#shootinghooks

Fingers brush lightly against smooth mahogany as he waits, the dim flicker of a candlelight illuminating usually darkened eyes. Brazil had never been a location that he’d desired to explore - he was only here at the behest of a new partner in crime - but even the most undesirable of places look more palatable after a glass of whiskey and the promise of long-term power. She’d quoted the need for secrecy as a reason to meet so far away from their choice of target, and Talbot can appreciate the need for remaining covert. 

There’s still certain possessions which remain smuggled on his person - the blade that never left his side; the matches that burn down buildings in his wake; and the the arsenal of magic tricks brimming at his fingertips. If he’s fortunate, none of them will be required-- at least, not yet. But one could never be too careful. When the empty seat at his table is suddenly occupied by an attractive, evidently prestigious woman, there’s no doubt as to who she could be, and he flashes a stereotypical PR-worthy grin in her direction (after all, it’s much harder to others to see his bared teeth when the attention is instead brought to million-dollar smiles and silver tongues that aren’t laced in poison for once in their lives-- he trusts her, but not their company).

❝-6 o’clock exactly. Your punctuality is impeccable. ❞

He could definitely appreciate her flair for the dramatic. As she extends her hand in greeting, he holds it with grace, his lips gently making contact with her knuckles for the briefest of moments-- no matter how their relationship may eventually turn out, the least he could do was greet her with chivalry on first meeting; such is the way of being a gentleman. 

A year had passed since the incidents with the attacks on Tall Oaks in the US and Taichi in China, the damage done was great and he was sure it left a scar on all the civilians who had experienced the horror of the attacks, the cities were plagued with destruction and chaos - once beautiful places to be were nothing more than what looked like the aftermath of some kind of CIVIL WAR. Damage wasn’t the worst thing that happened though, sure it costed millions of dollars to repair, some places were only just now finishing repairs. The worst thing of all was all the lives that were lost in the attacks, at least buildings cold be repaired and replaced but lives of others couldn’t The Guilt of not being able to save everyone still hung around him like a weight on his shoulders.

Thankfully that weight has since become lighter now, he knew he couldn’t save everyone -- he was just one man and saving every single person in those cities was obviously impossible thus how the weight was able to be lifted at least a little bit. Putting aside the tragedy there was still one thing that bothered him, something that lingered around in his mind ever since everything blew over. What was Ada doing now and where was she? Once again she had disappeared without a trace after the events of last year passed. The agent still had her compact case for whenever he would meet her again. 

Ada was always a mystery to him, despite how long he had known her for she still had this ability to be unpredictable. Everything she did made him wonder, in the past she had worked with the late Albert Wesker when he was still alive so one he always wondered was; Who was her employer now? That question would be forever unanswered since he just couldn’t read her. The only thing he knew about Ada best was her actions and how she always had a plan that much he knew but the rest was still unknown. His thoughts on Ada floated throughout his mind as he walked down the dead street, it was quite late and he had just helped himself to a steak and drink and was now making his way back to his apartment. His footsteps came to a halt as he heard the sound of heels from boots hitting the ground behind him. This must have been some kind of coincidence. 

A small toothy grin formed before he turned around to face the female who was now standing there before him.