The park bench was adamant, and its discomforts many. Amos lay there with an old newspaper covering his face from the early morning light. Soon enough he would wake up and smear the ink from the paper deep within his skin, making it look more dirty and dingy. He was the zenith of homelessness, he has chosen this station in life for himself. He always had money to his need, but this station in life seemed more free, sleep where you will, do as you please, come and go where you want, a rich man may have a thousand things at his ready hand but can not go every where he wanted, he was a prisoner in his own luxury. And yet Amos could do as he wished, he was the true rich man, he had friends, that chose him as his friend not because he was rich or poor but because he was a man just like them, he knew the hardships as they did, he knew their way of life, and yet he had chosen this for himself, he had made it his. He chose to be poor.
“Spoon” they called him, how he became to be known as this was a little beyond him, but nonetheless they still called him Spoon. Maybe it was the way he thought, in any case it was beyond him really. Though let it be said that Spoon really did get his name from the way he thought. On the outside everything seemed as though it was a perfect thought, everything seemed as though it was meant to work out correctly. But when you got deep into a conversation with him, everything was upside down, certain things didn’t seem like they should be the way he said that they should be, and yet they were, just like the surface of a spoon. On the outside, the convex side, your image is true, slightly distorted reflection of you, yet on the inside, the concave side, the image of you is again distorted, yet upside down. Maybe in a way life can be considered much like a spoon. But maybe it’s the other way around, not saying the spoon is a reflection of life, but merely that the sides are wrong.
Spoon awoke and pulled the newspaper away from his face and looked around, the park was so peaceful in the morning, no dogs to piss on your bench, though granted this has occurred more than once. But no worries really, dogs will be dogs. He semi-folded the newspaper and tossed it to the side. He sat up and righted himself on the bench, he rubbed his eyes and looked around again. The sun was bright and the air clear, granted there was always going to be some dirtiness to it, hell it was the city after all. Thank the forbidding heavens for shades. He stood up and started to walk away from the bench. He looked down as his shoes, they were wearing pretty thin by now. But he could make them last a little while longer. He crossed the street and was walking by a sky scraper, he looked up and say the surrounding areas and building reflecting off the glass windows of the building in front of his…
He was walking away from the scraper when a man in all black stepped in front of him.
“Going somewhere Spoon?” He said.
“How do you know my name?” Spoon said, as people brushed up against him as they walked passed the two people.
“Even a man of your intelligence ask me Malatesta, how I know his name… I find this a bit odd.”
“What do you want mister?” He said.
“To talk… You do know how to convers well right?”
“Yes I know how to have a conversation, otherwise I wouldn’t be talking to you now, now would I Giovanni?” He said.
The man in black laughed a little. Spoon then turned down a small alley and watched as Malatesta followed him down it.
“I see you haven’t lost your touch Amos.”
“And why would I? I was and am only a few years short of being your ‘equal’ you know. The great Malatesta. Famed murderer. Killer of Kin.”
“Oh you always have to speak of those age old blunders as always, get with the program Amos. That is old news, has been and will always be, it was old in 1304 and still is old news now in the present time.”
“You know I thought it was quite humorous that you take up shop in a mortal apartment, as though you still are one. You haven’t been in so many years but are too afraid to let go of the mortal world in which you love so much, it really is a pity, honestly it is, though I will be the first to say that, that little song you were singing was stuck in my head for a few minutes after you sang it.” He continued to walk down the alley way deeper into the darkness that it possessed.
“You know it was a real pity what happen to Hesse.” He said over his shoulder towards Rimini. Suddenly he turned, a mirror image of Malatesta.
“You know Giovanni, I could really get use to being you. Going where I want, there is so much freedom in it, I only have one grievance of all your activities, and that is the fact that you’re a bloody hit-man. I thought we both vowed to give that up after the 15th century? I guess you just loved to kill so much that it was hard to give up, it was in your blood so much that you resorted to getting paid well for it, and you have no mercy no matter what anyone tells you, be it on 1285 or 1304 or 1462. Though I will admit this killing Hesse while putting on the masquerade as you was quite enjoyable. You should have seen the look on Hesse’s face when I drove the pens through his knees and he couldn’t move out of the chair, it was absolutely delightful.” He said now looking at Giovanni straight in the face.
“Yes I heard of my employer’s house burning down to the ground, inside him, his wife, be it she was a trophy or not and his son and daughter, I was quite amazed at that fact. I was also amazed at the fact that you can destroy on life with purpose and yet destroy three others with not even a care as to their guiltiness or innocence. You always were the less emotional one of the two of us. And to think, I was the one that killed my brother and my supposed wife with my bare hands and people think that was fiendish, oh bloody hell just leave it up to my long ago banished cohort to do ten time the monstrosity,” Malatesta said, “How about I just cut to the chase here while you stop parading around as me, you blood sucking, life destroying, shape shifter!”
“Yes how about you do cut to the chase and tell me exactly why you have found me as I had found you only a couple of nights ago and tell me exactly what you want, so as I can go on my way and you can go on yours, no harm no foul.”
“I want you to get some respect about you is what I want, you need to restrain yourself for gods sake!” Malatesta said.
“No.”
“No what?”
“No! I will not calm myself so you can blend into society like every other fucking vampire in these parts!”
“Why am I not surprised that you would say no, you always were a rebel. Then I have another little deal for you, how about you stay out of my business and let me do what I think is right by myself.” Malatesta said.
“Ah, Dr. Kate Rhoades… she is a lovely creature I will give you that one Giovanni.”
“Do I make myself clear to you Amos? Do not harm her, and do not meadle in her personal affairs, that is my duty. And with that said I think we should part ways. On a side not though, the next time I hear of you masquerading as me I will come after you and your days will be numbered significantly. This I promise you.”
“You coming after a shape shifter,” he laughed, “So fucking be it Malatesta, that will be the day you do in fact see hell old friend.”
