Leon shifted on his feet at Kieran’s theory. The idea that both of their employers may have been trying to get them killed was far from pleasant. He wasn’t sure why Locust would turn on him in such a way, he had been nothing but loyal for all of his career after all. The idea was so gut-wrenching that he just couldn’t bring himself to fixate on it any further. The prospect of Kieran’s organization trying to dispose of him via Baines was stressful too. It had already impacted his own attempt on that wretch’s life, something similar could always happen again. Still, it wouldn’t be right of him to pin all that blame on Kieran. Even if the whole ordeal was causing him stress, it would certainly be more difficult for the other man to grapple with. He wordlessly shook his head at Kieran’s apology.

Kieran had headed off back to the bedroom, so Leon reclaimed the couch for himself. The ice had brought the pain down considerably, allowing him to settle down somewhat. Leon couldn’t remember falling asleep once he slowly opened his eyes. He felt a little bit better now than he had earlier, though his shoulder still ached and he definitely had seen better days. Either way, it was still a relief. Slowly, he sat up, wincing as his back complained. It was lighter out now, quieter too. He had no doubts that morning had finally arrived. It felt like the previous night had lasted twice the amount of time it actually had, but a lot of the danger seemed to have passed. If someone hadn’t gone after them already, then it was likely that they were in the clear. Still, he knew he shouldn’t count on that as a certainty. Another assassin would surely know to lower both their guards before making a move.

He could hear water running, and there was no sign of Kieran, so he assumed he was off taking a shower. He considered leaving right there and then, he could likely slip away without much complaint. He was still apprehensive considering there was a non-zero chance he currently had a target on his back, though. Plus, it might be good to consider finding a way to cover up the bloodstains on his shirt. It definitely wasn’t as bad as the uniform he had turned into a cast, but still bloodied enough that he’d get some weird looks and potential inquiries that he was not exactly thrilled at the prospect of having to deal with. The blood was dried by now too, making cleaning the button-down much more daunting of a task. That was something he could relegate to a later time though, he could probably make do with having coat cover it for now.

He got up from the couch with a bit of effort, squeezing his eyes shut with briefly hitched breathing. The pain was substantial again, though still it was better than it had been last night. He stepped over to his coat gingerly, before scooping it up and fighting with it to get his one good arm in. He managed to get it over his other shoulder and button it up as far as he could. He was basically wearing it now, it covered up his shirt a decent amount at least. He nearly jumped out of his skin hearing Kieran’s voice behind him, whipping back around to look at him with startled fervour.

“...Good morning,” He spoke with a slight morning rasp and a sheepish expression.

Kieran darted away, and Leon strode over to and returned to the decrepit couch. He stretched his good arm and yawned, immediately regretting it when a jolt of pain ran up his back. As he was sitting with his head in his hand recovering, his phone began to ring, spooking him for a second time. He quickly took it out of the pocket of his dress pants and checked the number. The call was from the manager that he had called about his absence from work the previous night. He answered quickly, holding the phone to his ear.

“Hello, Mrs. Foster. I’m assuming you got my message?”

He could hear the chiding click of the older woman’s tongue through the phone, making him tense in anxiety.

“No need to be so formal, Leon. I did see your message, and I was wondering,” Dread built up in Leon’s chest as she finished her sentence, “If there was anything I could do to help. Do you need any help getting groceries? Any meals delivered?”

For the last six months, Mrs. Foster had been trying to repay him at any possible opportunity during periods increasingly unexplainable for a small task Leon never would’ve done if he knew it would spiral this out of control. One time during his break Leon overheard a conversation between his manager and his coworker. A large hole had been punctured into one of her favourite sweaters, something she was understandably torn up about. Leon, looking to earn brownie points and a good word in from her, offered to sew it back together. Of course, he didn’t tell her one of the main reasons he even remembered how to sew was because of that time his coworker was at risk of bleeding out against the wall of a warehouse, which certainly refreshed his memory of what he had been taught by Locust all those years ago. It wasn’t all that easy to fix necessarily, but it was definitely an easier material to work with than human skin. Unfortunately for him what he thought was a simple favour done to be a suck-up to the higher ups turned out to be a grave mistake. As an assassin who had lived his life doing his damnedest to balance lying low with still keeping in good standings with his bosses, he had no idea how to handle this development. He couldn’t just up and tell her that her attempts to be kind and generous to him in the way an older relative might was a bad idea for them both. All he could do was deflect and hope she relented eventually.

“Ah…no. I’m alright,” He winced at how robotic his voice sounded, though Mrs. Foster either didn't notice or didn't acknowledge it.

“Do take care of yourself, and don’t be afraid to ask if you do end up needing anything.”

“Uh…yeah. Yeah, of course.”

He breathed a sigh of relief as she hung up the phone with a click, glancing up to see Kieran washing his knives in the sink. He paused before answering his question, the first few sentences that came to mind were all very ungrateful and sarcastic, the kind of thing he’d say and immediately come to regret. He resisted the temptation – Kieran had been nothing but hospitable towards him, after all – and had his response be as close to the truth as he could muster without being outright mean for no reason.

“It was fine, about as good as it could be considering…” He gestured vaguely towards his arm, and then towards the couch, “...Yeah. I managed to sleep though, which is the most important thing I suppose. How about yourself?” He assumed Kieran must’ve been more comfortable then he was the prior night, and he looked like he was in better shape this morning too.

“I had better get going now, busy day and all.”

He felt like he was ready to brave the walk back home. He’d definitely stick out walking down the street, but this was probably about as good as he was going to get. He also needed time to make himself presentable for the representatives, too. He stood up, hesitating before heading towards the door.

“I don’t think I know many other people in our line of work who would risk something like this…so…thank you again.”

Leon walked towards the door, opening it as little as he could get away with and slipping past into the stairwell.

It took around an hour for Leon to arrive at his apartment. Passerbys stared at him because of his injury, but no one stopped to think twice about the potential cause. He scanned his keycard on the entrance to the building, and slowly made his way up the dismal stairs. His apartment was on the third floor, number 304 on the left. The door complained with a loud squeak as he opened it, the sound causing the hair on the back of his neck to prickle. He shut the door as quickly as he could once he stepped inside. The apartment was small, everything was crammed together to an uncomfortable degree. The only part of the apartment that had its own distinct room was the bathroom, the rest was all in one main room with not much distinction between sections. He kept it very clean and tidy, but there were some things that just couldn’t be helped. The peeling wallpaper and the seemingly ancient stains on the carpet, for one. Also, despite Leon having been living there for the past several years, it looked almost as though no one had been actually staying in the space at all. He didn’t have any decor, only the bare essentials which he always stayed on top of keeping clean. The closest anything came to being personal was his rickety old bookshelf filled with his collection of classic literature which he read in his downtime, but even that was collecting some dust. It wasn’t anything he thought twice about, he never had the time. A slight chill crept through the air.

Leon’s bed was just a mattress on the floor with a pillow and a blanket. It took all the willpower he had not to just collapse and get some more sleep. Instead, he gathered up some clothes from his dresser and went off to the bathroom to get ready for his meeting. He was hesitant to dismantle his sling, but he knew he’d be able to make one out of better material now. He took off his coat, then slowly removed the sling as carefully as he could. His wrist looked bad as ever, he winced a little just looking at it. Unfortunately, it couldn’t be helped right now. At the rendezvous they might give him medical attention, but considering the nature of his injuries they’d probably just tell him to continue with business as usual. He took the opportunity to shower as well, careful as to not put himself in any more pain than strictly necessary. He really did look worse for wear, but at least most of his bruises were minor and only a little sore aside from his back and shoulder. He stepped out and got redressed, wearing a black button down this time although with dress pants once again. Leon quickly combed through his tangled hair, slightly bemoaning the fact it had grown out so much. He used to keep it cut shorter, but now he really only trimmed it when it was starting to get too long for Locust regulations. No one was allowed to keep their hair too long, it was a potential safety hazard if it got caught on something or someone grabbed it while an assassin made their getaway. He definitely still bothered with shaving his face though, the prickly feeling had never ceased to bother and distract him.

When Leon had finished getting ready and switching out his sling, he made his way over to his fridge and took out some leftover salad. He wasn’t feeling all that hungry, but he knew practically he needed to eat something to get his energy up for the meeting. He scarfed it down quickly before going to wash the dishes the best he could in his current condition. He kept an eye on the time. He would be expected to be at least a little bit early, but it wasn't quite at that point yet. He decided to keep himself busy and kill some time by reading, striding over to the shelf and brushing the surface off with his hand. He coughed at the dust that scattered through the air. He selected a smaller book so it would be easier to read with one hand, and sat down on the mattress.

After a few hours, he snapped the book closed and returned it to its spot on his shelf. He stretched his one good arm, and put his jacket back on the way it was before he got changed. It was about time now. They would be meeting at a convenience store towards the outskirts of the city. He’d have to catch a bus, there was no way he was walking all the way there in his current condition. It wasn’t exactly the most covert method, but the higher ups preferred that the parking lot of their current rendezvous points didn’t get filled up with a suspicious amount of cars. Not like Leon even owned a car, he usually just walked to where he needed to go. He stepped out the door of his apartment, went down the stairs, and made his way outside. The bus station was a short walk from his apartment, and it wasn’t long before his transportation arrived.

It took a decent amount of time to arrive at his destination, but eventually he reached his stop. Leon got off the bus, giving the driver a small nod of gratitude. He walked along the sidewalk until he reached the convenience store. The sign at the front was old and cracked, and the smell of cigarette smoke hung heavily in the air. Leon wrinkled his nose and headed inside. The store was empty, the cashier at the front glanced up at him briefly before averting his eyes and shifting uncomfortably. Even though there was no one there to be suspicious of him, he figured it was better to air on the side of caution and do as he was instructed. Leon approached the cashier cautiously.

“I’m here for a job interview, I was instructed to talk to someone named Mr. Bailey?”

“Oh, yes…right this way.”

The cashier still wouldn’t meet his eyes. The employees here were likely either members of Locust themselves or intimidated into compliance. He opened a door behind the counter and led Leon down a short hallway with dull, flickering fluorescent lights overhead. The cashier knocked on one of the doors, crossing his arms anxiously. There was a pause, but just before the cashier went to knock again there was the distinctive click of a door unlocking.
“He’ll speak with you in there,” The cashier muttered before ducking away.

Leon’s throat felt dry as he turned the knob on the door, pushing it open to reveal a shabby looking meeting room. Two people stood at the back, while Lucy stood by the door. Leon hurriedly shut the door behind him and she went to lock it. He could feel the eyes of the higher ups boring into him as he kept his head low.

“Wonderful, this makes all of us then,” The man at the front of the room kept a light tone, but his gaze was fixed on Leon’s sling. “Take a seat.” It was only when he gestured towards the chairs that Leon realized he was still fixed in place. He sat down next to Lucy at the other end of the table.

“We’ve heard no news on the death of your target, Czajka.” The woman idly wound a strand of hair around her finger, keeping her eyes fixated on Leon. “Did you..?”

“No.” Leon shook his head, bracing himself for the explanation. “He wasn’t there. He was tipped off, or…something. There was an assassin sent in his place, he must’ve hired him. He got me pretty good.”

“Ah. I mean, I could tell as much.” The man – Enzo Armani, although both representatives present presumably were using aliases – glanced between Leon’s sling and his face.

“We’ll just need to find a new opportunity then,” The woman – Isabella Boucher – pursed her lips and finally dropped her stare on Leon. "It's inconvenient that he knows already, though."

“How did you get out in the first place?” Armani had a look of saccharine pity on his face.

Leon hesitated before responding, not sure if they had already seen him with Kieran or not and were attempting to catch him in a lie. Deciding to try and avoid causing more problems for himself, he kept his words purposefully vague and full of gaps. “I managed to stab the assassin in the leg and bought myself some time to flee.”

It seemed like Armani bought his story with no need for additional clarification. He nodded thoughtfully with his hand over his mouth.

Lucy hadn’t spoken so far throughout the meeting, just casting sideward glances towards Leon every so often with her arms crossed over each other. It was impossible for him to tell what she was thinking about all this, but he doubted it was anything good. He had followed her words to the best of his ability though, Baines not being there in the first place was in no way in his control. He took a deep breath before speaking again, it was time to tell them about the bullets.

“I have another concern though,” He began, reaching to take the pistol from his coat and placing it on the table. “I wasn’t given real bullets.”

“Oh?” Both Armani and Boucher seemed genuinely perplexed, which made sense to some extent. If the fake bullets were a deliberate ploy to get him killed, then they likely weren’t among the people who would have worked that all out. Despite being higher up on the chain of command then him, they were far from all knowing, and still not let in on all the happenings in Locust. They were workers too, after all. Then again, they could always just be feigning surprise so as to not make him suspicious of them both, which was equally – if not more – likely.

Leon took the bullets from the gun and rolled them across the table to Armani and Boucher.

“See for yourself.”

Leon watched tensely as they examined the bullets.

“You’re right, these are definitely dummy rounds,” Boucher said without taking her eyes off the bullet.

“We’ll bring this up with the executives, and apologize deeply on their behalf.” Armani had dropped his smile.

Throughout the conversation, Lucy had kept her eyes fixed on the ground. It was strange, even during a meeting where the general expectation was to keep quiet until you were addressed. She had a big habit of breaking that rule too, normally she’d definitely speak out over stuff like this. He supposed this time was different though, there was a decent chance foul play from Locust was involved. He knew that whatever conversation the two higher ups had with the executives would likely turn up with nothing. This was going to happen again, and they were going to get it right next time. He cleared his throat.

“I want to talk to the executives myself.”

“What?” Armani sounded like he was trying not to laugh. “Talk to the executives? Why? I assure you we can handle this perfectly fine, you don’t have to waste your own valuable time.”

“It’s been a long time since I’ve gone back home anyways.” Leon forced a faint smile. “Perhaps I’m due for a…family reunion.”

There was a heavy silence for a few seconds, the representatives glanced at each other for a moment. Boucher stared him down yet again as she started speaking,

“We’ll tell them that you’re making a request to speak with them in person, but I advise against returning to headquarters directly without having completed your current assignment. They likely will not be pleased with you if you do so.”

That was a veiled threat if Leon had ever heard one. He averted his eyes, he was fighting a losing battle trying to get the representatives to take him back to headquarters, a fact even someone as persistent as himself could admit. The most he could do was drop the subject for now and find some other way to manage all of this.

“Well! I think this is enough for today. There will be new orders and information for both of you in the coming weeks.” Armani clapped his hands together.

“You are dismissed.” Boucher rose from her seat, and the others at the table followed suit. Lucy lagged behind them a little leaning in towards Leon.

“I need to talk to you. Pretend to leave and then circle back behind the store in a few,” She whispered in his ear hurriedly before stepping out the door after the representatives before he had time to react. Leon guessed it wasn’t anything good considering her behaviour in the meeting and how secretive she was being just then. He did as she said; walking towards the bus stop and then doubling back and heading behind the convenience store.

Lucy was leaning against the wall when he arrived, a cigarette in her hand.

“I didn’t know you smoked,” Leon commented flatly.

“It’s a recent thing.” She rasped, turning her head to look at him. “Nevermind that, though. You realize what they’re doing, right Lee?”

“I do. I know.”

She stepped towards him, furrowing her brow. “Say it. Say what their plan is.”

It took more effort than he had expected to get the words out. “They’re trying to kill me.”

Lucy left no time for silence to let the weight of those words fester. “Good. Now. I don’t know what you did to piss them off, and I don’t care. What I do know is,” She took another step forward and gripped his shoulder, “You need to get out of here, Lee.”

His breath caught in his throat, but he kept up a stoney expression. “I can’t do that, Lucy. You already know that’s not possible.”

“Yes it is,” Her voice raised a little. “Even if you couldn't, it's better than biding your time waiting until they do you in here.”

“If I make it I’ll live the rest of my life being hunted down, at least this way I have a little peace sometimes.”

There was a greater truth that he could not speak. One that had always sat at the back of his mind on the very few occasions that leaving this life behind had even been something he had considered. He did not know what he’d make of his life without Locust. He felt detached from his memories from before they took him in, as though they happened to another person entirely. He couldn’t leave it all behind, not now. He’d find a way to speak to the executives and things would stabilise again, they had to.

“Lee. I can’t just stand by and watch you endanger yourself like this. It isn’t worth it,” It sounded like she was pleading.

“I’m sorry. We shouldn’t even be discussing this.”

She jerked her hand away from his shoulder and stepped away.

“Fine, there’s nothing I can do then. This conversation never happened as far as Locust is aware.” She began to step away before briefly looking over her shoulder at him. “I hope we get to speak again.”

Leon stood and watched her leave, something weighing heavy on his chest as she did.