Match of the Millennium

Description: After returning home from the DoAtech facility India, Velvet Blue is awoken by nightmares, leading to an early morning 'walk' that runs them into Gabriel.

[VELVET BLUE]
The door to the small flat in the back of Velvet's club swung open, the owner giving a relieved sigh. It was the kind of mirthless reunion witha familiar environment one makes when they've just been through hell and back, not just with the trip itself, but the gruelling chore of mass transit. At least once out of India, they had been able to utilize their mirror walking trick to get home. Now if they could just get ahold of some food... and about twenty showers, and after sleep, then maybe his body could forgive him, at some point.

Stepping further the flat however, revealed some noises of movement coming from the small kitchenette area, was it Rancid, his bouncer, or some of the other staff? Pushing open the swing door however revealed something else. An all too familiar face from another time. The old, wiry man bent over the stove, the flame on, swirling something in a pan--half turning to back at them, eyes widened and intense with what had to be accusation, or scorn.

"When it's time for me, will I stay behind?" Velvet asked, and then he woke up--soggy from sweat, jump started awake from adrenaline.

Still far too dark to call it morning, and far too late for anyone else to be about--Velvet started on a few of the weights he kept in his bedroom, dressed just in shorts and a tank top--before he went for the shower--and put on his 'work' clothes.

The city at night was just as it had ever been, and right now Velvet wanted to take a 'walk', of sorts--which meant wandering around and trying to clear his head, more or less.

[GABRIEL]
In the middle of nearby park a violin wails. The word Wails because it really is that kind of playing, whoever is playing it. The instrument is being tortured and as misery loves company, so are the ears of anyone in shot to hear it. That has in part meant that the number of people isn't too many. This suited the player fine, a blonde in fairly nice clothes with a violin, on a clean looking bench all alone.

She didn't have time for other people any way, or sheet music. The sheet music part beign a little worse than the other people because it would have been nice were she a little more social, or at least considerate in her playing. In her own dome of silence, well no not silence, but solitude, caused by her violin playing (is this a special power?) The woman would hardly notice anyone coming up on her right now at all.

[VELVET BLUE]
The noise of strained catgut is unmistakeable--Velvet's only question is 'what the fuck is someone doing that out at this hour?', likely whispered under breath. Not a local either, by the looks of it--but then, who was he to talk? This definitely wasn't Metro, or anywhere near the East Coast US where he had come from.

Velvet had perched along a nearby street light--actuallying hanging off the shaft of it, listening with a raised brow to the playing. Damn melancholy stuff~ not something he usually minded but just not right now. Velvet was just in one of his regular suits, pair of long boots and all--and that about it, no overcoat--at least not right now.

He was beginning to move again when the sole of his boot scraped off a patch of chipping paint and he lost his grip--winding up hanging awkwardly by one leg and sliding down nearby, coming into view.

"Aheh... hi there. Uh, may I ask who died?" he grinned sheepishly, pointing towards Gabe's violin.

[GABRIEL]
This was, not what Gabriel liked, to be snuck up on, even if he didn't actually sneak and really he was probably perfectly loud walking, that is to say, if not for the violin playing that she herself was doing. She isn't now though, she looks positively outraged, well, for her, it's a subtle outrage, not like a big emotion outrage, she usually doesn't do big emotions, mostly she frowns. Which she is doing.. At Velvet.

"No one has died that I am aware of," Gabriel replies, a little haughty, a little afronted. She then adds, "Yet." With the look and the subtlty of a hammer. At least Velvet is dressed well, she seems to be taking that in , but then again he has that.. well he? She's not sure, the uncertainty plays. Anyway, the tail and the ears get a longer look, distaste? It's hard to tell when it was already her default position.

At this point you might expect further interaction, but instead she stares, her instrument and bow in her lap.

[VELVET BLUE]
"Oh, good," Velvet replies, casually, eyes widening a little. Obviously he can sense the annoyance in the blonde's face. People didn't usually like to be disturbed when they were in the middle of something like that--or dancing, for that matter. Velvet carefully swings a leg down and un-inverts himself from the street light with the grace of a poledancer, their tail swinging down along with them as they wind up with their back turned to Gabe, momentarily.

"Ahem--sorry about that, I was just trying to find out who was playing violin out here, at this hour," blinking his cat-like eyes at her and rubbing the back of their long-nailed hand along his face.

[GABRIEL]
After a moment Gabriel softens, which is saying something, though softer is hardly a lot softer, it is only a little softer. Apparently she decides not to start a fight yet and instead goes with some shred of politeness. In a more even voice, less sharp, she says, "Gabriel, Kai, the time is convenient as it lends to less crowded streets and parks." She sniffs a little.

Her back ram rod straight, she might fit in some sort of a military setting or a magazine, were it not for her outfit. And the violin. And well, everything else about her, certainly the hair is too long.

"I might ask you the same question." She says, not sounding at all like it's a question, but still having that expectant look to her eyes like she expects someone to dang well start explaining. One foot taps impatiently.

[VELVET BLUE]
"Velvet Blue--but you can call me Velvet," the queer figure gestures to themselves, showing off the long tapering nails, their grin showing pearly whites. It's a very practiced, show off sort of body-language.

"I can see you're more of the no bullshit type, I can respect that--I was just up late and figured I couldn't get back to sleep--not that I usually sleep at night, been traveling too much," he yawned, still feeling a little tired. Of course, this might also clue Gabe in on the fangs they had, too. Yeeeah. Darkstalker, most undoubtedly. If the other parts hadn't already given that away.

"I work around here, I also look after the neighborhood, I'm kinda known around these parts too, you might say--but you're not from around here, yeah?" he smiled.

[GABRIEL]
"I see," Gabriel replies in a voice that neither communicates that she does see, or in fact cares to see. The neighborhood getting hardly a glance, Velvet is apparently more interesting, perhaps because he is there. Never the less she continues the conversation, "Quite places suit me for playing, a rooftop or a private studio, I also frequent the beaches, but only the secluded ones, South town is a tad too urban for my taste most of the time." Ie too many people.

She says this all with her nose in the air.

[VELVET BLUE]
"Not really a people person, huh? Kinda curious why you're not screaming right now--a weirdo playing dressup with a tail and fangs and funny ears just swung down at you out the dark--and you're not afraid, you been around dark ones before?" Velvet took a few steps towards her, his long boots clicking, tilting their head. The fur ruff around the shoulders of the suit were buffeted by the wind, his spaded tail lashing about curiously behind him.

"Might explain why you're not scared to be out here at night--after the invasion a year or so back most people wouldn't go out at night in Southtown," he asserts casually.

[GABRIEL]
Implied threat? Hard to tell, but Gabriel glares all the same, "I can take care of myself," She states and starts to rise, moving to put her violin away, but she doesn't close the case. One of the compartments in it having a long cloth wrappd object in it. Possibly a weapon. Probably a weapon. Not that many arn't weapons enough by themselves.

"Do you mean to suggest you are one such danger? Do you care to put that theory to the test..? What do you put on the line if you were to be proven mistaken? Blood your life?"

Koi Gabriel raises a hand slowly as if tracing something in the air, like it were a blade, along the sharp end, looking down it at Velvet, emotionlessly at that. This is a threat and made perhaps worse by the lack of feeling she puts into it.

[VELVET BLUE]
"Me? Nah, I don't like hurting people," Velvet shakes his head, holding their hands up. "I guess I just put people at ease too easily," Velvet smiled again, taking a step back at that. No need to provoke the blonde into a fight, it would seem.

"Are we aligning our chi?" he frowns a little and tilts his head. "Are you a sorceress? Oohh--I haven't run into many of those," he seems genuinely curious at that, eyes casting a glance on that violin case, he couldn't see what else she had in there, it looked like.

"I guess that's bad news for a fae critter like me," he shrugs. "Please do not try to put a ban or hex on me, I just got back from India and I'm really not in the mood," he sighs.

[GABRIEL]
"A .. A what?" now she sounds affronted. Gabriel drops her arms and seems to seethe a little, her hands even making tiny fists. "I am not a sorceress and we are not aligning our.. our anything." She tilts her head back, nose in the air, apparently not put at ease even a little.

Somehow the actions seems to have difused the situation all the same, where as before Gabriel had the slithering look of someone ready to pounce with cold blooded intent, now she looks utterly flustered, as if violence would be dirty.""

[VELVET BLUE]
"You know," Velvet muttered a little awkwardly, gesturing. "What people do when they want to keep out a fae creature, I guess your not then--hoookay," Velvet shook their head, apparently not able to keep triggering renegade dialogue options here and pissing Gabe off.

"I was just asking because you weren't afraid to be out here or of me, so I figured you might have some means of taking care of yourself, you know, fighting," he put it more plainly, soberly, less of his playfulness this time.

[GABRIEL]
"I am a duly recognized member of the Church of the Divine Maiden and I am protected by my faith!" Gabriel exclaims. Yes she's one of those, and sure if you pushed her she might contradict herself many times over about her faith and what it means and so on. "I do not need evil magic or sorcerery when I have the Maiden of Light!" She raises her fist, hand clasped, reaching about in her top until she finds a pendent and squeezes it and probably mutters a little prayer. She drops it, lets out a deep breath and seems to exhale all the tension. She's cold again just like that.

"If you are interested in the Church of Light I can provide some very helpful reading material." She continues robotically.

[VELVET BLUE]
"Oh, well--now I have even MORE questions," Velvet blinked a little, wide-eyed after Gabriel's outburst there. "Like why didn't you try to smoke me just now, considering what I am," one eye kept raised, with his hands still up, as if Gabe had him at gunpoint. She didn't, but he still didn't want to lower his hands just yet--they rested more around his front, it almost looked like a comical catboy with raised paws impression.

"You... want to tell me more about your church?" he's even more surprised by /that/, his tone slower and lower now. Apparently the previous run-ins with holy-roller types have not been entirely pleasant.

[GABRIEL]
A long pause.

Her expression says no, but her words say,

"Any soul that be changed or convinced to join the crusaders of light is worth trying to convert." She draws a breath and lets it out. Then lifts her nose and manages to maintain her mechanical I'm doing a job look.

She apparently has little practice trying to convert more members, which might be part why the cult she belongs to is so small.

[VELVET BLUE]
"Well I've not been very big on organized religion, I must admit--I was raised Catholic but that was kind of another lifetime ago for me, well almost literally in this case," he gestured to himself. "I /used/ to be normal, you know--comparatively--but I am a darkstalker now, so..." he shrugged a little. "Wasn't exactly sure I'd be that welcome in a place like that anyway, you know, they might see the ears or my tail and think I'm some kinda devil or imp," he held up his spaded tail.

"Would you believe I'm not actually demonic at all?" attempt at sheepish grin.

[GABRIEL]
No, she does not believe it, but despite what she looks like, what Gabriel says is, "That doesn't matter to the Maiden of Light." And a frown creases her lips, "And the other members of the church.." She seems to be looking for a way to put her thoughts together, "You should not concern yourself with such matters." She folds her arms, looking at a loss for things to do with them or words. Her posture suggests a little bit of uncertainty, given the failure to convert which she should be used to, giving her approach. She never even offered the promised pamphlet, do they even exist? No sign of them in her violin case and she didn't bring anything else with her, not even a purse.

[VELVET BLUE]
"Ah well, listen--I think we got off on the wrong foot here, I was just curious who was playing a violin at 4 AM, you know--not a lot of folks do that, I'm not dangerous and I'm not gonna harm anyone, alright?" he nodded a bit, looking more serious again, hoping they could apparently calm the Gabe down here. Which was apparently a daunting task.

"I'm just a silly darkstalker type that tries to look after the area, you know--make sure people aren't getting all roughed up by threats human and not so much," he nodded again excitedly.

[GABRIEL]
Despite all the assurances, Gabriel still doesn't look very convinced but she decides to accept that anyway. She closes her violin case, apparently done. "Very well." She says without any real explanation as to what that means or the amount of what was said shes' actually taking seriously.

"However," She considers for a long moment," Do you ever sleep?"

Apparently she isn't motivated much by the defending the innocent thing, just what are the tenants of her faith?!

[VELVET BLUE]
"I'm up late, usually--I sleep a bit into the afternoon, why?" Velvet tilted his head, grateful he can finally lower his hands, it seems like. They were getting stiff keeping them up like that, anyway.

"I'm an entertainer part time, that's usually the kind of hours I keep, do shows at night, you know, go about my business throughout the evening... and you?" Vel is a bit more relaxed now that apparently whatever horrible bloodshed has been averted here. Whew~

[GABRIEL]
"Entertainer" Gabriel repeats back at him, like a parrot. She doesn't ask what kind, she looks very much like she doubts there is any kind of entertainer that would fit Echo's description. Though her world maybe rather narrow and small. She has the look of someone with a small world.

"Why?" She inquires, as if the thought of why she was asking never even really occurred to her. She seems to consider it a while.

Still considering...

And still considering. . .

It's probably been about a minute or two.

[VELVET BLUE]
"Why? I need a job for when I'm not out here doing this, you know--patrolling around, making sure there aren't any weird monsters or criminal types around, messing the place up," he gestures casually, sighing a little. "Gotta pay for things somehow, not really into ripping off crooks for the stuff I need," he thinks about it. "I mean, kinda tempting, I admit," he scratches his head.

"Is there a problem? I know there's that saying about 'actors, thieves and vagabonds' but I'm really not like that."

[GABRIEL]
"A job, you mean entertaiing? No I mean why do you feel the need to patrol and protect, is that not the job of the proper authorities? The police?" Gabriel asks, this time the accusation is evident in her voice, and ironic considering how she behaves with the police.

[VELVET BLUE]
"Yeah, I know, but the police don't deal well with supernatural creatures that are stronger than humans or don't care about bullets," Velvet sighs, raising a brow as he looks off into the night, as if hearing or scenting something he wants to go check out.

"Speaking of, I think I've bothered you long enough, Miss Gabriel--it's been a pleasant experience!" he says, perhaps with a bit of irony, since he's just spent the last half hour trying to prevent her from murdering him--and hops up, scurrying /up/ the light pole and then leaping off the top--moving from the top of each one, disappearing into the night.

Well then.

Log created on 13:58:10 09/21/2022 by Velvet Blue, and last modified on 18:19:27 09/21/2022.