Codename Caligo

Chapter 2 - Renegado

Chapter Two

A hush settled over the quiet streets of Northfell Boulevard, broken only by the distant, infrequent sounds of vehicles from the bigger roads and the trickle of water drops as it fell from the roof pipes, onto the glasslike layer of water that remained from the long-lasting rain that had by then finally come to an end. Dusk had settled without their knowing, as time continued to pass outside of the warm, dimly-lit bar that they had sheltered in.

Despite the heavy smoker that he was, Noah wasn't much of a drinker. In fact, in any other circumstances he wouldn't tolerate even the smell of beer, or champagne, or any kind of alcohol at all. With that fact in consideration, that was the first time he had ever stepped foot into a bar, and not once would it have ever crossed his mind that the 18 year old boy who asked to be taught how to smoke would be the same man that convinced him to enter one. The warm air carried a faint scent of aged oak and rich leather, the subtle fragrance of exotic blooms adorned the sectioned tables. The soft, amber light that cascaded the room, spacious yet with very few people. The odd music playing in the bar made it difficult for Noah to look Elijah in the eye. Or it could be the fact that Elijah would stare at Noah's face for minutes at a time before burying his face in the folds of his own arms on the table, with his face slightly turned, still staring, just less obvious.

"You're not going to ask?" Elijah broke the silence. For that moment, it seemed more as if he was talking to someone his age. Noah noticed how much his voice had deepened. "Ask what?"

"How I burned a building."

"Oh." Noah finally turned to see Elijah's face. Elijah could tell by the blank, somewhat oblivious expression that Noah had on his face, saying 'I completely forgot about that.'

Noah's eyes led him to the nearly empty glass of whiskey in Elijah's hand. "Who taught you how to drink?"

Elijah smiled, somehow he had expected that Noah would change the matters, considering he would prefer less of a heavy talk after two years of not having met each other. But Elijah wouldn't have it that way. "Sir Percival did."

Noah paused. That name.

"Percival." He paused again, only longer. 

"Percival Beaumont." Elijah sighed, gently putting down his cup. "He's been covering all my living expenses, too."

Noah hadn't the words to reply. On second thought, if what Noah had assumed was right, it wasn't entirely inconceivable that the owner of his father's rival company would take Elijah in as his godson, or foster son, perhaps. Noah had written enough articles of Percival Beaumont to have his very own perception of that man, and if he was aware of what was going on with Elijah and his own family, considering Elijah was the easy access to the Pierces, Beaumont was certainly the man to use Elijah to his avail, given the vulnerable condition he was in at that age.

"What else did he teach you?"

Elijah glanced over at Noah, whose expression showed he had no specific response in mind. Elijah smiled at that very thought.

"You wanna know what else he taught me?" Without moving his chair, Elijah slid his body closer towards Noah, his head slightly leaned forward. Their eyes aligned. Perhaps with that same scenario in any other circumstance, Noah would have pulled himself back in an instant. But it was the yellow-hued light of the bar that hit Elijah's iris right where its shade was the clearest, almost translucent.

'Blue.' He thought.

Or slightly green, maybe teal. Who knows, whatever color sun-lit currents are, or the blue part of northern lights. 'Gosh, I should really learn how to quit losing my focus.'