[ 015 ]

[defies_reason]

[ VOICE ]

All things must end, good and bad alike, and I am of the opinion that there are very few things which are wholly one or the other.  

I've enjoyed my holiday here, all in all.  

Whether you've a mind to celebrate or to mourn, I invite you to stop by the Wolf's Den this evening.  As I can't take it with me, it seems fitting to clear the place out.  The effective end of the world seems an appropriate occasion for a party. 

Those who remain are welcome to fight over its bones, once I've gone.  



[ OPEN ACTION || MINGLE || PARTY AT THE END OF THE WORLD ]

[There are no decorations, there is not time for that, and really, that sort of frill has never been Isaak's style.  The place is lively, though; music is playing, people are mingling.  

The prospect of an open bar always brings people out of the woodwork, and really, who wants to be alone at a moment like this?]

---

[ooc: WHATEVER THE WORLD NEEDS MORE PARTY LOGS RIGHT?  This is a big ol' mingle, I'm turning off notifs but will give Isaak a thread below. Feel free to tag as you will for as long as you like to backdate last-minute party shenanigans. Whether you know Isaak or not. I WILL MISS YOU POLY.] 

Comments

[recognize_an_opportunity]

I'll be headed home, as well. There's altogether too much business to attend to to even think of going elsewhere.

[He offers Isaak an appraising look, though not a judgmental one.]

And what do you have waiting for you at home?

[defies_reason]

[Again he shrugs, his tone neutral.]

I have a man I need to murder, and very little else of note.

[That's pitched low enough not to be overheard by anyone else, but there's neither shame nor hesitation in it. He might as well have said he needs to feed a dog.]

[recognize_an_opportunity]

[He can't help but smile, just a little.]

I wish you the best of luck in that particular endeavor, then. I'm sure however you choose to do it will be just as impressive as everything you've done here.

[Because murder and running a nice bar require the same level of classiness, clearly.]

[defies_reason]

I'm finding it surprisingly difficult to muster much enthusiasm, if I'm honest. It's not that I've lost my belief in the validity of vengeance, only...

[He's quiet a moment, mulling over it.]

I've had longer to think of what comes after.

[recognize_an_opportunity]

[A slow nod, because, surprisingly, he understands, to some extent.]

I don't think most people consider what comes after at all. I think they tend to see achieving their vengeance as being the end of it. But...

[He shrugs and trails off into silence for a moment, looking contemplative.]

[defies_reason]

As I had. And effectively, I think, it would be. [He frowns thoughtfully.] I don't mind the thought of retiring, but I'd prefer it to be under better circumstances.

[He's enjoyed this holiday so thoroughly, after all. Dabbling in whatever catches his fancy, finding what comforts he can. If he's very smart-- and he is-- and very lucky-- and he may not be-- he might manage something similar at home; might escape with his life and his right hand man to some comfortable clime.

He might.]

I could live, I think, without killing him. It would be a disappointment, but I think I'd manage.

[recognize_an_opportunity]

A disappointment, perhaps, but it might improve your quality of life. There would be far less people coming after you seeking vengeance for killing someone, I imagine.

[Because he always thinks that killing has its downfalls, and one of those downfalls is that whenever you kill someone, you seem to end up dealing with several of their vengeful friends, too.]

[defies_reason]

Well, I've a little while at least before I must decide.

[recognize_an_opportunity]

And you seem perfectly capable of making wise, informed decisions.

[defies_reason]

Usually.

[He's made some rash ones as well. That's to blame for his current predicament, at home; letting anger outweigh better judgment. Not that Dexter Morgan doesn't deserve to die-- but he has been... hasty, and as such, insufficiently cautious.

They call him the Wolf, but he too is only human. The thought makes him smile a bit sadly.]

[recognize_an_opportunity]

Well, none of us can be infallible.

[This is going to require another drink -- now his own thoughts are going to all the places where he hasn't made wise, informed decisions in his own life, and he knows that there'll be quite a bit of that to confront back home. His own smile mirrors Isaak's, as a matter of fact.]

[defies_reason]

[He just hums in agreement. Ah, well.]

[recognize_an_opportunity]

I do, however, owe you thanks for making my own time in the City slightly more tolerable.

[That could be a suggestive statement. It could also just be, well, the truth. It's always hard to tell.]

[defies_reason]

[Why only one or the other?]

Only slightly?

[recognize_an_opportunity]

I'm not quite intoxicated enough to be showering anyone with compliments. Give it time.

[defies_reason]

I'll take it as high praise, then.

[recognize_an_opportunity]

You should. I may even admit that I'll miss the pleasure of your company, once I'm back home.

[defies_reason]

You'll do all right. You've things worth heading back to.

[recognize_an_opportunity]

[He doesn't even attempt to hide the quiet little smile that flits across his face at the thought.]

I do. And, I should hope, so do you.

[defies_reason]

If I did, I wouldn't have to kill someone.

[Rather matter-of-fact. It's not that he's cold-hearted-- not at all-- but he's a realist as well as a romantic. Nothing, not even the City, can bring back Viktor; and without Viktor, really, there is little he could not replace.]

[recognize_an_opportunity]

Ah. So it's that type of vengeance.

[There are different kinds of vengeance, after all, some business, some personal, and this is obviously a personal one. He won't pry -- even at the end of the world, his manners are good -- but he can make some educated guesses.]

[defies_reason]

[An educated guess, really, is all the information he thinks necessary. Certainly it ought to inform his uncertainty about returning home.

So Isaak just hums an agreement, a brooding sort of assent.]