Thoughtful Process'(Closed[Lyle, Geno])

[~Traptz~]

Arrivals

James laid on his bed with his head propped up by a pillow. He kept the window open to let a bit of a breeze through. It was pleasant, not cold, not warm. Just right. Beside him was an ashtray, and another laid on the floor in front of him. The butts of cigarettes lay all around the one on the floor.

Smoke billowed out of Marshall's mouth as he exhaled a drag of his smoke. He looked at the burning ember, thinking of all the damage such a little thing was doing to his body.

Ahh, well...

James leaned his head back and took one last drag, then flicked his smoke at the ashtray in front of him. For only the third time he was able to actually get it into the ashtray.

He sat up and looked around. He had three empty packs of cigarettes laying around. He picked up one off of his lap and opened it up. Only three were left.

I don't wanna go to the store...

James pulled one free of its container then tossed the pack across the room. As he smoked his cigarette he began to use the powers of air he had such a grasp of to clean up the mess of cigarette butt's and ashes that lay across his floor...

[Lyle]

(No idea with what character I want to use, or keep my old one that I put up here when I signed up. Want to get the feel down first though. Think shik is giving me the general info down, though I'm certainly going to need some understanding of combat here. Will check rules later, though, I'd rather get a candid description at it from you.)

The white and tan logs rolled across the floor, their simmered edges and broken bodies making awkward steps toward different sides of the room. A handful of them stopped in their tracks as they seemingly threw themselves upon the shoe that would halt their progress. A firm, black and powerful boot held them in place as the weaker magic persisted, though the foot's owner could withstand such a small spell. The scene was all too quite, the odd and different looking man simply meeting eye to eye with the very depressing and sullen look of the other within the room. After hours, rather minutes of their most inner and quite conversation the figure moved, each step firm and careful, each step planned and thought out. It seemed methodical, never the less, something this figure could carry with him no longer where he walked.. The two parted their eerie glance as the figure pulled out a hand, grabbing a cigarette from the other and taking it to his lips. From under his jacket appeared a hand, which then lit the small stick of the devil.. He sucked in the air deeply, the click of his lighter sound as he drew it back into its pocket.

In moments smoke billowed out of his lungs as well, escaping from his body and pouring out of his lips. It tasted good, he thought and wondered.. He'd always wondered why it tasted so good. He wondered if it was because he'd always had a bitter taste in his mouth, ever since that fateful day, in the begging of may.. A stick of the devil indeed..

[~Traptz~]

Waiting

Surrendering the smoke James looked out the window. LIke seemingly usual, the sky was clear. A few people could be seen walking around. Nothing out of the ordinary. A rather muffled explosion rattled the walls... Nothing out of the ordinary. A year ago, James would have lept out of his skin at that sound. Here it was normal. Somebody messing something up.

James Marshall blew a cloud of smoke from his nostrils and flicked the ash out of the window. It landed on someone and the man looked up, yelled a few obscene words and was on his way. James just smiled the whole time.

"When is he going to get here? I wanna get to the damn store." He turned his head to the other man. Smoke billowed now out of both thier mouths. "Are we even allowed to smoke these things in here?" The question seemed a bit random but it had been on Jame's mind. He recalled the time one student shot one out of his mouth. One day James would beat that kid to a pulp. 'Til then though, he would smoke where he could... Or couldn't. James leaned back and hung his head backwards out the window, waiting for a reply.

[Lyle]

The individual simply looked further down toward the floor, admiring his shoes and slightly swaying back and forth as he moved his arm back and forth, the little stick that trailed smoke coming with it. An ominous grey jacket swung around him as he shuffled slightly, closer to the other who'd moved from the bed to the window. Both met eyes again, the eager souls and minds of each other daring not to speak up, though both truly knew the only way to start was with the other, as it was supposed to be like so. Another puff, his arm had already retracted, though he barely even recognized it, his own mind caught up in thought as his eyes looked past the floor he was starting at, his body instinctively acting without a single thought.. A sighing sound came next, or was it the exhaling of the smoke from his lungs? Either ways, it was his answer, the bitter taste coming back to him. He could wait no longer, it seemed..

[~Traptz~]

(Geno can find us later. I am going to try and set up a crash course for us.)

Impatient

"To hell with him." James flicked his smoke out the window. He pushed himself off the window pane and picked his jacket up. Swinging it on he looked over at his "friend".

"I'm heading to the store... Wanna tag along? I'm going to get some more smokes." Not waiting for an answer he moved towards the door, opened it then headed down the hall. Once he was about halfway down he went back to his dorm. Went to the side of the room, and picked his two remaining smokes up. He looked at the other man then left.

(Well that is a shitty post.

[Lyle]

(I'll wait for him to enter here.)

[Xia Tianku]

Xia Tianku strode through the dormitory complex looking for a particular room. This room was not like any other room, it was not only a place to congregate, or a place to sleep and eat. It was a place to plan. A special place where spontaneity was cast out in favor of cold, methodical planning, at least for him anyway. The sound of his tasset's three plates banging against each other filled the hallway. Perhaps it was because they were rigid and unyielding, like him, or maybe it was because his stride was more of a strut. Tianku hated to simply "walk" anywhere, when ever he was on the move his manner of movement was a disciplined march. Thinking back on this, when had ever simply walked? Never, not once in his entire life time had he walked. He had crawled as a baby, ran as a child, and marched as a man, but never had he walked. His life could be likened to a tool that undergoes continuous use. It would see times of frenzied work, toiling for hours, maybe days or weeks at a time. Then it would see times where there was a lull in its use. But never was it at rest. Constantly moving, constantly acting, yes... this was the pace he had set for himself. And it had only grown faster as time went on.

He lost himself in this train of thought as he continued marching his way down the hall, passing his destination totally. He thought back to the last few conflicts he had participated in. As he was a Soldier of Fortune, better known as a mercenary, he had always known the touch of war. The taste of dead, singed or rotting flesh, the smell of iron-laced blood being spilled onto the ground. The screams of agony issued from dying men as they fall down to join their slain brothers in arms. He had seen, smelt, and touched all of it. Some reveled in it, some were traumatized by it, but he was indifferent to it. In ancient times when a war broke out, it was always a public affair. There was a time each participant was afforded to prepare himself for the eventuality of his death. A time where the bragging buffoon could prepare himself to slay many of his foes, and tell over-exaggerated stories of his exploits to the tavern girls and street wenches. A time where the poor man could prepare himself to become rich off of the spoils of war. But now? There was no such time. Wars started and ended in the blink of an eye. There were no hundred year long wars today, no ten year wars. If he could get lucky, he'd land a contract to participate in a war that would last for five or six years. And the money he could get off that would be enough to keep him afloat for five or more years at a time.

Back then, people may have been evil, but they were at least honest in their apparent intentions. But in these times, truth was constantly veiled in secrecy and lies. Everyone was blinded and gagged, and the few who managed to regain their sight and threw out their gags were silenced promptly. Tianku despised this. In this world, something as simple as truth was hated and feared. In the past there was only one realm, the public. But now there are two, the private and the public. Back then, wars were public occurrences. But now, they occur privately, where they silently grow in strength and start to boil up in a hellish conflagration of lies and secrecy. And when the pot has reached its capacity, this infernal stew of hate and contempt boils over into the public realm. The private realm of affairs can be thought of as the calm before the storm, a raging torrent we call war, where the lives of the innocent are inevitably drawn into it and forfeited so that the few who have seized power can hold onto it.

By this time, Tianku had reached the end of the hall, and had stopped to look out a window onto the city of Babylos. It was shimmering gem, high in the sky. "Foolish Humans, they truly think they can avoid the flames of war by hiding high in the clouds?"Though he himself was once a mere Human, he was now something greater. Something that could, and would stand and fight; something that would rise to the occasion rather than run and hide like so many inferior beings were prone to do. He turned away from the window and walked back up the hall, this time his mind silent. This time he reached his destination, and turned to face the door. He stared at it briefly before reaching for the handle. He turned it and the door opened with a loud creak. He stepped in, a cloud of smoke rushed up and past him, eager to escape this confined space. He ventured deeper into this vile lair, and found a companion of his from the world down below.

"I see James has left already." He looked to his right and saw a table with an ash tray on it. To his surprise there was still one cigarette lit. He picked it up and took a long drag out of it, and then flicked it back into the tray. He held the smoke in as he sat down in a chair adjacent to the table. He then released the smoke and leaned back. "Long time, no see. I trust you've been well?"

[Lyle]

(Been too long since I've written, suppose I'll play catch up with you all for the moment. )

A small and silent grunt came across the room as the door opened, revealing none other than a long time and old face, one of fortune, something that Jubei could relate to. He himself had dawned the same face and same ideals in his previous battles, and in the many vigilante missions and murders that he found himself committing in the recent and old years. It all started for him with a gun shot, one that went strait though his shoulder. The pain had long since faded, but his internal state had never been the same; once a kind individual with the thought process of every average American boy, he was now a killer and very blunt man, his ideology upon life locked up within his inner mind. He rather enjoyed that fact, knowing few had ever been able to read him, or do anything in the manner. More or less, he'd just seen one of such few go and now was sitting across from the other. Fate? Destiny..? Hardly, they knew they would meet again, it was a promise, one could say... Jubei thought how long had it been since his former companion asked the question, the awkward silence between the two odd, though each seemed to find their place in it. 'Just like old times,' though the man cloaked in gray as he got up quickly from his seat, which he'd taken after James had left. A few words appeared as his blunt and unemotional tone accompanied them, his body already nearly out the door..

"You still reek of blood... Come, James has left to go shopping."

[Xia Tianku]

He looked over his friend's features briefly, and then down at the floor. The smoke he'd exhaled hung around him in a dense cloud, soot falling out of it and onto his legs. His friend didn't seem surprised in the least to see Tianku here. "Birds of a feather flock together... that must be why he's so expectant." Tianku thought. Oh well, it wasn't as if he were trying to surprise anyone by showing up, any trace of the element of surprise had been lost the second he entered the room so brazenly. Though, it did sort of trouble him. He hadn't seen Jubei for a long time, and the last he'd seen him, all was well back on Earth. Something had to have happened for him to relocate here of all places. But he wouldn't pry, Tianku figured that if Jubei wanted to talk, he'd do it on his own without any coercing. His fellow killer got up and started heading towards the door. "You still smell of blood..." was the phrase that caught Tianku's interest. "Hmmph," he snorted, "if anything, I smell of smoke." he said quite annoyed. He got up out of the chair and followed Jubei back out into the hallway. No sooner had he arrived than he was back on the move again.

[~Traptz~]

(Sorry about the delay... Been a little busy.)

Arrived

James continued down the hall, oblivous to Xia when he wlaked by. James' mind had been wandering. Any number of thoughts going through his head. They ahd no ryhme or reason... Just thoughts.

He went to run his hand through his hiar and realized his hat wasn't on.

Bloodyhellgoddamnit today sucks.

James turned back to go grab his hat. As he went down the hall his friends where just leavin gthe room. He looked to one then the other.

"When the hell did you get here?" The suprise was a bit emanent in James' voice. "Well whatever... I'm gonan grab my hat then into town. I need more smokes..." James wuickly popped into the room and grabbed his hat from the table it rested on. He picked it up and tossed it on his head. He looked to the other two. "Well, let's head out."

Not waiting for their answer James carried on.

[Lyle]

Jubei followed James as he entered the scene again, his own mind oblivious to his other friend's angered tone and blunt statement. He needn't care at the moment, his hands within his coat, one draped over one of his pistols, the other feeling around the other..

(short and to the point, yeah, busy at the moment.)

[Xia Tianku]

James had appeared on the scene, and in his usual dismissive tone inquired as to the nature of Tianku's presence. Tianku answered him with silence. James never was a "people-person," and it showed here. Jubei remained silent as well, and followed James as soon as he began to leave. It could be supposed that anti-sociality was a common trait between the three of them. Tianku left after Jubei did, and stayed on the duo's tail. The three of them walked in silence toward the exit of the building. Well, it was silent until Tianku asked how James had been up until this point, "It's been a while James, you haven't gotten into any trouble, have you?" He said in a sarcastic tone, knowing full well of James' fiery temper.

[~Traptz~]

Reunion

James looked over at Xia. Had he gotten into any trouble... Not much... Got arrested once or twice... Killed a guy who tried to start up a rival gang... Nothing major...

"Not a whole lot, the usual y'know... Had one of these arrogant ass kids blast away with a firearm at me when I tried to light a smoke inside..." James grabbed one of his two smokes out and lit it up inside the dormitory, "the building. These people really need to get some fucking respect." James took a drag and blew the smoke out. As the approached a set of stairs James put his smoke in his mouth and jumped over the railing and down the stairs. He hit the ground and rolled, a loud bang following him.

"I'm OK." He stood up and exhaled a drag of his smoke. "And so is the smoke." James looked up at the other two, both a few sets of stairs up. "What about you Xia? You never were one to sit still and do nothing. What haev you been up to."

[Xia Tianku]

Ah, good old James. Always one to be on the receiving end of shit. As luck would have it, he still was. Maybe James was doomed to this? Maybe not, with Tianku about, the collective luck of the trio just might take a swing in the other direction. Then again, maybe it wouldn't. Trouble seemed to follow him around like a lost puppy. Tianku decided that since they had gotten through all of the formalities, that he should speak in manner closer to the times. "You know about the mounting tensions between China, the U.S. and Japan, right? I won't bore you with the details, unless you want to hear them, but you know of the 'incident' at that oil refinery in Da Qing, right? Long story short, World War Three is on the horizon, and I destroyed it as a prelude to the war." He decided to take the stairs down rather than jump. With the combined weight of his armor and weapon, his legs were likely to cave on impact if he did.