|
Post by Blacksteel on Oct 28, 2009 12:02:10 GMT -5
His attention had wandered on his inner musings, despite Zurg answering his own question, then rigidly snapped back to attention when he realized that Zurg was looking at him. "Uh, yeah, that's it," he lied, though it was in fact a half-truth. "It's just all so... so different to what I'm used to. I'll have to spend some time on figuring everything out."
|
|
|
Post by eez on Oct 28, 2009 14:55:57 GMT -5
"Mmm..."
There was something...more; something Red wasn't letting on about but Zurg decided to file it away inside that mysterious mind of his for another time. If Red had a few skeletons--which was most likely--then the Evil Emperor would call them out when he saw fit or when they jeopardized a mission.
But not till then.
"I'd imagine it's over-whelming at first, but you will get used to it. The initial surprise will wear off within the first two decades, if not sooner." He said, speaking from experience. "You'll get over it."
|
|
|
Post by Blacksteel on Oct 28, 2009 16:14:46 GMT -5
Two decades... but it wouldn't end there, would it? He snorted softly, drawing the pad towards him. Of course not, he told himself sternly, his gold eyes scanning the foreign text.
What had they all said? That he would linger until the end? Well, if the end had been coming back in his time, he'd either averted it with his transport here or had done irrevocable damage to the time-space continuum with his disappearance, thus ensuring that the end would come anyhow, whether he liked it or not.
He didn't like the idea of it hounding his steps for an eternity.
But what else was there left for him to do?
The BPRD had most probably long since disbanded. He could not stop his impeding destiny even if he wanted to with this fluctuation, nor could he even question it. He didn't know where to start, for one. Stranded in an unknown place, in an unknown time, with nothing left for him to lose... all he could do was gain.
Push himself to the limit.
Making up his mind, he looked up and made contact with the emperor. His eyes were strange; not because of their appearance or colour, but because of the strange, guarded look in them. It was almost comforting, that look, though he couldn't for the life of him explain why.
"Where do I sign?"
|
|
|
Post by eez on Oct 28, 2009 16:27:44 GMT -5
Red said it.
He said the four magical words that made Zurg's grin stretch into a grin most foul; like the man had just sealed his life away to a collector souls. The waiter watched from the back and only shook his head in absolute terror as to what would happen next.
"Why," The Evil Emperor said sweetly like a shallow whisper, slowly wrapping his hand firmly around Red's as he dragged it closer to the hologram,"You sign...right...HERE."
He pressed Red's thumb onto the sheet as he said that heavy word and at once the panel made contact with Red's skin, the tiny pixels penetrating his skin and sucking enough blood to make a viable transfer. It would result in a mild sting, yes, but for Zurg....well, it was worth every moment.
The panel turned a brilliant crimson as Red's essence poured through and the blood swirled and ebbed throughout the hologram like ink feeling its way through water.
TRANSFER COMPLETE.
The Evil Emperor smile lessened slightly as the words flashed before them both and he casually sat back into his seat; his demeanour was it was before that brief transaction. It was finished.
"You now belong...to...me." He chuckled, rubbing his hands together at his latest big catch. How he loved it when someone joined his side! With Red as an assist, things would go much smoother; that much Zurg was certain.
The waiter, just wanting to go home to his family, eased his wake shakily to the lone table and proceeded to stutter.
"Y-Y-Your bill?" He stammered, sweat dripping off his brow.
What? Was that man still here? Such...diligence.
"I'll handle that." Zurg said on an even tone, setting down what appeared to be a clear--yet prismatic--card; the letters still in a language Red could not understand. "Consider it...my treat to my newest agent."
The waiter knew when to go and go he did.
|
|
|
Post by Blacksteel on Oct 28, 2009 16:59:00 GMT -5
To be honest, Hellboy didn't expect the sudden change in Zurg's demeanour. Where he had once sounded bumbling, all of a sudden the emperor had sounded decidedly... evil... just like his namesake. Nor did he expect anything remotely fascinating to happen when Zurg pressed his thumb against the screen. He had surmised it would take his fingerprint as identification and leave it at that. So when he felt a small prick of pain and drew back his hand to suck on his finger, he was slightly taken aback when he saw his blood seep through the screen like a miasma.
"You now belong...to...me."
The way Zurg said it sent a small shiver down Hellboy's spine. But it wasn't the I-shouldn't-have-done-that kind of shiver. It was more like the I-wonder-what's-gonna-happen-next shiver. He felt a sort of reckless abandon suddenly take control. He actually relished causing some mischief. He was always protecting this person, saving that person, preventing the destruction of the world--the list went on and on. Always giving everything and anything to everyone else and never doing anything for himself.
Well, that would change soon enough. He didn't have any responsibilities now. Who cared about the Ogdru Jahad and the end of the world? He was now millennia in the future, and obviously nothing had happened or else there wouldn't have even been a future to get whisked off to. He could do whatever the heck he wanted now without worrying about the consequences.
No force in Hell could stop him now.
His lips curled into a malignant smirk. "So... where do I start first?"
|
|
|
Post by eez on Oct 28, 2009 22:20:14 GMT -5
"My dear boy..." Zurg smiled, clasping his hands together all dainty-like. "I'd thought you'd never ask!"
At once, the Evil Emperor produced another datapad--this one more like a PDA--and casually slid it over to Red's side of the table; a dangerous, eager gleam within his eyes.
"This," He grinned, "contains your latest mission. I do believe you have a...wedding! To crash! AHAHAHHAHA!"
And this time, several glasses did shatter at the sheer evil and malice within his wicked body.
|
|
|
Post by Blacksteel on Oct 29, 2009 12:47:27 GMT -5
Hellboy smirked. "A wedding, huh? I've never been to a wedding before. So who's the... unlucky couple?"
|
|
|
Post by eez on Oct 29, 2009 12:51:41 GMT -5
"Unlucky..."
That seemed to get another chuckle out of the Evil Emperor but it was short-lived as he immediately resumed business.
"The wedding belongs to none other than my ex-agent, Warp Darkmatter. He made the foolish mistake of leaving my services entirely and even went so far as betrayal." This was obviously a sore subject as Zurg's eyes started to pick up in luminosity. "You will have the honours of making sure that man never forgets who he double-crossed."
Why Zurg was so pent up on being betrayed wasn't clear, but it was evident that those who stepped on his toes and didn't apologize almost always met with a grim discovery.
|
|
|
Post by Blacksteel on Oct 29, 2009 12:59:19 GMT -5
"Ahhh. So the new henchman busts the old. I like the sound of that." He allowed himself a small chuckle, then leaned forward again in his seat. Despite his new-found enthusiasm to cause havoc and mayhem, he was rather curious to find out more on his predecessor. "So how'd that happen? Did he switch sides or what?"
|
|
|
Post by eez on Oct 29, 2009 13:04:02 GMT -5
"Hmph! Not only did he betray me--which alone is cause enough for my eternal scorn--but he betrayed me for some girl!" Zurg sneered, falling back to his seat in disgust. "For some human girl, might I add!"
"It was rather abhorrent..." The Evil Emperor muttered.
|
|
|
Post by Blacksteel on Oct 29, 2009 13:07:53 GMT -5
The demon half-snorted, half-choked. "I'm sorry, but you're miffed at him because he left you for some girl?" He paused and arched a brow. "You didn't fancy him or anything did you?" Not that his employer's sexual orientation interested him, but Hellboy found it slightly over the top for him to be throwing a hissy fit over it.
|
|
|
Post by eez on Oct 29, 2009 13:19:28 GMT -5
Crack!
The glass cup within the Evil Emperor's steeled hand suddenly exploded, sending shards and pieces of jagged glass flying for a few inches; but, apparently, the Evil Emperor was not disturbed in the slightest.
In fact, he caused it with that brief burst of pure anger.
"Let this be clear, my dear Red..." He smiled slowly, forcefully as his other hand began to neatly sweep the mess he caused into a neat little crystal pile, the light reflecting eerily around them. "...I do not appreciate jokes regarding my sexual orientation. I'm afraid, like you, I've gotten enough jokes about my skin colour and mannerisms for a lifetime."
Several awkward seconds passed but the Evil Emperor finished his clean up and found reason to continue.
"But to answer your question, no. No, I didn't fancy him; not like that." He admitted. "He was my agent, my main man. To have him suddenly quit for a girl is so unlike his character. You can see that I was naturally taken aback at so short the notice and I don't like being second-class...."
Second-class.
The words got Zurg's eyes flaring even brighter now and one of the napkins began to catch fire and crinkle at the corners; trails of smoke softly rising upwards.
"I've had enough of being second-class to last me a lifetime, too; something perhaps we both share in common." He added, his eyes dying down to their natural state.
"Are we clear?"
|
|
|
Post by Blacksteel on Oct 29, 2009 13:30:20 GMT -5
"Didn't mean it as a joke in the slightest," Hellboy admitted honestly, raising his hands in supplication. "I've got--well, I had--two guy friends who were interested in each other and it was perfectly fine by the rest of us." Ah, good old Clark and Waller. He wondered briefly what they'd been up to before his time-jump.
"Well... no, I didn't get a lot of jokes about the way I looked." His shoulders sagged slightly. "They were mostly too scared to say anything." He cleared his throat gruffly to change the subject. "But yeah, you're clear. And I get that. He was your number one man, the guy you placed all your trust in. That's bound to leave its mark."
He then drained the last of the remaining beer and leaned back in his seat. "Second-class..." he murmured. He didn't like that term, either. "Well, let's just say that I'll start doing whatever I want now. In moderation, of course," he added. "I'll still answer to you. But let's just say I won't try to hold my temper in check all that often anymore."
|
|
|
Post by eez on Oct 29, 2009 13:51:40 GMT -5
"I take it they didn't meet good ends." Zurg picked up, feeling silly for losing it a moment ago. Blast. He should have had more composure! "Well, that's to be expected. Most citizens don't really care for such things around here. Not even most cultures, if you think about it. But you should know, that if you do have an orientation--no matter what it is--I won't be bothered by it; so long as it doesn't distract from your work."
Like Darkmatter...
He made the motions of trying to find his water cup only to realize he had just destroyed it.
Craters. Why was it that whenever he destroyed something he would turn around shortly after wards and need it later?
"And you...never had a plethora of jokes to hound at your heels?" The Evil Emperor grinned slightly at this, wondering if the man was lying. But he could believe the part about people being too afraid. Still, Red never had jokes about him? About his appearance? Interesting...
"Pray-tell, are you from a human-centric world? Did they use you for their own needs? It's just that you display the typical characteristics."
Zurg paused to tap a tooth, lapsing a bit.
"Of course, if you don't want to discuss that--as it's not my business--that's perfectly alright, too." He added with a slight shrug. "Regardless, I think you will cherish this new position. People will fear you, cower to you! And since you will carry my name wherever you go, I wouldn't dare to imagine what ignorant fellow would call you something tasteless."
The Evil Emperor felt positively giddy and somewhat...secure that he had finally found an agent worth his time and standards.
"And! It means you will get discounts wherever you go! One of the best perks, if you ask me."
|
|
|
Post by Blacksteel on Oct 29, 2009 14:38:07 GMT -5
"Naw, not me. I mean, I always separate work from pleasure." And he couldn't help but feel a pang, wondering what had happened to Anastasia. But he pushed the thought to the back of his mind.
The corner of his lips twitched, but he did not smile. "Naw, it wasn't prejudice that got 'em. Clark attacked Roger, and Roger killed him in self-defence. But Waller... after Clark died, he'd just throw himself into each mission until he snuffed it, too. Our line of work was pretty tough."
"And you...never had a plethora of jokes to hound at your heels?"
He arched a brow. "Well, never to my face, so I don't know whether they said stuff behind my back. Don't care, really. The stares kind of unnerve you," he mused thoughtfully, staring at his empty glass, "but after a while you just don't care any more."
"Pray-tell, are you from a human-centric world? Did they use you for their own needs? It's just that you display the typical characteristics."
"Well, yeah, I'm from Earth. I was found by the Allied Forces and raised on a military base in New Mexico. I was granted honorary human status twelve years later so I could join the BPRD." He squirmed slightly in his seat. "Well, I wouldn't say that they used me like a tool. I had freedom. I travelled almost everywhere. And I could make my own decisions. When I decided to quit, they didn't try to stop me." And he was more human than demon, he supposed. nature verses nurture theory and all that. But he preferred it that way. He'd seen too many demons and the way they acted, to feel any sort of kinship toward them.
He smirked. "Discounts sound good. And I like the idea of scaring people silly because of my position and not because of my good looks."
|
|