Chapter 23: Heaven Is A Gated Community

[Kaschei Bessmertny]

"Let's go somewhere where we can talk more privately." Kaschei suggests. With all of the priests around he doesn't feel comfortable talking to openly. He is new to the organization and has to watch himself, at least a little. "Follow me." Kaschei orders. He leads Mac away from the arena out to the streets. They walk quietly for a while until they arrive at the carnival that the Red Jester had created earlier. They walk past some games and rides, but as a whole, the place is empty as people lost interest in the carnival. Kaschei sits at a picnic table near a knife throwing game.

"I will give you direction in how to look over the organization. Things are mostly quiet now. I suppose our main concern will be our business ventures in Cuba."

[Lucio De Saldanha]

Lucio looks at the Jester and the puppet and is very happy. This looks like it will be a fun time, at least to him. He runs up to Pine Eyes and knocks on his head. "I know you! You're Pinocchio, and he must be Gepeto. I am the Gestapo!" Lucio says as he dances around. He stops after he feels a pain in his side. He then sits down on the floor, looking around at the carnival of tortures.
"Step right up! Step right up! It's the greatest show on Earth!" Lucio babbles happily before he bursts into laughter.

[Cillian Machiavelli]

Mac remembers his last dealings in cuba and a shiver goes down his spine. He had been imprisoned there for as long as it took to find the information he needed and then he was able to escape. He knew that he would be able to do as his master wished but it would be difficult since his face was known...well maybe not so much. He HAD eaten most of his captors.

"I agree. Things seem to be quieted for the most part but t me that just means troubke on the horizon. It honors me you think highly enough of me to entrust such things to me. I shant let you down. There is one thing...will your wife be coming with you or is she something else I am to...take care of."

[Kaschei Bessmertny]

"You don't need to take care of her. I can take care of her if it comes to that, but...she can take care of herself." Kaschei states, blending both meanings. He hasn't even thought of his wife lately. He wonders why he even bothers keeping her around. He supposes that she does serve some purposes. She cooks and cleans for him. Although, Mac might to the same if asked, but, that's womens work and he respects Mac a little more than to subject him to that.

"You will have to inform Alexei of the changes. But, I doubt he will mind. Otherwise, things in Cuba have settled down. The country has been built up nicely. Beth Bathory is working there and says that business is going well. The world needs an escape."

[The Red Jester]

"Look, Jester. We could try to torture him for a bit before the guards pick him up in the morning." Pine Eyes whisper to him. "He is pissing me off..."

"Maybe....but we can have som fun with him first..." Jester answer quietly before looking at Lucio.

"His real name is Pine Eyes and my name is the Red Jester. Do you like playing games right?"

[Armin Lehrer]

Armin wakes up for a while and takes a sip of water from beside his bed. He lays there and wishes that he had more energy to do something. He feels so sapped of energy. He remembers waking up earlier and that Kasper was with him. Kasper is gone now.

Armin gets up and opens a can of soup downstairs. He heats it up and eats it while he looks over an old M TV newspaper sitting on the table. He dribbles soup onto the paper, but doesn't care.
He puts his bowl in the sink and rinses out the can before heading upstairs with a glass of water. He peeks into Kasper's room and sets the water by his bed. Kasper is sick now as well. At least everyone is in solidarity in their misery.

[Cillian Machiavelli]

Mac smirks when Kaschei talks of Maria taking care of herself. He ould pay all his riches to witness that...and maybe have a taste of her blood. Mac shakes his head trying to dispurse the bloodlust and contempt for that woman out of his head. He looks at Kaschei his eyes never revealing what he had been thinking.

"I hope Alexei will be able to deal with the fact I would be taking care of things. He does not respect me. He does not trust me. That I cant site him for because if i were him i wouldnt trust me either...but he must respect me. I will demand it. And Beth and I have been in touch fairly recently. I may go and stay at her place while I get accustomed to this. Her girls will take care of me and i wont have to worry about them trying anything with me. How I loathe carnal destractions. At least this way I wont even be interested..."

Mac rests his eyes on Kaschei for the briefest of moments before letting them go skyward.

[Lucio De Saldanha]

"Hello Pine Eyes and Red Jester. I'm Captain Eo." Lucio replies. He moves to shake the Jester's hand, but pulls his hand away, smooths out his hair and does a turn. He starts laughing again.
"I LOVE games. I am always GAME for GAMES. I like tiddly winks, Scrabble, Twister, and hoola hoop contests. But, what do you have in mind,Jest?"

[Kaschei Bessmertny]

Some children with a dog run past Machiavelli and Kaschei as they talk. The dog is excited and jumps onto the picnic table. Kaschei is annoyed by the voices of children and this barking mutt now interrupting the conversation. He scowls at the children and grabs the dog.

"Keep it leashed." He says quietly before squeezing the small, wiry dog until it yelps. He uses his power to advance the age of the dog. It grows older and weaker until it is nothing but a pile of bones..and then a pile of dust. He blows the dust at the children, who run away in terror.

"Let's go to my quarters at the Temple of Terror, this is ridiculous." Kaschei states before he stands up and starts walking back to the temple. "If Alexei has issues with you, he can talk to me. Or, you can threaten to kill his sister. He will learn respect quickly then."

[Cillian Machiavelli]

Mac can not control himself. He laughs heartily as Kaschei blows the bone dust at the children. Although Mac is annoyed Kaschei did not save a bone for him. The dog had looked rather tasty.

"As long as I have your support that is all I wanted to know. I can teach respect but I did not wish to step on your toes to do so. I wanted to make sure I did not overstep my boundaries at all."

Mac feels very happy to be going to Kascheis quarters. He always felt so at ease with his master even though he was so vile and ruthless...perhaps thats why he coveted him so much. He was a black dragons dream. He looked up as well and made a shreiking noise causing the birds to flee the trees before they reached them.

"I hate bird shyte..." was all he mumbled when infact he had shrieked because his master really was going to leave him in moscow.

[Kaschei Bessmertny]

Kaschei only nods and walks back to the Temple of Terror. The ominous black building is now Kaschei's home and workplace. He enters past some guards and none seem to pay too much attention to his presence.

Kaschei leads them up a long stairway and down a dark hall. Finally, at the end of the hall, there is the thick door to Kaschei's room. Kaschei unlocks the door and lets Machiavelli into the large room which is like a small apartment. Although the building is new, the room is dark and hazy. There are candles and thick red curtains, along with shelves of books and jars.

Kaschei takes a seat on a red cushioned chaise. "Take a seat somewhere."

"I noticed something peculiar in the audience at the fights. It was a black cat, but the cat ...seemed somehow familiar. Perhaps it is nothing or perhaps it is something to look into."

[Cillian Machiavelli]

Mac sits indianstyle on the floor bracing his back against the wall. It almost feels smudgy and oily from incense and burning. He doesnt care. He stretches out his long legs and props his arm on the knee of his right leg.

"A black cat you say? Any idea where you place it? The future or the past? I will gladly look into it master."

[Kaschei Bessmertny]

"The past..." Kaschei states, though it is hard to keep the past, present, and future apart from one another. They blur together. He leans back into the seat and glances at Machiavelli. He kicks off his shoes and feels that he should be doing something. He isn't sure what it is he wants though.

"This job is not so bad. I oversee the tortures and staff here." Kaschei states. "I want something. Get me some cranberry juice." Kaschei orders the dragon. Sometimes he enjoys pushing him around just for the sake of doing it.

[Rust aka "Chaos"]

Chaos ,looks around his grin getting more sinister. He looks the place over and nods.

"Was there another android here earlier? We had a signature but lost it pretty much as soon as the commotion was reported. Care to tell me anything."

Post as Mac

Mac laughs and gets up to go rummage through the kitchen. A wide grin across his face as he goes to get a glass of cranberry juice for Kaschei.

"anything else perhaps? Maybe some asparagus..."

He was completely serious a dragon can cook.

[Kaschei Bessmertny]

Kaschei takes the glass of cranberry juice. He takes sip, then pours the rest on Machiavelli's head. "No, just the juice.." Kaschei states with a frown. He feels that he has been mocked and doesn't like that. Cranberry juice is a perfectly good juice and has nothing to do with bladder ailments. It is high in vitimin C and he likes the tart taste. "I hope I didn't ruin your clothes."

Kaschei laughs a little, but still feels a little dark and angry. He gets it in his mind that he wants to hurt Machiavelli. However, he refrains for now.