dangerous

      in all his time on the island thus far (and even in the city he inhabited before, he must admit), Elijah had met a myriad of...shall he say, colorful individuals. little did it matter what they looked like, as he became accustomed to the inhuman and supernatural after time; no, what mattered to him was a persons body language and, last but definitely not least, the look in their eyes. call him old fashioned, but the saying “eyes are the windows to the soul” meant quite a lot to him.

      being such a firm believer in what was just a broad statement, Elijah often based his encounters on what he could tell from simple eye contact. sometimes the encounter was serious...but, sometimes he didn’t mind having a bit of fun.

      Elijah hadn’t seen anyone look at the bipedal foxes in such a way before. some looked with curiosity, some with confusion...but never disdain. with a small chuckle to start, Elijah regards the wary watcher.

>:V

[shifting his weight and recognizing he was being observed, he kept himself still, an ominous silhouette for elijah to mull over for a moment or two.]

[he was used to being reviewed so critically, to be honest. his appearance, short and lithe, was not one someone would expect from a coldblooded killer, endless in his malice and murderous ability. a capable assassin wouldn’t be hiding within a five foot six moth who looks like hes going through an emo phase, right?]

[don’t judge a book by its cover, he supposed.]

[but still. at home, he had a reputation amongst the crowd he tended to attract. so much so that he’s become a favorite of certain clients. so much so, in fact, that he’s been given gifts along with his payment in the past, an odd surprise that left him with more options for dispatch. cheshire back home, doused in blood and teeth… his valuable prize. but he supposed, something like this would reset his visibility within the community. it only makes sense, really.]

ah.

with a new client pool comes a new reputation, i see.

thought you could see the murder behind my eyes.

do i need to prove myself?

      “Of course I can see it in your eyes,” though firmly stated, the words wouldn’t do to be mistaken as angry ones. “But,” he flicks ash off the tip of his cigarette, “you can’t expect me to hire just anyone with that look. Any ordinary killer can possess that darkness and I’m not looking for anyone ordinary. No, I’m not looking for some brute to bash skulls in broad daylight or a novice with a gun.” while the strong, ruthless type proved useful as security, the jobs he anticipated in the future needed someone with finesse. an assassin, skilled and discreet.

      Elijah’s thoughts found their way back home, where he’d had time to study the differences between criminals and those who honed their craft. a criminal would rob a store or shoot a man in the afternoon and hope for the best before eventually being taken in by the police. someone trained wouldn’t make the same mistakes. talented individuals were the ones he read about in the papers; rather, he read about their victims, the poor saps done in by an anonymous.

      criminals were the ones who beat him up on the street for looking different.

      professionals were the ones he hired to get rid of scum like them.

      “I have no doubt you’re able to kill.”

“ A politician, eh? ” Oh great. Hopefully he doesn’t wind up with this guy on a yacht. “ That’s still pretty cool. Ya get to make sure things are running well and that the people are alright. Though I guess all of that was kinda tossed out the window since coming here. What government were you working for? ”

he’s never been sure he could consider himself all that important, considering his less than average reputation at work, but if this guy wanted to think highly of him, Elijah wouldn’t stop him.

      for most, it was the time to start anew, to face the coming year with a fresh, positive outlook. he supposed he might have thought that way once upon a time, but now, the first days of January just meant there were still over three hundred and sixty days left to get through. what would they bring? happiness, like some hoped?

      he knew better than to be so optimistic.

      “Should’ve made a resolution,” he murmurs, but the statement has no purpose, just fodder for potential conversation. they cloud of smoke that follows disappears just as quickly as his words.

>:)

      a raised brow coupled with smoke blown in his general direction is all Shiroki gets in response--at first.

      “It’s what I hired you for, isn’t it?” finally, he speaks, after letting those words hang in the air between them. such simple, yet shocking words they were. at least, they would be shocking to most people. for an assassin, they only warranted a metaphorical pat on the back.