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Once, things have been different.
"I'm going to stop The Gift," he declares, turning back a little to sneak a glance. It's not safe, he knows, but somehow he long to catch a glimpse. And it's not like the other man have to look at his face to know what he's thinking deep inside. Gorga can read him like an open book, the same way he doesn't need to look to know that the Elder doesn't even flinch and instead is amused. Whether the amusement is for his preposterous goal or from seeing him, Barata isn’t entirely sure.
Maybe it's a little bit of both.
Either way, Barata have no intention of finding out. He had obtained his goal after all. What Gorga would do with the knowledge of his return and intention is not his business.
He doesn't expect, however, for Gorga to give him an answer just as he's about to walk away.
"You're going to have to kill all of us…then The Girl."
It's not a threat, or a mockery of how impossible it is. It's just information on how to achieve his objective. Simple as that.
He waits afterwards, as the silence stretch, for Gorga to elaborate further. But even then he knows it won't happen. Gorga is giving him the vital knowledge for his success, but the means to attain that is left to Barata.
Now that really does bring back old memories.
They weren't enemies, before. Gorga was his mentor, who took him under his wings and trained him to win in battleground and in dinner table. Gorga taught him to fight with his kerambit and his gilded words, to use not only brute strength but also charm and wit to get his way.
Later on, mentor and disciple became partners - allies. Gorga provide the insight, Barata would came up with the plan, and Gorga would armed him for the execution. He wonders if that is what Gorga is offering now.
Still, he only nods to acknowledge the favor. Because that's what it is, a favor, something that he surely would have to pay for later on. And he made to leave, because he's not looking for allies.
Or maybe he were. After all, he's risking a lot just by coming here, by meeting up with one of the Councils despite knowing full well what the Elder could do.
Could, but won't. They have histories, and despite his calculative nature, Gorga is enough of a sentimental not to burn that bridge.
For partners and allies evolved into something more, something good that pleased them enough for the longest time. Until Barata had enough of their clan's twisted old ways and decided to leave.
And Gorga let him.
"You were never meant to be caged," he had said back then. "And I do like you best when you soar."
So he left. Only now he's back with nothing but vengeance and harebrained scheme to accomplish what amount to a suicide mission. And maybe he does need an ally, and Gorga is a potential one because nobody ever truly knows where his allegiance stand, but he'll be damned if he have to ask. Not when Gorga is not offering.
For the second time, though, he stopped dead in his track when Gorga come up behind him and said, in that same low voice, "Once the others know you're back…They'll hunt you down."
Was that concern he heard, or does his brain plays a trick on him? But there were enough hint of uncertainty, subtle tone of urgency, for him to read between the lines.
Be careful.
And he's offering. He's offering to be swayed, but only if Barata could prove himself and even the odds. Nobody knows where Gorga’s loyalty is, but Barata knows he hold at least a part of it, still.
"I know," was all Barata said in response. But he said it while meeting his eyes, and Gorga nods in satisfaction. Barata took that as a cue to disappear in the dark.
As he made his way through the night, Barata works his plan out, putting Gorga on the last of his kill list. Depends on how things pan out, there's a possibility he won't even have to kill the Elder.
After all, things were different once. And maybe it could be again, once they sort this mess out.