Why don't you watch where you're stumbling?

[feckinboomstick]

Who: Cassian and Ni
What: Cassian is at Velvet Lust for the first time in a long time. So clearly we gotta chase him out.
Where: Velvet Lust, Genessia City
Warnings: Ni

Well... He was here. And not just to hunt down Tannusen to yell at him. No tonight he was actually here because he wanted to be here. Sort of.

Kind of.

Okay no he's just here for Tannusen. He'd already made it a promise to himself that he'd never go upstairs for any reason at all ever whatsoever, even if the bar was on fire. He would sit down here and burn alive first. Instead, the priest was pretty busy trying to stack up his bar tab, so it would seem.

No, he couldn't have whiskey anymore, but he was nursing a beer, grumpily staring at the liquor collection. There was always vodka and bourbon, right? But the main thing offending him right now was the lack of food on the bar. No peanuts or popcorn or bar mix or anything.

Wow it was almost like he showed up late on a Saturday night or something and a bunch of drunk assholes had already eaten all of it.

The gall.

Comments

[bunny_doll]

The gall indeed! How could anyone leave such an interesting tidbit like Cassian alone when they'd go for trivial things like shitty peanuts. Ni had better taste. He'd been watching the other priest for a while. It was dreadfully boring, by and large, watching pissy, rail thin assholes snarl at any given chance got old. Cassian had something to him that Genjyo did not, he had some interesting connections did he not?

Ni shuffled down the steps, casually watching Cassian out of the side of his vision as he looked this way and that. He didn't even seem to notice Cassian, not even when he came up right next to him and leaned waaay over the bar to wave down the bartender. Said bartender rolled his eyes and took his sweet time getting Ni's drink. No one liked the raven much here.

"Oopsie!" He turned his head to look at Cassian. Oh man, he just hadn't seen him! Totally!

[feckinboomstick]

Pissy rail thin asshole was indeed something Cassian was. Him and Genjyo had a lot more in common than either of them ever cared to admit, which was probably why they never did get along with each other that well. Like two similar magnets that someone attempted to jam together, the reaction when the two priests clashed was forceful and noteworthy.

Cassian never actually seemed to notice Ni, griping in Gaelic about peanuts as the unfortunate bartender passed him again, and was again reminded that they were out of peanuts please stop being a dick.

God, when was Tannusen going to finish those fucking steaks?

Oh. No that's okay. It's not like he likes personal space or anything just lean all over the place asshole. It was like brushing up against a block of ice, freezing cold and stiffer than a corpse.

Only a lot louder.

"Shove off, ye cross eyed git!"

[bunny_doll]

Ni laughed and took the smallest step to the side that was humanly possible. Look, he was moving. Very accommodating, anyone would agree that's one of his strongest traits!

"Oh? My you're a feisty one!" Oh this was too easy, he was already riled up. It was even easier to get him going than that wanna-be brat. People didn't think so clearly when they were that mad, that always worked in his favor.

He pushed at Cassian's shoulder, with a bit more force than would be reasonable for a friendly shove. How cute. The rabbit's head stuck out from under Ni's other arm, button eyes pointed towards Cassian.

"Something troubling you? You look peckish."

[feckinboomstick]

Oh yes, Ni. Such a gentleman you are.

Where the hell was Tannusen? He sent a look at the bartender, buuut the man had already taken his leave of this scene. Cassian dimly supposed he deserved it, he had been nothing short of a massive tool this entire time after all.

... Still, fuck you, Bob.

He stiffened again, and then shoved back. Comparatively strong for someone of his height and build, really. Also that doll was just... vaguely spooky. Couldn't put his finger on it but...

"Well I was fine up until a minute ago."

[bunny_doll]

Ni could've dodged but what's the fun in that? He stumbled away dramatically, one arm flailing like he was about to crash to the floor. He caught him and bounced back to way too close to Cassian. Hi there. He smells like cigarette smoke and faintly of some sharp smelling cleaning chemical.

"You're still fine!" He laughed at his own joke. Isn't he clever? "You don't really fit in here, priesty! What's a pretty stick-in-mud doing here?"

Cassian looked more like he belonged in a hospital bed than here. Ni thought it was a nice look for him.

[feckinboomstick]

God it was like a gross skinny bop it balloon. Cassian refused to shrink away, puffing himself up magnificently in front of Ni. In direct contrast, Cassian smelled like damp earth and decaying leaves. Clinical vs natural.

"Piss off, I'm taken."

So there.

[bunny_doll]

"Oooh, so you're a challenge?" Ni gave him a shit eating grin to go with that one. Hee hee.

"I'm not going to feel you up, unless you're into that. You like a fight before a fuck?" He leaned in, just to make Cassian regret not shrinking away. "I'm not out to sully your virtue, whatever's left of it. You keep interesting company, very interesting. How virtuous are you?"

He darted a hand out, too fast, to flick at Cassian's collar.

[feckinboomstick]

"If ye have a hearin' problem." His face goes flat and expressionless, his hand thumping firmly onto the bar beside him, his thin fingers starting to beat an annoyed tattoo.

Thankfully, he was dreadfully used to crass talk in bars, so the insinuation just sort of went in one ear and out the other, still refusing to budge as Ni presses into his personal space, unblinking and unperturbed.

"Willin' to bet a great deal more so than ye be."

Too fast, he couldn't stop it, but he could react to it.

His hand darted out too!

AS A FIST.

WATCH YOUR FACE.

[bunny_doll]

It sure would've been satisfying for that fist to connect. Cassian wasn't worth laying a hand on Ni yet, unless it was a hand down his pants. The dark priest was gone and, in an instant, on the other side of Cassian, leaning in close enough for his breath to be hot against Cassian's ear. He hooked a finger under the collar, pulling just hard enough to put light pressure on Cassian's throat.

"I never claim to be virtuous, just a pervert." At least he was honest about that. "What do you claim to be preisty? You have something fun inside you. Something your kitty cat didn't shove in there."

[feckinboomstick]

And really, in comparison with Ni, with Hastur not giving a single solitary fuck if his host gets his face kicked in, Cassian was about as vanilla human as one could get. His fist simply wiffed through the air, the smaller man stumbling a bit, confused and alarmed as the target simply seemed to blink out of existence.

Then a finger hooked under the collar and dragged him back, his heart and lungs seizing quite suddenly at the surprise of it.

He hated the harsh, uncomfortable wheeze that slipped out, like iron tightening around his ribs.

How did he-

Words. Words were flowing out as he went to snatch at the iron dagger at his belt. Gaelic, spells, trying to drag the blade quickly over his palm.

An emergency situation called for emergency measures after all.

[bunny_doll]

Oh no, no no no, let's not have that! Ni's hand snapped from Cassian's collar to wrapping around his throat and squeezing. Hard. His grip was far stronger than what his skinny body should manage.

"Shh..." he hissed into Cassian's ear, his face so close to him that his lips were almost touching Cassian's hair. "I already told you, I'm not after your virtue. I just want to talk, how about you put that down?"

He squeezed Cassian's neck just a bit tighter for emphasis.

[feckinboomstick]

Look, he's not too concerned about his virtue right now inasmuch as getting seriously hurt. Contrary to the way he acts he actually doesn't get anything out of breaking bones here. Or getting stabbed.

Pain isn't fun.

So when that hand squeezes around his neck, putting even greater strain on his breathing, the knife is flipped about instead. Can't talk to say a spell?

That's fine, he still has a knife, and he sharply went to jab it back at the man behind him.

[bunny_doll]

The bunny doll fell to the ground as Ni snatched Cassian's wrist and twisted with that brutal strength of his. He twisted just farther than was needed, pain sure was fun when one was inflicting it.

"We'll talk later," he said with all the cheeriness of meeting a new friend, not a new target.

And then he was gone. The doll too, just as security was stomping her way from the front door.

[bunny_doll]

With Tannusen banning Ni from even getting near Cassian at Velvet Lust, Ni had to wait for a better place to catch the priest off guard. There was his shop, but Cassian was too much in his element there and all those wards! It wouldn't be as much fun if Cassian was in a comfortable, familiar place. His house wouldn't work either, not yet.

A graveyard in the middle of the night was a bit overdramatic, just in the way Ni liked it. It wasn't even his choice of locale! The pasty little western priest was here for gravedigging of all things. Naughty!

Ni watched him a while from a distance, amused. What a hobby. And then- he was there, as close to Cassian he could be and still be perched on a gravestone like the horrible, oversized raven that he was.

"'Sup?"

[feckinboomstick]

Look, Cassian usually went out of his way to make sure no one bothered him while he was working. ... Like this at least, collecting herbs and rocks were one thing. Grave robbing was another.

There was an undignified yelp at first, but who it was settled in quickly, and the surprise turned to a mixture of cold fear and burning rage.

No, no English tonight, just a slew of words in Gaelic and the immediate removal of the iron dagger, instantly going to slash a shallow, but bloody wound over his palm.

The subsequent, and unpleasant rattle inside the coffin he was standing on, and the rumble around the surrounding graveyard, should be indication enough of what the priest just did.

[bunny_doll]

"What a show!" With that Ni darted forward, grabbing Cassian's arm and trying to drag him up and off the damn coffin. Summoning undead just for Ni? What a treat. Amberdrake surely warned this guy didn't he? Not well enough!

[feckinboomstick]

Cassian wasn't really strong enough to resist, but at this point it was a bit too late to stop him, and he really didn't want to be on top of the coffin when whatever was in it came bursting out.

Still, he was dragged out with a minimal amount of struggling and yelling, and the moment his feet left the lid of the coffin, the wood exploded out, the half rotted, mostly skeletal corpse inside of it, clambering out of its grave like some massive, bony spider, far too fast and nimble to be some clumsily summoned spirit.

All around them the sounds of the angry undead were starting to fill the air, gnarled hands clawing out of their graves like writhing tree roots, screaming and roaring with the shared outrage of their summoner.

As for Cassian, the blood slicked blade was turned on Ni next, even if it wasn't the best idea back at the bar.

SPACE, MAN. GIVE HIM SOME SPACE.

[bunny_doll]

Space? No can do, friend. That's not the point!

Ni laughed and snapped his foot down on the arm holding the knife, pinning it to the soggy ground. Ooo, what a scary necromancer he was, bringing Ni all this fodder. Slowly, lazily, like the skeleton wasn't almost on him, Ni raised a hand and flicked. The first skeleton crumbled into shards, ripped apart by an unseen burst of chi.

He ground the heel of his boot into Cassian's arm as the next two skeletons shattered. He could keep this up, just watch.

[feckinboomstick]

Cassian did not enjoy pain.

But this didn't mean he couldn't weather it, and he ground his teeth painfully as Ni dug his heel into his arm, trying to switch off hands to use the other one for the knife.

Kay whatever, he's primarily left handed but the right will do in a pinch.

They beasts weren't coming just one at a time either, not that this seemed to be helping Cassian at all.

They approached in packs, wailing and screaming, gnashing teeth and trying to sink sharp bony claws into their summoners attacker.

He just... needed just a little space.

[bunny_doll]

No can do, no can do. Ni could cut down five living, breathing monks in one strike, the scuttling undead had even less in the way of cutting them to bits. It was a bit tedious. Mmm. He didn't bother to stop Cassian from switching the knife around, let him think that'll do anything for him.

He didn't want to leave his prey for a moment, even if he could catch him quickly. It wouldn't look good to have to retreat to tear apart this hoard. Pity.

The head of the rabbit doll bounced next to Cassian, followed by a blob of stuffing. Sad he had to reveal this so soon. What a pity.

Cassian would recognize the attack, as Ni held up the sutra in his right hand, copies of the sacred scroll shooting out all around them to reduce each corpse to bits. Dirt and grass flew up into the air as the ground was torn apart. There was no chanting and the magic that rose from this other sutra was worse, much worse. Dark and empty, just like its awful Sanzo. An absence of anything, nonexistence.

And it was gone. Just a scroll again, clenched in Ni's hand.

[feckinboomstick]

Why yes, this magic was familiar. Cassian wasn't exactly a professor on it, he'd only seen Sanzo use it once after all, but this... He could tell Ni knew what he was doing, first of all.

Second of all, the empty nothingness of the attack briefly.... resonated with him. An uncomfortable sensation, the roiling of something under his skin, buried deep inside him. A brief flicker of a similar wavelength before it faded to nothing again, leaving him with a cold chill and a nauseous sensation in the pit of his stomach.

With the knife in his other hand, he tried to slash at the leg on top of his arm, his makeshift army easily reduced to so much bone dust.

[bunny_doll]

There was a brief connection there, something terribly off that Ni felt. It felt beautiful to him, that was exactly what he was after. Good job Cassian. That feather was just a taste, Ni wanted to see more.

Later. He jerked his foot up out of the way of the knife and brought it back down against the side of Cassian's head. Thwack! Know your place, priest.

"Calm down, I took care of them all!" Ni said cheerfully as he stuffed the sutra back into the neck of the rabbit.

[feckinboomstick]

Not at all what Cassian was after, and he got a good kick in the skull for his attempt to fix this problem with a good severed artery.

There goes his evening.

Already his body was throwing an unholy fit about his position, as if it was his fault personally, his chest starting to tighten as he fought with the urge to wrestle the foot off of him.

Could he get away with activating a ward or five right now?

Not really anything he could say to fix this problem right now either, so it pretty much looked like, for the moment, Cassian was just playing dead.

[bunny_doll]

Playing dead or actually dying, Ni didn't particularly care. He removed his foot only so he could reach down and haul Cassian up by one arm. If he tried to stand or not, Ni could hold him there as he looked him over.

"Wake up," he said in a sing-song voice. He knows you're in there Cassian, don't spoil the fun! "I just wanted to talk."

[feckinboomstick]

Well here we go.

He couldn't play the dead weight thing for long, it wasn't exactly good for that limb, and he went to at least support his own goddamn weight here.

Just... Fine. Fine. Maybe if he played along.

"What do ye want!?"