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Post by Kassandra Queenie on Feb 27, 2018 5:27:14 GMT
Kassandra did a lot of business these days.
Some of it was the more conventional what-you’d-expect from a multimillion dollar security company. She’d file requests, create new programs, and solve problems with their current systems, even as the CEO.
But some of it was more sinister- some of it was to help maintain the life she’d created for herself in Rideau Falls- ‘for the sake of the people’ and all that. She’d created yet another world of tranquility. Many of the citizens didn’t realize what lives they’d been saved from. Death, alcoholism, depression, loss. But they couldn’t know, for their own sake. So as much as she’d want them to be grateful for what they’d been given, she understood it was a sacrifice she would have to make.
And so every once in awhile she’d have to write out a bit of a contract with Valentine Anderson. His methods were a bit more… non-discreet than she would have liked, but even she had to admit that he was effective.
Good assassins just weren’t easy to come by anymore.
She’d known him for some number of years now, and had been in contact with him more and more as recent events would prove his services were required. People were waking up- people were remembering when they shouldn’t. They created problems like that, which is something they really couldn’t have.
And so Kazz would arrange for them to ‘move out’ of Rideau Falls, or have some sort of freak accident. There was really an endless list of options.
Their most recent problem was one that she was rather aware of, and despite the rules, she was too anxious not to try it. There had been whispers and rumours of the mad boy on the street corner being even more… odd than usual. She knew exactly who it was, and knew that his ramblings were more than just ramblings.
But there were the laws of the curse as well- she remembered. So he couldn’t be touched.
But she had to try.
Too much was at stake.
And so she messaged Valentine to come meet her at her offices after hours as they always did. The man was a bit of an enigma to her, but she never asked questions. They never got much into each other’s personal lives, and that was fine with her. She had him do her dirty work, and in return his records were kept clean. He was smart though- admittedly someone whose company she could actually enjoy if they had to hold a conversation. She dealt with so many stupid people these days that she could could those she actually liked on one hand.
Valentine may have been one of them.
She sat at her computer, desk a pristine white marble countertop. The rest of the office was decorated in a very sterile, clean fashion that she still somehow managed to make come off as friendly. There were fake pictures of a fake family from when she was younger, and it worked for her purposes.
Kassandra was just finishing a few things when he arrived- she’d seen him on the building’s cameras. Wordlessly, she had the security let him in.
“Valentine. I hope your night is finding you well. I’ve an offer for you- can we talk business?”
The CEO got up and made her way around to a mini bar- more for social reasons and occasions such as this than anything.
"Can I get you anything?"
@valentine
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Post by Deleted on Feb 27, 2018 6:43:40 GMT
He never really minded these- pleasant disturbances to his lifestyle, which was probably by he came and did all this. The deal the pair of them had was a mutual one, of sorts, though the man often wondered who was more to gain from it. It wasn’t like he was a total knife wielding pervert who drained the blood of his victims and drank it or anything, but there was some kind of- benefit in it all for him having his name completely and almost unconditionally cleared. And although he wasn’t sure how far things even went on her side, he knew Kassandra had things she wanted to get rid of.
“Business” was what she’s called this.
Having received her message to meet after hours, he’d initially felt a lot better about it than he did now, coming in robrhe daunting company building, though he suspected his long, rather frustrating working day was partially to blame for that. Being a professional photographer was frustrating, as he reminded himself, and some of the people he encountered were the worst kinds. Company people, often, who wanted photos of things for publicity reasons, were a big amount of what he did, and he found them to be mostly obnoxious, full of airs and graces. Wedding photos were the other main things he did, and it was almost like those events were- too happy. Not in a bad way, necessarily, but sometimes the stupid amounts of love in a room can get on a man’s nerves in ways even he- someone who usually liked a bit of romance- would never expect.
It was from one of those weddings that he was coming back from now, and in the nicest way, he hadn’t changed to come and see this- asosciate. Because he looked smart enough already, what with his dark brown hair pretty neat (albeit not perfect), and his entirely black suit still clean, without any kind of blotching on it. Even after a long day of work, he looked smart, and seemed as presentably unremarkable as normal- or at least just a little bit quirky.
The good thing about their friendship (and he probably would call it that, it wasn’t like either of them had many other friends) was that nobody questioned it. They were of similar ages and although they came across differently, were similar minded people when all was said and done. Stood in her office now, the man never failed to look around, never one to not be a little bit impressed by the feel of it. He was, admittedly, someone who liked and appreciated beautiful design, wether it was art, interior design or photography, although with a few seconds, he glanced back in her direction, a practically expressionless sort of smile on his lips. Not sitting down, he held himself well, with his left arm crossed over to his right side, holding onto his right elbow. Hearing her proposal, he smiled.
“Well, is there anything else we ever talk about?” He said curtly, though the practically smug smile across his face still persisted. Everything about his delievery was welcoming though, basically saying yes to the business talk. Turning to look at her, he took a few steps towards her, surveying the minibar. “Sure- you surprise me, I need some excitement today,”
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Post by Kassandra Queenie on Feb 27, 2018 15:09:45 GMT
Even though Valentine was one of the few who knew who she was, there was still quite a bit she withheld from the man. Like how deep her involvement truly ran, and how long she had been planning. There was really a multitude of different things. It wasn’t that she didn't trust him. Well- yes it was. But it was nothing personal. She just didn’t trust that many people in the first place.
As Kassandra stood before the bar she smoothed over her suit. It was a simply ensemble- a black matte jacket, trousers, and a white blouse. Whereas her style used to be a bit more… pronounced, she found her advantages in being subtle in her dress in this world. She watched his expression as he looked around, chuckling softly to herself.
“Please, Valentine- take a seat if you’d like.” She nodded to the chair in front of her desk. “I’m afraid if you’re looking for excitement you’ve come to the wrong place. I’ve got the basics but… I've never been the bit mixer.” She picked two glasses from the corner of the bar and nodded. “Whiskey- no ice. I find that it dulls the taste” Kassandra poured them both out and walked to where Valentine was, handing it before him before returning to her throne-like seat.
Kassandra laughed- actually laughed, nothing malicious- at his remark. “You’re right there. It’s nothing bad though. Our business brings us both benefit.” She took a sip of the whiskey and felt the slow burn run down her throat. She watched Valentine for a moment, examining his demeanor and everything about him.
“Alright well- straight to what we need to talk about then.” Kazz crossed her legs and relaxed her weight back into the chair. “We’ve a bit of a problem- this one is bound to be… different from the usual. We are aware of the rules we abide by to be here- I am unable to harm another if we come from the same world and I remembers. You know how this goes usually, though. Someone remembers, we arranged for them to disappear. But we’ve had someone wake up who will be more of a problem than the others. Galileo- Gordon Jones. He’s onto us, and what we’ve done. I understand the rules but we have to try. If the others actually begin to listen to him, then we will be caught.”
Kazz looked around- a habit of paranoia even though she knew full well that there was no one else listening. She leaned in towards Valentine with her hands clasped. “I want you to kill him, if you can. Ten thousand upfront, and ten thousand if you succeed. I hate to admit it but… this kid. I’ve already underestimated him once. If you can’t kill him. Scare him. He doesn’t know he’s immune. But who knows, maybe things will work out.” She leaned back and took another drink.
“The boy hears things in his head- music, lyrics. Snippets of the past and future- however you want to see it. You see why he’s a threat?”
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Post by Deleted on Feb 27, 2018 19:55:05 GMT
Valentine wasn't exactly trusted by anyone. He probably didn't even trust himself, and that wouldn't exactly be an understatement. Even now, he had a strange- far-out dreamy look in his eyes. He didn't sit down, and instead took a few steady steps towards her desk, clutching his drink. Lips curling into a curt smile, he took a sip of his drink. He seemed a bit disoriented - more than usual - but never did his upright stature end. As he stood almost eerily still, watching her as she talked and stressed out over this boy.
Maybe it was uncomfortable for him, but the look on his face definitely didn't look bored - even with a straight, unmoving expression. Publicly, he wasn't like that, and had a lot more expressive sort of personality. But stood opposite Kassandra, he needed a different sort of defence, which just so happened to be this rather stoic one. What he'd learnt over all this time was that people were all unnerved by different things, and although he couldn't exactly assert much power over her, the best way to play with her was to play with silence and spacing his responses without showing emotion, rather than seeming overly cheerful and open to drive her off course.
After what could have been a century, he finally smiled, taking another sip of his drink.
"I completely understand. People like that are dangerous. Problem children. He's your- you can't touch him, right? So you're hoping the rules don't apply to strangers? I'll happily do it, but I'll need a photo. Unlike you, I don't know the boy. You do know the rules though, don't be surprised if I can't perform. But scaring is- a good option. Now- I need information, so you are going to need to open up to me. What is the deal about Galileo?"
After speaking, began to slowly pace the room, drinking a bit from his whiskey to give something to do. It felt good just to walk around a bit, and it was oddly freeing to just- wander around her office like this. It wasn't like they spoke all that much, so in a way, this was a pleasure.
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Post by Kassandra Queenie on Feb 28, 2018 3:41:47 GMT
The silence disturbed Kazz, but she was used to it. It was something she scarcely noticed anymore- well at least she tried not to. She knew Valentine’s games, but she respected them at the same time. He didn’t sit. It wasn’t something that surprised her, but it was still unsettling in a way. She needed a response- some type of instant gratification. Kassandra needed to know what he was thinking of the matter. But she still said nothing. She was already due to the subject they were speaking of, but seeming so was the last thing she wanted. Anxiety was another weakness. She couldn’t have that- it was too human.
“I can’t touch him, no.” She finally breathed again when he spoke.
At Valentine’s request for more information and a photo of the boy, Kazz nodded and pressed a button on her phone. The wall beside the two of them opened up, splitting in half vertically, the panels sliding up neatly into the ceiling and ground. Behind them, a massive, seamless screen was revealed. Kassandra typed a few things into her computer and brought up Galileo’s file.
Over the years she’d compiled databases on each person as she could. Of course, there were some that were blank, or hardly filled out, but it was something she was working on. There were several photos of him- some full body, some profile, and some that looked so good they were practically headshots. The other half of the screen were quick notes on what was known about him- height, age, basic things like that.
In the corner a video clip played- it was the image of a young man, nervous, scared. He had dark hair and wild eyes, but with a different kind of intelligence. That was Galileo- that was their threat.
“He’s special. Like I said, he hears things, words, sounds, songs. Prophecies. That’s the danger. He knows who I am and… although I know most of the town think him to be crazy, something is going to click. He’ll know what I’m up to, he knows what I’m like. He’ll do his best to find the others like him and rise up. You wouldn’t want to lost the life you’ve built for yourself, now would you?” She asked, mouth twisted into a bit of a smirk.
Kassandra took another drink and watched him as he paced, trying to get a read on him. But he was a blank slate, almost unreadable. He was an interesting man.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 28, 2018 13:51:03 GMT
“You think you can plan on my own insecurities with that, but I think you and I both know you’re more frightened of the consequences than I am, Kassandra,”
This time, however, he was quick, too quick, and bit into her almost instantly. It was true though, or at least from the impression he got of her, that this was her crowning glory. She’d built up a whole life, a whole world, a whole business for herself, and she was terrified to loose it. Why else would she hire him to kill a boy like this? With deadly calm that borderlines maliciousness very clear in his voice, he glanced over at the lady, anticipating her reaction.
He did thank though, what life would be like if he lost all this. Unlike the woman dat before him, he hadn’t built a multi-million country out of pure power and ambition, just a small photography business. Well- he was good at slipping through the cracks anyway, and unless Kassandra ever dobbed him in, he knew he could do the same even if all of this got turned around. He even stopped pacing for some time to look her over, watch her, examine what she was doing, though after a few moments, he began again, taking another sip of his drink.
Another length of silence later, he gave her a slick nod, and pointed to the photographs.
“Can you get these printed? I need a reference, after all. And the more, the better. And give me information on him. Where does he live? See if you can get me access- a key maybe? And I’ll need as much information against him as you can get. What’re his weaknesses? What might he already have on you? What can I use to scare him? Give me as much as you can as soon as possible, then I’ll come back and do the deed,”
Looking at her now, completely still and deadly malicious, his face twisted into a cold smile, and he studied her again.
“Tell me, Kazz, how does it feel knowing someone who might have power over you is finally onto your case?”
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Post by Kassandra Queenie on Feb 28, 2018 15:00:16 GMT
When he spoke, her smile faltered and her mask cracked, a bit of her true self showing through in that moment. Kassandra was usually good at not letting people get under her skin- but this jab was so direct, and hit so hard, that she couldn’t help it. Her blue eyes flashed, even more electric than usual, a sign of her losing momentary control. “Watch yourself, Valentine.”
The snarled reply came quickly. She was figuratively, and quite literally, on the edge of her sheet in agitation. She hated the silence that waited between, and now more than ever it was getting on her nerves. He was doing it on purpose, of course. Bastard.
As he nodded, Kassandra looked back at the picture board and placed her drink down. She was in no mood to drink much, anyway.
She nodded curtly at the request for them to be printed, turning around and having the photos run. Kassandra looked over them before placing them on the desk in front of her. If he really wanted them, he could get them.
“The boy doesn’t live anywhere, really. He’s a run away- product of an apparently abusive father. So no key will be needed. He’s most often seen on the corner beside town hall. He’ll talk to anyone that will listen to him- and anyone who won’t, actually.” She thought in silence for a moment, combing through her memories of the old world. “His weaknesses are what he remembers- the fact that he believes he’s the only one who can. His girlfriend- Scaramouche. He’ll miss her. He’ll be lost without his friends. He won’t be able to survive on his own.”
Kassandra leaned back in her chair again. “He used to be scared of his dreams- he still may be. As for what he knows… that’s difficult. But from the ramblings, the whispers I’ve heard, he remembers. He’ll know GlobalVision- then known as Globalsoft. He’ll be aware of my intentions to keep things as they are. But he’s not a complete idiot though- he’ll recognize GlobalVision as a security company and likely be onto the fact that’s how I keep an eye on people like him.”
Her tone was firm, but she gazed off into the distance as if recalling a faint memory. Thinking in depth of what had been like that was odd for her. Eventually she snapped back into focus and went to her computer. “I can have this all printed for you by the morning.”
Then he broke the silence again, and this time she wished he hadn’t.
Her shoulders tensed, and she rolled them, shutting her eyes for a moment. She was really about to lose it. When she opened her eyes, they were glowing that sharp blue, the same kind of light you see shining through a monitor when a computer was running.
“How dare you.” Killer Queen hissed. Instinctively, her hand curled around the gun under her desk. “You do not speak to me like that. Have you forgotten who I am, Valentine?”
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Post by Deleted on Feb 28, 2018 15:49:37 GMT
"I think, Queenie, you need to remember that, unlike where you were before, you aren't the only person in here with power,"
He put his drink down on her desk, tempted to spill it, but he wasn't childish. Instead, he pretended to be preoccupied by it for a few moments, feeling into the depths of the pocket of his jacket, he pulled out his knife, taking it rather casually into his hand and dancing it across the table, letting it dangle loosely and swing. Was there a real reason for doing this? He wasn't sure, but it was a nice way of showing off his comfort with the weapon. Though to be fair, he did keep it permanently tucked inside his pocket.
"I mean- I could always- not-" He stopped to pause, miming slicing his own neck with the knife before continuing, now holding weapon a lot tighter in his hand, "-do this for you and let the boy destroy you like he's meant to. That would be a shame, wouldn't it?"
Finally, he looked up at her, and caught her eye.
It was the first time he looked to be genuinely unnerved, and it caught him off guard. The slight fear in his dark eyes gave away so much more emotion than he had in this whole conversation, but within a few seconds, he stepped away, took a deep breath and looked just above her, focusing on his headspace again. His thoughts - the voices - everything began the string of anxieties in his head. He had a nervous feeling about her, and although he knew her as well as he did, he could never pinpoint her motivations. He didn't know if she'd ever dispose of him or if she really, genuinely was using his services.
"Now- do you want your boy attended to or not?"
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Post by Kassandra Queenie on Feb 28, 2018 16:37:31 GMT
“I haven’t forgotten. But whose idea was this? Who made all this possible? Who’s kept order?” Kassandra took the gun from beneath the desk and placed it before her.
She wasn’t scared or threatened by a simple knife. She truly believed she had the upper hand here, and would not be daunted by Valentine and his switchblade. All she had was a pistol at the moment, but all it would take was one bullet.
“I’ll put it simply,” she began, putting her hand on the gun. “You try to kill him. Or I kill you. And none will be the wiser. Who would miss the photographer?” She asked, an innocent tone in her voice as she tilted her head ever so slightly. “The boy will not, and I repeat. Won’t. Win this time. I know my mistake. I underestimated him before, never again.”
Kazz was losing her temper, and Valentine was getting the worst of it. But he was goading her on, so there would be no guilt later.
But then she caught him off guard- she caught the look in his eye and she smirked. He refused to make further eye contact.
“Oh look- Valentine, unnerved. I’ll remind you. I got rid of my commander after his failure of service. I’d known him for years. Alex- now from the police department. Just be mindful of that.” She said and calmed down slightly, taking her hand off the gun. Her eyes faded back to her normal colour as she sat back.
“Yes, I want the boy taken care of. The offer still stands. He’s a threat to everyone here. Pick your allies carefully.”
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Post by Deleted on Feb 28, 2018 17:03:06 GMT
"You think I care about being missed, Little Miss Domination? Because once again, that's more you than me,"
He tucked his knife away, although shot her a deadly expression, back to his usual cold, blank slate, and he took another long, hard sip of his whiskey, and began pacing again, thinking up further responses to her, but in a way, he wanted to just keep walking back and forward instead.
He scowled slightly when she noticed he'd been unnerved, and he had to fight very hard to hide even that expression. His first rule was always to hide all signs of emotion from his face and body at all times so she couldn't work out how to get across to him. She knew nothing about his life for a reason, and he wanted to keep it all that way. Of course, that didn't mean there wasn't a lot she could use against him, like how he was and had always been lonely. Like how he didn't know his family and never had done, and how maybe that played into his persona. Like maybe how he did sick things like stab people and didn't batter half an eye anymore, yet was still made uncomfortable by her strange blue eyes. She could ask for his life story if she wanted, force it out of him, and that scared him a lot too.
"I'll do it, but I need those photos tomorrow. And don't you dare threaten me like that again,"
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Post by Kassandra Queenie on Feb 28, 2018 18:39:49 GMT
There were honestly a number of things that were beginning to piss Kazz off, and if she thought she couldn’t find a way to begin it before, she could now. Little Miss Domination. The pure nerve of that idiotic knife-twirler had her doing all she could to restrain herself from pulling the trigger on the gun before her. She could’ve very easily gotten away with it, but it was a messy business.
Besides, she didn’t want that mess on her floor again.
As it turned out, humans bled quite a bit.
But she put the gun away as soon as he placed his knife back into his pocket. There was no need for that now- or so she would continue to hope.
Kassandra finally took another sip of her whiskey as she watched him do him damned endless pacing.
It was so unnerving- despite her endless files, she had so little on Valentine, and she hated it. Kazz was a person for force. If things didn’t go her way- she would usually push them and break them until they did. It was a... difficult process. But it was always effective in achieving her end goal.
She scowled at him. She made no effort to conceal her anger at his demands or accusations.
“Fine. I’ll have them ready for you. But you don’t call the shots.”
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Post by Deleted on Mar 2, 2018 19:46:11 GMT
"I'll return tomorrow- maybe we can make it a lunch date. I'd like that, maybe. I still don't know enough about the woman who I'm told is meant to be my ally,"
He drained the rest of his whisky slowly, never taking his eyes off her as he did so. It was probably 10 seconds of this, and finally, he set down his glass, pushed it over to her and smiled, burying one of his hands deep in the pocket of his suit jacket, and holding the other one out for her to shake. This was a custom of his, by now, to always act upright and like some smart man of business. If anyone was ever looking in on them, it would seem like a kind of business deal, although often it was the very opposite of those things.
This could never be a business. In a way, he didn't want to be an assassin at all, and he wouldn't be doing this at all if it weren't for her letting him keep his- well, he wouldn't call them memories. Despite his actions, he usually thought himself to be well intended (by his own standards) and he didn't like to picture himself as some raging killer who only killed for the money.
Yet here he was, taking the deal. With one last smile, he turned around to face the door, and sighed.
"Goodbye then, Miss Queenie. I'll be back whenever I find the time, I suppose,"
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Post by Kassandra Queenie on Mar 3, 2018 4:15:45 GMT
Kassandra’s lips actually twitched up into something of a smile at his comment about lunch.
They’d gone from threatening one another, straight to that cheeky offer. She liked Valentine and how he worked, in the very least, she had to give him that. She couldn’t say the same about very many others.
“I’ll have your money and information for tomorrow. Come by whenever is convenient. I may take you up on that offer.”
Kazz stood up to shake his hand. It good and customary business practice to do so. Things had happened so quickly recently. Her actions in choosing to have this be done were for the best. The last thing she needed was Galileo ruining everything she had worked for.
“Good night, Valentine.”
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