Chapter Text
The ground looked to be a tiny dot from atop the cliff, and a man was falling. His hand had slipped from the edge, fingers sliding from the rocks keeping him clinging to the surface. He wasn’t sure if that was what had happened, the wind burned against his body. As he descended towards the ground, grappling hook abandoned from where he had slipped, his frazzled and alcohol-rushed mind cursed out to the Archons.
Chasing his son from their home had caught up with him, and now, it seemed the grounds were waiting to greet him. Death could choose, to be kind or cruel—to greet him with a quick death, or to keep him clinging to life until she inevitably had her fun and the cost was claimed.
“That mistake would be nothing without me,” He continued to convince himself. Excruciation shot up his body, and his vision went blurry, black and white spots scattering in his sight.
Then everything went black, but not before he heard a feminine voice scoff, “Even as you’re dying—even as your decisions caught up with you—as your habits bled your family dry, destroyed everything you claimed so many years ago to love and cherish—you have not learnt a thing,” Death shook her head, pity brief in her tone before she returned to her neutrality and duty. “That is your loss.”
~
The corpse was heavy, scraping against the grass and path back home. Kinich remembered that much, as well as the emotions as the world swallowed his father’s cold body whole. That had been years ago. His father was dead, and all the man left in his wake was an eternal nightmare in place of his son’s childhood.
He shook his head, refocusing on the Obsidian Totem Pole before him, trying to find something worth his time. He skipped past a few—the mora the clients proposed were rarely ever worth his time. Then one request caught his eye.
A child from the Children of Echoes was being bullied, and someone had posted a commission to teach the bullies a lesson. Something in Kinich burnt, remembering those kids from school. He does not notice his gloved hands fisting at his sides, his eyes scanning the words over and over until the request is committed to memory.
“Tell me!” Ajaw had popped up, screeching. His excitement was palpable. “Have you found the commission that would finally get you to kick the bucket? Yes, yes, choose the most brutal and dangerous one!” The cardboard cutout of a saurian was promptly ignored. “How dare you ignore me, you lowly servant—”
“Oh?” Kinich folded his arms, shooting the saurian a look. “Teaching some kids a lesson would end with our deal coming to a conclusion?” He asked, unfazed even as dozens of heads turned towards him, all with judgement burning into his soul.
He turned his attention back to the totem, searching for more information on the request, anything on the person who made the request. He needed to get in touch with them to finalise the details before carrying out. Aclla might have the details. If not, he would just approach Wayna.
He turned around just as Aclla was tending to a snow-haired girl who looked like she belonged to the waters. “Actually, yes, I believe he is still here. You’re looking for someone who has a reputation of being willing to do anything necessary to achieve a positive outcome on any commission,” She mused, eyes darting behind her, the snow-haired girl following Aclla’s gaze.
The older girl lights up, thanking the Advisor profusely before approaching him. “Hi,” She started once she stopped in front of him. “You’re Kinich, right?” He nods. “I’m Mualani. People of the Springs.” She extends her hand. He raised an eyebrow, but figured there was no harm and shook it.
“Did you post a commission here?” He asks in place of his usual introduction, seeing as the girl seemed to already know who he was.
“Mhm!” Mualani responds. “Were you considering taking on the one about a child from the Children of Echoes?” It seemed he had found the person he was trying to look for. He nods again. “It is about my friend. Her name is Kachina, and a bunch of kids had been giving her trouble recently. I’m willing to pay for your services. I just need them to back off.” Easy enough of a task, he mused to himself.
“I’ll look into it,” He was already weighing the amount of work. It wasn’t the heaviest of the commissions. “What’s your proposed price?”
“100,000 mora,” He blinked. Once. Twice. Had he heard that right? Most people drop requests when he states the price at a third of what Mualani was proposing. “I’ve heard your prices can be rather steep.” She winked.
For dealing with a bunch of kids. She was offering a good payout, but he didn’t think that was a fair exchange. “Let’s reduce that to half that price…” He responds, a hand on his hip.
Mualani shrugged. “Sure!” There was a beat of silence before she spoke again. “What do you say about another job after this one? Battle Advisor.”
It seemed this was one of those commissions that would conclude not with the job concluding, but something more. That doesn’t sound half as bad, actually.
“You have yourself a deal,” He extends his hand for another, more professional, handshake.
Now, there are a bunch of kids that need to be dealt with.