[video]

[dreamsallotted]

[Seel did not look amused. His almond eyes were narrowed, and while his androgynous looks might be beautiful, right now he looked positively bitchy. It had taken him a few days to recover himself after his murder and subsequent resurrection. He wasn't all there yet, it would take time. But he was well enough that he could put on a good front. Seel had a lot of practice after all.]

I didn't think I'd ever have to say this. But at least one of you have proven yourself to be so unpredictable and downright moronic that it deserves to be said.

Don't drink my blood. Don't touch my blood. That goes for Calanthe and Pellaz as well. It's a caustic poison and if you ingest it or inject it, you'll either die horribly or transform. We're not human.

Find yourself another snack or another way to satisfy your sick urges.

And I promise, any of you having similar thoughts, it won't be so easy.

[Seel repositions himself, folding his hands together to keep himself from fidgeting. He really wanted a fucking cigarette.]

Now, who around here would be the leading the Guard? As far as I can tell you are incompetent at best and willingly corrupt at worst. It was my understanding that you were supposed to keep law and order and protect the individuals here and those who cannot defend themselves.Clearly, your methods are not working. I suggest you find me before I have to go find you. At least make yourself look willing to change and accept help.

Comments

[text]

[aroundthecoroner]

[Um. Michael is feeling oddly called out right now, even though he's not the one who did the thing. And will not be doing the thing because it sounds like a massive inconvenience.

But hey, way more pressing issue: There's a murderer in Hadriel. And that immediately takes all priority away from the blood thing. In fact, he kind of can't think about anything else. Hello there.]

There's a serial killer here?
Do we know who it is?

Re: [text]

[dreamsallotted]

[Sorry Michael, Seel might consider your feelings if he knew about you or who you were. Maybe. He was a lot more logical than he was emotional or considerate. Most of the times. There was the stray crazy thought. Okay, more than a stray one.]

I'm not sure his full name. Beyond. Or B maybe. He had dark hair,thin frame, really bad posture?

[text]

[aroundthecoroner]

[It's okay, Seel, Michael wouldn't ever admit to the thing, either. No hard feelings.]

Haven't met him.
Do you know where he is now?
Are the guard going to like
arrest him or something?
Or are you going to do some kind of vigilante justice?

[And if so, would he like help, perhaps.]

Re: [text]

[dreamsallotted]

No, I don't know where he is now.

From what I've heard, the guards aren't going to do much of anything.

I'm not sure what I'm going to do. But if he comes near me again he wont like the results.

Why?

[text]

[aroundthecoroner]

[HmmmMMMMM. The info about the guards is good, but it could be risky to share his own intentions with anyone else, especially if they weren't already planning some good old-fashioned retribution.]

Just
wondering.
Could be dangerous to go after the guy by yourself.
I mean
no offense
but he did kill you once already.

Re: [text]

[dreamsallotted]

Thank you so much for your enduring faith in my abilities. This time I'll be ready.

I am not defenseless.

[text]

[aroundthecoroner]

[God damn it. This isn't going the way he wanted at all.]

No, that's not what I meant.
I'm sure you're not helpless or anything.
I just think you might have an easier time of it
if you had like
help.

[Ehhhh????]

Re: [text]

[dreamsallotted]

[Trust Seel to be a jerk, when in doubt, it's usually his default setting.]

And I suppose you are offering your illustrious services.

Figures.

Why?

[text] --> [private]

[aroundthecoroner]

Well when you put it that way,
it sounds like I'm being a douchebag.

[Is he?? Anyway, this is now a private conversation. Hope you're alright with that, Seel.]

I'm offering to help, yeah.
But I'm not insisting.
Call it a sense of civic duty, I guess.

[It's duty of a kind, at least.]

Re: [text] --> [private]

[dreamsallotted]

[Seel was pretty good at making people sound like douchebags. You missed his drunken rant where he brought up every horrible thing his friends did and spewed them in public. What an excellent diplomat.]
Well I guess that puts you as one better than some of the guards. What exactly are you proposing?

[aroundthecoroner]

[Hmm how to navigate this. Saying "I propose we hunt the bastard down and let my mind-ghost eat him" seems a little less than convincing, and also probably not a good idea to advertise. Even if there aren't any laws here, announcing yourself as a dangerous element is a Bad Plan.]

"Proposing" sounds a little ambitious.
What I'm saying is that if you decide to go after him,
I'll help.
Which is vague I guess but like,
I can be helpful?
I can find specific people if I've seen them.
And I'm not like,
helpless or anything, trust me.
So basically,
if you keep me in the know about this guy,
it could be beneficial for both of us.

[Well... that was clumsy as hell. Social interactions aren't his forte to begin with. He shouldn't be talking to anyone about this at all, he should just start in on his own, but it's hard not to try to get info from the source. Actually getting to talk to a murder victim isn't something he can do back home.]

[dreamsallotted]

[Seel would have been quite interested in his 'mind ghost' if he knew about it. Although he didn't and Seel's plan alternated between not doing anything, hunting him down and killing him repeatedly until he broke, and finding some good drugs, dragging the murderer up into an abandoned tower, chaining him up and leaving him there until he broke.He quite liked the last one. But, Seel had a history of locking people away.]

You can be helpful?
No offense but I don't tend to trust people off their text messages.
Helpful has many meanings. Do you mean helpful as in I own a pair of hand cuffs or helpful as in I have a machine gun tucked under my bed?
Normally I'd prefer to meet someone first.

Trust and all that.

[aroundthecoroner]

[Welp. This is going to lead to more bad ideas.]

Closer to the second thing.
But it's not literally a gun.
It's complicated.
We can meet if you want to?
I'll let you pick where but I don't know my way around yet so
I might get lost.
Just a fair warning.

[What was that about not being helpless???]

[dreamsallotted]

You want to help me potentially kill someone but you're not competent enough to find your way around the city?

[Sorry Michael, Seel was having second thoughts about all this. He was a strong believer in 'if you want something right, you have to do it yourself' and this guy? Well, he wasn't coming through as really able.]

What's your name again?

[aroundthecoroner]

Well I only said I might get lost.
Not necessarily.
And navigating the city isn't the same as
you know
helping potentially kill someone.

[Michael realizes he is losing Seel here. Which... is unfortunate, but he's also starting to think maybe he could just do this on his own. The only problem is, he's never seen who he might be looking for. And that description isn't enough to go on.]

It's Michael.
And uh
even if you decide that I'm useless,
this conversation stays between us, right?

[dreamsallotted]

Don't worry. I'm not in the habit of telling others that I conspired to commit murder with a stranger.

Your secret is safe.

I'm Seel har Parasiel.

[Seel sighs and stares at the text message. Dammit.]

Fine. Why don't you meet me for a drink, if you think you can find the place. Do you know where the damn speakeasy is?

[aroundthecoroner]

[Mmmm he doesn't want to drink but, eh, what the hell.]

I do actually.

[Thanks Carlisle.]

I think I can manage that one.
What time?

[dreamsallotted]

[Seel technically just wants to smoke, but after quitting when he got ressurected, well, he's indulging in another vice. He was entitled to drink a little after getting murdered.]

How's eight?

[Maybe that will give him some time to get lost and find his way back again. Although he actually seemed sure about this location. Good.]

[aroundthecoroner]

Eight works.

[He wouldn't admit it, but Michael's also glad this gives him time to get lost- just in case. Somehow, he manages not to, even though he almost rather would. He can't entirely believe he's doing this, but it's probably too late for that.

When he finds the speakeasy, he hesitates outside for a moment. What if it's busy? But then, how busy could it be? He enters, but kind of lingers by the door a bit, trying to spot Seel and feeling really out of place.]

[dreamsallotted]

[Seel had a drink in his hand, because dammit he wanted a cigarette and quitting all over again was a bitch. But at the moment, he was holding his own, although it might not be too long before he asks the gods for a patch, spray, lozenge, anything really. He was a table, not trying to hide. He took a sip, not knowing what Michael looked like, although he assumed human male from the name.]

[aroundthecoroner]

[Michael, on the other hand, knows what Seel looks like from the video. When he recognizes him, he slinks in that direction and seats himself on the opposite side of the table. They already agreed to meet, so it's definitely not weird.]

Uh, hey. Seel, right? [He's pretty sure he'd butcher the rest of the name, so that gets left out.]

[dreamsallotted]

[Up close, Seel looked pretty damn androgynous, a sort of shifting male/female ambiance to him. Lazily, he took a sip of his drink, and looked at the man who slid into the seat opposite him.]

Correct. Michael I assume?

[Because human male. It didn't take a great detective to put the facts together.]

So. You want to help. Why?

[aroundthecoroner]

[Michael nods. The androgyny doesn't bother him, but it's definitely not what he's used to. Still, he'll try not to make a deal out of it. And wow, that sure is a complicated conversation starter.]

Well, I'm not interested in helping unless you're actually going with the revenge option. Or, you know. The murder-revenge. I'm not interested in torture.

[He has no idea Seel's actually considered that, though he can see the appeal of it, maybe, if someone murdered him. But that's not what Michael's here for.

Now comes the hard part. He's decided that if this is going to work, he's got to let go of at least some of his secrets. Some.]

This isn't going to make sense to you, and I don't expect it to, but it's kind of like... when people make sacrifices, to appease gods, or something. It's a little like that.

[There are actual gods running around here, maybe Seel will understand.]

[dreamsallotted]

[He wouldn't be Seel if he didn't consider locking the problem away, possibly drugging him, although the mind could work wonderful ways when they were lucid. Trapped. That had been his problem with Cal. He was sure his Cal, future Cal with thirty years under his belt, had been too drugged and mentally tortured to remember it. Seel just hadn't worked out if that was a good thing or not. In terms of the new har that killed him, well, keeping him locked up was the best solution he could think of for everyone. ]

Murder is problematic. He'll just come back.

[And then Seel would have to find him again. But at the very least, he might not be har anymore.]

Explain to me what you mean.

[Seel had a strange inkling, but all Michael conjured in him was the puppet strings that were wrapped around his friend Pell, how those same strings had pulled the trigger on a gun, even if it hadn't been held by those who pulled them. But he doubted that was the same thing. It was still a sacrifice though. To a god? Well, his god.]

[aroundthecoroner]

[Yeah, Michael's heard of the whole impermanent death thing. But still-]

The gods aren't choosy about who they bring back? I'm not sure it matters. For my purposes, anyway. I'm guessing you mean you won't be satisfied by that?

[That's fine by Michael though. Having an infinitely respawning killer just means an endless supply of food for the Visitor. Or maybe it'll move on to a new target after the first time? He can't exactly ask it.]

I'll... try to explain. But it's going to sound kind of crazy, okay? [More like a lot of crazy. Michael glances around to make sure no one else is within earshot. Moment of truth. He's having second thoughts, but he figures the worst that can happen is that Seel thinks he's off his rocker. Which will still suck, a lot, but what's Seel going to do about it? Seel doesn't trust the Guard, he said as much. He won't report this.]

There's something living in my head, kind of, and I have to feed it. Only, it has a very particular diet, if you get my meaning. [This is like the worst explanation ever. Oops.] I figure if it's gotta be somebody, it might as well be the worst somebody. It kind of has a taste for killers anyway.

I guess this amounts to me being here for selfish reasons, sorry, but... it really can be useful.

[Please don't react badly, please don't react badly-]