Self-preservation

Myself, My Name

A war of gold and navy took over the sky as the sun slowly disappeared behind the cloudless horizon. The noises of the city carried on below, the same hustle and bustle it's always been. The same mundane people going about their mundane buisness.

Not that it mattered. Everyday was more or less the same to me. It didn't make a difference if I was on a rooftop, an alley or on the outskirts of the city. Didn't make a difference who my target was. However, I've never considered this life to feel monotonous. And if I did, I didn't care.

Short bursts of a light breeze accompanied me on the roof. Once I was paid for my latest job, which was a thankfully short interaction, I stayed upon the roof for a little longer. My apartment was only a few floors down so I wasn't in much of a rush.

I suppose it was a shame that the world forced me to live a life like this but it isn't like I carried any guilt. There was a couple people whom I almost wished I hadn't pushed away but it felt better to only ever be responsible for myself. I wasn't heartless though, there was some things I appreciated. My pet snake Loki was possibly the closest thing I had to a real friend. And the other thing was the bar down the street, I had a complicated past with alcohol but that was behind me.

I felt my business phone buzz in my pocket, most likely another client. I'd attend to that in the morning. But at that moment, the bar seemed a better a place to be. I checked up on Loki on my way down and swapped my phone so I wouldn't be interrupted by work while I was out. I made sure I had everything I needed before leaving the building.

Sometimes the scars on my face attracted unwanted attention (which to me was any) and sometimes they didn't. I always thought that people should just learn to get over themselves, but always knew they wouldn't. When I reached the bar, I could already hear the drunken muttering, seemed somewhat early to already be drunk but I knew better then to judge.

'The Kraken's Morningstar' looked dingy on the outside, and to be frank the inside too. But it always seemed popular with those trying to escape something. Today, unfortunately for me, Detective Crofters and a few of his colleagues seemed to be front and centre of the bar. Detective Crofters was usually given the cases that I 'caused' and hence never actually solved them. Unluckily for him, I was very thorough when cleaning my messes. None of my hits ever transcended beyond a missing person's case.

However, I wasn't going to let a washed up detective stop me from getting a drink. I sat down at the corner of the bar. Remus, the owner and bartender had is hands full with the boys in blue, so I sat there patiently for a few minutes.

"Been a few days since you've showed your face, Drake" Remus stated, as he cleaned a glass. "I swear that detective is going drink until he drops dead"
"Detective Crofters? Probably, I would too if I was a disgraced detective"
"You're always in your little bubble, how do you know him?" Remus asked, while he served me my usual.
"He's been in the paper a few times, used to be really successful but recently he's been having more and more cold cases. Things like that don't go unnoticed"

I took a sip of my drink, as Remus got called away. I was going to mind my own business tonight but it would be a missed opportunity to not find out if the police had caught onto my tail yet, so I listened in to their conversation.
"You're going to close a case a some point, Logan"
"I would like to believe that, but with the direction my career is going, it seems unlikely"
I would have felt bad for ruining his career but at the same time, that was just how the world worked. You should only ever look out for yourself, before you get hurt. These scars don't cause themselves after all.

I had been there for maybe an hour when Remus finally cut the pitiful man off. I assumed his much more sober colleagues took him home and so I ordered one more drink for myself.
"You ever gonna tell me anything else about you, Drake?"
"That depends on what you think you should know"
Remus paused for a second, I half expected him to hit on me which is what happened the first few times I ever came in here.
"What's your name? I can tell it isn't Drake"
"Again depends. Are you asking for a first name, or a last name?"
"First"

I downed the rest of my drink, leaving a tip under my glass before leaving with a smirk. Unfortunately that was all Remus was going to get from me. Very few people knew my name, and I intended to keep it that way. Anyone outside work I interacted with regularly, which was only Remus, referred to me by my last name: Drake. Client's refereed to me by the cheerful moniker Deceit, because I'd lure my victims with trickery and deception.

Once I got back to my apartment, I checked on Loki and then decided I'd check the late night news. It was always crucial in this profession to always be on top of things. You would never know if you had become a wanted person if you didn't. Rookie mistake. There was some report about global warming and then some other things that didn't really concern me. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't impressed with myself, getting away with what was essentially murder looked easy when I did it.

Rain had suddenly begun to crash down the windows. They were right when they said that the weather was going to be more unpredictable. I turned off the TV and went to brush my teeth. My bathroom was small but I essentially lived alone and most likely would for the rest of my life so it didn't need to be any larger. I had a small round mirror, which sometimes I considered getting rid of because I despised my reflection. At least the scarred half.

I said goodnight to a sleeping Loki and was about to go to sleep myself when I heard a knock at my door. You see, my building didn't really have any security so anyone could've come into the building and knocked on my door. But the person knocked again, and it sounded urgent. When I opened the door, there was man with round glasses wearing a light blue polo and a grey cardigan draped around his shoulders. He'd obviously been out in the rain.

"You're Janus Drake, right?"