Principium Finis Venit [Reise BP]

Today is ordinary. There are many ordinary days. So many that sometimes, people desperately want to break free from the mundane and suffocating normalcy. Indeed, variety is the spice of life. Reise had heard that a few times. It didn't exactly resonate with him. Not because his life was particularly special but moreso because Reise had never put spice on anything. He was unsure what it could do for any meal. He ate what was necessary to survive and what would aid him in not falling out of shape, that was it. Nothing more and nothing less. Optimal, if you will. Like a sort of machine built to execute a specific order. That was an apt way of describing the unassuming man. His eyes always seemed blank, yet that betrayed the intense computations whirring away under the hood as he struggled to understand the world and people around him. He felt like one wrong step would out him and that fear of being recognized as alien was the true fear.

A bell rung and the reverie came to an end. It was a slow night to say the least. Fast Food was... well... fast. It was a hectic atmosphere where everything was slightly too loud and overbearing for the Earthling. So why work there? He didn't really know, but he did. Maybe it was for these haunting, unexplainable nights where nothing happened and he stared blankly as silence crept up on all people. All people? Hm.

A shiver shot down his spine and his mind jumped into overdrive swiftly. He was alone. He hadn't seen anyone come in or out in ages. No-one else on the counter. He couldn't confirm the existence of the people in the kitchen because of his lack of aptitude with Ki and therefore sensing living presences. His blood ran cold. If there was only this new person opening the door, then they must be an assassin sent to silence him now he'd abandoned the syndicate.

"Can I get... a large burger and some fries?" Reise blinked a few times, finally deciding to look at this apparent murderous super-assassin. Oh. They were a regular looking man. Perhaps a bit out of place in the fact they wore a slightly formal get-up but it was restrictive. Unless he planned on throwing off a suit in one swift go to reveal his combat attire or something, this wasn't an assassin. Really overshot that one.

Routinely pushing all the buttons needed, Reise marked up the order. "So. Large burger and fries. That's all?"
"Yessir." The man was already rooting around for his wallet or card to pay for the order and Reise sighed at his own incompetence and anxiety as they prepared everything for the transaction. The suited stranger pulled out a bulging wallet and pulled out some crumpled bills which he threw at Reise. It was sort of comical in the strangeness. This was... what people would call eccentric? That's what Reise thought.
"Keep the change, I don't really need it. Thought I'd do the world some good tonight, you poor little boy. Working here, must be unfortunate." He scoffed, clearly looking down on Reise, maybe without intending to. Regardless, it was annoying and most of all, uncomfortable.
"Thanks." was all the ex-Assassin was able to work up, deciding anything more wasn't worth the trouble. The bell went again and Reise thought nothing of it, there was no time for foolish delusions now. He began bagging the food. When his gaze finally returned up, he noticed something odd. The newcomer, all dressed in black wasn't approaching the counter. A shudder. A bad feeling. Black leather gloves. It didn't seem too out of place considering it was cold out tonight but... dread permeated Shizuki's core. On top of that, the guy in front of him was clearly affluent. A perfect target. Clear up a rich person, probably a rival business or politician and then wipe up the student that got away.

Cautiously, the black-haired boy clad in his contrasting colorful employee uniform handed the bag to the jolly and aggravating rich man. He turned around. The next couple of seconds felt like years as he jovially walked his way towards the exit, towards that cold-hard killer. Time was slowed and Reise analyzed both people down to the slightest muscle movement. Nothing happened. They passed each other and the smaller, more rotund man was fine. The tall male, who evoked death in Shizuki's opinion, began to slowly approach the counter. Was it truly so strange to wait for the other customer to leave? Perhaps his preconceived notions were wrong, he was overreacting. Yet the way this man carried himself was so much like that of a killer that it made the Azure Assassin tremble against his own desires. The opponent thrummed his fingers against the counter rhythmically, it was menacing.

"...Hey. I'll take a coffee." The voice was gruff, experienced and most of all... surprisingly normal. The tension evaporated and shoulders slumped.
"Yeah, no problem. Anything else?" For some reason, the man laughed.
"Lighten up, kid. You're too stiff. What's ya name?"
"Reise." He felt strange telling the stranger that, but most of his anxiety was taking the backseat as he resolved to do his job.
"Psh, silly name. Well Reise.. take your job less seriously pal. You're here for minimum wage probably. Just stop freaking out."
"Thanks for the advice." Finishing up with the order, he passed it to the man who kept grinning like a cheshire cat the entire time. Money was exchanged and he left. It was... anticlimatic. Reise's shift ended shortly after and he took the back exit, now with the ridiculous required clothes off and back into his comfy and unassuming casual wear.

Standing in the cold night, Reise felt surprisingly much better. Being alone was far better to him than being around others. Others were either tools of equal or greater strength that viewed him as a target, or squishy vulnerable creatures who failed to realise how many liars and scum had snuck into the pack. Reintegrating to society as a weapon was hard. This paranoia was constant, though it had felt especially bad today. He rarely made back-to-back wrong calls but it was a rare night shift so maybe it made sense. He sighed and began to set out for home. Turning a corner with his mind set on particularly nothing, Reise received confirmation that his sense were never THAT wrong. A boot infused with Ki slammed into his cheek and sent him flying. It was sloppy, sudden and not at all optimal for killing. Flying through the air, he skidded down pavement, grazing his cheek.
"You idiot. You, a marked bounty would just tell me your name so I could ID you? Kid, I don't know how you thought you could get away from the Syndicate when you're that stupid." He guffawed like a madman, clearly enjoying that the night had turned out like this. "I thought I'd rough you up first, test a youngblood's skills and see if the Syndicate has gotten sloppy and started turning out losers. Plus, I'm itching for a fight. I love it. Always fail to get the kill because I just wanna see my targets suffer. Haha! Your fate is to die by my hands, kiddo!" It was a real laugh yet it seemed like it could only come off as cartoonishly evil, but this man was enjoying himself. Reise pulled himself up. He was glad that his paranoia wasn't for naught though.

The opponent raised his hand and charged a large Ki blast which he let loose with the intent of finishing the unbalanced traitor.
"Do you wanna know the funny thing about fate...?"
The orb was upon him in moments but he confidently threw out his hand and smacked it back at his predator. He reacted fast, throwing his hand up and crushing his own blast, neutralizing it in an oppressive show of might. His face was unimpressed, clearly thinking the spiel was a bit too hard of an attempt when he was clearly on the defensive. Reise was gone. In the small window where he had thrown up his hand and concentrated on destroying the blast, the staggered student had fully disappeared.
"Fate is just what others want you to do, I don't really care about that." The nameless assassin spun around, expecting Shizuki to be behind him. That wasn't the case, too obvious. With all of the runes on his body burning blue, Reise was above his opponent, fist ready. He fell forward slightly for a better angle and rammed the fist as if trying to punch up through the ribs to the heart. The man was done for instantly and collapsed. The colour ebbed and flowed from the black-haired prey and he landed gracefully. To kill his assailant would make sense, since he was an irredeemable killer who revelled in pain more than anything. Plus, it'd keep him off his trail. But Reise couldn't. He used Ki to bind the unconscious man and called the police anonymously hoping that'd be the end of it.

After that, he would just go home and collapse onto his bed in his tiny apartment, praying for another normal and totally boring day. Those were better, even if more alienating. But the real thing about fate is that it's not so easy to defy. Breaking free of a life you already swore away to others is a hard, arduous task. He wouldn't escape his past so easily, even if the future brought many new faces.