exsiliumlogs | Operation: Roll Out

Entry tags:

Operation: Roll Out

Date & Time: January 31st - February 4th, Present Day Exsilium Time
Location: Neo Las Vegas, in what formerly was called Turkey.
Characters: All Transports!
Summary: Transports have been sent to Neo Las Vegas to gather information on the origin point of the United Earth and the UE AI. Conference sabotage and the rest is expected and invited!
Warnings: Gambling and alcoholic beverages quite likely! Please PM the mod account for anything else.

By day, the landscape isn't desert, precisely, so much as it is dry. Winter's settled in and found in the biting chill of the wind when it finds you standing on the street. Hovercars and taxis thrum down the cobblestone streets, cavorting and honking like a noisy crowd of inelegant, overweight geese. Men walk by on stilts half in make-up, on their way back to their stage for the next night. Walks of shame are taken proudly in this district, one of the few approved and sanctioned vacation zones in the United Earth.

Evidence of law enforcement can be found all around, but they seem altogether too pleased to be there too. Talk with any one of them about crime rates, and they're liable to laugh at the idea. Those who come to gamble know the house is rigged to win. It's not about making or breaking the bank -- people whose funds dip too low are politely escorted back to their rooms and given a set of normal playing cards -- but it is about enjoyment.

Of the flesh too, and it'd be difficult to find anyone working in Neo Las Vegas who suffers from modesty, or anyone visiting who seems unwilling to politely ask visitors and staff if they'd like to keep them company for the night. In fact, Transports may find themselves needing to turn down multiple such requests! The refusal is always taken well. These are people looking to have a good time, and that's all.

No chance taken, nothing gained, right?

At night, the city really comes alive, the lights in all the hotels and casinos turning the Neo Las Vegas Strip into a carnival of sensation. Drinks and recreational drugs are freely passed around, men and women engage in a variety of sexual and other hedonistic excesses without regret, and the beautiful interiors and ostentatious or playful exteriors of the buildings hide and reveal a rich tapestry of events, delectables, and desires waiting to be fulfilled.

Neo Las Vegas is a fun place, and it is a safe place, and it is Where the Conferences For Our Future Are Made. Playtime is on, gang.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

It's a long story. [ real long. ] All of it is. One I'd want far more drink to tell.

And-- you were already in the middle of one. [ he points at her, almost accusing. did you think he'd forgotten? and again: ] So?

[Ugh. Drink.

His mention reminds her that she is actually on a mission here, even if she's not looking for Marduk do be there for the conclusion of when she eventually passes out. There's a lot of work left to do for that.

Seviilia glances around, tempted to pick up one of the glasses left behind on the railing. Nothing left in them would have any great effect on her -- but conveniently, she spots a mini bar on the other side of the landing and immediately starts snaking toward it.]

More of a description than a story, I should say.

[But she knows what he is getting at, so before she gets too far away from him, she starts up again.]

What you just described is an impossibility where I hail from. The Lich King made certain with our return that we would forever remain instruments of pain and weapons of destruction. We are cursed with bloodlust -- crave the suffering of others.

[Which would probably be all the explanation he would ever need. She manages to keep from looking at him, to avoid from making it too personal.]

[ he trails after her, all the way to the bar. the discovery of unending bloodthirst is generally the kind that should drive people away, but he has no problem ordering a drink alongside her.

well, kind of. his level of unease always shoots up when he's closer to seviilia, along with his blood pressure; his nails dig into his palms in remembrance of their last two encounters. but if he thinks on his own experiences, then-- ] There are worse things to be stuck with.

[ whoops. that wasn't supposed to be out loud. he recovers gracefully by burying himself in his glass, as soon as he gets it. ]

[She would agree, but she wouldn't expect most people to. So, predictably, he gets a curious glance out of her for his comment. She waits for him to stop drinking so he can't avoid answering in some way.]

Go on.

[ clever of her to wait. he hesitates for a long while, but seviilia isn't exactly the type to be distracted by that, he thinks. waiting has the added benefit of letting the alcohol work its own magic, enough that he almost doesn't even mind thinking about (that particular bit of) the past. ]

I couldn't remember anything. [ heh. it sounds so minor, when you put it like that. ] Not the past, and nothing new. The only things I could recall with any certainty were-- how I died. And what I served.

[ the memory is exhausting. he sighs, leaning heavily on the counter, shoulders slumped. ] If I hadn't written it before, I wouldn't have known my own name.

[The downside of the hologram is that it shows eye expression much better than her actual eyes. There's some recognition in them the second Marduk mentions memory, but she doesn't say anything. She even takes a moment to put her brand new drink back down, and watches him for a few moments, searchingly.

It was not dissimilar to how the Scourge functioned. She almost says that, but she just...continues staring instead. There was only one person in Exsilium, three in her life, who knew the state of her memory. It was...a difficult thing to accept, sometimes, but only when she had to acknowledge it.

The silence says a lot. There isn't sympathy in her expression, but a stiff sort of understanding.]

[ so, she knows. he gives her a smile tired and humorless. it's not the kind of mutual understanding he'd expected to find in exsilium, but he'll take it.

it's also a good opportunity to get to work on a fourth drink, you know, while they're here; this time, he doesn't down it immediately. not entirely, anyway. about halfway through, he pauses, staring into it. the silence is nice, but after long enough he feels obligated to fill it all the same. ] The worst part is-- I miss it. Sometimes. Not having to think about things.

[ not that he ever does much of that; this is likely the first time he's even realized that at all. oh well. he pauses, looks seviilia over, and abruptly changes the subject. ] You look nice.

[Its almost as if she didn't hear him for a few moments, until he mentions not thinking about things. No, it was never like that. Sure, she couldn't actively be aware of her will under the Lich King's thrall, but she remembered. She remembered him, the clawing hunger, the thrill of service -- all of it. None of it felt wrong until she was made free. And even when that had happened, she had no memory to draw upon...just that whatever she had been doing was slavery, and that it had taken everything from her.

Everything but her name.

She is brought out of her train of thought by his comment, pausing just to look down at herself, and at the ugly reproduction of her rune circuit on human arms and hands.]

...thank you.

[The reply comes out distracted. Its hard to say she prefers her natural form. Even as a human, she looks no better or worse. Under that pale (but slightly peach) hand, there is something dead, boney, and black.

Down goes the rest of that drink.]

Edited (MUCH KING VERY SCOURGE WOW) 2014-02-09 05:24 (UTC)

[ all of her distraction is lost on him. marduk just keeps on talking, not so much to her as at her. ]

Could be nicer. Have to make do with what you have, with the whole-- [ he reaches out for a second, getting about halfway to looking as though he's about to touch her face before he realizes what he's doing. after a bit of an awkward pause, he shifts gears, running a finger down along her arm. yeah. ] Shame, really. Still don't care much for humans, even now. Or disguises. Or--

[ wait, where is he even going with this? embarrassment has finally caught up to him at this point, and so he leans back, preoccupying himself with his drink again. that was... maybe a little too much projecting. this whole trip is shaping up to be quite the impressive disaster, and there's still plenty of time left yet.

might as well make the most of it? helpfully, he ends with: ] It's your turn. [ not-- not for what just happened. back up a little. (are they even still trading information anymore?) ]

[The contact startles her, like a small child being confronted by a stranger. After a moment of contact, her free hand shoots out to grab his wrist. If he had forgotten her state of living, her chilly touch will certainly remind him.

She's stiff, maybe even a little nervous -- until the glass in his hand registers and she loosens her grip. She doesn't let go though, for a few reasons.

Her turn. She gives him a long once over. Calm down. Calm...down. It comes out as a somewhat exasperated exhale.]

You are drunk.

[ how could he forget? marduk is far from surprised when she grabs him, though he winces at the cold regardless of the expectation. where seviilia is freezing, though, he is warm in return, sustained by way of how he's biting his lip as he grins at her. he doesn't forget things-- not anymore. not even like this. ]

A little. [ his next sentence is considerably more foreign, and then he laughs. ] And? It does not matter. [ he gestures towards her with his drink. ] Still your turn.

[Its been a while since she's felt anything warm like that, when it wasn't squirming desperately for life under her hand. The wrist is a good place to take note of his pulse--

At which point she releases him (just a bit too quickly) and...glares expectantly at the person behind the bar as she waits for another drink. She hopes this one is stronger. She's not nearly intoxicated enough to keep up with this conversation.

Which is why the second he hands over the drink, its gone in one gulp. So much for culture. She rests a hand on her hip and gestures at him a bit accusingly.]

I trust you are aware that I will not be carrying you back to your room.

[ his hand hovers there after she's let go, as though he doesn't know what to do with it; after a second's pause, he pulls it back. it's as good a time as any to finish his own drink, and he chuckles into the empty glass at her comment. ]

Of course. [ as if he ever would. besides, he's nowhere near gone enough for that to be a concern-- he's pretty sure, anyway-- maybe. he has been leaning on something for support for quite some time. the point is, he's not worried. ] Are you going to keep changing the subject?

[Another drink. Yes, she would love to keep changing the subject. They've brushed against uncomfortable territory, territory she's wholly certain she doesn't want to be treading with Marduk.]

There is not much else to tell.

[A lie, but a decent one. She throws him something obvious that she thinks might not be so obvious thanks to his alcohol intake.]

Much of the Ebon Blade fights their natures -- like Koltira. I do not. It has earned me a great deal of resentment.

[ is that it? he has his chin propped up in one hand now, expression easing into something more thoughtful. he's waiting for her to continue, and is visibly disappointed when that's the end of it. well. ]

That's a shame. [ his voice is earnest; he really does mean that. surprisingly enough. ] No sense in fighting it-- it doesn't change what you are.

That's not quite it.

[She traces the rim of her glass, gently forming a small layer of ice there. Nobody is watching except the bartender and Marduk, so she doesn't really care.]

Our nature makes us subhuman -- beasts. Monsters that function on instinct.

[Seviilia takes a drink and leans back against the bar.]

Things we are meant to be above.

As though anyone else is different.

[ somehow, he has managed to coax both a fifth and a sixth drink out of the bartender, and both are rapidly disappearing. he rambles on as he drinks, of course, even if it's hard to properly articulate his thoughts on the matter. it's something he's thought about at length, long prior to seviilia; another idea considered, but never expressed. ] Everyone is the same, just, maybe-- more subtle, with it. Bloodlust is messy, and honest; not appropriate. Two things are antithesis of society. [ shit. he skipped a word. ] That are. [ ... where was he? ]

-- Look at this place. [ he waves an arm back towards where they came; he means all of vegas. ] You think this would exist, if they were different? The vices are different-- or the same, milder-- ones they can pretend are better. And aren't. The city is dressed up in lights and gold, but it is as full of animals as the wild.

[ he makes a disdainful noise, here. there was a specific conclusion he was gearing up for, but it's slipped his grasp in the midst of... that. marduk drags a hand down his face, gripping what's shaping up to be his last drink rather tightly. ] There is nothing to be above. Impossible to be. The concept only exists to give everyone peace of mind.

Murder and torture are not equal to greed or finer pleasures, Marduk. Moral ground aside, most of society understands the former as reprehensible, and the latter forgivable and...normal.

[That much, she understands. She understands that her lifestyle is wrong. She has come to understand that she is weak for not being above simple desires -- no, not simple. Simple desires are what the things Marduk listed off.

She looks between the bartender and Marduk, reaching instead for a bottle of wine after she finishes her drink. Afterward, she pulls out a large sum of cash to cover whatever they had drank (she doubts its enough) and stands. She is starting to feel something at least, but not enough without the bottle in her hand.

He looks like he's had enough, though. She's also rapidly growing tired of the conversation -- its exhausting.]

Where are you staying?

Most of society spends its time trying to convince itself it is no longer savage. But willing to embrace the reprehensible as soon as it becomes beneficial enough.

There are plenty in Sharn that would call those finer pleasures. Make their fortunes off it. I am sure-- here is no different.

[ humans are the same everywhere, aren't they? not to mention, to him, all wants are equally simple; perspectives and all that.

he slams the now empty glass down, briefly considers another, and then realizes how absolutely unnecessary another drink would be tonight. marduk considers her question, and then shakes his head. ] I thought there would be no carrying.

I do not disagree with that. But it is different, when your origins lie as mine do -- as all other Death Knights do.

[She eyes that glass, slightly disappointed that it didn't shatter, before looking back to Marduk. She just...reaches over for the bartender's corkscrew wordlessly and opens it before stepping backward away from him.]

There won't be. You will be walking. Or dragging your belly, if it suits you.

Right. [ he finally pushes up from the bar and promptly clutches the edge of it for balance, again leaving deep gouges in the wood where his nails dig in. ah.

he sways there a moment, trying to sort out a plan of action. he looks at seviilia after a distinct pause of that, having come up with approximately nothing. ] For one regarded so poorly by her cadre, you keep their words well. [ half a jab; half curiosity. he's not sure what to make of it. ]

[She takes a drink after that and moves to walk off toward her own room which is, of course, conveniently attached to the casino. She stumbles a bit and frowns before peeling off her heels and looking back to Marduk.]

Do you not understand what is at stake if I choose not to keep their bloody creed?

[Its accusatory -- angry, enough that her accent begins to slip through her words. Seems he's finally struck a nerve, as she's stepping back toward him. Its not entirely graceful, but without the heels, its much easier.]

They will kill me. Or worse.

There is a difference between keeping their creed and believing it. [ but; he holds up a hand. her fears-- that's what they are, aren't they? fears?-- aren't unfamiliar to him.

there is a reason he's never even tried to go home, after all. his turn to have the moment of understanding, then; he just says, sad and solemn: ] I know.

[ with that, he relinquishes his hold on the bar. he faces seviilia now, apparently unfazed by the way she appears to be bearing down on him. it's funny. he's not even scared of her now. just tired, and all too sympathetic towards someone who has been all to eager to show him his own insides. ]

[Maybe he is right -- that is always what she thought, until Koltira had a much better argument. She doesn't stop approaching until she is just mere inches from him, twitching to just. Punch him. Shove him. Something. But he's given her something to think about, and its confusing her.]

Our design is what shackled us to the Lich King. It is our bond to him, it keeps us his slaves even in the face of his death --

[Her jaw goes tight, her grip around the bottle goes tighter. She's just parroting what Koltira had said to her, she's realizing. Does that make it any better?]

No. You don't know.

[Maybe he does -- she doesn't want to believe anyone has any idea what it is like to be tethered for your survival. Without the Ebon Blade, she is just a Death Knight -- and nobody cares for stray Death Knights. Stray Death Knights end up dead, because there is always a chance they will turn Scourge. She's been on that side of the fence too.

That tone of his -- is that pity? How dare he.]

Thought this came up earlier-- I know more than you realize.

[ he has been through all of it. he knows as only the dead do. ]

You can deny it all. But it will not change.

[ he knows. ]

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