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Post by mugenginga on Jul 24, 2011 5:29:30 GMT -5
Cain had a discernable frown as he leaned forward towards the screen of the laptop in the darkened room that belonged to Seth and him. His fingers moved over the keyboard in a blur and a string of more or less indecipherable code sped across the computer, the green text over black an indication of the level of coding he was doing.
He pulled back and closed his eyes, letting out a sigh tinged with traces of annoyance. He'd lost a lot of speed in the past century or so, and Seth had made a complete mess of the settings he and Atsuro had put on their network. While he'd always been able to patch Atsuro's occasional mistakes and ineffiency, it was some kind of earthly miracle that Seth hadn't managed to completely trash the computer. The man had no doubt Seth knew his way around a normal computer like the back of his hand, but with this level of custimization... Cain doubted Abel had been using his brain when he suggested Seth pick up his and Atsuro's slack.
The boy opened one eye towards the window, catching the moon at the edge of it. It was about four, and Seth hadn't returned. A mature frown crossed the child's face and he stood up, walking over to the window after a quick set of key strokes locked the computer from access by anyone but those with similar programming skills. He paused for a moment and then reached up to pull the window... and his arm's didn't reach. The expression on his face was almost comical in his annoyance.
He walked over to the desk, grabbed the chair by the back, and dragged it over. Even on top of it he was forced to stretch to reach the window enough to open it. He reminded himself he only had five to eight years left of this, depending on what the genetics of his parents in this life played out to be. It wasn't that long to a man with memories stretching back as long as his... but it was no less irritating. And of course Abel felt the need to rub it in at any opportunity. As if Loki wasn't enough of a thorn in his side about it. He frowned as he pulled himself up a bit to look down out of the window. It was only a small comfort that Abel didn't add passes onto the insult as Loki was known for doing.
His expression didn't change when he caught what he'd thought he'd heard. Seth was returning to the hotel. Cain dropped himself down from his grab and pulled out the COMP he'd connected to himself upon the return to the hotel. It confirmed what the height had cast into doubt. But it only made the child look thoughtful. The skittish way Seth was acting upon his return to the hotel reminded Cain of Seth before the encounter with Hitoshura. It contrasted with the hidden ferocity and backbone Seth had shown back at the Shrine. He closed the COMP and considered.
Seth was up to something, and for the first time in his memory he wasn't able to pinpoint what it could be. Reading people had been a skill that hadn't failed him in over four thousand years. He shook his head and climbed down from the chair, throwing the COMP onto the desk beside his computer and heading out the door. While it was unlikely Abel would need to be informed of his arrival with the way Cain had seen him glaring down at the COMP the night before, Seth's gambit (whatever it was) was more important than pushing the limit's of his other sibling.
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Seth's eyes shot up as he got the distinct impression someone was staring at him, but there were so many windows in the side of the hotel it was a hopeless search. The light looked to be off in most of them, and it wasn't as if he could have made out more than a silhouette otherwise. He shivered, rubbing his arms and glancing behind him. He had his hand in his back pocket, gripping his COMP for a moment, before shaking his head and walking forward. His stance shifted to something more determined, but it read as a mere facade. It was obvious he was nervous.
It didn't matter he was certain an angel was following him. He doubted it's presence reflected Messiah's own wishes, and that was the trust he was depending on with his actions here. He had two Abels to convince now, and he had to hope things played in the direction he hoped with each. That angel would see Cain. He had to make sure he did this right. With another shudder and shake of his head, he advanced forward towards the hotel again. He had to make sure the doubt seeded in the right places and with the right people...
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Post by Firebreath Fishslap on Jul 24, 2011 19:20:48 GMT -5
Abel was not asleep.
He wasn't waiting for Seth. He trusted the Prince, despite his obvious leanings toward some rather unfavorable opinions. The most obvious of which being toward Hitoshura, but there were other parts of Seth's thoughts he didn't quite have pinned down. Still, he was sure Seth would return with favorable results. He kept him under a tight enough leash he had no choice but to.
While Cain had been working on fixing Seth's mistakes, Abel had been working with Babel. While he'd intended on locking his counterpart from the server, all attempts to do so had failed. The demonic server appeared to recognize both Abels as the same person. When that had failed, he'd moved on to investigating some of the functions of the server more. In the four months that had passed, he'd never gotten much of a chance to fully explore that part of Bel.
Once again, he'd encountered a large mass of power, locked in a part of the being he couldn't crack open. When he'd become the king of Bel, much of Babel's power remained as part of the summoning server, and he'd been unable to wrench it free. During his encounter with Lucifer, he was sure he'd felt some energy drain from Babel about the time he'd given Lucifer his threat.
He scowled to himself and lay down on his bed. So the last piece of Bel was still sealed inside the server, and it was using him. In a way, the War of Bel still raged simply because a Bel still remained in some form. At least he could count on Bel choosing to aid him over Messiah.
He pulled his COMP from his pocket and flipped it open on a whim. A smirk spread across the demon king's face upon seeing Seth's name on the map. So he was making his way back already? That was faster than he'd expected.
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The Archangel massaged its broken wrist. He'd given his best attempt at healing it with Dia, but the Messiah had been rather rough with his attack. It was reasons like this this the Seraphim wished to weaken the Messiah's influence. It did not matter how human the boy looked, he had always been nothing more than a demon in a human shell.
It followed behind the human that had spoken to Abel, taking care to stick to the shadows. He was sure that boy was of Seth's bloodline, though he seemed to have dodged the taint of demon's blood that created an Abel. The Archangel doubted that he lacked powers of his own, though. That entire family of sinners was cursed in some way or another.
A window opened in the hotel, and the Archangel turned its head to look up at it. That face... so Cain had been found.
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Post by mugenginga on Jul 24, 2011 19:39:08 GMT -5
Cain tapped his knuckles on the door to Abel's room, but he didn't announce himself. Only he or Seth would knock, even the hotel staff had come to avoiding the room unless forced to otherwise. Honestly, they were only still here because Abel had scared the ever loving shit out of everyone in the hotel. For such a... unique locale, the people here were as human as ever. Cain stepped back out of the range of the door and crossed his arms. Abel would know Seth was coming, but it was possible he intended to wait for their youngest brother to come to them. Cain gave an uncertain frown. He didn't like not being able to pinpoint what Seth was up to...
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Seth gave a grimacing and poorly apologetic smile to the hotel staff who were suddenly very busy as he came through the door. Two of the newer staff members stopped and exchanged glances between each other, as if Seth's mannerisms had caught them off guard. Seth's grimace grew and he shook his head, quickly heading towards the stairs and trotting up them. He wouldn't get there before Abel had a chance to open his door.
Seth spoke to himself under his breath, quiet enough that most people wouldn't be able to hear unless they were on top of him. An angel would be able to hear, however...
"If you'll let me persuade... Your Majesty, I..." Seth shook his head, "Damn it, he's not going to buy it if I can't deliver this straight!"
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Post by Firebreath Fishslap on Jul 25, 2011 0:10:33 GMT -5
Abel placed his COMP down on the bed and sat up. He rather silently walked to the door and pulled it open. He smirked down at Cain, though he could tell that for once it was an actually serious situation. He doubted Cain had missed that Seth had just returned to the hotel.
"It's a little late for you to be awake, isn't it?" Abel asked teasingly. He let his smirk drop a bit. "What's wrong? You look worried."
Really, the fact that Cain lacked his usual confidence was enough to make Abel wonder what was wrong. It was rare that Cain had this kind of expression on his face.
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Post by mugenginga on Jul 25, 2011 0:13:39 GMT -5
Cain acknowledged Abel's taunt with a narrowing of his eyes, and a bit of that arrogance the "man" was known for was present at Abel's realization that something was up. He looked towards the stairs.
"Something's going on with Seth," he said. The comment lacked emotion, a rare flat statement of fact. And then the tension was gone as if it was never there as he gave a shrug, "I suggest we just go with whatever he's up to. He's acting as skittish as he was last time I saw you. And he wasn't acting that way at the Shrine."
Cain narrowed his eyes, but it wasn't serious. He had a smirk, "I think he's got some kind of plan set up, for once."
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Post by Firebreath Fishslap on Jul 25, 2011 0:49:59 GMT -5
Abel said nothing in response to Cain, but he felt rather amused by his suspicions. It was rather odd that Seth was acting so differently, because unlike his "younger" brother, Seth wasn't as adept at masking his personality. And if Seth had some kind of plan... well, that was rather interesting in its own.
"Then we should work this plan of his out of him," Abel said with a smirk.
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Post by mugenginga on Jul 25, 2011 1:02:02 GMT -5
Seth looked up suddenly at the top of the stairs, his expression indicating they'd come up far too fast. He froze up and looked behind him. He hadn't been seen yet, right? Nevermind that shadow in the window. He took a single step backwards when his eyes widened and he looked down at his COMP. He frowned and pulled it out, flipping it open and accessing the map feature. His marker was there, a grey inverted triangle with a ball resting on top of it. He shook his head. Abel would know he'd come back. He took in a deep breath as if to center himself and put the COMP in his back pocket before going up the steps.
He pushed the door open to the hall and stepped out. He was in the middle of closing it behind himself when he realized both Cain and Abel were standing in the hallway. His eyes widened and a very slight strangled noise escaped his throat. Cain looked towards Seth at it and raised an eyebrow. He was... he was acting, but he wasn't sure to what end. He smirked and Seth quickly closed the door and looked towards Abel. Not in his eyes, but squarely at his chest.
"I-I didn't expect you to be up, Your Majesty..."
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Post by Firebreath Fishslap on Jul 26, 2011 2:48:21 GMT -5
Abel couldn't help but smirk at Seth's actions. These were so much more subservient than he usually acted. Even after Seth gained knowledge of his previous lives and became so annoyingly underling-like, he still had a backbone. This resembled pre-curse Seth far more than it should.
"I rarely sleep," Abel said. "I thought you would know that by now."
His smirk became a grin as he started to take steps toward Seth, his eyes slitting as he walked. He stopped just in front of his brother.
"Why are you so timid, little brother? Something to hide...?" Abel asked mockingly.
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Post by mugenginga on Jul 26, 2011 5:46:57 GMT -5
Cain remained where he was as Abel advanced, and Seth seemed to have to work up the will to stay rooted to his spot. Cain crossed his arms and leaned against the the door to Abel's room, an all too familiar smirk on his face as he observed the interaction. Definitely acting, he'd seen too much of Seth back at the Shrine to believe anything but. Obvious to him, obvious to Abel, but he doubted most people would think anything unusual of his actions. His expression didn't change, but the thought lead to one other. If not for he or Abel, who?
This is a bad idea, Seth thought as he fought with the desire to take a step back regardless of any other factor in the situation. It wasn't just Abel's advance. Those eyes made him doubt the night would end up short. A sour and bitter thought of his mind countered the one previous, Which one?
Seth managed to straighten his back a little as Abel asked his question, his jaw setting and a bit more of the personality Cain recognized from back at the Shrine shining through. He looked Abel in the eyes for a brief moment, enough to seem to defy his accusation, and then quickly looked away. The moment's glance was all he needed to make his point, and he wasn't entirely stupid.
"Messiah's aware of the situation, Your Majesty," Seth began to speak, his voice a little stronger but not clear of that worried doubt. Some of his backbone had returned, but it seemed to be an act piled on top of an act, muddling what emotion was truest. His pulse was raised, an indication towards the first, but not as much as it could be, "And he's offered an opportunity to our own ends... that is, if you'll allow me to... take it..."
Seth's confidence seeped away as he spoke. He didn't go into more detail, and the way he trailed off meant he was aware how presumptious his words and tone had become. Cain's entire focus was on Seth. It mattered little how Abel reacted here to the words. What mattered was just who Seth was performing for. To convince them of something, someone else, or both? His smirk widened. He couldn't help but be reminded of the petty fights for attention the humans high in YHVH's ranks had for Messiah's attentions, or the way the angels tripped over each other to prove their loyalty to that other Abel - both the true and the fabricated.
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Post by Firebreath Fishslap on Jul 27, 2011 0:21:24 GMT -5
Abel felt almost amused at Seth's reactions. That glance of the eyes had been enough to refute Abel's suggestions, so that was proof enough that his little brother had been acting. Abel noted Seth settling into his usual stance and that was enough to tell Abel that Seth wasn't acting in the way he had previously been now.
Abel raised an eyebrow at Seth's explanation. The opportunity Seth had mentioned had piqued his interest. He took a step back from Seth to give him some breathing room.
"What kind of opportunity?" Abel asked. He thought to himself, and seemed to hit a possible idea. "Has he offered you asylum from me?"
That seemed to be the most likely idea, at least to Abel. It was what he would have done if he were in Messiah's place. He would pull the person he cared about close to him and protect them himself. It was a completely different situation from Abel's own, where the smarter decision was to ignore the person and push them away. Humans had no place within a demon's army.
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Post by mugenginga on Jul 27, 2011 0:45:24 GMT -5
Seth's eyes widened in surprise as Abel made his comments. His non-judgmental comments. His comments that suggested he had no problem with it. His jaw opened for a moment, as if in shock, but he quickly closed it. He shifted his weight to his other foot, and gave a pained grimace that seemed like he'd been attempting a smile and grossly undershot. Cain narrowed his eyes and sat up, quickly moving forward. Abel had come upon something, and so had he. Seth pushed his jaw back in place and opened his mouth to speak, but Cain had come up beside Abel with a glare in his eyes. He jerked his head towards Abel, and unlike Seth had no problem staring the Demon King in the face.
"Are you a fool?" Cain all but spat. He looked towards Seth, and the scarred teenager took a sudden step back. Cain let out a sigh and shook his head, some of the rage dropping, "I thought you were smarter than that, little brother. Messiah is searching for me, and Seth's shown the guts to admit he hates me before."
Cain chuckled. He'd relaxed back to his usual self at the look of trapped panic on Seth's face, "Don't you think he'd defect for real? You're just letting him walk away."
"I'm not that... I mean..." Seth stammered, looking every direction but at Cain or Abel. He drew in on himself, returning to his original "act", and the outward signs were that Cain had hit a nail on the head. He shook his head rapidly, "I'm not that stupid, Y-Your Majesty!"
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Post by Firebreath Fishslap on Jul 28, 2011 0:13:14 GMT -5
Abel appeared to be holding back laughter at Cain's words. The demon looked toward Seth with a smirk, before turning back toward his "younger" brother. His expression and entire way of holding himself at the moment was as close to demonic as he could get while still in his human form.
"Did the generations you spent in Messiah's world cause your mind to soften?" Abel asked. "You should know Seth won't defect so easily. He joined us because he renounced the cruel God who left him to die."
His smirk changed to a rather cruel grin as he continued. "No, he's too attached to me to defect, even with your return. After all, he was the only one who could have changed my fate, and he didn't. So now he has to see my goal through, because he'll lose himself in guilt otherwise. Isn't that right, Seth?"
Abel's demonic accent bled through in several points of that speech. The demon king had trained his eye on Seth, and it would give the man the feeling that Abel was very carefully watching him. He dared Seth to try to defect. He'd rend his limbs from his body and let him suffer if he argued.
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Post by mugenginga on Jul 28, 2011 0:52:47 GMT -5
Cain gave Abel a flat look, a look that indicated the boy though the Demon King was being a stupid and ignorant fool. He didn't turn away as Abel followed up his question. He knew that. He knew more things than Abel seemed to realize. Cain looked towards Seth as he winced as if Abel had struck him with his reasoning for joining the Court of Bel. His hands were in loose fists.
Seth found himself swallowing down a lump when Abel grinned, and he looked almost hurt as Abel stated his attachment to him. He closed his eyes and looked away, his stance more serious and less frightened. His emotions had flipped again... and then Abel began to speak with an accent. That accent. On and off, but it was enough to create a contrasting yet anagolous blend of fear and sheer stubbornness.
"You're not the only one that hates Him," Seth growled in a low voice, yet extremely pained voice. Cain stared at Seth, having lost grip on the older man's motivation yet again
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Post by Firebreath Fishslap on Jul 29, 2011 0:03:20 GMT -5
Abel looked over toward Cain with a smirk. The boy looked so frustrated with him, it was amusing. Cain didn't seem to realize his own intentions in baiting Seth like this after all. He patted Cain's head tauntingly.
Seth seemed to have a hard time deciding whether to look afraid or serious. Judging by some of Seth's reactions to his demonic accent in the past, the "serious" part was part of Seth's act.
"Didn't I just say that?" Abel asked. He shrugged. "You never did answer my question about what Messiah offered you."
Outside, the Archangel narrowed his eyes at Seth. The boy was very clearly not repentant. The angel continued to watch, however. This may be the perfect thing to allow his lord to lose faith in the Messiah...
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Post by mugenginga on Jul 29, 2011 19:33:39 GMT -5
Seth paused, visible by the way fists' clench relaxed. He looked up, the exaggerated aversion of looking directly into Abel's eyes still visible.
"You were right, your Majesty. Asylum. Sanctuary. Same thing..." Seth said. He sounded a touch angry, but was masking it with the usual deference, "We could use it... If you'll... if you'll let me..."
Cain had scowled as Abel tapped his head, but kept his eyes on Seth, watching the situation unfold.
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