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“There is absolutely no way that you beat me to him!”
“A good evening to you too, Jimmy.”
“Fuck off.” Jimmy scoffs as he crosses his arms, scowling across the dark room.
They were both on the upper floor of a rather prestigious estate. Well-kept gardens bordered the perimeters, and a pristine gate of gold separated the luxurious property from the rest of the world.
Yes, the home of a corrupt politician was always sure to be gilded in gold and studded with diamonds. The men who never rightfully earned their fortune loved to brag about it the most.
“What are you even doing here?” Jimmy asks as he presses a hand to his forehead, rubbing gloved fingers into his skin in frustration.
“There is a dead man at my feet and blood on my blade. I think you already know the answer to that.” Moon smirks over at Jimmy’s direction, and it makes Jimmy’s blood boil.
“Who hired you?”
“I can’t say.”
“What, not even for me?”
“Oh? Are we friends now?” Moon chuckles as he kneels down at the dead man's side to start digging through his pockets, starting with his dress pants and moving up towards the pockets of his vest.
“I just wanna know how many people wanted this sucker dead.” Jimmy sighs as he steps closer, planting his hands on his hips.
He and Moon have been rivals for as long as he can remember. No matter what jobs Jimmy took, he always seemed to bump into Moon. He had started developing a hunch that it wasn’t just chance anymore.
Jimmy killed for the money. He was always paid well for his jobs, unless Moon swooped in first.
Moon, on the other hand, killed for the thrill. He killed for the chaos that unfolded once a body had been discovered, for the shocked gasps and terrified screams that echo when a well aimed crystal dagger hits its mark.
Jimmy thought of his job as a necessity. Moon seemed to enjoy making things as complicated as possible.
“This is my first contract in months, and I’m not even gonna get paid for it.” Jimmy grits through his teeth. He would be yelling louder, had he not been wary of the staff of the estate hearing them.
“I do hope you will forgive me.” Moon drawls as he pulls a silver key from the politician's pocket, smiling as he stands to his full height. He looked like an ominous shadow, clad in all black. His purple eyes seemed to shine in the darkness, like a cat’s would. His tail swayed idly behind him, as if there was not a single thing in the world to be concerned about.
Jimmy still didn’t know how a man so big, with such a large tail, could be so fast and well hidden. He chalked it up to whatever magic the warlock must have known.
“This is the third time in a row you’ve done this to me. I need to eat, you know!” Jimmy steps closer, pointing a finger in Moon’s direction over the deceased corpse. He is only met with another easygoing smile.
“Have you considered being lighter on your feet?”
“You-” Jimmy stops himself and sucks in a breath through his teeth, closing his eyes and balling his hands into fists. Oh, how this man infuriated him!
“Of all the scumbags in the kingdom that you could be asked to kill, why is it always the same ones I’m assigned to?”
“It’s not exactly common practice for people to announce when they hire an assassin and who for.” Moon points out.
“This is ridiculous. You always get to walk away with the payout!”
“Always?” Moon smirks.
“Uh, yeah?” Jimmy almost spits. Shouldn’t that be obvious to Moon?
He knew that, at the core of this kind of business, it really was first come first served. Only the best assassins go undiscovered and get wealthy in the process. That fact did nothing to dampen his annoyance with the warlock that always seemed out to sabotage him.
“Here.”
“Huh?”
With a swift flick of his hand, Moon tosses the silver key across the short distance between them. Having not expected it, Jimmy fumbles slightly, but still manages to secure it between his palms.
“There’s a safe under his desk.” Moon explains as Jimmy insects the key. “Take what you want. Take the key to your contact as proof of the kill.”
“But I didn’t-”
“Does it really matter? They wanted him dead, and he's dead.” Moon shrugs and waves a hand vaguely in the air. “And, as you’ve said, I’ve already secured the way for a few recent jobs. Consider this a gift.”
Jimmy looked across at Moon with scepticism. Was there a catch? Was there actually a safe? Was this another attempt to weave chaos into the situation?
With a quiet huff, Jimmy turns on his heel, walks past the bed, and crouches down to peek under the desk. Shoving the chair out of the way, he does indeed find a small safe, and sliding the key into the lock clicks it open easily.
“Oh, hey. You weren’t kidding.” Jimmy chuckles despite himself. Sure, Moon could be a thorn in his side, but at least he wasn’t a liar.
Jimmy takes a glance at the jewels and other small treasures within the safe, before standing up again, his hands bracing against the edge of the desk. He then turns to face Moon again.
“Hey, maybe you should-” But Moon was gone. No declaration of departure or dramatic goodbyes, just a simple vanishing in mere moments.
Jimmy looks around, but of course, finds not a single trace of evidence to show that Moon had ever been here. It was just him, his safe of new riches, and a kill that he could claim as his own.
Jimmy looks down at the silver key again, and just like before, hundreds of questions spring to his mind. As always, Moon was mysterious and elusive - and for some frustrating reason, that only made Jimmy want to know more.