A Man for Himself (Norton X Eli) [Identity V] *UNEDITED*

Chapter 34 - You Shouldn't Have Done That (I love you if you get the reference)

"Wow! Norton, you look amazing! Is today Dia de Los Muertos?" asked Tracy Reznik upon Norton's arrival in the waiting room. "I was not informed that we have to wear our best costumes today." Her brows were raised in genuine awe.

The mechanic was wearing a simple denim jumper over an orange shirt, whereas Norton was flaunting a purple embroidered long-sleeved shirt with a few touches of gold here and there, black suspenders, black pants with swirly patterns on either side, and brown leather shoes. He also had a purple ruffled necktie, black gloves with a skeletal design and a hat with a glowing skull at the top and various flowers sitting on the brim.

As if that wasn't flamboyant enough, his hair was dyed purple, and his face was painted over to make it look like a skull with a purple flower over his left eye to cover the burn scar. He had an air of a mariachi to him despite not being one.

Norton wondered who came up with the idea and decided that it would be best for him to look like he would participate in Dia de los Muertos, but he decided not to make a big deal out of it and took the clothes from Miss Nightingale without a word. He had to ask for assistance from Mike and Greta to help him put on the clothes and paint his face. It was too much of an effort, but it wasn't a bad look overall. In fact, he liked it, although he knew to himself that he wouldn't be wearing it often due to the time needed to prepare for it.

The prospector sat in the chair next to the mechanic and looked over to the seer and the mercenary sitting at the other end of the table. Both of them were wearing clothes that resembled birds of prey. Norton had already seen them in those costumes before, and they looked as magnificent as the first time he had seen them, especially Eli with his feather cloak.

"I like the face paint, Mr. Campbell," Eli remarked when he spotted Norton looking at them.

"Thank you," Norton responded, smiling. "How was your first match?"

He took note of the way Eli addressed him. The seer never called Norton by his name unless they were alone together or they were in a life-and-death situation. It made him wonder whether the seer was merely being polite or was uncomfortable to act familiar around him in front of other people. Norton preferred to believe the former, but Eli was not like that to Naib. He figured it wouldn't be easy for Eli to feel completely at ease around him despite their current relationship.

Eli raised an arm to let his owl perch on it and stroked the bird's chest with the index of his free hand. "It went very well. Thanks for asking." He took in a deep breath and let out a heavy sigh as he let the owl fly and land on his shoulder. "I hope this one goes well, too."

The last line from the seer was accompanied with a slight frown which made the message sound a little ominous. Norton decided not to read too much into it.

The mercenary's piercing gaze soon caught his attention. Norton faced Naib's direction only to see the short male grimacing at him. It was nothing out of ordinary. He figured Naib would forever be hostile towards him. Not that it mattered.

Tracy cleared her throat as if she was aware of the tension building up and decided to put a stop to it. "Has anyone heard from Mr. Riley yet?" she asked.

Norton shook his head. He had not seen the lawyer since breakfast. His time was spent on putting his outfit together that he did not have the time to ask around.

Eli rubbed his chin. "I don't think it's that easy to request for Ms. Adams' records," he mused out loud. "I doubt Miss Nightingale will allow us access to any information that will give us a clue as to how Ms. Adams achieved her freedom."

As bad as it sounded, Norton had to agree. The owner of the manor would not make it easy for them to escape.

Tracy let out an audible sigh. "Helena is a kind girl. She has a strong personality and has a future waiting ahead of her. Perhaps the game master sees potential in her." She bit her lip. "Perhaps she was able to prove that she was not as corrupted as most of us in this game."