Abe no Seimei, Night Watch AU

[yinyangwizard]

The Door opens and through it comes a blast of frigid air carrying swirling snow, straight from the desolate steppes of Outer Mongolia. In walks a figure wrapped in snow-encrusted winter gear: its heavy boots, thick anorak, fur hat, and face-concealing scarf make it difficult to tell anything about the person beneath, save that they are humanoid.

The figure shuts the Door walks to and then up the stairs, leaving a trail of fast-melting snow along the way. Presumably it is going to a room somewhere.

Several minutes later, Abe no Seimei, onmyoji Abe Haru, Other, Inquisitor descends the stairs, dressed in a bespoke black suit and pale grey silk shirt with black Italian shoes. He goes straight to the Bar, bows, and requests a snifter of brandy before taking a seat on one of the barstools.

Inquisitor Abe pulls a pack of Peace cigarettes from inside his coat, puts one between his lips, and lights it (with no lighter, which would be an impressive trick if this weren't the kind of place it is).

He takes a puff. He takes the cigarette from his mouth and lifts the snifter of brandy with his other hand. "Fucking Russians," he mutters to no one in particular, and takes a drink.

[OOC: Going to be slowtimey, but open for tags all week.

Inquisitor Abe is a grumpy bastard with a vindictive streak. Approach at your own risk.]

Comments

[cottoncandypink]

There are dogs in the bar today. Two of them. The younger one is being taught the subtle-as-a-brick art of begging or stealing food off anyone who walks through the door.

They're a little excited today. It's no different from any other day, but that just means people who come into the bar are used to being dogberged the second they sit down to take a drink, right?

[yinyangwizard]

Well, maybe some people. Others don't take it in stride.

"What? No! Down! Shoo!"

[cottoncandypink]

One of the dogs is a puppy. Being a Great Dane, she doesn't realise that she's the bigger of the two. Maybe climbing up on the nice man's lap will convince him to let her have some of what's in his drink?

[yinyangwizard]

Well, she gets a little of what's in his drink, but only because she jostles his arm and he spills it.

"Off!" he snarls, shoving the Great Dane back on the floor. "You mongrels ought to be shot. And probably your owner, too."

[cottoncandypink]

The owner does not like being shot. But he hears his puppy give out a startled yelp, and puts down everything he was doing to come investigate.

"The fuck did you do to my dog?" he demands.

This is Wilford. Investigating.

Both dogs start crowding around him, but it's something that's become strangely easy to ignore.

[yinyangwizard]

"Got it off my lap where it had no business being in the first place," Inquisitor Abe says, trying to blot some of his spilled drink off himself with a napkin. "Either train your animals or restrain them properly."

[cottoncandypink]

Everyone's angry, and Bailey thinks she's in trouble and starts crying, so Wilford awkwardly picks her up. She's too big to be held like this, but he doesn't particularly care. For no reason at all, Buster starts limping. Maybe he can get some attention too.

"Look at you. You're fine. You got nothing to complain about."

[yinyangwizard]

Inquisitor Abe responds with a glare, but this does not seem to faze the man with the pink mustache and the unruly dogs.

And that's sort of the problem, isn't it?

"I don't think you're qualified to judge what is or isn't worth a complaint, when you have so little consideration for the feelings of others."

Inquisitor Abe makes a strange gesture with his hands, as if he's conducting an orchestra through a particularly complex piece.

Nothing happens. Or at least nothing that anyone would immediately notice.

[cottoncandypink]

Wilford glares right back. He doesn't know what that was. He doesn't think he cares.

"Don't touch my dogs, you fucking creep."

He taps Buster with his foot to get the dog's attention. "Let's the get the hell out of here."

Buster yowls like he's been grievously wounded, and dramatically limps all the way to the door. Whatever wounded Buster so greatly must be spreading, because Bailey starts crying as well.

[yinyangwizard]

Inquisitor Abe doesn't care. His work here is done.

He brushes the wet areas of his coat and trousers lightly with his fingertips, and the spilled brandy boils out of the fabric and dissipates into the air (without causing any damage to him, or his clothes).

"Bar-san. Another, please.

[katyafeline]

Katya, who had been spending a rather pleasant evening trying vodkas with Bar, bristles at his statement.

Then she nearly falls off the bartop with a startled Yelp and a ring of silver where she'd been sitting on when she gets a gander of what this is.

[yinyangwizard]

Inquisitor Abe looks over at the startled Light One (it’s hard to look through the Twilight here, at least for him, but he can see that much) with an impassive expression. “Honestly. Does profanity bother you that much?”

[katyafeline]

Katya hears the ghost-sense of Bear in her ear, an echo from the first time Inquisitors showed up in Moscow after she became Other. She'd been young then, stupidly young and wild the way young things are. He'd neatly collared her and held her still against his barrel of a chest rumbling a warning.

'Those are Inquisitors. Find your manners, if you have any, or I may be finding a new partner tonight after you've been unmade.'

It'd been good advice then, and she takes it now, slamming into formality at breakneck speed. Her posture straightens abruptly.

"No sir, sorry sir." Despite the years, Moscow still hangs heavy on her tongue. "It's just, if I may be so bold, I have not seen another Other here in years."

[yinyangwizard]

Well, she’s showing proper deference, which is an improvement over what he’s been dealing with the past few days.

“Nor have I. What are you called and where are you from, Light One?”

[katyafeline]

"My name is Yekatrina, but as part of the Moscow Night Watch, I was known as Tiger Cub, sir." Katya replies promptly, keeping her hands firmly folded in her lap.

"Would you like some vodka, sir?"

[yinyangwizard]

“No,” Inquisitor Abe says. He is not fond of vodka. “You were one of Gesar’s people?”

Boris Ignatyevich Gesar has been running Moscow’s Night Watch for a very long time.

[katyafeline]

"Mmm." Katya nods in assent, "Da. I was his battle-mage."

Who took that position on the chess board when she was gone? She can think of some options, but none satisfactory.

She's disappointed in him declining vodka. If he had vodka, she could too.

She wants vodka.

She wants a smoke.

She wants Bear at her back.

None of these things are new.

[yinyangwizard]

Inquisitor Abe purses his lips. “That old wizard is one of the most troublesome Others I have ever had the misfortune of meeting. Dark or Light.”

(Gesar would probably consider this a compliment.)

[katyafeline]

Katya can't help the grin - almost of pride, partially of fondness - that appears with that assessment. She knows others here (Olya) have other opinions... but she loves Gesar. She is still loyal, even after being alone all these years.

She tries to smother the grin. It isn't super successful.

"Oh, da?" She asks, sweetness and light (Light) itself. "I can't imagine why, sir."

[yinyangwizard]

She thinks that’s funny? No! It’s not funny!

“Perhaps because he encourages his underlings to be cheeky little troublemakers,” he says aridly.

[katyafeline]

"I wouldn't know, sir." Katya replied, all innocence and wide dark eyes. "I haven't been in Moscow for years."

[yinyangwizard]

“I see you have nonetheless maintained at least some of the bad habits Gesar cultivates in all his followers. He manages to make himself felt as an annoyance even when he’s not physically present.” Inquisitor Abe sighs. His cigarette has gone out. He relights it and blows on it to remove the old sour ash before taking a draw.

“I expect this sort of thing from Dark Ones. From Light Ones, it always disappoints.”