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

---

It didn’t make sense.

Antoine wasn’t opposed to feeling a part of something, but his worldview fundamentally connected him to everything and everyone. There is no action free of consequence. And everyone plays a role, no matter how small, in changing the world. Whether he operated alone or with a group, he knew he was a part of something. It was a belief he had developed as a child and had never let go of. Maybe it had to do with his tenuous relationship with his father. Or maybe he was born with an innate connection to the world most were missing. When you can turn into a fundamental force, it changes how you perceive yourself.

Something changed about the process. Maybe it had to do with the genuine conversation, maybe Megumi adjusted to Antoine’s reserved signals, but the pain dulled and dulled until the bullet eventually came out. There was still the lingering whatever-you-call-it that came with a Megumi visit but it was tolerable. Gratitude, maybe?

“Right that,” Antoine said. “I wouldn’t call anyone a friend yet but I’ve met a few interesting people. Gotta feel things out.”

When given the chance, Antoine would get back up and stretch himself out a bit. As always with Megumi, he felt better than before the injury. Freaky stuff.

“I can head back to work, yeah?”

---

“I killed those people, too,”

Ghouligan could make excuses for himself all he wanted. The first of which would have been time. One of the downsides of being a vigilante was keeping tabs on your personal life. While Bernard was aware of his secret identity and the adventures he went off on in the wee hours of the night, Antoine was only given so much leeway. There was a level of professionalism expected of him. A bare minimum. And the bar was already pretty low — Bernard covered for him more than he should have for reasons he didn’t understand.

The second of which would have been circumstance. Those people wouldn’t have died if he had his pool stick and cue balls. The victory would have been quick and decisive. But his poor aim — the result of using a stanchion and shards of ice — allowed the criminals to leverage their hostages.

Between time and circumstance, he did as best he could. But none of which addressed the underlying difference in their positions, the fundamental epistemic difference in their approach to vigilantism. For Antoine, the innocent were allowed to die.

Sometimes.

“I’m not a hero. I prioritize killing the irredeemable, even if a few civilians die along the way — even if I could have saved them with a different decision.” It wasn’t self-righteousness. He was burdened with doing what others could not, or more accurately would not, do. Antoine stained his soul so others could keep theirs unsullied.

“When word spreads, they won’t try it again. Because threatening the innocent doesn’t work.” Antoine let G get as close as she wanted. “Not on me.”

---