[Action | Closed] Why are you here?

[bunny_doll]

Who: Ni and Amberdrake
What: Ni tries to bother Amberdrake for a lack of anything better to do
Where: Amberdrake's office, Allteton
Warning: Will update if needed


It was almost disappointing how easy it was to track Sanzo down. Stupid kid, he couldn't see what Koumyou saw in the brat. He hadn't been here long, a few months? And he was already attached to at least two people. For shame, he was so poor at keeping himself detached. He was too stubborn to learn.

There was no fun to be had in harassing him directly, so he didn't. A few days to get himself settled and gather information, and then he could start setting up what he wanted to do next. Injury, death, loss, they were all temporary here. That made it considerably less fun to go after the younger monk. But he could still make his life just that much harder. He did get terribly upset when a friend was hurt, didn't he?

Amberdrake was hardly just a 'friend', Ni had figured that out quickly. That made him the best to start with. At first Ni watched him, trying to determine how capable he was. He had magical talent, worked as some kind of therapist, and was so bright and colorful it make Ni ill. If he ever noticed Ni watching him, he didn't show it.

And that grew boring. Ni had no threads to pull to make things go as he wished, no influence or handy, brainwashed toys to sic on innocents. Neither his rank or intelligence won him much of significance here. Doing things himself had its charms.

As garish as Amberdrake's office was, it was charming, in a sense. He'd love to set it all on fire and watch from the distance. Maybe some other time. This time he was lounging on one of the couches, looking comically out of place in his shabby lab coat and bunny slippers. A white stuffed rabbit sat on his stomach, face pointed to where the birds huddled together, silent.

Comments

[amberdrake]

Amberdrake had been wondering when Ukoku would make his next move. The kestra'chern always kept his professional mask up when anyone could see him, and he'd been grateful for that when he'd noticed the dark priest's presence. He'd warned his Sanzo, of course, but had continued to artfully appear to not notice the lurking other Sanzo.

Still, he knew he was a target. And he knew Ukoku wouldn't keep his distance for long. Predators rarely did. The man may have bypassed the bells above the door, but Amberdrake knew immediately that there was someone in his lobby -- and who it was. The Empathic Gift was more help than hindrance, once in a while.

Drake was in the kitchen when Ukoku teleported in, washing his hands and arms free of the oils he'd used on his last client for the night. He dried his skin and pulled his wing-cut robe back on now that the sleeves weren't in his way, before calmly going about making tea. Once it was done, he poured two cups and brought them out, setting one down on the endtable by the couch Ukoku lounged so casually on.

Then, without skipping a beat or with so much as an eyeblink out of place to sully his graceful, professional mask, the King of White Gryphon took a seat across from the priest. His open robe draped artfully over the chair, effortless, feathers whispering and beads clinking together softly.

And then, still silent, Amberdrake regarded Ukoku over his own tea. He acted for all the world as though scruffy, lab-coated, be-slippered strangers appeared in his office all the time. And perhaps they did. His clientele had always been an interesting bunch. Once, it had even included a God.

[bunny_doll]

Amberdrake's composure was admirable, if Ni could care enough to think positively about him at all. There wasn't much information to gather on Amberdrake, he was close to few, closest to Sanzo. He'd been here about as long as the other priest and, other than what he'd personally observed, that was as much as he really knew. It was hard to say just how observant he was.

Ni inched himself further up on the couch arm and reached for the tea. This might well be perfectly normal for him as well! His smile didn't fade in the slightest, though wariness had crept into the crushing boredom and malice that made up Ni's usual emotional state.

"'Sup?"

[amberdrake]

Amberdrake tipped his head a little to one side, the motion stirring a single tiny bell in his hair. He took a sip of his tea while he studied Ukoku, though decades of practice made his detailed scrutiny not feel so much like what it was, and more like he simply watched the other man politely. No one liked to feel like a bug under glass, after all.

His own smile was gentle, faint; part of the kestra'chern mask, and as second-nature as breathing itself.

"I knew you wouldn't like willowbark tea," his voice was quiet, calm, and smooth. "I fear it's an acquired taste. So I brewed something more... appropriate. I hope it's to your liking."

Which yes, meant he'd known he had a guest before he'd emerged from the kitchen. Drake knew precisely what cards he was turning over, when he turned them over. Bringing out two cups had meant the same thing, of course, but now he merely confirmed it.

[bunny_doll]

"You're a considerate man, Amberdrake." Ni sipped idly at the tea, looking around as if he hadn't already memorized the place. His eyes lingered a moment longer on the birds, still silent and huddled together, before snapping his gaze back to Amberdrake.

His wariness sharpened to dislike. So he already knew who to watch for, hm? Sanzo could have described him, though not like this, but perhaps close enough for Amberdrake to guess. Was there still more at play? Ni planned this 'confrontation' to find that out.

"They're awful quiet tonight," he said, tipping one of the rabbit's ears to point at the birds. "Aren't they usually a lively bunch?"

Not around him. And they wouldn't be stupid enough to try to leave while several crows lingered outside, expecting another meal out of him.

[amberdrake]

"I strive to be such, Ukoku Sanzo," Amberdrake followed the priest's odd gesture to the birds, and something about his presence seemed to counter the darkness of Ukoku's. Reassurance spilled from the Empath, aimed solely at the tiny feathered animals. They perked up, and one began to preen its neighbor. Another yawned. A forth one, this one gold and black, stared at Ukoku like it was memorizing him.

"Garth, be polite," Drake murmured, and the gold and black bird puffed his feathers up and tucked his head against his neighbor. Apparently if he wouldn't be staring the teeniest, tinniest little daggers into Ukoku, the multiple-world-hopping bird was going to nap.

Amberdrake smiled into his tea, and took another sip, his gaze returning to Ukoku. "They know not to cause too much chaos in my office, no matter the company, or its lack. It's a calm and quiet place of healing. But I doubt you're here to learn about my birds, or my office."

[bunny_doll]

"You got me there," Ni said with a laugh. The discomfort of the birds is something he'd let slide for now. The effect was wasted on someone who knew who they were dealing with. If he even knew the full extent of it.

"You know more than I thought." That is something Drake should already know, no harm in admitting it. "That's a shame. But you're not the least bit afraid. Fun."

[amberdrake]

"Is that what you came here for?" Amberdrake asked, setting his tea aside on another little end-table and folding his hands in his lap. He remained as calm and gentle as ever, sounding merely curious. "Fear? To send me running home, I suppose... to spread that fear like a sickness. To whip my Sanzo into a frenzy of worry and hopeless despair that he can't protect me."

He continued to watch Ukoku with that same polite stare, his vivid blue eyes not piercing, nor hard... they could be having a conversation about the plumage of the birds outside.

"And to learn about me, I suppose, because knowing things is the most important tool of all, is it not?" Drake knew more than Ukoku thought, yes, and that had been a direct reference to that comment from the dark priest. "May I ask you a serious question, Sanzo?"

[bunny_doll]

"Go right ahead." Ni's smile was just as lazy and calm as when he'd showed up. None of his annoyance at being caught unprepared showed on his face. It was more obvious both in what Drake could feel and that he didn't reply to anything else. He might not have, even if he felt he had the upper hand, that was a lot more than he wanted to reveal.

He toyed with the ear of the toy rabbit. Bored! Amberdrake was a nuisance, but he wasn't a threat.

[amberdrake]

"This... malice in you. I assume that's what you interpret as darkness, and thus what you see the world through. Do you remember when it built to such a high pitch; what caused it?" Amberdrake picked up his tea and took a sip, and smiled at his birds' sleepy, tiny peeps against each other.

"Has it been with you all your life, or did it build up over time? Perhaps it started as simple disdain, and grew from there?" Drake inclined his head, a gesture of apology for his intrusive questioning. "Professional curiosity, you understand. I never had the opportunity to ask the others I've known of with such a... unique perspective."

[bunny_doll]

Ni laughed and set the tea back on the table. The insult had not gone overlooked! He really wasn't afraid, just how much did he know to be so sure Ni wouldn't attack him? Anything he could know shouldn't paint him in a forgiving light.

He sat on and crossed his legs, the stuffed rabbit flopping back against his stomach. He gave it a pat on the head before spreading his arms along the back of the couch. This was cozy.

"Can't say, I'm afraid. I never gave it much thought." He was both annoyed and amused by his line of questioning. Did Amberdrake seek to mock him or actually get something out of him?

"What happened with the rest of them? Didn't make 'em tea?"

[amberdrake]

Well, Drake hadn't expected a useful response, so he wasn't disappointed. Still, he'd hoped just a little bit for a scrap of insight. Ah well.

"None of them ever had the courtesy to visit me at my office," Amberdrake smiled, and saluted with his cup of tea before taking another sip.

[bunny_doll]

"It's a shame when such things become necessary." Ni shrugged. He bounced his foot idly, restless maybe? That was what he wanted to show Amberdrake, even if he knew the illusion was a fragile one at best. He didn't know Drake could feel how alert he was.

"I wouldn't bother... but here we are. I'm not sure I'd believe this place unless I saw it myself. Bright as day." So, of course, he hated it.

[amberdrake]

"Is it?" Drake looked around at his own office lobby. "I was going for more of a muted candle-light, but I suppose even that is bright to some."

Ah well. He turned his focus back onto Ukoku. Not that it ever truly strayed from the dark priest, even when his eyes did.

"What I find curious is that you seek to study others... and yet you claim you haven't examined yourself as closely. I wonder why that is? If it's true, it's quite telling."

[bunny_doll]

In the week or so after his first visit to Amberdrake's office, Ni hadn't discovered much else about the kestra'chern. Aside from his business and interest in Sanzo, he seemed to keep to himself. There was no one else to ask or spy on to figure out his background or motivations outside living a rather peaceful life in the most dull of the five cities.

That left the direct approach. Ni didn't necessarily mind, it was frustrating to deal with Amberdrake personally but he got more out of it than watching what few interactions he could observe. Again he arrived late at night, the moon half hidden by wispy clouds that hadn't been there before he arrived. He even was polite enough to use the door this time. Shame the bells were back in place, he was tempted to knock them down again. Maybe when he left.

The stuffed rabbit was tucked under his arm, the rest of him as shabby as last time. He had a dedication to the look, even when his prey knew better.

[amberdrake]

There were no messenger birds in the office today. Instead, the assorted crows that had taken to stalking the Healer had been allowed in, hanging out on the backs of the furniture and on some of the larger perches. Amberdrake was in the lobby with them, lounging elegantly on a couch. One of the birds was perched on his shoulder, toying with his hair. He was so used to that, even from larger beaks, that he just absently reached up to ruffle the bird's breast feathers now and then. Most of his attention was on something he was reading on his phone.

The bird on Drake's shoulder greeted Ukoku by grabbing one of Drake's braids and yanking on it to make the bell at the end jingle. His hair was somehow darker than the crow's plumage, almost blue it was so black, in between the decorations woven in. An artful contrast, most likely lost on the dark priest with his very severe, monochromatic style.

Amberdrake looked up, and smiled. He politely turned his phone's screen off to give the priest his full attention. "Hello again, Sanzo. Are we making a habit of these little visits?"

[bunny_doll]

Thankfully, Ni wasn't offended by his feathered followers taking interest in the healer. He didn't care much for them, they were convenient to have around, was all. One flapped over to land at his feet, hopeful for a meal. It didn't dare touch him, even the crows knew not to be so brazen.

"Mm, how could I resist, you're such a friendly guy." And technically, Amberdrake was. He was no fan of Ni and Ni no fan of him, but he knew how to be hospitable. Ni was not beyond taking advantage of that for his own entertainment.

He stepped past the bird at his feet, others watching him as he moved through the room. They were content here but maybe he'd feed them later?

"I'm not interrupting anything, am I?" Nothing he cared about interrupting.

[amberdrake]

"Interrupting? Hardly," Amberdrake lifted a bit of his hair and draped it over the corvid on his shoulder, amused. The bird took to viciously attacking a string of wooden beads woven into it. At least this one was entertained. One of the beads crunched audibly, but Drake was unconcerned.

"I'm actually in the mood to do some work. Perhaps you're of a mind to volunteer?" Amberdrake swept his legs off the couch and sat up in one fluid motion. Everything he did held decades of practiced elegance. The bird on his shoulder flapped its wings in protest, but Drake soothed it with a few murmured words in another dialect.

[bunny_doll]

Ni fell gracelessly into one of the chairs and leaned back, hands crossed behind his head. The rabbit had made its way into his lap during this well practiced slump. One of the crows eyed it but turned its head. They especially weren't allowed to touch that.

"Maybe I am. Can't say I'll be much use to you." Not if he could help it anyways.

[amberdrake]

Amberdrake laughed softly at that. "I meant as the one I'm doing work on. Come on," the Healer stood up, and shoo'd the bird off his shoulder. They weren't allowed in the other rooms, even when they were allowed inside at all. And that was only when there weren't any clients expected to come by. Drake's own birds were spies, after all; he wouldn't be surprised if the crows that had started coming around after Ukoku's appearance filled a similar role.

He relied on Ukoku's obvious curiosity to drag him along, and swept into one of the work-rooms. What else could Ukoku do but follow? Unless he was just going to nap in Amberdrake's lobby with his crows. Which Drake would take in stride, as he took all things.

But the dark priest was here to pick at him, poke at him, learn about him. He couldn't do that by snoozing in his seating.

[bunny_doll]

Like a raven he was so often compared to, Ni was curious. So he followed, tilting his head this way and that to take in as much as he could about this new room. His spying hadn't gotten much information about Drake's work rooms or the extent of what he might do in them. He nudged away one of the birds that tried to follow with his foot.

He whistled low after he'd gotten a look and said, "You don't spare much expense on this place, hm?"

[amberdrake]

The room was similar to the lobby with the hanging canvas on the walls and dark, plush carpeting on the floor, and the magical glowing lights. Over-all, the colors were much more muted, and the light was a little dimmer. There were more cushions on the floor, currently stacked neatly against one wall. The massage table was centered, unfolded and sheeted, waiting. A chair stood by the table, perhaps for those who needed help climbing onto the padded surface, or for clothes to be stacked on, or both.

Work Room 1 was usually left in this state, while Work Room 2 was usually left in another, more mentally-therapeutic state. Of course, when there were back-to-back clients, each room was shifted accordingly. That's why there were two. A luxury he hadn't had when he'd worked out of an actual tent.

"My clients don't spare much expense for my services, either." Amberdrake went to the tables and cabinets that stood against one wall, opening a padded wooden case and selecting a vial to place on the warmer. He switched on the towel steaming chest -- so convenient, with electricity! -- and continued his set-up. Busy, but in a way that was so second-nature it was muscle memory at this point.

"Have you ever had a proper massage? I know the whole of my profession doesn't exist on your world, or on any that I've heard of so far, but perhaps there are fragments here and there."

[bunny_doll]

Ni was caught off guard for a moment and when he recovered, he laughed as much out of surprise as amusement. Really? Well no wonder how he'd gotten his hands on Genjyo Sanzo.

"You have a thing for getting virtuous monks naked?" He passed a hand over his slicked back hair. Of all the things to expect-

"Some might call you dirty for that, you know? It's an unfortunate fetish." His mirth aside, Ni was on guard. Was this a game or a ploy? What was Amberdrake's goal?

[amberdrake]

"Are you claiming virtue?" Amberdrake tsk'd, not looking up from what he was doing. He slipped the worn-down lotus ring off his finger and placed it in a pouch at his hip. "I'm disappointed. Do you want one, or not?"

He glanced up with a small smile, "Unless you're too nervous."

That was definitely a challenged he'd just issued.

[bunny_doll]

"I'd do no such thing." What was the fun in being virtuous anyways? Ni tugged his lab coat off and draped it over the back of the chair. He wasn't completely trapped, he could do damage if he really wanted to, but that would require leaving the game. That was no fun, there was entertainment to be had here, even if he was annoyed by Drake's methods.

"I don't think I look nervous, do I?" he said, sounding put out. How dare Amberdrake imply such a thing?

[amberdrake]

"Less the look and more the hesitation," Amberdrake mused in response to that pouting tone, turning back to his work. This was as much to tactfully give privacy as to actually accomplish anything. He checked on the vial, not wanting it to get too warm.

"I'll assume this is your first massage, then. You can cover yourself with the top sheet, I'll only move it as much as needed." Then, because teasing could be amusing even if it was with someone reprehensible; "Don't worry, any virtue you have left will stay intact."