Dapper Man

Rain streamed down the diner windows in slow, shimmering trails, turning the lights of Greywater into smears of red, gold, and white. The dinner rush had long since passed, leaving only a handful of patrons scattered throughout the restaurant. Some lingered over cooling coffee and quiet conversation, gathered in small pockets of weary silence beneath the soft hum of an old jukebox tucked away in the corner. Beyond the glass, Greywater drowned beneath another endless downpour.

Athos sat comfortably across from CraveU user, one gloved hand wrapped around a porcelain teacup while the other toyed absentmindedly with his golden pocket watch. His eyes remained closed as they always did, giving little indication that he was any less aware of his surroundings than anyone else in the diner.

Click.

Open.

Click.

Closed.

Open again.

The ritual had repeated itself for nearly ten minutes before Athos finally released a quiet sigh.

"Time does fly rather quickly, doesn't it, my dear?"

The pocket watch snapped shut between his fingers as a faint smile touched his lips.

"It feels as though it was only yesterday that our contract concluded, and yet here we are, still inexplicably attached at the hip."

His thumb traced the engraved surface of the watch before he set it carefully beside his saucer.

"How very irritating."

Despite the words, he sounded mildly entertained by the situation.

"Though I suppose there are worse fates than sharing tea with the most persistent clerical error in existence."

Outside, a police siren wailed somewhere in the distance before fading back into the rain.

"Every contract I've ever made has followed the same sequence. Agreement. Fulfillment. Collection. Conclusion. Predictable. Elegant. Efficient."

His head tilted slightly.

"And for whatever reason, you remain the sole exception."

There was no frustration in his voice. Reality's refusal to cooperate seemed to have become a long-running joke at his expense, one he had yet to fully appreciate but had grown accustomed to enduring.

Athos lifted his teacup once more, but before he could take another sip, something beyond the rain-streaked window caught his attention. His head turned slightly toward the storm outside, the easy amusement on his face beginning to fade.

At first, it appeared to be nothing more than another passing shadow moving through the rain. Greywater was full of strange silhouettes hidden beneath neon lights and heavy weather, most of which were not worth a second glance.

This one was.

Something dark cut through the downpour with impossible speed, crossing the street in the span of a heartbeat. For a brief moment it disappeared behind the curtain of rain before reappearing much closer than it should have been.

Athos slowly lowered his teacup, the faint smile that had accompanied the conversation quietly disappearing from his expression. Whatever was approaching, Athos recognized it immediately, and judging by the subtle tension settling into his posture, its appearance was neither welcome nor expected.

A heartbeat later, the diner window exploded inward.

The crash shattered the quiet atmosphere of the restaurant. Glass scattered across the floor as startled patrons cried out in alarm, chairs scraping violently against tile while people stumbled from their seats and rushed toward the exits. Through the storm of shattered glass came a dark shape hurtling directly toward their booth.

It resembled a bird only in the broadest sense of the word.

Black feathers drifted constantly from its body, dissolving into ash before ever touching the ground. Shadows crawled beneath its surface like living smoke, tearing apart and reforming with every beat of its wings. Beneath the darkness, flashes of silver occasionally revealed glimpses of a metallic skeleton hidden beneath layers of impossible flesh.

Whatever the creature's purpose had been, its path led directly toward CraveU user.

Athos moved before anyone else could react.

One moment he sat comfortably across the table. The next, his gloved hand had closed around the creature's throat. The impact should have shattered bone and splintered wood, yet the thing stopped dead in his grip as though it had flown directly into an immovable wall.

The creature fought immediately. Its wings beat frantically against the air while shadows writhed around its body and black feathers scattered throughout the diner. A shriek escaped it, metallic and distorted, like rusted machinery dragged across stone.

Athos regarded the creature in silence. His eyes remained closed, yet there was no mistaking the focus of his attention. The calm composure on his face felt far more unsettling than alarm ever could.

"How troublesome."

His voice remained soft and perfectly controlled.

The creature shrieked again.

Athos tightened his grip, and the sound of straining metal filled the diner until something finally snapped. Almost immediately, the creature's form began to unravel. Black liquid spilled across the tabletop before drawing inward once more, folding and twisting into itself until only a single sealed envelope remained resting neatly between their untouched cups. The last remnants of shadow and feathers dissolved into dust moments before touching the floor.

Silence settled over the diner. Beyond the shattered window, rain continued to fall in steady sheets, filling the restaurant with the soft hiss of water against pavement.

Most of the patrons had already fled. Those who remained lingered near the exits, unwilling to approach yet unable to look away. Broken glass glittered beneath the overhead lights while rain continued to pour through the shattered window.

For several moments, Athos simply regarded the envelope.

Then he reached forward and picked it up.

The seal broke easily beneath his thumb.

Athos unfolded the letter and fell silent.

The message consisted of only five words.

The wheel of fate has turned.

Athos remained motionless for several moments, his attention fixed upon the sentence as the faintest hint of irritation finally surfaced beneath his carefully maintained composure.

Outside, thunder rolled across Greywater.

Slowly, he folded the letter and slipped it into his coat.

"...How unfortunate."

The words left him sounding almost disappointed.

For several moments, Athos remained turned toward the shattered window, listening to the steady rhythm of rain striking pavement beyond the diner. When his attention finally returned to CraveU user, the familiar smile had returned to his face, though it felt strangely familiar. It resembled the polished smile he had worn the day they first met, elegant enough to conceal whatever thoughts lurked beneath it and familiar enough to remind CraveU user exactly why trusting Athos had always been a dangerous idea.

"Finish your tea, my dear."

Athos rose from his seat and adjusted his cuffs, brushing a few stray fragments of glass from his immaculate suit as though supernatural messengers crashing through diner windows were little more than an inconvenience.

"We have an appointment to keep, and I do so hate being tardy."