I hear that old piano/from down the avenue...

[yinyangwizard]

Seimei, dressed in a tailored black suit and grey silk shirt (no tie), is currently playing on the piano in the corner. He has been doing so for about the last hour. The musical interlude began with classical pieces (Bach and Beethoven) and has since moved on to jazz and Disney tunes. There is no sheet music involved whatsoever.

There is the occasional drink of brandy, poured from a stoppered crystal decanter into one of the two snifters he has sitting on a little table behind and beside his piano bench. The table also boasts a ceramic ashtray, which has not yet been used (but may be soon, depending).

Yes, he will take requests, within reason.

Comments

[just_cant_lose]

Jim does not have a request. Not for the piano, at least.

He emerges from upstairs when Seimei is still on his classical selection, also dressed in a tailored black suit. He is most definitely wearing a tie though, delicately adorned with the Kryptonite pin Tess had made for him, and a pristine white shirt underneath.

He leans against the piano to listen, lighting a cigarette as he does. It's eighteen years since he last spoke to Seimei, and given what's been going on, it's probably about time that changed.

'Evening.'

[yinyangwizard]

"Good evening," Seimei replies as he ends his current piece. He is not at all surprised that James Moriarty wants to talk with him: he did make an effort to get the man's attention, after all.

He swings his legs over the piano bench, stands up, and bows politely. "May I offer you a drink, Moriarty-san?" he asks, gesturing to the decanter and brandy snifters on the little table.

[just_cant_lose]

Jim looks him up and down with a bored expression, then tilts his head to the side in acquiescence.

'All right. Thank you.'

Seeing as they're being polite.

[yinyangwizard]

The years have certainly smoothed the rough edges off Jim Moriarty, although Seimei knows better than to think that they've softened his character.

He unstoppers the decanter and pours cognac into the two brandy snifters, offering one of them to Moriarty. This is, as a particularly discerning person might say, the good stuff: the amber liquid smells of fig, pepper, and a hint of marshmallow.

[just_cant_lose]

It's very good, and a quirk of his eyebrow should convey that thought easily enough. It's all Seimei's going to get on the matter. The cognac's not why either of them are here.

Jim crosses his legs neatly, and puts his hands flat on the rests of the chair.

'So, what can I do for you?'

[yinyangwizard]

"Well." Seimei sits down on the piano bench again, this time facing Moriarty. "Given the events that have brought us together here, drinking this very fine cognac" - Seimei pauses to inhale the aroma and take a sip - "perhaps you care to venture an educated guess?"

They are here talking and drinking very fine cognac because Seimei has been putting Moriarty's drones out of commission. That should give some pretty strong indicators as to what he wants.

[just_cant_lose]

Yeah, Jim thought they were past the obvious stage of this.

'If you think you can patronise me, I'd advise you to think again.'

Forced to say another obvious thing. Obvious obvious obvious. He makes a gesture of go on with one hand. They both know why they're here. Seimei wanted to talk to him. Here he is.

What can he do for him?

[yinyangwizard]

"Hm. In that case..." Seimei shifts a bit on the piano bench. "Many of the people who come here regard it as a refuge from the troubles of their daily lives. A place where they can be themeselves. The specter of covert surveillance" - Seimei lifts an index finger above his head and makes a slow swirling motion, as though to indicate a circling drone - "does rather spoil the relaxed atmosphere of the place."

In other words: Seimei does not want your damned spy drones in his favorite bar.

[just_cant_lose]

Jim raises his eyebrows, and smokes his cigarette.

'What's your point?'

Politeness. God. Say what you have to say, man.

[yinyangwizard]

Seimei draws it out by enjoying another sip of brandy. Yes, he is being deliberately annoying. It's a gift.

"Ideally I would like you to stop deploying your unpleasant little snooping devices," Seimei says. "Failing that...get some smarter ones, for goodness sake." Seimei shakes his head. "If I am obliged to keep catching them, I would at least like an interesting chase once in a while."

[just_cant_lose]

Jim's not annoyed. This whole thing is pointless, but he's not annoyed. Yet, at least.

A corner of his mouth twitches when Seimei speaks.

'You're not obliged to do anything. You've taken it on yourself to police the bar. Making the job interesting is nothing to do with me.'

Beat.

'Also, you'll have to try a lot harder than that to get a rise out of me.'

[yinyangwizard]

Seimei puts a hand over his heart. "Oh, you wound me, sir! I was not trying to do any such thing," he says. "Nor was I trying the other day."¹

He might mean 'it was an accident.' Or he might mean 'pushing your buttons is not nearly as hard as you're pretending it is.' His tone is quite deliberately neutral, so it's hard to tell.

(Or maybe not so much.)

¹Note to all concerned readers: yes, the monkey is perfectly okay.

[just_cant_lose]

Jim can draw his own conclusions. He smirks gently, and takes a sip of his cognac.

He was angry the other day, but the circumstances were exceptional and not anything to do with this situation. So he ignores this waste of time, and gets back to the point.

'You do realise Security is fully aware of my drones, and doesn't care?'

[yinyangwizard]

Seimei swirls the contents of his snifter and watches the amber liquid sparkle and settle. "One could easily say the same about my interference with them," he replies.

[just_cant_lose]

'And yet, I'm not the one bitching about the situation. So why are you acting like I am?'

Seimei wanted this, and Jim's not trying to get out of it. And absolutely not about to back down.

[yinyangwizard]

[OOC: Sorry for the delay. I've been trying to process recent events, among other things.]

Seimei looks around with a quizzical expression, as if to say 'who, me?' He shrugs and turns back to Moriarty. "If I implied that the grievance was yours, rather than mine, I apologize for the misunderstanding." He turns his glass around in his hands. "If you prefer me to be direct, I shall. I would like you to stop spying on people - with or without drones."

He takes a moment to sip his cognac.

"Somehow I doubt asking nicely will produce the desired result. And I have no way to force you to comply with my wishes." (Well, actually, he does - but barring force majeure, messing with a person's brain is off the table.) "I may be able to make a trade, however. Within reason."

[just_cant_lose]

[OOC: No worries! Totally understandable. <3]


'Oh?'

He wants to laugh. It would be so easy to laugh.

'Do share.'

[yinyangwizard]

"I was hoping you would, actually," Seimei says. "I do not know what you might want. But I know that Bar-san has her limits, and I have considerable resources."

There's a flutter of paper off in the rafters as Seimei's flock of shikigami captures another drone. Seimei beckons to his servants: they swarm over and drop the drone (intact, though disabled) into his waiting hand. "By which I do not mean money," he adds as he offers the drone to Moriarty and the shikigami swarm into the rafters.

[just_cant_lose]

Jim does not take the drone. It's broken, what would he want with it? He sips his cognac instead.

'I don't know what you have,' he points out, in a reasonable tone.

'But if you're pedestrian enough to even consider that money might interest me, I'm not holding out a lot of hope for this deal.'

He'll listen, though. It's a good chance to find out more about who Seimei is, and what he can do. And who knows, if there's something good on offer, he might even agree.

[yinyangwizard]

With a shrug, Seimei slips the drone into an inner jacket pocket. There should be a noticeable bulge in the fabric, but there isn't.

"Please. I am not so pedestrian as that," Seimei says. "I could resurrect you - give you a new, living body - but I am not sure you would desire such a thing."

Really, Seimei thinks people like Moriarty should be shuffled along the karmic wheel into a (hopefully) more decent reincarnation, but sometimes one has to make compromises.

"That should give you an idea of what I might be able to offer, however."

[just_cant_lose]

...really.

Jim does him the honour of blinking at him, just once. Then he smiles like a snake, and his eyes go wide in sorrow, as he says, 'ohhhh, but I rather like being dead. And I'm attached to my own body, darling. I wouldn't want to look like anyone else.'

Dead. Not dead. It's all relative, because you're alive as long as people are saying your name. And while Jim has wiped himself out with extreme prejudice, and is trusting Sherlock to take care of the rest...it wouldn't be any fun if the story stopped there, would it?

'It seems like a big thing to offer though, in exchange for the removal of a few pieces of machinery.'

[yinyangwizard]

"It is, to me, a matter of more than just machinery," Seimei says. "You do not wish to be returned to life. I am not entirely surprised, since you died by your own hand and must have had your reasons for doing so."

What? That kind of thing leaves a mark on a person's aura.

"One who can offer resurrection can offer many other things, though. I am sure you can imagine something. And you do not have to decide now."

Seimei's not in a hurry. His shikigami can keep intercepting the drones - although that's not ideal.

[just_cant_lose]

He really does not wish to be returned to life. That doesn't mean it's not a useful option because really, if Sherlock's not going to behave then he sees no reason why he should either.

'You talk a big game.'

And it would be stupid to agree to anything without proof of power. Though really, it is just a few bits of machinery. This is an insane offer.

Jim will absolutely not be pointing out something he finds laughably obvious about the whole affair, not when being presented with such a surprising opportunity.

'I know someone who does want to be returned to life. You could do that for me as a gesture of goodwill, and I'll consider what I want for myself later.'

[yinyangwizard]

"Returning someone to life is not a trivial matter," Seimei says, "but I do understand your desire for proof." He peers thoughtfully at his glass. "Would you trust Bar-san's word?"

Well. Scrawled-upon cocktail napkin.

[just_cant_lose]

'No.'

Of course not. That wouldn't give him what he wants, which is leverage and a whole new game with someone else.

[yinyangwizard]

Seimei shakes his head. "Bar-san could vouch for my ability to do what I have just claimed. But if you cannot trust her word..."

He isn't going to bring someone else back to life as a test case. It's too costly. Ragnar or his daughter Gyda could vouch for Seimei's abilities, but he promised to keep their confidence.

"The offer remains open. Perhaps time will change your mind."

Time being stuck here, that is.

[just_cant_lose]

Jim half-shrugs one shoulder, looking amused. None of this is costing him anything. It's Seimei that wants something, so it's up to him to produce incentive.

'Tell me something about yourself. I'll look you up, and see what you can do. If bringing a friend of mine back to life is too much for you, we could always start smaller.'

But he's not really a person who wants things he can't get for himself. It's too easy, otherwise. Jim likes a challenge.

'Can you open the door to other worlds for me? Can you make me immune to injury? Can you kill a vampire, or give me the power to carry sunlight? Can you make me not fade after three days out of the bar? Come on, this is your thing. Give me a range, tell me what I'm looking at.'

[yinyangwizard]

"Some of those things I cannot or will not do," Seimei says.

Doing a hit on someone, for example, is quite out.

"Make you immune or at least resilient to injury? That is within my power. Give you portable sunlight? Quite doable." He sips his drink.

"If you wish to look me up in the library, there is plenty of material." He reaches into his jacket pocket and pulls out a business card that bears his name in Romaji, Kanakata, and Kanji. He offers it to Moriarty. "Not on my more recent activities, but it should give you an idea."

[just_cant_lose]

Eric is so dead.

Though eh, less fun if he does it with borrowed magical power. On the other hand, it might be worth it for the look on his face.

Jim takes the business card.

'If you want the drones gone that badly, I'm sure I can think of something you can do to earn it. In the meantime, nothing changes.'

He doesn't do anything without thinking it through. Though to be fair, this takes him a fraction of the time most people need.

'Was there anything else?'

[yinyangwizard]

Seimei finishes the last of the cognac in his snifter. "Nothing at all, Moriarty-san," he says. He puts the snifter back on the little table, bows, and says, "The rest of the cognac is yours. As a gesture of goodwill."

Not that it will mean much, probably.

[just_cant_lose]

Gratitude, goodwill...no, nothing. They're the expectation of further favours, or good behaviour, nothing more. He'll take the stuff but only because he likes it and it's there, not because it's supposed to mean anything.

Jim stands, and straightens his jacket with neat hands.

'Then I'll see you again, no doubt.'

His eyes are cold as he watches Seimei bow; cold, and dead, and very dark. But they're a touch curious, and the card has gone into his pocket. He won't lose it.

[yinyangwizard]

"I am sure you will."

Seimei's not particularly looking forward to it.

[OOC: Thank you! Wrap it here?]

[just_cant_lose]

[OOC: Perfect! Thanks so much. :)]