♠ SECOND || ➥ VIDEO
[There's a flicker and the video starts. Greed's behind the counter of the 'Nest and the camera is set on what appears to be a pool table. It's midday, so the joint is empty.]
[He's all smiles, hands placed atop of his bar.] It's that day, folks. Maybe some of you know, maybe some of you don't. But I promised to deliver and I don't count myself a ( Read more... )
[He's all smiles, hands placed atop of his bar.] It's that day, folks. Maybe some of you know, maybe some of you don't. But I promised to deliver and I don't count myself a ( Read more... )
[Blood and gore ceased to phase him long ago, and even watching someone oh-so-casually blowing his brains out doesn't faze him much. Watching him come back to life after the fact, now... that's a shock.
The process reminds him of the way his kind regenerate, light-show aside, and he stares intently into his communicator without so much as blinking.]
Incredibile... [It's little more than a whisper, and his tone more wondering than truly shocked. This is interesting - very interesting indeed...]
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[Greed snaps his fingers and lowers them to his chest. Fans them out and dips at the hip.] That's the kind of reaction I like to hear.
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Well, it was quite a show.
[And oh, he is curious - wants to know all the hows and whys of what this man is and what he can do. But he can be patient about getting his answers, because this one is interesting, and Armand has found very few people in this hell hole who genuinely interest him.]
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[And oh - ho! This one's got a set of chompers too! Greed leans into the feed, purple eyes and thick cat-slits widening. He whistles and his excitement throbs right out of his chest.] Now, now! You're hiding something, aren't you? C'mon, out with it. I won't judge.
[Greed likes the freaks, likes the ones that prefer the dark. Of course, he's just as curious.]
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[Then comes that question. He smiles again, and there's a better look at those fangs. They're not quite the shark's teeth Greed has - in fact, they'd be easy enough to miss if you weren't paying attention: just his canines and the teeth immediately behind them, a bit longer and visibly sharper than human teeth have any right to be.
[But instead of answering, he comes back with a question of his own:] Does your world have legends pertaining to creatures called 'vampires?'
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Vampire? Sure - old stories told to keep the kids behind doors at night. [Greed pushes himself up, tilts his head.] Are you one? Because that would put a twist on this whole conversation.
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How so? [He raises a brow, neither confirming nor denying that he's a vampire. But if Greed really looks - he's a little too still, too perfectly posed, too pale, with a luster to his skin that even the best cosmetics could never hope to imitate. Depending on what the lore's like where Greed comes from, all those little signs might be answer enough.]
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[But looks are deceiving and books should never be judged by their covers. While the guy looks like he'd be easy to snap in two, Greed doubts it.] So, are you or are you not. You asked the question, I gave you an answer. I respect an equal exchange. Seems fair, right?
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Fair enough, I suppose. [He sets the feed to 'private' and pauses to take a drink before he continues, a natural enough human gesture - except that his drink of choice clings thick and red to the side of the wineglass, and he seems to be enjoying it a bit too much.
Then he sets the glass aside, and simply says] I am.
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[Well, isn't that interesting. Greed whistles, practically a cat-call. Leans in, drops his mouth in all feign surprises. But really, he is interested. Because if anything, he's a collector of the outcasts and things that don't dwell on the surface.]
Let me guess - that's not wine you're having. [The homunculus rolls his shoulders back, nonchalant.] Doesn't bother me in the slightest. Though, did I hit it on the money?
[He waits with baited breath and his smile seems to spread.]
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[Whatever else he is, and whether it comes from his time with the Theatre des Vampires or whether he always was one, Armand is a showman. And he so rarely gets this sort of carte blanche to indulge that exhibitionist streak of his that he's honestly having fun now.]
Regarding what, precisely? The lore, or your theory that there's more to it than the stories say?
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[Looks like a kindred spirit - two show offs with enough juice to keep the city on its toes.] Both. I want to know it all. [Because really - who can pass that up?]
I'd invite you down for a drink, if you'd like. Don't have your O-Positives and A-Negatives, but I'm sure I can find something you want.
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[He would have shown up, with or without an invitation - Greed is a much too interesting character for him to just leave alone.]
I'll be there, and I'll give you all the answers you want then. [Because in addition to being an exhibitionist, Armand is also a tease.]
[He comes in late in the evening, when all but the most dedicated of drunks have gone home, or at least elsewhere. He walks in like he owns the place, pauses over the jukebox and picks out Sympathy For the Devil. Then he approaches the bar and claims a stool.] Evening.
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[The bar is empty - most have been sent home or dragged home. Either way, Greed's got a nice stack of cash and he's fanning it out in his fingers, letting it run in a steady stream of crisp snaps. It's all rolled up, though, thick-elastic snagging and pulling the paper into wads. He's just finishing up a rather hefty bit when Armand shows up. Greed lifts his head from his collection, raises one brow.]
[The guy looks like he thinks he can own the joint. Like somehow, his presence means that all will fall before him. He even kicks on a tune and it's all damn sin, hell, and the devil's charm. Greed's smile widens and he laughs, throws his rolls of money on the counter top before swiping them away. They're brushed under a collection bin beneath his bar, which is promptly kicked closed.]
[Greed has midnight company.]
[The homunculus claps once, twice.] Nice choice. [Elbows down, Greed leans over, gets just out of reach of Armand's personal space. He remembers the face and remembers the promises. A vampire, huh. That's a new ( ... )
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[He's a man who's used to owning whatever strikes his fancy - clothes, cars, islands. Even people. He's killed to eliminate the competition before, and would again without regretting it for a minute.
He matches Greed stare for stare, smile for smile, those deadly little fangs of his on full display, despite that he looks pretty and fragile and entirely breakable in comparison to Greed. For all that the Head Doctor may have leashed him, he's still a predator, and it shows by cold, hungry look in his eyes behind that smile.]
Armand. [He lays his hand in Greed's and gives a rather stronger shake than might be expected from the look of him.]
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So. I told you before, we don't care what you'd usually go for. But what can I get you? [He touches the rim of the glass, runs his finger around once. Twice. Spins it until he snaps away.]
Because you came here for a reason - are you going to show me everything you got? [Another whistle through his teeth, but it's a hissing sort of a noise.]
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