Clipping the Wings of Pestilence [Jesse Fforde]

[Axel Rosen]

--The following transcript is a live chat RP--

* Jesse Fforde || I’m not joking. Not in the least. I find, often, that people online joke about a lot of things. They make idle threats that they don’t really mean. Normally, you can’t get a serious word out of anyone on Crownet—unless they’re Altaire, lately. Anyway, the point is: sure, I can have a joke for a good joke’s sake. But for Axel’s sake…seriously, the guy really needs a good extermination. Not Axel himself, of course. Though I do wonder: if I were to send him to the Shadow Realm, and he were to come back…

I shake my head. No. That would be a little bit too drastic, I think, just for a little bit of a bug problem. Not when a good dose of poison would do just as well. And so I keep good on my word. I go to the nearest store and stock up on all the different kinds of bug poison a person can buy. The guy behind the counter—pimply and far too happy to be working in such a place at such an hour—tried to make a joke about it. I ignored him.

I’ve now filled the bathtub. I’ve poured litres of liquid poison into a concoction of powdered poison that I’ve dissolved in hot water. As soon as it’s ready, I retrieve my phone from my back pocket. I text Axel: “Meet me at Veil Towers?” I don’t explain anything. I don’t give him a reason. I just send the summons. Surely, the guy knows me well enough not to expect anything more.

‹Axel Rosen› Receiving the text he looks it over and there isn't really any reason for him to say 'no', though he knows that he couldnt' even if he wanted to. He feels a sense of undeniable loyalty to his sire in a way that the apostles followed Jesus. This thought leads him to think about the chance of there ever being a 'Judas' among Jesse's little branch of the Altaire, bush. The conclusion is easier than he thought it would be. If anyone were ever to betray Jesse, after being brought in by him, Axel would kill them himself. In mere moments the Veil Tower stands before him, and he's been here in recent nights, living a few floors away from where his sire has asked him to come. Pressing the button for the floor, he makes sure that he is presentable, to make sure that he's not a mess. He knocks once, to tell of his arrival then opens the door to the apartment, walking into the place and then looking around. "Jesse?" The word 'sire' is a little too formal, and anything else just sounds borderline creepy in a stalker way. He's not a stalker, not a creep with a shrine to the man, just follows his words as if they were law, written and true.

* Jesse Fforde || It's not long before Axel arrives. I try to act as nonchalant as possible - I realise now I ought not to have said anything on the Tytonidae Crownet. As soon as the acrid stench of poison hits Axel's nose, he's going to guess at what's happening. I just have to act quick, and hope the guy hasn't quite got his wits about him. I saunter out of the kitchen, where I've re-filled Cairo's water bowl and opened a window onto the fire-escape, so that the cat might be able to escape the fumes. I give a nod of greeting to Axel, before throwing my arm over his shoulder and leading him, somewhat forcefully, toward the bathroom.

‹Axel Rosen› Walking with the man to his side, he always has to do his best to guess what is going on. It's not like he and the man can really talk about what he wants from him or why he is leading him to the... Bathroom. Glancing to Jesse he gives him a concerned look, the smell hitting his nose and he sighs a little bit. He opens his mouth in protest but then shuts it again, feeling almost mute himself. Something comes over him, not allowing him to say no. It's not like the man wants to kill him, just the bugs. He does hold up one finger, and clicks his tongue, several times, over and over. Finally he makes a gag sound as the lengthy millipede makes his way from the man's throat an into his mouth, out along his lips where he extracts him and places him in his hands. Scuttles is not to be hurt unless it is a very good reason.
* Jesse Fforde || The millipede scuttles out of Axel's mouth and I can only shake my head. I'm not disgusted, not really. I still take a vague, curious interest in this infestation that Axel seems to have inherited. Where he inherited it from, I don't know. Still - Axel doesn't protest or put up a fight. I swing him around and push him into the tub, regardless of the care he seems to be taking of one singular millipede. Bug poison splashes and sloshes - I don't quite care how much of it I get on me, it won't harm me. I lean over the tub and hold Axel under. I'll do my best to negate any human instinct Axel might have to gasp for air. I'll hold him under until the poison fills his lungs. Until he swallows it, even if he'll only throw it up later. I hold him under until it seeps into every pore.

‹Axel Rosen› Luckily as he gets pushed into the tub his grip on the long slender creature in his hand releases and it falls to the ground. It's not that he can be certain but he thinks that his sire has forced his mouth open in this green liquid as it waves over him. He doesn't struggle against his sire, his eyes do go to that inky color for a few seconds. It's not hate or anger, but a little fear. The fear that this might kill him. He's not sure if it will or not. It might, and that's bad enough. After a few breaths under water he blinks, a few times and the tar-like hues fade back to that blue-grey steel like color. His eyes look through the surface, to a emerald tinted Jesse.

* Jesse Fforde || It's fascinating, the way Axel's eyes appear to change colour. Have I seen that happen before? I'm not too sure. I wonder what it is indicative of. I almost wish that it indicates anger--some kind of furious passion. I've noticed that Axel seems to be lacking a little in passionate emotion. Not that I think it's a requirement. But I don't know - how's the guy supposed to write worth a damn if he doesn't feel anything? What do I know though, right? Maybe he just hides it. Like I do. Still--he doesn't struggle. He just lays there, beneath the layer of poison, watching me. I perk a brow, and wait. Surely, soon, those little critters are going to start dying - going to start crawling out of him in a bid to escape. This is what I've imagined, anyway. Maybe this won't work at all.

‹Axel Rosen› Frantic wiggling and worry spreads throughout his body. It's not his worry, and he grins. The little bugs are starting to die. They are aware of their short life span, and how much shorter it has gotten. They don't try to get out, no he can feel them, burrowing deeper, trying to get to that place they feel is untouched by the poison; however, he's soaked throughout. There in the tub, the writhing of every maggot stops and he blinks a little bit, a grin on his face. This has worked, but for how long? Even the hand of Meka to his skin only lasts so long before, by some act of Apollyon, the horsemen of Pestilence, they come back after time. If his sire wants to incite some sort of emotion from him, there is really one emotion he feels, or two rather: hate and anger, a possible third being compassion for his family and some of his kind. He has, though, only met a few.

* Jesse Fforde || I don't know how long I hold him under for. I'm not really timing it. I'm just waiting for something to happen - anything. On the surface, I can't see that this bath of poison is having any affect at all. But after a while, Axel grins. He's smiling at me, as if he knows something that I do not. I take this as a positive sign - but I hold him under a little longer, just for good measure. Finally, I release my hold on the man's chest. My own skin has started to itch--I suppose any prolonged exposure to this amount of poison can't be too good. Not fatal, and I reckon we'll heal. My skin's a little red from where it's been soaking. I stand and take a step back, giving Axel space to climb out of the tub.

‹Axel Rosen› Crawling from the tub he looks like he's fallen from the womb of some monster in a movie. His eyes open and they sting, his whole body stings, his eys close and he knows from last glance that his whole body looks as if he had been sitting in the sun. Well, sitting in the sun before he was a vampire. He just sits there, on the ground, waiting for his vampiric regeneration trying to bring everything together, cleanse him of his cleansing. "They're dead.. not sure how long. It's generally a week before a new hive is born." His eyes look to the man, finally being able to see without his eyes feeling like they're afire.

* Jesse Fforde || I realise maybe it was insenstive of me to throw the guy in the tub fully clothes. But I also realise it might have been a bit awkward, had I demanded that he undress before this cleansing. I have to wonder if Axel's got some other way of killing the creepy crawlies under his skin - he seems to know how long he'll be clean for. I remember now, he mentioned a 'friend' who knew how to kill them. All questions I might ask later. For now, I reach into the tub to pull out the plug. The poison begins to drain - yeah, probably not the most environmentally friendly thing to do. But whatever. I then wander out of the room; it's nice, having a female around. There are cupboards for everything, and it's all nice and warm and cosy. I go to the linen closet in the hall and retrieve a heavy, white fluffy towel. I then wander toward the bedroom and pick a few of my clothes that I assume will fit Axel. They're all clean - from the closet, rather than from the floor. I return to the bathroom and place these things in a pile on the toilet seat. I wink at Axel, before leaving the bathroom entirely, closing the door behind me.

‹Axel Rosen› A chuckle leaves his lips, a light of jovial emotion coming over his face though he's not sure if Jesse sees it before he is out the door. Looking down at himself he notices that he pink color of his skin is starting to go away, and it might be safe to put on the clothes now. He eyes over the shirt, pants, etc, and shrugs a little. Putting the clothes on, after drying off. His eyes look down again, pale as snow again. He was worried that pink tint might be there for a while. Opening the door he walks out into his sire's apartment, but stops mid step. He turns his head and grabs Scuttles off the ground, being sure to place him in the most dry hand. Finally he walsk out into the livingroom area and looks at his sire. "You could have asked..." He grins.

* Jesse Fforde || I settle on the couch as I wait for Axel. I'm prepared to wait a while - I figure the guy might actually want to shower, to wash away the poison still clinging to his skin, that's soaking his hair. I don't hear the shower start, however, and after a few minutes Axel re-appears. He still stinks of bug poison. Whatever tickles his fancy, I suppose. I smirk, and shake my head. Whyever would I ask? That would just be too obvious. I lean forward to retrieve the pen and paper from the coffee table. I lean back again, bare feet rested on the edge of the table. I write: "Who's this friend? Who knows how to kill them?" I toss the notebad on the couch beside me for Axel to read - and to settle in, if he's so inclined.
‹Axel Rosen› Settling down the man would shower later when he gets the chance to go to his own apartment in the building. His eyes read over the papers and then smirks, but hides it quickly. "Meka has this strange ability that weeds, bugs, living things get sick and/or die around her." He looks at his sire and waits for the man to pick up the note pad again, sure that he has more to say on the situation, but he really wants to talk about what he wants done with Jessica. Jesse had told him in resent events that the paladin had accosted him. He wants to make sure that this hasn't changed the directive, or agenda.

[Jesse Fforde]

* Jesse Fforde || I perk a brow. It's kind of obvious, given the banter on the Tytonidae Crownet, that Axel and Meka have been seeing quite a bit of each other. I haven't pried, though, and they haven't outright said anything--that I have read, anyway--to indicate any kind of relationship. I'm curious. Perhaps a little dismayed, if that is the case - I honestly think that Axel could do better. It's no secret that I'm not exactly fond of Meka. But nor can I dictate who Axel does and does not sleep with. Unless they're a Paladin, of course. I pick up the pad and write: "Meka, huh? Just friends, or...? I continue to smirk as I hand it back to him.

‹Axel Rosen› Taking a minute he thinks back to the conversation that he and her had in her car, as his bike would have been much less private. Generally he doesn't like talking about these sorts of things, it just feels like 'girl' talk, like two women in their pj's with a bottle of wine talking about relationships; however, he can open up to his sire. Actually might be the only person he'll open up to about this, it's not that he would lie to anyone else, just prefer not to talk about it. "No strings kind of friends. Trust me, she's not my type or someone I would actively pursue." He takes a breath, "And it's like a treatment, killing the bugs every time."

* Jesse Fforde || I nod. I watch Axel a little closer for a few moments. I do have to wonder, again, whether it's that lack of emotion thing--whether it's just Meka he wouldn't form an attachment to, or whether it's everyone. I finally shrug my shoulders--good to know, I suppose, but I'm not going to ask why, or what his type is. I don't bother writing exactly what I think about Meka, either. I won't have Axel thinking I don't approve, even if I don't, really. There's something odd about the guy, and I get the impression that if I were to show the least amount of disapproval, he'd stop what he was doing in order to sate me. Weirdo. Instead, I change the topic. I take the pen and paper and write: "You settling in good, then. Tytonidae - a good fit?"


‹Axel Rosen› Nodding his head he grins a little bit and then looks to the man next to him with a bit of enthusiasm on his face. It's clear and he doesn't attempt to clear it away, not at least for a few moments. It stays there well after his mouth closes when he speaks, "I think so. To me it seems to be a great fit." He ignores the fact that his sire has changed the subject so easily.

* Jesse Fforde || I nod. Good. This is good. At least Axel seems to be showing a little enthusiasm. For his sake, I hope he's welcomed into Tytonidae's ranks with less difficulty than I was. I hope he doesn't have to suffer the shame of being rejected twice, only to finally be allowed in on good faith by the faction's leader. I still feel as if I owe Velveteen a hell of a lot. Once, more, I scribble. "How about everything else? You all good?" I'm not really the touchy feely type. I don't coddle. But I think Axel's growth is evidence that he doesn't require coddling - a question about wellbeing every now and again can't go astray.

‹Axel Rosen› His whole body turns a little bit and then he tilts his head at his sire, he reads it and knows what he wants to talk about. His mind starts to run gears on how to start the conversatin on the whole thing. What would he say, that he wants to know what should be done about the woman that he used to date? The filthy paladin that he can't trust now. How could he? His mouth opens, "I'm alright, but after you were approached by the paladin", he's talking about Jessica, "I went to my apartment and there were two cameras and two motions sensors...." He pauses a moment and then thinks for a second, "I'm curious what to do." He hasn't seen the woman, but it's not that he could prove it.

* Jesse Fforde || Ah, the Paladin. The Ultimate monkey on Axel's back, it would seem. He seems to be asking what to do. My first instinct, my only instinct, is to kill her. That would be the only answer. Tytonidae have killed people for less. I'm sure if we asked them, they would help in this endeavour. But I, too, am curious. I write: "What do you think you should do?"

‹Axel Rosen› His face goes straight, a line and it's almost as if the room starts to shake bit but he keeps it under control. Eyes black, two pools of ink that lay inside of his head. "I think she should be taught a lesson. Even if it's one that ends her..." His words are resolute and full of truth, the fact that the woman approached his sire has him enraged for two reasons. The first is that the woman has no right to come to the man about anything ever, unless it's to turn her head over to him to die. The other reason is that it makes Axel look bad, makes him look guilty, makes him look like he has some connection to her still, and that can't happen.

* Jesse Fforde || That's what I like to hear. And I can see it, too--in that moment, I can't question Axel's resolution. I can't even harbour the notion that he could be lying to me, to tell me what he thinks I want to hear. The way his eyes go black, the way the fury seems to roll from him--yeah, he's serious, alright. There's some of that passion that I've been looking for. After half a minute I roll my shoulders and write, slowly: "Do you need my permission?"

‹Axel Rosen› A question like this is the kind that can trip him up, not because he doesn't know the answer, but because if he hadn't asked the answer would be different. If he hadn't asked him this, the answer would have been 'no', because he is his own man, but the way that it's written he feels like a servant before a king. The fact that the question has been asked he just blinks, eyes still black, still angry, still concealing the power he has welling within him. "I.. do I?" After that first part, before his sire finishes whatever he is about to write, he looks at him and opens his mouth again, "I suppose not. I suppose I could just go to the Tytonidae board and ask, but I don't like to ask for such major things without actually being integrated..."

* Jesse Fforde || He has a point. But wasn't I told, often enough, that even the initiates are treated like family? That even initiates in trouble will gain the aid of Tytonidae, just as the initiates themselves are expected to give aid when required? I do not think that it will be a problem, but it is best to be on the safe side. I don't nod, just in case Axel gets the wrong impression. I bow over the piece of paper: "You are not a servant. You don't need my permission. I can ask Velveteen - or if you want to take the initiative, you can ask. See what she says." I shrug. "Otherwise - Jessica is not going anywhere. We can wait, until you are initiated. And then she will know not to mess with us."

‹Axel Rosen› Pondering over it a moment, drumming his fingers unto his knees. The pattern is thick, heated, like beats from a battle field. He is breathing, lowly, habit of humanity as he is lost in thought. If he were to ask, it could reflect badly on him asking something that seems to be more personal revenge than true need. It's not like she's come near him, not in a while. His eyes look at the man. If he asks his sire to ask it would make him look weak to his sire, at least that's what he thinks. Why not ask. "Would you look at me any differently if I asked you to ask Velveteen?" If the answer is yes, he'll do it himself, though he would probably do it in private, not to encroach on the current humorous conversation going on in his thread.

* Jesse Fforde || I smile, slow and steady. The question is double barrelled. I have to assume that he's only asking what I would think because it's what he would like me to do. It doesn't matter if I would or would not think differently of him - because I have already reached a conclusion. If I were to judge him, I'd be doing it, right now. But I'm not. It's only reasonable, that such a request might come from a full member rather than an initiate. I already know the argument that I will make. Doesn't matter if she hasn't done anything to harm Axel. She's a Paladin. Just by title alone, she deserves to die. I can at least ask Velveteen if she believes that's the case, too. I write: "I can ask Velveteen. You should not care what I think of you."

‹Axel Rosen› Grateful that the man can ask Velveteen the question because he's worried how it would look if he asked. His eyes close and then open again, blue, again. The anger hasn't passed, just gone under the surface, where it lingers, the beast within. He leans back and then looks at him. Just nodding his head up and down, "I suppose you're right", he doesn't fully believe it, because to him what his sire thinks is all important. "Would you?" He waits patiently.

* Jesse Fforde || I've already said that I can ask Velveteen. I suppose Axel's has interpreted my answer as that I can ask, not that I will. I nod. Yes, I will ask Velveteen. Every time that I meet the woman she asks if there's anything that I need - if I have any questions. I know that she's open to them. I feel that there's no harm in it. I'm not worried about what she might think.

‹Axel Rosen› "Thank you." He looks at the man next to him again and feels a little bit better, "Just feel that it would reflect badly on me if I asked for such a major personal favor." He lets a breath out then leans back against the couch. That is before both his hand move to one side and he pops his back and stands a little bit. His hands go into the pockets. "I should go to my apartment and check in with Renee..." He looks to the man that created him, knowing that he should introduce the two of them as soon as possible, "Is there anything you need from me?"

* Jesse Fforde || I could explain that it's not a personal favour. It is, in a way. But in another way it's not. She's a Paladin. A blight upon their existence. It's a favour to all vampire kind, to squash her from existence. I smirk, and stay where I am. I shake my head. No, there's nothing that I need from Axel. I do want to meet this new spawn of his, at some point. But without the invitation... well, he's free to leave.

‹Axel Rosen› Bowing his head down, it's distinctively different than a nod. It's the way that his head stays down when it looks at the ground. It's not a notion of defeat of loss, but one of respect. Then he takes a step backward and then turns on his heels. "I will be around, and I'm a cal... text away if you ever need me." Every now and then he has a slip up like that. He moves to the door and steps out.