Mictlantecuhtli

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"Mm, I'm sure Daisy wouldn't like anyone being too handsy other than me. But thanks for the offer! Maybe you can wait outside? I'll be back in two shakes of a lambs tail." Mic replied with a grin, grabbing the paper "Seriously! They go right around the corner, I can handle it myself."

And he would. This man finding out about the whole 'murder' thing would be inconvenient. Because, then he would run, and probably wouldn't plan on keeping his mouth shut. And, then, he would have to kill him. Which was a shame, since he really wanted the professor alive, if even for a bit. He didn't seem like he would be very much fun dead. Mic planned to have as much fun as he possibly could. After all, humans were hilarious. Not taking advantage of the man's oblivious nature would be a foolish things to do.
 
Vidal hummed momentarily, a bit concerned that Henry would be handling both of the unconscious people on his own... but the man certainly seemed confident enough. So, deciding to say no more, he nodded a farewell to the magnicificent magician and hurried his way home. It was on the walk to his flat, that the professor suddenly realised that he was having a guest over! He needed to tidy up the place as quickly as possible. Putting a fire beneath his feet, Vidal ran back to his building as quickly as possible and entered the modest space. The building itself was pretty regal. Most of new professors tended to stay here until they could find more suitable accomodations off of the campus. But, Vidal didn't see the point. He didn't have much to do aside from work... so he didn't see the point of living away from it.

As he walked across the hardwood floors, he quickly began gathering books that laid on his coffee table and adjusting them so that they were properly straightened. He tilted his period-appropriate paintings until they were just so. [Truthfully, not a single thing was out of place in the man's home. But, where others saw an almost obsessive neatness, Vidal only saw room for improvement] After filing away his latest set of notes, Vidal began his second round of dusting for the day. He focused on a few of the larger artifacts that he had dotted about the space. The young man had a collection of about thirty pieces in all, vases, cases and other stone vessels [cuauhxicalli, mostly]... Many of them he'd unearthed himself--though he'd truly had no business at the digging sites in the first place. However, it all paled in comparison to what was the pride of his collection: his sacrificial knives. Arranged on his wall by size and colour, they weren't particularly fancy looking... but they meant far more to him than mere looks. There was a great deal of importance to them and Vidal took the greatest care of them, over anything else in his collection. Once he was satisfied with his work, he left the apartment and started to go back out to the front gates, hoping that his guest would be arriving soon.​
 
Dragging the body away had been a bit difficult, but he had managed. Fixing up the girl? More difficult. The body, that he could drop. The girl, he couldn't. But after much effort, he managed to get the job done. Next on the list was to clean up the mess. That wasn't too bad; he finished rather quickly, making sure it looked spotless. And, that was all for the clean up.

But, he wasn't done. He needed new clothes. That also proved a difficult task, but he managed to scrounge up a pair of jeans and a white tee-shirt, tucking hisold clothes away into a bag. At this point, he was sure the professor had been waiting a while, and he did hope he was STILL waiting. Otherwise he'd have a bit of trouble.

Walking down the street, he quickly checked himself in a store window. He looked completely human; good. Two eyes, two ears, one nose, one mouth. Nothing off. He grinned a bit, before continuing on the meet the professor at the gate.
 
Vidal stood outside of the gates, watching the moon rise ever higher into the sky. He'd been waiting for nearly an hour's time now, and couldn't help growing more and more concerned by Henry's absence. Perhaps he should have accompanied the man... It was possible that his friends were actually hurt.. or worse. They might have needed medical attention and poor Henry wouldn't have the means to contact anyone quickly. All these worries began to pile in Vidal's head. To the point that he'd actually begun walking back to the location where he'd last seen them... Thankfully, he didn't get very far before seeing a familiar face. Eyes brightening instantly, Vidal perked up--much like a neglected puppy would. He smiled and extended his hand for a good shake. "Henry! Wonderful to see you again! And I can finally give you a proper greeting, now that you're... fairly clean!" Vidal gave a soft chuckle, shaking the man's hand fervently. And, without a moment to spare, he guided Henry inside, ushering the wonderful illusionist into his home with as much fanfare as he could muster. "You've encountered such grand luck today, my friend! You get the opportunity to see things that very few eyes have laid upon... Artifacts that I had to fight both weather and rain... and border patrol.. for! Welcome to my humble abode..." Ending with a small bow, Vidal guided the man inside with his hand.​
 
"Neat!" Was Mic's first response and he rushed into the home to view the various things in it. Oh, this was fantastic! He hadn't seen ritual knives in a while. Well, real ritual knives. These were authentic. He would touch them, but he had a feeling that he wasn't exactly supposed to.

Viewing the past was certainly filling him with memories. Which was great. Though, he did happen to have one question that was bothering him. He turned back to the young professor, before stating simply "What's border patrol?". He honestly did know, humans always came up with the wackiest things, and he hadn't bothered to keep tabs on such. It was simply too boring for him.
 
Vidal was absolutely pleased with Henry's reaction. He followed the man around as quietly as he could, fulfilling his own delight with his reactions. He hadn't really.. had company in quite some time. So, seeing someone so very enthusiastic about all of this was truly awe-inspiring. Seeing him gaze at the collection of knives, Vidal was fairly quick to carefully retrieve one from the wall. Extending it out in front of him, he offered it to the Henry with a smile. "Don't worry, there's no need to be shy. These knives aren't all that fragile. The ones that are made from frailer material are locked away in my chest." Pointing across the room, Vidal indicated toward a different set of knives which appeared to be fashioned of a different material. Their blades were darker and looked far more clean than the ones that hung from his wall. Perhaps even polished. Henry's next question brought a bit of pause to Vidal.. though he did suddenly recall that the man was homeless. Of course he wouldn't know what a reference to such a thing was. THe man probably hadn't been able to leave the city, let alone his own province! "Ah... Well. They are a certain set of people whose duty it is to protect the borders of certain nations. They're much like policeman, really. They ensure that people aren't taking or leaving things they shouldn't when they travel from one country to another! ... I. I'm afraid I may have found myself on the other side of such laws before. But I was able to convince them that my intent was only driven by the pursuit of knowledge!"​
 
Mic's focus was on the knife now, studying it, as he hadn't really ever held one. Sure, he knew the process of sacrifices, but he was the one being sacrificed to. Of course he didn't hold the knife! So, it was an interesting experience, to say the least. To him, these were much nicer than modern knives. Much more style.

He glanced up at Vidal momentarily, before looking back at the knife "So, they stop you from taking stuff? Weird. Why does it matter whether you take stuff or not?" He replied.

These 'Border Police' seemed like real killjoys. He never did enjoy the weird laws humans decided to make. Some hardly made sense. He found it amusing, though, that Vidal tried to bypass these laws. He could imagine the man trying to negotiate with the border whatever's about being able to keep all these things.
 
Overjoyed by Henry's fascination, Vidal was quick to pick out several of the knives from the wall and allow the man to hold each of them at least once. They all varied in size and colour, but they were all also fairly weighty. Vidal chattered on and on about each of them, bearing this story or that about how he'd procured them. From what could be told, it was obvious that the professor was willing to go to great lengths for 'knowledge'. In truth, the man was just an obsessive collector. Vidal liked the things that he liked and little things like 'laws' weren't going to get in his way.

"I agree, but... they do have some purpose. Their focus is supposed to be on important contraband, such as weapons or illegal substances... So, as you could imagine, coming home with a rucksack full of ancient weaponry can be a bit... harrowing. But my pursuits are purely archaeological." He chuckled for a moment, putting a few of the knives away, and adjusting them a few times so that they sat perfectly on the wall. "My students tease me at times... They find it so strange that I devote myself to a culture that could resort to such regular brutality... A 'waif' like me, owning all this." Vidal finally got the knives to his liking and went over to his couch. Fluffing the pillows a little, he started fashioning a bed for his guest as he spoke. "I suppose I just admire their dedication. ...And their fear... It's so rare to find anyone that has true convictions about anything anymore. Everyone is so... blasé about everything. You can't love anything. You can only hate things and... make sarcastic quips at their expense. It's all so..." Vidal stopped for a moment. Looking down at the pillow in his hand, he realised he had begun ripping it. Eyes wide, he quickly dropped it, behind the couch, out of sight. Suddenly nervous, he went back to arranging the bed. "I.. I apologise. I hadn't meant to stand up on my soapbox like that. ... Anyway, if you'd like, you can take a rest on the couch for the time being. I'll make dinner for you, in the meantime. Any preferences? Dietary concerns?" Vidal's smile returned. Sweet as ever.​
 
Mic paused a moment, studying the man with a raised eyebrow, before grinning "Oh, no, anything is fine. I'll have what you're having. And don't be afraid to...." he paused, trying to remember the weird phrase the professor had used ".....Oh! Stand up on your soap, I don't care."

He shrugged a little, taking a seat on the couch "After all, you're doing so much for me, it'd be rude to make you uncomfortable to say what you want to, eh? 'Sides, again, I don't care." he added.

He really didn't. He found Vidal's little speech rather endearing, since, after all, he did partially cause the dedication and fear the man was talking about. It was so nice for someone to actually take notice. Aztecs didn't have these......Border Patrol, and they certainly did allow use of knives and weapons. Without those, where would all the fun be? No where. There would be no fun. He supposed that's why he disliked humans nowadays; they just didn't do anything worth liking. The Romans, at least, had gladiator fights, but now? There's laws against all this. It was rather disheartening, since that's why he paid any attention to humans in the first place. That, and how pitiful they were at points. That was more amusing than entertaining, really, and he got bored of it quicker than he did of violence.

He was glad to see someone interested in such things other than him. After the little show he had, with the professor being so excited and all, he assumed that the man wasn't very queasy. Which, for him, was absolutely fantastic. Maybe he'd share a few fun facts with him. Though, he might already know them; it would seem humans are very interested in the past, for some odd reason. He wasn't complaining, though. Those were the good times, for him; he wouldn't mind going back to them. Humans, though? He didn't exactly think they would.
 
Still a bit unnerved by his tiny outburst, Vidal nodded at Henry's reasonable reply and went to the kitchen. He retrieved a number of things, lentils, rice, asparagus, and others, deciding to make something comforting, yet quick. Placing everything in the oven to roast for a few minutes and setting the rice to cook, Vidal exited the kitchen and greeted Henry again. "Dinner should be ready soon. And, I forgot to mention that I'm a fairly strict vegetarian so, I deeply apologise if you were expecting meat..." Giving a small bow, Vidal excused himself to the bathroom. He was feeling a bit better, but still couldn't shake the sentiments he'd brought up earlier. He'd done so well for so long... One day at a time..., he thought to himself. In the bathroom, Vidal searched one of his coffers for a small pill box, retrieving a small one and taking it gingerly. He chased it down with water and took a few moments to himself. This wasn't as bad as it seemed. He'd managed to make a friend today. If he could remember to find the other members of the cult, he might even be able to make several more. He smiled a little at the thought, glad that what could have been a terrible mistake had turned into such a fortuitous thing. Sitting up suddenly, Vidal recalled that he did have a guest to tend to. No sense moping about! He quickly exited the bathroom and ran back to the salon, where he'd left Henry. "Oh, Henry, would it be too much to ask for you to perform in front of my students some time soon? I'd be more than happy to hire you!"​
 
Mic was lounging at this point, shoes placed neatly off to the side. He glanced up from fiddling with his fingers at Vidal, and grinned "Sure, sure! But, it'll be a lot less realistic, I ran out of my old stuff, and the place I usually get it from shut down. Hard times for magic tricks involving blood, you know? It's a shame, I loved the place!" He lied with ease.

While he'd love a bunch of college-age students to scream their heads off at murder, he couldn't actually do it when the oblivious professor was there. That would be a bit too risky for his tastes. Well, actually, no. He loved being risky. But, he didn't want to take a chance with THIS; he didn't think he could find another human just as oblivious as this man was. So, he wanted to make sure he didn't have to go through the effort of doing so.

But, preforming the act might be a little difficult. He was sure he could manage, but doing something that was not legitimately a murder? It wasn't normal for him. Making it realistic would be quite the chore. He'd have to try, though, whether he liked it or not.
 
Vidal looked sourly disappointed by Henry's words. "Oh... That's a shame. There's no possible way to recreate any of it? ... Not that I don't enjoy your company, but I... I was really hoping to see some of your illusions again. ... Darnit, I should've taken pictures " Vidal cursed to himself, obviously a little irked that he'd never gotten the hang of using smartphones and the like. He preferred the mobile phone that he'd gotten in high-school. A little flippy one that did everything that he could ever ask. He supposed that a tiny portable camera probably would've come in handy now, though. With a small sigh, he decided to push the disappointment from his mind and focus on other things. Like the meal he was about to burn! Getting up suddenly, Vidal ran his way back to the kitchen and removed the asparagus he'd set to roast. It was a bit.... charred, but definitely still edible. So, after some meticulous plating and table setting, he called Henry over to the kitchen so that they could dine properly. He offered Henry some wine, though he didn't drink much himself... but this was a festive occasion between friends! This was what friends did, as far as Vidal knew. "Oh, I haven't even asked much about you, Henry. I've gotten so excited about our common thread, that I forgot there was a man behind it. Where are you from anyway? And how could an illusionist as good as you end up doing such peculiar sideshows? "​
 
Mic sat down, grinning at the prospect of some wine, and accepting the offer, before focusing on the questions at hand. Where he was from, huh? He really didn't have an answer for that, so he'd have to make something up on the fly. He could possibly just say 'this town' and go with that. It seemed like a decent plan.

He hummed a little, leaning on the table "Welllll, Prof, I'm from this town! My parents kicked me out as soon as I reached 18, you know? And I had to get a living somehow. So, street shows! And, then, I moved on to getting hired. I mostly do 'rituals', you know? Its cool, getting into cultures to do shows. I'm delighted you appreciate it, I put work into it." he replied, hoping this would be a believable story. He was pretty sure it was; humans kicked out their children from their households when they got older, right? And if you happened to be homeless, you did things on the street to earn money. It seemed simple enough to pass, to him.

((Do you think we should discus a few more ideas so in the future it doesn't get boring??))
 
[ ooc: Topics discussed! Away we go! ]

Listening intently to the man's words, Vidal was fairly captivated by the story. He also encouraged the other man to eat, knowing that he must have been hungry from all his troubles. Vidal, on the other hand, wasn't all that hungry. Given the little tick he'd had earlier, he'd sort of lost his appetite. He ate a bit, though, if only to keep up appearances and to have an excuse to continue sitting with the fascinating man in front of him. Smiling politely the entire time, he tilted his head slightly towards the end of his story. "I'm sorry, I had no idea... Do you have any relatives that you'd be able to contact? My word, you must have been on the streets for so long... I can hardly imagine the amount of ruffians you've run into over this time. How.. How have-... Nevermind, I needn't pry into the details like that." Stopping himself short of a question, Vidal sighed, trying to put the unpleasantness out of his head. He finally gave up on trying to eat what remained on his plate, knowing that he was just forcing things he didn't want down his gullet. He set his fork down. "Well, I'd be more than happy to extend the comfort of my home for however long it is you've decided to stay in this area. As you can imagine, I ... have a lot of space here and not that many guests. It... It might be nice to have another heartbeat around the house."​
 
"No relatives, no." He replied, shaking his head. Of course, there were the other false gods, but he didn't particularly like them. A bunch of brats, really, with nothing fun to them.

He practically lit up at the next bit, grinning widely "Well, gee, Prof, I'd adore staying a bit! It's hard to find people with passion about the things I like nowadays, you know? And I've been on my own for a while, so I'd love being around another person.

This was going better than he has anticipated, really. He had been expecting to be allowed a few days at the most, but this? More than perfect. He'd take up the offer, especially since he didn't ACTUALLY have anywhere to go. Two birds, one stone!
 
Vidal hummed a little to himself, trying to think of a way that he could help Henry further. As much as he liked the idea of having a housemate, he did know that the man would have to support himself somehow. Vidal wasn't a fool enough to believe that his kindness wouldn't be exploited somehow... "Um... How would you feel about accepting a position around the campus as well? I suppose I could scrounge up something. As... wonderful as your work as an illusionist is, I imagine that it can't pay very much. Not enough to afford the rent around here anyway." Chuckling moderately, Vidal thought to himself a bit longer, but could really only come up with labourous jobs. "We could always use new groundskeepers... And the science professors are always looking for janitors. Or test subjects! ... Though I'm doubtful that the latter pays very much either. ... Hm.", shaking his head a little, Vidal wasn't exactly impressed with his own suggestions. Deciding to drop it altogether, he sat up and started to take the dishes to the kitchen in order to clean them.​
 
"Is there such a thing as assistant professor?" He asked curiously, leaning on the table.

It sounded like a job position that would exist in this day and age, but he didn't exactly know. Really, though, if something as ridiculous as border police could exist, this could exist. It seemed like it would be a helpful position, anyway. Humans always like help and company, right? They seemed to, at least. They DID have family units, and roommates, and all sorts of things to keep themselves from being lonely.
 
Vidal was in the midst of cleaning the dishes when he heard Henry's suggestion. Eyes wide, he sputtered a little at the insinuation. He nearly dropped his dish as he thought about it... "U-uh.... Well. It... It's certainly not unheard of, but usually there's a certain amount of credentials that's required. I don't think that I could hire an assistant right... off of the street. ... N-not that you don't know what you're talking about, of course! From what I can see, you're probably more knowledgeable than most of my students! But.. But I doubt that I could just-.. I- I mean... " Vidal was obviously having trouble trying word this as politely as he could. He didn't want to offend this man! He was the first friend he'd made in... well... ... Gods, he wan't even certain how long it had been! But, at the same time, he couldn't exactly hire the man out of nowhere. He wasn't even certain if the position existed! Or if he even had the power to hire for it! "I... I'd have to speak with the Dean and the other department heads, I suppose. And... I .. Heh... I can't exactly vouch for my standing with them. We aren't exactly on the best of terms."​
 
"Why's that?" He asked, a bit curious. Didn't Vidal WORK for them? Why work for someone you weren't on good terms with? It didn't exactly make much sense. Also, it wasn't like he couldn't just make up the credentials if need be. He could! They wouldn't be real, but he was sure no one would notice. Then, he'd have a secured place here, and everything would be fine and dandy, wouldnt it? He was pretty sure of it. For him, atleast. Vidal might has other thoughts on that, but he didn't care enough to really ask him about it..
 
Vidal was obviously a bit flustered by the question. He still didn't want to offend the man, but he'd already made so many accommodations for him. Surely he could forgive him for this one transgression. "Ah... Well. As I told you before, I tend to get a bit overzealous in my pursuits. That... zeal, doesn't exactly mesh with the culture around here. Many of the academics here are strictly book studiers. They don't believe in the more physical side of research. Especially in something like historical anthropology. I find that notion fairly ridiculous... But they find me just as ridiculous, really. To make matters worse, I'm a great deal younger than many of them. Being so new to my position, they have the upper hand on anything that I pose, due to my lack of experience. There'... There's a great deal of opposition that I have to deal with on a daily basis. It-.... It can get quite frustrating.", Vidal chuckled as lightly as he could, though he could feel a familiar feeling begin to crop up as he spoke of his colleagues. He felt his grip tighten a little on the plate in his hand, but he was quick to correct it. He sighed and focused his mind on washing. Shaking his head, he tried to part with the subject smoothly. "So... That's how it is. I'm afraid even if I were to hire you, it wouldn't get passed my colleagues for approval. The department heads would have to meet you as well and... I'm certain they would just tear you apart after realising that you didn't have fancy sheets of paper backing you up."​
 
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