A fine day

Who: Mathias and Rey
Where: Babylon
When: Late afternoon

Forget the chill in the air, the day was beautiful. Rey had been walking on a cloud for a few days now, giddy and eager whenever he picked up his newspaper to see if his course of action had been reported on. Every day it wasn't felt, to him, like how a child must feel waiting for Christmas. It was wonderful, painful anticipation, and some part of him never wanted the feeling to fade. And while it hadn't yet begun to, it had instead been replaced by a different sort of wonder. That wonder was, of course, brought on by the lingering spirits who were now visible to him and the rest of the world.

He wanted Rafael to paint them for him, but refused to ever make such a request of his brother. Instead, Rey had been out basking in the sight of it all, trying to take in the whole picture. He wondered with every spirit he saw, what was it like in Paris? Or Dresden? Marquette had never been a large area, but the places he'd lived in Europe? Oh, what death they'd seen. And he wanted to book a plane ticket right away, to go and see how many of the dead lingered still. But doing so now would mean missing the payoff of his muderous jealousy, and Rey wouldn't deny himself that pleasure.

It would be replaced with something more easily satisfiable for now, instead. A good drink, a private spot to laugh to himself. He could get those things at home, but the chance of Rafael intruding was one he didn't want to face yet. Which meant Babylon, the only other place in town that had drinks to his standard. Strolling inside, Rey slipped his sunglasses away and straightened the collar of his hipcoat, lingering by the door to let his eyes adjust to the lighting.

Mathias was heading out of the back rooms, just having left a meeting with his 'employer', which was as interesting an experience as it always was. He had to admit - but would never say to her face - that he enjoyed their sessions. He loved the challenge, the back and forth, the subtle quest for dominance that went on there. In his now fairly stayed and boring life, it was about as interesting as it got.

He was heading over towards the bar when he saw the familiar figure enter, and he changed his path to head over and greet Rey - another interesting type. There weren't enough of them round here, and Math was willing to cultivate any he found.

Rey hadn't even reached the bar yet when he saw Math heading his way, and a pleased smile curled across his lips. If he couldn't meet this 'interesting woman' that he'd been told of before? The speaker was the next best thing. Dropping into a seat at the bar, Rey waved away the wine list the familiar barkeep offered over. "A glass of Bordeaux, if you please. Red... the '90 this time," he ordered, speaking loud enough for Math to know he was trying the other man's suggestion.

Mathias chuckled slightly as he caught the other man's order. "You won't be disappointed," he promised as he reached the bar and leaned casually against it. "So - how are you finding the changes in town?" he asked. Naturally, he was talking about the ghosts, which, well - that was interesting, and unexpected. And definitely worldwide. He'd spent some time earlier calling contacts, checking out if anyone knew a cause for this - he'd prefer to know sooner rather than later, even if it was knowing simply for the sake of knowing. And anyway, she'd wanted to know and he'd known she would want to know and it entertained him to have that information before she had a chance to ask for it. Always games.

"Utterly fascinating," Rey answered with a nod of greeting. "I've seen odd wonders in my time, but never one such as this. And to think that it's spread across the whole of the planet, too..." Yeah, he wanted to witness it. He wanted to see Moscow, and the peasants scurrying through it to hide from the restless dead. "And yourself? I can only hope the local circumstances haven't interfered with business hereabouts. It seems as though the establishment already lags at times, I imagine a slowdown would find yourself and the proprietor as the sole occupants." He smirked thinly with the observation, nodding to the barkeep. "I owe your coworker a drink, I believe he favors Chivas?"

Math nodded to the guy behind the bar, before considering Rey's observations. "The change shouldn't actually affect us very much. The types who come here are, well... generally they're already aware of at least some of what's out there. Plus, we've had spirits as customers for some time now," he added, fairly sure that part wasn't common knowledge.

No, that most definitely wasn't common knowledge, especially to Rey. But then, even the news of a specific 'clientele' was somewhat notable to him. He'd had his suspicions, but this just confirmed them. "Really?" he asked with open curiosity, nodding his thanks to the barkeep as his wine arrived, "Exactly how does one cater to the wants of an incorporeal being?" Because as much as Rey knew about other supernaturals? He knew next to nothing about ghosts of any kind.

Mathias received his drink and took a sip, savouring the flavour before swallowing and replying. "One creates an establishment where the incorporeal become corporeal when they walk through that door," Mathias said, matching his phraseology more to Rey's for the comment, a slight smile on his face. He didn't have the first clue how she did it, but then he didn't understand a lot of things that controlled this place. He was fine with that, he didn't need to know the ins and outs. One thing he'd learned in life - it was that nobody could know everything.

Rey's expression was one of pure astonishment as he listened to Mathias. At first, it had been due to the surprising bouquet of the wine he'd ordered, something he had to give Mathias credit for, but then? Well, that was... "Impossible," he said aloud, "Or... unheard of in my own experiences, I suppose." Rey was living proof that very few things were impossible, really. "I have no reason to disbelieve, so... how? How is such a thing possible? I've never heard of any being who could wield such power."

Mathias' smile widened. "That, I'm afraid, is something I don't know," he admitted. "But I've seen it with my own eyes. I have to admit, anything to do with magic is not my forte - I leave that to others." And whilst he was aware that Eris was a willworker, he wasn't going to let that piece of information loose. 'Magic' covered a multitude of possibilities, after all. It was nicely vague.

"You and I both," Rey agreed with a tilt of his glass and a light sip. "I tried my hand at it in years past, but found my talents sorely lacking. Thankfully, I believe any of us within this space is not entirely defenseless." he knew he wasn't, and Mathias just had the air about him of being someone a wise man wouldn't cross. "Still, I've done some light reading on the subject? And your employer must be quite skilled indeed, I've never even seen mention of such things."

"Between trying and reading, you have one up on me then," Mathis told him. "I never had the time to do even that - or, really, the inclination. Generally, if I ever had a use for magic, I'd get someone else to weild it for me. It seemed simpler that way." Mathias was all for employing specialists when the need arose, after all. And magic had never even piqued hisinterest until he'd seen what Caleb could do. But he wasn't willing to pay the price for blood magic - he'd also seen his brother's scars.

Rey smirked again, nodding in understanding. "Time is something I have never lacked. And I may regret the squandering of it as my life goes on? But for now I am grateful for the knowledge if nothing else. Were you curious, I have some basic texts with interesting concepts to them." Rey had definitely been interested in learning to harness it, but his gift was also his curse at times. He knew how disastrous the results would be, and so he'd forced himself to refrain. "All I might ask in return is a chance to meet your benefactor."

Mathias looked the man up and down, assessingly, at his statement that he didn't lack time. He hardly looked that old, but then Mathias knew as much as anyone that appearances could be deceptive. Like how currently he and his mother looked approaching the same age. There were lots of beings in the world who didn't live to a human lifespan. "I think something could be arranged," he said, eventually.

"I would appreciate that greatly," Rey said with a slight nod. He was always curious about the other beings in this world, especially the female ones. Marguerite had been such and intriguing discovery, after all, how could Rey turn down anything that might match that? "Anyone with talents like what you've described would have nothing to fear from me, of course. I merely find myself wondering what sort of woman or man can wield such abilities, and I'm always willing to pursue greater knowledge."

"I'd want to be there, of course," Mathias told him, easily, his tone suggesting that this was no great request, and that there would be no reason for him to deny it. Whilst he had no doubt Eris was a highly capable woman, she had employed him as her bodyguard and so he would do his job there. She'd tell him to leave if she needed that. "Though, for the record, 'benefactor' would be the wrong word."

"Duly noted, and your request would be no great dilemma," Rey agreed curtly. Really, that request? It only deepened his curiosity. Rey had yet to show any signs of danger or hostility, but Math's boss must've been important indeed if he wouldn't even chance Rey meeting her alone. "Your employer, then," he edited with a smile. "A fair change, given how rare it is that our bosses actually benefit us."

Mathias took a sip of his drink. "And I would have pictured you more as someone who was used to working for themselves," he observed, casually as he set the glass back down on the bar, turning it slightly as he did so.

"Ah, but does anyone truly do so?" Rey wondered, raising his glass and studying the filtering of light through the wine. "Each of us has an overseer, I believe. Even if we are unaware of it." After all, the names of his targets came from somewhere. Even if Rey had never and would never meet the source, he knew it was out there in some fashion. "Call it faith if you like, religion is a minor insult to me," he explained with a wry smirk.

That was an intriguing statement, and one which mathias had to pick up on. "A minor insult?" he asked, still toying with his glass. "How so?" he added, using a tone that suggested intrigue, but not one that was apt to pry, or push. He was well aware that he kept his own lineage strictly under wraps. Not for himself, but because he had an awareness of his brothers, and if you exposed one, you exposed all.

Rey chuckled, wondering if this might be another similarity between them to discover. "Why, the dogma of course," he explained, nursing his wine. "Say the word 'faith' around many people and they assume, if you are the right color, that you intend it as faith in the Christian god. I am used to such assumptions, of course." Sitting back, Rey mused on how to explain it succinctly before going on. "My faith stems from experience, not the concept of a deity watching from on high. Their faith is so rigid and unyielding that it can only flow towards such ends. That ignorance? It insults me. But it has been a common theme among mankind for many years now, so it is a small thing."

"People feel the need to explain the unknown," Mathias commented. "An allmighty on high is a useful tool. But I prefer to put my faith in realities. I want to feel it, touch it." He chuckled slightly. "And anyway, in my experience - so much of what is 'unexplained' in this world is simply something you don't know about yet. It would be arrogant to assume that you know all there is to know and that anything tht doesn't neatly fit within that explanation must fall to some omnipotent being. To say that is to close yourself off to the realities of the world and the possibility that you've still got shit to learn."

"Ah, and were such a being to exist, I wager it would be disgusted by the acts people perform in tribute to it," Rey added, nodding agreeably. He definitely understood Mathias' perspective, it was close to his own, aside from the fact that Rey knew some things were meant to stay unexplained and unknown. "Callous murders, hoarding of wealth, persecution... well, organized religion's red-stained history is documented well enough." And it was so petty. Rey was above it, if only because the lives he took were, near-exclusively, lives that were meant to be snuffed out early.

"Money and power," Mathias agreed. "All in the name of good. Personally, I think it's all about perspective - good, evil? One can be the other, given the right spin. I find the best place to be is the middle - you go too far one way and you risk coming full circle," he added, taking another sip of the Chivas.

Rey laughed richly, uncaring if it was an inappropriate reaction to what Math had said. "I too tend to not choose a side," he agreed as his laugh faded to a smirk, "As you said, with the right spin the sides can shift. A freedom fighter becomes a terrorist, all dependent on who views them, no? You have the right of it by choosing neutrality, I've done the same for some time now. Of course, it is much more easily maintained when you have few personal attachments to the crisis at hand."

"I guess I'm lucky then - I have few personal attatchments," Mathias told him with a grin. "...generally, anyhow. But possibly that's because I learned that a while ago now - keep things simple, it's easier that way. For me, anyway - of course, it doesn't always make it simpler for other people..." Like the freedom fighters who had found themselves viewed as terrorists, once Mathias had gotten himself involved. It was so easy to manipulate perspective sometimes.

"And there was a time when you had to learn that lesson?" Rey broached thoughtfully, "A time before you lived simply and unfettered?" Of course there was, if he'd always lived so, he wouldn't have learned it. And Rey could understand that, he'd only ever let himself get involved a few times. He'd found his father, he'd taken in Rafael, and now he'd killed a woman to keep her from influencing his brother. "I do not criticize, not when we sail similar straits, but I believe that staying in one locale makes it difficult to keep things sparse and managable."

"There was a time I tried it another way," Mathias admitted with an incline of the head. "It... didn't work out so well. So, I learned that you make choices in life. And I made mine. And you live with those choices and there's no point in wishing they were anything else - after all, they were your choices - nobody made them for you. And, yeah, one of those is that you keep on your toes. Luckily, I like seeing the world."

It sounded, to Rey, like the man had once tried to pick a side, to fight for a cause perhaps. Which was foolish of him, but Rey understood the appeal. "Aad given that you still live? I would say you've chosen correctly. In my view of things, the only wrong decision is the one that becomes your last." He finished his wine in a long swallow, savoring the final bit and pointing out his glass to the barkeep. "So, you have said before that you are here for the moment. Suppose you were not? Suppose there was no duty or obligation... where would you go next?" As a traveller himself, Rey was curious about where this man might end up if allowed to choose freely.

Mathias laughed. "Well, let's see - where's the next flight going to?" he asked, jokingly. "Honestly? Don't know, don't care. There's a few places in the world that I probably should avoid right now, but other than that, I generally just put my ear to the ground and see what sounds interesting. Variety's the spice of life, after all. Given the snow? I'd have a preference for somewhere warm."

Rey nodded in approval, though he himself wasn't nearly so spontaneous with his travels. "I would recommend Greece, whether you've been or not. Perhaps when you lose the desire to menace clients around here?" Though Rey doubted it was as simple as that. He knew Math had some kind of family, and that he worked for a strangely powerful woman... there were probably very few things in his life that could be simple. "Spain as well, though I have my own hesitations to return there."

"I've never been to Greece. Actually, Europe generally I haven't seen much of. Mainly my time has been spent in South America, Africa, the Indian subcontinent. And the US from time to time - but as a rule I end up in areas with infighting or unstable governments." That ranged from small scale gang warfare, to larger scale matters, depending on his mood. when he was travelling, mathias was known to be self-indulgent of his own moods. "But I'll take up your recommendations, once I'm off the leash," he allowed. And he would be off the leash, given time. And by then his brothers wouldn't need him and he could be gone.

"A curious expression," Rey commented with a smirk, wondering just how telling it was. "And please, do. If you seek simplicity? Find the Sporades in Greece, a little community of islands. I spent about six months dwelling there, and not once did I miss the aspects of city life I had grown so used to. Though it is easier to ignore when your only accoutrements are a roof, a bed, and a fisherman's daughter," he explained with a toothy smile. "Truth be told, your travels sound a bit more... vigorous than mine usually are. Infighting and unstable governments? I'd never keep a suit intact."

Mathias looked down at himself, at the white shirt and blue jeans, then back up at Rey. "That would explain why your wardrobe's better put together than mine," he allowed. "I tend to avoid suits - unless the situation calls for, and then they're temporary measures. I don't take them with me when I move on. Don't really fit with the way I travel," he explained.

Rey smirked at Math's self-inspection, shrugging a little. He was a fan of his fashion, but it wasn't like Math would benefit from a fine-cut suit in a job like this. "They are utility for me," he explained, "Oftentimes, a well-dressed man is subject to far less scrutiny in his daily affairs, whatever they may be. If you look like one who should be in some level of authority? People treat you as such." Or maybe they just saw what Rey thought of as his superior genetics. In either case, he rarely had to field disagreements from the peons who filled up this town and the world itself.

Mathias shrugged and smiled, winningly. "I've always found that most people generally are more than willing to help me out. Apparently I have a way with that kind of thing - something of a gift," he admitted, though he still didn't know how much of it was merely personality and how much of it was his mother's genes. At the end of the day, he doubted it really mattered.

"Between this and your ability to gain others' confidence in divulging their secrets, perhaps I should be wary around you," Rey observed wryly over the edge of his new glass of wine, sipping it. "I would be quite the fool were I to feel prey to wiles I knew of in advance, no?" Which he told himself wasn't going to happen; Mathias was a keen man, but not someone he couldn't handle.

Mathias chuckled. "I'm not working at the moment - not like that anyhow. This job? It's not really that taxing - doesn't make the best use of my skills," he admitted, though that wasn't really news. Unless something actually turned up for Eris, which he figured was reasonably low risk, he had little to do, other than assess people for that low risk.

Rey wondered over that, considering what he'd been told the first time they met. Mathias worked here because his family kept him in town. But with the werewolves and ghosts, there had to be better things he could be doing. "I suppose a source of income can make up for any sort of tedium," he said at last, wondering if that was a good enough reason for Math to stick around in a job that did nothing rewarding for him.

Mathias raised an eyebrow. "You think I get paid for this?" he asked. "Yeah - I guess you would. But, no bite there. I made a deal. I wanted something, this was the pay off. Actual cash incentives weren't part of that." In fact, money had never been mentioned, and Mathias had never expected it. He'd needed to find his brother and he'd made her an offer - it was a trade he didn't regret making. He might feel like a caged animal every day when he woke up, he could feel himself slowly going crazy, staring at the same walls every day, but he'd make the trade again - his freedom against his brother's life. That wasn't something he even had to think about.

If he knew, Rey would find some similarity between them again. he tormented his brother in subtle ways, but he needed him too. The younger Babael kept Rey centered when faced with the turmoil of his ageless life, and he took as much satisfaction from caring for Rafael as he did from his own tasks of death. "A pity," Rey said with a shake of his head, "I would suggest you bed your employer to rework the terms of your deal, but from even the sparse details you've shared, I wager she is not a woman easily swayed by the joys of the flesh."

Mathias chuckled and finished off the remainder of his drink, setting it down on the bar. "Not easily swayed, and I'm not interested." He didn't need to give her any more of a hold over him, and he doubted his negotiating skills were up to the task of guaranteeing he didn't come out of anything like that worse for wear. Possibly the odds were good, but not perfect and Mathias had a rule about powerful women.

"You and I differ there," Rey commented with a dry smirk, "Though perhaps I would share your opinion if I knew the lady. But I will admit that it is a weakness of mine." He sometimes grew numb to the world around him, and few things made him feel alive again like the look of reverence he could coax into a lover's eyes. Rey had rules about powerful women too, but they were probably a stark opposite to Mathias'. "Not to celebrate your situation, but I do appreciate knowing that there's intelligent conversation to go with a fine drink, when I choose to come here." Complimenting others was rare for Rey when he didn't have anything to gain, but it was true. The little town bored him painfully, aside from bedding a vampire and his personal retribution against Chelo. He needed every distraction he could get.

"And you make the job slightly less dull and boring, so I thank you for that as well," Mathias allowed. "I'll set up the meeting - would this weekend suit, if I can arrange it?" he checked. It wasn't like Eris was going anywhere, after all - the woman couldn't leave.

It was surprising that the offer was so freely made, and Rey now considered that maybe he should've heeded Mathias' reactions more carefully. If his employer was half as powerful as Math implied? Rey would need to be wary where his own secrets were concerned. "The weekend would be quite agreeable," Rey answered, "I had no real plans, so it even gives me something to look forward to." He leaned forward to grab a napkin, plucking a pen from within his coat and uncapping it, then scrawling out his number. "Please, contact me when you know a more specific time frame," he requested, offering the napkin over.

Mathias took the napkin and tucked it away in a pocket. "I'll talk to her and give her a ring," he promised, standing. "But, for now - I should get back. There's a few other people I'd like to.. talk to," he added, changing from 'check out', simply for the sake of diplomacy.

"I hope they keep your work less dull than it is generally," Rey said, chuckling softly and nodding. "I hope you fare well until we speak next, Mathias," he added, turning his focus back to his wine. Perhaps he would linger over another glass or go walking in search of Marguerite, or even just go home and cradle his violin. It didn't matter, it was a fine day to be Rey.