Old Steel Reference Library

(Honest and Alyss at the moment )

The sign on the door read 'SILENCE PLEASE'. It was to be expected, of course, as all libraries expect a degree of respect for the atmosphere and clientele.

Fortunately for Steel, this was one of the only areas that the gangs hadn't touched; they had no real use for a reference library unless it was to use the books as fire kindling. It was a grand old affair too; shining, polished oak shelves that stretched from left to right as far as the eye could see, lined next to each other like soldiers standing firmly to attention. Situated in between the cases were small desks with tiny green lamps attached to the head and wooden chairs, for the use of those who wished to read the heavier texts without the strain of carrying them back to the main studying hall. If one were to approach the end of one row, there led another corridor, revealing yet more books and desks.
Occasionally you would glimpse the shadow of another person but the sheer size of the library created a feeling of isolated- the place was a labyrinth.
Reaching the end of the rows and rows of bookcases was a challenge, but if completed there was situated ladders that led to another floor, teeming with maps, advertisements and scripts, waiting motionlessly for a reader to wipe the dust from their surface and pry open information inside.

The sheer loneliness of the place was what attracted Alyss to it in the first place. The vast nature of the library meant you could easily get lost and with her lust for knowledge and security amongst the shadows meant that she could feel quite at home- alone with her books. She only wished she could fit this many in her own house.

The girl entered through the revolving glass doors and sighed gently as the familiar smell of dusty pages wrapped around her. With a quick nod to the security guard, she walked to the gargantuan map of the library that was placed just above the entrance to the first chamber.
'LOCAL HISTORY AND CULTURES - Floor One, Section Two, Case Three & Four
MILITARY HISTORY - Floor One, Section Two, Case One & Two' was her destination. Quite a long trek from her current position, but it was worth it. Starting her long trudge, she gazed one last time and the beauty of the cathedral sized entrance hall before stepping into the first area of the library. It still astonished her- how much they had here. Classics, moderns, originals, maps, artefacts, scripts, papyrus, pretty much everything; it was more of a museum than a library.

After walking down what seemed like endless corridors and listening to the gentle sounds of pages turning and her own footsteps echoing, she trailed her hands along the spines of the books before noticing the ladder to the first floor. Good thing she'd seen it, it was so easy to get lost here!
A quick climb saw her to the first floor, Section One. Entering Section Two, she saw a different layout to the other parts of the library she'd seen. In the centre was an immense map table, set out with bronze compasses, shining wooden chairs and thick lead pencils. The green oak table was surrounded by four deep burgundy sofas, whilst two regular desks were situated behind the plush seats, pens already neatly set out next to a stack of lined paper.
The bookcases of Section Two were placed in a square around this little set-up, each containing either rows of colourful spines or rolls of scratchy parchment.

The girl approached the case marked 'LOCAL GEOGRAPHY' and ran her hands over the scrolls until finally pulling out her chosen map. She spread it out on the table, setting tiny bronze weights gently on each corner. It was a mammoth piece of parchment, detailing the base buildings and sewage of Steel City. It was Alyss's latest idea to find the underground gangs to take out, meaning less to rise and replace the surface scum when the originals were taken out by a hail of bullets.
But it was harder than she expected; it was a maze down there, much like this library, but far greater in expanse and far darker. She needed to know her destinations before getting to it. Grabbing a compass, paper and pencil from the side, she began detailing her co-ordinates and trying to memorise the journey she would need to take.

Fear was beginning to bug her, shouting about boredom in her head as she as trying to work. Swiftly smacking her head, Fear yelled louder, threatening to tear the map she was working on and take over her current mindset. In a spark of anger, Fear released a burst of shadows from their shared left hand and sent them spiralling into the floor. A deep scorch mark appeared in the carpet, causing Alyss to hiss loudly and shake her hand, furiously.

Come on Alyss, I'm bored. You haven't let me out in ages.

"I'll let you have a kill tonight, just let me work. You can't have fun unless I figure out where they all are." she muttered, rubbing her temples furiously. She couldn't be bothered to fight today, her muscles and mind were too tired from the night before. Fear giggled loudly, echoing in her mind before settling backwards and letting Alyss continue with her work.

An uncomfortable lump was sitting in her pocket, stunting the amount of movement and the lengths to which the girl could move. A quick delve into the right hand side of her jeans found the culprit to be her wallet and badge of authority - something she always kept upon her person in case of emergency. After a brief pace around the room to check that no-one was going to be nearing her position any time soon, she threw the offending items to the chair on her right hand side. Though there was no-one around now, thanks to the grand wooden floors, she would be able to hear footsteps of all those approaching and have time to scramble her effects together.
With a sigh, Alyss rearranged the compass on the page and reached across her other arm to scribble more co-ordinates down upon the paper settled at her side. She squinted, turning her head to further examine the archaic calligraphy that donned the mapping of the sewers.

Something had moved.

Nothing physical.

Something had corrupted her peace - something had interrupted her thought train. Someone.

That someone was standing behind her now, exuding a hostile emotion into the darkened room. But of course, she refused to budge just because her senses were exploding with chaos. Fear's interest had been peaked by the traces of similar power that this person possessed - she could feel a connection within the release of mentality. The interest rose as they grew closer and the sounds of footsteps slowly ground to a halt. It wasn't until the man spoke -trace of German accent, origin narrowed to Munich or Stuttgart - "It's.....interesting...."

Releasing the compass gently, Alyss raised herself from her bent-over position and turned to lean against the wooden table. The man in front of her stood tall, shoulders rigid - military background. That was easy enough to clock from not only the stature but the harder skin that lingered around his knuckles, presumably from bare knuckled fighting and the flecks of darker skin that were forever ingrained into his skin - burn marks. Most likely from gun fire or something worse- something she didn't care to think about. So, hardened soldier. Well, they had something in common then.
He was broad, muscular - good-looking, even to her. But tall, dark and handsome was a genetic. An unfortunate yet alluring shade of crimson held her gaze, reflecting the equally strange noir of her irises. Fear was grinning wildly in the back of Alyss's mind; He's intriguing Alyss. I can't hear his thoughts - something about him is blocking us out. Alien.

The crimson screamed danger.

But her incessant curiosity spurred her lust for the thrill. For the adrenaline rush that filled her blood whenever a challenge presented itself to her.

"Good afternoon." she said, politely, nodding her head. "I'm just studying, must keep the old brain ticking and they do say that a varied amount of reading keeps you vigilant. I realise that the sewage system seems a little odd, but hey I've done beautiful architecture and the things that make this city tick is just....interesting," she stressed the final word, mimicking the way the man in front of her had spoken.
Lying was as easy as breathing to her nowadays, so this brief interlude seemed no different from her day to day life. But there was that constant niggling danger in the back of her mind, reinforced by Fear yelling at her to attack or seduce.
Alyss blinked down hard a couple of times and forced her other half to quieten down- he didn't appear hostile, despite the aura that he exuded, Fear could just be overreacting again.

The girl flashed a wide smile, though her eyes still glinted in a suspicious, threatening manner. "What was your interest in this section? Local history? Something clever, I bet. You look like the type to enjoy a good book."
Her utterance was a half truth - he appeared intelligent, powerful - though the dark circles underneath his eyes connoted a busy lifestyle rather than a frequent book-worm.

"Nobody ever really comes up here- it's the furthest point away from the entrance of the library and a lot of people are lazy nowadays. The security guard calls me on the borderline of madness and genius for trekking up here everyday just to study, I think he's joking. So what brings you here? The madness or the genius?"

Though she was leant gently as if she had not a care in the world, every muscle was tensed- even her jaw was clenched tightly and her fingers gripped the edge of the table in a vice-like hold. With a quick glance to the chair on her right, she noticed the light of the lamps glinting off of her badge. A flash of anger passed over her face briefly, before she regained composure and moved towards the chair, taking off her coat to nonchalantly throw over her effects. She then leant back against the arm of the armchair, blocking it from his view and snatching the badge and wallet from behind her and slipping them into her back pocket.
With a more relaxed smile, Alyss mentally cursed herself for her mistake - still it had been 3 days since she'd last slept, even more time since she'd eaten. These things were bound to happen, lest she sacrifice her focus for such trivial things.

At the cold touch of his lips on her skin, her mind began to fill with pictures - this was the connection that Fear needed to explore his consciousness.

Images of war camps began to flicker in front of her; the deafening sound of marching overlapping with the crashes that could only be recognised as the detonation of explosives reached her ears. The smell of gunsmoke and scorched metal reached her nostrils, merged with the familiar perfume of spilt blood. As Fear delved deeper, something brand new overtook her body - a single blast, then a numbing sensation rippled up her spine. This man certainly wasn't as he appeared - he had experienced death, or something so close to it that his heart had stopped. A new pain ripped through her mind as the sense of betrayal and genuine evil took hold - a burning face was the subject of many of his dreams - someone close to him.

Only a seconds worth of love passed through her mind - hardly anything for a man with years behind him, especially one who was handsome enough to attract women to his side. An organisation had briefly flitted past her too, but it was engrained too deeply in his subconscious for her to access; her telepathic powers could only just grant her into the immediate consciousness, sometimes the thoughts would be so fast that she couldn't make sense of them but fortunately this man - Kaiser, was his name - had a lot on his mind.

But the most useful of all this information was of his power - not the details into what it was, but all she needed to know was that he was a metahuman. Just like her.

After Fear had recoiled back into her mind, relinquishing the connection between their minds, Alyss visibly flinched, drawing her hand away. The 'read' had only taken two seconds, but so much information at one time clouded her brain, it took effort - it hurt. This is why she never usually allowed Fear to read people who were beyond the normal human capacity; her shadow powers were as easy as breathing to her, but delving in so far to someones mind, someone who had so much history and such great power, really took a fair bit of effort on her physical part.

Giving the man a glacial smile, she noted his almost leering stare into her eyes and blinked back at him, remaining cold and inhospitable.
"Madness, eh? I prefer genius, seems more stable. Only one real frailty; genius needs an audience. Madness seems to hide itself away quite well, don't you think?" she said, leaning back against the chair, her fingers clenching the leather so tightly that her fingernails were close to breaking the material.
"Helen," she answered, her alias rolling off her tongue. "Helen Jet."

With a forced smile, she internally began to calm herself down, not wanting to appear panicked. Truthfully, she wasn't as of yet. But there was the threat of danger with this man around; he had knelt, seemingly to her 'service' but his physical presence and piercing scarlet eyes seemed more imposing and threatening than beneficial to her needs. But she couldn't guess he was foe without evidence - though the tension in the air spelt 'caution'.

The girl swept a piece of hair behind her ear before pushing herself from the armchair and taking a step forwards, so her and Kaiser were less than a breath away. She looked up at him, having raised himself to a standing position again, and glared up at him whilst a false smile still graced her face. Taking a step to the left, she brushed past him, heading for the bookcase behind him.

"Is there anything in this section that interests you in particular?" she asked, raising her hand to touch the spines of the books in front of her.

This woman's mind was hostile. “Helen Jet” was now a threat, and her womanhood made this realization clearer to the hound-metahuman named Kaiser. She reminded him of Anna. There was a tearing, ripping across his mind. And the beast had just begun to heal his broken heart and spirit, but now––because Alyss had made Kaiser lustful and melancholic, then recoiled at his gesture of admiration––she had ripped out the delicate, crudely sewn seams of that beating, pulsing thing in his chest.

Fake blinked. His milky-pale face turned completely white. He gulped with surprise and with fear. He knelt there, still holding his hand out and bowing his head. The girl had done something he wouldn’t forgive and that he couldn’t ignore. But what was it? He felt sick, as if someone had just sucked out a part if him he didn’t know even existed. A part of him had just been accessed that was never meant to be. And forcefully, at that. Even the human architects at the Legion of Americanized Weapons hadn’t been able to extract that kind of imprisoned, personal, individual-defining information. And then, it hit him: that was her power. Alyss had the power to tap into people’s heads, specifically their memories. But there was another piece of the puzzle missing... something he had to test out for himself in order to know if it was true.

Kaiser Adal Ehrlichmann rose, clearing his conscience as he set him face to stone. His eyes met with hers... she is so beautiful! even though his personal boundaries had been thoroughly infiltrated. He grimaced; the man just couldn’t retain his composure. She’s done something to me. he repeated softly. I know it. She’s done something to me. Alyss swindled by, caressing the spines of the books, taunting Kaiser and sending shivers down his own.

The games had to end.

Suddenly, Fake roared, sputtering rage-filled insults. “Hinterhältig, trügerisch weiblichen!” he hissed. “Sag mir, was du getan hast! Sag mir was du dauerte nur von mir!” He threw Alyss against the bookshelf, his crimson eyes turning an even more sinister blood red. Then, he kicked his powerful foot across the beautiful, oakwood case that now played host to a heated battleground, sending it to the ground as it collapsed with the extra weight of the seventeen-year-old metahuman. He pinned her with no effort––his size and strength was far greater than hers––and growled again, only this time his face only a few millimeters above hers. “What did you just do, huh? Couldn’t keep your slippery paws all to yourself? So what did you steal from me, you little Delilah? Tell me now, or I’ll have to stain these pretty books with your pretty blood. WHAT DID YOU JUST DO TO ME?”

•••

ooc:// The German dialogue translates to: “Conniving, deceitful woman! Tell me what you just did! Tell me what you have just taken!”

There was a lot more forced than Alyss had expected -though she was anticipating an attack. Vision blurred temporarily as she was whirled around to face the man, before a shove from his great arms sent her flying back into the bookcase. Though she was quick to react, trying to flit out of his grasp, he had already pinned her down to the case. Their glares clashed, only millimetres away from each other. The German's hands restrained her: one wrapped around her sinewy upper arm whilst the other clamped around her neck, crushing down on her oesophagus. Alyss panicked- she couldn't move an inch without endangering herself. She was armed, but reaching for her gun would only set him off and she really didn't put it past him to break her neck. Only one other option left then - to let Fear take over her mind - she was always ready for a fight, whereas her calmer counterpart was the brains of the operation. Fear was just the killing machine with no morals. Just the kind of counterpart this man deserved.

Fear settled into the front line of their shared brain, taking the reigns over the body from her stricter sister. Though it always felt good to be free, when you were held in the grip of a madman freedom didn't seem quite as sweet. Fear grunted loudly as the man squeezed a warning grip onto her throat, bruising the skin underneath his fingers, forcing her to start talking with that scarlet glare of his.

"I'd suggest you get off of me," she hissed, clenching her small hands around the thick muscles that banded around his wrists, attempting to pry his fingers from her neck. Unfortunately, as much as she tugged, she failed to release his grip on her. The clasp around her throat was getting painful, the little air she was receiving barely satisfied her needs to speak, causing her voice to breathe out in rasps and croaks.

Come on. You're not that weak, Fear.

"Now now, did my little mind reading trick get you all angry?" she cooed, trying to distract him in his rage. "I just found out a little more about you - what makes you scared, what makes you laugh, your history. And I must say...was für ein Schlachtfeld."

Her eyes darkened, a grim smile gracing her lips. "This will not end nicely unless you let me go. Now." After a struggle, the shadowmancer ended her wild thrashing and settled down into a limper position, groaning against the power of his hand on her.
His skin was too cool to be human, his touch too excessive - and more importantly it was beginning to crush her windpipe. Another approach was needed. Thank God it was Fear taking control of this situation, Alyss wouldn't have the guts for this endeavour.
The girl smirked, pulling the corner of her mouth upwards. Leaning as far forwards as his grip would allow, she brushed her lips ever so close to his ear, moving her head to the side to allow her access.
"Did you enjoy burning Liev's face? Is that how you get your kicks?" she whispered, gently, a cool tone echoing in her words. "No wonder Anna was glad when you finally spilt her blood."

(OOC: German translation - What a battlefield.)

ooc: I wanted to let you know that I am working on a reply right now. (I needed to confirm it so you know I'm not slacking off.) ^^;

(It's all gravy dude! )

ooc: It's all gravy? XP I haven't heard that expression before. OH SNAPPLE ICED TEA! I must venture forth into the Interwebs and be taught some more absolutely fantasmagorical exclamations!

Oh, and this roleplay is just so good, it's delicious.

bic:

“Shut up!” Kaiser screamed. “Shut up, or I’ll kill you now, bitch!” His face was red with anger and embarrassment. You could see the veins in his neck now, his hot breath licking the sides of Alyss’s face in a vapory steam, and his arms shook with hate and overexertion. Then, police sirens shook the delicate pages of the books surrounding him, and a couple of security guards clumsily ran down the stairs, warbling and shuffling their heavy feet and untrained tasers. Another flock of fellow book-lovers scrambled to the end of their rows, but ran this time––and for good reason.

A haze of smoky-black fog had begun to creep in from the shadows, as if being beckoned by Fake’s anguish. But as the blaring sound of Steel’s police force started to really penetrate his ears, Kaiser released his grip on Alyss’s throat, in turn slamming it hard upon the bookshelf. So much was pressing down on him! The atmosphere was think and stifling. Anguish, regret, hatred, darkness, confusion, fear, countless books, numerous humans, and above all, the uncanny, deeply-driven feeling and resemblance between the girl he had pinned and his lover of which she so-slyly taunted him with.

“Helen Jet,” he finally stammered, a sickly grin spreading across his face as quickly as the sirens had began to blare. “You’re all-too-conspicuous, dear Fräulein––do not mistake me for one so easily wavered such as yourself.”

Kaiser’s hand slid from Alyss’s side, but he imposed a threat with his red eyes that warned “don’t even try.” Then his fingers found their way to the pocket of his sleek dress-pants, retrieved two items, and flashed them in front of his captive’s eyes with mocking satisfaction, for between his grasp was the badge Alyss had tried to hide, along with her wallet. “Tsk, tsk, tsk,” he cooed. “My powers are shadow manipulation, as yours, a nifty trick that lets me get from one place to another, or per say, enough of myself from shadow to shadow so not to leave my prey, yet still venture to where I need be; had you not covered these with your jacket, I wouldn’t have been able to get them in full light.” He was taking pleasure in telling Alyss her mistake, as well as letting her know what he was capable of, for reasons hidden behind his lips. “Ah, let’s see, I also have a pet that’s quite frightful, a friend closer to me than anyone else, and something a tad-bit sensitive to paranoid sacrilegious folk, but not nearly as terrible as what happens to sinnerrrrrrrs... little lady is so careless with her... identity, no? Mmm, what a fine photo you have there, Ms. Alyss McGee. Special agent to the U.S. Government? I should have known by the way you lied so carelessly, and so unseasoned, too.”

Fake’s pupils were dilating as he spoke, so much now that only a tiny rim of crimson was visible around the black pools of insanity. Next, he artfully used perfect prestidigitation to slip Alyss’s identification card, a couple bills, and even a forgotten slip of scratch paper from her wallet, showing that he knew his own sleight of hand.

“Earlier, my dear, I could sense it––your fear. Only someone who has the ability to harness it can willfully and skillfully pull out a fellow dealer’s in the trade. I myself have dealt not only with fear––in way of giving, not receiving, mind you,––but lying just so happens to be my brother’s biggest flaw. I can smell them, Alyss. Any lie you try to feed me from now on will not go unpunished...”

The doors had been broken down, and the sound of ascending footsteps could be heard coming their way, but Fake didn’t bat an eyelash. Instead, he drew in closer, closer than he had before, letting his milky-pale face gently glide against the girl’s tan cheek, enjoying the uncomfortable tension coming from her. He wavered Alyss’s wallet and badge in front of her eyes again, then tucked it into her pocket. In an instant, his hand had clamped hard onto Alyss’s, restraining her yet again from any movements. Fake held her closely, and whispered into her ear,

“Scream for me."

(Uhh, this is my favourite RP at the moment. So delectable.)

As the man pushed her backwards forcefully, her head collided against the hardwood bookcase, echoing with a resounding crack. Letting out a yelp of pain, the sound of sirens filled her ears, blaring over and over, followed by the pounding beat of footsteps that were coursing up the library staircase. Police, she guessed, from the sound of the concerned civilians from the lower level of the library. Not one of subtlety, this Kaiser.

The girl rubbed a hand to her bruised head, hissing as she felt the open wound dripping blood onto her fingers- this was getting painful now and her patience was beginning to wear thin with this man. But at least he seemed to react to her provocation about his ex-lover - he did retain some remnant of feeling for her, no matter how small that may be. It proved that her theories were right: even the coldest heart had a weakness and even Kaiser could be broken down mentally if she could locate the right buttons.
With his steely grip around her throat gone, precious oxygen returned to her, letting her lungs fill with the strength to continue. Alyss leant backwards against the bookcase, massaging her abused neck, glaring up at Fake as he continued to prattle on and on to her about his powers and his victimisation of her until - no way.

Fake had plucked her ID and wallet from under her jacket via the manipulation of his powers, and was proceeding to flaunt them in front of her with a satisfied grin plastered on his face. "Little lady is so careless with her... identity, no?"
Her face flushed red with anger as he began to learn of her identity and taunting her with her own, stupid mistakes. His taunts were working - she was mentally cursing herself for being so lax, for not spotting his shadowmancing power earlier during her mental scan. Alyss prided herself on being right - situations like this left her in a fluster and she could feel the panic begin to rise in her heart.
Now was the time to use Fear's help.
No.
Fear, c'mon, what? He wants to hurt us!
No, he wants to hurt you. He interests me and I'm tired of sorting out your messes. Finish this yourself, girl.

Alyss gritted her teeth; there was nothing she could do to force Fear to fight. Fine. The stubborn thing could just watch and laugh for all she cared, for now, she had more important things on her mind - such as her revealed identity.
"Oh, very clever," she muttered, darkly, concealing her hatred underneath her breath. This man had nuance, she'd give him that much. His fingers danced into her wallet, removing all of her details and sending her deeper into her fury: it took everything she had not to fly at him there and then. But waiting could bring more information- why did she interest him so? He evidently wouldn't stay if she was just a meaningless super. Alyss wanted answers, and she wasn't going to get there here, whilst Steel's PD destroyed the library around them, searching for the source of commotion within the shelves.

The agent drew herself upwards as Kaiser moved closer to her, standing to her full height, barely reaching his shoulders. He came too near now, the skin of his cheek pressing uncomfortably close to her own, not stopping at the social boundary. Blinking furiously, Alyss tried to maintain composure, she would not flinch or show him fear. This was not acceptable, she had trained so hard to combat her terror at being within close proximities but this man, and the lack of backup from Fear, sparked an uncomfortable tension within her, like she was losing control. And it scared the hell out of her. As Kaiser's hand trailed down her side to tuck her credentials back into her pocket, a shiver ran down her spine, forcing her to glare upwards into the inky depths of his eyes. No cocky smirk graced her lips now, only a straining tension that was created by her mind forcing her not to react, to remain placid, bored - anything but truly terrified.

"Any lie you try to feed me from now on will not go unpunished...” he whispered gently, as the doors behind them started to be broken down by the cops, evidently called here by disrupted members of the public. His hand clenched around hers, restricting her again from moving out of his propinquity. Despite her attempts to pry him away, he held fast and gripped her frail wrist tighter, threatening to snap it if he so pleased with a warning glance in his eyes. Stumbling slightly as he drew her up to his chest, she heard him utter his final imperative as the PD burst through the door, shouting orders of disarmament.

“Scream for me."

Enough.

A new spark of courage ignited in the agent. Training had taught her how to deal with intense situations, albeit none of this strain, but still - she could manage.

"Over my dead body," she hissed, through gritted teeth. It seemed cliched, and an all too real threat to her at the time, but her response just seemed fitting. Backing down was something she'd never participate in. And Alyss wanted answers from this man as much as she wanted to be far away from him - what was his interest in her, why was he here, how had he come to be living - all crossed her mind. With the hand Kaiser had left free, Alyss grasped her fingers around his forearm and cocked her head, frowning.

"I think we need a little privacy," she said, her eyes dilating. In a flurry of twisting, writhing tendrils, Alyss began to pull them both through the nearest source of shadow and transport the couple to a new location. The cops didn't need to see this fight, the library sure as hell didn't need a kicking, so transporting them seemed the best idea at first. But using her power to such a degree without Fear's help drained her, and unfortunately the only place she could locate using her powers at will, was her own home. Her identity didn't matter now: it wasn't like she was going to let him leave anyway.

They burst through the wall of Alyss's hallway, using the shadow of her grand staircase as the connection portal. The force of the landing sent Kaiser spinning off into one wall, whilst she herself was forced across the room into another. He had demonstrated his power to her: here was her example. Of course, now with them both safely located on the outskirts of East Steel, no-one could hear any screams and if a fight were to ensue, no civilians would be caught in the line of fire. Their flight across town had tired the girl, draining her limbs of power - she would need a moment to recover, as she gently rubbed her head, looking around in a slightly dazed manner. Stumbling to her feet using the wall to help her stand, Alyss shook her head to rid herself of the groggy feeling.

"Besides, why would I scream? I like it when a man plays rough," she said, glaring towards Kaiser, who was still located at the opposite end of her hall.

(If you need a description of the house it's in East Side > Alyss's House. , but shall we just play out in this thread for sake of reading back? )

(Gosh, sorry. I said this would be a short one! )

"I didn't sleep with anyone, thank you very much. I just work hard," she burst out angrily. Yes, it was petty, but somehow this man knew just the right buttons to press when it came to aggravating her. "Something I gather you know nothing about."

Her sarcasm was cut short by his next set of taunting questions. "What was his name, Alyss, the man you killed?...."
Saliva left her mouth to run dry and her body seemed to drop in temperature as Kaiser continued to speak. The casual mention of the first man she had killed, her only act of revenge brought back the memories she had trained so very hard to keep locked away. Was he referring to him, or perhaps....Dorian? Another who had betrayed her, left her to die outside his manor after stabbing her in the chest. The wound still ached, stunted her, reminded her not to trust anyone.
"I don't love anything," she whispered, barely audible under her breath. She yearned to be ignorant, to forget what had happened but it was here again, no turning back now. The sensation was new to her, for she had forgotten the first: the feeling of utter abandonment, solitude. Hate. Though as she glared towards Fake, staring him down, she swore she could sense the same feeling of confinement - it broke as their gazes parted, him first turning his head away.

"Even?" she stammered, clenching her fists. "We are in no way even! I know everything about you, I could be stealing your thoughts as we speak, for all you knew! So don't you dare even put us on the same level, parasite. You found out my real name by reading a badge, oh congratulations. Well done. Huzzah!" she exclaimed, sarcasm dripping from her words. Anger had gripped her mind, speaking so loudly out of rage wasn't her usual style, she usually relished the silence. But he had pushed her too far, found her self-destruct button.

The flushed girl paused, stepping backwards slightly to catch her breath. Now was not the time to fly off the handle and lose control, she needed to stay calm, keep her wits about her. This man was dangerous, he could not be allowed to leave here alive. With another calming breath, she strode to the center of the hallway, removing her handgun from its settlement in the holster on her belt. Kaiser was still seated, back against the wall, smirk still gracing his lips. She raised the gun, pulling back on the body to load it. A welcoming click sounded, telling her it was primed, ready to kill for her.
"I brought you here, because I'd rather no-one saw what I'm going to do to you," she said, coldly, her tone emotionless and her face blank. "And I'm not afraid of pain, it's inevitable, natural. But I'd rather it be me alone, rather than plenty of others getting hurt for my sake."

OOC: AGH! I'm so. so, so, so, SO sorry for this late reply! D: It maddens me to leave such an anticipating plot neglected for such a long while...

As a side note, I have included a bit of symbolic dialogue, so I've tried to separate some of Kaiser's personal thoughts from more religious prayers, in due respect for any fellow members.

bic:
Kaiser lifted his eyebrow as he stared into the barrel of the gun. The sound of it clicking in motion as a hard-packed bullet was pressed against a gravely and charred tunnel and locked into place instinctively cause the militarily trained soldier to stain his ears and listen for that familiar clicking sound of a clean shot. But he sensed the trigger trembling; yes, he thought, a moment’s hesitation––just enough time to get yourself killed. The girl may not want to shoot me, that, or not have the guts to do so. I would have shot myself, honestly. My God, my God... it’s been half a year since I died, now hasn’t it? What a shame, what a shame. It took people this long to start gunning me down again... time flies, time flies, but it’s not very long before its mercy runs dry. The recollection brought a smirk to his face. I’m surprised the young miss’s hasn’t gone already. Well, let’s speed things up!

The shadows hurled themselves toward Alyss, clawing at her like a pack of starved hyenas when Kaiser’s unspoken command reached their pointed ears. He knew well that his adversary shared the same power as himself, but only gave all the more reason to set in place a twist upon the battlefield. And in this time of darkness, the nudging to call an old friend to Fake’s side became an enlightened imposition––one that he would not let go to waste.

“Come again, old friend. Rejoin me once more!”

The command rang through the grand house, every light dimmed to a fading flicker, and the walls hauntingly revealed luxurious blood, hand painted with the upmost despair and direst cruelty, the splatters and smears illustrating the stories of a handful of their master’s most gruesome and heartless murders. And letting his shadow beasts distract Alyss––even if for but a few minutes––the heinously desirous man thrust forth his hand, closed his eyes, crossed himself with Catholic essence, then muttered:”

“In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, I lay down my sins and ask thy vengeful servant with sincerest gratitude, Anna, The Deviator, Amen!”

Suddenly, a blood curdling scream pierced through the chaotic scene, putting even the beasts and the blood to shame with its unholy terror. The translucent spectre of a sullen-faced girl of about seventeen with restraining cloth attire shot from the floorboards just as a fume of red smoke erupted from Kaiser’s palm. And in an awesome collision of the long begotten and carnal machine, a long-bladed, silver, hook-chained, roaring chainsaw was birthed from the billowing colors of darkness and lust.

Fake inhaled the intoxicating aroma of reaped flesh and blood, his head bowed and body stern.

“I did enjoy spilling my Anna’s blood, in answer to your question, Alyss,” he boomed, “For now I have been baptised in the pain of betrayal, the satisfaction of revenge...” his eyes moved from the shafts of his chainsaw to the gun in Alyss’s attacked hands.

“...and the futility of desperate bullets.”

(Uhh, I always promise a short one, but this is just too good to make quick! *insert innuendo here* )

The man had moved so quickly it gave her little time to react. As he raised himself to his feet, a phantom girl scorched past her, its face skewed by a terrifying grimace. But it was the screech that really got to her. A chilling scream was emitting from the spectre, such a pitch curdled her blood; and she knew who it was; this mysterious 'Anna' character that affected him so.

Before she knew it an almighty roar broke her contact with Anna - the roar of a chainsaw, surely not? Her speculation was proved quickly correct as she saw the metallic instrument swung towards her, through the smoke. The agent let out a grunt as she stumbled backwards, tripping over the jacket she had so casually flung to the floor. But there was no time to mentally kick herself for this error. She scrambled to her feet - panic was beginning to settle in.
Bullets were useless, he himself had said that and for once she believed him, dropping her gun and sending it skittering across the room. For now, dodging death was all she could do. Alyss could have the upper hand, this was her house after all and she knew these walls like the back of her hand.

They were both shadowmancers, both well trained in the military, both mentally unstable- their only difference was their size and strength. As a younger, slighter girl she just couldn't match his six foot frame. Though she was fast and speed could possibly get her the upper hand here. Dexterity taught her to bend her back under the chainsaw, heart skipping a beat as the hooked teeth of metal skimmed over her head.

The girl jabbed her elbow sideways and struck Kaiser in-between his lower two ribs, before pushing herself forwards and beginning to run for her kitchen.
She paused a moment to activate her powers; blood pulsing faster and faster until her veins were pressed against her skin, revealing the black tinge to her blood. A chilled sensation ran through her fingers as her shadows formed a blade around her hand, curling upwards into a sharp point.

But she knew it wouldn't last - her powers had a habit of disappearing when Fear wasn't in control. And at the moment her sister was nowhere to be found. Without wasting another moment, she sprinted to the sideboard and stabbed her shadow cloaked hand down onto the metal plated box that short circuited her house. The instance the lights flickered out the shadows dissipated from her fingers and the power left her. Her house blacked out immediately, every room cloaked in the utter, unending darkness. With him gone from her sight, she felt safer and more in danger than before - with him out of her sight he was a danger, but equally she was out of his sight. There was no shadow in the abyss.

"Come on Fear, you stupid bitch!" she groaned, only hearing an echo of a laugh from the back of her mind. But of course, pleading was useless with her.

Now was the time for action. Alyss stepped lightly across the carpet, listening to the roar of the chainsaw get further and further away. As she entered the kitchen, an eerie silence fell over the house. It was better when the chainsaw was ripping into her walls - at least she knew where he was then. But, no time to dwell.
Her hands trailed gently over the cabinets, finding her eventual target - the block of knives. If guns wouldn't help her, she doubted knives would, but now her gun had been cast aside she needed a weapon. And at least with this there was a chance to feel his blood on her hands.

Still, terror took over her body. She was humanised, her usual demeanour of the 'cold, hard, emotionless agent' was draining her - this was an emotional explosion if anything else. Her back pressed down hard against the doorframe, waiting to peer around, knowing that she would see nothing but darkness. Perhaps it would be better to wait until the man entered the gargantuan kitchen, to take him by surprise? She held the knife to her chest, running her free hand through her hair whilst trying to keep a much stifled scream buried in her lungs.

How did she get herself into this? She was 19, she should be finishing University, living with her parents, having boyfriends and boring things like that - but here she was, fighting off a psychopath with a kitchen blade. A tear dripped from the corner of her eyelid - this is not where she would die. She wiped the tear with a shaking finger, clutching the blade tighter in her hand. Waiting was what she decided upon, and wait for him was what she would do. With her shaking hands still clamped around the knife, she swiftly moved her head around the doorframe checking for signs for life.

Nothing. Just darkness. So where was he?