[18:16] <Christian_Weiss> <(Tick)....The day had gone by quietly. Smoothly. Unhindered by flaw. (Tock.) Christian sits on the other side of the bank teller's bullet proof glass screen, staring out at the dangerous world. (Tick) It was 3 in the afternoon. Not much more time until he would get off of work. (Tock) And all he could do...(Tick) Was listen to that maddening sound...( Tock)>

[18:18] <SultryCustomer> <Her name was Eva...she wears a faux fur black mink that reaches just below her knees, tall black stilleto heels and butterfly sunglasses>

[18:19] <SultryCustomer> <holding a snake-skin purse she walks to the counter and looks Christian straight in the eyes. Flashing a slow pearly white grin she looks him up and down suggestively>

[18:20] <Christian_Weiss> <Christian blinks, looking quite powerless behind his window guard, despite the fact that it could stop a shotgun blast.> Welcome, how can I help you today?

[18:20] <SultryCustomer> <she has a husky voice, and she takes out a cheque, which happened to be made out for an exhorbant amount of money> "hello..<looks down at hsi name tag> Christian"

[18:21] <SultryCustomer> I'd like for you to help me...<smiles>

[18:21] <Christian_Weiss> Well ma'am...that's what I'm here to do. <Smiles nervously>

[18:23] <Eva_Steele> <takes the cheque from out of her purse, and slides it through the small opening underneath the glass screen, she reaches under to make contact with his hands, trying to hint that she had other things in mind> I'd like to cash this in sweetheart.

[18:24] <Eva_Steele> <the amount was for $250,000 and she wanted it in cash>

[18:26] <Christian_Weiss> <He takes the check, quickly removing his hand from hers> Alright, Ms...<Reads the check> Steele. I'm going to need some identification...

[18:27] <Eva_Steele> <pouts> I've been going through my purse, and i seem to have forgotten any piece of id, i don't usually walk around with it, you know how it is in new york don't ya? people getting mugged...i just carry what i need.

[18:28] <Christian_Weiss> Well I can't cash this without any ID....

[18:28] <Eva_Steele> <smiles> i'm sure you believe little ole me don't you? <again looks him up and down suggestively>

[18:28] <Christian_Weiss> Sorry, but it's against policy.

[18:29] <Eva_Steele> aww come on Christian...it's friday, we all want to go home...i could take you over to my place and...<looks around her notice no one looking and licks the glass between them> we could get to know each other better...then for sure you'd believe me <smiles lazily>

[18:30] <Christian_Weiss> <Backs up from the glass, visually shuddering> I'm afraid not, ma'am....<Sweat glistens from his forehead. It looks like he's under a lot of stress...even his usually pale color is turning a blush pink>

[18:31] <Eva_Steele> <pouts> awww, i guess i'm going to have to bring my business elsewhere...and I thought you were such a nice handsome young man...you've made me all sad...

[18:32] <Christian_Weiss> <Slides the check back under the glass> Get some identification next time, please...

[18:32] <Eva_Steele> I was hoping that we could share a nice dinner...candlelit...by the fire, i could get the jacuzzi going...

[18:32] <Herusu_Hunter> <shivers a bit> it had to snow last night didn't it....

[18:32] <Christian_Weiss> No thank you...you may leave now.

[18:34] <Eva_Steele> <nods> fine, if you feel that way...what time do you go home Christian?

[18:34] <Christian_Weiss> 5...why?

[18:34] <Eva_Steele> I'll wait for you, we can do dinner anyway <smiles>

[18:35] <Eva_Steele> <smiles as she walks away, confident that she'll see him in a couple of hours>

[18:35] <Christian_Weiss> Um.......

[18:35] <Christian_Weiss> <He leans against the counter, sighing a breath of relief>

[18:35] <Christian_Weiss> Watch the front for me. I have to use the restroom.

[18:36] <Christian_Weiss> <Walks into the bathroom. He does his business at a urinal, then goes to the sink.>

[18:36] <Christian_Weiss> <While washing his hands, he sees someone standing behind him out of the corner of his eye. Someone with red hair....>

[18:36] <Christian_Weiss> <He goes to look over his shoulder, but the person is gone. Vanished into thin air.>

[18:36] <Christian_Weiss> <Obviously, he gets spooked...>

[18:37] <Eva_Steele> <two hours later...>

[18:38] <Strages> <The bank closes, and the employees leave the store one by one. However, Christian is not seen exitting...>

[18:38] <Eva_Steele> <the bank is now closed, and eva waits outside of the employee entrance for Christian. Determined to get her cheque cashed, in the time between now and the last she sees him she changes into something more "comfortable">

[18:40] <Strages> <A man with red hair exits the bank. He's extremely attractive, but there's something else about his appearance that's alluring. A sense of inhumanity, as it were. Something totally unnatural. He brushes by Eva as he walks, red hair flowing freely on a breeze.>

[18:41] <Eva_Steele> <she sits down on a bench, her dress riding up her long slender legs, she crosses them, making the bum sitting across from her blush, the scene reminisce of "basic instinct">

[18:42] <Eva_Steele> <she turns, her gaze not leaving the back of the red headed gentleman, drawn to him, she almost stands up to introduce herself, but decides against it>

[18:43] <Eva_Steele> <looking at her watch she begins to get restless> 5:25...and he's still not out of here...

[18:43] <Strages> <A sound off to Eva's right distracts her momentarily, but when her attention returns, Strages is sitting next to her on the bench. No sound of his approach, nor the enterin of his view into the corner of her eye. He was very casual about the whole thing, looking totally relaxed>

[18:45] <Eva_Steele> <she turns to him, and smiles> hello...

[18:46] <Strages> Hello....waiting for someone? You looked lonely.

[18:46] <Eva_Steele> <nods> waiting for...a friend.

[18:47] <Strages> What sort of friend would make a pretty girl like you wait?

[18:47] <Strages> <His voice is like ether. Simply intoxicating.>

[18:48] <Eva_Steele> we're not that close...<his nearness makes her nervous, in an exhilerating sense, for some reason, her palms begin to sweat, and his voice is like a balm, soothing...mesmerizing..>

[18:50] <Strages> <He leans in extremely close, one arm slithering around her shoulders. He brushes the line of her chin with his nose, and breathes his icy breath onto her neck.> You need a closer friend....<His voice begins to echo oddly. Sounds start to "blur" and fade out, everything except for his voice eventually wains>

[18:52] <Eva_Steele> <his breath touching her slender neck sent shivers up her spine, but this time, it wasn't the excited fluttering she thought she would feel...she begins to feel a bit lightheaded...and her heartbeat begins to louden, echoing in her ears...his voice, creeping in, haunting her psyche, as if trying to become a resident>

[18:54] <Strages> <He runs an unnaturally cold hand across the other side of her face, chilling to the touch.> It's getting cold....dark......<Moves his mouth towards her ear> What we need....is fire......<His fingers clench, digging into her skin as if clawed.>

[18:55] <Strages> <What comes next is a motion blur of passing through crowds of people. The only clear, constant is Strages holding Eva's hand and leading her to some direction.>

[18:56] <Eva_Steele> <indescribable pain takes hold, his fingers like a branding iron on her soft skin...her eyes move back as if they were trying to escape the impending horrors>

[18:58] <Strages> <Then: pitch black. Her head is concealed inside of a hood. She is bound to a chair inside of her apartment, badly beaten. She couldn't remember actually getting hit....but her jaw was, in fact, broken.>

[19:01] <Eva_Steele> <she awakens, her mouth on fire, trying to talk is futile, her jaw swollen. all she sees is few bits of light where the cloth of the bag thins, other than that, she's trapped in a world of darkness and terrible pain, she's scared, and begins to sob, her slight shoulders shaking>

[19:03] <Strages> <Removes the hood from her head, sitting on a chair across from her. He leans against its back, something behind him in a pile. One of Eva's eyes has swollen shut...> Good morning, angel.

[19:03] <Strages> Or...good evening.

[19:04] <Eva_Steele> <stares at him and tries to struggle out of her bounds, but it's impossible>

[19:06] <Strages> <Herusu bumps into a skinny man wearing glasses> [Christian] "Oh, excuse me...I wasn't watching where I was going."

[19:06] <Strages> I've got a surprise for you...I think you'll like it, sweetness.

[19:07] <Eva_Steele> <all she can do is stare, unable to respond because of her swollen jaw>

[19:07] <Herusu_Hunter> <shivers, his short wet hair barely covering his eyes>

[19:07] <Herusu_Hunter> Um.... Could you tell me where I could find the club Noir?

[19:07] <Strages> <Forces Eva to stand up on a chair, then hangs something from the ceiling by four hooks that look freshly installed. When he's done, it's fairly obvious that this....is a metal mesh net>

[19:08] <Strages> [Christian] "Oh, uh...Noir...<Laughs lightly> Do I look like the sort of guy that goes to that sort of place?"

[19:08] <Eva_Steele> <her weakness causes her to wobble on the chair. she can barely hold herself up>

[19:08] <Herusu_Hunter> Oh, well I was just wondering, thanks anyway <walks on, checking the street signs>

[19:08] <Strages> <Eva might realize now that she's been stripped down completely. Head to toe, she is naked.>

[19:10] <Strages> You wanted to go to bed....well....I've made a bed for you.

[19:10] <Strages> <Grabs her by the legs and picks her up, tossing her on top of the hanging wire mesh.>

[19:10] <Strages> Sweet dreams.

[19:10] <Eva_Steele> <Eva, her luck ever running out, is afraid of heights and becomes a silent hysteric>

[19:11] <Strages> <The mesh slowly starts to work its way through her skin as she moves. It's razor sharp, and binding as well. As she moves, even slightly, pieces of her skin rub against it and are cut accordingly. It's like a bed of razor blades.>

[19:15] <Strages> <"Tell me, Eva...what do you fear the most?">

[19:15] <Eva_Steele> <the links of the net irritate her skin more and more, her whole body one large painful surface>

[19:16] <Eva_Steele> <as she couldn't talk, she stares at him, her eyes glazed, still wishing this was some sort of horrible nightmare that in a second she would wake up from>

[19:17] <Strages> <Starts to invade her mind.> <"What do you fear, Eva?">

[19:19] <Eva_Steele> <she shakes her head, horrified by the invasion of her mind...she tries to block him out, however already manifesting himself into her thoughts she breaks down and he senses that in all her life, nothing has scared her more than is doing so now...her will to live waning her mind begins to falter at the constant assult of his stronger one.>

[19:20] <Strages> Remember what I said, Eva? About fire?

[19:20] <Strages> <Points to a tub of some liquid below the net>

[19:20] <Strages> You know I meant it, right?

[19:20] <Strages> I always mean what I say...

[19:20] <Strages> Because I love your mind.

[19:20] <Strages> <Strikes a match off of the side of his face>

[19:22] <Strages> <Licks the match head, then closes his mouth. The match seems to have gone out>

[19:23] <Strages> <For a moment, there's an air of relief in the air>

[19:25] <Eva_Steele> <staring down at the pool of liquid just under her her fear increases ten-fold...a drop of sweat, pink by the mixture of blood caused by the sharp links falls into the tub...she notices it bubble, but sure it's not from that small bead of sweat she tries to make out a reason>

[19:26] <Eva_Steele> <the tub stands on a heated platform, a makeshift stove of sorts, and the bubble, denotes boiling...>

[19:28] <Strages> <Picks up the tub and slings it at Eva with rapid-fire pacing, covering her in some sort of boiling liquid. It becomes apparent that this liquid as oil. Strages smiles.>

[19:28] <Strages> <He then opens his mouth and, of all things, breathes fire out onto the black and oily Eva, immediately igniting the oil in a wave of flames.>

[19:30] <Eva_Steele> <her body convulses, the oil parching her skin, leaving welts, as the fire ignites her body, she stiffens, her eyelids flittering up and down and after a few moments of obvious excruciating agony, her body limpens, and hangs flacid in the mesh net>

[19:31] <Strages> <With a wave of his hand, the fires die out, but the burning oil remains. He takes out the supports for the net, leaving Eva to fall to the ground.>

[19:33] <Eva_Steele> <she lies there, lifeless and still, her body blistering, and pinkish spots are framed by charred bits of skin...she is still alive, however her will to live has disappeared, her body merely a shell housing a lifeless soul>

[19:34] <Strages> <Brushes a hand over her as he walks by, leaving cool streaks across her non-existant skin> I hope that you're quite comfrotable...I must take my leave. Good day, madame...

[19:34] <Strages> <And with that, Strages vanishes.>

[19:39] <Christian_Weiss> <Walks through the hallway. He pauses once he smells something burning...>

[19:39] <Christian_Weiss> What's going on? Is there a fire?

[19:39] <Christian_Weiss> God...<Waves a hand across his nose>

[19:39] <Christian_Weiss> Smells like someone was burning meat.

[19:39] <Eva_Steele> <the smell of smoke eminates from the door at the end of the hall>

[19:40] <Christian_Weiss> <He carefully approaches, coughing occasionally>

[19:40] <Christian_Weiss> <Pushes open the door to Eva's apartment>

[19:40] <Eva_Steele> <the smell becomes more and more unbearable as christian nears the end of the hallway>

[19:40] <Eva_Steele> <the floor is slick from the oil>

[19:41] <Christian_Weiss> <He almost falls over, holding the wall for support> Hello? <Coughs> Is anyone here?

[19:42] <Eva_Steele> <she lies there, paralyzed her once beautiful hair nothing more than like patches of steel wool.>

[19:43] <Christian_Weiss> Oh god...not again...

[19:43] <Christian_Weiss> <Falls against the wall, putting a hand over his mouth and nose> No....no no no!

[19:44] <Christian_Weiss> <Stumbles towards Eva, sickened almost to the point of vomitting>

[19:44] <Christian_Weiss> Are you still alive? Can you speak?

[19:44] <Christian_Weiss> <Wraps a handkerchief around his hand and pushes her shoulder gently>

[19:45] <Eva_Steele> <her body moves slightly, not in response to his question but to his touch, she flinches as his hand causes only pain on her burnt skin>

[19:46] <Christian_Weiss> God.....why? Who is doing this?!

[19:46] <Christian_Weiss> <His touch, instead of bringing her pain, numbs and soothes it.>

[19:48] <Eva_Steele> <a sigh escapes her>

[19:48] <Christian_Weiss> Stay right here, I'm going to call an ambulance.

[19:48] <Christian_Weiss> Don't move...oh...uh.....damn it! This is too much...

[19:49] <Christian_Weiss> <Runs to the door and leans out of it, vomitting up everything he had for lunch.>

[19:49] <Christian_Weiss> <Walks back in, wiping the back of his hand past his mouth. He finds the phone in her apartment and calls 911...>

[19:50] <Christian_Weiss> <It takes half an hour for the ambulance to get there, but Christian remains with her every single minute, giving her encouraging words of hope and easing her suffering simply with his presence. Like some sort of angel of mercy.>

[19:53] <Eva_Steele> <the ambulance takes her away, and christian walks to follow, but the paramedics ask him to stay to talk to authorities>

[19:54] <Christian_Weiss> <Christian nods, then walks Eva leave. When the authorities arrive, Christian gives them evasive half-answers, but they strangely buy into it...>

[19:54] <Christian_Weiss> <He leaves confidently, though shaken about what he had seen. Another woman burned extremely badly...>