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Post by Morgan Flynn on Jan 1, 2015 5:55:36 GMT
Parker looked between the Collectors as they discussed amongst themselves some of the finer details but from the sounds of it they could have it well-covered. It seemed too easy to ask of them a task like that and it just be done, too easy to think of only minor issues that could arise at any point. He didn't know what kinds of things went through the mind of Demetrios when he planned things like this but somehow Parker felt like he was already doing something wrong and he didn't even have the hard part to take care of. Or at least for now he didn't.
With a final nod of his own Parker saw the Collectors out and for awhile sat alone, his hands tucked into his lap and his stare intently on a non-too-particular spot on the floor as his mind began to buzz with a handful of thoughts. Mostly memories they were, from the few years he'd worked with Morgan and Currie.
'Did something happen? Morgan isn't dead, we would have known, I'm sure. No, it has to be them up to something. This is just so weird though, why would they try the same approach twice? Do they think the Agency to be that stupid?'
Parker knew better, sadly enough. Being attached to Periot as much as he was he rarely left the guy's side unless ordered to by Morgan for any reason, and that included during meetings of the men themselves. Morgan, Currie, and Periot and Parker would sit in off to the side, he knew the men better than that to attempt something that ballsy twice. Even the first time, that was something that Parker associated with Periot - which instantly clued him in that that all truly was Morgan's own doing. Currie was different, however. He liked to take his time wherever possible, he liked to plan things out carefully. Currie was always harping the idea of striking 'when ready' and 'taking only necessary steps'. He also enjoyed not being detected if possible as well, something that Morgan and Periot never really cared too much about on a regular basis.
Something was extremely off about this whole thing. It seemed weird for Parker to realize that, he wasn't anything remotely close to a sleuth, that was for sure. Yet even to the simple man who had sat surrounded by these men with ears open and mouth shut he could see that something wasn't right.
'Either Currie has something massive planned or...or who knows...' Parker didn't really want to think about it either way, though the idea worried him and he felt his shoulders tense up at the idea of facing him. He brought a hand up and rubbed at his chin slowly, at least recalling very well that the last meeting with the Tyrants ended up with Asteria with a dirty bullet wound. Parker wasn't there for her, and even right now the bitter thoughts of if he had been that night maybe things would have been different. Maybe she would have trusted him enough then to tell him her plans? Maybe if he'd been more useful then? The tanned-skin man held his breath then as he felt his eyes begin to sting, slowly blinking and cursing the tears that appeared and thankful all the more that he was the only one here to see them. It was embarrassing enough he wouldn't even want Demetrios to see it, and with a painful gulp he wiped his eyes into his shoulders and breathed slowly. It was easy to not be upset about her when all he could think of was ways to blame her for everything, being angry was surprisingly easy once Parker got the hang of it. But sometimes...it annoyed himself that deep down he hadn't really gotten over it yet.
And yet he took something from it even now. He wasn't present at the Tyrants/Dust meeting and he wasn't able to protect Asteria, though here he was tasked with being there for Demetrios. He had the second chance he was looking for, and a chance to prove to himself and Periot's ghost so much if the man was out there watching that he could do different.
For now, he rose from the chair and rubbed at his eyes. He had awhile yet before meeting with Currie and the others.
"I think I need a drink..." he mumbled and continued about his afternoon in a dull pace.
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Post by Demetrios on Jan 1, 2015 17:47:15 GMT
Those working at the Lexington Assembly Plant got the gift of a very early day as the manager suddenly announced they were closing up for the day. They hardly had twenty minutes to close everything down and exit the area before a group of two dozen people came in and started to sweep the area for anyone who might not have gotten the message. Once the building was indeed clear dozens upon dozens of people started to fill the halls. They brought in crates of weapons; revolvers, explosives and rifles (ironically they were Flynn's brand of rifles and revolvers). They brought in trained snipers, demolitions experts that prepared the countless explosives and all the grunts they could need to properly intimidate Currie.
Thee message to Currie had been made plain and simple - they left a box of chocolates with a note of instructions at his door step. That note (the penmanship by the way was amazing) made it clear that if he didn't show up tonight there would be no other meeting and that next time he wouldn't get a box of savory chocolates.
Finally the officers started to assemble within the factory. There was about four officers in total, three of which fought with Parker in the stadium. There was Payam, a Dwarf of about thirty years old and about thirty pounds overweight, his skin was black and his hair curly while his eyes were almost a faded brown. The second was a human, named Linos, he was of twenty eight years of age, white with a shaved head and standing a little over 5'10. The third was another human, her name was Alecta, a woman with pale skin and an accent so thick it became difficult to understand her at times. Most people from the Land of the Independent had that problem with Thelotians where they simply couldn't understand what they were saying. The final officer (and the one who wasn't in the battle with Parker) was a man named Rahim, he had very dark skin, short hair and a scar coming from the top of his skull down towards his left eyebrow (apparently he was a Scythe Collector who refuse to join up with Asteria and was punished when he did). The man was actually very frightening looking.
"Parker will be here any moment now." Payam grumbled as he pulled himself into his seat.
"Parker wull be leadin` us, huh?" Alecta asked. Repeating it once more to the men who didn't understand her.
"Aye," Payam confirmed, "The boy is basically our very own general now."
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Post by Morgan Flynn on Jan 1, 2015 19:20:17 GMT
It turned out Currie wasn't having a very good day at all and funny enough it was because of the lovely surprises he was receiving today. The box of chocolate was a confusing gesture to him, and if he hadn't understood the context in which the directions inside spoke of he might have mistaken it as a trick from Morgan. His lip had curled at it and he stared for a long moment as he buttoned up his best satin shirt, almost sickened by the idea that Dust would have given him a gift before what he expected was for them to take every single thing he owned - were they mocking him? Fin had no comment on it, just a narrow-eyed, perplexed look of her own and as per usual Arnheim had only laughed and made a highly unnecessary and unwanted comment about how apparently the Agency was inviting Currie "out on a date".
It wasn't the only thing Currie had received that day, though. To his house earlier had been sent something like five-dozen roses of varying colours and tucked away inside was also a note, and though it was expected it was a very spine-chilling moment as his eyes skimmed over the words "WHERE ARE THEY?" It was expected, only days prior in a most unfortunate event had he received word from one of his managers that Palm Paradise, his pride and joy, was essentially no more. Currie couldn't be surprised by that either, Morgan knew where to hit him the hardest and inadvertently so Morgan was hurting him more than he truly knew as Currie held the legal papers for the business in his hands and debated for a long time whether or not he should just burn them like the rubble of his club was doing now. He had said nothing on it and only Fin and Arnheim saw the silent tears roll down his cheeks as he sat that night and drank away the pain of it, though the man couldn't tell if this meeting with Dust could have come at a better or worse time.
Currie slid on his most expensive suit jacket and took special care to smooth out every wrinkle and fold. His hair he combed back, perfectly lining up the blond highlights through his deep brown hair the way he wanted before adorning his fingers and wrists with golden pieces of jewelery and his pricey watch. With a spritz of cologne he really did start to look and smell like he was going on date. Though while he watched himself for a long time in the mirror with a look that desperately tried to cover defeat with pride Fin could only peer around the corner at him now and again and feel an odd sensation of heartbreak every time. He was acting so differently, he was so quiet, and as she watched with sad eyes even as he calmly as possible stated to both her and Arnheim, "Everything will be fine. You two are to say nothing at all, I will do all of the talking." His words sounded so confident and where everyone around them acted like everything was fine Finlea felt an overwhelming feeling of fear as the idea in her head sunk in, reading between the lines of Currie's words and actions that the reason why he took so much care to present himself was because he was dressing himself for his own coffin.
By the time it was ready for them to leave the man was almost emotionless in apperance and sound as he loaded up only what were to be Fin and Arnheim and a handful of Arnheim's 'best of the best', all foreign hands of course. Currie however kept everything he had to say and feel holed up in a tightly sealed mental box, ready to take out of it only what he needed and when he needed it.
Surprisingly, Parker found himself at the meeting earlier than his one previous with Demetrios. Perhaps it was the anticipation of what Currie was going to bring, what he was to say and do, or the worry of it all that made him show up there but when Parker reached the factory he hurried himself inside. The cold weather brough him in with a dusty black coat, unzipped because oddly enough he enjoyed the chilled air that the winter brought. He might have been regarded as a 'general' and 'hero' to a lot of the people here he was working with but he didn't really dress like it.
He hadn't a damn clue what and where he was supposed to go but it didn't take long for him to find the other handful of officers who had a seat, that was probably pretty obvious. And unfortunately of the three that fought with him Parker couldn't recall any of them aside from the Dwarf, and that was probably because he was a Dwarf, and dark, and kind of hard to miss in a sea of predominantly light-skinned humans. Parker didn't know what he was supposed to say to any of these people though, and so when he approached his eyes rested on Rahim probably because he was the scariest one of the bunch and said abruptly, "Hey there."
'Ahhhh shit.'
"I-I mean..."
'AHHH SHIT.'
"I'm here!" he announced instead, still trying to grasp that 'be tough' demeanour that definitely meant to not second guess yourself or stumble over your own stupid words in front of everyone.
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Post by Demetrios on Jan 1, 2015 20:54:39 GMT
"Welcome..." Rahim said while bowing his head low to Parker.
It was a little perplexing for them to have their leader being so... well, casual. None of the offices voiced such thoughts.except Alecta who spoke out in a great laugh. "Sae we're taking orders fae this nervous bairn?" Thankfully she said it so fast that her laugh and accent basically made the entire sentence even harder to understand. Perhaps she realized this and when she didn't receive any laughs from her colleagues she looked towards Parker and gave a sweet smile, "Fàilte, Parker. Ah admit ah didnae see ya at th' stadium but thare wur a lot o' fowks dyin' 'n' screamin' sae ah probably missed ya!"
"Ignore the southerner. Sit down, boss." Payam said, tapping the empty chair that sat to his left. "We've got much to speak about."
As the officers introduced themselves to Parker a sleek black car pulled up towards the factory flanked by two other vans as well. They got a quick wave past by one of the Collectors who were screening each car before they continued towards the factory. Whomever was inside it was given the respect of a royal by the Collectors.
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Post by Morgan Flynn on Jan 1, 2015 21:16:07 GMT
Parker blinked several times at Alecta's rapid pot shot at him, having gone by so fast he hadn't even realized that it was a crack at him at all. He'd briefly muttered, "wait, what?" to her but it was lost as she laughed and Payam moved everything along. Feeling a bit embarrassed Parker was glad to dive to the seat by Payam and had to mentally console himself again and again before opening his stupid mouth.
'Okay, dude. Just play it cool. Just...few words. Only a few. Sound mean. Or...n-no, sound scary. Wait, what does that even mean?! Just don't sound like an idiot! Don't repeat anyone, don't stumble, only speak when you have something to actually say!'
Especially when he was addressed as 'boss'. What the shit. When someone's called you that you have to answer cool. Be cool, Parker!
"I..." Parker tried again once he was sitting and directed his gaze solely on Payam, "...assume everything is going smoothly here? Anything really important I need to be aware of before it gets going?"
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Post by Demetrios on Jan 1, 2015 23:14:34 GMT
"We've assembled close to fifty Collectors at the factory. We're fully armed and ready for whatever they may bring. It took a bit longer to clear the factory than we anticipated but otherwise everything is moving as planned." Linos explained, "We've been informed that Currie won't be bringing much people, which puts us at a great advantage of course."
As they got ready to discuss the varies details involving oft the plan the line of cars reached the factory and those who were in it stepped out. There wasn't much to distinguish them from the rest of the Red Collectors, except for the one who led it seemed a bit more important. The leader of that small group was a fit looking woman, thinly structured and built well she walked with a commanding presence that drew the attention of the Collectors within the factory. Her hair was long, it reached mid way down her back before being tied tightly together and moved around the side of her head so that it was resting in the front instead of the back. Her skin was just a couple shades light from being amber and her eyes thin from her single eyelid. She stood no taller than 5'5 and judging by the soft smile that pulled on her lips she thought she owned the place.
The woman and her men marched all the way up to the little office Parker and the officers were discussing at. The door was barely opened by a Collector in time as she stepped through, looking over the small group whose attention was on her at the sudden entrance. The smile grew larger as she placed her hands on her hips, tilting her head to the side a bit before speaking, "Haven't started planning without me, I hope? That would be rather awkward as I've been sent to help direct this little negotiation."
The officers sitting with Parker had no idea who the woman was, well... not entirely, a couple of them had an IDEA who it was but none wished to speak it.
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Post by Morgan Flynn on Jan 2, 2015 0:09:03 GMT
'Gcktt...how many people are supposed to be here?!' Parker blinked again as he stared at the young lady who'd just barged on in, taking in her appearance carefully and then darting his gaze over to the officers sitting with them. No one was saying anything, and yet this chick really seemed to believe she was supposed to be here and Parker sure wasn't going to tell her no but now he had no idea what to say. Was she not going to announce herself at least? He was stuck on the idea if he should chime in and introduce himself but potentially was going to look like a fool doing so considering by this point he was certain like, everyone knew who he was.
It took Parker a really long time to actually open his mouth to say anything. Really it was a very, very awkward moment of silence as he mulled over what he should or shouldn't do.
'Dammit, stupid, say something!'
Parker leaped then right out of his chair and took several steps towards the woman and held a hand out to her, "No! I mean, not in terms of planning, more like checking on if we're set up and...who exactly are you?"
Ah yeah, now he had this down. Not rude, but pushy enough that she wasn't going to be allowed to avoid answering, either. She acted high and mighty which was just fine but Parker wasn't going to stumble over this one, no way. He had a scary face of his own! A slightly narrow-eyed look that showed he expected an answer and confidence because he was really lacking that, he wasn't gonna be scared of any of these people, least of all not another girl. It was about time he showed them he could be hardcore just like any of them.
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Post by Demetrios on Jan 2, 2015 19:03:43 GMT
"You can call me Kali," Kali answered Parker as a Collector fetched a chair for her. The officers quickly shifted their chairs to make room for her as their suspicions as to who she was grew. Kali took her place around the table and glanced around the group of them, her eyes quickly fell upon Parker as she looked him over. A frown etched across her face, perhaps confused at how this man could be as great as everyone was saying.
"You're... Parker right?" She asked, clearly to confirm her thoughts. "They named a battle off of you, that's pretty impressive. I admit I have no battles in my name but mine tend not to be broadcast live throughout the entire city." She gave a light shrug, "So, we were discussing the logistical end of everything, were we?"
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Post by Morgan Flynn on Jan 2, 2015 19:34:15 GMT
Parker stood there with his hand awkwardly held out yet as Kali had her chair brought to her, eventually giving up and just sliding it into his pocket instead. He continued to stare at her and her pretty features, though he'd seen that look on her face before. He was used to it, he wasn't good at introductions so he wasn't expecting her to respond to his gesture kindly but the way she carried herself was that of indeed, someone very important. He chalked it up to experience as he remembered Asteria once telling him that she herself was essentially raised by the Agency, he wouldn't put it past him that many more people like this girl were the same. In a way he was envious that she had the confidence and the demeanor that he thought he probably should have himself.
He took his seat again but his attention remained on the girl as she insulted him, though Parker didn't really catch the snipe she made and as such he answered politely with, "Thanks, I'll let you have the next one."
Again things seemed to be awkwardly silent for a few moments before he answered her question, "So...yeah. Set up, just checking to see what we should know. They don't have a lot of people coming I guess."
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Post by Demetrios on Jan 2, 2015 19:44:58 GMT
"You 'guess'?" Kali asked, raising an eyebrow at his words. "So as far as you're concerned he could be coming with three or fifty, hm?"
"We know for sure he'll be coming with only a han-"
"Was I speaking to you? No!" Kali snapped and Payam quickly went silent. Kali leaned forward towards the table, her eyes narrowing as she spoke."I asked Parker. So, Parker... how much people is this Currie bringing...?" Her aggressiveness was partially muted by the light smile she had and nobody could truly tell if she was angry or just having fun with them. Either way Parker was put in the spot here and she wanted a sure answer.
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Post by Morgan Flynn on Jan 2, 2015 20:02:42 GMT
Annnnd there went the sirens in Parker's head.
'Oh great, she's one of THOSE chicks! Don't panic, man. Morgan was kind of really terrifying when he did things like this but you can do it - don't take shit, just don't take it!
....I'M TAKING IT.
NO! No, Parker, you have come too far now to get pushed around by some snooty bitch on her high horse, it shouldn't matter her resume, you're a damn hero and for once you've finally earned yourself some respect so don't lose it just because you can't talk down to some girl on her level.'
With all eyes on him Parker sat partially frozen in his chair, blood pumping in his ears because he knew very well that his next words were going to have to make an impression of some sort. Not just on Kali but everyone around him. It really was intimidating to start to feel like he was doing something right and then suddenly someone came along feeling like they were trying to just kick his legs out from under him. His lip curled trying to get himself into the proper mindset and be tough and answer concisely, the fear of being shoved around right after he felt like he'd just started to stand on his own feet was threatening and made him react as such.
Parker's gaze hardened, giving a huff and jutted a finger towards Payam as he reactively snapped back at Kali, "A handful is confirmed to come. We have a great advantage because we have fifty fully armed watching. Anything else you'd like to know before we resume, Kali?"
He had to drop his hand back into his lap suddenly because he felt his hand begin to shake and he sure didn't want anyone to see it if he could avoid it. Parker tried to steady his breathing but he still had that grumpy look about him as he sat waiting for her answer, his only thought in his mind being 'I...could have said that much nicer.'
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Post by Demetrios on Jan 3, 2015 23:23:00 GMT
A little bite was all what Kali was looking for from Parker. Personally she couldn't stand following someone who doubted himself all the time and didn't have the confidence to say what he wanted to say. Satisfied by Parker's response Kali sat back in her chair and clasped her hands together, letting them rest on her leg before she responded. "No I think I've asked all that I wanted to ask. You may continue."
"Very well..." Payam began carefully, "This Currie is said to be a general of sort within the Tyrants. He's had his fair share of fighting, yes? Although surely a handful of men could not compare to our numbers I do think we should consider every possible thing he could plan. The last peace negotiations we had with the Tyrants ended horribly."
"They act like wild animals." Rahim pointed out, "They act without a code of conduit. They do as they want to do and they have little respect for even the most sacred things as peace negotiations."
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Post by Morgan Flynn on Jan 4, 2015 1:52:52 GMT
And she didn't snap back. Or yell, or shoot. With a sour look on his face yet Parker kept a suspicious watch on Kali as she seemed entirely unfazed by Parker lashing at her at all, her air and facial expression keeping him on edge at least for a few moments longer. He was half-expecting a knife to come flying into his face now, just at the moment that he would let his guard down, so relaxing at least right now was out of the question. Was that answer actually good enough for her? Was she playing around? Was she just a bitch?
Despite his thoughts Parker sat and listened to what they had further to say, only after Rahim had spoken had Parker said anything extra at all. And when he spoke, it was only part of his thoughts.
"For what it's worth, Currie is the 'code' for them," his words were automatic as he watched Kali, "three people pulled the Tyrants along for a long time - Morgan, Currie, and Periot but he's dead. Who Morgan wants dead Currie wants alive. Who Currie wants dead Morgan wants to play with. Currie argues 'words before guns' but Morgan commands differently. Currie follows orders when Morgan is angry enough. It's why it kind of...it doesn't make sense that Morgan ruined the last talk the Tyrants and the Agency had and now they look for another."
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Post by Demetrios on Jan 4, 2015 22:45:46 GMT
"Nor does it make sense that they think they can get away with the same thing twice." Kali had barely noticed Parker's suspicion of her, yet it was a pretty typical thing for Collectors to be suspicious of each other. They were a paranoid breed of people.
"Mibbie he truly tends tae mak' peace, than?" Alecta questioned as Payam grumbled out quickly.
"Even still we should consider stringing them up."
"Take what they offer and string them up, I say." Rahim said coolly as he crossed his arm and sat back in his chair. "The Agency has grown less tolerant in these past months." Indeed the great code much of the Agency had stood by seemed to melt away further with each passing day. It didn't help that Demetrios saw no need to enforce it when such a major revolt was occurring. The brutal tactics taken by the Collectors had only grown more gruesome lately...
While Rahim's words earned a near resounding agreement, Kali found herself watching Parker for his reaction. Being a very impatient woman she decided she might poke the reaction out of him. "Perhaps, but I would rather like to hear what's going through Parker's head. After all the final decision rests with him. So tell us, Parker, what would you like to do to them?"
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Post by Morgan Flynn on Jan 5, 2015 17:36:01 GMT
Parker listened to each throw out ideas and found himself lost in each of them. Alecta was the only one that seemed the most optimistic, catching the question of 'peace' in her words and taking in context Payam's immediate response to her. The thing that bothered Parker a bit was that he knew Morgan and Currie better than any of the people here and when he put the two side by side, Currie wasn't anything close to 'the bad guy' as Morgan was. Currie was a gigantic dick and Parker knew the man wouldn't blink if he got the opportunity to shoot him down, that much Currie had proven. He wasn't so sure that Currie was as much deserving of being 'strung up' (Parker cringed at the thought of what exactly that meant to these people) as someone like Morgan was, though. He also wasn't confident on whether or not that would actually solve the issue. Morgan was confusing to figure out and didn't get as easily bothered by things like having his top man put to death, though sometimes he was?
Regardless of whether Morgan would be riled by it or not, Parker was at least sure it wasn't going to stop him anyway. What they did with Currie wasn't going to do anything to Morgan except for give him one less man to work with, which when considered Parker was happy with the idea in order to slowly pick away at Morgan and all of his defenses. They wanted Morgan to fall, afterall. Did it have to be that rash, though? They hadn't even spoken to the man yet, and Parker at least knew Currie well enough to know that if the man was going to show up himself to fight he would be coming with a lot more people than he was. At the end of it all, he wasn't Morgan, he was a lot less crazy.
It took Parker again a long time to answer Kali's question, still feeling a bit intimidated by her and taking her question as a menacing jab even when he shouldn't have. He wasn't used to being told he got the say in anything and considering how he was used to being treated he unfairly put blame on the woman for a great number of reasons, a fair lot of them being entirely unrelated to the current situation but her earlier picking at him triggered them all. He didn't answer quite so hotly this time, he found enough composure for that but he did speak his mind honestly even if it wouldn't please the others who seemed to be already set on a brutal kill.
"He's not Morgan. He's not a good guy, but he's not Morgan - if we're going to do anything to him, we can do it after we hear him but I don't know if 'stringing him up' is the way for someone who's less than Morgan. Shoot him there if we're going to..." he paused before he accidentally threw in the 'I guess' part again, "If Currie was going to come to hurt someone he either would come with a lot more people to hide behind or he has a death wish, which last time I knew the man he's more of a coward than Morgan and likes living more than Morgan does. I'd rather hear him out first."
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