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Post by Annalise Thergo on Oct 10, 2019 17:11:34 GMT
"I appreciate that." Annalise said as she spread butter over the remaining pancakes that did not get enough initially. "Losing her was the hardest experience of my life." She confessed and shoved some of the pancakes aside in favor of having room for a large serving of maple syrup. Annalise was grateful for Kazadus' humor at a time like this. In fact, she admired it. Finding the time to jest and have fun in his situation was a good trait. It meant he had a strong will, at least in her mind. From what the sorcerer told her, he would need all the strength he had for the coming trials.
"HAH. Oh, I can see it now..." Annalise forgot that he lost his memories, so he wouldn't get the explanation she was about to give. "You reaching out the way God reaches out to Adam, but instead of pointing a finger at him, you're pointing your gun at him, and they are pointing a gun at you. That would be a good parody."
Now she couldn't get the image out of her head, and it elicited a few snorts of amusement. It was difficult to eat when you could break out into laughter at any given moment.
The humor died off when Kazadus informed her of how he came into this profession. So, the government thought it could imprison someone until their species was confirmed only to keep them on a leash like a dog? Annalise could understand caution, especially if someone crash-landed on earth, but this was taking things too far. What would have happened if he wasn't human?
They would have experimented on him until they got what they needed.
Annalise frowned at the thought. It was a sub-group of the government that allowed the experiments, at least, that was what Eliza had told her. Was the same group responsible for concluding that Kazadus was human? Kazadus probably would not know. The government made a habit of keeping things tightly under wraps no matter the cost.
"How long are you expected to do this?"
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Post by Cazador on Oct 10, 2019 20:39:08 GMT
"Wait… I remember what that is! It's uh that painting right? On the ceiling. He's…"
He immediately thought of himself naked and pointing a gun at god. No wonder she was laughing so hard. The image in his head looked so ridiculous. He had a full smile on his face. Kazadus raised his hand up to his head to cover his face. He shook it slightly as kept laughing. Although in his train of thought, Kaz thought that Eve should of been the one pointing the gun at God. She'd have to be pissed off if God gave her husband something… of that size as depicted in the painting. Kazadus did his best to calm his laughter born of the immaturity in his head. He eventually did calm down as they went into their discussion on bounty hunting.
"I got no idea how long I'm expected to do this. On the bright side I am sort of free to do whatever I want and the pay isn't too bad. I do have to check in with them though and give a report on my work occasionally. Can't have their dog going too far off right?"
When he talked about out loud he realized it sounded like he was on probation. Except with probation there was a time limit to how long. In his case, he didn't know.
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Post by Annalise Thergo on Oct 10, 2019 21:35:46 GMT
"That's the one!" Annalise exclaimed. The snorting gave way to silent fits of laughter. She didn't want to be loud in a restaurant, well, not too loud. Some families filled the room with so much sound, it was a miracle if anyone overheard someone next to them.
Annalise calmed as he did, and listened to his explanation. The more she heard, the less she liked it. How could anyone tolerate such a life? He was more or less reduced to a pet for the government. Any concept of freedom in this lifestyle was an illusion or a means to placate him. It disgusted her that someone with power could do this to another human, well, half of a whole, but still human. The anger rolled through her with such intensity, she had to put her fork down lest she crush the utensil.
"And if you did not check in? What if you wanted to stop?"
Annalise imagined the government had implanted him with a tracking device, and she silently hoped they didn't.
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Post by Cazador on Oct 10, 2019 22:33:24 GMT
"Well they said they'd hunt me down and throw me back in a cell if I didn't report in. Only reason they let me go at all is that they ran a ton of tests to confirm I was human. Though it sounded like they were under orders from someone higher up. The commander who was talking to me sounded more eager just to have out of his hair."
Kazadus took a moment to keep eating before he continued his explanation.
"I am kind of hoping if I keep doing work for them then they'll release more classified files on my past. The file they gave me had a lot of blacked out sections and didn't really tell me too much."
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Post by Annalise Thergo on Oct 10, 2019 22:53:42 GMT
Annalise was grateful she still wore her leather coat, because the more Kazadus divulged, the more irritated she felt, and the muscles along her arms grew taut. While she was normally capable of maintaining an outward appearance of calm, this particular subject touched one of the few nerves that were still sensitive. Kazadus was nothing but a slave to the government on a very long chain, and were it not for Eliza, that could have been her.
To see it in practice made her blood boil.
Annalise also took time to eat her food. The omelette was long gone, the pancakes were demolished, the hash browns were wiped clean from the plate, and the waffle was just about ready to join the rest.
While she felt she could trust Kazadus with some things, just as he trusted her, she did not trust the world around them. For now, she had to act like she speculated. "I doubt it. The government will probably keep you around until you're no longer of use to them. That's what people in power generally do, do they not?" Annalise stacked the now empty plates by the table for the waitress to pick up.
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Post by Cazador on Oct 11, 2019 2:05:47 GMT
The pancakes were gone all he had left was his french toast and bacon. He planned to eat the bacon last, but it just looked too appetizing. He decided to go back and forth between the two.
"You might be right, but not really sure what I can do. I'm not really interested in going back in a cell and I probably just end up going off the grid. Then again it might be fun to go live in some quiet spot in the world. I could just forget about my past. Start over you know?"
What was really the point in finding out who he was. He knew for sure his family was dead according to the file and the flashes of memories that did come to him were mostly violent images of death and destruction.
"If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go?"
As the waitress came by to pick up the plates, she left the check. Kazadus grabbed it before Annalise could.
"I'm not sure if they still have chivalry on Earth since I've been gone, but my treat."
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Post by Annalise Thergo on Oct 11, 2019 2:47:32 GMT
Annalise's eyebrows rose. "That's not entirely a bad idea. It's not everyday someone gets a fresh start in life, and you have that opportunity. It would just be...tougher, since the government is involved." Lousy-good-for-nothing-controlling-spineless-worthless-sack-of-shit government. "But, I get the feeling you won't let that gap in your life go." Not to mention the fact that memories had their way of seeping back in. Annalise had an idea, one that held honesty and the potential to put the reigns on his desire to visit that address for the time being. "If I may make a suggestion." She placed her utensils atop her soiled napkin. "If you don't go off the grid, take your time in recalling your past self. Don't rush it. My mother, she was a nurse."God, just talking about her made her stop to avoid that lump in her throat.
"She saw what happened to those who did not practice self-care in rediscovery." Like herself in rushing the healing process. "And it made the transition much harder on them. You may have lost everything for a reason. Let everything trickle back bit by bit. Think of it as..." Annalise tried to find the right comparison, and it came to her. "Think of your memories as a big bottle of expensive rum. If you drink it all too fast, you'll get horribly sick." She held up a finger, "However, if you take your time, you won't get sick, and you may or may like what you're sipping. It's always a risk, but at least you won't get a nasty hangover that leaves a bitter taste in your mouth for that particular brand of rum."
She may or may not like rum.
The abrupt question caught her off guard long enough for her to not notice the check right away! Annalise moved to snatch it, but Kazadus was faster. Her eyes narrowed at the now vacant space where the check resided. Damn it all! If she had not let her mind wander, she could have beaten him to it.
"Chivalry isn't dead, but women have stepped up to pay the tab more often." Annalise wouldn't argue since he was insistent. "But I leave the tip." She was quick to place it on the table before him. It would more than cover 20%.
Back to his question.
"I would go to..." She clicked her tongue. "Deep in the mountains somewhere, far beyond cell service, far away from cities, where it's so dark, you can see satellites move across the night sky. It doesn't matter which mountains so long as there are trees, a river or a lake nearby, and very few people." Annalise visibly calmed at the thought. "Thinking of heading out within the week to do just that. I'm missing the silence. What about you? Is the city life for you?"
Annalise watched the waitress take the rest of their plates away, and she smiled at him, "Thank you, by the way. That was a damned good breakfast."
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Post by Cazador on Oct 11, 2019 6:46:11 GMT
Annalise was right. If he just ran away from finding the truth then it would haunt him for the rest of his life. He'd feel incomplete knowing such a big part of his life was missing. It wasn't just his memories either. Kazadus could feel like something in his soul was missing. It was like he was only half a man. He chalked it up to his incomplete memory and probably the fact that his family was gone. Her analogy of the bottle of rum made a lot of sense. Of course his preference was more towards bourbon, but rum was also good too. He got the gist of the idea though.
"You're probably right. I get some trickles here and there already, but it's not much to go on. Though the rum actually does sound good."
Speaking of alcohol, a drink sounded really good, but at that early in the day, she'd probably think he was an alcoholic. Kaz nodded and smiled at the agreement of her leaving the tip.
"Alright it's a deal."
Her description of a peaceful secluded spot in the mountains sounded perfect. An image crawled into his head that ruined her peaceful. Something from the past. He was in a forested area. Dirt was flying around him from mortar fire. He could see someone next him yelling to get over the ridge. The ground was soaked in blood and trees were shredded from machine gun fire. His gloved hands were drenched red. Somehow Annalise's voice led him back to reality and away from the battlefield of long ago.
"God I hate the city. Everything is just so damn loud. You got the right idea. The farther you get away from it, the more at peace you'll feel. It is kinda funny though. People hate being alone and yet we find our peace in spots farthest from people."
He paused for a moment to think.
"Hard to choose. I have this very vague memory of living in the snow. I sort of remember feeling at home there. Maybe Alaska."
It was hard to pinpoint the memory, but it had to of been some kind of military base out deep in the wilderness and surrounded by snow. There was endless whites of snow, the sun was so bright from the light hitting the snow that you needed sunglasses, the air stung, and despite it's harshness, it was home.
"Glad you enjoyed it. It definitely made me feel a hell of a lot better. Good food. Better company."
He smiled back at her.
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Post by Annalise Thergo on Oct 11, 2019 20:09:57 GMT
"It does, doesn't it? I could go for a Mai-Tai right now or just straight rum." Annalise wasn't concerned if he thought of her as an alcoholic. At least, for now, he did not know of her unnatural abilities. Though, she expected he would learn of them sooner or later if they continued to talk about each other's life experiences or if she accidentally nicked herself. Time would tell. Annalise blinked when she noticed his eyes glaze over, and she opened her mouth to ask if he was alright. She stopped mid-forming a word. Something must be coming back to him. Their discussion on where they would like to be had triggered a memory, but of what kind, she did not know. He did not look angry, happy, or sad--he was just recalling. That sorcerer did not return, so it must be something unrelated to that supposed address.
Her comment about the city brought him back, and he continued the conversation as though nothing happened. Annalise chose to not bring up her observation. "There is a difference between loneliness and being alone. One can be alone without feeling lonely and yet one can feel lonely while not being alone." Human behavior sure could be strange when explained so simply.
At the mention of Alaska, Annalise brightened, "You'd love it there. It's not an easy place to live in but it's stunning." She had gone there some time ago in her prior van, taking some time to explore another state. The Northern Lights were breathtaking. Kazadus may find peace up there if he decided to go. Maybe not for long, but one should bask in serenity while they could.
His comment on the "good food, better company" elicited a full and happy smile. "It has been a long time since I've had enjoyable company. I forget to slow down and talk to people sometimes, and I'm glad I did with you." Annalise watched the waitress take the check and she slid the generous tip her way. After offering her sincere gratitude and continued shock at how much they ate, she left to tend to other customers.
"So..." Annalise tapped her fingers against the table, "Up for some drinks? We may catch someone's version of 'Happy Hour' somewhere." She would be quick to snatch the check this time.
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Post by Cazador on Oct 11, 2019 22:47:27 GMT
The snow was never an easy place to live. Cold weather had made it difficult to survive and heat was hard to come by, but Kaz survived in it somehow. He didn't know how, but he knew he could live in it and survive. Of course now that his body was tougher now, it would be much easier than before. He would have to find the time to go, but all he had these days was time. Right now he was having a good time and now that breakfast was over he wondered if they would part ways. Upon hearing she was up for drinks, a smile appeared on his face.
"Hell yeah. I'm up for some drinks."
Kaz wasn't exactly too sure on where to go though. He knew about Razors Edge, but thought it was too far of a walk or drive. At any rate he wasn't sure of he was welcome there or not after the commotion he caused while hunting down one of his bounties.
"We could walk around until we find something. Unless you already know a spot."
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Post by Annalise Thergo on Oct 12, 2019 4:03:16 GMT
"Excellent." Annalise beamed. Since he accepted the offer, and made the suggestion of walking around, she took it as their cue to depart the diner. Annalise gave the waitress a two-fingered but friendly wave of goodbye, and soon as Kazadus left his seat, she was the first to exit. The sunlight beat down on them, and with a flick of her forefinger, her sunglasses slid down to the bridge of her nose. Much better. "Well, I haven't been here long. I only know of that one place, oh; what's it called?"
She snapped her fingers, "Something about an 'edge' but it's more of a nightclub and I'm not a fan of those." Too loud and too many people--it was the perfect recipe for a disaster. Give her a bar with pool tables that smelled of old tobacco or some nice bar at a hotel. At least those were usually quieter. The only difference was the pricing and the alcohol quality. "Let's try heading deeper into the city." Annalise gestured to their left. "I didn't see much on my walk in so that may be our best bet."
Sirens shrieked just down the street and a row of cop cars zoomed past them, heading in the same direction she had just pointed. Law enforcement must have been very busy with the portals bringing in all manner of trouble. Wonder what they brought in this time.
"Hopefully we don't run into any issues wherever we end up."
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Post by Cazador on Oct 13, 2019 0:27:02 GMT
Upon hearing the word ‘edge’, Kazadus immediatly knew which club she was talking about. He chuckled slightly upon hearing it since he was probably not going to be welcomed there for awhile. Either that they would hit with a bill for all the property damage. Not that it was his fault. Those other guys were the ones who pulled out their guns on him, but if Kazadus had been a little more subtle then it could of been avoided.
“Yeaahhhhh…. I don’t think I’d be allowed in there anyway. I sort of… added some new entrances to their establishment. Kind of an improvement really, but they didn't see it that way."
Not that he really liked the place to begin with. Even if it was more quiet in the morning, the atmosphere was just something that didn't click with him. Neon lights and crap music set to a low level in the morning was still crapfest no matter what time of day it was.
"Hopefully we find a dive bar. You really can't beat a dive bar."
As he kept walking with Annalise, he saw several police vehicles riding by in a hurry. Where there was smoke there had to be fire. Hopefully they wouldn't run into any trouble, but if they did, he was prepared. He formed his fingers into the symbol for a gun.
"Don't worry, I brought protection."
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Post by Annalise Thergo on Oct 22, 2019 16:04:40 GMT
"New entrances? Annalise cocked a brow at Kaz and she flashed an understanding and humored smile. "How many explosives did it take for the renovation?" She imagined "new entrances" would have been bad for business, especially for those who would not feel safe there, but there was always a set of thrill seekers that wanted the details. People were good at forgetting things with enough time, so a setback in business would not last long. A dive bar sounded marvelous, and Annalise nodded in agreement to his statement. "Less annoying sounding music, too, usually." Unless they played "stadium" country music. She wasn't a fan of that genre, but it was a step higher than mindless techno. Sometimes. "I'm grateful that you did. This city isn't as safe as it once was." Annalise stated in response to his assurances that he had a weapon, and her smile took on a more relaxed expression. She had brought throwing knives instead of her gun, which was probably was not the best choice. Not everything that came through those portals was susceptible to a blade.
She looked both ways at the crosswalk after the pedestrians were given the "green light" to cross, and she stepped onward.
There were plenty of restaurants with full bars on either side of the street, but no sign of a dive bar just yet. She would whip out her phone to check, but this was an opportunity to familiarize herself with the area without technology. The sirens grew louder the farther they went down the main road, so she gestured for them to turn left and move away from the commotion. "Hopefully they have the situation down there under control." Gunshots cracked in the distance and Annalise whipped her head around to look back. "That...doesn't sound good."
Should they check it out or continue to find a bar?
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Post by Cazador on Oct 22, 2019 20:14:37 GMT
"Well they weren't really explosions. I kind of chucked a few not so friendly people through some walls, broke a table or two and ruined their front door."
Razor's Edge was over glorified in Kaz's humble opinion. Even in the morning, the place was a hell hole. Not too surprising though considering he saw what he thought was a child there. Though in hindsight he was pretty confident in thinking that the child that have him info on his target was no child at all. Maybe the kid had been a vampire. God he hated vampires. Not that it really mattered anymore for the time being. As they continued walking in search of a drink, the sound of sirens and gunshots grew.
"Sure doesn't… you think that…"
Before he could finish talking his phone went off.
"Damn it… hang on."
It was a private number. He answered and put it on speaker.
"Hello?"
"Kazadus you haven't reported back on what happened at the Sprint Stadium."
"Ok. Some Vampire attacked it and I got my ass kicked before some asshole blew it up."
"That's… ugh nevermind. I'll deal with the fallout later. The GPS on your phone says you're in the city right?"
"It's not nice to spy on people like that Commander."
"There's an attack close to where you're at. Law enforcement is fighting with several mutants that tried to rob a liquor store. Owner is dead and they've already killed two officers."
"We can hear the gunshots right now actually."
"We? Who's there… no time. Just go and help them. Payment is your usual rate. Dead or alive it doesn't matter."
Kaz hung up and put the phone back in his pocket. He looked over at Annalise.
"Interested in bounty hunting?"
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Post by Annalise Thergo on Oct 22, 2019 22:52:27 GMT
That was certainly one of many ways to create an entrance, and it raised a question in Annalise's mind. What else was Kazadus, save for being half of a terrible whole? The more she heard, the more she found similarities in capabilities, but they stemmed from different origins. Inquiries or witnessing would provide more answers, and perhaps, more questions. Annalise heard Kaz's phone sound off, and he placed it on speaker. Annalise subtly bristled when the voice on the other end questioned him and spoke of his location via GPS. Her shoulders rose just enough for a trained eye to notice, her gaze was glued to the phone, and her breathing was silent. She was trying very hard to have her presence go unnoticed by the caller, and succeeding. We. He said, "We." The muscles in her neck tensed, and she tore her sights away from the cellular device, offering no hints to the other end that she existed. Damn it, not good. That voice belonged to someone with the government. The doctor worked for some group involved with the government, but the "incident" in the lab was swept under the rug for sake of appearance to higher-ups. That did not mean they wouldn't take her back without a second thought if they knew she existed and of what she could do. Eliza had done a superb job of finding connections to hide her years ago.
"Uh..." Too much hesitation would spark an investigation in her newly found friend, but given her disposition while he was on the phone, it should not come as a surprise if he had theories.
Eliza had warned her multiple times in the past to not play the hero, to walk away from a situation, and to conceal what she could do or to downplay it. But, people were in danger, and it was now common to see one with uncanny abilities. Would Eliza really want her to stand by while innocent people were harmed? No, it wasn't her nature--it never was. If it was not, Annalise would not be standing here today living a fulfilling life.
"Why not? I may learn a thing or two from you." Annalise grinned broadly and zipped up her coat. If there was to be bloodshed, she did not want splatter getting on her cream-colored blouse. Time to risk being in the limelight for a good cause. A deep breath steadied her and she, at his cue, would run back to the main street to follow the sound of sirens.
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