"This won't hurt a single bit~"
Eli bit down on his lip as the blade sliced through the air. He heard the blade sink down into the wood, the smell of burning mahogany filling his nostrils. Slowly, he opened his eyes, jolting when he saw the smoking blade right next to his finger. His knees almost gave out as he collapsed onto Aesop. He looked up into Aesop's amber eyes and struggled to speak for a moment.
"Wh-why..?"
Aesop said nothing, he pulled out the blade from the wood and placed it on the steel surface of a box on the desk. He grasped Eli's chin and tilted it up gently.
"I trust you to never do this again, understand?"
Eli nodded, heart rate spiking once again.
"Y-yes sir..."
Aesop straightened up and looked at his watch for a brief moment.
"Well then, I must say it's time for me to return to my office and sort out some documents there. I wish you good luck on this case."
He nodded and smiled, perhaps smirked before leaving the small office. Eli collapsed onto the desk, sweat soaking into the back of his shirt. He stared at the blade, then the glove, which lay on the desk. He closed his eyes, trying to think. Everyone feared and obeyed Aesop as he was being known to be ruthless to liars or traitors. This was the sole reason people stayed loyal to him, or so he thought.
He had expected for Aesop to deliver his punishment without a difference, maybe even worse. But of all things, he certainly hadn't expected to be let off. He lay on his desk, the smoky smell of burning wood lulling him to sleep.
As Eli lay on his desk, Aesop was on his way back up to his office. On his way, he sent Jack a message to meet him back at the office, to which the executive agreed. He opened the door, greeted by a cool blast of air. He sat down at the small couch, and not long later the sound of muffled footsteps was heard outside the door, followed by knocking.
"You may enter."
"Good evening sir. To what event have I been called here for?"
Aesop simply gestured to the couch and poured some tea into a teacup on the table. Jack sat down and picked the teacup, taking a slow sip. Aesop simply stared out at the darkening sky.
"Eli Clark lied to us..."
Jack raised an eyebrow as his eye flickered over to his superior. He set down the teacup, but didn't say anything else.
"He lied when he said he didn't want the position of the executive because he didn't want to hurt anybody. I found a hitlist in his notebook, and almost all of them had been dealt with."
Jack looked over, a bemused look on his face. His red eyes glinted as he looked over. He closed his eyes and smiled a bit.
"And to think he said he didn't want to hurt anyone...Did you do it then?"
"Hmm?"
"The rule, y'know?"
Aesop shook his head and took a long sip of tea. There was a moment of silence between the two of them as neither of the males spoke. Aesop set down his teacup on the saucer with a gentle clink.
"I let him go with a warning."
"Oh? Why is that so? Don't tell me you've developed a soft spot for him."
Aesop let out a chuckle as he eased his coat off an draped it over the couch.
"Oh Jack, I didn't let him go because of that. I know why he did it, and I know he would never go back onto that path again, let alone remember it."
"Why didn't he just say it then?"
"Hah...People have their reasons to hide things sometimes. Like how the twins guarding the armoury loathe heavy rains. We all have reasons, and so do you I believe."
He nodded at the executive, who's hand reached for the mask covering half of his face. Indeed, he did have things to hide, with his own reasons too. They sat in silence, drinking their tea until it was all gone. Jack got up and bowed, tilting his hat slightly.
"I must get going now. I'm sure Mr Campbell requires some assistance in sorting the finances."
Aesop nodded and got up, bowing as well. He went to his desk as Jack exited through the door and reached into his coat. A crumpled note appeared and he smoothed it out. Indeed, there was a list of names there. He turned to his laptop and opened up his browser, searching up every single name that Eli had crossed out from the list.
-----------------------------------------------------
Naib Subedar closed his eyes as warm water washed over his face from the shower. The cut on his arm stung slightly, but he'd been through worst. Hot steam fogged up the mirror as he tried to wash away his worries with the soap bubbles. Wrapping a towel around his waist, he got out of the bathroom. He stood before the tall mirror in his room, water dripping down onto the tiles.
Scars all over his chest, arms, shoulder and back were as obvious as ever. The most recent gash only added this to his increasing collection. He hated it. They were just constant reminders of his past, and an insecurity. He never went out into public during the day because of them, and even if he did, he always wore a jacket or something long-sleeved. The darkness of the night became Naib's favourite time as the shadows concealed everything.
He flopped into his bed after slipping on some loose pants, not bothering that his hair was still wet. His phone rang beside him, but Naib picked up before that annoying tune could sound again.
"Hello?.."
"Ah, Mr Subedar. I hadn't expected you to pick up, but may I ask that you spare a few minutes for this."
"Oh, uh, go ahead then sir."
"As promised, you will receive extra pay for the next few months. But my question is whether you'd like to continue this night shift."
"Well...I'm fine with whatever but..."
"..."
"The deal to not hurt anyone...I-it's hard...I don't want to have to sit by the side and watch others destroy everything another time, sir."
"Hm~ Are you saying you don't want to follow the rules, Mr Subedar?"
"What?! That's not what I meant sir!"
"Haha, I'm just joking with you. My main purpose of calling wasn't to ask if you still wanted to do this. The Requiem twins got some of their sub-ordinates to help. I simply wanted to check on you."
"Well, I'm doing perfectly fine here."
"That's good then."
"Mn..."
"I'll leave you to whatever you were doing earlier then. Have a nice evening, Mr Subedar."
"Sir-"
There was a dull beep as Aesop hung up, leaving Naib in the silence once again. His phone slipped from his hands onto his pillow as he released his grip on it. He sighed, staring up at the ceiling. He was relieved that he was no longer needed to stay inside the building at night. But at the same time, he was worried that he may have let down his superior.
Just as he had let down his past comrades.
He closed his eyes, and let the tears that pricked at his eyes fall freely.
