Brute Force

 Ana watched from the sidelines as this rather large man told the security guard a lengthy tale about…Julius Caesar she thought. Not that she had any idea of who that was, her formal schooling had ended around the age of eight. The orphanage had managed to teach them some English but that was about it. History lessons quickly fell to the wayside when you were starving. In fact most of her eduction was what she learned on the streets. Her physical education had been learning how to shoot a gun and fight, her mathematics was handling money, her english lessons included back ally deals and trade agreements, and her science lesson included doing a lot of drugs, okay that one was a stretch but all and all she hadn’t come out knowing nothing. If anything she was well equipped to deal with the apocalypse that had ensued. Aside from the environment the early years after d-day were not too different than from before. She was still dirty, hungry, and scrappy as ever.

 Life in the colony was dreadfully dull, which she believed was the point the man was trying to make…maybe? Ana wasn’t actually sure what the point of his long, drawn out story was. Partly it sounded like he was trying to make a point about the past but on the other hand it really did just sound like a lesson coming from a crazy man. She kind of liked it though; at the very least it was bold and entertaining of him. He seemed like someone she could have known in the wastelands. Although she was sure she would have remembered someone like him. 

Hearing German again was refreshing, she couldn’t remember the last time someone had spoken it. While Russian was her native tongue, she had started speaking German when she was 16 after they had fled there. She loved the language. Ana pushed herself off the wall watching as he walked towards her and grabbed her shoulder. 

She was a bit surprised by the sudden touch but didn’t fight him off quite yet. “Denkst du, du bist ein Gott?” She asked amused. Ana wouldn’t mind if a god came to level this city. It was more like a prison if you asked her. She looked up at him, his features were rugged and word. His large stature making her small frame seem even smaller than usual. “Where in Germany are you from?” Normally she wouldn’t ask two questions in a row but she was curious and the first one was a joke. She didn’t meet too many people from outside the UK and America in the colony. In fact she had never met anyone from Germany. 

It wasn't as if this were the first time in Kaiser's life that he'd bucked against the system. He'd been fighting the system, his peers, and just about everything he could get his hands on for his entire life. And it showed. It showed with how effortlessly he managed to intimidate the young man who he'd been giving that long-winded rant to. It showed in the way his shoulders bulked up and he so easily made himself look intimidating.. foreboding.

Then, the young woman he'd patted spoke, and his head tilted slightly. Seeming to ignore the crowd that eventually dispersed. Everything about his sudden change in demeanor as he began to approach the lovely young woman. From the slow, predatory grin to the way he approached her in a gradually shortening half circle, was akin to that of a lion. A large, carnivorous beast, circling his prey as he seemed to consider her words. She spoke German.. that was interesting. Though he could tell by her accent alone that she was russian, the roll of her R's was a dead give away. Was she taunting him? Genuinely asking? He couldn't be certain which was the more amusing aspect. Stopping only feet away from the young woman, he inhaled slowly. Lifting a hand to absently push through dark hair, he looked around before leaning in.

When Kaiser spoke, his words were in english. Though his german accent was thicker than it had been only moments before, could perhaps be attributed to the promise of speaking his native tongue again instead of constantly dealing with these fucking idiots in english. He answered her question, in a manner of speaking. Corner of his mouth curved in a crooked grin. "I know I'm stronger than some lackey, so what's the difference to him? Anything is a god to an amoeba." He stated, his tone a lazy, deeply accented drawl as his hand dropped from her shoulder and pushed absently into his pockets.

Though he expressed no threat, and though he seemed innocuous, standing there before her with his hands in his pockets, there was still absolutely nothing harmless about the silhouette he cast in the flickering lights of the hallway. This young woman, she was a curious creature. All sharp edges and quick eyes, it seemed. And he didn't for a second assume that her small stature indicated that she was weak. Having been one, once upon a time ago, Kaiser knew god damned well that the little ones were the most resilient.

He seemed to consider her eager questions, before casually tossing out the answer. As if he had to decide whether or not she got to know anything about him. "Wiesbaden." He stated with a shrug, It didn't matter that she knew where he was from. She still didn't know he'd been one of the filthy street children. That he'd been first a victim of the rampant crime scene there.. and then a leader. "Though it doesn't matter anymore, does it? It's all a series of craters and hell-scape these days, mm?" He was engaging her, not threatening. Not dismissing either.. and not quite taunting. But it was clear he was still that predatory beast. Perhaps toying with his kill.

[The sounds of a crowd forming to watch a fight are distinct from any other noise that comes from people gathering en masse. Whether it has something to do with testosterone levels rising or fear spiking or some sort of instinctual giveaway or exchange between parties, everyone knows it, and where Andee senses the crowd forming is in the worst possible spot – the dining hall. Too many people for observers not to get hurt in the oncoming brawl, too few peacekeepers to deescalate the situation and get everyone filed out. She thinks perhaps it could be a one and done, the aggressor got the hit out of his system and is going to walk, but when she hears the deep, Germanic growl set up to retaliate, she knows she has to step in.

Pushing her way through the thickening crowd, Andee breaks the seam and puts herself between the men. Trusting her training. Trusting her instincts. Trusting her reflexes to duck, if necessary.] Enough. [She faced Kaiser, knowing from the looks of it he would be the ramping force to bring down. The other man simply stood on guard.] Bad enough the Elites will be around to take care of you for hitting someone, [she glared toward the man who threw the first punch, then back to Kaiser] don’t you dare make it worse. Let’s go.

[Kaiser hadn't quite expected who he'd been tormenting to strike. And he sure as shit hadn't expected it to knock him on his ass. His features had darkened, twisted into an ugly, angry expression of a myriad of shame and fury and absolute violence. The air seemed to become heavy with Kaiser's intent alone as he took one sharp step forward. It seemed as if he got bigger, his shoulders broad and casting a shadow across the floor. He didn't care about the growing audience. This wasn't a 'teaching moment' like the last time he'd put on a show and he sure as fucking shit didn't plan on walking away.

He didn't even plan on using his powers. Not when it was personal like this.

His ugly, furious features twisted into a slow, grisly grin as his stride had begun to pick up. Speed building and anticipation rising to the point that he could taste it before he suddenly jerked to a stop as a young blonde forced herself between them. Though his attention was on her, cold blue eyes never left the man who'd initially assaulted him. Though after several long seconds, his gaze turned to focus intently on her.]

There were some people with voices that rose above the chatter of a crowd. A woman screeching out a laugh as she reunites with a long lost friend; a retired soldier used to making his orders heard; a thespian, projecting their voice to an audience no longer there. Kip had never had one of those voices - a quiet, mumbled childhood had given way to a sarcastic, muttering adulthood. He wasn’t loud, he was only ever the footnote to someone else’s much louder comment. Well, unless he was in a small group. The more comfortable he was, the louder his voice.

Something he was learning through his Empatheia was that people had emotional watermarks just as distinct as their voices, and some people’s emotions made themselves apparent even in a crowd of feelings clamouring to be acknowledged. Through the usual chaos of glittering highs, stygian lows, and bland, tired, day to day drones, there was something that caught his attention like a low, loud bass pulsing through the floor. It felt like earth being pushed up from under foot. Kip didn’t look up from his notebook, where he was committing scraps of code to paper as he tried to form something coherent, but he sensed the commotion. A lot of unease that wormed its way beneath his skin, a slow kindling of anger.

The thing was, Kip was happy not being the center of attention. He was an observer, a watcher full of dry comments. He rarely felt the need to be in the forefront, and he didn’t plan on it now. It was difficult to concentrate on his notes, however, when there was a crowd and they all felt something similar. All of that uneasiness, it eventually drew Kip’s irritated gaze as he wondered: what the fuck was the fuss?

There was a tall, broad figure that commanded the center of the crowd, placid and powerful as the eye of a storm. Scattered figures around him were the source of all that uneasiness picking at Kip’s nerves, all listening intently to what sounded like a soundbite of a history lesson. Nothing sinister, but for the tone it was delivered in. One didn’t need to be an Empath to hear the simmering darkness in his tone, or to see the way this man used his bulk to loom over the rest of them. Whatever Kip had missed, it must have been interesting. Still he remained on the outside of the group, a brow raised in a frown of concentration.

History had always been his most loathed subject, much to his teachers’ dismay. He was good at it, and produced eloquent essays and recalled facts and dates with very little trouble. It just didn’t stimulate him like he needed to be stimulated. Yes, yes, learning the mistakes of the past prevents them from being committed again in the future, yeah, whatever, YAWN. Kip had a burning energy that wasn’t always apparent from his languorous manners - under the surface he needed always to be moving forward at breakneck speed, and history was going nowhere. Kip was going somewhere, he just didn’t know where.

Even he could appreciate, though, that history was a little more engaging when it was delivered like a threat. He got it, when the guy made the comment about Caesar being untouched, unremarkable. That’s what this was about. For his part, Kip had always hated his Infection. It made him feel tender in all the wrong places, it made him feel used. But, stubborn and young as he was, the more the NWRF tried to make him feel lesser for it, the more he wanted to cling to it as part of his identity. Kip sure as hell didn’t think he was better because of the Empatheia, but he knew it made it hard to lie to him. He knew a telekinetic could cause swathes of damage with enough practice and will. Even those with increased senses, which seemed so simple, that sounded like further evolution, not a sickness, not an infection. 

Kip was no Rebel, but he saw their perspective with more clarity than anyone else’s.

Attention fixed, unblinking, on Kaiser, he wondered what this would all amount to. A fist fight? It seemed the most likely option, so Kip was a little thrown when some dark, German words were muttered as a parting shot before the man left. Kip, naturally, had a fair affinity for French thanks to his Canadian upbringing. German was lost on him, though he thought he heard something about God, maybe passion? He couldn’t tell if this man was crazy, or just intense. It was such a fine line.

As ever, when Kip sensed something dangerous or risky, he felt the need to present himself. He didn’t need to be the center of attention, but he sure liked the adrenaline rush of being at risk. Muscular, angry Europeans were right up his alley, right at the top of his list of ‘people I must antagonise’. So, Kaiser was going to sweep away, and Kip was going to fall in line beside him and say: “Awfully bold of you to assume old Iulius’ most defining moment was some military success, and not bottoming so excellently for King Nicomedes of Bithynia, who was twice his age, that when Nicomedes died he left his entire kingdom to Rome. He pretty much invented the concept of sugar daddies right there.”

Yes, dull as Kip had found his history lessons, he had been more than happy to commit his personal study time to the more exciting bits. He looked up at Kaiser, a lazy half-grin daubed across his features, fully anticipating a punch to his smug face. Somehow he felt disappointed, to have witnessed all that build up, only to have it end in this strange, charismatic creature taking the high road and walking away.

Kaiser's infection and subsequent powers didn't extend past his highly practiced telepathy. He had not even the slightest touch of something like Empathea, no Praeteria. However, the intuition of a long battled and even grizzled soldier picked up on the fact that he'd suddenly caught the attention of something else entirely. It had been enough to catch his attention. To momentarily cause him pause in the midst of his speech before he returned to it as if nothing had happened. Though he'd managed to catch sight of the young man almost pensively watching him from a distance.

It wasn't lost on Kaiser that a 'history lesson' more or less wouldn't exactly be considered threatening. Or foreboding. But then again he was aware that his own stature and appearance could easily deliver that alone. Kaiser Bahr was a frightening man, and that was without whoever he was focusing all of his attention on knowing a fucking thing about the sins and carnage of his past. He'd been raised on the streets and at the hand of a brutal warlord. Learning from a young age on just how to cash in on the fears and insecurities of others. But most of all, he'd learned that people locked themselves into a corner when it came to their perception of others. They see someone like him. A large, brutish man. They think strength, they think berserker. Someone who was all bite but very little intelligence and they had the habit of underestimating him. Now.. this could work in Kaiser's favor.. it really could. Except the man was far too arrogant to pass up on an opportunity to let everyone within a ten foot radius know that he was the biggest and baddest mother fucker around.

Well. At least he knew he was.

Unlike the young man who was watching him, the young man who he knew nothing about. Yet. Kaiser had absolutely no empathy toward really anyone who didn't share his views. Now.. the man had patience. If it came to someone who he could tell was leaning in the direction of rebellion or accepting their gifts as what they are. Gifts. Kaiser had patience. He could hone a modicum of resistance into discipline. He could soothe hesitation.. Kaiser was the type to easily turn those who were on the fence to his way of thinking. But when it came to those who were steadfast and immovable in their values and beliefs. Like this stupid, insipid man before him who was currently the sole focus of his ire, he had no patience. No kindness, and abso-fucking-lutely no interest in the man's point of view. So he acted like what he was so often compared to. A weapon. A blunt, heavy hitter. Delivering blow after blow until the confused man who had initially threatened him had been cowed into silence. Until he'd turned on his heel and stalked off, shoulders high and arrogance thick in his heavy, german accent.

He'd sensed the way the young man followed him, and acknowledged the way Kip fell in line with a slight tilt of his head. As the young man spoke up, however, Kaiser's gate slowed eventually to a stop and shrewd, silver-blue eyes levelled all of their focus upon Kip as he continued to speak.

Thick, dark brows rose in curiousity, interest, and honestly surprise as this young man who was clearly barely half Kaiser's size so easily approached him and began to educate him. And not just on ancient history or battleplans, but Ceasars fucking sexuality. His expression of shock was only visible for the slightest moment, before it seemed to melt into one of slow.. deliberate amusement. A slight click of his tongue against his teeth could be heard and he turned entirely to face the young man. Leaning his shoulder against the wall beside of him and awarding Kip with all of his attention. And all of the ferocity and focus that entailed.

It became clear immediately, that though he'd walked away from his lecture toward the other man who had nearly driven him to violence.. he had no intention of walking away from the man in front of him any time soon. As Kips own little history lesson finished, the silence between them stretched for a moment, before it was broken by a low guttural chuckle.

This boy seemed nearly as arrogant as he, with that half-grin stretching notably boyish features in an almost impish expression. Something Kaiser could appreciate, not to mention the young man's own little historical tangent. "..Problem with that is, der Schürzenjäger." He stated, the german word for 'Tomcat' a start contrast with his english. Stated fluently and in a gravelly tone. "Me? I'm not a bottom. So telling that little tale wouldn't serve me much, now would it?" His hands pushed into his pockets and he leaned off of the wall only to take a step closer to Kip. Deliberately stepping into his personal space and bringing attention to their height difference alone. His brows rose again, and this time his grin was less threatening, but still as jagged. Still as wild looking. He spoke with no shame and very little interest in censoring himself. Lifting an arm to lean against the wall this time as he flicked his fingers toward Kip in a little gesture.

[She felt him approach before seeing him, Maisie’s thoughts had just returned to present day when someone waltzed into her line of sight. Well when his abdomen entered her line of sight, she had to direct her eyes a bit higher to actually see the large man’s face. The distracted girl reached her hand out to grab her dropped belonging when it was suddenly jerked back. Startled she flicked up to his blue eyes, a glint of mischief and hopefully lighthearted teasing met her gaze.

The quite girl never minded sharing, but there is a stark difference between allowing someone to view your personal prized belongings and someone permitting themselves to the pleasure. Her small hand was still extended into the space between the strangers and suddenly it felt fuzzy. She flexed her small yet strong appendages, forcing all her fingers to splay out and her tendons to push against the rosy skin. Quickly, without even thinking on whether it would work or not, Maisie snapped her fist shut.

With the sudden twist of her thin wrist, the warn journal jerked out of what had to be strong hands, as if attached to a string. It inelegantly hit Maisie in the chest, but she easily caught it against herself.

She looked back up the man, not waiting for a reaction before politely responding].

Thank you.

[This large man was holding a journal just out of the much shorter young woman's reach almost as a bully in a grade school would. Keeping it easily above her head as his gaze turned devious. She seemed to falter, startled, and the implication of that in those large blue eyes seemed to amuse the german farther. He caught the flash of dislike at how he'd taken what was hers, and if he wasn't mistaken even more-so at the thought of him reading those precious gems she'd written down. His grin widened, dark and devious in amusement as his hands teasingly flipped the pages. Though his eyes didn't leave her own.]

[The amusement shifted into outright surprise as, unexpected of Kaiser, this little blue eyed creature seemed to decide he wasn't allowed to hold this journal. The item being ripped telepathically from his grip. For a moment, his surprise was blatant, before his sharp gaze had taken in the clumsiness with which it had been done. Oh she had power, and talent for it.. it seemed. But for some fucking reason she hadn't honed it.. and Kaiser seemed to have decided he'd help her with that.

It really was the least he could do for these young kids. Help them realize this fucking gift wasn't a sickness or a danger. Well. Not to them.

He grinned again at the thank you, before holding his hand out. With discipline and a surprising amount of force, the book pulled up from her hands. Spinning just out of her reach in the air this time as his other hand pushed idly into his pocket.]

What a surprise.. very good, Häschen. Try again.

[He flicked his thumb and the book opened in midair, still slowly spinning. His gaze sharp on her, still teasing but there was a sharper intent there. He was watching her.]

This time, mean it.

Percy had been seated nearby. Just observing. Doing research of her own. Just about the lives of the Infected around here, to see what they did. And she tried to find a place with unfamiliar faces, people that wouldn’t know as soon as they saw her that she was NWRF. Well, they might, if they’d gone through all the Echo files. Still, though. She would rather people-watch than work more in testing rooms. There had been enough of that for her recently, she thought.

She saw a man get up from the wall, walking out of the room almost like he was on a mission. When suddenly a smaller man crashed into him. The second reacted poorly, but the other… Percy wasn’t sure what that was. He seemed to be lecturing him. She watched from her table, trying to listen. She listened to his telling of a battle so old it was more just a legend now. She’d heard it before, and tried desperately to rack her brain for more information on the battle before he reached the punchline. It had to have something with the man walking into him, right? Or was that just what set him off? 

As he reached the end of his rant, Percy felt like her stomach knotted. Imagine what he would be capable of if he were Infected. She twisted the PDD on her arm, almost able to feel the gold band. She couldn’t, but still. Sure, it just meant she was Elite, not necessarily NWRF. Although, she felt like that was written on her forehead now. He was clearly a radical. One that was feared, and it seemed, admired. At least by whoever that other Infected was. 

It was as he left that she realized that she needed to know more about him. Telekinesis, a radical, smart. All she really knew about him. She could look him up in Echo later, as long as she got a name. Percy stood quickly, following him out of the room. 

She hesitated as she walked down the hallway behind him. What if he knew she was NWRF, then he definitely wouldn’t even bat an eye at her. And her defense for wanting to know more about what was going on with the Infected was shaky at best. Something he’d probably see through. But no, she was a good liar. She was good at this. She knew how to get what she wanted.

“That’s the one where Caesar built the walls around his own troops, correct?” Percy said, any nerve gone from her voice. She let herself fall into old habits, the way she carried herself. Tucking away the mask of the Lab Worker who just wanted to help. And it almost felt good, to feel confident, to not worry about hurting feelings or how someone else might perceive her. “One to trap the Guals in Alesia, and the other to keep reinforcements out?” Percy moved to catch up with the man, looking up at him with chilled blue eyes, feigning just a little bit of innocence. He was so much taller and intimidating up close. But, she wouldn’t let that get to her. She’d faced worse. So this man would be Caesar? Well, even he was struck down due to his own arrogance in the end. Usually, she’d look for a weak point. But so far, just from how he spoke, how he carried himself, Percy hadn’t found any. And she feared, that much like the walls around Caesar, any weak points she found would just be traps, set to make it easier to take her down. 

Kaiser had felt eyes on him during his grandiose speech.. And it wasn't simply the fact that everyone in the area had been watching them. He'd felt the clinical piercing gaze of someone that was trying to figure him out. It wasn't the first time he'd felt the sharp eyes on him either, he was beginning to realize. However with little more than a quick jerk of his chin, the pretty young woman managed to catch the german's eye, and the corner of his mouth twitched in a nearly malicious smirk as he returned the entirety of his attention toward his current target.

Kaiser was enjoying the reaction of the now teeming audience. He was enjoying the growing discomfort and bravado the man before him was expelling like an aura, and most of all, the curious and sharp gaze of the young woman who's attention he seemed to catch. At least for the time being. His curiousity was already piqued toward her with the rapt attention she seemed to be delivering him. Though his eyes had returned to the man he was currently 'educating' there was a brilliance in his gaze that seemed to turn it more silver than blue. His presence seeming to expand like a shadow over the other as he put a bit more 'oomf' into the speech he was giving.

Hey. What could he say? It was an indulgence of his. The attention you got from being intimidating, strong, powerful. As he finished his speech and turned to walk away, he deliberately shortened his usually, much longer stride. Wondering if she would approach him, wondering just how long it would take the young woman. He imagined whatever curiousity that he'd seen in the young woman's expression was like bees in the back of her mind. Buzzing and flitting until it reached a fever pitch and she'd approach him, and as he heard the sound of her feet could be heard behind him, he figured he'd been absolutely 100 percent correct.

She hadn't even quite approached him yet before her voice rang out in that curious lilt, but the clear almost wavering tone seemed to be enough to cause the German's gait to slow and stall. His head tilted slightly at her question, before he turned slowly on his heel. He'd picked up on the fact that there was a spike of nerves in her tone, and as he turned to face her, his focus zeroed in on the young woman. His own gaze as sharp and clinical as his own had been, his cockiness blatant in a rise of his brow, a quirk of the corner of his mouth. She was difficult to read, and he wasn't really certain if that was because she was particularly machiavellian, or if it was because there was nothing there to read. With those big, blue eyes, she certainly looked achingly naive. The jury was still out, for the seasoned raider, as to whether or not that was true.

Quinn had been watching from a safe distance, an annoyed look on his face, while he was of a sort partly interested in seeing what would happen. The hallway was a quiet one, he took it towards the lab because few people passed through it at the busiest moment of the day. Now however, it wasn’t as quiet as he wanted it to be. A tall German fellow, by the name of Kaiser, was making a fuss about something he hadn’t seen the beginning off, and decided to share a tale of Ceasar, a Roman Emperor, for the sake off. Well, Quinn wasn’t sure because the moral was lost in the chaotic speech. A young man stood at his feet, smaller than he was, looking as if he was seeking a way out and clearly not interested in the story. 

Kaiser he knew, they had a run in before. The man was a security risk alright, had escaped from an other Colony before being wrapped up in this one. He was big and scary looking, something Quinn could respect, but he was also obnoxious and a danger to others, which wasn’t something he could accept. Still, they had him walking around hoping he would reintegrate with society and not make a mess of things. Clearly he wasn’t doing what they had hoped for. 

Now Quinn was never bothered by tall bulky looking fellows, after all, he liked to pretend he was in the same weight class as them. He wasn’t easily scared, problem was Kaiser wasn’t either. If matters did grow out of hand, they would need a couple of guards to restrain him. He might be more trouble than he was worth. But locking him up for all eternity wasn’t the way of the Colony, and the NWRF especially took on the idea of welcoming each and every soul here. Even people who were Infected. Because honestly, to Quinn, that was the foremost reason he didn’t trust the German. 

He watched with intent of slamming the cigarette out of Kaiser’s mouth, smoking wasn’t allowed inside. But kept to his spot in the shadows for a bit longer, hoping to find out what the man wanted to achieve with his story. He had heard about Ceasar, remembered some bits from their history lesson, but only because at that time he had been doing homework assignments of his so-called friends as well for the fear of them leaving him behind. He had been weak then, he was much stronger now, stronger and more annoyed. His hands were itching to do something about the cigarette when the German finally lit it, using the smoke for dramatic effect or something, and blowing smoke into the boy’s face. Quinn cringed, the whole idea of it being a sort of speech to speak on behalf of the infected, or at least on behalf of their powers, didn’t sit well with him. It was followed by some German sentence, and since Quinn couldn’t speak nor understand German, he ignored it completely, as he finally made his way towards the scene. 

Kaiser left the young man to his surprise. Quinn was standing in the opposite direction as Kaiser stalked away. He took his time to trap the cigarette under his foot, before going in pursuit. He allowed his face to grow stoic, and waited for the younger men to be out of hearing, before calling the German back. “Kaiser Bahr,” he said, with his American accent that came out sounding… well American. “I’m going to have to confiscate those cigarettes. Smoking inside isn’t allowed, and you’ve just clearly broken those rules.” 

Kaiser had become aware of the hostile, growingly annoyed glare of the man from the moment he caught sight of him in his periphery. To be honest, that may be why the performance had been so very outlandish. So dramatic. He had a knack for pissing the Chancellor off. It killed the fucking time, and sometimes in this hellhole, time was all there was. Time wasted, time lost, time abused, time ripped from them. All because of men like the one who was currently circling him as if he were prey. Even with his attention centered on the confused young man before him, his guttural grin was entirely for the Chancellor's benefit. So, perhaps, was the smoking. Though one couldn't possibly tell. When it came to Kaiser, he was a wild card. He did whatever he wished at the time and rarely found use for others disapproval. Other than to exploit it for his own amusement.

There were precious few in this veritable hell-hole that Kaiser had even the slightest modicum of respect for. The man roughly shouting his name was.. unfortunately.. one of them. Kaiser's lips curled into a slow sneer as at first he continued walking. Only slowing to a pause as he heard the curt steps of the other's long stride. His own movements slowed, then begrudgingly stopped as Quinn stepped up his pursuit. Slowing to a stop in the now empty hallway, the man turned easily on one heel. Greeting the seemingly worked up chansellor with an easy, sharp grin. "Yankee." He stated in acknowledgement, his german accent as thick as ever as the man approached him with his hand out, demandingly. Dark brows rose in mock concern as his arms crossed over his chest. The man meant business it seemed, and as he demanded the cigarettes, the german gave a low chuckle of amusement. Really, he wanted to strangle the Chancellor for calling him out, for pinpointing such a small offense when they both knew that he was capable of such more dire things. But he knew better than to express that. His grin still baring his teeth as his gaze lowered. As if sizing the man up.

After a few seconds, piercing blue eyes met the man's own, and he lifted a shoulder in a shrug. Pushing his hand into his pockets, his fingers curled around the wrinkled pack of cigarettes. There was really only two left, but the man couldn't help but to give a hard time. "Not even a hello? And here I thought we were getting past our differences." He feigned a wounded expression as he took one long step forward toward the other man. Their heights seeming to rival one another as Kaiser sized the other up again. His expression was incredibly stoic for a moment. Unsmiling and arctic, before the slow grin returned and his shoulders lifted in a half-hearted shrug. Producing the pack of cigarettes as so previously demanded.

"You'll have to forgive me." He threw out, casually and not remotely seriously as his gaze met the other man's . "Must have been some kind of miscommunication. You know." He spouted something in German, his hand holding up the cigarettes, before tossing them carelessly on the floor past the Chancellor.

[Maisie’s pencil had slipped off the page and she was mindless tracing circles on the window seal she as leaning against. The pair she had been documenting has long since concluded their argument and walked down the hall hand in hand; clearly it had ended on a positive note. But Maisie wasn’t even in the hallway anymore; her mind and memory had traveled her years back to a similar location but this time at her alma mater. She could hear raining hitting the window and feel wood grain under elbow instead of Colony 22′s concrete. There were fellow students and professors bustling around her and she had her camera loosely hanging in her hands, she was fiddling with the focus, zooming it in and out and in again. It was an absent-minded fiddle; she wasn’t actively filming anyone, but instead just enjoying the movement of life all around her. Maisie knew none of the other students would have minded her documenting them, this was an arts school after all, but sometimes Maisie just liked to pause and take in the view, if you will.]

[Maisie was brought back to present day by a light clatter, she realized her notebook and pencil had found their way to the floor. The distracted girl was grasping her PDD rotating it back and forth - as she had been doing her camera lens. Suddenly her notebook and pencil were being handed to her, Maisie shifted her gaze towards the good Samaritan, with still a piece of her mind stuck on the past.]

[He'd been watching the young woman for quite some time. Watching her watch others. Hands idly pushed into his pockets, he leaned one shoulder into the wall several feet to the right of the young lady. His eyes narrowed as he watched the way her gaze seemed to distance. Curiousity piqued, his head tilted slightly as he leaned forward, pushing off the wall and slowly making his way toward her. She'd moved on to fiddling with something.. silver blue eyes flickered down to take it in. A camera?]

[Just as he'd allowed his curiousity to take hold of him and approached her, it seemed she'd become so entranced with what she was fiddling with that she dropped the very thing she'd been writing what appeared to be very important notes. As it clattered to the ground, his large form approached and suddenly bent down. Making the height difference between them blatant as he picked up the pencil and pad. Standing once more, he moved to hand them to the girl with the pretty brown eyes.. but snatched the notebook back at the last minute with a slow smile forming across his features. ]

Busy little bee. Flitting about, hmm? Collecting, collecting. I wonder what you could be so interested in?

Kaiser Bahr | Forty Four;  Survivor

House: Torren Security Class: Three Status: Infected - Telekinesis Alignment: New World Radicals

History

Kaiser Bahr was a force to be reckoned with, he had been for quite a while. Long before the first coming asteroid burned out into the atmosphere. Long before the death and decimation of everything the earth had known only years ago, Kaiser was surviving and thriving in a warzone. In a cesspool of danger. Born and abandoned to the destitute streets of eastern Germany at an early age, he started his life vulnerable and afraid. Begging for any scrap of food or euros he could get his hands on. The first few years on the street were hard. A brutal trial by fire that the young, starving child he’d been barely surpassed. It was only when he was at the end of his rope. Afraid and cold and emaciated, that he decided to never be a victim, or weak again. The single most important decision, the most vital choice he’d ever made. He learned that he couldn’t be the weak, begging child he’d once been. Kaiser learned early to thrive on the dysfunction and rigged odds that the streets had to offer. It wasn’t long before the young man had worked his way flawlessly as an errand boy for a heavy arms dealer and sank his teeth directly into the pulse of the black market of Underground Germany. Though this career choice was a smart one.. it wasn’t remotely safe. The majority of Kaiser’s pre-teen and teenage years were spent narrowly evading death and vengeance from opposing sides of those his boss and subsequently he sold the weapons to. Determined to survive, he learned how to assess any situation and figure out the safest.. and most destructive way out of it. But it wasn’t simply his raw, brute force that Kaiser relied on. See.

Kaiser Bahr was an ambitious man, and he knew goddamned well that in order to meet these expectations, he needed to be a smart, powerful mother fucker. And that was exactly what he became.

He learned everything he could from the man that hired and eventually began to train him. He soaked up every drop of information and advice like a sponge until he could deploy his bosses schemes and plans with a savagery and intelligence that the brutish man that hired him was never capable of. Once Kaiser learned all he needed to learn, however, the man that he worked under for nearly two decades seemed to disappear from the face of the earth. Leaving Kaiser Bahr to take over the ‘company’ so to say with a series of quick and brutal moves. It wasn’t long before Kaiser Bahr clawed his way to the top of the little food chain in his home and Germany.. and it sure as shit wasn’t long before that wasn’t enough for him. It wasn’t long before he expanded his territory into other cities.. then other countries. By the time Kaiser was in his early 40’s, he’d moved his business to the center for heavy arms dealings in Germany at the time, Berlin. Though Kaiser often made trips to places such as America, Russia, and even China on occasion.. he always found his way back home to Berlin. And it was there he had been when the world had ended right at his fucking feet.

Just like everything else in Kaiser’s life, the man survived. He sought safety in an underground bomb shelter left over from WW2. Paying those who owned it and threatening their lives and livelihood when they fought to keep him from joining them. Though, Kaiser wasn’t a man known to hide, and the moment he could, he left the shelter after the initial impact of the asteroids, looking to salvage what he could. He went unprotected into heavily gassed areas with little more than a handmade gas mask and goggles for eye protection and it wasn’t long before the infection took over, running rampant in Kaiser’s body. It showed up quickly, a blitzkrieg of splitting headaches that at first left him nearly immobile through the agony. Perhaps it was because he was infected so very early, or perhaps it was the raw willpower the man possessed, but Kaiser quickly became formidable with his use of the Telekinesis that was gifted to him through the infection. He utilized it as a tool, as a weapon to survive in the savage wastelands that were left of a once densely populated and technologically enhanced Berlin, Germany.

And survive, Kaiser did. In fact, the man thrived, even in the end of this world. He quickly became known for his savagery and raw survival instinct. First locally, only for his brutal methods of survival and take no prisoners mindset when it came to anyone that posed a threat to those under his lead. But it wasn’t long before his skills with his power and enigmatic personality became more well known. Many who heard of him and had ‘evolved’ as well appreciated his unadulterated hostility to anyone who wanted to control them. It wasn’t long that, despite his aggressive nature, he’d amassed a small but destructive group of raiders and wastelanders that posed a threat. So it was only natural that those wanting to keep a thumb on the infected wanted to neutralize the threat. And they certainly tried.

The first time Kaiser was caught and captured, it didn’t quite keep. The security had been too lax, and for all of Kaiser’s flaws..he’s always been a very driven man. At a significant cost to himself and to the facility that made the mistake of capturing him, Kaiser escaped by rallying a handful of others that had been caught and held prisoner. His charisma and clear experience with his powers made it easy for those looking for a cause to follow him. And after he’d managed to escape, they stuck around. Their belief in his words and his cause turned so quickly into loyalty and a small group quickly developed around Kaiser. The group followed his views that those infected were the peak in evolution and those not were the unlucky ones. And those that were stupid enough to try to challenge Kaiser or treat him as if this evolution were anything but his to control. Well.. they were simply subhuman and Kaiser didn’t hesitate to treat them as such. It went on like that for a while. Kaiser and his group roamed the wasteland. Indulging in the savage freedom that the brutal lands had to offer and making anyone that crossed him and his group pay. Until he ran headlong into a trap. This colony that had set up the trap to capture him and a handful of his boys, they weren’t like the other group. They’d done their homework. They’d known to lull him into a false sense of security and stroke his ego.. make him think he was the one delivering the chase of the party they’d sent after him and was about to deliver the killing blow.

They’d been damn good at it. Kaiser’s arrogance and impulsivity had lead himself and his boys into a large trap. And just like that, he’d been imprisoned once more at a Colony that had absolutely no intentions of letting him out of their oppressive grip. Not that it had ever stopped Kaiser before. Currently, the man is considered to be in the highest threat level of the group. Currently and defiantly housed within Torren, the idea of the games awakens something primal and nearly feral within him. He’s ferocious, and competent and brutal in a way that has little to nothing to do with his power.

Kaiser Today

Today, Kaiser is precisely where he doesn’t want to be. Basically in fucking captivity. He’s survived wars, sieges, the goddamn end of the world and following apocalypse. He’d survived all of that it seemed, only to be tagged like cattle and stuffed into some house these fascist fucks deemed him appropriate for. This, this life under ball and chain is a cold form of stringent hell for Kaiser. Even in comparison to the brutality and decay of the wastelands. It’s a fucking garbage fire to be in, in Kaiser’s opinion. And also… according to him… Not remotely permanent. He’d already escaped before, so in Kaiser’s mind, it’s really only a matter of time. His luck, or talent.. Well it had a track record.

From the moment Kaiser arrived at this Colony, it’s been the matter of mutual torture—they know some increment of how dangerous he is, and his willpower and outright hostile tendencies tend to keep the guards and most people around him on edge. While he’s developed some connections, many if not all of them are more renegade than not. However, Kaiser’s also managed to catch the eye and ear of others, and has been reprimanded more than once about deliberately trying to sway the will and wishes of those infected content to just exist this pitiful excuse for a fucking life. Kaiser doesn’t plan on rotting in this prison, and every action he makes bucks against the system, those keeping him tightly bound beneath it.