PM to join Splinter Cell (Ricky)

[Ignotus Everto]

26th of Fall, 512AV

The Kelp Bar was starting to become a regular haunt for Ignotus. Between quiet meetings of an amoral type, mercenary recruiting, or good old fashioned headhunting, the little location was perfect for anyone who wanted to have a conversation without being spied on. In this case, a simple courier had sent Ricky a summons.

The fact that the man was an upstanding citizen, and now a Wave Guard meant that he was the perfect man to speak to after the unfortunate murder of one of his colleagues. Kip's death was simply too good an opportunity to let go to waste, and as such, the man was sent a simple letter by the venerable Trident Knight asking him to bring any of his trusted colleagues with him to the Kelp Bar, to discuss a matter of civil security.

Ignotus' fingers tapped lazily against the worn wood of the bar's tables, occasionally shifting uncomfortably in his rickety, straight-backed seat. He had been waiting for thirty chimes, and so far, nothing. This displeased him. Ten more chimes passed. Perhaps the courier got lost. A waitress set down two mugs of Kelp beer on his table. Ignotus stretched his back. Another chime passed.

[Ricky Maze]

Part 2.5 of The Part of Moving On In the event that the storm hits it leaves only a destructive path in its wake, only to die out after the severe damage is done. In times like these we define it as the calm, a time of quiet stillness just waiting to be disturbed. It is here when we must let go, amd carry on to the next step in our life. Yet what we find waiting at the end of the calm, becomes even more dangerous then what we have left behind... Ricky was in a edgy mood today with his short fuse going on and off, earlier a courier has arrived with a note and from then on it was as if the God's were testing his patience. The busy bustle of the crowd he had to get through was more then agitating for Ricky even more, add in the cold chill of the winter day and next thing you know you're ready to bang your head on something. That's how he was anyway, the time spent arriving to at the Kelp Bar was tedious enough as it was. On top of that this was his break during his duty, as the Guard has someone had to make up for the shifts Kip would no longer be there for. When he came in to look for the patrons in the gloomy place he shifted his eyes through every one, until at last he found the man that had been waiting for him. He had a sort of familiarity sense about this man, one he couldn't quite place on at the moment. "Sorry I'm late," He apologized trying to hide the disdainful look in his expression, "Took long enough to get here anyway." He would normally sound rather humble, but the stress of work and bottled up emotions he kept made hin seem rather anxious. Irritable nonetheless. He would've also been nice enough to wait and be offered a seat, but the tired soreness in his knees demanded that he rest. So he did upon impulse rather then courtesy. "Yer note said we have business to discuss?"

[Ignotus Everto]

The drumming stopped. A weary smile crept onto Ignotus' face, and he allowed his age to show itself momentarily, before gesturing softly with an upturned palm to the mug in the middle of the table. "Have a drink."

The cup moved towards Ricky seemingly of its own accord, the Nuit's other arm resting limply on the table. Ignotus was determined to familiarize himself thoroughly with Projection by the season's end, and that meant practice, practice, and more practice. Even if it was petty. Sure, it ate up a good fourth of his rather considerable Djed pool, especially given the chime it took to reattach his astral arm to his bones, and syncing it with his skin and sinew as well, but that was the price of progress.

It was clear that Ricky was upset, and Ignotus had no interest in an irritable, hostile conversation partner. As such, it was prudent to relax him. If anything, it would only help him make his case later. A faint pulse of Djed reverberated through the air, lending a curious weight to Ignotus' words and soothing the Wave Guard's frayed nerves slightly. Slightly. The Hypnotist waited patiently for Ricky's features to soften and for his body to relax before speaking again, pausing every now and again to give his words some gravity. "I'd like to speak to you about Kip. The murdered guard?" a pause as the Nuit's eyes closed for a tick.

He sucked on his teeth before continuing, "He was a good man, whose death should not go unavenged. However, as I hear it, our current men in uniform are, unfortunately, lacking. This must be remedied, unless the words carved into Kip's body," the poor guard's corpse flashed before Ricky's eyes, the damning, bleeding words burning red before him, "Should ring true."

The sudden vision was the result of a packet of Djed reaching him containing Ignotus' imagined appearance of the crime scene. A crime scene he knew about before it existed. Creating a brief visual hallucination was growing slightly easier for the Nuit, though it was still pushing what he could accomplish hypnotically. At any rate, his ability was not what he was focusing on. No, Ricky had his full attention at this point. With a faint air of trepidation, the wizard said, "I want to ask you something, Ricky. If I were to offer to allow you to become all you could be. To grow great enough to prevent another Kip, to grow great enough to protect the city we love and grew up in... Would you accept?"

[Ricky Maze]

The mug slid close to Ricky when the man offered the drink, which had somewhat surprised Ricky at first. His surprise quickly faded though as he accepted it however, for he knew well enough already that magic was involved in this; yet he didn't question what magic it was. Instead he found it better to just drink a bit to calm his nerves some, and surely enough a relaxing feel came to him after a long tense day. When Igno was speaking Ricky had listened with an open mind, but the words he heard next were ones that made him wish he hadn't. Kip of course was more then enough to shut his mind off from the topic, yet when he was going in for the second drink of the Kelp Beer his attention was immediately pulled. Not only did he do his best to not remember the event of that night but he didn't wish for another night to happen again, he was already dealing with too much death in his life now; he would much rather tell it to petch off. What came next out of this man's mouth though was the exact words that Ricky didn't think he'd hear. "If I were to offer to allow you to become all you could be. To grow great enough to prevent another Kip, to grow great enough to protect the city we love and grew up in... Would you accept?" Ricky's eyes showed that his attention was more then fished in, he was clearly caught off guard at what he just heard. Could such an offer really exist? Did this man truly extend an invitation for something Ricky has been long seeking? Or was this a joke being played by the God's as they enjoyed their torturous scheming. He was already humiliated enough in his pitiful state of failure, how much farther would they have him sink before he was beyond disappointment? Yet truly this was a curious situation, perhaps this was indeed a long sought break for what he was after....no this was simply a joke, surely such a thing was improbable; more then likely to not happen. "I'd say ye'd have to have a lot of power and influence to do so. Why ask me such a question anyway? Surely there is someone better suited for this kind of...thing." He assured as he looked into the mug that contained the beer, eye the green sludge to keep himself from looking too interested.

[Ignotus Everto]

Why, yes, Ignotus did have a fair amount of power and influence. While he certainly was no noble, nor was he the leader of an ancient crime syndicate, he had his fair share of friends and acquaintances of rather specialized skill sets, and those friends and acquaintances could be used quite effectively. However, it wasn't anything compared to, say, his own personal guard. This, however, could be remedied.

The Nuit shrugged in response to Ricky's first statement, "I went to Sahova. I came back alive. I know others who did the same. Those people had to be good at surviving to do so. And, of course, I myself have a couple tricks up my sleeve..." Ignotus said with a playful smile. Suddenly he snapped his fingers, a gentle flash of flame followed by a plume of undulating black smoke rising from the clammy digits. "As for someone more suited," Ignotus rested his forearms on the table again, "You're humble, steadfast, virtuous, and brave. What more would a man looking for the commander of a new faction of Wave Guards want?"

[Ricky Maze]

Truly? Would Ricky really be the one to carry on such a role? To further advance his capabilites and strengthen himself to better defend his city? Sure enough what this man was saying was true, Ricky did seem virtuous enough for such a grand role, and as honorable as he may be his disposition in life as of now was not a favorable one. He was still lost in the valley of sorrow, where misery and pain loomed over him like a evil curse never to be lifted. Could such a troubled man have the ability to perform this task? His eyes now curiously fixated on Igno as he watched the man discreetly show his magic Ricky leaned in slightly; a inquisitive look on his face. "How exactly would I do such a task, I have no means of pulling together such a feat yet alone the skill... I'm not a leader mate, I've never been one to begin with." He stated with a clear tone, if he ever seemed to doubt himself before then surely Ricky must now looked beyond doubtful. Who could blame him though, the fisherman has lost almost everything he had. His house, his dog which was like a brother, his fishing gear which was in need of replacement; all of these was important and key essentials in his life. Now look at him; a sailor with no sail, a fisherman with no fish... Any answer this strange man could come up with would be heard and thought of with an open mind, but Igno would have his work cut out for him if he was to persuade Ricky anything. Ricky has plummeted to far and to deep in his grief, therefore putting him in a state of confidence was going to be difficult. Rickh wondered about this man though, as he seemed to be a man with capable influence indeed. "What's yer name stranger, I didn't quite catch it earlier..."

[Ignotus Everto]

It was a curious thing, looking into a Nuit's eyes. Though Ignotus forced himself to blink in order to put Ricky at ease, he couldn't quite rid himself of the static intensity of his people's gazes. Of course, in this case, that wasn't entirely a bad thing. He turned his palms out to Ricky as if begging for alms, his forearms still resting on the table, "Do you love Zeltiva, Ricky? Do you love her with all your heart and soul? Do you want to protect her so our children, and our children's children can love her as well? If you do, then take my hands. The way will become clear to you."

"I swear, if he swallows this, then he really wasn't that smart after all."

The connection made between the two by the eye contact meant Ignotus could push and prod much more effectively than just by voice. A very special spark passed between the men, one laced with Djed and color. For an instant, the Kelp Bar melted from Ricky's view, and instead he saw himself, his beloved city's noble defender. Admiring crowds surrounded him, and the finest clothes covered him. He was a hero...

And then, just like that, the vision was gone, and he was staring at an animated corpse again. "Have faith, Ricky." Ignotus entreated.

"Have faith..." Ricky's own mind said to him.

[Ricky Maze]

"I do.." He whispered to himself as Ignotus prattled on, his speech being one that would prove inspirational had Ricky not fallen so deep. Yet what Ricky had seen soon after was something he did not expect, images in his mind that revealed people cheering. Idea's based on an sucess he longed for, a dream of being a hero for the city. It was an encouraging one to say the least, one that made him wish that such an idea was a reality. Yet it wasn't what he wanted exactly. He wanted to have a home to live in, not just a city or inn for that matter. Ricky was after a dream he lost and would never find, what he saw wasn't that dream. It was indeed a wish he once had before but a wish he threw away a long time ago, one he never spent a second thought on since his hero vanished at the time... "Have faith..." The words echoed in his mind after the stranger said this, bringing Ricky to the next question that made it seem so hard. "How?.." He shrugged as he looked down to the table, his mind searching for answer's to questions he had. Questions only being replaced with more questions, which only flustered Ricky to the point where he no longer wished to question it. Turning his mind's attention to Igno he looked half convinced, yet the other half seemed to be at war with himself. "What exactly would I being doing as this commander." He inquired to the stranger with a sharp gaze.

[Ignotus Everto]

Ignotus was happy to see that he wasn't losing his touch. It was clear that Ricky was teetering on the edge already. All he needed was a little more encouragement, and a bit of self-esteem building, and he'd be putty. "To be honest, I just need a face." the Nuit said morosely, lacing his fingers together, "Most people bring an awful lot of prejudices with them when they see a talking corpse. If you truly think yourself unable to lead, I'll do all the hard work. All the administration, and number crunching, and the hard decisions..." A gentle pulse of Djed warped the implications behind the words. Instead of his offer feeling like a seizure of power, or admitting the fact that Ricky would be nothing but a figurehead, the vibe behind the words felt like a generous offer to lighten the load.

"I just need you to go out there and speak from the heart. Find three dozen men who feel as you do, with fire in their stomachs, who are willing to do what others won't to ensure our fair city's purity. Once you have them, we shall meet again on the fiftieth. Can you do this, Ricky?"

Ignotus' sphere of influence brushed against Ricky's again, imparting a vague sense of confidence. A little bit of courage could do a man good, after all. Especially one who was worried about making the wrong choice.

[Ricky Maze]

A corpse? What was he saying exactly? That he was a Nuit? If that were the case then Ricky would understand why he needed a voice; or so to speak. Playing the role of a leader was one he wasn't use to, Odis was a dog trained to follow his master and it was just one being. Yet two dozen people? It would indeed seem impossible to Ricky, however he felt that it wouldn't be so. In fact knowing he was just a man who would bring these people together and not having to make the big decisions was a real relief. Certainly wasn't any harm in that. 'I am NOT going to be a tool!' The words echoed in the subconciousness of his mind, surprising him as the other side remained unconvinced of this offer. 'You may wish to do this but I refuse!' 'What? What about Zel-' 'Zeltiva be damned! This is the type of deal you make with a devil.' This was indeed correct. His mind was arguing with his instinct there. How ironic that the anger clouding his his mind drove a wedge between himself and... well himself pratically. What his instincts did tell him though were true. This is a type of deal where one would sell his soul, but the question is for what exactly? Money? Power? Fame? None of these really mattered to Ricky, he just wanted something to live for. Something worth living for... Maybe this man was right, maybe he could give Ricky the ability he needed. If that were indeed possible... then.... "Ye said ya have the power to help me accomplish this, but I'm no where near skilled enough to pull this off. That and I'm not strong enough, for too long I've lived in the pit of failure." He stated with a sharp look to the man. Ricky brought his fist down on the table, making a loud bump as some aggression could surely be detected. "I need to become stronger, if I'm to keep Zeltiva safe." It wasn't a demand but a statement of fact. He needed a way to become better, to further his capabilities rather then just play leader. If he was going to advance up the ranks, he needed to be able to prove that he was worth it. Somewhere deep in his gut though his instinct spoke against him. 'You idiot...' Was all he heard, before shutting out all thoughts that crossed his mind.