The following takes place at an undisclosed location, at an unknown time.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Well, well....It's been a while. I honestly didn't expect you to be here, Boss Man," remarked a sickly-sweet voice as a statuesque, suited man boasting a lanky physique emerged from the murk of the secluded room, breaking the eerie calm as he observed the myriad of gleaming tubes amid the darkness. Ebony strands of hair fell around his features hat once he removed and flourished his hat, extending the courtesy of a knee and formal bow before the unseen entity he'd called unto.
"...Ahh, Hidou....Suffice it to say, I'd been expecting you for a time," mused the decidedly aged, masculine vocals of a single, cloaked figure who had, until recently, been reverently drawing a hand over one of the many vat-like enclosures before him. From the being's raspy tones and his hunched-over posture, 'twould seem as though whoever the tall man was speaking to had seen better days. Nevertheless, the unknown male would veer about on the heels of his boots to meet face-to-face with the dark suit, folding his arms behind his back as was habit for him.
"I hear that you've kept yourself busy even whilst I've been gone. I've even caught wind of an unsuccessful attack on Crios in my absence....Was that you?"
The remark prompted the man to drop his practiced ruse, ostensibly comforted in the fact that his apparent compatriot had been observing his movements with interest, even as far away from RhyDin as he had been. A single hue of malice-tinged gold broke through its feigned squint to fix on his friend's form.
"Just following orders, O Hallowed Aberration. That said, I'll get straight to my point. You're sure you're all right with doing this" I mean....It's been some time since Your Malevolence has returned to the land of the living after your spat with our favorite, megalomaniacal step-child. Then, all of a sudden, you pop back into existence out of nowhere and begin your work anew like your hiding for half a year was nothing. Tch, and here you had me thinking that you were planning on waiting until the brat grew up all big and strong before deciding to take a body," he spoke, no doubt referring to the chambers illuminating the otherwise gloomy space they occupied. Rising from his demonstration of proper respect so that he could make measured strides toward the curious machines.
"Just what are these anyway?" he inquired, quirking a brow and settling his hands into his pockets.
"Your reinforcements....What else?" the cloaked figure returned, whirring around yet again so that he could view the glowing tanks. There were at least twenty in all, and upon closer inspection one would easily take note of the suspended, humanoid remains floating in each and every one of them. Even as the suited man's scrutinizing hues looked over each and every one of the verified corpses, his hunched-over colleague would spend his time stroking his subtly bearded chin in pondering.
"Hn. So, you really want to put this chaos movement you've got going into full swing, don't you? You can't fool me, y'know. To think even after such a long time away, you could have managed to kill so many people at once with that body you nabbed....And this is just one room. Then again, given your desire for large 'focus groups' in your experiments, I doubt these were people who could reliably fight you back. Geheh....Also, about that woman of yours. How is she" She up and disappeared on us without notifying the residual party. I would only assume you were close enough to Her Insatiable Eminence to warrant an otherworldly audience?"
"Mind that incessant tongue of yours in my presence. I can't have you ruining the image of the world I've envisioned with that unrestrained motor-mouth..." the animate cloak managed to chide, effectively shelving the question of her involvement entirely for the time being. Instead, he would take a step to the side and slowly make his way to the terminal responsible for the maintenance of those tubes. "Ah, yes. Additionally, I've new orders for you and your partner, should you be in the mood to receive them."
"Yikes. All right, all right. Just don't blow me up or anything. I've had enough of that with the compound." That said, his ears perked up at the latter half of that lengthy utterance. The mere mention of concrete directives being spouted by the enigmatic and ultimately nebulous man he served was naught short of a blessing. Forcing skirmishes on people and throwing his power around were all well and good, but it was time to get down to business in earnest.
"Lay 'em on us. I'll see to it Shu is kept in check, provided its something sensitive."
"It is, indeed. I want you to begin gathering those who bear my mark. Our erstwhile allies still hold some merit, and I could use a few able-bodied hands to help me with work here in the castle. Time grows short as our pet project grows in strength and the insurgent reawakens. I'd rather we got everything squared away before he has a chance to return and muck up all that we've achieved with his senselessness," the cloaked shade relayed to his subordinate who would, upon offering an understanding nod, step back into the darkness of the room and vanish, leaving nary a trace that he'd even been there.
Once alone, the shrouded old man would find his pallid gaze wandering over to a thin, rectangular perforation in one of the walls which suggested a hidden entrance elsewhere. His silent regard of the obscured doorway would draw a smile across his wrinkle-laden visage. Without realizing it, a soft chuckle escaped his lips, betraying his intentions.
"The young one still has growing up to do, my friend; however, with any luck I won't have to end up using you. Let us pray that sorry day ne'er comes....Hmhm....Heh heh heh..."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Well, well....It's been a while. I honestly didn't expect you to be here, Boss Man," remarked a sickly-sweet voice as a statuesque, suited man boasting a lanky physique emerged from the murk of the secluded room, breaking the eerie calm as he observed the myriad of gleaming tubes amid the darkness. Ebony strands of hair fell around his features hat once he removed and flourished his hat, extending the courtesy of a knee and formal bow before the unseen entity he'd called unto.
"...Ahh, Hidou....Suffice it to say, I'd been expecting you for a time," mused the decidedly aged, masculine vocals of a single, cloaked figure who had, until recently, been reverently drawing a hand over one of the many vat-like enclosures before him. From the being's raspy tones and his hunched-over posture, 'twould seem as though whoever the tall man was speaking to had seen better days. Nevertheless, the unknown male would veer about on the heels of his boots to meet face-to-face with the dark suit, folding his arms behind his back as was habit for him.
"I hear that you've kept yourself busy even whilst I've been gone. I've even caught wind of an unsuccessful attack on Crios in my absence....Was that you?"
The remark prompted the man to drop his practiced ruse, ostensibly comforted in the fact that his apparent compatriot had been observing his movements with interest, even as far away from RhyDin as he had been. A single hue of malice-tinged gold broke through its feigned squint to fix on his friend's form.
"Just following orders, O Hallowed Aberration. That said, I'll get straight to my point. You're sure you're all right with doing this" I mean....It's been some time since Your Malevolence has returned to the land of the living after your spat with our favorite, megalomaniacal step-child. Then, all of a sudden, you pop back into existence out of nowhere and begin your work anew like your hiding for half a year was nothing. Tch, and here you had me thinking that you were planning on waiting until the brat grew up all big and strong before deciding to take a body," he spoke, no doubt referring to the chambers illuminating the otherwise gloomy space they occupied. Rising from his demonstration of proper respect so that he could make measured strides toward the curious machines.
"Just what are these anyway?" he inquired, quirking a brow and settling his hands into his pockets.
"Your reinforcements....What else?" the cloaked figure returned, whirring around yet again so that he could view the glowing tanks. There were at least twenty in all, and upon closer inspection one would easily take note of the suspended, humanoid remains floating in each and every one of them. Even as the suited man's scrutinizing hues looked over each and every one of the verified corpses, his hunched-over colleague would spend his time stroking his subtly bearded chin in pondering.
"Hn. So, you really want to put this chaos movement you've got going into full swing, don't you? You can't fool me, y'know. To think even after such a long time away, you could have managed to kill so many people at once with that body you nabbed....And this is just one room. Then again, given your desire for large 'focus groups' in your experiments, I doubt these were people who could reliably fight you back. Geheh....Also, about that woman of yours. How is she" She up and disappeared on us without notifying the residual party. I would only assume you were close enough to Her Insatiable Eminence to warrant an otherworldly audience?"
"Mind that incessant tongue of yours in my presence. I can't have you ruining the image of the world I've envisioned with that unrestrained motor-mouth..." the animate cloak managed to chide, effectively shelving the question of her involvement entirely for the time being. Instead, he would take a step to the side and slowly make his way to the terminal responsible for the maintenance of those tubes. "Ah, yes. Additionally, I've new orders for you and your partner, should you be in the mood to receive them."
"Yikes. All right, all right. Just don't blow me up or anything. I've had enough of that with the compound." That said, his ears perked up at the latter half of that lengthy utterance. The mere mention of concrete directives being spouted by the enigmatic and ultimately nebulous man he served was naught short of a blessing. Forcing skirmishes on people and throwing his power around were all well and good, but it was time to get down to business in earnest.
"Lay 'em on us. I'll see to it Shu is kept in check, provided its something sensitive."
"It is, indeed. I want you to begin gathering those who bear my mark. Our erstwhile allies still hold some merit, and I could use a few able-bodied hands to help me with work here in the castle. Time grows short as our pet project grows in strength and the insurgent reawakens. I'd rather we got everything squared away before he has a chance to return and muck up all that we've achieved with his senselessness," the cloaked shade relayed to his subordinate who would, upon offering an understanding nod, step back into the darkness of the room and vanish, leaving nary a trace that he'd even been there.
Once alone, the shrouded old man would find his pallid gaze wandering over to a thin, rectangular perforation in one of the walls which suggested a hidden entrance elsewhere. His silent regard of the obscured doorway would draw a smile across his wrinkle-laden visage. Without realizing it, a soft chuckle escaped his lips, betraying his intentions.
"The young one still has growing up to do, my friend; however, with any luck I won't have to end up using you. Let us pray that sorry day ne'er comes....Hmhm....Heh heh heh..."