The First Age

Oh?


So Sebastian thought someone meant to kill him. Interesting indeed.

He was probably right, if his actions and temperament were anything to go by. Reckless, confrontational and far too honest. Or maybe that was just an effect of being hunted. Either way, Tony didn't doubt he was telling the truth.

He watched as Enzo gave him a grave warning about the negative impacts of paranoia. Seemed like knew a thing or two about the subject, but the man was far harder to pin than Sebastian.

Enzo's wallet buzzed and the hard eyed foriegner excused himself. Tony took the opportunity to speak to Sebastian alone in the company of those with power. He did not want to drag Enzo into it. "Death is not so bad, once you get used to it,"
Tony bared his teeth in what was meant to be a smile, but it caught something more savage in his bitterness.

He would have said more, but Enzo returned with a cynical sigh. Work. "It happens to the best of us,"
Tony replied congenially. Not that Tony had ever really done an honest day's work in his life. It would be far too boring to start now.

It seemed as if letting go of his suspicion suddenly made Bas feel relaxed. Or at least more relaxed. He took a long pull on his drink, allowing the music of the place to wash over him. It felt good not to be looking over his shoulder, with these guys at least. Ponytail and his friends seemed good natured enough. Course that wasn't hard, not really. The girls here were beautiful in every meaning of the word. The company and the decor were designed to make one feel at home- though Bas doubted most men's homes enjoyed such...perks.

He looked over past the stage and saw Tatyana with a worried look. He smiled at her and waved her over. She grimaced and walked out of sight. Ah jeeze. Guess he was in trouble. He couldn't blame her. He was going to have to go see her.

Just as he thought of getting up Wallet's wallet buzzed and he looked at it before excusing himself. He knew the drill from his own line of work. In the meantime, Ponytail quipped about dying. Bas snorted. "True enough. Though dying here in Kallisti is not how I'd like to go."
He paused. "Well, maybe get my day started here. Bring the party to my place. Die in the embrace of a beautiful woman or three? Yeah, I could handle that."
He winked as he took is drink.

Wallet returned, seeming a bit put out. Work, he said. Bas shrugged and noticed the soreness in his shoulder. After a moment, he let the power go and the soreness faded to a slight ache. He looked back where Tatyana had gone. "Well gentlemen, I have a lady friend who is upset with me."
His smile became lopside and his voice dropped conspiratorially. "They are the spice of life, though."
He downed his drink and stood. "Thank you for your hospitality."

As Enzo planted himself into the seat, he nodded in appreciation of Tony's sympathy. He was soon drawn to Sebastian. Being nearer the man did not alter his instincts. Before knowing that Sebastian was more than just a man, his gut said to be wary. A similar feeling churned his stomach the night his family was slaughtered, but he ignored it as unreasonable. Short years passed, but his view of the world was quite different. He trusted his instincts now. Corrado made sure of it.

He stared as Sebastian made his departure. Thoughts of dreyken and investigating dulled to a buzz in the back of his mind, here was a god known to be dangerous, unlike allegations imposed upon the others, Sebastian was already a terror. Was the woman he was to greet aware? He shifted so to share a quiet comment with Tony, but did not peel his eyes away. "Three times I've met him downtown under strange circumstances. The first he was so ill he vomited on the street, hallucinating and behaving out of his mind. I did not wait to see what happened. The second time was at a store in GUM where he had a rather unbecoming way with a young lady friend of mine, but was of more sound mind. Finally, here at Kallisti, and you saw the result."


He finally turned to meet the level of Tony's eyes. "Another troubling young man killed my daughter some years ago. I'm hesitant to trust, as you might understand."
He mulled over his glass of wine only to quickly set it aside. The scent carried him too far in the past for comfort.

He retrieved his wallet one more to send Martin a message. 'Gone,'
was all the message included. Let other Atharim deal with Sebastian. Enzo was uninterested.

Events conspired to be more suspicious than he had given them credit for. Sebastian left them to appease his female friend which was natural enough. He thought that the man might have been curious enough about Hans's display to perhaps organize another, more private meeting, but it did not seem to be the case. Perhaps he already knew enough about his own power or was simply suspicious of anyone. Being hunted like a deer could do that to a man.

More interesting was Enzo's piercing gaze and cautionary tale that followed. Tony could not escape the man's eyes without appearing foolish or rude, so he sat back with an intently interested expression that needed little acting to pull off sincerely.

The story was a familiar one and Tony could recognize the tell-tale signs in it even had Sebastian not revealed himself. Hans and Veso knew it as well, he could tell. Hans was adept enough at appearing confused but Veso would win no awards for acting. The man's stoic acceptance could use some work. You didn't hear about a plagued and possibly insane person's antics without batting an eyelid. Of course, it could have been taken for a symptom of a drunken lecher, but Tony doubted Enzo was taking about that. Perhaps Veso's acceptance would be a sign of stupidity then.

Suspicion seems to be infective tonight,Tony thought wryly.

The humour drained from his mind as Enzo finished with the murder of his daughter. Was he implying what Tony thought he was?

Tony frowned and glanced in the direction Sebastian had departed. "I am sorry to hear that. Do you think the young lady is in danger?"


"I find men who abuse their strengths to commit such acts are no better than animals,"
he continued. It was unwise, but anger compelled him. People like that fuelled the fires of hate. "Like any animal that cannot control themselves, they should be put down."

Enzo's focus continued to hone upon the area Sebastian was last seen. Tony carried on the conversation despite, but Enzo's mind wandered. When focus slipped, danger crept close. Logic dictated that the danger had passed, but Tony's remark struck an eerie chord. Enzo slowly turned his gaze to regard the Russian. Culture might explain the harshness of the condemnation, but Enzo's instinct prickled wary.

"I do not think she is in danger, but I had a wife and daughter, and I raised my son to treat women with more respect."
The words turned in his mouth as the glittering scene settled upon his mind like a hypocritical crown of thornes. A russian was unlikely to understand, especially one in such a venue as Kallisti and whom condemned men like Sebastian as beasts to slaughter. Ironically, at this very moment, Sebastian was soon to enter the slaughterhouse and Enzo did nothing to stop it. Rather, he brought the executioner to the very door. In the end, Sebastian would meet a deserved death.

Tony regarded Enzo with curiosity building further. He could not miss the connotations his words held. The man held honour and respect in such high regard, that much was certain. So why was he here, in a place he should by all means detest?

Grief and regret was a powerful drug, Tony knew all too well. He himself had succumbed to its seductive allure. Enzo however, did not strike him as someone who had abandoned himself to the swills of sorrow. There was purpose behind his elegant exterior.

The thoughts milled in his head, his brain pecking at the intrigue like a vulture at morsels of meat. It was not until Hans spoke that he realised the young man had leaned in close to whisper in his ear.

"Something has the 'locals' nervous. Word is the shadows are playing up."


Tony nodded without any change in expression and Hans resumed his lazy posture.

Had someone finally caught his trail? It was an event he had done everything to prevent but nonetheless prepared for.

No matter, he could handle whatever was thrown at him.

"Why,"
Tony asked, returning his attention to Enzo with a flippant smile to pass the time,"would a respectable man like yourself be in here of all places? Drowning in sinful pleasure doesn't suit you."



Edited by Tony Soloyov, Jul 30 2015, 11:04 AM.

Takehiko Mizushima looked the neighborhood over. Red light district, with all that implied. Looked like a club just down the street. Probably a strip club, though this far more upscale than the other joints he'd been in. Mostly as part of his work. He wasn't exactly making the big bucks as a cop. Maybe now that he was with Domovoi, though he wasn't holding his breath. Heart and financial capital of the world it may be, but somehow all that largess didn't exactly trickle down to all of them on the government payroll. At least not at his level. Junior grade detective wasn't exactly high level.

Still, it wasn't like he did this job for the money or the glory. Ilyasa wasn't the kind of girl who was impressed with money anyway, for which he was very thankful. Being a second generation immigrant to Moscow didn't exactly lend one to such things. But he was happy with his life, for the most part.

Especially now that he finally was able to get some answers. Well, not exactly answers. More like glad that he could be involved in figuring out what the hell was going on in this city. Serial killers. Cannibals. Random mutilations. All where the perp was invisible or otherworldly or whatever you wanted to call it. His superiors hadn't been happy with where his investigations had gone. There wasn't exactly a selection for "vampire" in the online forms he had to fill out.

Domovoi was a far better fit. It seemed all of his coworkers had strange run-ins in their line of work. Sarkozy called them the moster squad and he liked that. Better than the "Z-Files" some of the old-timers kept suggesting. And now Sarkozy was laid up in the hospital. He'd gone to see him and the guy was in good spirits. It wasn't an official visit anyway. He wasn't the lead detective on this anyway. The "new guy" Vega was- well they were all "new" guys- and he was gonna be interviewing Ivan at some point if he wasn't already. But Takehiko had seen the videos. The guy had been hurt pretty bad. He doubted he'd be coming back to the squad.

Which meant it was all the more imperative that they find this asshole Volodin. Nobody walks away from hurting a cop. The blue shield was a real thing, as he would soon find out.

He radioed Kip at the station. They were trying to track Volidin. It was one of many leads."Alright, I'm at the location. You have an idea where he might have gone?" Or even if it was him, he didn't add. Thermal fingerprinting was fickle at the best of times. Which made sense. A thermal image print of a person depended on their total body heat. That changed over time and with different activities. You needed a long scan to get the underlying baseline that didn't change. And it wasn't like Volodin had stood there in the market just for that purpose.

Still, it was better than nothing. An affirmative came back from Kip- with attitude, of course. He'd heard the unspoken criticism. Oh well. So Takehiko was blind. Well, he was just doing reconn anyway. He wasn't supposed to engage Volodin. Domovoi was suddenly stretched thin with the new attacks. But this guy took precedence for him.

After a moment of looking around he decided to start canvassing using a picture on his wallet. People weren't helpful, which didn't exactly surprise him. Not like cops were well liked here. Soon enough, he was in front of Kallistis. The bouncer looked like he wouldn't let him in until he flashed his badge. The guy rolled his eyes but let him in. A manager came by and tried to reign him in- they had high rollers as their clientele and liked their privacy- he was having none of it.

"You know about what's going on, right? Crashed planes? Terrorist attacks? Custody Security isn't sitting on its hands. Nor will it tolerate obstruction." Those were the magic words, of course. You don't get in the way of a Consulate, not if you knew what was good for you. He might be overstating his credentials, but the mood in the city was fearful and the manager knew he was right.

The guy backed off and he proceeded to float from table to table. Of course, he found the same lack of helpfulness at most. Finally, he stopped at one table- group of maybe 5 guys sitting around.

To one of them, looked to be the oldest with long blond hair, he asked, "You seen this guy?" showing the picture of Volodin as he said it.


Edited by Ivan Sarkozy, Aug 10 2015, 11:44 AM.

Tony was intent on Ezno's reply, he did not notice the interruption until he was spoken to.

Looking up, he found a serious man of Asian descent flashing a photo of Sebastian in his face. He immediately resisted the urge to grasp the power and tear the man apart.

He was like the ones that took his parents. Dogs of the Custody, ruthless and without a shred of humanity.

However, killing one man would not help him. He needed calm. It was the first time he had been confronted with one of the Custody's dogs since his death.

Tony took a long gulp to finish his beer.

Enzo was a problem. Would he speak up if Tony did not? That would only cast suspicion on him, and by extension, those who had relied on him.

He clenched a fist and ground his teeth. "I saw him, he was with a woman. One of the dancers. They left not long ago."


The words were acid in his stomach and he felt dizziness coming on as blood rose in his throat. Tony swallowed the taste of iron and the pain with savage determination.

Tony's insight was correct. Enzo let his disgust float too close to the surface to maintain the necessary cover. Corrado would be disappointed. His mentor's calm collection never rippled, even at the moment of his demise. Enzo was less dedicated to the facade, however. There was no person he was here to influence, nor someone's trust he was here to secure. He was merely examining the space and gaining a feel for the customers. Meeting Tony and Hans were accidents fathered by circumstance. He nodded in agreement, and kept his profile turned toward Tony as he answered. "You're right. I'm looking for someone. I work as a private investigator."
As he gazed at the place Sebastian had exited, a new individual crossed his line of sight. This man, like Enzo, stood out somewhat but for more obvious reasons. His focus zeroed in on the clientele more than the staff in the behavior of another PI, but this man was not trying to be subtle. He was official and coming right for them.

Enzo's gaze remained cool but not hostile in the least. He instantly recognized Sebastian's picture, which was hardly surprising. It seemed the Atharim weren't the only ones looking for the kid. Luckily, the man spoke directly at Tony. It seemed Tony commanded a presence of authority among them. Enzo did not mind the lack of attention and watched blandly as he gave away Sebastian's presence. The tightness in Tony's voice was surprising. What did Tony owe a stranger like Sebastian?

"Mind if we see some credentials?"
Enzo asked of the man. He hadn't introduced himself, nor proclaimed allegiance to any government agency. Enzo did not want to appear resistant, so he added a slim smile to the question. "Nice to know who was looking for him. In case he's dangerous or mere delinquent."

Takehiko was not oblivious to the disgust roiling for the long-haired man. Kinda sucked but went with the job. Guys like him never did understand how hard people like him worked to keep people safe. How they put their life on the line. Always quick to judge. Never understanding the sheer randomness of it all. A simple traffic stop could turn deadly in moments. You truly never knew what you were going to deal with. Or were coming from. No one suspected that you just might be coming from having to tell a parent that their child was killed, or from dealing with the aftermath of a gory accident. They weren't robots. They weren't machines. Every call, every visit was informed by the one before. And every call and visit could and would be any and everything. Things you couldn't even imagine. Especially now, with Domovoi.

Didn't really matter though. As long as he stayed out of the way. The city really was on edge. And Domovoi was at the forefront, given that this was the reason they existed.

Truthfully, he was glad he was looking for Volodin. It was personal. Ivan was a good guy, though they had only known each other briefly. While the terrorist attacks had more casualties, he had was falling victim to what his training had called the "Mass Casualty Paradox". An incident with few or even one victim, especially someone you knew, had a much more powerful impact on you. He could have been Ivan really easily. And it could have been worse.

One of the men at the table asked for credentials. Now that he attention was drawn, Takehiko could see that the man's age seemed indeterminate. He was youthful looking, but there was pain and maturity that belied that. Course he could admit that when it came to age, it was hard to tell with Caucasians. Asian age markers were what he had grown up with intimately. Unless a guy had silver or white hair and tons of wrinkles, it was really hard for him to tell.

Whatever the case, the man seemed non-plussed about what his asking about. Not anger, like pony tail. Nor the arrogance, guilt or adversarial quality of others in this club. Just curiosity and expectation.

Takehiko's eyes studied the man as he produced is CCDPD ID. His attention was drawn now. "And you are?"