tampered | Log; Ongoing

Log; Ongoing

When; Monday 25th May
Rating; PG
Characters; Gabriel Sylar (

makes_you_tick) and Road Camelot (

dreamsofnoah)
Summary; Sylar pays Road's circus a visit, and they have a long awaited talk.
Log;
It was still early afternoon but the circus was already bustling with activity. Performers were practising their various acts around the big tent, while backstage workers hurried by, preparing props and equipment for that evening. It lacked the usual eye-catching costumes and lights, and the music in the background didn't match any single performance. It was ordered chaos, but by that evening all the pieces would have fallen together.

Road loved it. She hovered high above everything, watching as she perched on her umbrella, legs swinging in time to the music. All of this, the tent and acts and everything, it was all hers, a gigantic shiny toy that worked because of her. The circus' employees were used to her observing them, strange as it was to have such a young-looking girl hovering around on an umbrella making sure everything was going as it should. The old performers knew her from her days as Hatter's assistant, and the newer ones learnt fast that they'd do well here, provided they never crossed her.

There was another reason for her looking out over the tent from up high today. She was expecting a guest and wanted to be sure to see him as soon as he arrived. Gabriel Sylar. One of the few people in the City that Road really found interesting - even more so after she'd visited his dreams on that curse day a few weeks ago. He hadn't wanted to meet up at his shop, something about being under surveillance. Road hadn't minded. She had a feeling whatever they spoke about would be better kept private, and here, at least, in a place belonging to her, she could make sure it was.

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Sylar enters the tent at exactly noon, and after a cursory look around, he does indeed look up. He smiles at Road, and waves, looking rather innocuous in a nice grey suit and glasses. It was a bad, Clark-Kent sort of disguise- even most who had never met him knew there was something off- but he'd taken to wearing it pretty frequently.

Road said she could make this visit a safe one to really talk. He wasn't entirely sure about that, his paranoia kicking in. He should've canceled after the text- he knows Hiro's watching those. But he needed to talk to someone or he'd explode. He'd never kept it up this long, not after he'd really made his decision. And while he knew the group from his world were strengthening their defenses against him for a reason, it was still disheartening.

So his smile for Road is a rare genuine one, and he finds he's been looking forward to this all week.

She grinned and waved back as soon as she saw Sylar, and quickly made her umbrella drop down at a speed that looked far from safe. She neatly hopped down next to him as soon as she was close enough, tucking the umbrella under her arm. Her grin turned amused as she noticed what he was wearing - however much she was used to being around people in suits, it didn't quite seem to be him somehow. She was in her usual outfit of a frilly blouse and short skirt with stockings, because being at the circus was hardly an occasion for her to dress up.

"Hi Gabriel~!" she chirped happily. "I'm glad you made it. Do you want to look around first?" She was playing the good hostess again, even if she was curious about his real purpose in visiting the circus. Or, rather, his real purpose in wanting to talk to her.

Edited 2009-05-26 16:18 (UTC)

She might be playing a good hostess, but he's waited long enough. Odd how his patience can turn on and off at a moment's notice.

He smirks, which completely throws off his attempt at innocence. "While it looks very nice, I think maybe that should wait until after? Or we could walk and talk, if that'd be safe enough." He looks hopeful.

"We can go and talk in my office," she replied, snickering at the thought of her having an office. While it was probably safe enough where they were, she didn't like the thought of other people accidentally listening in. Not that they'd last long if she caught them at it.

She started walking towards the back of the tent, looking behind her to make sure Sylar was following. "It's this way."

He followed, putting his hands in his pocket as he walked. "You have an office?" he asked, with a bit of a chuckle himself. "I'm eager to see it, then."

He looked up and around at everyone working and setting things up as he passes. It was a very interesting setup, and it made him wonder if he wouldn't enjoy doing something like it for awhile. It wasn't as if he couldn't do some pretty amazing magic tricks. Although it would certainly be another activity condemned by the people of his world. They didn't like to see him busy.

Road giggled. "Sort of~. I needed somewhere to myself." She noticed him looking around - there were people juggling, a fire eater, a young boy practising on the high-wire above them, muffled roars of a tiger in a cage and the cracking of a whip. "Do you like it?" she asked, clearly expecting a yes. It was hers, after all. "We're always very busy." Which of course meant everyone else was very busy, and she made sure they stayed that way.

She led him through past dressing rooms and equipment being fixed to a room on its own in the back - a room which everyone else seemed to be giving a wide berth, actually. Inside, it looked like a dressing room, a rather sizeable and messy one in fact, costumes in Road's size strewn about everywhere, a large dressing table and mirror to one side. But a corner of the room was piled with papers on a desk with candy wrappers littered about.

"I do like it," he says, with a pleased nod of his head. "It looks like everyone's working very hard." And yes, he does mean Road too, because someone had to keep an eye on everyone else, otherwise things would get sloppy.

Sloppy like Road's office- but it was undeniably hers and Sylar could appreciate that. "Nice office," he says, glad to see how far everyone seems to stay away. Privacy is not something he's used to any longer, so this is nice. He lets out a sigh and takes off his glasses, tucking them in a jacket pocket. "Very quiet."

"Good," she answered, still smiling. It was hers, after all, and therefore deserved to be complimented. "Oh, they are. There's always lots to do. You can go around and take a closer look later if you want to."

She laughed at that. "It's comfortable! I made Hatter give it to me when he was still here," she said, throwing herself back into an easy chair next to the desk, swinging her legs up to rest on some papers. There's another chair next to Sylar - and if he'd been paying attention, he'd notice it hadn't been there a moment before. "I don't like anyone touching my things when I'm not here, and I don't like being bothered when I am here. The last one who did found himself waking up next to the tigers." And there was an innocent look on her face. It was hard to tell if she was joking or not.

Sylar pays attention to just about everything, and appreciates the sudden extra chair. It's both giving him a place to sit and indicating control. Not his, unfortunately, but that was okay in this instance.

So he sits, and the story makes him laugh despite himself. "Ah, I can see why people need to be cautious, then. But you have to be serious when it comes to privacy."

He's already fidgeting- he has a hard time sitting still in a chair for long, and he gives Road a wide smile. "So! Would you like to hear about what happened at home to give me my renewed outlook on life, or would another starting point suit you better?"

"Mm~, I think so too. Speaking of which...," she said, trailing off the end of her sentence and looking amused. She pressed a finger to her lips for a moment and though everything in the room remained the same, there was an inescapable feeling of something changing. "There, that's better. There's nothing anyone can do to listen in now." Because, of course, she had just pulled the both of them into one of her dream worlds, seamlessly reconstructing the room they were in around them.

"Anything you want to talk about is fine," she replied. "Maybe starting from the beginning is best." She was restless herself, slumping forward on the desk, chin resting on her arms as she looked up at him.

Sylar looked up to stare at Road as soon as he felt things changing. He stared at her with a sharp, studying expression for a few moments, before the grin widens on his face. He looks around, appreciating the work without entirely understanding what was going on.

And now he finally relaxes, leaning back in his chair and resting an ankle on his other leg. "All right. Remember how I had a mother here? Turns out I didn't. Found that out in my world, that my father wasn't really my father- twice, and that my 'soulmate' had been lying to me about it. Made me realize a few things about my rehabilitation attempt." He chuckles mirthlessly and settles his hands behind his head, cushioning it.

She met his look with a grin of her own. She didn't care enough to bother explaining what she'd done. Anyway, he'd find out quickly enough that they weren't where they'd been a while ago once he tried to leave the room later on.

"Twice?" It was the only time she interrupted, listening to the end of his explanation. Her mouth twisted into a smirk, but it wasn't at him. It was at the confirmation that once again humans proved just how worthless they were. "I'd say I was surprised," she added, once he stopped speaking, "but..." She shrugged. "At least you know the truth now."

"I do. In fact, because of all those lives, I went out and took another power. Now no one can lie to me." He seems pleased with that, tapping his head lightly. "I'll know. And yes, twice. First by a man who wanted a weapon, then- well, apparently the dad who ran out on me wasn't really my dad." His smirk fades, but only a little. "My real dad is a killer. Guess it runs in the blood."

"Really?" She looked more intrigued by the description of his new power than by anything else so far. "That must come in useful! Even if it probably tells you people are lying all the time." It didn't concern her too much - Road lied far less than most people thought she did.

Road's expression turned thoughtful as he described his real dad. "It does sometimes. Run in the blood." The same way all the Noah had such an inclination for violence and bloodthirstiness. "What are you going to do, now that you know?"

"Oddly enough?" he says, "Most of the people I surround myself with here tend to be completely sincere." He chuckles deep for a moment. "I'm usually sincere myself, as much as I can be- people don't seem to like the truth when it comes from me, for some reason."

When Road asks him what he's going to do with it, he crosses his arms and rubs his chin. "Now that I know? Well, considering my father decided he'd break me for good- just to make sure I had no chance whatsoever- I thought I'd find him, and kill him." The smile he gives Road isn't actually manic- more the quiet smile of someone who's settled on a hard decision. He's given a lot of thought to this, and that seems the only reasonable option.

"It's funny, isn't it? They act as if telling the truth is a crime. But they hate you if you lie too." She shrugged. "And sometimes they pretend they can't tell the difference. But of course they can do no wrong." Road laughed a bit at that. The 'good guys', those that wanted to be heroes - they didn't differ much from one world to another. Humans were always humans.

"Mm. Family who betrays you that way is the worst kind of thing." She looked thoughtful, maybe almost sad for a split second, but the expression was fleeting and it was the same teasing smile as always that she gave him as she continued. "There really isn't any other way to deal with it. But I guess those others wouldn't be too happy if you told them that. Who's been bothering you, by the way? Following what you're doing?"

He catches the thoughtfulness but doesn't comment on it- it just gives him an indication she understands. The question makes him shake his head and roll his eyes. "Oh, it's the police force. I swear, you kill one horrible woman..." He chuckles a little at that. "Actually, the Warden's from my world, and he's been watching it to make sure I'm not going back to my old ways-" He tilts his head, looking mock-confused. "Didn't think that gave him a right to comment on my personal life, but hey. He's a good guy, but not like your people, so much."

Sylar's lip straightens out into a line, tension appearing suddenly on his face. "No, the heroes in my world all know they can do wrong. They've all done wrong at some point, except for maybe Peter. Only circumstance has kept them from doing worse than me, and not one of them has my dear old Dad's gift to deal with. They're the ones spouting the virtues of togetherness to keep them sane and good, and they're the ones who hate the fact that I've started talking to people."

Yeah, he looks downright angry at this point, eyes so dark they almost seem alien. This has been brewing for awhile.

"They're annoying, aren't they? Like insects. Once they notice you they never stop bothering you." Not that she cared about them finding out what she did, but she was used to acting behind a mask at home, at least in front of those who didn't know about the secret war going on, and she never saw the point of drawing attention to her games, not unless she had an ulterior motive in doing so.

She tilted her head where it was resting on her palms as she looked at him, noting the anger. She rarely let emotions like that affect her. They were a waste of time. "What would they prefer, that you just went away? Hmm. Knowing what people are like, they probably would." She grinned then. "But you won't. You can't just let them keep on doing this to you. You're stronger than them, aren't you?"

She's leading him, he thinks. He's been doing that himself quite a lot lately, but he doesn't really mind it. It's a direction he wanted to go as it is. "Of course I am. But I'm not as strong as many people in this City, and they tend to be friends. If there's one thing my first trip here taught me, it was to be careful. So-" He's smiling wide and sharp. "I'm being careful."

He lets out a long sigh and leans back in his chair. "A few of them have outright told me they wish that I would just go away. But of course I won't. Even if they did find a way to kill me- they'd never be free of me. It's too late for that."

Edited 2009-05-27 17:42 (UTC)

Road can't really help herself. She was too used to nudging people in interesting directions and seeing what happened then. "You could always make 'friends' too," she suggested. "But you're right, it's surprising what you can get away with if you're careful." She should know.

She played with a lock of her hair, thinking. "Just going to wait it out, then~?" Something he said piqued her interest. "'Find a way' to kill you? Is it that difficult?"

He starts nodding in response to her first question, but smirks in the middle of it as she asks about killing him.

"Well-" he says, looking off to the side. "I 'died' twice before I had regeneration, and once afterward, so yeah. I think it's pretty difficult. Of course, I'm sure there's more ways to do so here in the City, but-" He shrugs. "All that would accomplish is keeping me here. They don't want that."

"You can regenerate too? Like Peter?" She sounded even more curious now, always interested when someone had powers similar to hers. "Did you take it from him?"

His nonchalant way of listing off the times he's died made her laugh. It was amusing to see someone who took death as lightly as she did. "No, I guess they wouldn't want that. Hmm..." She tapped a finger lightly against her lips for a few minutes. "You're even more interesting than I thought you were," she remarked off-handedly. "I don't see why you can't find a way around letting them control what you do."

"Yep, I regenerate just like Peter," he says, but there's a momentary question in his eyes. There's was something different about Peter the last time he saw him, but he couldn't put his finger on it. "And no, I didn't get it from him. He'd copied it himself, you know. I got it from another girl. She wasn't too happy about it." He rolls his eyes a little.

He's not entirely sure why he's protecting Claire- maybe because he feels he does enough poking at her as it is. She doesn't need the option of Road blindsiding her.

"So I'm more interesting? Why's that? Because I don't die?" He grins pretty widely. "And you're right- I'll find a way around it. I have a loose plan for the moment, as you may have noticed." He seems confident about that, almost content. Being able to talk about this with someone is a relief.

"Mm, I know he copies powers, he told me. If you got it from someone else, wouldn't it have killed them...ooh, wait," she said, as she realized the implication of Sylar taking the power from someone who regenerates. "She must have been not happy at all." And she grinned quite cruelly at the thought of someone living through their head being cut open. It was the sort of thing she'd love to try out on someone.

"Because of that. And mostly because you don't seem to mind it." It wasn't a lie at all, but it wasn't the full truth either. It was the similarities that interested her. She giggled. "I thought you did. What're you going to do?" She was amused he'd choose her of all people to talk to about this.

Sylar just smiles as Road realizes what happened. She'd always been good at figuring things out quickly, and he can appreciate that.

"I'm keeping my eyes open. Making friends, as you put it." He leans back in his chair again stretching his arms lazily above his head. "Doing all the things I would be if I was really trying to be a better person, except for being quite so frustrated when they inevitably give up on me even being less of a threat. If I end up staying here long, eventually the people who know me will start disappearing, and people will believe me. Or I'll be sent home and go pick up more abilities myself. Either way, I'll eventually get what I want."

He still wasn't entirely sure what that was, actually, other than the freedom to have what he feels like. Sylar's hoping that his father can help clear some of that up before he kills the man- his dad owes him something, after all. The uncertainty there was why he didn't mind the waiting part of this plan so much.

"Mmhmm~, I guess that works." She swung her legs as she rested back in her chair too, looking at him. "So really you're just going to wait and see? You're probably going to need to do something a bit more drastic if you want them to believe you. If they ever will. But you're right, sooner or later everyone goes back home."

She wondered how it didn't annoy him, waiting like that - or maybe not the waiting, because she's had to do it herself sometimes, but the way he played along with them, dancing to their tune. It might get him what he wanted in the end, but Road always hated the thought of giving people what they wanted. But then again, not everyone could get exactly what they wanted all the time, even if she mostly managed to.

She tilted her head to the side. "Was there anything else you wanted to talk to me about?"

"Oh, I'm not really looking for them to believe me- don't expect it to happen." He had, at one point, hoped for it. But now it would just be a nice bonus. He was a little curious why no one had taken interest in it as a true psychological case yet- it really was rather fascinating. Maybe they really didn't believe he'd cooperate.

"But other people will believe me- they do, already." He chuckles at the thought, pleased. "Watching it happen is really very interesting. Nothing in this City takes very long."

He follows her head-tilt, moving his with hers like a mirror. "No, I think that was about it. It was just a relief to be able to speak openly for once. And I knew you'd understand." Some of it, anyway.

He moves to stand, smiling at her. "What about you? Should we actually take that tour now?"

"Maybe not. They're sooo very suspicious." While a lot of people were gullible, Road knew there were only so many times you could fool them in the same way. "So it's not only the shop that kept you busy. Mm, sometimes the City is like a life crammed into a very small space, with things happening too fast. I wish I knew how it worked." Before now, Innocence was one of the few things she knew of that could cause such strange phenomena, and Road had always found those things interesting.

She covered her mouth and laughed as he copied her movement. "That's it, then~? Hmm, if you want to talk to me, I'll just set it up so that anyone besides you who looks at our conversations on the Network will see something completely different." Her mouth stretched into a smile. "Hiding things gets annoying after a while, doesn't it?"

She unfolded herself off her chair and stood as well. "Okay~, we can do that now." She waited for him to open the door - she liked teasing people enough that she wanted to see his reaction when he opened the door onto a vast space of black nothingness.

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Log; Ongoing

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