VIII-I'm Bullet Proof, Nothing To Lose (Lucius)

[Keane Wright]

Pride was a powerful thing; it could make you and it could break you at the same time. Keane was a certain kind of individual, one whose pride was only going to get in her way in the long run. Not that she knew it though because for Keane, everything in life was a game and all the pieces on the board were those whose lives she had messed with along the way. She cared very little of what the pieces of her own game thought of her and simply did as she pleased without putting much thought into it. Keane was the only person that mattered in her life, her pride came only second to her blind ignorance that her life was perfect when the truth was that her life was far from it. The void in Keane was simply filled with material goods and a need to be smarter and wittier than her opponents.

But even that would not fill the void inside her. As much as it pained her to admit, she was not invincible and being immortal had its own share of setbacks. One of the biggest she had faced thus far was the fact that her own morality seemed to become more hazed as time progressed. Her judgement had become clouded with her own opinion and her need to prove herself as a person made it all the more difficult for her to really find her own slice of happiness. Keane now seemed to be at a stage where she was doing everything to try and rid those weak thoughts from her head; as far as she was concerned she was happy and had every right to be.

Work was one of the ways she managed to fill herself for the time being. By applying herself to her own work she knew that she could overcome those thoughts in her head and get something productive done at the same time. It seemed though that work was quickly becoming a factor to her own problems against her morality what with the recent changes which had taken place within Ark. Not for one second had she agreed to the takeover but she realised it was inevitable.

There was nothing she could do about it and that feeling of powerlessness had warped her mind more.

Usually she used liquor as a tool to help her forget but more and more she had seen it more as a crutch, that one thing that seemed to make everything okay and see her own mind and viewpoint in crystal clarity. Keane had her own set of problems like everyone else, possibly deeper problems than she could ever even hope to consider.

As of now she was spinning around in her chair, humming a little ditty to herself whilst her right hand clutched round a bottle of vodka, just about ready to rubberneck the thing down her throat if she needed too. She was far from drunk right now but seeing as how it was still 3 in the afternoon it was still a good place to be for her. Every now and again her eyes would peer towards the door wondering when Lucius would show his own head. She’d have been fooling herself if she didn’t admit he was handsome, but right now he was simply coming over for a drink… what happened after that would have to be down to fate.

[[Sorry it's so sucky and late XD]]

[Lucius Kilvayne]

Do you Believe? Do you fade like a dream?
Let me hear you breathe, let me watch as you sleep
The sparrow's eyes, promises shift into judgments
I cannot deny that you were designed for my punishments

Lucius Kilvayne walked with a certain air of authority here. It was his now, and all its little treasures were his. It was so perfect, and he was dying to claim what belonged to him. He was going to start with the petite little woman he had talked to on the Ark Chatroom. Keane was her name, and she had arrived late the day he and Gabriel had announced their joint acquisition of Ark Industries. That day was a victory, a step toward building the new world they had envisioned. Lucius could taste it, the taste of power. It was intoxicating, almost as much as the experience he sought today. His hedonistic desires would be satisfied one way or another tonight.

He was a bit late himself, but that had much to do with the arrangements he had to make to get here. He had to call Gabriel, and Gabriel had to call Daniel, a man that Lucius had not yet himself met. Their encounter was brief, and he simply did the task he had been called in for. He was seemingly the mercenary type, and that suited Lucius well. It probably suited Gabriel even better. Lucius was waiting for the day he would get to know his associates better. He had spoken to only three at any great length. Cass, who had recruited him. Gabriel, who had been a friend to him before revealing his connection to GEIST. And Alexandria, who had become something akin to a sister to Lucius. She was his friend's lover, after all. There were more, he knew. One of their number had turned traitor, and that was most...unfortunate. Well, such was life.

He passed the security checkpoints, and the officers bowed and scraped trying to ensure that he didn't feel harassed. Power was such a blessing, Lucius felt. He could open doors that would be locked to the average man, and close doors for others on a whim. His father had taught him that his power should be used judiciously, that he shouldn't showboat. Lucius disagreed. If there was any question as to why he should be allowed to do what he wanted to, he would answer it boldly. Of course, he was mindful of consequences, but he knew that he had lots of room to bend the rules as needed. One day, he would be making all the rules. Soon.

He came to the room where Keane was drinking alone. She was spinning in a chair, singing some sort of unintelligible song. She was cute in her lost near drunken state. He wasn't sure what had brought her to this place, but he had a sense of what she was thinking. He could almost feel the opportunity that lay before him. She was perhaps malleable in this moment, of her seeming confusion caused by some inner conflict. He could give her a push in the direction he was leaning toward. He just had to get deeper inside her head, and let his poison take hold...

He smiled wickedly, and spoke up, to draw her attention.


"Hello, Keane," Lucius said, as he lifted the bottle he had brought with him. It was a Chateau Lafite Rothschild merlot, vintage 2008. He had a case of it at home, and decided to share this bottle with Keane. It seemed a good way to make friends. He was offering quality, and that had to amount to something.


" I don't have any glasses with me, but I do have a corkscrew if you want to share this bottle with me. Vodka and wine, an unusual combination, no doubt...but this is about enjoying ourselves, right?"

[Keane Wright]

Not very many people were allowed to privy inside the mind of Keane. She had built a reputation over the years of making herself closed off from the world, someone who could see things from the outside and tended to see things from a different perspective. Then again, that was a bad thing for her, it made it nearly impossible for anyone to really get to know her or even take her seriously if even for only a moment in time. Even when she allowed herself to bask in the company of others, she tended to be residually closed off, not wanting to give any part of herself away. Keane never supposed of it ever being her own thought but instead thought it was the thought of everyone else. Blaming herself was something that she rarely ever done and she wasn’t going to start making exceptions right now, at least not when she held some aces up her own sleeve.

Being immature came easy for Keane; it was an easy escape for anyone who was an immortal. For her it came easier than most, simply to sink back into that stage where everything seemed easier, where life was not as complicated as it was now. Most of her reactions and patterns came from an immature standpoint. It wasn’t like anyone could ever get at her to grow up. Spinning round in a chair until you get dizzy was the favourite pastime of many pre-pubescent children and so what made her different? Perhaps the fact that she should have known a little better than to act that way, but that wasn’t exactly going to stop her.

Only when she heard a familiar voice did she allow herself to spin in one final rotation, before propping her leg out to stop herself, facing towards the door and subsequently the man standing there. It was enough to allow a dry smirk to rise to her lips as she set down the bottle of vodka on the table which she had used to stop herself from spinning any further. As much as she wanted to stand up right now, she knew that if she did she would topple over like a domino. It was the consequence of spinning round on her chair like some sort of mad man. Instead, she decided to slink back into her chair a little more and let a cunning smile run over her face.

”I was wondering when you were gonna show that mug of yours” she replied with that same cunning smirk on her face, deciding now was the best time to stand up. She leaned against the arm of the chair simply to support herself at first since the room was still moving awkwardly underneath her feet. Her smile simply grew as she seen the bottle in his hand. Sure enough it was wine, but that didn’t mean Keane had to be snobby against it. She just preferred her own booze to have a bit more of a punch to it than anything. ”Classy” she remarked, nodding her head towards the bottle. It was sort of ironic in a way, since she was the opposite of classy.

Keane gestured for him to come closer, more into the room. Perhaps it was a bad idea to make friends but maybe this once Keane could actually keep her mouth shut and not ruin what looked like a good thing.. ”Glasses… right…” Keane replied, simply sinking behind her desk before returning with two glasses. She had always kept them in her office just in case of emergency. I mean it wasn’t like she wasn’t allowed a tipple when she was working on something. It truly did take something strong to knock her out for the count. ”Not the snazziest ones you’ve ever seen but eh, they’ll do” she spoke, shrugging her shoulders before sinking back onto her chair.

[Lucius Kilvayne]

Well let me tell you 'bout the way she looked
The way she'd act and the colour of her hair
Her voice was soft and cool
Her eyes were clear and bright
But she's not there

”I was wondering when you were gonna show that mug of yours”


Lucius smiled. He had managed to cross the country in no time at all. Most people would have taken notice, but then Keane wasn't most people, was she? Nor was he. Lucius Kilvayne was exceptional, and so was the waif in his vision. Her appearance was deceptive, he knew. She wasn't the innocent petite maiden she looked like. It was in her eyes, something that he had only seen in old souls. Not that Lucius was concerned with all that. He wasn't obsessed with the ageless for their wisdom, but for the secrets of their genes. And her genes were inaccessible, thanks to her ability. Nothing from her body could be taken, and that was just the simple fact of the situation. That didn't mean he didn't have an interest. She was still a woman, and in this moment, she was vulnerable. Still, his thoughts were distracted...

"There is an entire continent between us," Lucius said slyly, referring to his residence in New York. He showed her the wine he had brought with him, and it was a very high quality vintage. Nothing but the best for Lucius Kilvayne and his associates. Especially in a liaison such as this.

”Classy”

Lucius nodded, "Nothing but the best,especially in light of hard feelings that might be lingering around this place about me. I don't think I have a lot of friends here. I really could use a friend here."

Lucius had hatched an idea that someone to play Devil's advocate for him couldn't hurt. Especially considering the resentment of many who wanted to keep Ark Industries free of outside control. It was about getting the message out, that Lucius Kilvayne wasn't so bad as they thought. In truth, he was worse, but they didn't need to know that. A few carefully placed lies about the nobility of his intentions, and soon they would be on his side. These people wanted to believe the best of others, deep down inside. It helped most people in the corporate world to sleep at night. It made the lies they told themselves make more sense, too. Everyone was just in it for the greater good, after all.

”Glasses… right…”

Keane set up some glasses she had stored in her desk. The woman was prepared for anything, that much was clear. They were set up, and Lucius popped the cork off the wine bottle. He poured, and plugged the container once more. He set it down and smiled, handing a glass to Keane.

”Not the snazziest ones you’ve ever seen but eh, they’ll do”


"That they will," Lucius said, taking a seat adjacent to her. He raised his glass in a toast. This was an auspicious moment, after all.


"A toast to the future," He said with a wicked grin, "And new friends."

[Keane Wright]

Perhaps it was dangerous to dance with the devil in this way but Keane had never been one to brush around the edges of something; if she wanted to do something then the chances were that she was going to put her all into trying to achieve whatever it was that she was trying to do. There was something coy about Keane, the fact that she always liked to push people to be the better version of who they could possibly be and often that came off as a very condescending and very snarky tone. Perhaps the reason she liked Lucius so much was because he seemed to appreciate a person who had layers and there was definitely more to Keane than what met the eye. There was so much to discuss between them, but as it stood Keane only seen him now as someone whom she could have a drink with.

Keane scoffed lightly as he made his reply. ”Excuses, excuses..” she said with a smirk on her face, her eyebrows furrowing. It was really hard for her to not have a flirty look when every normal look in your repertoire spoke a million words. ”But I guess I’ll forgive you just this once” she spoke, yet a different smirk rising onto her face, a look that was usually reserved for those whom she actually had a liking for. She wasn’t sure what to make of the man right in front of her but she had been told long ago to not judge others simply based on the way they looked or how they held themselves.

It did take Keane a little bit by surprise that he had actually brought a bottle of wine. You could tell a lot from a man from what he drank, but she wasn’t exactly sure where that left Lucius. Instead, she gave a casual and polite smile. ”Hard feelings? Ya might wanna try the other guys upstairs” she chuckled softly. ”I don’t hold grudges.”

It was sort of true; the fact that Keane didn’t really care where you came from or what clothes you wore. People should have been judged on their actions and then given the chance to change once they had been confronted. Keane couldn’t exactly blame the people that didn’t want to change though because sometimes it took a united force of hatred to get people to work together. Right now, Ark Industries seemed to be holding together over their own intolerance for the buyout. As long as Keane could continue her work, she didn’t care who bought over the company.

With the glass handed over to her, Keane gave a softer smile, something that seemed to be more sincere and something that she was really unused to. Saying not much else, she took a small sip before nodding gently.

”Here’s to us” Keane said, raising the glass gently before setting it back down on the table. There was still one thing left unsaid however. ”So why are you really here? Are you so devoid of friends that you have to fly out here to have a drink with little ol’ me?”

[Lucius Kilvayne]

So Let Me Get This Straight
The only Will is my own
I do whatever I want and stay alone
All my decisions make it untouchable and tainted

”Excuses, excuses..”


"Well, I don't make excuses, I offer reasons," Lucius quipped. He wasn't going to let Keane have the upper hand in any wordplay games she wanted to start. Lucius played to win, after all. And he had quite a glib tongue, for all that. One of his many talents, really.

"But I guess I’ll forgive you just this once”


"Only just once?"

He had been involved in things that were more damning than being late to a meeting, but no one knew. No one but those who had been part of the plan, anyway. And Lucius didn't see his actions as being wrong either. He knew that many would, and that was always the way with men of power. They did what had to be done, and were judged harshly by it for those who didn't have to make the call. It was the price of greatness, to be cursed by those lesser people. And Lucius sought greatness.

”Hard feelings? Ya might wanna try the other guys upstairs”

Lucius nodded, knowing what she meant. The other Ark employees were less than enthusiastic about the takeover of their company by the Kilvayne Corporation, but Keane was different. She seemed to go with the flow of things. That was good, for Lucius' purposes. He needed someone malleable.

”I don’t hold grudges.”

"That makes you very different from me," Lucius said, only half-joking. He did hold grudges, and vengeance was something he was not above. He liked to pay people what they were owed, and that sometimes meant bad things for people. But that was his way. The Kilvayne way.

”Here’s to us”

Their toast was a nice start, and it was leading in the direction he most wanted to go.


”So why are you really here? Are you so devoid of friends that you have to fly out here to have a drink with little ol’ me?”

" Because I need a friend in this particular place," Lucius said with perfect sincerity, "I need someone that understands where I want to take this company. Someone who knows how important it is that we take things...to the next level."

He smiled, and continued, " And I think you are the perfect person for the job."