Post by Akutenshi Kyoushi on Nov 5, 2014 21:18:59 GMT -5
The sun was starting to set, but still plenty of time to sit and enjoy the people as they walked along through the park, enjoying the small bit of nature that was surrounded by a jungle of glass and steel. Whoever decided to make this park had the right idea. It was a place that people could come to get away from the rigors of the city but still remain within its relative safety.
Akutenshi was sitting on one of the park benches, eating some chinese take out from a box, admiring the view. He did enjoy people watching. You never knew who you might see or who might see you. He was dressed in a simple, yet tasteful, business suit and was taking care not to drip any of the sauces on his clothes as he ate. Currently blue eyes watched a woman in a tank top and shorts go running by and smiles "mmmm.... I'd sure like to get you home" he says softly, more to himself than anything.
He glances at his watch for a moment to see what time it was before looking back up to watch some pidgeons that had gathered, pecking at the ground for anything they could find for a meal. With a smile he finishes his meal and tosses the box into the trash can nearby and goes back to scanning passerbys a potential yeses or noes
Post by Nathaniel Graham on Nov 5, 2014 22:18:12 GMT -5
Gram controlled his breathing as he ran. The people he passed on his run were little more than footnotes, lacking enough importance for him to acknowledge their existence. Not bothering to glance at any of their faces, the young man tried to keep his mind on a particularly important project he'd been working on lately but his mind kept drifting away to other things.
Ever since he'd completed his quest for the scroll, Gram had been waking up with little motivation to do anything. What he'd been doing before, working on projects and managing his companies, seemed unimportant and vastly less interesting in comparison to fighting his way across Europe and part of Africa in the pursuit of an ancient scroll containing magical knowledge that detailed how to free a sphinx from imprisonment. When the quest had ended, the young man had been relieved to return to normalcy. Now, he sort of missed the adventure, the excitement.
Lately Gram had been making efforts to improve his body's health somewhat. He'd never been unhealthy, but Nathaniel was no longer content to be mediocre in any way. His brain was powerful and his intelligence great, prodigious in fact, but he'd faced death too many times recently, had to rely on others to save him far too much. Gram would perfect his body just as he'd perfected his mind, until he never needed to rely on another again.
Upon approaching Drew and telling him what he intended, Gram had felt something akin to relief when the man had promised to teach him a thing or two in order to help him improve his body and ability to defend himself. First things first, they would take things slowly. Gram could not afford to dedicate the entirety of his attention to perfecting his body because he had too man y other responsibilities to worry about, so instead of jumping into rigorous training, they would steadily increase the difficulty rate of his current workouts.
Stopping at a park bench, Gram sat down and drank from the container he carried to rehydrate himself. He rested for a few moments, eying the passersby to keep his mind occupied while his body recuperated. His mind had been drifting toward genetics lately. The thought of perfecting a creature through subtle genetic manipulation interested him.
Once, Gram thought of humans as apex predators, the top of Earth's food chain. But after coming face to face with a sphinx, he'd come to realize that humans, as they were in their current state of evolution, just weren't good enough. He desired perfection and he would have it.
Gram didn't pay attention to the man on the bench next to him. His eyes followed a woman as she passed by. "For all their trying, perfection will allude all of these people." He said, to no one in particular. "More for me."
Post by Akutenshi Kyoushi on Nov 5, 2014 22:29:29 GMT -5
The world was a beautiful place as the sun sank behind the city sky line. His gaze watching another woman as she ran by and then became aware of another body near him and turns to examine the man, looking him up and down "You look like someone with a lot on his mind" he comments to Gram "You really should look at letting that go and just enjoy life. I mean I don't know what it is but is it worth all that stress?" he stands and adjusts his suit before speaking again "No one is perfect really. Perfection sounds boring anyway. Why if you were perfect, there would be nothing left to enjoy in life." he chuckles "Ah I'm rambling. Forgive me"
He starts walking off toward a pair of joggers that had stopped close by and speaks to them "Hello ladies" he tips his hat "I was wondering if either of you might enjoy a night on the town. The two shoot him down but he doesn't seem phased as he produces a couple of cards with the name 'Tenshi' and a number printed on them "In case you change your mind, ladies, I am within easy reach" he gives them a wink and watches as the two run off
Post by Nathaniel Graham on Nov 5, 2014 23:43:09 GMT -5
Glancing briefly at the man on the bench next to him, "My stress is none of your business. What would you comprehend of my responsibilities and the tasks before me?" Gram did not mean to snap, but he did, an edge of annoyance to his voice. "Perfection is the master key that will open the doors to every possibility imaginable. Upon attaining it, perhaps I would be free to pursue whatever I desire. Enjoyment comes with the territory."
The man wore a suit but he sat on the bench as if he did not have a care in the world. Gram wondered how the man would respond, if he knew what Gram knew, if his brain could process things the way that Gram's could. There was so much out there that was beyond them all. The little things just seemed... petty. Unimportant.
Gram's face softened. "My apologies. I did not mean to snap. I have had a lot on my mind lately." Before becoming aware of supernaturals, Gram never would have snapped at a stranger like that. He'd always remained cool and in control of himself. "I am different than I was a few months ago. I don't like how I'm changing." Would it be enough, perfection, were he to finally obtain it? This new world was making him feel small. His goals, his ambitions. They would have to be modified.
Post by Akutenshi Kyoushi on Nov 6, 2014 1:04:44 GMT -5
Tenshi chuckles as he returns to the man, not seeming the least bit offended by the man's outburst "It is to be expected when one desires so much from himself. But even still, you must stop trying to be perfect and just be you" he pulls out a similar card and offers it to him "My name is Akutenshi. Most people call me Tenshi for short. Tell me, friend, what is it that has put you down this path you walk?" He was curious what it was that had happened in this man's life to turn him into such a tired, yet relentless, being that stood before him. He could see conflict in the man's eyes "A storm brews inside your soul. I can see it in your eyes. Come, talk a while. The night is young and I have nowhere to be. We can walk together and enjoy the serenity of the park together"
Post by Nathaniel Graham on Nov 6, 2014 1:56:14 GMT -5
Gram took the card from him and looked at it before putting it away. Since they were exchanging cards, he produced one of his own business cards and handed it to the man. He rarely used the cards, but he still kept them out of habit. "Akutenshi. An unusual name. What are it's origins?" The young man thought for a moment before answering.
"My path was decided from before the moment of my conception. For a long time, it did not bother me, but I have recently become aware of certain truths and, like the innocence all children lose eventually, I can never return to ignorance." Gram reached one hand up to touch his temple before continuing. "I am what I am. Perfection is inevitable. To squander my potential would be... catastrophic."
"I've nothing better to do. Walking and talking sounds as good as anything else." He took another drink from his bottle.
Post by Akutenshi Kyoushi on Nov 6, 2014 2:38:31 GMT -5
"Ah such ambition. Youthful vigor never ceases to amaze me. Give them a challenge and they stop at nothing if it is truly something that drives them" he smiles as they walk down one of the paths "It's people like you that give so much color to this world" he turns to look at Gram "But trust me when I say that perfection is over rated. No one that ever managed to achieve that was ever happy." he looks at the card that had been given to him "Nathaniel Gram. A quite proper name." he comments as he puts the card in his pocket "So what innocence have you lost recently. I should think you already know Santa is a myth" he chuckles "If you like we can discuss this over a drink or two. Help get that edginess smoothed out, if only for a while. What do you say, mister Gram?"
Post by Nathaniel Graham on Nov 6, 2014 13:12:42 GMT -5
Gram smirked. "No one has ever achieved perfection like I will." The young man's thoughts turned dark. He'd taken all of the corpses of the supernaturals he'd killed during the quest for the scroll, as well as a few of those who were still living, and had them shipped secretly back to the states. Upon his return, Gram had examined and dissected several, taking samples and studying them.
From his findings, the young man had discovered that each of the supernatural races he'd been given a chance to study seemed inherently superior to humans, physically, though their genetic makeup seemed resistant to adaptation. Your average daemon, for example, would be faster and stronger than your average human, but while the human could improve and hone their physiques to possibly surpass the daemon's, the daemon was more limited in this area. Gram found this fascinating.
As for his living subjects... The young man had been doing his best to keep them alive through his experiments, though vivisection would ultimately be their fates when he was through with them. Gram recognized the immorality of what he was doing to his subjects, but he felt they'd given their lives and rights over to him when they'd decided to make several attempts on his life.
Gram hoped to learn something from the biology of the supernaturals that would help him to improve and refine his own. For example, he'd noticed that supernaturals seem to heal at a faster rate than humans and, from studying this healing rate in his live patients, Gram was close to being able to use what he'd learned to improve the healing rate of an ordinary human. Already, he was beginning secret trial experiments with animals.
"I have lost my ignorance. It was beautiful, in it's own way, like that of a young child's before they learn how cruel the world can be. I am glad to be rid of it, truthfully, but sometimes I wonder if it would be better not to know."
At Tenshi's offer to go get a drink, Gram nodded his head. "I suppose it has been a while. A drink sounds good right about now."
Post by Akutenshi Kyoushi on Nov 6, 2014 14:55:53 GMT -5
Tenshi sucked on his teeth as they walked along, deciding to take the long way to their destination. He knew of a couple good bars that were close to the park but sometimes they didn't have near the selection of some that were further in the city. But that would be for another time. "A shame that. But sometimes the loss of ignorance allows us to grow like never before. But best beware. Some people tend to take things to extremes when something is stripped as such."
He glances toward Gram as they walked along "But you have yet to tell me what it is that weighs so heavily" he didn't think he'd get an answer, but it never hurt to try to see if he might offer some further advice for the obsessed man. He places his hands in his pockets after adjusting the coat he was wearing, turning the collar up as with the sun, the warmth faded a bit.
Post by Nathaniel Graham on Nov 6, 2014 17:36:50 GMT -5
Gram just shook his head. "You wouldn't believe me even if I told you." Not even Gram would have believed the truth, if he had not come face to face with supernaturals time and time again. But to simply tell an ordinary person that supernatural creatures were real, that daemons, angels, and dragons walked the earth, often disguised as regular people, would only be met with disbelief. The young man had no desire to be thought of as crazy. His competitors would jump at such a prospect of weakness to use it against him and possibly use it to make a play for his company.
As they searched for a bar, Gram thought of his fake id. While he rarely needed it, since he usually drank alone and had Drew or one of his men fetch what he wanted for him, he found cause to use it when he wished to either disguise his identity or drink publicly. After all, Nathaniel was only nineteen, even if he looked a bit haggard with his troubles weighing on him so.
"Know any good bars nearby?" The young man asked, attempting to change the subject.
Post by Akutenshi Kyoushi on Nov 6, 2014 20:32:10 GMT -5
"I know of a few" was his comment to the question as he pondered what could be so incredible that he wouldn't believe it. Then he wondered if it had something to do with the world around him in a full scope. The search for perfection led him to believe that he witnessed something to question his own place in the world. "What do you like to drink? If you have fancy tastes we might have to venture further into the city for whatever it might be you have a desire for." he smiles "That's why I like this city. If you look hard enough you can find just about anything under the sun" he pulls his wallet out and looks at what he had available for money in case he had to call a taxi for them. While he did have a car, he did sometimes prefer to be gas conscientious and leave it at home. And this had been one such night.
Post by Nathaniel Graham on Nov 6, 2014 22:19:22 GMT -5
"Fancy tastes?" Gram raised one eyebrow quizzically. "Well, occasionally, I suppose. But today, I think a good bourbon would do me well." The young man checked his cell, seeing that he'd recieved a text from Drew asking why he'd stopped moving. Gram responded that he was taking a break and headed to a bar for a drink, before enabling the feature on his phone that he'd designed to make it untraceable, essentially hiding it from conventional means to locate it. He didn't feel like being shadowed, for the moment and hiding his phone would give him a couple hours of peace.
Normally, Drew followed the young man everywhere, especially since the ambush in Ireland. But Gram had ordered him to stay at his apartment and merely monitor his movements via gps. People tended to find the silent, smallish man unnerving and Gram wasn't in the mood to be stared at. On his runs, he could almost pass for normal at first glance. Did he want to pass for normal, though?
Post by Akutenshi Kyoushi on Nov 6, 2014 22:27:38 GMT -5
"Ah I like your tastes in drink my boy. Bourbon is one of my favorites. Such full flavor that you can't really find in any other drink. Smooth but strong" he heads toward one of the local bars across the street from the park and flips out his ID "Oh you did happen to ask about my name didn't you. So sorry for overlooking that little bit. It's japaneese, meaning Evil Angel." he chuckles "So I normally just go by Tenshi, or Angel, if you will. People seem uncomfortable at times when they find out what my name means" he shows the ID to the man at the door then tucks it away once more in his wallet and waits for Gram to show his own ID before continuing inside the building "This place has some of the best bourbon on this side of the city." he comments as he looks about the room to see all the patrons there enjoying a meal or drinks shared between others and smiles.
Post by Nathaniel Graham on Nov 7, 2014 1:02:29 GMT -5
When Tenshi explained his name's meaning and origin to Gram, the young man filed the information away somewhere inside of his head, satisfied that a small curiosity of his had finally been satisfied. He'd begun to think that the man had no intention of answering his earlier question, although, to be fair, he hadn't quite phrased it as a question in any obvious way. Now he knew.
"It is an interesting name." Gram said as he took out his fake id and showed it to the man at the door before following Tenshi inside. A quick glance of the room and the young man took note of all occurring within, mostly eying the food and ignoring the people. "How are their burgers?" He asked. Gram had been exercising for over an hour and hadn't eaten for quite some time. "I could really go for a cheeseburger right about now." While his stomach was not literally growling, Gram felt as though it might as well be.
Post by Akutenshi Kyoushi on Nov 7, 2014 1:11:31 GMT -5
Tenshi grins as Gram asks about the food "Their burgers are quite juicy and they put all the best toppings on it. Mmmm... had i not just eaten I would join you. Maybe later after a drink or two" he moves over to an open table and removes his coat to set on the booth seat next to him before sitting himself. "So, mister Gram, what line of work are you in? You are out looking for perfection, so I assume you have some sort of profession on the side to help encourage, or at least fund, this endever"
When a person came up to ask for their order, he smiles at the man "Yes, we will have two glasses of your best bourbon and a cheeseburger for my friend here." he then returns his attention to Gram once more. "I'd like to hear a little about yourself while we wait for our order. If you'd like, of course"
