'Unlikely'

Who: Potential
Where: In between dimensions
When: The end of time
"You've been meddling."
A clear Texan voice penetrated the darkness of space. The swirling
abyss sheaved the two as the agent of chaos and the impossible
confronted the back of death itself. With a dark black dress jacket
and shirt that obfuscated his torso and arms in the darkness, his pure
and red boxer shorts stood out like a supernova.
The robed, skeletal figure gave pause before turning to semi-casual
man. The pin-pricks of light that marked his sight regarded the agent
before giving response.
IF DOING WHAT MY EVERY EXISTENCE REQUIRES IS MEDDLING THEN I BELIEVE
THAT YOU REQUIRE YOUR VOCABULARY RE-THOUGHT OUT.
"Oh bullshit." Potential waved the reply like he was swatting a fly.
"You had no business telling him what he was, nor affecting this
thoughts. You had no business with the living. Now if I see you with
him again and he doesn't have so much as a cut artery and I'll be
calling a tribunal on yer boney ass."
YOUR WORDS ARE AS WEAK AND WHIMSICAL AS YOUR LIFE BLOOD. I'VE ATTENDED
TO YOUR PREVIOUS 'TOY'. YOU HAVE A TENDENCY TO BREAK THEM.
Inspite of his usual heartlessness, that really hurt potential more
than it should have. Well when you're in a fight, go for the jugular.
"Whereas you have been known to go leave your post at the drop of a
hat. We all have dirt on each other. Lester and Phelps aren't the only
ones you been messing with. Annie is someone that I won't tolerate
harm to." The Texan gave a single moment to fix his cuff but never
turning from impossible creature in front of him.
I SEE. YOUR ARROGANCE KNOWS NO BOUNDS IF INTEND TO MANIPULATE YOUR PEER.
Potential's bare leg hairs clearly bristled in agitation.
"'Manipulate'... yeah... if you want to call it that. Annie has a
great deal ahead of her. That much is certain. However... all of that
is fragile and your little fakeout there caused her to loose face. She
needs all the confidence she can get. So I'll say it again. LEAVE.
HER. ALONE." With every word he chopped one hand into another as
though he'd judo chop the calcium-based life form into submission if
he refused.
I FIND IT HIGHLY AMUSING THAT YOU CAN THINK TO THREATEN OR INTIMIDATE
ME. WE ALL HAVE OUR SECRETS, EUODIAS.
The Texan's eyes snapped open in horror. "...My name is Potential." He
muttered weakly.
A single long, skeletal hand withdrew an equally sickly-looking hour
glass from it's impossibly dark robes. Etched clearly on the side of
the glass was 'Euodias, Potential.'
I AM ONLY READING WHAT IS ON THE HOUR GLASS. PERHAPS YOU BELIEVED THAT
YOU COULD OUT-BLUFF YOUR OWN EXISTENCE, BUT I KNOW WHAT YOU ARE.
"No...that's impossible." Potential's head pivoted, desperately
searching his surroundings for any that might have heard this current
exchange.
I BELIEVE THAT THE IMPOSSIBLE IS YOUR DOMAIN. I DEAL ONLY IN
ABSOLUTES. NOW IF YOU WILL EXCUSE ME I HAVE AN INTER-STELLAR CONFLICT
TO ATTEND TO. I HAVE HAD MY FILL OF YOUR AGENCY'S INTERRUPTIONS.
With that, the personification of death gestured and created a hole in
the space/time of which he stepped through. Meanwhile a scientist on
earth in the year 2009 is foaming at the mouth screaming that physics
doesn't work that way.
The agent took a deep breath as he moved to slowdown his heart rate.
Now alone in deep space he took time to gather his thoughts. That was
too close, in future it would be fortuitous to not encounter the
skeleton in such a way.
"Heh... damn that skeleton. Now I know why management hated to
outsource to him. He even gets under *my* skin."
~~~
Who: Potential, Annie
Where: Annie's den
When: 65 million years between the previous post
The room was mundane by agency-standards.
Potential couldn't quite understand why Annie wanted this small (by
agency standards), yet functional, human-style room as her personal
abode. Some agents had quite the flair for egomania. He'd see one
agent that used a waterfall as a toilet and another that'd user an
entire forest as a bed.
But Annie was different and in a way, so was he.
Before him the female agent was seated in a single green lodge chair,
her long brown hair created a curtain around her face which was
currently buried in her hands. Every so often her shoulder would
twitch as tears flowed.
She was taking it pretty hard.
Potential ventured forward. His attire shifted from formal to informal
as his outfit turned into a viking raiding armour.
"Do you understand now?" Although it had a Texan touch his voice was
clear and concise as any member of the British upper crust.
"...I wanted to help him Potential. He was a good man once." It took
almost a minute to hear Annie's reply. A single mournful eye became
visible out from under the mat of thick hair.
The agent took a deep breath while his suit shifted into doctor's
fatigues. He walked forward to her at an even pace, stopping only when
he was directly in front of her. Pulling his handkerchief out from his
front pocket he gently pulled aside her hands while he wiped her tears
away. "When someone is meant to die Annie, not even we can save them.
No matter how much we want to. I have Andy the chance for redemption
or immortality. You gave Jed happiness."
"Potential... thank you. I didn't want to... but I think I'm beginning
to understand." She gently pushed his hands away, her croaky voice let
out a cough or two in an effort to clear it.
"Sacrifice. A bittersweet word. Not all of them can be voluntary."
Potential mused as he rolled his eyes nostalgically. God, that was a
difficult lesson to learn.
"I didn't want to believe you at first but now I see that sometimes it
just can't be avoided." Annie looked up at the agent, her face jolting
slightly as he noticed that Potential's outfit just changed into a
pimp suit.
The Texan expy gave a relishing smirk at her surprise before he
reached out to give her hair a single stroke. "Good, remember that a
balance must be kept. Sacrifice must always be avoided where possible
and if necessary- to always be in the minority."
With that, Potential gave her a hand a single reassuring squeeze
before he stood and walked towards the door. As soon as he reached the
door he returned to the dress-jacket and boxer-shorts loadout.
"Lester... you're watching him aren't you?" Annie turned, giving a
single conflicted look.
"Only from afar. I'm not making the same mistake twice." Potential
admitted softly, he turned to give her a unsure glance.
She turned at his gaze and replied in surprisingly strong voice.
"Good, I understand that Andy was a lesson that needed to be learnt
but I swear. Should he die and I find you had a hand in it-!"
Potential rolled his eyes in agitation. "-I am working all I can to
keep him *alive!* He seems to have a death wish the way he goes
through life. I'm all but certain he has two minds- but two *souls*?
No, I'll be keeping a close watch on that one."
Annie gave a short relieved sigh before adding. "Alright... okay...
I'm better now. What, what about Dysart?"
The Texan gave her an unsure look. "What about him?"
"Isn't he... you know..."Annie muttered noncommittally.
The agent shook his head in finality. Whatever Dysart was, he wasn't
Andy. "No. Armend is nothing but a shadow. Now get some rest. Should
you need me not hesitate to buzz me, my mind is your mind.
OOC: Alright then, that marks the end of my fortnight's break!
Oh, and J, don't worry too much about this Potential bloke barging in
and breaking everything. He usually stays on the sidelines. Think of
him as your own personal 'Q'.