Way to wait until the world is falling apart, Zev

[rogue_crow]

[Well.

Zevran had been considering how to go about recruiting people for Olivier's army for days. Originally he'd actually intended for it to be cheerful, almost playful; certainly her side has enough seriousness as it is. Besides, she told him to be gregarious, and his baffling friendliness - in spite of his profession and many other factors

Comments

[expiatrice]

[The voice is cold and professional.] Zevran; the Major General has spoken of you.

My name is Ciel. I would like to join you.

[rogue_crow]

[Ciel will find that the man who answers the door is notably shorter than average, tattooed, and with distinctly elven ears. They won't be familiar with each other; Zevran occasionally claims to be religious(though whether that's entirely facetious or not is up for argument), but any religion he has would be out of the Chantries in Thedas, and have only passing similarities to the churches of Mayfield and anything preached there. So, unsurprisingly, he's never been.]

Ah, so you would be Ciel?

1/2

[expiatrice]

Correct. [She notes the ears and the faint tattoo marks; out of all her dealings with 'heretical' existences, an elf, or perhaps something else relating to the feys, are beings that she's admittedly never interacted with.

...Not that this is a problem. There are more important things at hand right now than concerning herself with her old job.]

2/2

[expiatrice]

[The cold face of a veteran melts completely as she allows herself to give a faint smile.] Zevran, I would presume. A pleasure, despite the circumstances.

[rogue_crow]

[Though Zevran is both assassin and veteran, you certainly wouldn't know it by his expression. His smile is friendly, relaxed, and more than a little mischievously flirtatious.] A pleasure indeed! You know, it is the strangest thing; after I left my organization back home, I went for months without meeting a fellow assassin, yet here in Mayfield you would be the - third? Fourth? - besides myself. It would seem whoever is in charge of bringing us here has an eye for talent and excellent taste, at the very least.

[expiatrice]

[Ciel usually hides that side of her, but Mayfield rearranged her priorities, as the town tends to do to its captives. She also knows better than to judge from a nice face, being immensely guilty of using that as a mask herself. Rather, she simply watches his posture and the way that he carries himself; with grace and smoothness, indeed, hinting a flexible body suited for stealth.

If his attempt to make a move was noted, it went by unacknowledged.]

An assassin is hired for his efficiency, which would be the ability to kill quickly and covertly, no? They would make rather poor assassins, were you to be aware of their presence and activities. There's far less reason for us to hide our abilities here when our foe is common, so perhaps that would be the justification of why we are easier to gather. That said, we may still differ in our styles, among other things.

[rogue_crow]

[He's not specifically trying to make any sort of moves; this is just default Zevran, sadly.]

Ah, but I was raised as an assassin by one of the most notorious groups of them - and then chased by that group. One would think I might have seen more of them, and recognized them when I did. But no matter.

I certainly hope our styles are different, at that. If we all work the same way, our abilities will be quite redundant, yes?

[expiatrice]

[Part Crow, part Elven, whole Zevran, 100% natural.]

That sounds like quite a history, but yes, maybe some other time.

Of course, but as the lieutenant, should you not also be aware of the abilities and skill level of your subordinates? Such knowledge would ease deployment when the time comes, if nothing else.

[rogue_crow]

Of course. And I intend to find them out! Starting with you, I would hope.

[expiatrice]

Certainly. How would you like to proceed?

[rogue_crow]

Hmm...well, doubtless assassins from other worlds differ from assassins from mine. Why not tell me what skills you have, and how you operated in your own world?

[expiatrice]

That's a reasonable start. For skills relating to an assassin's trade in particular, I do have superhuman strength and speed: I came here by the rooftops to avoid trouble below on the streets. I am trained in martial arts, proficient with daggers and swords, and am skilled with most type of projectiles. As for the rest...

Are you any familiar with Christianity, the religion of this place, Zevran?

[rogue_crow]

Superhuman? Truly? That could certainly be useful. How much more so than a human, however? I need to know just how much you are capable of.

Also, regarding the projectiles...did your world have guns, and do you know how to use them? Mine did not, so I had to learn here.

I cannot say I am, no. Why?

[expiatrice]

I can lift up to twice my weight, and can outrun the cars here if I tried. Would that be a good estimation?

Yes, and I can use most variants, from handguns to sniper rifles. I do favor something else over ordinary guns, but I'll be explaining that shortly.

Because that may be the major difference that you and I share, when it comes to the type of targets that we are assigned to eliminate. 'Assassin' does not accurately describe what I do, but it is an acceptable variant: I hunt heretics - demons, if you will, back in my world. Under the Church, that makes me an Executor, so I am also versed in exorcism, as well as healing. Your world's religion may employ individuals for something similar, perhaps? [It's like if a Templar suddenly had rogue skills and got better, in other words? :|a]

[rogue_crow]

It certainly would be. And if I cannot find some use for that, I am not nearly the leader Olivier believes me capable of being.

I...suppose the closest to that would be the templars, who are trained to hunt down dangerous rogue mages. And to keep the good ones from becoming dangerous rogue mages, of course. But mages are not demons - unless something has already gone very wrong, of course.

Healing powers in particular are very useful, and likely not something any of the others will have...though, personally, I suspect that if we are confronted at all in our mission, there will be no opportunity to use them. I encountered the Milkman at one point, and I wasn't able to even see the man move.

[expiatrice]

I leave the benefit of the doubt to you, Zevran. [She may be teasing. A little. Despite the completely stoic expression.]

That may be it. ...The Mage's Association in my world is not necessarily on good terms with the Church, but both coexist peacefully. A Mediator from the Church is sometimes dispatched too, to supervise over conflicts between magi. Either way, they are human and are not dangerous, unless they take their research too far, contract a demon, or do something else as such. I hunt non-humans: hybrids, vampires, ghouls, and so on.

[...] It is nevertheless an asset to consider. I can also bind and neutralize, but if this is the Milkman, an exceptional being akin to the Smiths and Officer Grady, then that may prove to be useless either way. Can you tell me more about that confrontation?