P∆R∆NOI∆ PT. 1 [FEAT. EMIL]

Moments floated by in a whirlwind as Emil found himself positioned with his right knee in the small of the man’s back. From that positioning he was safe for all practical purposes. Any fluctuation in energy would be an obvious sign of aggression, any movement could and would be taken as violent, and the beauty of this would be that both would be avoidable for even someone that was sluggish in comparison.

Brash notions of safety went out of the window when a lone dart pierced into the neck of the man below him. Wasting no time for thoughts, the Quincy barely registered what it was before his body went into action. Thrusting his left palm down into the pavement next to the now incapacitated body, the counterforce exerted on his body as well as a jerking of the right knee aided Emil in a single swift roll. The maneuver carried him out of the lighting offered by the lamppost and into the darkness of the night. Although the dimness somewhat comforted him, the heart of the Knight Commander beat a mile per minute. There were other individuals around and there was no telling how many more of them were possibly there.

Games were meant to be played with more than a couple of pieces it would seem.

The sudden melody that struck his ears caused him to blink before realizing that it was merely the tone offered by a cellular device. Emil heaved a sigh and tilted his head slightly back before calming himself. Games were being played indeed. It never hurt to have a surge of adrenaline, it was what kept one alive in hazardous situations but he needed to work through it in order to make sense of the situation. Perhaps he who assumed himself to be the predator on the hunt was really little more than the prey being led from the herd.

Gritting his teeth, the Quincy’s veins became prominent almost as if his skin was shrinking around them. Fear would act as a crutch to propel him and aid him not a ball and chain used to hinder him. Forcing himself back into the illumination, he went for the body and retrieved the phone before it was too late. Upon answering, the words that registered in his mind caused his jaw muscles to twitch slightly. Pest control, how humorous.

“Hello, this is Emil Heidrich and I was wondering if you guys had an office or shop that I could stop by. A friend of mine conducted business with you recently and was kind enough to recommend you.” The answer to the question was insignificant for the probability of it being something of use was remarkably low. Whoever had called the phone clearly considered themselves in control of the game and as such the apostle would only learn what it was that they decided to tell him.

The reality of the situation was that there was relatively little he could do at that particular moment besides remain alert. The concept of putting his speed to use and inspecting the local area for whoever shot the dart did appeal to him but there was too much uncertainty for him to really bite down on it. There was no telling how far away the individual was, whether or not they planned for him to go on a quest in search of them, or worst of all if they had assumed so and set some sort of trapping.

CODED BY ELECTRIC OF GANGNAM STYLE

Rays of lighted bounded off of the silver of a blade. To the inexperienced there had been no movement or indication of the weapon’s arrival but rather merely the appearance as it balanced on the back of a now outstretched left hand. The drumbeat of footsteps was merely the beginning act to the song of chaos that was likely to be played. Had there been nothing on the line, Emil would have simply gathered himself and made his leave but this situation called for his attention like a frightened child in the night. He wouldn’t abandon it. He couldn’t abandon it.

With a swift circular motion of the hand, the blade began to twirl around the extremity, kissing his skin ever so softly as to not risk the savage bite of a cut. The young apostle was no good with a blade and this simple trick about topped out his uses for such a weapon unless he converted it into projectile. Whoever was out there didn’t know that, whoever was out there merely knew that some individual with speed was armed and ready should the situation call for a rapid defense. If the footsteps were a cry of fear than the blade was merely a shout of composure and both would need to be upped in order for the game to bestow any amount of pleasure.

“I care not for the butcher or the grinder.”

The twirl came to a halt with the blade held between left index and middle finger. Resting the phone in the crook of his neck, Emil saw to it that both of his hands were now free before he called the enemy into action. “Come out and play or let me take my friend away.”

For a brief moment, there was the hope that whoever was in the night would simply allow for him to take the body that was on the ground and leave without worry but he suspected such a thing wasn’t even in the realm of possibilities. No, somehow he had found himself in the middle of something he didn’t care to be and now he was going to have to find his way out with a minimal amount of bloodshed, no matter how desperately the thirst called to him.

The fear that he had felt mere moments before for his safety had now been replaced with another, the fear that he could not control the event that would potentially unfold in this game.

CODED BY ELECTRIC OF GANGNAM STYLE

Brilliance and beauty fueled the game of chess. Certainty of anything was a lie and those who didn’t acknowledge this truth found that they were often the one mourning their defeat.

Stooping down, Emil’s mind whirled as he positioned a now useless device on the body of the owner. Footsteps sounded in the distance similar to before except on this occasion he didn’t concern himself with their authenticity. No, he could feel that they were genuine and surfing them was the threat he wished to avoid. The notion of merely striking the threat down flared inside the mind of the self-proclaimed pacifist but he crashed it down roughly. Even if such a path took him along the route of least resistance and even less pain it wouldn’t do if there was even an ounce to the possibility of him skating through this without bloodshed.

“Bonjour, mon ami.”

An explosion of movement and where once Emil stood there was naught but empty space. It didn’t bother him to consider himself a knight in the game of someone above nor did it bother him to be blatantly cast as an insignificant piece by the person approaching him. What did ruffle his proverbial feathers however was the inability to control the flow of events unfolding before him. Now that the grand reveal had taken place, there was no going back into hiding, at least not for the well-dressed individual.

Choking the fire that was his spiritual pressure until it was naught but a slight spark in the night; Emil used his speed to dance around on the rooftops not so hastily as to tire himself but not so leisurely as to allow for someone of lesser abilities to keep track of his movements. It was a child’s trick, but it was done for a purpose other than that of impressing or surprising the enemy. A simple reaction was all that Emil wanted to see what was done in order to garner as to how one might possibly think.

Would the simple way out be taken? Would there merely be aggression launched at an incapacitated body in an attempt to coax one out of hiding? There were a myriad of possibilities and the twistedness that took root down in the pits of Emil wanted to know just for sole entertainment while the superficial persona wished to know what needed to be done for future moves.

CODED BY ELECTRIC OF GANGNAM STYLE

“The Vatican has been my home for a long while.” Games were cast aside in favor of diving directly into the grit, for the words sounded from a source now mere inches away from the armed redhead. Utilizing speed hopefully for the last time that night, Emil positioned himself directly in front of the newcomer. Heidrich realized that he couldn’t hope to control a game when he didn’t understand the base rules of it for the game he thought he was playing would have led to a dead body rather than that of one resting on a bench. It was with this in mind that he took a small leap of faith, and removed himself from the shadows and placed himself directly into potential harm.

Faith had never been all-consuming in the male however and as such with his sudden appearance would come the pressure of his hand. Emil placed it upon the knuckles of a foreign hand currently being used to grip a hilt. Such movement wouldn’t be met comfortably by most and as a result the apostle was prepared to vanish back into the night at the first sign of aggression but should he be fortunate enough to make it that far without being threatened he would continue into a chain of actions.

Throwing his hands into the air as if he were a criminal with guns pointed at him, Emil would lazily back away and give the man the space that he likely wanted and or needed. “My loyalties reside with peace however.” The idea would be to show that although he could be a fairly intimidating individual to demonstrate that he too meant no harm. “The better question might be where do your loyalties lie and what it is that you want with me and my brethren.”

CODED BY ELECTRIC OF GANGNAM STYLE

Lips curved upward into an intense grin although the eyes showed little signs of delight. The hairs that stood on edge mere moments before seemed to somewhat relax themselves and return to a dormant state. “You offer a handshake and then ask if I’m prepared to get bloody,” teased the blond.

The situation had shifted rapidly from being what Emil might have previously considered a situation of delta-level precautions to that of a mere bravo. This shift led to the tug on the corners of his lips that resulted in a somewhat awkward half-smile. Although he was fully aware that things could just as swiftly readjust to be dangerous for him, in the current situation if he enacted his normal demeanor there was the chance that any thought at evoking harm would be crushed and the idea of which even becoming somewhat repulsive.

“I LIKE YOUR STYLE!”

The words were bellowed into the night and droplets of rain fell from the sky only to ricochet off of his moving face and toward the man now known as V. The grin that previously only appeared to be a wanting attempt at something real turned into the genuine one of a child. Happiness wasn’t felt in the slightest however, for in the air there was still a tangible tension. As if the drop of the dime both men would revert to savages if need be, but they could at least pretend to be civil and see how far it got them could they not?

Reaching out, Emil embraced the hand with both of his and bowed before attempting to place his forehead on the combination of extremities. If allowed he would erect himself and ask. “So… soul reaper what can I do for you?”

CODED BY ELECTRIC OF GANGNAM STYLE