Sunday had arrived, and with it, twenty four whole hours of relative tranquility that Jazzlyn had been desperately begging for from all the gods she knew. Today was the only day of the week in which everyone in the compound was briefly relieved of their duties, given freedom to do whatever they wished.
Ever since her encounter with Casey, every passing moment had felt like a trial to determine whether she could actually survive this kind of life. The need to keep herself invisible, satisfy the executives, work efficiently and prevent a mental breakdown had consumed her every thought of every waking hour. With a whole day off to look forward to, she hoped to relieve herself of these oppressive thoughts by taking a leisurely walk around the compound. Unfortunately, the lack of actual work didn't necessarily bring a complete sense of peace, the compound carrying an air of silent menace and simmering tension.
Jazzlyn found herself strolling through the more serene sections of Taitanzu headquarters, though the quiet did little to ease her. The brief exchange with Casey still terrorized her thought process, its weight resting uncomfortably on her shoulders and making each step she took feel heavier. Her thoughts were little more than a jumbled mess of anxiety as she reminisced on the encounter—the powerlessness and fear feeling as real now as it did that day. Nothing she tried seemed capable of calming her nerves. Even Z's peppy assistance only served to briefly distract her from it. Was this what Noah meant when he said he'd seen one too many people lose their minds within these walls? She honestly thought he was being a troll back then, but now, the truth in his words couldn't be any clearer.
What she really needed right now was an escape from the mental torture. A way to think without constant dread tearing away at her from the inside. As she rounded a corner near the old storage facility, she saw him—Clovis.
She recognized the man instantly. His tall, lanky frame was unmistakable, with his overall demeanor as detached and unbothered as the last time she'd seen him. Pole-like arms dangled lazily by his sides as he rested against the wall, looking so relaxed it seemed like he could melt into the building at any moment. Clovis was easily known as one of the more unnatural members of the Taitanzu executive lineup, and according to Z, was also one of the most liked because of how sociable he was with his subordinates. Despite rolling with the most feared people in the city, he never carried himself with the same level of menace or severity as the rest. He was infamous for his lackadaisical nature, somehow even more laid back than Noah. To him, the high stakes world of gang activity seemed to be more like a chore he didn't want to do.
Yet, Clovis was somehow one of the most dangerous of the bunch. Tavion told her the story: how he was one of the only executives to ever be imprisoned—at the age of ten no less. His crime? Allegedly he'd killed his own father. The exact details of the story varied from person to person, but the core truth remained the same. He murdered his own father in cold blood and came out from prison seven years later more or less unscathed. Despite this gruesome past, he was the most carefree executive of them all, as if the weight of such a dark crime left his conscience untouched.
"Heyyyyy….you're…you're the collateral girl yeah?" Clovis spoke, his calm voice coming out in a slow drawl. His gaze drifted lazily to Jazzlyn, but his eyes lacked any real focus, like his mind wasn't all there. "Figured I might meet you around here. What was that your name again…Jazzlyn?"
Jazzlyn stopped walking, standing just a few feet away from him. She didn't get the all too familiar feeling of dread she felt when standing in the presence of the other executives. For all his strangeness, he completely lacked any form of suffocating aura. Was he weird? Yes. Unpredictable? Absolutely. But even then, he didn't seem hostile. Still, she kept her guard up. "Yep, that's me. I remember you from the meeting…."
Clovis chuckled, a slow and soft sound. "Oh yeaaah. Fun times." He yawned and stretched. The way his limbs extended reminded Jazzlyn of a cat waking up from its slumber. "You're up and about early. What's got you wandering like an albatross?"
Jazzlyn shrugged, the first casual action she'd taken in days. "Just needed some air. No offense…sir…but this place can be a wee bit…overwhelming…."
Clovis's mouth slowly curved into a very lopsided smile. He looked so goofy Jazzlyn almost giggled. "Yeeeaah….this place has that effect on people." He studied her face for a few seconds, his deep blue eyes half-open with sleepiness, but having an odd sharpness within them as well.
"Soooooooo…..what do you think of our lil organization? Don't worry I won't snap your neck or anything, so you can be as honest as you want.
She hesitated, unsure how to answer despite his assurance of no violence. "It's….well…there's a lot to take in. Taitanzu is…intense…for lack of a better way to word it."
"Oooooh. Yeah I can't argue with that assessment" Clovis agreed with a slight nod of his head, his voice so light it sounded like a sigh. "Yooouuu…worry so much….buuuut you've survived for fourteen whole days, and neither your mind nor body are broken. Thaaat's a lot more than most can say for themselves after a week in Casey's department."
A shiver ran down her spine at the mention of Casey's name, the memory of his eyes—cold and furious—flashing in her mind, causing her fingers to tremble lightly. "I'm doing everything I can to stay out of his way."
Clovis nodded again, looking at her like he'd expected that exact response. "Thaaaat's the most sensible plan. The bloke's difficult and bloody hard to read…buuuut I feel he's got his reasons. Doesn't justify what goes down in the Slaughter Pit but oh well….."
Jazzlyn blinked, perplexed by the subtle shift in the executive's tone. "What do you mean, his reasons?" Did people like that ever have reasons for their rage tantrums? Most she'd ever seen or heard about were just angry for the sake of being angry.
Clovis gave her a sidelong glance, the goofy smile making its way unto his features once again. "Kiiiiinda haaard to explain. Let's just say…that he's carrying these things. Heeeeavy things y'know? People like him don't just turn out the way they are without some mad weight on their shoulders you dig?"
Jazzlyn frowned, her brain working overtime just trying to make sense of what the hell Clovis was saying. "I don't….I don't understand. What are you telling me?"
Clovis stopped speaking and pulled on the stubble that lined his chin, as if he was debating how much was safe to tell her. "Naaaaah you wouldn't get it. Noooot yet, anyway. It's too early y'know? Buuuuut I see you're not a total pushover. Those eyes…you're sharper than you let on aren't ya Jazzlyn? Thoooose are the eyes of someone who notices things. I'm sure you'll figure it out….juuuust pay attention you hear?"
Jazzlyn shook her head in exasperation, more confused than before. She couldn't stop the frustration from creeping into her voice. "Figure it out? Figure out what? What are you even saying???"
Clovis's lips tugged up in a lazy smile, but there was something else in his gaze—an almost melancholic look. "Yooooou'll see. Sooner or later. Later or sooner. Maybe you'll help him, maybe you won't. I don't know why, but I see you doing that in a way. Whoooo knoooows…" he shrugged, looking away from Jazzlyn and up at the clouds in the sky.
A wave of confusion and disbelief washed over her, multiple questions taking root and overriding all previous mental processes. Help him? Help Casey? The idea seemed as impossible as it was ludicrous. What could she possibly do in this world to help someone like him, a man whose standing far surpassed that of her and her ancestors? More importantly, what on earth could haave prompted Clovis to think she had anything of value to offer?
She opened her mouth to speak, but before she could voice her questions, Clovis's phone blared a cutesy pop song. He took a moment to listen to the melody before he sluggishly pulled it out of his pocket, expression unchanged as he glanced at the screen. He stood still for a second, and then his body shifted slightly, a sign that his attention had been drawn elsewhere.
"Boss" came a voice from behind them both. It was one of Clovis's subordinates, a young man from the Business department who spoke up, approaching his superior with a sense of urgency in his steps. "The meeting with the other execs begins in less than ten minutes sir. They're waiting on you."
Clovis closed his eyes, took a deep breath and proceeded to sigh dramatically, eliciting a small laugh from his subordinate. The way he reluctantly pushed himself off of the wall, Jazzlyn couldn't help but wonder how he ever managed to accomplish anything in a day.
"Weeeeell then, seems this is the end of our nice little chat. Duuuuty calls…and stuff." he rolled his eyes and yawned. "Can't keep the rest of em waiting yeah? A certain someone might decide to throw a chair at me again"
He turned to Jazzlyn, his smile enigmatic and lazy, yet genuine. "Yooooou keep those eyes of yours open you hear eh Jazzlyn? Theeeere's no telling the things you might see in a world as dark as this…"
With that, the mysterious executive gave her a half-hearted wave and walked off at a leisurely pace, ignoring the frantic words to hurry up from his subordinate trailing behind him. Jazzlyn stood for a moment, watching the lanky man go till he eventually disappeared through a door. Her thoughts however, were still spinning.
"Help him? HELP HIM???"
The words Clovis spoke to her kept rattling in her head, refusing to leave. What did he mean by that? And why did he think she of all people had anything to offer Casey? She'd only been here for about two weeks after all. How was it possible she had already left such a lasting impression on him?
Her eyes lingered on the door that Clovis had disappeared through, the memory of his words and his relaxed, unbothered demeanor, clinging to her like the cold in winter.
Her mind wandered to the morning she'd arrived and the attack on their headquarters that came soon after. She remembered him and Noah fighting side by side with such ease that it seemed they had been practicing for that very moment for years. While Noah moved with predatory focus and thinly veiled sadism, there had been a terrifying ease to the way Clovis went about dealing with his own opposition. He faced the battle like nothing could touch him, and was truly invincible as he dropped each person effortlessly with only his bare hands, completely unaffected by the bloodshed and carnage. On that day she couldn't stop thinking about what one must have gone through in their lives to approach the notion of killing so lightheartedly.
But now, in spite of that calm and detached nature, he was hinting at something about Casey she honestly couldn't make heads or tails of. Everything he said made not one lick of sense, and the likelihood of her getting any sort of explanation on the subject was unlikely. Part of her pondered the possibility he was just messing with her, but she quickly shot it down. Clovis, in spite of his weirdness, didn't look like the kind to waste his time on things like that.
Jazzlyn shook her head, pushing the conversation out of her mind as she continued her stroll through the compound. Taitanzu was already confusing and mysterious on its own without trying to unravel the nonsensical ramblings of its strangest executive.
No matter what she did tfor the rest of the day however, Clovis's words still lingered.