The Smell of Prey [Open]

The aroma I will always like more than that of bar food, of flowers, that of a woman, is the smell of my prey coming closer and letting my fangs draw closer to their neck.  I can smell their fear, the soothing rhythm of their beating heart as I reach further and further to.... Victor shuttered as he let himself become lost in thought, nearly forgetting he had a suffocating woman under his hand in Janitor's Closet of a yellow and red-themed, terrible fast food joint. He zoned out apparently, the woman struggling and squirming. She only made him surface from his "happy place" by knocking something off a shelf. His first reaction was to catch the can and softly return it. "Scream...try to I should say...As hard as you can because it only makes this game SOOO much more fun..." he turned his right index finger into a small dagger (the left hand was clenching her mouth hard). Afterwards he began to run it down her clothes, cutting right through them and leaving velvet lines behind as they grew into a web of bloody rivers that would stain the clothes. Due to the slow movement, the blood wouldn't force out, more so a calm release from the body. He heard someone nearing the closet, most likely to use the bathroom, so he quickly transformed his right arm into a sword and jabbed through the victim's neck, spewing the ichor all over his body due to the close quarters.

Looking down at himself, he knew that if he just left the closet people would think the worst but yet the truth, so he ditched his clothes and grabbed the cyan soul left behind, stuffing it in his mouth before rushing out in his underwear and exiting the food joint. Obviously, he had all eyes on him, but they thought he was just weird and not that he was a murderer. Rushing through the alleyways, he made a quick return to his apartment via the fire escape connecting to it. Humming, he turned his TV on and sat down on his new furniture he had gotten early in the day. Almost 6, I should make my way to O'Malley's and see if those two actually decided to join me for a drink. Hm? What's this? Victor increased the volume so he could hear something that put a little sugar into his pride...."Breaking News! Suspected murders linking, with whoever pulled them off having similar MO's...Suspected to be a serial killer....dubbed the 'Suburban Butcher'....Stay tuned for more news-" turning off the TV, Victor laughed maniacally at what had been considered "news". He had to shower, but afterwards he found a pair of white pants, a belt and more reluctantly, a white shirt. Over top of his shirt he wore a grey jacket, exiting through the fire escape once more and heading on to O'Malley's. Arriving at the bar which wasn't far from his apartment, he took a seat at the bar and ordered a Killian's before waiting.

After maybe 15 minutes of waiting, Sozen walked into the bar, a sport coat the only addition to his normal outfit. He spotted Victor and gave a wave before sliding into the spot next to him. "Sorry, Aiko couldn't make it. Trouble with the folks." He flagged down the bartender, ordering a Guinness. "So... Winston, right?"

Victor turned towards the male Death Scythe, Sozen, and chuckled as he finished the last bit of his third beer. Since he wasn't exactly human, he wasn't weak like humans and could handle his beer, showing no signs of any actual buzz nor did he have one at all. "Bartender, 'nother round and one for the kid. By the way, sorry to hear that. And yeah, Sozen? I remember you from the uh....Free-running I saw you two doing." he referenced the hunting session the duo had without being specific, fluently taking his beer after it was handed to him without taking his eyes off of Sozen, drinking about a third of it before replacing the spot where the third beer had been before. "So, do you guys watch the news?" he said out loud, chuckling mentally. The bartender chimed in while cleaning a mug, with a jolly chuckle to his tone, "Yeah, some nut job has been running around the Suburbs and chopping heads off. Besides that, heard there was a happenin' at a local fast food joint. Found it all over the closet. They found some clothes but apparently they were contaminated. Winny-boy, haven't seen your friend 'round here. You should be careful, whatever is flinging a blade around might come for ya." a group of people around Victor and himself shared a laugh, the group obviously not taking it serious. Well...except for Victor since it was HIM doing it, but he can just as easily act like he knows what could be and suggest it to Sozen, just not around the 'reggies'.

Sozen offered a bit of a chuckle too. "Yeah. Might have to get a friend I know to look in on this. He's what you might call a private detective. Really good at what he does." He said he, but from his tone it was obvious that he meant the Academy, subtle hints that only another one nuanced in the ways of the underground world might pick up on. His eyes seemed to flick over towards Victor for a moment, but then he picked up and downed his drink, belching softly into his hand.

Victor guzzled his beer before responding to Sozen's implication, with a bit of amusement. "Aye, but don't you think they might laugh at 'cha a bit? You know, that firm really only helps when they REALLY need to. If it be the one I'm thinking about." he spoke somewhat like a pirate for the amusement, a bit buzzed after finishing his fourth beer. He raised the bottle towards the Bartender who replaced it with agility and haste. Sipping from this one, he wondered what the shot of the eye was from Sozen...he wasn't suspicious at all. He literally fit quite well in with the bar's regulars. "Ahh. My favorite. Killian's. So, is this your first visit to New York?" Victor decided he might want to get close to at least one of the Death Scythes before the hunt begins.

OOC: Out of curiosity, have you read Sozen's character sheet lately?

Sozen shakes his head. "No. Our parents have lived here for the majority of their lives. They used to own a small applied sciences laboratory, but it was bought up by Charon Inc. They work on the board of directors." He leaned back, sipping his drink. "Aiko and I lived here til we were 10. Then our parents sent us to a prestigious boarding school in England. When our abilities came, we moved to the Academy."

(OOC: Yeah, why?)

Victor was a bit surprised by Sozen's answer. so his family had money and still had money...but apparently Aiko was having issues with the Riches. "Interesting! I was born in Death City in a wealthy business family. I was wished to be a Meister, but the opposite made me disowned by my father who I had to find out the hard way was killed by my mother who became a Kishin spawn. At least as a weapon, you can close your eyes...At least as a weapon you don't have to watch as you have to be used by your Meister....to" the only sentimental memory Victor had brought him to tears...Haru had to hack and slash his mother...his loving mother into pieces and all he could do was feel his own weaponized body slice through every inch of his mother, only able to cover his eyes. But he could feel it, even as a weapon. It was like diving in a pool of blood...this horrified him. "But I digress...After a few arguments with my Meister I decided to take an early retirement with the inheritance money I had at the time. Here I am at a good ol' Irish pub." Victor sipped his drink, a bit melancholic but realizing that he wasn't a sob...he wasn't a man of sadness or sentiment. He was the Suburban Butcher.

Sozen nodded, smiling a bit at that an raising his drink in a toast. "That's a sad tale, but I'm glad you were able to make yourself stronger for it. What do you intend to do now? Freelance outside of the Academy?"

Outside the pub, Asuka did her best to make herself scarce. Though, the tall, ghost of a woman in black robes with her name carved into her chest tended to make a sort of bubble around her that people would not enter. She sighed. Her searching was coming up with nothing. The murders, this butcher... It all sounded like something far more than just a human. She needed to know what was going on. Usually, this would have been outside her jurisdiction, but since she was in the area already... She had figured why not? Besides, anything that could possibly bring her closer to Lenore was something she was ready to dive head first into. Something here called to her, and though she didn't understand exactly what, she knew better by this point than to not follow her instinct.

In the meantime, though, all this light was giving her a headache. The sounds, the people, the noise... She was used to wide open spaces, green pastures, and people who smiled when you made eye contact. She needed a drink. She walked into the first place that appeared to sell alcohol, an irish pub that smelled like sweat and wool, and stepped up to the bar, "What kinds of whiskey do you have?"

"You don't beat around the bush, do ya?" Victor was alarmed, O'Malley's wasn't a place that often received new customers, especially ones that had brought discomfort from the ones around her, which was apparent from her grim appearance. It wasn't a soft drink she was trying to order either, so he decided to seem friendly by suggesting one of the more popular but expensive brands. "Try some of the Walker. It's a bit pricy here but hey, the first one's on me. Sozen, ever taste whiskey before?" he said with a smile, he wasn't one to get drunk at all but he did take kindly to a buzz. This night might prove eventful for him, especially since it seemed Sozen suddenly clicked with him. "Freelancin'? Yeah. I've done a few things here and there for some people needing a bug exterminator...but I shouldn't rely on it. Most don't even know what we are talking about, and that sadly includes the authorities." he finished his beer and tapped the table, signalling for what he just suggested and ordering two. "I hope you have the stomach for this. Strong but kind on the taste buds." he said, warmly smiling. Alcohol was an easy subject to not beat around the bush with, it allowed him to be truthful for he did like it.

Sozen turned when he saw Asuka, smiling a bit. "Asuka? It's been too long! How've you been!?" He swiveled his chair, looking at the Death Scythe that he had once teamed up with. In all honesty, he was surprised to see her here. This was more or less the Nakamura's 'turf'. Their zone to patrol.

A muttered "Damnit..." Can be heard from a nearby booth and when you look into it you see a boy messing with what looked like a robotic arm when you realize it is his arm. Jet was getting areally annoyed know he was trying to find a way to make the arm be able to have a grappling hook in it but it was working out properly "Damn arm why won't you work with me?"

Asuka nodded I thanks for the whiskey, drinking slowly and allowing the warm burn to spread through her torso and down her throat. She tilted her head back, the black scrawled letters of her name carved into her flesh sticking out against the pale white of her skin like a brand. She glanced to Sozen, leaning against the bar, "I'm looking into the serial killings here. Call it a... Personal interest." she smirked, red gums and white teeth catching the light like a vampire's, "The whiskey is good. Another, please. And one for my friend."

Victor chuckled as she mentioned the serial killings, along with a few of the other patrons chuckling at the thought...they had such doubt in someone stopping them mixed with the feeling it might be a ruse to get some attention drawn to the media. Victor was worrying though, this meant he had to be more careful who he hunted and who watched him from now on if he wanted to successfully grow like the egg he is. It was...odd. The girl had a personal interest for a reason he didn't understand, it wasn't for the righteous need to strike down the evil at hand? It wasn't because the serial killer harmed one she had loved? "Ha, the 'Sub~urb~an Bu~utcher! A joke by the media, no less. It may be true, but that's only more fear because of how useless the donut-devourers are. But then again, who's to say this isn't a FOX moment? Making stories just for the attention. But...it makes me wonder if the serial killer is real...and hasn't been caught by someone like Sozen because sure as shit should be some sort of intelligent spawn...What could possibly slip through a Scythe's fingers? No offense, kiddo." he finished his round of whiskey and asked for another but gestured for it to be on the rocks. Victor seemed concerned for whether or not it is true...but deep down he knew that saying it escaped the hands of a Death Scythe meant that it wasn't something to fuck with. "Aye, what's up with Mr. Roboto over there?" "Dunno. I don't really care. I'll just shoo him if he becomes an issue." O'Malley's was in fact, run by O'Malley. He didn't really bias himself towards many things, but something that was oily and had a lot of loose gears was on the list of few. Taking Sozen's whiskey for himself, sine he was polite enough to order it for him, he down the two rounds and asked for one more. "Oi! Name's Winston. Freelancer in the makings. I was owned at one point but I got out of that life. I assume you take the role of a freelancer as well, Mizz Asuka?" he tipped his head in the woman's direction, ignoring her scar.

Jet gives and heads over to the bar and sits down at one of the seats

Sozen gave a light smile, leaning his head on his hand and his arm on the bar as he watched the older Death Scythe. "That right. I'm sure Aiko would love to compare notes about that with you. Perhaps you'd like to run to our place after this? She'd be thrilled to see you after so long..." His smile was easy, but there was something else in it, something deeper.

Victor chuckled as he looked back and forth between the two, obviously seeing that Sozen had the magic in his mind, both low and high like any man usually does. "You want to swim the nile do ya kid?" he whispered towards Sozen, the Bartender catching it and laughing along with him. "If you two don't mind, I have nothing to do I'd like to join you. Plus, I have a bit of an offer that I wouldn't want to talk about around here." he didn't want to admit that he knew the Suburban Butcher needed to be taken care of, but that was more so a a lie to cover he knew that the investigator was an issue...that she was an awful addition to the hunt. A bump. She may need to die if Victor would ever get a chance at the prey. Tic....tic...tic....That's the sound of your life running out.

Jet looks up and orders a beer and continues to work on his arm muttering about "shrimp and skull knight"

Asuka nodded her head slowly, the white ethereal curls crowning her head moving like wisps of smoke with the movement. She swirled the liquid in her glass, finishing it off, the ice clinking like crystal as it hit the bar, "I most certainly have no issue with it, though, my thoughts are less notes and more... Ideas." She chuckled, "Especially if you have coffee, I would be more than welcome to come. And I do not mind the presence of your informant here, either."

Sozen chuckles, rubbing the back of his head. "Eheh, Not so much informant as... spontaneous friend? He helped Aiko and I with a certain... monstrous problem. I think you know the sort I'm referring to." Sozen leaned away from Church, towards Asuka, still giving his easy smile, but once he was close enough. "Laugh and agree... I need to talk to you." He pulls back a little bit. "Asuka, have you ever seen the skyline from the top of one of these older buildings? I'd be willing to show you."

Asuka seemed not to hear him, chuckling to herself, "I see. I didn't think you had time for socializing with your investigation, but perhaps you hit a dry spot yourself. And no, I have not. Is this an invitation?"

Jet takes a sip of his drink and keeps working humming a little tune as he works

Sozen chuckled happily, standing and looping his arm through hers. "Then let up be off." He leads the older Death Scythe out, and around the building to the fire escape, running and leaping to grab the ladder, pulling it down and gesturing for her to lead. "Aprez-vous, mademoiselle."

Victor noticed the two beginning to depart and he began to leave as well. A soon as they were out he had a more serious face than before, not the immature casual drinker that had resided in the bar. "I'm sorry that I feel the need to interrupt your dealings, but we do have serious business at hand. There is time for happiness, and time for facades," he nodded his head back at the bar where he had acted like it didn't bother him, "And then there is time to find a murderer. All three of us understand that a man's sentiment is not as important as the coordinated killing, especially where I have to live. Now, Mister Sozen I will have to ruin your date due to Miss Asuka's original intention of finding this guy. I don't want to live back in the old days where I worked for DWMA....They weren't pleasant. So I'd like to get business done and do a little freelancing and, like I said, be done for a while. Miss Asuka, take no offense I need to be paid because of the nature of my business." he was taking the composure of a business man, no-none-sense in tone, and decided that this venture could have various fruitful pathways.

"Also, Sozen, I apologize if my malice for DWMA is a bit strong. If you could hear past the adrenaline, which I understand if it slipped your memory, I had an awful Meister. Plus the rules, I didn't have a choice in many things. I hope you aren't similar to the weapons and meisters I knew. I hope you're more pleasant." And I hope I can consume your soul within the next few weeks.

Jet grins to himself "Almost there... Almost.... Damnit!" He sets down the screwdriver and takes another sip and gets to work again