Bygons be Bygons

Sinew stood outside of the tall hotel building with a nervous smile on his face. He wasn't sure of how things were going to go; he had no idea that the man in the mask was here, let alone he was the one in charge of the men Sinew had taken to hunting down. The man who was waiting outside told Sinew to wait outside while he fetched his leader. He seemed flustered, which Sinew wasn't surprised about. Baskerville was a daunting presence. Even on his chain leash, Baskerville showed signs of aggression. Sinew made him so functionally perfect. He paced back and forth nervously; would the man be angry? Most likely. But surely he would understand? He seemed like a reasonable individual, and would likely forgive Sinew once he explained the situation.
No, he won't. The Rancid Noises whispered. "Shut up..." Sinew hissed. Grrrr... Baskerville snarled.

It took some time, but a figure soon appeared with the man that Sinew had first spoken to. Charon stood still for a moment as he stared at the man who had caused him so much pain the past few weeks. Him?!

Charon placed his hands behind his back as he looked at Sinew. "Didn't think I'd ever run into you again...you have a lot of explaining to do, I hope you know that" Charon said. "You have ten seconds to give me a good reason to hear you out"

Almost as soon as Charon appeared, Baskerville began straining against his leash, snarling at him. Alpha. It escaped. Kill Alpha. Kill Alpha.
Sinew yanked on the chain. "DOWN, Baskerville! SIT!" He yelled. He looked up and let out a nervous laugh. "Y-you want a reason not to kill me in the place of your men?" He gestured toward Baskerville with a shaky hand. "H-he's designed to protect me. Y-you hurt me, h-he will retaliate... I-I'm not here for violence, s-sir... I-I just... I want to apologize..."

"He tried to kill me first" Charon quickly reminded Sinew. "If you want to apologize we can go upstairs and speak in private, but that thing doesn't get to come" Charon said with a quick motion to Baskerville. "We've met before so I firmly believe this to be a misunderstanding, you have my guarantee of your safety of you come upstairs with me. So, what will it be?"

For a moment, Sinew's bloodshot eyes flashed with rage. Thing? THING?! This THING is a work of art, a beautiful creation far beyond your fathoming! He thought to himself. The moment passed rather quickly, however, and he nodded. "O-of course, friend. Th-this was all just a minor misunderstanding." He walked over and tied Baskerville up to a nearby post. The man seemed incredibly reasonable. Perhaps this would go smoother than he had originally anticipated.

Charon nodded before leaning towards the man who brought him down. They exchanged short whispers before Charon motioned for Sinew to follow him. They turned and started moving to the elevator. Charon hit the button for the roof and started riding up with Sinew. "Why are you killing my men?" Charon finally asked as his one lone eye looked to Sinew. "Who do you work for?"

Sinew swallowed. "I-I wasn't singling out your men to kill, specifically... I-I just... I needed clay." He stammered. "A-as I said... You inspired me to get back to making art. A-and an artist needs his materials, d-doesn't he?" He swallowed; he wasn't going to risk Lady Arachna's name. She said she wished to remain hidden, and he would honor her. "I work for no one. I-I am on my own..."

Charon released a small grunt before the elevator door opened. He walked over to a balcony before pulling out cigarettes and a lighter. "So it was all unlucky coincidence, and now you come here to apologize. Seems like you need something to me" Charon remarked before motioning to the lighter. "Mind if I smoke?" He asked. Sinew would remember what it would be like to be around Charon without the mask.

The Rancid Noises began clawing inside of Sinew's skull simply at the thought of whatever it was that happened when the strange man removed his mask. "E-exactly, j-just an unlucky coincidence. B-but, no, I don't need anything of you... I-I just... I have a respect for you, s-since you are what helped me come out of the dark..." He laughed nervously. "G-go ahead. I-I don't mind." Part of him dreaded what would happen when the mask came off, but at the same time, he was so excited to see beneath the mask again...

Charon removed the mask, the paranoia immediately ebbing out and starting to cling on to Sinew. Charon casually put the cigarette in his mouth before gently lighting it. He took a soft inhale. "Very well, you seem sincere. Let me hear everything you have to say while I smoke. Just keep talking, I'll be listening"

The stone beneath him turned to sand as the man's mask fell. His knees went weak, and he could feel the Rancid Noises beginning to bleed out of his ears and blossom out of his cracking skull. "I-I... My name is Sinew Lovecraft... I fashion beauty from f-flesh. Y-you've seen Baskerville outside, a-and you've also seen Galileo a few nights ago..." He swallowed. "I-I... I was working on a masterpiece, a-and I needed bodies... Many... Many bodies... S-so I sent out Klaus and Baskerville to find, make a-and retrieve more..." Sinew blinked. He was on the ground, sunk down to his knees. When did he fall? It didn't matter, he had to talk. "J-just... I-If I had known it was you..." He began laughing nervously, but it would much more likely come across as maniacal. "I would've sought other pastures..."

Charon just continued to smoke, not feeling a need to hurry up and finish his cigarette. He'd allow Sinew to just wade in the fear and paranoia that he had brought on himself. Charons eye just rested and gazed at Sinew, the lone eye seeming more intimidating than ever. The man was afraid, and Charon always knew how to use that against people.

"Anything else you'd like to say?"

Sinew looked up. "I-It won't happen again. I-I swear. A-and if you w-want, t-to prove my sincerity, I-I can... I can send them after s-someone else. Someone you w-want dead. I-I can do that for you. P-prove I meant you no harm."

Charon stopped for a moment. He hadn't considered this before. It would be good to have a gang weakened by someone not directly controlled by Charon. "Mammon, I want you to target them" he said as he focused on Sinew. "That's how you can help make this up to me. The more men from Mammon dead, the easier my life will become"

A weak smile grew across Sinew's face. "W-with pleasure!" He wheezed; the Rancid Voices were getting so loud, his own voice was growing hoarse. "B-but... Th-that said, I'm not exactly familiar with the denizens o-of East Diamond... I don't know Mammon... I-I only recognize territories. I-if you tell me the s-streets they haunt, I-I will gladly harvest f-from those areas exclusively." He unsteadily got to his feet, eyes fixating on the man's distorted, beautiful face. "A-and... C-can I have your name?"

"I will of course provide you with all of that information" Charon said with a smile before extending his hand for Sinew to shake. As soon as Sinew took it though, Charon suddenly gripped it tightly before moving, Sinew's body moving towards and over the edge of the building. His body was balanced on the rail, but his head, shoulders, and a good portion of his upper body was hanging over the thirty-story drop. "I REALLY hope you're listening now because it's my turn to speak. Understand!?" Charon asked as his hands kept Sinew in place, his physical strength being much greater than it was last time.

Sinew's eyes grew in terror, glancing back and forth between the man's eyes and the deadly drop. He tried to worm away, but his malnourished state on top of already immensely physically inferior state made any struggle completely futile. "I-I'm listening, I'm listening!" He screamed, and the Rancid Noises screamed with him. The ground beneath his feet shifted from sand back to stone, but it provided him no comfort.

"Good" Charon said before pushing Sinew a little further forward. "Since you're just hanging out up here let me make this very clear to you. If you EVER use your little pets to hurt me or my organization again, I will bring down a fury upon you the likes of which you've never seen. I will destroy your entire world in front of your eyes, and then I'll kill you" Charon said as he stared right at the mad scientist's eye. "If any of my boys die for any reason when you or your little pets are around, I don't care if you were responsible or not, you're dead, and it won't be gentle either. You'll wish that I let go of you right now and let gravity do the rest. Believe me, I will not be so kind should you test me again. I don't hide in the shadows anymore, if you thought that I'd forgive you so easily than you are a fool. Do anything like this again...and I'll make sure that the last few hours of your life last forever"

"Are we clear?"

Sinew trembled in Charon's grasp, nodding frantically. "Y-yes, yes, I understand!" He cried. "For fuck's sake, I understand fully!" Tears began rolling down his face.
He'll be so easy to forgive. So kind. So gentle. The Rancid Voices teased in a sing-song tone. Weak and pathetic. Liar. Cheat. Murderer. Freak.
"PLEASE!" He screamed. "No more!" Whether begging Charon or the Rancid Noises, even he wasn't quite sure.

Charon suddenly let go of Sinew and dropped him to the floor of the building's roof. He moved over and put his mask back on before dusting off his jacket and turning back to Sinew. "That's your one warning friend. Give me any sort of retaliation, and I'll have no choice but to find some lonely patch of dirt to bury whatever I leave of you. I'd rather not do that, but I'm very capable of it" Charon added before pulling out a small piece of paper and writing down some streets. "This is where Mammon has the most power. I expect to start hearing news of your efforts on my behalf by week's end....don't disappoint me again"

The Rancid Voices receded a few moments after Sinew collapsed to the floor again. He didn't remember falling this time either... He unsteadily got to his feet and accepted the paper from the man. "I-I'll send my children out tonight..." He muttered. He eyed the paper. "Th-thank you for being so understanding, Mister... W-what did you say your name was?"

"I didn't" Charon said before tossing his cigarette at Sinew's feet. He turned away, his back completely exposed to Sinew as he considered the man a threat no longer. The man was spineless, having nearly cried and begged for his pathetic life made Charon know that he wasn't going to make any stupid decisions...for now at least. "I am Charon, and this is my city. Remember my name, because soon everyone will know it. Now...get out of my sight"

He nodded and stumbled towards the door; his legs still felt like jelly. "O-of course, Mister Charon. R-right away, Mister Charon..." He stumbled into the elevator, hit the button for the ground floor, and let out a loud sigh of relief. Solitude and silence. And best of all, a new field to harvest from. Mammon. Sinew said the word aloud, slowly, tasting it... They would serve their purposes well, Sinew felt...