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

[BlisteredBlood]

"No, it wasn't..." Raphael answered in a slow, calculating tone of voice as his eyes remained closed for the time being, refusing to aim them up at her. "It was one of my employers, informing me that I had no work tonight." He added, eventually reopening his eyes and slowly aimed them up at her.

"What about you?" He then asked, not entirely certain himself of what her actions were even as he saw her take on a submissive look towards him. He knew better than to fall for that. Besides, there really was no telling as to who she really was. For all intents and purposes, she could've been from a rival agency that was sent after him. She didn't look the part, but looks were always deceiving. Soon afterward, Raphael slowly turned his head towards the bedroom and nodded to it gingerly before he eventually turned his eyes up to her once more. "Go ahead." He said in a tone that seemed to chill to the bone.

In his mind, he had already begun to take inventory of the things he would need for when he needed to make a run for it.

[CirindeFae]

Xenobia felt her face express something like sadness. She didn't enjoy being lied to but her passive nature put her in a situation where she wouldn't do anything about it. So instead of confronting him further about the call she let him talk as he wished, which he seemed to want to do for he went on to say that it was his employers that had called to tell him there was no work for him. Letting her hand fall from her arm, she put it behind her along with her other one and entwined her fingers. At least he was willing to come clean with her.

"Maybe you'll get some work soon." She said softly, hoping that whatever his job was that it didn't involve her. When he gave permission for her to go ahead and try to get some sleep, she gave him a thankful smile then headed off towards the bedroom, her fingers disentangling themselves to work to get his shirt to cover more of her body so it didn't come off in her sleep.

Pausing at the bed, she glanced back towards him and frowned to herself. "I won't hurt you if I don't have to." She told him, the words ringing with truth, then moved to crawl on top of the bed without attempting to make use of the blankets and sheets.

[BlisteredBlood]

"On their time, of course." Raphael answered with a slight frown on his face, his brows furrowing slightly in addition before he glanced off to the side while his eyes continued to take inventory of what he would need without even acknowledging that she had ventured off into the bedroom.

At her last set of words, Raphael glanced over to her once again before he emitted a soft sigh in response. While her words did in fact ring true, but in his eyes, action was the better judgement of character. In Xenobia's case, her demonstrating that she meant no harm in both her words and showcasing that she wouldn't mean her any harm did tell him that she meant everything she said. A real rarity in this day and age, he thought to himself as he perched his chin over a lightly closed fist and crossed one leg over the other.

Maybe there's no need... But when she's fully rested, there will be a difference in her demeanor, no doubt. He thought before looking over to the bedroom after he saw her disappear into the room. Either way, he knew he had to make a decision at some point.

[CirindeFae]

Xeno couldn't help but give a sigh of relief as her back met with the soft surface of the bed. It felt so nice to have something other than stone under her back. Still, despite the comfortable bed, she didn't feel like she could sleep. Slowly a frown came to her lips and she rolled over onto her side. What in the name of Hell was keeping her awake at this time? Tossing her arm over her eyes she grumbled quietly and threw herself around in the bed making a right mess of it.

Eventually she ended up on her stomach with her arms around her head in dismay. Why the Hell couldn't she sleep?! Irritated and more than a little sad, she sat up and pulled Raphael's shirt tighter around her form. It took her a moment to realize it, but the fabric of the shirt had bundled up under her nose allowing her to get several whiffs of the remainders of his scent. For a moment she was angry that it still smelled of him, even if ever so slightly, but came to realize that it was how relaxing. Becoming disappointed in herself, she pulled the fabric even tighter and moved to settle back down on her side.

After a long moment her eyes fluttered shut as she relaxed and came into a slight state of rest. It wasn't exactly sleep, but it was close enough.

Yawning, Xenobia slowly sat up. How long had she been out? Had she actually gotten something resembling sleep? Hands extending as she stretched leaving her long recently washed hair to cover up what had once been covered by Raphael's shirt. Another yawn, she moved to wipe her eyes then crawl out of the bed. Naked as naked could be, she moved out of the bedroom she set her gaze about for Raphael. "Hey, is it still okay for me get some food?" She asked vaguely hoping that he wasn't poised to do her any harm.

[BlisteredBlood]

During the time that she had supposedly slept for, Raphael had the inclination in him to just up and leave, but the simple fact that everything was actually quiet in the apartment for a change actually gave him enough of a chance to actually sit down and attempt to calm his already frayed nerves. For now, he just simply sat there, his eyes closed in thought.

Who is this woman...? His thoughts seem to say as he continued to sit there in his chair before he reopened his eyes and slowly looked around from left to right as if once again attempting to take inventory of the place. There was only so much he could do as of the moment and yet, he felt as though there was not enough time in all of the world to do what he felt he needed done. I might as well try to avoid thinking about it too much. Besides, I'll only wear myself out mentally if I let this continue to bother me. He thought again as he slowly stood up from his chair and wandered over to the kitchen area where he thought he would be able to get something to drink.

Once in the kitchen area, he had moved over to the refrigerator before he heard a familiar voice speak. Of course. It was Xenobia, he had figured. He stepped back out into the living room area where he saw that she was not exactly in a proper state of dress, if one were to call it that, anyway. Nevertheless, he didn't seem to mind it. He had gotten used to this so many times before, so it wasn't anything new to him.

"Yeah, I guess I can do that." He answered. "What would you like?" Raphael soon asked with an arched brow.

[CirindeFae]

Xeno felt herself smiling when she heard his voice saying she could have some food. Folding her hands behind her, she held that genuine smile to her lips and scampered off towards the kitchen. "Anything really. I've been living off trash. Any fresh food would taste great." She replied all too honestly. It was great to have gotten something resembling sleep. She felt revived and even a little playful although she wasn't nearly as energetic as she would have been if she'd managed to acquire genuine sleep. Perhaps shortly in the future, maybe if she stuck around this Raphael, she could actually get some restful sleep.

"Any chance you have any soda? I can't remember the last time I'd had a carbonated drink..." She may have been asking for too much, but one could hardly blame her if they understood her situation. Although, if Raphael didn't have any soda or anything carbonated for that matter, she could settle with water. So long as it wasn't from a stagnant puddle...

[BlisteredBlood]

It was odd to see her like this, Raphael thought as he watched her approach him. She looked dead-on-her-ass tired from earlier and now here she was all hyper and energetic for some apparent reason. There was no aggression. No apprehension. Nothing. This girl was definitely an oddball to say the least, but at least there was no need for him to go after her if she attempted to do anything towards him. Raphael had no idea how long Xenobia was out for, but at least it was a decent change from the previous mood things were in from earlier.

When she request a soda, Raphael slowly nodded his head yes before gesturing over to the fridge beside him. "There's a new bottle of Pepsi Max in there. You're more than welcome to it. Just make sure you don't bother the other one in there." He spoke before stepping off to the side to let her go into the kitchen area.

[CirindeFae]

Pleased to hear that he did indeed have a soda, she moved to the refrigerator and cracked it open. Spying the bottle, she reached in and extracted it. It had been far too long since the last time she'd had anything proper in her hands and for a moment she was confused as to how to open it. Setting the soda aside for a moment, she set her gaze around the kitchen to see if he happened to have any tableware. Eventually she gave up on it and decided to drink straight from the bottle.

"I hope it's not offensive or anything like that, but I'd like to ask you about your work." She said softly, letting slide the idea of food. She could go days without it she needed to so a few more moments couldn't hurt. "Might I be able to ask what exactly you do? I can't think of many job types that call to inform their employees of possible work." She was being kind of blunt, but she was curious. He didn't have a normal job, that much was certain. She just needed to know if she might end up on the wrong end of his business.

[BlisteredBlood]

When asked about his line of work, Raphael crossed his arms over his chest with the same brow arched before leaning against the wall that led into the kitchen area and sighed a bit in thought before he glanced off to the side with a pensive look on his face. While it would've been easier to reveal what he did as a Contractor, but the point of it was, she could very well be one herself. How could he tell her this, he wondered as a slight frown formed on his face when all the signs were pointing that he needed to get out of there right away. Mentally, he found himself kicking himself in the ass because of this.

With a shrug of his shoulders and a shake of his head, Raphael looked over to Xenobia before he spoke. "I don't do anything really special, believe me." He answered. "I do odd jobs for some people, they pay me money according to the job and I continue on my merry way. Sure, I'm not one of those kinds of people that have a better resume as far as I'm concerned, but at least I can actually get work with the people that decided to hire me in the first place." He explained.

[CirindeFae]

Taking a drink from the bottle of Pepsi, Xeno listened to his words. She had a feeling he was covering up a few details of his job, but if he wasn't going to be honest with her completely then that was his choice. It was simply best not to cause them to come to a fight. She would win, regardless of whether or not he was a Contractor and what his capabilities were only because she'd rested and had regained her strength. So she allowed him to cover up whatever he wanted.

Forcing herself to smile up at him, she hugged the bottle of soda to her chest. "So how long as it been since you've actually had some work?" She asked, trying to gage the likelihood of him getting one while she was with him. If he did get a job and it wasn't her, perhaps she could weasel her way into his life for a bit and leech off him in return for assistance....Maybe. So long as she wasn't his target.

[BlisteredBlood]

A shrug was Raphael's response before he eventually spoke. "It's been a while. A few days, at most. Feels like forever, though." He said as he glanced off to the side with the same thoughtful look on his face. "To be honest, I'm growing rather sick and tired of waiting on my next assignment." He added as he gave a rather caustic look towards the telephone that hung on the wall. "So how about yourself? For some apparent reason, I'm suspecting you're not exactly a transient, yourself." He then questioned before aiming his eyes over to her with a now neutral look on his face while his arms remained folded over his chest.

(Short post, I know. Canna think of anything else. DX)

[CirindeFae]

Xeno shifted to take another drink from the soda only to choke for a moment on the bubbles. It really had been too long since she'd had a good drink. Recovering quickly from her momentary issue, she allowed for a frown. "I don't work. I don't even have a home." She replied setting aside the Pepsi and diverting her gaze from it and him. Was it shame that made her look away? Not likely. So then why did it bother her that she didn't have a home or a job? It wasn't that she didn't know how to work. She simply couldn't with her constantly moving around to avoid being captured. She needed to remain impossible to find and as inactive as possible in case they were tracking her star. With a curse like hers, it needed to stay neutral. No matter whose hands it was in, those hands were the wrong hands...

[[S'all good. Looks like we need to start plotting some action or something, though.]]

[BlisteredBlood]

It took a bit for it to sink in, but when it did, Raphael bent his head forward with an arch of his brow with a bit of a surprised look on his face. How was it that he had originally thought of her as someone from another rival agency he never knew, but the one thing he did know for a fact was that at least now one of those thoughts of his could now be laid to rest. However, it still bothered him that there was still the chance that she could be a Contractor herself. Regardless of which, Raphael offered her a slight nod of his head before he gave an eased sigh before he walked past to then lift one hand up and gently patted her on the head before taking his hand back as he went over to the chair once more to sit in it.

"You're more than welcome to stay here, if you prefer. I know it's not much, but at least it'll do you some good to finally lay your head down." Raphael answered, despite there was a hint of sadness in his voice, knowing full well that at some point, he would have to eventually distance himself from her if she knew too much about him.

[CirindeFae]

Xeno shook her head some. She appreciated the offer but even if she lived with him it would do no good for her to sleep...Unless it allowed her to live without using her curse. "I've been a burden long enough. Thank you though. Besides, it's likely that someone will be coming to find me soon." She said softly, slowly wrapping her arms around her as if trying to protect herself. "I'd hate to see your home trashed because of me." She added before moving to go and reacquire the shirt he'd lent her earlier as she was starting to get cold. "Thanks for letting me stay."

[[I seemed to have lost my train of thought through that. ^^;; ]]

[BlisteredBlood]

"Fair enough. If you wish to leave, you're more than welcome to. My intention was to at least get you in a better state of dress first, since all you had arrived here with was little more than rags." Raphael answered with a shrug of his shoulder before looking off to the side once more. Though there was something about what he said that caused him to be bothered slightly by his own words. For one thing, he knew he couldn't stay here long now that she knew where he had lived.

After being thanked, Raphael nodded his head to her once before he spoke. "It's alright. But you shouldn't worry too much, though. As far out as this place is, I think they'd be pretty hard pressed to find you here." He answered.

[CirindeFae]

Coming back with his shirt on her body once more, all her curves covered as she'd manipulated the fabric to make a pseudo-dress, she gave him a small smile as she was slowly starting to find herself tired. She really needed to get some actual sleep. "I really appreciate it, Raphael. I can't begin to tell you how nice it was of you to do and not take advantage of me." She said softly, her hands once more going for the bottle of soda. Bringing the bottle up to her lips she turned away from him and looked towards the bedroom. "If you don't mind, might I stay another night? Just to get me completely recovered..."

[BlisteredBlood]

A nod was all Raphael answered with as he watched her look away towards the bedroom. "Feel free." He added before shifting himself around so that one leg was now crossing over the other and one of his elbows was now perched onto the armrest and settled his cheek down onto a lightly clenched fist. Some people were strange nowadays, he thought as he turned his attention over to a window near the front door, listening to what sounded like the occasional traffic going by. He was thankful it was indeed quiet out here. It gave him plenty of time to mull things over.

Unfortunately, that brief respite would be exactly what it would be. Brief. Not more than a few minutes later, the phone rang once more, causing Raphael to arch an eyebrow. Normally, he would expect very few phone calls at this hour, but for it to ring twice in one night would actually be pretty rare. After a moment, he slowly rose from his chair and shifted himself out of his chair and moved towards the phone in the kitchen, but not before looking back at Xenobia and shrugged his shoulders at her as if he had no idea what this was about.

[CirindeFae]

Startled to hear the phone ring once more, she stopped in her tracks and stared at the device. Was that the call she was fearing? Swallowing down the slowly rising fear, she gave him a hopeful smile then forced herself back into moving. It was time to get some food. She'd put it off long enough and could no longer think of anything to stall for time. After all, being interrupted while eating wasn't pleasant no matter what one was eating. Recalling that Raphael had said something about sandwiches, she went into the kitchen and started to rummage about looking for stuff to make a partial meal out of. "Good luck," She muttered to him as she managed to pull together something to eat, although it was extremely hard to tell it was a sandwich, then moved to eat.

[BlisteredBlood]

After a moment, Raphael walked over to the receiver where he went to extend a hand out to it with a brow arched before he took it off of the hook and put it to his ear.

"Hello?" Raphael answered.

No sooner had he spoke that the same distorted sounding voice came through once more, breathing slightly heavily into the receiver. "CT-509 is on the move. Find her and remove her from existence." was all the other voice spoke of before it hung up, leaving Raphael to stand there with a bit of a perplexed look on his face. It was true he had an understanding of the Messier Codes, but this was something that was rather new to him. Who was this person that bore that code? He swore that the angecy he worked for was always so goddamn cryptic and it always aggravated him to a major extent. Though one of the clues the dispatcher stated was that it was a female that had that code, but anything beyond that remained largely unknown. For all intents and purposes, there was at least 240,000 women that lived in this city, but he honestly doubted any of them had that code. Nevertheless, this was something he would have to research on his own time.

After a moment, Raphael shook his head before he hung up the line. "Guess my break's over." He mused mostly to himself before looking out the window once more.

[CirindeFae]

Xeno worked steadily at her sloppy sandwich, her gaze once in a while flicking over Raphael on the phone. She wondered what was being said on the other end but eventually decided it was probably best she didn't know and turned most of her attention back to her rapidly falling apart sandwich. Doing her best to eat it before it splattered everywhere, she shifted to catch a falling piece of bread and meat as she took another bite. She must have been quite a sight to behold standing there with a sloppy sandwich in one hand and parts of it in the other as she tried to eat it.

Hearing him speak after hanging up the phone she blinked, crumbs all over her face, and looked over at him. "That's great, right?" She asked around a mouthful of what was the last quarter of her sandwich. "If there's anything I can do to help, you're welcome to ask. It's only fair since I'm bumming off of you."