Darker Than BLACK: The Ultimate Price (BlisteredBlood & CirindeFae)

[BlisteredBlood]

Name: Raphael Solaris
Age: 25
Height: 6' 4"
Weight: 240 lbs.
Ability: Life Energy Transferal
Obeisance: Self-Inflicted Harm
Messier Code: AF-203

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Rain. Raphael never bothered with the rain so much these days. But when it had rained on him for several straight days as he stayed in a hotel in the Upstate area of New York City, he found himself constantly staring out the window, his eyes of a bright amber gazing out at the mixture of rain, tarmac, concrete and steel. Sure, the hotel had free HBO and Showtime, but there was hardly anything going on in terms of television. It was all the same. Bad news this, bad news that, the emergence of Hell's Gate as far down south as Raleigh, North Carolina and Heaven's Gate appearing for brief moments in parts of Brazil, Cambodia, Russia and as far as Alaska, bizarre murders here and there, the public demanding answers for these unknown atrocities, the usual. But unfortunately for Raphael, there was just one little problem. He was a part of the secrecy that was partly responsible for these murders. However, it was all for the "betterment" of human society. A statement that he found to be rather ironic, since the people he was working for was filled with the most dirtiest of crooks, liars and thieves. Politicians taking kickbacks, cops looking the other way, people vanishing into thin air without so much of a trace for something that they shouldn't have seen and the like. It was pretty much the status quo all over again. Unfortunately, what was going to pay the bills for him? He couldn't just refuse the offer, knowing that the same government was able to track him at any given time through following his star or through some other proprietary means.

So now here he was, sitting on the bed in some shitty hotel, gazing out a window on a miserable night and watching as so many hapless people seemed to saunter by out on the roadways, waiting for his next job to roll on in.

Waiting...
Waiting...
Waiting...
Waiting...
...And even more fucking waiting.

...God, he hated waiting. But unfortunately for him it was all he could do.

[CirindeFae]

Name: Xenobia Santoro
Age: 20
Height: 5'5"
Weight: 129 lbs
Ability: Matter Manipulation
Obeisance: Chronic Insomnia
Messier Code: CT-509

How long had it been since she'd slept? Four months? Longer? She didn't know. She could hardly keep track of time any more. Ever since...That time. Hell, she couldn't even remember the specifics of that. Sighing, she reclined against the wall, her dark hair catching on the bricks as she sank to the ground. She was so tired but in her dire need for money, she'd used her curse to 'come across' some gold which she'd then sold so she could afford some food and fresh clothes. But that had been...What seemed to be too long ago.

Sighing, she sleepily looked about her. Where was she again? Better yet, did she spend all the money she'd gotten from the gold or did she have any left over? She could see a hotel nearby and was wondering if she could afford a room. A nice soft bed might be exactly what she needed to fall asleep. Another sleepy sigh escaped her full lips as she pushed herself up off the ground and shifted to dust herself off before she cautiously peered around the corner of the alley and down the road. She couldn't remember the reason to her caution, but she strongly exercised it often. Better safe than sorry.

Quickly she searched her pockets for any sign of money then frowned. Of course, no money. A silent yawn left her as she turned back into the darkness of the alley and shuffled forward until she tripped over a rock. Grunting as her hands extended out to catch her, Xeno decided to use that little rock to get herself a little bit of money for a room at the hotel regardless of whether or not it would cause her star to light up.

[BlisteredBlood]

Over the course of time, Raphael's patience was beginning to wear thinner and thinner still the longer that he had to sit there on the bed, peering his eyes out of the window with a look of aggravation building in his face. He could almost swear he could feel his blood boiling with the longer that he hung around for and when there was still no phone call of any sort, Raphael immediately threw his hands upward and emitted a scoff before he shook his head disparagingly. Of all the nerve in whatever was left in this godforsaken world, he thought as he gave the phone a detrimental frown. They were supposed to have called me about five minutes ago! Alright, fuck this. If they're wanting to get into contact with me for the next job, then fuck it. They can get the goddamn answering machine for all I care. He thought before he shook his head again as he eventually stood up from the bed, stretching his medium build frame out with a long groan of sorts, his eyes tightly shut for the most part.

Eventually, he reopened them just in time for him to catch a glimpse of someone walking by, already beginning to assume it was probably another one of the local riffraff that was looking to disappear into some sort of hideaway so they can do whatever it is they need to do and be on their merry way. Well... With one of the two - sometimes more - walking out a little more risher than that, but you can see where he was coming from with that thought.

But, if there was one thing that Raphael knew he had to be careful for was always the details. They could always sneak up and bite you on the ass if you're not careful. Slowly, he moved up close to the window to gaze out again, seeing that while the shape was indeed female, there was a bit of an odd feeling that went through him for a moment, almost as if it was a hidden danger sense that decided to zip through his fingers for a brief moment. Under certain circumstances, he would've heeded this warning, but he decided to ignore it for now in favor of allowing himself to assist this woman in some fashion.

After a little bit, Raphael stepped out of the doorway, his eyes scanning around for that woman before eventually catching eyes with her a short while later. With a bit a of a friendly smile on his face and only generous intentions in his mind, he began to beckon her over to him to get her attention.

[CirindeFae]

A small chunk of gold in hand, Xeno sidled over to the entrance of the alley. She had to move quickly, the gold in her hand wouldn't stay gold long due to the severe lack of sleep she was suffering with. If only she'd managed an hour or so of rest... Sighing, she peered around the corner again her gaze eager to lock onto the hotel. Standing there at the alleyway, mere feet away from the hotel, Xenobia hesitated. Something told her it wasn't a good idea to head that way, but she was so desperate for a soft bed and the chance at sleep. Taking a deep breath and holding it she took a cautious step away from the darkness of the alley way and took another to bring her to the edge of the sidewalk.

Noticing movement across the street, she froze as her gaze shifted to envelop the figure. Having spent a lot of time with virtually no sleep, Xeno had trained herself to notice all the little details. She saw the way he smiled in her direction, the way he motioned for her attention, the way he stood and all of it screamed at her not to go over. Still, she found herself moving towards him. Why couldn't she ever listen to her instincts? Chewing on her bottom lip nervously, she darted across the road only to hide in the shadows a short distance away from the male that had beckoned to her.

Carefully, she slipped the small chunk of gold into her tattered pants pocket before he could move closer. She couldn't chance the male being human and freaking over the small bit of gold like most humans did. Always best to play it safe and keep it hidden. Allowing for a small smile, she pulled her hands up to her chest her fingers interlocking, and peered around the darkness once more only this time to look at the man with amber colored eyes.

[BlisteredBlood]

At first, Raphael could sense that there was a hint of hesitation in the air, something that made him want to rethink his decision in letting that woman he saw coming from the alley, but the poor girl was so out of sorts from whatever it was she was doing and he was far too aggravated at his employers to even remotely care at this point. Then again, that is why they've coined the phrase, "It's better to drink with strangers than it is to drink alone." But then again, it was also why someone also came up with, "Laugh, and the whole world laughs with you. Fart, and you sleep alone! HURR HURR."

Unfortunately, it was a bit too late to stop her from approaching his place of residence, now. Yet there was one thing he had found highly odd when he saw her begin to move closer. Her eyes appeared to be mismatched. One a baby blue and the other a bright golden color, of which caused him to arch a brow curiously at her for a moment. And yet, she appeared to be nothing more than a child in comparison to him. After that, he glanced around for a moment before he took a brief step back into the shadows to fix the top portion of his V-neck shirt, hiding away the scars of recently fading injuries from recently. Granted, they were closing rather quickly on their own, but the chance of her spotting him for who he really was was far too risky.

After a moment, he then stepped back out into the doorway once again, seeing the young woman approach closer before offering her another friendly smile once more. "You look like hell, kiddo. Why don't you do yourself a favor and come on in? It'll at least get you off of your feet for a while." He spoke.

[CirindeFae]

Xeno was slightly intimidated by the strange male's height. How often had she met a man, or anyone for that matter, that towered over her? Swallowing down the small hint of fear, she tried to appear as fragile as possible, which thankfully was easy to accomplish due to her ragged clothing and dark circles under her eyes. The stresses of insomnia were not easy to hide, but if she'd had a steady job she could afford the make-up that would make it five times easier. Pushing such thoughts aside, she continued to cling to the shadows as she looked upon the tall man.

Easily she noticed how he'd stepped back into the shadows to hide something before stepping back out. It made her a bit curious as to what he could need to hide from her, but it also made her even more cautious. Only a contractor would have something to hide from a petite fragile girl like her. At least, that's what her past experiences told her. A human with a gun wouldn't think to hide the gun from her. No, usually they came at her with the barrel of it aimed right at her not that it did them any good. With a single look, the gun could fall to the ground as a puddle of water. With another look, if she'd had sleep, she could even turn the person aiming a weapon at her into something much less threatening. At the very least, with the lack of sleep, she could scramble their brains or turn a portion of it to stone. There was always a way out of danger with her ability...

Hearing him speak, she stepped out of the darkness a bit. "T-that's very nice of you," She started, stumbling over the words some in her exhaustion, "But I'm rather dirty. I wouldn't want to be a burden." Not that she actually cared about that. It was more than she didn't wish to acquire a debt she wasn't sure she could pay back. On the other hand, the little lump of gold she'd made was probably already turning back to it's original substance. If he insisted, which was likely considering her appearance, she would ultimately accept the offer.

[BlisteredBlood]

"Think nothing of it," Raphael answered with a slow shake of his head, chuckling softly for a moment as he welcomed her inside, but not before he poked his head out once more, looking around from side to side. Not for nothing, but just because he allowed her entry into his hotel room sure as hell didn't mean there wouldn't be anything that would compromise his position as of currently. On top of all that, seeing a fragile little thing like her out there all by herself would also bring along some rather unpleasant visitors from all walks of the city. The common thugs, crack addicts, that sort of thing. The sort of hoods that you wouldn't want to meet ever on a Friday night sort of crowd. But even if he was a Contractor, the lack of an offensive style of ability might have presented a complication, but his own street smarts and a Smith & Wesson 500 revolver he had kept in his nightstand kept everything he had come across at bay for the most part. Of course, in that same nightstand was also a pair of dice, what he would use in order to pay his price should he ever need it. The problem, however, was that they had to land on a particular set of numbers, be it a lucky seven or an eleven in order for damage he took from the person he was patching up to be reversed.

Once convinced there was nothing else out there of the sort he gently reached an arm out to her and curled it behind her back, carefully guiding her inside. "Come on... Let's get you inside before you catch your death of cold." Raphael spoke in a gentle tone of voice before shutting the door behind him.

[CirindeFae]

A small smile claimed her lips as he welcomed her inside. It wasn't a true smile, though, for her defenses were still up. If he tried anything, she was prepared. And unfortunately for her this wasn't the first time she'd been invited inside somewhere for a bit of what the other person had called fun. Sure, she wasn't a virgin but after gradually forsaking the rest of the world for their desires to possess her, and obviously a few years of little to no sleep, she might has well have been. And she wasn't keen on the idea of being raped, so everyone who'd tried ended up with much worse than a scrambled brain.

Hearing him speak of her dying by a cold, her face cracked into a true smile. With her curse, a cold was never an issue. In fact, health issues were the least of her concerns (the most of important of those being sleep, being clean was right after that). "I appreciate the thought, but it's not something for you to worry yourself over." She replied as her hand found its way into her pocket for the rock. It still had the rough feeling of being dirty, but it lacked the slight slick feeling that the gold had had. Well, at least this man had been...kind enough to invite her in so she didn't need the gold any more. Thankfully. If she had tried to use it, she would have been found out rather quickly and that wasn't something she needed or desired.

[BlisteredBlood]

As soon as she was inside, Raphael would eventually shut the door behind her but not after taking one last peek outside, pondering over if she was followed. Even though he was working through the Syndicate plus knowing he had some enemies of his own were out there somewhere looking for him, Raphael had to learn how to cover his tracks very well.

"You say that now," Raphael soon responded. "But what if you do? There's always that one-in-a-million chance that it might happen. On top of all that, the only place where I can go and get medicine for you is only about 20 blocks from here." He added, gesturing outside, despite there was a slight misdirect he put into his words. After all, he could've just placed a hand on her and taken that sickness into him where he would be able to filter it out, if the dice he had with him would allow him to. "But regardless of which, please. Do make yourself at home. It's not much, but at least it's better than being out there in the rain." He added before moving over to the window where he soon looked out of once more with his arms folded over his chest.

[CirindeFae]

Hearing his words, she had to struggle not to burst out into laughter. Ever since acquiring her curse, she'd spent living on the roads. Never once had she caught even the tail end of a cold. Hand to her mouth, holding back her laughter, she looked at the man. "Before I do," She started, her tired eyes glittering with a dull light, "Can I ask what provoked a well-off man, like yourself, to invite ragamuffin like me into your room?" Dropping her hand she moved to step closer to him, her smile now gone as she'd composed herself. "It's not often a man goes out of his way to help me, but when one does..." Her voice trailed off as she feigned being distraught. Pain was often the best cover for a lack of conscious, one that she had learned how to use at all the best times. This was one of those times. Thankfully, despite the false pain, she could also play the young girl seeking comfort. Oh how easy it was to manipulate people.

[[Sorry it's short.]]

[BlisteredBlood]

At first, when he thought he heard laughter, Raphael arched a brow in curiosity for a moment before looking to her oddly as she began to speak. When it came time to answer her question, one might assume that she was attempting to flirt with him, but the rational side of him fought through, possibly due to him thinking that perhaps she was delirious from running in an out in the streets for so long or that maybe she was running a fever. As much as he would've loved to have play her game, Raphael lifted one hand up to gently grip her smooth-as-velvet hand with his significantly rough one and slowly moved it off of his chest with a slow shake of his head. "It's nothing like you're thinking of, I can assure you." He answered before taking his hand back before looking back out the window again. "Not for nothing, but while I find your intentions rather admirable, the only reason as why I brought you in here was mainly because you needed a warm place to stay from the rain. I don't often open my doors to strangers, but since I saw you out here, I figured I might as well do something nice for a change." He added with a look of pensiveness on his face.

[CirindeFae]

Xeno, relieved that this male hadn't invited her in for physical pursuits, allowed for a small smile. Folding her hands before her, she gave a small bow. "Then I appreciate the gesture." Straightening she watched him for a moment before turning to take a shower as she desperately needed one. Hesitating just outside the bathroom door, she looked back to the male. "There's no chance I could borrow something to wear is there?" She started, her hands tugging gently at her worn out clothes. "I think these are nearing the end of their use..."

[[Bleh post. Sorry for its suckage.]]

[BlisteredBlood]

"Think nothing of it," said Raphael as he gestured towards her with a wave of his hand, a shake of his head and a friendly smile on his face before he lowered his hand to the side before watching as she she moved towards the bathroom. "I have a spare shirt you can use. It might not seem like much, but at least it give you some coverage." He added as he looked over to the closet closest to the bathroom door. "When you're ready for it, just give me a yell and I'll hand it over to you."

(It's alright. I apologize if I took so long in order to respond to this. I was out sick with bronchitis and shit for a while.)

[CirindeFae]

Xeno gave another well practiced fake smile then entered the bathroom. Not being the modest kind, she left the bathroom door open and moved to turn the water on. Warm water rushed to fill the tub causing her to smile softly as steam begged to fill the room but as the door was open it couldn't. Taking a deep breath to fill her lungs with the steam as it would clean out the dust and dirt then started to tug her shirt up over her head. Tattered fabric falling to the floor, she leaned over and tested the water with her hand. It was starting to get a little to hot for her liking but didn't move to adjust it as she figured it would could down just enough by the time she'd finished peeling off her wasted clothes.

Down to her bare skin, Xenobia stood for a moment in front of the mirror her mismatched eyes taking in her form. It had been a while since she'd seen herself in a mirror instead of a murky puddle or filthy pond. Standing there she could vaguely see how attractive she had once been. She had curves in all the right places and none where they didn't belong and despite her rather frequent inability to get food she didn't look unnaturally thin- a trait she attributed to her curse. Thinking of food set her stomach to grumbling and a light blush took over her cheeks. Moving over to the doorway, she put a hand on the door frame and looked out into the rest of the room. "Hey, I don't mean to impose or anything but any chance you have some food or could get some for me?" She asked, forgetting that some people were uncomfortable around someone that was nude.

[BlisteredBlood]

Once she was in the bathroom, Raphael's attention veered over to the cordless phone that hung on the wall in the kitchen; a simple white one that anyone would find from their local dollar store these days and narrowed his eyes at it with a slightly aggravated glare, once again going over the possibilities of where his employers were at the moment. If he didn't know any better, he felt as though they were fucking with him now by keeping him waiting for as long as they did without some form of employment or rhymes or reasons as to why they kept him waiting. For all intents and purposes, he could've been on his way back to New York City by now had he not been in a more forthcoming mood in regards to the odd-eyed woman that was now in this place with him, using his bathroom and showering herself off.

His expression would soon relax from its irritated look for the time being before he looked back over to the bathroom a short while later when he heard the woman speak, causing him to look to the somewhat open door and saw her head peeking out. "I do. You're free to use the kitchen if you like." He answered with a shrug of his shoulders and a shake of his head before looking towards the kitchen and nodding to it.

In truth, it had been some time since he had ever been around someone that while she didn't have the exact appearance, he recalled a time when a female associate had often tried to flirt with him by shamelessly showing off her form to him whenever he was in the room. While this had not changed, Raphael at this point was only interested in a certain phone call that he would've loved to have gotten by now. Not for nothing, but it had been longer than an hour since he had last received word from anyone over there. Time, as the old saying went, was money.

[CirindeFae]

Xenobia felt herself frown when he answered her question. How long had it been since she'd last stood in a kitchen? Did it matter? She'd never been able to cook. Leaning against the door frame she set her gaze to his form. "I'm afraid I'm no good in the kitchen." She replied, momentarily forgetting that she was filthy and seriously needed to get into the bath she'd drawn. "I might end up burning it down." She added with a small smile. It would be extremely easy to burn down the kitchen for her so it was best she stayed out if possible. Needless to say she was going to attempt to manipulate him into making her some food.

Suddenly remembering that she had to get into the tub before the water cooled down too much. "If you don't mind, I'd love it if you could make me something while I clean up." She said cheerfully before releasing the door frame and spinning around to get into the tub. Feeling something akin to happiness, she stepped into the tub and immediately sank down into the now perfect water. Mouth just barely above the surface of the water, she spoke again. Or rather called out the male. "If you'd rather not, that's okay. I don't want to put you out or anything. By the way, you never told me your name. Is it okay to ask?"

[BlisteredBlood]

Raphael could've felt his hand coming down over his face when he heard the odd-eyed woman answer him back as a bit of an aggravated frown was threatening to appear over his lips. Why is it that people were wanting to make things even more difficult than they were, he wondered to himself as he shook his head instead and frowned only slightly to himself. "Well, I mean as in being able to make yourself a sandwich," Raphael soon countered. It was actually true, since all he had purchased recently was some lunchmeats and cheeses from the deli not far from where he was as of currently. It also served as a bit of a misdirect that while it still held a good deal of truth behind it, the real matter of it was that he really wasn't in the mood to be anyone's manservant. All he wanted was just one phone call and then perhaps he would be in a more receptive mood. Unfortunately, both phones were silent as of the moment, which did little to sour his already less than cheery - if one were to call it that, anyway - mood.

Her request to make her something while she cleaned up would go unanswered as his main focus was aimed squarely at the two phones, both his cell phone on the coffee table and the wall-mounted cordless in the kitchen. One of the two had to ring. It didn't matter to which one. All he wanted was just...

His trail of thought was soon cut off by the piercing sound of the cordless ringing suddenly and within the same space of that moment, Raphael immediately bolted towards the kitchen and extended a hand out to grip the phone, taking it off of the charger and held it up to his ear.

"Hello?" He asked, his mind already focused on the other line.

"No new job tonight. Relax." Said a distorted sounding voice, causing Raphael to lower his head with his eyes squeezed shut for a moment and pinching at the bridge of his nose. Before he could even answer, the other line hung up. He knew what this was. Apparently, there wasn't a new job available for him as yet, but if he knew the Syndicate like he did, then chances are there would be one coming up soon, so he had to remain sharp for the time being.

A dial tone soon sounded out in his ear before Raphael emitted a slight sigh before shaking his head and hung up the phone. "Damn telemarketers." He spoke before glancing upward slightly. "Raphael." He soon answered her as he stepped out of the kitchen once more, heading for the recliner before easing himself into it.

[CirindeFae]

Xenobia tensed when the phone went off despite her being in a rather relaxing bath. The sound the phone produced was most unpleasant to her ears as she rarely dealt with phones. More than that, however, the last time she'd heard a phone go off she was in a very similar situation only she'd had a good deal of sleep the day before. At that time, the phone call had been to what she had discovered as another Contractor. Blinking, she realized she'd just remembered why she'd been running and being ever so cautious. She was being hunted. There were agencies and the like out there hunting her for her ability.

Sinking lower into the water, just enough to cover her mouth, she closed her eyes and begged her body to relax. It took a bit, but when she managed to do so she removed just enough of her body from the water to begin the actual cleaning process. "Raphael? Interesting name. I'm Xenobia. Guess I don't have any room to talk." She said, allowing for a smile. Vaguely she realized that he'd made for the phone rather quickly and immediately she tensed again. That was not a telemarketer. No one jumped to pick up a call from a telemarketer. Still, she forced herself to continue cleaning up then moved to stand as soon as she was done.

Draining the tub, she grabbed hold of the nearest towel and used it to get her soaked hair off her back then walked over to lean against the wall outside the bathroom. "I'll take that shirt now." She said, her voice harder than she meant it to be. Once more she was cautious of this man, not wanting to have to use her curse to kill yet another living being. She just wanted to sleep somewhere warm....Why did things have to turn out this way?

[BlisteredBlood]

In that moment, Raphael felt the air in the apartment slowly change. What was once a generally peaceful mood shifted into one that had an air of suspicion and mistrust. How could he avoid this one, knowing that she knew who he was, if her abilities would allow her to have seen through his obvious lie? True, he was a part of the Syndicate, but he hardly was even aware of what their activities were. The only thing he wanted out of them was just one phone call just to verify if they had any work and if they did, what was the job and ask for more information if it was available. Unfortunately, with such a short and succinct message conveyed to him, Raphael only just stood there with the same look on his face, the same feeling he felt whenever he knew there was something that person saw in him. From the looks of things, she looked to be harmless, but thinking there wouldn't be any Contractor abilities thrown around sure didn't mean that the person who was in the place with him right now wasn't a Contractor herself. He had made that mistake once a long time ago and to be honest, he had never been the same ever since due to the fact that the person who was supposedly his albatross - despite Raphael preferred the term partner to be more befitting - turned out to be someone that wasn't exactly who he said he was either.

For the longest time, Raphael stood there, chained in the silence of the moment as he sat there with a look that seemed to acknowledge that perhaps there would be something thrown soon. He didn't know what it was or when, but he could feel it down into the marrow of his bones. When he heard her speak again in a harder tone, Raphael was eerily silent, his eyes tensed and every muscle in his body taut as his posture eased into a relaxed position. While he did not have an offensive ability as most other Contractors did, he did have other alternatives which saw his way through if they needed to be used. Instead of giving her a vocal answer, Raphael instead gestured for her to go ahead and take what she needed.

At the same time, Raphael hated himself for having gotten that phone call now. No matter. There would be another time when they would call again. Raphael, on the other hand, would not be in the same area if worst came to worst.

[CirindeFae]

She too noticed how the air had shifted in the place. Had he caught on to her being a Contractor? She could only hope not as there was no way to tell if he indeed was or what he could do to overpower her. Unfortunately, her being overpowered would be easy to accomplish since she hadn't slept in so long but at the very least she could put up a fight. Again she forced herself to focus on something else, this time the prospect of sleep being her target. She allowed for a smile when he motioned for her to take what she wanted then moved to tug loose one of his shirts and tossed it around her shoulders, the fabric hanging off her slender form and barely covering anything.

Slowly turning to face Raphael an apologetic look crossed over her face. "That wasn't a telemarketer..." She started her voice soft. She really didn't want to hurt him, especially as he'd gone out of his way to assist her. "Are you going to attack me?" She asked, one of her hands moving to grab the opposite arm. She was doing her best to appear and act submissive, trying to give him the signs that she wasn't going to attack. ".....I don't want to fight. I just want to sleep..." She added under her breath.