sword_breaker | Myth!AU

[There's a slight wind to give signs that colder weather was going to hit the city at some point but otherwise the chill didn't faze many much with the sun pouring down rays without any resistance from white wisps streaking across blue. Another busy work day for most people as they packed the sidewalks in order to accomplish whatever the day asked of them to do, some of them heading off towards lunch break even as the afternoon brought along ease in traffic after the rushing around or rather dead still in the morning commutes that always came like clockwork. The towering skyscrapers piercing above while scattered about were busy shops and apartment complexes ranging to the higher end of the spectrum, fortunate for several residents of them being close to where they worked usually.

However it didn't matter much to the man lying face first towards the blue in an alley, red bursts staining his shirt in an act of fatal defiance against the fabric. He wasn't caring about anything anymore. Pools of crimson have congealing into a sticky mess at his side to keep company with the broken body though it was a waste honestly. A barrier of yellow and black tape announcing the crime scene as if the body and the blood weren't enough already to do so. Officers scurrying about to comb through every little thing in order to scrounge up evidence ranging from fingerprints to shell casings while a medical examiner started jotting down notes as though it were a race.

To be fair, it was a race that was ticking away for all of them but yet he didn't exactly have to put so much effort into finding out the who, why and whatnot of this particular case. Never really showed interest in the exact details of a person's death as it wasn't under his job description nor would he if paid enough, more so content enough with the tasks that were scheduled for him to do. He sends a confirmation of his arrival with a quick text before stowing away the smart phone into his back pocket and assessing the fussing police. No doubt Matthieu was going to blow his phone up with messages after getting the answer but that could be ignored.

Passing underneath the tape, the man eased through the scene with no problems coming from the uniformed others. Though that was the point of having such a decent illusion in order to essentially make him invisible, allowing a much easier time accomplishing his tasks without the stupid questions that would be raised at his presence much less what he would do here. He had the slight frown that could've been considered appropriate for the situation but the claw marks and irrevocably damaged right eye would certainly cause a more sinister thought process to occur. Maybe even be considered as a hit man that had down the crime but to be fair he didn't hunt unless told otherwise and certainly not boring humans such as this idiot. Besides a man decked in a suit stood out in this mess with much help to his disregard of everything save for the dead man who certainly was still brimming with the confused energy of a trapped soul. Definitely need to rectify that.

James crouched down right next to the examiner and fished out a knife before making an incision right at the heart before reaching down to draw out the reluctant soul. The reaper was only doing his job and besides no one was going to see him do his work, not the police nor the surrounding crowd of onlookers.

He was looking forward to the break after this one, sneak away towards his usual haunt; a coffee shop that boasted fantastic blends that were more so a necessity at this rate rather than a mere commodity and plus the perfect spot he claimed by the window in order to watch the world keep moving. The energy from the illusion would be easily restored during that. Then it would be another one in midtown before being able to return back home for the day and unwind. That or check with the bar to make sure a friend or two didn't snoop around more than they should. The former was going to be the most probable though so he shows the other idea to the back of his mind before focusing.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Hell yea Halo would work. Maybe we can do some of the campaign. That or Warzone. Might even wander over into big team battle because I heard the new map is in.

[He's in the zone now and nothing is going to stop him from not focusing on gaming. Things worked out in the end anyway. So he's up and popping in the right desk before powering up controllers.]

[Andrei doesn't sit on the couch but curls up next to James's feet. His beer and his controller sit on the coffee table in front of him; he takes two controllers and passes one up to James.]

So you're going to show how it's really done, James?

[It's easier to relax with James around, even if he's still not one hundred percent with everything going on. Hell, the three might as well be speaking another language at this point, so he's more than content to rest against the reaper and let them continue on.]

Think you should, whatever it is.

Shouldn't I give you guys a chance to warm up?

[There was no complaints in the shifter deciding to take up the place by his feet other than the fact that that placed him rather close to the dullahan that hadn't or rather still wasn't completely enthusiastic about everything. He leans over to place a kiss to Liam's temple before taking up the controller.]

I suppose it'd be better if you saw someone that was actually good.

Good? More like unfathomable. Half the time I think you've found some way to enchant the damn game to do whatever the hell you want. That or you know conventional cheating but that's a lot more obvious after all.

[Still MCC was being loaded up and he decides to go with the third game for now. It was a classic but not as much as the second or the first for that matter.]

That's why we want you to play.

[James can actually get them through some of the more difficult aspects of the campaign. Andrei is getting better. ...slowly.

At least Shade has his profile saved.]

[Alright, this is all still really weird and it's all still so incredibly new. James says it's alright though, and he has utmost trust in James, if not the others. So he rests himself against James' side, staying close enough to be protective but still trying to make an effort to be part of the group.]

Show me then.

Can do.

[A brief pause to press a soft kiss to the dullahan's cheek, both to show that he appreciated him making an attempt after everything but also to ground the man. He wasn't too blind to notice that a claim was being made on him. Though Liam had every right to do so for their relationship. Even if no one was making a move to challenge it per se.

He selects himself to be the party lead and gets the other two sync up before hitting start. It was a while since he actually played this one since newer things had released. Hopefully he still had it.]

[Now this was the kind of a night that he had planned for. You know except for the addition of the blacklister and the rough start really. But gaming with his friends hell yea.]

Man, you always get to be Chief.

That's because he's better at it.

[Andrei gets dibs on the Arbiter. He always plays as the Sangheili regardless, but the Arbiter is his favorite.]

[Alright, now there are words that he's not quite understanding, but he's at least making an effort. It's not like he's never seen video games before, just that his lifestyle hasn't really lent itself to having a lot of free time to indulge.

Chief is...a type of person? A person? He'll figure it out.]

[The first cutscene is done and over with soon enough. The screen was split in half and then the bottom one in halves again. This made things easier on James to focus and the real reason why he dibsed Chief.]

I miss the DMR already. We should try to do a LASO run a some point. Isn't there an achievement for that?

I think there is but it might be for doing all of the campaigns. So you know one through four. ODST isn't thrown into it but still LASO two is going to be the bitchest of the bitch to attempt. It was awful just doing legendary co op and here you're a glutton for punishment wanting to do that.

[Whelp James was leading them the right way. The screen was flashing blue and there was the AI's voice.]

You should tell your girlfriend to get better reception.

You're going to have a much better player if you want to run a LASO, James.

[Maybe Liam will be better at this than he is. Andrei's along for the fun, not the difficulty.]

Hey, after five, that shouldn't be a problem, right?

[Yep, alright, this is so many words it might as well be a foreign language.]

Wow spoilers much? But no she's not my girlfriend. Figure I got something better and don't plan on changing that.

[The end statement slips out without much hesitation and he's remaining focused on the game. A battle rifle is stolen from a marine to get rid of his assault rifle before going on the hunt for a sniper which is located at a downed aircraft.]

Don't talk till you lone wolf stuff.

[Sometimes he should know better than to tease but hey they were having fun.]

Oh my...did you seriously? Andrei I think boss is going soft on us. Maybe we should take away the sweetener for his coffee. That'll bitter him back up to normal, right?

[Andrei thinks it's kind of sweet, actually. Especially with James having come to Liam's rescue and all that. It's very gallant.]

I don't know, I say give him more of it. It's good for him.

[Alright, that does get a grin from him and he worms himself further into James' side with a contented grin.]

[It's the middle of a cutscene and should be enough time for him to flash over a smirk at Liam, carding his fingers through the dullahan's hair for a moment. The idiots can joke all they want but he was sincere in his answer.]

I'll start listening to you two blabbing when you catch up in points.

Doesn't help if you kill steal. That or have all of the power weapons.

[Someone might be a tad bitter. Not because of the game either.]

Just because you can't remember where they are doesn't mean it's cheating, Shade.

[Not that Andrei is nearly as good with them as James is, but he does his best.]

Besides you don't need them if you know how to chain your kills or hit the crit spots. Head shots on high priority targets give the most points after all.

[The next part is going and James is back to focusing on the game, content with the dullahan curled up into him. It was louder and more people than he hoped for the day but it was working out.]

I know.

[Its one the verge of being a snap but he winds up keeping a majority of his frustration to himself. He wasn't angry at the game. No it was that asshole who was ready to kill his friend and now stealing his best one.]

Easy for you to say, James.

[Let's see if he can remember where all the critical points are. It's been awhile, but things are coming back pretty quickly.]

We're just glad you're on our team.