The First Age

Nox had been expecting something, not exactly what had happened. A ball of air smashed into his stomach pushing the air from his lungs. He laughed through the gasps, he'd have to remember not to piss her off again for a while. Her fiance seemed to take it in stride, but she got up in a huff. Nox didn't turn to watch her, normally he would have, but she was getting married and her fiance made a comment. Nox took a small swallow of his second beer. A beer he hadn't intended on drinking. He grinned at Connor. "I deal with a viper everyday, your fiance has nothing on her."
Of course Aria wasn't prone to punching him with a ball of air either. But her temperament was slightly worse than the red head's ever could be. He fought with the darkness inside her, he'd seen her go down into it. He'd pulled her up from it.

Nox really hadn't been looking for any attention and now he had two separate parties join him for no apparent reason. The first was out of some misplaced vengeance. He could understand that. The tattoo was a calling card if you knew what to look for. But most people didn't know, didn't care. Few people survived an Atharim attack. But now they were hunting godlings, that was fixing to change he was sure. Atharim were going to become the hunted. Maybe he better keep his tattoo covered up. He'd have to recommend that to Aria as well since part of his job was to keep her safe too.

The man introduce himself and brought a third round. Nox eyed the man suspiciously and sat up in his chair. The third beer bottle sat unopened in front of him. Nox waved the waitress over, "Duckling, mind getting a bottle opener for me?"
She looked at him a little confused. Nox grinned. "I'm done with the theatrics, Just want the bottle opened please."
He gave her a wink and smiled at her.

Nox looked to Connor and smiled, then to the new comer, Tommy his name was. "Nox."
It was pointed at Connor but the man had introduced himself. Connor's comment about being forward made Nox laugh. He sat back in his chair and grinned. "You are one to talk!"
Nox put his hand on Connor's shoulder and gave him a pat, he'd noticed his hand had gone to the gun again. It was meant to tell him he had this. Nox had the power still at hand, it was calling to be used. He wanted to use it, he wove a pretty little net of air around the new guy and it hung just sitting waiting for Nox to pull the net closed. It wouldn't do much but the man would be incapacitated if necessary.

Nox finished the last of his second beer and smiled. "But I do agree, how can we help you? Surely you aren't here to hold me hostage too."
He laughed, it wasn't a joke, but he laughed to make it seem that way, only Connor would know the truth and if he played his cards right it wouldn't be more than a joke.

Tommy had an opportunity to assess the men at the table now. Nox, seemed to be one that liked to make jokes and shrug everything off with a laugh. The other man hadn't given his name, but Tommy noticed the subtle movement of the hand to the pockets. The body language spoke all it needed to. The man was a lion ready to pounce again. That combined with the "hostage" comment from Nox gave even more information. Tommy would bet the man was packing some heat.

He faced the man who hadn't offered his name - Tommy decided to give him one. "Calm down Simba, I'm not your Uncle Scar." Tommy referenced that Disney movie that they kept re-releasing every decade or so.

He turned so he could address both men at the same time as their drinks arrived. "No, not here to hold anyone hostage. Just new in Moscow and thought I'd make a friend or two. We have a common home ground - so I thought this might be a good place to start. Not to mention - everyone else here - kinda boring. Except you guys - you appear to be having a good time." It was true. Most people were just having a quiet relaxing dinner, but the tension that had been at this table had been palpable.

---

Thomas Romero

Connor frowned. Simba? That movie was older than he was. But the guys mood was casual and relaxed. Though as the man spoke Connor did pick up an undercurrent that Nox was of more than casual interest to him.

Was he trying to pick up Nox? The possibility seemed reasonable. Nox was a good looking guy he supposed. Course He had gotten the impression that Nox was interested in women, on the main. Still, it was something he supposed.

He smiled. "I think you and I have different definitions of good times, there guy. Nox here isn't exactly what I would call a friend."
Not an enemy, not if he could use the power, no matter being Atharim. And he liked the kid. But not a friend.

He wondered what Ayden was gonna do when she saw her seat was taken. "I will tell yah that my fiance might not be too thrilled to see that she has a seat partner. Let's switch,"
he said standing. Ayden was already irritated. And now that he didn't feel the same threat level, he could relax at least a little. He still had his gun and he could shoot under the table just fine if it really came down to it. Stupid, but he would do what he had to to protect her.

And he did want to sit next to her. She was a fiery one. Hitting Nox had been just her style. All they needed was more attention. How that squared with his being willing to shoot was not something he really worried about.

Ayden went to the ladies room and stood in front of the mirror. Her fire contacts stared back at her. Her wrath clearly written on her face. She could see every detail as she held the power. She took a few deep breathes then let the power go. She reached for it just to make sure it wasn't being elusive and then headed back to their table with the boy Atharim.

She stopped several feet from there noticing someone else, the PI had joined them. And Connor now sat next the her. Ayden smiled at that but she wasn't exactly liking the fact that the PI had joined them.

The boy was still at ease though he sat a bit farther away from the man than he had from Connor, she was sure that had to do with the fact that Connor had had a gun pointed at him, he'd moved only enough to let Connor sit down.

Why had the PI joined them? It was almost as concerning as the boy Atharim. She walked up to them with a fake smile, it didn't reach her eyes and she glared at Nox with his boyish grin still plastered on his face. He chuckled to himself at her glance.

Ayden sat down next to Connor and put her hand on his thigh for her own reassurance. She turned her attention to the new comer at the table. "So if I'm not mistaken you've been hired to follow our companion here."
She turned to look at Nox with a glare. "What did he do that warrants someone to look into him?"

Nox didn't like the fact that the new guy came to his table. He wasn't happen when he switched places with Connor, though Nox relaxed with gun on the other side of the table.

He thought they were fun, dude had some issues if he thought being held at gun point was fun. He clearly saw that Connor had something in his pocket, his comment had said as much.

And then the fiery red head came and sat down next to Connor. She fixed him a gaze that was still hard and untrusting. He laughed softly to himself.

But she said something that made Nox tense up again. Now he had three potential threats to deal with if what she said was true. But Nox grinned, hiding the fact that he was concerned now. "I'd like to know what I did too, to earn so much attention today."
First the Atharim had killed a man in front of everyone, then Aria was busy for a week, Aurora was being distant, then this, being held at gun point by Connor, his fiance being a godling and now this guy following him around. Who was he and why was he following him.

So Sexy Red Head was Simba's fiance. He supposed he probably shouldn't call her Sexy Red Head then - he'd have to go with Nala until she gave him her name. The point of being here though was to gain information on Durante, and well he was.

He was the type who joked around a lot. Rather than being serious in the face of danger - he made jokes to cover his unease. Some people were like that - it didn't really bother Tommy either way, but was good to know. Perhaps it was because of giving the other two Lion King nicknames, but Tommy was suddenly reminded of Simba laughing in the face of danger - too bad - Simba was already taken.

More importantly, Nox had easily caught on to the fact that he was being watched. It was why Tommy had come over here. That bespoke of skill. Either he was used to being followed, or he was a hunter - either way, a potential threat to Miss Shale. Tommy now believed this more than he had before.

Sexy Red...Nala, that is, asked a question and Tommy appreciated the straightforwardness of her approach. Hah! Another that instantly recognized him for what he was. Simba it had seemed didn't catch on it right away, but he was still tense. When Nox asked a similar question as Nala, Tommy resisted the urge to smirk. It was quite amusing. Of course when he reported this to Miss Shale, he doubted she would be happy. The case wasn't lost yet, but he would have to reduce his price for this little mishap - he had underestimated Durante.

"As far as I know, Nala." he said addressing the woman. "He hasn't done anything. I don't know Nox and have never met him." Miss Shale was interested in who had sent the money and that was it. As far as anything else Nox may have done, he honestly didn't know.

---

Thomas Romero


Edited by Emily Shale, Feb 18 2015, 03:47 PM.

After they switched seats Ayden came back. Her surprise was clear and she still didn't seem to happy, but she sat down next to Connor and put her hand on his leg. He looked at her and smiled.

Then she launched into an interrogation of the new guy and it was Connor's turn to be surprised. Course he didn't show it beyond a raising of the eyebrows. So this was a PI? And she had picked up on it right away. She really was something. And he was after the kid?

He shook his head, feeling at better. He trusted Ayden's judgement and took his hand off his gun, though it was still there if he needed it.

The PI answered Ayden's question- but calling her Nala in the process. He shook his head looking at the guy. "Dude, are you 12?"
he said chuckling. "What's up with all this Lion King crap?"
He'd enjoyed stuff like that as a kid but it wasn't the kind of thing that was ready on the tongue for him to use as nick-names.

Still, he wasn't hurting anybody. Yet. He looked at Nox and then at the new guy. The PI thing put to rest his question as to whether he was interested in Nox- mostly. So, something else.... "You mind trying again? I don't think anyone here thinks you joined us because we looked to be havin' the most fun."


He looked at him, waiting.

Ayden frowned, he hadn't really answered the question. And he called her Nala, what the hell did that mean? But then Connor commented and things started to take shape, an old kids show, a lion's girlfriend who's name was Nala. While she might be a lioness in disguise she wasn't exactly a cute cuddly cartoon character, she was far from it.

"I'm no friend of Nox's here, but if you are tailing him, since I'd have noticed you tailing me or mine around before now, you have to be tailing him. And I want to know why?"
The look in her eye said that she meant business, it was a look she had used all the time to get her way with the bad guys she had worked for. A better price for a shitty job, or whatever the case may be. "Cause if Nox is dangerous I need to know right now."


This entire day was making Ayden upset. This was supposed to be a nice relaxing evening with Connor, a few drinks, some good food with a good atmosphere, not some fucking side show with the Atharim in the main ring.

No one believed this Tommy now. And Ayden really thought he was dangerous. Nox chuckled to himself. She was just as dangerous as he was if not worse. He had some suspicions now that he'd read her file, the whole not existing before a few months back really put a cabash on what she was doing for a living. Waitress he didn't think was accurate, at least not completely.

Nox didn't like being confined right now. There was an itch that started at the back of his neck and Nox wanted to go. He wanted to leave now. These people were making him nervous. The Atharim were making him nervous, and he new he'd drank just one beer to many to make the paranoia that ran in his family step up into the fore front.

Nox leaned back in his chair and took a deep breath and smiled. He wouldn't let them know that this day just got worse. Nox put every effort of the power into an air shield around him. He didn't tie it off, he held it, it was his only protection. He used it as a security blanket.

"I am dangerous, but not to any one here. No more different than you, or your fiance. Or this one here."
He nodded towards the PI. "Though I'd like to know why I'm being followed around."
Nox grinned. "I definitely don't do guys so if that's your game I'm out."

Tommy almost laughed when the man asked about the Lion King. To be honest it just sort of popped into his head, but he really didn't feel like explaining it. If the man had offered his own name, Tommy wouldn't have given him one.

They all seemed to think he was tailing Durante. It wasn't exactly true and wasn't exactly true or false. He was hired to find out who the man was and figure out where he was. That was Tommy's specialty - finding people. But this group had assumptions. He would deal with those in a moment.

"Fun perhaps wasn't the right word. Interesting or intriguing perhaps. You see, I like solving puzzles and you three are quite the puzzle. For example, both of you say Nox isn't a friend, yet here you are."

He turned to face Nala. She wore a serious and businesslike expression on her face. She really wanted to know if Nox was dangerous. By his own admission, the man was and Tommy didn't doubt it. Not many can sit and eat dinner while a man was holding a gun to them and not bat an eye. Nox's admission had been somewhat of a surprise.

"'It is a capital mistake to theorize before one has data. Insensibly one begins to twist facts to suit theories, instead of theories to suit facts.'" Tommy wondered if anyone would recognize the reference. "You assume I am tailing Nox,. Your assumption, although logical, is incorrect. I've been in Moscow long enough to get from the airport to here. There is no way I could have been tailing him, and if I was, I'm sure he would have noticed." His own gaze mirrored her own, except he kept the threat out of it. All joking was pushed aside and he was serious. "But your question is whether or not my interest in Nox has to do with him being dangerous. The answer is no. And Nox you may rest easy. I'm not interested in a hookup either." He allowed the mirth to come back into his voice on the last line.

---

Thomas Romero


Edited by Emily Shale, Feb 21 2015, 03:36 AM.