paixaorpg | A Nobody and a Demon Walk Into a Bar [Active]

Entry tags:

A Nobody and a Demon Walk Into a Bar [Active]

Character(s): Larxene and Etna
Content: Etna's Org reconnaissance leads her to Larxene.
Setting: The Cheap Prayer [F5]
Time: night
Warnings: violence

Even a Nobody needed to take a break once in a while. And what better place than a run-down little bar like this to watch the various residents and visitors while remaining relatively unnoticed? She was dressed in a black dress that laced like a corset down her stomach and revealed quite a bit of her bust, and was sitting at the bar nursing a neon-colored cocktail, just watching. She had removed the long streaks of hair that stuck up for this particular occasion; it really did change her profile. She almost blended in.

Almost.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Etna had been gone a long time...

How long, she wasn't even sure. The days and nights seemed so crowded and incongruous under the painted domes that passed for a sky in this city that they blurred together.

However long it might have been since she went AWOL, Etna was certain that it obviously had either been too long or not nearly long enough. Her efforts remained largely fruitless and she was far past beginning to regret her rash decision of taking off in the middle of the night.

The idea had struck her in a moment of what at the time seemed like genius.

Everyone had a journal, the journals obviously weren't safe for information and no matter where you hid the Organization found you...
It had snapped together in her mind so smoothly, they were being tracked via journal.

Within minutes of that revelation, Etna had abandoned her journal. Lodged it in a cranny of the hotel stone she had been staying at...
Staying at with Laharl and Flonne... They were still nursing their wounds at that time. After all that chaos. Terror. Hatred. Pain. Failure.

Flonne and Laharl had needed each other more then ever at the time. What they didn't need was Etna in the way, missing her chances and bungling things.
Even before she left she had spied on them growing closer together then they had ever been.
By now the Love freak had probably dragged the poor Prince off to some fluffy restaurant and made him choke down a salad.

Hah-

What she wouldn't have given to see his royal pain in the ass reduced to that.

She wanted to go back, this wasn't going anywhere. The Organization for as much as its members seemed to disagree with each other, were amazingly clean. They left no traces of where they went and left most places they'd been, in too much rubble to actually find anything of real use.
If she went back now though, that would just be another failure on her growing list.

This wasn't like her, Thing had never gone wrong like this.
Etna rubbed her eyes sleepily while she bounded instinctively from shadow to shadow like a crook in the night.
She stopped atop a small rooftop and dropped her head to her fist in contemplation. Looking shockingly reminiscent of the gargoyle beside her.

She wondered what Flonne and Laharl were doing now. Did they think she was dead? Or just "missing" like the last her had been... Did they even care? Probably not. The Prince is a demon, she thought, thats just not in our nature.

He probably only cared about the fact that she had left without his permission.
Maybe if he just stopped to realize that she was doing this for them!

That's right, Etna sighed inwardly, she was out here because she thought it was the best thing she could do for Laharl and Flonne.
Either because, She'd find the Organization XII and end this or because she didn't want to feel worthless, being subject to their constant attack or maybe because those two were growing closer and didn't need her around.

Was she jealous those two might pay more attention to each other then they could afford for her?
Ugh, maybe she really did need that journal. It kept her mind off of ridiculous crap ideas like those.

She needed a break, Etna decided.
No, better, she needed junk food, Etna thought as she noticed the bar across the street.
It must've been ages since she had last had a proper amount of sugar in her diet. No wonder her thoughts were turning sour~ There just wasn't enough sweetness packed in her at the moment.

She'd commit murder for chocolate right now... well, she admitted, she'd commit murder for chocolate anytime.
Etna snickered to herself as she passed through the doorway.

"Hello, Hello~" ,She called aloud to the denizens of the bar, directing their attention to the red headed bombshell walking into their seedy little bar, but had to pause a moment to keep from choking on her tongue as she noticed the profile of one the bar's occupants.

What? Really? No. Impossible! Maybe... Maybe. It looks liiike her~ juuuuust maaybe....

She continued her introduction as if nothing had happened and exclaimed to her unwitting audience with a gleeful pose, "Et-O-Na-Saaama is here, at last."

Edited 2008-09-23 08:21 (UTC)

Etna's loud entrance certainly didn't escape Larxene's attention. After all, if there was one thing Larxene was always keeping an eye out for, it was for Laharl and his friends. And here was his so-called-missing right hand vassal, delivered to her on a plate. What luck.

She sipped her drink. It wouldn't do to cause a scene just yet--Laharl was strong, and while she doubted the vassals could match the overlord, she wanted more room to maneuver in than this little bar if there was going to be a scuffle.

But it might be more fun to see what she would do. An eyebrow arched at the demon as she turned on the stool she sat in, leaning against the bar.

"Well, you certainly make an entrance," she said, doing her best to pretend she didn't recognize Etna.

Etna was pleased that it didn't seem Larxene recognized her, their interactions had been scarce. This way, she could work Larxene into a corner diplomatically and get as much information as she wanted. After all, a dead Larxene wouldn't be a terribly talkative one... unless she were a zombie, but Etna could contemplate turning Larxene into undead tinker toys later, there was work to be done.

Etna finished her audacious introduction with a cat-like stretch skyward to show off her figure. She pretended to be flattered by Larxene's comment and took a seat besides her at the bar, waving at the bartender for a drink.

"Thanks, hi~" ,she gave Larxene an overly cordial smile and a flap of the hand.

Larxene showed no acknowledgment on her face, keeping to her usual vaguely amused but otherwise blank look. It fit her well, she thought. It was why she wore it so often. And she wore expressions like clothes; things to present an impression, but shallow, when it came right down to it.

Then again, the clothes make the man, they say. She smiled.

"Hello," she purred. "You don't look like a native, and though I might look a bit more like one, I'm not either. So what brings you around here?"

"Uh huh~" ,Etna grinned and continued to feign conversation, "I could tell you weren't a local the moment you spoke, you weren't bland and soulless enough to be native. Oh, you know, I was out doing some stupid little busywork and thought I needed to stop for the night."

So this was Larxene, Etna thought to herself, the woman who had single-handedly -and backhandedly- beaten Laharl, Etna had been almost jealous. It was somewhat disappointing to find her in a bar; the situation gave Larxene an aspect that wasn't entirely congruous with the pure unadulterated viciousness people ascribed to her. Maybe this wasn't her; maybe the antenna hairstyle was catching on since the Prince moved into town, maybe this was Larxene's good twin and the two had been separated at birth or maybe Larxene was just an exquisite liar with a talent for facade.

Regardless, the answer to that ambiguity would soon come to light as Etna asked the bartender for a couple of drinks for herself and her new friend.
Etna was happy to buy her night's conversation a glass or two, provided she added a little something that would loosen Larxene's lips just a bit more then alcohol might.

She smirked a bit. "Oh, you never know. Maybe I'm lying." It was a bold move, but that was how she worked. And of course didn't trust for a moment that the drinks would be safe. But she couldn't let Etna know that she knew, at least not yet.

This was too interesting to bring to an early end. She crossed her legs at the ankle.

"I've never been fond of busywork, though," she continued. "I tend to~ change what I'm doing when I get it."

That was how she operated in Paixao most of the time.

"Oh, of course", Etna agreed on principle, keeping the conversation alive at the moment merely for a distraction to slip her pinky into a clear vial truth serum momentarily before letting it dry inconspicuously to her glove.

"I wouldn't be doing the work if I didn't need to”,She said, gripping the rims of the two glasses with her ring and pinky fingers and dragging them between herself and Larxene; letting the drink strung along by her pinky wash it clean of poison, "My job is at stake and I'd hate to lose it."

Etna wasn't even sure what she had ordered, it had cherries resting at the bottom of the glass skewered by plastic swords to make them easier to pick out later; it struck her as somewhat appropriate and she lifted the unpoisoned glass in a mock toast to Larxene.

"And what about yourself; what brought you out here tonight?"

Edited 2008-10-14 22:09 (UTC)

Larxene lifted the glass she had been given as was appropriate, but put it down without taking so much as a sip--to answer Etna's question, of course.

"Oh, you know, just trying to get a feel for the pulse of this place," she said. "Though as far as the citizens, it's pretty dead. I'd rather talk to the other visitors."

An innocent smile--and something of the truth, as well. A seedy place like this brought out the most interesting characters. And hadn't her gamble paid off, to have Laharl's apparently missing vassal sitting beside her?

She wasn't drinking... was she wise to it or just plain idiotic? c'mon Etna think, she told herself.

"Oh you're new then, oh yeah, don't bother with them" ,Etna raised her glass and shook it lightly to beg Larxene's toast, "to company then?"

If she toasted, there'd be nothing to do but to take a drink, right?

((OOC: crappy post is crappy))

"So I've found out," Larxene said in response to Etna's first statement, and then did indeed raise her glass in a toast, only to tap her glass just hard enough for some of her own glass to spill into Etna's. Now, would Etna drink it? Larxene would just have to wait a moment or two to find out.

"To company."

Etna hadn't really been paying attention to the cheers and Larxene's transgression went unnoticed. she raised the glass, twirled it once and downed the drink, her tail curling forward as she did. She peeked over the glass once or twice to watch if Larxene was doing the same.

"Good huh?" ,she asked, digging the skewered cherry out from the ice at the bottom of the glass.

Edited 2008-10-31 15:17 (UTC)

Nothing that was immediately fatal, at the very least, though Larxene wasn't sure if Etna had even noticed the mix. Had that been a fast-acting poison, well, Etna would be hurting right now? Larxene bit back the urge to chide the demon for her lack of attention.

As it was, she deemed it safe to take a small sip; she didn't come close to draining the glass.

"I've never been much of a drinker," Larxene said by way of half-truthful explanation, "but this isn't bad at all."

She considered attacking Etna now, but decided against it. She wanted to see how far Etna would take this. "So, do you know anyone in the city?"

Finally Larxene had drunk, Etna celebrated her perceived victory internally, while taking care not to not show how pleased she was on her face.
Even if it was just a small dose, the drug would start working quickly enough, pervading through the most sneaky and secretive of minds and cracking them wide open enough to nonchalantly lose their grip on half their trove of secrets in casual conversation before even realizing the fact. Shortly now, Larxene would be an open book, ready to be scoured for information, then beaten into submission.

Sadly for Etna, she was already feeling a slight mental high that she chocked up to her own hubris and payed no attention. In fact, she waged she felt a bit daring and ventured to be a bit snide.

"Oh, I know plenty of people in town, but you know 'em all already."

Larxene's smile hinted at something vicious. "And what makes you say that?"

She was feeling a bit giddy, in a solid way which made her think perhaps there had been something in the drink. But it would be effecting Etna, too, and for now, Larxene could shove the feeling away and ignore it, simply focusing on watching the demon girl's reactions.

Etna gave a malicious giggle, drunk on confidence and unaware of the reality of the situation.

"Well, you keep tabs on everyone, don't you" ,Etna sat back against the bar, either unaware of the implications of her awnser or too confident to care.

In truth, Etna hadn't even taken the time to think about her awnser, she was rather busy elating and counting the moments until she could drop the rather boring facade of casual conversation for an onslaught of cold hard questions. Soon, she wagered, just a little bit longer.

"Do I?" Larxene asked, feigning innocence even as her smile widened just a touch. It seemed to be effecting Etna worse than it was her, or the demon girl had simply grown loose-tongued out of arrogance.

"Just what makes you think that, hm?"

It ought to be safe enough to start hazarding questions at this point, Etna figured. Etna couldn't be sure how much the nobody might have had or how resistant the physiology of levin-charged Larxene might prove to be, but she wagered that by this point; most constitutions would have given enough leeway. She could say whatever she pleased now and still get her questions answered. If Larxene were to try something, Etna would pin her to the floor with her spear and keep the questions rolling.

"Ahh, but of course, my dear Larxene," ,the little devil did an oddly on target Sherlock Holmes impression before bursting into her typical whine, "why else would you always be there on the journals like some freaky stalker? You guys are really hard to find, you know? I checked the phonebook and everything. So, where is it the Organization hides out? I'd just love to drop by sometime~"

"Ah, but Etna, haven't you been tracking me all along?" Larxene purred, and her kunai were out now even as she moved through the demon to read her memories. "Not as smart as I hoped, though; wouldn't you think I would know all of dear Laharl's vassals?"

Unfortunately, Nobodies were nothing, and when it came to chemicals, well, it was just hard to get it to work on one. But she didn't mind answering a few of her questions.

"You found me, didn't you? I must not be that hard to track down," she purred. "Of course, maybe I just wanted to pay you a visit."

And she lunged, kunai outstretched and lightning crackling.

Etna's face filled with blood in embarrassment and rage while Larxene unveiled her ploy was doomed from the start. Etna was shaking with a great variety of minor convulsions boiling their way to the surface through the great heat of her choking rage. Her eyes poised into a deathstare, she finally truly looked the part of a demon. She wasn't just being beaten at her own game, she was being mocked for it and if Etna was anything, she was a sore loser.

Etna reacted swiftly, well accustomed to having weapons swung at her. She curled up and leapt back atop the stools in natural bounds, finishing standing atop the last stool in the line, her tail steadying her balance.

"I tried being diplomatic, but I always have to persuade people by force recently" ,she sighed and shrugged.

Etna grasped her spear with her left hand and brought it swinging across and into the bar, smashing into the counter top sending a shower of splintering wood into the air.

Larxene ignored the shrieking citizens as they abandoned the bar, focused only on Etna, smiling with a wicked, I-know-something-you-don't-know grin and floating ever so slightly above the floor.

"My, what an interesting life you've led," Larxene said, as if they were still conversing pleasantly. "Does Laharl know your feelings about his father?"

As if she didn't already know. She had his memories and Etna's, not to mention those of Vyers, and as she collected and combined the knowledge she was starting to become very aware of the little ways they all came together and fell apart.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

A Nobody and a Demon Walk Into a Bar [Active]

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject