Virtue's Masquerade

[Jacky]

He supposed that, if anyone were to walk by, they would feel the need to inquire as to what he was doing - why he was delicately stroking the petals of a light lavender-coloured flower, humming a tune under his breath in a low baritone, instead of wreaking the havoc that was often attributed to those of his.... profession. Or, as it was often treated, species. But living far beyond the property border of any nameable witch had its advantages - namely the fact that it would be very, very hard for any type of visitor to creep up on him from any direction, whether it be east, west, north or south. This delighted him in many ways, for it meant he could decorate and destroy things as he pleased, not having to worry about getting into (another) fight with some other witch who claimed he had damaged some property or whatever.
Letting out an almost mocking sigh, the witch brought a purple blossom to his face, holding it delicately and studying it for five minutes before crushing it in his hand, watching at the once-vibrant petals blackened to ash and tumbled from his palm back to the ground below his feet
What a waste, Robert Delaney Cecile thought absently, his mind dancing to metaphorical tunes and the edges of his mouth curling up in to a cruel smirk. To crush such beauty. Tsk. Such a sin.
And it really was. But the benefits - the sheer mental pleasure he got from having the power to easily kill such beauty - far outweighed the price. No, Robert was not one to be swayed by a pretty face or a "strong, stubborn" personality. Perhaps they would fascinate him for awhile, yes, and give him a bit of a challenge (and he did so love challenges), but in the end, they would break, he would kill them, and even if they did not, he would take great joy in watching the life slowly drain from their eyes.
He had to do something for amusement, after all.
The tune echoing through his head again, Robert turned to his house, surveying the rather impressive structure (that he had, of course, piece together with his very own hands and magic) with a faint, self-satisfied smile pulling at the edges of his mouth. It had been awhile since he last had a visitor, and while he enjoyed his relative solitude, he knew it wouldn't be long before another came - or, far more likely, the same person as earlier. Mm, he tends to frequent, Robert admitted, absently twisting a silver ring on his smallest finger. I do hope I have enough of the tonic for when he returns, though.
It was with that thought in mind that Robert clicked his tongue, starting towards his home.
After all, he'll be here at some point, and it simply wouldn't do for me to not be ready, now would it?

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[atrb=background,http://oi51.tinypic.com/15sammr.jpg] Miasama Dott strolled down a pathway, not paying much attention to her surroundings. She was filled with the immature joy of a witch who had just caused mischief. She almost had to stop herself from giggling. 'Ip Hop Hip,' she said, loudly 'Speed Flame!' The building on her left burst into flame, red, orange and yellow tongues of fire licking the building, burning it and turning it into a pile of ash. It would be gone within an hour, supposedly. The last building had taken a mere forty-five minutes, but it had been rather small. Recalling this, Mia smiled. A cloud of off-white mist appeared and Mia continued along the road. She couldn't do magic while in hare form, but she figured it would stop her from laughing, and might calm her down a bit. She hopped forward, coming to an intersection. It was a clear crossroads, and Mia was unsure of which way she was going to go. She settled on continuing in the same direction, and started forward again. When she was about halfway to the other side, she stopped. Mia was not alone. She shifted her position so that she faced her company. She recognized him immediately as a witch. She tilted her head and moved her tall ears away from each other. One flopped over. She straightened it and returned to her human form with a poof.

[Jacky]

Now, first and foremost, Robert considered himself to be a gentleman. And as a gentleman, there were certain rules of etiquette that he had to follow, and one of those top rules were that he had to be polite to all ladies, regardless of his personal preferences or emotional ties to any other member of his species, whether fellow witch, weapon or meister. Of course, his politeness tended to take on a mocking air when aforementioned meister and weapon were trying to take his soul, but, well... he really just couldn't help himself sometimes.
But this witch he knew, if not by appearance than by name, and he didn't sense much of a threat (not that she could pose much of a threat to him anyways because really, he was very formidable in his own special right). So Robert turned, the self-satisfied (and almost arrogant) smile still tugging at the corners of his mouth as sharp silver eyes caught the form of the female.
"Is there something I can help you with, miss?"

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[atrb=background,http://oi51.tinypic.com/15sammr.jpg] "Is there?" she asked, peering at her fellow witch. "I suppose you would know better than I." Mia pursed her lips and crossed her arms. Her fingers drummed a complicated rhythm on her elbow as she waited for an answer, or, at the very least, a reply. She could not be so sure whether or not he was inferior or superior to her, but from the way he was smiling, she assumed the latter. Then again, Mia knew that witches were anything but trustworthy, being one herself. Smoke from the building that Mia had set on fire less than a minute ago rose into the air, corrupting the clouds with a black, oily smog. Mia glanced at the sky. The sun was not visible, which led her to predict rain. She didn't really like or dislike rain. It was nice, occasionally, but she couldn't burn buildings when it was raining. Then again, there were more ways to cause chaos then fire.

[Jacky]

Robert chuckled, his eyes gleaming with an almost cruel streak. "In my experience, the one doing the approaching should be the one aware of the purpose, am I right?" he asked. "After all, this is my residence, and I am expecting company at any time," he mused, resisting the urge to stretch like the cat he wasn't. "I am also rather worried that your pyromaniac tendencies are going to cause damage to my residence; just because I could put it out with ease doesn't mean I would enjoy lifting the finger to do so." Robert raised an eyebrow like that, the half-smile still firmly in place.

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[atrb=background,http://oi51.tinypic.com/15sammr.jpg] "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt your laziness," Mia replied, annoyed with her acquaintance's tone of voice. If she was being honest, she thought their polite conversation was pointless, but she followed it regardless, hoping there would be a rewarding result. ooc; ack....really short post...sorry, I'm not very inspired ._.

[Jacky]

The smile was still there, tugging, and the witch turned to face her fully, extending his arm to play with the cuffs off his jacket, not even lifting his eyes as the fires raging through the building(s) suddenly snuffed out, no trace of rain or water involved. Only seconds later it abruptly exploded, crumbling to the ground and kicking up a pile of dust and grime, which settled on the land like a layer of London fog - something Robert himself had seen multiple times when dragged across seas by a certain red-haired imbecile whose name he swore wasn't to cross his lips for the moment.
"Then why on Earth would you?" The amiable expression was gone now, replaced with a coldness that seemed to emanate from inside the witch, spreading from his voice, to his eyes, and leaking out of his fingertips. "Because I am really not in the mood for mindless drabble myself - especially not from a member of the female sex."

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[atrb=background,http://oi51.tinypic.com/15sammr.jpg] "Oh, it appears you are unfamiliar with the concept of accidents," Mia smiled, seeing that the other witch had lost his pleasant expression. He seemed to be getting angry...but that was not a reason to let down her guard. She moved her hands behind her, going on defensive, but still not enough to provoke aggression. She felt that getting him to waste his time, however small an amount it was, was an accomplishment. Mia sighed, excited that her day was likely going to improve. So far it was going wonderfully, and she wondered if her luck was running out. She tried not to dwell on that thought, and politely kept her focus on the witch in front of her.

[Jacky]

"About as familiar as you are with its definition, I'm sure," Robert responded, glancing behind him quickly before murmuring something under his breath - insurance, he reasoned, in case things got too heated for non-violent.
And really, he had gone too long without really lashing out; this would be a relief of sorts, especially without having to worry about two other lives under his reluctant care.

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[atrb=background,http://oi51.tinypic.com/15sammr.jpg] Mia hesitated. She did not know if he was going to attack, nor did she know what he had just said. She had already released her Soul Protect earlier, and assumed he had done the same, but she could not be sure. She settled on not attacking, but, at the very least, preparing for a fight. So she began, "Ip Hop Hip."

[Jacky]

Robert tensed instantly, his eyes zeroing in on her form as he heard what he considered to be a mantra.
"What a shame. I had hoped to get on by without violence." But the smirk on his face and the sudden light in his eyes suggested otherwise, and without warning, he released a burst of magic straight towards her, and a magical barrier appeared between them and his home. He wasn't going to take any chances there.

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[atrb=background,http://oi51.tinypic.com/15sammr.jpg] "Speed Spell," Mia finished, grateful for the ease with which she could now cast spells. She had never fought with this witch before, and she could tell he was itching for a fight. There was something strange about him, but she couldn't put her finger on it. Mia doubted it would matter when it came to fighting him. She didn't want to make the first move, and the other witch's barrier inspired her. Speed Stop. A glass wall appeared in front of her.

[Jacky]

"Fast thinking," Robert said, his tone holding a hint of mockery as he snapped his fingers, left hand flaring out behind him as the wind started to pick up slightly, and Robert could almost hear the annoying voice of a companion long since vanished mocking him for his "flair for the fabulous". "But surely you can do more exciting things than that?"
His mouth forming the words with careful, precise pronunciation, Robert watched with a sense of admiration as his spell his the barrier, where he had aimed, lighting up the immediate area with bright flashes of light and dark purples, blues and other cold colours.

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[atrb=background,http://oi51.tinypic.com/15sammr.jpg] Ah. Well, Mia always knew that her fabulous glass walls were relatively weak. With a hint of sorrow, she backed away from the now estranged glass, and focused back on the other witch. Strangling winds. As it happened, Mia was capable of more impressive spells. This was not one of them. From the viewpoint of someone who was unfamiliar with witches, it would probably look as if he were choking on turkey or such. However, it was Mia's magical wind, not a stray piece of turkey, that was cutting off his air stream. Mia released her hold, and backed away, unsure of how he would react. "I don't know if you would call that 'more impressive'," she said "But that all depends on your perspective."

[Jacky]

Robert rubbed his throat, coaxing the air back into his lungs as he narrowed his eyes at the other witch. "It was certainly more interesting," he threw back, sensing that this match wasn't to permanently harm or kill one another. "The sensation of no longer having air was rather impressive, to say the least. Let's see how well you handle this one, to be utterly cliche."
The ground suddenly started shaking, and cracks began to appear under the other witch's feet, the ground crumbling away.