A Genius And A Luddite Walk Into A Bar - RPG

(Closed RPG Between Armistice and Cassuis Slay Knightfall)

Cassius walked into the bar, the smell of stale beer and salted nuts hitting him hard even from under the mask. This place was a dive, dank and off the beaten track the perfect place for the likes of him to get a drink with little to no trouble. Steeping towards the bars counter he watched as the eyes of the clientele around him tracked his movements "Look guys i'am just here for a drink, i'am not looking for trouble here" The knightfall's voice flat ,calm and authoritative as he gestured to the bar woman. "Pint of Strongbow and a double Jack Daniels, no ice" Sitting calmly on one of thetattered bar stalls Cassius paid for his round and looked in the mirrored counter beyond the bar, the bars activity now more hospitable yet the sense of possible danger still loomed in the ether.

Tapping his fingers on the counter as he necked his shot and slid the pint glass in front of him his rhythmic taping drowned out by the sound of the creaking door. Its hinges must be ancient he thought to himself as the memories of church doors entered his mind. Shaking his head at the thought of his former life and the memories that still clung to the fibers of his mind. Hearing the muttering of voices behind him his thoughts dragged back to the present "Look there's another one, lets hope they play nice" Cassius's right hand slipping under his jacket and unclipping the pistol sitting on his left as his left hand held the pint glass steady.

His hand hovering for a second, his instinct telling him to prepare to strike if he needed. Pausing waiting for the possibility of hostility from this fellow masked individual the edge on which he was primed suddenly reeling back as a familiar voice began to speak.

Pretty sure Cass picks the most beaten down and shit kicker bar to meet in on purpose

Ian stood across the street and glanced along both sides of the block of stereotypical urban blight, shaking his head as he stopped to look at the newest dive he was about to be treated to. Everything about this place said to stay away, the subtle markings of filled in and repaired bullet holes, the windows that had not been cleaned since Bush was in office (the first Bush), not to mention the thuggish denizens loitering about and armed to the teeth with eyes showing every intention of using their wares at the drop of a misplaced word.

Wilhelm - "It must be the Slay in him Ian, all the rest of the Knightfalls are fashion plates, for some reason he likes the homeless chic like in Zoolander"

Ian – "Not everyone with that name was given the same opportunities and tools to work with growing up Wilhelm. Cass always gets the short end of the stick because of his lack of powers compared to the rest of the family, treated like the black sheep and practically forgotten in the shadow of his more ambitious relatives. They got the silver spoon and the world handed to them, he has always had to do it the hardest way possible, everything he is and has were earned by tooth and claw. This is the world he was forced into, can't blame him for choosing to stick to what he knows.”

Making his way in the door all it took was a single moment to realize that his earlier judgment was in error, this place was far worse than he had anticipated. He could feel the eyes as every single person at the bar checked him out, every conversation stopping almost at once to see if the new face was a threat. Knowing full well that no one in this place was a threat in the slightest he casually strolled directly to the booth where Cass had set up shop and ordered his first round, normally it would be considered rude not to wait, but he was well aware that Ian did not imbibe.

Ian - “You are never going to get a girlfriend if you keep hanging out in places like this Cass, and that glass is so dirty you might get an STD from it.”

The face and voice would only take him a moment to put together, as that of Reignfire / Conner Ashton, the persona that Ian had used while working with the Sovereigns in public, and not the one he was expecting to see. Dr. Ian Pierce was not a person normally seen anywhere near this part of town and coming as himself would only draw unnecessary attention, but a couple of ex-teammates meeting for a drink would not bat a single eye.

Smiling under his mask Cass simply nodded his head as he spoke to his friend " You should get together with my brother and start a lets hassle Cassius into getting p***y whipped like the two of us club. Though at least Andres is in a relationship with the women who has tamed him, How is Ellie anyways?, haven't spoke since well you know the news" Cass took another sip of his drink as the thoughts of his recently redeparted brother and the events in Rome that preceded it. His left arm suddenly tingling as if the thought suddenly awakened a ghostly wound sending a sharp pain up into his shoulder emanating form where the black mark had since faded.

Looking over at the bar at the sound of raised voices Cassius watched as a couple verbally sparred each giving as good as they got something not uncommon for this type of place. His head turning back towards his friend, his gaze finally back on Ian as a loud crack filled the air. A women's scream followed breaking off at the sound of a second crack. Without hesitation Cassius span out of his chair "excuse me for second Ian" Walking calmly and purposely over to the couple without breaking a stride. Reaching out and grabbing the back of the mans head gripping firmly on his scraggly hair and slamming him face first into the counter. "a real man never strikes a women. Now if i remember correctly you hit her twice right?" his sentence punctuated by a swift jab to the mans abdomen "Tilting his head and bending down to the spouse beaters ear level "Now i suggest you apologies and pray that your new found sense of honor and manners sticks"

The sounds of the bar now a distant memory as the whole place cloaked itself in silence,a silence lasting mere seconds before the sound of chairs scrapping along the floor, tables tipping and shattering glass. Good the crimson Knightfall thought to himself i could use a fight.

The banter between the two had been natural even before they were ever properly introduced, most who met them assumed they had known one another for years, only that was only partially correct. They had originally met years ago, only at the time Ian was under another of his more established metahuman personas (Killwire/Marc Slayton) and up until a matter of months ago that was the only name and face he was aware of, that of another hardscrable mercenary who bonded over cold beers in hellholes like this all over the world. It was not until he revealed his true face and name upon recruiting him as a sleeper agent did the two truely get to know one another at a personal level, while as different as two people can get on the exterior, both had a respect for how the other has handled their own long hard road.

Ian - "Your brothers are part of what I wanted to talk to you about, as for Ellie I'm actully planning on seeing her very soon...."

His eyes and attention were turned by the same commotion that caught Cass' own the moment the arguing turned physical and Ian followed directly behind him. Seeing the numbers surrounding the couples spat turned physical, he allowed Cass to take the lead and deal with the ruffian in a manner he could only assume to be as brutal as what he had in mind, instead he watched his back in case the upcoing reprisal caught the attention of others. Ian could not help but crack a small grin as justice was brought down on the so called tough guy, harming women and children was always a sure fire way to earn his wrath and a trait shared between the two.

Suddenly it seemed the entire bar began to get up at once and begin to surround the two of them, normally bar fights were something Ian avoided as pointless and very one sided considering his own abilities, but recent events had made his temper shorter and his need for an outlet to release pent up rage welcome. They were about to find out to their dismay that they had just volunteered to get the ass kicking of their lives starting in about three seconds. His eyes turned serious and cold, the sound of him cracking his knuckles and pulling up the sleeves of his thin zip-up sweater, the final precursor before the two of them really f*cked up their day.

Ian - "Wilhelm, just make sure I don't kill anyone by mistake"

Wilhelm - "I am disabiling all enhanced strength and speed as requested, but your vitals are spiking Ian, if you start seeing red I'm going to reign you in before you can do something you will regret. You have not been yourself recently."

Turning towards his fellow patrons Cassius watched as they studied Ian and himself sizing up their chances. Some of them taking a step back once their gaze met that of Ian and the Knightfall others baited further still by it into rushing at the two former sovereigns. "So you wanted to talk about my brothers ?, i guess we can work and talk" The first of many angered customers screaming as he ran he fist cannoning towards towards Cassius chest. His form was sloppy no doubt as a result of the alcohol but he would be afforded no extra mercy he had made a choice and it was now time that he met the result of that decision. In a flash Cass's left hand shot towards the advancing punch striking at the man wrist. A solid strike of his own rendering the punch drunken punch moot as his target reeled in pain shaking his hand as he did so. Acting quickly the Knightfall struck again kicking out the side of the drunken louts knee forcing him to drop down on his other a swift rising knee of the Knightfalls own taking his opponent the rest of the way down to the floor.

"You just gonna stand there and let me do all the heavy lifting?, where is all that fancy gadget flashy fighting i have heard is so superi.." Breaking off his sentence as a bottle strikes the top of his mask. His head whipping back up to his true height sending the bottles owner flying as it connects firmly with the under side of his jaw. "I make that three dumb bastards to your none" A small red ball shinning as it approached capturing the light of its highly polished surface, followed by another. The tiny balls striking the bar area around then each one sounding like thunder as the wood creaked under the strain of the hits. The throws where close cass unsure how close the pool balls had come to doing some damage. Grabbing hold of two from the floor his fist gripping them tightly he rushed at the pool table before a second salvo could begin.

While Ian had nowhere near the years of training and experience in hand to hand combat, he was no slouch either, and his skills were more than enough to deal with bar room rabble. The very moment the scene had turned from one of heightened tensions to an all out brawl he maneuvered himself so that Cass was now to his back, allowing both to guard the others six and devote attention to the dealing with the numbers that were not in their favor. The first customer came directly at him with a pool cue in hand and swung full force and off balance, Ian held up his forearm to let the wooden pole snap harmlessly in two before stepping in and delivering a palm strike directly under the chin with angled upward force. Four badly cared for chicklets flew from his mouth as his body shut down from the blow to the off switch every experienced boxer knows all too well.

Ian - "There is more to what happened to Q that you are privy to, things all of you deserve to know, but the details are best left for when all of you can be brought together to hear it at the same time."

Distracted by the conversation the second player was able to smash his cue over Ian's head, the lack of a real threat made him decide it was simply not worth the effort to parry. The instrument exploded into fragments in an entertaining display, yet an ineffective one as the attacker was soon to find out. A single step closed the distance between the two allowing him to pivot and generate force without the use of his enhanced strength, a spinning back fist that struck home along the side of the head and sent the second customer careening right over the bar front and crashing down along with the sounds of broken glasses.

Ian - "My larger concern is A, we have all seen what happened the first time he immersed himself with the Hellfire Club, that was a very dark path he strode and yet now here he is again integrating himself into their operations at an intimate level. I really do not think the rest of you are aware of his actions and tactics, he plays with very dangerous forces with an arrogance that could be the undoing of far more than just himself. You know he is not my favorite person, but he is yours and E's own blood, he shares many of Q's less admirable traits and I don't want to see him follow in his brothers footsteps."

Diving across the pool table Cassius slammed into two of the drunken clientele tackling them to the ground. His fists still clenched around two red pool balls. Rapid high impact strikes flowed from hands to the downed men. The force of his strikes passing through the small and hard surface's into the forearms and biceps of the downed men. Clinical precision immobilizing the limbs or at the very least making them throb and be all but dead under the damage of the hits. Dragged up from behind by the scruff of his jacket Cass reached out a leg and kicked himself off the edge of the pool table. Tumbling backwards still gripped by the lout behind him the Knightfalls swung his left hand up colliding heavily with the still unseen mans face. A shower of blood splattering over the front of his helmet as he fell heavily through a table landing with a crunch on top of poor soul who had thought best to tug at him.

"So call a meeting Ian? , isnt that what you do best. You know make little pictures and slideshows for us to watch in your office"

Cassius looking down at the man he had just cold clocked laying in the wreck of what once was a bar table " Umm Ian, this guy here is bad news. He's the son of mobster this could get a little dicey. You heard of the Tommy C also known as Tommy the blade, The Venetian?. Meet little Tommy " Cassius suddenly becoming aware of a shadow over his shoulder "CRACK" a pool cue shatter over his collarbone sending a ripple of force through his armor and a grimace to his face, that's gonna bruise the Knightfall thinks to himself as he turns. His rotation suddenly lowering his leg extending and his foot sweeping at the legs of the next goon to attack him. Crashing to the ground his next opponent was welcomed to Cassius level with a abrupt elbow to the face sending him the rest of the way to the chaos of the bar floor.

"I'am sure your aware by now how my family works. We are strong willed people and we are stubborn. Andres thinks he can change that organisation from the inside. He thinks he can do good things with it but yes it is more than probably not gonna work out that way because of those who reside within that fruity little club. I am paying close attention to make sure history doesn't repeat itself. Now to the matter at hand mobster and setting up some sort of meeting."

Sound of door hinge creaking

Ian continued to match Cass and his movements to keep them as close to a back to back formation as possible, while no one here was any threat to him personally, allowing them to swarm his partner was unacceptable. This was not to say that Cass was incapable of clearing out the entire bar without his help, honestly he could be sipping on an iced tea right now and their fate would likely still be sealed. He simply had a deeply ingrained guardian mentality and always felt that it was his role to protect those around him, leaving his safety to chance was a risk that no matter how small was one he was unwilling to accept.

Ian - "I plan on it, but I wanted certain peoples takes on the idea beforehand, the subject matter is more sensitive than you know. Also I will make sure to print you out a paper version with lots of pictures so you won't get lost when the big kids talk."

At that moment another customer began to make unflattering comments about Ian's mother, his dead mother, big mistake. Temporarily utilizing a small portion of his enhanced strength, speed and reflexes he closed the distance between the two in a rapid burst, using the momentum to generate power which culminated in an open hand strike meant to launch his opponent. None of the other patrons had a chance to do anything but watch as the rude customer was lifted completely off his feet and sent flying right through the front window, left to suffer through his now 4 broken ribs and the minor concussion from hitting his head on the curb upon landing. Just as quickly as he left his post he used the same abilities to return to his former defensive position, mentally disabling them again.

Ian - "I am more aware of how your family works than you will likely ever know C, but your brother has been up to many things that he has kept the rest of you at arm's length about. Should he stray again none of you can reign him in alone, thinking so only reinforces how little you know about his activities. His affiliation with the HFC is just a single thread in the web of pursuits, only one of the many pies he has his fingers in one manner or another."

There was nothing Ian could do to hide the tone of his frustration as Cass brushed off his warnings, it was a trait all the Knightfalls shared, a complete and absolute inability to recognize or accept the faults among them. They had an almost unshakable faith and trust in one another, no matter how many times it had been tested or abused, blinded by what he could only assume was a psychological need to keep what little family they had left together at any cost. Quintus had abused this fact for most of his life and it was very safe to assume someone as intelligent as Andres had figured out to do so long ago himself. He was willing to give them every opportunity to keep things within the family as much as possible, but if someone did not step up to the plate there would be a reckoning.

Ian - "You stay on crowd control, I've got the door"

He matched Cass and his footwork to allow him to continue the assault while he stayed positioned to deal with whatever unknown was entering the scene.