Completing the Deal

[togabitoion]

Who: Greed and Kevin Graham
Where: Random Cafe Somewhere in the Hub
When: August 26, 2008
What: Kevin has to get the Gospel back from Greed... so it's time to pay off the Syndicate for their work.
Watch For: Pantsless o'clock?! D:



Neutral territory. That's what Kevin was hoping for. The priest sits at a table in a cafe located in the hub. He made sure to watch the cafe over the past couple of days to find a decently 'not busy' time in order to invite his business partner to meet with him. The call itself was nothing special. There were just a few words exchanged to ensure that the meeting time and place were known for both parties.

...that, and certainly some monetary encouragement to the owner to keep things quiet will always help.

Kevin's seated patiently, however. There are two cases by his chair. A heavy, metal case with locks on each latch. Then another, and obviously far less expensive and less secure case. The priest has already taken the first step to order a pot of hot tea at the table for both himself and Greed. He made sure to be quite a bit early, as well, to be there when the Syndicate member showed himself.

Kevin took major care in picking where they'd be seated- nowhere near any of the windows, and it's in a nice, quiet corner of the cafe. A little cliche, the priest admits to himself, but it is very suitable. Then there's a pause and a mild chuckle to himself... all this is reminding himself of the misadventures of Toby- a smuggler in a series of stories that he read a few years back. (They were popular in his orphanage).

Well, it was about damned time.

Greed doesn't slink his way into the cafe so much as slide in-- he isn't skulking, but there's an unusual, unnatural grace to the way he slips inside, eyes scanning the room once before he meanders his way over to where the priest sits waiting at the table.

"Yo."

It's his standard greeting, don't be offended by it. But while he nods to the man as he takes his seat, the homunculus' expression is guarded, lacking the casual smile that seemed plastered to his face the first time they met in person.

He doesn't seem to be carrying anything with him, though there's a suspicious bulge in his left jacket pocket.

With Greed's greeting, Kevin simply brings two fingers to his forehead in a casual salute. "'ave a seat." He gestures, just as his guest is beginning to sit.

"I wanna thank ya fer th' good work. Sorry that things turned out like they did. I didn' 'ave much warning myself." He gestures to the pot. "Would ya like some tea, by the way?"

However, the priest quickly jumps back to work. "I've got a number o' things I can work with for ya in exchange fer the Black Orbment. However, I figured I'll allow ya to begin our negotiations 'owever ya wish. Where should we begin?" He steeples laces his fingers together after setting his elbows on the table top. The priest leans forward, bearing a neutral expression, and resting his chin across them at this point.

Greed smirks slightly at Kevin's thanks, but no more than that. To the offer of tea he shakes his head, drawing his left hand out of his pocket and resting his elbow on the tabletop.

The Ouroboros tattoo is clearly evident.

"Let me hear what you're offerin'," he says, "An' I'll tell you when it's enough." It isn't the homunculus being difficult, really-- it's that he doesn't yet know what resources this man has available to him. Ask too much and he won't get paid-- ask too little and his efforts have been wasted.

At the same time, he holds the upper hand here-- simply because he already holds what this man wants.

That tattoo quickly draws the priest's eyes. He suddenly looks from it, then back up towards Greed. Is... this...

He finally reaches for the less secure case. It seems that the locked one is meant for the Gospel, perhaps? Finally, he sets it on the desk. It's actually fairly heavy. He stands up, snapping open the latches.

The priest then turns the case, to reveal the number of bills from various earth nations, precious gems, and whatnot. "Th' value is 'nough for several people t' live off of for several years in an industrious land." He pulls out a small pouch. "Diamonds." Another. "Sapphires." He gestures to rolls of paper- coins? "Gold, o' course... an' finally, th' obvious with the actual cash. At least several tens of million mira worth. Mira is th' monetary unit in my plane." He pauses, thinking. "...an' average newspaper in Liberl can cost ya 'bout 120 mira, if that helps with th' exchange."

He seems to be pretty well-off for a priest. It's all pretty average, but there's definitely a lot of money in this offering.

However, Kevin suddenly closes the case, leaning on the top of it. "...though, I'll hafta admit. I'm a touch curious, an' a little paranoid. Do ya mind if I ask ya a question before we continue wit' this?"

Hmm.

Greed has to hand it to the man, he's smart-- a single kind of currency might not do much for him. But elemental currency-- the real kind, diamonds, gems, gold-- these are things that hold some value no matter where you go. It just depends on where you go with them. He can work with that.

Still...

This guy put him in a tough spot that could have made his goals infinitely more difficult to achieve, and Greed doesn't forgive that so easily. And the fact that this man and his bishoply friend didn't feel like informing him that they had an easy way out prior to their descent still grates on him.

And so he looks fairly amused as Kevin expresses his discomfort, his lips parting to reveal his sharp teeth. "Ask whatever you want," he says, leaning back in his chair with a smirk.

Well, this is the sort of thing Kevin often deals with- paying people off, or whatnot. The priest is, while considered as such in his plane, more of the espionage type, in the end. He continues to lean on the briefcase, making note of what he can of this man- the one going by the name of 'Greed'... though he seems to raise the slightest of eyebrows at the smirk he gets.

Finally, Kevin stands and he simply sets a hand on his own- indicating the place where the homonculi's tattoo can be found. "...tell me a bit 'bout this, if ya don' mind?"

Easy enough question. It's probably a bit understandable, though, considering the name dropped in the report.

What a terrible priest.

Greed does not stand even as Kevin does, simply lifting his gaze to keep his eyes on his-- that smirk doesn't seem like it'll be going away anytime soon. "Nn? Oh, this?"

Raising his left hand, the homunculus peers at the mark there, inspecting it as if he hasn't seen it before. Then he stops, drops it back to the table, and grins. "You like it? Pretty fancy, ain't it?" It's easy to tell, he's somehow enjoying this.

And you wondered why he started laughing when you told him about the Ouroboros.

"I suppose you could say it's a family crest," he says, giving a light shrug, "The ouroboros... somethin' about infinity, right? Endlessness?" He smirks again. "The old man probably had a sense of humor back before he got geriatric." But the irony is /much/ funnier now.

But that probably isn't what Kevin's curious about. Still, it amuses Greed to see him a little uncomfortable. His grin is telling. "You shoulda been more careful 'bout who you hire," he chides him, "But seems to me you're a little desperate." Which is to his advantage.

"But..." He nods towards his chair, motioning for him to sit. "I ain't at all related to those guys you told me about. I ain't even tied to my own family anymore, so it ain't an issue." Is that enough for you?

"We like t' think we're followin' in step with th' organization. It's not like 'em to have anyone in a position o' power, anyhow." Kevin nods in agreement to the meaning of the crest. "But yes- a continuous cycle, time without end... an' all that good stuff." He finally sets his hands on the back of the case, then pushes it across the table.

"'owever, I'm aware of the emblem appearin' in other planes- the full meaning holds true across 'em. The Organization is somethin' very unique in my plane, mind ya. An' t' be honest, ya guys don' fit them, as we've profiled 'em." It seems that the Church has a lot of data on this organization. Though it's funny- Kevin never speaks the word out through any of this.

"Jus' t' be safe, 'owever." He finally gestures to the case- a seemingly trusting action, perhaps. "It's yers, 'owever. Is that all ya need fer this? Or are ya gonna live up to yer name and still require more?" There's a slight smirk as the priest takes a seat in his chair again. He even takes the time to refill his cup of tea.

His family's fairly unique in /his/ plane as well. How unfortunate, though, the ouroboros symbol is going to get /such/ a bad reputation.

Kevin's question earns a barking laugh, and Greed tips his chair back playfully as he grins at the priest. "The way you say it indicates you're ready to offer more. So go on," he says, nodding towards the table, "Show me what else you got. Cuz you see, me 'n my little paperweight are gettin'

pretty attached..."

What will satisfy him? Are you /sure/ you want to be bargaining with a man named Greed? If you're not sure yet, you will be later.

"I wouldn't get too attached to that thing," Kevin says idly. "Causes more trouble than it's worth, really. Might even draw some eyes on ya that ya wouldn't want." The priest taps a finger on the tabletop before he considers.

"Depends on the sorta things yer lookin' for, 'owever." Kevin raises an eyebrow. If you're wanting to get him to buckle on some things, he may be willing to, but to offer it?

"I've been rather prepared, but one's greed can be in anythin', really. Power, knowledge, money... I've got plenty o' resources, but to draw more than what I've offered may raise a few eyebrows." Another pause. "...an' while I'd offer some treasures from my land, I wouldn't wanna be traced back to this deal, personally. That's a li'l much fer me."

"I dunno," Greed returns, tilting his head back as he smirks at Kevin, "It's quite the finest paperweight I ever had the pleasure of ownin'."

There's a low chuckle then, and the homunculus tilts his chair back a little further, bouncing it a few times as he folds his hands in his lap.

"Seems to me you've underestimated a couple of things," he says, "Most importantly and primarily bein' greed itself. You humans.."

He pauses, and then furrows his brows at Kevin. "You /are/ human, right?
Eh, it's hard to tell these days, ain't everyone lookin' like they should.
Anyway, whatever the hell you are, you're like everyone else. Greed ain't just about takin' things. It ain't about ownin' things, either."

The chair falls to the floor and quite suddenly the homunculus is leaning forward across the table, his eyes intense as they regard Kevin, his grin bordering on feral. "It's desire. It's wantin' anything at all, good or bad, noble or selfish. Those labels mean nothin' to me. You want my paperweight, but you want /more/ than that. You want it for a /reason/, you want to /do/ somethin'...."

Slowly.. very slowly he sinks back to his chair, but his grin does not lose its edge. "That's /all/ greed, every bit of it. So don't think I'm gonna be satisfied with just /money/."

"So."

He folds his arms across his chest, leaning his chair back again as if he'd never moved. "What's more important to you, Father? What do you want the /most/? Is it your goal, or is it your hide? Seems in some cases, you ain't gonna get both."

Kevin never moves as the homonculi is up on his feet. He manages to meet that intense gaze with a fairly calm, and collected one. The priest even crosses his arms. "I don't admit to bein' free o' sin. I'm aware o' my own greed."

There's a moment of silence, however- it seems to take the man a moment to think, before he raises a finger, "I'm human- you've assumed correctly, that is." But other than that, there's very little said.

...though as the young man moves to sit up straight, setting his hands on the table. "...my work is far more important than my well-bein'. Should I be on the verge o' losin' my hide for my goals, well... then either it happens, or I leave my fate to the Goddess 'erself."

The slight grin that shows from the priest at this point is a bit unsettling. He knows where he stands fairly well. "My duty an' my goals are my life. I've already forfeit a great number o' things t' ensure that they can be completed.

That is a job of one in the service o' Eidos, in the end." Kevin's smile fades as he closes his eyes. "But you are very correct." ...this is when the priest's gaze is dangerous. His collected demeanor is a stark contrast to the nearly feral appearance the homonculi held moments ago. "I want that 'paperweight' as ya call it, fer a reason that I'm sure ya can't understand. I will do what it takes to get it back, whether you like it or not."

Oh ho. Greed's eyebrows raise at the end of that, and the almost 'lazy'
demeanor he'd taken upon himself before starts to drift away, replaced by a clearer, more intense expression. "I see, I see..."

He grins, shrugging. "It ain't a matter of me not understandin', closer to me not really carin'. But you'd be makin' a fair mistake tryin' to threaten me, Father. After all..."

A smirk.

"The IPA is just one call away. Always dilligent, protectin' the peace 'n all. It'd be a terrible thing, to find out their former agent were hirin'

folks like me 'n mine to cause a ruckus right under their noses."

Oh my, it seems as if someone tattled on him. Kalas, how /could/ you?

Still, Greed's threat doesn't carry a whole lot of weight to it. He'd rather not deal with the IPA if he doesn't have to, and truth be told he'd /rather/ this deal goes through. But gosh darn it, a little respect to your hired help!

Waving a hand, the homunculus returns to his previously lazy demeanor.
"Now either trump me or gimme somethin' better to take away from all this.
I got people expectin' proper repayment for the trouble you put us through, and I ain't the type to disappoint. The money's a good start-- but put somethin' else on the table."

There's a laugh as Kevin's former status is revealed. "I'm sure it wouldn't surprise 'em, really." He quickly sets a hand out on the table. "But I also know that it wouldn't do ya much good t' call 'em to here either. Bein' wit' th' Syndicate, an' all. It'd be a hassle fer th' both o' us.

"I can provide a number o' things. If ya 'ave any injured from th' fight, let me know. I'll heal 'em. Perhaps ya'd need my assistance, then perhaps I'll provide it."

He considers something... well... Carnelia will not be pleased with this option that's being set out on the table. Especially as he's had no opportunity to discuss it with her.

Though he thinks, considering a number of things. He's even brought his fingers to his chin, before he smirks. "I'd owe ya a favor. You could call on me t' do somethin' in return. Put myself int' yer dangers t' repay ya'll fer puttin' yerselves int' mine."

Kevin gestures lightly. "I dunno 'ow that sounds t' someone like ya, but wit' what I've got on me right now, it's either that, or information. An' I can't guarantee what I can or cannot tell ya without ya askin' what you'd want to know."

Greed gives a quiet grunt. Thankfully his people are well enough-- those who suffered great injury seemed to recover almost miraculously. It's something he's yet to look into, though he's grateful to have had the opportunity to learn about that kind of thing.

All the same, he doesn't look terribly impressed at Kevin's other offer.
"No offense," he says, looking pointedly at him with a quirked brow, "But your word ain't worth a lot to me. You ain't one of mine, and you ain't exactly demonstrated trustworthiness. Nah... let's face it, Father, your priorities don't lie anywhere /near/ mine, and I ain't gonna trust you so far as I can throw you."

And so the homunculus falls silent, tapping at his chin as he regards the man, seemingly deep in thought. And then, slowly, he nods to himself and gets to his feet-- and gestures for Kevin to do the same.

"Gimme your clothes." ... wait, what? "The ones you got on right now, take 'em off and give 'em to me."

Hope he's wearing a shirt and shorts.

"It's okay, I understand." Kevin chuckles. "I don't know if my superiors would allow fer me t' work fer ya guys anyway."

The priest moves to stand at this point... though blinks at the strange request. "..." The priest is very quiet, as he looks down to the uniform. He slowly begins to unlatch the red coat from the shoulders, and finally unbuckle the belts at the waist to remove the full overcoat. until he tosses it onto the table, and onto the top of the case with the monetary payment.

This is a slow, and deliberate process. He's taking his time, trying to mentally find a way out of this. However, as long as he keeps Greed from seeing his back, he should be fine.

The priest then kneels down to unclasp the buckles from his boots, and slip them off his feet, setting them underneath the table. One of the belts has the gold medallion marked with the emblem of the church. He pulls it free, then quickly hangs it around his neck. As such, he finally unbuckles the belts. He also pulls a small metal device from his pocket and sets it on the chair. That stays close too, it seems.

It doesn't take too much longer for the priest to remove the rest of the suit- the black portion underneath the red coat. It, then, is tossed onto the table as well. Strange enough, though, the priest makes no attempts to approach the table by this point. He doesn't not move much, either. He simply crosses his arms, keeps his shoulders back and stands very still. It's almost a prideful stance... or perhaps he's also hiding something else? He has a very lean build- though while it's not the sign of an overly muscular build, there's certainly enough definition to show that he he is a far more active person than the typical layman.

The priest is only in shorts, though. This is not a situation that normally presents itself to him... "Is this all ya wanted? They're not gonna do ya much good, y'know." However, he lets the slightest of smirks show itself at this point.

Greed smiles, his own arms crossed as he watches the man divest himself of the majority of his clothes. He doesn't even glance around the cafe, caring not for the stares of curious and slightly mortified onlookers.

He only waits until Kevin is done before he grins fully, nodding his head. "I'm feelin' oddly generous today," he says, in a slightly more chipper tone, "And so I accept your offer."

Digging in his pocket, he removes the Black Orbment, tossing it lightly in his left hand before he presents it to the priest, grinning like a shark. "For the case, its contents, your clothes, and some of the dignity I lost at your expense, I believe we've got a deal, Father."

Kevin never looks around the cafe either. However, it could be noted that he always keeps his back to the wall. There's nothing to be ashamed of from seeing him like this. He'd rather get rid of that uniform anyway. (Though knowing his luck, Carnelia had several more made...) ....but the priest makes note that he can't let anyone see his back. Afterall- Greed's not the only one here who is actually physically marked. It's just that Kevin's 'mark' isn't quite the typical tattoo, really.

People should not know the emblem to be able to recreate it, if that's even possible. He didn't do the research of the stigma like the Oathbreaker did. He's not the one to ask on that topic, in the end. Nevertheless... Kevin slowly takes a half step forward to reach out and take the Black Orbment... but he soon returns to where he was standing, and holding the Artifact in both hands patiently. He seems to be waiting or Greed to get his things and scram. Because Kevin could probably talk the cafe's owner into giving him something that would, in the end, cover up his back.

"If our deal is concluded, I'm sure we have things to do- I, for one, have a new errand to run back home and get a new change of clothes." There's a smirk at this comment- but really? It's true. He does have things to do

The fact that he keeps his back to the wall is noted. It isn't noted as anything particularly important, however, at least not by Greed. He's too busy standing there with his arms crossed, grinning at Kevin smugly.

"Well," he says, "I wouldn't be /too/ sure 'bout that. After all, I kept my schedule pretty clear waitin' for you to call." The homunculus smirks, leaning against the table a little. "My day's free." And really, he'd feel simply /terrible/ to walk into an eating establishment and not buy something. He should have a snack.

Or maybe he's just being contrary.

Idly, it seems, he starts to gather his things, though-- the briefcase goes on the chair he'd been seated in, the robes folded somewhat carelessly and piled on top of that. The object Kevin had taken out of his pocket and placed on the other chair is given a long, appraising look. Mmmn... Hmm. Wonder what that trinket's for. Seems these guys have a lot of interesting things.

The things stacked nicely enough atop each other, Greed turns back to Kevin, sliding his hands in his pockets with a smirk. "So. Want a freebie?" He seems fairly amused about something.

The look is noted. "It's custom. I'd rather ya didn't take it, because then that would tie ya t' me. An' I'd rather that didn't happen." He steps to the chair and takes the object by the chain. It's a little larger than a pocket watch, but the priest seems to be eyeing it before he covers it with a palm. This seems to have a bit of a 'get your own' type reaction to it.

However, the young man doesn't say anything towards the offer of a freebie... well, except for a raised eyebrow. That almost seems to say everything, in fact. Kevin idly taps a finger on the frame of the Gospel, before he finally says, "Sure. I'll bite. Whatcha got?'

Greed isn't sure who it'd be worse for-- Kevin would likely get no help from being tied to Greed, but the homunculus wonders just how bad it really is to be connected to this guy. So he doesn't push it.

Shrugging instead, he just smirks. "You made a lotta mistakes, Father. In fact, you're usually just the kinda person I like-- desperate. A little careless." His grin widens, and he straightens a little as he regards the man. "Easy to take advantage of."

Gesturing to the Gospel, he shakes his head. "Made it too clear that thing's really important-- to more 'n just you. That's a mistake. But the biggest mistake? ... other than not hirin' me without a contract of payment first, that is."

Poor Kevin, he could have kept his shirt.

"Disrespectin' your hired help." There's a cool edge to his voice now, and the amusement has dimmed from his eyes. He seems serious about this las one. "Too much you didn't tell me. Maybe too much you didn't know. But /you/ had a way out, you 'n your friend there, and it woulda been a hell of a lot easier if you'd lemme know 'bout it beforehand." Teleportation. How aggravating to not have that power.

Turning to gather his things, the homunculus tucks the robes under one arm and holds the briefcase in his other hand. Seems as if he's leaving, then. "And next time you want to shove a buncha strangers in a lift, you'd better be damned sure you tell 'em ahead of time if there ain't. Any. /Stairs/." Those last three words are quite puncuated, and Kevin gets a fairly disgruntled look before Greed shakes his head and moves to leave.

"Anyway, that's my advice. Hope you live long enough to take it." Parting words, spoken as he passes by the man, on his way towards the door.

Kevin's of the opinion that it is bad to be tied to him. But hey.

The priest never states any of his arguments towards the things that the homonculi brings up to him. A few things are, in the end, something he can respond to. He never expected to have to go to the Sealed District until the very last minute. ...that, and elevators are such commonplace items in Zemulia that it's not something one thinks of, to be honest. Most of the plan was pieced together with very little warning. Despite his arguments against the advice, the Grals Ritter simply nods.

He laughs slightly as Greed has taken his leave. Then he looks down at the Gospel in his hands. There's such a great irony in all of this. Yes, perhaps he is a desperate man. He had very little warning to be able to get this trinket away from the Ouroboros, and he can't afford to let its leader see him until the time is right. But at the same time, with Greed being so upset over how things happened- even if Kevin personally believes he ended up saving them by his abrupt departure. Afterall, the Syndicate's lives were very important to him for that time being... to get th-...

This thought allows the priest to lower his head, and he's simply reminded of his commander's words and lectures. Other lives are just 'toys' to him, aren't they...? Fine. He looks up towards where Greed left and finally waves down the owner. Something to cover up would be nice. Thoughts of what have just happened? Those are quickly buried away. ...sometimes, a conscience gets in the way of his work.