Welcome to The Duality of Man, an original animanga role-play that features numerous supernatural creatures. Unfortunately, these various species have distanced themselves because of the war that occurred thousands of years ago, plaguing some with eyes that only see their dualism. While others meddle themself with their differences, two groups fight, each attempting to eliminate the other in for their definition of worldly peace. These two groups of the Terror Response Syndicate (TRS) and the Assembly of Phantoms (AP). With individuals fighting merely over their differences, it brings uncertainty to the outcome of this war.
We happily accept all role-players as long as they obey the rules and are capable of meeting our word count of 50. This does include those who are unfamiliar with this style of role-playing. The staff of The Duality of Man are willing to happily help those who are new to the role-playing world so they feel comfortable on site. Feel free to message the staff if you need help, they can be found here or in the site Discord and will gladly answer questions alongside calm concerns. If you have any suggestions we would love to hear them; guests may use the support board as a suggestion area as well. Should you decide to join, may I say welcome to the site and we all hope you enjoy your time here.
Yours Truely,
The Staff
season
Summer 2024
Heat has broken through into a glorious summer. The snow has entirely dried through the spring, leaving to the brilliance of the warmer months. Terror activity has risen as people are brought out of their homes, leaving the TRS in a position of consistent work. Each are attempting to maintain victory in the endless struggle for power.
Since the wonderful members of TDOM enjoy the site enough to play around on it, this thread is to assist with the site's tidying! Functionality is important and we want to make the site functional even if its activity will be minimal at best!
[attr="class","wassup1dangertxt"] Effortless, smooth, with a fluidity that would make anyone jealous. Xia soaked up the performance wishing she could do this for the majority of the day. At what point would he fail? What speed would be too fast? Would any? At the end of the performance Salem once again bowed but Xia wouldn’t let up so easily. If he weren’t able to deal with being taken unawares than he would be useless. [break][break] “Lovely,” she breathed, then hurled the next five set at him. These were fast, wayward orbs that were aimed so far apart that he’d have to draw on skill alone to get them before they splashed him.[break][break]
Xia crossed her arms, fingers motioning slowly as she threaded the needle for the next challenge. Felling a giant was no easy feat but she had confidence Salem would do well. Would he still wish to work with her afterwards? It was uncertain. As much as she respected the performer, she also valued wit and usefulness. [break][break]
Salem didn’t seem the type to hold petty grudges but one could never be sure about these things. Xia had held grudges for years, slowly building her revenge through doe eyes none could suspect wicked acts from. [break][break]
No, others were to be judged by actions and actions alone. [break][break]
With a gentle tap of her fingertip on her arm, the orb above the sleeping giant exploded, splashing them directly in the face. It wouldn’t be long until they emerged angry at those trespassing in their territory. Xia eyed a nearby tree, plotting her best vantage point for the fight that was about to ensue.
Salem was briefly caught off guard before readying his sword in response to the five spheres of water, giving Xia a mini bow as a thank you for the quicker projectiles before dashing to his left and raising his sword tip upwards until it was parallel with his shoulder in a horizontal way. The moment a single water ball appeared in his vision, he used his heightened speed to roll back and launch his blade right at the sphere, it bursting afterwards. The blade continued to fly in the air, bursting another bubble, and landing lodged in a tree trunk.
Wasting no time, Salem reached back into his cloak to pull out his custom made special handgun, it sizzling to life the moment the sun's limited rays hit it. Salem smiled as he easily dispatched the rest of the bubbles with three perfectly placed shots, the bullets themselves having holes inside each one. As the silencer in the gun masked the firing sound, Salem's grim projectiles made a short lived, but wonderful tune as the wind passed through the bullet's hole ridden surface before destroying its targets.
Looking back at Xia, wondering if that was all, Salem noticed the elegant lady make some sort of gesture. "What-" he began to say, before hearing a horridly loud noise, one of anger and disgust. "The giant," Salem said with minor irritation as he looked over shoulder in the direction of the large humanoid, already seeing trees fall in its waking. "So much for rebuilding its home..." the musician said, sighing as he put his firearm away. Again beginning to address Xia, Salem stopped, falling to his knees as his head throbbed. His crimson eye returned to its purple color as he stared with penance. His time had run out.
Salem was no longer smiling as he began thinking of ways to emerge victorious in the fight that was soon to pursue, knowing full well that with his major disadvantages, he stood little chance if he didn't act now. "There is vile..." Salem began, running over to a tree and pulling on its bark and branches, "and then there is you, Ms. Xia..." He said this with neither disgust nor surprise. He knew full well what kind of person she was, as he looked at her soul earlier, however still cursed himself for playing around as much as he did... but it was in his nature. That was inevitable. "Nevertheless, not as vile as my mother, so this is something I can easily forgive."
Succeeding in pulling a few branches from the tree, Salem ran over to another across from it, doing the same, over and over until all of the branches were tied together, pulling the nature close together. A hunting trap meant for small game, magnified on a large scale. Again Salem silently thank his father for the skills he displayed. Paying no attention to Xia now, Salem again quickly ran over to his former spot, the soil now wet, a byproduct of their game. Readying his sword, he patiently waited for the upset individual, who did indeed emerge from the trees. Salem looked up as it simply stepped over his trap.
He then turned towards Xia as he felt the presence of the unnaturally tall and clearly living giant just meters behind him.. however he only stared at Xia, smiling cruelly. It was true he preferred not to fight, and it was very true that if he were to engage in one, the chances of using everything in his arsenal was low, and lastly it was most certainly true that taking on a giant without magic of any kind was seemingly a death wish... but only two of those things held true when he was not being provoked.
The giant roared, and in response Salem began singing part of a song his mother used to sing to him, the same two part song that she sung moments before she ended his mortal life. Salem could hear the giant demand for them to make their intentions known, knowing that whatever answer they gave, he would simply try to crush the musician. Stopping his song, Salem responded, still facing Xia, in the loudest voice he could muster. While the giant's booming voice shook trees, Salem's made the insentient life know doom and gloom as his response provoked the giant even more. "My objective now, sire... is to do things unholy."
A sentence he only spoke to those that he did not see surviving an encounter with him. In one piece, that is. Finally turning to the giant, Salem wondered what Xia would do as he braced himself for whatever came next.
[attr="class","wassup1dangertxt"] A musical gun! Xia’s face was alight with wonder. How had such a gem escaped her vision for so long? The months of manual labor healing the Assembly’s best and brightest paled in comparison of this day. [break][break]
Naturally, this elegant display was cut short by Xia’s unwarranted meddling. She had hoped him too dull to put two and two together but was pleasantly mistaken. How could such an artist not connect such simple dots? Xia laughed as a wicked smile began to swiftly spread across her face.[break][break]
“I’ve been called plenty of names my dear though I must admit it’s somewhat disheartening to hear someone has me beat in vileness. I spent a long, long time working on my reputation,” she called back, a glittering mischief within her deceptively serene orbs. [break][break]
With the promise of danger lingering so closely, Xia gripped the branch of a nearby tree tightly before scaling its branches. In less than a few seconds she was at the top, shaded from view of the now stirring giant but clearly visible to Salem. There was no way she was going to miss such a show. Either he’d fell the giant or he’d die. [break][break]
“Try not to get squished, I’m quite invested in our continued conversations!” Xia called down as Salem began his preparations. [break][break]
A great roar shook the tree that Xia was resting nonchalantly on, branches swaying to and fro with the energy. Was this really time for song? The undead had some strange ways about them. It certainly wasn’t her place to question their motives, having never truly died herself. A life without dreams or sleep seemed both lovely… and absolutely terrifying. [break][break]
Much like a cat stalking prey, Xia stood up on the thick branch from which she was perched. Now, the moment of truth. Had her expectations been imagined or would Salem put up a fight after all? Xia’s fingers lay still by her side but the tingling of magic continued to dance upon them like leaves at the mercy of the wind.
Try not to get squished? What excellent advice, Salem thought, brows raising in sarcastic agreement. "Of course," he called back to Xia, now closely beside a tree above solid ground. 'So she intends on doing nothing, then...' he thought. Something else he should have suspected shortly after the beginning of their meeting. So be it, surely he could figure out a way to quickly dispatch the giant.
His ears echoed with sound, and not a benevolent one. A sound of rage and loud irritancy. He was getting impatient, the giant, and Salem intended to not keep him waiting any longer. Now turning to face the 10 foot tall humanoid, he began to wonder how in all of Hell, Earth, and Purgatory he would best this situation, even with the hunting skills he mastered. It would have already been over if he wasn't completely exhausted of magical energy, however that was not the case. "Stay there, miss Xia. I would hate to see you undead under my control." The giant roared yet again, raising it's foot high above the musical reaper. Salem dodged to his left, tumbling as a large foot dropped on the spot he once was. The earth cracked and shaked as the giant did so, making Salem sigh.
Beginning to respond to the attack in kind, the giant again made a move, quickly lowering his fist down at Salem. Caught off guard, he attempted to move out the way, only to be struck on his arm, launching the reaper back against a tree, hard. Groaning in pain, Salem inspected the wounded arm, finding plenty of bones either broken or shattered... which, he did not know. He did know that there was now a good amount of blood seeping from under his sleeve and on his tattered clothing. Salem stared at the injury. The pain was beginning to affect him, however he didn't care right then. He was more concerned with the blood he saw.
The giant roared again, now approaching him, pushing trees away as he grew closer. Now, Salem absolutely disliked blood, and hated it on his person. Weakly standing, he said nothing as apparent certain death approached. His smile was nowhere to be found, fake and valid. He still intended to hold back his nature, however now, it was clear the giant was no longer a minor threat. It was out for blood, and it has succeeded in irritating the reaper enough to warrant the cranky giant's death. He felt the air shift, and ducked in turn as another foot narrowly missed his head, but uprooted several trees in the process. Salem dismissed the thought of Xia being flung around, knowing someone such as herself would fare fine without aid.
Using his healthy arm, Salem drew his sword, staring blankly at the ground as the giant stared down at him, no doubt preparing another attack. He waited, gripping his blade with intent to eradicate the foolish soul that angered him. Finally the giant began to roar yet again, the thing Salem was waiting for. Sprinting forward, quickly but much slower than a live human, he rushed at the ankles of the tall being, unbeknownst to the giant itself. As soon as he got close enough, he began to use the strength he had left to start severing the foot of the giant.
Of course the giant felt this, and began to shake Salem off, the reaper only hanging on, the blade digging deep into the ankle. No matter what the giant did, spin, jump, run, It didn't matter to Salem; he kept hanging on, and each action the giant took only served to increase the severity of its growing wound. After a few minutes of frantic movement, Salem, clothes now noticeably in disrepair and bloody, pulled with all his might, reaching the foot bone, and the giant began to fall. Salem was launched a few feet in the air during the fall, landing on the ground with a thud, breaking more bones.
"Now... that we are on even ground..." Salem said, getting to his feet, his condition unaffecting his drive to dispatch the giant, "I can properly guide you to Hell." The giant, in clear pain, made noise Salem couldn't make out; he truly wasn't listening. His path towards the old giant was slow and rigged, and as he approached him, he noticed the foot he severed halfway had broken off completely during the fall. He continued walking until he got to it's head. He pointed the tip of his sword at the giant's eye, and in response the giant began pleading. "I suppose my mother was right about one thing, miss Xia..." Salem said, speaking loud enough so Xia could hear him, wherever she was. "The thing the living ignorant does best..." Salem plunged his blade deep into the eye of the felled giant, causing a horrible wail of pain to escape his lips, before removing the blade, and moving onto the next eye, doing the same. "Is beg for mercy." Again, the giant cried out, Salem only blankly staring at him in response, watching the blood escape to the ground, the act only irritating him more. Finally, after mere moments of pain, Salem sheathed his blade... into the giant's head.
The musician, bloody and in ruin, collapsed beside the dead giant, unable to move anything except his head and arm. He could take the soul of this giant easily, and use it to remain active, however it was against his personal code. There wasn't a need for him to do that. Again calling out to the water manipulator, he wondered if now she would come to his aid, or leave him here to an unknown fate. "So much for repairing his home... ah, well..." He said, weakly, watching from semi-blind eyes a bird fly by, humming the song he started before this conflict.
[attr="class","wassup1dangertxt"] Cerulean eyes were sparkling with anticipation as Salem faced an opponent far too tall for him. It was hardly fair but anyone who assumed the world was could only be a fool. For all his amount of talent and poise Salem was unable to doge the secondary attack by the giant and Xia watched unflinchingly as a loud crack filled the air as the giant collided with the reaper [break][break]
They were far too close for her liking but Xia held her ground, the nearby branches swaying wildly in the breeze created by the swinging of such a large creature. Salem knelt in a heap before the great creature and a pang of disappointment ran through the water spirit. [break][break]
Had she given her admirations too quickly? Xia adjusted to a more stable branch, watching the scene that continued to unfold. How could one be so durable? And why hadn’t he called an undead to assist him? It left her to ponder if there was some unseen limit to his abilities. Perhaps he had only been bluffing.[break][break]
As he continued to demonstrate that he was at least durable, Xia pondered his usefulness. If all he could do was bide his time bereft of abilities then she had no use for him. Keeping pretty, useless things around wasn’t her style. She had half a mind to leave when the sound of the giant begging hit her ears. Xia stood taller on her perch, beholding a sight most curious. [break][break]
In the time she’d spent thinking he had indeed been formulating a plan. Her eyes moved against the disturbed terrain to where Salem now addressed her. Words upon the wind reached her ears, the sentiment lined with the rancid screams of a giant in pain. They did nothing to deter her gaze from the scene of crimson violence. [break][break]
And, curiously enough, Salem eventually collapsed near a very bloodied, and murdered giant. What had it taken him? Everything she imagined. Xia pushed off from the tree, landing gracefully on the ground with a soft crunch of gravel. She took her time walking over to the corpse of the former giant, surveying the damage. [break][break]
Once she was close enough, her sharp gaze stared at the creature.[break][break]
“Scabrithe, I always knew you were a useless tool but truly you disappointed me today,” she peered at the corpse in disgust, eyes lingering on a creature she’d used many times to manipulate her hand, “begging for your death? Disgusting.” [break][break]
Now her eyes turned the bloodied figure of Salem and she made her way over casually, shoes making a crunch among the now-soft ground. Thankfully Scabrithe was prone to tangents so this level of noise was almost always expected in this district. None would bother them now. Black hair tousled in the breeze as Xia stood over Salem, arms crossed as she looked at him coolly. A quick visual inspection told her that these wounds were extensive; without immediate aid she imagined he would be unable to help himself to keep alive. Though he had demonstrated that he was quite stubborn… [break][break]
“You’re probably going to die… again,” she stared at his semi-bloodied face, her own a mask of coolness, “does that scare you?”
Salem stopped humming as Xia approached, seemingly out of nowhere in his perspective, as he was still very partially blind. Salem smiled softly as he listened to her words, cruel and cold. So, the giant was apart of her games? Somehow, this didn't truly surprise Salem, only made him respect the elegant lady more. She manipulated people as a violinist manipulates the strings of their instrument. "Scabrithe... it isn't a pretty name," Salem said, leaning back against the corpse. "It'll be pretty troublesome to make a nice headstone for them."
Listening again, closely, he laughed, only stopping because of the pain he felt. He forgot things such as himself were prone to it, and the temperature of the world. Afraid of death? What an absolutely absurd thing to say, after everything he's been through. However now, Xia had given him reason enough to not allow the giant's soul to pass on. Focusing, Salem using the every bit of magic he had left to reach out to the corpse's soul before it passed, and took it for himself, all with only a motion of his hand.
Looking at it with an eye as bloody as his person, he absorbed and consumed it, the delicate yet fresh and powerful soul becoming apart of him. Unfortunately because of the mess it made of Salem, his kindness did not reach to the giant's soul, only cruelty. The musician would see to it that it would never see the afterlife. Filled with newfound power, given to him by the freshly dead, Salem stood, looking down at Xia with purple and red eyes. He began to direct attention to his bloody arm, it beginning to heal. "I cannot passively heal myself," Salem said, explaining what he was doing, "And I'm not afraid of a second death, Xia, although I do apologize for this scene... I momentarily let my anger get the better of me."
Now inspecting his own arm, he knew it would take quite awhile before it was healed, and the soul he received from the giant would only last for so long, however it was long enough for him to stand up and address the matter at hand. With a smile, Salem began explaining his self-inflicted plight. "I also apologize it took me so long to quiet the loud giant. See, I promised myself I would never excerpt 100 percent of my power..." Salem paused before continuing, remembering recent events, "For someone such as yourself, I'd assume you would call that 'making your opponent underestimate you'."
Still very hurt, yet refilled with energy, Salem leaned against the corpse, his sword still placed into the skull of the former pawn of a giant, shining like Excalibur in the spotted light. The sight kindled his urge to write a song about it, but refrained from doing so, his attention fully on Xia.
"What now, miss Xia?" He questioned. It was nice having someone as intelligent, if not more so, than himself to talk to. It was surely a break from the many ghosts he was usually around.
[attr="class","wassup1dangertxt"] Xia smiled at Salem’s outburst of laughter. Precisely the sort of thing she wished to hear. If this were a man afraid of death then she’d sorely misjudged him. The water elemental watched sagely as the Reaper reached out and, she could only presume, made a meal of Scabrithe. As Salem stood up the world stood still around them. [break][break]
A scene of loud, tumultuous violence now looked more like an epic scene weaved into a tapestry of a hero having felled a monster. [break][break]
“You intentionally held yourself back that entire time?” Xia quirked a brow, arms still crossed over her bosom, “you could have died, not that you care of course. Though, I can hardly fault you for not showing your entire hand around me. I presume when you stole your glance into my soul you discovered my true nature.”[break][break]
Her own eyes focused on the turmoil of purple and crimson before her. Reapers were indeed fascinating, if not haunting, and Xia’s experiences with them were still quite limited. At least the friendly ones. She didn’t make a habit of regularly hanging around such dangerous, odd creatures. [break][break]
“Truth be told I hated that giant. Some years back they crushed a child and I haven’t felt the same about them. I might’ve killed them then and there but this was far more satisfying,” finally, Xia uncrossed her arms, “here, for your lovely performance.”[break][break]
Magic danced across Xia’s fingertips like electricity, delicate blue glittered among her softly glowing fingertips as she gently waved her hand across Salem’s person. Truthfully, she should’ve undone him while he was lying helpless but Xia had to admit that, despite the near-second death to his person, Salem was someone she respected far too much. Maybe it was foolish of her but it couldn’t be helped.[break][break]
She focused her energies through her fingers, sending the slightest of healing through so that it was enough to ease the general burden. Still not entirely free from danger, Xia wouldn’t dare expend all of her energies. Regardless it was enough that the reaper would see considerable improvement. [break][break]
“Now,” the energy faded from her fingers as she peered upwards towards the reaper, “what do you want from this world? Do you simply wander to fill your own whims? I would see your abilities put to greater use, at a cost of your choosing.”
Nodding in agreement, Salem quietly replied. "Yes, although I would appreciate it if you kept that between us..." The musician truly didn't mind who knew how much he held back, however from past experiences, those who did always abused that information, leading him into extremely dangerous situations that he, or someone he truly cared for, simply wouldn't survive... all because he refused to go all out. Being a man of his word was of course beneficial, yet equally dangerous. "Of course. It's important to know what kind of lively soul you're dealing with, so you can adjust your composition's music accordingly."
This giant... crushed a child? An innocent child who did no wrong? Immediately his smile faded for the last time that day; his weakness for the young showing through the hate filled glare he directed at Xia. He now had reason enough to never let go of the giant who's name no longer mattered. Turning briefly to look at the corpse, he began to think about the ways he could make an example out of the beast with the least amount of blood possible, breaking his thought after deciding he would deal with it later. "Miss Xia, you should have lead with that. I would've ended him sooner... I suppose if you didn't, we wouldn't have met properly."
Salem watched curiously as a streak of bright, light blue began to swirl in such a lovely fashion. It was different from his requiems, dark and violet streaked with crimson, yet a change he absolutely loved. He didn't move as she waved her hand, and as she did he felt the pain that bore down on him lifted... 'Healing magi,' he thought. Rarely has Salem been the target of such healing, more often than not it was a way to cripple him. "Thank you," he said, feeling well enough to return to his dual purple gaze, his inferior yet formidable state. Salem while knowing the kind of person Xia is, felt she wouldn't attempt to be rid of him, right now at least, and relaxed with the thought.
Upon hearing the question, he simply turned to retrieve his blade still sheathed in the corpse of it that shouldn't be named, removing it with minor difficulty. "I wander, yes, wherever the music of life takes me, and share the music of death to those who deserve it." Walking towards Xia, stopping a respectable distance away, he sheathed his blade properly on his side, ensuring his firearm is also safely concealed. "It would seem like that lively music led me to you, or you to me, so I have no qualms following you," While what he said was true, there was a part of him that wondered if he meant it. He still truly didn't know what he was to do on this world besides...
"However. If I so happen to run into my mother, a heaven entity... don't expect me to retain my loyalties or keep my word about following you. That woman is the cause of all suffering I endured thus far, and I will rip her and heaven from existence. That is the cost of my choosing."
Calming down, Salem regained his cool and grim composure, daring to draw closer to the water manipulator. "Other than that, I see no reason why we can't make a few songs together, miss Xia of the Water." Salem stopped completely, a hand on his hip in thought. "Xia of the Water...? I'll come up with a better sounding title than that..." Lightly shrugging, Salem gave Xia his undivided attention. Today he possibly made a new ally, and perhaps a friend as well, one that he could possibly trust but be very weary of.
[attr="class","wassup1dangertxt"] Xia would hardly pretend that she was a saint. If it needed to be done, she would kill anyone anywhere to save herself. But needless murder made little sense. Even her wicked heart held the minute remnants of a heart once fully intact. The music of death to those that deserve it. Xia wondered what the criteria for deserving of death was. For any just person, she should easily fit into this category. [break][break]
Salem was an unpredictable yet incredibly talented person. Despite the uncontrolled variables, Xia knew she would be a fool not to secure so capable an ally. Usually it only took what someone wanted to do this but it almost appeared that the reaper wanted for nothing save the freedom to muse. Sapphire spheres watched him with a cat-like gaze, their center icy pools of frozen water.[break][break] “I wouldn’t expect you to put me above personal vendettas. I don’t respect fools and you, Salem, are no fool it would seem,” Xia paused, noting the proximity in which Salem was now standing. How odd yet unlike a reaper. She had thought them all cold, vindictive creatures who collected souls simply for pleasure or necessity. [break][break]
Tentatively, she ran a finger over her lips as she considered the situation further. A risk but one well worth it in her opinion.[break][break]
“I have… certain allegiances with which I practice. Your talents would be invaluable to my cause should you wish to join. Worry not for I would not hinder your wandering,” a pause before she continued, “your allegiance would be solely to me though. I’ve suspected for some time that there are vipers at my back.”[break][break]
Xia hated the straightforwardness of her dialogue but there was no other way to be plain about it. She was, however, pleasantly surprised by Salem’s attempt to spin her name into something quite lovely. [break][break]
“A title? How generous of you," the petite woman replied, studying Salem once more, "in another life I was known as Xia of the Shimmering Tide.” [break][break]
Should he refuse it would be a loss but Xia didn’t like the idea of a half-hearted ally. Certainly, it was better to keep this one as anything but an enemy. Xia hardly liked the idea of her soul being swept away for eternity. She'd already been trapped in a cage once.
The thought of seeing himself as a fool somewhat amused Salem, lightly laughing in response. "Did you know, Ms. Xia, that a fool is simply a court jester? An entertainer for the noblemen of monarch old..." Salem was more than a fool, one could say he was the most foolish fool of them all, for he would be the only one daring enough to approach a god and play for them, not stopping at a mere king. "Present day, fools have evolved to artisans."
"Ms. Xia, I said I have no qualms follow you, I meant that. Your allegiances, loyalties, and practices don't mean much to me right now, honestly. As for the vipers that wish to bite you to death from behind like cowards..." The musician allowed a very brief surge of grim energy to cover his hand as he raised it, the energy disappearing in the air as he clenched his fist, "I'll cut down, if need be. We don't want a repeat of Caesar's Story." Salem said, with a small smile. If by vipers Xia meant people attempting to backstab her, in his eyes, they were more than deserving of requiem. In his eyes and his alone, those were the acts of a backstabbing guardian, and he severely disliked it. He of course also didn't want anything to happen to his new ally before he had the chance to see where her song would end.
Eyes now gleaming with delight, Salem repeated the title in his head over and over until finally speaking it out loud: "Xia of the Shimmering Tide... that is a far better name than just Xia of Water! However since that was in another life, I will take the time to find an equally elegant name for your current one." Almost instantly, he began thinking of different cadences and rhythms he could use that fits with the name before realizing it would most likely take him more than just a few moments. "Yes... I can most certainly do something with that, and in time you'll see the fruit of my efforts. I promise I won't disappoint. Perhaps I'll make a song about the two of our paths crossing; 'A Cold Deathly Day', maybe." Adjusting his neat fit after finishing his sentence, he hid his hands in the pockets of his pants, as he did when they first began their meeting.
Salem gave a slight nod to Xia, hopefully relaying the message that wherever she wanted to venture to, he would follow, as there was nothing else for him to do in the area, and the district he called "home" was not any better, minus the colder air.
[attr="class","wassup1dangertxt"] Present day fools have evolved to artisans. Xia found herself poised to consider this. Had they ever really evolved? By Salem’s definition her old self would also play the part of the fool. But playing the part and being the part, well those were two different meanings entirely. A simple musing of who was actually the sheep and who the prey. Sapphire centers lingered on Salem as though she might discern who lay beneath by staring just a little too long.[break][break]
His next statement found her in good humor as she gave a surprisingly light laugh.[break][break]
“Cutting down is so crude a technique. I prefer more subtle methods of destruction,” Xia smoothed down a wrinkled area of her dress which had remained surprisingly unscathed in the fray, “after all isn’t better to see someone destroy themselves? Much less effort too. There’s something charming about getting people to realize who they really are.”[break][break]
Satisfied that he wouldn’t stab her in the back if she turned, Xia surveyed the destruction around them without a second thought to the corpse that lay so lingeringly near. Blood, death, and gore were things as familiar to her as breathing after all.[break][break]
“A melody? I'm hardly worth the effort. If you must then something along the lines of ‘What Words Would Lie’ may be more appropriate. I’m someone you should keep an eye on I’ve been told,” Xia waved her hand dismissively, beginning her walk down the much dirtier path. [break][break]
With each footfall there was a soft crunch of dirt and gravel. Five passed before Xia entertained where to go from here. Would he follow her or would they simply part ways? A pact without a seal was almost would be worthless but Xia found it difficult to take anyone at their word. Nobody actually said what they meant in her line of work.[break][break]
“Now then, where would you wander to next?” she mused out loud, unsure if the Reaper had remained behind as she continued walking.
As the water manipulator stood thinking presumably, Salem simply waited, his gaze on the blue beads that made up her eyes. While yes, he could clearly see she was staring at him, he didn’t really mind. Others had done the same in the past. A harmless, neutral action that invoked curiosity.
“You sure are a rather surprisingly dark one, Ms. Xia,” Salem said in reply to her preferred method of other’s destruction. Seeing as he already assessed her soul, and made the decision to support her cause, he did not react negatively to her words. “You would make a great requiem artist. You should visit the Purgatory District’s graveyard, there are a surprising amount who have perished by that exact method.” Salem did agree with her assessment though, however usually when those Salem wished dead found themselves, it was far, far too late.
What Words Would Lie… Hmm. Salem dwelled on that particular title for longer than he should, contemplating whether or not to write it in his journal, ultimately deciding against it. Sprouting a smile and saying nothing, he nodded. He surely would keep his eyes on her, joining her in walking the wrecked path. As they trod on, Salem found himself humming quietly to himself. It was somewhat nice to have another person to wander with, and this time, a goal he can pursue until he reaches his own. He was confident that he would easily be able to keep his promises with Ms. Xia present. He had shown her enough of his skillset and weakness for her to hopefully be aware of his limits, and accommodate for them.
It wasn’t long before she stopped, and he did as well, not too far away at all. Upon hearing her question, he replied simply, “I will wander wherever you do, provided you let me, until nightfall. I have some business in the deceased’s district to attend to, and afterward, I will seek you out. If you also have business elsewhere, I will simply see where today’s stanza will take me.”
[attr="class","wassup1dangertxt"] Xia seemed to muse over his words for a moment, making a brief note of how much shorter she was when compared to the Reaper. It would be a significant disadvantage should they ever get into an actual fight. Not that she was one to fight traditionally of course. [break][break]
Her cerulean orbs wandered to a particularly matured tree not to far from them as she considered her options. Given the time it would be prudent to report to the AP headquarters, mostly because some idiot had probably gotten themselves hurt enough to warrant her full attentions. [break][break]
“I believe I am wanted elsewhere soon,” she finally revealed, no hint of her usual coldness in those words, “as much as I am loathe to leave such a valuable individual so soon, I wouldn’t want to show my hand prematurely to my lovely associates by inviting you to my figurative office.”[break][break]
There was a pause as she considered a few things before she resumed speaking.[break][break]
“Not to mention most of them are just a significant bore! I would hate for you to have to sit through our morning meeting,” the petite woman rolled her eyes, “too many opinions really.”[break][break]
Xia turned towards Salem, crossing her arms as she allowed herself one more in-depth study of the man. What a peculiarity. A valuable, respected peculiarity. Underlying her usual love for power was an unexpected… fondness? No, that wouldn’t do. Xia forced her mind into a healthier direction as she pulled out a small scrap of paper, weaving her tingling-fingers ever so slightly. A little dip into her pocket ink and the numbers were perfectly scrawled on the paper.[break][break]
“I can be reached here at my personal number,” she held the tiny scrap out to Salem, “when it is safe, we can discuss many things. Should you help me weed out a little problem I intend to pay you back in full. Depending on your named price of course. Some things are simply impossible,” this was another of her mantras; to never owe anyone anything. Not that her word was particularly binding given her wicked nature but still.[break][break]
The water elemental offered no smile, a testament to her true nature. He’d already stared at her soul therefore there was no pretending. It was more pleasant this way without the fake smiles and the alluring glances. She could simply be the monster she’d been taught to be, in plain sight. A relaxing change of pace no doubt.
"Revealing the contents of a mystery stanza would indeed be foolish," Salem agreed, having absolutely no problem with Xia not wanting to show him off to people. He quite disliked being around a multitude of people anyhow, and much rather preferred small meetings such as this one.
His face returned to it's usual, grim and pale look, relaxing. "I've met quite a few people that bore the mind as well," he admitted, "And I wouldn't be caught dead twice participating in a meeting. I'm what some call antisocial..." Nodding at her last statement, there were indeed a plentiful amount of options available from where they were right now, but as she said, she has current business elsewhere. Salem stood standing, patiently waiting for Xia to finish her inspection of his person, wondering what thoughts were racing in her head.
As she did, he began to look at the trees around them. He'd have to do something about the corpse of course, but this was a rather good place to relax and wander around when he wasn't too occupied. It was quiet, peaceful, and a great place to write about. Retuning her attention to Xia, he reached out to take the piece of paper in her hand. Looking at it with careful eyes, he calmly put it in his pocket. He had a phone of course, given to him by an unruly soul, he just never used it. Who exactly was a reaper to call?
"Alright then, I'll make sure to reach out to you, Ms. Xia," he said coolly. "Don't bother yourself with paying me back for a service I do for you, there's nothing in the world I want besides what I already told you." Sincerely, he meant this, however that didn't mean he wouldn't keep in mind that he could rely on Xia to aid him if he ever needed it. Turning back towards the trees, Salem raised a hand in wave. "I'll be seeing you, then, Xia of the Shimmering Tide. Thank you for the performance's sonata." He always found himself referring back to the wonders of art and music in some way, but even as he did, he managed a relatively good 'goodbye'.
Salem would continue walking along, as he did he pulled out a small flute from his coat pocket, playing a simple melody as he closed his eyes to listen. The melody was rather upbeat than the usual requiem music he played. Salem was putting in effort to express recent events to the environment he was in. He didn't mind having his back turned towards Xia; he highly doubted she'd backstab him after putting such trust out. What an eventful day...
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