Naovi // Nasrin // Niaaki // Niamh // Noor // Pepper // Qiana // Qismat // Quinn // Raxta // Riyarin // Rook // Sachi // Sahar // Siobhan // Simonea // Sita // Song // Summer // Valor // Yasmin // Yiroa

Anonymous

"As if it would last." They could kill him all they wanted. He knew the location of this planet, he could find it again, and he would be back within four days or so...at least, he hoped it was four days. Sometimes it was different and it changed and what not...Bah. Reincarnation was just a tricky thing to do, complicated and involved so many variables and what not...he would fix it all though. At least this funny little woman in front of him was obssessed with the law. He was safe from her trying to shoot him. Hah hah hah! Sometimes the primates had good ideas...like laws to protect even the travellers, it was just asking for him to break the law. No...it was just begging to be stretched as much as possible. He just couldn't let it be broken of course. If he broke it, then he would be in trouble, this Beatrid might just shoot him.

She was like an angry little fly trap, trying to grab his hand, but thankfully he was quicker than that. A smile spread across his face, his teeth gleaming in the light as he crossed his arms. Awww. She was so adorable when she tried to be evil. "But I like to. I only wish you were a little smaller then I could just put you in my pocket and take me home." Akabu murmured to her as he made sure to take a step back, just in case she tried to attack him. She was passionate, she was angry, she had a fire to her, a short temper, easy to exploit for him. Usually people who had short tempers were easy to get addicted. At least, that's what he usually saw anyways. Heh heh heh. She would be such an interesting person to keep wrapped around his pinky finger.

"No, it's Beatrid to me. Heh heh, you can't demand something then ask that person to keep something quiet." Akabu did LOVE to grin and smile, showing off his dagger sharp teeth. A lot of people found it very intimidating, and he did so love to intimidate people. It felt very good. "As for getting out of your head, I think not. I just got in there, and it's very comfortable in there." he was going to get shot really, he knew that soon this woman was going to try and put a bullet in him. That was fine. She would try his drugs, he could feel it. She would get sucked in by it, and it would just be...heh...for him, it would be hilarious. For her, probably not. Addiction was such a powerful thing.

Maybe later he would just give her the drink that did the same as the injection. It took a little longer to absorb but it did the same thing...Nah.

Let the bitch suffer and deal with her phobia.

He wasn't THAT nice of a person anyways. Poor little humans using needles for anaesthesia. Then again, it was the only way to numb a section...well...the only way THEY knew. Akabu had been looking into a different way, using electricity and specific points on the body to render sections of the body numb. Of course, he wasn't able to perfect it here in Connlaoth, because it used magic, and his knowledge of using chemicals for electricity wasn't up to par. After all, it wasn't a temptation item.

"Heh heh, I still can't believe that you could take a bullet, stabbing, burn, and yet you're unable to handle a needle. I mean...of all the irrational fears that one could have...a simple needle and yet...Well...you'll learn soon enough Beatrid." Akabu literally purred as he spoke to her, antagonizing her, pushing her, just dying to see what would happen with her. "I promise you that it isn't liquid sugar. It's the real deal Beatrid. One hundred percent." Akabu wanted this passionate young guard to be hooked, he NEEDED her to be under his control. If he ever wanted his plan to come to full fruition, Akabu need the proper people eating from the palm of his hand. Beatrid would help lead him to the right people thankfully...maybe she was even one of the right people.

He'd have to wait to see what comes about here.

"Never. Your mind is mine. Just enjoy it." Akabu told her calmly, watching her as she pocketed the small pouch. Heh heh heh. Tormenting people indirectly was very fun, but this was about temptation. She liked to torture people, and yet she was getting drugs from a mysterious stranger. So there was no doubt that there might be temptation too...Heh. Man. He loved to do this sort of thing.

"Oh...that's right. I haven't told you my name. My mistake Beatrid." Akabu was quick to dash in front of her, stepping in front of her with a small grin. "My name is Akabu. Daemon Lord of Temptation. We'll be in touch Beatrid, Dragoon Al'teir." With that Akabu was off, his stride quick, ducking into an alleyway before he rushed off, breaking out into a full out run as he wanted to get away from Beatrid quickly. A wall was scaled, and he sat himself on a rooftop, crouched low and looking out just in case. He made sure to pick a flat roof top, staying in the middle so if Beatrid did come looking for him, it'd be impossible to see him on top of the roof.

Oh the next few days for Beatrid were going to be fun.

He would watch her carefully, following her from afar in order to asses her as she took the drug. It would be...well it would be interesting to say the least. He wanted to see her as she went through the after effects of the drugs, and then of course, as she came looking for him. He had a vision of what was going to happen, and Devils below it was going to be interesting. Who knows though...

Fun for everyone.

Rhindeer

Her mind was his? What the hell was his problem? Enjoy it? Hah. No way. If anything, she was just going to focus even more to keep her mind a blank slate on the surface, just so he couldn't skim anymore thoughts off the surface. Not that she was very good at that...ugh. Psychics. So annoying. But she was done with him. She'd probably never see him again and, at this point, she knew it was best to just walk away, regardless of what he said. Beatrid knew he was trying to get a rise out of her and dammit if it wasn't working!

Ignore what he said about the needle. Ignore what he said about my mind. Just ignore it, walk away, don't let him get the better of you, just keep on walk-- "GYAH!" Beatrid exclaimed in frustration when the man popped up in front of her, giving her his name. Not expecting that, she jumped in alarm and her hand went down to her pistol before she recognized him. "What the fuck! Did I ask you?! What the hell's a Daemon Lord of Tempt...oh what-the-fuck-ever," she finished when the guy took off running. She wouldn't bother to follow him; she didn't care. This was the last time she'd see him, this one a one-time thing.

What a loon.

Obviously he had issues. And she was planning on injecting herself with something he gave her.

Hah...jeez...

Her hand reached down to feel at the little lump in her pocket where the vial was. Maybe. Maybe not.

She'd see.

But for now, it was cold and wet outside and she was soaked through. So with a slight shake of her head, still annoyed by the encounter, she headed off down the wet street toward the palace, absently wringing the water out of her braid as she went.

At least she'd gotten those free "pleasure pills" it seemed. She'd have to test them out on some people, see how well they worked. Revenge always brought a smile to her face and warmed her heart...




After that brief encounter, Beatrid had never imagined that she would see the guy, this Akabu, again. She hadn't planned on it, she hadn't even really been sure as to whether or not she'd test out his wares. But eventually curiosity had won out. She hadn't used the pleasure pills on anyone; she never got the chance to, for such exploits had to be carefull planned and plotted otherwise she'd probably get caught and...get really, really busted. Instead she'd found herself relaxing in her room later that night but unable to sleep.

The vial and needle, along with the pouch of pills, had been tucked away in a drawer of her nightstand, hidden beneath some papers.

In the end, Beatrid found herself staring at the needle she'd loaded as though it were a snake, rolling it absently between her fingers, the sleeve of her left arm rolled up to the elbow. Did she want to do this? Try it out? The worst that could happen was...she could die of poisoning, ahaha. But no, wouldn't that be risky for him, too, murdering a soldier? Especially a high ranking one? Hrm. The best that could happen was it could actually work, and...ah hell. Maybe she was losing her touch? A couple of horrible, utter failures...and she'd only been presented with the Dragoon pistols and emblem a few months back. Right when she earned it, she started...regressing. Why? She was only twenty-six. She was in her prime. There was really no excuse for what had happened those last few times...

Yeah, Beatrid took her failures hard. She worked hard, so when she failed...it hit equally hard. And why not? She had a lot of responsibility. She loved her job. She couldn't just screw up...it wasn't like being a tailor or something. It was life or death a lot of the time, not just for her but for others.

Ah. What the hell.

In the end, after a lot of deep breaths, shoulder squaring, and mental coaching she was able to stick the needle in her arm, cringing and squirming the whole time, and inject herself with the liquid. It was ridiculous. It didn't even hurt and yet her stomach twisted and she was sweating and shivering, her nightshirt damp by the time it was over. Really, really pathetic. She didn't even know why needles freaked her out so much, they just...did. And it was even more difficult to stab herself than to have someone else do it, took every ounce of her willpower not to pull away but to keep pressing forward when she first felt the point indenting her skin.

But by the time she'd retracted the needle, she'd already forgotten the stress.

It was like her vision, which she'd always thought was rather good, had become ten times clearer, sounds more audible, everything somehow better. It was almost euphoric, a sort of strange rush...

It felt wonderful. So the bastard hadn't been lying.

For the next day she'd found her reflexes more honed and acute, her reactions quicker, her aim with a pistol better...everything just seemed to have improved. Even if she was off duty that day, she'd spent it training and practicing, thoroughly impressed. Damn...the bastard was right. Maybe she wouldn't be seeing the last of him after all.

Not that she wanted to become dependent upon anything but her own natural skill and training. But still. If she just used it for a little while, as a sort of pick-me-up...that couldn't hurt, right?

Those were her thoughts until the next day. When she woke up blind.

Well, not quite blind, but her vision was an indistinct blur and when she moved it felt like she was wading through thick mud...or something like that. At first it didn't worry her. Maybe she was just tired, even if she felt awake. Maybe she was getting sick. Maybe her eyes hadn't adjusted yet.

No panicking. She just had to wait it out.

So she did...for five hours.

When her condition hadn't improved in the slightest, when she really thought about what Akabu had said--that the serum would last for only a certain amount of hours--that was when she connected the dots. The chemical whatever had stopped working and now...

She was fucked.




So, that was why sometime later that day she found herself wandering around Reajh, bleary-eyed, weak, and sluggish as she struggled to look for the alley where she'd first met Akabu. Of course, it was rather difficult as she could hardly see a goddamn thing, everything a sort of multi-colored haze. It was pretty obvious that she was fucked up...a few of her peers had asked her if she was feeling well, if she was getting sick, as she stumbled out the door. It wasn't a lie when she snapped back and told them she was because she sure as hell felt nauseous and stressed.

She was going blind...she felt like she was in slow-motion...

She was useless.

Panting softly from exertion, exhausted from walking a distance that she could all out run without getting winded, Beatrid finally had to stop and lean heavily against a wall just outside the mouth of an alley to catch her breath and get her bearings. She didn't even know if she was in the right part of town, or hell, she didn't even know if he'd be around. But God, she had to find him. She had to get him to fix this! She hadn't known it was going to do this!

And if he couldn't fix this, by God she was going to kill him.
Adamaris // Aderyn // Aki // Alexander // Angel // Axieva // Beatrid // Briar // Cadmus // Corryn // Einin/Owl // Emery // Fang // Faolán // Faris // Frost // Hayate // Ife // Jayari // Jirou // Juniper // Katxiel // Khaiya // Kota // Kyran // Liam // Makani // Max // Maya // Mei // Nakato // Naovi // Nasrin // Niaaki // Niamh // Noor // Pepper // Qiana // Qismat // Quinn // Raxta // Riyarin // Rook // Sachi // Sahar // Siobhan // Simonea // Sita // Song // Summer // Valor // Yasmin // Yiroa

Anonymous

Akabu mulled about the city as he waited, keeping tabs on Beatrid of course, and a few of the other guards and citizens he had sold his merchandise for. They were all fools but...they knew what the wanted at least. Merchants mostly that needed a pick me up, a boost of energy. Ah. He never told them about the side effects. All he ever said was 'You just need a stronger dosage.' and simply gave them better injections, pills, or drink powders. They took it too! They actually believed him! Well...a few of the merchants declined, and Akabu politely smiled and wandered off after that. Some people had an iron constitution, their will was greater than the want for more drugs. He was fine with that of course. It was always nice to know not everyone could be tempted. It meant that his job would still be challenging, and if there was one thing he liked it was a challenge.

The days were spent around the city, finding out information, mostly on Beatrid and her position in the Army, and as well the governing bodies of the Government. It was really quite an interesting place, and to think that Akabu's plan was to destroy this place...Heh. Well. Not destroy. He wanted it for himself finally, showing all those bastard Daemons, Demons, and Devils down below just what he was capable of. Of course, a challenge would have been going to a place that had extensive knowledge of drugs and trying to pass them off there...Nah. Too much of a challenge. This place would serve his purposes. A war against heaven, a war against the Gods. Which ones though? It didn't matter. There were billions of Gods and billions of Heavens. He would just plan for whatever heaven this one had.

Ahem. As for the other people...well...a lot of guards took the pleasure pills, a few took the same reflex drugs as her...while others seemed to love the sixth sense drug, giving them a danger sense. Of course, right now the drugs had worn off and all the guards were terribly afraid that they were being followed by shadows. Hell, he had even seen one of the guards mistake his own footsteps for being someone else.

Sometimes he wondered just how good he really was.

Tempting pathetic humans...that was easy. He wanted to step up soon...straight to Angels. If he could wrap one of those goody two shoe bitches around his finger...the things he could do.

Being evil was fun, there was no question about it.

When Akabu checked in on Beatrid during one day, his smile could have lit up a room if the sun hit it right. She had taken it. It wasn't hard to see of course. She had the classic signs, reflexes were honed, her senses had increased, and her shots were deadly. Maybe giving her the drugs had been...no. He didn't make a mistake. Just a calculated risk that was no increased. Yes. That's all. It would correct itself when the drug ran out. Another flashing smile and Akabu was gone, making sure not to get caught as he observed the training grounds and what not from afar. Without magic. Bah. A seer's stone would be so handy. Instead he was using a spyglass, just like some common pirate.


Finally though, he observed her the next day, when the drug had run out, and the body couldn't compensate. His drugs were all about balance. If you got incredible senses from it, then when the drug ran out, you'd lose those sense, or at least, they'd be very...VERY diluted. Of course, Akabu made sure that no matter how much drug you took, your body would never adjust and fight it. It would accept it. That was the key. With drugs like cocaine and heroin, chemically created drugs stopped being effective, and you'd need to step up to another stronger drug, until you overdosed. This was relatively safe stuff. Ten percent physical, and ninety percent mental. It gave people what they wanted, and if they fought it, it wouldn't put up much of a fight...but when it took away your senses...Oh you got scared, and you wanted to correct it.

Akabu stepped from the alleyway to intercept the stumbling and almost inebriated looking Beatrid, his classic smile on his face. He looked exactly like he did when they had first met too, just...a lot happier seemed.

"Oh my, Beatrid you look like shit. Absolute shit." Akabu said, his voice full of mocking sympathy. He crossed his arms over his chest as he observed the woman with a pleasant smile, his eyes focused on her carefully. "Tell me, what can I tempt you with today? Perhaps a cold glass of water to perk you up?" He decided he would play this off like he had almost no idea what was happening. Of course, he did know, he had created the drug to do this horrible after effect. It was the only way to ensure that his customers came back.

Damn he loved being evil.

"Come on now, speak up Beatrid. I haven't got all day you know. People to tempt, money to make, things to sell."

Rhindeer

A shape suddenly cut in front of her and Beatrid wasted no time in drawing her pistol and aiming. She didn't jump like many people would when surprised; she just drew and aimed, cocking it automatically. It was a reflex for her, though right now she was painfully aware that even as she aimed, her aim wasn't too accurate and her grip wasn't very steady. All she could see was a blurry, indistinct figure that was very tall...

Goddammit...

But that was before she heard the voice. Oh, she would have known that voice anywhere.

"Fuck you," Beatrid growled, though the words lacked her usual bite and she was far too tired and dazed to demand he call her by her proper title. Normally she wasn't such a stickler for titles--she only made people she didn't like address her so formally. People she didn't like and, of course, soldiers and guards she wasn't familiar with, as well as of course people higher in rank than she. But other than that, she normally didn't care. Akabu definitely fell into the category of people she didn't like, but whereas before it had just been a sort of twitchy annoyance, now it was outright hatred. She was certain he was responsible for this, and she wanted answers now.

Or at least as soon as she could think clearly enough to form the right words.

Looking away from him--what was the point, wasn't like she could really make him out--she leaned her head back against the wall, still standing even though her body really wanted to just sit down and rest. Forcing herself to stand as straight as she could, she rested her free left hand against the wall, bracing herself. Ugh, she was tired...it was pathetic how much effort this was taking.

"I want you to tell me what the hell you did. That shit you gave me, it wore off. I expected that. You didn't tell me it'd make me blind and useless later!" she told him, keeping her voice low in case anyone overheard. But even soft as her voice was, it held a dangerous edge to it. "I don't want anymore of your little 'temptations'. I want you to fix this. And you BETTER know how to fix it." She still had the pistol fixed on him and by the tone of her voice she would shoot him if he didn't have any answers, and quick.

At least, hopefully she'd be able to shoot him. She wasn't aiming at any one point on his body but was instead focusing on what she assumed was his torso. It was the biggest target area; she'd be able to hit that, at least, even if she couldn't see very well. Or so she hoped.
Adamaris // Aderyn // Aki // Alexander // Angel // Axieva // Beatrid // Briar // Cadmus // Corryn // Einin/Owl // Emery // Fang // Faolán // Faris // Frost // Hayate // Ife // Jayari // Jirou // Juniper // Katxiel // Khaiya // Kota // Kyran // Liam // Makani // Max // Maya // Mei // Nakato // Naovi // Nasrin // Niaaki // Niamh // Noor // Pepper // Qiana // Qismat // Quinn // Raxta // Riyarin // Rook // Sachi // Sahar // Siobhan // Simonea // Sita // Song // Summer // Valor // Yasmin // Yiroa

Anonymous

Ah, it was good to see the little firecracker was still burning strong. Of course, she was just completely silly to him, and he really knew that she COULDN'T shoot him either. Mainly because her reflexes were so sluggish, her aim would be horrible, he didn't mind at all if she wanted to point her gun at him. He just glared slightly as he looked at her gun, which was swaying a little bit. Akabu laughed quietly as he gave another smile, his eyes upon her. Poor little Beatrid was now useless and defenceless basically. If he was any other Daemon, she might be...well...screwed. He used to pounce on weakness like this. He still did, but he exploited it instead.

"I'd love that, if you get up against that wall I think we could work something out...or in at least. Oh, you were being insulting." He brushed her insult off because he was in charge right now, she had no control over him, and she really didn't scare him. He had faced down scarier things before than her, and he knew his death didn't end with death after all. His words weren't completely sarcastic either, he wouldn't mind a quick romp with the little fiery little guard, but he had more important things to handle than his own pleasure.

Like...ruining a nation for one. Taking over the world was much more important.

Just barely.

"Hm. Really now? Blind and useless?" His eyes went down to her gun, which he swatted away so he could step closer to get a better look at her. He had to bend down somewhat to look at her carefully. "Hm...Eyes...dilated...pupils are massive...Hm. I'm guessing you didn't eat much either, or have very much sugars and what not. That's the problem, you're on a drug that increases a lot of things. When you come down off of it, what did you think was going to happen?" Akabu asked as he stepped away from her, shaking his head with a small chuckle. Lying was just as fun as being evil too, this was just too good to be true. He could lie his bloody ass off and it really wouldn't matter anymore. Poor bitch was in for a strange ride.

"You should have kept all your levels up, electrolytes, fibres, sugars, that sort of thing. It's proper to make sure you eat a balanced breakfast." Akabu chided her softly, just really...well he really was enjoying this. It must have been hell for poor Beatrid of course, but hey, what did he care? She was just another customer, and just another person who was going to help him achieve a whole bunch of fun.

"As for helping you though...Tch. I'm not sure I really want to. I could give you a better dosage. More refined, but you really have to eat properly." Akabu grinned evilly as he produced a strange looking device and three rather sleek looking metal vials. They had little rings around the metal tops where plastic stoppers had been placed. There was a red ring, a blue ring, and a green ring. "Just for you, I'll give you a painless syringe. I know, I'm too nice to you." He held them out to her with a pleasant smile face, trying to be...as friendly as possible.

"Just load the vial into the end of the needle here..." He pointed to a small area where teh vial would fit in. "Remember to put it in with this soft spot facing inwards. Then place the other end to your neck, press the button, and you're done. No pain. Instant injection." He told her with a grin as he kept his arm outstretched. "Either that or you could just continue to wait out and see if this ever goes away."

Rhindeer

"Yeah, sure, because the only thing going in anyone is this gun up your ass if you don't fix this!" Beatrid snapped back, letting his own comment bounce off of her as she did her best to steady the pistol in her hand. Haha, yeah right, fucking sicko. While Beatrid didn't like guys in that way, she still couldn't see that guy getting it on with any woman unless she was a creepy little creature like him. Ew. That was just a nasty thought...

In any case, though her words were venomous as ever, even she knew that she probably wouldn't be able to back her words up with action right now and that only pissed her off all the more. There were few times in her life where she'd actually felt weak like this...a few times fighting common ailments like the flu here and there, a few times when she'd been in a fight and gotten thrashed, but she hated it all the same. Still, even when she'd been at her worst, she'd never been helpless.

And she certainly wasn't now. She was pretty damned sure that, even if her aim was off, she could still do some damage if she needed to. Though right now it wasn't really a matter of whether she needed to do damage or not...she was simply angry enough to take him out for...er...well, for her own stupid mistake she supposed.

Unfortunately, Beatrid soon found she couldn't have shot him if she'd tried when he suddenly swatted her pistol away and stepped in close, her reflexes too dulled for her to do much about it--even though all her instincts were instantly screaming that he was a threat, that this was an attack, whereas before he was just an annoyance. The pistol went flying out of her weakened grip to skitter along the ground, and with a jolt and a curse, Beatrid went to step back away from him but forgot she was already up against the bloody wall. Glaring malevolently at him--even if he was still all a blurred mess in her vision--she cranked her fist back as best as she could from her position and was about two seconds away from punching him as hard as she could in her condition when...he said something that made her pause and think twice.

He was examining her like a doctor might.

And lecturing her about her damned diet? What the fuck? He was a shady dealer, not a medic.

Of course, she didn't really know half of what he was talking about. Electrowhats? Heaving an annoyed sigh, Beatrid slumped back against the wall, pressed one hand against the guy's chest, and gave him a hard shove backwards in an attempt to free up her personal bubble. Or, it would have been a hard shove any other time--she was a strong woman--but right now her muscles felt like water. "I have been eating properly. And whether you wanna help or not, you will if you got any interest in living."

When Akabu produced the strange device, Beatrid eyed it suspiciously and listened to his explanation. Then she cringed a little when he finished. In her neck? And the thing reminded her just a little too much of a strange gun or something. With a slight groan, she shook her head. "Forget it. I'll stick with regular needles. Look, dumbass, it's not the pain that's a problem, alright? And I'd rather stick something in my arm than my neck." It was true, too. Needles hardly even hurt and Beatrid had a pretty high pain threshold, anyway. It was more the principle of it all...sticking something directly in your vein and...blech.

She shook her head. "Just...whatever. Now look. Are you saying if I stop using this crap then I'll stay this way? Forever? Did you fucking know this would happen? Now if I keep taking this shit then this'll go away, right? It'll be back to normal...or...well...normal with the heightened stuff and everything, but..." She shook her head. Fuck. This was bad. "I didn't want to stay on this stuff. I thought it'd be safe for just one try, as a pick-me-up, and..."

Suddenly her eyes narrowed and locked on Akabu's face, and with a grimace she pushed away from the wall and started to step away from him. In her disorientation and moment of distraction she'd forgotten about her pistol, and now she really wanted it back. "...What the hell are you getting out of this, anyway? You're giving me all this shit for free but what about you? I could buy you giving out a sample, but there's no such thing as getting something for free."

God did she feel stupid...she couldn't believe it. She felt tricked. She hadn't been using her better judgment that day with her pride aching, and now...fuck. She couldn't believe this shit. Couldn't believe she'd let her guard down so low. She was a soldier! A Dragoon! She was supposed to bloody know better!
Adamaris // Aderyn // Aki // Alexander // Angel // Axieva // Beatrid // Briar // Cadmus // Corryn // Einin/Owl // Emery // Fang // Faolán // Faris // Frost // Hayate // Ife // Jayari // Jirou // Juniper // Katxiel // Khaiya // Kota // Kyran // Liam // Makani // Max // Maya // Mei // Nakato // Naovi // Nasrin // Niaaki // Niamh // Noor // Pepper // Qiana // Qismat // Quinn // Raxta // Riyarin // Rook // Sachi // Sahar // Siobhan // Simonea // Sita // Song // Summer // Valor // Yasmin // Yiroa

Anonymous

"You would be surprised what people will do in times of need." Akabu was being cryptic...well...he was foreshadowing actually. Drug addicts were easy creatures to control, they had habits, they needed their drugs, and well...He had the supply. He could hold them for ransom after all, and he enjoyed doing that. He was evil after all, and he wanted to get things out of the deal. Sex was just one of the many things he could get out of this. Sometimes it was the only payment the people wanted to pay in. Potent Pleasure pills were a curse for most people. Heh. A delicious curse that he had created and introduced into the world.

She had really become weak hadn't she?! The pistol flew from her hand like it had been a stick of butter, she was unable to even fight against him! Raping her would be so fucking easy right now! No. Not now. After his plan was finished...then he could enjoy her, but first he just had to get his plan finished. That's all that mattered. Business before pleasure sadly, that's what it had to be. Hmph. In his days as an Incubi, it had been the same thing. Business was pleasure, and pleasure was business, but now...now as the Daemon Lord of Temptation, that meant...well it meant that sex wasn't on the top of the list. Temptation was...and his plans for domination but that was still a temptation, his own temptation at least. So it was business.

His eyes flickered to look at her hand as she pulled back, her hand clenched into a fist and ready to strike him. Hah. As if her weakened state she could even hit him, or hurt him for that matter. She stopped though when he started rattling off things like a proper diet and what not. When she pushed him back it was like nothing, but he decided to move back out of her personal space just to be nice. After all, he couldn't STOP being polite now could he? That would be wrong after all.

"Doesn't have to be your neck, just has to be in an artery. You can stick it in your leg if you want." Just as long as it entered the blood steam, got to the heart and was then shot directly to the brain. That's all that mattered. Once there, it would be able to do it's funny little job and make her back to the regular catty bitch of a woman that she was...and she'd be back to being under his control.

"What? Oh no, I'm sure you will return to normal, this is just an after effect...it has to be. But...why be normal?" Most humans had a desire to better themselves, to become better than the rest. That's what this drug was all about. The fact that it made them sluggish for a little while was just the second part of the drug. It had two ways of working really. First it would increase the senses and reflexes, and then it would dull the senses and slow the reflexes. The drug was still working within her system, he just wasn't going to tell her that yet. Why should he?

"What...do I get back?" A toothy grin as he strolled over to her pistol, plucking it from the ground and holding it. He ran his fingers across the barrel, cocking the trigger back, then pushing it forward again and returning to stand in front of her. "That's very true Beatrid. Nothing in life is free." He said as he handed to her the pistol, smiling all the while. She was doubting herself, he could hear the thoughts, he loved those thoughts. Doubt was the gateway...doubt and blame were perect gateways.

"What I get in return right now is nothing Beatrid. I'm observing people." Tempting them too, entangling them into his web and bringing them to their knees with his powers. Right now he got nothing, he was just a spider who was slowly...ever so slowly...starting to spin his threads everywhere. Beatrid was only a few lines in his web, the kids the other day, the other soldiers, the merchants...all just tiny strings in his web. Connlaoth would be the completed full web of course, which he would soon be able to finish once he got Beatrid in his pocket.

"But that's all I need right now. I'm not in this for the money Beatrid, or to have sex with you. Besides." He had picked that from her mind earlier anyways. Leaning in to her he smiled, having to bend down quite a ways. "Your secret is safe with me. I know you don't like men, in more ways than one. S'fine really. I'm sure sex with the same gender is more rewarding." He pulled back, laughing quietly as he shook his head. Her thoughts needed to be protected, they had to teach these people about psychics, which weren't technically magic after all.

Connlaoth would have a lot of growing to do.

Rhindeer

He was sure she'd return to normal...that didn't sound very definitive or convincing. She might return to normal, or might not. But it was only an aftereffect? So...it wouldn't last. That was good. That meant she could stop at any time and she'd return to normal, she didn't have to be dependent on these. Why be normal? Well...true. If she had the means to improve herself, then why not? This stuff hadn't hurt her; sure she felt bad now, but that was only because she was coming off of it and it wasn't a lasting effect, right? On the reverse, it had helped her, boosted her performance whereas before it had been declining (in her head, at least; never mind that she had taken a few months off duty to rehabilitate after her injury).

And with Kuro back and being such a...him, throwing his recent successes around...

Without looking at Akabu, she snatched up the offered device with its vials, quickly tucking it away inside a pocket.

Fuck. It was tempting to just go with it. She did want more...the side effects had just scared the shit out of her. But there was the issue of this guy, of how he seemed so willing to give without getting anything out of it. A free trial she could understand; but supplying more after the trial had ended without asking for a copper in return was strange.

She watched through blurred vision as he retrieved her pistol, tensing as he toyed with it but relaxing again when he returned it to her. She grabbed it and quickly returned it to its holster, eyes fixed on him. No, nothing in life was free, and she was waiting for his explanation which...

Was strange.

"Observing people." What? That...was so simple it was ridiculous. "Why are you observing people? For what? What are you getting out of this?" she said, stressing the question and heaving a fatigued sigh. It seemed like her previous outburst had used up what little energy she'd had left and she just felt like sleeping this whole thing off. "I understand a free sample. But this...I can't say I trust you. You don't seem like the type that'd do this outta the goodness of your heart. Then again, not many do."

Then her body tensed again at his next words, her eyes widening. What the fuck?! Now money she had expected, sex...she wouldn't have even thought about paying that, and the fact that he threw that in that sentence as an apparently valid method of payment set off warning bells in her mind. Eyes narrowing, she opened her mouth to say something nasty when he said something that cut the words off before they could form.

Beatrid jerked backwards and smacked her head against the wall in the process, abruptly reminded that he was a psychic. WHAT?! He...pulled it from her mind. Fuck. Now this bastard of a stranger knew something that no one in the entire military did--and with good reason.

"I like men just fine, just not enough to fuck!" Beatrid managed to snarl, her slightly flushed face at odds with her harsh voice. "And if you tell anyone you'll fucking regret it, you son of a bitch! Now get the fuck outta my face and mind your own goddamn business!" she growled, pushing off from the wall to stagger a few steps away from him. "I've had enough."

Now, she was no blushing virgin by any means, she had a crude sense of humor and a filthy mouth, and she hardly ever got embarrassed, but it was quite another thing entirely to know that someone could look inside your head and pull these little facts out. What had he seen</I> in there?! That was what disturbed her the most, that her privacy was being blatantly invaded and it was really starting to make her feel uncomfortable. And violated. To have someone learn something, just like that, that she'd been keeping a secret from most of the people in her life--even her best friend and family...it was just...really disturbing. And worrisome. He knew a secret of hers, he said he wouldn't say a word, but she didn't know him. He could look into her head somehow. She did not want to be around someone that could potentially blackmail her.

Her preference wasn't anyone's business but her own--and of course anyone she got involved with. Her reasons weren't anyone's but her own. He had no right...freaky bastard
.
Adamaris // Aderyn // Aki // Alexander // Angel // Axieva // Beatrid // Briar // Cadmus // Corryn // Einin/Owl // Emery // Fang // Faolán // Faris // Frost // Hayate // Ife // Jayari // Jirou // Juniper // Katxiel // Khaiya // Kota // Kyran // Liam // Makani // Max // Maya // Mei // Nakato // Naovi // Nasrin // Niaaki // Niamh // Noor // Pepper // Qiana // Qismat // Quinn // Raxta // Riyarin // Rook // Sachi // Sahar // Siobhan // Simonea // Sita // Song // Summer // Valor // Yasmin // Yiroa

Anonymous

Well,  he knew that she would turn back to normal given some time, but he hoped that the after effect would be good enough for her to want to try more. He wanted her to get hooked, because once you had a taste of heaven, you wanted nothing but more heaven. Akabu wanted her to be hooked on this stuff, he wanted her to have to take it everyday just to survive...Of course, that couldn't TRULY happen. The drug would do it's duty. It would give her the goodness of heightened everything, and then it would take that all away almost five fold...maybe ten fold or so. He'd give her more of the drug anyways, so she could always stay up and powerful. Soon he would be giving her the injections that lasted for almost twenty hours. He made sure that with the long time drugs he didn't know the exact time of when they'd wear off, so it would be...well it would be good to see them go off and try to do something just as it wears off.

Doubt! Hah! She had doubt too with a rival, so that could work out better.

Besides, he could feed off of her inability to make a decision too. Tempting someone gave just as much energy to him as when someone gave into temptation. Still, there was just doubt about him...about what he might do...and he knew that there should be doubt. Yes, he was lying, and he was going to get something out of this too, just he couldn't tell her that out loud or else...it would ruin everything.

"Observing people." He repeated with a smile, his teeth shining in the light as he watched her, listening to her mind as well just in case something else juicy came by him. Heh. People were so easy really, manipulating them could be just fun. "It's not out of the goodness of my heart, I'll agree with you there, but I have my reasons Beatrid. It has to do with observing human behaviour, mainly yours." Now she probably couldn't tell just where he was really coming from anymore. It was all over the place, or at least he hoped it was. He really didn't want her to find out his true plans, that would end badly for him.

"Right, right. I'm sure." He didn't care for her threats, he didn't realyl care if she died in the line of fire after the drug wore out. He didn't want her to be...getting ahead of herself."You have? Well I haven't. You see Beatrid, I think you have spunk, and it's rather interesting." Akabu told her as he moved and began to walk along beside her, or somewhat beside her as she tried to stagger away from him.

"Oh my...no one really knows now do they? That's pretty...interesting Beatrid. Heh heh heh. Well, I'll keep it a secret. I'm very good at secrets...because they're tempting." Akabu murmured to her with a now evil grin spread across his face. Akabu LOVED to hold secrets, they were always so useful later on in life when you needed to do something, or get someone to do something. However, Beatrid had resolve, he had a feeling she would just...tell everyone if he threatened to expose this secret. However...he would have to try and get a better secret from her. Something that she would never...ever...reveal on her own. Heh. That's what he had to get...he had to get that from her. He would of course, all in due time. He didn't mind of course, these things took time after all.

"Now take the drugs, go home Beatrid, and enjoy. You'll be able to show your rival just what you're made of. Show the academy, and your superiors, that you're better than all of them, and that you will be the greatest." Akabu told her with a small chuckle as he put his hand onto her shoulder. He couldn't use magic, but he could use his low level psychic powers on her. Mainly to give her vision a little extra boost. It took his own vision away, but he didn't need to see too clearly. The world went just a little fuzzier in his eyes, but no doubt for Beatrid they would increase. Ah tricking the mind. The drug was still in her body, but her mind thought her eyes weren't affected. Hypnotic suggestion was a powerful thing...

He had heard that from a monster before.

Heh.

Rhindeer

Beatrid had no clue why he would want to observe <I>her behavior--what was there to observe? She was tough and crass and liked to swear and read smutty romance novels and punch people. Not much to observe...and not much she wanted him to observe, for that matter. She had a lot of secrets, and she'd like them to remain secrets. Though already one such secret was now known by the bastard. Still, observing people? It made him sound awfully voyeuristic, and that was just creepy.

"Observe this," she snarled through gritted teeth as she flipped him the bird from over her shoulder, intent on getting away from him and ignoring him.

She'd take the fucking drugs. They helped her, and she didn't want to be blind. But it didn't mean she had to like him and she really didn't care what his reasons were for doing this as long as they weren't illegal reasons--and though observing people was creepy, it wasn't against the law and as much as she hated to admit it, he hadn't lied about the substances; they'd done everything he said they would. Still, their interaction was all about business, nothing more and nothing less, and he sure as hell had no business peeping into her private life. She just wanted the drugs, to get out of there and go somewhere private to take them, to enhance her performance and clear her vision, and she wanted to know for sure that taking them wouldn't actually permanently impair her vision, that the effects would wear off eventually if she stopped taking them.

But peering into her personal life, making those snide comments...no, she didn't like that at all. He was creepy, but that was crossing the line. She didn't trust him to keep a secret, especially not one that could ruin her. And it could. Oh, sure, homosexuality wasn't a big deal in Connlaoth--but it wasn't taken seriously. You were still expected to settle down with someone of the same sex after you'd gotten all the "fooling around" out of your system...and those pressures were even higher if you were a Mordecai, or came from a bloodline that had had Mordecai in it. You were expected to have kids, or you were labeled as selfish. Her parents would have a fit...and her father was an ex-sergeant. It was better to just pretend like she just hadn't found the right person yet than to admit that she wasn't even attracted to the opposite sex, period.

But at what Akabu said, about secrets being tempting...that made her stop in her tracks and turn around to face him--or what she could make out of him. "You better keep it secret, because if it gets out I'll know it's you that snitched...and so help me you'll die choking on your own tongue." But the threat lacked her usual venom because, truth be told...now she was worried--in addition to just being tired and fatigued, to needing that drug. He might try and use her secret against her...but so help her, she wouldn't let anyone have that kind of power over her.

The only thing that would be worse, the one secret that would leave her vulnerable, had nothing to do with her orientation, but her...job. And she quickly worked to make her mind as blank as she could. If anyone found that out that wasn't supposed to know, her very life could be forfeit.

Ugh. Right. He could read her damned mind. Maybe it was best to just act like...it didn't bother her that much. If it bothered her, it only seemed to interest him more. And maybe he was just trying to get under her skin for his own amusement but didn't really mean anything by it. There were a few fellow soldiers like that, people who knew how prickly she could be and who enjoyed pushing her buttons in all the right combinations to trigger an explosion. And she was pissed now, Akabu had pushed those buttons. Unfortunately, she was too weak to waste energy on an explosion, and she couldn't even aim properly to fire a pistol.

She just had to get away.

With another curse under her breath, she turned and kept staggering away, even as he spoke of her greatness, but it was only when he placed a hand on her shoulder that she reacted. "I said don't fucking touch me!" she snarled, twisting away and roughly shoving his arm away. "Look, just shut up and stay the fuck out of my mind! I told you I don't care about being the greatest, I just want to do my job. And hes not a rival, he's a fucktard. Now stop. I'm taking these things, you're providing them. That's it. Beyond that, you better stay out of my life and you better not tell a soul about anything you've learned about--"

It was then that she realized her vision was far more clear, that she could make out details in Akabu's appearance instead of just a fuzzy, indistinct image.

She blinked, then rubbed her eyes. "That's weird...I guess the effects are wearing off..."
Adamaris // Aderyn // Aki // Alexander // Angel // Axieva // Beatrid // Briar // Cadmus // Corryn // Einin/Owl // Emery // Fang // Faolán // Faris // Frost // Hayate // Ife // Jayari // Jirou // Juniper // Katxiel // Khaiya // Kota // Kyran // Liam // Makani // Max // Maya // Mei // Nakato // Naovi // Nasrin // Niaaki // Niamh // Noor // Pepper // Qiana // Qismat // Quinn // Raxta // Riyarin // Rook // Sachi // Sahar // Siobhan // Simonea // Sita // Song // Summer // Valor // Yasmin // Yiroa

Anonymous

It was true, he wanted to observe her and see the effects of drugs like this. It was a relatively new drug, and he wanted to see how people fought it. Because he could never be addicted, he couldn't understand it all first hand, but he could take the emotions using force from other people and understand the addiction. Beatrid was a test subject, and a very good one. She held insecurities about herself, and that was something that could be played on. It was easy to play on an insecure person, they weren't hard to tempt, they had no real power against him. They were simply pawns, being played all their life, and they meant nothing. They would be used and when their usefulness was up...well...they never stopped being useful. Not even in death.

"What a pretty finger." Akabu replied sardonically as he watched her finger. She was lucky he didn't rip it off and take it with him, but then again, he had no use for someone's finger.

Beatrid believed this was all about business, that their relationship was nothing more than business transactions. It was, but it went deeper, it went so much more deeper. She was letting evil in, the devil, the deep, the grip of temptation held strong around her, and slowly it was closing on her. Holding her heart, her mind, soon she would be in too deep. That was all he wanted. He wanted people to succumb to him finally, and with magical drugs, he could do that. The greatest taboo of Connlaoth, and it was happening all around them. It made him feel all powerful, knowing that eventually, a nation would be under his control. Next week, next year, next decade? What did it matter to him? Time was an abstract concept, that's all, and he had all the time. Well. No. He had as long as Beatrid and the rest of his subjects would last. That meant that he couldn't dally too much. He would have to act.

Eventually.

Heh heh. He loved her personal life. It was so interesting to him. His personal life was...interesting. It was pretty much doing this. All day long. Tempting mortals with his drugs and promises of powers, taking their souls, making them into demons, summoning Daemons, and basically backstabbing all the races you could. Her personal life was...subtle. It was soft. It seemed nice. In the final picture of Fate, the threads that held the Picture of Fate together were the lives of every being, every creature, every rock, speck of dirt, everything. His thread, his strand of fate would be a lot more noticeable to some, but Beatrid's was ordinary. Sometimes...

There were times...he wished his strand was like that.

He was chosen for something else though.

Quiet, cold laughter escaped his lips. "Me? Spill a secret? Why I would never do such a thing." He would threaten, blackmail, or extort someone with a secret, but he would never actually tell anyone else about it. Well. If someone forced his hand, then he would have no choice but to show the consequences. It was all a little dance really, one that he loved and enjoyed so much, and one that he often led. Sometimes he fall back and follow, letting others lead, but he would always be there to pull strings and show new dance steps for them. He could shine as bright as the morning sun or as dim as dying candlelight, but he would always shine. That was his nature, and one of his biggest problems. He always wanted to shine.

The dizziness for him would pass, and eventually the blurry eyes would just go away, but he couldn't help but think that giving her some of his power might go badly. He gave her the eyes of a Daemon Lord, and those saw things...differently. People had...certain auras to them, certain ways that they looked. Of course, the power would disappear in a few minutes, but it was still not something he wanted to willingly give to her...or maybe...maybe it would be a good thing. Infuse her with the power of a Daemon Lord. Hm. He would have to think about that later. "Oh right, of course. I just thought we could have some sort of better relationship than just being business partners." His tone made it sound like he REALLY didn't care either way. She was a test rat, his little lab rat, and she was performing so well.

"Yeah...yeah you keep thinking that." Akabu muttered as he passed a hand in front of his eyes. Ugh. Got him every time too. "Don't say I never do nothing for you Beatrid." With that, Akabu turned tail and headed back into the darkness. He had to retreat to cover, allow his vision to recover. It wasn't something that he was used to, or that he wanted to have happen all the time. He liked his five senses, they were very good senses, and very honed senses. He didn't want to lose any of his other senses either, because he really liked those ones as well...

He couldn't afford to lose anything here could he? Such was life though, he would just have to grin and bear through this one. Note for next time though, he would not give up his powers for anyone, use his psychic powers to give people a little boost. It was just too risky, and it had been much too foolish, even for himself.

If I'm not careful, Beatrid'll be the death of me. Akabu thought sourly to himself.

Rhindeer

It had been a few weeks since the last encounter, which had ended on a rather...interesting note. Beatrid didn't know what had happened or what the man had done to her or how, but even though her vision was cleared up after that meeting, it still felt like a bad trip. People...had colors around them. That was the best way she could describe it, the only way she could describe it. At first she thought it was her eyes playing tricks on her, but when every person had it wherever she looked, all different colors, too...yeah, no amount of staring into the sun could do that. It had to be a freaky side effect or something.

When that started to go away, though, and the familiar dizziness and blurriness started to return, that reinforced the idea that it was a side-effect, and that relieved her somewhat because it wasn't just a random thing but had an explanation. The weakness was still a problem, though, and she had to resort to ducking in an alley and, well, shooting up. If she didn't, she didn't know if she'd be able to make it back to the palace and if it made her this weak, she didn't want to risk getting mugged.

She had never been helpless in her life, and she wasn't about to start, either.

At least Akabu was right. It didn't hurt with that new contraption and wasn't quite as freaky as sticking a needle in her arm.

And the drug did work, seedy and invasive as the man was. Still. She'd only meant it to be an experimental pick-me-up; she'd never planned on being dependent upon it. Maybe she could wean herself off of it and pretend to be ill for as many days as it took. Then she could go back to life as normal and not having to deal with creepy freaks.

...

That was a month or so ago. A month later, and Beatrid found herself back out on the streets, wandering toward that familiar meeting spot, only this time she wasn't weak; on the contrary, her reflexes and senses were heightened. No way was she making the same mistake as last time by waiting until she was all out before going for more--not that she knew that side-effect would happen. A lot had happened in that month, a lot of eventful, crazy stuff. For one, she had attempted to wean herself off the stuff, and it had worked; a few days of pretending to be sick and staying in her room, fighting off the dizziness and fatigue, and she'd been back to her old self again...even if she had found herself craving another high, another rush. She'd ignored it, though, and gone about her daily business. She managed to ignore it for a few days before she finally gave in again.

It was just...after experiencing that drug, nothing felt as good anymore. Her hearing no longer seemed adecuate, her eyesight and sense of smell seemed dull, even her reflexes felt sluggish, even though she knew she was hearing, seeing, smelling and moving as she always had prior to the drug, and that had always felt normal and fine. But now it was no longer good enough...

And she finally gave in, knowing good and well the consequences, but telling herself it wouldn't be like this forever. She could stop when she wanted to. Simple.

It was just that she didn't want to stop, yet, and as more days passed, the thought of stopping entered her mind less and less. And after going with Kuro to an underground tournament and kicking some major ass, doing some feats that would have otherwise been impossible...no, she couldn't stop, now.

Walking through that oh-so-familiar part of town, Beatrid felt far more confident about this than last time. She wasn't in uniform now, dressed in a simple pair of dark blue breeches and a lace up shirt, her twin Dragoon pistols holstered securely at her belt and her long hair tied back in its usual braid. Heh. Last time she'd had only one pistol, but since then she'd finally gotten the second since then. Not that she was afraid or anything; it was more just habit she'd developed after eleven years of serving Connlaoth's military. Her weapons went where she did, and she felt naked and vulnerable without their familiar weight at her hip. Maybe she was also a little paranoid, because eleven years of serving had also taught her to expect the unexpected, never let down your guard, and always come prepared no matter where you are.

But Akabu didn't intimidate her. She'd come across a lot worse than shady street sellers that seemed a little off their rocker...though the psychic thing...

Whatever. Even if he told any of her secrets, it would be fine. If he told anyone she liked women, well, there was already a rumor going around the soldiers' quarters that she was banging Hek-Akiz. Which...yeah. Just no. She loved the guy like a brother, and as disturbing as the rumor was, if any other rumors got out she could use that one to her advantage.

The only secret she really had to worry about was the one that could get her killed if it got out.

Everything was under control, though. That secret was buried deeply under many layers of surface thoughts. Let the bastard skim those ones all he liked.

Coming to a stop by the alley where she'd last met him, she leaned back against the wall and folded her arms to wait, her posture relaxed though her keen eyes scanned the streets ahead of her. Hmm...maybe he wasn't here today, or was elsewhere. Eh. She could wait a bit. Today was an off day, she had time to kill.
Adamaris // Aderyn // Aki // Alexander // Angel // Axieva // Beatrid // Briar // Cadmus // Corryn // Einin/Owl // Emery // Fang // Faolán // Faris // Frost // Hayate // Ife // Jayari // Jirou // Juniper // Katxiel // Khaiya // Kota // Kyran // Liam // Makani // Max // Maya // Mei // Nakato // Naovi // Nasrin // Niaaki // Niamh // Noor // Pepper // Qiana // Qismat // Quinn // Raxta // Riyarin // Rook // Sachi // Sahar // Siobhan // Simonea // Sita // Song // Summer // Valor // Yasmin // Yiroa