The Dancer & The Magician (Hisoka Romance)

Chapter 8: Playing with Others

I look up to see Kurapika slashing at Hisoka. Most of the boy's swipes are misses, but he manages to get two slash marks on the magician's arm and chin, which is fairly good honestly. Then Hisoka stops the blade between his palms and flips it away. Kurapika jumps back to avoid Hisoka's advances. I leap up to help not wanting to be left out of the fun, but when I do, everything suddenly goes black.

When I reappear I smell the faint odor of meat and iron. There are dingy windows and rusted saws with tables lined from the front to the back of the room. Old bones and sawdust are scattered about the floor. I can hear rats crawling in the walls. This is an old slaughterhouse.

A hand reaches out and touches my shoulder and I quickly turn around to see... Chrollo? A pale man with slicked back hair and a cross on his head smiles down at me. I look at my right shoulder and see a print of the sun on it. There's a book in his hand but he quickly closes it and makes it disappear. "It's not much but I don't have to worry about intruders."

I fold my arms. "Then why'd you bring me here?"

He tilts his head to the side and moves his face closer to mine. "Didn't you want to see me?"

I roll my eyes and gently push him away. "Only so I can take you into the mafia." That's not quite true. I did want to meet the man behind the myth and fight him, but he doesn't need to know that. He already comes off as arrogant.

Chrollo titters as he looks down at me with a half smirk. "Yes, well, it's always nice to have goals."

Look at him trying to throw shade. Cute, but it won't be funny when I start throwing hands. I step closer to him and look him dead in his eyes. "Especially when they're about to be met."

His eyes lower and he slowly walks past me. "Hmm. Your confidence is admirable. But I brought you here because I have a proposition for you."

Though I'm not interested, I decide to hear him out so I can form a plan of attack. Hopefully Kurapika's holding his own in the meantime. I begin to scan the room while Chrollo's back is turned hoping to find a weapon. I could break off one of the old saws or use one of the larger animal bones. There are some to the far right side of me. "What did you have in mind?"

"You work with Nostrade, right?" he asks.

How does he know that? If Chrollo's crew has been in contact with him, they likely told him about what happened at the auction house tonight. Including their fight with me. He probably made an educated guess that I was involved with Nostrade at some point for mafia business. I do get around. "Sometimes."

His head turns to his shoulder. "I'd like for you to arrange a meeting with me and his daughter, Neon. I'm in need of her talents."

Even if I wanted to help him, the last time I saw Neon she tried throwing dishes at me and I had to yank her ass up n let her know I'll beat her ass if her daddy won't. The little bitch tolerates me out of fear now, but I highly doubt she's interested helping my cause. I put my hands in my pockets. "What would I get in return for helping you?"

He shifts his weight on the balls of his feet and then faces me again. "The chance to battle with me."

I cock one of my eyebrows. "That's inevitable."

He takes a few steps forward. "Yes, but if you accept my offer, I promise not to kill you when I win."

Awfully cocky, isn't he? "What makes you think I'd go down so easily?"

He walks to my backside and I feel his eyes examining me the whole time, but for what I'm not sure. A few fingers from his right hand brush against my arm, causing a low heat to ignite. I notice a moon symbol on the back of his hand. "Just a hunch," he says close to my ear.