AREN'T YOU SOMETHING TO ADMIRE // ALEKSEI

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    IT’S A DEFECT IN MY CORE —

    He left behind sunny Miami for this. Perhaps if the situation and weather had been different, he might have enjoyed his stay in the city that supposedly never slept but the pressing matters were disappointing. It wasn't the end of the world at all but Volkov preferred to work alone, much like how his name suggested. There was less room for error and disputes, not to forget to mention, more money for himself. A shared job was a hassle, he couldn't really trust his partner and who knows if he'll end up with a basketcase? But he did have to admit that the target was rather difficult to get and that their lovely employer had offered fat stacks for their cooperation and success. There wasn't much to complain about despite how his 'ritual' might change.

    Anyhow, said employer had arranged for the two to meet in a nice little lowkey bar. They were first tasked to 'get to know each other' to ensure the smoothness of the job. From there, they had to coordinate time schedules and intelligence, it was almost like a school group project if they were about murder and/or torture. With that said, Volkov arrived early, per usual. Dressed in mildly formal wear, he was already comfortably seated at a secluded booth away from all the low noise with his drink of choice; gin and tonic.

    and if the stars collide, will you relieve my soul?

    Don't get caught was his number one rule. Anonymity was his greatest helper in this and he was careful about preserving it. That meant giving himself a pseudonym, working through a handler he could trust, and working alone. Though he still worked with a pseudonym and received his assignment through his handler, he was being forced to meet up with a partner and that meant compromising the other two parts of the rule.


    But the thing was--the money was good. He took a while debating whether he should do it and his greed won over. It was just one time, after all, and money was getting a little bit tight now. Since Aleksei moved to the states, he refused support from his father and generally paid his bills and everything with his little side job. Good thing it paid well since he didn't take up these offers too often and if he did this one, it meant that he would be well off for a while.


    The booth on the left, two before the end, the employer had said. Aleksei decided to forego the drink and approached the booth which was already occupied. "Is this seat taken?" he inquired, gesturing to the opposite side of the table.

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    IT’S A DEFECT IN MY CORE —

    Anonymity was key for the most part. However, for Volkov's case, it was hard to stay anonymous when his family were co-workers and bosses of his. But at least that meant there was substantial protection for himself if something fell through. As for when he is 'rented' out to business partners or family friends like now, he did take on a faceless identity of sorts; Gevaudan. It wasn't a name chosen by himself, for himself, it was tradition for the leading matriarch/patriarch to christen a false name for each and every one of them. Thankfully, his own was vaguely fitting.

    Whilst taking measured sips out of the ice chilled glass, he would notice the arrival of another man, supposedly his partner. His dark eyes raised up to the stranger's face, taking note of their physique and outward posture. They seemed to fit the role of a killer. He must be the one. "It's open," he answered simply as he set the glass down to give the other man his undivided attention. "You must be Seoho, yes?" Volkov continued in his usual quiet tone, "please forgive me if I butchered the pronunciation." An oriental sounding moniker, that sort of stuff was easy to slip up on. Surely, something as small as this would not get in the way of their cooperation.

    and if the stars collide, will you relieve my soul?

    Nevsky settled down in the seat, glad that the spot was well-cushioned. He didn't care too much if his name was butchered--it wasn't his real name, just a fake one, and it didn't really matter at the moment since there seemed to be no ill will behind the others' words. "And you must be the Beast of Gevaudan," he answered back, his voice dropping to equal the other's volume. There was a decent amount of chatter in the bar, so their words would probably get lost in the hubbub. The only reason Aleksei would know the reference was because he was an avid hunter and the Beast had been a man-eating canine that terrorized France for a while, up there with the Tsavo man-eaters and others.


    Leaning back, he noted the man's drink, choosing to say nothing on it. He could be quite blunt at times, but there was no need to make enemies of someone that he would be working with, not to mention could kill him. Most people didn't get this preferential treatment, but Aleksei supposed if he wasn't a nuisance, the other one wouldn't be either.

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    IT’S A DEFECT IN MY CORE —

    The other man didn't offer much, very neutral and plain. It was difficult to get information about them as well. Seoho was well hidden, Volkov was only able to find a few past hits of the other man, nothing else. Nevsky was a practical ghost, a careful and supposedly lucky man in this industry. "You know your history," Volkov remarked with a smirk, he was mildly surprised that this stranger was versed in the old 'myth'. It was only a handful of times that someone said something about it, "I think we'll get along splendidly." He hoped so.

    So far, Seoho didn't seem like much of a fuck up. The other man didn't seem like a straight psycho but rather quiet like himself. Thank god. He didn't need a partner who was incessantly buzzing like a bee. Quiet was key. Tapping his glass of gin and tonic, Volkov queried, "why don't you order a drink? It'll be my treat."

    and if the stars collide, will you relieve my soul?

    I hope so. It was too snarky to be said out loud and Nevsky merely offered a bare smirk in return. At the offer of the drink, he would wave his hand, gesturing no. "I prefer to keep a clear head when working," he answered. He might be a burgeoning alcoholic, but his hard rule was that he wouldn't drink while working, whether it was doing his normal job or working on endeavors of the unsavory type like this. When he was off work, it was another matter.


    "So, Gevaudan, what's your preferred method to handle this?" he inquired. The booth was quite cozy and comfortable but he didn't let that lull him into a sense of safety. He kept people passing around in the room in his peripherals so that he could shut up or switch to another conversation should they get within hearing range.

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    IT’S A DEFECT IN MY CORE —

    Clear head? He supposed that the other main either was light weight, which they obviously did not seem like, or when they began to drink, they did not have the ability to stop. He supposed it must be the latter. Despite how oriental the other man looked, and considering the reputation of Asians being light drinkers, there was a quality about them that Volkov think otherwise. But that wasn't important. "Suit yourself," he shrugged lightly and took a sip of his drink, it was good to know that this man seemed rather serious.

    And right down to business, perfect. It seemed like there was no need to beat around the bush. There was no need to pretend to be pleasant company and actually carry out the bonding 'exercise' their employer had instructed them to do. Hell, if the both of them thought that it was bullshit, it should be fine to ignore. His preferred method? To get them up close and beat their brains out with an aluminum baseball bat. Unfortunately, this one couldn't be like that. Their target was too well guarded. "It's near impossible to get near Collins. He lives in a guard infested compound in the suburbs, the man doesn't even stand near windows," he continued smoothly, eyeing for any possible approaching strangers in his peripherals, "we could possible catch him in transit. Moving targets are an ass but it'll have to do if you have no suggestions. Of course, this means we'll also have to figure out his schedule, watch his house, all that staking. Fun, right?" Sarcasm. He fucking hated staking but unfortunately, they didn't have much information on Collins. The man was careful.

    and if the stars collide, will you relieve my soul?

    He absorbed the information, musing quietly. Seemed like this Collins fellow knew that people were after his ass, hence why all the measures. As Gevaudan suggested getting the man while he was in transit, Nevsky would give a curt nod of agreement. "Then we'll stake it," he stated flatly. If that was what had to be done, then it had to be done. Shit, he just had to figure out when he could do this so it didn't impact his regular work schedule. Maybe he could just call in sick for a day or two and split the staking out with this guy.


    His fingers gently tapped against the surface of the table. "We could find out where he goes to and how he gets there. If there's a more rural road to somewhere, pick him off there," he finally suggested. He'd done this once before, waiting for a target to drive along the road only to encounter an obstacle that forced them to slow down. It worked once, why not again?

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    IT’S A DEFECT IN MY CORE —

    Unlike Seoho, this was his one and only job. It comprised of many parts, whether it just be plain covert ops or a hit, Volkov did not have a legal job. Of course, he was labeled as a some position in his family's corporation but it was a cover of course. He needed it for his tax returns. Anyhow, the idea of a rural road was good with him. Less witnesses, it was easier to handle. Volkov nodded in vague agreement to the other man's words. "I suppose we'll have to work out a staking schedule then," he began once more, "I'd like to get to work on this as soon as possible. So how would you like to format this? I'm very flexible." Fuck. That did not sound right. Volkov was surprisingly prude for a man who did a load of illegal shit for a living. Unfortunately because of this, he never really sees the suggestive nature of some words and phrases until they were said aloud.

    and if the stars collide, will you relieve my soul?

    Yes, a schedule. "I can do weekends," he stated. He was off then. Perhaps with that admission, Gevaudan could figure out he had a regular 9-5 job. Well, generally regular. Thinking that, he helpfully added, "Unless something comes up." He generally liked his weekends off and made that clear to his boss but sometimes, he had to be called in when someone flaked or something. "I can take one or two more days, too."


    The suggestive thing flew over his head. Now was not the right time or place for this.

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    IT’S A DEFECT IN MY CORE —

    Weekends. He could jive with that. "I can start tomorrow," he nodded after taking another sip of his drink. It was wednesday, he'll take thursday and friday while Seoho took the weekend. That would be four days, it might not be enough time for them to harvest information but they could extend it if needed. "I'll take friday as well, saturday and sunday are yours, tentatively," Volkov continued as he swirled the meager amount of liquid left in his glass, "I suppose we should exchange numbers at least. I'd like to know if you can make it."

    and if the stars collide, will you relieve my soul?

    "Sure," Nevsky returned. A passing person caused him to lapse into silence momentarily and he gently rested his chin on a hand, elbow propped up on the table, in a lazily contemplative pose. At the offer to exchange numbers, he would give a small nod and pull out his phone--work phone--unlocking it and getting it to a new contact page. The device was slid over towards Gevaudan and the man would wait for the other to tap his number in.

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