Gunter is enjoying the Joyan cuisine of sushi and rice beers with Kratos in the Bushido Bar, and even more so enjoying the fine looking waitresses that walk by. Gunter starts chatting it up with Kratos the best that he can. It's a one-sided conversation, really. Gunter just talks and Kratos mostly drinks and grunts, and occasionally smacks the ass of a waitress that walks by. They were talking about their most recent fight with John, Gunter giving props to Kratos for quick thinking, and Kratos looking as smug as always. Gunter lights a cigarette and thinks back to where his adventures started: originally getting his ass kicked by vampires and werewolves, telling Kratos about that one time where Gunter forced a mother werewolf to slaughter her baby and see her lament its demise. Kratos gives him props and two thumbs up.

Gunter also thinks back to the only encounter he ever had with a guild member, being Tomoe. But rather than specifically Tomoe, the most recent job they were on. It still bugged him, the situation of Weirdlock withholding the information on the note to the guards. It troubles him a little bit, but honestly, so long as he gets paid it's not his business.

Normally Tomoe wouldn't know where all of his guild mates were, but after having sent out his Winged Lemur to monitor Gunter, Tomoe knew generally where the man was when something came up. While nothing in particular had come up lately that he had heard of, Tomoe still wanted to see what the bastard was doing. The lemur had followed the pale prick all the way to the Bushido Bar, which was a decently successful pub in the Cabaret Crescent. Boy, did this guy ever enjoy getting shitfaced and not much else. Sometimes it truly was like looking in a mirror.

A broken, cracked, existential mirror., Tomoe thought as he pushed his hand forward to open the doors to enter the Joyan-themed bar that he would find his snake of a guild mate at.

Once again, Hosenka's attention to detail for Joyan culture gave Tomoe the creeps. It was eerie, to feel so close to home. Most of the time when he was in a Joyan bar, it was for the purpose of poisoning drinks or allowing someone else to do the poisoning and then dragging the body into some slum alley to hack the target to pieces. Nobody would ever look twice when that happened, so he was of course hoping that things would be better in a place like Fiore. People came here to live the fantasy of Joya, after all, not the reality of it.

The smell of Joyan cuisine put a bit of a damper on the man. His memories of Joya were more negative than positive, so inhaling the aromas of things so closely linked to his homeland made him uncomfortable. Eventually, he pushed that aside for a moment when he saw Gunter and that fucking mole-man. Sweet Illumin above, what a hideous creature. And it stunk like a homeless man who'd pissed himself.

Reaching the table of the two, Tomoe leaned against it, looking back and forth between Gunter and the Dardian. "Mind if I take a seat?", Tomoe spoke with his eyes eventually fixating on Gunter with the same cold stare from their last job together.

Gunter looks at Tomoe who just kind of showed up, and said "No I don't mind, boss. Take a seat, I'll order you a beer." He snaps his fingers twice, getting the attention of one of the waitresses. "One of your finest whiskeys, please." The Dardian looks at Tomoe and slides him a small plate of some sushi, and gives a gesture, as best as a Dardian can, to 'eat up'. By grunting. Gunter looks at Tomoe and asks his guild master why he's here. "We got another job coming up? Is that it? You need my expertise in reaching in high places? Perhaps my visual expertise?"

Gunter chugs the rest of his rice beer, slams it down on the table, and immediately lights a cigarette. He then next says to Tomoe "And other than that, how's your night going so far?" The waitress then comes over with a bottle of whiskey, places it down on the table, takes any empties from Gunter and Kratos the Dardian, and shortly comes back with refills. She also refills the amount of food on the table because boy can that Dardian eat. Gunter quickly looks around the room so nobody's in immediate earshot, and then informs him that he's gotten into a fight lately. "Not any normal guy either, he was pretty buff. Muscular. Carried around a big 'fuck you' stick." Gunter described the man while also questioning if Tomoe knew anybody by the description.

Kratos then grunts at Gunter twice, and then walks out of the bar.

Tomoe took a seat and grabbed the whiskey he was offered. It'd be rude to turn down a gift after all, even if it was from somebody so condescending. Thankfully, even among Joyan cuisine, one could always count upon a good old fashioned whiskey to sate his thirst. It was a shame that his conversation partner was so off-putting in comparison to the drink.

"There's no job comin' up, not until Weirdlock tells us about any leads. That bein' said, I need to ask you something.", Tomoe's tone grows more serious as he puts his half-consumed whiskey mug down on the table.

The Joyan points at Gunter's face, or more specifically, his forehead. His glare was sharp and accusatory, but was still mixed with curiosity; and while he wouldn't consider himself to be the kind of person who pursues knowledge of any kind, he was definitely still a curious fellow. In particular, Tomoe was curious when it concerned a former comrade.

"That eye you had. It belonged to a former ally of mine. I would have you tell me where ya got it from. Straight from the source? Did ya pluck it from him? Eh?"

At that point, the crimson cutthroat sat up in his chair and leaned in closer to look the potential eye thief in his normal eyes, searching for any answers that Gunter's mouth might not share. For the moment, the talk of the buff guy he got into a bar fight with didn't really matter; not while the question of the eye still lingered. If the answer wasn't to Tomoe's liking, he was prepared to lunge forth and pry the eye out himself in that very moment. Awaiting the answer, the Joyan had tunnel vision to the point that at the moment, he didn't care what the Dardian was up to.

Gunter looks at Tomoe and says "Shit, that sucks. I was hoping to get more money. I was looking to get a nice new pair of shoes." After the little joke, Gunter now re-evaluates the current atmosphere in the bar as opposed to Tomoe who was now sitting up and leaning forward close to Gunter as if he wanted to make out with him. Gunter looks at Tomoe and says "I got nothing to do with your buddy. I was walking around the Crimson Quarter a few nights back, and when I woke up, it was just... there. To be honest, I really don't know what it is but it seems to have its uses, so I'll make use of it. That may not be the answer you want, but that's the only answer I've got for you. I'm here to drink, not make out with my guild master, so can we get back to doing that?"

Gunter leans back in the chair and slams back the entire rice beer, just shotgunning it right then and there. He slams it down on the table and looks at the nearest waitress and says "Hey missy. Gimme a red wine." Gunter ashes out his cigarette against an empty can and throws the butt inside. He left it on the edge of the table for the next waitress to come by and take it away. Gunter then looks back at Tomoe and says "Honestly, why don't you just ask any fucking questions you got for me? Get all this shit out of the way. Call this my 'second unofficial interview' of Penumbral Guard. If I got any questions for you, I'll ask them as well."

The Dardian walks back in from outside of the bar. There is noticeable blood on his hands, primarily around the knuckles. Gunter looks at the Dardian and says "What the hell happened to you?" The Dardian simply looks at Gunter and then Tomoe, and gives a relaxed shrug. Kratos watches the various waitresses walk by, and simply waits for one to walk close enough within arm's reach so that it can grab the nearest drink. It sits there, watching Tomoe and Gunter, drinking whatever it grabbed. Kratos tosses the drink, and then tosses the glass bottle over its shoulder into the distance, shattering somewhere behind him.

The answer Tomoe was receiving... well, to be honest, he wasn't entirely sold. At the same time, he couldn't tell if it was complete bullshit either. It was in an odd middle ground, which due to Tomoe's origins as a criminal in Joya, meant that this was the most rare of occasions. Normally it was obvious whether or not someone was lying - that made Gunter an oddball, for better or worse. No, no, definitely for worse. The man had commit to atrocity after atrocity the last few days, and Tomoe was getting fed up. It was fine if he had messed up or something, but this man was consistent and filled with intent every time. He'd try to hold his temper in, but it was getting to a boiling point.

"I knew him, y'know. We weren't particularly close, but towards the end, that eye... well, I can't help but assume it did something to him. At least in part. So if you have it now, there's a whole bunch of shit that could mean. None of it good.", Tomoe said, drinking more whiskey and sitting backwards in his chair.

From there, his stress relaxed temporarily. That was, of course, until the fucking mole-man waltzed back inside like it was nothing, with blood all over his goddamn hands. The thing's relaxed nature served only to piss Tomoe off even more. The crimson cutthroat would stand up from his chair, and with embers giving way to bonfires in his eyes, gave Kratos a look that could kill. Tomoe looked to the exit door that the Dardian had entered from, and then back at Gunter and the table.

Seeing the pale prick not so much as sit up or look concerned, Tomoe let off an aura of magic for a brief moment. For less than a second, in about the time it would take a person to blink, flame-like markings appeared across his entire body as his eyes truly began to develop flames around them. The markings then shattered as if breaking shackles, and Tomoe's fist came down with an immense and magically-enhanced force empowering it to crumble the table Gunter was sitting at into six pieces that scattered across the nearby area, alongside everything that was on it. In that single instant, the traces of magical power had appeared and then disappeared.

Without looking at Gunter or the Dardian, Tomoe moved towards the counter of the bar where the understandably concerned patrons eyed him up and down. "Sorry for the mess, I'll be out of your hair soon enough.", Tomoe spoke plainly and calmly, handing the bartender Jewels to cover the repair fee, plus extra to cover the inconvenience.

Tomoe then walked towards the exit that the Dardian had come from, and went outside to observe the surrounding area and see if anything had happened to cause the bloodstains on the knuckles of Gunter's mole-like freakazoid.

---

Abilities Used:

"Holy shit, you don't need to have a bitch-fit, man." Gunter stands up, and brushes the splinters and dust off his coat. "I expected that out of the Dardian, not you." The Dardian sits there, unfazed on the ground, uncaring. The Dardian looks at Gunter, waves, and grunts three times, then digs. Gunter knows what three grunts means. It means that he's going to go to bed, and that they'd see each other back at the inn. Gunter, clearly knowing that Tomoe's slightly pissed at his friend Kratos, and Kratos simply leaving him to deal with his mess, follows Tomoe outside to see what the blood was from. Less so out of concern for civilians, and more so out of curiosity. Outside, he finds Tomoe looking at an unconscious drunk with a big black eye half the size of his face. Gunter looks at one of the patrons outside and questions him.

"Oh, this fuckin' disgusting looking creature came out and started taking a piss. Buddy there said he was pissing on his home because he's the local bum, and threw an empty glass bottle at the weird monster. It then spun around and stretched him the fuck out."

Gunter jokingly says "Well that doesn't sound like Kratos, normally he goes for the kill." He said this close enough for Tomoe to hear. Regardless of Tomoe's actions, Gunter continues with "Just kidding." Gunter, trying to get the conversation back on track in this moment, looks to Tomoe and says "Who don't you explain your friend a little bit better to me, and I'll tell you if me and him have any similarities. To be honest, I don't know what this eye is. I've figured out how it works, but I'm curious about why it started growing in my forehead one day. It's kind of concerning."

During Tomoe's response, Gunter signals for him to follow, walks inside, pays for a big bottle of rum, and looks at Tomoe and says "Let's go for a walk and drink."

The safety of people was something important to Tomoe. He didn't acknowledge this himself, as he'd always brush it off as being in it for the money or the love and adoration of the ladies. Regardless, he would always find himself at his most furious when the innocent were hurt for little or no reason. He didn't know what that meant, as in all honesty he wasn't worth being considered a hero or somebody who should stand up for the weak - that job was better left to those with the past, present and future to most adequately see that task done. Tomoe Tanaka wasn't a hero, or at least he didn't think he was. That being said, he would show rage for those that couldn't. There were no regrets or doubts in his actions, and while Aegis would handle the situation more diplomatically, that simply wasn't his style. The Dardian was a simpleton and a hole-digging cocksucker. There was nothing else to be said on the thing. It would see its ass handed to it another day.

As Tomoe looked upon the beaten and bloodied man, he turned to Gunter. The night was young, after all, and Gunter's offer to walk and have drinks was of an acceptable quality. He went and bought an entire bottle of rum, after all. If nothing else, he'd drain the bottle dry and call it a night after that.

"Yeah, we'll walk and talk. But as we're walking...", Tomoe cut himself off and moved to pick up the unconscious bum, slinging him over his shoulder in a fireman carry with deceptive ease given his height and muscle mass.

"We'll drop this guy off somewhere he can rest, too."

At that, Tomoe nodded with his head towards Gunter and then began nudging himself down the street as if to wordlessly say 'I know a place' to him. There were many answers, and as they walked, they would eventually find themselves at a large bridge overlooking a river running below. The current was calm but still carried decently, and its tranquil noises soothed the crimson cutthroat. He laid the man down on the bridge and sighed.

"Let's take a break here, yeah?", Tomoe stated as a command more than a question, taking the rum bottle from him for a swig.

"Vali was a man of many words, and just as many stories. A viking from Iceberg, and who had dreams of bringing his people here to live in Fiore. Together we were in Fairy Tail, and through some work and some talks, we got the guild operating at a decent level. For a while, anyway. Well, until...", Tomoe cut himself off, looking solemnly down towards the water below them as he imagined the events in Astera.

As they walk, Gunter pipes up in response to the various statements and descriptions of this friend of Tomoe's. He says "The only similarities between us is that we'd both be Icebergan, and that we both care for our people. If there's anything else you can tell me about Vali, that would help." Gunter also says "I don't suppose this Vali was nobility? The way you said 'his' people, it made it sound that way."

At this point, Gunter's just listening to responses. As he does, he grabs the bottle from Tomoe and takes a long swig, passes it back, pulls out a cigarette from his pack; he only has three left. He needs to get more smokes. He brings the cigarette to his lips, and with a match, he lights it. He inhales deeply, letting the smoke fill his lungs, and exhales into the night sky to the point where you would think if he had any more smoke in his lungs, he would be a dragon. Or at the very least, a Dragon Slayer.

Even if Tomoe doesn't respond towards the status of Vali's nobility, Gunter pipes up and says "I'm the surviving member of a noble house, so that's why I was curious." He takes another puff of his cigarette as he thinks back to the slaughter of his family, and then looks at Tomoe and says with a smile "But hey, who's dwelling in the past? Shit happens." With that, he grabs the bottle from Tomoe and takes a sip.

They were both Icebergan, and both cared for their people. Gunter, caring about people? That was a cruel joke. From what he'd seen of the man there wasn't a sympathetic bone in his body, if bones were truly what lay beneath his flesh and blood and not some strange, alien, acidic residue. A true creature, more so than even the Dardian. To sway Tomoe from this train of thought would be a difficult task, at this point.

"Vali was a noble, I think. Or somethin' like that. He was being called the Viking King, last I saw him. I didn't pry much. Not the kind to pry. It ain't often that I work alongside the same people long enough for the knowledge I get from them to matter, y'know? None of it matters, really. Not a damn thing."

Tomoe was only half in the current situation, to be blunt. The other half of him was reliving Astera and the horror he witnessed there. The death, the rebuilding, his failure to save so many as they trampled over others to save themselves... but more than all of that, the people he had left behind. The things he couldn't say or do. He'd let his friends and allies in Fairy Tail down. Or, well... could he even be worthy of ever having called those people his 'friends'? Vali, Aisha, Shin... they were all abandoned in the end by him, leaving Fairy Tail to its own devices without him there. If the guild had failed since his leaving it was in part his failing, and if it was succeeding now it was because he left. There was no good ending for the man known as Tomoe Tanaka.

Being brought back to reality by the putrid scent of cigarette smoke, he exhaled a breath and took the bottle, downing a long swig once the bottle of rum had been returned to his hand.

"Really, truly, not a single bit of it matters. Nothin', except for Aegis' dream: a place where everybody can be happy. A place without suffering. Somewhere that's accepting of all from all walks of life, and purges villainy and evil intent. It's a world free of despair that we in Penumbral Guard strive for. From the shadows, we serve Gaia and its people. Aegis told me that once."

As Tomoe finished his speech, and without missing a beat, he picked up the unconscious bum after handing Gunter the bottle of rum once again. He looked down at the cold river below, and with nobody nearby other than the two men and the unconscious bum, the crimson cutthroat set his eyes on Gunter once again, facing him properly this time with the bum still over his shoulder.

"The last I saw of Vali, he was consumed by such hatred and rage by the time I parted ways with him. It was unlike anything I'd seen of him before. During the long period after I'd left Fairy Tail and him behind, and then to see him that way... well, there's something in between there. A blank period."

Tomoe's grip held firm around the man over his shoulder. Perhaps a bit too firm, clamping tightly onto the man's torso.

"I was there in Astera, when the demonic incursion began. I failed in what I set out to do. I was too weak to fight back those that had come forth from another realm. The screams of the hundreds of civilians that died because I fled still haunt me to this day. To my very soul. I'd given up on life, after that. And after giving up? Well... well, Gunter, I died."

Looking at the water below them as Tomoe looked over the bridge's railing, he knew what would come next. It needed to come next, because while he couldn't erase the bum's memories of what Gunter's Dardian had done, he could do the next best thing.

"I died very similarly to this man here. I fell off a high place. I fell off a high place, into some water, and died from a combination of falling onto rocks and drowning, Gunter. That's the fate that me and this man shared."

With that, and without skipping a beat, Tomoe smashed the side of the unconscious man's head with his fist at full force, caving it in somewhat, and then throwing him over the bridge as he took a long fall into the inky black abyss below. After a final splash as the bum hit water, it was done.

"Penumbral Guard's reputation will not be damaged by your actions. Bound by my own resolve, I fight for Aegis' dream. Unbeknownst to him, I'll act as his blade in the dark while he's the shield in daylight. Witnesses to acts of evil or violent intent by Penumbral Guard members will be eradicated by me, no matter who they are."

Tomoe paused briefly and pointed towards Gunter, across from him with command yet not aggression. He continued as if he was simply stating things as if they were facts of life.

"You're a witness now, too, Gunter. And should you go against Aegis' dream, it would be as easy to have you take a fall as that man there. I am a necessary evil to uphold the greater good, and I won't tolerate Penumbral Guard's reputation being dirtied by something as insignificant yet long-lasting as a master who can't keep his fucking dog on a leash."

Tomoe's demeanor had changed as he talked, temporarily exorcising the country drawl of a Joyan of simpler origins and taking up the more refined dialogue of the scholar he had been while serving under the Midnight Cult. Not that that was common knowledge, of course, nor would he reveal such. Regardless, Tomoe was completely serious. His expression wasn't one of anger, rage, happiness... or any emotion a human would express. His sunset eyes shimmered in the moonlight above as he stared down at his fellow drinking partner across from him on that ever so wide bridge.

Gunter looks at Tomoe. For the first time ever, there is no cheeky smile. There is no disinterest. In this moment, Gunter shows a bit of interest in Tomoe and a slight understanding. Gunter puts his hand on Tomoe's right shoulder and says "Look, I get it. You made a home with your friend. The people that you care about are either dead or in that guild. More than anything, you want your buddy, the only light keeping you from falling into that abyss, to keep his dream alive." Gunter removes his hand from Tomoe's shoulder and grabs the bottle. He takes a long drink and then puts it down on the ground. He looks at Tomoe and says "Just like you, I've lost everything. But unlike you, I don't have any light and I'm content with that. I don't need someone to hold a torch for me and help me out of that abyss. Personally, I'd rather stay in the abyss. Because then I know what's crawling out of it. If you want to cut me down in defense of Aegis' dream, that's your call. To be honest, man, this is not the guild for me. I'm here because I've got nowhere else to go. I do things my way because it works for me; if you've got a better idea, I'm more than willing to listen."

Gunter's demeanor of interest and understanding changes slightly, to a more relaxed and sinister nature. He walks back and forth on the bridge, in front of Tomoe, thinking about what he really wants to do and really wants to say to his guild master. He makes no point in hiding this. There's clearly something on his mind, and clearly he wants to spit it out. Being that Gunter isn't much of a liar, eventually he does. He looks at Tomoe and says "Listen. I understand we got off on a bad foot. I understand that my actions are not what you want in Aegis' dream. I only recently came to these lands of Fiore. I originally lived in Bosco, and I came from a family of nobility. I had many friends who I considered family, not to mention those of my bloodline. They're all gone. Everyone. So I understand your drive to keep your friends and their goals alive. But I don't have that, so the only reason and the only thing driving me in these lands, why I chose Penumbral Guard, is because you were the first guild I came across. It was pure luck - misfortune, for you. The only thing keeping me in these lands is the fact that I want to understand and break down everything that the dark has to hide; whether that be demons, lycanthropy, the leeches you call vampires, or gods of a darker nature. It does not matter. If the dark has something to hide I'm here to find it, understand it, and use it. If that path takes me to darkness, setting up a guild that is less so in the light than this one, that's the path I'll take. The constant manipulation of nobility needs to go. The monsters that hide in the dark need to go. I am willing to stoop down to their level to become a monster that wipes them out. Which is why I use the methods of a monster. If you thought that this tactic, killing some poor defenseless man, and your clear intent to kill through your posture scares me, it doesn't. I saw that face long ago when I lost it all."

Gunter picks up the bottle and drinks long, again. He then lights a smoke and inhales deeply. He looks up at the sky. The void up above with little shimmers of light. Gunter removes his helmet, undoes the straps on his armor, and lets it all drop. He removes his earrings, then his necklace. He drops his axe to the ground. Other bits of equipment smaller, he removes as well. Then, he stands there in front of Tomoe. "This is who I am, and this is who I will always be. These are my goals, and this is the path I'll walk. I'll say it one more time: if you have an issue with me, then you'll cut me down right now. And if not? Then we either get to business or you kick me out of the guild. If you want to keep a close eye on me that's fine, but from this part onward, we cut out the bad blood and go from here."

Gunter gets down on his knees to about neck height of Tomoe's sword. He thinks back to the slaughter of his family. The childhood friends, helpers at the estate, his mother, his father. He thinks back to the women that he's had crushes on, and the women that he's had relationships with. He thinks back to the dog he had that died long ago. As he does so, he looks up at the night sky. So dark. It looks so twisted, like it could hold such cosmic horrors that are unknown, and simply smiles. He watches the stars flicker, dancing. Angels battling a great abyss. He puts his arms out in a way that looks like he is both worshiping and embracing whatever happens next. Accepting it, even.  As he stares up at the unknown, for a moment he sees faint glimpses of the starry sky itself twist and contort.

Perhaps this is simply death coming for him, perhaps a vision in a moment of potential death; but he swears that in that brief moment, all the lights faded. The gaping abyss that was the night sky twisted, contorted, to create one massive eye with an open maw, millions of teeth. Tendrals constantly twitching and moving, and coming for their next meal. Just as quick as it came, it was gone. He closes his eyes and smiles. It wasn't a sinister smile, or an understanding smile, but a smile that showed the emotion of acceptance.In that moment he could smell the stench of death, and a wet feeling as if he was drowning, almost, and being crushed under the weight of an ocean. He could hear whispers in a language that was unknown to him. Calling to him. He could hear every noise around him. Tomoe's breathing, the bustling city, and for a moment it all stopped. He started hearing a rumbling, as if the earth itself was opening up to swallow him. He opened his Eye of Kaom, and in that brief moment of doing so, perhaps it was simply due to the feeling and the acceptance of whatever comes next. But it looks directly at Tomoe, and perhaps it was simply the untold potential that was inside of Gunter. Perhaps it was due to the potential that he could die this instant. But it looks at Tomoe, trying its best to give off a feeling of absolute, unadulterated, dread.

Tomoe stood and allowed Gunter to say his piece. The man wasn't of sound mind, clearly, and that was definitely due to the way his life had gone up until now. Nobody was born evil, but people could certainly get an earlier start than others. Gunter knew about his own darkness, but embraced it. He didn't reject it, he was thankful for its existence. He wished to sink even further into it, doing lord knows what kind of depraved acts to anybody who would be vulnerable to them. It wasn't the mentality of a hero, and it wasn't the kind of thing he did because he was angry at the world - rather, it was his way of life. Tomoe also didn't consider himself a hero, or an idealist; but even so, he knew that there was a limit to one's ability to deny heroism. He didn't desire the love and adoration given to heroes, but he did understand how necessary they were for Earthland's survival. Gunter also spoke of other things like former nobility and life in Bosco. He was a foreigner from a distant land, but what did that really matter now? Perhaps the man had a point in that regard.

Tomoe took a step forward towards the man who did not fear death. With a quick grip of Musashi's blade, the Joyan knew it would not be drawn for someone like Gunter. That being said, that wouldn't stop him from bludgeoning the man into paste on the bridge's cobblestone path by using the sword while still sheathed as he had with unworthy obstacles in the past. As Gunter accepted his execution, Tomoe standing at the ready, the ronin was prepared in that moment to bring his weapon down on the man, giving him the kind of death a samurai in Joya would receive after betraying their honor. Well, minus the bludgeoning part anyway, it was a lot more clean when done traditionally.

Just before he could do so, as the man had seen his peace and closed his eyes, Tomoe's strike stopped just above the man's head. The third eye on Gunter's forehead had opened, staring directly towards Tomoe. It unnerved him, to know that even with both of his eyes closed, Gunter could still bear witness to the things around him. The swordsman lifted his blade away slightly, not out of fear but curiosity. Ever since vowing to hunt the creatures of the night, Tomoe had stopped feeling fear as strongly from many things. If a powerful Lich or a cunning Daemon couldn't strike fear into his heart, an eye wouldn't either. He stared at it, without giving away his own resolve.

"Could it be a sign of something more? Maybe something... better? Perhaps Aegis' path isn't the only one you could follow, hm~?", the womanly voice whispered in Tomoe's ear, carrying faintly as if it were a whistling wind - a wind that only he could hear.

Did he dare look back? No. Tomoe knew his place, and he wasn't worthy of gazing upon HER. He continued to stare at the eye while it stared at him. If Gunter were to use his eye to see his surroundings, even to the fullest ability, he would see nothing. He would hear nothing. To anyone other than Tomoe, there was well and truly nobody there. Tomoe, knowing that he couldn't make it obvious while in front of someone, softened his gaze and fastened the sword he held once more onto his back. Acting as if it were his own decision rather than HER will, he finally spoke once more after a sigh to relieve the tension that hung in the silence.

"Get up. You ain't dying today. Not yet. Not until I judge ya to be more trouble than you're worth. Limit how much you and your Dardian cause shit that could hurt our reputation."

Tomoe paused briefly, putting a finger to his chin in thought. He was back to his old self, and cracked a smirk. If he couldn't kill the man just yet, didn't necessarily want him out of the guild just yet, but also couldn't stop him from being how he is... he'd simply need to bring out the man's creative side. The ends justified the means, after all, and the end result was that Penumbral Guard's reputation not suffer, right? So did it really matter how the guild kept that reputation in the positive?

"Or, if people see you causin' shit and word gets out that hurts our reputation, just make sure word doesn't get out. I'll leave it up to you how that happens, and I take no responsibility.", Tomoe finished his suggestion, peeking a quick glance towards the water under the bridge should Gunter have opened his eyes once again to see the non-verbal gesture he was giving.

Leaning against the railing on the bridge, Tomoe would await the man's response to see if they were closer to being on the same page about things. They wouldn't be able to see perfectly eye to eye, and it was only applying a bandage to the wound that the situation was rather than healing it, but if they could agree on that then there would likely be less problems in the future.

Gunter stands up after opening his eyes. Immediately he starts equipping his gear. Doing up the buckles on his armor. Hooking up his weapon and putting it in the sheath. And putting on his helmet. He'd put on his earrings and a necklace around his neck. Puts on everything that he dropped. The eye on his forehead closes and he looks Tomoe dead in the eyes. He says "Very well, I'll keep my Dardian in check. I'll make sure to leave no witnesses, even if that means the absolute annihilation of an entire city. From this point onward, there is no more bad blood. But I do have a question for you. If I wanted to go hunting for some scumbags, could I count on you to help me?"

As Gunter waits for Tomoe's response, he picks the bottle off the ground, takes one last long drink. He then passes the bottle back to Tomoe, who should be finished speaking, and then says "Alright. I got some shit to do, so I'll see you around. Give me a call whenever that detective gets back to you. I still don't trust that guy." With that, Gunter gives a quick wave to Tomoe and then walks off past the bridge and down the road.

He eventually gets back to the tavern where his Dardian's hanging out. As soon as he sees Kratos, they make eye contact and the Dardian gives two thumbs up as if to say, "Hey you survived!". Gunter looks at the Dardian and says "It was a long night, but I think I'm better off because of it."

Gunter plops down on a bed in the bar, and passes out.

---

Exit

An entire city's annihilation might be a bit of an exaggeration, but the mentality was a step in the right direction. For all the disinterest he took at different points, he understood the core message. Though, at what point was Aegis' dream worth this? All the assassination in the name of peace, it smelled deeply of hypocrisy and a thoroughly launched log of feces. That might have just been because the bum shit himself on death after his skull was crushed, though, and it was of course browning the water where he fell. It would dilute with time, of course, but hopefully nobody would wade through the water at this time of night. On tonight of all nights, they would receive a chocolatey surprise and probably a dead guy's exposed skull and brains.

"That would be kinda funny, wouldn't it?", he murmured, opening his body language up once again.

As Tomoe allowed himself to regain his emotions after parting ways with Gunter, going the opposite way of the man after agreeing to let him know of any upcoming jobs, he found his features curling upwards. Unbeknownst to him, once his 'switch' was flicked on once again, he found himself letting loose a chuckle. For some reason, the idea of somebody running across such a horrific sight by surprise was funny to him. Funny enough to brighten his mood, even. Had his psyche really become so badly damaged? Perhaps, after everything, it had. He didn't know who he was anymore, being tugged all kinds of directions. All he knew was that it was time for a good, hard drink. His usual whiskey wouldn't do it. Rum wouldn't do it. He needed a monster of a brew to sleep soundly tonight. He needed to knock himself out with alcohol, or who knows what else he'd feel like doing if he let himself slip?

He wasted no time in finding the worst and most run-down bar he could find and taking a seat right in the middle of the bar counter.

"Give me somethin' to fuck me up, bartender.", Tomoe immediately blurted out with a raised hand, demanding the strong stuff.

---

- EXIT -