Asserting One's Position ¦Wulfgar¦

[obscurumaeterna]

This was where the rumours had taken him, eh? There was something strangely fitting about these surroundings, as if it stood to reason that a being such as the one the blond sought would use such an establishment as the front for his more... delicate dealings. At the very least, he was aware that buildings like this would have several out-of-the-way rooms where business could be discussed without the ceaseless noise of the music presenting too great a distraction.

Garbed in a pressed black suit with a narrow, blood red tie, Xanthus stood out in the crowd yet seemed to go unnoticed. The patrons were too busy dancing and drinking to pay the suited male any heed as he stepped purposefully through the throng towards the bar; though the next track that came on, Arch Enemy's Revolution Begins, was an oddly apt backdrop to what was about to transpire in this building. The humans would be none the wiser, but those few occupants who were of an altogether different nature would possibly recognise the kind of uneasy aura about the suited blond, his cerulean eyes appearing entirely black in the dancing lights.

The gleam of purpose in his scrutinising hues, however, had not changed; and it was this which caught the bartender's attention as Xanthus approached the bar and laid a hand on the polished surface, sliding a twenty dollar note across to the barman.
"I'm looking for a man named Wulfgar. Is he around...?"

[Wulfgar Fenrisulfr]

Now I've told you this once before
You can't control me
If you try to take me down you're gonna break
Now I feel your hatred nothing that you're doing for me
I'm thinkin you outta make your own way
I stand alone
Inside
I stand alone
You're always hiding behind your so called goddess
So what you don't think that we can see your face
Resurrected back before the final fallen
I'll never rest until I can make my own way
I'm not afraid of fading
I stand alone

There was something soothing about the sound of Godsmack blaring out from the speakers of the expensive sound system Erik had insisted on when they'd opened the club. With its deep bass thumping through the air, the music calmed the beast within the huge blond that sprawled in a back booth and allowed him to watch the crowd with something less than his need to pound the living hell out of something.

To a casual observer, he might seem nothing more than a surprisingly large man but to the more attuned there was an air of danger about him that warned people off. On any level, only a imbecile would contemplate taking him on and more than one idiot had meet his end by treading where only fools dared. Wulf hadn't achieved his rank by being all hearts and flowers. Oh no, the brother was lethal as hell and twice as dangerous when you pushed his buttons.

Which had been pushed beyond measure that afternoon.

Now, however, he was seated at his favorite table with his favorite drink trying to unwind. He needed to take the edge off if he was going to get through the evening without killing someone. His siblings were going to kill him. This afternoon had assured him of it. It wouldn't be some enemy blade that found its mark. It would be some idiotic move his family made that gave him a shapeshifters equivalent of an anuerism.

Raising a hand, the ancient shifter rubbed his eye and then tensed. Somewhere in the club, a powerful presence was making itself felt and the Viking was instantly on alert, all brooding aside. It wasn't a power he knew from personal experience but one he was familiar with through legend. What the hell was the demon doing here?

No sooner than he contemplated that then his bartender shot him a look over the crowd and Wulf nodded. Responding with a short nod of his own, the human turned back to the man and pointed in Wulf's direction. Setting in the VIP section, the huge blond watched and waited. He wasn't sure what his new arrival wanted but the viking knew better to rush head long into a fray. It was best to let his opponent come to him and assess him before engaging in whatever bought the demon wanted.

[obscurumaeterna]

Xanthus followed the bartender's raised hand to the huge blond slouched in the VIP area. Only when their measuring gazes met each other did the demon become fully aware of the aura of subdued yet fearsome power radiating from the towering male, whom he had apparently succeeded in seeking out. There was a distinct feral edge to this feeling; one Xanthus could safely attribute to a shifter of the most powerful sort.

Smiling in satisfaction at having found the man he was looking for, Xanthus once more slipped through the crowd on the dancefloor, almost seeming to float through the noisy throng like some kind of phantom. All the while, his eyes were fixed upon the shifter, and once within decent earshot considering the noise he thought it apt at that moment to begin saying his piece. The shifter felt extremely edgy, as if recent events had stressed him to the point where he was likely to lose his temper here if he felt his time was being wasted.

It would be prudent for the demon to choose his words carefully.

"It's taken me a while to find you, Wulfgar Fenrisulfr," he muttered. Under normal circumstances he would have been almost completely inaudible, but somehow his voice would carry crystal clear to the shifter's ears. "It is indeed an honour to finally meet the head of the Council of the Otherworld..."

[Wulfgar Fenrisulfr]

Let go of all confusion
And forget the hate in their eyes
And convince yourself it's illusion
Find a reason to survive
For as you can see it's up to me
For as you can see it's all on me

A forward speaking man. Ah, something Wulf could appreciate. Especially today of all days. He obviously wasn't going to play around with words and cut straight to the chase. The demon knew who and what he was and whatever he wanted in turn... It had something to do with business. Something he could use to take him mind off the drama of his best friends reentrance to life and the fact that he now had a full scale war with the were's on his hands.

Nodding to the seat across from him, the wolf motioned him to sit down. As he did so, he measure the man but didn't find anything that set off his predator instincts... Discarding the level of power eminating from the creature, that was. However, having plenty of confidence in his own abilities, that didn't disturb the Viking... much.

"I am Wulfgar Fenrisulfr." he said, acknowledging the other man. "And you.... You are the one called Xanthus.... Am I correct?"

Flicking his eyes beyond him, he caught the attention of a waitress and drew her over. Giving his own order for a bottle of scotch, he waited for his companion to place his and then leveled his gaze to his.

"So... You found me...What is it you wish of me?" he said bluntly, not in the mood to play games or beat around the bush. "I know who you are of legends but that doesn't tell me why you would seek me out. Since a sense no ill intent on your behalf... I assume that you have something you wish to discuss?

[obscurumaeterna]

The demon smiled to see that introducing himself was not necessary.
"I see that even in the human world, my reputation precedes me," he chuckled. It was not in the least surprising to discover that the shifter before him knew who he was, but it would make explaining his business that much simpler; an especially fortunate thing tonight of all nights, since Wulfgar seemed in no mood to entertain pleasantries. He seemed to appreciate the fact that the demon could get straight to business.

Speaking of which... He took the offered seat, sliding into the chair opposite Wulfgar. Turning his cerulean eyes upon the waitress, he waited for the shifter to place his order before asking for a bottle of Jack Daniels. If there was one thing the humans were good at, Xanthus had learned, it was concocting drinks.

"My business here involves the Council," he began, turning his gaze once again upon Wulfgar. "And since you sit at its head, there was no better person to come to than yourself. I have only recently come to this world, and from what little I've heard of the Council, it is my understanding that there is only one demon among its numbers at present." He leaned forward in his seat, fingers interlocking upon the table. "Simply put, I wish to change that by offering my own services..."

[Wulfgar Fenrisulfr]

And they say that a hero could save us.I'm not gonna stand here and wait.
I'll hold on to the wings of the eagles.
Watch as we all fly away.
Someone told me love would all save us.
But how can that be?
Look what love gave us.
A world full of killing, and blood-spilling,
that world never came.

Well, wasn't this just a kick in the pants?

Wulf didn't reply right away as he gauged the demon words. It was true that they didn't have but one demon on the council but that wasn't because there was a lack of them. Most were just too busy with their own dealings to bother with the "biggest waste of their time". Aislinn Mac Braire was still trying to make up her mind whether she wanted to take her seat or pass it up and Bael was only interested in knocking heads together.

Not that Wulf could blame him.. He wouldn't have minded being able to do that himself. Unfortunately, that wasn't really in the cards for him.

He was , quiet honestly, the only person capable of holding the council together and enforcing its dictates. As much as he'd like to tell them all to go hang themselves with their bloody politics , the fate of the human world rested on his ability to keep their kind under control. Not to mention keeping the normal human from realizing just what they shared the world with and declaring a full out bloody war that would annihilate mass numbers of every species. It would be a no win situation for everyone and would probably lead to humans being eradicated.

Not exactly a good thing no matter how you looked at it.

Yeah, his happy place at the moment would have involved telling a few people where they could stick this job but luckily for them.. He was just do demand honorable to do it. Wasn't he just a good Samaritan. Ye Freaking Ha.

Turning his attention back to the demon before him, Wulf leaned forward after the waitress brought their drinks and meet his gaze levelly. His eyes were swirling pools of icy blue as he poured some scotch into a glass and picked up his tumbler.


"The positions on the council are assumed by those who've proven themselves worthy of the seat. While I know of you.. I don't know you. Your request is not something I can grant out of hand and must be laid before the others. Why is it that you think you could be of benefit to the Council?" he said finally, a seriousness to his tone that hadn't been there before. "You've stated that you've only just come to this world... What do you know of it and the mortals that inhabit it? Our duty as a ruling power is to see to their safety and relative happiness while keeping ourselves hidden. How do you see yourself in that role?"

[obscurumaeterna]

[ Sorry this took so long. I'm sitting GCSEs at the moment and they've almost completely killed my muse DX ]

The shifter's thoroughly frank response did not surprise Xanthus in the slightest. His words were entirely true; the demon could not expect to be simply handed a Council seat based on his bad reputation alone. He would need to make his case and make it damn well if Wulfgar was to even consider him for the position...

"I've been studying the humans and their modern society for many decades," he began, an equal seriousness to his tone. "Time and again, it comes to my attention that they have no idea they are not alone in their world, but they are an ignorant and closed-minded species. They fear and hate what they do not understand, and would never be able to accept the likes of us. It is imperative, therefore, that our two worlds be kept separate in all things."

He paused to pour himself a tumbler of whisky and took a thoughtful sip, his eyes not once breaking their iron-clad lock with the shifter's own. "Werecreatures and fae are well-represented on the Council," he continued, "but demons are not so. That's where I come in; my reputation alone is enough to keep most demons in line, such is the wide extent to which I am feared and respected in equal measure. Few demons would be foolish enough to cross the Council if they knew that I sat at the head of its demon constituency, and that is no exaggeration. For the few who ignore that warning, however..." He raised the hand holding the tumbler, grasping it at the base by his fingertips. The digits extended into blood red claws, raising the glass a good three inches. "They will not be beyond my capabilities to subjugate."

His fingers returned to normal and he took another sip of whisky, smirking behind the glass before he set it down on the table. "But in case you think there's no bite behind all my bark, allow me to say this. Word has reached me of a were pack that's been causing you some hassle recently. I'd be willing to bet that they're the reason you're so visibly tense tonight. I know it is not required of me to trouble myself with the affairs of your kind, but would you be willing to allow me to prove my intentions by helping you deal with this threat...?"

The smile that crossed the lips of the Cloaked Despair was not of sarcastic-looking politeness, but a genuine respect and concern. If the shifter agreed to take the assistance being offered, it was clear from the look upon Xanthus' face that he would not regret the decision...

[Wulfgar Fenrisulfr]

Wait
There was a brighter day
Where I could view the world
Without the sorrows that I've known (What if I could feel)
Now it's a different place
Memories fade away
Without a trace
But there's a shadow
A shadow I can't feel

The demon's last words definitely weren't what he was expecting. For the most part, he had to admit that the man made sense but it wasn't in Wulf to trust easily. Call him cynical but he'd lived to long with everyone wanting something in return for whatever favors they did that he weighed his words carefully before he finally replied.

The fact that the creature had managed to get so much information made him pause but then he shrugged it off. After all, it wasn't as if Dom and his rabid pack of mongrels had been keeping their intent secret.

"Actually, its not the were problem that has me tense tonight, Morsa. Its more of a ... personal matter. My sister's mate has just been returned to us from the grave after being found in a labratory here in the city... A lab reputed to do testing on those of us who have..... special talents, you might say."

Lifting his glass, the huge Viking took another drink of the aged Scotch and then swirled the tumbler. His blue eyes were thoughtful as he gazed cross the rim.

"The city is in unrest right now... Things we've never seen or dealt with before are emerging from the darkness and more portals are being opened without permission... Tears in the fabric of our worlds are appearing and a prophecy of the worlds end has been painted. If you are sincere in your wishes to help keep our world in tact... then you will be welcomed."


Again Wulf paused as he seemed to gather his thoughts. When he spoke again, his tone was rueful and resigned all at the same time.

" I, myself , have my hands full with the were war and keeping the human world from knowing about our kind and the Fae realm has lost their king and queen....... What the future holds...... Well, I think its safe to say that we will all need to banned together if we are to survive."

[obscurumaeterna]

A personal matter? This answer caused Xanthus to furrow his brow in confusion for a moment, but as Wulfgar explained, the demon nodded his understanding.
"I see..." He would comment no further on the subject. It was not his place to question the wolf about matters so close to his heart, and to do so would no doubt anger him. Considering he was relying primarily on the shifter's good graces in this negotiation, that would be a rather bad idea...

Time to change the subject, it seemed, and get back to the matter at hand.
"Tell me what you know of these weres," the demon requested of his drinking companion. He took a thoughtful sip of the amber liquid in his tumbler. "If I intend to help you put down this rebellion, it would be wise to know what I'm up against, wouldn't you agree?"

[Wulfgar Fenrisulfr]

At the other mans questions, Wulf sighed and rubbed his brow. His gaze shot out over the club as he thought about his answer. When he finally spoke, his voice was controlled but with an edge of menace.

"There is a fellow by the name of Dominic who has been turning mortals into were's in order to form an army. He thinks to challenge my authority and that of the Council. His cover is that he feels the weres are being unfairly represented, which is true to some extent, but his methods of... persuasion leave something to be desired. I do not take well to threats nor do I give in to them."

Turning back to the other man, the huge viking knew his eyes were glimmering with cool blue ice.

"I have been working on establishing seats for the weres but this little resurrection is only stealing the minds of others against them. They are simply proving that the worst assumed of their species is true. Not exactly a brilliant move or one of a sane mind."

Taking another sip of his glass, Wulf set it down and shook his head before continuing.

"If this goes to a full scale war... it will be a blood bath and the numbers lost will be countless. I do not know what his next move is but I must find a way to resolve it soon.... As it is...we have yet another apocoplyse on the horizon with all these new creatures appearing... Something evil is stirring and its only a matter of time before it makes its appearance."