This is a conversation between Jesse McCree and yourself, Gabriel "Reaper" Reyes.
Jesse McCree: "How long am I gonna have to chase ya down until ya stop turnin' into smoke and runnin' away?"
Gabriel "Reaper" Reyes: "However long it takes for you to figure out how to kill me." The wraith crossed his arms and stared down his former student through his mask. He was cornered at the moment, but it didn't seem to bother him just yet. "I don't see that happening any time soon."
Jesse McCree: "Maybe I don't know how to kill ya, but I'm sure a bullet between the eyes don't feel too good." Jesse raised his weapon, trying his best to look unfazed by the whole ordeal. "Anything ya wanna say first, jefe?"
Gabriel "Reaper" Reyes: "A bullet between the eyes doesn't do much to a dead man." Jesse was right, though-- it really /wouldn't/ feel good. It would hurt like hell and take him a while to regenerate and repair the wound, but it wouldn't get rid of him by any means. "You sure you can even pull the trigger?" he mocked.
Jesse McCree: "Why don't ya stay in place and find out for yourself." His stare was cold and unrelenting. A combination of the confusion that had been brewing in his stomach for years.
Gabriel "Reaper" Reyes: Reaper extended his hands out to his side, as if inviting Jesse to do what he threatened. "I haven't moved, and yet you still haven't shot me." The same could be said about him not making a move to attack Jesse yet, but like hell he would point that out. "Seems to me like there's something /you/ want to say."
Jesse McCree: "Maybe there is. It wouldn't get through that thick skull of yours though." The gunslinger tapped Peacekeeper against the mask Reaper wore. "And I'm sure even if I did ask a question you'd sooner shoot /yourself/ than answer it."
Gabriel "Reaper" Reyes: The tapping actually seemed to perturb him, as he leaned away from it with a quiet grumble. "Either talk or shoot. I don't have time to stand around here for forever." He actually reached up to push the gun away from his mask. "And /don't/ tap the mask."
Jesse McCree: "What's wrong? Surprised I ain't still kissin' your ass?" His gun spun once around his index finger before he holstered it. "We're gonna talk, but I still ain't opposed to shootin'."
Gabriel "Reaper" Reyes: "Not surprised. Maybe a little disappointed." His voice dripped sarcasm on that last bit, and he crossed his arms over his chest once more. "I'm even more disappointed that you didn't shoot me already. Looks like you really didn't learn anything from me."
Jesse McCree: "That's perfectly fine with me. I'd rather drop dead than be anythin' like you-- but then again, those two things are kinda the same thing." A small smirk pulls at the corner of Jesse's lips. "If you're really as cruel as ya say, why don't ya shoot /me/?"
Gabriel "Reaper" Reyes: "Oh no, my poor feelings. I'm /so/ hurt." Again, his tone was mocking and insincere, and he just shook his head. When he spoke again, he sounded more serious. "I've got more important names on my list. You're not a threat. There's no reason to take you down just yet."
Jesse McCree: "Please. You've taken down men who pose much less a threat than me." He rolled his eyes at the man's sarcasm. If nothing else, that part of him had not changed. "So, back to talkin'. You gonna explain any of this to me, or do I gotta get straight to shootin'?"
Gabriel "Reaper" Reyes: Reaper shrugged, obviously unwilling to offer any other explanation, whether it was true or not. "Explain what? I assumed you didn't need any more explanation by now considering you're so trigger-happy. You chose your side already, that much is obvious."
Jesse McCree: "Are ya even listenin' to yourself?" Jesse growled in frustration. "Why do ya even care what side I picked? It has nothin' to do with this. All I want is some peace of mind. Maybe figure out what turned ya into... /this/." He had a tight grip on his weapon again.
Gabriel "Reaper" Reyes: "I turned me into this," he growled out, almost immediately. His tone had become hostile, contrasting with how bored he'd sounded before. "Nothing else. Just... Just me getting ahead of myself." His shoulders tensed now, his clawed hands clenched at his sides.
Jesse McCree: "Mhm." Jesse responded, completely unimpressed by that display. "And what kinda backwards ass logic are ya usin' to justify any of this shit?"
Gabriel "Reaper" Reyes: "It's..." He let out a long, drawn-out sigh. "There's no point anymore. I have a goal, and I will do anything to accomplish it. It's as simple as that." There was obviously still information he was withholding. After a pause, he turned the subject back to Jesse. "What about you? What's the point in asking all of this? You know nothing I say will help your twisted sense of justice. Why bother?"
Jesse McCree: There was no way he was getting anymore out of the Reaper, so he left it at that. "Me? Well, I ain't afraid to admit I had been a little concerned about what happened to one of the most important people in my life. Just curiosity is all. Now I know that man is dead, all that's left is you."
Gabriel "Reaper" Reyes: His jaw tightened, though his mask easily hid that from view. After a moment of silence, he formed a response. "Glad to know that we're on the same page. That man died long ago in the Blackwatch labs." As soon as that piece of information left his mouth, he regretted it. As far as he knew, Jesse never knew about Gabriel's meetings with O'Deorain, and he intended to keep it that way.
Jesse McCree: "Now what the hell is that supposed to mean?" Jesse's eyes widened, clearly not expecting such a response. "I'm clearly missin' out on some key information here, care to inform me?"
Gabriel "Reaper" Reyes: "Nothing. It means nothing." He swallowed hard, beginning to sound somewhat nervous now. If Jesse wanted to get that information out of him, he'd have to work a little harder. "I don't need to tell you anything."
Jesse McCree: "Ya don't need to, but ya should. I can connect dots. Only real scientist in Blackwatch that would be in the labs was O'Deorain, and now she's with Talon." He glared, his accusations firing as rapidly as his gun.
Gabriel "Reaper" Reyes: "Right." Part of him was still rooting for Jesse, still wanted his former student to learn everything he wanted to learn about what happened, but he knew that Jesse having that knowledge would make him far more dangerous. "O'Deorain was an excellent addition to Blackwatch. She took us places we would have never reached with just Ziegler and the other scientists." He swallowed and made an attempt at diverting Jesse's attention. "She was the one who developed improvements for the Shimada kid's body, made it so he was more comfortable and deadlier."
Jesse McCree: "As much as I'd love to have a nice conversation about my good pal Genji, I'm a little bit more interested in what exactly happened to /you/ in those labs." He was having none of the wraith's diversions. He wanted information.
Gabriel "Reaper" Reyes: "Nothing happened in there that I didn't ask for." The times he spent with O'Deorain in her lab were some of the most vivid memories he had from those days. While most everything else had become foggy and unclear, he could still hear the scientist's barely-contained excitement as clear as day when she told him what she'd developed. /You'll be invincible,/ she promised. /The perfect soldier. The perfect killing machine./ "She only followed my orders. Like I said before, I did this to myself."
Jesse McCree: "Guess you're right. This mess is your own fault, but that still doesn't explain this goal of yours. I doubt it's some noble cause." He had been hoping that maybe the scientist's experimenting had been the sole reason for this, that he could reverse it and things would go back to normal, but that just wasn't true.
Gabriel "Reaper" Reyes: This entire conversation was making his head ache even more than the usual constant, dull pain. "Thought you could connect dots, kid." He would rather Jesse continue to hate him no matter what. It was easier for both of them that way, and it didn't give the other man any false hope. "My goal is to destroy any trace of Overwatch. I thought I made that obvious." Again, his mocking tone made a return, but he still wasn't giving everything away at once.
Jesse McCree: Again, Jesse rolled his eyes. It was like the Reaper was trying to be the world's most stereotypical super villain. "So ya wanna destroy every trace of Overwatch, but ya won't kill me? Now that doesn't make much sense, does it?"
Gabriel "Reaper" Reyes: "I already told you, not /yet/." The same could be said for Jack and Ana and Angela and Genji and-- too many faces came to mind still, but he knew they would all eventually fade from his memory. Once that happened, it wouldn't be a problem for him to pull the trigger. "It isn't your time yet. When it's your time, I'll take your soul for myself." Obviously Gabriel's flair for the dramatic still remained somewhere in this villain called the Reaper.
Jesse McCree: "It'd be much easier to just get it over with now. I'm basically offerin' myself up on a silver platter, don't get much simpler than that." He folded his arms, not at all fooled by this excuse, or any others.
Gabriel "Reaper" Reyes: "You're an idiot." Reaper spoke through gritted teeth. "Do you have a death wish? Is that why you're so intent on asking this?" The thought of Jesse truly /wanting/ to die almost made him sad. Almost. "You should count your blessings, McCree. Be glad I don't want to kill you yet."
Jesse McCree: "I'm intent on it 'cause I know ya won't do it. Ya can't. Ya ain't as far gone as ya want me to think." He gestured loosely to one of the shotguns dangling at Reaper's hips. "Or you can prove me wrong and do the honors. Not like an ingrate like me has got anythin' to lose, right?" He smiled smugly.
Gabriel "Reaper" Reyes: "And what do you gain from proving this? Even if you're right, nothing changes. I still walk away from here an continue my mission. It means /nothing/ if I don't kill you right here." One hand came to rest on his own hip, his thumb brushing over the butt of one of his shotguns.
Jesse McCree: "Nothin'. Maybe a little ego booster since I know I'm right." He shrugged, eyes following the clawed hand that rested on the gun, but he didn't look bothered by the motion.
Gabriel "Reaper" Reyes: "Right. Like /your/ ego needs a boost." He'd spent far too long here, talking to Jesse. The fact that he didn't really want to leave scared him more than anything. Though he would never admit it, he truly did miss his old apprentice. "I won't kill you here," he stated concretely. "You don't need to keep trying to coax me."
Jesse McCree: "It never hurts." He found himself smiling with that response, which may have been a bad sign, but there he was. "You won't kill me, and I physically can't kill you. Looks like we're at a bit of a standstill here."
Gabriel "Reaper" Reyes: Reaper hummed his agreement and averted his gaze from that stupid smile. It brought back too many memories that danced right at the edge of his mind, just out of reach. "Seems like it." All of this had him feeling soft, and he couldn't help but give Jesse one little opportunity. "I'll make you a deal. You can ask me one question that I have to answer fully and truthfully /if/," he held up one finger, "You stop chasing me down after."
Jesse McCree: "Hm." He scratched his beard, rolling that idea around in his head. He had so many questions, much more than one, and the way he saw it he was more like to get answers if he continued on like this. "What if ya answer my question, but I keep chasin' ya down anyways?"
Gabriel "Reaper" Reyes: He smirked behind his mask. "Do you want to take that chance?" Though he hadn't been very threatening up to this point-- and he'd honestly be a tad disappointed if the bounty hunter gave up on chasing him down-- Reaper hoped this would be enough to deter Jesse. The truth was that he didn't know what he would do if Jesse continued chasing him.
Jesse McCree: "I've always been a gambler," He grinned proudly, "And I'd say my chances are lookin' pretty good here." Not only had he been keen on testing his luck his entire life, but he had been stubborn too, clearly that trait had stuck.
Gabriel "Reaper" Reyes: "Then take your chance. I'm only promising an honest answer once." That grin was just too much, but Reaper found himself mirroring it behind his mask. If only this problem's solution was as simple as going back to the way everything was before.
Jesse McCree: "I don't need an honest answer. Don't think I've ever given one in my life, who am I to expect one back?" This is what he missed more than anything. He wouldn't give it up for one stupid answer that would do him no good anyways.
Gabriel "Reaper" Reyes: "You really are an idiot." There was a certain fondness in his voice that had been absent until now, and he shook his head. "Fine. Keep chasing me down. It won't do you much good if you run into someone on my team besides me." Widowmaker would take Jesse's life without hesitation. Sombra would likely make an attempt to squeeze information or assets out of him, and Reaper honestly wasn't sure what would happen if Jesse and O'Deorain were to meet again. He didn't want to consider the damage that Doomfist would cause. "So, are you going to leave me with a bullet as a parting gift, or should I just leave empty-handed?"
Jesse McCree: "Not yet. I'm waitin' for the right time to take your soul for my self." He mocked the man's line from earlier. "If they end up killin' me, oh well. That's on your conscience, not mine." He buttoned his holster as a sign of peace, if it wasn't buttoned he might as well have been holding the gun, there's something to be said about his quick draw.
Gabriel "Reaper" Reyes: "Still trying to follow in my footsteps after all," he teased. "Should I make you a costume to match mine, too?" This wasn't doing anything to help him, and he knew he should have left long ago, but he just couldn't. This felt so nostalgic and /nice/ that he found his feet planted firmly to the ground for the first time in a long time. On any other occasion coming face-to-face with Jesse, he wouldn't waste any time keeping himself solid.
Jesse McCree: He wasn't really sure where this conversation was headed. Reaper seemed so against giving him a single shred of information, and now they were laughing like they used to. Chasing the man down really was worth it. "I don't think I could pull off the look as well as you can. My looks already pretty much a costume anyways."
Gabriel "Reaper" Reyes: Just as he opened his mouth to continue teasing Jesse about his apparel, a voice interrupted him from his earpiece. "Reaper, report," commanded Doomfist's firm voice. Reaper placed one hand against his ear and turned away from Jesse to report his location and his status. After that, he was ordered to return to base. It was safe to say that his and Jesse's illusion of peace, of everything being alright, was ruined, and when he turned back to the gunslinger, he sighed. "Looks like you'll have to track me down again. Don't know how the hell you keep doing it, but you're doing a better job than anyone else."
Jesse McCree: "Probably cause I know ya better than anyone else." His proud smile had lost some of it's light with the realization that Reaper was slipping from his grasp /again/. "By the way, tell your hacker I said hello and Merry Christmas since odds are wo won't run into each other again this year."
Gabriel "Reaper" Reyes: "So you knew who she was." It was more of an amused statement than anything else, and he snorted. "I'll deliver the message." She had relayed to him that Jesse spent last year's Christmas drunk and alone, and from then on Reaper decided not to make any extra effort to check on Jesse. It made things too difficult when he was trying to leave everything from before alive. "See you around, kid." He brought one hand up to casually flick Jesse's hat right off of his head just so he could ruffle the gunslinger's hair exactly how he used to. Then, not a moment later, he dissolved into smoke and swept himself away in the wind. Maybe there really was more Gabriel left in him than he let on.
Jesse McCree: The flick of the hat, the tussle of the hair, it was too much. The second Reaper was gone all of Jesse's carefully built confidence faltered and his shoulders hunched. It was like losing Gabriel a second time. At least he was left with a little more hope this time. He picked up his hat and continued on. He'd catch a train and head nowhere.
Gabriel "Reaper" Reyes: (( this was a really nice rp thank you for this ;u; ))
Jesse McCree: I agree it was great! see you round b//
Gabriel "Reaper" Reyes: see you! ))
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