IC Contact Post for Siren's Pull

[employeeofthemonthforever]

This is Zachariah.

I'm probably busy working on something right now. Leave your name and an elevator pitch for whatever you want at the beep. If it's got any potential, I'll get back to you.

*beep*

[Or you could pray at him. But really, calling is much more polite.]

Comments

5.16.2012 | Prayer

[magnetic_magpie]

[Because Zachariah hasn't told him otherwise yet. And he's not in the top apartment, having squirrelled away to an empty one and crawled into the bathtub.

Because it's cooler there, just curled up in the tub, with it half full of eighty degree water. And he's burning up so much that even that hurts. There's a jug of gataorade about halfway across the floor, laying on top his clothes. And two empty ones by the tub. And a bucket, because he can't hold anything down.]

Zachariah? I don't bother you. But. Floor is far.]

[That's totally what he meant to say. Yes.]

[employeeofthemonthforever]

[And then he's there, more amused than concerned, but it's there.]

That was incredibly coherent.

[He picks his way through the bathroom, cleaning things with flicks of his fingers. He picks up the gatorade and holds it out contemplatively as he kneels by the tub.]

You are a cesspool unto yourself. Is this what you wanted? You're so jumbled even I'm not sure.

[magnetic_magpie]

[Don't laugh at him, he's scared.]

I...words are hard.

[He reaches to take the jug and flinches as some of the fairly warm water - it's heating up just from him being in it - hits much hotter skin.]

Danke. Floor is far away.

[He's sick enough it takes a minute for the word 'cesspool' to filter in, but he looks more than a little alarmed over it, even afraid. Being sick is bad.]

Am not.

[employeeofthemonthforever]

[Sorry, Mags, he's a dick. But at least he's a *helpful* dick.]

Oh, don't get bent out of shape about it, Sparky. You're already a bag of blood and pus at the best of times, I'm not going to kick you to the curb for catching hell-flu.

[He will, however, cool the water back down, a fraction of a degree at a time.]

[magnetic_magpie]

I don't sick.

[His body temperature is too high, and ozone kills almost everything - he doesn't get sick, hasn't in decades, not unless it was something bioengineering to hit Mutants.

Given his fever is hovering around 135 - it doesn't take long before even a couple a degrees is too cold, too painful, and he's looking fairly green again.]

[employeeofthemonthforever]

Well, you're doing a bang-up impression of it then, really top-notch performance.

How much of that juice have you been keeping down?

[magnetic_magpie]

[And thus, Zachariah became the first angel to every get Magneto to shoot a dirty look at them. But he does - try - to look in the bucket.]

Not 'nough.

[employeeofthemonthforever]

[It's a gift.]

I have an idea. You don't make a fuss about me taking care of you, and I won't make a fuss about how much you may or may not need it.

Deal?

[magnetic_magpie]

[It's something.]

[He meant, truly meant, to unscrew the cap from the bottle. It was...bad luck or bad planning that the tub he was in had a metal base and wrapped, bowing to the side a bit to leave him pitching, doing a startlingly good impression of a cat suddenly dunked in water.

Or not, if Zachariah knows that Michael transfigures him into a cat to take him visiting.]

Not a good patient. I'll try.

[employeeofthemonthforever]

[He sighs and snaps his fingers, setting the tub upright again, Magneto and all the water that momentarily splashed him back in place. The tub is now marble.]

And I'm probably a horrible nurse.

[He reaches over, twisting the cap off without taking the bottle from Magneto's hands.]

[magnetic_magpie]

[WHINE. Now it feels funny. He pokes at it with his toe.]

No you're not.

[With the cap gone, he takes manages to take a couple mouthfuls before turning grey and green.]

This is wrong.

[But at least the cooler water is lowering his fever enough to talk?]

[employeeofthemonthforever]

Shush.

[There's no hint whether that's directed at the whine or the compliment.]

Not too fast, there, breathe slowly.

[His hand is very cool against Magneto's blazing forehead. He doesn't need to touch him to tell his precise temperature, of course, but the gesture is what you're supposed to do, a necessary part of the physical vocabulary of care.]

Is it?

[He murmurs the words softly; he isn't doubting, merely allowing Magneto to elaborate on his impressions. They have very different points of perspective on disease.]

[magnetic_magpie]

[He does try to slow his breathing - breathing through his mouth at that, which does help. It's still a barely restrained flinch when Zachariah touches him. The temperature difference plus someone who is still very much a stranger touching him means he can't quite completely suppress the reaction.]

I don't get sick.

[It's more forceful than necessary, but he doesn't. His powers prevent it. Protect him.]

[employeeofthemonthforever]

[He doesn't comment on the flinch, just leaves his hand in place for a few beats, then withdraws.]

I may the new kid, but I already know the rules are different here. The question is how severely.

[magnetic_magpie]

[Once he's used to it, he doesn't mind.]

Nothing natural does.

[He's stubborn. And paranoid. But often right.]

[employeeofthemonthforever]

[Hence, getting him used to it.]

...I'll keep that in mind.

[See? He listens.]

But until we know more, and you aren't burning yourself alive, we need to concentrate on the symptoms.

[magnetic_magpie]

They almost killed us all with one.

[Legacy. It killed millions of Mutants. Nearly wiped them all out.]

Can't keep meds down.

[Hence the water.]

[employeeofthemonthforever]

...and you'd fuss about intravenous meds, deal or no deal.

[magnetic_magpie]

[He's glaring. It's nothing less than hostile.]

No needles.

[employeeofthemonthforever]

[E Y E R O L L]

"Yes" would have sufficed.

[magnetic_magpie]

You asked.

[It's not fear, it's bad memories.]

[employeeofthemonthforever]

I didn't, actually, it was more of a statement.

[magnetic_magpie]

[He makes a sound. Because he's really too sick to care.]

[employeeofthemonthforever]

[Yeah, okay, if you aren't being pissy then it's actually serious. He reaches over again, laying his hand along the side of Magneto's neck, cold on his overheated skin - and then less so, as Zachariah meticulously wipes the sickness out of him.]

[magnetic_magpie]

[He whimpers just a little at first, tensing tightly at the touch on his neck, because even less than being touched, he's not used to his neck being touched at all and it's such a vulnerable place to be touched. As Zachariah heals him he tenses more, not moving but wanting to, and forcing himself still until he's released.]

[employeeofthemonthforever]

[He doesn't need the contact, but the association makes it easier, on some level. At the same time, he wants to push Magneto's boundaries, to associate the healing with allowing Zachariah to cross them.]

Very good.

[Murmured softly, acknowledging that this is difficult for Magneto without quite acknowledging that he might have been anything less than welcome.]

There, that's better.

[magnetic_magpie]

[That, at least in part, is how Lucifer managed to get his hooks in so deep with Magneto. Because Lucifer touched him. And he now had a very permanent association of the Archangel and comfort/healing/care/pleasure/protection/good - something he didn't have with anyone else.

And he was so used to people always assuming he was bad that what he was doing was wrong, that praise hit something hard in his brain, even if he tried to ignore it.]

Much better.

[It's quiet, grateful, almost breathed out as he takes a few deep breaths for the first time in over a day, maybe over two.]

Thank you.

[employeeofthemonthforever]

You're welcome.

What qualifies as not natural?

[He could skim for it. But he lets Magneto sort his own details.]

[magnetic_magpie]

Something created in a lab. Something made to be a weapon.

[Fear is lingering behind his eyes.]

Someone cooked this up in a Petri dish.

[employeeofthemonthforever]

What else?

I could make you sick as easily as I made you well. Easier.

[It's not a threat. It's just - musing.]

Which wouldn't be manufactured, but would still require some measure of...oh let's call it intent.

[magnetic_magpie]

Right. Intent. This...this has intent. It's not something which should exist.

[He's not too eager to get out of the tub. He smells like sickness to himself. He's fine with letting the water soak it off.]

[employeeofthemonthforever]

Hmm.

[He doesn't mind the location, nor Magneto's lingering, but he is curious. He stands, dusts off his immaculate suit.]

Rest, clean yourself at your pace. Make sure you eat something, now that you can. And call me if you think of anything else that seems relevant.

[magnetic_magpie]

I will. Thank you, again.

[He'll be in here scrubbing for a while. But he will eat.]

[employeeofthemonthforever]

Oh, and circumstances permitting, use my phone next time.

[magnetic_magpie]

I think I would have blow up my NV. But I will.

angel radio;

[servingfather]

[Calling or praying? Not really Michael's style when dealing with another angel unless it's a public post so...cue the angel chatter.]

Zachariah. A moment of your time please. [Of course Michael means he wants Zach to come to him, which is a location near the edge of Sector 3 where it borders Sector 6. In fact, he's standing outside a large building.]

angel radio is better than a dog whistle => action

[employeeofthemonthforever]

[Zachariah is familiar with Michael's orders, even when couched in understatement. He appears a few feet from Michael, taking in the location at a glance.]

Of course, sir. What's on the agenda?

it really is

[servingfather]

[He motions to the building with one hand.]

This is our new place of business. [Michael climbs the steps and opening the door reveals that it's quite empty inside.] An AGI "Gentlemen's Club". Or it will be when we're finished with it. [Turns his gaze back to Zachariah.]

I want to attract the higher-ups of the company so I'll leave the decorating in your hands.

Re: it really is

[employeeofthemonthforever]

Emphatically upscale, then? Sensual, but classy.

[servingfather]

Exactly. There will be twenty personal bedrooms for our "employees" which I will collect, four private rooms, a gambling floor, an office space and of course a general area with a bar. Decorate however you see fit and I'll collect our employees.

[This isn't just a business to put them on AGI's scope but it will also be helping the slaves to earn their freedom.]