Then.

It was Winston that found John, half-buried in overflowing trash and rotten leaves in a culvert near Central Park. He'd been a younger man then, just beginning to inherit the reigns of the New York Continental branch, and a rare moment of curiosity had found him walking towards the large ragged bundle. Underneath the dirt and the grime and the sodden refuse was a body - a man smeared dark red and grey with matted hair and tattered flesh. But it was the eyes that caught him, not the gore encrusted study of the dead or dying, but the dark apathetic awareness of that gaze trapped his own.

Out of nowhere, the thought struck him that his upcoming ascension would bring him enemies from those beneath the notice of the Hotel and its servitors, as well as from those members that had the foolish temerity to test those rules. A cold fingered hand snaked out from a stripe of shadow as the wounded man was suddenly there, clasping his wrists in long fingered hands like iron manacles. For a moment, everything was still and washed in red film before fading back to normal.

The man was still slumped in the pile of trash. Even more telling that something was amiss - his security detail (disguised as regular park goers, of course) had not reacted at all.

"Your enemies," the stranger rasps. "They will make a good start."

Now.

"Old friend, am I?" John shakes his head, flecks of grime spitting from his hair. His voice is pitched low, but there is a slight lilt of wry humor. "I assume you've heard," he adds, eyes darting from Olivia's deceptively relaxed posture towards Lemuel's visible arrival opposite and flanking him. He nods minutely in approval at their caution.

"I'd heard you managed to retire. Then I hear you've upset the High Table, and now-?!" Olivia pursed her lips. "You never do things half-way. At least some things are consistent. Why did you come here?"

John watched her carefully, before turning his attention towards Lem's still figure.

"Vampire, right? …And last night, there was a tiger. A were... Midnight hasn't changed much, and it protects its own."

"You are certainly correct," Lemuel replies, stillness replaced with a sinuous and flowing stride as he takes a curious step towards John. "But while we protect our own, you are not one of us."

"...He was sure he killed you," Olivia breathes, recalling her earlier conversation with Emilio. An encounter with a mature weretiger would kill a man with little trouble, even one of John Wick's infamous reputation and skill. Unless, there was something more to it – something that made him a candidate for Midnight's unique community. "...I thought it was just a rumor."

"Oh, I see," Lem rocked back on his heels, his greater years and experience with the supernatural arriving him at a conclusion. "You're one of us."

Then.

Winston sat in the hotel restaurant, nursing a strong coffee while the new hire methodically demolished a full breakfast across from him. Cleaned up and dressed in a spare suit, the homeless stranger from the park still managed to look like he was one foot in the grave.

"Explain to me," he began, taking a sip if his beverage to wet his throat before continuing. "What was all that about, hm?"

"I need enemies," Wick stated with a soft intensity, setting down his knife and fork to shift his singular focus from the meal towards the young Winston. "I need a clear purpose in order to function. Yours will do."

Winston sighed, brow furrowing. "Yes, but why?"

The dark-haired man went still, unmoving and unblinking as he seemed to consider his words. He took a quiet breath before speaking. "Because I will kill them all. Because that is what I am."

Winston leaned back, eyebrows climbing. "What," he repeated. "Not, who."

Wick nodded, a flash of something in his eyes, but remained silent. Winston's eyes narrowed - he would just have to find out on his own.

Now.

"Revenant," Lemuel confirmed.

"That's right," Wick replied. "I need to be grounded, Olivia," he elaborated for his fellow assassin's benefit. "The work for the Hotel managed that, Helen managed it - but now… There are too many enemies. I need to shift focus to something smaller before things get out of hand."

As if they weren't already – Olivia opened her mouth to tell Wick to shove it, favor or no favor. Yes, she owed him for a job gone sour earlier in her career – him covering for her was how she was able to come to live in Midnight in the first place, separate but somehow still adjacent to the structured underworld of the Continental, the High Table, and their subsidiaries. But Lem beat her to the punch, cutting across her unvoiced refusal with a slight bow of his head and a steely toned agreement.

"That would be to everyone's benefit, indeed."

The vampire darted a meaningful look towards Olivia, I'll explain later.

You'd better, her returning glance affirmed. Crossing her arms – a move which brought one hand within close drawing distance of a silver edged knife at her side – Olivia took a deep breath before glancing around the shop, belatedly gagging on the stench of Wick's still filthy form.

"Why don't we sort this out after we get you into a shower, yeah?"

Wick looked down at himself, before huffing a humorless and exhausted chuckle. "Yeah."

Later.

They were back in the diner, huddled around a corner table – Lem, Olivia, Fiji, Manfred, Bobo and a rare appearance from the Reverend and Joe Strong. Creek was waiting tables in the front – it was a busier night than most – and John Wick sat out by the window at his own table with a full course to work his way through while they talked.

"It's dangerous to let him stay here," Olivia began, up front and straightforward as usual. "He's being hunted by a lot of very dangerous people, but for the most part they tend to leave this part of the world alone. With him here, things could get …dicey."

Fiji's eyes kept flicking from the rest of them crowded around the table to where Wick sat and ate, empty and mechanical and somehow wrong to her mystical senses. "What is he? Cleansing the dog this afternoon was…" She makes a face. "So much hatred."

"Not hatred," Lem corrected her gently. "Vengeance. Anger. Revenant's are driven by it, they embody it. Revenge propels them and consumes them."

Joe nodded, adding his own two cents. "It's not always evil. They have a goal and a focus – and they cannot rest until it is achieved."

"I've only heard about them," Manfred brought up. "They don't die – even if you destroy them they'll come back until their task is complete. Grandma taught me that there is only two ways to deal with one – either help them accomplish their task, or stay out of the way."

"…Sounds like John," Olivia muttered, taking a long pull from her beer.

"Yeah, well – typically they don't last long because they accomplish their tasks and then die. It's weird that he's trying to find a new task."

"Not as strange as you think," Lemuel added softly. "If his revenge is impossible to accomplish, he'll become stuck. He could go mad, or worse. Perhaps he's trying to change his focus to something attainable by taking on the revenge of others. Something I gather Mr. Wick has attempted on more than one occasion. If we can offer that, he'll prove a powerful ally for the trouble ahead."

Bobo nodded slowly. "The First Sons, for one. If they were behind Sheriff Livingston's death last night, then there will be plenty of trouble in the future. Hard cases like those bastards just don't know when to quit."

Joe turned in his seat, the angel considering John Wick's solemn form for a long moment. "I think he deserves a chance."

Emilio nodded, the relief that he had not permanently killed a second person on the full moon almost palpable. "After last night, I would like to offer him that courtesy as well."

"Okay, then," Olivia stated. "Me and Lem don't have room. Bobo's out of places to rent. Where's he gonna stay?"

Fiji was quick to shake her head. "No way. His aura will ruin all my materials. Manfred – his dog already likes you…"

Everyone looked at Manfred expectantly.

"Oh, come on."

Notes: I was originally going to wait for episode 3 of Midnight, Texas to air before writing this up, but then I had the idea of breaking up the conversation and some exposition with some show-not-tell snapshots of the past. Thinking of adding in more of those for chapters that take place between episodes - let me know what you think!