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.