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[ There was a grunt, being moved around without a real ability to stop it.
He'd smile at the compliment, if not the fact that the words were echoed from far off. Like he was stuck some deep place under water, the voice above him was a distant memory by the time his words muddled out what he was saying. The sea water on his tongue, thick like blood, and it made it impossible to speak.
But his hand rose as he was rolled and tugged. Live, he must live, for if he did not, who would?
So the hand grasped past any true ability to do to. Sand and dirt muck as he grabbed Greed's jacket, tugging him close. A support, the only one he had, and that was a truth and reflection of his life that was more unfortunate. ]
They took her. They took her. [ He fumbled, trying to pull himself up, but it was impossible to do so. His hands slipping in their hold, forced to lean and no matter his pride, it seemed all he was capable of. Groaning once more as the pain wracked him again for even that much.
Let him die, let him die. But not yet ]
He'd smile at the compliment, if not the fact that the words were echoed from far off. Like he was stuck some deep place under water, the voice above him was a distant memory by the time his words muddled out what he was saying. The sea water on his tongue, thick like blood, and it made it impossible to speak.
But his hand rose as he was rolled and tugged. Live, he must live, for if he did not, who would?
So the hand grasped past any true ability to do to. Sand and dirt muck as he grabbed Greed's jacket, tugging him close. A support, the only one he had, and that was a truth and reflection of his life that was more unfortunate. ]
They took her. They took her. [ He fumbled, trying to pull himself up, but it was impossible to do so. His hands slipping in their hold, forced to lean and no matter his pride, it seemed all he was capable of. Groaning once more as the pain wracked him again for even that much.
Let him die, let him die. But not yet ]
[Glass after glass, drink after drink. Late nights weren't unfamiliar for the bar in question and it was a busy one as always. As more flooded in, trickling from back-alleys and abandoned street corners. There was a mixed crowd at the head of the bar, pouring over their collective drinks; making an intelligible mutter hang in the air like the stale-stink of smoke that clung there.]
[And, as always, he was there to greet them.]
[Greed pitched a cloth into a deep glass, rubbing at it absently. He had been talking to someone else when a voice came through like a gunshot. Aiming for an intended target and his attentions were found easily. "You hirin' for anything?" The Sin paused, swiping a cat-calling grin right up his face.]
That depends - [A heavy dip of the eyebrow fell under his shades and Greed placed the mug onto the bar with a heavy thud. He nodded off to someone around back; a shorter man with a spiked-back haircut to match his own.] - but that isn't how it usually works, Chief.
[It was a silent exchange. Between himself and the other; two fingers held high, a beckoning motion forward. And they switched places - his partner taking the head and Greed slipped behind his bar. Trailing the length before slinking out the small-mouthed opening.]
Why don't we do this a little more privately. After all, there's a few things you should probably know. [Between the drafty curtains and the numerously-crooked hallways, there were eyes. Flicking as the would-be boss gave the signal. With a shrug of his shoulders and a toss of the hand, making his fingers spiral out one by one.]
[And, as always, he was there to greet them.]
[Greed pitched a cloth into a deep glass, rubbing at it absently. He had been talking to someone else when a voice came through like a gunshot. Aiming for an intended target and his attentions were found easily. "You hirin' for anything?" The Sin paused, swiping a cat-calling grin right up his face.]
That depends - [A heavy dip of the eyebrow fell under his shades and Greed placed the mug onto the bar with a heavy thud. He nodded off to someone around back; a shorter man with a spiked-back haircut to match his own.] - but that isn't how it usually works, Chief.
[It was a silent exchange. Between himself and the other; two fingers held high, a beckoning motion forward. And they switched places - his partner taking the head and Greed slipped behind his bar. Trailing the length before slinking out the small-mouthed opening.]
Why don't we do this a little more privately. After all, there's a few things you should probably know. [Between the drafty curtains and the numerously-crooked hallways, there were eyes. Flicking as the would-be boss gave the signal. With a shrug of his shoulders and a toss of the hand, making his fingers spiral out one by one.]
Greed's face falls uncharacteristically; when she asks, "...tell me about this place-?" His eyes narrow behind his shades and he slowly edges his fingers open to let her palm sit inside his own. The skin there is rough; calloused when it needs to be and smooth where it shouldn't. He grits his teeth and the bones in his spine go stiff.
What it used to be.
"Eh - not really a story someone like you should hear," the Sin says as he shows her up the stairs. "-but I guess there's no use hiding it."
The feeling is something he's felt only once before. A twinge; like a vice snaring him from the inside. Tightening around his core and begging for a payout: for revenge, though he'll never get it. "They were mine."
Up the stairs is a hallway. Just as gloomy and dank as the rest. Windows had been left open and now they, too, are in pieces. Letting the torn drapes waft as the wind shifted. It's cooler on the second floor; a chill catching through the floorboards.
"Ran into a little bit of trouble. I guess you could say I never really got along with the rest of them." The six others. Sins incarnate with legs to walk, with voices to speak. He was the oddity out of them all; separate from the others and this had been his would-be kingdom. Made in wood, carved in liquor.
In all the things he really wanted.
But that's old history. Older now that things have come and gone. And he's the only one left.
But even that isn't entirely right either.
What it used to be.
"Eh - not really a story someone like you should hear," the Sin says as he shows her up the stairs. "-but I guess there's no use hiding it."
The feeling is something he's felt only once before. A twinge; like a vice snaring him from the inside. Tightening around his core and begging for a payout: for revenge, though he'll never get it. "They were mine."
Up the stairs is a hallway. Just as gloomy and dank as the rest. Windows had been left open and now they, too, are in pieces. Letting the torn drapes waft as the wind shifted. It's cooler on the second floor; a chill catching through the floorboards.
"Ran into a little bit of trouble. I guess you could say I never really got along with the rest of them." The six others. Sins incarnate with legs to walk, with voices to speak. He was the oddity out of them all; separate from the others and this had been his would-be kingdom. Made in wood, carved in liquor.
In all the things he really wanted.
But that's old history. Older now that things have come and gone. And he's the only one left.
But even that isn't entirely right either.
[Ten years ago, he might have done the guy a favor. Sliced him from stomach to chest, torn through his throat. That was what he had been made for after all. But those days were gone. Still fresh, but gone nonetheless.]
[So when Corvo grabbed hold of his collar, Greed leaned in closer. Those jaws of his near an ear and the stink was worse up close. The pale underbelly of death and it smelled sour. Like milk left out in the hot-summer sun. But the Sin made no protest nor did he turn away. Instead, he hunched his shoulders up and pulled the other onto his feet. As it were nothing; as if the added weight hadn't bothered him in the slightest.]
They usually do, friend. That's what happens when you end up on the wrong side of a deal. [Whispering, his voice was a hiss. A pipeline of acrid smoke and liquor. The sand beneath them shifted as Greed moved and positioned the other.] Tsk - seems we're gunna have to do this the hard way.
[The hard way entailed a little foot-work on his part. Keeping Corvo steady as he shoved himself underneath the other. Crouching a bit until he felt sea-soaked clothes at his back; around his neck and through his hair. A hand trailed behind him, shoving the man's thighs apart none-too-gently.] C'mon - don't tell me you're done yet.
[A jump had Greed pulling the other onto his back. Akin to someone lifting a sack over their shoulder and he twined the man's arms around his throat. Prying fingers under his thighs and he coaxed them over the juts of his hips.]
[So when Corvo grabbed hold of his collar, Greed leaned in closer. Those jaws of his near an ear and the stink was worse up close. The pale underbelly of death and it smelled sour. Like milk left out in the hot-summer sun. But the Sin made no protest nor did he turn away. Instead, he hunched his shoulders up and pulled the other onto his feet. As it were nothing; as if the added weight hadn't bothered him in the slightest.]
They usually do, friend. That's what happens when you end up on the wrong side of a deal. [Whispering, his voice was a hiss. A pipeline of acrid smoke and liquor. The sand beneath them shifted as Greed moved and positioned the other.] Tsk - seems we're gunna have to do this the hard way.
[The hard way entailed a little foot-work on his part. Keeping Corvo steady as he shoved himself underneath the other. Crouching a bit until he felt sea-soaked clothes at his back; around his neck and through his hair. A hand trailed behind him, shoving the man's thighs apart none-too-gently.] C'mon - don't tell me you're done yet.
[A jump had Greed pulling the other onto his back. Akin to someone lifting a sack over their shoulder and he twined the man's arms around his throat. Prying fingers under his thighs and he coaxed them over the juts of his hips.]
"...The rest of who?" There's an odd trust in Greed, even if right now everything is a mess and she's honestly afraid. So she stays close to him, her hand feeling very small in his, but she can feel the callouses against the smoothness of her hand.
"Why would that affect your bar?" She jumps a little as a bit of cloth moves, and hisses a little. "Stop that! We're not here to be scared!"
"Why would that affect your bar?" She jumps a little as a bit of cloth moves, and hisses a little. "Stop that! We're not here to be scared!"
I thought you might appreciate the forwardness. [He's not exactly one to wait patiently for something to happen. He chuckled a bit, leaning a bit closer to the man he's trying to take a job from.] Least back home, that's how it works. If not, I can change how I ask.
[He let's out a chuckle. Tipping his hat to the man as he started to follow. Ignoring any of the looks he may have been getting from anyone else for whatever reason. Of course, that didn't stop any chills from rolling down his spine. No matter how prepared he was for anything, he still wasn't mentally in check to be surrounded by demons all of the time.]
I think I can go along with that. [Letting out another chuckle, Grit moving to follow only two steps behind. He has to even slow down his pace due to his wide strides. And frankly, he doesn't want to get too far ahead of the man leading him.
Don't know what's down these halls.]
The name's Grit, by the way. [Flashing a smile.] Good to meet ya.
[He let's out a chuckle. Tipping his hat to the man as he started to follow. Ignoring any of the looks he may have been getting from anyone else for whatever reason. Of course, that didn't stop any chills from rolling down his spine. No matter how prepared he was for anything, he still wasn't mentally in check to be surrounded by demons all of the time.]
I think I can go along with that. [Letting out another chuckle, Grit moving to follow only two steps behind. He has to even slow down his pace due to his wide strides. And frankly, he doesn't want to get too far ahead of the man leading him.
Don't know what's down these halls.]
The name's Grit, by the way. [Flashing a smile.] Good to meet ya.
➥ How it works |
Prompts are the usual: lyrics, music, photo, whatever. Canon, AU. Because sometimes violence is the answer.
"You didn't think I was the only one, did you?"
From the street outside, there are whispers in the dark. Barely audible, but enough of a chit-chat to break the silence. Greed clips up to the upper hallway, dodging any belongings that could be in his path. There's a sword sheathed and propped up against the wall, a hammer next to that. "We never saw eye to eye. You could say I left the rest of them back in Central a long time ago."
Greed slips a thumb into his belt loop and lets this fingers spread across the outer edge of his thigh. She wants a story, but it's not the type she's really looking for. "I've been doing this for about two-hundred years remember? Well, it wasn't always like this."
There's a door at the edge of the hallway. Darker than the rest with a faint-line of silvery blue coming from the bottom edge. Greed knocks it with his elbow and it groans open. Slowly swinging wide to a bedroom. It may not be as expected: a bed that's older with stains to match. A dresser that's practically alight with cobwebs.
"I told you before - I'm not exactly a good guy, kid."
From the street outside, there are whispers in the dark. Barely audible, but enough of a chit-chat to break the silence. Greed clips up to the upper hallway, dodging any belongings that could be in his path. There's a sword sheathed and propped up against the wall, a hammer next to that. "We never saw eye to eye. You could say I left the rest of them back in Central a long time ago."
Greed slips a thumb into his belt loop and lets this fingers spread across the outer edge of his thigh. She wants a story, but it's not the type she's really looking for. "I've been doing this for about two-hundred years remember? Well, it wasn't always like this."
There's a door at the edge of the hallway. Darker than the rest with a faint-line of silvery blue coming from the bottom edge. Greed knocks it with his elbow and it groans open. Slowly swinging wide to a bedroom. It may not be as expected: a bed that's older with stains to match. A dresser that's practically alight with cobwebs.
"I told you before - I'm not exactly a good guy, kid."
Greed - it's a pleasure.
[His walk was slow-paced; making muscle roll, his shoulders sag. To the left and the right as headed for an unmarked door off to the side. A throw of a hand from his shoulder gave the signal and all of those eyes mulled about their business.]
[Leaving him and his would-be guest.]
[Greed threw the door open with a twist of the wrist. The next hallway was small, but well-used. Various booth closed off by curtains drawn and Greed trailed the row. Clicking and clacking as his heels thunked against the floorboards.] Sounds fair enough. Grit then.
[The sounds and conversations coming from the collection of sashed-off rooms didn't bother him. The mutterings between baited breaths and heavier hearts - this was the best way to conduct business, after all. Everyone and anyone usually kept to themselves.]
[It was why he chose the last room on the right. Peeling back a heavy-lined curtain as he slipped into a private booth. A heel went up onto the center table; smacking it with a loud crash as he gestured the other inside.] Why don't you tell me a little about yourself, Grit. Doesn't seem like you're from around here.
[Lips parted. Showing off his set of knives and Greed formed comfortable into the back of the seat. Sprawling arm after arm out, letting his wrists sag on either end. As if he were king of the proverbial castle.]
[Which he was. But first - ] And then maybe you and I can be good friends, hmn?
[His walk was slow-paced; making muscle roll, his shoulders sag. To the left and the right as headed for an unmarked door off to the side. A throw of a hand from his shoulder gave the signal and all of those eyes mulled about their business.]
[Leaving him and his would-be guest.]
[Greed threw the door open with a twist of the wrist. The next hallway was small, but well-used. Various booth closed off by curtains drawn and Greed trailed the row. Clicking and clacking as his heels thunked against the floorboards.] Sounds fair enough. Grit then.
[The sounds and conversations coming from the collection of sashed-off rooms didn't bother him. The mutterings between baited breaths and heavier hearts - this was the best way to conduct business, after all. Everyone and anyone usually kept to themselves.]
[It was why he chose the last room on the right. Peeling back a heavy-lined curtain as he slipped into a private booth. A heel went up onto the center table; smacking it with a loud crash as he gestured the other inside.] Why don't you tell me a little about yourself, Grit. Doesn't seem like you're from around here.
[Lips parted. Showing off his set of knives and Greed formed comfortable into the back of the seat. Sprawling arm after arm out, letting his wrists sag on either end. As if he were king of the proverbial castle.]
[Which he was. But first - ] And then maybe you and I can be good friends, hmn?
As selfish as he proclaimed he was, Greed had an interesting way of including her pleasure in his list of selfish desires, a decidedly important point of their relationship. Without the addicting, and seemingly never ending, gratification, it's unlikely that Velma would have stayed so long and endured some of his more callous personality traits.
Still, she nodded, her answer encompassing several of his questions as she leaned her head to rest back against his chest, to let his body guide hers in a way. It also kept her standing as he threatened the skin of her neck with his unruly dentition, a low groan escaping her at both that and the growing heat pressing behind her.
Closing her eyes, Velma lost herself in the motion of his hands and the paths created by his talons, humming softly between squirming sighs of approval. Shivers from the various ministrations continued to roll through her. Some were minor, while others near jerked her eyes open with a gasp.
Full of surprises. Maybe, or just a quick study able to predict how something like this outfit would affect him, her avarice. It's the same surprise that oft led her to not wearing her best undergarments around him since they tended to end up on the floor in shredded pieces more often than not.
Her hips twisted with the teasing path of his nails as they went about destroying this pair. It's not particularly knee-buckling if only because she expected it and had braced herself accordingly. However, his movement southward robbed her of her veritable wall to lean against, and she nearly toppled in his hands with the playful nip to her rear curves.
The request might have sent some weakness to her knees as well. Even though it's something she expected him to ask, Velma never became accustomed to verbally expressing exactly which dirty deeds she desired him to perform on her. Usually it boiled down to whichever would make her come the most and the hardest, but with him that didn't exactly narrow down the list much.
His rougher snap brought he to heel, so to speak, and she yelped softly in surprise, shivers raising gooseflesh over the larger than normal expanse of bare skin.
"I want to feel it tomorrow." She admitted ruefully, eyes closed and blush rolling between the freckles that dotted her fair skin. "For each step to be a reminder of how you hit that sweet spot so masterfully..." Velma swallowed, shaking slightly at the thought. "And so... Frequently."
Mimicking his style of speech had been an interesting trick she had picked up during their time together, as it tended to have quite the positive effect on events.
Still, she nodded, her answer encompassing several of his questions as she leaned her head to rest back against his chest, to let his body guide hers in a way. It also kept her standing as he threatened the skin of her neck with his unruly dentition, a low groan escaping her at both that and the growing heat pressing behind her.
Closing her eyes, Velma lost herself in the motion of his hands and the paths created by his talons, humming softly between squirming sighs of approval. Shivers from the various ministrations continued to roll through her. Some were minor, while others near jerked her eyes open with a gasp.
Full of surprises. Maybe, or just a quick study able to predict how something like this outfit would affect him, her avarice. It's the same surprise that oft led her to not wearing her best undergarments around him since they tended to end up on the floor in shredded pieces more often than not.
Her hips twisted with the teasing path of his nails as they went about destroying this pair. It's not particularly knee-buckling if only because she expected it and had braced herself accordingly. However, his movement southward robbed her of her veritable wall to lean against, and she nearly toppled in his hands with the playful nip to her rear curves.
The request might have sent some weakness to her knees as well. Even though it's something she expected him to ask, Velma never became accustomed to verbally expressing exactly which dirty deeds she desired him to perform on her. Usually it boiled down to whichever would make her come the most and the hardest, but with him that didn't exactly narrow down the list much.
His rougher snap brought he to heel, so to speak, and she yelped softly in surprise, shivers raising gooseflesh over the larger than normal expanse of bare skin.
"I want to feel it tomorrow." She admitted ruefully, eyes closed and blush rolling between the freckles that dotted her fair skin. "For each step to be a reminder of how you hit that sweet spot so masterfully..." Velma swallowed, shaking slightly at the thought. "And so... Frequently."
Mimicking his style of speech had been an interesting trick she had picked up during their time together, as it tended to have quite the positive effect on events.
Can you see this face? This is a face of do not want. She stares at the dresser certain that a million spiders will attack her from it, and sleeping in that kind of bed does not sit well with her. A shiver passes through her and she longs for a proper bed.
"There's other- um- Homunculi?" Guessing on the plural because Homunculuses sounds stupid. "How many? ...and two hundred years..." The last bit being murmured. She can't imagine the concept of living that long.
"There's other- um- Homunculi?" Guessing on the plural because Homunculuses sounds stupid. "How many? ...and two hundred years..." The last bit being murmured. She can't imagine the concept of living that long.
[Perhaps being threatened at this point would be something Alec would almost understand, but he's also confident that despite the danger in Greed's voice that he's not there. After all, Greed has taken on that same tone of voice before when he's made it clear that he won't be the one to kill Alec, that he'll protect Alec from others, and it's not then violence towards Alec that he has to anticipate.]
[Alec's mouth is open and he's focused on panting for a moment, green eyes heavy on Greed, wanting and needing so much more than he's already gotten, but not even sure how to describe to himself what it is he needs, let alone to the Sin.]
[Greed's words make for a start, his mouth for even more of one.]
Why do I need to, when you'll give it to me anyway?
[When usually wanting just means realizing what he won't ever have, what Alec knows in his own heart he doesn't deserve. He can want with every breath, but he either needs to take or receive in order for that want to be satisfied, and usually neither is likely.]
[Alec's mouth is open and he's focused on panting for a moment, green eyes heavy on Greed, wanting and needing so much more than he's already gotten, but not even sure how to describe to himself what it is he needs, let alone to the Sin.]
[Greed's words make for a start, his mouth for even more of one.]
Why do I need to, when you'll give it to me anyway?
[When usually wanting just means realizing what he won't ever have, what Alec knows in his own heart he doesn't deserve. He can want with every breath, but he either needs to take or receive in order for that want to be satisfied, and usually neither is likely.]
Glad to see you like my name. [He lets out a small chuckle and strides along behind him. Not letting his eyes drift anywhere else, focused on the man he's supposed to be following. Because he's sure if his eyes go elsewhere, he's going to get lost. And dead.
Exactly what he's trying to avoid here.
He hears everything, however, and he's quickly questioning if he's made the right decision. He shuts his eyes and lets out a very low sigh, but carries on. There's no where else that would even potentially accept him so it's here as his very last chance.
Hopefully it's the only one he really needs.
They enter the room, and he slowly walks in, still wearing his coat and hat as he makes his way over towards the very private booth. Well well. Almost nice enough to sleep in. He lets out a whistle.] Nice place you got here. I think I could get used to this.
[He moved over to the booth and leaned against it. Sorry, he doesn't want to get caught in any bad deals. Hope you understand. He let's out a smile.] Well, you're right. I ain't from around here, that's for sure. [He lets out a chuckle.] I got myself nice and lost down here one day and it seems like I'm stuck here. And I'm sure you know the track record for a human in this place.
Fact I ain't dead yet is quite impressive.
[He leans forward with a smirk.] You have quite the impressive business here and was wondering if you could take on a human. I'd work for cheap in exchange for room and board. [His legs cross while standing, looking directly into Greed's eyes past his sunglasses.] I'm an easy learner too. I'll make it worth your while.
Exactly what he's trying to avoid here.
He hears everything, however, and he's quickly questioning if he's made the right decision. He shuts his eyes and lets out a very low sigh, but carries on. There's no where else that would even potentially accept him so it's here as his very last chance.
Hopefully it's the only one he really needs.
They enter the room, and he slowly walks in, still wearing his coat and hat as he makes his way over towards the very private booth. Well well. Almost nice enough to sleep in. He lets out a whistle.] Nice place you got here. I think I could get used to this.
[He moved over to the booth and leaned against it. Sorry, he doesn't want to get caught in any bad deals. Hope you understand. He let's out a smile.] Well, you're right. I ain't from around here, that's for sure. [He lets out a chuckle.] I got myself nice and lost down here one day and it seems like I'm stuck here. And I'm sure you know the track record for a human in this place.
Fact I ain't dead yet is quite impressive.
[He leans forward with a smirk.] You have quite the impressive business here and was wondering if you could take on a human. I'd work for cheap in exchange for room and board. [His legs cross while standing, looking directly into Greed's eyes past his sunglasses.] I'm an easy learner too. I'll make it worth your while.
Greed's lips were close to her ear. As he listened to every word she spoke and his claws fanned out; making a shrill noise behind her neck as he spun a strand of hair out of the way. The way she moved, the way she spoke: it was all to bait him and his rather insatiable tendencies. To have his eyes focus and that core of his rung back. Like a radar sound pitching back when she strummed out the last vibration.
She was just as needy as he was, after all.
The smile on his face was wide. Full of teeth, full of sharp points that glinted back in the glass when he turned. Greed touched his nose to the side of Velma's jaw and his too-black claws framed the other side of her head. "Hard to say no to something like that," he spoke, his usual baritone a purred-out hiss. A gasket left open, leaving a noxious poison in its wake. The two of them couldn't have been more different from the start, but somehow he had exposed her. Exchanging his need, his greed to her again and again. A little more each time.
Not that he was complaining.
He spun around her, mimicking the elongated crawl of a viper. Heels clacking as he swiped and winded her side. Greed placed the tip of a nail against the under part of her chin, keeping it posed there like an anchor to his movements. One false move could mean disaster, but he was far too careful for that. Jerking with a tightening of his torso, a dip of his shoulder. Until he was trading places, spinning around to meet her face to face.
"Stay still, hmn? Don't want to end up hurting you accidentally." Greed pulled his claws away before running his palms across the tops of his thighs. He dropped then. Falling onto the balls of his feet so that his knees extended across the outside-edges of her calves. A nose was pressed into the side of her leg and Greed slowly nipped up. Climbing with the chase promise of his teeth and his hands followed. Pushing ahead to pull her dress aside.
Velma's hip was easy to swallow in his mouth. Snapped at and Greed gently held the bone between his teeth. As one hand disappeared under the black caress of her dress. He dropped the 'Shield once he was close enough, coiling a finger or two to rough-smooth knuckles. A prod had him where he wanted to be and he started slow; moving counterclockwise against her sex.
She was just as needy as he was, after all.
The smile on his face was wide. Full of teeth, full of sharp points that glinted back in the glass when he turned. Greed touched his nose to the side of Velma's jaw and his too-black claws framed the other side of her head. "Hard to say no to something like that," he spoke, his usual baritone a purred-out hiss. A gasket left open, leaving a noxious poison in its wake. The two of them couldn't have been more different from the start, but somehow he had exposed her. Exchanging his need, his greed to her again and again. A little more each time.
Not that he was complaining.
He spun around her, mimicking the elongated crawl of a viper. Heels clacking as he swiped and winded her side. Greed placed the tip of a nail against the under part of her chin, keeping it posed there like an anchor to his movements. One false move could mean disaster, but he was far too careful for that. Jerking with a tightening of his torso, a dip of his shoulder. Until he was trading places, spinning around to meet her face to face.
"Stay still, hmn? Don't want to end up hurting you accidentally." Greed pulled his claws away before running his palms across the tops of his thighs. He dropped then. Falling onto the balls of his feet so that his knees extended across the outside-edges of her calves. A nose was pressed into the side of her leg and Greed slowly nipped up. Climbing with the chase promise of his teeth and his hands followed. Pushing ahead to pull her dress aside.
Velma's hip was easy to swallow in his mouth. Snapped at and Greed gently held the bone between his teeth. As one hand disappeared under the black caress of her dress. He dropped the 'Shield once he was close enough, coiling a finger or two to rough-smooth knuckles. A prod had him where he wanted to be and he started slow; moving counterclockwise against her sex.
[The radio's still playing. Lulling out a slow-note guitar and a singer talking oblivion. It's heavy on the tongue, wet like a wad of tobacco spit and the lights above flicker as they sway on the momentum's aftermath. Most of the patrons have fled by now - running out the door as soon as the blows came.]
[Leaving just him and his.]
[Between the pulse-beats, the real damage can be seen. The blood across the back-mirror of the bar, now cracked with spidery edges that threaten to fall to the floor with any hitch of breath. The splintered wood overhead just hanging with a groan.]
[But that really isn't the important part.]
Ah- now, that wasn't very smart.
[Greed's voice is an echo. Between the warped-maw of his jaw, which is hanging by the basic threat of a tendon. Half of his face is reforming, spindling fingers of muscle and flesh as that wicked-red electric sparks. Muting out the dim-overhang of the lights above as he rolls his head straight. Through the gaping side, the movement of his tongue is grotesque. Testing it while bone and skin reforms under the eerie pulse.] Here I thought we could do things peacefully.
[A hand glides across the prep-part of his bar, smearing a streak of blood with it. But he's already got his talons up; all hairs raised and his grin is anything but pleasant. Still smiling, but dangerous. Greed grinds his teeth as he rocks a shoulder back with a resounding pop.]
That's really too bad.
[Leaving just him and his.]
[Between the pulse-beats, the real damage can be seen. The blood across the back-mirror of the bar, now cracked with spidery edges that threaten to fall to the floor with any hitch of breath. The splintered wood overhead just hanging with a groan.]
[But that really isn't the important part.]
Ah- now, that wasn't very smart.
[Greed's voice is an echo. Between the warped-maw of his jaw, which is hanging by the basic threat of a tendon. Half of his face is reforming, spindling fingers of muscle and flesh as that wicked-red electric sparks. Muting out the dim-overhang of the lights above as he rolls his head straight. Through the gaping side, the movement of his tongue is grotesque. Testing it while bone and skin reforms under the eerie pulse.] Here I thought we could do things peacefully.
[A hand glides across the prep-part of his bar, smearing a streak of blood with it. But he's already got his talons up; all hairs raised and his grin is anything but pleasant. Still smiling, but dangerous. Greed grinds his teeth as he rocks a shoulder back with a resounding pop.]
That's really too bad.
"You really don't know, do you?"
Greed slithers on in, passing by each piece of furniture as if it's familiar. And it is; the dresser, the floor. The walls that are slightly stained to the mute-color of coffee. He touches floorboard of a bedpost, gliding his fingers across it with a minimal hum.
"There are seven deadly sins, kid. And each one he cast off." For a moment, his tone turns dangerous. Vile in his throat when he says him. But with his back to Kaede, the snarl's missed. "There are seven in total, but I'm not like the rest."
Or was.
"Doesn't matter. They're all gone now."
Greed slithers on in, passing by each piece of furniture as if it's familiar. And it is; the dresser, the floor. The walls that are slightly stained to the mute-color of coffee. He touches floorboard of a bedpost, gliding his fingers across it with a minimal hum.
"There are seven deadly sins, kid. And each one he cast off." For a moment, his tone turns dangerous. Vile in his throat when he says him. But with his back to Kaede, the snarl's missed. "There are seven in total, but I'm not like the rest."
Or was.
"Doesn't matter. They're all gone now."
[kamui is watching his face be restored into the mask that it was once with slight annoyance. 'mask', and yet - it was all the man had, and it was all that he took pride on, for all the humanness it contained, and there's something to be envied about that when kamui had nothing. an oil slick of faces, that's what he was, and not having what greed easily had was grating at the back of his mind, a bitter taste at the tip of his tongue.
he wipes his hands on a napkin on one of the untouched tables, gingerly going over each finger. being kamui means not having to be confined with the kind of regular violence that greed was so used to, blasting vermin left and right was his privilege to claim. and yet - occasionally - he gets a little dirty, because kamui is also a brat, and there are things he feels that are due to him, regardless of how unjust that is.
such as the claiming and taking of faces.]
I doubt it. [he says pleasantly.] What is annoying, however, is your little trick.
[wires snake quickly around greed's limbs, choking joints and moving into bone and muscle and solidifying along with his skin.]
You make death a hard business to sell.
he wipes his hands on a napkin on one of the untouched tables, gingerly going over each finger. being kamui means not having to be confined with the kind of regular violence that greed was so used to, blasting vermin left and right was his privilege to claim. and yet - occasionally - he gets a little dirty, because kamui is also a brat, and there are things he feels that are due to him, regardless of how unjust that is.
such as the claiming and taking of faces.]
I doubt it. [he says pleasantly.] What is annoying, however, is your little trick.
[wires snake quickly around greed's limbs, choking joints and moving into bone and muscle and solidifying along with his skin.]
You make death a hard business to sell.
[With the onset of wires, Greed tilts his head back. Grinning wild and those pupils of his dilate. Flicking between sharp points and thicker lines; he can feel the foreign objects pressing into his skin and his own core working to get them out. Violent beats of red hissing and crackling in his ear and he chokes out a soft laugh.]
Sorry to disappoint but unlike the rest, I actually come back.
[The tips of his claws flutter as he finds them. Clicking and clacking off the hardened shell of his palm and the Sin arches his head forward. Meeting Kamui face to horrible face. Despite the predicament, that snide grin is still present. With the pull-back of his upper lip, as if daring the other to jump first.] Not really interested in that type of business. Or did you already forget after all this time?
[One eye widens with a wicked look. Feral as he strains against the snaking wires around him. Forcing his body forward even as he hears bones snap and crunch; as skin peels and reforms with trembling electric. Greed closes his lips up, letting his smile grow to a faint line even as a bead of blood slides down his chin.]
But here we are - it's foolish. You can't beat me like this, friend.
[Those jaws open wide and the jagged edges of his teeth are stained red one second, cleaned white the next. With a swallow, a swipe of the tongue.]
So what do you plan to do now?
Sorry to disappoint but unlike the rest, I actually come back.
[The tips of his claws flutter as he finds them. Clicking and clacking off the hardened shell of his palm and the Sin arches his head forward. Meeting Kamui face to horrible face. Despite the predicament, that snide grin is still present. With the pull-back of his upper lip, as if daring the other to jump first.] Not really interested in that type of business. Or did you already forget after all this time?
[One eye widens with a wicked look. Feral as he strains against the snaking wires around him. Forcing his body forward even as he hears bones snap and crunch; as skin peels and reforms with trembling electric. Greed closes his lips up, letting his smile grow to a faint line even as a bead of blood slides down his chin.]
But here we are - it's foolish. You can't beat me like this, friend.
[Those jaws open wide and the jagged edges of his teeth are stained red one second, cleaned white the next. With a swallow, a swipe of the tongue.]
So what do you plan to do now?
Kaede watches him, standing in the doorway with her arms wrapping around herself as soon as he moves away. She listens in silence, trying to remember. Seven deadly sins... she's heard of it, in a vague sense, but it never really mattered to her world as a teenager.
"You're not like the rest because you're not gone. You survived and they didn't." She could understand the context of 'gone' in this sense, her chin coming up a little. "That means you're better than them." She still had his power, and even subtly, it still effects her in a sense.
"You're not like the rest because you're not gone. You survived and they didn't." She could understand the context of 'gone' in this sense, her chin coming up a little. "That means you're better than them." She still had his power, and even subtly, it still effects her in a sense.
[ He hung limp. Another time maybe, he may have protested. The irony alone demanded it. How many bodies? How many? He didn't know, he didn't care. Taken to be dumped, and maybe that was what was about to happen.
( there was a noise, of almost in protest that died in the back of his throat. turn him back into the sea, let the waves devour him, let him be free, let him be rocked to sleep -- )
He looked through his hair, the blood and spit from his lips catching and trailing in it. Sea damp, they would smell of salt, and the copper would just match.
It took some effort, minutes as he hung and the world tilted, to grasp the back of the one who dragged him back into the world of the living, fingers weakly taking purchase on it. More sign of life than he'd displayed so far.
Kill him, but not yet. Not yet, he'd fight, he had breath, and hands, thoughts to call his own. ]
( there was a noise, of almost in protest that died in the back of his throat. turn him back into the sea, let the waves devour him, let him be free, let him be rocked to sleep -- )
He looked through his hair, the blood and spit from his lips catching and trailing in it. Sea damp, they would smell of salt, and the copper would just match.
It took some effort, minutes as he hung and the world tilted, to grasp the back of the one who dragged him back into the world of the living, fingers weakly taking purchase on it. More sign of life than he'd displayed so far.
Kill him, but not yet. Not yet, he'd fight, he had breath, and hands, thoughts to call his own. ]
Tsk-
[It's all that comes out. A spit-sputter of a noise as blood gurgles up his throat and Greed's eyes roll into the back of his head. The wires do the trick, as expected; turning skin to threads, rendering muscle and bone apart like the unfurling of a well-knit rope. The momentum leaves the body to hit the ground and a wet and ominous thud follows.]
[But the hissing of his current starts not too soon after. Spiraling out in lines that arc and snap against the ceiling. As if combating the electricity already running through the joint and there's a solid clack. Then another.] Oi, oi, oi -
[He doesn't sound amused. Even as he tries to stand, stumbling left and right like a drunkard on the town. His body is mending, but not quickly enough.]
- that's not very nice, friend. [Greed slowly rises from behind the bar. A fiend from the grave and his mending limbs are a mess of exposed tissue. Muscle that intertwines back against itself like the most terrible sort of puzzle.]
But that really isn't going to work.
[It's all that comes out. A spit-sputter of a noise as blood gurgles up his throat and Greed's eyes roll into the back of his head. The wires do the trick, as expected; turning skin to threads, rendering muscle and bone apart like the unfurling of a well-knit rope. The momentum leaves the body to hit the ground and a wet and ominous thud follows.]
[But the hissing of his current starts not too soon after. Spiraling out in lines that arc and snap against the ceiling. As if combating the electricity already running through the joint and there's a solid clack. Then another.] Oi, oi, oi -
[He doesn't sound amused. Even as he tries to stand, stumbling left and right like a drunkard on the town. His body is mending, but not quickly enough.]
- that's not very nice, friend. [Greed slowly rises from behind the bar. A fiend from the grave and his mending limbs are a mess of exposed tissue. Muscle that intertwines back against itself like the most terrible sort of puzzle.]
But that really isn't going to work.
No, but that's not the point.
[the bits of electricity that slither all over his limbs were interesting, and kamui wonders at their power. he decides to play a game: every time his body moves towards its centre, kamui pushes them apart again with his power.
he points a hand towards him, willing the pieces to slow down and stay apart as the wires move and twist and rend.]
[the bits of electricity that slither all over his limbs were interesting, and kamui wonders at their power. he decides to play a game: every time his body moves towards its centre, kamui pushes them apart again with his power.
he points a hand towards him, willing the pieces to slow down and stay apart as the wires move and twist and rend.]
"I didn't."
His fingers wrap around a drawer to the dresser, pulling it wide open with the spindle-snap of cobwebs. The brass-silver handle knocks back when he drops it and the tips of his fingers are coated. Dusty with the remains.
Greed brushes them across his thigh before snatching a bottle inside. "But it looks like things have changed a bit."
The glass he removes is old. Older than any of the others smashed below. With a rope wrap cinching the neck piece and Greed lowers his head. His teeth find the thick cork bottled at the top and he yanks his neck to pop it open. Before spitting the remnants into a palm just waiting at his side. "I should be with the rest of them. But then again - "
He doesn't need to say it: she already knows.
There's no such thing as no such thing. And his existence here just proved the fact.
His fingers wrap around a drawer to the dresser, pulling it wide open with the spindle-snap of cobwebs. The brass-silver handle knocks back when he drops it and the tips of his fingers are coated. Dusty with the remains.
Greed brushes them across his thigh before snatching a bottle inside. "But it looks like things have changed a bit."
The glass he removes is old. Older than any of the others smashed below. With a rope wrap cinching the neck piece and Greed lowers his head. His teeth find the thick cork bottled at the top and he yanks his neck to pop it open. Before spitting the remnants into a palm just waiting at his side. "I should be with the rest of them. But then again - "
He doesn't need to say it: she already knows.
There's no such thing as no such thing. And his existence here just proved the fact.
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