For the Love of Evil

[Syntaphar]

Dario furrowed his brow at her question. "I'm not sure what you mean, Frankie. I mean of course I'm not going to kill you. That would be ludicrous, unproductive and not even remotely sensible. As to what this means for you, that is entirely up to you. I saved you. Big deal, it's what I do when I can and when I'm not killing people. I like to think it adds a nice sense of balance. You owe me nothing, and you are free to go whenever you please. I've just been making sure you're comfortable as long as you're hanging here, and you are certainly welcome to hang longer if you wish."

Dario was onto his seventh knife by now, little more than a pocket knife. He used this as a personal challenge on a job to take down a dim-witted soldier. It worked. "As for what now, that again is up to you. I promised to take you out on the town, and I'll still do that if you want. Or we can hang out around here if you just want to recuperate from your night. I'm not forcing any course of action on you. Also, I didn't say it earlier, but I'm glad you understand my situation. Surprisingly few do. Any more questions?"

Dario didn't say that last part stand-offishly. He would gladly answer any further questions Frankie had to offer. He might as well, anyway.

[Skylar]

She pulled her legs up underneath her and rested her hands in her lap as he spoke. It wasn't as if she had somewhere to be, or someone else to be with. She had no responsibilities, no commitments. Nothing. Again she nodded to him, half ass watching him work, her mind still going a hundred miles per hour.

“I'd like to stay here with you, if you don't mind. That is..assuming I won't be a distraction.” Her lips curled back over her teeth within her playful banter. An assassin with morals? An interesting mix indeed. She wanted to learn more about him, who he was, what he did. After all, what else did she have to do?

“Thank you for the clothes.” Kinda random...or maybe just late, but it was the first thing that popped out of her mouth. “And, honestly, I look forward to a night out with you.” She was honest, perhaps too honest. Though, she wasn't ashamed of such seeing how, she hadn't broken eye contact with his person, meeting his eyes whenever she could.

[Syntaphar]

Dario came to his eighth knife, a curved-bladed one he got from the south. He could never get the hang of using it, but he liked the look of it. "Of course you can stay around here. And a distraction? Please, I am too good to be distracted. You are of course, welcome to try if you like." A smile widened across his face as he met her gaze. He looked back down at his work, and glanced at his arms. Luckily enough, they didn't bleed much from pulling the wire out.

"And of course you're welcome for the clothes. I get the feeling you've been wanting some new ones for quite some time. and I look forward to our little date too. One question though. Like I said, you're free to recuperate from this weird night, so do you want to wait a day or two before the night out? Keep in mind, they might also be on the lookout for us, so it might also help us to wait, make sure we aren't interrupted." He reached for his coat and pulled out a paper-sized plate of what looked like black glass from a large document pocket he'd sewn in. If it weren't for that, Xavier may have killed him. He looked at it for a moment and sat it next to him, wanting to examine its properties closer later tonight.

"It's your decision, of course."

[Skylar]

No man was too good to be distracted, but she would let him think he won this one, and take his offer for the challenge more seriously then he intended. This man before her was something of an enigma, and had more then sparked her interest.

He had a point, and perhaps he was right. With the display at the restaurant, he would surely have someone looking for him, if not Xavier himself had he survived. And frankly, she wasn't ready for another day like today, especially in the same day!

“Fine. A night in it is. What shall we do for entertainment though?” She knew she would end up feeling like a caged animal with nothing to do. Being cooped up indoors wasn't really her forte, ever...

[Syntaphar]

Dario came to his final blade, the one he liked the most. It was a nice switchblade that he had also used in a personal challenge during a job. Specifically, it was the knife of his target, another assassin. He was somewhat proud of himself at the moment, looking back on the assassination attempt. If it weren't for the building getting messed up at the foundation, he would have killed Xavier Gottheit himself in hand-to-hand combat. As far as he could tell, that was quite an impressive feat.

He looked back to Frankie. "Well, just because we're not going out for a date doesn't mean we can't go outside. We can always just spend a little time on the roofs. That really is the best way to see the city, in my opinion. But then again, I dunno if that's your thing. Maybe I'm just assuming too much about your personality from the throwing knife you carry around with you on dates. O if you don't feel like climbing, we can just talk, learn more about each other. Really, I'm easy to convince on most things right now."

He put down his tenth and final knife, and picked up the black glass plate. Reaching into the pocket of his coat, he pulled out a piece of Algerothian candy. "Or I could do my best to put on a pyrotechnic act, like I did back at the restaurant. If we're feeling particularly unsubtle."

[Skylar]

True enough she supposed. There were ways around not being seen and he, as an assassin would know those ways. “Heights don't bother me at all. So, since you did ruin my date, I'll let you figure out how else to fix it. Though, I'll give you credit thus far, a hot bath and clean clothes is a pretty good start.”

She laughed at her own words. She couldn't remember the last time she had laughed so much. She cleared her throat at the mention of her won blade, and smiled a bit. “A girl needs protection these days you know. Not just the mans responsibility anymore.” Again she winked at him, and pulled out her own favorite blade which, oddly enough she couldn't remember where she had even gotten it.

“Hm..explosions don't really seem to be your thing dear. However, sitting on the roof, looking over the town, and talking, might peak my interest. But as I said before....it's really your call. Not mine.” She gave him a matter of fact look, and cleaned beneath her fingernails with the point of her knife.

[Syntaphar]

Dario smiled again. "I do my best Frankie, and I'm glad we're off to a good start. And I'll have you know that although you think I may have ruined your night, in truth, I saved it. And I don't blame you for carrying around protection in this day and age. You never know these days when some assailant may come inside your place at night, and you'll want to be ready when that happens." Dario put away his knives in a small cloth case and winked back at Frankie.

"And I think you're right. Fire isn't quite my method. I think I rather would prefer hanging on the rooftops. It's a beautiful night, and the stars should be quite clear. So let's see if you can keep up." With a devious grin, Dario rolled off the bed and opened the window to the second floor hotel room, and began climbing up the outer wall outside of it. There was a ladder outside he could have used, and probably should have, considering he didn't know how damaged is arms were right now. but nevertheless, he just scaled the wall itself, using aesthetic outcroppings as hand and footholds.

[Skylar]

“Again, doesn't so sound bad.” She straightened one knee upright, resting her arm across it as she looked him over again. He wasn't a huge man, but he wasn't overly thin either. And though he was an assassin, he didn't strike her as a cold blooded kill...odd, right?

“Maybe you saved me in more ways then one tonight, eh champ?” She'd feed his ego, even if playfully. She'd have to admit though, that grin of his held a wickedness that could make the devil uneasy, but Frankie being Frankie kinda liked it.

As soon as the window swallowed him up she was on her feet, slipping her boots on. Sitting on the sill she watched as he free climbed the building. Keep up? He really did have no idea what he had gotten himself into with her. And that...that makes the game all that much more fun.

With ease she slid out of the window, standing on the sill now. She took only a moment to scan the side of the building and saw, even though there was a ladder, the way Dario had taken was much harder then a few more obvious ways. She assumed, assumed mind you....he did this purposefully.

There was only one thing left for her to do.

Choose the harder path...

With that, her petite fingers dug into the tiny grooves of the brick which, just so you know, were deeper then most buildings because of the age of the current one. None the less, it made it a difficult climb. Her leg twinged slightly, but she didn't allow this to stop her from doing the same thing he did. Only better....

A few bricks had wore well enough that they stuck out further then the rest and with relative ease, she made her way to the top, only to kick her legs to one side, and pull herself up. Brushing her hands together, she looked satisfied with herself, though her breath was a bit labored now, and took a seat beside him.....without saying a word...

[Syntaphar]

Dario looked over the edge of the rooftop smiling as he saw Frankie took the hard way up. He could tell from the very beginning that she liked a challenge. But it also made him wonder what got her with Xavier. Didn't really seem like his type. As she started to near the roof, he stepped back from it and took a seat on the shingled slope. He would have offered her a hand, but he had the feeling she wouldn't take it, because that would mean losing. He said somewhat sarcastically, but in a kind way: "I trust you had a pleasant journey?"

Without waiting for an answer, he turned his eyes up to the night sky. He was always happy to see an unfamiliar arrangement of stars, because it made him feel like he was accomplishing something, being well-traveled, almost collecting experiences as one would collect fine wines. That he was enjoying this moment was painted on his face in broad strokes as he turned back to Frankie. "Alright, what would you like to start our starlit conversation on, my honored guest?"

[Skylar]

“Of course, it was breathtaking.” She smiled wide to him and took a seat rather non lady like, beside him. She placed her bottom and her feet on the roof top, knees bent, arms dangling over them. She, too, looked upward. It was a beautiful sight, and slightly romantic, if you were into that kinda thing.

He opened the floor to her, and honestly nothing particular came to mind in the moment. She was still catching her breath, and watching the stars, half tempted to start counting them.

“Where ya from?” It was a simple question really, but for people like her, not so simple. Maybe he had a story too.

[Syntaphar]

Dario looked over to her with an almost mournful smirk when she asked her question, then looked back up into the sky. "I come from the place that used to be called the City of Sin. Dunno if it's still called that, but if it's anything like it used to be it still deserves the name. It was a practical breeding pool for people like me. Almost seemed like the whole place was an experiment, see who thrives in the worst social conditions. Morals were rare, the successful were rarer and you never saw the two of them in the same room. I fought for years to get out of there, but I wonder how much of myself I left behind."

Dario looked down at his borrowed limbs for a second and chuckled at what he just said. "Ok, so I know I left my arms and legs there, but I wonder how much of my mind and soul are still there. But good riddance. Wouldn't go back there for the world. What about you? Where did you come from? Or do you even know anymore?"

[Skylar]

“Only as much as you allow.” She looked at him for only a moment, then turned her attention back down to the city. Even at night it was busy, people back and forth, lights flickering. It was beautiful.

“I didn't grow up where I was born, so no, I don't remember anything about it. That's probably a good thing though. Who wants to remember shit about a place that never wanted you to begin with.” She smiled, but if he looked close enough, he'd see the hint of pain that was in her eyes.

“Since I can remember, I've always been a transient. Not that I mind it really. I've seen things that most people will never see in their lifetime. Sometimes though, I wonder what it might be like to feel as though you belong somewhere.” She chuckled lightheartedly. “Oddly enough, this is the closest I've ever gotten to that feeling.”

[Syntaphar]

Dario looked over to her and smiled. There was something to be said for not belonging. It kept you honest, though that was a turn of phrase that Dario was loath to use. He did see the pain in her eyes, and felt a connection to it. It was the same sort of thing he felt from time to time. His smile changed somehow, and he gently placed his hand on Frankie's opposite shoulder. "I know exactly what you mean. But I think you're right, I could get used to this place. Get used to where I am right now. Maybe I'll settle down round here once this job is done, I'll certainly have a decent sum to live on then."

Dario opened his mouth to ask another question, but found that his mind was bereft of one. He looked back at her. He had vague curiosities about her skills, how she ended up with Xavier, how she got by, but no full question came to mind. He decided to send the question back her way. "Well, now that we've started revealing our personal lives, any other questions to ask me? We've hardly begun to enjoy this starlit night."

[Skylar]

There was something soothing in his touch. Perhaps it was simply the timing, but none the less a gesture she appreciated. Maybe it was simply that, she believed his words. She was sure he knew exactly what she was talking about, and being able to relate, even if on a weird level, was helpful.

She wasn't sure what to say next. Of course she had questions, tons of questions. But none she was ballsy enough to ask in the moment. It was mostly quiet, a beautiful night, like the ones you read about in books. She'd hate to ruin it by striking a chord on something, too personal to share with a stranger.

“I'm not sure...How about you? Anything you wanna ask me?” And, turned once more the question that seemed to just hang in the air.

[Syntaphar]

Dario tried to look into her head, to see the gears grinding. But her eyes were to the sky, and the ear is never a polite place to stare into. He chuckled for a moment, wondering what they could find to talk about, or if it was just preferable to sit on the roof and look around. "You know Frankie, if you're worried about offending me about something, don't. If I don't feel like telling you something, I just won't. Or I'll make up some interesting lie. Whichever is most fun."

Dario wanted another perspective on the sky by now. The patterns they formed at the moment were no longer satisfactory to him. He didn't want to get up, so he pivoted around on the spot such that his feet now faced up the slope of the roof towards the top. He then laid down, almost able to grasp an upside-down view of the sky. He'd turn back around if the blood rushing to his head got uncomfortable, but the change was nice for now. a knife slide out of his pocket and started skating down the side of the roof, but he caught it and stowed it again. "Or if you really don't have any questions, no big deal. It's a nice night and I'm in no hurry to sleep anyway."