Ww - the coming storm

Ricardo scoffed, "know him? That idiot tried getting me to sell him a live troll so he could dissect the thing himself saying we didn't know how to do it right. Haven;t dealt with that man since." Clear distaste was written into his face. Alec just folded her arms over her chest and looked at Vent, her frown never leaving her face but her eyes made it look more like she was worried about him than anything else.
 
Vent looked back at Alec, a smug look in his eyes. Alec knew full well that she was part of Hope's overall scheme. Had he tried to tempt her in these last few years.


His eyes said 'don't worry about me'.


He turned back to Ricardo, grinning.


".... Yeah, he's an oddball that one. But a strong oddball." Vent said, rolling his eyes.


"So, Moneybags," Vent said, clapping Ricardo on the shoulder. "You went to the Academy, right? Treat your old pal here to some grub. I know just the place, eh?"
 
Alec sighed, he really changed a lot didn't he? So did you. True. Very. Ricardo raised an eyebrow, "I went for a year, or well part of one till it burned down then I was called back home and learned from there. But fine, fine." he said, "And don't call me money bags. It's offensive."
 
Vent's grin widened.


"Alright, Scrooge McDuck." He said, alluding the obscenely rich cartoon character.


He lifted his left hand, and summoned his staff to it, appearing in a flash of light and gusts of winds.


He tapped the rooftop, and a glyph appeared, teleporting the three of them.


~


They appeared in front of an old restaurant, one familiar to Alec and Vent.


It was where Hope had revealed his plans to them five years ago.


Vent remained expressionless as he gazed on the old structure.


".... The tea here is superb, if I remember right." He stated, opening and holding the door for Alec and Ricardo.
 
Alec held back a chuckle. Following Ricardo into the place, eyes scanning everything over eyeing everyone like a threat. Despite having a past in this building, it was still just a place. Nothing more. He wasn't there. He wasn't going to screw with her. He wasn't going to hurt her friends. "So, this place is rather cute." Ricardo said, smiling brightly.
 
Vent rolled his eyes, following them.


".... Cute, is not the word." He stated, getting a dirty look from a waiter.


He spotted the same table where he and Alec had listened to Hope rant, but it was filled.


He nugded Alec, pointing that out.


".... I guess it was too much to hope for." He said, a hint of regret in voice.


He spotted a booth with a view of that infamous table, and sat down in it.
 
"Nice pun." Alec noted, before pulling out Ricardo's chair for him before sitting down next to him, very proper and ready to jump up at any second. "So...a question for you," She said, " What happened to your eyes?" Ricardo raised an eyebrow but otherwise said nothing and just started folding up his napkin till it was a tiny little triangle.
 
Vent was kind of put off by the question, glancing down at the Umbralus markings on his arms.


"... That's a long story. It's one I don't particulairly want to tell, but it sums up nicely." He said, requesting a Milford tea from a waiter.


"It happened during training. While mastering the Umbralus spell, forbidden magic except for the most worthy of mages...... Which I am not..... Anyways, during training, or at least my training, I was forced to fight a reflection of my darker side. Only, my darker side was a bit stronger then you might have expected. It had a mind of it's own. We were perfectly matched in everyway, except for it's brutality. It had the upper hand in my battle." Vent explained.


He paused to take the tea from the waiter, and take a sip, reveling in the taste.


"..... Anyways, to sum up, I had to give in to it a bit to defeat it, you see. It's a nice concept, defeating your dark side, but it rarely works out quite like it does in stories. The yellow eye I bear is a bit of a reminder, a symbol, if you will, of the darker side of me. Even though I vanquished it, I am my own darkness now. But I am still my own person."


Vent paused again to sip his tea.


"..... Does that answer your question?" He asked, grinning. "And, may I pose one of my own?"
 
"It does." Alec said, "And you may." Under the table, Ricardo held out a phone towards Alec, who glanced down seeing it held a message for her. Taking it from him and keeping it under the table the carefully read it. Who is this guy to you? How do you know he's not a bad person... She quickly wrote back and passed the phone back to him. He made an Oh noise and turned his head, people watching as pink coloured his cheeks.
 
Vent looked at Ricardo with intrigue.


".... What's with the blush, Richy Rich? Alec give you a pat under the table or something?" He asked, a playful grin present across his face.


He sighed.


"..... What made you decide to be a bodyguard, Alec?" He asked, keeping an eye on the third wheel.
 
Ricardo coughed, shaking his head, "No. Nothing of the sort." He mumbled.


Alec leaned back in her chair a bit. "I wanted to be a protector, not a protected. It's sickening when that's all you grow up with, but you wouldn't really know I suppose." Biting her lip, she looked at someone who came into the place raising an eyebrow at them as her eyes traced them up and down.
 
:: right in front of Alec, Ricardo and Vent, coming out of a hair salon, his face was freshly shaven, and his extremely long hair had been cut to a long ponytail, coming just under the shoulder-blades, all jet-black. he wore a blach suit, black shirt and a red tie, black sunglases, he had piercings with gold rings in each of his ears, and tatoos seen just above his collar, but they covered his skin under the clothes, he instantly noticed the others ::


Marco: "Alec Deathlind, Ricardo Maximillion and "Vent" otherwise known as Connor Adam, its been awhile has'nt it?"


:: he flashed his medalion, it had the symbol of the Battlemages on it ::


Marco: "remember me?"
 
Vent sighed.


Add a fourth wheel to his reunion with Alec..... Wonderful.


"..... Nope. Not a clue." Vent said, pulling out the pendant Alec had given him five years ago in Marco's stead.


"By the way, who said I wanted a stinking pendant?" Vent said with a grin tossing it back to Marco.


He motioned for him to join them.


As he did this, he looked at Alec with a raised eyebrow. They could catch up later.


Catch up.


Hehehehehe, yeah. Alone. Without the Rich-Boy duo here.
 
Alec saluted to her old friend who looked very different but he still had that same aura about him. Sliding a ring off her finger she flicked it at him. Before looking at Vent and laughing. "I know what your thinking. It isn't going to happen." Not right away at least... She stuck her tongue out before looking at Ricardo who was staring at Marco very intently, "Would you perhaps be Maria? I always knew you were a bit butch..." The grin that broke over Ricardo's face told that he knew who it was.
 
Steven was baffled. He knew this person was Alec. But before he could pursue the conversation,she shoulder-flipped the ragged man,and trotted off,with the boy on her shoulders,now asleep. He silently placed a magical tracer on her,and trotted off in the opposite direction.


After a while,he proceeded to follow the radiation left by his tracer,and found it to be at a tea house in Chinatown. Steven proceeded to the tea house,and as he approached,he saw Alec sitting in a window booth,with three men,one he instantly recognised as that smart-assed upstart Vent,a complete stranger,and a man,who seemed eerily familiar. He walked into the tea house,and instinctively scanned it for threats. Finding none,he approaches Alec and Vent saying,


"Is it just me,or did someone just move everyone from Chicago here? Why'd you brush me off like that,Alec? Don't you recognise me?"


As he said this,Steven raised his prosthetic arm,and the tracer he placed on Alec flew from the heel of her shoe to his hand.


He set his hand down on the table and turned to Vent.


"So Vent. Long tme no brawl. How'd the years treat ya? And what the hell happened to your eye? You know,save it for later."


Steven then eyed up the familiar man. He was the same man from the Statue. "And what the hell are you doing here. First you manhandle Alec,then you show up here and have tea with her? And why do you seem so familiar?"


Steven finished his thoughts,and looked expectantly between Alec,Vent,and the familiar man,purposely ignoring the strange man beside Alec. There'd be time for him later. He's simply an awkward add-on to this reunion.


(OOC:His voice is akin to that of gravel in a blender. Scary,unpleasant,and deep)
 
Ricardo raised an eyebrow at the new man that spoke like he belonged in a horror movie but otherwise remained uncaring, folding his hands on the table and wondering how many more people from the school he would see again.


Alec looked at the man, before setting her arms on the table and resting her hed on her interlaced fingers looking at him. "Brushing you off let me keep 10 seconds on my score, but i do apologize." She said in monotone, making the apology questionable for it's sincerity. "And recognizing you? Dear man, everyone when working is just a blurred face with nothing standing out about it."
 
:: Marco grasped the pendant ::


Marco: "if you did'nt want this, then why did you keep it?"


:: he put the pendant in his pocket ::


Marco: "it seems your manners have gotten even worse... Vent... or is it Connor today?"


:: he glanced at Alec in her disguise ::


Marco: "hey Alec, i think one of your contact lenses fell out"


:: one of her eyes showed it's true colour ::
 
Vent smiled.


".... Conner's gone, Marco." He said, a small grin on his face.


"Obviously your social skills have declined, not recognizing sarcasm and banter. Sit your ass down." He finished, still smiling.


With that, he turned to Alec, winking with the still-green eye.


"I guess we match now." He said, the grin turning to a sincere smile.


Finally, he grunted at Steven, motioning for him to sit down too.


"......... So, what is everyone doing here? Too much of a coincidence, huh?" Vent pointed out, his eyes looking suspicious and judgemental despite his smile.
 
Steven's face lightened,and he sat down,and ordered Earl Grey tea.


"It's been too long. Sorry for not recognising you,Marco. It's been five years,and you look like you're bloody forty years old! And realy,Alec. With a mug as beautiful as mine,how can it blend in with the crowd?" Steven chuckled at his own sarcastic remark. He was ugly as sin.


"Now,who's the newblood?" Steven remarked abruptly,gesturing to the strange man.
 
:: Marco leant foreward ::


Marco: "i apologise, all i have done for five years was eat, sleep, drink and train unitl i could'nt move"


:: he glanced around, and sat down with the rest of them ::


Marco: "has it really been five years? i lost track of time over 3 years ago... i also haven't even seen the sun in all 5 years as well"


:: he checked his watch, it was cracked and had stopped working ::


Marco: "this broke a couple of years ago.. i need a new one, but the teacher said that i didn't need one..."
 
Vent sighed. These two had no sense of decency. At least Ricardo over there had an excuse.....


Vent's suspicion didn't fade, but he let himself be drawn into the converstation a bit.


"...... Yeah yeah, it's been so long. Train train, blah blah. Five years is nothing in the long run. The question is what are we gonna do now? Seems to me Alec has a job, Marco and Ricardo are both milionares, and me 'n Steven are still poor." He rambled aimlessly, sliding his sleeves to cover the Umbralus markings that ran up them. Around Marco and Steven, Vent wasn't too sure yet. They'd already seen them, most likely, but he'd hide them nonetheless.
 
Steven chuckled. "That's one way of looking at it,Vent. Anyway...I was in New York for...I think three years,now...I left the Academy after getting a handle on my..." Steven eyed the surroundings. "...Talents. I'm still a vagrant,sadly. No one wants to hire a "magician" who looks like a horror movie reject. But I still make money from doing odd jobs for people. Not enough for rent,though."


Steven's tea arrived,and he took it with a humble thank you. He took a sip,and savored it. Earl Grey was his favourite. He set down the tea and continued.


"So...Here I am,three years hence. And before you ask,no,I still can't read. No one will teach me..." Steven took another sip of tea,and asked the questioneveryone was thinking.


"What are you all doing here in the Big Apple,anyway?"
 
Vent crossed his arms, a big grin on his face.


"Stalking Alec." He said, almost no change in his expression.


He shook his head.


"..... After I finished my training, she was the first person I wanted to see. Then it turns out she's a bodyguard for Bill Gates over there, and you and Marco just randomly drop in outta nowhere. This could have been a nice reunion-slash-date, if you morons wern't so....... Moronic." He explained, letting loose a sigh.
 
Steven,once again,chuckled at Vent's remark. "You still have a healthy sense of humor,Vent. Don't change. We could use a good guffaw every now and again. Now,I noticed something on your arms when I walked in...Care to share? I may end up sharing how these happened..."


With the last sentance,Steven gestured to the scar running across his throat and down his eye.
 
One of Vent's eyebrows raised, his grin taking on a more sinister feel.


"...... Not really. It's not really a good story." He said, pulling on his sleeves at bit more.


Settling into his chair, he checked out Steven's newest scars.


"Those, however, look like a good story." Vent stated, his nasty grin and narrowed gaze lightening, his face going expressionless.
 
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