Skulls Of Truth {Invite}

[millia]

"... Che. Humans....."

Millia stands on the rooftop of a hotel, down in the depths of Chicago. The night sky twinkles with stars aplenty. The harsh cold air cuts against her chocolate skin with an almost vicious attempt. The half jacket she wears with pride fully zipped up, covering half of her face, including the already open and fully activated skulled half-mask. Her midriff and the bottom part of her breasts exposed, the thin but secure belt keeping up the flowing white pants that could be described as an actual flowing skirt in all reality. The sword firmly embedded in it's casing on her upper back. Uselessness. Staring down at the city streets, Millia spots people coming to and from useless and more than likely arbitrary places. Her benefactor was more than right, she despised knowing her boss was of a human bloodline. Millia did so despise the human race, it was an eternal plague upon the planet in her eyes.

"Sickeningly close.... having so much in common.. pathetic."

She despised even more understanding how much her opinion of life, was shared by another young woman of unique interest, of DIRE interest to her boss. Yet that was for another time now wasn't it. Millia's job tonight was simple and straight forward to the point; retrieve Lacey Cadavre for a meeting with her boss. Lacey Cadavre, a human that seemed to have an absolution need to inflict suffering and pain down onto herself. Self imposing Judgment from above, simply in an Earthbound fashion. That would be why she was of interest? Millia wondered if such a simple reason would justify her boss wanting Lacey aided. Maybe there was another reason.... who knows...

"Maybe he was bored."

Millia takes a step off of the rooftop and lets gravity kick in. It seemed Gravity was one of her benefactors favorite forms of reality. What goes up... must come down. Millia drops the distance of the hotel's height and lands feet first on the pavement below. Turning to face it she looks up the distance and hisses through her teeth. Finding Lacey was easy, the choice Millia had to make was if she would have to use force or not. "By any means needed" Never included killing a subject. All work and no play makes Millia a homicidal bitch. She walks around the side of the hotel slowly, finding a back alley on it's right side. She runs her right fingers against the cold hard wall before sticking her fingertips, into the side of the building. From there she looks up the wall slowly and methodically. Closing her eyes for a moment, Millia focuses on trying to find the heat signature of Lacey Cadavre. Millia stops searching for a moment and thinks about another possibility, she didn't... kill herself, did she?

She continues to search with her jaw clenched, if Lacey killed herself it would be MILLIA who was blamed by her boss, how fucked up is that? Finally after another moment a small grin forms on her face under the skulled mask and the mouth guard part of her jacket. Bingo. She pulls her fingers out of the wall and places her right foot on the side of the building, from there she pushes off and sprints up the hotels side. She stops and lunges up, grabbing onto the ledge of a window somewhat halfway of the length of the wall. Pulling herself up with one arm, Millia places her left hand on the window and blows it inwards. Climbing into the window she realizes where she is. She's in the bathroom. Why the hell... would a hotel, put the window of a room, in the BATHROOM?! Millia shakes her head and unzips the front of her jacket, letting the mouth guard fall open. She knows Lacey must have heard her by now. Grabbing the bathroom door Millia flings it open and looks around slowly. The grinding sound of bones can be heard in the immediate area around her as she clenches her jaw. The skulled half-mask grinding against itself.

"Miss Cadavre.... it's time for your meeting."

[Lacey Cadavre]

Her ice blue eyes shot open at the sounds within the bathroom, the door flinging open. This must have been the woman who Lacey had called. She pulls the comforter off of her, grabbing the hooded jacket. She wanted answers more than anything... She slides the shirt over her, not bothering to slide her injured arm through a sleeve and reattach the sling.

"I'm ready... but do we have to go out the window?"

[millia]

"Che...."

Millia hisses out under her breath as she nods her head to the front door. Princess, fuck. She zips the mouth guard section of her jacket back up, concealing the skulled half-mask. It didn't matter that she would be seen in public, dressed the way she was or carrying a weapon. Nothing would come of it. But if The Chains were spotted in open public there would be hell to pay. Millia opens the front door and waits in the hallway for Lacey. She glares at passing bell boys who almost seem to just pretend everything is calm cool and collected, passing by.

[Lacey Cadavre]

Exiting the door, Lacey shuts it behind her, wrapping her arm around herself and rubbing it on her injured arm's elbow. She glances around, almost humored at the staff that aren't trying to stare at half exposed breasts. So pathetic, each and every one of them.

"Where's your car at?"

At least Lacey figures that's how she's gotten here. She doesn't know... but she's very glad that at least she's not jumping out of the window... She pushes the button for the elevator, stepping inside, almost immediately hoping that Millia decides to impale that sword through the speakers and rid her of this lame music...

[millia]

"... Car?.. You...."

Millia shakes her head and decides right now, not to even get into it. Either Lacey didn't understand the situation. Or she was avoiding it like the plague. Millia leans against the back end of the elevator. Crossing her arms up under the bottom half exposed part of her breasts. This was someone she was sent to find? Are you serious? Millia almost felt like she was wasting her time, Lavitz must have seen something else in Miss Cadavre that Millia could not. Might be that he was a man. She closes her eyes for a moment before opening them and glaring sideways at Lacey. Millia's logical thinking soon kicks in. It did not matter what her opinion of Lacey was, it mattered why the benefactor chose to have this... human as one of his pre-meetings. Nodding her head slowly, Millia waits for the elevator to come to a stop. The door opening with a heavy gush, she exits it slowly. She looks back at Lacey all but once before walking straight ahead. Within no time at all Millia reaches the front doors of the hotel, leaving clean through them. She looks back at Lacey and waits. A car? That was almost cute in a delusional sort of way to Millia. Slowly she looks up at the night sky and clenches her jaw tightly, grinding the skulled half-mask against either top half beneath her guarded section of jacket.

"I will never understand... will I?"

[Lacey Cadavre]

"I guess not?"

Lacey doesn't know entirely what is going on... nor what she really did wrong. She honestly didn't care, brushing the strands of flowing black hair from her face while glancing around, wondering exactly what it was that Millia was waiting for. She shifts her weight from one leg to the other, folding her arms tighter to her body in the frigid night air. Hopefully, she'd gain what she needed out of this... answers, hope, direction, or just flat out something else for her mind to focus on instead of self-inflicted punishment.

[millia]

"Have you ever known someone who has absolutely no compassion for anyone but himself Miss Cadavre? My boss tends to not care about anyone else but his goals... so you must somehow land in that category. Fucked if I know how. I'm just happy Lavitz was put out to pasture..."

Millia undoes her mouth guard, opening it up and breathing out a nice harsh breath. The night sky, sickeningly beautiful. Che. She looks over at Lacey and waves her hand forward, slowly starting to walk down the street. The actual trip from Chicago to the estate her boss was housed at, would take weeks on foot. Hence why the meeting place was actually WITHIN Chicago. Made life much easier.

[Lacey Cadavre]

Looking around at the perimeter, Lacey shivers against the breeze, following Millia. Hmph... no car... Lacey of course doesn't bother saying it out loud since it's quite obvious this woman just... didn't give a fuck. But seriously... walking? She was quite curious to know if this mystery man were somewhere close... not some tycoon or something that's keeping their eyes on different people because he has goals for them... like handing them a money clip of three thousand dollars. Through the clouds of her breath, Lacey keeps her eyes trained on Millia a few paces in front of her, wondering just how in the hell she wasn't freezing.

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[millia]

"Why did you call, Miss Cadavre? You said you wanted answers... what kind of reason is that? There must be something you want in life. Certain questions can't be answered by my boss. I'm sure if you asked him the meaning of life he'd give you some dark self obsessed reason that makes no sense to you whatsoever."

She continues to walk, the wind cutting against her skin. Was she cold? Yes. Was her BODY cold? No. It was her mind, her mental state that could be compared to the harshest winter conditions. Dealing with such useless jobs was so very... very annoying. She never respected her boss, it was more of a forced camaraderie. Sometimes, Millia wondered why she put up with this crap at all. She could work for another company, it'd be easy. But noooooo... Millia looks over her shoulder, watching as Lacey tries to keep warm. The human blood system must have hard times functioning in frigid temperatures. She clears her throat, shaking her head.

"You should have told me if you were cold. I don't care personally, don't get me wrong. You're just a mission statement to me Miss Cadavre. My boss however..."

[Lacey Cadavre]

"I'm fine."

Lacey cuts her off. She's dealt with far worse than the cold. More or less it was her injury that was the forefront of her mind.

"I'll know more of what I can get out of him when I meet him... but look at me. Do I look like anything more than a mess? I can't even allow myself to forget the past... I can hardly care for myself anymore. Guidance, answers... anything... I'll know more when I meet him... Whatever he's planning on offering..."

[v]

"Entrusting your life to a stranger before meeting him... not the wisest choice you've made is it, Miss Cadavre?"

Waiting, never was a strong point. He exhales out into the cold night, his breath slowly becoming visible in the harsh air. He sits, not more than fifty yards from the pair. Atop a parked car, his legs hanging off the edge. Black glasses shade his eyes from the exposed air, if but only. Black leather finger length gloves cover his hands, protecting them almost. A long sleeved dark, yet tight shirt covers his frame. Tinted snake skin-like long pants cuff off at the edge of his boots. Waiting.... never was a strong point of his, Valkez thought it best to get certain formalities out of the way as quickly as possible. He slowly drops off the roof of the car, the sound of his landing seems to echo slightly in the more than mostly empty area around the two ladies. It seems the lady Archer had done her job for the most part, aside from ditching her God damned cell phone. Useless women. He slowly approaches the ladies, exhaling out once more into the cold harsh air.

"You know Lacey.... answers are only as prompt as those who desire them. If you do not truly WANT the answers.. you will not truly GET them. It all depends on how much you truly want to know... how bad you want.... freedom. You see Lacey.. I'm not free either. Trapped, caged in my own self. It is a livid hell is it not Miss Cadavre? Tell me.... tell me what you want answers for. What is it that keeps you awake so many nights, Miss Cadavre? Tell me... what are your Nightmares?"

His eyes stay hidden behind the black glasses, yet the air about him almost seems to let the feeling of pure smugness off. He was enjoying this, no doubt about it. Why shouldn't he? Indeed. He tightens his fists, tugging at the bottom of the glove on his right hand. Stopping in front of the lady Archer, he tilts his head slightly... almost seemingly exhaling out directly in her direction. The plume of cold air being visible in front of her face. His gaze shifts over to Lacey, a slight grin on his face. Freedom was something all believed they had, a belief proven false easier than one would like to believe. Once you understand that you are not free.... it destroys your mind, bit by bit. Understanding being caged by someone, something else like a pet store animal. Valkez despised it with every cell in his body, he would end it. Slowly he inhales through clenched teeth while staring at Lacey.

"Well Miss Cadavre?... What is it that you've done..... that makes you lose sleep."

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[Lacey Cadavre]

She hated speaking of it. But this person sought her out. For why? She didn't know. Entrusting a stranger? Idiotic... maybe... but why else would someone look for her? Sure, she may have to sell her soul for this... that's always the catch. But, what soul does she have anymore? It's weary, run-down, destroyed... and she hated every second of it. Hated it even more that she loathed the cowardice of suicide to end her pain and guilt, refraining from "The easy way out."

"I was supposed to help those in need. I did... I did it for two years, and I was damn good at it. Felt good every night, no matter what kind of horrors I had seen. Even saved a small child.

... Then? I don't know why, I can't find the answers within myself... but one night, a gang war had erupted within the confines of a warehouse. We arrived, everybody was dead but one... I got to her first, well before everybody else. I'm small, I could get into the warehouse the fastest. I found the survivor... she couldn't have even been 18. Young, African-American girl, pointing a gun at me, then at her own temple to stay out of jail. Well, trying to... and I don't know why... but I aimed her gun for her. Every night...

Every night when I try to sleep... I still feel her blood hitting my face... the heat of the blast. I can't shake the life that I've taken... she could have turned herself around in incarceration...

I just... don't know why. It's a mistake that's haunted me... sent me to the "circus" of professional wrestling... kept me from my home for so long... the very reason that I've inflicted this punishment on myself. The very reason why I called Archer... and the very reason I've followed her... to you. Can... can you help me? With anything of this?"

[v]

"Haunts you does it Miss Cadavre? Hmmm... interesting situation. You obviously believe what you did was... wrong, do you not Miss Cadavre? See that is where our beliefs become different. The sweet release of Death can be a very humane thing to grant someone Miss Cadavre. She wanted Death, you helped her. I do not see any wrong doings on your behalf. I suppose.... to other people such as yourself, it could be considered "bad" to help someone with such a thing. Can I help you? Fight your past? Or find a better future? Fleeting questions.... can I help you? Yes. How you take the help is... up to you."

He takes a couple more steps forward, his eyes glare at the female Archer from behind his glasses. Almost as if to instruct her to, move herself. She seemingly gets the point, taking a step to the right. Valkez lifts his head slowly, smiling against the cold harsh night sky. Helping someone was never an easy task for any person to take upon themselves. Especially with the magnitude of Lacey's disturbing mind set. She had immense guilt, it was obvious. She felt that in someway, it was wrong to aide the young girl in that warehouse. Valkez personally believed it was the right thing to do, then again.... his conjecture of Death and freedom had been far tainted due to her involvement in Detroit regarding his own. A small grin forms on his face as he looks at Lacey, tilting his head a bit before cracking his neck quite loudly.

"You look... like sheer hell Miss Cadavre. You've not been taking care of yourself much in this self induced punishment have you? You should take more pride in whatever kind of life you lead Miss Cadavre. It is the only shred of freedom you have until Death knocks on your door. Perhaps the Lady Archer here can assist you in finding something... more suitable for you to wear. Get a hot meal or two.... and fix that arm. Looks somewhat painful Miss Cadavre. I am only a believer of pain being a good thing, if you are yourself the one inflicting it, yes?"

[Lacey Cadavre]

She only nods.

"In a way... yes, yes it is. Whatever it takes... I can't live like this. I can't live with this. But I can't escape what I've done. Please, help..."

[v]

"Cannot live... with what you've done? Tasking situation I would assume, especially for someone so young. You truly want help? Very well.... I'll help you. You need to do something for me first, Miss Cadavre. You need to prove that your will to live on is truly great. Those who refuse to fight for life.... lose the right to live, Lacey. If you're not willing, if you're afraid of fighting. Then you automatically have given up the right, to live."

He slowly pulls his black glasses down, his eyes still closed tightly. He raises his chin to the night sky again, another long deep breath out. To live, one must earn the right of life. You run from your past, you avoid the present? You forfeit your future. Lessons of life needed to be learned, this was something all would know. Or all would perish. Simplicity in it's finest hour. His eyes open slowly, staring out at the incompetence hiding itself within the skyline. Society's Death, humanity and it's loss.... none of it mattered to him. Valkez had learned long since, to keep his nose against the grindstone... solitude was devastatingly painful. However, it also proved to be the safest form of life. Risking losing it in order to gain revenge was ignorant, yet he would still pursue it. He casts his gaze back to Lacey, his white eyes glare almost through the young woman and her doubt.... her pain, her misery. The chains were there, simply hidden under self inflicted agony. Easily disregarded enough.

"You want help, you want life? Show me you deserve it Miss Cadavre. You... used to wrestle, did you not Miss Cadavre? I myself.... have had small experiences with the.. sport. Perhaps there is a way to see how much of you truly wishes to move on, and find a new life. That is.... if you're willing to see, how far you have left to go?"