5/28/2003

09:14 PM

Logfile from Sebastian.

 

 

Sebastian's phone begins to ring.

Sebastian picks up his phone.

 

<Phone> "Yes?" drawls Sebastian's voice after he picks up his phone. As always, there is a faint hint of distraction imbuing his voice. Nothing really noticeable as background noise other than complete silence.

 

<Phone> "Mr. Davis?" the voice on the other end is obviously not American in origin and although the English is quite good, the accent is clearly Asian. "This is Akira Ikeda." The other man is well aware of his true name, but since cell phones are not the most secure of communications, aliases will suffice. "Forgive me for not contacting you sooner. I'm actually in New York at this moment, dealing with a business manner."

 

<Phone> Sebastian frowns momentarily at the voice on the other end, more in curiosity than anything. "Yes, this is him..." He trails off again, going silent for the moment before he continues. "I admit to being surprised at your calling me. Is there something that I can do for you?"

 

<Phone> Seitaro chuckles into the phone, "Surprised? I thought perhaps we could finally meet in person, Mr. Davis. Considering that our business isn't all that different, ne? Think of it as cultivating potentially fruitful partnerships. Would you care to join me for a drink this evening? I'm actually at some club in the Village. It's loud, but that is usually good at certain times."

 

<Phone> Sebastian almost sighs in annoyance, but just manages to keep it underwraps. But seeing as he is currently the only one in the penthouse at the moment and has nothing better to do than stare out the window and be possessed by his thoughts once more. There is productivity in being preoccupied with other matters. His tongue clucks once before he finally speaks, "Tonight?... In the Village?" Okay, that will provoke a smirk. "Where at?"

 

<Phone> Seitaro has to take a moment to check the matchbook on the table in front of him. "Midnight Delirium, it seems. Do you know the place? I'm seated at the table not far from the bar." He gives a quick description of himself, ending with a very obvious trait that he is blind in his right eye. A new occurrence, not that Sebastian would likely know this.

 

<Phone> "I've been there before," Sebastian answers with a wry note to his voice. He grows silent for another breath, considering for a moment before finally making his decision. "I will be there presently then. It shouldn't take long."

 

<Phone> "See you shortly then," is Seitaro's reply before hanging up his phone.

 

Seitaro hangs up his phone.

You hang up your phone.

 

Midnight Delirium

 

     The steady bass of techno and trance drums steadily, blotting out all rational thought.  Near the entrance, several sets of small tables and chairs lie about for patrons who prefer to socialize, while a staircase leads down to the main dancing area.  At the the front of the room, the DJs spin their mixes; this section of the club is always packed.  People flow with the rhythm pounding in their heads, their limbs, their chests.  Lights in darkened colors flash intermittantly across the already dim area, adding to the chaos.  A bar extends along the eastern wall, its counter and shelves outlined with blue lights and its seats always full.  In the far western corner, a string of white lights leads the way into another room where more hip-hop and rap have been added to the mix.  Most here throw themselves into the music, and hard: in the morning, it'll all be gone.

 

Akurei is here.

Obvious exits:

Out

Garanto comes into the area from elsewhere.

Nicolette comes into the area from elsewhere.

 

Sebastian enters into the club, hesitating just past the entrance as he scans the room for the man who called him. Using the spoken description, he looks over the tables near to where he was told to look, gaze eventually alighting upon Seitaro. With an almost annoyed smirk at the people and noise, he weaves his way towards him, standing just shy of the table, "Mr. Ikeda?"

 

Nikki follows Rathan in, the bouncers as usual not giving anyone more than a cursory glance at their id's so as long as they don't look like complete out of place in the club. She sticks close enough to Rathan for now, soaking in the loud music and the heady beats, the press of life and humanity around them. "Ah, just the place Monsieur Rathan, thank you for leading me here." she says with a voice raised just loud enough to be heard. "Why did I come here to New York?" The girl laughs. "Several reasons. I don't think you'd believe me if I told you the main one, but let's say the main /excuse/ is that I'm a student and who wouldn't want to try living abroad at least sometime?"

 

Seitaro lifts is gaze to Sebastian, showing clearly the mismatched eyes - one hazel and the other milk-white. "Hai," he answers, rising from the table and holding out a hand to the other man, his gaze suddenly narrowing. "A pleasure to finally meet you, Mr. Davis. I dare say we may have more in common than I first surmised now that I've met you in person. Won't you please have a seat?"

 

As much as Rathan enjoys the throbbing, enveloping rhythm of the music, he's always slightly annoyed by the need to talk loudly to be heard in this club.  After all, his usual tone is so gentle and quiet; it takes actual effort to raise the volume of his voice.  "I guess I can understand that reasoning," he admits as he deftly weaves his way through the crowded club, clearing a path towards the bar for his companion.  "At least it really is true that you can find just about anything in this city, so if you get homesick, it shouldn't be too hard to find someplace that reminds you of Paris.  There're even a couple restaurants specializing in good ol' southern cooking -- I go there whenever I need something to remind me of hime.  Doesn't happen often, but it does happen."  His smile is now rather wry and self-depracating, as if he's slightly ashamed of his need for the occasional taste of Georgia.  "So... what do ya want to drink?  First round's on me."

 

Sebastian looks down upon the man for a moment, studying him silent and lips pursing into a fine line before he takes the offered hand in his own with a steady grasp. "The pleasure is all mine," he responds with a tinge of distraction once again, gaze drifting away to the masses before returning to Seitaro. He waves for the other to precede him in sitting before he does so as well, "Thank you. More in common? By what do you mean?"

 

Seitaro sits down at the table, his gaze traveling over the others for a moment before he lays his right hand on the table top and nods to it. "One of things I am capable of is sensing the energy, the chi, that lies within others, Mr. Davis. If you will allow me to demonstrate this, I think perhaps it will further explain my meaning." That said, the character on the back of his hand begins to glow in the telltale bleeding of pulsating blue that marks him as one of Homasubi's. Not only that, but the symbol is that of 'rei'. Naming him as Akurei.

 

Nikki follows Rathan up to the bar, leaning over the wooden counter and eyeing the rows and rows of different bottles. "I think I'll just have a little wine? I don't think it would be good to get drunk in such a place, but I am quite used to having a glass or two." Not to mention all that butter from the popcorn she had probably would slow it all down a bit. "I have found a few decent places that remind me of the latin quartier in Paris, so I am not as homesick as I might have been." She looks around the club as she speaks, brushing her waves out of her eyes and staring at the crowds with facination. "Southern cooking though? Just where are you from then, Rathan? I did not think you were from here, but did not imagine that you would have come from far away as well?"

 

"I'm a good ol' Jo-ja boy," Rathan comments with a grin, letting his accent grow frighteningly thick for a moment.  "It's only about a thirteen hour drive from here to the little town where I grew up," he continues in his normal tone, "so it's not really all that far when you consider how big the U.S. is.  All the same, though, I do my best to not sound like a southerner since it'd mark me as a target in the less pleasant parts of the city."  He then shifts his attention to the bartender ust long enough to request a glass of wine for the lady and an Ice House for himself.  "Next round's on you," he warns with a teasing gleam in his eyes.

 

Sebastian draws back in the seat, negligently resting his forearm upon the edge of the table top. He doesn't look all that surprised at what Seitaro says, his vague expression manages to look just a little more annoyed before he simply resolves to be resigned, "Quaint, that. Look, do you..." But he trails off, the pale man managing to grow even paler under the flickering lights, and all at the sight on the other's hand. Time seems almost to slow for the man as his mind registers the sight of that very familiar symbol, a momentary catch to his breathing as well. "Akurei," he murmurs at almost a whisper, before his gaze finally rakes it's way back up to the man's face. "How did you get that?" There is definitely demand in his voice that time, darkening demand. 

 

Seitaro watches Sebastian's reactions with quiet regard, his neutral expression betraying very little. The question about the mark up on his hand is answered at first with one raised eyebrow as he lets the chi feeding it diminish until the symbol is invisible once more. "From a god of course," since the answer is at least obvious to him. "He did not name himself to me last night, but I know quite a lot about these sorts of things. He is Homasubi, god of destruction. He gave me my life back and I have vowed to serve him. Just as you do, ne?"

 

 

5/29/2003

08:40 PM

Logfile from Sebastian.

 

 

 

It takes Nicolette a moment to to understand what Rathan says, her head tilting slightly to the side as if that would help her think in some way. "Jo..ja.. Oh! Georgia?" It takes her longer to remember where on the map of the US that would be. "Ah so you are from a small town? I suppose that coming here might be even stranger to you than it was to me. Paris is big, not like New York, but it is a very old, but very big city too." She picks up her wine glass, taking a tentative sip just to try it. It is probably a very inferior vintage by comparison to what she probably was used to in France, but it isn't terrible at least. "Next round? Oh... hmmm. Excuse me just a moment. I will be right back." The girl ducks into the crowds for a second before returning just a few minutes later. Anyone with a sharp eye and a guess as to what she might have been up to might notice that she picked a few pockets. "Okay, next round I pay then."

 

If Rathan noticed the manner in which Nikki procured money, he makes no comment, although there is an amused smile on his face.  "I spent quite a bit of time in Atlanta -- a major city in Georgia -- before he came here," he explains.  "So New York wasn't an absolute shock, but it did take some getting used to.  I even had to learn a few new skills to survive in the big city."  Including picking pockets, ironically.  "So, what do ya think of the city so far?  How does it compare to Paris, other than being the younger of the two cities by far?"

 

Sebastian seems to study Seitaro for a long moment, intensive in his stare. "How could you have been given Akurei's mark?" Yes, there is still a touch of denial in his voice as well, along with skepticism. Guess this might just answer that wondering question if she might be reborn again, and much to his dismay.

 

"Because I am Akurei." Again Seitaro feels he is more than stating the obvious back to the man sitting at the table with him. "Perhaps you might explain to me why you're asking these types of questions, Mr. Davis? If I have done something to offend you, I certainly would like to know what that might be." Before he considers getting peevish about the reception he's receiving.

 

"There are similarities, but all in all.. Paris is a more..romantic city. You cannot help but to sense the history and age surrounding you. There is a grandeur and vibrancy to the Champs Elysee, and a quaintness to the walkways along the Seine. It is different from New York.. I haven't been here long enough to see all of it. There is a teeming /life/ to this city though..more angry, more thriving, driving force that is...exciting." Nicolette shrugs and winks at Rathan. "Not enough to overwhelm even a little girl like me though. Shall we find somewhere to sit or would you like to dance?"

 

"Sitting sounds good," Rathan replies.  "It usually takes a few more beers before I'm relaxed enough to make a fool of myself on the dance floor."  Take his bottle in one hand, the young man turns away from the bar and once again leads the way through the teeming mass of humanity, seeking the quieter tables further from the dance floor.  "Have you been to Central Park yet?  If you really want to get a good sense of what the city is like -- of the pulse of New York, so to speak -- visit Central Park late at night.  It's a haven for muggers, rapists, drug dealers... and lovers, poets and dancers.  It's a great way to see the truth of the city."  The crowd things a bit as the dance floor and bar are left behind; Rathan's sharp eyes keep a lookout for any abandoned tables, although he has yet to spy the familiar form of Sebastian seated just a few yards away.

 

And hearing something like that 'I am Akurei' come out of this other man's mouth is nearly the last thing Sebastian wanted to hear at this moment. There is no amazement or anger, interest or hate in his expression. In fact, there is absolutely nothing as his features become nothing more than the emotionless mask of old. "No, you haven't offended me," he answers, voice doing deadpan. "But, I must apologize, I need to leave." And he is already sliding to his feet.

 

Seitaro stands as well, frowning, but making neither motion or noise concerning the man's abrupt departure. "Very well. I trust we'll speak again when you have more time?" Not that he has much doubt about that with how he perceive things to be. Hopefully someone else will let the new oni know what all this is about. Briefly, the man's mismatched gaze shifts to Rathan and Nikki before returning to Sebastian.

 

The rise of a somewhat familiar figure before them draws Nikki's attention as she looks around for an empty table to park themselves at, which is not an easy feat in any club worth it's salt. She exclaims without quite meaning to, not having expected to run into this particular man any time soon, not after the rather abrupt end to their phone conversation the other day. "Monsieur Bastian?" Color her surprised since this is not the sort of place she'd expect to see a stuffy man like Sebastian to ever show up in. At least he wasn't tailing her again. Glancing over at Rathan with a slight pout, she sighs, the sound lost in the noisy club. "Maybe we should have tried dancing after all, though mayhaps Central Park later, to cool down?" Seitaro is spied just beyond the other businessman, but other than a vague sort of curiousity, an attention that she doesn't quite understand, she knows nothing about that new oni.

 

Rathan follows Nicolette's gaze towards the rising figure, a slight bit of surprise evinced by the widening of his eyes.  "You know Sebastian?"  Unlike the girl, who seems less than thrilled to see Sebastian in the club, Rathan immediately begins heading in that direction.  "Dancing and Central Park can both wait," he comments over his shoulder.  "I don't know how you know Mr. Davis, but he's sorta my... patron, I guess you could say.  It'd be rude of me to not stop and say hello."  He knows better than to call out to the other oni in a crowded club, however, but he makes no effort to conceal his approach.

 

Sebastian is uncomfortable, and it is beginning to show despite his best efforts to keep things back and away. Seitaro is given another flickered glance, voice just barely to be heard over the noise of the place, "I will contact you." He is already moving to try to turn away from the man, wanting nothing more to get out of here and more than tempted to simply portal then and there. He is simply unprepared for any of this, which is becoming more and more obvious. Suddenly Nikki is appearing before him, recognition showing and then caution and finding her thus... and with Rathan no less.

 

Seitaro turns his own gaze to Rathan and Nikki, obviously interested. Both appear to know Sebastian it seems and he steps further away from the table and closer to the approaching two, although he says nothing for the moment. It seems Nikki will get the brunt of this man's attention as he regards her with his eyes, only one of which truly can see.

 

Nikki sticks a little closer to Rathan, fidgeting and glancing around as if looking for somewhere else to sit. "Oui, I know him, just a little.. He's a..stra..you know him? He is your patron?" Suddenly the girl seems to freeze in her tracks, looking a mite uncomfortable. "Mayhaps you should go give your greetings alone. I do not think he wishes to see me. He was rather.. unhappy last time." She leans slightly and whispers though as she notes Seitaro's attentions in her direction. "Do you know who that other man is?"

 

In response to Nicolette's question, Rathan examines the Asian man with the milky eye before shaking his head almost imperceptibly.  "I don't recognize him, but he's probably a business associate of Mr. Davis.  And why was Sebastian unhappy with you?"  He doesn't wait for an answer, however, before addressing the senior oni now that he's close enough to be heard without shouting.  "Sebastian," he greets, his tone dropping an octave and becoming more formal and respectful, "it's a pleasant surprise to see you here.  Is anything amiss?"  Ichijin's slightly ruffled demeanor is noted with concealed concern.

 

Sebastian is probably the only one able to recognize the significance of four of Homasubi's here in this place. And yes, the normally well-controlled oni is looking quite less than that at the moment. His gaze lifts, and it is Rathan that he seems to look to with the most interest, even if for a brief moment. "I'm sorry. I need to leave," he mutters once again, turning apruptly to get lost in the crowds.

 

Seitaro again makes no movement to stop Sebastian, but simply nods to him instead as the other man departs, leaving him standing there before Rathan and Nikki. Glancing between the two with an expression of mild interest, he says simply, "Perhaps I should introduce myself to you both?"