"...Earning my trust won't be easy," said Hector. He paused to let Leo say something, but the man just waited. "...Firstly, I will need assurance that... you won't harm anyone else who is under my protection."
Leo held out his fist and extended the little finger. "I pinky promise that I will not hurt anyone unless you say it's okay."
Hector couldn't quite tell if the man was joking, but he exhaled half a laugh, anyway, and said, "That's not enough."
Leo smacked his lips. "Never is."
Hector very much wanted to stand up and start moving toward the exit, but he refrained. Now that he had Roman in hand, his only real objective had been achieved, but the danger was still far from passed, Hector knew. If Leo got it into his head that Hector was scared or lying or anything other than everything he'd thus far claimed to be, then this could all come crumbling down in a matter of seconds.
"...In order to be sure that you won't hurt anyone," said Hector, "I'll need you to bring your reaper to me."
Leo opened his mouth, then shut it again and looked down at the floor.
It was a big ask. Would he refuse? Hector kind of hoped he would. If Leo decided that it was too much of a risk and they simply parted ways here on amicable terms with maybe the potential for a future working relationship... well, Hector couldn't imagine a more ideal outcome to the current circumstances.
"...Is that really necessary, man?" said Leo.
"Yes," said Hector firmly. C'mon. Refuse. Refuse, dammit.
"But how do I know you won't just kill him?" said Leo.
"Well... You don't. That's what makes it a demonstration of trust."
Leo sighed. "...Okay, I'll bring him to you."
Fuck, really?! Man, this guy must have been even more desperate than Hector thought. He'd thought that with all the initial hostility that Leo had shown, the guy would've been much less agreeable now.
But, okay. This was fine. He could still make this work.
Probably.
Shit.
"Will you at least give me your word that you won't kill him?" said Leo.
Hector had to stop himself from sighing. "Of course."
"What'll you do with him? Besides, y'know, keep him prisoner."
"Ah... I will... get to know him."
"That it?"
"...Is that not enough?"
"No, it's just--well, I thought you might try to persuade him to forgive me 'r somethin', y'know?"
Ah. Hmm. "I might do that. If it seems possible."
"Don't think it will be, just so you know. Ericoros is beyond stubborn. And to be honest, I dunno if I'll ever be able to trust him again, either. Reapers tend to tell you what you wanna hear."
"...Yeah, I know," said Hector.
"Ah--'course ya do. My bad. Didn't mean any offense."
An apology now? Geez, this guy was all over the place. "It's fine."
"So, uh... I, um... I got another question, if ya don't mind answerin'."
Hector wasn't sure why he was bothering to preface it. "Then ask."
"What sort of, um... aha... er... how do I put this...? Ah..."
Hector cocked an eyebrow inside his helmet as he waited.
"Y'see, I was just wondering what kind of... work you do. And, y'know, whether or not you might have any... for me to do."
Hector blinked. Work? This guy wanted to work? "I... thought you just wanted my protection."
"Yeah, I mean, I do, but, it's just--I mean, you seem like you--ah--kinda know what you're, uh--like, you've got your stuff 'n whatnot--and, er, y'know what I'm sayin'?"
"...I don't, actually. I don't think that was a complete sentence, either."
Leo took a breath. "Well, I just figured, y'know, ah--what better way to prove myself trustworthy than through honest work? 'Cuz you... you do have that type of work, right? I mean, I just kinda got the impression that you did."
Hector had to stop and think about that. "...I might."
"Yeah! Right!" Leo gave a laugh that sounded a little nervous. "'Cuz you're not like a, heh... a super drug lord 'r anything... are you?"
"...No, I'm not."
"I mean, don't get me wrong--I'm ultra-supportive of recreational drug use, but only in a safe, controlled, and well-educated environment, know what I'm sayin'?"
Hector didn't, really, but decided to just nod anyway.
"People who prey on and help propagate the misery of the less fortunate--I ain't got much forgiveness in me for folks like that, man."
This guy sure was chatty all of a sudden. "...What sort of 'honest work' are you looking for, exactly?" said Hector.
"Oh, ah, hmm, that's, uh... that's a good question, man. Just... ah... a-anything you need done, I s'pose. I mean, it's been kind of a long time since I've had a proper job, y'know? Like a job-job. If I'm bein' totally honest, I'm kinda blankin' on examples at the moment... I guess it's just been that long... egh..." Leo scratched his cheek. "Fact, maybe I never had a proper job... I musta, though, right?" He was looking at Hector as if it were somehow possible for Hector to know the answer to that question. "Be kinda embarrassing if I didn't, man..."
Hmm. This was actually beginning to make a surprising amount of sense, Hector thought. Leo was a lost sheep, after all. He needed direction. He seemed to be craving it, even.
A sheep in need of a shepherd.
It sure would've been nice if Hector had any fucking idea how he was supposed be a goddamn shepherd or whatever. Because apparently, he'd managed to convince this guy that he was.
He only hoped that Garovel would be able to bail him out of this situation later, somehow. He'd have to survive it first, though.
"...Ah, well, I'll figure something out for you," said Hector, trying not to worry about the fact that he was tossing yet another log onto the roaring bonfire of problems and promises that were already waiting to be dealt with.
"Cool. It's just, y'know, I've been feelin' kinda worthless lately, so I'd really like to, uh, contribute. To a good cause, I mean." Leo shook his head. "E'erbody makes that seem so easy, man. I dunno how they do it. Especially when we start gettin' older, know what I mean? All the things we've seen? All the betrayals and broken promises?"
Hector didn't like where this conversation was going.
"I 'member, this one time, I was workin' for a charity out in Steccat. Big business stuff. Real famous, very well-known and respected. I forget the name 'cuz it folded up after the scandal, but yeah. Seemed totally legit and trustworthy at the time, man." He clicked his tongue. "But nope. Embezzlin' funds. Stealin' from the poor. Buncha bastards."
"...Mm," was all Hector could think to say. He'd tried to give it an agreeing inflection.
"How 'bout you?" said Leo. "You must have tons of stories like that one, too."
Aw, shit. "...Of course," said Hector.
"Oh, then, uh--c'mon, dude, ya gotta gimme some juicy deets."
"Ah... maybe some other time." Hector seized the initiative and stood up. He needed to start moving things along before he tripped over one of these conversational landmines. "For now, we should leave before Sai-hee shows up looking for you."
"Eh, she prolly won't be here for a couple more days, at least. We still got time." Leo did decide to stand up as well, however.
"...Is she actually coming in person?" said Hector, starting toward the corridor from which he'd entered earlier.
Leo followed. "No idea. Hell, I barely ever knew her whereabouts back when I was in regular contact with her. She likes to keep her movements unpredictable. Security 'n whatnot."
"...If you don't know her whereabouts, then why are you so confident that she won't show up here for another couple days?"
"She's always super slow to take action, dude. Always tryin' to 'play the game,' y'know? Scared to make a wrong move, I think."
That seemed to contradict the story that Axiolis had told everyone earlier. 'We're leaving together,' warned Hector. 'Keep your distance.'
'Yeah, we can tell,' came Garovel's echoing voice. 'What's your plan?'
'Uh. Still working that out. Hold on.'
"So c'mon," said Leo, "tell me a story."
Hector wasn't sure he could bullshit up an entire story on the spot. "...Before that, we need to talk about where we're going."
"Oh. Yeah?"
"Yeah." Hector supposed he should address the issue directly. "I can't bring you with me, right now. The Rainlords are already waiting for me, and... if I show up with you, they might just attack you first and ask questions later."
"What, you don't think you can keep them under control?"
That was a problematic question. One which could not be ignored. Hector stopped walking in order to look the man in the eye. "...Well, there's also the possibility that you're lying to me and still intend to recapture them."
"Ah. Right..."
Hector watched the man's face for a moment more, trying to read his expression. It seemed regretful, but Hector didn't know if he believed that or not. He started walking again. "Anyway... you need to lay low for a while. Do you have a... safe house or something that you can use?"
Leo flicked at one of his dreadlocks. "Uh... not one that the old biddy wouldn't know about."
That was unfortunate.
'Garovel?' said Hector.
'Yeah?'
'Do you know of a place where we can hide Leo?'
'...Why?'
'He, uh... he wants to work for me, apparently.'
'...He wants to WHAT?!'
'Well, he wants protection from Sai-hee. And also a job.'
Silence arrived, and Hector was left to observe the curving hallway and the throngs of people walking past him, all bathed in the silvery white light from the long, rectangular lamps that were embedded in the ceiling. It was still a ways to the edge of the climate-controlled zone, but Hector was already thinking about what would happen when they reached it. He would need to remake his armor into the cooling variant, but if Leo noticed him do so... that might be a little difficult to explain.
'Garovel, c'mon,' he said. 'Kind of a pressing situation here.'
'Ah--yeah, I'm talking to Voreese. Roman has tons of safe houses we can use.'
'You really think we should bring him back to Atreya?'
'Roman has some in other countries, too, but I don't know. What do you make of the guy?'
'He's... all over the place. But I think he mainly just needs... a sense of purpose, I guess. I mean, that's why he wants a job, I'm pretty sure.'
'Hmm.'
Hector tried to keep an eye on Leo. The guy seemed to be keeping a fairly close eye on him as well.
'It should be a good job, too. Like, good for the soul, I mean. I don't think he cares too much about money.' That seemed like a safe bet, considering how simple the guy's wardrobe appeared to be, as well as how he'd apparently turned down a job offer from Roman, according to what Voreese told them earlier.
Which, if actually true, was particularly baffling to Hector. Roman must've been able to offer this guy absurd amounts of money and probably all sorts of other shit. And yet here he was, asking Hector for work instead.
'How do you intend to get away from him?' said Garovel.
'Uh... I think he'll listen if I tell him to go somewhere,' said Hector.
'Are you serious?'
'Yeah. You got an address for me?'
'Hold on.'
Hector waited. He noticed that Leo wasn't looking back at him now. Instead, the man's attention was on a narrow side street to their right. A man and a woman were standing in an open doorway and having a rather loud conversation with one another.
Leo slowed and stopped to watch, and Hector couldn't help doing the same. They weren't the only onlookers, either. Nobody else was stopping, but there were certainly a few turned heads and craned necks.
The audience didn't seem to deter the couple at all, however.
'Okay, I got one,' said Garovel. 'You ready?'
'One sec.' Hector couldn't tell what language the couple was speaking--possibly Hunese even though they weren't Hun'Kui--but it seemed obvious enough that they were in disagreement. Judging from the elaborate black-and-white attire, Hector figured they were either wealthy or dressed up for a special occasion. From what Hector had seen during his brief time in Capaporo, those colors seemed to be popular among the upper class.
'Something wrong?' said Garovel.
'No, just a... domestic disturbance, I guess,' said Hector.
The woman began screeching to the point that she was spitting, and then she slapped the man. After a recoiling moment of apparent shock and visible anger, he slapped her back. Hard. She dropped to the ground like a bag of rocks.
Immediately, the man was encased in a shiny black material that Hector recognized as Leo's element. Even the man's head was fully encased, and Leo was stomping toward him.
"Leo," said Hector while checking on the woman. She was clutching her cheek and slowly getting up.
Leo stopped in his tracks. He half-turned toward Hector. "What? You don't mind, do you?"
"...Yes, I do mind, actually."
Leo's face scrunched up. "Why? This dude's obviously a waste of oxygen."
"...Let him breathe, Leo."
Leo paused for a curt sigh, and then he flicked his wrist. The material around the man's head vanished, and he gasped for breath.
Now the onlookers weren't paying much attention to the couple and were instead more interested in Hector and Leo. Interested and frightened.
Leo didn't seem to mind the attention, though. "Whaddya wanna do with this guy, then, hmm?"
The woman wasn't yelling anymore. She was staring at Hector and backing away.
"...I'm sure the local authorities can handle it," said Hector.
"Ya sure about that?" said Leo. "Figured you'd be more interventionist 'r somethin'."
"These people aren't servants," said Hector, mindful of all the eyes on them. He wondered if any of them understood Mohssian. "Our job is to protect them."
"I am," said Leo. "Protectin' 'em from each other."
"...Yeah, that's fine," said Hector. "I've done that, too. But killing them in the process is not fine."
"Oh, c'mon. Dude had it coming."
"...You don't know anything about him."
"I know he hit a woman."
Hector wanted to sigh. "...Yeah. But executing him for it is a little extreme, don't you think?"
"Ugh. Man, are you all about tryin' to keep neutrality above all else, too? Was kinda hopin' you were different from the old biddy, y'know?"
"Leo." He had to be firm here, Hector felt. If he wasn't, then this could become a very big problem later. Not that it wasn't one already, of course. "If you intend to kill people without... extremely good justification, then... this relationship is not going to work out at all, and you should probably just leave before you find out exactly how not neutral I can be."
Leo blinked at him. "Alright, man. Simmer down. I didn't eighty-six the guy. And I already said I wouldn't kill anyone without your approval, didn't I?"
Hector just stared at him.
Leo put a hand over his heart. "I promise not to kill anybody without your permission. There. Said it again. This time all formal-like. Ya happy?"
Hector looked around another time. People were still watching, though several had scurried away. He thought he heard some sort of siren in the distance. It was different from the sound he was familiar with, but it was probably law enforcement. "...Release him and let's go," said Hector.
With another flick of his wrist, Leo removed the rest of the encasing, and the man dropped to his hands and knees and started scurrying off.
"I guess you are pretty different from her, actually," said Leo as he rejoined Hector in walking away from the scene.
Hector could only assume that he was still referring to Sai-hee.
"She prolly wouldn'ta let that guy live. She definitely wouldn'ta let him go."
"I didn't let him go." Hector threw a glance back at the man in question, and Leo turned to look as well.
The guy hadn't made it far. Iron shackles bound his ankles and wrists.
"The locals can figure out what to do with him," said Hector.
Leo furrowed his brow. "If you were just gonna do that, then why'd you make me release him?"
"Because I didn't soul-strengthen those shackles. But your coating would've been... unreasonably difficult for non-servants to remove him from."
"...I woulda put him in shackles, if you'd asked."
Hector knew that, but he still wouldn't have been able to tell if such shackles would be soul-strengthened or not. He was on the verge of admitting as much until he thought that perhaps it would betray his age, somehow. Maybe old enough servants could tell if something was soul-strengthened just by looking at it. Hector had only assumed that Leo's coating was soul-strengthened because of how laborious it had been to dig through at the warehouses, but he supposed now that that could've been a mistaken assumption.
Oh man.
He had to be careful. The more time he spent around this guy, the more likely it was that some small thing might make him realize that Hector was lying. After all, Hector didn't know what he didn't know. There was no telling how long this charade could be maintained.
Maybe a more lighthearted response was warranted here, then--something to ease the tension and hopefully not make Leo question him too much more.
"...Maybe I just wanted the credit for capturing him," said Hector.
Leo seemed more uncertain than amused. "Was that... was that a joke 'r somethin'?"
"...Yes, it was," said Hector.
"Oh. Oh! Hah! Good one!"
Not the most satisfying reception, but Hector wasn't about to complain, given the awful timing and context.
"Huh," said Leo. "Somehow, I didn't think you even had a sense of humor, man."
"...Well, I do," said Hector.
"In that case, I look forward to hearin' more of it."
Hector didn't find that thought very comforting. He put it out of his mind, though. He had other things to worry about now. 'I'm ready for that address now,' he told Garovel.
The reaper relayed it to him. It was south of Gray Rock in a little town called Loxeville.
Hector supposed that would do. It would put Leo near enough to Warrenhold to be checked up on relatively easily--but not so near Warrenhold as to clash with the Rainlords.
Hector still had no clue how he was going to explain all of this to them yet--or for that matter, what the hell he was going to do with Leo in the long-term. It didn't seem like a good idea to try to keep up this lie indefinitely, but he also wasn't seeing much other choice than to do precisely that.
Ugh...
Soon enough, Hector saw the edge of the climate-controlled zone in the distance and decided to stop walking. "Alright," he said, "we'll part ways here." He materialized a small iron plate with the numbers and letters of the address imprinted into it. After checking to make sure he'd gotten it right, he handed the plate off to Leo.
Leo squinted at it. "This is a little hard to read, dude."
"Well, I don't have pen and paper on me," said Hector.
Leo just looked at him, not saying anything.
Hector almost preferred the more chatty Leo. These silences were unsettling. He figured he should just push on. "Get your reaper, and take him to that address," said Hector. "I'll meet you there in a couple weeks."
"A couple weeks?" said Leo. "That long?"
Hector would've liked to have said a couple months. Or years. Or centuries. "...I want to give you plenty of time to get there. In case you... run into any trouble getting back to the surface on your own."
"Ah... yeah, that could be tough, huh? A'ight, man. Couple weeks. And then you'll gimme a proper job?"
"...If that's what you want."
Leo gave a nod. "Oh, it is, daddy-o. Felt like an unproductive lump o' dooky, lately, so it'd be real nice to feel like I'm contributin' to a good cause, y'know?"
"...Alright. I'll see you in two weeks, then." And Hector waited, but when Leo didn't move, he added, "You head out first."
Leo smirked. "Heh. Wantin' to make sure I don't try 'n follow you, huh?"
"...Yes," said Hector flatly. "But also... Sai-hee's looking for you, not me. You should get out of the city as soon as possible."
"Mighty thoughtful of ya." Leo's smirk grew into a full smile. "Got a good feelin' about you. Somethin' tells me you'll make a good boss."
Hector very much doubted that, but he hoped to the goddess Cocora that it would somehow be true.
He watched Leo go, ambling into a wall of people and then disappearing from view.
At length, Hector finally allowed himself a sigh of utter exhaustion. He found the nearest wall and leaned against it for support. His body was trembling all over. His stomach was so empty that each breath was a reminder of how long it had been since he'd eaten, and his muscles were so tired that he was considering just flopping onto the ground and not getting back up again.
And now, both of those feelings were accompanied by a lovely dose of existential dread. Somehow, the future looked simultaneously full of potential and also horrifying beyond words.
'...How ya doin' there, pal?' came Garovel's public voice.
Hector looked up to see Garovel and Voreese hovering there in front of him. "...I've been better."