Tweak

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Tweak says, "hi"

Aniketos Katsaros (aniketosk) wrote in inshadowfalls,
@ 2012-05-02 20:35:00

Entry tags:

aniketos katsaros, riley otis

Thread: Riley and Aniketos
Who ? Aniketos Katsaros and Riley Otis
Where ? Shadow Falls Clinic
When ? Wednesday afternoon
What ? Job Interview
Rating ? Hehehehe :D

What good is science if no one gets hurt?

Aniketos wasn't aware of how long exactly he'd been locked up in his lab but the calendar on his desk hadn't had a page turned since April 28th. The price for obsessive hard work as greasy hair and a scraggly face in a desperate need of a shave. Both were minor inconveniences and once he'd pulled his hair back in a messy pony tail he considered them dealt with. If it wasn't for his lab coat or the identification attached to the pocket when he left his lab for a brief walk or a meal he likely would have been escorted out by security some three days ago.

It didn't matter. None of it did. He was close, so close to completing his latest project it would be only a matter of moments before he could consider it finished. The task hadn't been particularly difficult just tedious and time consuming. There had been stretches of whole day parts where he'd had to wear his magnifying goggles and his fingers were raw from the repeated use of delicate magic.

Unaware that the receptionist behind the front desk at the clerk was, at that moment, asking a nurse to bring and appointed interviewee down to his lab, he ran a soft handkerchief over the sleek, obsidian bracelet, wiping away all the smudges and fingerprints save for the spot where he held it. He had told the front desk when he'd begun his work, unaware of how long it would take, that when Riley Otis showed up she should be escorted down to his office no matter how long it had been since any of the other staff had seen him and despite how hard at work he may be.

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aniketosk
2012-05-04 05:25 pm UTC (link)

She was her own woman! The notion swirled around in the dizzy mess of his brain along with the maze of his most recent work, new theories he was eager to begin working on, possible hypotheses he could test on her, and whether or not he would have to try and find a way to let Mariana give her up. He didn't know the woman. He wasn't sure how difficult that would be.

"Is three hundred dollars a week acceptable?" He asked curiously as he moved closer, searching through the mess of information in his mind to pick out the exact details of her application. "The work may be running errands from time to time, writing correspondences, reminding me of my schedule. But also I would like to utilize your scientific skills to help me with my research and experiments. Developments. Inventions."

Inventions! His hands went into his pockets again but he left the ether behind in favor of the sleek, black ring he'd just been polishing. "Inventions." he said again and held it out to her.

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underyourwater
2012-05-04 08:26 pm UTC (link)

She was. She hadn't been in Shadow Falls long enough to understand that she was literally at the bottom of the food chain. Mariana had offered her just enough control that she still felt "in charge" of things. Riley was a dominant personality, after all, and that was quite important. That sense of being able to make her own decisions.

Considering she wasn't paying for her stay in the cabin (as she'd basically turned it into a place to live instead of simply a laboratory), the amount of money he offered was fine. She had a shit ton of it in the bank --not that she knew if she had access to such. "That's fine," she therefore said with a shrug. She ticked off all of the responsibilities in her head, and her brain only sparked with interest at the last statement.

Her eyebrows raised when the ring was handed over. She was slightly wary of jewelry, given the power of the silver thing on her wrist, but she accepted it and turned it over in her fingers. "What is it?"

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aniketosk
2012-05-04 08:58 pm UTC (link)

What was it, indeed! The Doctor, liberated of the device's weight, curled one arm around his middle and rested the elbow of the opposing arm against it, curling his fingers against his mouth, tapping his upper lip with his thumb. "I know what it's supposed to be," he told her, making up his mind and pushing back the sleeve of his lab coat to hold his arm towards her. "But I'm not sure if that's what it is or not. I haven't had an opportunity to test it." He was sure she would like to test it with him, he had seen the gleam in her eye.

"It's supposed to be a practical joke. The silver bracelets mark the claim of a vampire on the human. This bracelet marks a human's claim over a vampire. For a designated amount of time."

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underyourwater
2012-05-04 09:10 pm UTC (link)

It was a beautiful thing. Perfectly spherical. She swore she could see her reflection in it. It was that polished. And he'd been right about the gleam in her eye. The girl's mind was whirling just as fast as his was, wondering about the possibilities. About the magic that could be inside. And the instant he basically hinted at the fact that it hadn't been tested, she had to bite down on her lip in order not to volunteer quicker than a dog humping a ripe-looking couch. "I see. Well. If you need any help.." She said, trailing off. There. Not TOO eager.

She cursed softly under her breath, nearly dropping the ring as she realized the implications. She maintained her hold on it, though, realizing its worth right away. "Flipping the tables," she murmured. "You might piss off a lot of vamps in town with it."

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aniketosk
2012-05-04 09:24 pm UTC (link)

"It's just a joke, a practical joke." Except it really wasn't. He waved his arm slightly in the air between them. "Come on. Let's try it out." He didn't think it was dangerous to give Riley dominion over him even though they'd just met. It wasn't like she would kill him and since there were no other vampires in the room with them at this moment if he wanted to test it out on someone else he would just have to wait even longer.

"Do you know how it works? You seal the break where the ends meet with your blood and it will close. I have the timing set for one hour now. It will fall off in sixty minutes from its closing unless you take it off sooner." Just in case she thought she could use this as an opportunity to take advantage of him.

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underyourwater
2012-05-04 09:45 pm UTC (link)

It didn't sound like a joke to her. It sounded like something that could give a human a fair amount of power. The ring would have to be placed on a willing vampire, of course, given the fact that they could just.. poof and shit wherever they wanted to (apparently). Let's try it out, he said. So fucking innocently.

"I saw Mariana seal the bracelet, yeah," she said. She was eager to try it out, but she wanted to understand what sort of things she needed to test out in order to experiment with it correctly. "So.. what.. exactly can I do with this ring on you? You want me to give you orders and stuff? That will show it works?"

She glanced around, looking for a knife or something sharp to cut her skin with.

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aniketosk
2012-05-04 10:31 pm UTC (link)

Riley wouldn't have to look too hard to find a suitable piercing instrument. They were all over the black, sharp corners and blades, picks, and implements most wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of without anesthetic. The doctor took a pen knife out of his coat and held it towards her. "It is designed to compel vampires to follow the orders of humans. It will be uncomfortable if they do not. If a vampire resists an order there will be pain. Internal hemmoraging if resistance persists. Under that sort of duress I believe anyone would give in to the demands of the claimer." Unless, of course, they demanded suicide. Which was a variable he had also taken into account. The bracelet would torture a vampire, it wouldn't kill them. The violence inflicted would be agonizing but a vampire's healing ability would work faster than it would kill.

"I want you to give me orders, yes. So I can resist them." Unless she gave very compelling orders.

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underyourwater
2012-05-05 12:09 am UTC (link)

There was a tiny hooked instrument that looked appropriate enough, and she was just about to grab it when the "good" doctor handed her his penknife. She nodded her gratitude, then glanced around for a bottle of rubbing alcohol or something else similar. Finding nothing, she shrugged and removed the lighter from her back pocket. "Okay if I sanitize it with a flame? I'm not going to blow up anything, right?" Best to ask in a laboratory setting.

She listened as he described the process of how the ring worked, unable to deny the fact that she was supremely intrigued. And it showed. Science always got her twitterpated. "I'm willing to help you with the experiment, then." And unless he objected, she flicked the switch on her Bic, dipped the very tip of the penknife into the flame, and then prepared to prick her finger. "Ready?"

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aniketosk
2012-05-05 01:45 am UTC (link)

He nodded when she asked if it was alright to use her lighter to sanitize the blade. It made him smile that she was so concerned with germs and wonder how far that particular worry extended. He didn't ask, though. "I have developed this especially for Arcturus," he explained, "although I've always been curious as to if such a thing could work. Would a vampire be able to claim another vampire?" And what about the wolves? But Riley didn't know about the wolves yet.

"I am ready." He assured her, more than willing to begin the experiment and to experience it first hand.

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underyourwater
2012-05-05 02:15 am UTC (link)

With the nod, the sharp point was singed black. She didn't have OCD or anything, but she'd learned long ago that getting sick on a ship wasn't exactly the best course of action. And given this was the longest she'd been OFF a ship in quite some time, the habits had stuck. Hand sanitizer was her friend, but she wasn't packing it in her pockets (and she never used a purse). She slipped the ring over his finger and then jabbed the knife into her finger, not wincing as the bead of blood appeared. She smoothed over the opening and watched as it magically latched.

"Fuck," she cursed. To think BLOOD caused that. One the seal was complete, she looked at the scientist. "Do the Hokey Pokey." Because she so wanted to see a vampire do that.

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aniketosk
2012-05-05 02:28 am UTC (link)

She certainly was as eager for this experiment as he was! He watched as the blood sealed the bracelet closed and a few seconds later her name scrawled itself out in the blackness. It didn't show up as well as it did on silver which made him think he should have used a different material. Maybe he could change the spell so the lettering was white. Or gold. But all of that was purely cosmetic. There was time for that later.

He could tell distinctly when the magic had taken effect. It felt different in the air. It felt different to him. He looked at her and before she even had a chance to say anything he couldn't help but feel he ought to do...exactly what she said it was. At the order he genuinely wanted to comply, he even looked up in an attempt to recall the lyrics to the song, but before a single hand or foot or hip could go in or out he remembered he was supposed to be resisting these commands.

Overcoming the initial desire to be told he was such a 'good boy', the doctor shook his head. "I will not." He replied and instantly knew his experiment had been a success. The pain that shot through him wasn't quite like an electric shock. It felt more like a fire and he grabbed onto the edge of a nearby counter to keep from losing his footing at the shock of it. He grit his teeth and buckled over until his forehead touched the surface. "Again," he demanded in return. He needed another order.

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underyourwater
2012-05-05 02:40 am UTC (link)

Of course she was eager. How could she have not been eager?! Ever since being told about this whole vampire deal, part of her problem with it was that she had no control. She was used to working with hypotheses, catalysts, observations, causes and effects --and having absolutely no knowledge of vampires or what they could do was frustrating beyond all belief. She wanted facts. She wanted boundaries. And every time she got into a damned room with Mariana, all she wanted to do was suck on her lips. Stupid fucking hot female vampire and her inability to allow her to experiment.

She had no idea that the "air" had changed. She was looking at the same greaseball, only he was now wearing a ring that had writing on it. She hadn't been able to see what the writing said, but given she knew that Mariana's name was etched on the bracelet she wore.. she assumed that her name was now wrapped around the scientist's finger.

Which was kind of cool.

She raised an eyebrow, watching as he attempted to disobey. When the pain rocketed through him, she jumped forward, moving to help. Damn, she hadn't meant to cause that! ..Wait, yes she had! With the Again her eyes narrowed. "Cut off a chunk of your hair."

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aniketosk
2012-05-05 02:50 am UTC (link)

This time he didn't give any inclination that he had even heard her request. He wanted to know if a verbal refusal was needed for the bracelet to register that he had actually disobeyed. It took a few moments but the pain only increased. His insides felt like they were being put through a vice and this time he did sink to his knees with a groan as he spit a mouthful of blood onto the tile floor.

This was some practical joke. And it was working out so well! Aniketos just hoped he hadn't messed up when he made sure the rate of damage done to the body was more than a vampire's healing abilities could compensate for. There were still a few situations he needed to test so he could tell exactly how the bracelet worked and where it failed. "Again." He ordered, sounding as if he were asking for his death. Next he needed to know what would happen if he lied - if he said he would do what she ordered but never followed through.

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underyourwater
2012-05-05 03:16 am UTC (link)

Holy fuck. The dude was now bleeding out of the mouth. She bit back the urge to ask if he was alright. He was obviously a vampire, given this whole experiment thing.. so he would heal. And would a vampire honestly have given a damn in this situation? Maybe. Maybe not. She needed to be strong. Strong like steel. They were experimenting, and that meant she could not back down.

"Tell me if there are any other strange creatures in Shadow Falls." Because as a researcher, that was DEFINITELY something she'd wanted to know. She'd been brought into the town in search of an aquatic monster, after all. And if there were vampires, why couldn't there be anything else? ..And why not take advantage of this situation and use it to gain something? Aside from a possible job.

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aniketosk
2012-05-05 11:44 am UTC (link)

Other strange creatures in Shadow Falls. The question was so simple and he knew if he answered it this pain would go away. It had better go away. Wouldn't that be nice? A cessation of agony, relief from the feeling of being torn apart from the inside? But of course he couldn't. He needed to suffer. For science? Well that would be nothing new. The sleeve of his lab coat was pulled over his hand so he could wipe his mouth. He knew he needed to answer soon or the pain would increase. Not answering, he'd proven, was just as bad as saying no. And now he had to lie. "Yes!" Wait, that wasn't...a lie. Despite his best intentions and the knowledge of what he had to do, the truth had found its way out.

The result was almost instant. The pain abated, washed away, and he was left panting, staring at the ground on his hands and knees. Gingerly he turned himself over, sitting on the floor as he looked up at her, his back against the edge of the counter. Blood leaked from the corner of his mouth. "Ask me another question." He told her although he was pretty sure he knew what the inquiry would be.

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underyourwater
2012-05-06 12:01 am UTC (link)

She waited on pins and needles for the answer. What would it be, yes or no? It had to be yes. From everything she had deduced, there was SOMETHING fucking enormous going on in this town. And she wanted to know what it fucking was. Vampires were big, yeah, but everyone kept tiptoeing around.. pretending that none of the humans would figure out that there was something else going on altogether. Well, Riley was figuring it out. Riley wanted to know. And when he gave that Yes!, air whooshed out of her lungs.

Because he wasn't hurt. He wasn't bleeding. The pain was washed away, and she could SEE it.

SWEET JESUS. She stared down at him like a hungry monster, wanting to eat up his answers with a voracious, untouched appetite. Tell me, tell me, tell me. "What the fuck kind of other creatures are in this town besides vampires and humans? Tell me."

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aniketosk
2012-05-06 12:13 am UTC (link)

He braced himself for her next question, not out of curiosity but because this was really going to hurt. "Oh." He answered, slowly, out of weakness only, before he went on. "Dragons."

The moment of reprieve the doctor had been awarded was ripped away with a vengeance. Like a flood the agony returned and frustratingly there was nothing he could do to stop it. "Fairies," he kept lying. "Zombies. Ewoks!" At this point he had slumped onto his side twisting up on himself as he answered through grit teeth. It wasn't just his mouth bleeding this time but his eyes and out of his nose. His ears.

He couldn't take it anymore. He couldn't. "Get it off!" He demanded. "Take this off of me!"

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underyourwater
2012-05-06 02:23 am UTC (link)

With each false statement, Riley's eyes grew wider and wider.. for the subsequent, no-doubt painful consequences were racking the vampire's body. She was unfortunately EXTREMELY interested and was in absolutely no mood to do as he said. She was in control, after all, and her time hadn't been exhausted! The blood didn't bother her. She'd seen it far too many times on-board the ship. Including once when a fellow scientist had had his guts literally ripped out of his body by an errant cage hook.

Intestines dangling from the thing as it swung back and forth like a pendulum from hell across the deck.

"No." Quietly. Firmly. "Tell me what other species resides in Shadow Falls."

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aniketosk
2012-05-06 02:46 am UTC (link)

The bloody glare he fixed on her was savage, gore dripping off his chin. His coat was awfully colorful, the clothes beneath it even. "You," he told her, his hand dropping down to the floor, "do not get the job." The pain was coming again and his face twisted in suffering at the briefest of hints of it before it overwhelmed him again.

His fingers clawed at the miniscule breaks in the tile as he pressed his forehead into it. The puddles of blood were slowly turning into a pool, especially when he threw up a mouthful of it. He had at least forty minutes left of this. Forty minutes. The moment he could, the moment his limbs could function again he began trying to pry the ring off but he couldn't make it over the first joint of his finger.

Later when this was over he would take the experience as valuable data. It would help him better understand the lengths people would go to to avoid the pain. He could use that information to make adjustments. Right now he was considering biting his whole finger off like an animal whose foot had gotten caught in a trap.

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underyourwater
2012-05-06 02:59 am UTC (link)

"Really? Because I thought you wanted to test the extreme limits of the ring. I think a lesser candidate for your position likely would have balked at the current state you're in and run out the door screaming," she said, crossing her arms over her chest. He wasn't going to die. He was a fucking vampire. And he'd asked for this. Had WANTED it.

Oh, well. She didn't need the stupid job. She'd get a different one. Or maybe not. She had money in the bank. She'd just.. get Mariana to get it for her or something, if she couldn't access the outside world or whatever. Couldn't even give them fucking ATM's in the city. At least not one that was working with her card. Maybe someone had frozen her accounts..

"I'll find out the other species. And I don't need you and your ring to do it." Conviction. Vehement and strong. "So take off the ring, and stop your whining."

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aniketosk
2012-05-06 01:30 pm UTC (link)

When the pain soothed again, inbetween questions, and the doctor panted, holding his hand against his heart. Once he could, once his arms stopped shaking and his stomach ceased its revolt, he sat back again. "If I can't trust you to do what I ask you to," he told her, "how can I possibly work with you?" He thought he told her this anyway. He could have been muttering incoherently at this point. He couldn't be sure.

Sitting up was difficult so he tipped back until he was laying down. Even that still ached. After a moment, with his eyes closed, he considered holding his hand out to her again so she could take the ring off but in less than an hour it would come off regardless so he didn't bother. He didn't know if he could hoist the limb up again anyway.

He looked up at her again, the white of his left eye red. She looked far away. "I have no doubt that you will." The wolves were a secret but secrets never remained that way.

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underyourwater
2012-05-06 02:22 pm UTC (link)

She snorted. "I did exactly what you asked me to do," she said. He'd told her to test the ring to its limits, no matter how he responded. So he was, in essence, punishing her and keeping a job from her for being strong enough to do that very thing. Riley didn't deal well with people who went against their own words or twisted them for their own purposes.. And if the 'good' doctor was one of such people, then she didn't want to work with him anyway.

She wondered if he was feeling pain for disobeying THAT order, for it hadn't been a request. The whole taking the ring off. She closed the distance between them and pulled the thing off, suddenly not even caring what he did with it, who it was for, or why he had made it in the first place. Practical joke her ass.

"Thanks for wasting my time. Have a fantastic rest of your day," she snarked. Without another word, the scientist turned and walked to the door.

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