Disgraced Survivor

It was nice to not dream for once. Dreams meant that he would have to remember the painful betrayals and lost potential that constantly plagued his very existence. But that was something for another moment as he sat in the bed given to him and stared blankly at the wall for what felt like hours. The lack of thoughts or even a reaction to his current circumstances bothered him slightly. It didn’t feel like depression, but it also didn’t feel like he was void of emotion. He just felt... there. As if nothing mattered and he were just carrying on for the sake of carrying on. Where was his conviction to do what was needed to right the wrongs done unto him? What happened to the ends justifying the means? Was this the limit of his will? Breaking after barely doing a bad job? Where were these feelings when he was performing the job? Why was it that now that he had down time, he all of a sudden feeling of remorse due to his actions. Was it because he was going against his oath of preventing harm, or was it because he knew that he was only doing this because he had been metaphorically burned.

Sighing, he’d hear a knock at the door causing his whole train of thought to cease before rising to his feet. A slight sway and a stumble of feet, lead the drowsy young man to the door upon which he opened it to find a Nun staring him in the face. “Good morning Young Sir”, the Nun greeted, “There are a group of gentlemen waiting for you at the front gate”. Nodding, the young man turned to go put on his clothing but stopped as the Nun addressed him again, “Also this had just arrived in the mail”. Turning back to the woman, he’d accept the letter before going back to slipping on his clothing. Buttoning up his shirt, he’d read over the summon, surprised that Ianthe had wanted to meet with him again after the mission. Of course he was certain she wanted to discuss the ethics of what they had done, but truthfully he didn’t have half the mind to deal with all of her inquiries.

Stepping out into the lobby, he met with the young men of Mattoro and frowned. Listening to their request, he tugged on his jacket before sighing and shaking his head. “Yeah sure”, he replied simply to the men before looking back down at the letter. “But I have to grab someone else before we get started”. With that, he’d lead the way to Ianthe’s current location, following the directions given to him on the letter so that he could collect her and discuss on the way, the reasoning behind their current method of gathering funds.It had taken only ten minutes to get there from the church. Thankfully Baska was a rather small town and allowed for quick traversal. Sadly that meant that everyone knew everyone so he was certain he’d have to leave for awhile after performing this next job. He was already catching a bit of heat for the last job they pulled. Walking into the pub, he'd spot her sitting off by the window enjoying a milkshake. Forgoing an order himself, he'd take a seat at the booth, leaving the men to shuffle about before smiling and greeting her with a simple yet succinct, "Hey".

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Disgraced Survivor

Hearing the pleasant tone of her voice as she responded lifted a few pounds off the young man’s shoulder. Of course he was certain that she still wished to talk with him, but at least they wouldn’t be getting into a shouting match in the middle of the pub, that would just be ridiculous. Picking up a menu, he’d take a cursory glance through it before waving down a waiter, “Oh you know. Taking it one day at a time”. He’d respond back in her mother tongue as that was what she clearly preferred to use at the moment. He would let her take the lead in the conversation, preparing himself to answer any and all questions she had about the job they took, while also preparing himself to ask for her assistance in yet another job. Of course he could do it himself, but he’d rather have her there with him if only to make it all go by easier.

The waiter arrived soon after, taking down his simple order of a BLT with a glass of ice water. He wasn’t that hungry to begin with but a simple meal would do for now. Now he only hoped that they young woman wouldn’t dig too deep in her inquiry. Dredging up bad memories was never his ideal conversation piece.

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Disgraced Survivor

He’d listen to her concerns as he waited for his food to be made, the conversation going the direction he was certain it was going to go, the young woman clearly distressed at having to perform tasks that by law would be considered illegal. Truthfully he felt bad for bringing her along for these tasks, but he also knew that things such as laws were... subjective at best. It all depended on who wrote them and who enforced them. One day jay walking could be against the law, and the next, he could be receiving an award for pioneering the creation of new cross walks by identifying certain locations that would be ideal for crossing the street. It was weird and stupid like that honestly, but how could he explain that to her. How could he tell her that it was fine, when he himself seemed so confused.

Sighing to himself, he’d swirl about his glass of water that had just arrived, deep into thoughts that were now surfacing after being absent all day. He knew he’d have to come up with something sufficient for his actions, but truthfully what could be considered valid enough to make up for what they had done. Shaking his head, he’d look up at her with a bit of a dull stare and soft smile. The melancholy could be felt wafting off his body but it wasn’t enough to depress anyone looking at him, more than anything it was enough to share the feeling that he had done enough in his life that something like this was actually meaningless. Opening his mouth, he’d give a simple reply that betrayed all of the complex thoughts that had just passed through his head, “Because why not?” Taking a sip, he’d pause and then continue, “Jobs are jobs. I’m guessing you’re new to this but let me put it this way. Laws are meaningless. Any job you perform for someone can be considered bad or evil or against the law for someone else. For example. The other day I was tasked with purchasing high quality materials for a merchant. Now all materials have a set purchase price. Nothing more. Nothing less. This is the law. Yet I was tasked with haggling for a price that would fit the amount that the tailor had given me. And this was considered a good task. It was for the benefit of the tailor, yet the merchant had been cheated out of an actual sale if we were to go by what the law states. So it’s all about perspective truly. I get it, noble actions and what not, or maybe you’re just repaying a kindness. But dwelling on the work you do, or the actions you perform and hoping that you’re in the morally right spectrum will only haunt you for the rest of your days. I’m not saying go out into the world and rob and cheat everyone, but realize that everything you do is actually morally gray because everyone loses something. There’s never a net positive for everyone. Just doesn’t happen. In any case, it seems I have another job lined up,
You're free to come along if you want”.

He’d finish his monologue by taking another sip and accepting the sandwich that had just arrived as he finished before looking out the window and beginning to consume the sandwich quietly. Leaving the young woman to her thoughts while contemplating what task the foreman would have him perform this time.

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Disgraced Survivor

Satisfied with her answer, he’d finish up his sandwich and pay for the meal leaving the half sipped glass of water on the table before rising up and leading the way out of the pub. It would only take them a few minutes to reach the outskirts of town so that they could meet with Mattoro and get the whole ordeal over with. The man was extremely roundabout in his methods of dealing with the contractors this time however, asking that the two of them use their skills to stalk and confirm the identity of the three contractors involved in putting him and his men out of work. Looking over at Ianthe, he’d gesture in the man’s direction in a way of saying ‘see what I mean’ without actually speaking it aloud. In a world like theirs, power was king, those who had it used it to get more, and those who didn’t had to struggle and claw their way into gaining it, if only to make the playing field just the tiniest bit equal.

Accepting the task, he’d walk out the building and sit with Ianthe to plan out their way of gathering the information, figuring that just asking around town and finding out the meeting location of the men would be the easiest way to accomplish the mission, he’d tell her to check the westside while he checked the east. Between the two of them, they should be able to find out where the men were going to be meeting and get all relevant information about them from there. That would allow them to bring back the details Mattoro would need without hurting anyone in the process. Leaving her to her devices, he would start out by checking the eastside, making his way through town gathering all the relevant information he could before meeting up with Ianthe later that day.

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Disgraced Survivor

He sat there using the device provided to him to recreate the image of the last man, Frankan, to the best of his memories. It didn’t take too long to do so, barely over half an hour really but by time he was finished was definitely ready to leave and go sleep off the day. His patience had worn to the limit when Ianthe strolled through the door to bring in the details of the other two men, proving that he didn’t have to worry about their whereabouts after all. He knew the meeting location as well and disclosed it to Mattoro, uncaring of what the man did with the information.

Patting down his pants, he stood up with vigor before giving a jerking wave to the bald man and his cohorts. Looking to Ianthe, he gave her a smile and a head nod, acknowledging that they still had much to discuss about their current actions, but he also knew that she didn’t feel nearly as bad about the work she did because no one was harmed in the crossfire. Digging his hands in his pockets, he’d step out the door of the establishment before turning back towards town, already mentally preparing for the trip ahead of him. It was time for the world to know he was back.

[Exit]

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