novel... some chapter...
It was dark and quiet when she came to. She was disoriented and she had a painful headache that no doubt stemmed from the blow she'd received moments before losing consciousness. Reev groaned softly and pressed her hand against her head in a futile attempt to stop the spinning. Her yellow eyes sifted through the handful of dark shapes surrounding her; it wasn't hard to confirm that she wasn't in a jail cell or something. Perhaps a bedroom considering she'd definitely woken up on the plush surface of a mattress. It took all of her will to leave the bed, when all she wanted was to sleep some more, and snap a flame to life at the tips of her fingers.
Reev's eyes widened slightly, sure she must be dreaming. It was the first time in her life seeing a room like this one; not even in dreams could she have thought somewhere like this up. Not only was the bed huge, but so were the floor to ceiling shelves covered in books, trinkets and labelled bottles filled with colourful liquids and vapours. She bit her lip, looking over her shoulder as if someone were hiding in the shadows to reprimand her; and then she was suspending the flame int he air beside her face and taking down a small bottle. She almost hadn't even realized that she'd moved over to the shelving units until that very moment, so entranced as she was with the room and everything inside of it.
The vapours inside had been yellow before but they were quickly changing into orange and red. With a small frown, she turned the bottle over and read the neat handwriting on the label. “Laughter. Dosage: one inhale per day.”
“Curious...” her lips twisted in confusion and then she was reaching for the stopper; fully intent on taking a sniff and seeing just what this would do to her. It was obviously a drug of some sort, but she didn't understand why it had it's name. Surely it wasn't actually able to make someone feel mirth out of nowhere?
“I wouldn't do that if I were you.” A vaguely accented voice said from behind her, startling her into almost dropping the bottle onto the floor. A gloved hand came from beside her and steadied the bottle, setting it back on the shelf almost gingerly. “Unless you'd like to collapse into a hysterical fit of laughter for about two hours, of course.” She turned to look at the owner of the voice, biting her lips to keep from screaming. For there, so close to her, was the very man she'd been hiding from for days. His almond shaped eyes holding amusement and the reflection from her flame.
“Y-you!” Her voice shook as she spoke and she cursed herself for that weakness. She'd never really felt fear before this point, before running into this aristocrat.
“Gen, actually.” His body turned but he let her retreat away from him. “You really should be thanking me, not running from me.” He sighed, almost sounding bored, and looked at the bottle lined shelves lovingly.
“Why am I here?” Reev sucked in a breath, her brows furrowed as she wracked her brain for any possible reason for this to have happened.
“If it wasn't for me happening upon your situation with the Noses, you'd be in custody of worse now.” Gen's face had suddenly turned serious; his gloved fingers rubbing absently at the patch of hair on his chin. “You've caused me a lot of trouble--”
“Me? How have I caused you trouble? You're the one who's been stalking me for no reason!” She sighed in exasperation, cheeks pinking under the Asian man's scrutiny.
A slow, almost cruel smile crawled across his face; his steps toward her slow and deliberate. She continued backing up until she hit the wall and then he was on her. Her fingers curled into fists and she put them up defensively, a half assed barrier between herself and the really quite frightening man before her. “How cute, that you don't even understand the gravity of what you've done to me. The thousands of dollars I've lost because of you and your clumsy attempts at clever telekinesis.” His breath fanned hot against her cheek and she gulped when he easily over powered her; fingers tight on her wrists as he pinned her to the wall. She felt like one of those dead insects on display in a museum, only she was very much alive. Though for how much longer, she couldn't know.
“Do you remember trying to sneakily steal a few apples from the stall at the market? Say... two months ago?” His brow lifted and her eyes widened; how could he expect her to have forgotten such a catastrophe? She'd never been so clumsy before and it was all because some rowdy kids ran passed a little too close. It had jarred her concentration and the apples had gone flying and they fell into Gen's table rather hard. Thus causing the already rickety table to collapse and all the bottles with pretty coloured substances to go crashing to the ground. She hadn't thought she'd been seen but obviously, that wasn't the case.
“Then why'd you save me? If it's revenge you want then what better way then to let the Noses have me!” Reev sighed in exasperation, rolling her eyes at his seeming stupidity.
“Oh no, that would never be right. Not when I've finally figured out the perfect punishment.” His smirk widened, showing the way too sharp canines in his mouth. She bit her cheek to keep from expelling an ugly mix of screaming and giggling because of the sight and accent starting to finally get to her. She cocked her head to the side, staring up at Gen defiantly as she waited for him to continue. “You are going to volunteer yourself to be my assistant. No pay or compensation from me to make up for all that was lost.” He nodded, pulling back a little and loosening his grip on her wrists slightly.
“Okay,” she let the word draw out, obviously nonplussed. “For how long are we talking?”
There was a tick in his jaw and she was nearly concerned that he might strike her or something. But he didn't, instead he stood up straight and crossed his arms. “We'll start with the two months you owe me, the time I lost and had to lose sales while I replenished my stocks. And then we'll see from there.”
Reev's mouth fell open, her eyes widening in indignation, “you can't keep me-!”
The glare directed at her was so fierce, she felt she would melt into the floor. “What home or family do you have to get back to? There's no one in that junk pile you call home that might miss you. You will stay until I decide to let you go, this is where you will sleep and work.” His hand dragged over his face and he sighed heavily, shaking his head. “Rest here until I need you and touch nothing unless you decide it's something you need. I will add the cost to your bill.” With a parting sneer, the Japanese man was gone, not even the sound of muffled footsteps reached her ears in the silence that followed.
~ ◦ ~
Gen sighed softly as he left the room, mildly amazed that he hadn't done anything rash. He still didn't understand why he found the girl so intriguing. It was infuriating, he didn't need help and it didn't really bother him that she'd broken all of his bottles. It was just a hobby after all, he didn't need the extra money. But he wanted her close to him and he didn't understand why. She wasn't particularly pretty and she was more noticeably mutated then himself. He, at least, could still pass as a normal human aristocrat. Which worked for him because his hobby could often get him in trouble, were he any other citizen. Being an aristocrat definitely had it's perks. And she was ruining that. His credibility as part of the law was going down, his reputation as a cold heart-ed aristocrat was becoming sullied. And all because of one little psychic girl that he couldn't keep his hands off of.
His gloved hand found it's way against the wall and he hissed softly. It was all so irritating. Gen almost wished that he was back in Japan before the fall of man and the rise of pollution. But he couldn't be, and though he could probably survive out in the world and go back to his hometown. The idea of being alone in a ravaged land and leaving Reev alone in a world that couldn't trust what she was didn't appeal to him. Call it his better nature. He absolutely refused to admit to anyone, including himself, that he had any sort of feelings for the girl.
With a sigh, the Japanese man grabbed his bag and left his mansion carved in stone. His hobby wasn't a good one, but in his mind it helped control the population. Because an apathetic person wouldn't want to conceive children right? Though perhaps it would work more to his advantage if he actually killed the people who's emotions he stole. But he wasn't a cold heart-ed killer. Maybe it was strange of him, for a vampire to want to avoid being labelled a murderer on top of the already present label of aristocrat. But he didn't and refused to commit such acts that could lead to such a dark reputation.
He shook his head, it wasn't good to get lost in his musings. Not when he had emotions to extract. Sometimes it was a violent thing, people fought back or called the attention of the ever present Noses. The only thing that saved Gen from incarceration or death was his station in their worlds hierarchy. Though he was sure they wouldn't care so much about that if he never spoke up. Each Nose was basically the same, all of them drones working towards the same purpose. That being to bully the world into submission; and when they weren't doing that, they were following the orders of some wilful aristocrat or scientist who didn't like someone. He didn't get why they were necessary, but he supposed a corrupt police force was better then no police force at all. Though acting like the KGB militia didn't do too many wonders for the populace's morale.
After attaching his equipment, Gen set out into the seediest part of their little city. He was running low on the stronger emotions and for some reason anger was one of the most powerful. Probably because the world had “ended” and everyone had a lot more to be annoyed by. Wiping the expression from his face, he quickly arrived at his destination, eyeing the degenerates littering the outside of the pubs like flecks of dirt marring a child's face. A cruel smile spread across his face and he advanced on the drunkest looking man. It was always easier to lure a man into a dark alley when he was inebriated rather then sober. It was in that drunken state that men let go of their emotions and they were more raw and ready for extraction. It also helped that while drunk, his victims also tended to fight back less.
As he approached, hands in his pockets in an attempt to look the least suspicious as possible; his victim looked up at him and sneered viciously. Gensuke's own lips peeled back to reveal the fangs he normally kept under wraps. The drunk man looked startled and then laughed in disbelief.
“Look at this, the dandy thinks it's Halloween!” He bellowed, staggering to his feet and leaving the relative shelter of the “Siren's Gaze” pub. It was a favourite of Gen's, the drink and menu was good and it had a great view of the ocean depths that surrounded them; via a large seemingly everything-proof window shaped much like a port hole. And the drunks were in abundant supply.
“I do not really understand what your “Halloween” is.” Gen mentally cursed himself, not liking how his accent caused him to trip over words he didn't normally use. It was inconvenient and didn't help in making him seem threatening.
“Oh sure, sure. That's why you're dressed like Dracula right?” The man scoffed and came even closer, Gen's lips stretched into a cruel grimace.
“Dracula? No, no; I'm very much real and to be feared. But not by you of course.” He shook his head, his eyes widening slightly and the man, now only a few feet away stopped short. His expression fell and he looked like was drugged, “how about we have a short chat over in the alley, hm?” He tilted his head and began walking, the enticed drunk stumbling after him.
Once in the alley, Gen looked around and sighed softly before pointing his fingers at the man's chest; fingers folded in a gun-like shape. “I'm sorry it had to be you. But maybe people will like you more when you have less of an opinion.” The vampire shrugged and pulled the nonexistent trigger, his powers jumping into action. He watched the different liquids and vapours drain into the device in his bag, keeping them separate, one of his eyebrows lifted slightly.
“You were a very angry man I see. Good, I was running low.” He smiled tightly and deactivated his gun, patting the now confused looking man on the shoulder. “Thanks for your patronage. I was even nice enough to leave you with some last traces of emotions.” There was some strange gurgle in response before the man fell unconscious and Gen was laving the scene. For some reason, he felt more drained then usual; perhaps it was because of that exhausting psychic girl. He shook his head slightly and let his feet take him towards home. That one man had had enough of the emotions he'd been missing anyways. He was sure that he'd be fine if he didn't bother to gather anymore for the night; after all, he still needed enough mental strength left to deal with his guest.
~ ◦ ~
Reev let out a heavy sigh, her fingers pushing her hair behind her ears. She was sure she was going to go stir crazy, the last hour or so had been the longest amount of time she'd ever spent in one place at a time; aside from where she lived. She probably didn't have to stay inside the room, the door wasn't locked and even if it had been, her telekinesis would have made quick work of unlocking it. But she didn't feel right venturing out and wandering around the aristocrat's home. And she felt even less okay with touching the things in the room, even though there were so many books she was sure that she'd love to read.
She shook her head slightly and flopped onto the bed, curling the duvet around her shoulders. It only seemed like a moment that her eyes had been closed, but all of the sudden, the door was opening and there was a heavy Japanese accent barking at her to get up. Reev frowned, brows furrowing and her arm shooting out to wave the man away.
“You’re working for me, I would advise you to get up and pay attention.” There was an irritated sigh and she cracked an eye open to watch him tug at a piece of rope in the wall. She'd been curious about that, and now she was watching a table with lots of equipment bolted to the surface fold out.
With a sharp intake of breath she sat up, staring in amazement. “That's so sneaky!” Reev was on her feet in moments, stepping closer to look at the strange contraptions that Gen was busy turning on. In all her curiosity, she didn't notice the small amused smile that appeared on the man's lips. “What do these do?” she looked up at him, her eyes wide and questioning. “How'd you even get this stu-- oh right, never mind; you're an aristocrat.” She wrinkled her nose slightly and tilted her head as she eyed one of the more complicated machines that was whirring to life.
“They make it easier to dilute and manufacture the emotions that I gather.” He shrugged as if it were no big deal. As if people stole emotions and sold them all the time. She made a face at him and then watched as he unpacked the bag over his shoulder, littering the table with almost fifty little bottles filled with some grey coloured sludge.
Reev frowned and pointed at the shelf of colourful substances, “how come it looks different from those?” she gingerly picked one up and tilted it slightly.
“The emotions here are raw and undiluted. They'll look different once they're processed.” Gen pursed his lips slightly and put a few vials into a centrifuge and then closed the lid so he could press a button. Reev watched as the machine spun the sludge around.
“How do you tell what they are before processing?” She almost hated herself for being so interested in this. But it was something so different, so intriguing that she just couldn't stop the questions from escaping her lips.
Gen frowned and then nodded slightly, sighing as he pointed to two bottles standing together. “Look very closely, can you tell the difference?”
The psychic leaned down to stare hard at the two bottles. It took a little concentration and effort but eventually she could see tiny little particles and differences in color. “Oh, one's kind of sparkly and changing colours... and the other one looks like it's got coffee grinds floating in it or something.” She looked up and watched him nod. She ignored the little thrill that went through her at the approving expression he wore.
“This one,” he pointed to the sparkly one, “is jubilant happiness.” He moved his finger over, “and this one is the richest kind of anger and madness.”
“There's different kinds of the same emotions?” It probably should have been obvious, but she spent so little time with others; and her own range of emotions was normally very short.
To his credit, Gensuke was being very patient with her. But he was sure that it was because of who she was; anyone else and he probably would have just done everything quickly and quietly. Expecting whoever it was watching to understand just like that. He never had been very personable, so it was a surprise that he had taken her in at all. Even considering his unhealthy fascination with her.
“The angrier the person, the more rich the emotion will be. Same goes for an incredibly happy or depressed person.” He shrugged slightly, “if a person spends more time being upset then any other feeling, it translates to a stronger drug. And I get more of it then any of the other emotions that person possesses when I harvest.”
“Oh, why did you choose this person?” Reev followed his movement with her eyes, biting her lip as he took the shaken vials from the machine and put them in another that made a loud ripping sound, not dissimilar to that of a steaming wand in a coffee shop. Her brows furrowed slightly and she crossed her arms, “what are you doing?”
The aristocrat sighed softly and pulled a nearby bar stool over and sat down. He picked up a couple of lighter vials and put them in the centrifuge. Flicking the machine one, he levelled Reev with an almost blank stare. “This one loosens the particles so it's easier to process and separate, in case two or more emotions go into the same bottle when I harvest them. The next one puts air into it so that it looks like more, but isn't actually.” He glanced up at her and his lips twitched slightly in an almost smile. There was something nice about having someone to share his secrets with. Though of course, he wouldn't be telling her all of his secrets. That would be going too far when he didn't even know if he could trust her completely or not.