♦ ♦ 18th Contract

[mortemscintilla]

[ The device snaps on to the foreshortened view of a spartan livingroom. In the corner, a wire-mesh cage with a brightly-patterned iguana is visible. The occupant stirs sluggishly across the interior, tail flicking. Closer to the screen, on the coffee-table, rests a crystal center-piece. ]

[ Someone's frigid little heart is on display for the whole City. ]

[ In the periphery, footsteps rustle. A voice, too flat and monotonous to be 'Li's, mutters, ]

So now the City's getting metaphorical on me.

Pretentious. As always.

[ Belatedly, the speaker notices the blinking device. With an irritable tch, a hand reaches to click off the feed. It won't be near midnight until the device switches itself back on. At a different spot, but with the ice-heart still in view. By that time, it'll have metamorphosed into a new shape. The blue glow it radiates is actually a spark of concentrated heat. Melting the ice from inside-out. ]

[ Hopefully it won't set the coffee-table on fire. ]

Options for Run Ins:

♠ At Home (Li/Hei): With impatient jerky movements -- almost pulling off the cabinet doors as he yanks them -- he'll be assembling lunch in the kitchen, though (for once) he isn't hungry. But he's no mood to look at that over-dramatic frozen heart. Teammates or friends are welcome to drop by and bug him!


☀ Shopping (Li): He leaves the stupid heart -- and inevitable questions via the Network device -- at home. At a supermarket, pushing a grocery cart, he feels better. After that tiresome 'revolt', he's glad to wander around and take care of mindless, not unpleasant tasks. You'll find him contemplating shelves of little fruity yogurt pots. Almond midnight mocha, juicy peach tart or blue lychee dream? Hmmmm.


∅ Recon (Reaper): Under the black sky of late night, he'll be near the City limits and the Underground, surveying the revolt's residual destruction. By now, in the groove of his routine, he's almost forgotten about the curse. The stars above are clear, and there's a pale slice of moon. He drifts from checkpoint to checkpoint, feeding an unexpected new habit of wandering around, not exactly patrolling, but getting lost. Staying lost.


[ OOC: Too cold to pierce, too hot to handle? Thawing and mellowing? Eating itself alive? Interpretations are up to you xD (Massively backtag friendly!!!!)  ]

Comments

at home

[maoser]

[Hei's security measures may announce Mao's arrival, but they certainly don't stop the other Contractor from slipping in through the window. He pads into the living room and sniffs the frozen heart curiously.]

at home

[mortemscintilla]

[ The security system wired to his cellular-monitor beeps, announcing an intruder. But with the narrow gap in his half-open window, it's either a wraith, or Mao. Hei offers a perfunctory glance over his shoulder, sees the cat sniffing at the ice-block, then refocuses on the stove. Soup bubbles in the pot and he stirs listlessly. He has no appetite, but it gives him something to occupy his hands with. ]

[ And something else to stare at. ]

[ Tonelessly, he says, ]

It smells like the inside of a refrigerator.

at home

[maoser]

Redecorating, or is this part of the curse?

at home

[mortemscintilla]

[ The wooden ladle scrapes the edges of the pot as he continues stirring, ]

Calling it a curse would be dignifying it a bit too much.

at home

[maoser]

For lack of a better word, then. At least yours is tasteful.

[He jumps onto the back of the couch, washes his face, and then goes over to examine the other new addition to the apartment -- the iguana.]

[indecent_butterfly]

[Oh, ne knows that voice--how very curious. And it would probably be smarter not to antagonize him while ne's in this state...well ne wouldn't be nem if ne didn't.]

Interesting decoration.

OMG that pb <3

[mortemscintilla]

[ He offers Hatter that familiar look of bored disdain, ]

I suppose wax fruits and doilies aren't my style.

lol--something to offset the difference for two weeks

[indecent_butterfly]

[At least this time ne won't take it as proof of his...love.]

No, One would think more along the lines of weapons displays and paintings of food.

/steals the icons for collection<3

[mortemscintilla]

[ Which thank God for small favors. ]

[ If he believed in either God or gratitude. ]

I've wielded no weapons at you.

[ ...yet... ]

[indecent_butterfly]

In the literal sense of the word, perhaps not.

[Ne remembers that apple.]

Who knows, you are certainly not the type for fluffy animals and frills either though.

Shopping-ish

[moonlitrequiem]

[She doesn't contact him on the device, or go anywhere near his place. He said he wanted them to lay low on all grounds, and Yin takes that request rather seriously. They always met up at other places back home, and this was no reason to go investigating his apartment.]

[Instead, she sends her specter out to watch him while he's shopping, and she's not trying to be unnoticed, either. As if she could really hide from him, anyway.]

\^^/

[mortemscintilla]

[ No, she can't hide from him. Just as he can't delay an inevitable question he needs to ask her. From the corner of his eye, he catches the specter's familiar glow. Carries on shopping, as if nothing is wrong. Supermarkets everywhere are meant to make you feel all calm and consumer-ish. This one, brightly-lit and sterile, is no different. He makes his purchases, the total fitting neatly into one paper bag (Li believes in recycling) and exits the market. ]

[ At an ice-cream stand -- Lickety Split: Soft Serve -- he purchases a large chocolate and vanilla twirl, with multicolored sprinkles. A pick-me-up for his bleak mood. Settling on a picnic table, he watches the busy street between quiet licks. ]

[ If Yin is in the vicinity, she'll know where to find him. ]

[moonlitrequiem]

[After Hei has his ice cream and seats himself, she can figure out the rest. It does take some time, but eventually she shows, wearing a new necklace. She settles on the other side of the picnic table.]

[Recalling his entry from earlier that day, she actually starts the conversation, still a rarity.]

I have one, too.

[mortemscintilla]

[ It's hard to miss Yin when she arrives, skin glowing an eerie white in the bright midday light. The new necklace glitters at her throat. He examines it, side-eyed, wondering if it's a good idea for her to wear it so casually. His own ice-block heart was tiny. But he had no intention of carrying it around. ]

[ Metaphorically -- literally -- he's the last person to wear his heart on his sleeve. ]

[ If there's a spark of surprise when Yin begins the conversation, he doesn't let it show. She seems to grow less Doll-like everytime he sees her. While that makes him glad, certain aspects are also disquieting. ] Be careful with it. These curses are always double-edged. [ What's pretty and harmless can in fact prove lethal. In their world that's practically a hallmark. ]

[moonlitrequiem]

[She barely caught a look at him, seated facing away as she did. Yin didn't understand the meaning of the necklace, and as she was, she wasn't inclined to care. She kept it with her, uncertain what else to do with it. Whatever became of it wasn't her concern.]

[However, now that Hei has given her instruction to, she nods. Though, she has no idea how to care for it.] I will.

[Now she's quiet, allowing Hei to speak his mind. Or, at least, finish his ice cream.]

come here little reaper

[berthierite]

[She doesn't care about his heart, in the slightest. While pleased about the chaos in the City, she is also incredibly irritated that her droid had been destroyed, thus dispersing all that it had collected from that little teashop. She's on the prowl for a distraction, for a conquest, and when she spots him, lurking as usual, her interest piques.]

[She follows him, just as she has before, breathing cold air down his neck.]

Hissssssss B|

[mortemscintilla]

[ Berthier isn't the only one prowling for distractions, destruction or conquests. As the weeks wear on, his restlessness deepens into an itch so far inside that Hei can't hope to reach it. Busying himself with artillery, creating a layout of new points Underground, collecting contacts, slaughtering monsters, fooling around with Korra and playing pretend with Yin -- all of that should ease him. But it's just a stopgap. ]

[ This must be what they mean by the Human Condition. ]

[ He's caught up in his reverie. But never enough to lose focus. He feels the familiar chill in the air, presaged by a cool breath on his nape. In the same moment, his body is galvanized into action. Her again. He pivots, on red-alert, swinging a palm in the direction of the exhale. Electricity crackles bright-blue at his palm -- coloring the scenery in a brief but blinding pyrotechnic. ]

:)

[berthierite]

[ She's been teleporting since she was young, and it takes the barest thought to excuse herself from the brunt of his blinding flare. She does hate when he does that. The air tightens, crisp and frigid. ]

[ She teleports again, overhead, to fling a fan of crystal blades at him in reply. ]

[ Another jump to a third location, watching him coldly. ]

x3

[mortemscintilla]

[ Under his coat, the frigid air prickles goosebumps on his skin. But with adrenalin pumping hot and strong in his system, the temperature is easy to ignore. When she lets loose the crystal fan, the projectiles whizzing like darts toward him, he doesn't wait for them to land. Tossing a wire at the closest rooftop, he lets the whirring gears sweep him off his feet. He swings airborne, a few blades snagging the tail of his coat, before he leaps to settle on a building ledge. ]

[ His eyes take measure of the area, trying to pinpoint Berthier's location. ]

[berthierite]

[ The wind picks up furiously, obscuring vision with snow and aural with white noise. But she's still there, a light crunch-crunch of her boots when she settles on the ground now for away. ]

[ His resilience is amusing, but it also annoys her. She wants to win this game, once and for all. ]

Such an irritating little bug.

recon...?

[candothat]

[The Underground isn't necessarily the kind of place one might expect to find Chekov, but he has fallen into the habit of providing a specialized sort of technical support for some of the City's more harmless scum. Not only does it pay well, but he has established contacts who can get their hands on difficult-to-acquire materials.

Pavel is wrapping up a transaction--it's best not to ask what's in the innocuous-looking box he has just come into possession of--when he sees (thinks he sees) a familiar-looking mask out of the corner of his eye. He waits for his Underground contact to leave.]

Hei?

recon! ^^

[mortemscintilla]

[ Pavel would never spot him -- mask or no -- unless Hei deliberately let himself to fall into the young man's view. Which he has. They haven't spoken since that volatile private 'negotiation' -- although Hei has kept Pavel's movements under unerring surveillance. The boy's penchant for trading with skells in the Underground isn't a surprise. A mind is a terrible thing to waste, and everyone (or just those with a lick of common sense) understands the benefits of networking in high and low places. ]

[ When Pavel calls his cryptonym -- odd, that his kneejerk is to use Hei, not Li, whereas Korra still persists in using the latter -- he steps closer, balanced almost like a tightrope walker on the edge of a chainlink fence. ]

Late-night shopping?

[candothat]

[The name isn't the product of spontaneity. Chekov hasn't stopped turning his newly-restored memories over in his head, trying to determine where Li ends and Hei begins (if, indeed, there is more than a superficial divide between the two) and how to act around each persona. Part of him wants to pull out the phaser that he takes with him when he ventures Underground, but Pavel isn't stupid enough to think that the weapon would do him any good.

Besides, Hei--that is who he's talking to right now--has no reason to wish him harm. Chekov will persist in believing that they're friends.]

In a way, yes. I didn't expect to see you.

[That is, he didn't expect Hei to let himself be seen. Of course he'll be keeping an eye on Chekov to ensure that his secrets are kept; that's to be expected.]

[mortemscintilla]

[ The divide between 'Li' and Hei is a small one, almost seamless. Two sides of the same coin. But the differences are stark. One facet is buffed to smooth blankness, a cipher that reflects everything around it. The other side is a convincing counterfeit, perfect imprints and perfect digits to blend it with the commonplace pennies. (Which side is 'Li', which side is 'Hei'? He leaves that abstraction for someone else to waste their time pondering.) ]

[ He unfolds from the fence and lands on his feet, cat-quiet, at an angle from Pavel. While it's true that his intentions tonight aren't threatening, that lenience can pivot in a heartbeat in the wrong circumstances. Not that he believes they will; Pavel doesn't seem the type to have a sinister agenda. (Then again, nor does 'Li'. In his profession, you learn not to typecast.) ]

You'd prefer I appear at your back without announcing myself first?

[ He could've done that. But that falls somewhere on the spectrum of hostile. ]

[candothat]

[His gut twists when Hei lands, urging him to do something--run, shoot, anything. Pavel ignores his gut because his brain is usually more reliable, and it knows that his last encounter with Hei took place under very different circumstances. He keeps his body language relaxed and open.

(Although the underlying tension is undoubtedly visible to Hei.)]

Ah, no, but I thought that you were avoiding me.