Assassins & Birds(Private)

Nexus had heard whispers recently of a master assassin, someone who could help Nexus with his plans. Ever since Nexus had completed that mission and stopped the 1000 year old evil princess he had been a lot more aggressive with his plans completion. Nexus figured that by forming his Nightingale society with a this assassin would bring nothing but benefits. So he used some of the money he got from the princess job and paid to get information on this man and his location. The man went by the name of the grim reaper, a very scary name for a very scary guy with a very scary background. Nexus invited him to Hyouden in order to meet him, of course seeing as Nexus didn't know much about this man he thought it best that the reaper didn't know much about him either.

He came dressed up in a elaborate disguise, one where his identity would be safe a funny thing from a person who barely even remembers his identity. The disguise consisted of of a tight light purple suit with golden stripes and long, wrapped sleeves. The outfit combines Victorian fashion with that of a sleek bodysuit; worn over it is a black and gold cloak with crimson spandex lining the inside and an enormous black cape encircling the head. Its immediately recognizable feature is a spiky black and indigo mask, completely hiding the wearer's face. The meeting was to take place at a very quiet, dark, and shady bar not too far from the city square. The meeting was to be simple, the two would sit down and talk out the details of the hit but Nexus had other things in mind for this meeting. Nexus didn't really want the reaper to for a hit he wanted him on his team.

Nexus came into the bar wearing his disguise and stood out very well compared to everyone else there. He sat down and made sure there was a empty seat to his right hand side, as the door was to his left and he wanted the seat closer to the door. "Bartender give me a glass of water please." Nexus would say through his helmet which modified his voice. Nexus had roughly 3 minutes before he was to expect his 'friend' to show up, so he waited for him to get there. In the note that Nexus sent to this assassin he left a list of details such as the time for the meeting, what he would be wearing, his fake name which was Zero, and a code to confirm his identity. The code was for the reaper to walk over and sit next to him and say "Know anywhere to get a good drink?"

Disguise:

The first time any of the pompous nobility attempted to set up a meeting with Takai, he always expected it to be something ridiculous. This man though, he took it to a whole other level. A Code phrase, shady bar, secret identities, and costumes? It was like he read up on assassination meetings from some fairy tale and thought that was how it worked in the real world. Due to the complete ridiculous of the whole thing, Takai was certain this was a gag or a trap. All his contacts said it was for real and it went through his usual guy in Hyouden, so there wasn't anything to suggest a joke. So it could be a trap. It wasn't like Takai wasn't used to this sort of thing. Most of the attempts on Takai's life came from families that didn't want to believe that their loved one had died from natural causes, so they'd blame the Master Assassin. It had been going on for nigh unto a century and Takai had learned how to best avoid getting caught off guard.

He'd already been in Icithia for several days now, scouting out the bar, learning every way in and out of the place. Discovering every street or path someone could take to get to the bar. Meeting with his contact, paying informants, bribing guards and just listening to the basic gossip, Takai did everything he could to get as much information on the possible client. It was the curse of nobility that no matter how hard they tried to hide their identity when ordering a meeting, there was always a way to find out. Takai was able to find out this man's identity through the initial contact with his man in Hyouden. All he needed to do now was have the meet, find out the details of the hit and either accept or reject the job. Of course by having the meet, he meant on his terms, not the Nexus'.

There was an inn of few streets over. Pleasant enough place. Wasn't shady like this bar, nor was it so one of those fancy places that only the richest would go. It was a traveler's inn. Which meant that people from all over Abraxas used it. So no matter what someone wore, it most likely wouldn't stand out, given a few exceptions. It was perfect for them to meet, given the strange garb that Nexus' had chosen to come in. That morning, Takai rented a room for the night. Disguised in a servants garb designed for the frigged weather, he had clarified that his "Master" was quite peculiar and wished that his privacy be kept.

With everything set, Takai spent his last few hours drinking coffee, playing poker and listening to the musician with a few of the other patrons. The front door swung open and in came the man he'd been waiting for. The description of the man's garb had been spot on and he stood out in that bar like sore thumb. The whole thing was so stupid that he thought about just calling the meeting off and heading back home. Payment had been made though and Takai always finished a job as long as the other side didn't break their agreement.

Finishing the current hand they were playing, Takai gathered up his things and headed towards the bartender. [color=darkred]"What do I owe for the coffee?"[color=darkred] "Ya had roughly 6 cups so about 11 Ryo." Takai counted out 50 ryo and slid it to the man along with a room key. "Give this to a man in the mask in about 3 minutes, tell him his room has been paid for at Frozen Otter Inn and his buddy will be waiting for him there." The bartender nodded and slid the money and key off the counter, "it'll be done fer ya. Anything else I should tell him?" "That's it, thanks." Talking, music and the normal bustling of the bar was more than enough to drown out the conversation. Collecting his things once more, Takai left the bar, heading towards the new location for the meet.

As Nexus sat at the bar waiting he felt a knot grow in his stomach, a sign that something wasn't right. He had no idea who this man was and all he could do is hope he didn't get stabbed in the back. However things seemed as thought they would soon take a turn for the worst. For this bar to be so shady and secluded there were certainly a good number of people inside and the fact that any of them could be the assassin didn't sit well. Nexus really put himself in a bad spot as he could be attacked from any angle and by any means, the water he was drinking right now could have been poisoned. However he couldn't look like he was spooked otherwise something really bad might really happen. Suddenly the bartender came back over and handed him a key from across the counter.

*A key?* is what Nexus thought to himself before he took it and outwardly said "Why are you giving me this?" the bartender shrugged and said "I dont really know I just know some guy told me to give you this and told me to tell that your room at the Frozen Otter had been paid for. Oh yeah he also said that a friend of yours was waiting there for you." *Shit!!!* is all that came to Nexus mind when he realized that the Reaper had decided to call a audible on his plans. The more Nexus thought out the situation he realized there was a big problem with what was going on. He thought about why he picked this place. One the bar was close to town square so if things went wrong there would be plenty of witnesses. The music was loud enough to stop eavesdroppers from listening in, and the main reason was it was a public place so neither of them had to worry about anything getting out of hand like something that could happen in private.

When he put all of this into account he realized that the Reaper would only agree to meet him in private if he knew who Nexus was. At that point several hundred ideas of how Nexus had his identity revealed went through and all around his mind. *Was it the man who helped me make initial contact? Was it the messenger? Or was it the perhaps even the man who made this outfit for the occasion?* Regardless of where the leak came from the secret was out now so there was no need to bail on the operation. Nexus simply stood from his seat and said "Thank you, I'll be on my way now." as he made his way out the bar and down the street towards the inn. The bartender simply nodded and waved him goodbye. On his way he thought maybe the Reaper was watching him somewhere from afar but made sure he didn't give off any bad body language.

He would soon arrive at the inn and he would immediately go to the front desk and say "My friend paid for my room and he gave me the key, the only problem is I dont know the room number." he said this with a slight comedic voice but at the same time it still sounded stern but serious. The lady at the desk smiled at the masked figure and said "Oh yes your friend listed you down under the name N.N., and your room number is 105." Nexus thanked the woman with a simple nod as he headed up to the room. When he got into the room it appeared empty with not a soul in sight. He then headed inside and still not a soul in sight, so he decided it best to just sit there and wait it out. He sat on the bed and took off the cape part of his outfit and began to read a book that was placed on the nightstand by someone. He would now wait for the Reaper to make his move. It could be a good move or it could be the end for Nexus, he would just have to wait and see.

'Do you think this man is actually interested in contracting a hit? I think this just the scam of some petty noble looking to spice up his life.' Leaning against the stone wall, Takai watched the inn across the crowded street, keeping a close eye out for Nexus. 'It doesn't matter if this is real or not, we got paid for coming if nothing else.' A thick coat covered his entire body, hiding his assassin's lean build and instead giving him a husky, bulky look. His entire garb was fashioned on Icithia's own style, allowing him to blend in with the crowd. It was the perfect disguise for meeting with this Nexus, not only did it hide his body but his face as well. A people surrounded by ice did all they could to stay warm which gave Takai a perfect disguise to hide without standing out in the tiniest bit. There was a downside to it all though, it meant that he had to come back to this frigid wasteland and freeze his balls off. Shivering against the cold, he tried to shut it out of his mind, tried to warm himself just by rubbing his limbs on the outside of the coat. 'He better show up soon, I'm tried of freezing out here.'

As if he had cast a spell, Nexus turned the corner in all his fabulous flamboyance, every person he walked past eyeing his bright clothes. No one seemed to give him a second thought though besides the side long glances and occasional snickers. The Assassin couldn't help but shake his head at the whole thing but kept his eye on the man as he entered the inn. Waiting for several more minutes, Takai watched for anyone that may have been following, a guard, a spy anything like that. Nothing stood out though, so either they were very good or he was legit enough that Takai should go on up and see who it was that he wanted killed. Joining the river of human movement, he made his way across the road, doing as little as possible to disturb the path, not standing out as much as possible before he finally entered the inn.

Laughter and music filled the common room of the inn, people drinking to stave off the bitter cold. It was all too familiar to the assassin, but he ignored it all choosing instead to head straight towards the meeting. The short walk up the stairs was all that he needed to prep for this meeting. He preferred doing all he could to prevent anyone from ever finding him again. Thanks to the clothing he had on, hiding his identity was a lot easier than it normally was. A small vial in his pocket, filled with a special liquid that he developed himself. Pulling it out he gently applied it to just his outer coat, making sure that he didn't get any of it on his skin or on any of his other clothes. The scent this liquid created was so powerful, it was made to disorient those with a powerful scent of smell. It stank like one couldn't believe but it kept anyone from being able to find him again through his scent. It wasn't a perfect plan, after all he couldn't wear it on assassinations, it made him stand out too much. For a simple meeting though it worked fine. Black liquid metal coated his eyes, hiding the last identifier someone could use to potentially find him. His once grey hazel eyes were now completely black, even the white hidden beneath the black liquid. It gave him a demonic look which always served a dual purpose, after all if he could scare the client, they were less likely to try and come after him again.

Room 105. Takai stood outside the door, taking a final breath, readying himself mentally for a fight in case this all turned out to be a trap after all. Entering the room he looked to the man sitting on the bed. "Well hey there," he said, voice pleasant and warm as he closed the door behind him. He looked at the man with his demonic eyes and looked around the room briefly before taking a sheet in a corner. "So you wanted to meet with me, well here I am." He looked at him, making sure the clothe around his head stayed in place so only his black eyes were visible. So cautious about the rest of him, Takai didn't let his voice go undisguised either. He just changed his voice a slight octave, just enough to make it difficult to identify him but not enough that it made speaking awkward. "Now tell me, what's the problem you needed to see me about. Lets see if we can come to some kind of arrangement."

Nexus was happy to see the assassin kinda sorta face to face. Nexus was however very reluctant on if he should get up to properly greet him. Ultimately he decided against it and stayed seated and began to look him up and down very carefully. He could tell that the man put a lot of effort into his disguise. It was something that made him blend in, something that made him seem as if he was a normal traveler to Hyouden that was trying to stay warm in this very harsh environment. He would then look at his own disguise, it was very bright and colorful which made Nexus stick out quite a bit. This however was done on purpose because this was the beginning of Nexus' alternate persona... the beginning of the man behind the mask who would go by the name of Zero.

"I guess the first thing I should ask you is how did you find out who I was. I went through great lengths to keep my identity secret for this transaction. I even gave the middle man a rather big delivery fee to make sure my identity didn't get passed along. Oh well I suppose i'll have to deal with him later." Nexus would say sounding just a tad bit upset but while still grinning a devilish grin. Nexus would then sit the book he was reading down on the bed. Nexus was now ready to get down to business.The hot topic of the day was the formation of a group, a group that would surpass the military force of any country and Nexus would be its leader and help them build a better world.

Nexus would start by clearing his throat. "I would like to believe my identity can be held in private, just between you and I. I would like to invite you to join the Hyouden military and become a citizen of the country, at least that will be the official reason. The unofficial reason will be to join my revolution, my movement to change the way things work around Abraxas. I want you to join me as second in command and with your help I can accomplish my first of many task. Now I understand you usually work for some type of compensation, so name your price and we can negotiate the terms of this arrangement."

Settling into his chair, Takai watched the man carefully, watching every movement and gesture he made. Looking for any kind of sign for attack or a signal to launch a trap. Remaining silent he just watched and listened to his client. "Hmm," Takai shifted in his chair, looking at the young man before him, thinking carefully about what he just shared. "How I found your identity is actually quite simple, I've been doing this a lot longer than you have." The assassin leaned forward, staring down the masked figure with his pitch black eyes. "I've been setting up meetings, hiding my identity and gaining information for hundreds of years. You're only in your late teens early 20's, as much of an effort as you put into hiding who asked for this meeting, you weren't careful enough. You don't need to know exactly how I found out, that isn't important, just know that I did. To put your mind at ease, I do not share the identity of anyone I meet with or who hires me for a job." Takai fell silent as he heard a the roar of laughter from a few people out in the hall. Waiting patiently until he heard their noise die out.

"As for your proposition, I have no interest in joining Hyouden as a citizen or working for their military. For my profession alone, becoming a citizen of any country might drive clients and potential clients from using my services. On a personal level, I have no desire to bow the knee to any man for any reason, whether it be a Kami or some idealistic child. I find my time to be valuable and to have it wasted on some offer to join a revolution to change Abraxas? I am not part of the current system and I have no real issue with the system, it pays me well and always gives me work." Leaning back in his chair, he stared at the young man sitting across the room, eyes narrowing. "While I'm turning down your offer to join you, I am willing to listen to any other job you might have for me. If there isn't, then I'll wish you a good day."

Turned down thats not something that Nexus looked forward to hearing, however the sting of being called a idealistic child hurt even more. Nexus gave the assassin a mean lance and said "So im a idealistic child huh? I think you're wrong and I know that I can show you better than I can tell you. And so with that I believe we should just end this now...." Nexus began to emit several wild bolts of lighting from his body almost as if they were a part of a aura. The unmasked young man would then put his mask back on his face and as it would lock in the back to remain in place he would say "From this point forward I expect for you to stay out of my way. I hope you can at least do that old man."

Nexus wasn't truly mad about the meeting but he wished things had went a lot better than what they had gone. With lightning still coming from his body he would pick up his cape off the bed and place it back on his backside as he would walk out the door. Nexus knew that he would cross paths with the assassin again at some point and he knew that when he did there would be bloodshed. And at that moment Nexus thought a few civilian casualties would be better than the number of casualties that would present themselves in a full out fight between the two strong fighters. So as Nexus made his way out of the main entrance of the inn he would secretly light it on fire so that he would hopefully kill the man along with everyone else inside, and the best part is that the whole thing would look like a accident.

The building was now on fire with the flame spreading very rapidly. And with the deed now being done Nexus put on a evil grin under his mask as he would then slowly walk away from the building and looking very innocent.

The screams and shouts from the streets for the people rushing to put out the fire. It didn't take long though. The inn, like most buildings in Icthia, was made of stone. While a few people started to freak out, no one within the inn was harmed. All of them escaped through the back of the inn that was meant for deliveries or helped put out the fire. All in all, the only damage was to the door itself. Takai didn't bother with helping, nor did he stand around and watch them take care of it. After Nexus tiny tantrum and rushing from the room, Takai hadn't stayed much longer either. leaving out the back before with the rest of the patrons running from the fire. He had other business to attend to and while he would keep tabs on Nexus, he held no concern for him.