paixaorpg | I Spy... [Completed]

Entry tags:

I Spy... [Completed]

Character(s): Kadaj & The Corinthian
Content: In which Kadaj wanders around searching for… well, several people, and eventually comes across someone who is none of those. Sad.
Setting: Probably around N4-ish. In that general area. Somewhere.
Time: Morningish, week2.
Warnings: Some references to eating eyeballs. Yum.

It was probably too much to hope for him to immediately come across one of his family members or the liar named Desire, but that didn’t stop him from doing it. Realistically, he knew he was just setting himself up for disappointment, but why should that bother him? He could get lucky, especially since he had heard that his big brother was around. He hadn’t come across him on his way out of the Morem o Lisboa, or seen any sight of him while inside it, but perhaps he had simply checked out while Kadaj was preoccupied with his journal.

Fascinating things, really. It would have been much harder to accomplish what he had so far without them. Sure, he had suffered a few minor setbacks, but things were on the right track now.

He glanced back in the direction of the hotel he had just come from, a faint smile on his face. While he did enjoy spending time with his brother, he knew that he and Yazoo would be able to cover much more ground separately than together. Even if Mother and Loz weren’t in the city as Del said, there was still the possibility that they would appear, and in addition to that, there were now two people that needed to be punished for their crimes against both he and his family. It was just finding them that was the problem.

Pausing for a moment to check the map so conveniently located in the journal, he frowned faintly to himself. None of the names here made any sense. Paradisio was at least recognizable, but as for Ersesat and Vocea… there probably wasn’t any meaning to them at all. Maybe there were just chosen because they sounded pretty.

Satisfied by this answer, he continued walking, keeping his eyes peeled for any sign of the people he was looking for. With so many on his list, he had to come across at least one of them, right?

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Irony had a way of taking something, shoving it in your face and waving it around a few times. Before biting your ass. Currently the Corinthian was out of luck twice when it came to silver haired boys. He was irritable and deciding that this 'Paixao' was not nearly as nice as he had thought it before. Desire and Death were floating around here as well as Delirium and, dare he even think it, but he missed the Dreaming. The Waking World was turning out to be shittier and shittier. At least, this Waking World was.

"...well, fuck me," and then, another bump in the road. Another silver haired bump. Silver hair and ... well, not nearly the impressive get up of the boy tied to the lamp post. But certainly, it had an appealing air to it. The Corinthian made his way over to the lone figure (which stood out, black and silver on white), not wary so much as hardly ready to be disappointed again.

The nightmare wasn't hungry anymore, as the previous scene had ruined his appetite, but he was still pissed. A pissed, and as Dream had once told Lucien 'not the most social of nightmares', nightmare was never a good combination.

While it would be nearly impossible for him to miss the strange man as he approached, Kadaj nonetheless felt the need to completely ignore him as he continued to look around. Trying to find Cloud (or Mr. Fluffy Sky) in this city was like trying to find a needle in a haystack, a comparison which seemed even more appropriate as he recalled how spiky his brother's hair was. The others would have stood out more, but since they too were missing, he supposed he would just have to stop his search for now to talk to... whoever this was.

Finally focusing on the man in front of him, he made him wait a few seconds longer before smirking and asking in a mockingly polite tone, "Can I help you?" Even though he sounded anything but genuinely curious about him, he couldn't help but wonder just what the point was behind this little interaction. He hadn't accidentally killed the poor man's loved ones or something had he? Hmm...

"Can I help you?"

The voice was the first hint that he would probably not get what he wanted out of this one. It wasn't like Riku's at all, nor the lack of voice from the gagged boy. The Corinthian, however, found his attention mostly on the other's eyes. What color exactly were there? There wasn't a definite 'blue' or 'green' and the pupil was the most curious shape. Like a cat's, but this was clearly a person. Hopefully, anyway, he was tired of little birds and little mice.

"...you have the most interesting eyes," The Corinthian said, without censoring himself. A thin smile appeared on his one visible mouth. What would be the reaction from this boy?

The corner of his mouth quirked. "You came here to tell me that I have interesting eyes?" he asked slowly, before beginning to laugh. "Is this something you usually do? You know, most people say things like 'Hello, my name is...'" He trailed off, examining him. He didn't know what it was, but something about the man's sunglasses bothered him. It probably wasn't important, but his voice became a little bit harder as he said, "Tell me your name."

Too bad he didn't have access to mako in this place. He'd never gotten the chance to experiment with it himself, of course, but if interesting eyes were all this person wanted, that would be the perfect start. There was a chance he would accidentally overexpose himself, though, but that was a risk Kadaj was willing to take.

"Is this something you usually do? ..."

The Corinthian's smile grew into a rather broad smirk. No, it wasn't. Depending on the person, however, he had different things to say. To blue eyes it would probably be a gag reflex right now. He could hear the change of tone, however, when his name was demanded. Pushy little thing, wasn't it?

"...That's not very polite. What's your name?" The 'boy' was held, though the Corinthian had the urge to tack it on the end. To look down on this slender person with strange eyes. Strange outfit, strange voice. Odd hair, pale skin. Something seemed... artificial. Though he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

Kadaj's eyes narrowed, but he kept his smirk firmly in place. Impolite? Him? Well, naturally. What else was he expecting? Expression clearing slightly, he dropped his gaze and affected an almost humble attitude, half-bowing with one hand held close to his chest and the other extended outwards expressively. "Do forgive me, I seem to have forgotten my manners~" He glanced up at him again, not bothering to hide his cheeky grin. "My name is Kadaj. And yours?"

Not bothering to wait for a name in return, he slowly straightened, trying not to look too pleased with himself. This was turning out more amusing than he had thought it would be, but all the same he was feeling a bit too impatient to keep up that sort of behavior. Unless he had something to gain from it, it was just a waste of time.

Asshole.

The Corinthian was not a master of social spheres, but he could definitely read 'Kadaj's posture. And what kind of name was Kadaj? It sounded pretty odd, but it did match his odd appearance. And the pleased expression on Kadaj's face was as easy to read as a book. Hmph, so that's how he was.

"...The Corinthian," He also bowed, just as mockingly as Kadaj. Then a hand went to his sunglasses and he tilted them away, a little. Not enough to reveal his 'eyes', but enough to not get a tinted look at Kadaj. Hm. Not bad, not bad at all.

"That sounds more like a title than a name," Kadaj observed, his curiosity returning. "Care to explain that? Or is that really your name?" He wouldn't be at all surprised if he had been lied to, but if the Corinthian assured him it was, he'd have to believe him. It made a strange sort of sense, but he knew there had to be more to it than the other was letting on.

As stealthily as he could, he looked out over the streets again, his original purpose for venturing out into the city not forgotten. Where was his brother? Maybe in the opposite direction he had decided to travel. How annoying. And Desire... who knew if or when it would show up? He would just have to wait, he supposed. He hated waiting.

The Corinthian shrugged, "...it's what people can use to call me," Which didn't really answer the question. But, like Blob and Brute, like other nightmares and dreamthings, their names were their titles. Like Dream himself, a name and a title rolled into one neat package. He would have lied, to someone, given a more 'human' name, but since Kadaj was a pretty alien name... no need.

Stealth was lost on someone who had hunted Loki, the trickster god. "...you asked me if I was looking for something. But it seems like it's you who is seeking," The Corinthian commented.

Good enough, he supposed, and already his mind was supplying all the different ways he could pronounce the name/title, the more irritating the better. There was no way he was going to take it seriously, no matter how foolish that decision later became.

He looked sharply back at him for a moment when he heard that comment, and after unsuccessfully trying to hide his displeasure at being caught, he said rather quickly, "Yes, as a matter of fact, I am looking for someone. Several someones." Brow furrowing slightly, he glanced around again, not bothering to hide it this time. By this point it seemed pretty pointless to even bother trying, but he was nothing if persistent. "I don't suppose you've seen one of them? A man with spiky blond hair and blue eyes-- they glow a little, you'd like them-- probably carrying a large sword. Or, a silver-haired man, taller than I am, with rather dramatic-looking sideburns? Or a... well, I don't know what it is, but it calls itself 'Desire.' And, lastly..." He trailed off, wondering how he could describe the very last person he was looking for. In truth it was the first person, but how could anyone describe someone like Mother? "You'd know her if you saw her," he settled for saying, sounding distant.

Ha. Caught. The Corinthian allowed himself a smirk, satisfied. However, then Kadaj kept talking. The guy with spikey hair, the guy with sideburns and... Desire. That brought a frown to the nightmare's face. It was still playing its games, then. And Kadaj seemed like one who desired a lot, so it made sense that it would toy with him.

"...so you're one of Desire's playthings, then?" He asked. Even if it wasn't true, he was betting that it would get a rise out of the silver haired boy. And anything to bring anger or frustration to the surface would be well appreciated.

... Plaything?! The word brought Kadaj out of his thoughts with an unpleasant jolt, and he glared at the Corinthian with unrestrained malice. "I am not Desire's 'plaything.' My allegiance belongs to someone else entirely, and you would do well to remember it." A puppet was very different from a plaything after all. It had to be. Mother was...

He forced himself to abandon that train of thought, distracting himself instead with pouring every ounce of loathing he could into his stare. The Corinthian was speaking out of ignorance, that was all. He couldn't possibly understand all the work that Mother had done for them. No one could.

Soon enough, he found his anger beginning to fade, and in the place of his glare, there was a wide smile forming. Why was he getting so upset? The Corinthian hadn't said anything bad about Mother at all, just said that Kadaj was Desire's plaything. While undoubtedly false, that was no reason to be so angry. "No, I'm not one of its things," he repeated, still smiling. "Why do you ask? Do you know it?"

Well, that got the desired response. The Corinthian felt a bit better, watching the anger spread across Kadaj's face. It was nice to know that he could still, at least, make people react. And this one wasn't even 'human' he was betting.

"...As well as anyone knows Desire. I take it that you've talked to it recently? Did it tell you any lies, little shadow?" He had no idea why he was calling this one 'little shadow'. But it was a bit of a habit to call things 'little...' and 'boy' didn't seem like the appropriate word here, for some reason. Perhaps, 'little annoyance' would have worked just as well, for his purposes.

"Very recently, as a matter of fact." Kadaj was starting to get irritated again, if only because Desire's deception was still fresh in his mind. The fact that the Corinthian had been able to pick up on it so easily was also starting to irk him, but as long as he steered clear of calling him a plaything again, he would be able to tolerate it. Mostly. It also depended on whether or not he continued calling him that ridiculous name. Hadn't Larxene called him the same thing? Well, no matter.

Deciding to ignore that question, he went on to say conversationally, "You obviously know something about it, Corinthian. I don't see why you're trying to keep that from me, but I suggest you stop. Tell me what you know and we can end this. It's not that hard, is it? Unless you stand to gain something from misleading me..." He couldn't imagine what that would be, since he had only just met this man. What could be his motive? Kadaj couldn't figure it out.

Ah, how funny, to question about Desire.

"Desire is desire, and its games are always cruel," While he was prone to lying to people he didn't trust, there wasn't any reason to lie about Desire. Dream's sister-brother was not at all one of his favorite people, quite the reverse in fact. Even thinking about it made the Corinthian's jaw tighten. Desire, afterall, had been the one who had helped to bring about his former master's end.

The nightmare released the tension in his jaw, but was still not too pleased with the topic of discussion. "I have no business with you, little shadow." Except, of course, if Kadaj wanted to offer his eyes. Gorgeous little things that they were, of different colors and pupils. The Corinthian could count on one hand the kinds of eyes he had eaten since his 'rebirth' -- and he'd love to expand the list.

... That was it? Nothing else? Kadaj gave him a disgusted look and turned away, obviously finding even his fruitless search more interesting than whatever the Corinthian had to say. It wasn't like he was learning anything from it, or at least it was nothing that would help him hunt Desire down and kill it. "I don't care about what games Desire plays. I just need to know where to find it. Any ideas on that, or are you as useless as I think you are?"

Clearly agitated, he shifted his weight impatiently. It seemed more and more likely in his mind that he was simply being toyed with, and like earlier, the concept only angered him. "Why would you stop and talk to me if you had no reason to do it? I have many things I need to do, even if you don't, and I don't appreciate any delays, Mr. the Corinthian."

The Corinthian raised an eyebrow at Kadaj. Useless? Hardly Kadaj didn't know a lick about the nightmare. Of course, the other probably didn't know anything about dreams and dreamlings and all the things that really did go bump. "Maybe if you try wishing really hard," he offered as advice to Kadaj, amused.

This one was so much like a child, no sense of restraint. Not that the Corinthian was usually one who allowed himself to be deterred for long either. "...I said it before, you've got beautiful eyes, Kadaj." That was reason enough for him to talk to someone. There was something about people and their eyes, and the stories they told.

Even more useless. Kadaj didn't know why he was even bothering to stick around at this point, other than that horrible, nagging curiosity that reared its ugly head when he considered turning to leave. Fine, so he would learn nothing about Desire from him, but what else did the Corinthian have to offer? "Thanks, maybe I'll try that," he said in a sickly sweet voice, giving him a smile to match. That would do for a close to that topic.

He had to wonder at why the references to his eyes were returning. He already knew they the things that the Corinthian was telling him about them, but... well, so what? "So I have beautiful eyes. Your point? If I didn't know any better, I'd say you wanted them for something." His smile was more genuine this time, but that didn't really say much. What a ridiculous idea.

Oh, Kadaj was a sharp one wasn't he? Like a tack.

"...you could say that," The Corinthian agreed easily. Why else would he keep complimenting the other's eyes? While, like any thing with a body he had his own fleshy desires, the hunger to consume was far greater than that. Food would be the closest anology. Something to take the edge off of his hunger.

He was a bit wary to reveal his reason for wanting Kadaj's eyes. Unlike the waking world he was used to, his prey were not nearly so easy (unless they were the 'native' Paixaoians...). And silver haired boys always gave him so much trouble.

Kadaj stared hard at the sunglasses the other was wearing, trying to see past them to the man's own eyes. While that would hardly give any insight into what the man was thinking of, some of his unease at the suggestion would at least fade if he could see them. His attempt failed, but rather than deter him, it only made him even more anxious to figure out exactly what he was after.

"Why do you want them?" he asked, deciding to take the direct route. "You're not getting them, but if you at least tell me why, maybe I can give someone else's to you." It wouldn't be at all hard to force feed one of the citizens some black water, if it came to that, although he wasn't entirely sure it would have the same result if they didn't have any of Mother's cells in them. It would be at best a temporary solution, but by the time it wore off, it would be too late. Unless he found his big brother... ooh, that was appealing...

Go figure, he gets asked directly. The Corinthian turned his options over in his head. The overwhelming urge to make a Red Riding Hood pun was pushed away. That would be inappropriate for the moment. Briefly he ran through the list of who he had met and who out of his more 'human' recent acquaintances knew. Only the little mouse, dull little skittish thing. Ah well.

"...It's a secret, I'll tell you if you give me one," and now he was bartering for Kadaj's eye. He didn't need both, he just wanted to taste one and see if it tasted as good as it looked. Then there'd be no bets on whether or not he'd keep his hands off of the other one.

Kadaj snorted. What did he think he was, stupid? "I don't want to know that much," he said, trying not to sound too disappointed. Maybe the Corinthian wanted his eye for something similar to what he wanted to find Mother's cells for? But that didn't make any sense, and none of the other possibilities he could come up with did either. So what was it?

He gave a minute shake of his head, mentally chiding himself. This was not the time to get distracted. He had lingered here for too long anyway, so perhaps it was time for him to go. He couldn't resist one last try, though, so he let out a loud sigh and turned as if to go. "I suppose you'll have to try your luck with someone else, then. Too bad you won't find another pair of eyes like mine~"

A bit of anger, the Corinthian was never good at being turned out. He contemplated just taking the eyes, the knife was in his pocket, afterall. All it would take ... but he wouldn't want to pop them before he got to taste them. Eyeballs always lost flavor after they were punctured.

"...You know anyone who has eyes that aren't blue?" The Corinthian switched gears a little, "Yellow or violet, even?" Because if Kadaj answered yes, well, he might solve the mystery and decide to go on his merry way. He'd always wanted to try violet eyes.

He stopped in his tracks, thinking for a moment. The question gave him enough of a hint that he now at least thought he had a pretty good idea of what the Corinthian wanted the eyes for, but... well, why had he bothered hiding it, then? Kadaj certainly didn't care if he wanted to collect them, but maybe he had simply expected panic. Understandable, considering how poorly people tended to react to that sort of thing.

"I'm afraid I don't," he replied, smiling faintly. He was lying, of course, and had been lying when he had implied there weren't any other eyes like his around, but the less the Corinthian knew about Yazoo and Loz, the better. He certainly didn't doubt their ability to protect themselves from him, but still, it never hurt to take precautions. As for Mother... well, he still wasn't sure what state she was in by now, but he was nonetheless certain she was safe.

This would be the golden opportunity to take care of another one of his problems, though. Smirking, he went on to say, "I can think of one person's eyes you would be interested in, though. The one I mentioned earlier, with spiky blond hair? I'm sure you don't have any mako eyes in your collection, and his would do nicely." Something else occurred to him, and he added, "I'd ask you to avoid killing him unless absolutely necessary, though-- that honor is all mine."

Usually when the Corinthian told people why he wanted his eyes there was much screaming. Or pleading and beggining and bargaining and name calling. Of course, that was before he started gagging his victims. After then, well, it was mainly just tears and sobbing. He'd liked those days. His disappointment was shown, when Kadaj responded. It seemed likely that everyone would have blue eyes. That was really unfortunate.

"...Oh? Mako?" He'd never heard of that before. It sounded intriguing, of course, and maybe even delicious. The nightmare regarded Kadaj, wondering if this was some sort of odd trap. Not that it would matter, he never went with the cautious side of things. "That sounds interesting, Kadaj." Eh, might as well 'reveal his secret'. A hand went up and tugged his sunglasses off, nesting them in his hair.

"I've never had mako eyes," the small mouth in his right eye socket spoke. The voice was decidedly the Corinthian's, but rougher. Whenever he was truly angry, his eyes spoke for him.

When Kadaj faced him fully again, the nightmare was in the midst of removing his sunglasses. He had been planning on telling him that he had known the Corinthian would approve, but the words died in his throat the instant the glasses moved away.

Mouths. Three of them, unless his eyes were deceiving him-- ha. Ha. Well. That was... ah. Kadaj fought to keep the smile on his face, but it was a losing battle. A completely unfamiliar feeling of terror was gripping him, one which he only just managed to keep from invading his carefully schooled facial expression. It lasted for a second or two more before he had to look away, staring instead at the ground and angling his head ever so slightly so that his hair covered him. Gaia had no shortage of monsters, it was true, but this was unlike anything he had ever encountered before.

Once he trusted himself to speak again, he said in poor facsimile of his earlier mocking tone, "I'm glad you approve." It was close enough to what he had wanted to say that he didn't feel too terrible about his sudden loss of courage, but the fact that it had happened at all filled him with shame. What would Mother say? He could only hope he had successfully hidden his fear, but... well, they would see. One thing he was sure of, though, was that he didn't envy his older brother's fate one bit.

Ohhh?

The Corinthian felt all three of his mouths grin. Sure, the boy-shadow managed to hide most of his fear, but the Corinthian was designed to be able to read reflections. He was created for fear, in a way, and it was quite easy to pick up on, when one knew what they were looking for. The aversion of the eyes was expected, it was almost common place.

Part of him loved this. Fear, it was so easy to love it. His other self had survived on fear and manipulation. He had made his own army of serial killers, because they were the entrepenuars of the new world. The other part of him felt disgusted at himself for liking it. But pleasure over discipline, always.

"...Spiky blonde hair...? I'll keep that in mind, but I need a name, little shadow." He spoke with his main mouth, as he did when in these 'moods'. The other two were mainly for eating, anyway.

Irritation over being called that name again was what granted him the ability to look up again, which he did with a small glare. The grins he saw didn't at all reassure him that it had been a good decision to return his gaze to him, but he didn't care. In a very subtle sort of revenge for scaring him, Kadaj made him wait until he had regained his composure before answering, and while there was a slight edge to his smile now that hadn't been there before, it could just as easily be attributed to his hatred of his brother as a heightened sense of wariness over the Corinthian's "eyes."

"Cloud Strife," he said simply, still watching him carefully. He was trying to convince himself that he was being irrational, and that it would take a mere gesture on his part to summon a few Shadow Creepers to protect him, but still he couldn't quite rid himself of the last of his fear. That more than the nickname was what irritated him, and he was almost hoping that the Corinthian would be foolish enough to attack so that he would have an excuse to kill him. So what if that meant his brother never ran into him? He just wanted him to go away.

Cloud Strife. A name and a description. It was tempting to disregard it completely and just take Kadaj's eyes. The other might be lying to him, which would explain the fear -- or he might be afraid of him. It was hard to tell. The Corinthian slid the sunglasses back onto his face, turning the information over in his head. It had taken Kadaj long enough to give him the name, and it added to his already sour mood. His emotions cycled through pleased and bitter, settling somewhere in between.

"I would be very disappointed if you were lying to me," The nightmare commented, off handedly. More than disappointed he'd probably be pissed off. The Corinthian pulled his pocket knife out of his pocket, not opening it, but ... temptation was never something he was good at resisting. "And you're Kadaj. Nice name, I'll remember it."

The sunglasses were back on. Good. Now he could pretend he hadn't just seen-- that. It was a lot easier to pretend not to be scared now, and within a few moments, the emotion would gone entirely. Unfortunately, that gave him even more opportunity to be disgusted with himself for letting himself get scared in the first place, but that was better than earlier at least. It was the Corinthian's fault anyway, not his. How was he supposed to know he had wanted the eyes for that?

The appearance of the pocket knife didn't disturb him in the least, mostly because of just how mundane it was. Kadaj was perfectly confident he'd be able to counter that, and, once more in complete control of himself, he said, "Why would I lie? I only stand to gain from telling you about my dear older brother. Lying would only complicate things for both of us." He hated when things got complicated. "Thank you, by the way. I'll remember your name as well."

The Corinthian was warring with himself. Take 'em now, it's easy enough was one side. He'd never been the kind to be afraid of people. Or to let what 'might be' rule his decisions. The other side was the one who wanted to please, a side of himself that he hated. But, it was the side which Dream seemed to like the best. Pity.

"...I'll be on my way, then. To find... your older brother. I guess family bonds aren't that strong, then?" The Corinthian nodded as he spoke. He would go with the pitiful side, for now. Go see this Cloud Strife. Besides, it wasn't as if Kadaj could vanish into the crowd here in Paixao.

Oh, if only he knew. "They're strong enough. It's the ones that break them that deserve punishment." He resisted the urge to go on a tangent about just what Cloud had done to sever those bonds, choosing instead to take advantage of the fact that the Corinthian seemed to believe him.

He just had to hope neither of his other brothers ran into him. Making a mental note to warn Yazoo over the journals, he turned again and started to walk away. "Remember, try not to kill him," he called back, favoring him with a slight smile. "I'd be very disappointed to hear that he died and I missed it. I'll see you around, then, Mr. Corinthian~"

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I Spy... [Completed]

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