002. and his shoes were pointy-toed. // open post.

[iamvice]

Take a prompt, take some time, drop in whenever you like.

Comments

[iamvice]

[Nope. He's moving over to you.]

Really? I thought you were a jock.

[larue]

[ He can hear the a memory of one of his boys going Athlete. What? Is it mutually exclusive? Good in sports and dumb in everything else? ] Not as booksmart as my sister, sir, but I can hold my own.

There's a lot of thinking required when you're strategizing how best to maneuver that many people.

[ Your own, the opposing team. ]

[iamvice]

[Eyebrows lifting at that statement. Interesting, interesting... he's smarter than he lets on.

Now setting up at Josh's table, right across of him.]

Who are you working with?

[larue]

[ Blinking a little because... uh... ]

Just Gabriel right now. Sir.

[iamvice]

Really? So he finally took somebody under his wing, huh?

[Kicking back in his seat, and going for his cigarettes with a crooked smile.]

That works out nicely for Bart, I would think. High time Marlowe trained somebody to be as good as he is.

['Bart' for the CEO, as if they were old friends. They kind of were.]

[larue]

[ Catching that.

Both, of that.

And interested now, after he recovers from a momentary stall. ]

Mr. Vice, when you say 'finally'... [ Josh isn't one to presume. And he's done the math. He'd read that Gabriel Marlowe had been ten in 2012. Except now, he looked twenty-five. Just twenty-five. For a really long time. ]

[iamvice]

He's kind of frozen in time now that he's reached the last peak of his human power. Throne: go figure.

[Lighting up.]

And no, he hasn't taken anybody in since he rose to the upper echelons of Rhiannon. Both Ayame and Bart were a little concerned about that, but... [Heh.] Marlowe's a bit of a control freak. I don't think he believed that anyone could do his job the way he can.

[Sending Josh an almost approving look.]

I guess he does now.

[larue]

[ When Jessiah Vice gives you a compliment, you take it.

Humbly. ] I hope to try, sir.

[ Slipping out his pack now, lighting up. ] Long, long way to go for me.

[ Very. And he's good with that. ]

[iamvice]

Eh, well. No time like the present, yadda yadda yadda inspirational bullshit yadda.

[Flippant as ever.]

Shame, though. You being with Rhiannon means that you probably won't end up swinging my way.

[larue]

[ Expelling a breath and just watching Jessie. Relaxing too -- just a little.

And then blinking.

Because what. ]

[iamvice]

Rhiannon and Vice have a gentleman's agreement. We make a FEW exceptions, but Ayame doesn't like old mentors like myself getting up in her business anymore than necessary.

[Sigh, that girl. She has grown so much.]

[larue]

[ A pause. ]

You were her mentor, sir?

[ He remembers Ayame Rhiannon well enough: efficient, professional; a woman at the top of her game.

Mentored. By Jessiah Vice.

Makes sense. ]

Vice Enterprises is a Card and Sin-Eater run corporation as well? [ An honest, clarifying question. ]

[iamvice]

I was.

[Said with pride, not with the usual Dick Arrogance.]

And we're not EXCLUSIVELY run by Cards and Sin-Eaters, but we do have a good number of both. That's just how things played out.

[larue]

[ Leaning on the table, hands folded together. ]

I haven't had the opportunity to speak with her again, but that engagement you sent us to the last time, [ the one where they'd ended up 'acquiring' a new blademate in the process, ] she was pretty impressive, sir.

[iamvice]

Just "pretty impressive"?

[Lifting an eyebrow. Really?]

[larue]

Yes, sir. [ Trying not to grin, because he would have never taken Mr. Jessiah Vice as the mentoring type.

At least. Yeah. No. ] Very, very impressive.

[iamvice]

Better.

[Satisfied now. A guy's got to get his kicks from somewhere, right?]

Maybe you'll have the pleasure of working under her someday. She and Bart are cut from the same cloth, but their methods are about as different as night from day.

[larue]

I look forward to the possibility.

[ He's been with Rhiannon since the twenty-fifth and already he's seeing things that appeal to him. ]

[iamvice]

Good. Just don't forget that you kinda have to get to Fifth before going all-out here. Been on any other engagements lately?

[larue]

[ A shake of the head as he looks down at his hands. ]

None so far, sir. Three of my blade mates are off at Kibo, training under Zangyaku, another is on his Everyman's Walk and Brianna has her own training while I have mine in London. [ A beat, and then: ] And I haven't forgotten. Fifth Circle is the goal, after all.

[ Quietly, to himself: And the one that'll open up all the opportunities -- especially the most important one. ]

[iamvice]

[A low whistle.]

Busy, busy little bees, huh? Well, better that than sitting on your asses. Delacroix doesn't promote procrastinators. Still, best if you all find it in your crazy schedules to do a little more work when you can.

[larue]

We will, sir. [ A beat: ] And while I can't speak for the others, I can for myself.

We work well, as a team. The engagement at Quiapo can speak for itself. We know each others strengths and weaknesses out on the field, and how best to support each other where one is lacking and the other isn't.

[ A small smile, eyes falling briefly to his phone. He's been wondering how the kid's been doing. Out there. ] I think waiting on Kaz to get back from his Everyman's Walk before we take on anything huge is a good way to play things for now.

[ He knows Kaz. The kid would feel bad if he missed out -- if nostly because he would wonder if there was anything he could have done to help. ]

[iamvice]

Possibly. What does he do for you guys on the field anyway?

[Lifting an eyebrow. Come to think of it, he hasn't actually checked the most recent version of Cerberus' assessment on the War Hounds.]

[larue]

Well, [ tapping his pack lightly on the table, thoughts turning back to Marikina and the look he'd seen on Kaz's face when Marissa Inojosa cast her Benediction. ] kiddo wants to be a healer, and that's... kind of something we need.

[ Counting off fingers now: ] Brig is a tank. Taning is our magic-user. Yulia is very much aggro. Brianna's our ranged fighter and add in her Changeling abilities, we've got the supernatural side more or less covered. And I've been dubbed as the 'aircraft carrier'-- [ he still remembers starting at that, when Inquisitor Montelibano-Profaci had given them her assessment of how they were individually at the station ] --which is hugely because of what I can do. The Boneyard's really helpful like that.

[ A beat, and then, nodding: ] Yeah. Healer-fighter. Because he's... settling. Finally figured out what he wants.

[ A proud smile at that, even as he's looking down at his hands. ]

[iamvice]

[And he's listening. Really, he is. Now he just has a reading aid. Namely: your files.

At that last comment, though:]

Not too surprised that it took him a bit of time. He's Alexia's kid, right?