3/17/2003

05:28 PM

Logfile from Ichijin.

 

Royal Elizabeth-Penthouse 1

Mahogany is prevalent, drawing along the dramatic lines of this rather swanky penthouse. Opening into the outer hallway is a pair of double doors, raised upon a couple of steps before the sunken front area. With expansive wood floors and vaulting ceiling, the space afforded is extraordinarily luxurious.  Even more impressive is the view granted by the panel windows that look out onto a wide balcony dressed with topiary and the spread of Manhattan.

Within, there is a grouping of leather couches rather close to a fireplace and just off to the side of an open bar area. Further along and closer to the windows is a long dining table rimmed with high-backed chairs as off to the left leads to the kitchen. On to the right is a set of stairs that lead up towards a loft that overlooks the entire area. Over all, there is an almost impersonal aura to the place, with no personality other than what the interior decorator left it with.

Obvious exits:

Exit   Loft   Bedroom

 

Kieran is letting himself into the penthouse, having been gone since the evening before. He's actually whistling to himself as he opens the door, nudging it closed behind him. Higuchi's life is rather good at the moment. He pauses to remove his shoes and socks, padding around barefooted. In fact, he's also shrugging out his jacket and shirt as well, opting to leave pants on. He does actually take into consideration Aubrey's presence in the place.

 

Half-nekkid Kieran is around again? Oh boy. And it seems as though Kieran isn't the only one to be a bit on the pleased side it seems. No, Sebastian isn't wrapping presents or anything like that, but he settled at the dining room table, a spring breeze being allowed in through the open doors to the balcony. He is typing away at the laptop, consulting a newspaper and the stock ticker on the screen, and then typing in some more numbers. Looks like someone is playing today at daytrading for the hell of it. All on his own as well.

 

Kieran is on his way to the balcony actually, thinking to enjoy that breeze and a smoke, when Sebastian is spotted. Detour! His long stride brings him up behind the other man, warm fingers sweeping aside the braid of hair a moment before equally warm lips touch the back of the man's neck. Heat is breathed into the kiss, letting it permeate the top layers of sensitive skin.

 

Well, at that touch, Sebastian's fingers slip on the keyboard. Hrm. Instead of buying 10,000 shares of some aerospace stock, he just got himself 100,000. Hopefully he won't have to sell off a Greek isle to pay for it later. He blinks, twisting about just the slightest to turn his head to the other man, "Kieran?"

 

Kieran's eyes are sparkling with his own special, fiery light. "Mmmhmmm," is the answer, as he draws back enough to smile at Sebastian. Fingers continue to trail along exposed skin, leaving a wake of that particular heat. "Things are better now." As if he other oni couldn't tell. "Sorry for not coming home last night to share, but Toshie had to drain Malachai and I need to get him home safely. I crashed there immediately afterwards."

 

Sebastian continues to peer up at Kieran, gaze narrowing just the slightest as he studies the other man. "So I can tell..." he trails off, blinking at the other before smiling slightly. "I'm glad that you are better. So your fire... it is completely back now?" A moment, "Anything else?"

 

"Completely back, yes," Kieran replies, not relinquishing the caresses. "Anything else? What more do you want from me, Bastian?" The question is asked with a delighted laugh as the model leans over to kiss the oni on the nose. "Are you never satisifed?"

 

Sebastian shakes his head softly from side to side, "Never mind." The nose kissing though gets a quirked brow before the oni pushes back from the chair to stand. "No, this truly is good though. Very good. I'm pleased to know that it is back, and you clearly are all that much more happy for it." He takes a step back to lean against the table, watching the other.

 

Kieran tilts his head to the side, watching Sebastian watch him. "Did I miss a memo somewhere? You keep looking at me like you're trying to puzzle something out. Did something happen while I was gone? I'm fairly sure I didn't do anything unless Aubrey's been complaining again? You know, we could just buy her earplugs." Pockets are dug into and silver case and lighter tugged out afterwards.

 

Sebastian is shaking his head from side to side, chuckling as well. "No. Well, other than Reese and I managing to make up for your absence, as difficult as that was." Okay, the teasing just drips from his voice there, his smile rather puckish. "Aubrey is doing perfectly fine, when I even see her come out of her room that is."

 

"You do realize that if you two ever want time away from me, you only need to say so and I'll make myself scarce. If Malachai can't put me up for the night, I can always sleep on the couch in my old apartment, if Toshie and Shen have no objections. Speaking of which, I think I owe Shen some hair. Hmm..." A cigarette is extracted, put between Kieran's lips, and lit. "Now where's my bowl. Ah, there. I missed you!" Yes, Higuchi is talking to inanimate objects.

 

"That present went over very well." Sebastian was glomped. It was good all around. Whenver he gets on that sofa with Reese, somehow he always ends up with her crawling all over him. Every single time. "No, Kieran. You do not need to worry about where you will be spending your evenings. No matter what, I'm sure you'll find someone who will be happy to take you in."

 

Kieran blows smoke above his head, the bowl happily ensconced in the crook of his arm. "Not all of us have a Reese to come home to, Bastian," he grins. "I'm glad she liked her gift. I figured she would. She's crazy about you after all. I should have called last night too, but again I'm lucky I managed to get Malachai home. I don't usually get where I want to go with my portals. It takes a lot out of me."

 

Sebastian smiles faintly, "No, that is perfectly alright." Both hands come back to curl fingers around the lip of the table that he is leaning against. "Yes, I noticed that before. Your own portaling isn't quite so reliable to go where you need to? That time with me, you spent quite a bit of energy, I recall."

 

Kieran flicks ashes into this bowl - /love/ - then nods back to Sebastian. "It's a random thing. It's hard to explain, but I find Nainokami's darkness inside my mind and by drawing the fire out of myself, I can fall into it. To get somewhere I want to go, it has to have a certain pull to me. A focus, I suppose. My apartment because it was so close and because of the fire that had been there. Malachai's studio because of our particular time spent there. Plus Toshie had filled me full with raw energy. She's really amazing."

 

Sebastian listens quietly to him, "Sounds incredibly risky, but convenient if you have the focus to manage it." Being able to teleport is extremely useful, even if you then become the oni bullet train, for all intents and purposes. He chuckles softly at the last bit, "So you have said before. Clearly you are enjoying having another of your god's own around."

 

"That and she is a healer. I told her she was someone whom all the oni would appreciate," comments Kieran in reply, finishing up his cigarette and squishing out the remains into the bowl. He sets down the crystal object near the balcony's glass door and crosses back over with here Sebastian stands, sliding fingers along the other's neck. "The randomness has always been rather interesting." He's also not above taking the life of a witness either. "You're working at home I see. I'm impressed."

 

Sebastian is smiling once more in response. "How am I not surprised that you would appreciate that randomness." While Sebastian would be greatly annoyed and frustrated with such a thing. Randomness can be appreciated, but only in certain lights. "I've been away from the office the past couple of days actually. Had a taste for something other than corporate raiding, although I'm not quite sure what that taste is... Maybe I am restless."

 

"Need to blow something up? I wouldn't mind a little fun myself. You could blast to bits and I could torch the remains. You know, I could see the perks in working for the god of destruction." Kieran is clearly considering this as a real possibility. "Or I could over to take you atop the table here, though I don't think Aubrey would appreciate that. You might though."

 

"I'm not sure. I think all of this association with the various seishi has left me wanting a little more." Namely leaving them as nothing but a dark splatter on the cement, if even? Possibly. Sebastian is turning too much into his namesake. Unpredictable at times, and often incredibly fierce. "Destruction sounds... delicious, but I am not quite sure that is what I want. It is difficult to describe." His smile widens, "I sound like a whining little boy." And Kieran's last comments earn an even more amused grin, "Your fire has more certainly returned."

 

Kieran shakes his head, expression growing serious, his fingers resting over the pulse in Sebastian's neck, adding a little extra warmth to it. "You don't sound like a whining boy, Bastian. There is nothing wrong with wanting more. Though I thought you were pleasantly intrigued with your seishi lover? You certainly couldn't stop staring at Karen. Or has that changed for you as well?"

 

Sebastian has turned into something of a sponge, again greedily soaking up any warmth or emotion produced by others. He steadily watches Kieran, studying him seemingly. "No, she is different," a simple answer even if he is unsure himself why it is so. He reaches a hand up, placing it over Kieran's for a moment before letting him go once more. A smile shows once more, "I am restless, that is all."

 

"I've decided that tormenting the Byakko shall become my hobby," grins Kieran, features taking on a mischievous slant. "I know you aren't exactly the barge in and blow up type, Bastian, but that doesn't mean you can't wreck havoc in your own way. Your god opposes Seiryuu, yes? Have you considered focusing on them? Or is it that you're restless for something beyond even that?" Suspicions go unvoiced as he regards the other man.

 

Sebastian nods his head slowly, "Reese and I once came up with quite the elaborate plan to deal with them, although there are a couple of... minor difficulties that we would be unable to get around." He hesitates, "Maybe Aubrey will now be able to get past that..." He grows thoughtful momentarily, gaze sliding away from Kieran and on to no place in particular.

 

Kieran looks intrigued, "Elaborate plan? You've piqued my curiosity of course. Has Homasubi spoken to either of you directly about his wishes? Other than the desire to be in the Yang's place and to seal them away instead. At least, that's the idea I get from my goddess. She's been generally peeved lately over all the inconveniences that keep getting in her way."

 

Sebastian eventually looks back to Kieran, his smile turning puckish yet once more. "No, he has not, but it is certainly something that could... if I am able to pull it off, with the aid of others, could destroy relations among the seishi." His voice almost falls into a purr, "But it must be flawless in order to work."

 

"Are you going to share or do you wish to keep it a secret, my dear?" Kieran asks, barely keeping his curiosity contained. Tease! "Are you thinking on the grand scale of all the seishi or a particular group?"

 

"It would effect more than the Seiryuu, that is for sure." Sebastian looks back to Kieran, considering for a long moment. "Possibly you could offer in some points that I have managed to miss..." Although Seb has turned it over twenty different ways already to discover each and every possible flaw. "It was not possible before because we simply had not the people to accomplish it, but we could now." A soft grin, "In a proverbial nutshell? I will be impersonating Nicholas and prove just how wrong they are to believe he is... good." Oh, how he drawls on that last word.

 

Kieran can think of one immediate thing that will cause a problem and offers it, "Your chi won't be the same. You can't mask that. If any of them can sense chi, your plan won't work. You would be risking yourself greatly as well. Who would cast the illusion on you though?"

 

Sebastian nods his head slowly, "Yes, those are the problems that have been considered. And there are far more. From my very voice to my appearance to... yes, my chi as well. Reese tells me she has the ability to change my cells, my skin to make me feel as he would to any with the ability to sense chi. If given enough time and preparation, Malachai might be able to paint the right illusion. It has only to last for a couple of hours. There are other things that are requires to be fine tuned. As I said, it would be difficult, but worth it if pulled off."

 

Kieran considers the plan and while he likes the idea of causing problems among seishi, he's still frowning. "Bastian, there are too many risks. You know that one Genbu, Anana is her name, that turned Sakamaku and Kyoufuu from Nainokami, yes? She did that with her mind. Dylan can /attack/ with his mind. If either of them go after you as Nakago, you will be in serious trouble. They will break you. I do /not/ want to see that happen."

 

Sebastian nods slowly, "Yes, there are. And I have been going over quite a few of them. And yes, all of the others. The seishi and their sheer numbers... Reese considered this during a time when we were more than outnumbered by them, but losing magnificently. It would be to terribly fun though." His gaze gets something of a far-away look to it. But he is eventually looking back to Kieran, "Trouble? What does that matter? I've been sitting on the sidelines, cleaning up after the others."

 

Kieran hands come to rest on Sebastian's shoulders, his gaze continuing to reflect serious and even concern. "Trouble as in the man could kill you. Can you protect yourself a psychic attack? Can you keep him from finding the way to break you? Damnit, to go into that situation without defenses, even for fun, is foolish. Even I don't walk into a fight like that. I may not think I stand much of a chance, but I won't go in as a sitting duck."

 

Sebastian reaches his hand up to curl fingers around Kieran's wrists, removing the other's hands from his shoulders. "There is too much going on inside of me, Kieran. I long for the days when I did not have to deal with all of these emotions. It was so much more simpler then. Desire. Enjoyment. Concern. Even this restlessness. They flood me far too often. Maybe a good breaking is what I need." He pushes Kieran's hands aside, moving to stand, "I would not mind."

 

Kieran is reaching out again, curling fingers tightly along is upper arm. There's anger flaring to life within him at Ichijin's words. "You may not care, but /I/ do. I'm not talking just a good breaking, Bastian. I'm talking death. You're so restless that you'd take death? You'd do that just to not feel anymore? You'd do that to Reese?"

 

"You brought this to be, Kieran," Sebastian mutters softly, watching him. "Are you so surprised that I'd grow tired becoming a slave to something I find so hard to control? These... these things just keep building, and I weary of people questioning me over them." He frowns, "And do not speak to me of Reese. I would do anything for her."

 

Kieran releases Sebastian and takes a step back. "Would you come to love her?" It's a simple enough question as the man folds his arms across his chest. "You would blame me for this, but there was nothing that I touched that did not want to be touched. I can understand the desire, the need to do more, but that doesn't mean you have to let your own sense of self-preservation fall the wayside. What good are you to your god if you're dead before the fight ends?"

 

Sebastian's gaze narrows upon Kieran, but there isn't any hint of malice in the gaze. "I suppose that can often be a product of released emotion? The lack of self-preservation? Wanting to tempt death just for the sake of knowing you are alive?" He moves towards Kieran, reaching over as if to curl a hand behind the other man's head, bringing his own face close. His lips brush the other man's ear, voice at a whisper, but a harsh one at that, "Love? The day I feel that, I know I am lost." And then he is pushing away to continue towards the office.

 

Kieran would throw something, but the laptop is the only thing handy and he's not in the mood to break electronics. He's tempted the melt the stupid thing, but again, what's the point. "Stupid fucking oni!" he yells at Bastian's retreating back and pushes away himself, heading for the door. To open it and slam it shut.