Zerachiel
Assassin
To many you will simply be another fool of a bloody king, but to me you shall always be a friend.
Posts: 99
Profession: Etrurian Assassin
Affiliation: Etrurian Inquisition
Affinity: Light
Profile: Zerachiel
OoC Alias: Elias
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Post by Zerachiel on Jan 17, 2014 6:09:27 GMT -6
The fact Saturos was implying that he, of all people, was chosen for something of even moderate importance was almost hilarious. It's really gotten to a point where he was about to use all the gold he accumulated in his time as a hand (which was no small sum mind you, he was richer than most noblemen by a clear margin) and just vanished. One day just gone, no trace of Zerachiel and no chance of ever meeting him again. He was skilled in the art of being under cover, what was the rest of his life?
Of course that was crazy talk, after all they would simply find him and kill him. There was no retiring for them. Zera knew far too many secrets, far too many secrets. "If it's an official letter from the Herald, I cannot refuse. Now can I? Who knows, perhaps Blue will get lucky and I leave on this mission, leaving her free to visit home without anyone following her?" He cocked a brow, only mildly amused. However his voice was still low, because even if they were alone this was some pretty heavy stuff. Saturos may not care about such things, but Zera knew that even if he was watching Karen there's a real chance someone was also watching him. It was like one of those little dolls that have smaller toy after smaller toy inside of them.
"I'll accept your proposition of potentially accepting your proposition." He smirked. "Any further and you'll simply have to convince me." Despite his sardonic attitude he was actually enjoying the concept that anybody was choosing him as their go-to for anything. It's been a while since he's felt like that. "You're a smooth talker, right? I'm entirely sure by the end of the night I'll be putty in your hands." He winked at the man, now that's how you wink.
"Still, I think for the sanity of everyone involved, it'd be best you keep it in your pants. I don't know about me, but I think Blue here's about to rip you limb from limb." Compared to his aggravated attitude before, he quickly slipped back into his smug grin and smooth easy talking. "Now about that drink you promised me..."
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Saturos Prox
Swordmaster
The Wildcard
I'm almost incapable of lying. I'd be a terrible spy.
Posts: 351
Etruria Fame: 1
Profession: Undercover Operative
Affinity: Anima
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Post by Saturos Prox on Jan 17, 2014 14:06:01 GMT -6
"An offer is an offer," Saturos smiled back, not missing a beat, "and I find alcohol always does make business go a lot smoother. People are so much more agreeable when plied with wine. I know I'm no exception." He was tempted to wink, but decided to refrain. Zerachiel had made his dislike of it very well known, and now that Saturos had managed to calm the assassin down with a potential job offer, he was in no mood to rile him back up again. One had to recognize one's limits.
The swordsman nudged his head in Karen's direction. "So hopefully Blue won't mind if I take you off of her hands." He turned his attention toward's the female assassin. "You don't mind, do you? I mean, I rather enjoy my limbs, having them all intact and whatnot, so I wouldn't want to offend you any further." He rubbed his arms unconsciously at the thought of losing them. While he was sure Zerachiel had been exaggerating for the sake of conversation, one never quite knew these days who was a super-powered demoness and who wasn't. "But it sounds like you have a pleasant trip home you need to get started. I wouldn't want to keep you." Saturos then nudged Zerachiel with his elbow playfully. "I'm headed to the Boar's Head Inn. I can go wait if you have something you need to tie up between the two of you. Otherwise, let's head off."
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Post by Karen on Jan 17, 2014 14:21:25 GMT -6
"So hopefully Blue won't mind if I take you off of her hands."
Oh definitely not.
"You don't mind, do you? I mean, I rather enjoy my limbs, having them all intact and whatnot, so I wouldn't want to offend you any further."
"Go right ahead. I'd rather like to actually go home now."
She was already walking off again as she spoke, quite ready to relieve herself of these two men. She started to take another deep breathe, letting it out as she walked on. Calming her nerves, she strode onwards down the road. This was part of the reason why Karen had desired to start working alone on her missions. Perhaps it was also why The Herald had sent her off so much of late as well. A good competent Inquisitor that could be relied upon to work alone with what they themselves could manage was a rare thing.
"Just a bit longer and you'll be home again," She thought to herself.
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Zerachiel
Assassin
To many you will simply be another fool of a bloody king, but to me you shall always be a friend.
Posts: 99
Profession: Etrurian Assassin
Affiliation: Etrurian Inquisition
Affinity: Light
Profile: Zerachiel
OoC Alias: Elias
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Post by Zerachiel on Jan 17, 2014 15:29:44 GMT -6
Well now, Zera had been on his best behavior and Karen still bolted like he had the plague. No respect. "Look, you went and scared her off." He said with a chuckle. "Take care Blue, say hi to your mom for me. Don't try to run off now~" He called after her in a sort of mocking tone. Zera seemed to be in a much better mood now, well he appeared to be at least. An assassin must have many skills after all. His gaze turned back to the swordsmaster and then he shrugged, a sort of wry look on his face. This whole situation was just a mess, a disgusting mess, Zera always did hate surprises. Still Zera was never one to turn down a drink, after making sure it wasn't poisoned first. He didn't believe that was what the barbarian was planning to do, but you could never be too careful in his line of work. It wouldn't be the first time an 'ally' turned out to be an 'enemy'. Of course as long as he had something useful to offer, he wouldn't be offed so easily. That was what it was all about after all, mutual benefit. His skills were needed, and Zera's pockets needed gold. It was that simple. "I've never been one to turn down anything free." Would Zera say that he was greedy? Yes. Yes he would.
"She hates me, so I doubt there's anything to tie up." He shrugged. Then again it wasn't a bad choice to hate every one of the Herald's men. They didn't get hired for being upstanding citizens after all, she was no exception. While she held an illusion of superiority and mercy, she was just as despicable as the rest of them... if not more so for having the audacity to think herself better. So he looked this despicable worm of a man that stood before him directly in the eyes as he let out a snake of a laugh. "After you."
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Saturos Prox
Swordmaster
The Wildcard
I'm almost incapable of lying. I'd be a terrible spy.
Posts: 351
Etruria Fame: 1
Profession: Undercover Operative
Affinity: Anima
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Post by Saturos Prox on Jan 19, 2014 13:26:29 GMT -6
With Zerachiel in tow, Saturos made his way to the Boar's Head. He'd already paid for a day's room and board, so he headed straight for the bar, and upon reaching it merely nodded his head and held up two fingers to order an ale for himself and his new friend.
"So," the swordsman began after the bartender began pouring their drinks, "let's not waste any time and get straight down to business, hmm?" He placed an elbow down onto the bar counter and leaned towards Zerachiel. "What do you know about the rebellion in Bern?" As he spoke, the bartender placed the two mugs down in front of the two men, to which Saturos nodded gratefully. Almost immediately he grabbed his mug off of the counter, and as was typical of him wasted little time in downing the entire thing. With a satisfied gasp, he held up another two fingers, ordering two more ales regardless of whether Zerachiel had finished his or not.
"I know you took a business trip down to Bern, so no doubt you've been exposed to it," he said casually, adjusting the confidentiality of his speech to suit the current surroundings, "and, if I remember correctly, my boss said a couple of your business partners may have even been rebels, but just so I'm not repeating anything you already know, what exactly is your understanding of the situation?" Despite what first impression he may have given, Saturos was plenty, plenty familiar with the subtleties of mystery. He had more secrets than most, and spent the majority of his time talking out of both sides of his mouth. If anything, this was plain speak compared to his usual conversations.
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Zerachiel
Assassin
To many you will simply be another fool of a bloody king, but to me you shall always be a friend.
Posts: 99
Profession: Etrurian Assassin
Affiliation: Etrurian Inquisition
Affinity: Light
Profile: Zerachiel
OoC Alias: Elias
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Post by Zerachiel on Jan 20, 2014 15:05:12 GMT -6
"Oh but wasting time is my favorite part." Boar's head? It was so very... typical of a name. It was an inn, of course, and the way Saturos moved implied he's seen the place before. Perhaps he spent the night here? Wouldn't surprise him, it just seems like the exact thing that would happen. He was probably waiting for Zera to pass by, something that just sort of filled him with a feeling of annoyance. Zerachiel always tried to have the upper hand, it was irritating to be played like this. He simply watched the swordsman move, with little reaction. Ordering two ales, Zera preferred whiskey personally, he wasted no time drinking it. He, however, simply stared into the liquid back at the reflection staring up from it. It was that of a handsome man, clearly, but something was a little... off. Not about his reflection, mind you, but about the situation. He didn't disbelieve Saturos, but he was a little too paranoid to simply believe everything is fine.
"The rebellion? More then most, less then some." It took no time for the makeup wearing operative to finish his drink and order a second round. It seemed that Zera was getting a second round as well, despite him barely touching his first one. Truthfully he didn't feel much like drinking, despite what he may have said earlier. Still a free drink was a free drink, so he shrugged and downed it. He had quite the tolerance really, despite what his lithe frame would suggest. It didn't surprise him though, for many reasons. "Business trip, well that's a nice way to put it." He said, watching the bartender out of the corner of his eye. The bar wasn't quite 'bustling' but it was loud enough that their words wouldn't be easy to pick out. Still it was best to not out and out say things. "I have business partners all over Elibe however, I'm a busy man." He knew several operatives based in Bern. For example there was that fanatical light magic user Judah, still he hadn't heard from him in quite some while. There was more, but there wasn't much point in putting names to faces at the moment. He was probing Zera for info, and the assassin knew that information was power.
"There isn't a whole business that gets by without me knowing, if there's anything I'm still good at, it's that." He knew the general situation of the rebellion, the things going on, and the part Etruria was playing in it. He knew of the players, but he hasn't looked into them specifically. It wasn't that high on his list, he was preoccupied with fires burning on the homefront. "Still Bern isn't exactly at the top of my list. That seems to be more your bag. How's things going down there?" He simply said, taking a drink of his ale.
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Saturos Prox
Swordmaster
The Wildcard
I'm almost incapable of lying. I'd be a terrible spy.
Posts: 351
Etruria Fame: 1
Profession: Undercover Operative
Affinity: Anima
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Post by Saturos Prox on Jan 20, 2014 16:51:56 GMT -6
"Business is moving smooth enough," said Saturos, taking a sip of his ale. With the first one down, he could spend more time enjoying the second. "Although things could be going better, otherwise, why would I be here and not there?" The swordsman put his mug down with a small tap, then let out an audible sigh. The assassin wasn't going to be forthcoming, apparently. Not that it mattered too much; he had, after all, been well informed of Zerachiel's activities prior to this meeting, but the mindset always tended to slow things down. Zerachiel was most likely suspicious of Saturos, which Saturos had to admit he wasn't used to. Everyone in the rebellion was, surprisingly, very trusting. The swordsman imagined it was the same honesty and exaltation of virtue that got them into the rebellion that also made them so easy to infiltrate. Well, that and a complete lack of centralized order.
"So if you are of such privileged knowledge, then I imagine you have a general idea of my work," continued the shirtless man, who began picking his teeth with his pinky finger. This wasn't an attempt at grandstanding, Saturos was simply trying to clarify the field of discussion. If Zerachiel replied yes, this would make things go quicker, though Saturos imagined the man would probably reply in the negative just to get a full briefing from the swordsman. The swordsman was still debating whether he actually would if that happened. After all, knowledge was power. "Would I be correct in assuming this?"
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Zerachiel
Assassin
To many you will simply be another fool of a bloody king, but to me you shall always be a friend.
Posts: 99
Profession: Etrurian Assassin
Affiliation: Etrurian Inquisition
Affinity: Light
Profile: Zerachiel
OoC Alias: Elias
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Post by Zerachiel on Jan 20, 2014 17:18:46 GMT -6
Saturos replied with two sets of words. The things he said and, far more important, the things he did not say. He hadn't expected the man to be forthcoming with information, so he couldn't even feign surprise. He may have acted like a simpleton at times, but this was a clever man he was dealing with. If anything the way he acted was the perfect guise to getting people to lower their guards, maybe people trusted a friendly face even if there was absolutely no reason to. Most people didn't realize that even monsters could be pretty. "Hrm..." Zera lazily traced the ring of his drink with his fingers, a light singing noise coming from the glass as he shook his head silently. His eyes shut and a small grin on his face. "That's terrible to hear, when a friend is going through tough times." Just breaks his heart, he might even shed a tear. His fingers deftly slipped around the cool glass filled with the foul alcohol, the smell of it was sobering even if what was inside wasn't. He lifted it slowly to his mouth, each move deliberate and the smile on his face crooked. It hovered in front of his face for a moment before he opened his mouth once more. "Still, I can't say I'm ever too familiar with what you speak of." It was a bit of a lie, but he was sure Saturos knew that already. It was a little tango of deception, but it was one that the swordsman must have known well. After all, knowledge was valuable.
Slowly he took a swig of the drink, setting it back upon the counter. "In fact..." He stared with a small sigh. "Until just today I thought you to be just another man, imagine my surprise when I learned otherwise. It's good I'm drowning my troubles, or else boy would my face be red." He held the glass up again, jostling it lightly so the glass inside clanked with the side of the cup. "You'll probably have to fill me in a bit, I'm a bit lost." He took another drink and once more sat the glass down. He looked at the handsome swordsman with a fake look of confusing. The truth was even if he knew, it was unlikely he didn't know the whole story. If Saturos would tell him, there's a chance he could fill in a few holes in his knowledge, an opportunity that would go wasted otherwise. A shame really.
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Saturos Prox
Swordmaster
The Wildcard
I'm almost incapable of lying. I'd be a terrible spy.
Posts: 351
Etruria Fame: 1
Profession: Undercover Operative
Affinity: Anima
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Post by Saturos Prox on Jan 21, 2014 17:37:48 GMT -6
Saturos's eyes narrowed ever so slightly as Zerachiel asked to be filled in. Yes, he was definitely fishing for information, and the swordsman genuinely couldn't tell how much the assassin already knew, whether it be about Bern or his own identity. Truly Zerachiel was a master at his craft. It made Saturos all that more confident in his choice, despite the fact that he had been berated for it earlier.
"Well, where do I begin?" began Saturos, turning his gaze towards the roof as he slid his mug back and forth between his hands. As long as he was prudent with his information, there was nothing to fear from giving Zerachiel a run down. "My boss set me up with a client in Bern. You might know him, his name's Dan," Saturos said, then paused to let Zerachiel attach the fake name to the real face. He was sure he'd make the connection. "He's quite the character, running around with all these ideas to revolutionize the world. Anyways, I'm serving as a sort of aide to Dan. My boss says its my job to make his ideas successful, which usually involves gathering information and keeping Dan up to date on the social climate so that he can make better business decisions." Saturos paused to take a long swig of his beer.
"Dan's current job has been a bit of a trial, to say the least," the swordsman continued, slapping his mug down with a thwack. "He's currently part of this guild that wants to make some big changes in Bern, but they don't have the authority to do so. So, we figured he required a certain badge of authority, one that we recently managed to procure." Again, Saturos stopped, giving Zerachiel a long stare to emphasize the actual value of this so-called badge. "It's a great step, but there's another organization currently standing in the way. They don't want Dan making any of his changes, and they have the power to make sure that happens."
"Before I continue, am I explaining it well enough? Next part is where it gets important."
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Zerachiel
Assassin
To many you will simply be another fool of a bloody king, but to me you shall always be a friend.
Posts: 99
Profession: Etrurian Assassin
Affiliation: Etrurian Inquisition
Affinity: Light
Profile: Zerachiel
OoC Alias: Elias
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Post by Zerachiel on Jan 23, 2014 18:32:02 GMT -6
Well now, none of this news was new or interesting. It was simply things he had already known for quite some time, and none too compelling. This Aidan fellow, oh excuse me, 'Daniel' wasn't anything noteworthy. Just another foolishly idealistic schlub who didn't realize he was being played, a perfect pawn really, but not much else. He had the Fire Emblem, and little else. Zera listened to Saturos' words that were simply a recap of things he already knew, slowly dragging the tip of his finger around the brim of his glass. He listened intently regardless, sometimes bits and pieces of info sometimes accidentally sneak their way in. He doubted it, Saturos was a professional and wouldn't slip up so easily, but it was always worth a try. After all he asked for it, might as well be polite and listing after all. "I've followed you so far, it's a fascinating tale. Do go on, please." He said in reply, sounding what would pass for interested, but only to someone who didn't know the same tricks. It was a subtle way to tell Saturos 'get to the good part' without having to say a single word.
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Saturos Prox
Swordmaster
The Wildcard
I'm almost incapable of lying. I'd be a terrible spy.
Posts: 351
Etruria Fame: 1
Profession: Undercover Operative
Affinity: Anima
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Post by Saturos Prox on Jan 27, 2014 11:10:20 GMT -6
Saturos smirked. He could see Zerachiel was getting impatient, though he wasn't sure if it was because of lack of interest or too much. "Will do," he said, polishing off his drink and ordering another one, though this time only for himself. He had figured Zerachiel a better drinker from his initial reaction, but the man had only touched his second mug. Perhaps it had just been playful banter. Saturos paused, then ordered a second for himself instead.
"Authority is all well and good, but you need a hero to take down an empire," continued Saturos, before letting out a small belch. "Or in this case an occupation. The problem is that Dan, despite what his close compatriots may think of him, is no hero. The people of Bern barely know his name." Saturos lightly tapped his pointer finger on the bar counter a couple of times, each time to emphasize the word he was currently saying. "So how do you make a hero, a man that the people can rally behind? Well, every hero needs a villain, and currently the organization that stands in Dan's way is not nearly villainous enough, and I don't see them changing their tune any time soon." A sly look made its way onto the swordsman's face, not so unlike that of a child's, one who had just found where his parents had hid the cookie jar.
"So we need to make them a villain. We need the people of Bern to cringe and cower at their very name, so that Dan, the one standing up to them, becomes a hero, loved and adored by the people." The finger that Saturos had been resting on the counter rose up to point at Zerachiel. "That's where I want you to come in."
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Zerachiel
Assassin
To many you will simply be another fool of a bloody king, but to me you shall always be a friend.
Posts: 99
Profession: Etrurian Assassin
Affiliation: Etrurian Inquisition
Affinity: Light
Profile: Zerachiel
OoC Alias: Elias
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Post by Zerachiel on Feb 18, 2014 10:28:46 GMT -6
"So, you want me to play the boogieman is it? I've gotta say, not exactly my area of expertise. I try to stay low profile." Saturos was downing drinks like they were water, and while Zera was a man who enjoyed his drink he preferred to take things slow. To enjoy, to savor, the drink. He would be surprised if the alcohol even touched the man's tongue with the way he poured it right down into his gullet. He took a drink of his own glass, slowly and taking his own time with things. It wasn't a race, and if it was he wouldn't win. Saturos spoke words he knew already, it was a bit sad that no new information had been shed from this diversion. Ilia, while not the most friendly folk around, weren't exactly the behemoths of oppression the rebellion wished they were. The whole situation in general was just uninteresting and really spoke of the follies of humanity far better then many other conflicts going on about now, it really felt a lot like a bunch of kids fighting over toys.
From what Zera was gleaming Saturos was wanting him to stir up trouble, not directly of course. Who was gonna fear a single one armed man, but rumors, information, making people afraid of their own shadow, make them fear something big that only the rebellion could save them from. It seemed like a big job, Zera was skilled but he was just one man.
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Saturos Prox
Swordmaster
The Wildcard
I'm almost incapable of lying. I'd be a terrible spy.
Posts: 351
Etruria Fame: 1
Profession: Undercover Operative
Affinity: Anima
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Post by Saturos Prox on Feb 18, 2014 14:14:28 GMT -6
"I don't want high profile," replied Saturos, tipping his empty mug towards his fellow agent in a knowing way. "If I wanted high profile I'd be off black mailing someone higher up than you right now." The swordsman leaned back on his stool, maintaining the secretive pretenses of the conversation as the bartender slapped another full mug of beer down in front of him. Saturos happily nodded back to him before swapping his empty drink with the new one. "Thank you," he said kindly.
"See, I want people to hate the occupiers, not you," the Etrurian continued, turning his attention back to Zerachiel. "As far as this mission would be concerned, you don't exist, at least not as you anyway, which I know is exactly how you like it." Saturos gave the other man a wry smile. He knew this type of work was Zerachiel's expertise, and it was the kind of work you could do with one arm. For an agent who had fallen from so far from his former glory, this was too good an offer to pass up. "You'll have an entire network of our people at your disposal, as we managed to infiltrate both the rebellion and the occupation quite heavily, so there's not too much need to worry about resources."
"And of course," continued Saturos with a flourish of his hand, "yours truly will be playing the other side, so we'll have both sides of the game covered. So what do you say?"
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