The bartender jumped as Ruk appeared, leaning on the bar. Wasn't this guy just across the bar…? The bartender looked at where he thought the man was, but all that was left in that seat was a bit of smoke. Red smoke…?
Ruk smirked as he watched Silas storm out. "How much you payin' that kid?" he questioned. The bartender gave an uneasy snicker, looking at Ruk as if that were a stupid question. He began to clean the counter, avoiding Ruk's terrifying red eyes as Ruk turned to him.
"Pay?" he muttered. "No, we're not paying him. Money's tight as it is, we don't need some fool runnin' around getting paid for nothin'."
Ruk raised his eyebrows, but he didn't seem that surprised. "Oh, is that so?"
The bartender smirked. He felt a bit more comfortable – this guy's a prick too, he knew. He was no better than him. He looked up, going to respond to the red-eyed man – but he had disappeared.
Ruk was behind the bartender now. In seconds, the bartender was on the floor. Ruk had slammed his head onto the counter – grabbing his wallet from his back pocket as he fell, of course. Pulling out a few bills, Ruk dropped the wallet back onto the unconscious man.
"You wont need this, will you?" he questioned with a smirk, stepping over the man. He glanced at the counter, noticing the bit of blood that the man's head had produced. "Missed a spot there."
"Someone's following us," Aarav said. Silas tensed at the words, but he didn't dare turn around.
"You're sure?" Silas questioned in a hushed tone. Aarav nodded, looking behind them.
"Fuck… its that guy from the bar, I think… what did you do, Silas?" Aarav groaned. "I rested for one damn minute…."
"I didn't do anything!" Silas hissed indignantly. That wasn't fully true, of course; he knew that. He knew insulting a murderer as he had was never a good idea. He knew he had screwed up – but why should he had to admit that to anyone?
Silas quickened his pace a little. He hoped this guy was simply going the same way as them. But he knew it wouldn't be that simple….
"Shit… where'd he go?" Aarav muttered, furrowing his eyebrows. Silas froze as he realized there was someone in front of him, only feet away. Slowly, cautiously, he looked up… and felt his heart drop.
It was Ruk.
In a delayed shocked reaction, Silas flew back. He tripped, falling onto his backside. He grunted in a mix of surprise and pain, eyes closed. Damnit, he thought. He was so dead… why hadn't he just shut his mouth?
He heard some shifting. After a long time, nothing happened. As he opened his eyes again, slowly, he saw… money?
Ruk was crouched in front of him, holding out a few bills. Only one thought raced through his mind; what? He stared at the money, and slowly, his shocked expression turned into a frown. It was far more than the three dollars he had gotten previously, and he definitely didn't work more than he had then. Was this… just a way for this sick guy to show off his money?
"You left without your pay."
"I don't need your money," Silas hissed before he could stop himself. Aarav gave him a baleful glare, just watching the two in confusion.
"Oh, it isn't mine," Ruk said in a nonchalant, truthful way, shrugging. Silas blinked. He looked away, puffing his cheeks out a bit in a stubborn way. He'd rather Ruk did kill him, rather than give him money he earned in… unlawful ways, Silas was sure.
Now, Ruk lowered his hand. The money wasn't extended towards Silas as it was before. He tilted his head, watching the boy closely. Yes, he thought, this boy is very intriguing….
Silas glanced back to Ruk. He expected something, anything, to happen. Yet nothing did. There was a long silence as the two looked at each other. Then, a smirk spread slowly across Ruk's face.
"Enjoy staring, do you, barmaid? Do you see something you like?"
Silas was quiet a long moment. He studied this man. Something he liked? He saw nothing to like. This man, he obviously found pride in his job, his wealth. He appeared to like the finer things, no matter how they were achieved. That disgusted Silas. But it wasn't just that which disgusted Silas – no. The most disgusting thing to Silas was that this man was a murderer, a killer that had pride in killing innocent people. No. No, he did not like what he saw.
"What's to like?"
Silence.
Silas realized what he said a bit too late. What's to like? Had Silas really just asked this man – the man who was obviously a murderer – what was to like about him? This man killed humans for sport. He watched as Ruk's eyes darkened. Oh, if this man weren't going to kill him before, he surely would now. He was sure fear was clear in his eyes.
Then Ruk chuckled.
He… chuckled? Why was he chuckling? Silas questioned. Was it out of shocked anger? Was he trying to put Silas at ease, so he could kill him better?
"You are a prick," Ruk said through his chuckles. Again, Silas was speechless. He was a prick? He was a prick, for what? Answering truthfully? "An amusing prick, but a prick all the same. I think I will enjoy seeing you around, barmaid."
Before Silas could retaliate, though, Ruk disappeared in a puff of that red smoke. The smoke wasn't thick, like a smoke bomb might be. No, it was thin. He couldn't have just run while the smoke concealed him. He had just… disappeared. Teleported, Silas realized. That was probably for the better, though – Silas wasn't sure how much more the man would take before killing him.
"Are you alright?" Aarav said, crouching in front of Silas. He studied his friend a moment, seeing if the man had hurt him while he didn't notice. Luckily, Aarav found nothing.
"I'm a prick," Silas said in a breathy, unbelieving tone. "How am I the prick?"
"Let it go, Silas," Aarav said, a warning tone in his voice. "I'm surprised the asshole didn't even hurt you. You gotta realized when the shit your saying is harmful, alright? You're gonna get yourself killed."
Silas opened his mouth to argue. He closed it, though, realizing Aarav was right. He looked down. He noticed the money had been left on the floor. He stood still, staring at it. It would get him set for a while… he shook his head, scowling. Had he really just considered that? Considered taking stolen money from a murderer? He raised his chin, stepping over the money.
That prick won't win that easy.
Silas plopped onto the bed, sighing. It squeaked loudly under his weight, but he barely registered it, extremely tired. He was exhausted from the long day. Truthfully, the bar wasn't that far from his apartment. Still, with every step, his body had felt heavier and his feet burned.
"Aarav," he muttered, shifting. A small hum came in response. "You don't think he'll still try to kill me, do you?"
"I won't let him," Aarav grumbled. A small smile slid across Silas' face. "Just… don't be so stubborn, understand? Some people may not be as forgiving…."
But Silas had already fallen asleep.
Silas sat up, stretching his arms up high to the roof. He let out a groan, his muscles still aching from the night before. He glanced around, forgetting where he was for a moment. Right, Sino… he frowned a moment. Where was Aarav? He knew he wasn't far – he couldn't be.
He stood up, stretching his legs and torso further. Exiting the room, Silas quickly found Aarav. He was leaning against the wall, eyes closed. Probably more comfortable than that stiff bed, he thought with a wry smile. He shook his head, glancing at the kitchen.
Silas had never really been one to cook. Sometimes, Aarav would cook something for him, though. It was delicious, of course, but the meals, no matter how big, never really seemed to fill him. Plus, he couldn't really be bothered to cook when fast food was so easy to get – if a bit pricy.
Thinking of food made Silas' stomach grumble. He chewed his lip in thought, trying to remember the last time he had eaten. Perhaps they should look around, try to find some food. He took a deep breath, getting hungrier with every thought.
"Aar?" he said softly. He didn't want to wake his friend if he was, in fact, asleep.
"Mmh?" Aarav hummed, eyes still closed. Silas smiled a little.
"Do you ever actually sleep, or do you just pretend?"
"With you stomping around, how could I?" Aarav grunted, stretching.
"Yea, yea… do you want to go get breakfast?"
"Sure," Aarav said. His voice was a bit raspy. It seemed he had really just woken up. Silas smiled a little. It was nice to have company, he realized – even if Aarav was a grump most times. He was comforting, in his own, strange way.
"Would be nice to get some coffee," Aarav muttered. Silas glanced at his friend. He wasn't a fan of coffee, in truth, but he knew that Aarav was. In some ways, that was a good thing. It would make people think he was odd if he bought two cups of coffee for himself.
Silas approached the small food stand now. There was a steady stream of people walking up and down the streets in the late morning. It was nice, in Silas' opinion – it made the town feel alive, but not overcrowded. He smiled to the man behind the stall now.
"Hello, sir!" the man said, giving a cheery smile. "What can I get for ya this fine mornin'?"
"Hmm… two burgers, and a coffee, please," Silas said, reading the sign behind the man. The friendly smile was still on his face.
"Comin up! If ya'd wait to the side there, I'll have that ready for ya right away."
Silas hummed softly, rocking back and forth slightly. Aarav glanced at him. "You didn't have to buy a coffee, you know," he mumbled. Silas waved his hand, still humming. Aarav always said that when Silas did something even remotely nice.
"You said you wanted it," Silas said. Aarav looked away.
Silas looked around quietly as he waited for the food. He chewed his cheek, going quiet as he remembered the night before. It still made him angry. Why call him a prick for that? There was plenty of reasons to hate him, he knew, but to hate him for saying he was not interested? What sense did that make?
He shook his head. He knew it would only make him more bitter to think about it any longer. Besides, the food was ready.
Silas paid the man behind the stall, grabbing the coffee along with the bag. He began to walk, glancing around for places where they could eat. He quickly found a bench, sitting on it. It was a bit out of the way, so people wouldn't really look to him.
He handed Aarav his coffee and burger. Oddly enough, Aarav could make some small things disappear from the sight of others. Things such as pens, food, drink – they could vanish from his touching. Yet walls, people – those things couldn't.
Silas took a bite out of the burger. It was quickly gone, and only then did he realize how hungry he really had been. Still, he felt hungry – it was better now, though. He knew he couldn't afford another burger anyway, especially since he hadn't found a permanent job yet.
Silas glanced around, sitting back against the back of the bench. He was glad for the bit of solitude. He shivered, feeling a bit… off. He glanced around, quickly finding the source of his unease; a pair of eyes were staring straight at him. No, not one pair… there were a few. They were all close together, and all of them were staring straight at him.
Had Aarav's items not gone invisible? That thought vanished as soon as it came, though. No… the eyes weren't looking at Aarav. They were looking at him. They seemed curious at first, or… suspicious, he supposed was the better word for it.
But then their expressions changed. Bitterness, anger. What scared him, however, was a different expression from those; a particularly malicious expression.
The men began to walk towards him now. He watched them, a bit confused. There were four of them, he counted. But as his eyes landed on the last, his eyes widened in fear. It was the man that had collected fees from Galet.
"What is he doing here?" Silas asked breathlessly. Aarav glanced up, confused. He followed Silas' gaze, eyes finally landing on the group of men making their way to them. They were walking faster now, seeming to realize Silas had spotted them.
"Fuck," Aarav muttered, slowly placing the cup and half-finished burger on the bench. Things started to fully set in now. "Fuck, fuck, fuck – run, Silas, its time to run," he said quicker, standing up. Silas followed suit, quickly looking around. He spotted an alleyway, quickly running in the direction of it.
As Silas entered the alley, he heard fast footsteps close behind them. They were catching him already, he realized with a grimace. That was alright, he was sure he could outrun them… all he had to do was hope there wasn't a dead-end ahead.
Silas hooked left at a turn, a bit shocked to see a large fence in front of him. He quickly composed himself, starting to climb it, trying not to waste a moment. He heard a loud noise. A flash of red caught his attention. Glancing quickly at his arm, he realized a bullet had missed his arm and his head. It had grazed his arm, quickly producing blood.
Silas doubled his efforts to climb over the fence now. In seconds that felt like hours, he hopped to the bottom of the other side. He heard the others begin to climb as he stumbled. He composed himself, forgetting the pain in his feet and running again.
Throwing a look over his shoulder as he turned another corner, he gave a slight gasp. They had all jumped the fence, running to catch up. How were they so fast?
Silas slammed into something, falling back. He grit his teeth; that fall had really hurt, along with the collision. He looked back, realizing there was no way he would be able to get away now. He looked up now, realizing it was someone he ran into, not something.
Then he felt his heart lurched into his throat.