The Less You Know, The Better [M]

[almighyxcavus]

For fucks sake, it'd be great if this thing didn't singe me every two seconds.

While experimenting with local plant life, Axton managed to set the world record for most amount of times burning a single finger in less than 30 seconds. As well as every other finger in the same time frame.

"Alright, something is up with this damn heater. I'll take care of it later after a nice meal."

Axton grabbed Ruzzi on the way out the door.You never know, but in truth do we even know? Alright tentacle monster thing you can stop now, its not even night yet.

Axton put on his typical black leather coat. Quite the expensive looking material, until one realizes he stole it off one of his feasts. Rich blood always tastes the best. Topping his head off with his pointed hat he made way through his humble abode and out through the door.

Sunset, arguably the best time a day. Second to only the sunrise. The break between nights, a break between feasts where he can feel normal. Is he normal? What constitutes normality? Is it simply confining to societal norms in order to assist the development of a nation? All good questions for himself once he reached the bar he frequented.

He walked in, head tilted downward, knowing exactly where every chair, table, and stool was.It must've been a bit. There's a new smell around. Axton sat himself at the bar counter, towards the corner. "Whiskey, neat, and two bags of sugar please."

[Paladienne]

Merrell raised an eyebrow at the stranger, but said nothing and went to fulfill the odd request. It wasn't the first time someone had entered the tavern and had asked for something super out there. But Merrell wasn't in the business of asking questions, especially if the person had the coin to pay for their request. So he got the man's whiskey and the two bags of sugar, and set them all down in front of the stranger. Then he retreated to take care of his other customers, as well as keep a surreptitious eye on the stranger.

The stranger's face was familiar. Merrell had seen it somewhere before. But placing it was another matter. If he could figure out where he'd seen the man before, then he could figure out what his next step would be. In the meantime, he had to keep pretending that he wasn't studying the stranger with the scrutiny of suspicion, and pretend that he was just a normal barkeeper, rather than a Nightshade. He looked up from the bar to where several of his cohorts sat, and with a quick series of blinks, he sent them a silent message. Innocuous gestures were returned, both confirming that they understood the orders and promising to fulfill them. One of the boys pushed himself out of his chair and wandered weaving toward the back of the establishment, where the washrooms were located. But once he was out of sight, the weaving step vanished, and he moved with confidence and swagger.

When the boy returned, Merrell got his answer.

The stranger at the bar was one of their marks, a highly-paid mark at that. An entire village had pooled their resources in order to take out a contract on this man. Merrell had gotten the orders only a few days ago, with the stipulation that he wasn't to engage the target alone and to exercise all caution.

So he began to plan, wondering how he could complete his orders without destroying his establishment or compromising the innocent people who frequented his tavern. He knew the others were watching as well, pretending to drink and eat as if they were any other patron here. And yet, they were all waiting for his signal, all waiting for his orders. As soon as he had a plan, they could execute it.

So he wandered back over to the man, rubbing a cloth on a glass to dry it. "Need another, my brother?"

[almighyxcavus]

He looks suspicious keep an eye on em. He's just a bartender, leave the man be for Kia's sake. Look around you imbecile. They're watching. WHO?

Axton lifted his head and took a quick look around the bar. You quite literally drive me insane sometimes you do realize this correct? Oh for the love of...

"Yes please I would like another. In fact I might be a while, mind if I procure a double shot as well as two more bags of sugar please."

You're going to get yourself killed. Are you going to let me get killed? You really are a smart ass sometimes aren't you. How long have we known each other again?

Axton relaxed in his seat, the first shot settling in his stomach. You've always had that weird whiskey mix since you came across drinking. Why? Why not? Sweet whiskey tastes great on its own, and it helps settle my stomach. YOU HAVEN"T EATEN ANYTHING BESIDES THOSE DAMN PLANTS ALL DAY. NO WONDER WHY YOU WOULD HAVE AN UPSET STOMACH. I swear sometimes I wish you didn't find my skull.

Axton chuckled and placed his hat on the counter, fully revealing his face. Sometimes I wish I could pop outta here and smack you upside the head. Yeah, yeah keep talking, have some booze while you're at it.

[Paladienne]

"Comin' right up, me drei." Merrell said, using the strange word on purpose. While it meant 'brother', in his language, it was also code. It told anyone who was listening that this man was indeed the intended target, and that they could begin to move in on him.

Merrell, however, pretended to be nothing more than a bartender, getting the stranger another drink and another two bags of sugar. Before he brought them over, he upended a small vial into the whiskey, pouring a colorless, tasteless liquid into the drink. All slight of hand, no one would have noticed. The liquid was harmless as far as poisons went. It merely would slow the target's reaction time and allow the Nightshades to easily take him down. After all, while they had the stories of what he was capable of, no one had actually seen him in action. Caution was of the utmost importance.

He set all the items down in front of the man and cleared out the used glass and empty bags. Behind the stranger, the Nightshades began to arrange themselves in strategic positions, cutting off paths of escape and ensuring that there would be no one in the way when they finally went after their man. No one else in the establishment thought anything of the movement, instead keeping their attentions on their own drinks, food, and entertainment. The movement of the Nightshades would be considered as patrons shifting their seats or joining friends at different tables, done so smoothly that there would be no notice of transition, and even if there was, it would be considered as benign and non-threatening.

Merrell added further distraction by approaching Axton again, continuing to dry the glass he'd just picked up with a towel. "So what brings you to Zantaric, me drei? Same old thing? Business? Pleasure? I've just about heard all the stories. Zantaric's a good place for disappearing, if you catch me drift."

But before he could get an answer to his questions, Merrell's attention was drawn to a corner of the room of the tavern, where a sudden shout had come from, and the next thing he knew, a chair was being thrown. It smashed against the bar's wall inches away from Axton, and the man who threw the chair had begun shouting belligerently and incoherently. Merrell winced. Great. This was the last thing he needed right now. He glanced toward Axton, hoping for the best and that the man wasn't about to get himself involved.

[almighyxcavus]

You're obliviousness sickens me to my core. I'd like to call it just living my life.

When Merrel delivered the second shot, Axton didn't even hesitate. Downed within an instant. "That is some fine whiskey. Zantaric has been my home for a while now actually. Morning runs through the mountains are quite exhilarating. Also, what in the world is drei?"

Before Merrel could even respond a chair went zooming past Axton's head. Just inches away from a nearly catastrophic hair day. Axton turned his head towards the man who threw said chair. I swear if you do anythin- Could you kindly shut the fuck up for once until after I've made a decision. Well alrighty then, take care of this on your own terms but don't come crying to me later tonight! Imbecile.

Axton walked over to the clearly wasted man and placed a hand on his shoulder and with a smile he spoke: "Sir, I believe it's best to get you out of here lest something else breaks."

Like your neck.

[Paladienne]

Shit. Merrell scowled as Axton surged off his stool and walked over to the man who'd thrown the chair. The last thing he needed right now was a brawl involving their target and some innocent drunk who decided that today would be a good day to have a bad temper. Signaling his men to stay where they were and to only cover the exits of the place, Merrell quickly swung around the bar and hurried to put himself between the drunkard and the target, hoping to stop something that was about to get even more dangerous just on principle.

"Whoa, now." Merrell said with a cheery tone. "I think we all know how to handle this. Why don't we all walk away, eh? We all go back to our drinks and our friends, and let bygones be bygones, yeah?"

The man that had thrown the chair slapped Axton's hand off his shoulder and straightened to his full height, which put him a head over Merrell's own height, and gave him an imposing stature. Or would have, had the man not been completely wasted and couldn't stand still. "I think," slurred the drunk, "you should mind your own bid'ness!"

He reached to shove Merrell back, but missed and slammed forward into Axton. Merrell cursed silently again and reached to grab for the idiot before Axton decided to escalate the fight. Not that Merrell would mind if he did, because that would give him the excuse he needed to fulfill the contract he'd accepted. Only problem with that was, he hoped Axton still believed him to be an innocent bartender and not someone out to get him.

[almighyxcavus]

Feisty I see, still a lumbering oaf though. The... alchohol is gettin... goodness what is this.

Merrel's intervention was understandable. The last thing this bartender wanted was for a stupid bar fight. "No worries, I was just going to escort him outsi-" Before Axton finished his sentence the drunkard had accidentally shoved Axton. Axton stumbled back a bit for the man had quite the size on him.

Axton reached into his pocket and snapped his little bone. Within a puff of smoke, Axton grabbed the man's forearm swung him away from Merrel and onto the floor. Appearing to be in a position where his pointer and middle finger were pinching a specific portion of the drunkard's neck.

"You are why we cant have nice things around here." Axton straightened up and fixed his glasses. "My apologies, I'm aware you didn't want this to escalate. I'll have him taken care of outside."

Axton smiled.

[Paladienne]

Merrell stared down at the drunkard Axton had subdued with just a quick touch. A trained assassin, he recognized the pressure point the man had used to put down the attacker. Merrell's brow raised, his expression one of astonishment and curiosity. A plan began to form in his head. Not really a plan, but more like an idea. Their contract stated that they were to kill this man, but anyone who knew their way around a body like that could be quite the asset to their organization. Yet, he couldn't just... act on his own. He needed permission. But in order to get permission he had to send word of his idea and observations, and then he would have to wait for a reply. In the meantime, they'd lose sight of their target, and there would be no telling if someone else might choose to take up the contract and kill him.

Or worse.

Kill him without a contract.

Merrell caught Axton's arm in a friendly hold and smiled. "Nah, let me boys take care of the lout. You've done enough, me drei. Me brother. Come, let me give you a drink on the house."

He didn't give Axton the room to argue, all but dragging the man back to the bar to give him another glass of whiskey. But, this drink had a special ingredient in it. A tasteless, colorless liquid that Merrell tipped in from a tiny vial with slight of hand so good it was impossible to see him do it. He signaled his waiting crew, some moving to drag out the drunkard left drooling on the floor and others moving to prepare themselves for a fight - or to carry out a body.

If Axton chose to drink the whiskey, the first thing he would feel after five minutes was tingling in his extremities, as if his fingers and toes were falling asleep. If he tried to stand, he would find that his legs wouldn't hold his weight. His speech would be slurry, as if he were over-intoxicated. And then the world would go dark, leaving him completely and utterly unaware of what was happening.

[almighyxcavus]

 I wake up after five minutes, and im already seeing you've done some crap. What in the hell just happened?

Shut your trap, some dude wanted to start a fight is all. Used the typical maneuver, and now the bartender is offering me a drink.

A bombardment of cluster headache's pounded in Axton's mind. I SWEAR IF YOU TAKE THAT DRINK I WILL GIVE YOU THE WORST MIGRAINES THAT COULD EVER POSSIBLY EXIST.

"Alright you know what you can kindly, SHUT. THE. FUCK. UP." Axton didn't realize he actually spoke until after the final word. Putting his hand behind his head, "Uhh, my apologies, that wasn't meant for anyone here." Axton grabbed the drink and cheered the bartender. "To Merrell, To the North! To the East! To the South! To the Weast! To the Sex from my Ex! Down we go!"

You're an absolute idiot.    

[Paladienne]

The first thing Axton would feel would be his limbs growing tingly, and then heavy, as if they were weighted with lead. The world around him would start to spin as if he had suddenly come down with a dizzy spell. Even if he tried to stand and speak, he would find that he could do none of these things. And then, suddenly, his world would go dark and he would have no more awareness of the world around him.

Merrell waited until Axton hit the floor before coming around the bar to stand over the man. He stared down at him, a cold and calculating expression upon his face, as he waited to make sure the drug had taken full effect and he wasn't in for any nasty surprises. Once he was certain it was safe, he knelt to pull Axton up off the floor and then toss him over his shoulder like a sack of flour.

He gestured toward his operatives, silently telling them to go ahead and prepare things, even as he headed toward the back of the tavern. He slipped out through a secret door into an enclosed alley, and then toward the back wall. After touching a sequence of stone blocks, he pushed open a secret door that led to a staircase leading downward. It led into a secret basement under the neighboring building to the tavern, and a place Merrell was certain would hold Axton until he could figure out what to do with him.

[almighyxcavus]

I told ya not to drink the fuckin thing. I fucking warned ya! I can't even give you migraines, wanna know why? CAUSE YOU'RE FUCKING UNCONSCIOUS YOU BUMBLING IDIOT!"

At least I'm not dead. Axton shrugged with a cockiness that even the slugman couldn't stand, or slither rather. Even within the infinite possibilities of the mind, slugman chose to keep the two of them stuck in perpetual darkness. Only voices were to be exchanged.

How long are we gonna be like this exactly? I have no clue, just wait until you see the light or something. Whatever you say slugman.

[Paladienne]

It had taken some time, but finally, Merrell had been able to get through to the Nightshades' leadership and had pleaded his case through a series of letters and messengers, getting replies through those same messengers and letters. He'd had to assure the leadership that it was worth doing what he was proposing, assure them that he would take care of it should his plan go awry, and that he wouldn't fail them. And Merrell didn't want to fail, for that would mean his usefulness had been outlived and he would likely be made to vanish. And not a soul would look for him, for only the leadership had the authorization to make a Nightshade vanish.

Provided the "vanishing" was a punishment and not death in the line of duty or retirement.

So Merrell had reached out to someone who could possibly help him, once he'd gotten permission, of course. The Nightshades couldn't afford having this particular operative's cover blown, and so everything dealing with him would be under the table. Secret. It had taken just as much time to get all the papers and lies and whispers set in the right places and grease the right amount of hands in order to see it all done, but it would be worth it. Merrell hoped it would be worth it and that he wouldn't be proven wrong. He rather enjoyed living.

With a bundle in hand, Merrell headed down to the hole in the earth where he'd stashed the target for the time it had taken for him to do his thing, and made sure to make enough noise to wake the man if he was sleeping. Even if he wasn't, Merrell banging on the door would certainly wake the dead.

"Hey, my brother, you still alive in there?"

[almighyxcavus]

"BWA! Don't scare me like that! I coulda pissed myself!" He yelled.

Axton woke shaking as much drool as he could off him. He looked around and proceeded to scratch his head before responding to what he recognized as Merrell.

"Im doing alright, just a little bit of stretching to do. Where am I , me drei." He clearly butchered the accent, but figured it'd be flattering for someone constantly calling him a brother.

You still got that bone on ya don't you?

its the one thing no one ever thinks to take.

at least you're not a complete bafoon

[Paladienne]

Merrell frowned at the man's use of the word drei, but he didn't say a word about it, or the butchered pronunciation. If the man wanted to use it, who was he to argue? But the fact remained that he didn't know the true meaning behind the word, and that was what caused the frown. While it meant "brother", the meaning was deeper than just a familial or blood tie. Drei were bound by the soul, by the spirit, and they were honor-bound to see their brother avenged or buried in the sacred lands of their homeland. Perhaps Merrell shouldn't have used the word in the first place, but old habits were hard to break.

Shaking his head, Merrell shifted to set a key into the lock and turned it, allowing the door to swing open. He didn't cross the threshold yet, rather standing on the other side of the door. Even if Axton tried to escape now, he wouldn't be getting anywhere. Unless Merrell said the code word, the spells binding the threshold would stop Axton from getting out. He'd run headlong into a solid wall, even though nothing was actually there.

"You're in a safe place, to answer that question." Merrell responded, his eyes focused on Axton's face, though he was keeping careful watch on the man's hands. "I got a proposition for you. Took some time and had to pull a lot of strings. So, you wanna hear me out, or you gonna ignore the proposition? Gonna go ahead and try and get out of there?"

Merrell's eyes became like twin chips of frozen ice then, and an odd smile appeared on his face. "Because I guarantee you that you can't get out of there without my say so. And since no one knows you're here but me and a few select others, the chances of you dying by starvation and thirst are pretty high."