Dangerous associate

"Forty one. Forty two..."

Through the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of his neighbour's nineteen year old daughter. Busty; long, silky, black, raven hair; blue eyes, neat waist, nice hips and a firm, round butt. She made a habit of coming out on her front patio every morning during his work out sessions after her father had left for work and Vincent always caught her glancing at him but pretended not to. Today was a little different however, she made her way over to the fence, with a smile on her face.

"Three hundred, ninety seven. Three hundred ninety eight. Three hundred ninety nine. Four hundred."

Vincent hung upside down from a metal bar he had been using for his inverted sit ups.

"Oh hey there, Laura. What's up?"

"You're always out here working so hard. I mean, four hundred inverted sit ups? I'd be amazed if I could even do ten..."

Vincent chuckled quietly.

"So I've been wondering for a while now... If maybe you're not too busy later... We could go out some time?"

"Yea, I'd like that."

Vincent lowered himself down off the bar and walked over to the fence, brushing his hair back out of his face.

"Really?! Great! I'll see you later then."

She turned and walked back to her patio, purposely moving her hips in a seductive manor as she did.

"Who knows, maybe we could discuss a few ways you could help me stay in shape too."

She winked and entered her home. Vincent laughed to himself, he took his jacket up off the bench he used for bench pressing, the jacket was warm having been left out in the sun for so long. His cellphone rang, the ring tone let him know instantly that it was one of his clients.

"Hello? Yea. Ok. I'll be right there."

Zafaris ran down the middle of the street. He figured that getting away through the alleyways was enough to loose Azazel, and now he just needed to get more distance between them. He quick look to the sky showed that the Captain wasn't in pursuit either.

"Damn, I hate running."

He slowed his pace down and looked for a place to rest. Panting heavily he found a street corner with a tree nearby. He plopped down under the tree, leaning his back up against the trunk.

"I need... to make... this suit... release heat... better"

He said to himself in between large breaths. Being to lazy in the guard had put him out of shape. He swore he used to be able to run for longer and farther than this.

Showered, groomed and ready to go, Vincent left his home en route to meet up with his client to discuss the details of their business venture. Yet again Laura was waiting on her patio, she gave a slight wave and a smile. He was about to return her gesture when they saw the strangest thing. A man wearing a grey and orange cloak, carry what appeared to be several swords bolting down the street. Vincent had seen his fair share of crazy things in the past, it was even thanks to one of these strange instances that he discovered his latent ability. Even so, no matter how much crazy stuff one saw in Terra, there was always something crazier out there.

Vincent shoved his hands in his pockets as he walked down the street, making sure to keep an eye out for the cloaked sword carrier. He'd made a lot of enemies in his last line of work, some of which still had grudges against him, no way to be sure that guy wasn't after him. To his surprise, the guy was waiting at the corner, sitting under a tree, not a very secluded area, if he really was an assassin, a spot like this would leave a lot of witnesses but then again, he seemed to be wearing a mask, so witnesses wouldn't matter if they couldn't make a positive ID.

Vincent approached with caution, figured he would try to get a read on the guy's body language toward him, if the man attacked now at least he'd have witnesses to back a self defense claim.

"Hey you, are you ok?"

Being as relaxed as he was, Zafaris mistakenly closed his eyes, and enjoyed the shade. It wasn't long until someone had called out to him, and surprised him at the same time.

"Whozawhatnow!"

He rolled away and stumbled to his feet, legs bent and armes stretched out as if he had just landed on his feet. Zafaris immediately spotting the man who called out to him. He was shorter, but just as built as he was, only Zafaris' longer body made him look thinner.

"Ummm."

Zafaris frantically looked around, seeing if he was being surrounded.

"Sure."

He then turned his gaze to the sky, just to make sure the Captain wasn't on his tail. Out of all the guards, he was the one he never wanted to confront in this kind of situation.

"I think."

Zafaris finally relaxed and stood up strait. This little encounter made him realize that sitting on the side of the road was a pretty bad idea.

"I should probably go..."

He said slowly, still looking around. He turned and began walking down the side of the street, keeping up his suspicious observations.

Who ever he was, this man seemed more like he was being hunted than he was actually hunting someone himself, but who knows, that could all have been an act to throw Vincent off his game before he tried to take him out. He glanced around to see if he could locate what the man was looking for, did he have more people with him? Was he checking to see if they were in position?

"Hey, if you're in trouble, an outfit that didn't stand out so much might help."

"Ya well, I didn't plan on them seeing me in this outfit to begin with."

Being sure that we wasn't tailed. Zafaris finally relaxed. He didn't expect that his little trick had enough power for Azazel. That, and he struck the deal with the Captain in the first place, so he assumed that he would be first in line to kick his ass just to make an example of him. Something was off.

"Thanks for the concern, I guess."

Now that he thought about it, this guy was a little weird for speaking out to him like that. Most of the citizens would stay away from a strange masked man with multiple swords.

"Speaking of which, what's with the concern, and who are you?"

Zafaris turned back around to face the man, but was ever so slowly taking steps away from him, getting ready to run if needed.

I wish I could have had more of rest.

"You can call me Grana. What kind of King would I be if I didn't show concern for my soon-to-be followers, eh?"

Vincent spoke with a goofy smile on his face. It was just a spur of the moment lie to cover himself, he had never seriously given any thought to being a King, but now that the subject had crossed his mind, it didn't seem like a bad idea. It was at the very least, something he would be willing to try. What was more interesting was that he continued to distance himself from Vincent, who was almost certain that this guy was on the run, rather than an assassin sent to put and end to him.

"Who are you running from anyway? I'd think those swords aren't just for show so whoever it is must be pretty damn strong."

"Well, that's more than I can say for another candidate."

Another King's Candidate. They were just popping out of no where now. Zafaris wasn't too sure how to feel about this one. At least this one wasn't showing hostility, but then again, he hasn't particularly done anything to cross him. Although, he had done enough to grab his attention. He had a strange feeling that nothing good would come of this.

"Let just say it's someone who wants to get free labor out of me in exchange for the prevention of a certain situation, which may or may not impede my personal choice of lifestyle."

He wasn't quite sure how to feel about this one. If he really was a King's Candidate, then turning him in would give him some good publicity, at least with the guards, and Zafaris had heard rumors lately that the Elites were thinking of putting together a set.

"Oh, so you've met other candidates? Does that mean you are already part of a set or are you not interested in stuff like that? What do you say to becoming a part of my set?"

Vincent took his right hand from his pocket and extended it toward the stranger as he moved toward him slowly, stopping no more than five feet away from him.

"It's just come to my attention that we've been chatting all this time and I don't even know you name..."

Zafaris stopped moving back when Grana offered to let him join his set. He peered at him, squinting his eyes, but his skepticism wasn't visible to the King because of his mask. At least what showed on his face. He raised his right hand to shake his hand, but instead raised it more and began wiggling his fingers.

"Name's Zafaris."

He stopped the wiggling.

"No, I'm not in a set. In fact, that King wants to kill me, for some strange reason. I'm not quite sure why."

Zafaris lowered his arm and looked to the sky in thought, but once again his expression was lost, and it could just look like he was looking for someone again.

"If it was because I was "trespassing" on that girl's property, then he would have killed the-"

He cut himself off, realizing that he would give up who was chasing him if he had finished that sentence. He looked back down to Grana, and his extended hand.

"Anyways. Why would you ask me to come into your set? I'm an awfully suspicious person, and you have only just met me. Knowing I'm being chased by someone, what do you say to that?"

"Well you see, if you join my set I can give you power and then whoever or whatever is chasing you becomes of very little concern, you'll be able to take care of them yourself and live a peaceful life."

Vincent lowered his arm and sighed, scratching his head.

"It's not every day you see someone running around dressed as strangely as you are, I'll admit, but if we constantly judge people based on only the aspect we can see, then the world will never be a better place. I mean, yea, you're like some sort of masked Ninja running around with a whole mess of swords, anyone in their right mind would totally see you and keep their distance, but I've been here chatting with you for quite some time and not once have you tried to cause me any harm even before you knew I was a King's candidate. What kind of King would I be if I didn't give everyone a fair chance? As for being chased..."

Vincent moved closer to Zafaris, placing a hand on his shoulder, his expression softened and a warm smile spread across his face.

"Members of my set will be like my family. I take care of my own."

That's funny...

Gilgamesh dropped from the sky landing softly in a crouched position.

You judge others before you meet them, insult my name, insult my wings. You broke into Verina's home, insulted and angered her when she asked you to leave, on top of damaging her home when there was an opened exit already available. Yet you pretend to not know why others want to bring harm to you, despite you chasing me with your friends for no reason at all.

The Winged King arose to his feet, bringing his wings to his back as he did so. He stood tall, staring directly at the main he'd tracked. With a slight tilt of his head, he folded his arms and continued. An expression of genuine curiosity etched blatantly in his face.

Now I hear you referring to me as a King. I though maybe you'd known another, but you mentioned "that girl's" property. None of that happened until after you left. So how is it that you know I'm a King? Now that I think about it... You came with all those other men, trying to drag me away in chains because I was different. Unlike them, you broke into Verina's home. When you were caught, you ran away. Now I find you in order to keep my word, and it's with another King no less.

Having learned something about the people while he was learning the lay of the land, he'd learned some very disturbing facts. For one, he'd learned what "arrest" meant and didn't like that one bit. He'd also learned about Kings in power that sent out people in order to find King's Candidates and capture them. They would then defeat them in the Offcial Set Matches that his Queen told him of. To lose one of these battles was to be humiliated to the point where it was almost impossible to recover.

So... who do you work for? What was the real reason you tried to capture me?

"I have to say, you make a pretty convincing argument."

Power is one thing, but being in a set at all should be a case where he can attain his freedom once again.

I mean, it's not like sets go around destroying things. They compete to see who rules, and if I were to be under the ruling king, then I would become absolved of my crimes.

Although he was still somewhat uncomfortable with him being so close, and putting his hand on his shoulder, Zafaris didn't have any better ideas. He just hoped that this wasn't some kind of elaborate trap.

"I guess I'll just have to accept then. So, what kind of pieces are you looking for?"

It was a good thing that Zafaris accepted at that moment, because the winged king now showed himself. His words puzzled Zafaris.

"Insulted your name and wings? When did I do that? Oh, wait a second. Did you overhear me calling you Birdy? Lighten up man, I haven't even seen you myself until that moment."

He turned his head back to Grana.

"Maybe this is a good time to explain who is chasing me, and although it might look like it, it's not him who I was concerned about.

You see, I was working for the guard until this morning. The exact circumstance in which I was serving them, was because I didn't want to go to prison. I struck a deal with the Captain of the guard that I would work for him in exchange for not going to jail for all my thievery. The jobs he normally gave me was to chase down and apprehend certain individuals, such as yourself."

Zafaris gestured towards the bird man.

"Although I wasn't so inclined to actually do my job, hence why I didn't leave when the Godfrey girl told me to, I'm guessing that her first name is Verina then? The only reason I was in that house to begin with was because I was told to. The guardsmen are not my friends, and I went in, and out, the window that was already smashed open when I got there."

At this point, Zafaris was pouting, but it couldn't be seen behind his mask. He couldn't understand why he was so angry that he wants to kill him. Just where was this guy from, did he grow up in the wild or something?

"And what are you talking about it happened after I left? One of the first things you said when you entered the room was that you wanted her to tell you how she was going to help you become king after you took care of me. Besides that, one of the Elite Guardsmen told me this morning when he came to check up on me, that you are one of the Kings Candidates, right before I *ahem* handed in my letter of resignation. Which, is in turn, who I am running from now. I thought the Captain would want to chase me down and make an example of me, but I haven't seen any sign of him, or any other Elites for that matter."

Zafaris switched his attention from the winged man, to Grana, back to the winged man, and put his hands on his hips.

"Is that good enough for you, or do you still want to kill me for no good reason?"

It doesn't matter if you think it's a good reason...

Gilgamesh was now beyond angry. He was furious.

All that matters is that you will die and I'll be the one standing over your mangled corpse.

The Winged King began to flap his wings, hovering slightly off the ground. He was always more comfortable when in the air, if only a little. This had become a habit when trying to remain calm. This man held no respect for anyone or anything. Even his convenient truth only truly said that he was looking out for himself. Even beyond that point, he still apologized for nothing. That means he regrets nothing. If he regrets nothing that he did and refuses to see what he did wrong, there was no reason to continue this. He tossed his gaze towards the other one.

Fellow King's Candidate, I am Gilgamesh. Our battlefield awaits in the arena. When that time comes, we'll be enemies. At this moment, we are not. After hearing his story in his own words, I'm sure you must realize that he does nothing but cause trouble without remorse and only looks out for himself. I've learned the rules of Kings. If you make him a piece, you'll save him from me, for now. But is this really the type of man you want fighting for you? One that will only pretend to do so and abandon you at the first opportunity?

"Oh boy, Oh boy... This is quite the situation."

Vincent scratched his head and turned his gaze skyward.

"On one hand you did come clean about being a member of the guard, though I had pretty much pieced that together from what Gilgamesh said before, but on the other hand, Gilgamesh has got a point. From your own words, you owe the guardsmen a pretty big debt, for thievery it was? There's no honour amoung thieves, I should know, I used to be one. How can I be sure you won't just hand me over to the guardsmen first chance you get in order to save your own skin? I will take care of my own, but if I feel as though my own are out to get me, then all bets are off..."

He turned his attention to Gilgamesh. Strangely, he wasn't as surprised by his appearance as he thought he should be. During his time working for his previous employer, Grana had been shot and left in an alley way in an old abandoned district. According to eye witness reports, a bleeding man was seen staggering and stumbling along the road and according to the doctors, he turned up at the hospital on his own. When he told doctors that he had been following a winged being, bathed in a radiant light, they chalked it up as being a hallucination. He extended his left arm to Gilgamesh.

"Very nice to meet you, the name is Vincent, some people call me Grana, either is fine. It's true we'll be enemies on the battlefield, no reason we can't be friends off the battlefield. I mean, as it stands, we're both fugitives from the guardsmen, right?"

Gilgamesh could not help but display great confusion. He drifted back from the man, unfolding his arms. It made no sense to him. He stared at his own feet, running any reason he could come up with through his head. In everything he considered, there was only one thing that seemed to make sense.

I... I see...

The Winged King stared the man down. quiet fury burned behind his eyes. His rage was barely contained. Still... there were rules and he had to keep his promise to Mother.

After hearing what he's done from his own mouth, with him denying nothing, you still need to think of if you would... I get it.

Gilgamesh began to ascend slightly when a smile crossed his face.

I should thanks you Vincent. If I killed him now, he'd die only once. I hear in the arena, whenever you are killed, you're brought back. There, I can kill him over... and over... and over again. I'll be see you in the arena.

With a mighty flap, Gilgamesh quickly ascended and raced back towards Verina's home.

"I stole what I had to to survive. Do you know what it's like growing up with no friend or family? Relying only on yourself while everyone around you looks down on you? I owe them no debt. They just want to use me so they don't have to do as much."

Zafaris watched as the winged man flew away.

"I don't get what's wrong with him. If what I did was enough to warrant him killing me, then he is going to be a shitty king. Forget about me becoming your piece. I'll find something else."

He turn and began to walk where he was escaping to initially.

Vincent sighed, he'd went out on a limb for a complete stranger, gotten himself in a huge mess, and apparently, he had made an enemy. On top of all that, he was now five minutes late for his meeting with his client. He returned his hands to his pockets and continued on down the side walk, all the while thinking that maybe his take on this whole thing was wrong.