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Promise
May 24, 2009 18:49:57 GMT -5
Post by Magneto on May 24, 2009 18:49:57 GMT -5
The city was like a grave. Everywhere Erik went, the air tasted like ashes. The ground was full of someone else's dirt, the remains of a life less fortunate. No one wants him, no one cared. It was empty on an existential level, like a giant hole where nothing but insects lived. But, hey, it could have been worse. He could have been a human.
Dark clouds filled a putrid sky. Local meteorologists promised eighty-degree heat and azure blue skies. Clearly, promises were meant to be broken, like the promise Erik had made to himself to stay out of The X Factor this night. However, he had heard rumors that a mutant had information about Kavita Rao and was thinking of joining the Brotherhood. It was an enticing offer.
Inside the X Factor, Magneto eyed all the mutants around him. Some were X-men. Others were Brotherhood members. Still others were neutral. But all of them had one thing in common -- genetic superiority. If only they all knew their true potential. They had so much promise.
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click
Full Member
Sanity and happiness are an impossible combination. ~Mark Twain
Posts: 103
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Promise
May 24, 2009 18:59:49 GMT -5
Post by click on May 24, 2009 18:59:49 GMT -5
Tyler had already coaxed a beer out of the barmaid and was sipping at it casually when Magneto walked in. Immediately, a grin overtook his face. Just the man he needed to see. He didn't look like some important informant. He didn't look like more than a stupid kid with too many piercings and tattoos. He slid off his barstool and made his way over to the Brotherhood leader, beer dangling from his fingers.
Most others in the bar looked upon Magneto with trepedation as well they should. Tyler, though? Tyler wasn't afraid of him. Why should he be? At that moment, Tyler couldn't think of a single thing to be afraid of. He stopped just in front of him with a contented sort of smile that made him seem either intimidating (because he was at ease around the master of magnetism) or maybe a bit slow (because he was at ease around the master of magnetism).
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Promise
May 24, 2009 19:23:53 GMT -5
Post by Magneto on May 24, 2009 19:23:53 GMT -5
Magneto sighed. An obviously intoxicated cocky teenage stood in his way. He must have been a complete imbecile. There was metal pierced all over his body. He looked like he could rip this impudent kid in half with one flick of his wrist if he wanted to. This manchild really did not like to take a subtle approach, did he? Erik hated when mutants came to him as if they could sign up for the Brotherhood like the YMCA.
"Is there any reason you are looking in my direction or have you gotten some kind of brain infection from those things in your ears?" he asked. He remembered when people used to young people used to dress properly. Men had to wear a dress shirt and hat everyday. And now people just looked ridiculous.
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click
Full Member
Sanity and happiness are an impossible combination. ~Mark Twain
Posts: 103
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Promise
May 24, 2009 19:34:41 GMT -5
Post by click on May 24, 2009 19:34:41 GMT -5
Laughing as if Magneto made a joke instead of an insult, Tyler crossed his arms over his chest and looked the old man over quickly. He certainly looked the part and he had that whole uppity superiority thing going on. Pretty cool in Tyler's opinion. Even the so-called bad guy he assumed would be a good guy. Tyler's mental defences did not err on the side of self-preservation.
"I'm Click," he told him simply. "I heard a rumor you were looking for information about Kavita Rao." He wasn't necessarily playing it "cool" but he was definitely playing it nice as if they were simply having a friendly chat.
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Promise
May 24, 2009 23:40:34 GMT -5
Post by Magneto on May 24, 2009 23:40:34 GMT -5
Was this the so-called informant with information on Kavita Rao? Erik sighed. This was going to be a long night -- a long, annoying night. He would order a drink, but he never drank alcoholic beverages. He never willingly allowed himself to be in a state of weakness, and that included intoxication.
He was quite disappointed that this brazen half-wit was the person who supposedly had information about the deceased doctor. He had been looking forward to finding news about her. He had been searching for any valid clues to resurrecting her from the dead, and recently he had found very little actual information. Now he expected to hear a bunch of nonsense from some buffoon who was probably trying to con him.
"Yes, that is correct," he replied. "Tell me, Clickity Clack or whatever your name is, is your mother waiting for you at home?" He didn't bother making eye contact him.
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click
Full Member
Sanity and happiness are an impossible combination. ~Mark Twain
Posts: 103
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Promise
May 25, 2009 0:08:17 GMT -5
Post by click on May 25, 2009 0:08:17 GMT -5
Tyler wasn't going to be so easily put out. In the game of I-am-rubber,-you-are-glue, he was a lifelong champion. His smile never faltered. "No, but Professor Xavier will probably start to wonder if I'm out too late," he mentioned lightly. He figured that ought to get his attention.
He jerked his head toward an empty booth nearby. "Why don't we sit down?" he suggested. "We've got chatting to do."
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Promise
May 25, 2009 0:21:59 GMT -5
Post by Magneto on May 25, 2009 0:21:59 GMT -5
"Very well then." Magneto knew that sometimes even buffoons could prove useful. Often people made the mistake of overlooking the power of people with foolish minds. That was a grave error. The greatest empires were built on the minds of the moronic and naive. And empire-building was certainly Magneto's intent.
He walked towards the empty booth and took a seat. He hoped that the foolish boy wasn't too chatty. He'd like to get over with this annoyance as soon as possible. Just because there a possibility that the boy could prove useful didn't mean that Erik was going to enjoy talking with him. If the boy ended up being a waste of time, Erik was going to enjoy killing him. It would be very, very easy considering the amount of piercings the boy had. God, what an idiot, he thought.
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click
Full Member
Sanity and happiness are an impossible combination. ~Mark Twain
Posts: 103
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Promise
May 25, 2009 0:40:47 GMT -5
Post by click on May 25, 2009 0:40:47 GMT -5
Tyler slid into the booth, one foot propped up on the bench next to him, etiquette a foreign concept to him. He took a sip of his beer, then set it down on the table between them. It didn't occur to him that Magneto would harm him and it wouldn't unless he actually did. Even if he did, he would soon forget the incident.
"I'm a student at Xavier's," Tyler told him, getting straight to the point, "but... I can't say that I'm on board with everything that's going on over there, you know? I heard you needed some information, and I know how to get it." He'd gone over his story enough times before he'd left that he almost believed it himself. He'd gotten to the point where he was so easily deluded, he could even fool himself.
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Promise
May 25, 2009 16:55:05 GMT -5
Post by Magneto on May 25, 2009 16:55:05 GMT -5
"I am absolutely dying of anticipation," he said flatly. The boy's arrogance was far from charming, to say the least. Erik liked mutants who were confident and ambitious, but he loathed thoughtless brats who did not know how to show him the proper respect. If the boy kept acting like this, his pretty little facial bobby pins were going to be ripped off and shoved down his throat for his emphasis. But Magneto reminded himself to be patient. Some things were worth waiting for . . . such as savage beatings.
He glanced at the beer can in Click's hand. Slowly, Erik guided it in the air. It flipped upside and spilled its contents all over the boy's clothing. Then it transformed into a shiny, silver-colored ball of aluminum, which gently landed on the table in front of them.
"You shouldn't drink," said Erik. "You could cause an accident."
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click
Full Member
Sanity and happiness are an impossible combination. ~Mark Twain
Posts: 103
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Promise
May 25, 2009 18:56:58 GMT -5
Post by click on May 25, 2009 18:56:58 GMT -5
Tyler looked down at his wet clothing and his smile faltered for a second in confusion as his brain tried to come up with a pleasant explanation for what had just transpired. The smile was soon back full force. It was then fairly clear that something wasn't quite right with him. "Well, it's nice of you to worry, but I'm taking the bus anyway," he assured Magneto lightly, not seeming upset in the least.
"Now, I don't have a whole lot on the doctor right now, but I know that Xavier's looking into ways to ressurect her, and he's getting somewhere with it." Tyler was offering an arrangement that would lead to information, not information itself. "He trusts me. I'll be able to spy on him without much trouble."
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Promise
May 28, 2009 10:59:36 GMT -5
Post by Magneto on May 28, 2009 10:59:36 GMT -5
The boy was offering next to nothing as far as information went, and it could possibly be nothing. However, if he did have information, it could be valuable. Magneto had no intention of making this imbecile a spy. Perhaps he could coax the information out of the boy. He might as well. The boy didn't seem very bright. In case the boy was lying to him, Erik would have his minions check out to see if his information was correct.
"And I am sure you would make an excellent spy," replied Magneto, "but before you can become a member of the Brotherhood, you must go through several rites of passage. I have already began the initiation process. So far, you've passed with flying colors."
He smiled. It was going to be like taking candy from a baby. Or, in this case, from an idiot.
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click
Full Member
Sanity and happiness are an impossible combination. ~Mark Twain
Posts: 103
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Promise
May 28, 2009 19:20:46 GMT -5
Post by click on May 28, 2009 19:20:46 GMT -5
Tyler laughed, looking a little confused. "Really? I mean, I wasn't necessarily looking to be a full time member or anything." He remembered Xavier's offer about not sounding desperate. "I mean, I don't know if I'm even interested in that. I just figured we could help each other out," he explained with a pleasant smile.
He fidgetted with one of his earrings absently and shifted so both of his feet were on the ground, unable to sit still.
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Promise
May 28, 2009 19:58:07 GMT -5
Post by Magneto on May 28, 2009 19:58:07 GMT -5
Help each other out, thought Magneto to himself. So the boy was interested in something other than membership. Magneto had made an error in pretending to offer membership so eagerly. The boy may have seen through him. He reminded himself to be more subtle.
"Indeed," he replied. "Partnerships blossom under mutual respect." Which he has neglected to give to me, he thought to himself. Honestly, if this boy doesn't impart me some inkling of knowledge about Kavita Rao, I'm just going to rip his whiny little head off. Magneto was growing increasingly impatient. He didn't plan on waiting all night for the little brat.
"Partnerships form under delicate negotiations, you understand. There is a balance of power. It is built on an exchange of rewards," he expounded. "One party delivers its promise, and the other gives its reward."
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click
Full Member
Sanity and happiness are an impossible combination. ~Mark Twain
Posts: 103
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Promise
May 28, 2009 21:37:12 GMT -5
Post by click on May 28, 2009 21:37:12 GMT -5
"Well, I already told you I don't know many specifics on it yet," Tyler said quickly, not wanting to mislead Magneto--not because he feared him, but because he liked him. He seemed very nice, very polite.
"I'm just coming to offer the arrangement, not the information itself yet. Right now all I know is that Xavier is trying to find out how to ressurect her, and he's been talking to someone about it." Tyler had invented this part of the story, but told it with the same earnestness that he'd said the rest with. "I don't have a name yet, but I heard him on the phone with the guy, and they think they can do it." He picked up the lump that had been his beer can and turned it over in his hands curiously.
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Promise
Jun 2, 2009 19:40:29 GMT -5
Post by Magneto on Jun 2, 2009 19:40:29 GMT -5
So that's all he knows? thought Magneto. Xavier was trying to resurrect Kavita Rao. Well, that would be useful. Of course, there was a chance it might be false. This boy didn't seem very reliable. It was clear he wanted something in exchange, maybe money or women, so perhaps he was willing to lie. Whether it was true or not, Magneto would have his associates investigate the rumor. After all, even idiots told the truth sometimes.
As for Tyler, Magneto had no other use for him. He had no intention of starting a partnership with him. In addition, the boy was very irritating. He decided to lure him out of the club and attack him. He wouldn't harm him in the X Factor. Magneto had a reputation to keep, and if people heard that he hurt other mutants there, he wouldn't be able to go recruiting there anymore.
"Yes, I understand. Shall we continue our discussion outside?"
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