From darkness, sounds and scents filtered in first. The shifting of feet marked two people in his senses, but Jason could smell three. One smelled of metal left out in the rain and sweat after a day of hard work; another was smoke, fire, and blood, competing with the faint scent of lemon in the air.
Idly, Jason realized he knew them. Balakrishna and Cecilia. He couldn't understand why they were in the same room when his last memory was of Balakrishna punching a hole in his stomach. However, since the sweet-copper scent of blood was not that overwhelming, Jason figured there wasn't a fight he should be concerned about.
The teen pretended to be knocked out as he focused on the last occupant of the room. Their scent was the most confusing; a mix of cigarettes, wet dogs, and something bitter. The bitterness he knew to associate with panic or stress.
"Your attempts to feign unconsciousness are commendable, but this humble monk has better places to be."
Jason coughed, sitting up in his bed. The velvet sheet felt cool against his exposed skin, but the teen couldn't enjoy them as most of his body was covered with gauze and bandages. Said bandages stretched across his arms and legs, drawing a grunt of pain when he forced himself up.
"Careful, Bello," Cecilia's scent tickled Jason's nose. The redheaded Delver had leaned over his bed to help him sit up. "Ya still got a hole in yer stomach. Honestly, its crazy how yer up now."
Jason didn't immediately respond to that. The situation around him made no sense. As he thought over what to say, he took stock of the room.
It wasn't very large, nor was it very furnished. A white-walled room that smelled of overpowering lemons and chemicals. Jason knew a medical room from the times Oliver's plans fell through, but after he had become a Delver, grievous wounds became minor inconveniences. This room wasn't any different from the others. There were only two beds in the space; both of them were covered in white sheets that were splattered with various stains.
All of these details took a back seat to the people in the room. Balakrishna's bald head and light gold kasaya were easily recognizable as he sat cross legged in one corner of the room, and while the teen paid some attention to the man, his focus was more on the redheaded Cecilia who was bandaged up like a mummy and laid out in the bed right next to him.
The last person stood in front of the door almost like a bouncer, dressed in what could vaguely be called animal leather. He just wore animal's pelt over a stained dress shirt and tattered slacks, and from the smell, Jason hazarded a guess that it was a recent addition to his wardrobe. As for the man himself, he was a tanned, black-haired man whose smile stretched the man scars that criss crossed his face.
Ignoring the man, the teen focused on Balakrishna. When they locked eyes, the monk gave him a nod.
"W– Wha–" Jason started, but he was forced to stop as a cough tore through his scratchy vocals. "What's going on?"
"You survived, initiate of the Abyss."
Jason wanted to sigh, but he knew that would also hurt. "Yes, I know that now. Screw you, by the way." the teen turned to the other man in the room. A spike in that bitter scent told Jason that the panic was definitely aimed at the monk in the room. "I take it you are behind Cecilia, right?"
The man grinned, leaning against the only door out of the room. "What makes you think that?"
"What makes you think I didn't guess?"
A raucous laughter forced Jason to slap his hands over his ears, glaring at Cecilia. The girl had slumped over to the side of her bed to lean against his own as she laughed, and on top of that, her bandages had started to tear, revealing the bleeding burns across her back. Her supposed leader had to come over and pull her away, cursing under his breath and readjusting her bandages.
"You're certainly different than we thought you would be." The man said as he calmed the redhead. "I guess you're only gullible to your friends, huh?"
Jason sucked his lips, feeling a pang of emotion strike his heart. It took a moment to calm the tumultuous thoughts that shook him, but he eased back against the headrest of his bed. As much as he wanted to fight back, he knew he wasn't in any shape to do anything.
"What do you guys want, anyways? I'm here at your mercy now."
"Ah, anxious, aren't we?" The man chuckled, pulling out a cigarette. Jason caught how the man regarded Balakrishna for a second, and the teen noted that small interaction. "Mind if I smoke?"
"Yes, I do."
Cecilia started to laugh again, but the man ignored Jason and lit his cigarette with a snap of his fingers. "A real charmer you are. I guess annoying attracts crazy. Nevertheless, my name is Luciano, but my friends call me Lucio. As my future Hunting Dog, you can call me Teacher or Mastro."
Jason paused, needing a minute to understand what had just been said. "What?"
"This monk also needs an explanation." Balakrishna, who had been content to sit in the corner of the room, also chimed into the conversation, shaking his arms and legs as he stood up. Jason cast a glance to Luciano, and he found that the man looked a little startled at the sudden intervention. The bitter scent of panic grew alongside an oily scent that Jason couldn't parse.
"I am keeping my end of the deal." Luciano said, inching closer to Cecilia.
"If either of you tries to use your release hand signs, this monk will remove them from your arms." Balakrishna said casually, talking as if he just announced the weather. "Your end of the deal did not mention his inclusion to your pestilence."
"I think you are testing a little too much, monk. The illusion of choice is still a choice. Are you going to break your oaths over some wordplay like this?"
Balakrishna's placid features twitched, and after a tense moment, the bald monk sat back down. "This monk dislikes your methods, Dog Trainer."
Luciano released a snort that sounded suspiciously like a sigh of relief. "Damn monk…" the man turned back to Jason with a smirk, seemingly forgetting the entire interaction. "Sorry about that, but nevertheless, let's get back on track, yeah? Are you going to join us or are you going to continue where we left off?"
"Pretty shitty choices…"
"Haha, they are, aren't they! Honestly, I was a bit surprised when the don said he'd forgive you. You're pretty lucky, you know."
"You're still not making much sense. I'm forgiven? What is even going on?"
"Oh, oh! I can answer ya!" Cecilia said, raising her hand in Jason's face. The teen leaned away from the girl and motioned for her to continue.
"So, like, after ya saved my life an' all from that bastr'd ova there!" Cecilia said and gesticulated in Balakrishna's direction. "I fell off and was saved by the boss, and then I was sent to the medical room where a bunch of weirdos came and helped–"
"Cici, dear, get to the point."
Cecilia puffed up her cheeks at Luciano, but she complied with his wishes. "Fiiine. Basically, ya saved me and beat me real good, proving that Donnie didn't die to a psycho chump. So, the don wanted to recruit ya instead of kill ya. That means we're gonna be partners!"
Jason pursed his lips, turning to Luciano. "Seriously?"
"Eh, its close enough that the details really don't matter. Think of it this way," Luciano said, leaning against the door. "You beating Cici proved that you've got the potential to mess with the big leagues. The fact is that you beat someone who had a year as a Delver and was trained by me. And, at the end of the day, you still got a debt to pay to us for killing one of our members. Not to mention you gave a better showing than the Yakuza's Shinobi when you fought tall, bald, and stoic over there."
Jason turned to the monk, finding no change in his features. Balakrishna also moved to face Jason.
"This monk apologizes. Consequences are sometimes more than expected and less than desired."
The teen grew annoyed as this entire conversation one-sidedly claimed him; like an object to be passed around. The whole conversation highlighted just how powerless he was to stop an entire organization from just upending his entire life.
Feeling like a puppet without his strings, Jason fell back into his bed. He stared up at the white lights in the ceiling. "What's stopping me from just leaving and not going back to the Basement? I don't want to get involved in all this. I can apologize to whoever, and stay out of your way. This is just…"
"Now, now, no need to get all sappy on me." Luciano said. "You had been given that pass, and we were willing to overlook past grievances. Besides, this is a good opportunity. You get paid, training as a Delver, and respect from your crew. Unless you have the backing of a Transcendent like your bald friend over there, no one turned down an offer from the don."
Luciano pushed off the door to walk over to Jason's bedside. The dark-haired man loomed over Jason, grinning with elongated canines. Jason could see how the man's fingernails looked more like talons extending from the end of his fingers than nails.
"Make your peace with it, Jason Argo. Think of it less like something you're being coerced into, and more like a way to support your family."
Jason's gaze snapped to the man, eyes boring a hole through his head. Luciano chuckled at the intense gaze.
"Something I said struck a nerve? Well, we can always keep an eye on your old man when he goes into the Hunting Grounds; the Tower Corporation has been aggressive in their strategies lately, so we gotta look out for our family, yeah? Your mother works pretty late on the judicial floors, too. I hear she's successful in putting the hammer down on many hooligans who think being above the normal human gives them a pass to be assholes. Work like that breeds animosity, doesn't it?"
"Does it?" Cecilia chimed in, oblivious to Jason's stare. She sounded like she really was concerned, but Jason didn't hear it that way. "Maybe I should make sure Missus Argo gets home safe… What floor did she live on again, boss?"
"Floor 321." Luciano said, keeping his eyes on Jason.
That was the final piece of information Jason needed to know. He closed his eyes, trying not to breathe too hard. In and out. His heart pounded in the back of his head, and mana flushed through his system. Jason did not know if this was a bluff or not, but he was not going to risk his parent's lives on his mistake.
With a final resigned sigh, Jason settled back in his bed.
"Well? I make a pretty convincing argument, yeah?" Luciano said with a smile, nodding above Jason when he realized the teen was not going to risk anything. "And don't worry about your parents worrying about you being out late. I messaged them through your Holo; if you need a cover, you spent it at a friend's house. You still have one of those, right?"
Jason paused, sitting up again. He turned to Luciano. "Oliver is okay, right?"
That question stumped the man. Luciano blinked as if Jason had just said gibberish. Then, another smile spread across his cheeks, but instead of the previous ones, this smile seemed different.
"You talk about the same friend who betrayed you. You know, the Zoo are just addicts except for a small minority, so it was pitifully easy to get them to work for us. They aren't as big as the Calderones, Yakuza, or Triads, so it is a no-brainer that they fold to us when we really want something." Luciano said slowly, as if explaining the criminal politics to a toddler. "Your friend knew we wanted to kill you, and he actively put out the plan to get you here. Knowing that, do you still care what has happened to him?"
Jason took a deep breath. Luciano's words cleared up the last bits of hope he had that his friend hadn't been part of this. He felt his chest hurt, and the teen took a moment to stare up at the ceiling, blinking back the tears from the corners of his eyes.
"I– I don't care what happens to him now. This was what he wanted to do with his life, and I can't force him to do everything." Jason said with a shuddering breath. "Still, I'd like to know if he is okay. Even if we've parted now, he was… a friend."
Luciano chuckled, shaking his head. "For your information, the rat is fine."
When Jason breathed a sigh of relief, Luciano spoke again, "You're a little odd in the head for that. If it was anyone else, I'm sure that they would've had your friend whacked or wearing some cement shoes." With that, the man turned and gave a wave as he left the room. "Nevertheless, this is all from me. I'll come and pick you both up tomorrow to drop you off back home. You can go and spend time with your family before we start your Delver training. Then, we can see if I can straighten you out. Ta ta."
As the door of the room closed, Jason found himself wishing he was truly alone. His grievances came in twos: a bright-eyed Cecilia who stared at him like he owed her money, and the silent Balakrishna who had bent his back and continued to bow towards him. Whatever they wanted from him Jason did not care to know.
All he wanted was to figure out where everything spiraled out of control.