We're almost up to 100 hits! It doesn't seem like much, but hey, that's exciting to me.
"Welcome Mister… Uh… Mister?" the man's Russian accent was as strong as Doyle remembered it.
"Blackwell. Doyle Blackwell." Doyle said. He didn't shake the man's outstretched hand, but this man didn't look too unsettled about it.
"Wonderful. I'm pleased to finally meet –"
"Let's get right to things, huh? I know who you are," Doyle interrupted as he folded his arms.
Van Rook stared at the man in front of him, slightly taken aback. "This is a business deal, you know. Manners probably wouldn't kill you."
"Manners? I've got by without them for over twenty years, buddy. I'm doing fine without them," Doyle said, not taking his eyes off Van Rook.
The older man laughed. "I can't tell if I like you or if I want to punch that smug mouth right off your face!"
"Go ahead, try me," Doyle mumbled. He didn't care if his temper was already making the best of him, but he was an impatient man.
Van Rook laughed again. "You've got nothing on me," he said. He raised his sleeve up to reveal a wrist band loaded with grenades.
Doyle stared at the weapon for a moment before saying grudgingly, "Alright. What is this business plan of yours?"
"You're currently nothing but a man who lives day to day searching for his next job, no matter how awful it might be. If you don't find anyone willing to hire you as a… what do you call yourself? A mercenary, you resort to scrounging for scraps or even stealing food," Van Rook said.
"Did you want to meet me just so you can make fun of me? I've been fine on my own for as long as I can remember, okay?"
"I am willing to take you on as my apprentice," Van Rook stated.
Doyle was taken aback. "Your apprentice? I'll be like your student?"
"Of sorts, yes. Questionable people from all around the world know me. They want me to do dangerous jobs for them, jobs I'm starting to realize I can't always finish on my own," Van Rook explained.
"What, so I'll be your helper monkey?" Doyle snarled.
Van Rook sighed. He reconsidered his idea to find help, but he remembered that Doyle was a pretty talented mercenary. A man in Doyle's predicament should be desperate for any job he could get and Van Rook needed an extra hand if he hoped to pull off some of the bigger jobs clients were offering. "Not a helper monkey. I will teach you the proper way of a mercenary. Clients will practically beg you to pull off jobs for them. The mercenary business isn't all about finishing jobs, you know. You have to think like your client in order to get the most money out of it. That is something I can teach you."
Doyle had to admit that he didn't know the first thing about prices. For all he knew, every one of his clients could have ripped him off, but he would never admit that to this man.
"Not only will I teach you proper money management, but I can also teach you how to get and use some of the best weapons in the trade without ever paying too much," Van Rook smirked, waving his wrist blaster.
Everything Van Rook said sounded like gold to Doyle. He wouldn't have to worry about where he would find his next meal if he worked for this man. Maybe, one day, he could even make a comfortable living out of the mercenary business. "Van Rook, you've got yourself a deal."
"That is wonderful news. Now, let's talk about your salary, shall we?"
Hey look! A one-shot with Doyle! *hides from fangirl stampede* Anyways, I found out that I really like writing Van Rook and Doyle. Those two are hilarious.
I'll try and have another one for you tomorrow (or later today, even). I'm not sure what it will be about yet, but I have a couple ideas churning around in my mind. Perhaps even a small little series to put inside here? A story inside a story! Whoo! Thanks for reading everyone and leave a lovely review if you'd like!