akunyan / aniyan.
A few days passed since the grand hassle in the Don’s mansion, which begat utterly undesirable attention to the Wall Market and that despicable man was the very cause of it, triggering occasional dealings with pesky Turks that kept the majority of the people on edge and Aniyan himself straggled to maintain oblivious facade to avoid leaking any information on a merc they also aimed to detain. In a slightly strained posture he rested on a sofa within own room at the backside of the inn, a hand was lifted up to run fingertips against the temple, an unexplainable sensation of exhaustion washed over and lured into its embrace, when the young male made an appearance, who previously had an intention to scout over the dreadful mansion. After a conversation occurred and details of the unforeseen encounter were revealed, the silence dwelled between the two, whilst the man’s glance remained fixated onto the other, detecting apparent dismay, which claimed a tight grip upon the teen and eventually it was given a voice in a form of an inquiry. “Not necessary. ShinRa is searching for him, and it would be very foolish to come back to the Wall Market.” A composed and confident in own belief tone responded, whereas complication with the Turks was imminent, that danger was not posed by Corneo, who beyond doubt was relieved of the trust of his most valued allies.
Albeit genuine conviction and judgment of their current situation, those words were not sufficient to ease the other’s worry and Aniyan comprehended that dread, taking into consideration own involvement and persuasion to proceed working for the don; the undeniable weight of guilt and responsibility for that boy’s misfortune lay heavily upon his shoulders. Thus lifting own weight from the sofa, he at leisure approached the other male, extending an offer of protection. “Leslie… If you worry ‘bout your own safety, stay here. The Trio and I personally will be able to divert attention from you.” An offer not without merit, something the person standing in front of him earned, so he could have a different future.
TOO PROUD TO SAY IT, but not too proud to imply it indirectly, lesie grows more anxious with each passing day. perhaps it had been the visceral reminder of his own mortality; that if that fat bastard could knock him down & hold him at gunpoint ( when he was the one acting pre-emptively ) then what’s to say one of corneo’s men won’t hunt him down and finish the job ? leslie might have known the consequences before / during / after acting upon them, but that shield of apathy that steeled him over the years had begun to waver; a small glimmer of hope that shakes him to his core. it’s almost as though he’s afraid of dying, again.
his fingers lock before him, and even here —— in the safety of the inn, beside a man with more power than he’d ever hope to attain in his short life, he feels antsy. like he’s gotta watch his back, or something bad will happen. REALLY BAD. crime movie bad, & he’s dug himself into this hole and doesn’t want to ask aniyan to help pull him out, but ... “ my own safety ? c’mon, you know me better than that. ” perhaps that’s exactly why he’s offering.
now, there is nothing between him and corneo’s enemies, nor corneo’s allies. leaning back in the chair slowly, leslie tilts his head back and glances up towards the ceiling. the lights give him something to focus on as he organises his thoughts, contemplates. ‘ been a while since i sat in a chair this comfortable ... ’ he digresses, eyes fluttering closed. “ ... ‘sides, what use would i be to anyone here ? all i’d be good for is pointin’ a gun at nasty customers. ”
