Terror Takes The Sound Before You Make It (Valmont)

[Anonymous]

There was something dark about Bethke. It was something that stalked you through the smoky orange streets that were nothing but an arena. It was something that waited to crawl inside you slowly, taking anything good. Bethke was the kind of place that people could fly under the radar, where they could get away with all sorts of things. It was a place where survival of the fittest was lifecode.

Serre's black stilettos were clicking down one of the alleyways. The orange streetlights illuminating the steam from several buildings. She was heading to Argon, to meet up with Akira. One of the few people who still sold the products that she was interested in. Products that landed somewhere between magical and scientific. That's where Serre always rested her head. She could meld the two beautifully.

She locked eyes with a young man who had been staring her as she walked by. He stared straight back for a moment than dropped his eyes. Serre had something about her that was threatening. The general population of Bethke seemed to be pierced, tattooed, electronic additions and wires in their clothes and bodies. Serre was an exception. She lived outside the stereotype which sometimes made life dangerous.

She pulled her red coat tighter around her the orange lights shining off the leather. The night was cold. They normally were. Bethke never really seemed to have seasons. The days were hot, the nights cold, like a desert. She pushed her way passed a few more people to break out onto a main street. The population was out in force tonight. Every person seemed to have something glowing on them. The lights reflected in Serre's eyes. A couple people turned to look at her then turned away. No one was interested.

She could spot the bright orange sign from where she was, the light was reflecting off coats and puddles. She started to walk faster, she hated to spend too much time outside she felt like the city might rub off on her somehow. There it was, Argon. The sign was twisted glass tubing with bright orange gas moving inside of it. She pushed through the doors walking passed someone on the floor, stepping over their legs.

The bar was dark, smoke killed the air. There were orange lights positioned over table but the lighting didn't go much further than that. Women and men were standing up on stages twisting and dancing to music with heavy bass. Orange lights lit them from beneath giving them a sort of ominous look. She pushed between the wall of people to get to the bar. She passed over a few coins. They were circular and the middle looks like a computer chip. She ordered her drink and got passed back a bright orange concoction.

She turned to go and find Akira. Finding a low morals person who sold something in Argon was like looking for a needle in a...needle stack. She found him after a long time pushing through people and stumbling onto others in odd poses and predicaments. She licked her lips when she found him. Finally. She pushed passed a girl with bright green hair and approached him.

Akira was a rather skinny guy, looked quite undernourished. He had lots of black hair that went in every direction it seemed. One of his eyes had a monocle over it that seemed to be constantly moving. He normally wore some sort of ripped apart version of a suit. Serre shook her head at him, a smile hidden in the dark.

"Serre, darling." He stood up and two girls who had been leaning on him half fell. "Give us some space ladies." They gave Serre a sort of disgusted look but nodded and left to go get more drinks.

"You get worse every day." She took his hand sitting down next to him then releasing it.

"I can't help that I attract people Serre. Please! I try to be good, it just never works out that way." She shook her head grinning and laughing.

"Oh Akira. Someday all of this." She motioned to the club around her. "Is going to come back to bite you on the ass." He shook his head at her muffling some laughter behind thin pale fingers.

"Not if I stay on top of it, and I am always on top Serre."

"And for good reason. I assume you have my things." Serre looked passed him for a moment seeing a couple looking their way. She almost bared her teeth but thought better of it. In Bethke that was like giving someone the finger, you never knew what might happen. Akira drew her attention back by taking out a small black bag. She held her hand out taking it and exchanging with her own. The fabric was velvety as it slid through her fingers into her pocket.

"What would I do without you?"

"Fall into a horrible depression?" He answered honestly as he let the bag she had given him slide between both hands.

"So true." She answered fingering the bag in her pocket. She almost couldn't wait. She wanted to run off right now. Screw being polite these things were important. However she couldn't really afford to offend her last contact in Bethke with these products.

[Anonymous]

Ahhh bethke. The "Darkside city" as some circles called it. Bethke was a veritable abyss for those who stalked the night: always waiting to welcome those who wished to hide among its comforting blanket of shadows. So poetic, so true, and so very easy for Hazama to twist to his advantage, especially when he was now so close to finding what he sought.

Or, more appropriately, who he sought.

Hazama had been monitoring her for some time. Watching her research from the shadows, testing and retesting her hypothesis and theories as she did, just to make sure she was on the right path. It was through this that Hazama had become aware of her true potential. He knew Sierre close to discovering the "Truth" behind certain secrets others would have found unfathomable.

It was exciting to see someone follow so closely in his own footsteps, especially in terms of research, And because of this, for the first time, Hazama would violate his own rules in order to help Sierre find her way.

He would offer her the power she had sought for so long, but it would be her decision if she would take it.

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It began in the bar where Sierre had gone to meet her contact: an unusual fellow, rather malnourished from the look of it. He looked like a fairly average guy, all things considered: yeah, he was probably a Junkie, and Sierre was hooking him up with something to cure his addiction, but that was all secondary.

The main point of importance was that Hazama, who sat in a dark corner of the bar , had finally found her. After months of searching unsuccessfully she had surfaced from the depths of bethke in order to do something to support her funding. At least that was what Hazama had guessed: Though he did not have enough data

Perhaps there were other reasons, but that did not matter right now. For now, he would need to at least talk to her: buying her a drink seemed like a good start, if anything to at least break the ice.

the hordes of people and even the smoke itself seeming to move out of the way as he moved through the crowd and sat down next to Sierre, on the opposing side of her friend.

"Hey there, mind If I buy you a drink, fair lady?" Hazama stated with a pleasant smile, ignoring her gangly male friend as best he could. Chances are he would make a fuss.

But Hazama was prepared to deal with that, and anything else that got in his way.

((Sorry if its short, just hoping to get myself started))

[Anonymous]

Serre smiled at Akira as he opened the bag looking inside, there was really no need to be sneaky in the bar for legal reasons. The place was completely open to that sort of thing. People did exchanges here all the time. The only reason to be careful what you bought, sold or traded here was that it might get stolen, or might attract other people interested. You had to guard what was precious here.

"I'll be back later on Akira."

"Oh darlin sooner than you think." He leaned across the table catching her elbow easily with his long arm, and whispering into her ear. "The Fairies are coming through finally. they are done with their stall. Prices are up but I have what you need." His hand felt like steel around her arm. The simple reminder that he in a way owned her. It was the only thing addictive she was ever really interested in. Her fingers dug under his pulling them off. She hated to be grabbed like that, and he knew it.

"You won't win a dominance fight with me Akira. I can always take my business somewhere else..."

"Not for the same price, and if I cut you off everything else then you won't..." He released her as a person sat down next to him. Serre looked over a slight disbelief on her face. Akira however just bared his teeth once at her then left with a raise of the eyebrows. It meant they'd finish this conversation later.

Her eyes turned to look at the other man that had just sat down. He was a risk taker, and he looked....delicious . Though the color of his hair wasn't that odd here in Bethke it complimented him well, she looked him over slowly then came back up. It wasn't too odd a thing here in Bethke to have someone staring at you. More normal people might find the people here animalistic. It just felt passionate to her.

"Of course you can buy me a drink. I'd like your name first though." Her expression turned into a wide smile.

[Anonymous]

"Forgive my manners: My name is Harvey, but call me by the nickname everyone else does: Hazama." He said with a cheerful confidence in his voice. As he looked to see if the bartender was there, he caught another glance of her "friend" Akira in a mirror behind the counter:

Poor bastard. Akira didn't even realize he had just painted a target on his back by threatening Serre. Part of Hazama was itching for the man to come back and try something, just so he could make him hurt.alot.

Being uppity to a lady was one thing, laying an agressive hand on a lady was entirely another.

Hazama's obviously hateful attention to Akira's relfection did not last long, but it would definitely be noticeable to his new friend: after it disappeared, however, Hazama went back to checking on the bartender, who was busy dealing with other customers at the moment. oh well, it would give him time to get to know Serre better and perhaps get a little closer to being more then a friend as well.

"So, what brings a stunning beauty such as yourself to a place like this? certainly it can't be for the company. excluding myself, hopefully." Hazama said in a joking manner, his face back to its normal, cheerful grin. the green-haired slickster was hoping to get to know more about Serre personally, and perhaps learn more about her trouble with that "Akira" fellow as well.

[Anonymous]

"Hazama," She said his name slowly testing it out. It was an interesting nickname she couldn't really guess at the story behind the name.

"I'm Serre." She smiled at him but saw that he was looking at Akira via the mirror. She tilted her head at Hazama, interesting. Was he really so righteous that he knew nothing of her and thought she needed protecting? She narrowed her eyes at him before he focused on her again the animosity melting from his face.

"Ah, I had need of something." She trailed off slightly.

 "My business was done but now I'm getting to know you, Hazama." She smiled at him. He was attractive indeed. He was interesting as well.

"I do have to ask how you got that name. It's not familiar to me."

[Anonymous]

"I'm Serre"

Although Hazama had heard the name before, he nonetheless took a deeper delight hearing it from the beautiful woman's own lips: it had a ring to it when she said it that gave it an aura of mystery and beauty. Just like the lady it belonged to. Too bad mystery and beauty were far too easy for Hazama to penetrate. still, he would play along, if anything to just give Serre the feeling of control that he felt she deserved.

"Ah, I had need of something." Serre said, trailing off slightly. Hazama did not bother to persue that particular point: whatever she needed he would likely find out about later.

"My business was done but now I'm getting to know you, Hazama." she said with a smile. Hazama could tell that she was attracted to him by her mannerisms. from his initial assessment with his powerful perception abilities, he could tell that her heart rate and blood pressure were slightly elevated, which to him was a good indicator of such a physical attraction.

"I do have to ask how you got that name. It's not familiar to me."

"It was a name given to me by an old friend: While it was a joke to me and him, I kept it as an alias for my rather business. Those who are my enemies and know it respect the name. those same enemies who do not respect it will fear it. and those who do neither no longer exist. To those who are friends or wish to be friends, however, it is an offering to walk into the mystery that I offer. There is one last name, my "birth" name, which I save to give only to very gifted individuals.

as he finished the statement, the bartender finally returned to the two.

"What'll it be?" the bartender asked.

"Ill have an emerald dragon, and whatever my new friend wants will be on me."

Hazama looked back to his lovely companion with another sly, yet friendly smile.

"so, what would you like, Serre?" Hazama stated, accentuating Serre's name.

[Anonymous]

Serre arched a brow as he went on about his name. Was this guy serious? Oh the drama! She grinned though. She liked a guy with arrogance, at least it made her laugh...though that may not have been the desired effect.

"Certainly sounds interesting." She smirked at him as the bartender returned. She contemplated drinks for a moment going over a catalog in her head. She never really stuck with one drink her mind was always wandering around.

"I'll try what he's having..." she leaned closer to him, "What's in that drink anyway?"