Neon Lights

45

Draven brought him to his home. He didn't expect him to bring him here, but here they were. Callisto didn't really say anything when he followed Draven into his home, briefly familiar with the hallway that lead to the room they had first met after several years. That reunion that sealed his fate with him.

He wasn't sure why he was here. Whatever information about Alia was given to him, so there really wasn't a need for this, was there? Still, Callisto found himself tossing his work bag on the couch once he entered the room and accepted a glass of alcohol from Draven when the man handed him one.

Almost natural in his movements around Draven.

"Why are we here?" Callisto asked after forcing himself to swallow the burning drink down his throat. He glanced at the glass in his hands, almost tempted to ask the other man about his choices of drinks.

"We're here because we can't talk anywhere else about our next course of action." Draven moved to his desk where plethora of things were on it. He rummaged through the mess with his free hand before grabbing a paper. He then shook it, catching Callisto's attention. "This is the report I received from Angelo about Xiao."

"Xiao..." That name seemed familiar.

"The person we're supposed to meet at Brewer Industrial, remember?"

It was then the name clicked in his mind.

Right... there was someone there that Angelo mentioned who could help them get to Luna. He tightened his grip on his glass, weariness wearing him down even further. "And what about Xiao?" Callisto asked, taking another sip of his drink.

"Xiao said he's willing to meet with us," Draven said, dropping the paper back on the desk as if he had found the information he needed. "We just need to let him know when."

"Well, the sooner the better." Callisto really didn't want to drag this on. "The longer we wait, the colder the trail get too."

Draven nodded. "Then, we might as well meet him tomorrow."

"Don't we need to prepare to meet him?"

To meet with Angelo, Draven had done this whole stunt on giving him the card to keep him safe and whatnot. But much to his surprise, this time, the man simply quirked his lips upwards.

"Nope." Draven moved around to lean against the edge of his table, facing Callisto as he sipped on his drink. "Angelo wouldn't put us in danger."

That sentence was... so contradictory that Callisto wasn't sure where he should even begin unpacking that.

He opened his mouth and then closed it, unsure exactly what to say to that.

Angelo... was unpredictable at best. How could they trust someone like him to lead them to a safe person to be in contact with?

"I don't even know how you could say that," was all Callisto could muster to say.

That earned a few chuckles from Draven. "He may be unhinged, but he doesn't give false information."

"Unhinged is... one way to say it." Callisto would think he would need a mental checkup if he was being honest, but who was he to say anything.

He didn't understand how the world Draven was in worked, he couldn't really comment on the people in it either.

"So, when do you want to go then?" Draven said, switching the topic of conversation. The sooner the better was the original idea. But he wasn't sure if this soon was a good one. Regardless what Draven was saying, some preparation was needed, wasn't there? Something must've shown on his face because Draven nodded. "I get it, you're anxious."

Callisto raised his eyebrows at that. "No, I'm not."

A lie, for sure. He was nervous, perhaps even anxious. Going into uncharted territory to find Luna was something too new for him.

"Hey," Draven said, catching his attention. "You have nothing to worry about."

"And how do you know that?" It irked him whenever he heard that because rationally, it was a lie. How could there be nothing to worry about? He was about to do something he would never do. Obviously, there was going to be some things he needed to worry about. Chugging a bit more of the drink than he should've, he winced a little at the burn sliding down his throat before adding, "It's not like I've done this a million times before."

A brief moment of silence greeted them both before Draven said, "Yeah, you haven't. You were never the kind to do these things."

"Never the kind..." Callisto muttered the words back. "Yeah, I guess I wasn't." For once, he started to resent his sister. As much as he wanted her home, he would've never been on this journey if she didn't disappear. He had no idea if her disappearance was something of someone else's doing or her own. But if she was the one who orchestrated this... he didn't know how he would feel about it. "I just wish all of this was... simpler."

"I get it."

"No, you don't." Because how could Draven ever understand that?

This need to have everything just run smoothly for once.

For him to be able to go to work, get through his day, come back home and just rest. He had a good routine ongoing for him before Luna went and vanished.

"I do," Draven said, his voice was soft but firm enough that it settled in Callisto's mind like a mark. He met the other man's gaze from across the room, holding his stare. "I do know how that feels like."

Callisto wondered what he meant by that.

How could he possible know how that felt?