Naib landed another punch against the solid punching bag as it swung towards him. Norton watched from the side, sweat dripping down his chest. Most of the Mafia have already received the news that Andrej would be taking over for now, and the fact that he wanted to destroy the Abyss was quite clear.
"You wanna try going against me?"
Naib looked over at Norton, who was casually walking over. He shrugged, going into his stance. The two watched each other for a few moments before Norton threw the first punch. Naib easily saw it coming, seeing as he was more skilled in close combat compared to Norton. He whirled behind Norton and knocked him down from behind his knees, grabbing his arm and pinning it behind him. Norton was surprised as he hit the cushioned ground.
"Dang, I stand no chance."
Norton chuckled as he turned around. He was startled at how close Naib was, but if anything hid his surprise well. Naib seemed to notice as well and a faint blush Norton knew very well wasn't there from exercise appeared on his cheeks. He let go of Norton's arm and cleared his throat.
"I would stand no chance against you if you had a gun."
Indeed, each of them were better at different aspects. Naib preferred either close combat with a knife or sniping enemies from a long distance. Norton was better at close range with a firearm. Jack was... He was a psychopath, a sadist.
There was only one instance where Naib saw Jack kill. He was passing by the park by the city on a strol and he heard slashing noises. When he looked in, he saw Jack crouched over a body, knife in hand, slashing at the man's face. Within moments he was disfigured and dead. Naib remembered being surprised that the executive could be this violent.
"This doesn't seem like you Jack."
He'd said when he went in. Jack was clearing away the mess, the white mask still covering his face. Naib wanted to take it off, to make sure it was the right person he was speaking to. Jack beat him to it, reaching up and loosening the strings. With his own hands, he split the mask into half, discarded one half while putting on the other half.
"Is this better then?"
Naib looked at him. The red eye glinted in the darkness while the other was hidden away from the mask. The part not hidden by the mask made Jack look more human, less like a killing machine. The part covered by the mask, Naib supposed, served as his hidden desires, a part he would never show to other people.
"Naib?"
Norton was waving a hand in front of the other male. He'd spaced out for quite a while and Norton had just begun to think Naib fell asleep standing with his eyes open. Naib blinked and looked around.
"Jack said he's gonna pick us up for dinner tonight. You wanna go?"
"Ayeee free dinner, how could I deny?"
Norton chuckled as they continued their workout.
Andrej stood on the balcony of his home, cigarette smoke drifting up into the air. He was lost in thought as ashes drifted to the ground from the cigarette, forgotten. He'd already put a plan to take over the Abyss. The problem was about the lady Eli Clark had mentioned, Tracy Reznik. He didn't know if the lady was actually kind-hearted, or if she would just be like any Abyss member. Something about how Eli had described her seemed to say that she really was there for fun, but he couldn't bring himself to trust people that easily anymore.
"Andrej~~"
He looked behind. Rosalee Carl was standing by the door, her lips curled in a small smile. Her beauty seemed almost surreal as she slowly made her way beside Andrej. Leaning up, she gave him a kiss on the lips, smiling as she felt his hands slipping into her hair and behind her waist.
"You're so beautiful..."
Rosa huffed.
"Of course. You don't let me go a day without hearing that."
Andrej chuckled and kissed her cheek. He led her down to the gardens, where they usually spent their evening. The roses dotted their surroundings with brilliant shades of red, white, yellow and pink. Andrej reached down and plucked a red rose from the bush. He tucked the blossom behind Rosa's ear, a splash of red in her glossy hair. It reminded him when they first met.
----------------------------------------------------
"What's a charming man like you doing here all alone?"
Andrej looked behind him at the elegant lady standing by the door to the balcony. Ballroom music echoed faintly from the dance at the main hall. Andrej didn't like being around too many people, and escaped to the peaceful confines of the balcony upstairs. Austria was home to all, including a lovely view. But this lady seemed to put all that in second place. Thick wavy hair, round eyes, slim and elegant figure.
"Rosalee Archambeau. You can call me Rosa. You must be Damien Andrej Carl?"
Andrej was a little shocked at how she knew his name, but didn't ask more simply nodded. She smiled and went beside him. Beneath them was a garden, filled with flower bushes and small trees. He wondered if she wanted to go on a stroll with him, and figured asking was the only way to find out.
"Would you like to take a stroll with me?"
Rosa looked over, round eyes lit up with joy as she nodded. She took his arm as he led her down past the huge hall where people were still waltzing to the music. The gardens were empty, only filled by the soft lights of lamps and the sounds of insects chirping in the leaves. Rosa seemed to have particular interest for the roses. Andrej picked a red one, just like the one he was holding now, and tucked it behind her ear.
"A rose for you..."
"... I'm sorry Andrej."
She leaned in for a hug. Andrej, being a whole head taller than her, wrapped his arms around her shoulder, one holding her head close to him.
"I suppose I should be too then."
