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Sept 14, 2008 0:23:19 GMT 1
Post by Valencia Donahue on Sept 14, 2008 0:23:19 GMT 1
It's not a very pleasant topic to think about, but every once in a while news would surface that someone has gone missing or met a grisly fate. To this day Matt Deuce the Cartford locksmith still tries to elude the false claims against him regarding Chelsea Owens' death... And his situation wasn't helped when Rick Morris and his older sister vanished off the face of the planet. What little clues left behind to track down their whereabouts would be their disappearance in general, as Valencia detailed to Seth for knowing's sakes, and the haunting descriptions Rick told Jin before accepting his demise in his futile attempt to save his sister. The trails lead everywhere, but they all narrow down to a single, seemingly untraceable source... ...And Richard Maxwell, the Editor in Chief of the Keystone Predator newspaper, has been hunting for every lead he could get his hands on after finding Chelsea's entrails with Vince and Valencia last year. At the moment though, he was standing beside a table outside of Starbucks where two middle school students were playing chess. A slight furrow in his brow should be enough to show that he's deep in thought and to further emphasize such, he was wearing his reading glasses. Every so often he would help one of the middle school students cheat at their game by hinting the next move, but even this wasn't enough to take his mind off of things. Matt was going to show up and Richard planned to settle once and for all whether or not he was a murderer. Like a lion, he paced along the front of the cafe and he almost collided into a businessman in a black suit with a briefcase. Richard apologized coolly, only to be ignored as he made a beeline for the counter. The editor didn't think ill of this gesture, since he might've been in a hurry, but still got a strange vibe... As though he should know him. [RICHARD]: “Strange man...” With a light sigh, he kept pacing and prolonging the game of chess with every third or fifth pass.
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Keith Richards
Dreamer
Sophomore
All you need in this life is ignorance and confidence; then success is sure.
Posts: 146
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Sept 17, 2008 20:10:35 GMT 1
Post by Keith Richards on Sept 17, 2008 20:10:35 GMT 1
Keith at a Starbucks, how many of you can picture such a thing? Well there he was, walking past two middle school students playing chess outside of the disgustingly popular coffee shop. In passing he heard a voice hinting at the next move that should be made, from under the slate gray hood Keith eyed the man before walking straight to the counter. "Coffee, tablespoon of brown sugar, topped with fresh cream." He ordered it knowing that it would be completed with an irish whiskey that he kept in an metal flask tucked against a lighter in the right pocket of his jeans. The price was listed and he begrudgingly forked over crash. A glance over his shoulder told him that the cheater was pacing outside and looking preoccupied. The coffee was put in front of him in a large styrofoam cup and he walked away with spare change jingling in his pocket. Lifting it up carefully he walked outside, turning to the left to sit down against the front of the building instead of risking being bumped into by the pacing older man. Setting down the coffee Keith shifted and lifted his hips, pulling the flask out of his tight pocket. While he unscrews the cap of the metal flask I'll tell you why he was sucking down coffee. He didn't sleep and caffeine keeps his engine running, was it that hard to guess? The dark circles under his eyes should have been a big clue. That and his loose jeans, sweater, wife beater, shoes were typical of his appearance. His bony fingers tipped the flask so the the whiskey poured into his coffee, stirring it with one of those stupid red toothpicks they have in cups on the front counter. After it was fixed up into the typical Irish Coffee he leaned himself back, propped up his legs, and loitered. Each sip of coffee, and the sweet cream wiped away by his tongue, was kept entertaining because he was watching the two young chess-players being treated like idiots by a significantly older gent.
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Sept 18, 2008 0:45:46 GMT 1
Post by Valencia Donahue on Sept 18, 2008 0:45:46 GMT 1
The more Richard paced, the more he craved something more palatable instead of coffee brewed for tourists. From what he was told, Matt frequently went to this specific Starbucks because it was cheap and easier to avoid high school students since they preferred stuff they can actually swallow. Minutes passed and more pieces were captured. Richard sighed and left his pacing route by a few feet before noticing an individual that vaguely fitted Matt's description. Matt was described as “Male, gangly, roughly 6 feet tall if standing up straight; Messy hair, shifty pale eyes, rough features, nimble fingers; Wears baggy clothing, looks mildly malnourished” in the paper. Keith, in comparison, shared only a handful of these traits. The editor froze and stared at Keith confusedly for a while. Was he Matt? To Richard, it's better to have a mistake than a missed opportunity, so he approached the junior while keeping his cool the best he could. [RICHARD]: “Excuse me. Would you happen to be Matteo 'Matt' Deuce? If so, I'm Richard Maxwell and would like a word with you... Especially about Chelsea.” He was anxious, but he didn't let it show. If this was Matt, suddenly breaking his trademark calmness would probably startle him into making a run for it, as Matt has also been described as a spineless coward. Little did Richard know that Matt was right behind him, stumbling into the glass door before entering the Starbucks, exhausted after a day of running from angry high school students. Matt would then back out of the doorway and fall onto his side as the businessman in black exited the building with a meticulously made drink and a disgruntled expression on his face. Matt would clamber back onto his feet and enter the establishment once again while the businessman sat down at a table beside the floundering chess-playing students. This businessman was known as D. G. Tall, Malcolm Tall's uncle. Mr. Tall has been described as a ruthless individual in several business magazines and newspaper articles, but you wouldn't know it unless you met him on the job. For now, he was heading home from a day of screaming at people and was waiting for an acquaintance of his by the name of Garrett Avci, a director of the Chase Institute of Exotic Culinary Arts but known more for his cannibalism and his confrontation with Odin and Tiao last autumn. It's really hard to forget an individual who'll threaten to eat you some day. [GARRETT]: “Your punctuality disgusts me.” [MR. TALL]: “My sentiments to your tardiness, Avci. Be grateful that we're not seen in a place where locals can recognize us or the press would be all over us.” The larger blond man sat down across from the businessman with a growl, not helping his already predominant image as “Sabretooth”. He swiftly turned towards the students who were staring at him instead of playing chess and it took barely a second before they packed up and fled for their lives. [GARRETT]: “I'd sooner starve than drink any of this tourist swill. You calling me out here better be worth it.” [MR. TALL]: “It is. After all, I pride myself in perfection as much as you do.” With that, he would hold up his briefcase with a small grin and tap it as if emphasizing its contents.
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Keith Richards
Dreamer
Sophomore
All you need in this life is ignorance and confidence; then success is sure.
Posts: 146
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Sept 19, 2008 19:13:12 GMT 1
Post by Keith Richards on Sept 19, 2008 19:13:12 GMT 1
Keith had the tall styrofoam cup tipped back toward his lips, the fresh cream resting against his upper lip. It would probably look pretty funny to a spectator, namely Richard, to see a white mustache on a rather rough looking individual staring up at him impatiently. The bastard was standing in his view of the chess game and he was planning on sucker punching the winner for being a geek.
"Richard, huh? That's cute, who put you up to it, Johnny?"
He put the cup down to his left on the round lounge table, looking away so he didn't spill the tasty drink that left the taste of whiskey on his tongue thickly. When he looked back he expected to see amusement in the older mans face. His first thought was that John had decided to play a prank and have someone use their first name, that was his last, just to convey a message.
Keith stood up and he looked past the man, looking momentarily worried when someone was stumbling around. The clumsy bastard could spill his well earned Irish Coffee! Man would he be pissed off. When he looked back at Richard he would expect to see impatience. "Have a message for me, something about a girl?"
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Sept 20, 2008 5:09:58 GMT 1
Post by Valencia Donahue on Sept 20, 2008 5:09:58 GMT 1
Richard was already somewhat confused once he got a good look at Keith's face and the cream mustache on his upper lip. This confusion was compounded when the stranger responded confidently, if not irritatedly, instead of making a run for it as he expected. He furrowed his brow and blinked a few times before finding the right words to remedy his mistake.
[RICHARD]: “No, I came here of my own accord. Whoever this Johnny may be, I assure you that I don't know who he is.”
He wasn't intimidated by Keith in any sort of way. If anything, he felt a little embarrassed that his impulsive side got the best of him. He pushed his reading glasses up before taking them off altogether with a sigh. He polished them as Keith stood up and was completely oblivious to the stumbling and swaggering going on behind him. He snapped out of his thoughts when Keith reminded him why he spoke to him in the first place.
[RICHARD]: “Oh—Sorry. I thought you were someone else. I am waiting for someone much less imposing than you are, if you don't mind the frank description. It's... About the girl who got murdered last year at Hircine.”
With a nod of apology, he would turn to put his glasses away. From Keith's perspective, he should be able to see that the middle schoolers are absent with two suspicious individuals sitting beside that table instead—One being the man in the black business suit with slicked back hair and the other being a large and feral-looking. Richard paused just long enough for Matt to throw himself through Starbucks's dysfunctional doors with a hot cup of coffee in hand. Matt looked like a happy bum with a large nugget of gold... In more ways than one. In a way, it was hard to tell if the tears streaming from his eyes were from joy or from the scathing burns he was getting on his hands.
[MATT]: “COFFEE!! WHERE WOULD I BE WITHOUT YOU!? I MISS YOOOOUUUU!! AND YOUR CAFFEINATED GLORRYYYYY!!”
The fact that Matt prized his coffee as much as his life was enough for Richard to surmise that this was his man. The editor briskly approached the locksmith and held his shoulder firmly to prevent escape.
[RICHARD]: “Excuse me. Would you happen to be Matteo 'Matt' Deuce. I've been waiting for you. I'm Richard Maxwell and would like a word with you... Especially about Chelsea.”
Matt's first impulse the moment he learned about Richard's identity and purpose was to run. With a loud whimper, he tore out of Richard's grip and ran wherever he could away from the Keystone Predator. But being the disoriented, malnourished, and panicking young man he is, he ran straight towards Keith, tripped over his own flip-flops, and fell towards him... Not to mention spilled scalding hot coffee into the junior's general direction. Richard only advanced a few paces before wincing at the carnage. Of all the odd days where his facial features actually display his thoughts, this was definitely the one.
Mr. Tall and Garrett looked up just briefly to find what the source of the racket was and resumed their meeting once they saw who: Some mindless kid. Mr. Tall placed the briefcase onto the table and opened it before pulling out a single sheet of paper. He held the sheet between his thumb and index finger as if handling a small decaying animal and placed it in front of Garrett.
[MR. TALL]: “There's more where that comes from. Look at this sheet—One of the cleanest medical records I've ever seen in a while and all I did was pick a Hircine student at random. With Paragon in the same district as Hircine, the more... 'Less wanted' students are being transferred over there instead of mixing in with the others. Sure, there are some issues I can name off the top of my head because of this, but now the lines are more defined. You want people who won't be missed? There are easy pickings at Paragon. You want prime, pristine subjects or... Ingredients? They are at Hircine by the hundreds, if not thousands.”
Garrett scanned the sheet and had to admit that Mr. Tall was right: The student was completely fit and free of any abnormalities. As a man who cannot deny another man's reputation for being absolutely flawless, he took his word that this one example properly represented the current situation... Kidnapping students related to Hircine will now be much more hazardous but worth it. Kidnapping students related to Paragon will likely yield mediocre results but will be much easier. He sneered and leaned back in his chair as everything sunk in. Mr. Tall smiled back at him and knew that he wasn't going to leave this meeting empty handed.
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Keith Richards
Dreamer
Sophomore
All you need in this life is ignorance and confidence; then success is sure.
Posts: 146
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Oct 3, 2008 18:17:48 GMT 1
Post by Keith Richards on Oct 3, 2008 18:17:48 GMT 1
(OOC: Sorry for the wait, much trouble with sleep and mind and such.)
Keith raised his brow and then sighed. Well if it wasn't something about Johnny the guy was either stupid or just had the wrong guy, and in either case that meant that his very tasty coffee and relaxation was ruined for no reason. That irritated him, but slugging some old dork with glasses just didn't seem like the stress ball that he needed to squeeze.
Besides, being called imposing was always a good ego boost.
"I don't mean to sound cynical, but someone dying at Hircine doesn't really shock me."
Turning back to the coffee after there was a nod of apology Keith picked up the cup and turned back with a smile, which faded when he noticed a sudden change. Either the Irish part of his coffee was really strong or middle schoolers had been replaced with two men that looked like an enforcer and an assassin, if one were to accept the stereotypes they represented.
Stepping back quickly Keith distanced himself from the shop, suddenly aware that the loud and annoying voice was charging straight toward him. In his moment of irritation, the little bastard was looking to spill his fucking coffee, Keith steadied himself and raised his knee sharply up into the falling bum, likely crushing his nose at the same time that Keith would feel lava burn the skin on his side.
"Fucking hell!"
Keith hopped back and pat his side furiously, his own hand wasn't burned because the jarring of the coffee only ended up with cream on his hand and not the scalding liquid under it. But he ended up tripping back and falling into the chair he had been sitting on before. The cup was dropped in order to jam backwards and steady himself before the chair would tip over.
A stream of expletives poured out of his mouth while he stood up and looked down at his spilled coffee. Oh there was no way the little bastard was going to get away with that. Keith turned and glared down at the figure, his side still burning as he stepped forward and stomped his right foot down on the middle of his back.
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Oct 6, 2008 10:11:38 GMT 1
Post by Valencia Donahue on Oct 6, 2008 10:11:38 GMT 1
Matt planted his face into the concrete and hot puddle of coffee, too shaken to look up while Keith dealt with the clumsy student's repercussions. The tipping and pushing of chairs, expletives, stuff falling... He was a foolish young man to not take any of these cues of impending doom to run while he could and it cost him. It wasn't long until Keith stomped on Matt's back and was ready to knock him into the next millennium. By this time, Richard made it beside Keith and looked down at the Cartford locksmith. He sighed and shook his head, feeling bad that for a guy who could withstand the heat of burning metal with his fingers, he couldn't take much else. Richard didn't take his eyes off of Matt as he spoke to Keith...
[RICHARD]: “It's not in my nature to condone this, but may you keep this man from escaping? It's... Who I'm looking for. I'll pay for the damages he incurred on you, if necessary.”
As a newspaper editor well-versed in the ways of the Network, Richard could definitely afford to pay Keith back for his services. He almost reached for his glasses before crouching down on a knee and deciding against it. In a way, he was as others sometimes described him: A lion. He blamed his name. Matt's eyes were shut tight and he twitched and trembled beneath Keith's foot. That didn't stop Richard from getting to the point.
[RICHARD]: “As I was saying, I was meaning to ask you about Chelsea... The student murdered--”
[MATT]: “I DIDN'T DO IT!! I WAS JUST AT THE WRONG PLACE AT THE WRONG TIME!! I don't even KNOW her..! That's all...! I JUST GAVE HER THE KEY SHE WON FROM THE 'NAMELESS GAME'!! PLEASE BELIEVE ME I BEG OF YOOOOUUU!!”
Richard blinked at Matt as he bawled away. Clearly, Matt has been persecuted enough to know what to say whenever he's at the brink of possible death. The facts made sense and yes, Richard knows about the skeleton key that can access many of Hircine's doors... But what about proof?
[RICHARD]: “I will believe you if—”
[MATT]: “HAMILTON!! LAYLA HAMILTON... VIBRANCE... Valencia... Donahue... She believes me... She's the reason why I was caught on campus... Working on locks... I was just doing my job but—I WAS AT THE WRONG PLACE AT THE WRONG TIME!! SHE KNOWS... She wouldn't sometimes fight people off for me if she didn't believe me...”
[RICHARD]: “Ah. 'Hamilton'. Please don't say all of her names aloud like that. It's bad etiquette to people who like to stay hidden. Yes, I trust her validity. She can't lie to save her life and even her talking in circles reveals the truth. Now tell me, do you know anything about...?”
Matt bit his lower lip and finally opened his eyes. He looked up at Keith and his soon-to-be-stained jeans. People may get the wrong idea by the look on his face, but Matt really wanted something to recharge himself right now. Richard noticed this and tried to distract the caffeine-addicted monstrosity from anything that won't sedate him by clearing his throat.
[MATT]: “Uh... I don't know... If I did, I wouldn't be in this mess... That is my only way out... None of this can't be in the newspaper... It's too unreal... I just want to be left alone...”
...And Matt began to cry, much to the chagrin of onlookers. Richard contained his annoyance while the two men at the other table weren't as forgiving. Mr. Tall clenched his teeth as though he was dealing with another employee begging for forgiveness while being fired. Garrett gripped his chair as though wishing that it was Matt's neck. Mr. Tall hissed a sigh through his teeth and closed his eyes before shrugging his shoulders, doing what he can to keep up his professional image... Despite him personally believing that anything he does is professional by default.
[MR. TALL]: “Anyways, do you have any plans this autumn? Joaquin isn't holding his usual soirée this year because of you, you know.”
Garrett actually let out a frighteningly loud laugh when he heard this. He knew why... Threatening to kill a few students and making a scene was bound to leave a huge mess that would take Jabez Joaquin a while to clean up. Behind the scenes, their employees were fighting each other when it came to whether or not the cannibal would follow through with stalking and killing (+ eating) Odin and Tiao's loved ones. The Jabberwocky's employees were more prevalent as of late.
[GARRETT]: “I have work. Some of my foreign ingredients are being contaminated by deadly bacteria and with the world going to hell as is, people are more likely to kill themselves before I get to them. I don't have time to deal with frivolous matters.”
[MR. TALL]: “For once you're thinking straight instead of talking about your 'aesthetics' in cooking. Still, I'll take your priorities with a grain of salt compared to mine.”
Garrett snorted at the pompous perfectionist and dug into his pockets. He didn't realize it then, but Richard was watching the man as though he saw a ghost... Garrett was picking his teeth with Chelsea's “DJINNI'S WIND” key.
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Keith Richards
Dreamer
Sophomore
All you need in this life is ignorance and confidence; then success is sure.
Posts: 146
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Nov 15, 2008 3:11:08 GMT 1
Post by Keith Richards on Nov 15, 2008 3:11:08 GMT 1
Keith was seriously considering a short session of torture on the incredibly pathetic bumbling idiot just for the minor offense of costing him a minor annoyance, and maybe a couple of bucks. But he had too many witnesses, and one of them was the guy he had spoken to a few seconds earlier. His dark eyes glanced up and the man and his eyebrows knitted in concentration.
"Hey, did you just offer me a coffee? Fuck, I would've done it for free if I get to find out what the hell is going on."
He offered a sly grin as he softened his expression. With a goal in mind he let his foot off the guys back and grabbed the man by the head, twisting him around so he would face them. Instead of having his foot on his back it instead went to his chest, which meant that a little hop skip and a jump would be shoving ribs back into Matt's ribs.
Murder, babbling about innocents? Nameless game? Wasn't that last year? Oh great, it's just getting more fucking confusing.
It just coming out in droves and he had to work to put the pieces together. He almost had a story under control that made sense. But then of course all of that was obliterated when he suddenly had the scent of sun kissed hair and soft skin clouding his awareness. His balance would have been easily swayed, but of course that would just have him in a murderous rage.
"By the way, I'll cause you considerable bodily harm to you if you lied about the girl you just spoke of." If he caught the crying whimps attention Keith would just smile politely and shrug. "Just a friendly threat of violence, nothing to worry about."
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Nov 16, 2008 12:30:20 GMT 1
Post by Valencia Donahue on Nov 16, 2008 12:30:20 GMT 1
Matt shook like a leaf in Keith's hold and was once more at a loss for words when he's faced with violence. The most he could do was try and shake his head to confirm “No no, I'm not lying about Valencia at all” or “Please don't hurt me”. It was still an ambiguous action though, so his sleep-deprived eyes searched for Richard's assistance... Only to find the editor transfixed in horror at his late girlfriend's key being used in such an uninterested manner. Not only that, but it raised all kinds of question he couldn't answer... Or want to. The locksmith let out a whine and it finally got Richard's attention. The editor stood up and looked directly at Keith. His expression didn't show much, but his eyes conveyed a high degree of trust that shouldn't be broken no matter what. He nodded silently and swallowed his dismay before explaining what Matt couldn't.
[RICHARD]: “It's a lot to take in, but I'll try to be brief. The prize up for grabs at last year's Nameless Game was Matt's skills as a locksmith. Needless to say, Hircine's team won and a handful of students received skeleton keys to Hircine's campus at... Donahue's request. After all, she was his bodyguard during the time of the Watchers, as I'm told.”
[MATT]: “S-she wasn't with me... When I delivered the k-keys...”
[RICHARD]: “Ah. That explains why you were suspected. Since Matt wasn't a Hircine student, it must've been odd to find him lingering around Chelsea's locker before she... Disappeared.”
Here, Richard looked down as though in search of cue cards, only to find none. He sighed and spoke more quietly, mindful of the deadly company they were with.
[RICHARD]: “I kept looking for her... And eventually ran into Donahue and Crane when they were doing the same. The end of our search led to... Led to what's left of her body... In a sack. Right now I just want to know... What kind of monstrosity is afoot to take Chelsea away from me. I've been putting together whatever clues and news I could find. A Cartford student lost his kidney somehow during the Nameless Game. Two Hircine students disappeared off the face of the planet some time ago. Chelsea...”
The editor glanced over his shoulder to the two men, one of which who finally put the key away.
[RICHARD]: “Matt confirmed that he's unrelated to this ordeal. At least, directly... In truth, being here revealed something else. Chelsea's key was in the Lost and Found. Then, it vanished during our search for her. And now, I've found it. It's unmistakable... It makes me wonder... How did it get here? And why?”
Richard was very distressed, evident by his less fluent speech and how he's holding his face with a hand. It was almost like the same day he found his girlfriend's body in pieces, oozing onto the gym storage room's floor: This shouldn't be happening. This was too big to handle, even for the likes of Hircine and the Network. This isn't the work of a human.
[RICHARD]: “Sir... In case I don't see this through, at least know what I did and found out. If possible, let Valencia Donahue, Vincent Crane, or some other Genaht members know as well. There is someone inside Hircine giving someone outside what they want, whatever it is. I'm assuming it's a member of the Network using its resources for ill-will. As for the person outside, he's... Right there. Behind me. I advise against approaching him now. There's not enough proof and if memory serves and they are who I think they are, they are too strong to handle now anyhow.”
The editor paused, removing his hand from his face, revealing his worried and calculating gaze. He was still shaken, but he still moved forward. To him, being a powerful presence was an obligation, not an option. Such is a keystone predator.
[RICHARD]: “The Harvest Soiree. That event was too unnerving for something 'semi-formal'. If I've seen either of those two men before, one was at the event and the other must have a reputation I'm overlooking. I apologize for telling you this all at once, but you asked. I do hope this is enough to pay back for your assistance...”
...And at the same time, it was giving Keith even more to do.
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Keith Richards
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Sophomore
All you need in this life is ignorance and confidence; then success is sure.
Posts: 146
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Nov 16, 2008 20:13:30 GMT 1
Post by Keith Richards on Nov 16, 2008 20:13:30 GMT 1
Keith didn't need long to decide Matt, the trembling little bastard he was, couldn't lie in the face of torture if he was paid and trained too. Some people just couldn't handle pain and fear, they shriveled in the face of it and lost their will, their thoughts became bent to the will of others simply out of the need for survival. Thinking back on the few times his life was in danger he realized he just ended up getting sarcastic, which went along with some of his other suicidal tendencies.
Ah well.
When he looked up from the soon to be Otacon urination scene he noticed something odd in Richard's expression. Unable to label it Keith began to feel suspicious, paranoid, about it. Let's face it, no one trusts Keith, and everyone with half a brain keeps him at arms length, even his own parents looked at him with vague distrust. So it shouldn't be all that surprising that he got paranoid when he saw an expression he couldn't understand.
Okay, so this guy is a locksmith...
The mention of the Watchers had a feeling of nostalgia tingling at his awareness. He loved those days, unlike most. He had twisted their use so they would beat students for him, random locker checks, tardy students, and the occasional suspicion of violence were all easily twisted. And anyone who walked around beating people for no reason wasn't really the type for details. If there was suspicion there was reason to hit things, and Keith could feel the voyeuristic euphoria play at the back of his mind.
Now Keith wasn't a guy of understanding, flowers, chocolates, and puppies. Surprise surprise, but when he pieced together that a girl that was important to Richard had been killed and found, possible chopped up in a sack, a flash of rage flared in his gut. Without conscious effort he found himself pressing harder into Matt's ribs, his imagination showing him an image of Valencia in the same state, experiencing the emotions that would accompany such an image.
Mostly outrage that someone would steal something so important to him, but also the sadness of loss.
Plug all that together with the fact that Valencia was somehow tied into the whole mess had his teeth grinding, along with the pressure on Matt's chest. His dark eyes willed death on the figure over Richard's shoulder, but even Keith was wise enough to make it only the briefest of wishes. Valencia and he were going to be having a talk after this, and he was going to kill his way to the real threat if it ever reared its attention on her.
"We'll talk again, I intend to involve myself. You can speculate the reasons all you want, but I won't let you know directly." Keith thought a moment smiled. "Think I could hold onto one of this infamous keys?"
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Nov 17, 2008 9:32:59 GMT 1
Post by Valencia Donahue on Nov 17, 2008 9:32:59 GMT 1
Richard's features couldn't help but soften when Keith confirmed his assistance and gave a smile. It felt as though some of his worries left his shoulders and the editor always loved this feeling of relief whenever an issue was printed. The lion-hearted editor firmly pried poor Matt away from further abuse in Keith's hands and straightened him up. Despite being treated like a rag doll no more though, Matt still didn't quite have his wits together to stand on his own. Richard, propping him up and dusting off the locksmith without much concern, showed his collected strength. He turned Matt towards Keith.
[RICHARD]: “This young man is your answer. That nameless game only yielded a handful of keys... Only seven are in existence. Donahue has one, Chelsea's key is with that man being used as a toothpick, and the rest are still out there. Because of the time those keys were made, they can only open so many doors. However, with fewer obstacles this year, our locksmith friend Matt should be able to make keys that'll open even more locks and doors. His abilities aren't limited to school campuses.”
Matt looked pale enough to be considered clear-looking when he realized that Keith may be working with him soon. He gave Richard a pleading glance only to be met with a gentle smile. The smile wasn't as reassuring as it was meant to be.
[RICHARD]: “At Hircine and anywhere else that may recognize him, though, you'll have to watch over him. His services for your protection... And maybe even mercy.”
The Keystone Predator editor noticed that his sworn enemies were gone during his explanation, so he finally let go of Matt to show something that might not be seen again in a single lifetime: Matt was standing up straight and he indeed was around 6 feet tall. He was just a bit taller than Keith and Richard, but his height didn't improve his courage in the slightest... Matt wasn't used to standing this tall and it showed in the shaking of his legs. His lanky built didn't make him appear intimidating anyhow. During this awkward moment of temporary transformation, Richard found it within his best interests to continue.
[RICHARD]: “For now, let's part ways, yes. As you know, I'm Richard Maxwell, the editor in chief of Hircine's Keystone Predator newspaper. Should you need any resources to aid you, you know where to look. May I have your name before we go?”
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Keith Richards
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Sophomore
All you need in this life is ignorance and confidence; then success is sure.
Posts: 146
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Nov 20, 2008 1:22:16 GMT 1
Post by Keith Richards on Nov 20, 2008 1:22:16 GMT 1
Keith still felt awkward and suspicious, but didn't make any comment or change his neutral facial expression as he stepped away from the locksmith and eyed the pair of men with vaguely weary eyes. He didn't particularly like the answer he had gotten after all. He also didn't like the instinctual urge to glance at the man that was once again mentioned, and instead avoided that by narrowing his eyes at Matt.
He briefly considered the fact that he didn't have a cellphone to give them, and he didn't much feel like handing over his house phone number. That was just too easy to track and misuse, and he liked the fact no one knew where he lived. It had its own sense of comfort, especially with the enemies and "friends" he had.
The list of names he could give was also diminished. Keith, enough people were called that but he was a rather unique looking individual. He could use his alias, but he abandoned the ridiculous thing after he realized that he didn't want to outright rape Valencia in the hotel room he had so cleverly brought her to.
But not being a coward in any sense of the word he chose to use his name after all. "Keith Richards, keep me out of the paper." He said with a wolfish grin. He could have made it threatening with a sneer, but if he just came off as quirky it was less likely that it would be threatening. People, at least older people, didn't react as well to threats when they had police to fall back on.
"Matt, how will we keep in touch?"
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Nov 20, 2008 2:29:44 GMT 1
Post by Valencia Donahue on Nov 20, 2008 2:29:44 GMT 1
Richard stifled a chuckle because he had to admit, Keith wasn't the first person who thought the editor was weird. He gets criticism all the time from his columnist friend: Being nice won't always work. Nonetheless, he shook his head reassuringly when Keith told him to keep him out of the paper.
[RICHARD]: “Don't worry about that. I value confidentiality when it's asked of me. What I meant is... Newspaper groups usually have more ties in the information Network than average students. If you want access to a lead, I'll be sure to provide it to you, as I've been providing to 'Layla Hamilton'. Think of it as a subscription.”
If Richard knew what Keith did to Valencia, he'd be in for a quite a scare though. Imagine that, a wolf intimidating a lion... He was giving Keith a lot to work with under the assumption that he was a man of good merit who used the Network at some point in his life. The incident in the library wasn't reported as attempted forcible rape because the Vietnamese stunt woman was intimidated by the possible publicity she'd get. If anything, the crime scene was another case of assault and if Richard found out that drugs were involved as well... There'd be hell to pay. Too many things were a complete no no to the “good” members of the Network. With an approving nod farewell, Richard left Matt in Keith's company. Matt's stature crumbled to its original slouching height as he answered.
[MATT]: “I... I just come and go... Information finds its way to me... You-you can h-have my email...”
Matt pulled out a napkin and scrawled the address into one of its folds, making it hard to tell if he genuinely trusted Keith with it or not. His hand shook as he handed it to Keith.
[MATT]: “Contact... Contact me any time you want...”
Translation: He didn't want to be the one to contact Keith first.
[MATT]: “Once you... H-have an idea of which doors and stuff you want me to check out, just escort me when there's few people and... And I'll get a key finished in no time after I know how all the locks work. I-I know how most of th-them work already, so it should cut down on time...”
He didn't wait for Keith to respond before rummaging through his pockets and scurrying back into the Starbucks, craving another dose of revitalizing caffeine to run through his quivering veins.
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