Faustian Bargain (Sabiel and Revan)

[skyeraptor59]

Sabiel: You’re sitting in an outdoor café, sipping your drink cautiously. There are people around you, but none of them are staring at you, which is odd, considering who you are. New Yorkers know you (at lest, they think they do) and you’re a hero in there eyes. But no one is staring at you; there’s no one asking for autographs, gawking as you pass by, religious zealots begging you to give them your blessing. This is all due to the “man” sitting in front of you: smartly dressed in a tan Alfani suit with a red tie and shirt, slicked back crimson hair, neatly trimmed goatee. He looks like a suave businessman, not a henchman of evil. He’s casually sipping a cup of black coffee, holding the illusion of a businessman and his female associate out enjoying the afternoon. He leans over, eyes full of trickery and taunts, wearing a smile that would make a human’s skin crawl off his body. “I’m so glad you decided to meet me. Though I didn’t give you much choice, did I?” He leans back, slapping his leg in laughter. “Oh, but it would have been such a good reunion!” He imitates your voice, then the voice of your father: “‘Hello, daddy-dearest!’ ‘Hello, my sweet!’ ‘Please, don’t kill me, daddy!’ ‘A promise is a promise, my dear!’ And when the deed was done, your father would turn to me and say, ‘Well, done, Xethrul, you have served me well.’ And I’d bow graciously and respond, ‘Ever ready to serve my master is Xethrul!’” Xethrul bursts into horrible laughter at the thought of it. Then turning slightly serious, he says, “But you saw the wisdom of taking my advice and meeting me here. Yes, that must be your mother’s side coming out.” He shakes his head. “Oh, well can’t be helped now.” He smiles again.

Revan: Not far away, in fact, a few tables down, you’re also confronting someone who works for your biggest enemy: the man is a mutant, that at least is certain. He’s laid back, dressed in a Hawaiian shirt and khakis and sandals, nursing a large smoothie. He’s ordered you a drink as well, which you haven’t touched as yet. He takes a drink from his smoothie, then says, “You’re smarter than I thought, Mr. Revan. I expected you to come in, guns blazin’, or maybe even try to take me out stealthily. But meeting me, tail between your legs, cowed? Never saw it coming.” He looks at his watch. “By the way, if you hadn’t shown up, there’d be hordes of Weapon X agents all over you right now.” Pressing a button on his watch, he adds, “In fact, Ol’ Striker had given us orders to take you out if need be, and trust me, we now have that capability.” He smiles darkly, then notices that you haven’t touched your drink, and takes mock offense: “Dude, I go out of my way to meet you here, order you something to quench your thirst, and you still don’t trust me. I mean, seriously, what’s a guy got ta do to gain your trust? Kill Will Stryker himself?”

[terrafate]

Sabiel stares daggers at the man, the fact that she is uncomfortable in this setting makes that look even deadlier. She leans forward in her chair as she growls softly at the man before commenting Mimic me again and I will flay the skin from your bones. You had a reason for calling me here now I suggest you get to the point before I decide I have better things to do, like go 'save' some poor sap. She sits back in her chair and takes another sip before pushing the drink away, I hate coffee.

[Revan]

That would be a start. He eyes the man over trying to decide what to make of him. Had there not been innocent people around, he would have gone in guns blazing. There wasn't a doubt in his mind that they would be able to stop him anyway. Grabbing the drink, he raised it to his nose, taking a smell. Just as it appeared as if he would drink it, he suddenly poured out onto the ground at his side. Oops. My bad. Why don't we skip the pleasantries and you tell me what the hell it is you want with me?

[skyeraptor59]

Sabiel: Xethrul smiles. "That's the girl we know and hate!" Leaning back, he looks off as if bored. "Well, I'll get straight to the point. I'm in need of your talents to...acquire something that I highly value. I'd retrieve it myself, but...well, your father wouldn't be thrilled. In fact, he'd kill me, and, unlike you, my dear, I have not the ability to come back from the dead, being already an undead servant. Besides, I have no talent for stealing. Oh, you will be...rewarded for your efforts...if you succeed. And if your father finds out, I will swear upon my stopped heart that I had nothing to do with you."

Revan: The guy glares. "Dude, that was, like $5. It was a specialty smoothie." He pauses. "But I guess you're right. Before I get to the reason for why you're here, let me tell you who I am: I am Joseph Stryker, illegitimate child of William Stryker and an unknown mutant woman. He knows me as only as Kaiser, and I prefer it that way. Now, I want you to use your skills and whatever else at your disposal to steal something that means a lot to me. I'd get it on my own, but I'm trying to stay on Stryker's good side, because I know what he can do to us mutants. You'll get paid for this, of course, but only if you're able to get what I want."


OOC: These first few updates are going to be somewhat similar, but it'll mesh together.

[Revan]

And I'm supposed to just take your word at all this? How do I know you won't double cross me once I get the job done? Simple and to the point. It was no secret he didn't trust this man, and that makes him dangerous. The fact that he claimed to be related to Stryker made him even more nervous.

[terrafate]

Sabiel glared at the man, disbelief in her eyes, You want me to play the part of a petty thief? *sigh* You have exactly 2 minutes to tell me why I should do this for you, and it better be good or I will let you be the next person I save... She folds her arms on the table waiting for an explanation.

[skyeraptor59]

Sabiel: "What? I thought meeting your fate at the hands of your father would be convincing enough. Oh, well. I must up the ante, then." Immediately, his smile vanishes, and he leans in. "What I want you to steal is a weapon called 'Gelthru's Hammer-Ax.' It is a weapon your father desires, for with it, he could do what Mephisto only wishes he could: Break the barrier between Earth and the Underworld. I'm trying to prevent this from happening, because it will mean that this world will be out of balance: there won't be a middle-ground between the Underworld and Heaven. I may be a servant of your father, but I personally like balance. Call it OCD, or whathaveyou, but I believe that this world, and in turn each of us, needs balance in order to function properly. Besides, if he steals the Hammer-Ax and breaks that barrier, I don't think you need to guess what will happen to you." He pauses to let it sink in. "Have I convinced you yet, my dear?"

Revan: "Okay, okay, you want my trust in exchange for yours. I understand. Don't get paranoid. What I want you to steal is a mythic weapon called 'Gelthru's Hammer-Axe.' Stryker's looking for it to use it against humanity, and mainly against mutantkind. He won't need mutant-hunters with that weapon, if the stories about it are to be believed. What I want to do is stop him and kill him, if I can." He smiled. "Do I have your trust yet?" He paused for a second, then continued, "My father ordered my mother killed as soon as I was born, and he would have had me murdered, too, if it hadn't been for a certain someone escaping Weapon X." He nodded his head, indicating you, then added, "I was born with...interesting powers, among which was a high intellect, even as a newborn; so when I saw that something was happening to prevent my death for the moment, I seized the opportunity and made my escape. I won't bore you with the rest of my lifestory, but let's just say I found out about my parents and my father's involvement in my mother's death, and decided to take revenge; I've been working towards that goal my whole life, and I have a feeling you'd be willing to help."

[terrafate]

Sabiel looks at the man a moment longer before looking around her at the cityscape. A weapon that could break the barrier between Earth and Hell...That might mean that her exile from Hell would lifted but that would definitely mean that her father and his demons would catch her. Once they learned of her inability to die, they would spend the rest of time torturing her just like she tortured humans only worse and most definitely more painful. And where, prey tell, am I supposed to find this...Hammer-Axe? And what am I supposed to do with it once I find it? Give it to you? How do I know this isn't just some mission my dad sent you on so he could get it?

[Revan]

He sat quietly, contemplating before he would answer. Why look for this hammer thing? Why not just put a hit out on your old man? Is that what this meeting is really about? You want me to kill Stryker? Because if that's so, then screw this hammer thing. Just give me the info I need to find him. I'll make sure he dies.

[skyeraptor59]

Sabiel: "Ah, ever suspicious. Good girl. However, I do not intend to give your father any help whatsoever in his endeavors to spread his dominion. He may have given me a 'second-chance', and for that I am...shall we say grateful? But he cannot see the far-reaching effects of destroying the barrier between Earth and the Underworld. I can, and as I said before, I mean to prevent them." Xethrul leans back, sighing heavily. "I guess it's just the old me wanting to protect my old home." He smiles. "Oh, and by the way, you won't be working alone. Do you see that man sitting with what looks to be a tourist?" He points to Revan.

Revan: Kaiser nods. "I'd thought of that, but I've always been the guy who works subtly and then strikes as hard as possible at the heart. This Hammer-Axe? Some of my sources tell that if you kill someone with it, they go straight down. Go directly to hell, down not pass go, do not collect $200. Know what I mean? It'd be really ironic for Stryker to die by the very thing he was looking for to end mutantkind. Besides, I want to kill Stryker myself, I just have too many things to do to stop and find the Hammer-Axe." He notices Xethrul pointing at Revan and says, "By the way, you're going to have a partner." He points to Sabiel, who still looks like a business woman, albeit one who looks as lethal as a viper.

[terrafate]

I'm working with a human?! She sits and seethes, giving Xethrul looks that, if looks could kill, would have killed him ten times before he hit the ground. And there is no other way that I can get to this hammer-axe without that...human?! Which, by the way, you still have not told me where it is. She grabs her coffee cup and holds it firmly, before long, coffee is spilling out the top as she continues to squeeze harder. She leans in close to the dead messenger,I swear that when this is over, I will find you and I will make you suffer for making me work with one of them.

[Revan]

He's going to hell either way. This hammer thing won't change that. He sits back in his chair and listens some more, that is until something surprising is said causing him to stir. A partner? Why would you think I need a partner? He looks back at Sabiel briefly, noticing the look of disgust on her face. She doesn't seem to happy about this arrangement either. It might be better if I did this one alone.

[skyeraptor59]

Xethrul smiles. "The location is unknown at the moment. Let's sit down with those humans and all will be explained."

Kaiser chuckles. "Granted, but this cuts out the middleman. There won't be any limbo. Here, let's join tables with those two and we'll explain this."

At this point, Xethrul and Kaiser pull their tables together and Kaiser explains to both of you. "Honestly, I'd prefer you working alone, Revan, as you would, and I'm sure Xethrul and Sabiel would prefer that Sabiel work alone, too. But that's simply impossible. Each of us only knows so much about the weapon, and neither of us trusts each other enough to allow the other to have their representative do it solo."

Xethrul picks up the conversation: "Now, as for the location, we've down much research on this, but each of us only has bits and pieces. I have deduced an object that contains a map to the weapon's location."

"And I've found out where this object is and I'll provide transportation to where it's being held." Leaning back, he adds, "And that's about all we'll tell, because that's about all we know."

[terrafate]

Sabel folds her arms across her chest and sighs heavily as the tables are moved together. Once the conversation starts back up again, she stands next to the table with her arms folded, seething. So let me get this straight...You want us to work together to find a weapon that you don't know the location of. So in order to find the location, we have to work together to find an item that will magically tell us where first said item is. Am I right? As Sabiel speaks, she looks Revan over. Has anyone ever told the two of you that you are just genius? She asks looking back to Xethrul and Kaiser, her words dripping with sarcasm.

[Revan]

Revan sat there watching as the woman spoke. She had said everything that was on his mind. The one thing that bugged him was who this other person was and what his interest in the hammer-ax was. He wouldn't bother to ask, at least not right now. He looked at the woman beside him, already able to tell that she was more than meets the eye. Finally he speaks to her. Looks like we have no choice in the matter. Just do me one favor, when things get ugly, stay out of the way. Some people won't hesitate to kill you, no matter how pretty you may be.