Open//You Can't Fix These Broken Veins//

[Sparrow]

No dammit, I won't!Taki looked up from his desk to see someone screaming. Hmm, a new captive. In the beginning they always fought like crazy, broke down screaming and crying, and then eventually did whatever was asked of them. Taki should know, its exactly what he had been through.

He kicked at his ankle absently, making the cuff wrapped around the chair leg rattle. In front of him was a smooth round beach ball. And all he had to do was figure out where it came from. Sounded simple enough, but Tak knew that as soon as he told the Corporation his findings with his power, they would go after its owner and kill them. It was his job and the way of life he had now grown accustomed to. And though there was a slight twinge in his conscience, he placed his hands on the ball and took a deep breath.

[A girl screaming in joy as she runs down the beach. She reaches for the seagulls above her but they fly higher than she could ever hope to. Suddenly, her toe connects with the beach ball and it shoots up into the air. The little girl, barely 7, looks up and traces an outline of a path from the ball to a nearby gull with her finger. The ball collides with the bird but it is soft enough for the gull to escape uninjured. The girl smiles with delight as the ball drifts down into her waiting arms...

Taki sighed and pressed the red button near his desk. Almost immediately, a mutant walks in and glares at him. Well?

Telekinetic 8 year old is the owner. The ball originates in Kansas so I'm assuming she lives there. Taki reported and met the steely gaze of the mutant steadily.

Good work kid. Maybe someday you'll actually work here and I can loosen these chains. The massive agent pulled on the ankle strap and jangled it. But for now... he added with a sinister smile. Continuing his thought, the mutant leaned over and slapped Taki in the face, cackling to himself as he walked away. Taki put a hand to his red flesh and sighed deeply. He laid his un-painful cheek on the table in front of him and closed his eyes. Oh, to be free...

[Decadence]

Peyton Gabriel was in a very good mood that fine morning. A very good mood. Wearing her best yellow skirt paired with a white button-up blouse, she skipped cheerfully down the flight of stairs to the dark laboratory, her blonde braids bouncing up and down behind her as she moved. Her bright and glowing smile never left her face, didn't even fade one bit, even as the light of day faded further and further into a thick darkness as she came closer and closer to the chilling room and its little prisoner.

Why was she in such a great mood? Today was the day that the Dark Angel had decided that she would be given her very own shift in the daily task that was the torturing and manipulating of Taki Soto. This would be a very pleasing and easy task for Peyton, the thirteen-year-old psychopath and sadist.

There was a saying that she knew of-- "Work and play are words used to describe the same thing under different conditions." And the saying definitely applied to this situation. This "work" that the Dark Angel had assigned her was not work at all. For Peyton, torture was play. So with the glowing smile plastered onto her face, she reached the bottom of the staircase, opened the door, and stepped in.

"And good work to you too," Peyton said to her co-worker, making her presence known. "I will be taking over now. You are dismissed," she said. Though her words were polite, they were authoritarian. For a thirteen year old, she was quite high-ranked among the archangels.

[Sparrow]

Taki lifted his eyes from the table at the sound of the door opening. He knew the door had been guarded from the outside but now someone was in the room with him. He turned his head to look over his shoulder and his bright blue eyes widened in shock at who he saw.

He had heard of this girl before. His guards quaked in fear at the sound of her first name which he had discovered was Peyton. He also knew that she was one of the best Archangels here and for some reason had the respect of the DA.

What he hadn't anticipated was how young she really was. They had mentioned she was a little girl in passing but he hadn't expected an actual child. He thought it was just demeaning. And she didn't even look like she would be a nemesis with her innocent pigtails and tinge of blue skin. Yet there was something... evil underneath it all. A sense Taki could feel and he wasn't even sure if it was his powers or not. They detected she was powerful for sure and most absolutely a mutant but her presence was... dark and dangerous.

Taki rubbed his forehead as the other mutant left and he was alone with her. Great. What could I have done now? He murmured quietly, sneaking glances at the girl through his fingers.

[Decadence]

As Peyton made her way to the prisoner, her adorable child-sized heels clicked against the cold floor, echoing throughout the room with a steady, menacing rhythm leading up to her arrival at Taki's desk. When she finally reached him, she was actually barely taller than Taki's desk itself, something that she had been prepared for. In one of her hands was a little stool which she set next to the table and then stepped upon it so that she could speak to the 'guest' without straining her neck.

"Hello, Mr. Soto," Peyton said in her best 'sweet little girl' voice. "I don't think we've ever been formally introduced. My name's Peyton, and yours?" she asked kindly, holding out her free hand for him to shake and waiting for his response. Despite her candy-sweet smile, her eyes glowed with malice. This, she intended. She aimed to confuse, because it was her greatest weapon.

[Sparrow]

Taki removed his fingers from his face and gazed at the child with confusion. It's uh, Sato. Taki Sato. Pleased to meet you? He added the last part with an upward inflection, thoroughly bewildered by this little person. She seemed so evil and yet so sweet? The Corporation never sent anyone to visit Taki who would be pleasant to talk to and so Tak was on edge as she stood in front of him.

What can I... can I do for you Miss... er Peyton? Taki always stuttered in front of people he was intimidated of and he had to admit, this girl scared him to his core. He didn't have a clue why but he felt it.

[Decadence]

Peyton grinned at Taki's bewildered and panic-stricken response. She had him right where she wanted him. People were just so darn predictable, and this was way too easy. She was almost disappointed but not quite.

"Little girls don't get much attention 'round here in this ol' place. I just want someone to talk to," Peyton explained innocently. With her other hand, she placed a tray of food onto Taki's table. The scent of scrambled eggs, toasted white bread, and freshly fried bacon suddenly filled both of their lungs. "I assume they didn't give you breakfast, so I made it myself," she added cheerfully, awaiting his reaction.

Step one. Confusion. Completed. Peyton somewhat regretted not bringing her infamous pink binder with her. As always, she felt the urge to physically scratch the item off of her detailed, thought-out list, but she wouldn't exactly be very menacing if she asked Taki to wait for her while she whipped out a pen, so she ignored the urge.

Step two. Terror. In progress.

"Now, if you don't mind, I'd like to tell you a story," Peyton began, gesturing toward the tray to assure him that it was perfectly okay to eat while she spoke.

[Sparrow]

Taki didn't quite trust the little girl act anymore. There was no way someone with that much menace in their body language and facial expression could be so naive. And he highly doubted the DA would allow a little girl to visit one of his most precious prisoners. Because that was all Taki was- a tool in the DA's box of stuff he pulled out when necessary. Of course, this disbelief was probably written all over Tak's face since he had never been good at controlling his emotions.

Cautiously, Taki reached out and picked up a single bacon strip. He sniffed it, rolled it between two fingers and slowly bit a piece of it. Peyton was right. He hadn't eaten anything all day and it was nearly noon. The crunchy taste of the bacon hit his tastebuds just right and Taki sincerely hoped it wasn't poisoned as he took a bigger bite this time, along with a bite of toast. And if it was... at least he would escape this hell hole.

He suddenly realized Peyton was waiting for him to speak before she began and he swallowed quickly. Of course, Miss Peyton. P...please, go ahead. He said humbly, trying the scrambled eggs.

[Decadence]

Once again, Peyton refrained from smirking smugly as Taki suspiciously handled the food. She did not blame him, and she was not offended.

"Not poisoned. Pinky swear!" she promised, holding up a little pinky although she did not offer the finger to him; she assumed he would be a bit busy devouring his first meal of the day.

"Ahem, so, where should I begin? Once upon a time, little ol' me was having a teensy weensy caffeine craving. So I went to this cute little nearby coffee shop by my mommy and daddy's house, and I ordered a caramel frappuccino." As Peyton said this, her eyes shined and her mouth watered at the thought of caramel and caffeine, her very favorite combination. Then, suddenly, her expression switched to that of fury. "But then... the lousy employee told me that they were out of caramel. Can you believe that?! Out of caramel!" she shouted, clearly outraged at the idea of a caramel shortage. Such a thing should have been unlawful at all times. She clenched her teeth, and her fists tightened a little bit before she deliberately willed herself to calm down. Letting out a sigh, she continued, "So I waited in the alley for that same employee to take out the trash, and when he came out, I stabbed him. And then I drank his coffee. And then when I was finished, I threw the employee and the empty coffee cup into the trash. And then I went home." Peyton recounted the story with reminiscent eyes, as if she was recalling a beautiful, fond memory. She finished the tale with a loud, euphoric, sinister cackle, which lasted a moment and ended in several painful-sounding coughs. "Sorry... I'm allergic... to all the dust in here," she added in between coughs, with a hand on her throat and a pained look in her blue eyes. When she finally regained control of her voice, she leaned in toward the prisoner.

"But Taki, there is a point to my delightful story. There is a moral. Can you tell me what the moral is, Mr. Soto?"

[Sparrow]

Taki choked on a piece of bacon. Luckily, his gag reflex decided to kick in and he coughed and coughed until he could breathe again. When he could, he looked over at Peyton to see her watching him though he couldn't tell if it was amusement or disappointment.

She had killed a random Starbucks employee over caramel? This had to be a joke. Taki's skeptical eyes soon changed to an alarmed expression when he realized she was not kidding. This was real.

He waited till she finished coughing but shifted back slightly as she leaned in. Her eyes were on his steadily and Taki forced himself to not look away. He knew she was probably getting exactly what she wanted from him - fear. But he was afraid and he didn't need to hide it. He was sure she would know anyway.

Tak licked his lips from the bacon grease nervously and pushed away the empty plate. I have no idea what the motto is, Miss Peyton. He responded quietly, running one shaking hand through his dark hair apprehensively/

[Decadence]

As Peyton spoke, she lowered her voice down to just above a whisper. Her words were hissed, snake-like. "The moral of the ssstory isss, dear Taki, that one should never pissss off Peyton Sssofia Gabriel," she explained, her eyes never leaving the prisoner's. Then she leaned away and her eyes made a leap back to cheerful and sweet, while her voice instantly transitioned into a tone of lightheartedness.

"The other moral is that I love coffee, but that's another story," she added with a cute little giggle, placing her small chubby hand over her mouth. "Anyway... you must be thirsty, would you like anything? Apple juice? Chocolate milk? I can ask the guards to get you anything," she offered courteously with a smile.

[Sparrow]

Taki swallowed deeply. The story had disturbed him greatly but the switching off personalities freaked him out more. He was growing tired of being manipulated and even though he wasn't sure of the consequences, he decided to be bold.

No thank you. But uh, Miss Peyton? If I can just ask.. what, I mean why are you here? I'm just the DA's prisoner and I am kind of wondering why you're bothering with me? I guess I mean to say, did I do something wrong? Taki adjusted his bangs nervously as he spoke, revealing the cross-shaped scar above his left brow left by the DA himself to remind him of his place. It had been the only time Taki had ever tried to escape and he painfully knew now why he would never attempt again.

[Decadence]

Peyton smiled at Taki's expression of denial followed by realization followed by fear. Everything was going just as planned, point by point. This pleased her very much. Then she frowned a little as he questioned her presence. Apparently, there were a few drops of boldness left in him that would have to be extracted from the boy by methods of fear. She made note of this in the complex flow chart that was her mental agenda before speaking again.

"Didn't I already tell you, Mr. Soto?" she reminded him innocently. "No one really cares about the thirteen-year-old 'round here. I just wanted somebody to talk to me." One of the most important rules of being a true Machiavellian was that she never told anyone her real reason for doing things unless it was beneficial for her to do so. At the moment, there was no reason to let Taki know that the Dark Angel had specifically sent her because there was a rumor floating around that the prisoners were plotting a possible escape plan. Peyton's job was to either discover the plan or instill enough terror to crush it or both, but Taki did not need to know that.

"Anyway, I insist. Hey, how about tea? Do you like tea? I love tea. Caffeine, caffeine," Peyton suggested. Climbing carefully off of her stool, she walked over to the guards and looked up at a random one. Suddenly, the demented, psychotic, borderline-schizophrenic little girl from the previous conversation was gone. All traces of lunacy had disappeared, and she spoke to the guard with complete dignity, authority, and composure.

"Bring us two cups of hot tea, please," she ordered in a tone that was both well-mannered and commanding.

"I don't take orders from a twelve-year-old," the ego-bruised guard growled in a low voice as he stared down at little Peyton, flexing his oversized muscles.

"Thirteen and a half. And of course you do," Peyton corrected with no sign of doubt in her eyes or voice, not even bothering to wait for an answer before walking back to Taki. "Where were we? Ah, yes. Why don't you tell me a little bit about what you've been up to lately?" she asked casually with the demeanor of two friends making small talk, as if she genuinely expected Taki's answer to be something other than "sitting in a cell." The guard then returned with two warm cups of dark tea and silently placed them on the table. "Thank you," Peyton called after him, ignoring his shame-induced silence.

[Sparrow]

Taki chose just to be silent as Peyton rambled on about herself and again, as she spoke to the idiotic guard. Even he had the common sense of knowing if the girl had asked him for something, he would have done it with little to no issues.

When the tea arrived at their table, Tak picked up the stir stick and swiveled it around and around in his cup quietly. He didn't dare say anything else, unsure of how she was going to react. Peyton's multi-personalities were random enough; he wasn't going to induce one for the sake of it.

[Decadence]

{Hmm, she did ask him a question. I'm not sure if you didn't notice, or if he didn't notice, or if he's ignoring her question? Should I just reply?}

[Sparrow]

(Go ahead and keep going. He has chosen to be silent, kinda too afraid to say anything actually. Plus, I wanna see what Peyton will do XP)