Sequence 01

[maestro_ezio]

Who: Ezio (maestro_ezio) and Gin (wingsofsilver)
What: Ezio wants information, Gin just might have it
When: Slightly forward-dated to June 23
Where: Lux (Lucifer's Bar)
Warnings: Italian charm. Lots of it.

Comments

[wingsofsilver]

Things had been quiet that night but, as always, they usually were. If there was one good thing to be said of working at Lux, it was that nothing bad ever really happened, due mostly in part to it's omnipotent owner. Most had the good sense to never act up in a bar run by the devil, and those who didn't, well...

It also didn't hurt that there was enough magic in the walls of this place that anyone with the sight would probably go blind. (Pun not intended.)

It was because of this quietness that Gin knew instantly when Ezio entered the bar, by way of the door opening. Though he didn't glance up immediately (they'd get to him sooner or later,) he did straighten his shoulders a little in the expectation of serving a customer. Whatever his private thoughts, he took his job seriously enough to manage that much at least.

Which was why, when he finally glanced up and caught a glimpse of the man, he fought hard not to openly stare.

Either someone is new or they like their clothes, he thought blank faced as he watched Ezio move fluidly past the tables towards him. He was a new face, Gin thought immediately. Or half of one, somebody should tell this boy that sunglasses work better and are more fashionable. The thought was, perhaps, a little uncharitable towards the man but true all the same in his opinion.

He had to revise his "boy" remark once he saw the shadow of facial hair, though.

[maestro_ezio]

Indeed, Ezio was fairly new to the ship. He had intended to acquire clothing more suitable to blending in, but he did not have the means currently. But there was something to be said about his Assassin garb being made purely of white leather. The edges of his sleeves were lined with intricate lace and the small button on his collar was wrought silver.

Perhaps he could blend among the people in other ways, after all. Or perhaps not. He would not know until he spent more time on the ship.

He sat on one of the backless high chairs, waiting for the man to pass to take his order.

[wingsofsilver]

If Ezio was concerned about blending it, Gin would have told him to relax. These days, nothing was out of place on the ship that housed refugees from every kind of world. All he'd have to do is stand next to one of those fluorescent lifeforms and he'd be set, showy apparel or not.

As it was, when the assassin took his seat at the counter, Gin made his way over and put on his bland "I'm pretending to be polite because you're a customer" smile.

"Welcome to Lux," he began, voice appropriately low for the atmosphere but audible at this distance. "Anything I can get you?"

[maestro_ezio]

"Vino, red," he replied as he set his Guide down on the bar. Ezio is just grateful for the courtesy of pretending; so many seemed to be intent on being rude for the sake of it.

He sighed, contemplating if he wanted to remove his hood or not. He removed it, in the end. There were not many people here and the light was a little too dim for him to see well under the shadow of the hood.

[wingsofsilver]

Raising an eyebrow at the rather vague (in Gin's opinion) request, the angel simply set another napkin onto the counter before placing a clean wine glass on top. That complete, he turned to the wall of bottles behind him and began searching, all the while thinking.

For a man like this? Dressed in what he assumed were clothes set to a specific time period and new to the ship? Something easy on the wallet with a nice flavor, not too sweet or strong to start.

After a moment or two spent examining the bottles on hand, Gin finally returned with such a brand and drew the corkscrew from beneath the counter to pop it open. Once he had the cork out of the bottle mouth, with one hand he poured no more than a swallow into the glass before sliding it forward with his other hand.

"Let me know if it's to your taste."

[maestro_ezio]

Ezio took the glass and sipped on it. He nodded then set the glass back down on the bar. It would do quite well for the time being.

"Is it usually this empty?" He had hoped to catch rumors or vague clues as to who or what the Purists are exactly. Not tonight, it appeared. But perhaps later, or perhaps he would find something here hidden, out of sight.

[wingsofsilver]

Gin obligingly refilled the glass, higher this time before setting the bottle aside and making a mental note in his head for this guy's tab. Usually people knew better than to bail on the check but you could never tell with a new face. Handsome or not, idiocy came in all shapes and forms.

And against Gin's better judgement, he did find Ezio handsome. The Italian's voice and gaze spoke of someone with determination and the refinement of age and experience. A slight nick at his lips had the angel wondering idly about its cause. Someone who liked to fight? It was well healed over so... a product of a misspent youth? Either way, it suited the man, though he wasn't too fond of facial hair. He was also a little older than Gin's preference range, for a human anyway.

Still, a little flirting never hurt~

Resting his elbows on the counter and purposefully leaning in with the appearance of someone intending to keep the conversation low and private so as not to disturb others, Gin replied, "Depends on the time, ship activity and the planet we're over. For now? It'll probably be quiet for the rest of the night."

[maestro_ezio]

He twisted his lips in thought. "If I may ask, what sorts of people come often?" Ezio somewhat knew from his observations from the comings and goings of people, but he did not know always what to make of the refugees.

Ezio studied briefly the man's facial features. Very slender and feminine, like many a boy in Roma. He had never seen silver hair on such a young man before arriving here though.

[wingsofsilver]

Well wasn't this an odd line of questioning? Raising an eyebrow, Gin straightened a little and appeared to give the question little thought before answering. It wasn't as if it was something he needed seriously consider considering he served these people 5 out of the 7 days.

"Refugees and high-end clientele, mostly." He remarked, glancing out at the handful of customers scattered around the far corner tables. "People with the credits to spend on pricey liquor." Here he paused before an amused smile slid onto his face.

"Or the curious." He added pointedly, looking back at Ezio with a knowing look.

[maestro_ezio]

Ezio grinned. "Or the curious," he repeated. "It cannot be helped, I suppose. It is in my nature to be as such." No, not quite. It was in his nature to learn as much as he could before running headfirst into anything. Information to him was nearly priceless.

He looked over his shoulder, spying upon the few people that were there. He did not look for too long before returning his attention to the bartender.

[wingsofsilver]

"Then why don't we get straight to it," Gin suggested as he set aside a towel he had picked up to habitually clean the counter top. "What exactly are you so curious about that you'd venture into Lux?"

Somehow, from the way Ezio acted, he didn't seem to be a sightseer looking to see the Devil face to face, like many newcomers often were. But what else then? Apart from it's owner, Lux was like any other classy bar aboard the Thor, despite it's unusual staff. Sure it saw more than the usual fare of shady customers but that was just because it was so easy to keep spoken secrets in this place.

[maestro_ezio]

Ezio looked at the man. He shifted briefly into Eagle Vision, finding that he was not an enemy. Bene. The color of the world returned as he drank some of his wine.

As for the Devil, Ezio did not believe in these things. He was not a religious man and from the writings of Altair he studied before, Ezio learned bits and pieces of the truth. He had no God and therefore no Devil to go with it.

"What do you know about these Purists?"

[wingsofsilver]

That made Gin pause. For the first time since their conversation had begun, something in Gin's expression made him seem... unfriendly, towards Ezio. If only for just a moment and if only because getting involved in that mess wasn't high on his list of to-dos. It wasn't hard to know the basics, that anti-refugee sentiments were spreading among the rest of the ship. Hell, anyone who read the Lightning Post would know about the Purists, even if they weren't aware of how quickly it was spreading.

Giving Ezio a mild, searching stare, he finally replied in light tones, "Nothing, except what they put out on the network."

Then, quietly leaning in and suggestively resting his hand over Ezio's arm, Gin let his hair slide forward and gave a pointed look to one of the private tables near the back. "Why don't you grab a table so we can get to know each other later?"

[maestro_ezio]

Ezio noticed the flicker of unfriendliness. It was brief, fleeting even, but it was there. He returned Gin's look with a cool, blank face. Something is not right.

He looked discreetly over to said table. He wanted information, and if this was the way, so be it. So he gave him a smile and a nod, slipping away and taking his drink with him.

[wingsofsilver]

And just to seal the illusion, Gin cheekily gave him a quick caress of his lips before withdrawing and going back to work like nothing but friendly chatter had occurred. For the rest of his shift, the angel didn't look at Ezio once, though he did send the occasional waiter by with refills.

A few hours later, however, found Gin slumping into the chair across from Ezio and undoing the tie on his hair. With most of the customers gone and the staff busy at work preparing to close, their table was, for the most part, ignored.

"You don't start small, do you?"

[maestro_ezio]

Ezio was, at first, extremely confused by the action. And while he played it off as if it were nothing, and continued doing so, he had to admit that it was one of the first times a man was so openly affectionate with him.

He studied his Guide, pressing buttons to and fro, reading the descriptions that were put in Italian for him when Gin approached him once more.

"I do not know any other way to start." Coming from a man who started his Assassin life at 16 by tracking down a major conspiracy, there was really no such thing as small.