Memory was a faulty thing; he knew that to be true, though the excuse itself seemed inapplicable in the current situation. No matter how biased he had been before, the man standing before him was not the vibrant individual Elliot remembered him to be. Physically, there were little to no changes, but one look at the hardened gaze and there was no denying that Naoki had changed, as well. Gone were the days where the snake showered him with flowers, where the two nuzzled their noses together, where they shared in their laughter. A pity, that he held no remorse at the realization. Or, at least, he thought he didn’t. But something tugged at his heart, a sharp, cringe-inducing pain. It was gone as soon as it came, though, leaving him with a suffocating hollowness. Perhaps some part of him wanted to be missed. The desire was crushed with everything else he’d lost, though, dismissed as a false alarm.
“This is my territory.” He canted his head, wanting to play the statement off as a joke, though his tone remained as emotionless as he felt. Years of uncaring would take time to unravel. “Not that I mind, but if you’d rather not have me interfere with your work—well, I need to know.” The assassin took note of the cellphone and conversation from afar, and it didn’t take much thought to interpret what occupation other had weaved into. It would explain the drastic change in demeanor. “Nice seeing you too.” Excellent liar he was, if only he had the cheery air to accompany his words. But he made an effort to seem amiable, pulling his hands from his pockets to lift his arm in a half-hearted wave. He made no move to stop the other from leaving, and did the same, turning on his heel to head in the opposite direction, back to the home he didn’t rejoice in returning to. There was little to smile about, nowadays.
A few hours had passed when Elliot arrived in front of the motel, following the directions from earlier. His visit was pointless, only another measure to break away at his abundance of free time, to entertain himself while he stalled having to report to Mason. While Elliot no longer held resentment towards his job, he felt no need to rush getting a new set of assignments, especially after he just finished his ridiculous workload. He could give himself a moment to breathe, to relax. And what better way to do so than to see an old friend, even if they probably didn’t consider each other more than past acquaintances by now.
With a box covered in decorative wrapping (cartoon depictions snakes littered across the shiny paper) in his hand, he bounded for the first door, about to kick it open when he remembered that manners were exerted when there was no need to fight. He needed to turn off his offensive mindset. Elliot raised his hand to gently rap against the surface, rusty in the unfamiliar movements. He’d considered coming empty-handed, but during the early stages of his two-year leave, he had been so optimistic in returning, with only his friends in mind. He intended to come back with smiles, apologies, and presents to make up for not warning anyone of his departure. Now, he only fulfilled one of those requirements, and only because he had purchased something beforehand. It would be useless, lying around in his apartment room.
The box was hidden behind his back after a moment’s thought. He vaguely recalled that surprises were welcome, at least in regards to giving presents. “Kiki, it’s me.” He called, raising his voice above his habitual murmur to be heard over the barrier of the door. The attempt to sound remotely happy failed. “If I’m not intruding, I’d like to come in.”
Once he got to the rather sleezy motel, Naoki made his way toward the first door. Fishing through his pockets for the small card, he propped the door open, taking in a deep sigh. The weapon would have felt comfortable if it wasn't for his miscalculation in turning on his phone, only to have a slight vibration alert him to someone attempting to reach him. Without a single verbal complain, the serpent took the call, using his headphones once again to answer, " I thought I told you I'd be off for the rest of the night... "
' I know you said that, but here's the thing. I just got word that you might have run into some extra opposition. Don't ever engage, alright? Not because of your safety, but because of something I'm working on that might or might not be ready by tomorrow. Anyway, just make sure you come in at the usual hour, I'll have some food for you here if you want any, ' By /food/, as always, his higher up meant doughnuts and coffee. Not that he minded those at this point, considering his diet consisted of whatever he could get his hands on, ' Oh, Aurum. Just watch your back, I still need you. '
Without another word, the snake lowered himself onto the small bed, inhaling the cheap motel scent as though he couldn't breathe in anything else. It wasn't like he could sleep easily anymore, considering that every time he did, nightmares ravaged his mind, destroying whatever safety he found in his solitude. Reminding him of what he was, what he would always be. As though his mind fought against what had been done, and what he still did to his body. How many times it had been ripped apart, limbs torn, how many wounds he had to go through for the sake of becoming what the was now. The perfect weapon, the perfect snake, the perfect /predator/. A king among those he had now. Among those he abandoned for the sake of fulfilling a promise, a duty he felt he had to fulfill. To pay back a debt, that's all it was--and it was a debt that could never be repaid. He'd become a force among those who knew him, an entity to be feared. Though he was just a demon and nothing more, a serpent bred for bloodshed and misery. Feared once again for what he could give without mercy. It took a while, but it worked. All that training, all that horrifying pain, all the tears and agony he had to go through to achieve what he had now. It was worth it.
Wasn't it?
It didn't take long for Naoki to register the knocking at the door, unaware that he'd been resting that long. Prying himself off the bed, he tugged his weighted coat off, tossing it onto the covers and removing the knives on strips he had attached to bands around his arms. Nothing but an sleeveless undershirt, the bands around his arms and neck, the jeans and boots he wore from the night before, they were all that decorated his body for now. He wouldn't have taken off the sweater if it wasn't for the fact he heard the familiar nickname come from beyond the wood. ' Kiki ', the name he hadn't heard in so long it almost sounded foreign to him. Almost as foreign as the male he saw in the mirror after showers. In response, Naoki called out, scratching aimlessly at his arms, " I'm coming in a sec--, "
Once he was done making sure he looked about as normal as he could get at this point, the unruly haired demon made his way to the door, propping the door open and leaning slightly against the frame, eyeing the other from under black locks, " Feel free to come on in, ain't much to see though--kinda surprised you're here. "
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