Description: After an accusation was launched against one not guilty of taking it, it became the focus of a number of people. It was to be used as a means to target those a truly dangerous group of people - the cultists - wanted gone. After much ado about its whereabouts and who actually took it to begin with, Elias Patrick returns it to its owner as the two touch base about the fact that the cult is not the only threat at play. Howard Rust, for his part, realizes the mistake that likely started a whole lot of what went wrong.
Some time has passed since Elias had his latest run in with the forces of evil. Not only did he run into the cultists that seem to be intent on causing as much trouble as possible, but yet another minion of what might be the devil himself in human guise, Vega. He was lucky once again to avoid death and managed not to get himself drawn into the strange portal that the cultists summoned up. In fact he seemed to have found something that looked important once he managed to regain conciousness.
He found himself resting on a book with notes written in it. To his surprise it was not something that contained plans from the cultists, but belonged to what seemed like an ordinary man. Odd to find such a thing at a temple where a fight between a demon girl and cultists was happening. It took some searching, but Elias found the residence of where the owner lived and he planned on delivering the item and asking some questions.
It is later in the evening when there is a soft knock on the door that Rust would hear. Behind it is the rather intimidating priest dressed in some of his best vestments holding the book in one hand. Despite it being darker out he still wears a pair of shades and he seems to really show no emotion in his facial features. For now he waits patiently for the door to be answered while not saying a word.
The door in question seems a bit... newer, of better quality than the other doors on the third floor of this apartment building. This building's known for it being occupied almost entirely by expats to Japan - and that rusting grill that one particular resident hasn't yet found the proper sense to wheel it back out of the elements. It may even be a landmark to say that this particular man lives here.
There's a cracking noise to be heard from behind the doors, but, there's really only so much detail allowed to be allotted to the act of a man stricken with joint pains (and still recovering from a broken arm) before he saunters along up to the door.
"All right, Farah, 'm, 'm sorry for the wait," a gravelly voice speaks from behind the door, "two of the kids j-just went--"
The first thing the tall, stoic man waiting for its occupant to open the door would probably see the outline of something truly hideous. Something unholy, something whose very existence spits on the face of the beauty of God's green Earth. Or, well, whatever deity lays claim to this part of it, anyway. Deities. (Being a realtor among Gods is probably a real pain in the ass, come to think of it.)
The combover.
Also there's a stout man attached to the rest of it, left arm still in a sling, who falls quiet as he looks up and down the man who is, decidedly, not the Farah he thought he was addressing.
"Uhhh... hey," disarmed by his mistake, he clears his throat, "what can I, ah, do for you?"
It could be considered amazing that the priest doesn't even flinch at the sight of the combover for the first time. This man must have dealt with some truely hideous things in his past if he can even maintain that stern look that he always has. He just gives a small nod to the other man and he holds out the book. "Howard Rust?" he asks. The book itself has seen better days on the outside at least. Elias did his best to clean it, but it is obviously charred in a few places where it got caught up in a blast of fire he released to try and chase off Juri.
"I had a bit of a run in with some people and I found this." He offers a rather vague explanation. Maybe just to see what Rust himself might know and divulge. Given his track record of judgement on people as of late he finds himself being more careful on what he says and does. "I tried not to pry too much, but I was looking for a name on who to return it to."
Once the book is pulled from his hands he lets both hands clasp behind his back and he remains where he stands. Was he waiting for an invite? Perhaps an explanation. Even if he has those shades on it does feel almost as if Elias is sizing up the other elder fighter. Or is he just staring at that horrible combover?
"...Yeah, that's--" The book. He holds out his right hand as if to start the beginnings of 'I already have a copy of the Bible, one that doesn't look like it fell on the grill' but once he goes past the obvious charred appearance on the outside, one of his eyebrows raise. Pointing at it briefly with an inquisitive look as the tall, intimidating man in the shades explains the hows and whys, he grabs it with clear suspicion on his face as he gives it a cursory look-over.
It is what he is beginning to suspect it is - based on the first page, humorously written 'Property of Howard Rust, please return.' It's difficult to really go through a book with any sort of speed when you only have, for the moment, one functional hand - the hand that never fully recovered, at that.
"'s my address book," he mumbles as he looks up towards Elias. Someone found the book! The book that was likely the reason for a lot of the problems that plagued his teammates and immediate friends!
For all the stammering and the fatigue in his voice, the next things that fall out of his mouth are asked with a certain intensity and clarity, as though so many things were hinging on this very fact.
"Who had it?"
An address book? Elias has doubt that it is just that. Even so he just nods when Rust says that. "Dangerous people." he says in a rather short response. It is something that should at least let Rust know that the priest isn't fully buying the fact that book is just an address book. "I was hoping you could tell me why they would have it. You don't look like the type to be mixed in with cultists."
He is trying to at least be friendly. It is hard to tell with the way he acts, but it could possibly be figured out through the tone of voice he is using. "Shall we have a talk inside? I believe perhaps we might both have a common enemy." Given how short he has been with explanations and such it might come off as a surprise, but then again he hasn't been moving away from the door at all so maybe he is just hinting he wants to be let in. Don't vampires need to be invited in? Can he be a priest vampire!?
Of course there are more things running through his mind about the book in question. Why was Juri so intent on taking it herself. He decides to hold off on mentioning that for now. It is best to take things one at a time. Find out what this man knows about the cultists first then he will ask why yet another party might have interest in what is supposedly just an address book.
You know why vampires are stereotypically seen as European? Let's put it this way, you know what sorts of absolute junk and garbage Americans put in their bodies? On this fact alone, Rust might... might be okay. Maybe. If he isn't already some shambling mass of tired, overworked bones like he almost always sounds.
'Dangerous people.' The man without the eyewear slumps a little as if to say, 'really, is that it?!'
At least, until Elias finally tips his hand to the man's knowledge - cultists. Howard himself has had a run-in with two particular ones back on the day that he had the bright idea that maybe, just maybe, he could've gotten Zach's collar with a chainsaw. There's a dead giveaway that he has a clue as to what Elias is talking about as his mouth hangs open a little in an 'o' shape.
Who the hell is this at his door?
There's a noticeable bit of hesitation on the man's part when the taller priest suggests it's best to have a talk inside. What if this guy is in with dangerous people himself? His left arm's busted, but... nah, guess he could still swing. He could still kick, maybe, if it came to it.
Nodding to himself slowly, he opens up the door and lets the man who may or may not be a vampire inside the apartment. It's a mess, through and through - as if the man were neglecting the finer parts of upkeep for some other thing that's been occupying his time and mind.
The TV is blaring something about the sudden silence that has fallen upon the King of Fighters 2011 - but is watching TV a good reason to neglect doing things like the dishes or vacuuming up days-old stale popcorn kernels strewn about the floor nearby?
"It's, it's a mess," the man concedes as he turns his back to Elias and walks further inside, "sorry. Don't think I've, uh, any... any beer left either."
This is a man that deals with homeless people on a daily basis so seeing such a messy room isn't going to really phase Elias or make him judge Rust......maybe. Would it kill the guy to at least show some emotion? It can be kind of frustrating and creepy at the same time. "It is okay. I am a wine drinker. Mostly red." Okay now he has to be doing that on purpose just to further creep out Rust. He finds a place to where he can stand and not being in the way of the other elder fighter and he looks about.
"So I was right in guessing you have had your own problems with these cultists. The ones I ran into were doing some ceremony near an old temple not far from my homeless shelter." At least he is divulging a bit more on things to where he isn't coming off as totally untrustworthy and if he is looking to attack he is doing well at masking that intention. Maybe his hands remain behind his back to show he has no intention to fight.
"So tell me, Mr. Rust." There is that gaze again. Looking right at Rust. He has to be staring under those shades. Staring right into his soul maybe. "Do you know their intentions and why they would find this book of yours so interesting?"
It's less frustrating and creepy and more... disarming, after a very explosive day at work. It's been an eventful last week or so, to say the least, just how these things keep coming rapid-fire at him for a guy who typically does not... do anything at rapid pace, flexing out one of his legs to get a pop out from one of his stiffening knees. It may be one very big reason why he doesn't go and sit down when Elias comes inside, although he gestures vaguely to the couch.
The moment he sits down would be the moment his knees would probably lock up on him again, and that's never pleasant with or without company.
"Yeah, uh... maybe not... directly, but, they've been doin' things to some of my friends," the shop teacher says, voice suggesting he is much more interested in his black book being back - and what this actually /means/ based on his beliefs of who the original culprit was as he ambles towards a dining table, thinking to set it down to have an easier time picking through pages... you know, just in case some bright (tainted) soul decided to use /it/ to mark down numbers or what have you.
Elias' gaze, although it starts with the back of Rust's head, is truly piercing. His hairs stand on the back of his neck with the request to tell him something. Enough that he slowly turns around to properly meet the gaze, which alleviates absolutely nothing in regards to discomfort in the way that man there speaks. The way he just... gazes, virtually motionlessly.
Probably about three or four notches away from the equivalent of FREAKING SAGAT in his apartment.
"Honestly... honestly," the man starts, though that he has to repeat honestly may imply he's thinking of a fanciful spin when he realizes there is actually a lot to communicate. "Before... before my team headed out in, in King of Fighters, one night, I left tickets 'n money in, in plain sight. Right on this table." He pats it.
"Aaand, next morning, wake up to find... well," he holds up the book, "this missing, and yet, they... they left the money and tickets alone, and... and I thought, shit, someone was, was tryin' to hold my friends hostage."
He takes a deep breath at the thought about how to communicate this /next/ bit, flexing his elbow for yet another little crackle. Damn, he grouses inwardly, he had to deal with some students going absolutely nuts and destroying a good three classrooms today, he really just wants to curl up and sleep the rest of the day off.
"And... and there's this, this really... dangerous girl, she's with some, some real dangerous people. She's just been, ah, attaching herself to a, to a younger friend of mine," He speaks as though Elias probably hasn't ever had to deal with them, despite the taller man's forwardness and stoic behavior suggesting having faced numerous trials. "Y'know, I thought... I thought she took it, 'n for my effort, she... she went 'n tried to sob and cry her way outta it all, just kept her grip tighter on, on that guy." And to think about the lengths Quon went to in order to save lives from something the big man on top of all that, at cost of so much to his future.
"Those cult guys, they, they definitely did something to, to, one of my friends." This is where he really hesitates. After all, the friend in question went and accidentally killed some innocent people right before his eyes. "And, well... he was, he was in the book, but, they didn't, they didn't approach him at the place that, that I wrote. I mean... shit, all this time 'n, 'n I don't got much of an idea."
The priest seems intent to listen and gives Rust all the time in the world to explain things. He doesn't seem frustrated in the fact the man seems to be trying to filter through many thoughts at once while trying to explain. Elias himself has often found it best to take time and say things without rushing it. His brow does furrow ever so slightly when there is a mention of a dangerous girl that works for dangerous people. While Elias doesn't know this one in particular he has dealt with two now personally and another of those minions leaving a child dead in his shelter when he was away attempting to rescue Alice.
"This dangerous girl....does she wear a mask or has a single glowing eye of a demon?" he asks in trying to see if Rust too has dealt with either Decapre or Juri. If not is it another one of that monster's creations? Just how many young women has he tainted and turned into abominations?
"There was another at the place I found this book. A young woman like the latter I mentioned. She wanted the book for herself. One eye was normal, but another glowed with an eerie light as if she was possessed." At least for Rust that means Cammy was not the other party involved. Then again who the hell else would want this book? "I believe her to be a servant to the monster called Vega. He had kidnapped someone dear to me." There is a bit of anger in his voice now as he continues to speak even if his face doesn't show that he is getting that way. "I do not believe he is involved with these cultists, though. They just seem to have similar goals."
"Huh? Mask, glowing eye, uhhh," this is not a man confused at what Elias is asking, this is him worrying about the very /idea/ of having to deal with people like that if they're all part of the same organization. "N-No... blonde hair, pigtails... British accent," he clears his throat, "'scuse me."
This interruption thanks to crap getting into his lungs gives Elias the space to continue about who he was describing. Is there some other dangerous player in all the goings on here? He had his fill of the mass of organized evil through the invasion of 2009, Christ, he doesn't want to get caught in the middle of /another/ thing like that--
"Wait. W-wait, wait. Thailand Vega?" Howard's head raises up at mention of this, as though this man - despite appearances - actually has at least a modicum of understanding what that name means. "That, that girl I'm talkin' 'bout, she's with /them/." So now /they/ were interested in his book too? To what end?! The older man puts the book on the table and just brings his right hand to his face, a low groan as he puts the facts together in his head. A fact he was reticent to accept... and a whole new one that this man before him may have actually saved the life of both himself and a number of his acquaintances by returning the book.
"Two years, 'n... 'n it still feels like they, they still got the full run of the streets."
It seems like this man has dealt with quite a bit himself from the sounds of it. Elias actually steps over and his hands unclasp as one rests on the shoulder of Rust. "Evil never rests, my friend." If it was an attempt to try and comfort Rust that certainly isn't the way to put things. Then again Elias himself has been beaten down many a time by Vega and his minions now so he knows all too well it is best to always be ready in case they come back. His shelter was attacked twice and Alice kidnapped. How long until it happens again?
He removes his hand and steps back as they reclasp again. "I am unsure what they want beyond wanting to corrupt this world and recreate in their image. I just pray both sides do not decide to work together." Vega and his group seem bad enough on their own and this new group of cultists seem powerful in their own right. It is not a pretty image thinking of them working together in any form. "Think of it this way, Mr. Rust. You have not only gained your book back, but an ally if you need it."
He wonders if this fellow Rust mentioned is like Alice. Is that maybe why one of that monster's minions is after the young man? Maybe he should investigate further sometime. "It is growing late and I have a good travel ahead of me. If you are ever in Sunshine City stop by my shelter if you need anything. If I find anything that might help you I will get in touch as well." he offers as he starts to head for the door. "This has turned into a dangerous world, Mr. Rust. Keep your friends close and try to be safe."
Ain't that the truth about evil! Some would say that Rust never actually gets to rest much either, from the sound of his joints and his often tired, sleepy, mumbly tone of voice during the latter parts of the day.
The shop teacher shifts his weight a bit at Elias trying to leave a reassuring hand on one of his shoulders, as if instinctively still fearing, on some level, seeing Brian's fell energy-coated hands coming down on him again despite this man being of the clearly opposite demeanor.
In the end, despite the reassurance, it seems both really only know as much about the true aims of those people as the other, a low grunt helping punctuate the end of Elias' first sentence as Howard shrinks just a little more. He can feel his knees locking up, maybe it's time to sit down. Except the moment he sits down, they'll just lock up on him.
Friggin' Catch-22.
"Don't... don't give 'em any ideas." At this rate he's pretty sure at least /one/ of them is probably listening in outside, because seriously, that's just how his luck has been going - there's no humor in that request whatsoever.
The idea that he's got another ally in it all, though...
"I, uh... thanks, for... for getting the book back." He nods his head to that much, at least. That little book that's been the source of so much frustration and intrigue - who knew that single book would have ended up snowballing problem after problem for almost everyone involved?
"Thanks, uh, I'll, I'll try to do the same." There's so much in the air right now. Antoine, Quon, Zach, Cammy, Farah, Brian's attack, his precarious lack of job security hanging over his head, pretty much anything and everything that could possibly fall apart largely /has/.
"That's, that's... easier said than done." What does he have to his disposal for helping everyone as it is? All he's got are a bunch of cranes and the reassurance of people who were more or less complete strangers offering him aid, as if - despite being connected to a lot of these problems, he may yet be connected to a solution.
In his dreariness and worry, he forgets to actually ask the man his name as he stares at the book and the big pile of paper cranes way back in his bedroom (to the extent some can really even be described as proper cranes), allowing Elias to leave in silence as he regards the book.
And that troubling fact, definitively, that a certain someone was innocent of /this/ very specific charge he laid upon her - the charge that likely set so many things in motion.
Elias says no more. In the end it would probably just bring on additional worries and it seems Rust certainly has enough of those. Elias can understand how bad it can be at times. Even a an with so much resolve such as himself can feel helpless against these sort of odds. That is why he just has to let himself get stronger. And while betrayed by those he thought he could trust he must not go on alone. Rust seems like a good man. Elias can only hope that this is true and he hasn't decided to help out someone else that would stab him in the back.
There is the sound of the door closing as the priest finally leaves and begins his journey towards home. It is sad every time he leaves he is worried he will return to see yet another attack has happened. At least it has been quite for some time now. It allows him to concentrate on investigating more and also take proper time to make sure Alice's condition doesn't worsen. If that happened all these attempts to get rid of the evil that targets them would all be in vain. Quietly the priest hums to himself as he begins his trek home.
Log created on 20:31:23 06/06/2011 by Rust, and last modified on 23:08:07 06/06/2011.