Uriel's Gentle Flame

[The Anon Assassin]

Uriel's Gentle Flame is located near the edge of the city and is a quiet place known for it's intimate atmosphere and the shady characters it brings in. Unlike other bars in the area Uriel's is generally considered an upper class establishment who interior decor is akin to that of a country club's bar and lounge. Despite it's reputation for shay business many of Weyard's upper-class citizens frequent this bar because of it's quiet atmosphere and rich red and dark wood decor. Including many of those who visit this infamous bar is the head of the H.E.C.'s board of director's Barrick Newfame.

However, the bar is empty on the night that Kailen Maharassa clocked in to take care of the new stock, and the bar's owner, his boss, Galatea Feng, was too busy attending to financial matters to even bother sending him a greeting. Which, to Kailen, was just fine. After all he didn't really care about the job at all, taking it only as a way to pay for classes as he earned his degree. Bartending was just a way to get by. Even his choice of where to work had been all to due with his future career, not the one he held now. So many of Weyard's influential lawyers, businessmen, and doctors frequented the bar that it was more than enough to get noticed by one of them, make them remember him, so that when he came to them for a job in the future they would remember his name. Or at the very least, remember he had once listened to them moan and weep over their pathetic affairs and dirty tricks.

There was of course those things about the job that he actually looked forward too, and one of them no doubt had to be his co-worker ...Darling Tanner. For one reason or another Kailen found the girl to be...uplifting. He felt at ease around her, which was so very hard for him recently since the world all seemed to be so full of hypocrisy and idiots at every turn. But Darling...he was drawn to her for a reason which was almost unexplainable and although they often bickered Kailen had already come to think of the girl like a younger sister. Which was almost frightening.

And he was still pondering over his strange relationship with the girl, cleaning the glasses for the evening, when his first customers walked in through his door. One of whom he recognized...and one who was quite new.

 

[The One Faithful]

Lilane had left with her new found acquaintance quite quickly, having taken to the air with him in tow, not wanting to stick around when that Russian and Reaper began to go at it. And although she was a bit worried about her brother she had faith in him ...and oddly enough in his opponent Julian, which Lilane found odd but which she did not dwell on. So, upon reaching the very outskirts of the city Lilane had landed and quickly led Bastion down the streets to the door of Uriel's Gentle Flame. A place she often frequented. She paused at the door and plucked at her now long hair, staring at the strands as if pondering them before turning to Bastion with a calm look. "I often come here....it should be rather quiet. And no one will bother us...well...except maybe Darling...but ....it's only because she's a friend." Lilane stated simply with a half-smile, as if tired.

And then, with a gentle hand Lilane would lead Bastion inside and instantly turn her eyes to the bar where she spotted Kailen in his usual spot wiping glasses. Lilane nodded to him and quickly went to take a seat at the bar, gesturing with her hand for Bastion to follow. As she took a seat Lilane raised calm eyes up to Kailen and smiled a bit and tapped the bar once before saying quietly. "The usual Kailen. ....Bastion right?" Lilane queried turning her calm golden eyes upon her Kain's brother. "...just get whatever you want. The owner knows my mother so...she usually just sends her the bill..."

 

[Kain M ShZual]

He was a stranger to this world. Hell, he'd been a stranger to Earth except for a particular building in Rome. His place had never been amongst these people and though he was more or less free from his shackles, he was still human. The trauma wasn't going to leave him anytime soon, thus he only saw sinners about him asking for his blade. More then once he could be seen with a twitch about the corner of his eye, struggling to resist the urge to...well, be the brother of his brother. In a way, Bastion was far worse then Kain while in his persona of Hiro. Hell, if not for Ishado, Bastion probably wouldn't have remembered his own name.

Each time he'd begin to grind his teeth, though, he'd seem to find Lilane speaking at that same moment which always caught his attention. Speaking to him or another, he really didn't care. It was the voice of someone he didn't want to slam onto a tri-point fork. The bar itself was nice enough, though he could see into the people's hearts; their souls were open windows for him to gaze in on. Again, the urge to help the sinners repent was suppressed.

Once she'd have him seated and inform him he had a choice in what to drink...he'd become a deer in the headlights. As a child with his brothers, he drank river water. As a tool of the Vatican, he drank tainted Holy Water. The idea of alcohol was liquid sin in his mind and "soda" wasn't in his dictionary. Thus, he'd choose the best of the two options he had in his mind. "Can I please have a cup of water blessed by at least three saints?"

 

[The Anon Assassin]

Kailen raised an eyebrow at Lilane's hair, about to comment on it when she interrupted him as she always did in her calm and easy manner. He knew what that meant, no questions today. So instead the dark-skinned boy merely let out an easy sigh and nodded pulling out a mug which he filled with the house's hot tea. A light herbal tea that had a sweet after-taste of it's own. Kailen really had no idea what sort of herbs made up the mixture in the tea...but Lilane always did. Even when it changed she knew. Kailen didn't really question this, couldn't even if wanted to...wasn't apart of his job description and not really something he cared about knowing. It was just something he accepted as something he'd never know and left it at that.

However as Kailen turned to her friend...she'd called him Bastion hadn't she?...he did indeed seem a bit shocked pausing for a moment to stare at this guy as if it had been a joke. Because...it had to be right? Then Kailen took a moment and examined Bastion with a searching gaze before at last sighing and crossing his arms over his apron to truly consider the request. Until at last Kailen came to ask him a question. "So...let me guess...Catholic right? Well...I'm not sure if we've got any water blessed by the saints." and this he said seriously truly taking this all into consideration, weighing each option to make sure he kept the customer happy. After all it was part of his job and he'd had stranger requests. "I DO have bottled water, sparkling or carbonated water, and then there's always the tap water. However...since you're Catholic red wine should be okay right? I hear that's what they used for mass back on earth to represent the blood of Christ. Or am I wrong?" Kailen didn't really think he was...but he had no great urge to insult this guy.

After all Lilane was a good customer...and a friend of Darling's. Which was as close to a friend as Kailen was willing to admit to. And since he didn't want to upset her, or his guest he want to make sure he did his best to help the guy out. And if that didn't work he was sure he could always ask Galatea if they had any water blessed by the saints. After all, the place always was stocked up with the weirdest stuff.

 

[Kain M ShZual]

He was all of five seconds from getting pissed and jumping the counter at the mention of what was once his profile, though the man seemed...honest; he didn't seem to be insinuating anything vulgar nor insult him. Thus Bastion would calm himself, though at the mention of a lack of specific water he was a little pissed...and then it came. The first round of selections regarding what he could consume he'd ever heard in his life. He'd look to the man, then turn his face from him, allowing his auburn hair to mask his ashamed face. "I grew up Catholic and was a slave to the Vatican...I believe that's all the information you could possibly ask for, much less need. And I'm sure as s**t not proud of workin' for who I did, so I'm sure we can just drop it."

He'd move the hair from his eyes, long enough only to hide his emotions. He'd look to the man through the corner of his eye, then let a bit of an amused smile escape. "I've lived off'a that wine and bread. Only other thing I had was holy water...didn't think there was more out there; kinda figured soldiers of God would have variety. Then I woke the ******** up...I've heard of carbonation, though. It's like...fizzy, right? Gotta say that sounds kinda fun. By any chance...are there flavors to it?" A light blush would lighten his cheeks given his embarrassment over his ignorance.

 

[The Anon Assassin]

Kailen blinked slightly in surprise...and then his eyes narrowed slightly in annoyance at his tone before he settled again, controlling his temper. He really couldn't help it, after all it's not like he'd asked for the guys life story and he hadn't meant to piss the guy off. Hell he'd been perfectly polite.The story he told didn't help much either. Slave...Vatican? The guy made it sound like he was from the middle ages...which was impossible. And then Kailen remembered his own abilities and chastised himself...if he could manipulate life itself who was to say that there weren't people out there who were older than he really had time to contemplate. So instead Kailen gave off a sort of half-grin, almost cynical in nature, though he meant it as a sort of peace-offering...Kailen just wasn't very good at smiling. He found himself too angry most of the time to smile truthfully.

Kailen nodded in response to Bastion's question and decided it would be best if he showed him. So the college student reached under the bar and pulled forth a list of the carbonated drinks they had on tap, and then another for the ones they had bottled, laying them out before leaning over to point them out one-by-one to describe them, rather thankful that the chart came with pictures. "On the left are the carbonated drinks on tap...on the right is the bottled. Some are pretty much the same but what we've got in stock has a bit more variety." Kailen then moved his finger over the light, fruit carbonated drink and began to give his professional opinion. "If you've never tried it before I think Sparkling Orchad might be good. It's light and the flavor isn't over-powering. Mostly it's like drinking fizzy water with fruit flavoring. It's lighter in calories as well and isn't caffeinated like some of the other soft drinks on tap. Of this particular brand we have Raspberry, orange, white grape, cherry, apple, strawberry, mango. If not we have a wide variety of classics and new favorites as well as some specialty sodas we keep in stock by the manager's digression. "

 

[Kain M ShZual]

He'd take in each word the man said, though he didn't miss a single expression either. With each sentence new questions formed and while most were answered he had to ask and thus further feel...stupid. It made him ill, really. "Can't say I know what the hell a calorie is so I'll just assume less is better...and if you know my religion then you know what I think of fruit given I've only heard of one fruit."

He'd look over everything laid before him and read the charts over, looking at the pictures...though a single word caught his eye. Apple. He'd move directly to the display that mentioned simple sparkling cider. He'd point to it with a smash of his finger upon the description and then look to the man. "That one, the fizzy apple stuff. ...And apples! If you can make fizzy apple water, then surely you have apples?" His question would come out a bit wrong, a bit of a threatening tone to it as if something dire would come about if the man said "no." Bastion had no ill will, or at least not towards him.

 

[The Anon Assassin]

Kailen was taken aback for a moment at the man's force before nodding absently, like one would when discussing with a friend what was in the fridge. "Yes we have a few. Mostly for cooking. I'm not quite sure how good they'd taste for regular snacking but we've got a couple granny smith and red delicious. And if you'd like I could grab you some sparkling apple cider while I'm at it." tapping the picture Bastion had addressed, the college student seeming to relax as he simply decided to find the man 'quirky' and be done with it.

Lilane always did bring in the strange ones. So Kailen turned and snagged a bottle of the sparkling apple cider and poured a small shot glass full for tasting. "If you'd like you can go ahead and try it out. If you don't like it then you can just pick something else. We're pretty dead right now and Darling should be showing up soon so I have all the time in the world to find you something you like." Kailen told him truthfully, his smile from earlier fading until it was sort of an amused blank look, something Kailen was more comfortable with.

 

[Kain M ShZual]

"What do you mean dead? You all seem healthy to me." Again a blissful display of ignorance before he'd snatch the shot glass. He'd examine it first for a moment, then take a second to sniff it. He'd then shrug with a 'what the hell' attitude taking over as he...sipped...at the shot glass. Tasting nothing, he figured out the point of these little glasses and tossed it back. Immediately he'd fall into something between a coma and an orgasm. Sure the taste was great, but it was the fact that he has the juice of the forbidden fruit combined with "God's Gift to the World" in his mouth. It's take a minute or two before he'd finally swallow...and finally smile, a wide friendly smile at that. He'd quickly turn to Lilane and grin. "I really owe you one for bringing me here; name it and it's yours! ...assuming I know what the hell it is..."

He'd shrug and lick the glass, then look to the man. "No no no...no need to choose anything else. Just...this. Lots of this. It's just...I can't explain. It's like having something completely forbidden...it's amazing. And my friend, if you indeed have apples, I'd LOVE one...can't say I care what kind, though I'm amazed they've come up with different types of them. Damn, I really did live a sheltered life. That's depressing." He'd then look to the man like a puppy hoping to be adopted. "Is there a drink that can help with feelings...like sorrow and stuff!?"

 

[The Anon Assassin]

Kailen let out a breathless and amused laugh and reached under the bar to pull out a champagne flute which he filled nearly to the brim with the sparkling cider he'd chosen for Bastion before, leaving the bottle this time. At his question Kailen merely waved a hand at the empty bar around them and smirked a bit, " 'Dead'...slang term for ' no business'." he told Bastion, mostly like someone instructing another on a foreign language...which, Kailen supposed, most slang was.

And then Kailen merely gave a sort of disbelieving half-smile and shook his head. "Think we ought to stick with the light stuff for now. Anything that'd 'make you happy' just isn't right for someone whose only tasted water and wine. Not really sure if you'd take to it anyway...most of it burns on the way down. But if you're persistent enough I might get you a list of our alcoholic beverages later. But food first...if you're gonna drink later you're going to want some food to keep you from getting totally s...er...stone-faced." Kailen caught himself near the end, not really sure how well profanity would go over in present company. He excused himself for a moment to sneak back into the kitchen and grab an apple for Bastion, taking the time to peel and cut it to give him and Lilane time to catch up.

And give Kailen enough time to process the conversation somewhere quiet.

 

[Kain M ShZual]

"Dead...can mean something other then dead?" He'd think for a moment, taking time to look the place over and listen before nodding his head a bit. "I suppose it makes sense...quiet as a graveyard less we speak." In the end he was more concerned about the cider. He'd star at it for a long while, admiring it with one hell of a grin from ear to ear, though not quite that of the famous Cheshire. "The Forbidden Fruit...reduced to it's most simple form...combined with his creation...and made bubbly! Kain was right, life is so much better when you're free!" He'd grab the glass and begin to chug. Only once the glass was empty would he let out a satisfied moan and look to...well, to them it must seem the roof. "YOU KEPT THIS FROM US YOU DIRTY ******** p***k!?"

He'd calm down a bit after his exclamation, seeing nothing wrong with insulting the supposed creator. He'd poor himself another glass and finally savor it, taking a sip at a time while washing that sip about his mouth before letting it gently slide down his throat. Gave his goosebumps every damn time. He'd look to the rather silent Lilane as he did, almost feeling like a kid on a date with his teacher or something, thus he felt damn awkward. Especially since his teachers consisted of old men and nuns. "So...that inner fire fry your mind or are you just not one for vocalizing yourself? It was hard enough to get you to talk back at...wherever the hell my brother took me, and when you did it was riddles, which again I just gotta thank you for." He'd take another sip of his cider, then shrug. "Ah well. To each their own; no reason for me to try and force you from your mute state. That would be extremely rude given how much I owe you for introducing me to this place..."

 

[The One Faithful]

Lilane gave off a small smile and merely shook her head a bit her eyes trailing after Kailen but mostly staying fixed at the bar itself, taking a sip of the cup of tea she'd nearly finished as Bastion and Kailen had had their talk. Which she had found rather entertaining. She let out a soft sort of hum and turned to looking at the tea leaves floating at the bottom of her cup before turning her golden eyes upon Bastion with the intense clarity of a child. "Sorry...I didn't really want to interrupt...and I've never been one for lengthy conversations..." She said after awhile sounding rather at ease and almost sleepy. She turned her gaze back to her cup and with a deep, slow breath she finished it off and turned, looking as if she wanted to ask Bastion something when the sound of a door opening cut her off. In a calm and lazy way Lilane turned her gaze toward a door hidden near the back right corner of the bar as two women emerged, one was tall with dark blue hair that flowed around her shoulders and was dressed in a reserved manner with a light blue, ankle-length skirt and a gray, sleeveless turtle-neck.

In her hands was a clipboard and she was talking in a manner as reserved as her outfit to the tiny blonde waitress chatting with her. "I'm afraid I cannot take you off schedule the nineteenth Darling. Kailen will not be on staff and I cannot act as both bartender and waitress." Galatea sated in her direct, no-nonsense way.

Darling pouted and let out a sigh. "Man...why does Kailen ALWAYS get priority. Bet he's not even doing anything important either. " the blonde teenager whined, placing a pair of dainty hands on her hips before glaring toward the kitchen door where she was sure Kailen was no doubt wasting time.

"That is incorrect. Mr. Maharassa will be at school on the nineteenth taking his mid-term exam in neurology. This is the end of the conversation Ms. Tanner as there are customers present. " And that was where Galatea simply stopped the conversation altogether and crossed to the kitchen with only a slight pause and a polite nod toward both Lilane and Bastion before going about her business.

Darling however merely let out a low, girlish, squeel as she recognized Lilane and scampered over like some sort of small breed dog. Lilane gave her a friendly smile and easily anticipated the crushing hug that Darling insisted on giving her. "Lilane! It's so good to see you again. I haven't seen you since spring break. I mean I know I've been busy but I honestly HAVE been trying to get ahold of you. Especially since that idiot Rosie Velespa has been spreading rumors that you eloped with some dangerous looking guy. Of course I TOLD her that you just disappear sometimes because it's what you do but...oh..oh dear I started rambling again didn't I?" Darling uttered clasping a hand over her hurried talk.

Lilane simply smiled and shook her head with a slight chuckle. "It's okay Darling..." the red-head said simply before turning so that Bastion had a clear view of Darling and vice-versa. "Darling Tanner this is Bastion....Bastion...this is Darling. She's a classmate of mine."

 

[Kain M ShZual]

He didn't look to the girls much less the door and instead stared straight forward with the glass to his lips the entire length of the stranger's conversation. One of them seemed off while the other one seemed off...well, in a more innocent sort of way. Only once Lilane had made her attempt to introduce them would Bastion's eyes move. He'd let his sip finally slide down his throat and set the glass down before closing his eyes. "Darling Tanner...you serve no purpose to this world. Even if you're some sort of power-corrupted human you mean nothing outside of this bar." His words were a bit more clear then usual, his tone a bit deeper. He'd end his cold statement with a simple shrug of his shoulders.

"So, you go to school Lilane? I'm not sure why I find that surprising...perhaps it's because I wouldn't peg one with your...gifts...to have any need for schooling." He'd laugh a bit to himself while pondering what the hell history books could possibly have within their pages while picking his glass back up. "Hey, guy that gave me the devil-water! If it's really this hard to find and apple then I think you might have some problems..."

 

[The One Faithful]

Lilane's expression grew distinctively cold, while her golden eyes flared with her inner fire, the air around her growing slightly warmer. "Of course...I was a normal teenager once...or tried to be. And education is important....I like knowing about the world I live in. But I don't like people who disrespect my friends so easily." And with that Lilane turned and poured herself another glass of tea.

Darling knew, without having to actually look, would have known if she had been blind that the comment Bastion just made had done more than just the mild irritation Lilane showed on the outside. Darling knew that Lilane, who was fiercely loyal of mere strangers...let alone friends, was furious. But Lilane didn't like making personal attack on people...and she was beyond insulting people...she just spoke her mind and remained honest no-matter what. But then again, Darling suspected that's what Bastion was doing as well so Darling merely rolled her eyes, shook her head and chuckled a bit at Lilane's over-protective nature and gave her friend's arm a supportable squeeze. "Ah, I don't mind. I know I'm sort of stereotypically giddy. I can't really help it. And it's true that I don't have much of an exciting life outside of the bar and my circle of friends. But I've always been glad that that circle's included people like Lilane. So...maybe I'll be glad if it includes you in the future too...even if you are rude." Darling added the last bit with a sort of grimacing smirk.

Before she giggled and shook her head, merely laughing it off. However Darling still wanted to prove the guy wrong so with on swift tug she had a tray from one side of the bar sliding over to land softly into her hands. She smiled at Bastion as she twirled to set to work she commented lightly. "And if I serve a purpose at this bar I guess that means I do have SOME purpose right? Better that than having no purpose at all. Besides...some people are lucky to live normal lives so I count myself amongst them. And knowing Kailen he's probably back there peeling the apple you're talking about, cutting it up and picking out another three kinds just to get you what you like...because he's a perfectionist. " And with a little wave Darling was off to clean and tend to tables.

Lilane watched her go, her heat having subsided and let out a sigh before turning back to her cup of tea and staring at it with careful eyes. "I should have mentioned...I don't have normal friends...not even the normal ones. Just...I wanted to be a normal kid for my parents y'know? They deserved that much. But...I never was very good at hiding who I was...or making friends. So...Darling...as odd or...insignificant as she may seem to you...she's still my dear friend because she makes me feel like a part of my life can still go back to those quiet 'normal' days...because it wouldn't be so bad to not really have a huge impact on the world....would it?" Lilane would let out a breath then and stare off into space a bit her fiery-aura shimmering despite herself. "I like the calm...and peaceful. When the world all seems to come together and it feels like there's nothing I can't do...or understand...or love...those moments. When you discover something about yourself...or society...or the world...just...calm silent moments...or silly and stupid every-day moments...because they're simple and not like the complications of stuff like earlier today. Life...and death...situations...isn't it good to have a moment without them?"

 

[Kain M ShZual]

Lilane's initial reaction hardly surprised him, though he found nothing wrong with what he said. He'd been brought up to ignore and even eradicate the useless...at least he had brandished a knife. That would have gone just spiffy. Though, the other girl's reaction had him starring at her and thus accidentally spilling some of the cider. He'd arch a brow at it and begin to debate...in the meantime, he spoke. "Someone finds you useful, right? Someone depends on you, proof of that lies within the little spat you just had. True be it that if you die there will be no higher impact whereas if Lilane dies that freak-scientist might piss himself and Freddy might kill something...or if I died, Kain would nuke something. We also posses the power to...direct Fate."

He'd more or less been speaking his own thoughts out loud while deciding to rip one of his knives from their sheathes and drive it into his leg. It would absorb both the cider and the blood, giving it a hazy red aura. He'd rip the thick blade from himself and let the blood poor out onto the floor and move it over his glass to allow the cider to drain out. He'd then sheath his blade and take a long drink then look to Lilane. "I've spend my entire life in those situations; the times you speak of sound like sleep. I've never sat in a bar and drank fizzy devil-water while just...relaxing. I'm not sure if I like it or not yet."

He'd finish off his cider and stare at both bottle and glass like the world had come to an end then look to Darling. "Your purpose...is to serve others. That idea sickens me; is that not the meaning of being a slave!? Have I been bothering some poor slave for an apple!?" Now he felt ill.