prismatica | .text | un: archangel

[He hums, nods in understanding.]

Ah, I see. You want to protect your shady business, and who better than a shady guy with no interest in asking questions.

[A beat, as he taps at his silverware.]

Would the Moon Knights be some of those troublesome people you're worried about?

Wow, you understand better than I thought that you'd be able to.

[ Archangel did think that he should continue to act as the benevolent leader, but decides that it wouldn't benefit either one of them. He instead claps his hands sarcastically at the pirate.

The two of them are feeling each other out, it seems, and he's curious about how vile a person that he can be before he needs to worry about the young man violently snapping at him. ]

They would, indeed. After all... you've seen how they don't seem to appreciate cults that get in the way of their world order.

[Kamui accepts his sarcasm in stride. It's annoying, but it's also feeding him.]

Hmmm. I've never seen a cult in action myself, but I've seen plenty of groups try to overthrow their world's order. Some of them were whiny weaklings who deserved to get stomped. Others...

[Well, others were Shinsuke Takasugi and his rowdy band of terrorists. They had been an absolute blast from beginning to end, never disappointing Kamui's lust for excitement and battle, utterly captivating in their single-mindedness.]

Others weren't.

Are you sure it's a cult you're trying to create? [His grin widens, taut.] And not an army?

Hn.

[ Archangel breathes a laugh through his nose about those that are whiny weaklings that deserved to get stomped. ]

It's a little bit of both. [ Weighing his options, he decided that it would be good to explain things to the young man. The pirate seems to live on the mindset of doing what is "fun," and so he decides to feed into that as best he can. ]

You can't change anything without willing to sacrifice a few lives to do it. [ He smiles warmly at Kamui. ] So you might have to take a few lives for our just cause. I can't promise that they'll always be strong, but... the strong ones will eventually show up if enough death happens, right?

[Kamui doesn't disagree with anything Archangel's said. Change always comes with a price, and strong, righteous people like his little sister will certainly step in if he rampages hard enough. It's something else that leaves his empty stomach feeling cold.]

I've had my fill of small fry. If they come at me ready to kill, I'll take them out in kind, but otherwise...

[His curvy smile, already a bit tight, evens out into a thin, straight line.]

You guys should be able to handle them yourselves. Right? I've followed orders issued by some pretty pathetic guys, you know? I don't feel like doing that anymore. Any "just" cause should at least be strong enough to stand on its own against a couple angry weaklings.

Especially if it wants to partner with someone like me.

Believe me... if I could kill people with my own hands, I would.

[ He laments about his lack of strength and has to sound like Scar from the Lion King for a second. If only he was born with brute strength along with cunning, but alas!! ]

I can deter a couple of weaklings but... well, do you want to experience it for yourself? [ Archangel can force a person to feel his own suffering, and pain, which has dulled to him over time. It's enough to stop most, but the truly determined can break through the trouble. ]

[Kamui perks up at the question and leans forward over the table. This is what he wants to hear, not some half-baked angel lamenting his noodle arms.]

Oh? Is this it? The mysterious defense I've heard so much about? Show me!

[ He gives a small nod before lifting his hand up. ]

You seem strong so this probably won't be that troublesome for you.

[ Lifting his hand up, he holds it out toward Kamui with his palm up. To be honest, he didn't have to make such a production of it, and could have just used his ability, but what is life without a little bit of dramatics?

It is a few seconds later that pain would start assaulting the pirate's senses. The pain felt is what Archangel has experienced -- the agony of being speared through the chest and being held suspended in the air. The suffering that comes in each breath. The torment of darkness all around him and nothing but the cries of an insane god to comfort him. A pain that drove him mad, but he can't see his own madness anymore.

A psychological, physical insanity for the man to experience if only for a few seconds before Archangel lowers his hand and no longer projects the torture upon him.

With a friendly smile, he says: ]

... as I said, it's just a deterrent.

[To Archangel's credit, there is something distinctly distasteful and even unnerving about being bombarded by pain while sitting peacefully at a table. While he isn't immune to the pain itself, it's familiar to him, and he can think clearly through it, at least for the short while that he's exposed. The problem is, bizarrely enough, that the pain is lacking. It comes with none of the thrill of a battlefield setting, no enemy to prove himself against and no ambition to strive for. This, he easily recognizes, is the pain of torture, not combat. It's the embodiment of helplessness, the feeling Kamui hates most.

Kamui actually keeps his mouth shut for a short time afterward. It's been a very long time since he's been of two minds on something. While the concept of such an ability is actually kind of cool, he can't shake his personal aversion to the experience. After a moment, he flops back in his seat.]

Hmm... I think I get it now. Why you act strong even though you're weak. [A snort.] With an attack like that, you'd never get the chance to fight.

That's right.

[ He laughs softly in return. ]

At least, that's the intent of it. However, I have encountered people able to weather the pain to still attack me. [ His eyes close as he shrugs his shoulders. ] So, it really is hardly foolproof.

[ A small sigh slips out. ]

That's because you haven't developed any strategy around it.

[Kamui's disinterested drawl is matter-of-fact, a lecture with no love behind it.]

You keep calling it your defense, but it's not. It's an attack. You have to come up with your own defense to couple with it. Otherwise, you're left wide open every time.

Hm?

[ He actually sits a little straighter. ]

An attack. [ Archangel lets his eyes drift down to his hand. ] I never quite thought of it as one. [ And he clicks his tongue at Kamui's assessment, because it is, ultimately, correct. ]

Probably because it's difficult to use in battle.

[Kamui flicks the table, leaving a visible scar in the wood, and is about to do it again. That's when the waitress reemerges. She's pushing a three tiered cart that is covered in steaming dishes, and behind her are two other staff members carrying the same. She smiles the professional smile of someone who has now seen everything, and Kamui grins back. Just in time to save the table from his boredom.

He's scarfing food down before she even sets out the second plate.]

Most like.

[ He did use it in "battle." But it is more that he was so angry at his Koriel not listening to him that he wanted to strangle the life out of him, and when that didn't work, he attempted to flood the man's mind with pain to wear him down so he could kill him.

He lets out a small sigh. ]

Well. I've given you a lot to think about... so I'll pay the bill and await your answer about joining the Order. [ Archangel has a bit to think about, too. Like how to find a better means to use his ability.

But also, he is utterly disgusted by how Kamui eats and just wants to leave so he doesn't have to watch it anymore. ]

.text | un: archangel

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sorry for the wait!

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