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,Mikredheadertext1]I'm not ready for the truth to see the light
[attr=class,Mikredheadertext2]Make it up, Make it pretty, I don't mind
[newclass=.Mikredimage]width:500px;height:200px;background-image:url('https://i.ibb.co/hxzNqkk/download.png');border-left: solid 10px #8f0505;border-right: solid 10px #8f0505;[/newclass] [newclass=.Mikredhover]opacity:0;transition:all linear 1s;-webkit-transition:all linear 1s;height:200px;width:500px;margin-top:-200px;[/newclass][newclass=.Mikredhover:hover]opacity:0.4;transition:all linear 1s;-webkit-transition:all linear 1s;background-color:#fff;[/newclass] [newclass=.Mikredhovertext]font-family:Arial;color:#4c306a;font-size:18px;text-align:justify;[/newclass]
Mikaela could hear footsteps approaching and her mind raced with ways she could play this. If it were someone else she might deny the claims altogether, but this cousin would report what he wanted and what he thought would cause her the most problems, not what he had actually seen. He had found the perfect weakspot to use against her and he wouldn't let go of it. Unfortunately that meant no matter where this conversation went she'd be force to actually talk to her grandfather. There was something about the situation that bothered her. She could have easily been backed into this corner before, but they had held off. Perhaps something more important was happening behind the scenes. [break][break]
Very suddenly, she was no longer alone facing off against her cousin. In fact, any semblance of personal space was entirely shattered as the assassin placed an arm over her shoulder. She tensed and felt her cheeks heat, but didn't pull away. He was really making it difficult to find a way to prove he was nobody. And that nickname... [break][break]
As he pulled away, she turned and wrapped him in an embrace. Silly in love was a role she'd had to play plenty of times in her youth, blending in to crowds that would question a stranger's presence otherwise. Her cousin cleared her throat and she moved far enough away to look up at the idiot towering over her. "Mon chou, we're available on Friday next week for dinner, right?" she asked, batting her eyelashes at the assassin. "I think my grandfather would be a lot easier to deal with if we told him of our intentions before the wedding." [break][break]
She placed a hand on Touri's shoulder and leaned in close to whisper gently enough that her cousin wouldn't hear. "I suggest you make a scene of breaking up with me, otherwise you probably won't make it through this mess in one piece. It would be such a pity to see someone sooo..." she hesitated as her mind grasped for a suitable word to positively describe the bastard of an assassin in English. Handsome and likeable were definitely wrong. "So captivating getting in over his head," she smirked.
[attr=class,Mikredheadertext1]I'm not ready for the truth to see the light
[attr=class,Mikredheadertext2]Make it up, Make it pretty, I don't mind
[newclass=.Mikredimage]width:500px;height:200px;background-image:url('https://i.ibb.co/hxzNqkk/download.png');border-left: solid 10px #8f0505;border-right: solid 10px #8f0505;[/newclass] [newclass=.Mikredhover]opacity:0;transition:all linear 1s;-webkit-transition:all linear 1s;height:200px;width:500px;margin-top:-200px;[/newclass][newclass=.Mikredhover:hover]opacity:0.4;transition:all linear 1s;-webkit-transition:all linear 1s;background-color:#fff;[/newclass] [newclass=.Mikredhovertext]font-family:Arial;color:#4c306a;font-size:18px;text-align:justify;[/newclass]
Mikaela could feel the criminal’s eyes on her, as though she were the threat in this situation. There were plenty of people in the casino, whether they were employees or blending in amongst the gamblers, that were far worse than her. She had a reputation for being temperamental, but I’m this setting, and this setting alone, she would not step out of line. Hurting one of the casino’s clientele, whether she started it or not, would get her in too much trouble.
[break][break]
”The way you Canadians make your coffee all the bitterness is already gone,” she sighed. She put a dash of milk in the empty cup then filled it with coffee, ignoring his request for sugar. It was in one of the cupboards but she didn’t know which one.
[break][break]
She stirred the contents of the second cup as she debated what to say about her offer. She would be sending him to do some completely meaningless work if they came to an agreement, but she doubted they’d get that far. ”I’d be a fool to start a negotiation of any kind by telling you what exactly what I’m looking to end up with.” She tapped the spoon against the edge of the mug and tossed it in the trash.
[break][break]
”I suppose I’ve been enough of a fool today anyway. I have a… job of sorts that I double booked myself for and I need someone to take my place. It’s a few hours of relatively boring work - no fighting or smuggling or otherwise illicit action that might get you in trouble with whoever it is you work for. Oh, and anybody could probably pull it off so you don’t need to worry about embarrassing yourself by messing up. I’m sure you do enough of that on your own time.” she smirked as though the words were meant to mock, although getting on his nerves was not her main intention. She didn’t know what this man could do, nor did she know what crazy stories he’d heard about her. She didn’t want to scare him off. She approached him slowly, as she would a wild animal, to give him the coffee. She’d done quite enough threatening and it hadn’t gotten through. “Will that information suffice for the time being?”
[attr=class,Mikredheadertext1]I'm not ready for the truth to see the light
[attr=class,Mikredheadertext2]Make it up, Make it pretty, I don't mind
[newclass=.Mikredimage]width:500px;height:200px;background-image:url('https://i.ibb.co/hxzNqkk/download.png');border-left: solid 10px #8f0505;border-right: solid 10px #8f0505;[/newclass] [newclass=.Mikredhover]opacity:0;transition:all linear 1s;-webkit-transition:all linear 1s;height:200px;width:500px;margin-top:-200px;[/newclass][newclass=.Mikredhover:hover]opacity:0.4;transition:all linear 1s;-webkit-transition:all linear 1s;background-color:#fff;[/newclass] [newclass=.Mikredhovertext]font-family:Arial;color:#4c306a;font-size:18px;text-align:justify;[/newclass]
Mikaela had stabbed plenty of people in the back. She never went into a fair fight expecting to win, so when one of her various jobs expected her to capture someone her go to strategy was to approach them as though to make a deal then catch them off guard when they went to walk away. It was as simple as luring a mouse with a bit of cheese then letting it fill its stomach and grow complacent before pouncing. She had long since gotten over the reminder of the first person she'd stabbed in the back, a friend in a time before she understood what friendship was. [break][break] Something about this was different. He was lying in wait and when she went to make her strike he whirled around, throwing her back into that memory she'd been able to block out for so long. Her eyes widened as she recalled a much slimmer hand thrown towards her wrist, momentarily covering the snake tattoo that at the time had been as much of a mark of her loyalty as a chain binding her to a world she despised. Her eyes widened at the sight of blood as it began to well up in the cut her blade had made. That wasn't how it had gone in her memory. She glanced up at a different face than the one in her mind. Different but just as familiar. Her grip on the glass loosened and it clattered on the ground, piercing her ears louder than the din of the casino and breaking her free of her mental stupor. [break][break] She franticly tried to recall his question, though the words at the time had floated over her without any meaning. It was something about the blade... "Beautiful, isn't it? A friend made it." she smirked. She did her best not to look like she felt any guilt as she slid the knife into an empty sheath as though it were an actual object. [break][break] As he gazed at her, an anxious feeling gnawed at her stomach, but she met his eyes with a practiced rueful expression firmly plastered across her own face. She had nothing to be sorry for. He had challenged her and it wasn't like there was anything else she could have done to prove her point. Arguing would have blown over his head. Besides, he'd made it out of the way. When he finally gave up on staring her down, she watched him with a careful curiosity. Most sane people would react in some way so she kept her guard up, but it seemed he was quite done with her. As though it were that simple. Now that she'd recognized him she certainly wasn't going to let him have free reign over the Casino. She cared about her clients' safety and he was a threat to it. [break][break] Her mind whirled with ways to tie him back to the bar. The first plan that formed solidly involved deciet and slight of hand, of course. As he brushed past rather rudely, she allowed her hand to dip into his back pocket, smoothly removing a cardboard box she was hoping she'd correctly guessed the contents of without looking. "Fifone!*" she called after him, sighing loudly before tossing the carton on the bar, followed shortly by the rag he'd thrown at her. Even in their little box, the sight of the cigarettes staring up at her would be enough to make her nauseous. [break][break] Mikaela was confident he would be back soon enough, but just incase she caught the eye of one of the other employees and ran a hand through her hair before jerking her chin subtly in the departing assassin's direction. It was one of the many communications she'd memorized like the back of her hand within two weeks of starting work at the casino. This one usually denoted a possible cheat, but it was close enough that she was sure they'd get the message to keep an eye on him. [break][break] When she was sure he was far enough away, she let the blade in her sheath disperse back into nothing. She ignored the man that approached the bar as soon as the former threat was out of sight. She'd recognized her cousin by his step and she didn't really care what he had to say. She picked up the discarded glass which fortunately hadn't shattered and filled it with water, retrieving the pills she'd stashed in her pocket and swallowing them down quickly. [break][break] Her cousin, not one to be ignored for long, opened his mouth to speak but she cut him off. "You're an smug, spineless lowlife and therefore not worth my time. You e mortacci tua* too," she said bitterly. "Now run along. I've already made one man bleed tonight, and I liked that one far more than I like you." [break][break] "I'm just here to extend an invitation, cousin, you're free to decline." he drawled, immediately catching her full attention, though her gaze remained trained on her glass as she wiped at an imaginary smudge. "It's funny, I could have sworn your grandfather had a deal with you regarding your stay here. Something along the lines of not settling down with anything that would keep you in Canada indefinitely without joining the family. We do have someone else that would do just as well in your place." Mikaela's gaze snapped up to his, and she immediately regretted it. She did not need the memory of that cruel haughtiness in his face to exist in her memory. She hadn't been thinking and somehow her bumbling relative had managed to checkmate her. It was initially Touri's fault for that stupid misplaced display of affection, but she should have known better than to go with her initial instinct to play along. She silently prayed the assassin would return soon to give her an escape from this conversation. [break][break] * Fifone (Fee-Foh-Nay) - Whimp[break] ** e mortacci tua - and your ancestors (typically an insult)
[attr=class,Mikredheadertext1]I'm not ready for the truth to see the light
[attr=class,Mikredheadertext2]Make it up, Make it pretty, I don't mind
[newclass=.Mikredimage]width:500px;height:200px;background-image:url('https://i.ibb.co/hxzNqkk/download.png');border-left: solid 10px #8f0505;border-right: solid 10px #8f0505;[/newclass] [newclass=.Mikredhover]opacity:0;transition:all linear 1s;-webkit-transition:all linear 1s;height:200px;width:500px;margin-top:-200px;[/newclass][newclass=.Mikredhover:hover]opacity:0.4;transition:all linear 1s;-webkit-transition:all linear 1s;background-color:#fff;[/newclass] [newclass=.Mikredhovertext]font-family:Arial;color:#4c306a;font-size:18px;text-align:justify;[/newclass]
Mikaela's hand clenched into a fist at her side at the criminal's words, but she forced herself to maintain eye contact and keep any pity out of her expression. She hated fools like this. They had some hope at freedom, but they threw away their free pass. She wasn't sure at what point someone transitioned from toying with the illicit side of life to being chained down by it, but for her it didn't matter. She'd been born into this, and no matter what she told herself she'd never truly be able to escape. Men like this one would always seek her out, unless she moved somewhere completely foreign and started a new life but that would require abandoning the few people she actually cared about. [break][break] She took a deep breath and released it. She was still at work, so she couldn't start a fight to prove her point. Allowing any sort of bloodlust to build up would only get her in trouble. She could pick a fight with a stranger later but it would do no good now. She had learned long ago that when it came to idiots, arguing wasn't the way to drive home a point. "Call them that one more time, I can get it on tape and then tail you so I can show it to them." she smirked, then, against any sort of logic, turned her back on him to walk towards the coffee maker. It was a petty thing to say, but she needed a moment to collect her thoughts and decide on her next action. He knew where she worked so it wasn't like she could just walk away. [break][break] She forced the mundane actions of making sure there was coffee and opening the cupboards to cool her down and carried that deadly calm into her tone. "Unfortunately," she drawled as she pulled out two mugs and began pouring coffee into one of them, "That means I have no reason to help you. You, however, might be able to help me with something if you'd like to make a deal." Even if she had very little intention of accepting such a deal, an open ended offer like that revealed a lot about someone's true motives. [break][break] She glanced up with a smile. "How do you take your coffee, Angel Eyes? I wouldn't tell anyone if it's with a shot of Baileys." It was late for caffeine, but her sleep schedule was entirely messed up anyway. Even as a kid it had never come close to resembling a routine.
[attr=class,Mikredheadertext1]I'm not ready for the truth to see the light
[attr=class,Mikredheadertext2]Make it up, Make it pretty, I don't mind
[newclass=.Mikredimage]width:500px;height:200px;background-image:url('https://i.ibb.co/hxzNqkk/download.png');border-left: solid 10px #8f0505;border-right: solid 10px #8f0505;[/newclass] [newclass=.Mikredhover]opacity:0;transition:all linear 1s;-webkit-transition:all linear 1s;height:200px;width:500px;margin-top:-200px;[/newclass][newclass=.Mikredhover:hover]opacity:0.4;transition:all linear 1s;-webkit-transition:all linear 1s;background-color:#fff;[/newclass] [newclass=.Mikredhovertext]font-family:Arial;color:#4c306a;font-size:18px;text-align:justify;[/newclass]
Mikaela growled as the brunette stole her drink and downed it in one go. The nerve of the man to drink her water. As though that would tempt her to be nicer or do her job. She wasn't at a table so the definition of her job was a bit looser, and pestering the bartender seemed to be a large part of it on that particular night. [break][break] She was starting to think the pseudo bartender wanted to get rid of her. Not that he would succeed. She knew that he just wanted her gone, so nothing he could say would get under her skin, no matter how irritatingly familiar it all felt. She pressed her lips shut and slipped through a door behind the bar, grabbing a pill bottle stronger painkillers that she hadn't bothered asking her dealer the name of from her locker and a bottle of gin from the storage cupboard. [break][break] She returned a moment later and slid behind the fake bartender to place the gin where it belonged on the shelf. "You must be really bad at your job if you don't even know where the extra supply of alcohol is." she commented smugly. The casino's gin supply was pretty low, the supply space in the back was meant for the private rooms more than the bar itself. There had likely been a problem with the most recent incoming shipment no doubt. She made a note to ask the casino's owner about the inventory. Without a fully stocked bar people would get restless and that couldn't be allowed to happen. Although she didn't want to dip her toes back into that world and contact them, she had her own set of suppliers if something was truly wrong with the current ones. [break][break] As she grabbed her previous glass from the surface of the bar, she crafted a small, thin blade from shadows in her mind and materialized it into reality. It was a tactic that took far too much attention to be useful on an actual playing field, but the casino was different. There was plenty to distract from her as she gave her attention to the task. Then she passed behind him toward the water faucet and made a smooth move to jab the blade into his back. "Of course I wouldn't hurt someone just to prove a point. I don't need a point to prove to be willing to make someone miserable. In fact, I find it quite entertaining." she mused, "As it is the only reason I have not to put you in a whole lot of pain is that Zucchi would be upset and then she might not play with me anymore."
[attr=class,Mikredheadertext1]I'm not ready for the truth to see the light
[attr=class,Mikredheadertext2]Make it up, Make it pretty, I don't mind
[newclass=.Mikredimage]width:500px;height:200px;background-image:url('https://i.ibb.co/hxzNqkk/download.png');border-left: solid 10px #8f0505;border-right: solid 10px #8f0505;[/newclass] [newclass=.Mikredhover]opacity:0;transition:all linear 1s;-webkit-transition:all linear 1s;height:200px;width:500px;margin-top:-200px;[/newclass][newclass=.Mikredhover:hover]opacity:0.4;transition:all linear 1s;-webkit-transition:all linear 1s;background-color:#fff;[/newclass] [newclass=.Mikredhovertext]font-family:Arial;color:#4c306a;font-size:18px;text-align:justify;[/newclass]
Mikaela swirled the water in her glass, watching as the two pills slowly dissolved into a fluffy cloud. When she was a child, before it became blatantly obvious how terrible she was in the area, she'd been taught what poisons went best with what drinks. Very few of them blended inconspicuously with water, but that didn't stop her from trying. And even then, she was always too impatient to wait for it to dissolve. If she'd been made into an assassin she would have been terrible at making it look like natural causes. [break][break]
The pseudo bartender was talking, but she didn't bother reacting to his words. She didn't really care what lies he had for her. It wasn't like she couldn't guess his whole cover anyway. People rarely bothered getting creative. It was much safer to go with the same, plain, exterior every time. There was nothing she could learn from it and she had more important things to be worrying about. Like Sarah. Whatever that name drop had been, he clearly wasn't going to keep pressing the matter. Not yet, at least. He would wait until her guard was down or he needed to distract her from something. She'd rather know who she was dealing with, but no matter what she wasn't going to let him out of her sight as long as he stayed at the casino. [break][break]
"Heaven forbid I enjoy a drink after my shift," she rolled her eyes. "I'm not leaving. You may, though. I can cover for you if you want to slip out the back. I wouldn't want work to stand in the way of you smuggling alcohol to Zucchi. I never did support her attempts to quit drinking, it would be too much of a pity to lose her fun side. Oh the fun I've had with your girlfriend... If she were treating you half as well you wouldn't be hitting on other girls. Maybe she doesn't really like you." Mikaela smirked. "Be that as it may, you should know that I care about her and I'm sick of seeing worthless scumbags like you take advantage of her, so if she comes crying to me at two in the morning again whoever caused it will pay in blood." As she took a sip of her water she debated whether she would follow through on that. It was a threat so she wouldn't let it slide entirely, but there was a lot of interpretation left in there. It was hard to say how much she actually cared about Amery, but she knew that she didn't like the idea of this guy being with her.
[attr=class,Mikredheadertext1]I'm not ready for the truth to see the light
[attr=class,Mikredheadertext2]Make it up, Make it pretty, I don't mind
[newclass=.Mikredimage]width:500px;height:200px;background-image:url('https://i.ibb.co/hxzNqkk/download.png');border-left: solid 10px #8f0505;border-right: solid 10px #8f0505;[/newclass] [newclass=.Mikredhover]opacity:0;transition:all linear 1s;-webkit-transition:all linear 1s;height:200px;width:500px;margin-top:-200px;[/newclass][newclass=.Mikredhover:hover]opacity:0.4;transition:all linear 1s;-webkit-transition:all linear 1s;background-color:#fff;[/newclass] [newclass=.Mikredhovertext]font-family:Arial;color:#4c306a;font-size:18px;text-align:justify;[/newclass]
Mikaela tensed at the pseudo-bartender's words. Sarah. She knew the name, of course, and she was pretty sure she could place it to a blonde- Her thoughts cut off as he went on. "Oi! You know, Zucchi would kill to be as thin as me! Seen that first hand actually, though it clearly didn't do her much good." Between Amery, Sarah, and the fact that she didn't like this new bartender her indignation quickly faded to contemplation as she leaned against the bar and watched the infuriating man scutter back and forth making a drink she hadn't asked for. [break][break] She studied the drink as she debated his question. He wanted to know where Amery was. Whatever the reason was, it couldn't be good. "Just get out of my way, I'll make my own." she sighed, returning behind the counter and filling a cocktail shaker with water, careful to block it from the view of anyone on the other side of the bar then grabbed a few empty bottles and pretended to pour them in. "I don't drink alcohol, but tonight..." she allowed her gaze to trail across the casino, picking out her cousin from the crowd as she shook the foux drink. "Well, I need someone to think I am." [break][break] She poured the drink into a martini glass and dropped in the two pills she'd grabbed earlier. "Back to you, though," she said as she leaned against the counter behind the bar. "If you're associated with that other guy that came looking for me I already told him I'm not interested in working for a group of pathetic cowards. His words not mine. Also I don't torture puppies. Or people! Nor do I murder them." [break][break] While he'd been asking an awful lot about Amery, she didn't think that was why he was there. He had called her Sarah, a name once hers that had become a swamp of rumors and myths. It didn't add up, there was no reason someone would associate Sarah Murray with Amery Atonal. In fact, anyone who knew Mikaela as Sarah wouldn't be genuinely enjoying time spent with Amery. Plus, he clearly had to have been predisposition to block her out if he'd accidentally embrace another woman. The only real resemblance between Mikaela and Amery was the hair. [break][break] Who would be digging up the past again? It seemed unlikely, but it was far more unlikely that he would have mistaken her for her blonde, overly peppy co-worker. Maybe one of the mafias had sent him. That would explain why he looked somewhat familiar. That didn't seem quite right, though.
[attr=class,Mikredheadertext1]I'm not ready for the truth to see the light
[attr=class,Mikredheadertext2]Make it up, Make it pretty, I don't mind
[newclass=.Mikredimage]width:500px;height:200px;background-image:url('https://i.ibb.co/hxzNqkk/download.png');border-left: solid 10px #8f0505;border-right: solid 10px #8f0505;[/newclass] [newclass=.Mikredhover]opacity:0;transition:all linear 1s;-webkit-transition:all linear 1s;height:200px;width:500px;margin-top:-200px;[/newclass][newclass=.Mikredhover:hover]opacity:0.4;transition:all linear 1s;-webkit-transition:all linear 1s;background-color:#fff;[/newclass] [newclass=.Mikredhovertext]font-family:Arial;color:#4c306a;font-size:18px;text-align:justify;[/newclass]
After years of the overstimulating atmosphere at the casino, Mikaela had grown accustomed to the noises and the lights. In fact there was very little at work that really shocked her. A sorry excuse for a bartender's replacement pulling her into an embrace and kissing her neck managed to break the tedious monotony. Very aware that there was no way her cousin had left the casino yet, and her distinct lack of weapons, she quickly decided making a scene would be a bad idea. [break][break]
Not that she would have had the reaction time to make a scene anyway. Her heart was racing in her chest and she was completely frozen in place until he stepped away. The lingering smell of smoke made her stomach turn uncomfortably. "You are lucky," she said through a faked smile that didn't cover the growl in her voice, "that I'm not in a position to make you suffer for that like I should." Her face was burning and she debated whether she was coming down with something. Or maybe she was just more pissed than she thought. The nerve of the man was amazing. She was sure he had no idea who she was, but that didn't make it much better. [break][break]
She kept her face as straight as possible as she actually took a moment to actually look at the bartender. He was vaguely familiar, but many people that passed through here were. "No offense, but I don't trust a man who wears sunglasses to make me a drink." she decided, brushing past him to grab a cocktail shaker. As she passed she muttered quietly enough that only he would hear, "Then again, I doubt you're here to make drinks. None of the temps ever are." She had nothing to base that assumption on, but she wanted to see just what type of person she was dealing with and asking about motives always revealed a lot, even if the answer would inevitably be dishonest.
[attr=class,Mikredheadertext1]I'm not ready for the truth to see the light
[attr=class,Mikredheadertext2]Make it up, Make it pretty, I don't mind
[newclass=.Mikredimage]width:500px;height:200px;background-image:url('https://i.ibb.co/hxzNqkk/download.png');border-left: solid 10px #8f0505;border-right: solid 10px #8f0505;[/newclass] [newclass=.Mikredhover]opacity:0;transition:all linear 1s;-webkit-transition:all linear 1s;height:200px;width:500px;margin-top:-200px;[/newclass][newclass=.Mikredhover:hover]opacity:0.4;transition:all linear 1s;-webkit-transition:all linear 1s;background-color:#fff;[/newclass] [newclass=.Mikredhovertext]font-family:Arial;color:#4c306a;font-size:18px;text-align:justify;[/newclass]
Work on weekdays was usually fairly monotonous for Mikaela. Most of the players that dedicated time to gambling outside of the weekend were either true addicts or had far too much money for their own good. That meant there were far less drunk idiots making exclusively reckless moves. She was still on the lookout for cheats as she dealt round after round, but she knew most of the faces at her table and knew that they were smarter than that. They knew that what would happen if they were caught. [break][break]
She eyed each of the players carefully. Some of them she knew from her own criminal dealings while others seemed completely innocent of such things. She knew that would be too much to hope for. Part of what the Casino was there for was to protect people when their past came knocking. It was why she had chosen to make a home there. People could chose to make whatever stupid choices they wanted to, but if they stirred up any trouble within the casino there was a legal team in the wings to pin a million crimes on them, plus a fair amount of dealers who preferred to take things into their own hands. [break][break]
Mikaela was very aware of the near inaudible click of the door behind her, and she finished collecting all of the cards before handing the deck over to the next dealer and slipping out. It wasn't hard to pick up on the footsteps following behind her, but she paid them no mind. At least, not until their owner spoke up. [break][break]
"Kaylie, it's been a while." Mikaela paused misstep and pinched her eyes shut. Lately work had been anything but peaceful, but she had been hoping things would settle back to normal this week. She couldn't identify the voice itself, but no one outside of her local family called her Kaylie. She had made the mistake of showing a dislike for the name long ago and now they used it when they wanted her attention. [break][break]
Mikaela took a deep breath and forced herself to take a calm approach about this. She didn't care what her family did, but they were powerful enough that she didn't want to irrationally piss them off. She had to at least maintain a guise of diplomacy. "As long as you're spending your money I won't make you leave, but don't you dare talk to me about anything family related. I'm not going to whatever little get together grandpa wants me at." she said, then continued walking. She didn't want to see which cousin they'd sent this time. "If you disrespect that request you will find yourself in a world of pain." [break][break]
The footsteps didn't stop and she could sense the man was only a few feet behind her now. "You always say that." he growled. He smelled of smoke, meaning he could only be one of three people. Two of them were relatively benign, but the third was a sadistic jerk she'd made a point of avoiding. Despite herself she glanced back and confirmed it was the third. [break][break]
She pressed her lips into a thin line. "And I mean it every time. You can't do anything here to make me listen, so goodbye." Her voice was cold and when she walked away this time the footsteps following were further back. [break][break]
Mikaela made a beeline for the bar, craving something to kill her headache. "The usu-" as she looked up at the bartender she cut herself off. "You're not the usual bartender. What did you do with her?" she asked, slipping behind the bar to grab her order herself. She pulled open a drawer and selected a bottle of pills, pouring two into her hand before turning to look at the martini glasses which were behind the awful bartender replacement.
Dear Juliet, I have written so many words for you and me and no one else. So many words that even to you, my saint of love, would be considered treasonous if I ever sent. So, despite them being meant for you and me they will forever be mine alone to read and regret. Alas, I am a romantic at heart and I need somewhere to put my words, lest I go insane. Assuming you’ll find a way to hear them and respond in your own way is no less idiotic than the premise that you, a character from an archaic play, would collect lady’s letters and send them back advise.
When I was young I was told love was not meant for me. When I was young I agreed. Anyone I could truly love existed in a world far different from mine, and pulling them into the dangers of the shadows would have been selfish. Selfishness is not the basis of love, so any attraction I may have felt would not have turned into anything anyway.
Now I am in a different world, but the rope tying me to my old life will forever remain, requiring but a tug to send me spiralling back into my past. Knowing this I’ve closed myself off to love outside of books and music.
Recently that has changed. I don’t know how, or why, but there is a man who refuses to leave my mind. He is Touri the cuciolo. Touri the jerk. Touri the assassin. No matter how arrogant or annoying he may be there is something utterly captivating about him.
Is it stupid of me to feel this way? He comes from a world so similar to the one I have sworn off and that gives me a false sense of hope. If I were to fall into his snare my own past would demand payment and then he would surely hate me. If only I could make him hate me now it would be so much easier. No one would get their hopes up and no one would get their hopes crushed.
Oh, Juliet. Give me guidance for I don’t know where I’m supposed to go from here. ~Arabella Gambino
[attr=class,Mikredheadertext1]I'm not ready for the truth to see the light
[attr=class,Mikredheadertext2]Make it up, Make it pretty, I don't mind
[newclass=.Mikredimage]width:500px;height:200px;background-image:url('https://i.ibb.co/hxzNqkk/download.png');border-left: solid 10px #8f0505;border-right: solid 10px #8f0505;[/newclass] [newclass=.Mikredhover]opacity:0;transition:all linear 1s;-webkit-transition:all linear 1s;height:200px;width:500px;margin-top:-200px;[/newclass][newclass=.Mikredhover:hover]opacity:0.4;transition:all linear 1s;-webkit-transition:all linear 1s;background-color:#fff;[/newclass] [newclass=.Mikredhovertext]font-family:Arial;color:#4c306a;font-size:18px;text-align:justify;[/newclass]
As Mikaela made her way down, she kept her attention on Touri's words. She trusted herself enough not to lose grip and fall off the wall, so the only thing she really needed to focus on was finding the right foot and hand holds. Validation from an assassin actually would have been far better than the rest of her sources of validation, but this time it wasn't what she was after. [break][break] Nonetheless, he continued to go on about her potential motive. His theory about monsters being fake was a complete lie, undoubtedly one he told himself so he wouldn't feel bad about murdering people without a second thought. Personally, she had no doubt that there were plenty of living, breathing monsters mingling amongst other people. She'd spent enough time around them to know there was no salvation for some of them. [break][break] As he finished up his response, claiming she was far from a monster, her foot slipped and she gripped onto the wall tighter, heart thundering in her chest. What sort of idiot was this guy? "You're an assassin. I don't need your validation, and you of all people should know better than to assume I'm some... innocent civilian. Trust me when I say there are more than enough people with the scars to prove I'm not." [break][break] Once Mikaela made it to another windowsill, she glanced at the ground beneath her. At this point Libby was either gone or in trouble, so keeping an eye on Touri had lost its importance. Did she want to see him again? Probably not. He'd made enough of a fool of her and running into him again would probably bring more trouble than good. [break][break] It was shockingly empty on the ground bellow, but out of the corner of her eye she noted a passerby and fixed her gaze on that person. It was definitely time to end this. "Help," she called, pitching her voice higher and stringing her words together quickly. "This man is a murderer! He killed my friend and then the building started burning and now I'm stuck up here! Please call the cops or something!"
[attr=class,Mikredheadertext1]I'm not ready for the truth to see the light
[attr=class,Mikredheadertext2]Make it up, Make it pretty, I don't mind
[newclass=.Mikredimage]width:500px;height:200px;background-image:url('https://i.ibb.co/hxzNqkk/download.png');border-left: solid 10px #8f0505;border-right: solid 10px #8f0505;[/newclass] [newclass=.Mikredhover]opacity:0;transition:all linear 1s;-webkit-transition:all linear 1s;height:200px;width:500px;margin-top:-200px;[/newclass][newclass=.Mikredhover:hover]opacity:0.4;transition:all linear 1s;-webkit-transition:all linear 1s;background-color:#fff;[/newclass] [newclass=.Mikredhovertext]font-family:Arial;color:#4c306a;font-size:18px;text-align:justify;[/newclass]
Mikaela paused her own descent as Touri made his mad leap at a bush. Personally, she didn't like his route of choice. Who knew who was standing under those bushes. It would draw suspicion if people were jumping from the sky. Of course, they were running from a fire not embarking on a stealthy mission. [break][break] She had just gripped the stone she was holding onto harder with her right hand so she could let go and rest the burned arm for a moment when a loud crack broke through the air followed by a crash. "You know, you should have warned me you were doing that, I would have got a video," she called down, taking a minute to study the wall beneath her before continuing her climb. There were fewer and fewer handholds that wouldn't require her to put too much of her weight on her injured arm, but she really didn't want to jump into a bush. [break][break] Mikaela eyed Touri beneath her. He had just said he wouldn't catch her but maybe if she just jumped at him he would anyway. At the very least he'd break her fall without cutting her up like a bush might. He was big enough to do the job, though she didn't think he'd make for a very soft landing pad. Maybe it would be better to wait for the firemen to come and feign helplessness. Then again, whatever had caused that fire wasn't natural and probably wasn't unintentional either. Waiting there could end up backing her into a corner later. [break][break] "Hey, Touri," she began, then hesitated and began a cautious climb down the wall. It was the safest option that didn't test her fear of jumping down from heights. She just needed a distraction so she didn't overthink it. "You told Enrico it was his own fault his sister died. Do you really think I'm the type of monster that would let someone's family be the collateral?" She knew she was speaking loudly enough that any passerby's would be able to overhear, but she was willing to bet anyone in this dark corner of the garden would have their own secrets to hide, and her sins were too long buried to be used as blackmail against her anyway. "Would you believe me if I told you I wasn't?" she added.
[attr=class,Mikredheadertext1]I'm not ready for the truth to see the light
[attr=class,Mikredheadertext2]Make it up, Make it pretty, I don't mind
[newclass=.Mikredimage]width:500px;height:200px;background-image:url('https://i.ibb.co/hxzNqkk/download.png');border-left: solid 10px #8f0505;border-right: solid 10px #8f0505;[/newclass] [newclass=.Mikredhover]opacity:0;transition:all linear 1s;-webkit-transition:all linear 1s;height:200px;width:500px;margin-top:-200px;[/newclass][newclass=.Mikredhover:hover]opacity:0.4;transition:all linear 1s;-webkit-transition:all linear 1s;background-color:#fff;[/newclass] [newclass=.Mikredhovertext]font-family:Arial;color:#4c306a;font-size:18px;text-align:justify;[/newclass]
Mikaela could tell Maverick was frustrated, and she did her best not to grin. His anger didn't put her in as much danger as directly lying to him might, but it was still enough of a risk to set her heart thudding. Maverick was a trainee and his claws were more ceremonial than anything else for the time being, but that didn't make them any less sharp. He would have a lot of power someday, and due to the unpredictable nature of life and death it would be safe to assume he had already been skilled enough to take the position before he was named the mafia's inheritor. [break][break] Unfortunately for him, she didn't concern herself with future power. In fact, the only current powers she concerned herself with were the ones she couldn't escape, and she had ensured there were very few moments where any one person in the mafia truly had control over her fate. She may have looked easy to manipulate on the surface at times but she had plenty of safeguards in place to escape most of the sticky situations that might come up. [break][break] Mikaela stopped walking and glanced back as Maverick paused, annoyance radiating off of him. While she usually hated dipping into genuine emotions, she let a little bit of her innocent curiosity show. She hadn't had any malicious intent and when it came down to it her actions probably wouldn't have a long term impact. Maverick would get his share of opportunities in the future. "That seems like it would be a stupid thing to do," she commented. "Of course I have a reason. I wanted to talk to you and you weren't doing anything useful." She paused, apparently knowing better than to completely discredit him. "Observing negotiations, maybe, but all negotiations are the same and if this one was particularly interesting you wouldn't have left the room so close to the start of the meeting."
[attr=class,Mikredheadertext1]I'm not ready for the truth to see the light
[attr=class,Mikredheadertext2]Make it up, Make it pretty, I don't mind
[newclass=.Mikredimage]width:500px;height:200px;background-image:url('https://i.ibb.co/hxzNqkk/download.png');border-left: solid 10px #8f0505;border-right: solid 10px #8f0505;[/newclass] [newclass=.Mikredhover]opacity:0;transition:all linear 1s;-webkit-transition:all linear 1s;height:200px;width:500px;margin-top:-200px;[/newclass][newclass=.Mikredhover:hover]opacity:0.4;transition:all linear 1s;-webkit-transition:all linear 1s;background-color:#fff;[/newclass] [newclass=.Mikredhovertext]font-family:Arial;color:#4c306a;font-size:18px;text-align:justify;[/newclass]
Mikaela eyed her adversary as he took a step back against her sudden advance. She knew people that would have cringed to make such a move, either because it was too much or not enough. There was a distinct balance between not giving up ground and keeping enough space to defend yourself. She had no intention of hurting him, but he had no way of knowing that, and in close quarters she could easily draw one of the knives she had on her person and slit his throat without a second thought. Of course, Mikaela herself was tiny. Being so close would be more of a risk to herself than to him. [break][break] Regardless of his reaction, she maintained her own position. She gradually released the shadows around her, eyeing the man in front of her for any trace of a reaction. The criminal type usually developed pretty good poker faces, which was why she had learned to discern lies more from words themselves than tone or expression. Not that there were many times she believed anything to be the truth. Her world was filled with liars, and those who chose to be honest used it as a weapon rather than a kindness.
[break][break]
She twisted her face into a scowl. "I don’t care what trouble you get yourself into, idiot," she snarled, her Italian accent thickening with frustration. "If anyone matters it’s the innocent lives that selfish bastards like you unwittingly drag into the crossfire. When the people you care about, the people you will fight for, are on the line as collateral, that’s when you come to me. Despite what the rumours say, I don’t take other jobs. At least not from strangers."
[break][break]
Limiting herself to such work could easily be deemed naive or soft, but if the matter was questioned there were several logical reasons for that decision. Not that anyone stupid enough to question her would risk doing it a second time. Mikaela may have been on the straight and narrow, but she was not some declawed kitten. She couldn't afford to be. Nonetheless, if she was going to pretend to be anything other than a monster, it was best to stay in the opposite lane. Let any challengers think she'd gone soft, then if they decided it was worth their time to get in her way they wouldn't know what they were getting themselves into and she'd have an advantage.
[attr=class,Mikredheadertext1]I'm not ready for the truth to see the light
[attr=class,Mikredheadertext2]Make it up, Make it pretty, I don't mind
[newclass=.Mikredimage]width:500px;height:200px;background-image:url('https://i.ibb.co/hxzNqkk/download.png');border-left: solid 10px #8f0505;border-right: solid 10px #8f0505;[/newclass] [newclass=.Mikredhover]opacity:0;transition:all linear 1s;-webkit-transition:all linear 1s;height:200px;width:500px;margin-top:-200px;[/newclass][newclass=.Mikredhover:hover]opacity:0.4;transition:all linear 1s;-webkit-transition:all linear 1s;background-color:#fff;[/newclass] [newclass=.Mikredhovertext]font-family:Arial;color:#4c306a;font-size:18px;text-align:justify;[/newclass]
Mikaela's lips twisted into a wicked smile. "Oh I wouldn't be too sure about that." she drawled. It was too short sighted to base people's worthiness on age. Most of the more interesting people she spent time with usually died young, but they lived enough in that short time to make up for it. "You can be five thousand or fifteen, it won't make a lick of difference if you live like a fool." She eyed the woman, not entirely certain the immortal was making much of her life. Mikaela knew that if she were so jaded she wouldn't be able to stand to go on living. "And people around here... Well you'd be surprised how many of them put in that extra bit of effort to make something of their lives." [break][break] She readjusted the fox in her arms before walking up to the desk in the lobby. No one was behind it, they rarely were, but she didn't pay that much mind. Rather, she ducked behind it and shook the mouse, bringing the desktop to life. "Oh, I suppose I should take a moment to ask whether you want to find this person through entirely legal means," she said, glancing up. It didn't really matter to Mikaela, but cheating was the faster way of doing things.
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The skin is created by Wolf of Adoxography and Gangnam Style. The thread and conversation remodels are by Kagney. The Strange Reality board list, Heal My Soul info center, I Remember Now mini profile and Electric Requiem profile remodel is made by Pharoah Leap. The Who's That Member member list remodel was made by Tictactoe. The Cbox.ws Shoutbox remodel was made by Trinity Blair. All templates used for claims, information sheets, applications, etc are credited to their owners; credits for these can be found in the threads the templates are use on. Images that are used on The Duality of Man are credited to their owners, however, they have been edited by Zac with a few being edited by Chibi Magician. The plot, rules and various other information pieces for The Duality of Man are written by Chibi Magician with the assistence of her co-admins, Finnegan and Dremulf, alongside other unlisted people who were kind enough to give their input. The TRS, AP and face claim were all created by Fleur for specifically the use of TDOM. All plugins used on The Duality of Man are credited to their owners. The templates my members use are credited to their maker, if you find a template that belongs to you, but is uncredited, please speak to Chibi Magician or the member themself. Characters created on The Duality of Man are credited to their owners and should not be used elsewhere without the creator's permission.
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