Today really seemed to be the day of hindsight.

I can think of multiple instances in the last three hours where some things could have gone better than they had, a couple of places where sound judgment would have been greatly appreciated.

Now that's the problem there, you see. I mean, sound judgment? Me? You trying to be funny? Have you seen my decision-making skills so far? You couldn't even trust me to pick out my own clothes for the day, I needed two girls to do such a simple task for me.

So if I did have sound judgment, then clearly it's also in desperate need of some hearing aids or something.

But… in all fairness, the unexpected is unexpected for a reason. Many of those situations just reared their head ups all spontaneous-like….and most of the time I could have never seen them coming.

I should have seen this coming…

I should have seen him coming.

Clad in black, and emanating an air of absolute authority. Every feature, every subtle aspect of him, his slicken-black hair, the after-shadow of a recently shaved face, made to only further emphasize the ice-cold demeanor that at this point had become always second nature.

Aloof and frigid were the blacken irises that stared back at my own. Slowly, I watched them drift away, hovering and lingering, to the scowl forming within emerald eyes.

A tense reunion of three. Introductions weren't necessary.

Lightning flashed the skies.

"Good evening."

Tumultuous and commanding, like the thunder rumbling shortly after. It was nice to know that he could still sway the atmosphere like no other. I had hoped that my first meeting with him would have been my last. But clearly, that was just too much to ask.

Seems our date has just been put on hold indefinitely. And it was going so well too…

Fingers folding into her palms, Ash pursed her lips. "What business do you have doing here?"

It has been so long since I've seen anger manifesting in her eyes, heard unbridled contempt in her voice that I forget that she too was completely capable of being just as domineering.

But just as it was in the past, the man standing before us did not waver once in the face of Ash's ire. He simply parted open his lips and quietly answered her inquiry.

"Someone wished to see the manager," His gaze shifted back to me as he continued. "I was informed by my staff that a patron disapproved of my… generosity."

I hated staring into those eyes.

"You don't look like the restaurant-managing type," I said. "Extortion seemed to be more your calling, actually."

He smiled at me in return. "It seems that looks can be deceiving after all."

Again, the man turned a glance back at Ash.

"Speaking of which… I never had the chance to properly observe the face under the hood back then," He nodded his head. "Looking at you now… your master is quite the lucky fellow, isn't he Ash?"

I've never seen a more crossed expression on Ash's face before, muttering back to him with words almost like poison, "Leave us be. Now."

So much strength and exuberance contained within a single person. Ash could so easily overpower him and everyone that stood with him. Strength and exuberance that the man was keenly aware she possesses, yet in spite of it, he decided not to relent.

"By the way, your ears, Ash," He said, pushing further. "Were they always that way?"

"Enough!"

There was a resounding screech as a chair soundly scraped against the wooden floorboards. I did not remember moving a single inch at all from my seat, nevertheless, at a moment's notice, there I was all of the sudden, standing rigidly, heaving heavily, and staring defiantly.

"What the hell do you want?" I demanded. "Why are you even here?"

Didn't know what reaction I'd get from him following my sudden outburst, but at that point, I found that I didn't really much care. Before, just the thought of confrontation was already a paralyzing prospect. In the times since, I've experienced many, many things that were truly worth being terrified over. In the times since, confrontations became a dime in the dozen.

He was just another dime in that dozen. A walking, limping inconvenience, and right then, I felt very much inconvenienced.

My eyes no longer had the apprehension, nor the dread I felt for him in our last encounter, and evidently enough, through a single glance my way, he too had taken notice of the fact.

The thud of his cane, a single strike to the ground, moved him a step closer towards me, bringing with it, an expression drastically sterner than the last.

"I wish you wouldn't look so dismayed by my arrival. It makes me feel a little… underappreciated," He said, a somber tone to his words. "Especially after all the things I've done for you two."

That look he gave would have worked before. Certainly not right then. "You expect a thank you?"

"I expect just a little respect," He sniped back, his eyes narrowed. "And it'd do you well to show me some, boy."

"Threats…" Ash flared her nostrils. "You really dare?"

"I have no need for dares, Ash," The man stated calmly. "I assure you."

"Stop uttering my name!" Ash hissed, plummeting a fist against the table, violently clattering the utensils atop of it. "I'll say it once more and never again, you'd do best to leave us be."

Whether the crooked individual before us simply knew no fear at all or was just plain ol' deranged up in the head was all up in the air, for he only seemed to be even more intrigued and did not cower in the slightest despite Ash's patience reaching to its highest limit.

"You have a beautiful face," He said lightly. "You're gonna wrinkle it looking so angry all the time… and that'd be a true shame, wouldn't it?"

"And whose fault is that I wonder?" I rebutted, attracting his attention once again. "We really don't need this, not from you. I'd leave now really if I were you… or you know what? Perhaps we should do the honors instead, actually - come on Ash, let's get out here."

Ash had barely risen from her seat, I only treaded a single step forward, before his voice sounded out again firmer than ever.

"Wait."

A single word as a sonorous echo bouncing across the walls. Before we knew it, the both of us had already refrained from moving any further.

The man took a breath, a single gloved hand gliding across the crimson-red cloth that draped over the table. His head lowered, he formed a warm smile.

"I've upset you both it seems," He stated. "Forgive me, that was never my intention."

Unsurprisingly, neither of us were really in a forgiving mood at the moment, I especially didn't take too kindly to him disrupting this date.

"I don't really care what you intended," I said, spurring into movement once again. "If you're here, then we'll just go elsewhere."

The man shook his head. "Now that just simply won't do, unfortunately."

"You're going to stop us from leaving now, aren't you?"

A single fleeting smile my way told all I needed to know. He paced about the room, speaking as he did.

"For all my time working here, I've never once had a day where a customer has left dissatisfied. I don't mean to boast, but I pride myself on always being able to accommodate every single one of my patrons' needs."

It was hard to stop myself from rolling my eyes at that moment. "So what?"

"I don't intend to break that streak today," He said. "So yes, you won't be leaving. Not until your needs have been met."

"Preposterous," scoffed Ash. "To be so bold… have you forgotten already exactly what I am capable of? Or need I give you a reminder, another demonstration perhaps?"

The chuckling funneled out of that man's lips answered that question quite profoundly. He really was deranged, wasn't he?

"No, I'm perfectly aware of your… peculiar sets of skills," He said, nodding his head at her. "But you won't need to use them here, because I won't be forcing you to stay. You'll stay, you'll seat, you'll let me accommodate you, and you'll do it all voluntarily."

I rose to his proclamation.

"You really think we'll do all that for absolutely no reason at all?" I said, meeting the contention in his eyes. "You got another thing coming if you really believe that."

Why was he still smiling?

Briefly, I stopped and wondered, realizing how uneasy it actually all seemed. There was no reason at all for any of this, no motive that I could think that could have led to this.

Confidence, he brimmed it. But why was that?

The simple answer was simply provocation for provocation's sake. No rhyme or reason for any of it. Just as before. That's what I had believed up to that point.

Then he had doubled down, he refused to concede, and threats only made to amuse him further. Hindsight was 20/20, but sound judgment… tone-deaf as it was, led me down another answer.

Mob Boss had an ace up his sleeves, and it seems he was finally rolling them back.

The snide curl on his lips grew wider.

"I believe in a lot of far-fetched things. Every day always brings itself another peculiar sight to behold, another bizarre thing to believe in. Had a list you see, and I never could decide which unbelievable fact stood out among the rest..."

Vague, very vague, intentionally vague, I thought was his intent. Metaphors, allegory, speaking in riddles - that's what these kinds of people relish doing. But it wasn't a metaphor, there was no allegory, and he spoke again as brazen as the simplest riddle.

"But an Elf-Knight from another world… I admit, is a very strong contender for that position."

Disbelief. Like a rippling wave coursing past both of our faces. He knows… to what extent, or by what means, I didn't know… I'd ask him, but - I couldn't even find the words.

Shock had paralyzed us both into silence.

And he knew it.

"So…" He spoke again, clasping his hands together. "To the both of you, may I presume that you'll be staying with us for just a bit longer? Ash - sorry - Eshwlyn, what say you? I mean, after all, dinner has yet to be served."

I hated hearing him talk.

Every word, every sound, the huskiness in his voice, the grating gruffness like a low note turned permanently sour in his vocal cords was simply unbearable to my ears.

Add to it a constant inflection of blatant patronization, and you got yourself the vocal equivalent of sharpened fingernails against old chalkboards. Even then, I think I'd prefer the chalkboards over this guy.

Squeaky and shrill as they were, at least they weren't such conniving, cunning bastards, were they?

Ash's real name funneling out of his smirking lips, marred by the same sourness and dourness that came with, it felt like an assault on the senses, it just felt so wrong.

He knew her name, knew who she was, and where she was from.

It was enough of a reason to continue lingering about just to hear what he had to say. But that wasn't the reason why we drew back to our seats, with him drawing another chair to settle alongside us.

Downright deplorable as it was, I can't say really that I was all too surprised still. After the initial shock had subsided, rationality kicked into high gear and formed itself a reasonable conclusion.

The magical realm of video games isn't exactly exclusive only to the young and youthful. Chronicles of Asteria as well seem to adhere to a more mature crowd. Who's to say that he wasn't part of the crowd?

Mob Boss must have got himself some other hobbies.

So no, I didn't just stick around because he knew of something that could be burrowed out from a simple Google search. I stayed because there was still the chance that that wasn't actually the case. That he knew more than he was really letting on.

I stayed to find out just what else he knew about us if anything at all.

Even if I have to sit with him, even if I had to bear heeding his words for longer than I wanted to, I just had to know.

"Now," He swung open a menu that laid on the table. "What would you two like to eat this evening?"

Indulging him seemed to be the only way of getting some answers out of him, so… with cravings all but diminished, I followed along and flipped open another menu to browse through their many exquisite selections.

Moments later, the restaurant manager himself heeded our orders - medium steak for me, and carbonara pasta with a hefty sprinkling of their finest cheese for Ash.

I mean, if we're gonna stay, might as well chow on something pleasant while experiencing something unpleasant. Yin and Yang, I guess.

Mob-manager, listening intently, wrote down our request with a pen and paper he withdrew from his chest pocket. A swift resounding snap of his fingers later, and the waiter-waitress duo came barreling through the door once more with a gracious bow in unison.

Without a single word shared amongst each other, the waiter plucked the scrap of paper from the boss's fingers, and both hurriedly left the same way they arrived - with another synchronous tilt of the head… 'course they did.

The clack of the door handle brought with it a silence that consisted of only stares at one another. Wariness on my side, raw indignation in Ash's… Mob Boss shifted the amusement in his from left to right.

Unlike your typical mustache-twirling villain, he didn't gloat. Finger tappings and quiet hummings were all he had to offer as we waited for the arrival of our orders.

Patience was nice, but I wasn't about to dawdle in silence for nothing. He's got his compliance from us. Now I believed it was our turn to be indulged. He wanted to meet our needs, did he? Well, I got just the perfect need that needed meeting right here - the first question out of many that were surely yet to come.

"How'd you find out?"

At one corner, Ash's ears perked slightly upwards at the sound of my voice. On the other, the tapping and humming came to a sudden halt.

"It's nice that you aren't even trying to deny," He said, his gaze an approving one. "Honesty. I've always valued that in people."

Oh, that's so rich coming from someone in his line of work, and clearly I wasn't the only one that thought so.

"I dearly hope the irony of your statement hasn't been lost on you," Ash muttered to him with brazen contempt.

He inclined his head. "Believe me, I'm fully aware of my vices. You're not wrong to scorn me for it. But crooked as I am… even I have my virtues, and I do intend on showing them to you - both of you."

"You had your men shoot her in the head," I pointed out. "How virtuous, indeed."

"Again," He said sharply. "Vices. Even with my peers, I do not tolerate any form of disrespect. Can you say for certain how she acted that was in any way tolerable? She disrespected me, and what's more, in my domain, in front of my men. I couldn't just let that go, could I? She was supposed to be an example."

"Funny how that turned out then, hm?"

"Unlike most others, I for one am willing to admit when I've acted too brashly with my judgment, and I knew I did back then," He confessed, turning his eyes to the affronted gaze that watched all this time. "So here's a virtue. Would you like an apology, Ash?"

That affronted gaze remained affronted. "And do what with, pray tell?"

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"We'll make amends."

"You've yet to give reason for it," Ash said, aggressively nudging her head my way. "Answer my Master's question and refrain from delaying any further than you already have."

Direct compliance was the last thing I would have expected coming from him considering everything so far. Actions spoke louder than words, and he was a loud one indeed.

So loud, that when he went quiet, somehow, that was even louder.

"How'd I found out," He repeated, the windows to the murky outdoors reflecting back the solemnity in his expression. "It's an answer as simple as one could possibly hope it'd be."

"Then don't dumb it down," I said. "Tell the whole story."

Direct compliance. Actions and words quietly in tandem.

"Your father, to start. One of the only few men I can ever trust my life with. His son on the other hand - well, I trust him as much as you can trust a man taken in by such an obvious scam. One day I received a call. It seems that Daddy's boy has gotten himself into a jam… suddenly he had no home to go to, suddenly somehow I was supposed to resolve that issue for him, suddenly… I have to trust him with a home of his own."

He took a sip of the wine I left untouched before continuing.

"I had to take precautions," He said. "Plus, you don't just brush off witnessing someone take a bullet to the head. You two are a bizarre pair, and as I've mentioned before… I am quite fond of the bizarre."

I did not like the way he phrased that at all and I especially did not like that look in his eyes as he spoke again.

"A clock in every room of the house. I'm sure you found that strange, didn't you? Strange enough for you to notice it, but certainly not strange enough for you to actually question it. Shouldn't be so readily trusting of a stranger's home, take that to hindsight next time."

"You shit…" Another loud clatter on the table, my hands aching from the impact, the words spewing out of my lips before I could fully process what was just said and even then I was more disbelief than outraged. "You wiretapped the house?"

Ash instantly turned towards me. "Wiretapped? Master, what is that?"

"Ria, Adalia, Amelia, and Irene… let's not also forgot Amanda from yesterday," One by one, he listed them off with the tip of his fingers, names I never wanted to hear uttered by those twisted lips. "It's a bizarre crowd you're mixing with, and I'm all for it. Every day always brings itself another particular conversation to behold. I especially am fond of Ria's stories. Costa Rica is indeed a beautiful place."

"How is that you - ?" Ash's bewildered stare ping-ponged around from left to right. "Explain this."

"He's been listening in on us Ash, using some kind of device in the clocks," I said, feeling my anger rise to peaks I didn't even know existed. "Ever since we moved to the new place, he's been listening to our every conversation."

"Not every conversation," He interjected. "I honestly do not have the time nor the patience to listen in all day. But the times when I do, I always seem to learn something new."

"Yeah?" I said, a furrow on my brow. "Like what?"

The look he gave to me just then, the little squint in his eyes, his lips half curling, it was crystal clear he was enjoying every single moment of this conversation… no ulterior motives poking through, no devious intent as far as I could see…

"Phoenixes do not like their broccoli."

He was just… having fun.

If you had asked me how I felt right then, I wouldn't even have the words to properly describe it to you. 'Angry' would be putting it lightly, and I was a lot more than just incensed. To say I was merely upset by what he had said would be doing my rage a huge fucking disservice.

'Upset' was a severe and total understatement.

Every fiber of my being hoarsely screamed of blasphemy. Not a single one of my thoughts was spared the fate of being swarmed and flooded by a sea of seething red.

The crackle of lightning and the booming thunderclap that echoed far and wide outside was but a light drizzle compared to the raging storm brewing inside me.

"You're not making a very good case for yourself here, you know?"

My voice was leveled, settled… and it took all I had to ensure it was kept that way. To not go completely apeshit right then and there. But there was no completely hiding it away. He stared at me and heard the outrage beneath my quiet.

"I understand if finding this out, knowing what I've done upsets you..."

"Me? Upset?"

"But it's imperative you understand that I mean absolutely nothing by it."

He was speaking, his lips were moving, but I didn't understand a single word he was saying. Bullshit, bullshit, and even more bullshit. That was my privacy - OUR privacy he violated for days on end, and now he's telling me he meant jack all for doing so? Water under the bridge, a slap on the wrist, is that he wanted?

He's got another thing coming.

"Look at you, just look at you, so gentleman-like all a sudden," I exclaimed, my voice wavering with every syllable. "You think talking all sophisticated is gonna make what you did sound any better?"

"No."

"You think you're in the right?"

"Did you hear me saying that?" He frowned. "I for one don't recall ever stating such a thing. I'm simply answering what you've asked. How did I find out? Well… now you know how."

Believe you me, I was about ready to barrage on him with a full-on interrogation session complete with a set of handcuffs and the good-cop, bad-cop routine with Ash.

So eager to know more that I've almost forgotten why we were even here in the first place.

And then an aromatic reminder came barreling through the door. Two silver platters sitting atop a cart brought with it a visible blend of steam and smell wafting through the air.

The serving part was mostly a silent affair. A clatter of plates here, a pouring of water there, service with a smile present throughout. This dynamic waiter-waitress duo were like serving machines with how precise and efficient their movements were.

"Enjoy your dinner," they proclaimed cheerily before scattering quickly away again out of sight.

Even machines can be wrong too sometimes, I suppose. Dinner was never going to be an enjoyable experience, and though the pangs in my stomach roared at the sight of such a finely cooked steak before me… my attention was set elsewhere - these answer-hungry eyes of mine never once tearing away from the man beset against me.

A quick glance sideways revealed that Ash shared much with my sentiments. Both hands kept firmly by her sides, the plate of cheese-smothered pasta going disregarded by her cold piercing stare that has yet to falter.

If looks could kill… if only…

"What's wrong?" The man spoke out to both Ash and me. "The food not to your liking?"

The genuine concern arching his brows upwards. It's remarkable, actually. There were many causes for concern all throughout this little reunion and he barely batted an eye to most of them.

Now we weren't all that hungry, and rightfully so - and somehow that's what he deemed a cause for concern, somehow that's the thing getting his brow gliding up his forehead. This man needed to get his priorities sorted out straight and fast. I don't think I'll be able to keep my hands to myself any longer if otherwise.

"What are you planning?" I asked, my brain becoming a playground of many grim scenarios. "What do you want?"

Another sip of wine and then a tilt of a head forward. "Have a try first."

"I'm asking you a question here."

"And I'm telling you to give it a try first," He affirmed, eyes growing wide in warning. "Eat."

Having petty arguments would be a waste of time and energy, and as much as I resented the thought of having to comply again with his wishes - screw it, I got a fork in my hand, and there was a steak that needed stabbing.

Aggression had the table quivering for the third time in a row, this time with a fork skewered through a thick slab of meat. Ash, realizing much of the same, twirled a roll of pasta on hers and timed a bite just as I raised mine to my lips.

It was yummy, I had to painfully admit it. Ash was even easier to read, a glare on her face but an energetic movement fluttering her ears. Goddamn if only we could have enjoyed this meal in peace… we'd be in food heaven with how good the food was. No… 'stead we got to dine with the devil and watch him delight as we savored in his 'generosity.'

A wide smile prominently on display, naturally, it was only after our lips were stuffed to the brim that he finally decided to relay his answer.

"Your fantasy… roommates I should call them, I suppose. You don't have to worry about their secrets leaking out. This conversation stays in this room and once I walk out that door there, I'll pretend it never even happened."

Through bulging cheeks, I managed to sound out a muffled, "Why?"

"Because as I've said, I mean absolutely nothing by it. What am I planning, what do I want? Well, I suppose I've already let you in on ever since you've got here. This executive lounge is always in heavy demand. Not a day goes by without it being of use for some oil tycoon or CEO's date… they weren't very happy with me when I told them they wouldn't be getting it today."

"You're not getting a thank you if that's what you're asking," I said at once, swallowing the piece in my mouth whole.

"No thanks, necessary." He said. "It was for my own benefit. Your Dad and I go way back… I wouldn't think he'd appreciate it if I didn't at least try to get to know his kid. Dinner seemed like a nice way to go about it."

"Oh alright, okay, so you wanna be an uncle, then? Is that what this is about?" I gave him my most sarcastic smile. "Well - hello there, Uncle Mafia! Why'd you tried to drive me into total bankruptcy when we first met? Not a very nice welcoming present if you ask me."

At this point, Ash had withdrawn herself from conversing much aside from the occasional nods of agreement to whatever I was saying and disapproving frowns to whatever it was he was saying at the moment. She was taking bites after bites, also a sip of water here and there… hunger was always a difficult adversary for her. When it came to food - the Elf-Knight could only buckle her knees in complete and total defeat.

Just wish she wasn't so shameless about it. Damn Ash, at least try to pretend you weren't enjoying it, you're making my 'Uncle' gloat here.

"Drive you into bankruptcy?" said He, tearing his glance away from Ash. "You rightfully deserve it, don't you suppose? I've known people younger than you that have steered clear away when they were approached by my men - you, on the other hand, you just waltz into their arms with no reservations whatsoever. Your father had more sense than that, I expected naturally for you to have the same sense as he. Sadly, I have to confess myself disappointed. I had to teach you a lesson, a lesson so cruel… you'll never forget it, and you haven't, have you? Lesson learned."

I hated how confident and comfortable he was with his justification. Had he any idea the struggles I went through scrounging up the money… and I did that for what? A lesson in naivety?

Wasn't worth it.

But I couldn't dwell on it for long… for more questions awaited him, and more answers awaited me.

It finally came. The rain.

Didn't have to take a glance at the window to know it did, for the light patters dribbling across the murky glass pane that was gradually growing heavier was all the telltale that was needed.

That, and a flash of lightning casting briefly a dark shadow of the three us along the wooden floorboards.

Really sets up the scene well, doesn't it? Very cinematic. The staple confrontation between the protagonist and the antagonist, except less dramatic for the most part.

For one, I don't think no hero would be fumbling with his words as much as I. Nor do I think any villain would be very lenient with his patience for the hero as he, as said hero takes his time to un-fumble himself.

Really, I feel more like the wonder-boy sidekick than I do the chivalrous hero in the spotlight. Hell, Ash radiated main character material more than I ever could in my entire life.

An Elf. A Knight. A stranger amidst a strange land. Do I need to say any more?

Compared to that I'm just… the offspring of a legendary hero… and… the literal manifestation... of evil.

Okay, maybe I am a main character…

Then why am I so shit? Why do I suck so bad? Who wrote me this way? Whoever it was, I have a few well-chosen words to say to you. Don't worry, I'll try to be eloquent with them.

Try.

Yet it'll have to wait for the time being. A few more things still needed clarification, and he was gonna clarify them good.

The rumblings outside grew less sporadic and more frequent with time, so much so that they kept in time to whoever it was that next spoke.

My question came with it, a bright bolt of lightning.

-"How long were you planning to keep leeching off of me?"

And with his, thunder always struck back in return.

-"As long as it'd take for you to tell me to stop."

Lightning flashed again.

-"And if I hadn't come to you, if Ash hadn't… what then?"

Thunder.

-"You'd either run away or go broke. Whichever came first. Simple as that."

It didn't stop flashing.

-"All those threats your men gave me?"

And it never stopped rumbling.

-"As empty as your wallet was during those desperate times."

It was really a terrible rainfall.

The cold air that filtered through my nostrils made to dampen the flames of anger stirring within. Didn't work all too effectively though. If there had been a mirror right then, could 100% guarantee my face would have been as red as tomato paste.

"You're kind of a dick," I muttered.

"Have never claimed to be otherwise," He said, always aloof. "But I have my virtues."

"You keep saying that."

"Because you don't seem to believe me when I say it," He paused as if daring for me to try and refute him before continuing. "I can be harsh, but not without reason. You noticed… that in spite of your dad's unpopularity with my superiors that no one has been gunning for you anymore ever since you've confronted me? They weren't done toying with his son just yet, you know? Keeping their claws away from you at all times was not an easy time, I tell you."

I don't know why he was talking himself up so high and mighty. Did he really think himself as my one sole savior in that situation? Well, he wasn't. Not by a long shot, because to the right of me was my one true knight in shining armor, and she had only one thing to add to that statement, uttering out in a low, menacing voice -

"I'm here..."

The man raised both hands. "And you were. You did good by your Master's side, and rest assured I'd be the first to admit it. I never mentioned it then but I was impressed. Someone like you, I could really put to good use. You'd be… appreciated with your set of skills."

"Abandon the thought at once," snapped Ash, the glower on her expression enough to silence him immediately. "You think me so low as to associate with the likes of you? Your words demean me, you vile miserable little - "

"It was only a thought," He said, smiling a smile that just reeked of total bullshit. "Besides, I don't believe your Master would be too keen on turning his beautiful date into a boring boorish muscle man, would he now?"

"No, he would not," I said, finally having enough. "And he's also not too keen on being talked down on for much longer either. We're leaving. Give our compliments to the chef."

At that, the man finally flickered in his eyes some mild surprise. "So soon? So little questions? I had thought you'd wanted more? Aren't you curious for more? Your father's past is as colorful as a rainbow. Wouldn't you like to reminiscence about his days with us? Or perhaps discuss more about the fantasy folks wandering among us?"

Pulled back my chair, dusted my chest, and gestured to Ash to follow along with me. Nothing he could possibly say was going to get me to stay for a second longer.

Wanted to see what he'd do and what he knew. Mission accomplished, and time wisely spent… yeah right.

"You haven't finished yet," He said, nudging to the half-eaten steak.

I was already standing, rifling through my wallet, and glancing one eye at him. "The bill," I said to him.

"Paid in full," He told me. "Consider our little discussion a form of payment."

Didn't need telling twice. Free's free and my wallet certainly wasn't complaining about how thick it's gotten recently. Already I was by the door, waiting for Ash.

"You sure you don't want to take it away, at least?" He said again. "I could get them packed for you."

"No. Look if you really don't want it wasted, get one of your men to finish it. Get the bowler-hat guy. Don't see him complaining about some half-eaten steak."

The Mob Boss stood up after us, chuckling as he did. "On the contrary, he'd be rather demeaned by it. He's the one that cooked it after all."

Hearing that was the biggest surprise of the day. Wiretapping, secrets discovering be damned. How can that guy and his stubby little fingers cook so good?

"He's your chef?"

"Head Chef," He replied, beaming proudly. "Best in town."

Guess looks can be deceiving.

Interesting. Not interesting enough, however, to keep me from swinging open the door wide.

"You sure I can't persuade you to stay for just a moment longer? I feel we still have much to discuss. Your father, for one, was always in a mood for conversation."

I was getting real tired of his overbearing insistence. It was time to put my foot down, and I did - a foot one step outta the doorway.

"Look If I wanted some boring exposition told to me constantly, I'd read a bad Webnovel," I said, keeping the door slightly ajar for Ash to go through. "And unfortunate to say, a good Webnovel you are not."

For the first time ever since we've arrived the Mob Man finally did what I wished he had done a long time ago - he conceded, another amused chuckle emerging out of sealed lips.

"So be it then," He said, standing in place. "Rest assured, your little secret about the sort of company you keep… you'll hear nothing of it from me. Curious as I am still, I don't believe your father would appreciate it if I meddle into your business any more into your affairs than I already have."

This constant need to bring up my father… it's got me thinking, really. "You have a freaking huge hard-on for my dad, don't you?"

The door, I let it close on its own, gradually swinging to a close, but not before I saw a smile from him peeking through a small gap.

"Oh, very much I do," He said.

Right, I'm gonna pretend I didn't just hear what I heard and save myself the nightmares from thinking about it too much. I already have enough sleepless nights, I don't need any more to add to my lists of reasons why I'm in desperate need of a psychiatrist.

Ash was looking like she needed one as much as I do with that dazed stare she was giving me. "Hard-on… it's… I read in a book, it's what you call slang talk, yes? When you say hard-on… and he affirmed, does that mean he - ?"

"Don't think too much about what he just said, please, you're better off for it," I advised her.

Sadly, it seemed I was too little too late. The horrific look that suddenly formed on her face spoke more than words ever could. Her imagination was corrupted faster than an innocent 8-year old searching up fan art online of his favorite cartoon character.

Ash shuddered. "I fear very much for your father."

"He can take care of himself. We have our own problems to deal with. Let's just go home, yeah?"

I had thought with that resounding click of the door slamming close that perhaps the time for surprises had finally come to an end.

How wrong was I to think it'd be that simple.

I left one bizarre situation, only to waltz into another.

The second floor.

What was a space so expansive and glamorous, packed to the brim with robust chatter and clinking of wine glasses, and not to forget the comforting sounds of jazz music playing in the background had become no longer.

All those things, suddenly and very much abruptly turn to an eerie quiet. Like the flip of a switch.

People were still sitting where they once were, the band members still clutched tightly to their instruments, and the bartender still bartended at his bar.

The only difference being - was that all eyes, patrons and employees alike, were only affixed and staring down in the same direction no matter their location.

At the same time, I started to feel it.

Felt it, questioned it once, "What's going on?" and gripped a trembling hand at it.

A sharp piercing sensation deep inside my chest. Steadily, and painfully, ravaging all my senses.

The strange thing about all of this was that nobody else seemed to feel what I was feeling, none was doubling over in agony, none had pain afflicting their expression… even Ash, as my straining eyes turned towards her, was oblivious to the utter agony I was in, and only had her gaze set to where all the others were, - to the fogged glass windowpane where it continued to storm.

Except not really.

It was pouring, but it wasn't raining. It wasn't rain that was trickling down the window anymore.

I felt my breathing grow heavy, felt the pain sting to my very core, like a hand squeezing my bare heart to its limits, threatening to burst at the seams… yet I couldn't make a sound, couldn't move a muscle… and couldn't question at all why anything was even happening.

Why does my chest hurt so much? Why couldn't I move? Talk? Shout? Scream?

And why… was it red?

The droplets that were dribbling, the rain that was falling… why were they all a deep, dark red?

Outside, the sight of the outdoors, the view of the city skylines… streamed only a forbidding landscape of a hazy pouring red.

Thicker than water, murkier than fog, and… I don't know why, from the shade of red it was in, all I could think of was blood. The clouds in the sky, what it poured relentlessly down above us?

It was a rainfall of blood.

Lightning flashed.

Thunder rumbled.

And I felt my body tumble.

As it did, I finally felt something slip past my quivering lips. Hitting the floor, sounding feebly and quietly in the silence, before the pain began consuming my body whole, was a high-pitch voice and sentence that definitely did not belong to me.

It was desperate, it was pleading… and it was crying.

"Why didn't you save me?" I whimpered, shedding tears that weren't mine. "Why?"

Ash spun around at once, saw my current state, and instantly got down on her knees, her terror-stricken face paling to an unhealthy white. "Master?! What has happened to you? Speak to me!"

My bloodshot eyes could only stare, my ears could only hear… but my voice was no longer my own. It shrieked again.

"Where were you, sister?! Where were you?!"

Accusatory, angry, I felt my voice grow hoarser with every syllable, but I couldn't stop - it wouldn't stop. I didn't know what was happening.

"You weren't there! YOU WEREN'T THERE!"

But Ash, her confusion turning into realization, apparently did. Her eyes stared down at me, her head shaking back and forth in pure disbelief, and muttered out to me something that I couldn't quite understand.

"Blightfall. It's Blightfall, Master! You're a speaker! You can't be here, you aren't trained in the ways - you'll die! We need to leave! We need to leave now!"

Couldn't agree. Couldn't disagree. Couldn't say anything. But my lips moved again, my tears were falling again.

"Eshwlyn! Where are you, Eshwlyn?! I'm scared! Save me… please save me!"