Joseph reloaded the gun and fired another round, focusing on the glass bottles in front of him. Wu'Jiu watched from the side, arms crossed. He watched as Joseph fired, his hands gripping the rifle tightly and his jaw tight with focus. Once the firing ceased he made his way to Joseph, clapping.
"Great job! You've improved a lot, Joseph. I suppose you now your way around rifles now."
Joseph looked at the Hk416 in his hands and smiled. It had been one that he was more able to control and reload easily, compared to one of the AK47 rifles Wu'Jiu used. Bi'An had tried letting him sniper rifles, but Joseph couldn't aim at moving targets from long distances well. Wu'Jiu had let him choose from a few selections, and the HK416 was definitely his best selection.
"I didn't expect you to have mastered this so quickly. Good job."
Joseph smiled and passed Wu'Jiu the rifle. He stretched, looking at the broken shards on the ground. Indeed he had improved quite a lot and could now control recoil when firing. All of it was in hopes he could do something for the Mafia and not be useless. He picked up the gun again and went back to practicing.
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Naib sat in the gym, drinking water from his bottle. He hadn't spoken much to either Norton or Jack after the... Event. The two of them didn't bring it up either, so Naib simply spent his time these days training in the gym. He watched as other people ran miles on the treadmill, trying not to think about it.
What if they had just been taking advantage of me because I was drunk..? No. They wouldn't. But what if they did..?
He squeezed his water bottle and pushed himself to his feet, picking up the weights once again. If they had used him, so be it. He'd probably asked for it anyway. His chest tightened as he lifted the weights. As much as he didn't want to think about it, it has been disturbing him for a long time. He hated that thought, although he keeps convincing himself that it doesn't matter.
It took a while for him to decide he should go back home for now. He stood in the bathroom as he changed into his spare, non-sweaty clothes. He stared in the mirror, at his own reflection. The scars were, of course, still there, but there seemed to more than that now. The longer Naib stared, the more nervous and disturbed he felt. In all honesty, he felt used, even if he had been the one that asked for it.
But with Jack and Norton... Why did all this seem so different? Weren't they just people that he knew and happened to be there? Anyone else would have probably done the same right? Plus, there were more things he should focus on first for now. Without another thought, he crammed his stuff into his bag and went back home. There were only a few days left.
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Andrej stood on top of a building, watching his surroundings. It brought him back to twenty or so years ago, but this time at night. He was watching the entrance and exit of the tunnels to where the Abyss was. The plan was simple, have someone inside (or outside should things go wrong) cause a commotion, and draw the Abyss members out. Andrej would have his team wipe them out on command before the others went in. He couldn't really have a say in the rest. It could only depend on who fate sided with on that day.
He sighed, staring ahead at the bustling city roads. Rosa being worried for him was quite a rare sight, and he wondered if she had been drunk when she said that. Even so, Andrej couldn't bear the thought of leaving his wife and son because of this task. He swore to himself he would execute this like his usual tasks, with his target dead and no room for mistakes, no exceptions.
Rosa had been the only one anyway...
He thought as he went back down the building. His Arctic Warfare Magnum would finally serve good purpose, maybe one last time, before he passed it to Aesop. He wasn't quite as obsessed with collecting all these fancy rifles compared to when he was younger. A simple Mosin Nagant would do just fine, not to mention it's less expensive.
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"Alright... Alright, seems good enough. You should get some rest now."
Aesop hung up and stretched, leaning on Eli's chest. The two were lounging in his living room, a movie playing quietly on the huge television. Aesop had been on the phone with Tracy, who was now creating small bombs for their distraction. She'd agreed to make a few, but with the promise that it would only be for distracting.
"I don't think I want anyone's blood on my hands..."
"We all never did, Ms Reznik. But sometimes things don't go the way we want them to."
She was silent for a moment after that. Eli was absentmindedly scooping buttered popcorn he had on his lap, pushing some to Aesop from time to time. When Aesop finally tossed his phone aside, he grabbed Eli's waist and pulled him closer enjoying the warmth of the sweater the other male was wearing.
"Everything sorted out?"
"I suppose so."
"Hm..."
He leaned up for a kiss, enjoying the taste of caramel swirling on his tongue. Eli pulled him closer, wrapping his arms around Aesop's neck. The other male snickered and grabbed a handful of popcorn, slipping one past Eli's lips. The movie was ending, the main characters were hugging in the rain. Eli yawned and got up.
"I wanna make dinner tonight."
"Oh?"
"Can I?"
"Hm, of course. I look forward to the meal then."
Aesop smiled as he turned off the TV. Eli went to the kitchen, researching what to cook. Aesop stared as he disappeared behind the counter. After a while he got up and went to his office room. He took out a thick album and opened it. The smell of old pages wafted to his nose, dusty but not entirely unpleasant.
Opening the book, he looked at his childhood photos.
I miss those old times...
