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

[See Shade? Not everything is as bad as it seems after all. Though he can't be real good judge of that so he continues to watch them game.]

[Despite the reassurance, the banshee is still all nerves and tries to hide it with a drink and never looking from the screen.]

More like I'm good at remembering. Played too much. It makes it hard to forget.

It's a good game. I don't blame you.

[Okay, they got past that section. Things are a lot less scary now.]

Hey, remembering things ain't bad. Like, that's a good skill, yeah?

[It would be better if the banshee would stop clamming up so much at the drop of anything possibly bad. Hell he would be thankful to have the Shade that walked in here so boldly earlier even if that had been annoying. He's half tempted to try his hand at distracting Liam.]

The campaigns are easier if you know what to do. It's even better for multiplayer. He knows where all of the power weapons are on all of the maps. In majority of the games too.

[His hand skirts along the dullahan's side as he talks.]

Yea, yea I suppose so. It's not too hard and that explains why you want me on your team so much, right?

[A brief smile is given in turn. He's trying, ok? Though he was still nerves waiting on an answer from a certain basilisk.]

And we enjoy your company.

[They're almost to the objective. Andrei's proud of himself for not having fumbled anything irreparably. Yet.]

[Alright, things seem to be smoothed over just a bit. That's certainly a good thing, at least as far as he can tell. But in the next moment there's a hand wandering up his side and it's certainly enough to distract him from the game. Which of course leads to his character's untimely death at the hands of yet another jackal.]

Er, sorry.

[The reaper has to look away and cover his mouth with his free hand to stifle a laugh that almost slips out. He didn't mean to get Liam killed but hey it worked. Besides there was always respawning in the games anyway so it shouldn't be too bad.]

What happen?

Someone wasn't paying attention.

[He points out before taking a pull from his drink, watching the screen but eyes flicker over to the duo on the loveseat. Really James? That was mean.]

Might need to pull back to bring him back.

[Oh. Well, it happens. Usually to him. So he's not to upset.]

Right. Uh. I'll be right there, Liam.

Uh, yeah. What he said. Just too new at this game, I guess. Gotta learn the controls. Hard to teach an old dog new tricks, yeah?

[Or there's a reaper's hand at his side that could be it too.]

Hey your first time is always the sloppiest. Just need some practice, hm?

[He doesn't remove his hand but moves it to slowly inch up Liam's spine. Sorry not sorry dullahan. Far worse could be done.]

[He was watching Andrei making a valiant effort to take out enemies. Then there's whatever the hell James just said and he's spitting part of his drink. He glances over at the reaper with a questioning look.

Really? Right now? Was the necessary?]

[Andrei drops his controller, startled, and gets mauled by an Elite before he can recover.]

Uh. Oops?

[No human shapeshifting could hide the blush that sears his cheeks.]

Uhhh, I mean I guess-

[And the hand is wandering now, making it incredibly difficult to concentrate on the game.]

Practice makes perfect.

[His hand dips back down but toys with the edge of his shirt before sneaking underneath. Fingertips brushing along skin softly. He was being quite the shit right now.]

Exactly. Would you be up for a couple of rounds? Or is the challenge too daunting?

[All of his hope of getting his turn at gaming now rests on Andrei's shoulders because Liam seemed more than preoccupied now. At least they had checkpoints and auto saving.]

Try again. Don't let the elite eat your face.

[Oh, so he's soloing it. No pressure.]

Always up to the challenge.

[Oh that hand is still there, but he's going to do his best to keep focused on the game. He's not going to get killed again if he can help it.]

[He wasn't too sure if Liam actually caught what he was joking with. Besides they should all have fun and focus on the gaming so he backs off and lets his hand rest on small of the dullahan's back.]

Uh hunh I'm sure.

[So far things were going much better on attempt number two. They were doing pretty great actually.]

Almost there.

[Andrei is terribly grateful that James is now helping. The difference is pretty distinct. But then, if he had a guy putting his hands on him while he played, Andrei would probably be really distracted, too.

Not that anybody is interested in him like that.]

Hey, the harder things are, the better they get later on? More rounds means more practice.

[But really, the hand at his back is a much-needed vote of stability, and he relaxes into it.]

Well I generally prefer for things to be hard. Practice tends to make things better with time. Plus having a partner is always nice too.

[The reaper curls up into him, almost uncaring of the others in the room. They had their games after all. Besides this was his plan since the beginning save for the extras.]