Introductions #11

Sitting a distance away from the tied-up Carlo, I leaned my face on my clenched hands, deliberating what I should do next. The weight of the situation pressed heavily on me, and my thoughts were a tangled mess.

Vito appeared beside me, his presence as nonchalant as ever. "Why the long face?" he asked, his tone dripping with casual indifference.

The question rubbed me the wrong way, and I snapped at him. "Why the long face? Really? Look at the mess we're in, and you're asking why the long face?" My voice was sharp, my frustration boiling over.

Vito raised an eyebrow, unphased by my outburst. "Calm down, will you? This isn't the end of the world."

I couldn't hold back my anger. "Calm down? You want me to calm down? For a moment, I had some hope of turning things around, but it all went to shit!" I stood up, pacing back and forth, my agitation growing with each step.

Vito's sarcasm didn't help. "Oh, come on, it's not that bad. We can still salvage this."

"Salvage this?" I shouted, turning to face him. "You told me Carlo was solid! You said he was reliable! And what does the fucker do? He pulls a gun on me! You really know how to pick your friends!" My voice echoed in the empty warehouse, filled with anger and frustration.

Vito's smirk faded slightly, but he maintained his usual demeanor. "I admit, I misjudged him. But throwing a tantrum isn't going to solve anything..."

"Tantrum? You think this is a tantrum?" I was beyond furious now. My hand found the nearest object, an old metal can, and I hurled it across the room. It clanged loudly as it hit the floor and rolled away.

I picked up another object, then another, throwing and stomping them all in a fit of rage. Boxes, tools, anything I could get my hands on went flying or was crushed under my heel, my anger spilling over into every motion.

Carlo watched me with a mixture of apprehension and fear, his eyes wide with every sudden move and scream. He must have thought I was crazy, but I couldn't care less. The sight of him bound and helpless only fueled my frustration.

"You think this is a joke? You think I'm enjoying this?" I yelled, my voice cracking with emotion. "I've had it with your games, your sarcasm, your shitty advice! This is my life on the line, not yours!"

Vito maintained his calm, a slight smirk playing on his lips. "Of course, my life isn't on the line. You took over it alongside my body, remember?."

I flinched at his words, the weight of the situation pressing down on me once more. With a heavy sigh, I slumped back onto the metallic stool, feeling a mix of exhaustion and frustration. After a moment of silence, I muttered, "I'm sorry. I guess you're probably in an even worse situation since you had your body's been hijacked."

Vito chuckled softly. "I know you didn't do it on purpose. And honestly, I don't really care." He trailed off with a look of realization, then added, "This sentiment should tell you something about what I really am."

I glanced at him, my eyebrows knitting together in confusion. Vito's calm acceptance had always struck me as odd. I sighed again, a sarcastic edge to my voice. "Well, gee, thanks for confirming that I'm losing my marbles."

"Don't mention it," Vito replied with a wink. "Now, what's the plan? What do you want to do next?"

I ran a hand through my hair, feeling the weight of the decision. "I don't know. I need the warehouse to create a base in this world, but I can't trust Carlo not to fuck me over again."

Vito paused, his expression thoughtful. "The only reason Carlo double-crossed us in the first place was because he was afraid of Manfredi."

I looked at Vito, a glimmer of understanding dawning. "So, what are you suggesting?"

He gave me a pointed look. "You need to give him something to fear more than Manfredi."

I glanced at Carlo, who was watching our interaction with growing apprehension. The man's eyes darted all over the place, frantically trying to find whoever I was talking to, confusion and fear etched on his face. I stood up slowly, my mind racing with possibilities.

Vito disappeared and reappeared behind Carlos' back, an amused smile spreading on his face. "This should be good..."

I dragged the metal stool over and sat down in front of Carlo, who was still tied up and looking visibly shaken. "Sorry to keep you waiting, Carlo. We've got a lot to talk about."

Carlo's eyes darted around nervously, no doubt still reeling from the sight of me seemingly raging at the air and talking to myself for five minutes straight.

Despite his fear, he tried to put on a brave front, scoffing at me with a sarcastic tone. "Oh, so you're going to try and scare me now? Well, you might as well start by explaining how bulled an entire bow out of your ass."

He trailed off with a smug grin. "Better yet, you can tell me how you got to fit inside there in the first place...that's bound to scare anyone."

I smiled calmly at him and reached for the arrow embedded in his shoulder. With a swift yank, I pulled it out, causing him to groan in pain. "Thanks for reminding me. I'll be needing this back," I said, materializing the bow in my hand. "Both the arrow and the bow were handmade with a bunch of rocks and wood, tied together by fiber. Neat, right?"

Carlo's eyes widened in fear and confusion. "How the hell did you do that?"

I leaned in closer, my smile unwavering. "Should you really be concerned about that at this moment?" I inquired, before shifting gears. "Who knew you were meeting me here at the warehouse?"

Carlo hesitated, his gaze flickering between my face and the bow. "Why does it matter?"

"It matters," I said, my tone firm, "because I need to know if anyone else is going to show up looking for you. The last thing I need is more trouble."

Carlo scoffed at me. "Fuck off!" 

I put on a calm smile as I looked at Carlo. "Look, I know we got off on the wrong foot, but you don't need to keep making things difficult. Let's start over, shall we? I'll even introduce you to one of my good pals..."

Carlo looked confused, and I felt Vito's presence beside me, though only I could see him. Vito crossed his arms in anticipation, looking more amused than ever. "Time to make an impression, John."

Not sharing Vito's amusement. Carlo looked more bewildered than ever, his skepticism warring with a growing sense of unease. "What? You want to introduce me to the imaginary friend you've been talking to all this time?" Hr mocked, his tone laced with disbelief. "You're not making any sense, man."

I chuckled softly, a hint of mischief in my voice. "Oh, the pal I have in mind is much more tangible and visible for all to see." Giving Carlo a meaningful look I continued. "You and he will be fast friends, I imagine. He'll be responsible for keeping an eye on you and bashing your head if anyone comes sniffing around the warehouse while I'm away..."

Carlo continued to mock me. "I would have believed you if I didn't know better..." he said, giving me a strange look that almost felt pitying. "You have no friends in this city. Not anymore..."

I grinned at him, unfazed by his skepticism, raising my hand and materializing a blue sphere with golden inscriptions on it. "This pal of mine just so happens to be from out of town..."

Carlo scoffed, his voice laced with disbelief. "Aren't you a bit old to be playing with toys?" His tone was mocking, but there was an edge of nervousness underneath as he eyed the sphere in my hand.

I ignored his jab, my grin widening into a knowing smile. Without another word, I hurled the sphere down onto the concrete floor of the warehouse. As it struck the ground, the sphere split open with a crack, releasing a burst of brilliant blue light that illuminated the dim surroundings. For a moment, the air seemed to hum with energy.

Carlo staggered, falling on his back, his eyes widening in astonishment and fear as the light coalesced and formed into the shape of a majestic creature. The silhouette of a bull-sized hawk-like being emerged from the glow, its wings spreading wide in a display of power.

The hawk-like creature shimmered with ethereal blue energy, its eyes glowing with an intensity that seemed to pierce through Carlo's bravado. It regarded him with a predatory gaze, the hunger clear in its eyes.

I turned to Carlo, my expression serious now. "Carlo, meet my pal, Nitewing" I said calmly, gesturing towards the creature. "If there's one thing you need to know about him, it's that you should never make him angry."

...

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