It's a nice day for a red wedding~ [Event]

WC: 1196 Jester's Total WC: 1196  / 4,000  Tag: @Cassius

Once more, the armored Revenant had found himself busied with something the people he had recently begun to be surrounded by would call a job, a hit, or some other ominous word the wraith couldn't quite associate with any real meaning as of yet. It seemed that his new line of work kept him rather busy, and while it didn't necessarily tire or stress Cassius, who was impervious to such impressions, it did present some logistical problems that the very much un-business-like ghost, who was now suddenly thrust into a world where such behavior was encouraged, nay, even expected of him, had not expected beforehand. It would take some time to adjust, to learn, to overcome, and to defeat, as was Cassius' nature.

At least, or so it would appear, his efforts had not gone unnoticed by the seemingly all-powerful organization that employed him, including the enigmatic figure at its top, someone who Cassius had come to know as "The Chairman" when he had been inducted into its ranks. Others, of course, might worry, or at the very least speculate over the identity of such a figure, but the ever-stoic wraith held no care or interest to pursue matters such matters, matters that were, for all intents and purposes, trivial to him. As long as he was paid, and he was being paid handsomely, so much so that he had gotten to ... rather expand his collection of curiosities, getting stronger and stronger with each new addition, he would do their bidding without question, and, as the wraith could assure anyone who hired him, without fail. This fact, apparently, had earned him some respect, as he had come to be known as something called a "Director", though the unaware Cassius had yet to figure out what exactly that meant. The concept of powerful positions such as this one only made sense to him in a limited capacity, and it would likely require further explanation once it was needed.

For the time being, however, the wraith was more than content with being nothing more than a weapon. All Hidden Blades had to do was point him in the right direction and be certain that the job would be done, whether through a form of finesse unique to the ghost, who had a fair few tricks up his sleeve, ... or by brute force. Cassius' specialty.

As for those logistical problems, however ...

Cassius had no idea how he had ended up in Rose Garden, or rather, had no knowledge of the existence of Rose Garden in the first place. It was not part of his objective, though the wraith had involuntarily been ejected here. Recently, he had been introduced to the railway transportation system humans used to save time, finding that, much like the mortals around him, it saved him tremendous amounts of time as well, and while Cassius was just fine with taking his time walking to where he had to be, his clients, more often than not, weren't so flexible, the wraith subsequently adopting the use of this system. With this, however, also came the troubles that ordinary people had to deal with, such as a busted rail. While repairs were underway, the wraith could not continue his travel to report back to Crocus, and, as it would appear, fixing this broken system would take them a full day. If the wraith could feel frustration, dejection, perhaps he would've sighed, though as it stood, he accepted the fact that he had to wait a little while before continuing in a characteristically stoic fashion. Still, the wraith, currently making use of the puppet he'd acquired from a professional in Hosenka to blend in with the rest of the people around him, exited the train station, dull, unmoving eyes, made of little more than painted glass, falling into the cold street before him.

Cassius would be perfectly fine with simply remaining here, standing, waiting, though such behavior would likely inspire attention from these ever-curious mortals. He would find a quiet spot to rest, and perhaps, contemplate, as he sometimes tended to do, or ... or he could spend his time learning more about humans, their society, customs, how they worked, all facts that still, admittedly, escaped Cassius.

Before he'd had any chance to decide, though, he felt someone approach fast, his instincts immediately taking over, his mind calculating and tense, though his artificial body remaining unmoving, almost relaxed, some would say. "Hello, good man! Say, you don't happen to have a few moments to spare?", an unknown man addressed him. Cassius simply turned the head of this puppet he steered towards the man, saying nothing, instead, simply training his glassy eyes on the individual. The other waited a few seconds, expecting an answer, though, upon realizing that Cass wouldn't provide one, took his silence as confirmation, laughing it off with a nervous snicker. "R-right! You see, Sir, I represent a catering company that recently expanded into the wedding business, and is quite eager to receive feedback from customers". Cassius listened still, though barely understanding some of those words. Catering? Wedding? Feedback? Terms the wraith couldn't do much with. Business and customers, however, he was very much familiar with. "If you have the time, maybe you could partake in such a wedding as a guest and offer your insights about the procedures at the en- Hey!". Cassius had turned away wordlessly mid-sentence, caring little for the other and his words. If asking a favor was all the man would do, the wraith had no interest in what he had to say. "W-wait, Sir! You'll be compensated for your time, of course!".

The wraith stopped his steps, the head slowly turning back to look over his shoulder at the mortal.

"... Pay?", the somewhat rusty, hoarse, almost whispery and low voice rang out, though less of an echo now that Cassius was not wearing his armor.

The other seemed somewhat surprised by it, though remained professional, extending his hand towards the wraith, holding out a brochure. "Y-yes, good man. And not little, as well!", he grinned nervously, though seemingly relieved that he had found someone who appeared at least somewhat interested in what he had to say. Cassius, unceremoniously, turned back to him, taking the brochure out of his hand, though that was of little importance. The wraith could neither read nor write anyway. Still, the ghost's interest had been captured by the one thing he did truly care about, the prospect of payment. He wouldn't have to think twice. He had a day to spare, he could learn about mortals, and he would be paid at the same time. The circumstances were just too good not to exploit this opportunity. Cold, unblinking eyes seemingly staring right through the man, Cassius set ajar the jaws of his puppet slightly, his voice ringing out once more. "... Cassius accepts ... your offer ...".

Not too long after, the wraith arrived at the company headquarters, following the map on the back of the brochure that had made navigation somewhat easy, especially considering his lack of interpretational skills when it came to human scripture and the like, immediately walking towards a structure where some of the visitors and employees of said company seemed to gather. Before he could approach much closer, though, the wraith was stopped when a man in a suit intercepted him. "Excuse me, Sir? You must be here for the wedding, correct?". Cassius nodded, extending his hand that still firmly clutched the brochure, the man's expression seemingly lighting up as he took the piece of paper from the wraith. "Ah, we would like to welcome you, in that case. Given the fact that you don't seem to be prepared for a wedding ...", the man eyed Cassius from top to bottom, taking note of the sanguine fabrics that constituted somewhat eccentric, but casual clothing, certainly not appropriate for a marriage ceremony, "... please visit our wardrobe. Linda will fix you right up". Cassius couldn't have cared less, tilting his head slightly, but ultimately giving a nod. He would follow any kind of instruction as long as he got paid, making a beeline towards the direction the man had pointed him at, having little trouble finding the wardrobe and the creature the mortal had described as "Linda", a woman who, with the snap of her finger and the not so subtle working of magic would change the wraith's outfit from his usual attire to a simple black suit, a plain white formal shirt underneath.

Cassius, of course, took note of the fact that this occurred in much the same way as he utilized his pocket space where he kept most of his collection, though he had long learned that this was not a talent unique to himself. In fact, it seemed to be somewhat of a standard for mages everywhere. Not like it mattered. He would wordlessly proceed into yet another part of the building, though this seemed significantly more extravagant and decorated than any previous sections. Why? The wraith could only speculate. For now, he would simply do what everyone else seemed to be doing, seeking out an empty seat and placing the puppet onto the same, from this point onward not moving or reacting at all. The music came and went, the actors who played the bride and groom, the speeches. It was all fairly meaningless to Cassius and made extraordinarily little sense, the wraith anticipating, expecting some kind of twist, some kind of distinction that would separate this so-called ceremony from any other interaction these mortals had with each other on a constant basis. The talking, the music, even the kiss, he had seen all these events before. In fact, the most unusual thing about this ceremony seemed to be a shrill sound one of the attendees made, a behavior that, Cassius observed, seemed to startle some of the others. Interesting. Regardless, the ceremony would end, the people would cheer, and they would get up, moving to follow the faux bride and groom, Cassius now, too, rising from his seat. As many difficulties as the wraith had wrapping his head around the concept of time, and how it seemed to be rather limited to some people, he could accurately describe this as a complete waste of it, leaving Cassius to wonder if that was it. Would this conclude the "wedding ceremony"? Had he fulfilled his mission? If so, he would quickly see to getting paid, sooner rather than later, the anticipation of gold, or at least, the more common equivalent, currency, exciting the undead creature as much as he could be ...

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Word Count: 1,771
Personal Word Count Total: 1,771 / 4,000
Thread Word Count Total: 2,967 / 8,000

WC: 1201 Jester's Total WC: 2397   / 4,000  Tag: @Cassius

To Cassius' dismay, not that he felt more than a hint of annoyance birthed from what could perhaps be described as stubbornness, it seemed that the kiss, the "I do's", and the walk down the aisle were, in fact, not yet the end to this faux ceremony. Further still, it would appear that, while the actual wedding ceremony was other, there were a whole slew of different conventions that were now expected of the visitors to this event, namely, taking their seats at one of the various tables prepared for the visitors. Cassius stopped and stood there for a few seconds, taking in the process that followed as the display would unfold before him, tilting his head curiously and observing their behavior. He'd never seen something like this, watching just a little bit longer before seeking out his own seat and promptly placing himself there, mostly ignoring the people around him with a characteristically stoic demeanor. Still, his dull eyes would shoot interested looks around this hall, spectating the ceremony where the newlywed couple cut the cake, danced among their peers, and had photos taken. Not that any of that made sense to the wraith, Cassius taking these strange rituals at face value without assigning any deeper meaning to them. Indeed, the cake cutting seemed horribly inefficient to the ghost, it could be done much faster with the proper tools and attitude, this, as it stood, was another waste of time. So was the dancing, something Cassius did not know existed. The random, quite erratic movements appeared spastic, so much so that he wondered if they were in pain or a different kind of distress, realizing that this, too, was some kind of ceremony when others joined in. It seemed like a waste of energy, truly, utterly senseless, leaving the wraith to wonder just how much more of this pointless nonsense had been scheduled and when it was finally time to collect his reward.

Still, it would seem like the gathering associated with these strange events and rituals was not yet other, no, the opposite, in fact. After the two that had partaken in the ceremony were done with their dull show, the celebrations were opened to the rest of the visitors, leaving the wraith perplexed as to what exactly his mission was. Was he supposed to entertain the rest of these fools? He looked around, seeing some of them beginning to form small circles and groups of conversation, some of the guests laughing, drinking, eating, appearing to find enjoyment in the activity. It was quite stupid, this entire thing, this entire event contradicting the wraith's logic and reason. He could see himself spending even wasted time with things that were more productive, like polishing his armors, sharpening an ax, things that, while menial, were leaps and bounds better than this, despite pay.

Cassius got up, already deciding to turn and leave when he was approached, his dull, glassen eyes twisting in their sockets to fall upon the man. Of course, that was more of a courtesy than anything else. The wraith didn't need these eyes to perceive his surroundings. The man spoke in much the same tone as the one who had handed him the brochure had before, overbearingly friendly, though the wraith, naturally, didn't know what to make of formalities or social cues. The wraith also had no recollection of the events the man was describing, nor did he remember ever seeing him before, so unworthy of storing any information about the little skirmish on that road in Hargeon had the wraith deemed that day to be. It had been just another waste of time, a nuisance. Of course, even if Cassius had remembered the event, the wraith wouldn't think much of the man's presence here, not harboring much in the way of curiosity about any one mortal unless he really had to, unless it was a necessity.

Cassius was quite ready to simply ignore this strange being and move on with his day, leave this place behind and turn towards activities which could prove to be more fruitful than whatever this was, until the other asked for his name. Cassius contemplated for a second, the important distinction he had learned to make between the individual he played when he was in the service of the Company that employed him versus who he was in public, such as right this moment when he inhabited this puppet and controlled it to blend in with them, wasn't lost on him. He opened his mouth, the low, raspy voice ringing out from within this artificial body once more.

"... Name? ... Cassius ...", the wraith's response was, as usual, quite simple and only laden with the most necessary of information, his tone neutral, though blurred by his unique way of speaking.

The stranger, though, did not yet seem satisfied, instead trying his best to get Cassius to move along with him, the wraith trying to assess whether the man's rather physical method's of negotiating his offers were a threat to him, or rather his puppet in particular, though he held back, for now, assuming that this behavior was, once again, part of these strange conventions and rituals these creatures followed. He decided to play along for now, for just a little while longer. At least this was more engaging than the frustrating folly he'd seen before, following the admittedly persistent creature over to the section of this building that seemed reserved for the intake of sustenance, all the while paying very little mind to the other. That was, of course, until he suddenly felt the man touch him, and unceremoniously place a piece of the food that these people seemed to relish so much in what would be a normal human's mouth. Of course, for Cassius, this body was little more than wood, metal, and different synthetics, crafted to appear human, along with the mouth, even a small cavity for the throat in case any one of these mortals ever got abundantly curious, though he did not possess the means to process this intake in the same way the people around him could. This was annoying. He would have to clean the remains of cake from the puppet's ceramic teeth, mouth, and throat later to ensure it would stay in good condition. It seemed like he'd had no choice, however. He'd seen all of them eat cake, and the man seemed rather enthusiastic about the baked good. The wraith would have to, for now, accept the fact that this was a staple of one of these "weddings".

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Word Count: 1,096
Personal Word Count Total: 2,867 / 4,000
Thread Word Count Total: 5,264 / 8,000

WC: 953 Jester's Total WC: 3350   / 4,000  Tag: @Cassius
Song Jester Plays : Jimmy Durante -Smile

With an attentive, but seemingly uninterested gaze emanating from unmoving, dull irises, Cassius would behold the display that would unfold not long after he had consumed the cake, or rather, chewed it down with his false teeth and pushed it into the faux throat of this puppet. What a nuisance. Was this really worth it? Getting his favorite plaything dirty for a potential at comprehending human rituals, mindsets, their overall social behaviors? In the end, the wraith knew that the answer was most probably still a yes, even if he didn't particularly enjoy having to sacrifice something from his collection to do so. The ability to blend in with human society would give him a definitive advantage and likely allow him to perform his designated jobs and duties even better, which, of course, could result in more pay. More pay could be spent on more magical artifacts, which in turn, would make him even stronger still. It was a continuous cycle that would lead to the acquisition of more currency, more power, more strength.

Admittedly, the wraith would be lost in the prospect of more gold for just a passing moment, though his usual introspection was interrupted, his uncaring attention caught by a female, the creature seeming ... distressed, leaving Cassius to wonder if this was yet another one of those strange dances these mortals seemed to partake in so readily. The possibility was there, of course, though, while the wraith was curious, he didn't think of asking anyone. It seemed like that would be more likely to expose him as a being that did not constitute what they would view as a peer. That perception shifted when the female began to leak bodily fluids, though, Cassius beginning to wonder if this was also part of that assumed ritual. Would these creatures sacrifice their health and potential well-being, even their life, for the sake of some ritual of betrothal?

At first, Cassius was certain that this would be highly unlikely, even impossible, that this was disconnected from the ceremonies themselves, but before he knew, others had begun to repeat the female's actions. Forcing up spit, gall, and blood, one after the other they would collapse, screams of agonizing pain filling the hall for the following minute or two. This situation, however, would prove to be highly challenging. Cassius, of course, had been instructed to participate in these festivities to the best of his abilities, though, if all attendees would decide to end their life and spill their blood, that would mean the wraith would fail his mission. He neither had blood to spill nor a life to end. An audible groan would escape the wraith, something he would feel on occasion. Failure, and the resulting frustration. This had all been a colossal waste of time if they had all been destined to die in the first place. Was that what they meant by "till death do you part"? Interesting ...

The wraith would definitely learn from this experience. Perhaps, in this case, his presence here hadn't resulted in wasted time, after all.

There was one more thing, though. It seemed that Cassius was not the only one who had survived this ordeal, his eyes calmly following the antics of the redheaded fellow that had addressed him before. He watched as the man changed the music that had been playing, Cassius, of course, failing to notice both the underlying changes in musical style and the disturbing implications of the pairing that was the bloody scene before him and this particular song. Indeed, he thought nothing more of it. Music was music, after all.

While this was true, though, the other seemed quite amused, at least this male's erratic and quirky behavior seemed to be birthed from amused, if judged by the smile. It didn't take long for the last guest to notice Cassius, though, the ghost, of course, not having moved from where he had stood, still remaining near the tables upon which the cake remained. When he moved over and spoke to Cassius once more, the wraith cocked his head, confused as to why the man would inquire, though he, who had no concept of truth or lie, would, of course, answer.

"Cassius ... not alive ... Cassius ... already dead ... died ... long ... long ago".

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Word Count: 717
Personal Word Count Total: 3,584 / 4,000
Thread Word Count Total: 6,934 / 8,000

WC: 681 Jester's Total WC: 4031   / 4,000  Tag: @Cassius

The wraith's answer appeared to intrigue the man, at least, he seemed to get closer, eyeing the undead and his puppet quite curiously. Indeed, the other would step near Cassius, pushing his finger into the side of the puppet's face, dancing around in front of the rather uninterested and uncaring ghost stuck in his human puppet, though through his continued antics he seemed to find an explanation that was satisfactory to him. In truth, the wraith didn't quite know or even understand what was going on, though he figured that the man before him had to be displeased about surviving as well. From what Cassius could tell, at least, the man appeared like one of the other mortals, if a little more eccentric, even for those creatures. If he'd been anyone else maybe he'd have been inclined to feel sorry for him. Had he failed a mission, too?

Anyway, before the wraith could figure the other one out the man seemed to brush this off, recommending for the wraith to "skip on home", his comments raising several questions. First of all, the most glaring issue was the absence of an understanding associated with the word "Pollee". Then he had spoken of the party being "on its last legs", which was certainly odd. How could a party have legs? Was it not only bodies that could possess legs? How could a concept like that have some, and why would it be on its last ones? Cassius didn't ask, nor did he understand much at all, though he would give the red-headed stranger a nod. Now that the ceremony seemed to have very much ended, regardless of whether it had been completed successfully or not, there was no sense in staying here if he no longer had any purpose in these halls.

That wasn't the only thing, though. The figure, before leaving, would push something into the grasp of this puppet, Cassius lowering the head of the puppet, his senses focussing on the object, watching it observantly. Was the other trying to supplement his pay, make up for the fact that Cassius likely wouldn't receive the gold he had initially hoped for, perhaps out of a feeling of pitty that these mortals tended to feel sometimes? He studied it intensely, twisting the object from side to side to get a thorough look at it. If this had been sufficient to serve as a replacement for his pay, was this perhaps a magical artifact? Something to add to his collection, maybe?

Oh ... what was this? A feeling would spread through the wraith's mind. The excitement seemed to return, if only for the time being. Perhaps this day hadn't been a waste, then, after all? Cassius thought about the fact that he would have to put this thing through some tests, perhaps have its price assessed back at the guild to see about attaching his own value to it and sorting it into his hoard for safekeeping as he left the building and disappeared into the next labyrinth of dark alleys, having nearly forgotten about this ceremony and the mysterious James Errings already. After all, he had a little silver bird to keep him busy for today.

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Word Count: 534
Personal Word Count Total: 4,119 / 4,000
Thread Word Count Total: 8,149 / 8,000