Antoine was put in a difficult position.

Not only was his job to keep the unwanted people out, but to keep the wanted people in.. What made it difficult was reading everyone’s body language. He was surrounded by ulterior motives, but which were a threat to Bernard’s — and his guests’ — wellbeing? It was easy enough to manage while he was here. Benard had a great sense of people and their intentions. Couple that with his ability to deflect and redirect problematic energy and you’d understand why he became such a successful businessman.

It’s not too long before the waitress gets here. Bernie’s surrounded by women still, but the ratio of men had gotten a lot higher, too. Bernie didn’t discriminate. And with that news spreading throughout the restaurant some of his former competition became assets to his endeavor. A few millionaires were hanging off his every word and opting to help with the bill. It wasn’t just about impressing the audience… they were trying to impress Bernie.

The most impressive of the beautiful and rich was the waitress. Now everyone knew the dress code here. And their waitress was one of the many to turn heads whenever they walked — it’s the nature of the gig. But Bernie saw something in her that he didn’t see in anyone else here. Or to be more accurate, he saw a reaction from Antoine he had never seen before… and that piqued his interest!

Y’see, Bernie had made plenty of attempts to find Antoine’s one true love. It was his reality television. Bernie loved pushing buttons but couldn’t find anything on Antoine. Sure, there was his ‘mission’ but he knew better than to fan those flames.

But with a keen eye, he noticed something…

When the waitress waltzed over, she made a move on Antoine. It was a nothing move. A simple, lighthearted attempt at getting his attention for the fun of it. Bernie had sent professionals Antoine’s way who tried much, much harder and hadn’t gotten half of this response.

Because, for whatever reason, Antoine lightly jumped in his seat.

See, what Bernie didn’t know was that Hikari had grazed Antoine’s chain. And what Bernie didn’t know was how uncommon that was. Antoine often hid his chain under layers of clothing to protect his masked identity. It wouldn’t take rocket science to figure out he was Ghouligan — especially with his growing reputation.

And the final thing Bernie didn’t know when Hikari grazed Antoine’s abdominal chain, was that it twitched.

“Waitress is here,” Everyone knew that. Everyone could hear him holding his breath as he spoke. And everyone learned that tan people could blush if their cheeks were hot enough.

“You can breathe, we’re not actually underwater,” Bernie said with a wink of his own. “Sorry about him, he’s got a thing for mermaids.” Seeing Antoine squirm was wonderful. And for once? It was working!

“The event is that I’m here,” Bernard began. “But we’re also celebrating the fact you’re here. Let me take that,” Bernard reaches over and grabs the notepad. Without a beat, he starts scribbling. “I’m gonna take this to the chef and tell your bosses that you’re taking 15.”

Bernard stands up and everyone hesitates.

“Don’t worry, I’ll be back! Just grabbing our food.” After calming the crowd, he turns back to Hikari. “You along with everyone here will be taste-testing the entire menu. I just need you to fill out a survey after. You can grab one from him.” He tilts his head toward Antoine. “I’ll be right back.”

---

“Not revenge,” What an odd conclusion. It confirmed Antoine’s suspicion — she worked alone. “I didn’t catch your name.”

Considering the brevity of the situation, and the adrenaline pumping through his body, he couldn’t recall most of the conflict. If there was anything to blame her for, then it’d be how haphazard her methods were. They were a bit over the top and could have cost him his life if he were any less competent, but if he were any less competent, it’d be his fault for dying. It wasn’t a standard he held for other people, just a hypocritical one he applied to himself. But what was important was what he didn’t remember… like whether or not they introduced themselves to one another.

“Don’t think I had a chance to introduce myself. They call me Ghouligan.” He began. “Your name?” With her mask, it was obvious she didn’t want her identity revealed. Despite his transformation, Antoine wore a mask, too. You never know when your quirk’s gonna give out.

Whether or not they were receptive to the conversation wouldn’t deter him from his proposition. If this network was to succeed, then he needed to invite all promising members. They only had one bar to clear.

Not a hero.

---

It’s not the first time he’s here. Bernard warned him of what was coming. And was promptly vindicated when they eventually arrived. Monsters from the deep — horrid, aquatic devils — that sought to submerge Japan. Antoine didn’t care about Japan. If you gave him everything he came for, then he would leave in a heartbeat. He misses his home island. He misses the people, the culture. Everything here was strange. And in a sense, it helped him understand these sea creatures. If he abandoned all human reasoning, he might be on their side.

Unfortunately, he was very much human. Even as an umbral husk, an entity composed of force… he was human. With that, he’d have to reject what these beasts offered; a refuge in one’s instincts. Antoine had not arrived, Ghouligan had.

Mask adorned, cue stick in hand, and sights at the ready, he would cull the creatures one by one until there weren’t creatures to cull. Whether it took days, weeks, or months, he would do what had to be done.

---

Ghouligan wasn’t alone.

He very specifically had been called by an ally — the closest thing to a friend he had since arriving in Japan. Unless you count having an understanding boss or a go-to doctor as ‘your friend.’ But this relationship was particularly different. With the other two, he didn’t need to compromise his values or put his mission at risk. Well, aside from his deal with Bernard, that was a matter of circumstance. He signed up for a bad deal because he thought he’d be in and out of this country.

With Gadget, there was an equal dynamic. They were peers in the fields of vigilantism. But they occupied different roles. Antoine was a killer. His hands were sullied by blood. Maybe this was a faulty assumption, but with how she dealt with the dragon and the following conversation, she wasn’t the same strain of vigilante as he or Dion.

And that needed to be protected.

Once you kill someone, there is something about you that changes forever. You learn one of two things: you can stomach it or you can’t.

For someone like her, someone who brings much-needed levity into the world, someone who sought to build... Antoine would hate to see her lose a part of her soul.

So, when the swordsman told him to leave the way he came, he did. It wasn’t out of fear or because he thought he’d get a better positional advantage by taking the space — not that those thoughts didn’t cross his mind — but because there was one thing he valued above killing those who deserved to die.

“Yeah, I mean it’s this way.” Antoine walks back the way he came until he turns and is presumably out of sight. Then, he immediately bolts and scales up the side of the building. Gotta get to Gadget.

---

- pretends to leave just to circle and run up a building to try and get to the house.
- gotta get to gadget baybeeee
- just internal rationale otherwise zzz

---

Sea Day was a massive event for Shellies.

Oh, you don’t know Shellies? That makes sense. It’s not really your average hostess club. And we’re not talking about the tiny, little cakes — there’s more than enough cake to go around. Y’see, Shellies is an A-list restaurant for the richest, most successful businessmen this side of Isshiki Beach. While most of the common folk were here enjoying themselves on the dingy, free side of the sandcastle, Shellies had their own section.

Money’s amazing, isn’t it? Bernard was inclined to agree. For those who don’t know, Bernard owned Bernie’s Burgers. It offered authentic, American cuisine and atmosphere. And this charming son of a bitch was the reason people kept coming back. Whether it was due to advertising, the constant changes in menus, or his literal forked, silver tongue… who’s to say?

While he was a man of art, he was — more importantly — a man of business. With the influx of sea creatures at The Bay, he sought to create a limited edition menu. Bernie’s never served seafood… which meant he needed some inspiration. Cue Shellies.

He walks in. So does the rest of his crew, a few fellow millionaires, and their respective security guards. They’re greeted by other filthy stinking rich millionaires as they step into the restaurant and they all go their own separate ways. The difference between millionaires and high school girls portrayed in the 1990s was nonexistent. There was a single, ubiquitous word that would inform the most socially inept of the dynamics at play.

“Frenemies?” Antoine said. “So, this is a giant fish-waving contest?”

“Precisely!” Bernard sat down at his table with legs spread so wide no one would sit by him. Except, they did. Bernard was surrounded by beautiful women. And not the beautiful women who worked here. There were tons of waitresses dressed in clamshell bras and mermaid-print skirts that were way too short. But these women were guests.

“The person with the most money and the best taste will ‘win’ the support of the crowd.” He gestured to his female companions. “It’s a very heteronormative competition, but I need all the people I can get — we’re taste-testing the entire menu. On me.”

Everyone’s excited. Including a few men who made their way over. Their only intentions were to speak to the congregation of women here. And while other tables were more restrictive with who they allowed, Bernie’s by far was the largest and growing to be the most popular. He wasn’t concerned with ego or winning… unlike the rest, he cared about his own success.

“Now I need you to make sure no one here leaves without giving you a review.” There’s a stack of papers next to Antoine. He’s in charge of handing them out and receiving them. “I’m gonna be out and about shmoozin’. So, you need to be alert.”

“I’m security, not a secretary.”

“You’re really gonna say no to this?” Bernie pushes over a few bands. “This isn’t a normal day. You’re getting commission.”

“But I’m also still security?”

“Sure are!”

“How do I keep people around when you’re gone?”

“You gotta trust the process, Ant.” He snaps his fingers. “Now let’s order!”

---

“It’s me,” Unlike Gadget, Ghouligan’s voice wasn’t the same. He didn’t use his voice to augment his vocal chords. When he transformed, he became a husk of umbral force. There weren’t vocal chords to augment. But now, for the first time, Gadget would hear his voice filtered through flesh and bone and the warmth of his humanity. “Stalker can’t make it. He’s on the hunt.”

Antoine pulled out a few notes he had worked on. They were transcripted messages from Dion. More importantly, they weren’t words at all. They were rudimentary symbols, examples to create a secret code. While they aimed for a literal network of communication, they needed ways to check the authenticity of each other. A way to check if you were among peers — even if disagreements were to be had.

Without Ward’s expertise, it’d be more difficult but he already built a solid framework. It was up to Ghouligan and Gadget to take it a step further and create universal, shifting codes for people to latch on to. At the very least, it needed to last them a year.

“I’ve got a few things to show you but,” He tilted his head. “What’s with all the stuff?”

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