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Post by Ciel Phantomhive on Mar 16, 2012 23:05:43 GMT -5
To say that Ciel was angry was a bit of an understatement. From the fairly neutral expression on his face you might not have been able to tell, but if you looked closely the signs were there. The narrowed eyes, the slightly bunched eyebrows and the vein throbbing at his temple all indicated his displeasure. He had gone to the bank this morning in order to withdraw some needed funds only to find that his assets had been frozen. That was bad enough but there was also the blow to his pride as his contacts overseas weren't giving him any information either. He didn't know who was pulling the strings but he needed to find out. The mortgage on the estate here in Urbadelphia didn't pay for itself after all.
He may not have been here long but it was long enough to have heard rumours of a rather shady information broker that operated in the Labyrinth. After plying some people with what little money he had on his person he was able to obtain the wherabouts of the office. That was where he found himself now, directly in front of the office door. Even as he knocked on the door he hoped that this wasn't all for nothing.
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Post by Izaya Orihara on Mar 17, 2012 16:27:35 GMT -5
"Come in," came Izaya's voice from within - just before Ciel knocked.
It always paid to have the upper hand when dealing with a new associate, especially an independently wealthy young man. Of course Izaya had recognized him, as the boy walked the path up to his office. He made a habit of knowing these things...
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Post by Ciel Phantomhive on Mar 17, 2012 18:24:52 GMT -5
The fact that the Information Broker knew that he was there put Ciel slightly on edge but he was well aware that there were any number of things that could have given away his presence and it wasn't exactly a secret that he'd been in search for the mysterious figure. Without hesitation he opened the door before he proceeded inside, walking in a calm and self-assured manner towards Izaya. "I want to know who froze my funds." He told Izaya, getting right to the point as he watched the man with a calm expression. He doubted it would have been of much use to introduce himself. If Izaya knew that he was coming then he likely had already wheedled out every bit of information that he could.
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Post by Izaya Orihara on Mar 21, 2012 21:43:09 GMT -5
"Well well well, you're very direct," Izaya said, smiling his best oily smile.
Nero wasn't always privy to his boss' thoughts, but he could tell the meaning of that particular expression - 'my, my, we've netted a big one'. He looked between Izaya and the new arrival, clearly unimpressed. He'd interrupted some business of theirs - not that that hadn't happened before.
"And since you're so direct, I assume that you've already thought of the payment you're going to offer?" Izaya continued, ignoring his assistant's obvious irritation as he leaned forward, grinning like a shark that had just scented fresh fish.
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Post by Ciel Phantomhive on Mar 21, 2012 22:15:13 GMT -5
The man before his was very likely a manipulator, such was the nature of his profession. Yet that still did not drive Ciel away for the same could be said of himself. It was all to play the game and for the moment this was how it must be played. He paid no attention to the white haired assistant, his attention focused squarely on Izaya. When Izaya questioned him in regards to payment, Ciel answered readily. "I would pay you but I doubt you are a patient man." This information was mostly gained from information from people who had dealt with Izaya in the past. Ciel had more than enough funds, he simply couldn't obtain them immediately.
"However, from what I hear you are quite fond of deals." The young boy raised an eyebrow only marginally, confident that he had managed to obtain enough information about the Broker to guess this portion of how Izaya dealt with his clients. Being in debt to Izaya was not something that he appreciated but it was something that had to be done. Never let it be said that Ciel Phantomhive flinched in the face of a challenge.
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Post by Izaya Orihara on Mar 22, 2012 7:55:07 GMT -5
Nero raised an eyebrow, but Izaya simply gave a grinning smirk.
"Oh, you've heard of my little deals, then?" he asked, giving Ciel a lazy glance from beneath lowered eyelids, an expression that was at once bored and dangerous. "Generally, I don't make deals with children..." his gaze swept Ciel somewhat derisively, "but I suppose I can make an exception for the Phantomhive heir. You're not the average child, are you? Yes, came into your inheritance quite young, I see... or, more to the point, don't see. I make it a point not to deal with those who are actively hiding things from me."
His smile widened, his eyes narrowed even more, and he leaned back in his chair, his feet coming up to rest on his desk. The motion was fluid, graceful, and his lazy manner increased a hundredfold, as did the sense of danger in the air. His eyes reflected the light from the ceiling lamp, flashing a bright red.
"You can see just fine, Phantomhive heir. Take off the patch and let me see what you're hiding.... then I'll deal with you."
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Post by Ciel Phantomhive on Mar 22, 2012 17:50:41 GMT -5
At the emphasis of the word 'children', Ciel did his best to keep his composure. Logically he knew that he wasn't anything more than a child but being the head of the Phantomhive Family caused him to develop an aversion to be referred to as such. Izaya continued to speak, stating that he wouldn't deal with Ciel until he removed his eyepatch. It was at this that Ciel's eyes narrowed slightly, he wasn't fond of the idea of removing it but if it was what he had to do to get his funds unfrozen. "Very well." He said simply before he reached up and removed the eyepatch. Once it was fully removed and the hidden eye opened then the sign of a pentacle on his eye became very clear to see.
The moment it was removed something else changed as well. Ciel was plunged into the past, shadow images of those who had lived and worked in the office before Izaya moved around as if they still lived there. "Well?" He asked, vague irritation colouring his tone as he kept his gaze firmly anchored on Izaya and ignored the shadow images altogether.
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Post by Izaya Orihara on Mar 23, 2012 10:52:11 GMT -5
He came to his feet, dancing around Ciel, inspecting every inch of him, then came back to face him, but this time, sitting on his desk (possibly a little too close for Ciel's comfort), one leg crossed over the other as he grinned.
"Well, well! It seems the Phantomhive legacy lives on, indeed!" He smiled at the pentagram that showed clearly in Ciel's previously-covered eye. "Oh, yes, indeed..." he hissed with pleasure, and Ciel might feel, or not, depending on how focused he was on other tasks, a light touch in his mind, a twist, as the images focused on another time, and shadows of Izaya himself, and several unfortunate souls who'd come out of deals with him much worse off than they'd entered danced through the room.
"Are you sure you want to make a deal? As I'm sure you're seeing by now, with your unique sight, it's not always a wise decision. Of course, I'm sure that someone with such distinguished business sense as yourself would be able to avoid any unpleasant deals. After all, you're just the same as I am, aren't you, Phantomhive heir...?"
He swung up off the desk, hop-stepping backwards, arms outstretched. "Deals are nothing new to you, are they? A little deal here, a little contract there... you squeeze and you manipulate and you get what you want in the end, no matter the cost. Ruthless, cruel, savvy.... all at the tender young age of twelve years old. Why, Ciel, you'd make a fine demon..."
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Post by Ciel Phantomhive on Mar 23, 2012 13:56:10 GMT -5
Ciel stood stock still as Izaya danced around him, watching the demon out of the corner of his eye until Izaya finally came full circle to sit on the desk in front of the twelve year old. It was certainly too close for comfort but Ciel refused to budge and show any weakness. Whether you were dealing with a business partner or a demon, showing weakness usually led you to disaster.
It wasn't hard to feel the sense of slight pressure in his head, even less difficult to notice was the shifting of the shadows changing. He glanced towards his peripheral visions, immediately catching sight of those deals that had not gone in favour for those who had gone to Izaya. However he kept his expression neutral, trying not to give anything away even though Izaya would likely pick up on even the most minute of details. If there was one thing that Ciel didn't like, it was not being in control. The fact that Izaya was able to manipulate his own ability didn't sit well with him. His gaze moved back to the demon before him as he began speaking, talking of his sight before he got off of the desk without ceasing his speech.
"What you think of me and whether or not it's true matters little. I came here for one reason. However,as you said, deals are nothing new to me." Ciel was confident that he could manipulate this in his favour but was still cautious. He was dealing with a demon after all and knew very well that this could end very badly. It was a risk he was willing to take. "I will not walk blindly into a deal with the infamous Izaya like some fool. As is obvious, I will be in your debt but it will be for a limited period of time. That time will depend on how difficult it is for you to obtain this information. Unless your abilities have been horribly overrated then I don't imagine that finding out who froze my funds should be difficult for you."
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Post by Izaya Orihara on Mar 23, 2012 14:10:15 GMT -5
He laughed softly, quietly. Nero sat back in the corner, watching his 'boss' play with Ciel like a predator toyed with its prey. It was beginning to grate on his nerves a bit.
"Oh, it won't be difficult," Izaya said smoothly, his eyes never leaving Ciel's. "And you're right... you're no fool. Quite the opposite, really... well done, attempting to play on my ego in order to get me to give you what you wish. You like to be in control, don't you?" he asked, holding a hand out, palm up, and sweeping it through the air as if o demonstrate a point. "Does it make you nervous that I have all the answers, here? That I might know more about you and your late family than you do? That I know enough about your powers to control them for you... a control you haven't mastered yet?" He grinned.
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Post by Ciel Phantomhive on Mar 23, 2012 14:25:02 GMT -5
Ciel continued to meet Izaya's gaze, refusing to flinch or back down in spite of how ill at ease he felt. The fact that Izaya knew what he'd been trying to do was slightly frustrating even if he admitted only to himself that the attempt hadn't been subtle. Yet as the demon continued to speak it unnerved the boy even more, the demon knew so much about many things that Ciel would have preferred stayed private. The only sign of his discomfort that he could not keep in check was how he held his eye patch just a little tighter in his hand. "As if your fondness for mind games was not obvious enough. Do we have a deal?" He replied with deceptive casualness as he put his eye patch on once more, tying the string into a knot at the back of his head with such ease that it clearly spoke of how many times he had done so.
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Post by Izaya Orihara on Mar 23, 2012 14:31:02 GMT -5
"A deal? Why, you haven't named the price you're willing to pay. A soul? A year of service? How much is your fortune worth to you? Your most prized posession?"
He grinned, taking up a relaxed pose, totally at ease, totally in control.
"Your eyepatch, perhaps? Your right to wear one?"
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Post by Ciel Phantomhive on Mar 23, 2012 14:41:30 GMT -5
Ciel opened his eyes as he finished tying off his eyepatch and levelled a cold gaze in Izaya's direction, not appreciating Izaya's final comment one bit. The eyepatch helped him keep his ability in check after all, and it kept others from seeing the pentagram imprinted on his eye. "I believe I gave you my terms, Mr. Orihara. I will give you the use of my services for a limited amount of time." He said to the demon, his stance was not as casual as Izaya's and Ciel was well aware that he was not in complete control that did not mean that he would try to keep what little he had. "I believe that's the price that your customers normally seem to give if they deign to be in your debt. Besides, I ask only for a name. Not that you go out and do all the dirty work."
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Post by Izaya Orihara on Mar 23, 2012 14:52:54 GMT -5
He sighed, shook his head, shrugged expansively. "There is no 'usual fee', Phantomhive heir," he said, "and I did hope you'd be more interesting than this. You come to the best information dealer in the world, and it's obvious you know that information gathering is far from my only talent." He gave the young heir a sideways glance. "Are you sure that that's all you want? Simply a name, and no more, when you know precisely the kinds of services I offer? How dull... in the end, you're just as boring as the rest... you could ask for information beyond mortal knowledge, the location of the Sword of Aeons, the true identity of your precious family... the means to summon demons to your bidding, perhaps, or even... the teachings you need to control your visions... the means to never have to wear that eyepatch again..." He stepped closer to Ciel, violating the young man's personal space, one arm draped over the boy's shoulders, eyes not meeing eye because he leaned over on Ciel's blind side.
Nero was getting sick of this, and Izaya's expression showed that he had no intentions of stopping. The kid was only twelve, after all!
"I'm outta here," he grumbled, making his way towards the door, and Izaya sighed.
"No, no, Nero... I need you here." He stepped away from Ciel and walked back to his desk. "If the young heir has decided to be boring after all... we'll draw up the contract, and you'll need to hit the pavement."
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Post by Ciel Phantomhive on Mar 23, 2012 15:07:30 GMT -5
Ciel kept his mouth firmly clamped shut, refusing to give into Izaya's goading. The knowledge needed to control his visions or the identity of his family were tempting offers but he knew that the price for those would be steep even when there was no guarantee that Izaya wouldn't simply con him with information that he already knew. He tensed as Izaya stepped up next to him on his blind side. Yet the arm draped across his shoulder was the last straw. He immediately shoved Izaya's arm from his shoulders and stepped away to put some distance between them.
"Don't touch me." He said with an ice cold tone, thankfully he wasn't in a panicked state beforehand otherwise he might have shouted. Something like that could have placed the metaphorical noose very firmly around his neck. As Nero spoke he glanced towards the white haired man before Izaya bid him to stay. "Consider it dull if you wish, this is all I wish of you for now. If I have need of you in the future then we shall see." He responded coolly to Izaya. With the name of whoever froze his funds then hopefully he'd be able to have that man tracked down and duly punished. Even when the sole survivor was but a child, you did not mess with the Phantomhives.
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