A Fated Meeting (Closed with Rackie)

Vasil woke up, rustling beneath the garbage bags he constantly used as a form of keeping hinself warm through the night. Crawling out of the hole he had made with his half-weapon/half-human form, just to avoid people stepping on him or throwing even more garbage on him while he slept, he was greated by the first faint rays of sunlight.
Getting up, he put on his mask and drew a blue bag out of his "bed," exposing all the jewelry and curio items that were in there. He used the bag as a form of carpet on which to present the different items, of which most were some form of stolen goods, but he needed to make a living somehow.
Sitting in a cross-legged position, Vasil felt his stomach being as empty as ever, he hoped to make enough of a fortune in order to finally afford 3 meals today instead of just 1 or 2.

Recently a rumor about a strange gang had been spread around the city. According to it a mysterious group started kidnapping homeless people. There was also another rumor, a similar one, according to which no one had been kidnapped and those homeless people just joined the gang. However, the fact was that no one had ever seen that gang in action and its members remain unknown. Most people quickly dismissed it as just another stupid gossip that wasn't true. The gang existed though, it just wasn't what people thought it was.

That morning two friends had started roaming the streets of the city. They had their mission. The secret mission no outsider should know about. It would potentially put their leader's life in danger. What kind of danger? Let's just say that their leader didn't want to attract the attention of a certain organization.
Two friends after a few hours of a fruitless walk started a conversation:
"Hey, Mike, do you think the others have found anything?"
"No idea... I just want to finish our task as soon as possible..."
"Mmm... Yeah... To be honest, I don't get why the mistress suddenly decided that she needs more people..."
"Andrew, watch your words!"
"O-Oh, shit! I completely forgot!"
"Mhm... you don't want to get punished by our mistress for doubting her orders..."
Soon two saw a certain homeless boy who seemed to be selling some items. They decided to approach him, pretending to be interested in his items.
"Hey, dude, are you selling anything?" Andrew asked the boy. That boy was Vasil...

Vasil looked up at the two men, with his eye rings telling that he had not slept for some nights. If he could convince them to buy something, he would definitely have something to eat today. "Eh, y-y-yes, all that you s-s-s-see here." He made a gesture with his right hand, showing the goods lying on the ground.

Mike crouched to take a closer look at the items the boy was selling. At first, he thought that the boy was selling just some cheap jewelry that was supposed to look expensive. He quickly realized how wrong he was with his assumption. He frowned as he took some random item into his hand to examine it even further. A quiet "Hm..." left his mouth.
Andrew put his hands on his hips, he immediately understood what his companion's reaction meant. "You've got some quite... expensive stuff here, pal." The man said, looking at Vasil. "Like... very... expensive... Are you sure none of it is actually... stolen?" A slight smile appeared on his face while he was saying that.

"N-n-no, good sir, I..." His inner voice spoke out now. "What are you shy about? I mean, you did not steal it." Well, technically, it was true. Most of what belonged to him belonged to his family and if he was part of the family, then he did not steal anything, right? Speaking up again, he continued to stutter: "... ran a-a-away frome h-home and... these belong-g-g to me."

Mike put the item he was holding back where it was before and scratched the back of his head. "So, you ran away, taking some items with you. Let's say that it makes sense, but you know, selling such things in such place in such way is highly suspicious. Seriously, the police would've already arrested you." He said as he stood up.
"Yeah, why did you run away from home though, dude? You're a pretty young fella..." Asked Andrew, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Think of something!" Demanded his alter ego, so he thought and afzer some consideration, he opened his mouth: "Well, there happened something with my family and school, so... For a small fraction of a moment, one could have seen the facade breaking down, revealing the inner selves maddening smile, with teeth exposed, Vasil's eyes looking restless and possessed before changing back to normal.

The two men looked at each other and frowned. That kid was definitely weird... suspicious. "Something with your family and school? And that was a reason for you to run away? Kids these days." Commented Mike quietly with his hands placed on his hips. Both of them didn't believe his story. Not after a weird slight in the atmosphere surrounding the boy.
Suddenly Andrew smiled in a friendly way. "You look really tired and hungry, pal. So I guess your great plan didn't work out that well... You know, people tend to avoid suspicious sellers. Especially when they look like hobos." He said.
"Yeah... Listen, boy, I've got an offer for you. You seem to need food more than money right now. Give us your cheapest item and tell us more about yourself and we'll feed you. Does it seem to be a fair deal to you?" Mike said.

Hearing the promise of food, Vasil looked up to the two men, with saliva dripping from his mouth. He instantly handed Mike a silver ring with black ornaments and a green gemstone, packed his things and was ready to go. He didn't care what they would present him, as long as it was consumable.

Well, that went rather easily, plus it was almost lunch time so the others were probably on their way to get something to eat too. Andrew wondered if they'll actually meet anyone else from their group before the evening. The two started leading the way once Vasil was ready to go. Mike hid a ring into the pocket of his trousers. "So, kid, you're actually a quite interesting guy. Well... considering everything that you've revealed about yourself." Mike said, looking at the Vasil. Mike laughed and patted his companion on his shoulder. "Hahaha, I wouldn't be surprised if he suddenly said that he's a weapon like some of those DWMA kids!" Andrew laughed.

"Hehehe..." He kept his laugh quiet as he walked with the two, fearing that they might learn more about him. Vasil deeply wanted to open up his pain to someone, share his stories, but the inner voice begun talking in his head again. "Don't you even dare! If they find that out, they will definitely take us down and it will be your fault!" For now, he just had to keep quiet. Vasil's desire to tell them the truth was stronger then his hunger, but he controlled both.

"Livin' on the streets is tough, y'know. You've got no safe place to return to... You've got... well... nothing... Good thing we've got our job, otherwise, we'd be hobos too." Andrew said smirking as he put his hands on his hips. He decided to mention about their "job" in an attempt to spark Vasil's interest in their "profession". Well, their task was to recruit new people to work for their boss and Vasil seemed like he could use some help. "Yeah. By the way, my name is Mike and this is Andrew" Mike said and then pointed at his partner

Hearing Andrew talk, Vasil had a sudden reaction when Andrew said "job". The idea of getting work was mostly impossible for him due to his inherent physical weakness, but if this was something else, he'd be happy to work to finally get constant meals everyday. Walking a little faster then them, he quietly said. "My name is...Vasil."

After a few minutes of calm and quiet walk, the two led Vasil into some sort of mix between a pub and a restaurant. Anyhow, the place looked quite decent despite having a cheap feeling to it. Andrew found a table for them, which was as far away from the main door and from other people as it was possible. "Let's sit down! I'm sooo tired, I'm telling ya!" Said Andred as he sat down at the table next to a window. "Take a menu and choose something to eat for yerself, kiddo! I know this place doesn't look that great but trust me, they've got a good cook!" The man said, grinning.

Opening at looking at the menu, Vasil was overwhelmed by the ways with which food could be made to look so delicious. Just by looking at the pictures caused salvia to run down from his mouth, which he quickly removed. However, he did not want to be a burden on Andrew and Mike, so he took the simplest thing possible. "I think I take... salmon with potatoes and water."
Suddenly, a doubt arose in Vasil's mind. Did they really do this because of altruism or because of some other goal they had?

Well, Vasil was right to be doubting in their goodwill. No, they had a goal... or a mission and they had to accomplish it whether they liked it or not. Luckily, they weren't as... strict about their job as their friends.
Mike nodded. "Hm... Salmon sounds delicious... I think that's what I'll take too." He said, smiling.
Andrew rubbed his hands together after he'd put the menu down and chuckled. "Oh yeah! I'm taking steak with fries!" He informed the two enthusiastically. Soon, the waitress came approached them and after Mike quickly dealt with that, the trio was once again left alone.  
Before any of them could say anything, someone approached their table. It was a rather good-looking young woman in her late twenties. Her long black hair was neatly tied into a ponytail and her yellow eyes were shining brightly. She was wearing a long black jacket, white t-shirt, black jeans and black boots. "Good day, gentlemen." The woman said.
Both and Andrew and Mike stood up immediately. "B-Boss!" Andrew said, saluting. It seemed like the two really respected that lady. "Sit down and allow me to... join you." She told them, smiling slightly. They immediately sat down and made enough space for the woman to sit down comfortably. She looked at Vasil and adjusted her glasses. "Good day to you, young boy. My name is Chloe Carmen..." The lady introduced herself politely. There was definitely a strange aura around her.

Everything was going okay for the most part, until that woman appeared. Vasil could not point out what it was, but she had something strange about her. He immediately was in a subconcious defense position, after all, he had enough experience with the other gender in his life.
When the lady introduced herself, he still kept his defensive sitting position and did not utter a single word. He couldn't even make eye contact with her.

Chloe adjusted her glasses and looked at Mike. "Is he deaf or has he lost his tongue?" The woman asked she seemed slightly irritated by Vasil's absolute lack of reaction to her greeting and introduction. "He... doesn't speak much apparently." Mike replied quietly. Chloe sighed and folded her arms on her chest. "Still, not reacting to a polite introduction is a sign of bad manners... You look like a smart person, young boy... Don't you know that ignoring a person that is speaking to you is the opposite of smart?" She said, smirking slightly at Vasil. "Let's try again. What's your name, young boy?"

The sheer authority around this woman paralyzed Vasil, but slowly he tried making eye contact. "Come now, what ate you waiting for?" The alter ego asked, but now it whispered through Vasil's mouth. Vasil stuttered at first, but was then ready to speak: "M-m-m-m-y name i-s-s-s V-v-asil." Saying that felt like a great burden was taken from him, but he still did not trust any of these people. They surely wanted something, but what was it?

Chloe watched Vasil carefully. It was like she was staring directly into his soul. For some reason, the witch got a strange feeling about him. After all, he was behaving in a rather weird way. Once the boy introduced himself, Chloe chuckled quietly and shortly, before looking at Mike. "Am I really that scary?" She asked him, smiling slightly in her mysterious way. Mike was about to say something when Andrew decided to answer the question- "Haha! Not at all boss! I usually feel really comfortable in your presence!" He said, then laughed. Well, it looked like he was being honest. "Oh really? You know that your sweet compliments won't get you a pay rise, right?" Chloe said, smirking at the man, then she looked around, trying to spot a waitress. "Excuse me! A plate of pancakes with clone syrup, please!" She said to a passing waitress, who then quickly took her order. The witch once again looked at Vasil. "Pardon my curiosity, Vasil, but I want to know... Is there something that's bothering you?" Chloe said, adjusting her glasses as she looked into his eyes.

Vasil, keeping his guard up, was a little startled by Chloe making contact with him again. He did not trust any of this, but it was good that Andrew choose this table, this made it easier to spectate the restaurant, constantly checking behind Chloe for anyone who kept coming in or out, but after her question, he put his eyes on her and started analyzing her. Her yellow eyes had... something to them, although Vasil could not be sure.
He needed a while to answer Chloe's question, after all, he did not want to enrage her. So after some while, he spoke out: "N-n-not at all."

With a slightly disappointed sigh, Chloe decided to simply drop the topic. She didn't gain the boy's trust, which was quite obvious. Of course, she was unaware of the real reason behind Vasil's lack of trust towards women, so she blamed her curiosity for causing such a reaction. It's not like she was particularly interested in turning him into one of her servants, but still, his strange behavior made her want to play a bit and learn something more about poor Vasil. Who knows, perhaps she'd be able to help him a bit with his poor situation if only she knew more about him? Luckily for them all, the waitress returned to the table after a few minutes of awkward silence. She brought them all their orders and placed them on the table. "Well, since I am here I'll just pay for you all. You can consider this to be a little bonus from your employer, Andrew, Mike. Well, you can consider this to be an act of goodwill on my part, young Vasil. I'm in a surprisingly good mood today. Not even your lack of manners can change this. I'm just kidding. You're probably just a shy person... am I right?" The witch spoke, smiling politely before she covered her pancakes with delicious syrup.

The two men simply thanked Chloe for her kindness and started eating their food.

A tremendous gratitude arose in Vasil: "Yes, yes, I th-thank y-you madame C-carmen." The warm atmosphere, food and kindness of that lady made Vasil feel at ease for a little while, but his fear would surely kick in after the meal. None the less, he started munching down and devouring the food. It was so good, he forgot how good food could taste.

Chloe chuckled quietly once Vasil addressed her in such manner. "Hm... People usually call me "Ms. Carmen". "Madame" is... old-fashioned, in my opinion." The witch said quietly as she started eating her pancakes. She seemed to be enjoying their taste. A lot. "Hm... I think I'll just let you call me whatever you want. Even using my name would be fine, I think. As I said, I'm in a good mood." Chloe added after a moment. Chloe never liked doing anything without a reward of some sort. In that particular case though, feeding her curiosity and killing the boredom was quite rewarding, luckily for Vasil. "You look like you haven't seen a proper meal for days." The woman commented after a short moment of watching him.

Vasil was so concentrated on his meal that he almost did not pay attention to Chloe talking, but after he was finished, Vasil's focus awakened again, making him worried even more now. He remembered that the two men said that they were employed by Chloe, so this meeting was surely not just an accident.
Snapping out of his thinking, Vasil turned to Chloe, for fear that ignoring her would cause her to get mad: "Well, I have had meals, just... no proper ones you could say." He shuddered a little as he recalled some of the disgusting things he was forced to eat out of necessity.