Bright are the Stars[Fely]

[Dark Strider]

Typical, a petty line like the last time they had met. Quickly followed by the sword to his throat. At that, Leon actually smiled a wide grin.

"You sure you don't want to let me get past you?" Leon asked, giving a quick glance downward.

In his left hand, Leon had one of his guns pointing directly at December's heart. Leon figured that something along these lines would take place, though he knew that she would hardly call his bluff. This was only something to see if she would falter and moved away, removing the sword herself. If not, Leon had several different methods to get out of the situation. One, Leon could easily warp back, place a grenade, then pop outside the window and watch as the grenade went off, wreaking havoc inside the building. Lots of attention, flames, smoke, a general uproar. That one possibility was one of the few that Leon had on reserve in case things got out of hand.

Leon could also simply use the Demon's eye on her. No one was without fear or nightmares, it was nearly impossible for that to happen less one of two things came to happen. Number one, the cerebral cortex was severed from the rest of the brain, something that would more then likely kill a normal person, but under medical treatment and constant monitoring, it was possible to preserve someone, though they would be more or less a vegetable at that point.

The second possiblity was more... devious. Someone who has had their personality and their entire sense of emotion locked away, that or have it removed. But, through that, the person would have to have been hospitalized for years, taking a piece of their brain out after an indepth procedure to localize the different sources of emotion into a single location. A costly procedure, and one that has almost a one hundred to one chance of surviving.

Leon knew, however, that December hadn't had that kind of procedure. Looking over loads of information that rolled across the screens in Leon's sunglasses, Leon traced everything that December had done to her body. Oddly enough, the most recient thing was having a tooth pulled. Leon inwardly shrugged and looked forward at the woman, wondering what she was going to do in response to his gun pointed right at her.

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[Felypsa]

It was standoff for a moment; her sword still at his throat, his gun pointed at her heart. But of course Leon always had a few tricks up his sleeve. December remembered that he had the ability to warp, but when she had last met him, he still had not had a handle on it—yet she knew she couldn’t count on that this time. Furthermore, what lay behind his ever-present sunglasses. December did not know its true nature, but she did know that she didn’t want to find out. Her heart pounded while she thought of what to do.

Suddenly her sword moved, sweeping downward. If it managed to catch Leon’s gun, the blade would flash and slice right through the metal, rendering the weapon useless. Regardless of whether this endeavor was successful or not, December would pull back in another heartbeat, her sword held directly in front of her. The white metal shone out, becoming reflective. That mirror in itself could be a defense against the Demon’s eye.

“Who wants you to kill Odin?” December demanded. In this stance, she felt protected, but she could also move away in an instant if need be. “Or is this a personal mission?” If it were the latter, that would be tricky. December had no personal attachment to Odin; it was purely professional. So she did not mind fighting tooth and nail against other professionally hired hands. Yet if it were a personal reason, the balance was shifted; the reasons for fighting changed. The stakes were higher for her opponent. And oh, December hated going against the gritty self-sacrificing determination of a fighter who has everything to gain and nothing to lose…

[Dark Strider]

The sword did connect with the gun, cleanly cutting through the metal. As the blade came through to the other side, Leon dropped the stub of the gun that was left to the floor. As it fell, Leon's had went right to the pommle of his own sword, it whipping out of its sheath like lightning. Though her blade shone with a frigid gleen, Leon's blade emmited an eerie black haze around it. Leon pulled the blade into an overhand stance, resting the blade with tip upside down and pointed at December. His legs were spread in the power stance, but Leon had modified the positioning to allow for rapid movement and for finesse of the blade.

"Come now, December... You and I both know that a mercenary never reveals his clients. I would have thought that one like you would know that... Shame..." Leon said, a dis-interested shrug escaping him.

"And a personal matter? Please... I'm not the same hot headed youngin' I was ten years ago. Besides... Things have changed in that time. I'm sure you've picked up your own... tricks, in that time." Leon said, lowering the blade to his side. He still held it, however, in his predominant hand.

Leon held his arms wide and shrugged again. This was getting no where fast and every moment that he wasted on December was another moment that was lost to the mission. Leon hated to be tardy with his work, and his reputation for having a 100% completion rating on his assignments was at stake.

"Judging from your general stance and your attitude towards our little chance encounter, it seems that you've been studying up on all of your old partners. Seems strange that I'd be on there... Let's see... what was it you called me when we last worked together? I think it was...' a brash youth with hardly an understanding of the grandure that was around me.' or something along those lines. Well... look at where we are now." Leon said, taking a quick look around. A trickster's grin sat on Leon's lips as he returned his attention.

"Now... I'm going to ask you one more time... are you going to let me pass without a fight? or do I have to move you aside and then continue on? The choice is yours, my dear... I pray you think before you act, though." Leon continued, resting the tip of his sword on the floor beneith him. In doing this, Leon had prepared a technique of his that he was particularly proud of. A newer one in comparison to some of his other ones, but useful and apt for this encounter. It was only a choice away, one that he couldn't decide for the both of them. Unfortunate for December, the fight that could ensue was pretty much already decided. Fate, a crule mistress.

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[Felypsa]

It was just two hard-headed, stubborn mercenaries pitted against each other. There was simply no way around it. One of them had to lose for the first time. December gritted her teeth. She eyed him closely and then let out a sigh. Maybe this was Divine Providence showing her a sign. After all the assassins she had fought off for Odin’s sake…this was the one to succeed. Of course, it meant the death of her own reputation. But she had known this day would come…when she would be taken out of the public eye and resume her true quest and mission below.

Her sword was sheathed in another instant; December stood aside. “There is something else I could be doing. I have always had a greater purpose than this. We will meet again, Leon, and then I will have no choice but to fight…and hopefully, you will be on my side, not against it.” She bowed her head. “Until then. There are greater forces at work. And I am sure you will survive them.” Of all of them, he would.

“Lest you feel cheated of this fight, never fear…Odin will have taken great measures to protect himself. He never did fully trust me or believe in me, so he has plenty of backup security that you will have to get through.” December inclined her head. “I would assist you, but I feel you would get more out of it if you were challenged by it yourself.” She gestured to the door. “Now go before I change my mind.”

[Dark Strider]

Leon smiled a fond smile and nodded his head.

"I'll look forward to our next meeting, m'dear. And, like you said, I hope you and I can fight together, like old times." Leon said, sheathing his own sword.

With another nod, Leon walked past December and towards the elevators. Pressing the "UP" button, Leon crossed his arms and waited for the doors to open. They did and a man in a dress-shirt, blue tie, coperate blue pants and dressy shoes stood with a breafcase in his hand. A paper hung out of the courner of the case. Leon stepped in, hiding a smile behind his hand. He wipped the smile off of his lips, but the courners of his mouth continued to pull into the general direction. The man visibly paled when Leon stepped into the elevator, noting the sword on his hip. At that, Leon burst out laughing as the doors closed.

~

Leon rode up the floors to the main penthouse lobby. The doors dinged open, and immediatly, a string of bullets riddled the back of the elevator. Leon, having anticipated this, was currently sitting on top of the car of the elevator. Two guards, toating assult rifles, moved cautiously into the cab. They inspected the holes and even popped open the hollow flooring, to check and see if Leon was there. Leon, knowing that Odin was watching, placed a small splice on the line, giving him a feed that Leon had stopped at an earlier level after pressing the button for the penthouse floor. An obvious tact, but Leon knew that they would be waiting for him irregardless. So, he hopped up onto the top of the car and waited for it to begin to roll down the track. The doors closed and the car moved enough for Leon to get into the right position. Now standing on the slight precipace, Leon reached between the cracks of the door and pryed the doors open. Once they were open just enough, Leon pulled the pin on a frag grenade, tossed it in, and let the doors close, sealing the blast into the lobby.

After the explosion and the screaming of a guard with got filled with schrapnel. Leon turned to him and kicked him right between the eyes, killing the man instantly. Moving forward, Leon kicked in the doors before him. Ducking low, Leon dodged an expertly thrown knife, taking his own out in the process and throwing it into the chest of a female assassin. She fell over on the ground, the knife having pierced her heart. Odin, however, sat in his high backed chair, looking in shock and awe at Leon taking down each of his guards one by one.

Leon soon got to Odin, standing before his large desk.

"Seems you're out of luck, Mr. Odin. I'm here to send you packing." Leon said, his pistol appearing in his hand.

Odin simply bit his lower lip and swallowed before Leon pulled the trigger. A round fired off into his head, leaving him sitting limp and quite dead. Mission completed, Leon warped out of the window and landed on the building where his sniper rifle was. Gathering his things, Leon warped off to the garage and stored his things, climbed into his car, and drove off in a complex patter of turns and straight runs, throwing off the sentries that were following him. December, no matter how hard he try, was on Leon's mind. Oh well... more time to think about it when he got home...

~

Leon quickly returned home, the clocking reading four thirty in the afternoon. He walked into the house, deposited his coat and hat, walked into the kitchen and sat down in his favorite spot. All the while, he poured himself an drink and kicked back, looking down at the paper he had forgotten to read that morning. Nothing like kicking back and relaxing after a days work.

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[Felypsa]

As soon as Leon left, December turned to make her own exit. This would ruin her reputation. With Odin dead, word would get out about how she had failed to protect her charge; or that she was disloyal. The latter was certainly true, for December would ultimately serve a higher purpose for the rest of her life. That was just the way she was born. She could kiss the mercenary life goodbye, then. This day had to come sometime, she mused.

She walked out of the building, turned down a street, and—for all intents and purposes—disappeared. It was time to focus on that higher purpose…to prepare for the final battle. Perhaps, she thought, she would run into Leon again sooner than she had anticipated.

~

Since Mirror had come to live with them, Somni’s vigilante life had fallen apart. It was probably for the best…though the former thief did feel restless staying at home most of the time. She helped with chores like a typical housewife, and in her free time she kept herself in shape and read. Leon had a massive library of topics that Somni had never even thought about, so she was trying to educate herself again by reading and acquiring as much as possible. It was a very…low-key kind of life. She talked to Randy every now and then, kept a close eye on Mirror, and interacted with Leon (when he was home)…but for the most part, Somni felt domesticized. Not that that was necessarily a bad thing…

She was reading up on Israel when she heard the door open and knew that it could only be Leon. Starshadow was more discreet when she moved around the house and Mirror usually dripped around like the liquid she was. Somni gave a smile, bookmarked the page, and stood up to go greet him. And there he was, with a drink in his usual spot, just relaxing with the paper like he had never left. She sat down near him. “Welcome home. You look well. I take it the mission was not too difficult?”

[Dark Strider]

Leon turned to Somni and smiled.

"It's nice to be welcomed home so warmly. The mission went... well, I suppose. Completed the contract with minimal amount of incident." Leon said, moving a chair for her to sit down if she wished.

Leon reclined and looked out the large windows to his left. The sun was still high in the sky, birds chirped and flew about. The city shimmered in the light, the heat from the day causing the air to distort and waver as the heat rose. Nothing new, rather boring.

Leon took his drink to his lips and downed a bit of it, his face falling into a contemplating frown. Several things were going through his mind. Why was December willing to fore go their fight? What was it that she believed she could be doing instead of body-guarding. She had ruined her reputation by backing out of the fight and allowing Leon to move forward, but at the same time, she threw doubt and distrust into his mind. Leon would have to have a talk with Alice about what she knew about December. He would also have to pull up all the available information on her in the military database. Several things about her didn't quite fit into place.

"Sorry, m'dear... I'm rather not in the mood for talkin'. I need to figure some things out." Leon said, smiling at Somni.

He turned and downed his drink and folded the paper, getting up and leaving the kitchen. Several things needed to be found out, and Leon didn't want to waste any time. Moving out of the kitchen, Leon soon stood before the elevator doors. They dinged open, Leon having removed the security systems for the local levels. Inside, Leon pressed one of the buttons on the console and then swiped his security card and then typed in his password. The elevator began to moved downward, into the depths of Leon's home. Leon was headed for the underground server room/ computer hub. It was an extreamly large room, fortified and resistant to everything short of a nuclear bomb detonation directly on top of it, but then again, it probably could survive that as well. Inside the room, however, had nothing to do with a fallout shelter. Huge hubs of computers, terminals, and different machines that provided constant information output and input. Financial information, electrical usage, water, gas, septic, everything was monitored here. And here was the central hive mind of HARVY, Leon's personally designed AI.

The doors dinged open, allowing Leon into one of the most secure rooms in the facility. Once the door was closed behind him, the elevator rolled back up the track and waited in an anti-chamber for Leon when he would call it back down. Leon, not bothering to look back, walked forward to one of the hubs. The screen came to life before him, showing an access panal and a keylog. Happy with the ramped up security in the room, the electronic scramblers, the different emmitors of false signals and dampeners for all EMP weaponry and cyber-warfare, Leon knew that he was secure.

He typed in his passcode, along with a confusing password that only he and HARVY knew, Leon logged into the military database, calling up different sources of information at a time. Bypassing the latest installments of military drill details, Leon went into the archives and set the automated search for anything and everything on December. Leon knew that he was getting a little too deep then nessecary, but then again, what did a mercenary care? More info ment a better outcome for missions.

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[Felypsa]

oOc| Sorry, it's finals season! but it's almost over :3

Somni heard the slight hesitation before he claimed that all had gone well. And when he apologized and left, she knew something was on his mind. Something had happened to make him think. Though she was sure he had completed it as he said he had, there was something else he hadn’t expected. Not necessarily good or bad. She watched him go and sighed. The sound of dripping could be heard, and she made a face and stood up to leave the room. Mirror. Why couldn’t the damn alien just leave? What was it planning?

Anyone who had ever tried to read up on December, either as a potential hire or an enemy, was always confounded by the huge gaps in her files. According to every system, she simply did not exist until about ten years ago. Since her current age was listed as 28, that seemed impossible. Who appeared out of nowhere at the age of 18? There was no record of what her “real” name might be. Some files listed her as December Lee, but that could also have just been an adopted last name to make the computer system swallow her down. But there certainly was no record of any December Lee attending schools or living in any addresses.

Yet at 18, when she made that appearance, it was as a hired bodyguard of a powerful businessman named Cyrus. Like he had just plucked her out of thin air, voila, an 18-year-old girl with cold eyes and impossibly fast swordsmanship. Cyrus died of a stroke about a year and a half later, and probably, the secret of her origin died with him. Since then, her life had taken her to various jobs, the Marines for further training (where her path crossed with Leon’s), and abroad—doing missions that were listed as “classified.” Finally, in the past few years, she had been serving Odin. Until today.

Nothing but mystery surrounded her, it seemed.

[Dark Strider]

Sorry this is so late... Things havn't exacly gone the way I've planned lately.

[/size]

Nothing.

There was nothing on her. Only a few things were even listed in the database that contained even the slightest relivance to her. Leon turned away and slammed his fist into the wall, denting it deeply.

"Damn it..." Leon said, after pulling his hand out of the wall and looking at the damage.

He sighed and sat down in the large backed chair that was before the computer screen. The pannal in the wall rolled backwards and into the wall, another one, perfectly intact replacing it. Leon was impressed at that little feature of HARVY's. Anything that was damaged was taken into a queue. From there, an automated series of measurements and adjustments were processed in microseconds, feeding particular information to a central hub which directed the information to an automated fabrication facility underground. Back-stock of everything that was in Leon's house was there in the warehouse beside the fabrication facility, quantity able to replicate every piece of furnature or in this case pannaling in the entire house four times over. And, whenever a piece was used, the fabrication facility would send out for materials to make yet another copy of whatever was needed.

Leon shook his head and turned back to the screen. There had to be something there, something that would give him a slight lead on where to go to get information on December and her connections. The only other time that Leon had encountered December was back when he was training in the Marines. Alice and Greg were put off by her cool demeanor, but then again, she wasn't as cold as she was just just several hours ago.

Leon looked over the files again and was about to close them, when a name caught his attention. It was such a small thing that it hardly even registered in his mind. Cyrus. Leon knew that man. Dead? No... he was still in the city... Why would they claime he was dead? Leon had seen him several months ago, on a business meeting on his excursion away from his home. Leon had been under a false name and had changed himself to look nothing like what he did normally, but Cyrus has indeed given him a job, killing a low time criminal. Cyrus believed that Leon was a newby on the streets in the assassination gig and believed that Leon wouldn't make it back in the allotted time. But, Leon had shown him up and secured a quiet line to the man.

That was his link. Now with his target set and locked, Leon uploaded his current location in the database via a military satellite and a land based communication/position tracker. Cyrus had answers that Leon needed and he was going to wring them out of him, one way or another. Leon called down the elevator and climbed in. Pressing the button for the first floor, Leon rode in silence.

The doors dinged open a second later and Leon walked out of the cab and into the entrance hall. Grabbing his coat and his sword, Leon reached for his hat lastly. Before he grabbed it, however, he stopped. The hat had many memories attached to it, as well as his sword. But, for some reason, Leon couldn't find it in him to bring his hat with him. With regret, Leon placed his hat on the coat-rack and walked out the door. To the garage and into his car, then down the driveway. Leon put on his serious face and calmed his mentallity. He was going to get answers, and he was going to make sure they connected to everything he was looking for.

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[Felypsa]

Leon might know him as Cyrus, but currently the name he went by was Orion, as in Orion Enterprises. He was a big boss who liked to protect his investments and destroy the rest of the competition, even if it meant playing dirty. He could afford to sin, and that was what he did. What else was life good for?

The last thing he had ever expected, though, was to be confronted about December, of all people. After “killing off” his alter ego, he figured that would be the end of that trail. The truth of her was something that too many people would want to exploit. And for all Cyrus’s sinfulness, he had learned firsthand when to back away from something, even though its power and might was so tantalizing.

He was currently in his office on the top floor, reading about the recent death of Odin. His bodyguard was nowhere to be found, either. Cyrus frowned deeply. If December gave up on Odin, it meant something was being stirred up indeed. Setting aside the newspaper, he stood and stared out the window, heaving a sigh. Would she seek him out? Hopefully not; she should know that he had closed that avenue long ago. He didn’t want to deal with any of it ever again.

oOc| sorry it's short and kinda sucky x.x

[Dark Strider]

The building that Cyrus was in was a classically modeled building, its gothic architecture accented with large looming stained glass windows. Not a church, an office building, but made of dark stone, probably marble. The idea of building a building out of such an expensive stone was something that Leon looked at as a frivolent use of money, but then again, people were people no matter how deep one could look into them. Tastes and ideals were hard to erase from someone, especially those who had the money to do what they wanted.

Leon pulled into the parking garage, its attendant coming out to greet Leon and to give him a ticket. Leon rolled down the window and looked at the man through his shades.

"Good Afternoon, sir. Here is you're ticket to one of the parking spaces available. There are plenty of spots on the thrid level, so if you wouldn't mind and taking one of them, we'd be most appreciative. The cost on the way out will be ten dollars for an all day spot." He said cheerfully.

Leon sank back into his seat and looked at the man with a raised eyebrow. Probably gay... can't tell at the moment. Leon thought quickly. Or, the man just enjoyed his job, however dismall it was.

"Now look here, son... I've got this expensive car here." Leon said, indicating his ride, to which the man nodded his head. "I'd like to leave it in a spot where I can lock it up and then lock the place I've put it. Give me one of the CEO spots and I'll make it worth your while." Leon said, resting his arm on the rolled down window.

The man looked back at his station, another man sitting there, half dozing, half looking at a bank of monitors. He looked, then, to Leon and he nodded his head. No need to be careless with his property, though the defensive parameters Leon had installed into the car himself were nothing short of impregnable. The car was build to practically survive just about anything. Leon prefered to have reliable equipment, and if he could, Leon would fix things so that everything he used was durable and well machined.

Leon pulled several bills out of his pocket and haded them to the attendant, who told Leon the way to the CEO parking lockers in a lowered voice. Leon nodded his head and drove forward, following the directions of the attendent. Leon arrived soon at the designated lockers, locked his car in, and then walked to the elevators that sat near-by. Leon pressed the "Up" button and waited for the doors to ding open. They did and Leon waited for a woman weiring coprerate casual clothes to exit so that he had the cab to himself. The elevator only went up to the main floor, the lobby and directions terminal.

Upon arrival, three people walked into the cab that Leon was exiting. No regard for others, they were busy blathering on about getting a late lunch. Leon shrugged his shoulders and continued on his way, moving up to the main desk. A secretary was sitting there, one of the four stationed at the desk. She looked up at Leon and smiled.

"Welcome, sir. Can I help you with something?" She asked kindly.

Leon smiled and rested his hand on the counter. "Yes... I have an important meeting with Mr. Orion. Would you be so kind as to let him know that Mr. Leon Deltova is here?" Leon said, returning the kind tone.

She smiled and nodded her head, calling up the secretary for Mr. Orion and pointed Leon to the express elevator. Leon waved at her and left her to her work, calling the elevator down and entering. Leon rode up in silence and contemplated how he would confront the man. Oh well. Leon would have to just get the information out of him, one way or another.

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[Felypsa]

When the call came, Cyrus had to frown. Leon Deltova. What could he possibly want with him? It had been years since that last job and Cyrus wasn’t running in any new circles. Hell, he was practically as straight-laced as a powerful businessman could get. Of course he had bodyguards and security detail, some of the best, but he hadn’t hired an assassin or a hit-man or anything like that in a long time. It occurred to him that Leon was hired to off him…but no, calling a meeting would not be his style. Such a move would be cowardly, and Leon would never stoop that low.

Or so Cyrus had to believe. He stood up from his desk and waited for the two security guards outside to authorize Leon’s entrance. When the doors would open, the older man clasped his hands together, sporting quite a few expensive rings. “Mr. Deltova. This is…a surprise.” He cleared his throat. “I trust you come in peace. How may I help you?” Really, he was just curious to what this was all about.

[Dark Strider]

Leon waited for the doors to be opened by two burly bodyguards, both weiring the traditional black suits and ties found on the afore mentioned men or women of the occupation. They quickly searched Leon and allowed him to enter the lavish office space behind the two large white paneled doors. Their handles were cast in lower-grade gold, and carvings that matched adorned both doors. Leon quickly walked through the doors, a smile that would throw off those suspecting him of foul doings. Leon was, in fact, only here for a social visit and a bit of information gathering. Nothing sinister of the sort, unless provoked.

"Hello Cyrus. Good to see you again." Leon said, after being greeted in a fashion by his former employer. "I'm just here on a social visit, to catch up with old friends and to offer my services as a business consultant. No more of the underworld practitions here." Leon said, lying through his teeth about his exit on the mercenary bit.

Leon sat down in one of the two plush leather backed chairs, resting his left foot on his knee. Still in the chair, Leon unbuckled his sword and placed it with the butt resting on the tiled floor.

"Don't worry about this, Cyrus, simply a decoration." Leon said, quickly trying to assure Cyrus of no foul play.

Leon rested one of his arms on the hilt of the sword and the other on the arm-rest of the chair itself. He leaned back deeply into the chair, enjoying the comfort of the chair, but slightly furrowing his brow at the smell of the laquored ploish of the chair. It wasn't wet, but it smelled of too much polish. Something of that sort told Leon that Cyrus didn't often get visitors.

"So, I see you've done quite well since our last meeting, my friend. This certainly is a step or two up from where you had been several months ago. I like the office, plush and a statement of you're entrepreneureal success." Leon said, taking a slow look about the room.

The room was large, wall to wall windows behind a large white marble desk. Crimson curtains sat on either end of the windows, plush red carpeting sitting at the feet of the windows. The carpet ran around the room in a ring, enclosing the tiled area to just the area before the desk, a small circle of white stone in a sea of red carpet. Here and there, tables sat around the room, assorted plants sitting in different courners of the room. Chairs for multiple people sat at the tables, some of the chairs filled with other bodyguards, each looking capable of taking down a regular man. Leon, however, was anything but regular.

"Now Cyrus, before we begin, I have a question for you, one that I know only you can answer. It's been some time since you've last employed a mercenary, me being the most recient, but I wonder if you remember one in particular. I'm fairly certain you know who I'm talking about, so I'll cut to the chase. I need to know everything about December. I don't want some answer of 'Oh I can't tell you that, contractor oath of silence. I know damn well that you talked about me after we worked together. I need to know about her, because I'm looking to hire her myself. I need to know if there is anything I should be aware of before I get into the whole deal. I've become rather rusty at the fighting gig since our time, what with my introduction into the business world." Leon said, telling yet another complicated lie.

Leon could take chances, if Cyrus figured out that he was lying to him, Leon would smile and would go with his cover blown. But, if he could help it, Leon wouldn't raise a finger against Cyrus, not unless defending himself. He needed the answers, and hopefully, Cyrus would impart them to Leon without conflict.

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[Felypsa]

Cyrus stood there watching, his eyes glistening and unreadable, as Leon entered and sat himself down without invitation. But that was just Leon’s way. The businessman crossed his thick arms together and did not speak until Leon explained why he was here. When he mentioned December’s name, however, his eyebrows snapped together, and a huff left him. He turned and went behind his desk to sit again.

Once Leon was finished, Cyrus leaned forward, crossing his hands. “All I can tell you is that I wouldn’t hire her,” he said, his voice deep but quiet. “She has just abandoned her employer of several years for no reason whatsoever, letting him die. I am certain that she must have a reason to leave him behind. And whatever that reason may be, it has made her unreliable as a mercenary for now.” He pulled his hand back to rub his chin. “She has…probably…decided to fight for more than just money now. And when a mercenary fights for principles rather than payment, they become very dangerous. As I’m sure you know.”

He shook his head. “That’s all I can say. December is a young woman with a very complicated background, and not anything you would want to involve yourself in inadvertantly.”

[Dark Strider]

Leon rubbed his eyes and smiled a weary smile at Cyrus.

"Trust me, Cyrus, I know. It wasn't long after I worked with you when I began to pick up ideals and principals." Leon said, leaning back slightly. "That's when I realized how much was out there for me to do. But anyhow..." Leon said, waving a hand before him, bringing himself back on track.

"I've heard about December's betrayal of Odin. Unfortunatly enough, however, I don't think she was aware of his dealings." Leon said, sitting forward. "Odin wasn't on the straight and narrow like you or I. He worked with dealers in the underground. Weapons dealers, drug dealers. Those sort of people. I was actually on my way to talk to him the day he died when I got a rather preturbing note about his dealings with the underground. Suffice to say, I turned around and went back home. More then likely, December became fed up with him, keeping secrets from her. Though I don't doubt that each of us has their own private collection of thoughts and practices, I doubt December liked the idea of protecting someone who was dealing death in secret." Leon explained, going vaguly into his excursion to the facility the other day. Leon fudged the reason explicitly why he was there, but then again, that was really not important.

"I'm getting away from where I was trying to go again... Cyrus, I need the information you have on December. If need be, I can purchase the information off of you. I appreciate your concern over hiring her, I truly do, but I need her to work with me, if not just for the sake of old comraderie. She and I had a history back when I was in the military. You know of it. Things, however, have turned so that I need her unique abilities and I need to know all I can about her. Please, Cyrus. I need this to go smoothly and she's really the only one I know who can help me make that so." Leon said, still leaning forward in the chair.

Leon wasn't going to tell Cyrus his true intent on the information. It was hardly something that he needed to know, and if he did, Leon would have him contact him at a later date on the matter. Promises were like currency, so long as they were backed and paid. Leon was good with both. So long as he got the information, however, Leon would be willing to pay off large debts, or fight for it. Whatever got him the information the quickest and allowed him to move on from there.

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