The First Age

Martin cursed as the woman left speaking to another in the hallway. More people to deal with.

He ignored their conversation and browsed through their catalog of new weapons ones designed to take down reborn gods. Sonic guns, microwaves. They had taken several of them with them to take down Volodin but there was no need. The man was easily manipulated with feminine wiles and a knife in the back much to Martin's disappointment.

Nothing was catching his eye. He might have to see their research department. With that decision made. Martin checked his wallet at the time. The frown curled on to his lips made him unhappy. Where was that whelp!

Martin left and making sure to avoid the two women. Though it was impossible to do so completely, he nodded and left on his way. He went in search of their toy maker and the rest of the Archangels. He probably should find the Regus as well.

Tehya closed her eyes against the murmur of conversation within, and considered retreating. Her presence here was aimless; a knee-jerk reaction to fill the time until she truly absorbed the consequences of Ascendancy's announcemet. Interaction with her colleagues at such a time was not relished, but in the heartbeats it took to come to this realisation, a girl had imerged. Bright as a button.

Tehya did not smile, but neither was she rude. Her head inclinced in acknowledgement.

"Then welcome to Moscow. I'm sure you'll find plenty to keep you busy here."
A moment more passed, then. "My name is Tehya."
She glanced up as the other voice, Borovsky, made his departure, returning the nod. Her stance shifted, arms still folded. Her glance fell back squarely on Elyse, impatient to be on the move, but tempered by memories of her own first few days in the city.

"Nice to meet you, Tehya."


She put her wallet away for now as she waited for a response from Nox.

"I'm likely heading underground to do some exploring later."
She said with a slight smile. "That should keep me busy for awhile."

Jacinda was in a foul mood. She hadn't been able to sleep anyway. She wanted to hit something or someone. It was 2am and she idly thought about heading down into the tunnels to do some hunting and clear her head. Course there were other things that might do that too, but frankly, she wasn't in the mood at the moment, at least not right away. After a good fight, maybe. Bah! What a mess.

She messaged Gunnar to see if he was up and willing for a fight. Truthfully, going out tonight (or this morning rather) was probably not a good idea. If she knew Barovsky, they'd all be meeting soon. The Regus would probably be there too, though aside from that first meeting, she'd not actually had a chance to talk to or work with him. Who knew. Maybe the announcement would actually mean they all got to work together. She was curious to see him in the field. He was older but hadn't gone to seed, that was for sure.

No response. The guy was likely sawing logs. They'd sparred a few times since they'd taken down Volodin. The other squints and team mates had mostly gone on with their own things, but Gunnar had been game. And so they'd fought and flirted....and no more. As much as that might be nice- he did have large hands and the sweetest smile- and was funny, which she liked. Well, despite that, they worked together. Not that that had ever stopped her before. But then, she had been mostly a loner. She worked with hunters and things happened, and then afterwards they went off on their way, to meet again in the future or not.

Now she was a part of a team. She had taken the Regus' words to heart. It was hard. She knew Barovsky had been pissed at her for killing Volodin like that. And she thought he was just being a control freak. Still, she'd told Regus she would try....and so she was.

Since Gunnar was asleep, she ended up heading down to the gym and hitting the bag for a while. It occurred to her that it might be advantageous to join a gym or something. Make some contacts she could spar with that weren't Atharim. Something to think about.

Sweaty and feeling better, she showered, got dressed and headed down to get something to eat. The talk in the mess was about the announcement. She didn't have any idea what it would mean for them. Everything was just so up in the air. Perhaps they would fall back to localized cells or small groups, like back home. Being less cohesive might minimize some of the damage.

Mostly, though, she thought about Brandon. She should have know, the prick! Already she had hated him because of what he stood for. He wasn't exactly a favorite back home, not that she cared all that much about politics, but it was the prevailing view- and those few that supported him often found themselves in some real trouble.

But being a reborn god? The arrogance just oozed from the man as he spoke. "Because I am the first, the Ascendancy. The oldest and strongest of all." God, she wanted to just pound that guys face, all standing there with the stupid band around his head. The guy really bought his own shit didn't he? The ego on that guy!

It just proved what they had always believed. You can't touch that kind of power without becoming a massive douche. She'd bet that if you looked back at his rise, you'd start to find a lot of bodies. More than a lot. Hell, all the natural disasters that struck the US back when she was younger had coincided with his rise to power. She remembered them, all the chaos they caused. Just when it looked like things were under control or being managed, another would hit. The US couldn't get a break.

Pretty suspicious, now that she thought about it. She wanted to kill the guy. He was the epitome of everything they stood against, the living embodiment of why the Atharim existed. Oh yeah, she wanted in.

And if she knew him, so was Barovsky. They were not pals. Far too independent. And too alike. But she respected him. And he had the Regus' ear. If there was ever a target for the Archangels, he was it.

Some inquiry told her where Barovsky was last seen. The Armory. She smiled. Yep. Probably stocking up. She needed to do the same.

And....speak of the devil. Just as she rounded a corner on the way, there he was. And he didn't look happy. Of course. Well, she got that. Still, she smiled at him anyway. She didn't mean to needle him. It was just instinct. "Barovsky. Just the man I was looking for. You have a moment to talk?"



Edited by Jacinda, Jul 11 2016, 01:48 PM.

Lost in thought Martin nearly walked into Cross. He sighed. "Yes. My office."


He didn't wait for Jacinda to about face. He had to check on the status of that little whelp. Where the fuck was she? Martin pulled his wallet out of his pocket and checked his messages. He was getting angrier the longer she dallied.

Martin started towards his door when he saw her. The little minx was sitting in a chair outside his office. She hadn't bothered seeking him out. She waited for him. He groaned in frustration.

As he walked past her, he unceremoniously grabbed her by the arm fully aware of the danger and dragged her into his office and tossed her at a chair. "Sit. Be quiet."


"Cross what do you need?"
Martin said as he grabbed the file folders that were in Aria's hand and laid them on the desk as he sat down. He glanced at the top and frowned at the name sitting on the top.

He flipped open the folder and saw the big red stamp DECEASED. He looked up at Jacinda. "I'll be a moment, take a seat."
He looked back to Aria. "You killed him?"

Aria finished her conversation with Manix and Jaxen abruptly. She was sure to get the raw side Borovsky's tongue if she didn't hurry. Her meeting with Ascendancy had been important but this was her life on the line. Borovsky had no reason to keep her alive if she failed.

But he wasn't in his office. She was where she was supposed to so she wrote her reports quickly - one on Giordano Pirozzi and one on her trip to Siberia. The latter she obmitted many details, but she didn't forgo the idea that she'd seen Ascendancy there and learned things. It was perfect. She was late because was checking it all out. All very true. So very true, just not complete.

Aria smiled at her report. First her father than Ascendancy. He'd be pissed, regardless and the moment she felt a hand under her arm Aria had been ready to instill the deepest fear into the man holding her, but she refrained. Not out of fear, she knew what she had Martin Borovsky wanted. And she had just proven her worth. It was the Regus she was most worried about. Aria could play Martin easily - he wanted only one thing - to be a god himself!

Aria sat calmly in the chair and barely noticed the American standing in the doorway following Borovsky in. She knew the other Archangels name. Nox knew her better. He was only a child when he'd met her, his father knew her well. Or so the stories all said. Their own elite American Atharim club, Aria smirked at it.

Martin took the files from her and Aria wanted to feel what he felt the moment he realized she did what he couldn't do - she killed her father.

His question made Aria smirk. "Yes, I killed my father. He tried to shoot me but I was quicker, my sword was true."
It was not a lie, she just left the part about that he'd succeed.

Aria smiled darkened. "The other is my findings from the trip to Siberia. I think you will enjoy that one. The Regus certainly will. And I have other information that I will not share with anyone but you and he."

Yoshimura headed through the halls towards Martin's office. Everyone he passed seemed a bit on edge. It was completely understandable given the current circumstances. Yoshimura, however, seemed as stoic as he always did as he walked, despite some discomfort from the suit he wore.

He had changed his clothing to a more modern style as the Regus had suggested to him. It didn't mean he had to like it. He wore a suit because it suited him more so than more casual attire. He used to wear a tie, but found it too constricting. Of course when he was on a mission, he would change to something more suitable for quick movement.

Arriving at Borovsky's office, he found the door ajar and three people stood within. He of course recognized Martin and Jacinta. There was another woman in the room, shorter, that Yoshimura didn't recognize. She wasn't an archangel, Yoshimura knew that much. Cross was probably there on similar purpose as he, the other woman, however, seemed to have more of Borovsky's attention at the moment.

At this point, surprisingly, Cross didn't seem to be interrupting. Jacinda was a skilled hunter, but she was loud, vulgar, and had no sense of proper behavior. If she did, that made it even worse - ignorance of proper social interactions was easier to understand that just plain ignoring them. Yoshimura did have to work with her though, and he made certain to do it without it affecting his own work.

Yoshimura took a seat outside the office, toning out their conversation so he didn't eavesdrop. It was not his place to enter or listen to what was going on even though the door was open. Yoshimura would wait until he was called upon or invited in.

Tehya nodded approval. "It will."
By virtue of its very nature, Moscow's Underground attracted many of the creatures it was the Atharim's duty to eradicate. Nothing was said of the Ascendancy's announcement, for which Tehya was grateful. It was possible the young woman did not even yet know. Though she would.

Tehya's arms unfolded, and she headed for the now blissfully empty armoury. "Good luck hunting, Elyse. Stay safe."

Elyse thanked Tehya. The other woman seemed to be preoccupied, so Elyse elected to not take up more of her time.

Elyse left the building to head back to her own apartment. There she would await a response from Durante.

Barovsky was irritated- of course. Seemed to be his permanent expression. Jeez, the guy needed to get laid (though she had no interest in helping out with that.) But he needed something at least. Cause he seemed to always have a stick so far up his ass that it was a wonder he could bend when sitting. A drink at least. Idly, she thought about inviting him out so she could see him loosen up. Surely he had to have his down time. It'd be the right charitable thing to do. But maybe he was a douche 24/7. Who knew.

True to form, though- and by that she meant, acting irritated and impulsive. I mean who suddenly pulls another person into the room like that when he just agreed to have a conversation with someone else? Jacinda hadn't asked to talk to him and some girl. Sure she might have spunk- from the looks she flashed and then the smile, his manhandling of her didn't phase her a bit- but that didn't mean that Jacinda had come down here to talk with a group, or in the hallway for that matter.

But whatever. The guy was upset. It was maybe understandable given the announcement. It had everyone on edge. The timing couldn't have been worse. The Regus sets up their new Order and they are all set to really start taking down some gods and then they are outed? Maybe the Regus was breathing down his neck. So maybe she should cut him some slack. She was not really all that happy either.

And who knew? Might be fun watching Barovsky flounder around with this girl. His reaction to whatever was in those files was interesting. And the girl's words. Killed her father? Was she the child of a reborn god? An Atharim who was the daughter of a god? Her mind stopped dead at that thought.

Now that was an interesting situation. Something she hadn't thought about before. Atharim came in all shapes and sizes, so to speak. It wasn't like they were suddenly immune to genes and inheritance when they got their tattoo.

So....didn't that mean that somewhere, somehow, there was at least one Atharim out there who was a reborn god? She knew of the the priest the Regus had killed at the convocation. He had fathered a reborn god. Surely he wasn't the only one.

Now that was interesting. She now had something else to talk with Barovsky about. And some research to do. See if anyone on file had been sick. Check them out. It sounded about right. Reborn gods skulking about among the Atharim, hiding what they were. Rotting things from the inside. Weakening their organization. Maybe that was how Brandon had known about them. Spies. She smiled wickedly, suddenly not irritated at all toward Barovsky. His actions had given her a great new angle to take.

She casually leaned against the wall and watched them.


Edited by Jacinda, Jul 14 2016, 05:40 PM.