♦ ♦ 7th Contract

[mortemscintilla]

[ The ticking is a grinding migraine. ]

[ It's like a repeat of his time in The Gate. The absence of rational coordinates making him tense and queasy. His dreams are sporadic, but so vivid that sometimes he awakens to real images of enemies and blood-splattered walls. He misses Pai, but that missing is immense enough to constitute a whole atmosphere. His state of being. In that state, he thinks of others, most of them unexpected. Yin, for her light laconic presence and how simple she'd make reconnaissance. Huang, whose gruff practicality filled him with both irritation and respect. Mao, who was probably everything good about a Contractor (even if he was a terrible cat.) ]

[ They weren't friends. But they'd accepted each other as a team. ]

[ Here, he hasn't taken the steps to turn acquaintances into associates. It serves no purpose. Not unless they have something he wants. But most are in the same position as him. Trapped, at the Deities' mercy.  He keeps no social circles. No girlfriends -- he can sum up his 'romantic' encounters here on his fingers. Hour by hour, he postpones the question: What am I going to do here? ]

[ He should at least get a pet. Something to stave off the ticking. ]

[ Until then, this curse is effective enough to infuriate distract him. ]

Options For Run-Ins:

[ Cafe Satine: There's a spring in his step as he buses tables and does kitchenwork. Hands and feet moving in easy rhythm with the music floating from the speakers. He doesn't realize how bad it is until he's sweeping eggshells off the tiles -- and starts Turbo Dancing with his broom. Customers and employees stare. Li blushes and stammers apologies. ]

[ Inside, he grits his teeth. This is going to be a bothersome shift. ]

[ Evening Stroll: He's tried staying at his apartment. But ticking paired with dancing is disorienting. When his pirouettes transform into actual cartwheels, resulting in a crack when his foot hits the thin wall, he exits hurriedly. Walking the nighttime streets, he forgoes drinks at the bar for cool air and starry skies. Few pedestrians. Not too much traffic. Taking an inventory of his surroundings, he almost relaxes. ]

[ Until music spills from a nearby bar. ]

[ Passersby form a loose circle as he goes through his sweeping routine. The City seems to enjoy cursing him with solos. The implications don't escape him. ]

[ Nor does the annoyance. ]

[ Recon: Cursed or not, he refuses to forgo reconnaissance. His movements are a little more balletic. His exits on the wire a little more elaborate. But this is familiar territory, at least. He picks up on marked areas -- Topside and Underground. For the most part, time passes smoothly. But in the shadow of Pandora's, he spots a crime mid-scene. A group of toughs have lured three drunk people, young women in flowery dresses, into the darkness off the street. ]

[ It'a not his job to save them. Let the Police deal with it. ]

[ But he could use the combat-practice. So in he swoops, masked and armed. Music from the club muffles the attacker's howls as he breaks their extremities. It isn't until he's knocked them out, snapping at the terrified women to run, Without those damn heels, that the curse returns. ]

[ ...Work dat booty, Mr. Reaper. ]

[ OOC: Putting a different spin on the dancing curse! Feel free to run into any of his personas. He may grab you and twirl you -- before flustering and babbling as 'Li', or shove you away/knock you out as 'The Black Reaper.' The dance hilarity for the last option starts at 0:20 xDD ]

Comments

placeholder / action

[anatural]

[Congratulations, Hei. Korra is off to the side, watching you beat the shit out of those thugs. She'd been about to swoop in and save the day herself when he came to the rescue. His mask may be different -- more creepy, less stupid -- but she recognizes the way he moves. This is the same guy who beat the crap out of her before. She watches him fight, admiring his skill, horrified by his viciousness, and confused as all get out.

Is he a good guy, or is he a bad guy?]

Hey!

action

[mortemscintilla]

[ Depends on the highest bidder. He's aware of her presence the moment before she shouts. Korra again. She has a penchant for turning up in the worst spots. Mentally, he weighs the pros and cons. Knock her out and erase her short-term memory? Or ignore her and exit? ]

[ He opts for the latter. ]

[ But the curse butts in. He reaches out -- not to shoot a wire -- but to catch her by the wrist. Swings her in, one hand splaying across her waist, already whirling her in a fast swing. Inside, professional alarm bells go Screeeee. Opponents should never be allowed this close. Not unless to deal a deathblow. ]

[ As if the curse cares. ]

action

[anatural]

What the --

[Not being a dancer and not being cursed either, Korra just stumbles along with him.]

Let go of me!

[When she finally gets her footing, she grabs his arm and flips him.]

action

[mortemscintilla]

[ For Hei, dance was a part of his training. A way to refine movement; unify mind and muscle. Size or strength in an opponent didn't matter. Speed did. A well-placed blow to the perfect spot was enough to kill. ]

[ When Korra flips him, he rolls smoothly with it. Whirls to face her, dagger whipped out. Unnervingly still. Unlike the last time, he's not on the offensive. He's gauging. Calculating. ]

[ But if she lashes out, he won't hesitate to retaliate. ]

[oceantrauma]

[Ken had only been in the mood for some tea and something light to munch on. In the middle of making his order, he stops completely to watch as 'Li' dances with his broom.]

[He continues to stare.... He doesn't care much for music, or dancing. However, he is starting to care for Li.]

[When he seems quite done, for the moment, Ken tries waving to him. It's been a while since he saw him, after all.]

[mortemscintilla]

[ He finally stops, broom twirling like a baton ( and nearly hitting a waiter ). Li stammers apologies, hurrying back to the kitchen. On the way, he spots a familiar face. ]

Ah! Ken-chan. [ Smiling sheepishly. ] Here for a latte?

[oceantrauma]

Ah, tea, actually.

It's good to see you, though. I haven't seen you since I returned.

[mortemscintilla]

Has anyone taken your order yet?

...Oh! You were gone?

[ He knows the boy was. But 'Li' must give the impression of obliviousness. ]

action;

[virginwings]

[the dancing with the broom? perfect for drawing in potential customers from the outside, Gazelle to be more pacific! it's quite an entertaining dance too, in her opinion.]

[shortly after the apology he makes, she chimes in:] That was cool!

action;

[mortemscintilla]

[ Entertaining it might be. But employee's shouldn't fool around with utensils. There's kitchen-work to do and orders to take. At the girl's remark, he flusters. ]

Ah! [ Nearly dropping the broom. ] Th-Thanks. But -- I'm not supposed to be dancing around. Unless I want to get fired...

action;

[virginwings]

Hm? But there's nothing wrong with a little play while you work... Besides you're a really good cook so they can't fire you. [well, she assumes he does the cooking and stuff?]

[anyway! wanting to order something, she moves to look over the treats. forget sitting at a table to do it properly.]

action; 1/2

[mortemscintilla]

That's true. But I'm really clumsy. It'd be terrible if I knocked something [ someone ] over.

[ Bashful!!! ] Thank you. I'm glad you think so, anyway. [ He's the cafe's Maker Of All Stuffs Sugary, yes. ]

action;

[mortemscintilla]

[ Oh! So it's treats you're after. He puts the broom away and, hand-washed and gloved, appears behind the display counter. ]

Would you like to eat here, or are you looking for something on the go?

[action -- reaper]

[didthemash]

[Hei isn't the only masked 'hero' out that night; Andy is doing a round of nightly patrols as he does most nights, suited up in demon form.

The devil's ears are keen and he slinks across the rooftops toward the sounds of fighting, hopping down into the alley and shifting into his human self (costume and all) just in time to miss the action! Good going, Andy.

Though it seems the action isn't quite over as the dancing commences and he just stands there, stunned. This is awkward.]

[action -- reaper]

[mortemscintilla]

[ You realize, Mr. Bergman, now he'll have to kill you. ]

[ Cursed or not, his instincts are sharp. Before the dance ends, he's aware of being watched. Not a clubber. Possibly either a predator or vigilante. Hei is neither. But he doesn't take kindly to spies. It's against professional training to allow more witnesses. He offers no reaction to Andy's presence. But from his left hand, a wire flashes out. It wraps, chokehold tight, around the boy's throat. One swift tug, and he yanks Andy forward. His daggers remain sheathed, his stance threatening but calm. As if his intent is to interrogate, not attack. ]

[ But it's all a tactic. He can kill from here as good as anywhere else. ]

[didthemash]

[Do it fast. He hates pain. /sob]

[Before Andy can identify himself as a friend, the wire is around his throat and he stumbles forward, clawing at it. Shit shit shit.

In this area, he's not going to take any chances and he shifts again, hulking out in the Jersey Devil. The wire only tightens around his throat, though, neck far more massive than when he's a puny human. Hindsight and all that.

Trying to give himself more breathing room, a clawed hand reaches out to grab the wire connecting the two of them, moving to snap Hei forward and loosen the noose.]

[mortemscintilla]

[ He does everything fast ;; ]

[ He recognizes Andy the split-second before he shapeshifts. A monster-form? Interesting. He's not concerned about the wire breaking. It's used for more strenuous purposes. But it's a tactical error for Andrew to choose a larger form. With his breathing obstructed, strength is little guarantee of victory. When Andy tugs the wire, Hei readjusts his footing. But he's not interested in a tug-of-war. Electricity zigzags in a blue flash from his palm along the wire. Straight into Andy. The voltage is enough to paralyze. Not kill. ]

[ Not before he determines why Andrew's here. ]

action // strolling

[flensing]

[Oh well. She recognizes him, at any rate. She pauses to watch for a few moments before uncertainly offering over a few of her coins. A nice performance deserves a little tip, right?]

action // strolling

[mortemscintilla]

[ Sheepishly, he shakes his head at the coins. ]

Um, no thanks. Consider it a [ profound annoyance ] free performance.

action // strolling

[flensing]

[Her hand remains outstretched.]

If... you're certain. You might come away with a nice sum, in the end?

action // strolling

[mortemscintilla]

[ He blushes, ducking his head. ]

I might. But I can't exactly dance on demand. The curse hits at random times.

[ And he'd prefer less attention drawn to clumsy 'Li's mysterious coordination. ]

action // uhm DO YOU HAVE AN OPTION PREFERENCE?

[berthierite]

[Don't mind her if she quietly puts a sheet of ice under your feet, Mr. Reaper.]

Reaper-tiemz?

[mortemscintilla]

[ He half-flails under the slippery ice. A wire flashes from his wrist, connecting to a fire-escape. He leaps clear of the ice-sheet. Drops, armed and alert, at the steel edge. Determined to locate who else is here. ]

sup reaper

[berthierite]

[She watches him silently from a distance, eyes narrowing.]

[And then the fire escape itself begins to grow burning cold, encasing in ice. It would make a nice little prison, wouldn't it.]

Oh hai ice lady

[mortemscintilla]

[ He feels the chill. And connects the dots. Birdie again. Leaping clear of frigid railing, he rolls to the darkest recess of the alley. In the murk, his eyes sweep the area. ]

[ She can't be too far away. He'll find her. And there will be hell to pay. ]