The Ballad of Misplaced Serenity

[Reginald Black]

--The following transcript was a live chat roleplay--

<Reginald Black> Reginald pulled out his phone and dialed the number he was given via email and lifted it to his ear. "I hope she answers.." He says thinking for a long moment. Is Phoenix a girl he thought? How was he going to go about talking to her. He let out a sigh as he let the phone ring.

<Phoenix> Honey brown eyes flicked to her phone as it rang, an unknown number flashing on the screen. The email from earlier had been forgotten as she accepted the call and brought it to her ear. "If you're trying to sell me something, the answer is no - don't even bother." Clearly, she was in a less than pleasant mood.

<Reginald Black> He stayed silent for a moment, shocked that she had actually answered. He could count the words that he has spoken to other people other than his sire. He had always wanted to meet new people and stuff.. He shook his head quickly trying to get his mind back on track. Damn his anti-social nature. "Hello Phoenix, my name is Reginald. I sent you an email earlier about meeting up, I really would like to talk about something a little sensitive." He said nervously.

<Phoenix> Okay, so the voice on the other end of the line wasn't a telemarketer. More the better. Smile, Phoenix, she reminded herself. People can hear it when you smile. So she smiled, hoping the expression would leak into her tone. "Oh yeah, hi. Sorry about that - I don't usually get unknown number calls. Whatcha wanna talk about? Or... if it's sensitive, where d'you want to talk about it?" Of course she picked up on the nerves, but she could hardly blame him; Phoenix generally had that effect on people.

<Reginald Black> He closed his eyes and took a deep breath before slowly exhaling it. "Sorry, but I would prefer to do it in person. Hey do you like to spar and stuff? It would help me alot if we could maybe do a few rounds at the gauntlet. I am still injured and what not but still, I am sure it could be fun. Unless you aren't into that and that's fine, I really do need a better gun though.. Hm.. Oops thinking out loud sorry. I am not much of a social being." He said and the nervousness fades when he started to talk about fighting.

<Phoenix> Her eyes flicked around the room, lips pressed into a thin line as she shook her head. It took her a second to remember that they were on the phone. It wasn't that she didn't spar, it was that she didn't know him. That meant she didn't trust him. "I'll meet you at the Casino if you'd like to chat. I don't spar outside tournaments with strangers, but I'll give you pointers, if you like." The last time she'd been to the Gauntlet, her name had sat prettily at the top of the list, proclaiming her champion. Rocky didn't get in the ring with just anyone.

<Reginald Black> Reginald sighed a bit. Oh well, she didn't like to spar still he needed to talk with her he thought to himself before saying. "Alright, that's the Golden Lion Casino or somthing like that right? Sorry, I still don't know the city very well." It just clued into him that she said she would give him pointers.. Maybe she liked to watch people fight or just knew a lot about it. He reached up with his free hand and then rubbed the back of his neck feeling slightly embarrassed. No she probably was just one of those people that didn't believe in one on ones and sparring. Just plain old real combat, a fighter. Who knows, maybe he will ask her later on.

<Phoenix> Her nostrils flared as she collected her keys and stuffed a few items in her bag as she listened. She'd been dressed for a night out, and so she'd chosen the casino over a club just because it was easier to chat in a bar than a dance club. There were a fair few casinos in town; she'd have to remember that the next time she set a meeting. "No, CW Casino in Wickbridge - it's a bit northwest of the transit and impossible to miss. I'll be there in 20 minutes at the bar." It occurred to her that she didn't know what he looked like, which meant he may not know her, either. "Skinny ginger in the little black dress. Green heels, green bag." Click.

18 minutes later, she closed her eyes and teleported to just outside the casino. It didn't take her long to find a seat at the bar and there she waited.

<Reginald Black> Reginald hung up the phone after she gave him directions the the proper casino. He had to get dressed into some more decent clothes. He looked down at himself and frowned at his bloody and cut up jeans and t-shirt. He quickly discarded them leaving them on the floor of his room before he went to his closet and rummaged through his things. A casino? Well this will be the first time he went to one so he just grabbed a pair of black suit pants and put on a crimson red dress shirt. He kept going through his clothing and grumbled. Where was his suit jacket? He really needed to get organized.

He found it a few minutes later under a pile of clean clothes and sighed with relief as it was still clean and looked relatively good. Only a few pieces of lint from the other clothing he carefully picked off.

He ran downstairs out of his room and put on a pair of black dress shoes. When he made it out of the front door of the farm he blurred pulling a comb out of his inside pocket that had been there from before and quickly smoothed out his brown hair which he left messy at the front. He kept doing this as he sped to the casino almost instantly. Checking himself he made sure everything looked good and then frowned as he tucked his shirt into his pants. Skinny ginger in the little black dress? He made his way into the Casino and a couple of the bigger guys looked at him.

Reginald was tall, broad shouldered and has gotten quite a bit muscular one of the benefits of being a killer. He ignored them and looked around spotting a few black dresses but only one with the right hair color and green accessories. He made his way up to her and then bit his lip gently, a little nervous habit he hoped to one day grow out of. He took a moment to let out another sigh trying to calm himself before speaking up in a light voice. "Hello miss, might you be Phoenix?" He asked the woman taking a really quick second to check himself over and smiled happily when all of his clothing was done up correctly.

<Phoenix> At 5'7" and under a hundred pounds, skinny had been the politically correct means of describing her stature. Emaciated would have been far more accurate. She didn't have to wait long to be approached by a man dressed in a suit and red shirt. She approved; he'd opted to wear something fitting the atmosphere she'd chosen, and for that she gave him props. Vaguely, she wondered if he'd tried to match the shirt to her hair in a bid to please her. Doubtful, but it made her smile a bit more genuine. Her hand waved to the empty seat across from her, "I might be, yes. Reginald, I suppose?" she asked, though it was more than a given. "Nice to meet you. What was it you wanted to discuss?"

<Reginald Black> He sat down at the seat she motioned to and kept his smile on. He took a second to let his eyes scan the area around them and decided it was safe enough to talk. He wasn't sure if he wanted to ruin that smile yet though so he got comfortable and then looked into her eyes which was very hard for him to do. "Yes, I am Reginald. Would you like a drink or anything before we start?" He asked her and wondered if it was still the polite thing to do. He knew that others of his kind drank some out of pleasure and others just to keep up appearances or so his sire had told him.

<Phoenix> She tipped her head curiously, watching him and his attempt at polite conversation. He must have been very new to the city if he didn't know her quite yet. A single fingernail tapped against the tabletop as she met his eyes unflinchingly with those bold honey browns. "You really have no clue who I am. It's... refreshing. No, I don't want a drink."

<Reginald Black> Well she didn't want a drink.. Well he couldn't think of anything else to delay the inevitable. He took one more quick look around while he thought of a subtle way to put things just in case some human was listening but he didn't see anyone close enough to eavesdrop and he didn't find a way to make things sound as subtle as he wanted to say them so he just spoke in a low voice. "Well first off you seem like a very lovely woman and I wish that I wasn't here for what I am here for. You seem like you would make a great friend. I read the forums but seldom post on them due to the fact that it's just a bunch of silly drama over half the time. That and the one time I posted it just got obliterated and I was shot down. I am not a social person at all even though I really want to be and I have a hard time saying things the way I want to say them. So if I say anything that is offending or upsetting I apologize in advance it really isn't my intention at all. I would much rather be your friend. Anyways to get right down to it I am here under my own accord I never talked to my Sire at all about this. I read over the forums and read the latest drama to do with our deaths and everyone yapping back and forth and what not. Well.. When I seen you said that Kira my sire is going to be sent back to the shadow realm I was quite upset. We haven't got to spend a lot of time together and the realm just doesn't do her mind well.

“I agree that nobody should of talked smack or anything after the duels and everyone that was dead was dead. However the Tytonidae have been harassing us something fierce so I can see why my sire and her friends would act like this even though I deem it a little dishonorable. After all there was no honor when they came in and vandalized my home and were obscene. Having to clean up that mess really sucked when I had nothing to do with any of it. I know it's not your problem and you probably don't care at all but I am just trying to figure out why they would act so foolishly and taunt them. I dueled, I won two consecutively though I am pretty sure it was dumb luck.

“Even though I was almost dead I still fought it out and it was nice to be given a chance to duel. Regardless of who said what and who did what I am sorry. I am sorry that my sire and her friends offended you and I really hope that I can do something to change your mind about having them killed again. Even if it means I have to duel the entire world over and over again and die constantly.. I just want some time to spend with Kira. Life really sucks without her. I don't know anyone else, and am not good with people so when she is gone it's depressing. Even when I die together with her I can't stand to see what the place does to her. What it does to me." He looked down at his feet then and realized that it wasn't fair to say over half the things he said. She didn't need to hear about any of it. It was a selfish thing for him to ask in the first place.

"I am sorry, that was very selfish of me. I wish I could take it all back, after all I never even got a chance to give being friends with you. I hate being new and weak, but this is the best I can do to protect my Sire. I had to at least try, I hope you understand." He said

[Phoenix]

--The following transcript was a live chat roleplay--

<Phoenix> In a word, Phoenix was surprised. Not that her expression would lend anyone to believe as much. No, the redhead’s features remained impassive, albeit curious. The birdlike tilt of her head was accentuated as she listened to him speak. So careful and cautious… did she seem the type to be so easily offended? Is that what she wanted? For strangers to fear she’d snap at any moment. No… not really. Not only that, but the level of devotion this man had for his sire twisted something deep in her gut. It was a pain she’d never shared with anyone, let alone this stranger. She’d never know what it felt like to have someone care that deeply for her, and that ache was like phantom pain from a missing limb - in her case, a limb that had failed to grow from its embryonic bud.

After a long moment of silence, she nodded once. Those honey brown eyes didn’t move from his face, but she did sit up a bit taller in her seat. “I understand what you’re asking. I respect what you’re asking. That you care so deeply for her is… touching. She’s lucky to have you.” The smile that had graced her lips was gone, replaced by something altogether more morose. “Fine. If she dies again, though, all bets are off. As for complaining about Tytonidae, you're barking up the wrong tree. Don't **** with them, they won't **** with you.”

<Reginald Black> He looked up and noticed her smile was gone. It truly was a shame that he took it away it was a really nice smile. He sat there though in dumb shock when she said that Kira would be let off the hook. He furrowed his brows and let out a sigh. How was he going to get Kira to calm down now? What if she still got herself killed because she wouldn't leave her friends to die? He sighed a deep sigh before looking back up at the ceiling. "I am sorry that your smile disappeared it really was a nice smile you know. I wasn't complaining about them, they did what they did and the conflict was resolved by us all dying. It is what it is, I just want to move on. Anyways can we just put that all behind us now? If you would like we could spend some time getting to know one another now."

<Phoenix> This man intrigued her, though perhaps because she saw bits and pieces of herself in him. Though she listened to what he said, she gave no sign that she had. Not to anything but that last bit. "Sure we can... I'm Phoenix Altaire, aka Lady Thornside, Fadeslayer, Duel Master, Fadeslayer, *****, Raid Queen... take your pick." She smiled again. It wasn't the arrogant smile of someone who took pride in all these silly little titles; it was a sad smile that said she'd experienced enough for one lifetime and needed a damn long vacation.

<Reginald Black> He couldn't help but to smile a truly genuine smile. He was very happy that he might have a chance to make a new friend. His smile stayed throughout all of her fancy titles and shrugged a bit. "Congratulations on all of the tittles and what not, you must be pretty tough. I think I will stick with Phoenix though. My name is Reginald Black, my sire and that calls me Reggie though. So other than kicking butt what else do you like to do?I must admit that all I do is train, train, train whenever I am not hanging out with Kira but there are other things that interest me like swimming, and actually going out to do things in winter. I haven't yet I lead a pretty indoor and secluded life. Rituals and that look pretty cool too, I am a big fan of magical things and the supernatural. I guess supernatural is a bad word to use now that it's a pretty normal occurrence nowadays." His voice turned more joyful and upbeat. He was really excited that he might make a new friend. "Do you like to gamble? Is that why you chose this place, if you do we could do some gambling while we talk. I don't have much money, but that's because killing things really doesn't make much money. At least I am horrible at making it."

<Phoenix> "Oh god, you don't need to congratulate me on that pretentiousness. I'm just good at the whole murder thing... a little too good sometimes." Her nose scrunched up in distaste at the thought of all the blood staining her hands. So much blood. "I generally train, too. Stealing, rituals, crafting.. I make a mean gun." She smiled faintly; he liked rituals and so that was a pro, she supposed. Something they could connect on."I don't gamble, no. I've worked too hard to make my money to piss it away on chance. I picked here because I was dressed for a club and then decided that club wasn't a great place for a meeting; it's just quieter here. Though... killing things makes ample money if you know what to kill and how to sell it. Then again... I kill nasty things that most other people never want to touch." She frowned a bit. "I know I don't look like much, but I'm stronger than I look."

<Reginald Black> "The only reason I am training is because it seems vampires like to kill other vampires. My Sire tends to get herself in a lot of trouble but I know she doesn't mean to, sucky things happen sometimes. I already had to kill a paladin named windy. A Tytonide member named nemesis and another one named Reanna. Names I will never forget because it felt so wrong to send someone's spirit to such an awful place. I just had to defend my Sire. Well.. try to anyways. Ah so you like the club huh? Kira has been teaching me how to dance, it's nice. I have never gambled before and don't really have any desire to so I respect that you don't gamble. Well maybe you can teach me what to sell and if you make a mean gun.. Well I do need one rather desperately." He said and then looked her over. She was right she didn't look strong but he was sure that she was. He trusted her. "I know, I believe you."

<Phoenix> While she liked Tytonidae, she couldn't say she was sad to hear Nemesis and Reanna had died. Saying she was sad would have been a bald-faced lie. She'd cheered when Nemesis and Jesse had kicked the bucket. Reanna wasn't so bad, but everything had to come in threes. "Your first kills?" she asked, cocking her head to the side once again. "I enjoyed my first, but it was a long time ago and I hardly remember it. My body count is... longer than I'd like to admit. You get used to blood and death." Her lips pressed into a thin, thoughtful line, "I'll see what I can do about getting you a gun. I think Miseria needs a new home; she's not fantastic, but might be better than what you have." As for clubs... "I was going to hunt; clubs are only decent when there's company."

<Reginald Black> Reginald gave his head a slight nod. Windy had been his first kill but it seemed too easy to really count as a fight. He had sent him to the hospital regrettably the sick man lived. He should admit to her that he did love the fighting though, just not that they had to die for such a stupid reason. He didn't understand why vampires had to fight amongst themselves when there were other threats out there and things to worry about. "Well, I killed Windy when I was much younger I think I was a month old then? The other two were my first vampire kills though, and it was more of a challenge. I loved the fight it was.. Exciting especially when the fight got down to both of us almost dead. I fought Jesse with basically no blood left in my body. I got two good shots in before I finally dropped though so I am happy. Well if you want we can still go hunting, I really need to learn to do it more efficiently. I generally have been killing Paladins and hunters in the sewers but I find I spend too much time and energy trying to find them. Not like killing things in the catacombs where there is a fight around every corner but the things in there are just too weak to present me with a challenge. I don't like slaughtering things..Takes the fun out of it you know. Oh if you want company... I am always down to go clubbing even though I have only went like three times." He said and looked into her eyes his smile somehow growing. He was really happy, Phoenix was a really good person.

<Phoenix> "You're totally right about the hunter/catacombs trade off, but I think I still prefer the sewers over the catacombs. Even then, the best place to train, by far, is in raids." She arched a brow at him. "You've heard of raids, yeah?" Her eyes flicked to phone after she hit the button to check the time and she groaned. "I can't tonight; I actually have another engagement for tonight, but I'd be down another night. I'm good for another few minutes, but I do need to leave. You're good company," She admitted with a smile; this whole being nice to people thing was new... and she enjoyed it.

<Reginald Black> He gave his head a little nod, he had heard about raids but he could never find them before they were done. He managed to sneak into one and got a few kills in before the place was completely looted and cleared. "Yeah but I never find them in time, I always end up not being able to participate or train in them." His smile faded a little bit and was disappointed that she had to go. "Awe that sucks, you are really good company but I guess I should talk to Kira.. I just hope that she won't still get herself killed. I am afraid that if you still intend to get her friends she will still.. Then I will have to.." He sighs and then shakes his head. "Eh, don't worry about it. Just one thing at a time we will see what happens and what happens happens. Well another night then, I am around quite often

<Reginald Black> so just give me a ring whenever you have free time. I will always be down to hang out with you."He said his smile coming back. He did make an awesome friend. It's rare to find someone so understanding and nice.

<Phoenix> "You should see if Kira can afford an Earring;" she was careful to emphasize that the E was capitalized. "It'd whisper to you and you'd know of raids - or at least know of whatever raids Kira found out about." With another smile and a quick glance around the room, she winked. "I'll see you around." Without further explanation, the redhead simply melded into the shadows. So strange it was to be anonymous and invisible in a room full of people.

<Reginald Black> Reginald gave his head a little nod an Earring huh? He would have to ask his Sire and he noticed her start to leave and he gave her a little wave. "See you around Phoenix, I think I will miss you. This was really fun." He said and then sat there alone tapping his fingers on the table wondering what he could tell Kira when she left the shadow realm.