Arcadius Gabriel Argyris

Arci took the bundle of cash, stuffing it in the inner pocket near his chest. "That's an odd request." Contemplating for a moment, he smirked. "I'll have my boss forward you my contact information. I'll have an answer for you by Friday." Nodding resolutely, he opened the door to the room for his guest, allowing Hadrian to exit before following suit. Extracting a hundred dollar bill from his pocket, he slipped it to the bouncer standing outside the door. "Thanks, Clint." The man nodded in response before heading into the room to check it over. He looked over to Sheila, who seemed busy with another customer. She waved her hand at him, indicating his drink had been on the house. Winking at her, the assassin exited Hemingway's, unlocking the door to his Vaydor and climbing in.

No one could see in through the limo tint, but the blacked out windows allowed him to covertly watch as Hadrian exited the bar behind him. The man was curious for sure. He didn't seem all too concerned about his safety, but wanted a bodyguard. Why would someone want protection if they seemed completely unbothered by people coming after them, almost like they were certain that they were untouchable? Shrugging, he started his car, using the Bluetooth to make a call.

After a few rings, Clark picked up, his displeasure evident in his tone. "Arcadius do you have any fucking idea what time it is?"

Checking the clock on the car, Arci winced. "Shit, my bad, Clark." He always forgot his boss was in bed by 9pm, a hazard of having to wake up every day at 4am. "It's important, though. You at the office or at home?"

After a moment of contemplation, Clark sighed heavily. "Home. But Jennifer's here for the weekend." A soft voice in the background said his name, sheets rustling as she moved. "She says hi."

Grinning, Arcadius chuckled. "Hi Jennifer. I'll be over in thirty. Put on coffee. I'll bring flowers for the missus and whiskey for you."

Grunting a response, Arci could hear Clark rolling out of bed as he hung up the phone. Arci shifted into gear, pulling out of the parking spot. He accelerated down the street toward his boss's end of town.

A short stop at his florist's later, he arrived at Clark's house, using his house key to unlock the front door. Locking it behind him, he headed into the modern kitchen, where he was met by Clark leaning up against the counter with a cup of coffee in his hands. Arci held out the bottle of rye whiskey as a peace offering. His boss took it grumpily, dipping a couple shots into his coffee before going about making Arci his own cup.

Jennifer came around the corner from the bedroom, black hair swept up in a messy bun, and kissed Clark on the cheek before doing the same to Arcadius. "Good to see you, Arci." Her bright blue eyes smiled genuinely at him through her clear tiredness.

He extended the bouquet of sunflowers to her, planting a chaste kiss on her cheek. "Sorry to interrupt your last night here, Jen. Call these compensation for stealing your man for a few hours."

She grinned sweetly, taking the bouquet and sniffing them happily. "They're beautiful! I'll be upstairs in the media room." Shooting a glance to her boyfriend, she cocked her head. "Come get me when y'all are done with your chat." She sauntered out of the kitchen, heading quietly up the stairs with her bouquet.

Clark waited for the door to shut, sliding the mug filled with coffee and creamer to Arci. "What's so damn important that you needed to wake me up?" He leaned back on the counter, leveling his eyes across the island separating them.

"Remember that weird ass assignment you gave me, where I had to pick who to kill?" Arci lifted the cup to his lips, taking a sip before speaking once more. "I met with the art forger tonight to give him his proof that the job was done. And he asked me to be his bodyguard for a bit."

Clark raised his eyebrows. "His bodyguard?"

Nodding resolutely, Arcadius continued. "He said to name my price, and that he'd pay me additionally for any hits. He also said he doesn't care if I take other jobs while working for him."

Freezing in place, Clark cleared his throat. "So what does that have to do with me? Why does this warrant a conversation. Go for it."

"See, that's the thing, Clark. You know me. I do my damn research and I'm fucking handy at finding information on people. I researched this guy for 10 hours, and couldn't find a damn thing on him, other than a business card for art curation. He's like a ghost. No address, no business contacts, not even a fucking birth certificate."

"To be fair, you don't have a birth certificate either."

"Yeah, and I'm a shady fucking character." Scrubbing his hands through his hair, he leaned forward on the island, elbows resting against the cold white marble. "I don't remember shit about my past, and even I have a paper trail. Most of it might be forged, but that doesn't mean I don't have one. So why does this guy not have a thing? It's like he popped up one day." Shaking his head, he let the tension drop from his shoulders.

"So you think it's a trap?"

Shaking his head, Arci sighed. "No. Dude is dangerous, but I don't think he could take me." Straightening his posture, he rested his palms where his elbows had been moments before. "But dangerous people means dangerous situations. And I don't know if I'm even grasping how dangerous this guy might be. You don't have a total void in your paper trail without a lot of shady dealings. I don't know what I could be walking into."

Clark thought for a moment, sipping his coffee pensively. "$500 a day, plus a stipend for job-related expenses, as needed. I'd push for provided housing as well." Grinning mischievously, Clark brought his mug to his lips. "I'm sure Rae will be happy to have you out of her hair."

Scoffing in mock offense, Arcadius flicked the whiskey cap at his boss. "Oh, fuck off, asshole."