of lions and freaky vampirebat men.

[immortal-lion.livejournal.com]

Characters: Rishfee, Vincent.
Progress: Ongoing
Summary: Rishfee's left Rughadjeen and commences his objective to get the Serpent Generals out of Gaia and avoid detection. Unfortunately, he doesn't realize his attempt to hide behind the masses of people in Lindblum carries the risk of running into others..
Location: Outside Cid's repair shop, Lindblum.
Date: 26th August, 1804
Warnings: Will update as applicable.



Lindblum was very much the industry-driven hub of technology and commerce that he'd heard it to be. The Immortal had been confused at first, all-too-willing to stick to the shadows and merely learn all that he could - gracing all manner of unsavoury places and meeting with those he'd never dream of even holding a conversation with about any rumours regarding an escape. Local, sky-person. It didn't matter really. He'd already established a reputation for perusing matters, found quite a few contacts, yet with absolutely useless information. He'd heard repeated accounts of what he already knew, yet he was not tiring. Not yet.

En route to a meeting with yet another informant, the Immortal moved gracefully through the streets coming to Cid's repair shop, lingering for the smallest of moments before taking a glance through the window. He hadn't given up on Aphmau. Not yet - If she had arrived and somehow had evaded detection (He was all too aware that she'd broke into the Immortals supply room a few weeks before the incident at the Jade Sepulcher had taken place..) she'd have frequented this place if only to sell unneeded automation parts to procure herself a small amount of gil.

...Either that, or fix Ovjang. Ovjang's breaker was broken, after all.

He glanced at the window, moving close and lowering his eyes - trying to pick automation parts from the display of vaguely boring engine parts. Nothing...

Maybe she really was on the Ashu Talif with Luzaf the Blackheart. Maybe she'd managed to escape this...
His gaze broke from the fixture, and head tilted to look down the street. It was worth a look, at the very least.

Comments

[chaos-vessel.livejournal.com]

Vincent was usually one for staying within Highwind's shop and out of the sight of the passers-by. He still didn’t like to participate in the hustle and bustle that was life in Lindblum, even though he had been staying in the city for several months now. He put up with it because Cid was kind enough to offer to let him stay in the place with him, and because the rooms upstairs were a suitable retreat.

If he’d had a say in it, he would have stayed inside, in one of those quiet rooms, but since he couldn’t walk, he had to depend on Cid to help him move around. Seeing as Highwind was currently quite absorbed in his work, Vincent was stuck sitting outside of the shop for the moment.

It wasn’t pleasing at all, but there was nothing he could do about it. He had eventually simply taken out his gun and started to clean it, making sure that everything about it was working smoothly. Perhaps not necessary, but it was something productive to do.

After some time doing this, Vincent saw a passerby in clothes obviously not of Gaian origin, ones that were slightly familiar. After a moment of observation, he remembered the young man who had worn them- they had spoken briefly during the time loop, before Rishfee had fainted due to Ellone’s attempts to solve the loop. Vincent remembered Rishfee’s companion saying that he was a blue mage, and months before Vincent had gained the abilities of a blue mage. If he had been sent back to Vincent’s mind…

“So you woke up,” he said as the blue mage approached the shop.

[immortal-lion.livejournal.com]

That voice was somewhat familiar. Looking to the seated man, Rishfee turned his head away and decided not to say anything - thinking perhaps that the quip was intended for someone else. Then he saw a rather distinguishing thing about the man that spoke - that arm. He turned his gaze back to him -- the piercing blue eye that remained hardening slightly.

"Yes.."

He didn't sound pleased. Mainly because he didn't know how much about his abilities Vincent had experienced. Side-effects were a given. It wasn't like Vincent had any protective gear... yet something wasn't right. Vincent wasn't emitting the aura Immortals did. And the strange other sensation Rishfee had experienced while inside his head was missing. Were it not for the man's voice and appearance, he'd not even recognize him as the one whos head he had invaded thanks to Ellone.

"I sense you're no longer experiencing the side effects associated with the ability to use a monster's skills."

A statement to match a statement. It was all he could do while he silently looked for an escape route.

[chaos-vessel.livejournal.com]

With Rishfee’s words, Vincent’s eyes hardened, and his expression closed off. During the time when his powers had been changed, he had noticed something wrong, of course, but he had thought that it was because of Chaos- another of the demon’s attempts to break free, or simply a negative reaction to the exchange of powers. If Rishfee was speaking of Chaos, then he must have been the one Vincent got the blue mage abilities from.

“And how much would you know about those side effects?” he asked pointedly. Chaos was gone, yes, but Rishfee had still been in his head, and he wanted to know what he had learned about the demon, and what he had learned about Vincent.

He kept his hand on his gun out of habit, and partially in reaction to the tone of Rishfee’s voice.

[immortal-lion.livejournal.com]

With a conversation between two men each trying to hide something, and each fearing the other knew what they were hiding, it was no wonder that things were starting to get blurred already. Rishfee had spoke of the fact he hadn't managed to percept the aura a blue mage held - yet Vincent had took it as the perception of Chaos. The backs of his fingers danced against the handle of his jeweled kilij in response to the other's body language - fingers lightly tapping against the scabbard.

"A little. You struggled... with something. Something powerful.

..How much would you know about mine?"

[chaos-vessel.livejournal.com]

Vincent remained wary. It didn’t really matter who knew about Chaos now that the demon had been returned to the Lifestream, but habit made him want to keep the knowledge of the demon from as many people as possible. Beside, the idea of someone else having been in his head and learning about him… he didn’t wish the knowledge on anyone. He wasn’t sure he wanted to tell Rishfee anything more about himself.

Rishfee’s hesitant question took him by surprise. “Nothing.” He answered, honestly. If Rishfee was the same as him, with some sort of beast trapped inside, then it explained the differences that he had felt during that week. So then it hadn’t been Chaos at all that he had been struggling against, but Rishfee’s demon. The strange side effects made sense now.

[immortal-lion.livejournal.com]

The youth in front of the man merely stayed silent - gazing at him with that one eye- a little too blue to be normal. Not quite anything compared to mako eyes, more... feral than anything. Maybe his cataracts were a little too dark. Pupil a little too big, it didn't really matter. But whatever it was, it couldn't have ever been human. He saw little point of talking as one, since he wasn't talking to a human in turn. His hand moved away from the scabbard of his kilij. He didn't need it -- not really.. a sword was a way of acting human.

"You are fortunate, to have got rid of yours. But I cannot help but wonder...
As one which has experienced a pull - would you see me as anything like you? Would you deem me the danger you were, or would you see me as worse? We both know the feeling of both was different. But we both know how dangerous we can both be. Thats why neither of us wanted to become our true selves."

[chaos-vessel.livejournal.com]

"I died, in order to rid myself of that. Even now, I still carry other monsters within me. I would not call that entirely fortunate." Vincent told Rishfee blandly. He had already accepted his death and revival at the Iifa tree, and was somewhat thankful for it, but the chance had been there that he would not be brought back. He had not been troubled by the thought of his own death, as long as it made sure that Chaos was no longer a threat, but others might not feel the same way about it.

"As long as you can contain the monster, you are not a danger in the way I was. I lost control, and became a demon." He met Rishfee's strange blue eye with his own red ones, reminded of Chaos's golden eyes. "As long as you stay in control, you are nothing like me." He continues to hold Rishfee's gaze, even through the pain and disgust that the demons inside of him brought. "I have lost control to them time and time again. I was doomed to be a failure from the very beginning."

[immortal-lion.livejournal.com]

Of course. Your bonds were your bonds - and that was why Immortals were not allowed to forge friendships or even associations with non-Immortals. Humans, really. They had to remain dedicated to their duty primarily, they belonged to the Empire. The Immortals relied upon each other to bring them down should the worst happen. That was all they were allowed to rely on. And to be completely honest, it made Rishfee feel lost, now. The Empire was long gone. The Immortals were gone. Vincent had friends. There was the man he'd saw. He had ties. He could never do away with himself just like that because of those ties.

He listened, and lowered his head slightly when Vincent's gaze became too much to bear. To a monster, a steady gaze was a challenge. He didn't like it - because the small part of him that was still human didn't want a challenge. It also didn't want the monster inside him making his skin prickle and adrenalin flow in response.

...
He was thankful though, that Vincent didn't seem to have pitchforks at the ready. It had always been a concern - that Vincent knew well and truly the complications of clinging to a human form, and would decide he was better wiped out. He stayed wary however, just one second away from using the ability of a qujirn he'd consumed the soul of - to blind the man long enough to make an escape.

"And when the time comes that I cannot... and it likely will come, I won't allow it to take form. I'd sooner run myself in with my own scimitar beforehand. What I can become.. I don't think this world could destroy it. Not easily."

Failure. That was something to think of. He was always marked as such, compared to Amnaf. So in his mind, he would fall.

"You... aren't going to tell anyone about me, are you?"

[chaos-vessel.livejournal.com]

Only now, after he had died and been brought back to life, did Vincent understand how much those bonds had done for him. Before, he had been so much more willing to put his life on the line, and even die, as long as it meant that the threat that he faced was stopped. He had asked his friends to kill him should Chaos ever get loose. He had not asked them to try and find a way to subdue Chaos and give him back control. His death had been the only way, but he had been all to ready to face it. Now, though, he realized how much he had to live for. It had taken dying to do it, but at least he had gotten another chance.

He kept watching Rishfee even when the boy turned away. It was habit, a result of being trained as a Turk to stay alert and watch for any attempts at escaping or pulling tricks. He and Rishfee were talking, but with a volatile subject like this, he wasn’t going to take chances.

“Brave,” Vincent said. Not only to plan for failure, but be willing to kill himself to keep the monster from emerging. Rishfee had more resolve than a lot of people, it seemed. “No. I have no reason to tell anyone.”