"Get up, Lucien awaits." Simon impatiently orders as the boy takes a moment to calm down.
"Simon?" Brent looks up at him.
"What is it that you want?" Even though it was a question, it sounded nothing like one. The suited man's voice was flat.
"About the offer... Did the man--"
"Lucien." He interjected.
The teen cleared his throat, "Lucien.. Did he really mean it? That my sister will be safe?"
"Well, the safety of your little sister solely depends on your answer. But yes, Lucien is prepared to make the arrangements." Simon says in a formal response.
The room was silenced for a moment. "I accept the job." Brent bitterly announces and broke the quietness.
"I'm not the one to receive that answer. Now, get up." His voice was monotoned, yet it was threatening. The more seconds that have been wasted, the annoyance in Simon grew.
Afraid that he might anger the man further, Brent sat at the edge of this strangely soft bed. Cringing and muttering an apology for the sweat-stained sheets. He took a deep breath and pushed himself up on his feet, following Simon who was now walking away from the room.
He trailed closely behind, occasionally glancing around the very spacious yet quite empty hall. It did look like a hallway from a big house but he wasn't sure if they were this big, he hasn't seen such a huge place for people to live in. Speaking of people, was there even anyone else here?
The walls were painted with an elegant light beige, with white trims throughout. Glossy white tiles with stunning black patterns, and small, fragile but gorgeous cylindrical chandeliers placed evenly across each other on the ceiling, shining down on the floor.
There were barely any doors but there were also other paths leading away from them, every time he'd see a door his curiosity would spike up. He knew better than to stray away from the man, though. Getting lost in this place would just be the end of him. Because of that, the boy made sure that he was close behind.
Brent was instead distraught when the hall had split up and he couldn't see Simon anymore. He heard a call from the left while he was in the middle of a mini-heart attack, the redhead had seen the man enter a room just after confirming that the kid was indeed coming along.
They had now returned to Lucien's office, the boss himself looking up at the young man from his desk.
"Ah! Back again, are we?" Lucien's grin had now returned. "Had a good rest?"
There was an awkward silence. His sleep had started as a peaceful slumber but soon turned into something horrible, he had thanked the lord that it was just a nightmare, hoping that he won't see it ever again.
"Guess not then? Oh well! Have you thought about our little deal?" The blonde-black-haired man had put down the pen he was holding.
"Y-Yes sir.." Brent stuttered, having difficulties voicing his answer. The teen let out a small cough, he fixed his posture and looked at Lucien properly. "I'll work for you. Just please keep her safe."
Having said his decision, the redhead stands relaxed as he starts to fiddle with the hem of his shirt, hearing a chuckle from the white-clad man.
"Why of course!" Lucien leaned back onto his chair. "You're hired! Welcome to the Family!"
Brent didn't know if it was an intentional joke or it's really what employers say to an employee even in a situation like this. The man with the sunglasses slightly turned his chair and stretched out his arm with his palm opened, inviting the boy for a handshake. In which, he hesitantly accepted and shook firmly.
Simon was standing with his arms behind him, waiting for Lucien's instructions. He sees his boss turn his head with a serious look.
"Oi. What're you standin' round and doin' nothin' for?" With that, there was no need for anything else.
The man in the suit apologetically bowed and made his way out of the room. Brent followed soon after bowing and mumbling a quick thank you. The room that he had woken up in was in-sight, but a woman was waiting just beside the door with a neatly folded set of clothes in her arms and a towel on top. She greeted the two of them. As they entered, the maiden followed.
"Go and cleanse yourself. We have matters to attend to." Simon grabbed the towel from the pile of clothes that were now on the bed, the woman had left the room and had stayed next to the doorway from the outside.
"Once you are done cleaning, call for the lady and she'll proceed to lead you to me, understood?" He instructed as he tossed the towel at the boy.
"Y-Yes, sir." Brent politely replied in a stutter.
Simon had once again left, leaving the boy in a worried state. Brent hurriedly enters the bathroom to take the bath he's been hoping for since waking up. It seemed that the sweat and stench won't just leave him alone for a single day.
His attention was caught by the mirror, his own reflection. He had been roughed up, but the thing that stood out most was the gauze on his cheek. It hurt when it was poked too hard. The redhead contemplated taking it off for a look, but it was better to leave it alone for now.
Brent stepped through the curtains, taking note of the shower-head. There were loofahs hanging to the side of a shelf, accompanied by a soap and shampoo bottle. The knob suggested to be turned in both directions. Left and right, the boy turned it all the way to the left and was shot with an ice-cold stream of water. While shivering, he hurriedly put it back to normal temperatures.
The luke-warm water running down from the shower-head was very refreshing, he needed this, the boy thought to himself. It helped him relax, only for a short moment. He did keep in mind that he had to finish this soon and not take too long as to not aggravate Simon by his tardiness. This wasn't a problem for him, he just needed this small moment for himself. So he closed his eyes for a bit.
The teen stayed in the shower for a few minutes more before leaving and dressing up. The clothing that he had been given wasn't quite different from what he usually wore but still, he felt like he shouldn't be wearing it.
The gauze on his cheek was now damp and made him feel more pain because of the water that was soaked up in the dressing. Under the gauze was a short and shallow wound, with barely dried scab covering the open cut. So the teenager took caution and carefully changed it.
He was now sporting a pure white button-up T-shirt with a layer of black sweater vest that hugged his torso just right. New pairs of pants held up by a leather belt, which the boy thought was very unnecessary. A very expensive-looking silver watch with brown straps was left on the bed, he couldn't quite figure out if he was supposed to wear it or it was an accident.. So he picked it up carefully and wanted to ask.
Outside the room, the same woman was still waiting. The refreshed boy curiously looked at her before approaching further, catching her attention. It must've taken a lot of patience and practice to stay in the same place for such an amount of time. Well, it didn't take too long for him to freshen up.
"Um... Miss? I think this was accidentally mixed in the pile of clothes.." He showed her the silver wristwatch, thinking that she'd take it from his palm.
"It was no mistake, please wear it." The maiden spoke in a gentle voice.
"O-oh.." Brent then fumbled to latch it onto his wrist, receiving assistance when the woman saw him struggling.
"I'm ready to go to Mr. Simon now.." The redhead sheepishly informed her. He received a gentle smile and a slight nod from her.
She turned and began to walk off with the boy coming along. It was an awkward trip,it was almost similar to the walk that he had with Simon earlier but he thanked her for her patience and for bringing his clothes.
After a long walk, they arrived at where Simon was. But he appeared as though he was busy.
He couldn't quite guess what was happening but the maiden called out to the man. "Sir."
Simon didn't flinch. Instead, the woman walked away, leaving the boy in pure confusion. The man in front had turned around to face the teen. Seeing that Brent had indeed tidied-up, looking much more pleasant with his attire. He nodded, acknowledging the newly-hired.
Brent bowed his head nervously, awaiting further instructions from him. The man was adjusting the sleeve on his wrist, buttoning them up. Smoothing out his suit and patting the dust off of his shoulders.
"Now, I have a question for you." He went back to his fixed posture. "Have you encountered any strange phenomena?"
Brent looked up at him with oddity. "Uhm.."
"Anything that seemed.. peculiar. Perhaps too unusual to explain?"
There wasn't a response from the boy, only a very puzzled look. Simon was a little surprised, but ticked off that this was going nowhere.
The curiosity grew in Brent, not getting anything at all. He didn't get what this job is supposed to be, thinking that it would be the same as the marketplace. Just lifting, pushing, selling, and other simple tasks.
Muddled as ever, he never really questioned what he had just signed up for. It was too late to rethink and refuse. After all, this was the best option for both of the siblings.
"Well then, I suppose I shall educate you on this matter." Simon sighed out. "I would like you to think back to our little.. quarrel."
Brent wasn't sure how to think back to something that just happened too quickly to process. He still thought long and hard, trying to grasp what Simon was trying to make him recall.
"Your cheek, the gash." Simon deadpanned.
The redhead's hand immediately went up to touch his cheek, he wondered where he got that from but never really said anything about it.
"That would be my fault." In the few of their exchanges, that was a first for the boy to hear.
"Oh. But.. how? I didn't see a blade in your hand, sir." His hand was still on his repatched wound. Unable to figure out what exactly happened.
"That is because my hand was the blade." Simon said ever-so-bluntly.
Most of the conversations he's had with this man were troubling, he couldn't even take a second to replay the phrases in his mind without annoying the one he's talking to. It was really because he was just too straight-forward that it just caught him off-guard and unable to make his brain work. Like now, just as he said. His hand was the blade. It just didn't make any sense, no matter how he looked at it.
Was it just because of the very swift movement he did? That somehow it would make this gash on his face. It still didn't sound right at all.
Simon lifted his gloved hand, pulling down his sleeve to show a tattoo of a weird symbol.
"It roughly translates to 'blade'. I can turn my limbs as sharp as a blade at will."
Brent examined the man's hand as they stretched out then balled into a fist, warming them up for what's about to come next. Once the back of the palm was showing, nothing much really changed but Simon grabbed a piece of wood.
"This is how I managed to leave a tiny cut on your cheek. Observe." Simon gripped hard on the plank and with just a clean and downward swipe with his arm, a thinner piece fell on the floor from the plank.
Brent stared in awe, amazed by the stunt that had just been pulled off. He wasn't sure if his question was the right thing to ask but he knew he just had to. He wanted to know.
"W-Was that a karate chop..?" The boy was switching his gaze from the chunk on the floor and to the board that it was from.
Simon's breathing hitched and he felt like his vein had just popped out of anger. He's not sure what he'd do to the kid at this point. He had to take a deep breath and calm himself down as the redheaded teen was still staring at the man in astonishment.
Brent rambled on about not seeing such a thing before, but only having to hear it from neighboring kids that were playing outside their homes and such.
Simon rubbed his face in absolute disdain, pondering how he could manage to continue with this teen. But he had to, as Simon had no choice or else he'd answer to Lucien himself.
Almost at the brink of giving up, he pulled himself together and looked at the boy with a stern glare.
Making the redhead close his mouth in an instant.
"No. It is not a 'karate chop'. The thin lumber in my grasp should have been in specific leverage if so, it also would have been split into half, I merely sliced off a small part of it." The man managed to explain in the easiest words he could think of.
Brent was now embarrassed from his earlier behavior, and apologized a lot. The correction from the man in the suit was now raising another question in his mind. If it wasn't karate then it meant something else.
"Wait, then.. Do you have powers..?" The boy is still hesitant to believe it, he knew that people possessing superhuman abilities was just a rumor that came from the city. But the older nodded.
"Have you not encountered such a thing before?" Simon was in a daze as the younger shook his head.
"Yes sir. I've heard of gossip and rumors about it but I've seen none of it as proof." Brent was doing his best to be polite but can't help but glance at the man's hand.
"Now you've just seen one example." The adult said as he flicked his hand, and still, nothing seemed to have changed.
"One.. Then does that mean-" Before Brent was about to finish his sentence, Simon cut him off.
"Yes. There are countless people that possess abilities that vary from the user's heritage. We will explore that in the future, but for now. Come. I will show you around the mansion." Simon turned his back from the boy and walked away, expecting him to follow.
Brent looked down at his palms and wondered.
"Then.. Does that mean I have one too..?"