Cottonmouth

Paragon's End [Modern/Fantasy/Anime/Adventure]

"I'm not one for secrets, Raiya. Our game from before still stands, I'll answer any question you want as long as you answer one of mine." He said, folding his arms. "Though I have to be honest, I'm a tad bit hurt. I've never had my taste questioned before." His expression seemed to brighten up by Raiya's final words however.

"I need to ready some of my equipment in my room, you're welcome to join me if you'd like." Nemo said, resting his hands behind his back and walking upstairs. He opened the door to his room and flicked on the light, revealing the full extent of his renovations. He clearly had spent some time placing various knick-knacks he had found from all eras, ranging from 1700's paintings to 1980's technology.

Nemo walked over to the ornate wooden cabinet he stored his watches and revolvers in and used a small golden key to unlock the top half's swing out doors.

Paragon's End [Modern/Fantasy/Anime/Adventure]

"It really makes no difference to me whether you believe it or not, but it is the truth." Nemo replied. "You were the last straw in this case. I'd be lying if I said you were the first, as there have been many relatives to come after me in the past, certainly not many kids though." He took another sip of his tea, nearly finished. "You must realize that I kill killers, Raiya. Just because the Arcanocracy might pretend they do what they do in God's honor doesn't make them any less stone cold than me. You know that from experience."

"For every magi and officer I've dealt a final blow to, there's a mobster and murderer in line as well. I'm sure a good deal of them were family men as well, doesn't mean they should be spared the guillotine. My methods may seem rather imprecise, but I've never parted a truly innocent person of their soul as of yet."

"In the case of my capture, I had to fight to stay alive. It wasn't me who cast the first stone in that case. I was ambushed, wasn't I?" He paused, finishing off his tea and washing the cup out. "The prison was unexpected however. That sentence meant that I didn't have to kill to survive anymore, I could simply exist in there, alone. In that box I would no longer have to hurt anybody else, or be hurt myself. Even something like me could exist in harmony."

Nemo stepped over to the couch, pausing until he collected his thoughts on the second topic. From behind he leaned over and rested on the top-frame at Raiya's side. "You don't have to be frilly or in a dress to be pretty, Raiya." He let out a deep sigh to relax, rolling over so that his back was resting on the edge and looking up at the ceiling. The backwards bent posture looked awkward, but Nemo seemed to be fine with it. "Beauty isn't inherently feminine, or even kind for that matter. It can range from flowers and fine art, to storms and explosions." Nemo pushed off from the ground, slowly snaking over the top of the couch until his back hit the cushion and he was sitting upside down with his legs on the backrest. "You are beautiful for the same reasons you may think you aren't. You're not afraid to be yourself. You're a unique person with a unique sense of style, there's nothing wrong with that." Nemo rolled off the seat backwards to come full circle standing upright in front of Raiya. "I've spent most of my life curating things considered beautiful, so it's a praise I only use when I truly mean it."

Paragon's End [Modern/Fantasy/Anime/Adventure]

"He spared me once, naturally I'd have to repay the favor. However that doesn't mean I'd extend the same courtesy the second time. The world has been more interesting with him in it, sure, but I have no reason to spare him the most spectacular ending he could wish for twice." Nemo replied, a somewhat prideful look on his face. "You're right, though, Raiya, I could have broken out of that cell anytime I wanted." He said, his tone turning more serious.

"I remember you at the trial, you know. I never forget a face, even if it's just a glimpse." He said, tapping his temple a couple times. "You weren't supposed to be there, but you wanted to get a look at me. And since the Arcanocracy was making my sentencing into such a grand show, that wasn't so hard."

"They were escorting me out when I saw you, so you and anyone with a brain knows the Catholic journalists were lying when they said I begged for mercy and groveled at the high command's feet. You know firsthand that the rumors were true, that when I was delivered my indefinite sentence, I laughed all the way out of the courtroom. But you, and probably only you can remember that I paused when I saw you." He took another drink fro his teacup. "I stopped laughing because I was surprised, it was first time since I was a child that a kid had looked at me with not just fear, but hatred as well. You disagreed with my sentence didn't you? You know that I slaughtered Felix's master, his crew, and nearly Felix himself had it not been for his final gambit. You wanted me to be executed, because that was the only way to be sure."

"That's the one bad thing about never forgetting, you don't forget. The... faces, they stick with me forever. I had started to become numb to it though, the sight felt like a sign that I had done well in my acts of discord on my persecutors. But yours still hurt, it hurt because I knew I was wrong. You were an innocent kid, you never did anything to me, you were still free from the dark world I inhabited, and yet you hated me all the same. I knew then that if only I had not been so weak and deranged in the beginning, if I had been strong enough to let it all go, maybe things would have turned out differently for me."

"That's why I never tried to break out, because ironically, that prison cell was the only place I knew I was safe from judgement. It was the closest I've ever come to feeling peace."

After a long pause, Nemo reached over and ruffled Raiya's hair. "It's kind of strange to see you now though, after all this time. You've grown up to be quite a talented and beautiful woman."

Paragon's End [Modern/Fantasy/Anime/Adventure]

Nemo took a drink from his teacup, chuckling after he swallowed. "But how can you be so sure? Maybe I need you for something else, maybe you're just a elaborate plot to get revenge on Felix. Besides killing, my acting skills are well known. Maybe what you think now is only exactly what I want you to think. What do you think makes you so special?" He replied. "By the way, I really need to get you a new pistol."

"The reason I'll never be a father rears up far before that. I could never bring myself to create another life when I know there's a possibility they could be... like me. " Nemo took another sip. "People have always seen me as something that should be exterminated even when I was a child, I could never bear to see my kin be treated the same. You understand, right Raiya?"

Paragon's End [Modern/Fantasy/Anime/Adventure]

Nemo instinctively flicked two of his gloved fingers upwards, causing a line shaped warp in the space from his hand to Raiya's gun. The spell generated enough force to knock the gun out of her hand before the discharge had any chance of happening. The USP was send flying, which Nemo casually caught before it could hit the ground.

He hesitated in his response back now, looking at the weapon in his hand silently for a few moments. Nemo cheek twitched, and then he looked back over to her. "What are you trying to imply, Raiya?" He asked.

Paragon's End [Modern/Fantasy/Anime/Adventure]

Nemo filled up a kettle with water and placed it on the burner, waiting for it to boil as Raiya ensued her spiel. "I once said something like that, Raiya. The difference being when I said it, it was true." He scavenged the kitchen for a bag of tea. He found Earl Grey. "Did your two apostate friends not depend on you when you were all cast out from the Arcanocracy?" He asked. "And in the same regard, now you depend on them. Right now you depend on them to run your gang. And if they were in trouble, would you not rush to their aid?"

The kettle began to whistle as the water boiled, Nemo picked it off the burner and poured it into a ceramic cup with the teabag inside. "I already know you would." He crooned. "That's why you were so upset with me when you thought they were in danger. You even said they were your friends."

"Not to mention the reason you left the Arcanocracy in the first place? What a tale, Grand-Magi risks it all attempting to expose corruption within the upper command. That doesn't sound like the act of a selfish rouge to me." After a proper infusion Nemo removed the teabag and poured in a shot of milk. He took a sip before continuing. "The reason you say such things, and I say with as little ego as possible, is because you are attempting to prove to everyone else, including yourself, that you are like me."

"A creator must always live in fear that their creations will be destroyed, but a pure destroyer has nothing to lose. You don't want to get hurt again Raiya, that's why the guise of a destroyer is so alluring to you, even to the point where you've convinced yourself that it's true. But I know it's not." He explained. "There is nothing you could do to hurt me Raiya, nothing in all your power, or all of Felix's power either. You have nothing threaten me with, but can you really say the same about yourself?"

Nemo walked back over to the couch with his tea and sat down. "Your actions might not all be virtuous, Raiya, but you've gone to great lengths to protect the people close to you, and do what you think is right, even if it's a detriment to yourself. And so that's why I say you'd be a good mom."

Paragon's End [Modern/Fantasy/Anime/Adventure]

Nemo seemed saddened by Raiya's explanation. "That's terrible, Raiya... No woman should have to give up their own ability to create, or have a family. Your abilities are part of who you are as well, you shouldn't have to choose between one or the other." He spoke softly and then paused, clearly stumped on what to say next. "I'll... I'll fix it though." He assured. "I don't know how yet, but I'll figure something out. That's what... 'best acquaintances' are for, right?" Despite his words, Nemo didn't give off a tone of complete confidence in what he was saying.

"I know I'll never have a family myself, and well-" Nemo paused, sounding even more downtrodden than before. "Well that's something I have to think about every day." He finished, making it sound like something he had a hard time admitting. "But it shouldn't be too late for you, Raiya. Both of our abilities make age something that can be defied, but if there's one thing I've learned in my own years, it's that it get's lonely eventually. So even if you don't value it yourself yet, if I can make sure you never have to feel how I feel, then I'll have done at least one deed that I can truly be proud of before I die."

Nemo got up from the couch started walking towards the kitchen intent on getting something to drink, but he paused before passing the couch. "For what it's worth, I think you'd be a pretty good mom, Raiya."

Paragon's End [Modern/Fantasy/Anime/Adventure]

Nemo chuckled at the phrase "Garden the shit out of". "Oh I'm sure you could manage it if you really put your heart into it." He tapped his pointer fingers together a couple times before replying. "Do you ever want to have kids Raiya? A family? Does the idea of being a mom hold any value to you?" He asked, using a more earnest tone than usual.

Paragon's End [Modern/Fantasy/Anime/Adventure]

"I think water might be your best bet for the plant's well being." Nemo whispered back. "Bonsai however, I've always found them to be one of the most interesting things to observe in gardening. The techniques, the tools, the mystery, all things that bonsai have no equal in. But I'm afraid that might be a bit too advanced for a beginner like you Raiya. Don't worry though, I already have a couple things in mind." He assured.

Nemo thought for a few moments, keeping silent. He glanced over to her but seemed hesitant to speak. "Do you mind if I ask a bit of a personal question, Raiya?" He inquired after the brief pause

Paragon's End [Modern/Fantasy/Anime/Adventure]

"Strange..." Nemo said, his voice assumed a softer tone than before. "People may think that civilization is what separates us from the animals, that dog-eat-dog world, but can you really tell me we aren't already there? Tame and sane are traits that I think most would find people like us unfitting of, Raiya. The only thing civilization has changed is that we found new things to fight over besides food."

"Maybe we should start small then, huh?" Nemo said, now sporting a grin. "How about a houseplant then? A little indoor horticulture to ease you into it."

"Either way, maybe we should go back to some Q and A again to pass the time. You've already humored my ramblings, so how about you go first."