[Private] Lex Divina

[Riisha]

Location: Lighthalzen
Players: Auda, Selenium, Mercury, Vanadium

OOC Talk Thread: Link here

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Lighthalzen.

Indifference was the feeling that described her attitude to the city that she currently made her home. In many ways, she found it comfortable, with the paved roads, and the relatively clean air. On the other hand, it was also wretched, with needless noise and chatter. There were days that she hid away, preferring her solitude and her research, but unfortunately, it was required she venture out, even if only for a moment.

Ah well. Surely, she could last, for even just that moment.

Auda instinctively shielded her eyes as she stepped out of the grand building that was the headquarters for the Rekenber Corporation. She had forgotten, as she often did, that she did not need to. After a moment, she lowered her hand, folding her arms together as she glided down the steps to the main gate.

As she walked down the paved road toward the Kafra, the sparse crowd parted before her. Civilians, those that noticed her, backed away, avoiding her. Some were polite enough to do it slowly, as if they were attempting to be subtle. Others had been too startled to bother. A few even leapt backwards in surprise.

It was expected. Though she had walked through the city before, she did not make a habit of it. Her appearance was one that they were not used to, with her brown and creme long robes, native to Arunafeltz and representative of Rachel's sacred temple. More than that, however, was the off-white mask that she wore, hiding her eyes behide a decorative material. It was such a wonder how they could fear something only because they were unfamiliar with it. It was saddening and pitiful. How she wished she could speak out to them, scold them for their ignorance, and soon after, enlighten them on what they did not understand. Oh but she had tried before, and the experience had been frustrating, and almost repulsive. It only proved to her that these people were not worth Freya's great wisdom.

She ignored them. They were of very little value to her, not unless one of the children stood among them, and she could see none.

The Rachel High Priestess wondered for a moment if she would find the one that she sought. It was common knowledge that most of the children resided at the hotel for when they needed to attend to something in the city. Yet, of course, there was the chance that he was not there. She thought for a moment that she should have sent Matthias out to retrieve him. Perhaps he would have better luck than she, especially because of the gift he had obtained from their goddess.

She paused with a wistful sigh. Admittedly, she did not know if it worked that way, but she felt it must be. That ability to speak with Freya, that she had once envied her brother for, was now so very useful. Oh but that seemed almost a lifetime ago. Nowadays, she could not even think to hate her brother the way she once did.

Luckily, she did not have to wander too far. She found her quarry, a short distance from the entrance into the Lighthalzen hotel, on the path toward the city airport. A smile came upon her face. She slowed to a stop, her hand raising toward her mask as she adjusted it.

"Selenium," she called out to the purple-haired priest. "I have a matter to discuss with you. Come."

If he did not recognize her, then that would be a bother. She preferred not to waste time on such things.

[Shin]

Sunlight, noise…people. Gold eyes looked through the window of the conference room he was sitting in. Mercury wondered how many years it had been since he was out in the open like this, above ground and not subjected to the painful tests that had blurred together in his memories over the years. Strands of silver fell across his face lightly as he looked down at his hands folded on his lap. The bandages around his fingers and arms were slightly itchy, but he ignored it. After all it was just a mild discomfort that would fade in time.

080…Mercury…That was what they called him, the ones who spent so many days, months and years doing painful things to the male, the unbearable tests. Mercury flicked his head slightly, his long braid swaying from the action as he pushed himself out of his seat to get a better view of the people down on the ground outside. Soon he would be down there as well; Rekenber was giving him a mission to complete. His first mission, they had thought that he was strong enough to send him out now.

The male’s face was expressionless as he remained looking down at the crowd, the happy and energetic children that weaved through the bustling busy people. Those individuals that took things for granted or worried about stupid things. Or remained naïve to how the world functioned, how cruel it was underneath the surface.

The new experiment clenched his fists slightly before he pulled his emotionless gaze from the outside scenery to the conference table. He was being released from the labs today; the prospect could have been exciting if Mercury could bring himself to feel such an emotion. He was an experiment, a successful one. He was a being that survived the process of being tested and pulled apart, but at what price? The process of experimentation made him distant to things, bitter. Though he wasn’t without the gratitude of the end result.

He was, in a way, healthy now. If anything at least that was a positive to all the pain and suffering he endured. Even before being sent to Rekenber it seemed that his memories were filled with pain and sickness. Well he wouldn’t be that weak anymore. Rekenber gave him a new life and he was impatient to use his skills and strengths.

‘Let me work, let me do something. Let out of here and prove myself, Rekenber.’ The slender male thought with mild impatience as he opted to pace the room’s width, waiting to be briefed on the mission he was going to do.

[LucaAlverez]

Hazel eyes settled on a simple coin, fixated as the blond made his way toward the conference hall flicking the coin into the air and catching it again as a means to entertain himself. He'd been a little behind and missed his sister by a few short minutes, though it was easy to determine where he was headed by the fleeting voices trickling in and out of his mind.

... freshly released experiment... meeting room upstairs... silver hair... prove myself...

Pausing in the doorway, Matthias' gaze didn't lower when the coin rested in his hand again, his eyes settling instead on the figure pacing the room. He briefly considered begging Freyja's assistance to read the other's intents and loyalties before simply dismissing the notion as he glided into the room, taking up a chair and leaning it back onto it's hind legs as he propped his feet up onto the table, the coin once again rising into the air and falling into his palm.

"Pleasant day," he greeted as his free hand reached to adjust the hat settled onto his head, flowing curls falling over the back of the chair as light ringlets settled against his cheeks. "I hope you haven't been waiting here all by your lonesome for too terribly long, brother."

He expected his sister had left the man here to dwell and see how his nerves held up against time. It was a good way to judge, though he couldn't tell by the other's expression how his nerves were responding to the waiting process.

Part of him was uncertain why Auda would choose a newly released and potentially volatile experiment to handle a mission of this caliber, but who was he to question his sister anyway? She knew best and hopefully she'd thought of an apt companion for the man to travel with...

[Shin]

Mercury’s honey colored eyes turned to look at the figure that had walked into the conference room. Scanning the other he inclined his head slightly when the other had spoken. For a moment he thought on the other’s words. ‘Brother’ so this other person was an Experiment too? Then they were comrades, both obeyed Rekenber’s orders.

He had stopped his pacing when his attention was focused on the other. His expression remained blank as he stood there, hand clasped at his sides. Speak, say something…reply. Blinking he walked to the chair nearest to him and sat down in it, lowering his gaze to the surface of the table. Of course he hadn’t been waiting in the conference room for long, time wise.

“No, the wait was not terribly long.” He spoke out, his cool tone soft as he looked at the blond male across the table, again with a steady gaze. The other had his feet on the table top; the chair was tipped back slightly. That was a pose of ease, relaxation…confidence? What was the others reason to be here? He had never met another experiment before, meeting now seemed a little... Was the other going to brief him? Highly unlikely…There was only few reasons why this other male could be here, right? Though the first impression the young experiment got was that the other was laid-back and polite, he didn’t believe that the blond was here to greet him personally. He was being supervised? That seemed logical, he was a new experiment, released from the labs just that day.

"They called me ’Mercury’..." He spoke again as he let his gaze avert from the lounging blond. Reaching up he tucked a few strands of hair behind his ear. He wasn’t uncomfortable or awkward, but he wondered when someone was going to tell him what his mission was, what he was expected to do. The conference room was a lot more welcome then the labs underneath the building, but it wasn’t the outside world.

[LucaAlverez]

Smiling absently to himself, he caught the coin once more before tucking it away into a pocket and removing his hat to rest it on the table beside his feet. "I'm glad you weren't left waiting, then," he responded as he entwined his fingers over his belly, watching the other man. "Best that no one is ever alone if they can help it, not when they're waiting for something. Gets ya anxious," he laughed lightly.

At the other's introduction, however, Matt quirked an eyebrow, almost surprised that the other took initiative the way he had. "Mercury," he reiterated, mulling the name over and testing the very way it moved over his tongue, "a pleasant enough title, I suppose, but from the way you say it you sure don't seem like you take it as a name.

"They call me Vanadium," he mimicked in turn, his smile broadening into a grin as he continued, "but my name is Matthias. You can call me Matt if it so pleases you." Winking a little, he hoped the unspoken permission to use a name or nickname of his own was caught by the other man, though he expected that like many of his brothers and sisters the idea would be overlooked. The nicknames they chose to take for themselves always seemed based from the root of their experimental titles. Just like how the couple experiments he spoke with more often called him 'Vana' than 'Matt,' perhaps out of some fear that Rekenber would scorn them for going against their titles.

Of course, there were those who didn't remember their own names and in those instances he could understand using the only name they'd ever known as a name rather than a title. It was just the same as his own base instinct to introduce himself by his birth name. Furthermore it had been terribly confusing to try and explain to his sister why people at her work place were suddenly calling him 'Vanadium.'

"Anyways, have you eaten at all, by chance? I'm sure we could arrange for something to eat, I'm half starved and Auda just left a few minutes ago, so I'm not sure how long it'll be before we get this ball rolling. Might be good to have something in your stomach while it's still free," his grin returned again as he spoke.

[CherrySake]

The little run in with Meth had left him in a bit of a bad mood. His pace slowed, pretty sure that there was enough distance and not seeing the need to rush, he hadn't even planed this all out yet. Still it wouldn't be wise to go back to the inn, unsure of his plans he kept on the same course.

Mind snapping from his thoughts, hearing mutters and whispers before hearing footsteps coming his way. Turning sharply, expecting an angry scholar or even Wolf when the footsteps stopped. But it wasn't either, Selenium's expression softening to a small smile at seeing someone from Rekenber; he almost recognized every one from the corporation even if just by looks. Before he could say anything she spoke, needing to discuss a matter with him; obviously something that couldn't be said in public. Without question he followed her, trying not to walk ahead of her despite his want to find out what this was about. There was no doubt in the priest's mind that this was going to be something good, it just had to be.

The woman seemed like she didn't want to chat on the way back to the building and he didn't mind it. Sele wasn't foolish enough to not understand why she was getting strange looks, as well as why he was as well for walking with her. He recognized her by those robes as well as the mask she wore, since it was pretty hard to miss someone from Arunafeltz working for Rekenber.

[Shin]

Anxious….Yeah that seemed to be the result of waiting too long by yourself. So then this other was to keep him company as well then? He watched as the other raised an eyebrow at his introduction. What was his name again? He blinked slightly as he tried to remember, his head throbbing slightly in response. Right, exerting himself too much might result in being sent back to the labs again.

His attention was drawn back to the blond when he spoke as well introducing himself as Vanadium, then giving a real name and then a nickname. As the other smiled Mercury looked at him blankly before thinking. So then the other was going to let Mercury call him ‘Matt’ the wink seemed to be a permissive gesture. ‘If it so pleases you’…Well the new experiment probably wouldn’t mind calling the other Matt….Vanadium was a bit longer and Matt seemed pleasant enough. The silver-haired male inclined his head mutely again. So then the others name would be Matt then.

The other spoke again about food. Mercury wasn’t hungry….was he? He didn’t feel like eating but then again, it was just as the other said. A free meal would be a good idea before this mission was started. A person couldn’t focus if they were hungry. Then Mercury might not operate as successfully as he wanted to and then what would Rekenber do?

“Yes, okay… Something to eat would be nice,” He spoke quietly again. He wasn’t sure on how to carry on a conversation just yet. ‘Fresh from the labs’ he felt a little shaky. He was assured that the feeling would pass rather quickly. In any case he looked past the other male, tilting his head slightly to stare at the doorway. Mercury had been told to sit here and not leave the room by one of the scientists. So then would someone bring food over? He looked at Matt wordlessly with a mildly curious expression.

The other seemed to like smiling a lot. When Mercury tried the corner of his mouth twitched slightly before his face went back to its expressionless state.

“What kind of food is there to eat?” The question was asked with a sense of wariness. After all food wasn’t really luxurious underground in the labs. You were given what you needed to survive.

[LucaAlverez]

"Hm, not a whole heck of a lot," he murmured thoughtfully. "Tell you what. Just wait a minute and I'll see if I can't got fetch something. I mean, the food here isn't incredible, but it's really not too terrible once you get a taste for it." The food at the sanctuary was exponentially better, he reminisced as he got to his feet, taking his hat and dropping it on Mercury's head with a grin. "Keep that warm for me a minute, will ya? I'll be back in a jiffy."

Slipping out of the room with casual ease, knowing that he wasn't apt to get in trouble for leaving, he paused as he considered the possibility of how much trouble the other would get in if he left. Had someone informed him he ought to stay in the room? Until such a time as he was supervised it wasn't a generally approved idea to leave him out on his own, especially so fresh from the labs. Even Matt himself had had supervision for the first little while after he was set free - including his trip all the way to Rachel. What a fuss that had been.

Still, he determined that the man ought to be clever enough to figure out on his own that he shouldn't leave as he slipped down the main staircase and ventured around until he managed to locate food, packing up a couple platters before walking past the various scientists and workers that milled about the place. Voices still slipped in and out of his consciousness, as he made his way back towards the staircase, a smile twitching at the corner of his lips as a few voices mused about the smell of the warm food on the platters. Others were busy concentrating on formulas and a couple seemed to be complaining about coworkers - one in particular amused him as he was relatively certain the name being mentally cussed out was the same man his sister had gone to fetch. The man the voice belonged to soon disappeared out of sight, however, and his thoughts disappeared with him.

He'd only taken a couple of steps up the stairs before a familiar voice slipped into his mind, causing him to pause and look toward the doorway with a pleased enough smile. Stepping back down the stairs, the blond walked toward the doorway where he'd spotted his sister, perfectly intent on walking with her back to the room. "If I'd known you were so close I would've grabbed more grub."

[Riisha]

Auda felt a smile come upon her face. He was very eager; it was very obvious from the way he held himself, struggling to stay behind her. That was good. His willingness to serve Rekenber was a very valuable quality. She hoped that he was well aware of his place, and that such qualities would affect some of the other children.

The trek back into the building that the corporation used as its headquarters was short. That suited her just fine. The sooner she was away from the irritating, mindnumbing chatter, the better. Auda did not even bother looking behind her to see if Selenium was still following. It wasn't as if she needed to. Even if he was not as loyal as he was, he was sure to know better than to wander off, especially after a summons.

She glided back up the steps to the entrance, mulling to herself the information that she had heard from her brother. It was an interesting matter indeed, and hopefully a suitable test for the newborn child that had been sent into the conference room. There were guards nearby. Even if he had the nerve to venture out on his own, they would surely discourage him. At the least, Matthias would have seen to him already, probably to make him feel more comfortable.

And yet, she felt no surprise, hearing that voice as she entered the doors. She sniffed to herself at his choice of words. It did bother her a little whenever he spoke that way. She considered them both to be a higher level than the others. The way he sometimes spoke like the common people... the high priestess almost found it unseemly.

"He asked for food?" she murmured idly, speaking more to herself than to her brother. She looked at him to address him directly, "If you must, then. Please be quick about it, Matthias." She waved a hand as she walked past him, following the red carpet to the grand staircase. "We do not have all day."