Reborn stared at the nondescript building and could already hear the beat of the percussion, accompanied with some kind of string instruments.
Skull was in the Americas on a tour. But Viper had always been less conspicuous.
Though it had been, unexpectedly, a harder feat to dig up their whereabouts than what he'd expected, he still got what he wanted in the end.
He stepped into the building and simply followed the music. Despite himself, he felt an emotion he couldn't name building up in his gut.
By the time he reached the hall leading straight to what he could see was an open room, he could make out the rapid cluck of beads clashing against each other.
Reborn found himself hesitating beneath the doorway and his eyes instantly glued to the dancers in the center of the room, surrounded in a circle by the audience.
There wasn't a lead, per se, but he knew those purple tresses and they immediately stood out to him with barely any effort.
Viper had sheer cloth artfully draped around them, trailing behind every twist and turn, strings of beads and rings sewn to their purple genie pants and top. The lower part of their face was veiled by a white cloth, completing the air of mystique.
As usual, their dance had a captivating charm. He had a feeling it was especially so right now.
Almost unconsciously, he approached them. He only stopped when he was at the edge of the inner circle.
Viper -who wasn't called Viper yet- turned and he met a pair of emerald eyes.
He held it with baited breath.
At this distance, he could see the gold specks and nostalgia in their eyes glittering under the lights.
And he knew this was Mammon.
Their eyes momentarily widened but they didn't falter in their dance and he was left staring after them.
He was left feeling both relieved and...
Disappointed.
That was it, wasn't it?
Viper, at this time, he knew should only be eleven.
And he had hoped to use that. They were just civilian, at this point in time.
Their brother was still alive and they didn't yet have a reason to delve into the mafia.
It should've been ridiculously easy to get them on his side with the right timing. But now...
The chances of the others having returned too had become higher and...
It seemed there won't be any convenient amnesia to make a clean slate of all the resentment that had grown and accumulated between them.
Reborn stayed standing where he was until the end of the performance, the sound of his blood rushing in his ears occasionally managing to tune out even the drums.
The crowd applauded and they bowed, slipping into the conjoined room in the back. He snuck after them.
And found himself face to face with an equally startled Fon.
Even he had almost whipped out his gun.
They stared at each other.
"...Reborn?"
Reborn shouldn't have existed yet. He was still just Renato.
"...Fon."
Fon blinked.
Then he nodded, a smile slowly surfacing on his face, his muted green changshan contrasted with the bright red he wore in the future.
"You searched for us?"
"I didn't expect you to be in London too."
He chuckled, glancing at the door of the dressing room, "Indeed."
They stepped behind a corner.
"Have you already met with Viper?"
Fon's eyes snapped towards him and Reborn had to steel himself not to look away.
"...yes. I immediately came here right after I woke up."
Reborn raised an eyebrow, leaning back against the wall with his hands in his pockets.
"When did you wake up?"
"November one. The same with Viper."
Huh. So presumably, they would've all woken up at the same time. Which meant that the order of their... deaths, didn't matter.
"Huh? It had taken me a week to find these place, how did you get here that fast?"
Fon raised a sleeve over his smile, "I already knew it since before."
...ah. Right.
"Are you worried?"
Reborn frowned, looking towards the nineteen year old, "What?"
There were a lot of things to be worried about in their circumstances, he needed to be more specific.
"About Viper? Are you worried how they'll react to you?"
No. He wasn't.
He already knew they wouldn't be pleased at least.
"You'd be surprised." Fon continued, not looking at him.
Chatters filtered through the open door and the girls trickled out. Viper appeared last.
Reborn studied them with an air of astonishment.
They looked... animated, with a red ribbon holding their hair in a half up hairdo, dressed in a wool dress and stockings. Their face was bare, not even their future trademark fang tattoos was present yet.
"I think..." And Reborn could still hear the uncertainty he tried to cover up in Fon's tone as they watched Viper approach them, eyes furrowed anxiously.
Without the hood and the illusions, they had always been easy to read.
"I think going back in time, would change more than we probably ever expected."
"Hey."
Viper curled a corner of their lips.
