[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/F85HdZb.png[/img]
[color=254f28][u][b]Location[/b][/u][/color]
💀 Brookside.
💀 Warehouse 9.

[color=254f28][u][b]Time[/b][/u][/color]
💀 Evening.

[color=254f28][u][b]Interactions[/b][/u][/color]
💀 None.
[/center][hr]

“Purpose,” Astral stated, motioning towards the large window behind his desk, a circular glass view which allowed sight into the warehouse interior. “I gave all these people purpose,” he continued. “All of them would have overdosed by now,” the man exhaled smoke as he placed his cigar between two fingers. “So tell me,” came a short pause as Astral leaned against his desk, those bright sapphires meeting Azhar’s abyssal gaze, “how horrible is this, truly?” 

[color=254f28]"You’re asking me if turning people into mindless husks is morally preferable to drug-induced suicide?"[/color] Azhar raised a brow, and sipped his drink. [color=254f28]"Really digging deep there, aren’t you?"[/color]

With a grin bridging across Astral’s lips, the man took another drag of his cigar. “Before you acquired that bracelet,” he motioned towards Azhar’s arm, “how much of a morally superior mess did you leave behind at the end of every mission, my friend?” 

A faint frown made itself known on the deathly mutant’s face, his black gaze falling to the whiskey in his hands. [color=254f28]"Enough to warrant nightmares,"[/color] the boy offered, [color=254f28]"enough to drill the scent of death into my head,"[/color] he continued, shifting his focus towards Astral.

“A very honest boy, you are,” the man raised a brow. He did not quite expect that answer, it would appear. 

[color=254f28]"Were you hoping for a tantrum?"[/color] Azhar asked, before proceeding. [color=254f28]"Or do you want to continue, Astral? My glass is still full, so I may as well ventilate my many regrets."[/color] Though the expression on Azhar’s face betrayed little more than apathy, there was a sense of jest emanating from the boy’s statement. However, Astral stared at the young hero, not quite sure what went through the teenager’s mind. Indeed, Astral’s power allowed him to peer into someone’s past and learn everything about them with a mere look. Their joys, their fears, their sorrows. 

“Is that why your father hates you, then?” The man asked, “because you personify darkness?” 

Unable to stifle his laughter, Azhar shook his head. [color=254f28]"My father hates me,"[/color] the boy explained, [color=254f28]"because I’m a monster. You’ve seen it all,"[/color] a claw tapped the side of Azhar’s head, [color=254f28]"wouldn’t you say?"[/color]

“You’re someone who is trying to escape his true nature,” Astral motioned towards Zee’s bracelet. “Why?” 

Enjoying another sip of his drink, Azhar would admit that this was a good trade for what had previously been taken from him. A perfectly good energy drink. However, very little compared to the marvelous splendor that was whiskey. [color=254f28]"Don’t you know that, already?"[/color] The mutant offered Astral a small, sharp-toothed grin. He had read the documents and was well aware about what this man was capable of. Nothing was a secret. 

“I know that you’re afraid of yourself,” the man analyzed, “and I know that you’re trying to look like a hero for everyone else.” Allowing the statement to linger, Astral took another sip of his drink. It could very well have been his last. “What was it you said during that camping trip with your friends? You want to become famous, as to prove that even monsters can be heroes?”

Before setting foot in Astral’s office, Azhar was already prepared to have his mind probed. He had made sure to read through provided documents, and he was also aware that Astral had driven people to insanity. However, the hypothetical ball was on Azhar’s side. [color=254f28]"It was something like that,"[/color] the boy agreed.

Again, there was a pause. A lingering silence which Astral eventually broke. “You’re enjoying this,” he stated, seeing the small smirk bridging its way across Azhar’s lips. “You never did shy away from an interesting conversation, did you?” 

[color=254f28]"You tell me,"[/color] Zee leaned against a cupboard, nursing the glass which rested between his slender, clawed digits. [color=254f28]"Dive deep into my self-proclaimed philosophical mind and extract every embarrassing secret."[/color] 

“Because you truly don’t mind,” Astral tapped a finger against his drink. “It is an act of control, your desire to.., what was it? ‘Own your shit’? Yes, that was it.” The man gently stirred his expensive beverage, its price enough to warrant awe. “Because nothing offends you, does it? No insults, no mind games.., your greatest enemy is the struggle constantly raging in here,” he tapped his temple. “To give in and unleash the full extent of your powers, or maintain discipline, and fight to protect those who fear you.” 

[color=254f28]"You give me too much credit,"[/color] Azhar commented, with a chuckle. [color=254f28]"But you are right about one thing, Astral,"[/color] the boy’s abyssal orbs fixed themselves on the blue spheres joining the exchange. [color=254f28]"Mind games are a waste of time. I wouldn’t join any of you, and you already know that,"[/color] Zee stated, taking a step away from the cupboard. [color=254f28]"Not because of some code or bullshit Hero’s oath,"[/color] Requiem extended a claw, pointing it towards Astral, [color=254f28]"but because if I decided to give in and become a bad boy, the last thing I’d ever do, would be leaving a single one of you alive."[/color]

“That’s what you really want, isn’t it?” Astral smirked, “you want to kill all the villains. An Anti-Hero.” 

[color=254f28]"You probably know the feeling, don’t you? That sickening feeling where you want to puke when you kill someone?"[/color] Azhar slowly approached the man, [color=254f28]"but somewhere deep inside, buried in your heart.., is satisfaction."[/color]

“Is that how you felt when you killed the Warden in Mexico?” Astral remained leaning against the desk, unmoving. “When you helped save the friends you’re forcing yourself to like.” Despite knowing how this meeting would end, there was a twisted sense of joy washing over Astral, being able to speak to someone who so freely expressed the dark desires within. “Oh, you were so delighted.., a man who could copy another’s powers and there you were, presenting yours as if a gift.” Again, there was a pause, but one which remained for a brief breath. “Before you watched him melt into a puddle in response to venturing upon the majesty that are your powers.” 

Running those clawed digits through his bangs, Azhar enjoyed another sip. He would make sure to confiscate that whiskey bottle by the end of this. [color=254f28]"You know, my biggest fear was expressing those pesky homosexual feelings inside,"[/color] a claw gently placed itself on Astral’s chest. [color=254f28]"Because I was afraid that my mother would cast me aside."[/color] Azhar’s slender hand moved, tracing a path across Astral’s torso and towards his cheek where it then lingered. [color=254f28]"I was afraid that the other Heroes wouldn’t accept me for being a fucking monster, either,"[/color] Zee leaned closer, his black eyes now inches from Astral’s own. [color=254f28]"But in the end.., who gives a fuck? Right?"[/color] 

“Own your shit..,” Astral commented, clenching his teeth slightly as his heart rate accelerated. 

[color=254f28]"Because no one else will..,"[/color] the boy finished, Necrotic energy escaping his hand, before Astral fell onto the floor. Taking another sip of his whiskey, Azhar finished the drink. [color=254f28]"Your conversation’s over."[/color]