Rook's Apartment

Eden was everything I expected it to be. There were highrise concrete and glass buildings that surrounded the streets. Every single road was wide and welcoming, the place was convenient.

Of course, it was only natural for the streets to be wide. Cars could be seen dotted around by the sidewalks parked and waiting for a driver. Yes, Eden was a large city.

"""Wow!""" "That's pretty tall…" That was to be expected given that there wasn't a ceiling to limit the height of the buildings. Still, compared to the former glory of mankind some of these would-be skyscrapers fell a bit short.

"There it is! My home!" Rook said and pointed at an apartment building. It looked a bit worn but overall rather clean. The bricks were neatly laid out and there was a pathway decorated by properly trimmed bushes.

"Wow, I- Is that grass!?!" Colt suddenly exclaimed from the back. His excitement was akin to that of one when meeting a celebrity. By this point, I could guarantee that the radioactivity had affected the intelligence of the population.

"Hehehe, you guys have no idea how good the smell of freshly cut grass is" Rook bragged as he pulled up into the driveway.

We all left the vehicle looking like soldiers returning from fulfilling their arduous duty. Our haggard appearances were what really sold this point.

"Let's go!" Rook said trying to make merry. We all followed after him silently. Well, Colt stayed behind for a second to step on the grass. He then hurried back after us once he noticed a mean spirited sign.

Ding

The elevator brought us all into a hallway of doors. Apartments had not changed from one reality to the other.

After Rook sifted through his keychain and wrangled with the lock for a bit we were allowed inside.

"So spacious…" Seamus mumbled after the door opened and revealed a modern living room.

A comfortable couch facing a flat-screen tv, clear glass windows that let in the bright sunlight. To them, it was a dream house.

I couldn't see the greatness, residential buildings were all crowded and oftentimes dirty. The neighbors unruly and the overall atmosphere suffocating. This one seemed to paint a different atmosphere but what could be more suffocating than simulating normalcy?

"Drop your bags over there and watch some shows if you want." Rook said after grabbing a remote and tossing it to Seamus. He then signaled for Kaiser to follow him into what seemed to be the kitchen.

"Give me that!" Lytton the medic said before snatching the TV remote and running over to the couch.

"Ah! So many channels!" At this point I tossed my bags aside just as Rook had said and examined the area. The shining sunlight and the clean air, it all felt new and refreshing.

As much as I like to feign indifference, this clean environment, the spacious room, the worry-free life of traveling which I never got to experience before, I was now experiencing it.

Perhaps because the others felt similarly and the atmosphere turned lively Rohawk became incensed.

"What the fuck are you all doing?" He asked in a hushed voice while reigning in his anger. I shot him a glance. His fists were clenched and I could almost hear the sound of his grinding teeth.

"What?" Jimmy who was sitting on the couch watching Lytton flip through channels turned around and shot back with a glare.

"H- He died! So... So why!?!" Rohawk asked frustrated.

"Rohawk, aren't you ashamed?" Jimmy asked simply after his anger turned into pity.

"Aren't you all ashamed?!" Rohawk returned.

"This is the third time, this is the third time you get riled up over this" Jimmy said holding up three fingers.

"Th-" He didn't get a chance to speak.

"You are older than me. You should know how this works. Why DON'T you know how this works?" Jimmy emphasized. He was the one who always guarded the door. He was the one that knew who came back and who never would. He most likely than not learned to tolerate death more so than others.

Rohawk couldn't say anything more. This small show was just about long enough for Rook and Kaiser to return from the kitchen. They both walked towards the door.

"We are going somewhere, you can grab anything from the fridge" Kaiser said as he opened the door. Rook though seeming reluctant nodded.

Just like that, it was decided that we would be left alone inside of Rook's home. I was left curious. What did they talk about in that kitchen?

***

"You only know how to talk business huh?" Kaiser said as they both entered the vehicle.

"That's the thing about you and me Kaiser, we can skip the formalities" Rook said as he inserted the car key into its slot.

"But this hit... It's really too dangerous" Kaiser was not resolved to die just yet.

"You have to take the mission, It's the only way we can give you more support" Rook said over the sound of the engine starting.

"I know but…" Kaiser knew that accepting this was the same as dooming a good amount of his personnel. A mafia was a family. They would mourn when their members died but that didn't mean they truly cared. Kaiser was different, his goons were more than goons.

"Hey, if it's your moral compass tingling don't worry, the planetal party isn't all that good" Rook was someone that knew a lot about the dirtiness of all three parties as he had been forced to carry out tasks like Kaisers before. The main difference was that Rook ran solo.

"The disquisitive one isn't any better though…" Kaiser said before letting out a sigh. Maybe his ambitions were beyond his capabilities. Maybe he didn't have the nerves of steel he believed he had. He grew to like his subordinates. Now he was afraid that fulfilling his goals meant spilling their blood.

"...We'll do it" Killing Smith Moral administrative leader of the Termina library was not a small feat. Nevertheless, it was within their capabilities.

"Now you are thinking, I'm sure Knight will be pleased to hear this." Rook said before turning towards the city center. They were heading to the core of Eden, the government's Garden of Legislature as it was called.