Match of the Millennium

Description: Walter enjoys mojitos in an outdoor cafe in Chinatown as Jedah's Spire looms in the distance. A strange but fabulous figure by the name of Velvet Blue joins him for a bite.

[WALTER]
What is a dragon to do when an embassy and very, very suspicious spire comes into existance, with claims of acceptance for all beings like him? Investigate, of course! And so Walter Bardsley has been doing his level best to talk to any fellow Darkstalker he can find.

Chinatown has been a good den of information in that particular corner of the world in the past, and so after a few sermons, bar crawls, parties that he very awkwardly doesn't remember, and being chased down by two cops, Walter is seeking a bit of peace from it all. Cue the nice little maid cafe serving a mix of Japanese and Chinese food. Walter is chomping down on a bowl of ramen, the cat-tailed maid coming by to check in on him and deliver the occasional mojito.

It's an outside seat, the priest keeping his more inhuman bits covered, though his tail has wrapped itself about the leg of the seat. Flick flick. Yawn.

[VELVET BLUE]
The police and military response has likely been to cordon off the areas nearest to the Spire itself, meanwhile life goes on relatively normally--despite the recent spike in Darkstalker activity around the globe. For Darkstalkers themselves, it is without a doubt that the fear Jedah instilled in folks means both an element of fear but also excitement in the air--such as rousing those with demon or magical blood in them has. Reports from all over have been coming in about cryptids, monsters, darkstalkers--all forms of thing that go bump in the night. It's very likely that something is going to happen soon. But when exactly?

Now for some of those aformentioned more magical folks--the non-human parts are easier to keep concealed than others. At least to the general population. For others of their kind, they're a bit easier to spot--which is the case when a long dark coat wearing figure stops abruptly beside Walter, turning to look down at him.

"Well well well, look what Bahamut dragged in," came a voice, somewhat hard to place the gender, at first--but as the dark-haired and bat-eared figure bent down to peer closer at Walter, it was likely clear it was someone quite interested in them, at least.

"What's your destination, stranger?" Velvet Blue asked, their yellow cat-like eyes noticably luminescent despite the light around them.

[WALTER]
With tensions so high, it's easy to get spooked. Walter's own dragon blood has been unkind to him in recent weeks, and the priest nearly unfurls his wings as the stranger approaches so directly! He manages to avoid choking on his drink, and looks the man over as he turns a bit. Those /eyes/!

He tries not to get too lost in them. Coughing, unruffling his scales, he puts on a warm smile. "Wherever the truth and the Lord takes me, my dear friend!" Another look up and down, just a bit /too/ long.

"But I should hate to turn away companions that fate puts beside me. Sit down. Father Walter Bardsley, Knight, Priest, and occasional idiot. Let me get you something. Everyone could use to relax in this damn city if you ask me." He pushes out a chair, the dragon-priest mentally taking notes.

[VELVET BLUE]
"Woah, woah, careful there grandpa," Velvet blinks and leans back a bit, looking about to see if anyone else took notice. They didn't really--there wouldn't likely be that many people on the street, thankfully--even though it was the middle of the day. Which begged the question--just why was Velvet even awake? They were a night owl of sorts, after all. Came with the territory of being part Darkstalker, that.

"Are you alright there? Can I sit down?" they ask first, at least--already easing down into the chair. Most of them is covered by a full-length dark suede jacket, though if Walter peers hard enough he'd be able to see a blue leathery spaded tail sticking out the bottom hem of the coat.

"You can call me Velvet," he smiles as he's invited to sit down, blinking those yellow cat-like eyes--which thankfully began to widen out to a more diamond-eesque pupil shape now that they were somewhat in the shade. "Velvet Blue, that's my stage name, anyhow--you caught me just heading back after a night out," he tilts his head at Walter, curiously. "You're serious? just ran into me and already you're buying me drinks," he grinned and leaned back, teasing. "A soda would be fine, what else do they sell here?" they distractedly peered up at the establishment's sign.

[WALTER]
Having well pinned his fellow Darkstalker, especially as he spots that spade, the dragon-man actually blushes! Cough! "Perfectly fine, perfectly fine! Velvet, hmm? A pleasure my dear sir. Time in life is short, particularly for those...who are unique. Make the most of it, and all."

With his dignity mostly intact, Walter pauses. "Entertainer then. Singer?" He almost says 'dancer', but swats himself with his tail under the table. Bad dragon!

The maid happens by, and gives the pair a bow. She actually giggles a bit as she scuttles off. A menu is left! "Mostly asian. The real stuff, not like in America." Shudder.

"The ramen and udon in particular are good." He suggests, before taking another bite. A pause.

"Be careful out there at night, Velvet." The dragon turns in the direction of the massive Spire. Frown. "I fear there will be terrible things happening in this town. I pray good men and women will be able to stop them."

[VELVET BLUE]
"It's true, I haven't run into another like us in a bit--all those stories that are spreading around are mostly bunk--I've already looked into a few," Velvet sighs. "'Springheel Jack is on the loose! A murderous snowman is trying to kill me in my shower!', you'll never believe some of the things people come up with," he snerks. "Those ladies probably WISH a living snowman /was/, with how attention-needy they are," he giggles, offering Walter a hand to shake over the table. The hand is fairly unworked and slender, Velvet obviously doesn't do manual labor for a living. The fingers are however tipped with pointed dark nails, a further clue to his heritage.

"Ramen noodles? Oh sure, one of those and a soda would be nice," he nods to the maid, giving her his order, before leaning back on the chair. "What, you mean /that/?" Velvet jerks a thumb back up towards the giant fleshy hellraiser-esque Spire that has erupted in the city-scape over Velvet's shoulder, like it had always been there.

"No one can get inside it--probably some dimensional space-twisting fuckery needed to actually enter, who knows who it is--probably that Jedah guy, he's caused a lot of trouble for us and made people fear Darkstalkers, made my job that much harder," Velvet shrugged. "Then again, I guess /this/ is too much for folks to handle at times," Velvet shifts and unzips his coat--revealing what looks to be a close-fitting high-collared purple mandarin qipao beneath the jacket, as well as what looks like black opaque tights beneath it along with a pair of knee-high white boots. The boots are clasped with buckles and look wedge-heeled.

"Don't mind the boots, I usually wear something lighter when I'm on stage," he grins, winking at the dragon priest, meanwhile that blue spaded tail of his is flicking about and might try to wind around one of Walter's ankles, or his tail at that--if it's close enough. Apparently he's trying to tease the poor old man.

[WALTER]
Taking those velvet soft fingers in hand, Walter's handshake is firm but certainly not a challenge. His own are somewhat rough, this Dragon clearly not afraid to get his hands dirty. His own nails seem trimmed, but just a little too sharp and claw-like.

"The first lesson I leaned when I started my calling was to love all that come before me no matter what they looked like. The /second/ lesson was that a vast majority of humans lack grace, intelligence, and often morals. Hence, our little hysteria making everyone's lives difficult."

Sigh. "I think I'm up to three bricks thrown at me for the old 'We're all God's children' routine. ...And don't remind me, I /still/ get love letters from that Yuki-Onna I found in Australia."

Walter can't help but grin a bit. Velvet's charm seems to be working on the priest, as he's very visibly loosening up. The mojitos are helping.

"Bah, Jedah! Give a man power and it goes to his head. I'm sure to him this is some noble crusade, but I doubt he's looking further than his own nose and /power/. If he had half an ounce of humility, he would have at least been subtle." Grump! This whole situation has the dragon clearly annoyed.

And then that coat drops. He may have pegged poor Velvet rightly earlier as to his occupation. Walter's tail grips the chair tight enough that there's the sound of metal creaking. Someone might want to pick up his jaw from the floor, because that's where it's hit.

Yeah, there's no hiding /that/ blush. "I...Well. People can be horribly misunderstanding when fa...faced with something new or outside their experiences. Horrible, truly!" Walter is /very/ much not looking at Velvet's eyes or face for that matter. And that spade across his tail?

The noise that Walter makes is best described as a cross between a dog happily panting and a girlish squeel. The priest looks like he wants to melt beneath the concrete, or maybe throw himself at Velvet's boots. Walter Bardsley might be a bit of a mess when it comes to this kind of thing.

[VELVET BLUE]
Velvet returns Walter's handshake with a strong grasp, not a slouch in the muscle department, at least. "That's quite noble of you, I don't exactly run into people that are... that understanding all the time, those that can see me, anyway--most can't, or only partly. People that have been out for long periods on full moons, or slept in graveyards tend to be able to--or children, sometimes," he grins. "Which gets a little awkward... it's a mystical thing, in either case," he explains.

"Yeah, Jedah is some kind of dark prima donna, it's a shame really, I don't know why he's trying to rile up the humans against us--I guess he wants things to come to a head and he's trying to start the fires," Velvet shrugs. When Walter siezes up after he opens his coat, however, Velvet brightens up out of that dour mood temporarily imparted by Jedah's shenanigans.

"I like to show people some of the strange things in life--this is not that remarkable," he tugged at the high collar of the qipao. "I just don't wear these kinds of dresses unless they're /at least/ a grand, otherwise why bother, right?" he smiles, "I do clubs, cabarets, mostly whatever I can find, sometimes bars, most of the places in Kabuki-cho know me by name--my stage name, that is, if you ask," he gestured around. 'Kabuki-cho' referred to Tokyo's redlight district, in Shinjuku, which was likely not far from there.

"If you'd like I can tell you where I'll be performing some night, if you'd like to come watch a show," Velvet leaned closer across the table, smiling, the tips of his fanged eyeteeth noticable as gnawed at his lower lip a bit.

That moment was likely defused as the waitress came back around, however.

[WALTER]
Walter shoots a genuine smile, his eyes sparkling a little bit with the fires of passion and belief. "Velvet, I want to live in a world where Darkstalkers and humans live and love together, building a better society for each other hand in hand. That needs understanding. And, as the Sister who raised me was so fond of saying, a noble world must first start from within good people, and radiate outward."

Walter /does/ manage to suck up enough air to look Velvet in the eyes again. "I...I see! Well, you certainly know how to catch eyes, I'll give you that much!" He laughs, nervous. One can almost see the gears spinning in his head. It seems the bat has th priest's tongue as he stammers, looks at the leaning Velvet, looks back away.

"W...well, I /have/ always wondered what a cabaret was like..."

Cue a maid right behind Walter. "Can I get Master and his cute friend anything else?"

In the space of about five seconds, Walter is in the air, wings tearing his shirt to shreds as he alights onto a light pole with the most brilliant blush on his face. "I...Don't judge me miss! I'm doing nothing wrong!" He proclaims, to the thoroughly confused looking maid. There is, within this sudden leap of dragonlyness, money on the table and a little note that flutters all the way down to land by Velvet's smooth hand.

"I could use someone with your...contacts Velvet! Let's have drinks some time, mmm? Ah...see you soon?" Does he sound hopeful, like a schoolgirl with a crush? Oh yes, he does. Then he's flapping away, presumably to get a new shirt.

[VELVET BLUE]
"I totally agree," Velvet leaned in closer with more of a smile than a grin now, as if hypnotized by the dragon's speech--blinking and jumping as the maid comes back, dispelling the priest's trance, seemingly.

"Eek! Bwuh--Mr. Walter, err-sir, father, whatever--are you okay?" he is nearly knocked back by the dragon man jumping up--the 'eek' due to part of his drink spilling over his leg--none had gotten on the expensive eveningwear, thankfully, but it was enough to give him a start--not just the sudden rush of ice onto the skin of Velvet's leg.

"Sorry about that--my master--I mean friend is a bit theatrical, and high-strung, you see?" he gestured toward Walter. "Performance art, and all that," Velvet is already trying to cover for the other darkstalker, and not get a full-blown disturbance going.

And then Walter is off--at least leaving enough yen to cover the bill. Dragon Priest is responsible, at the very least.

"Ahhh... well that was brief, like all the men in my life--eek!" Velvet jumped again as more of the dark soda dripped down over the edge of the cafe table, having momentarily forgot about it. Well there goes /that/ pair of tights, Velvet thinks with a sigh and an eyeroll.

Log created on 12:40:11 09/30/2018 by Velvet Blue, and last modified on 15:00:37 09/30/2018.