not too bored of this routine. He varies it by sparring with the others sometimes, but they're all off on missions now, off doing stuff that

can no longer join them in. The thought leaves a sour taste in his mouth.

also, of the silhouette of Squalo in his office, surrounded by paperwork, silver hair catching sunlight. The taste in his mouth grows worse.

a new woman to fuck around with. He's already gone through the Varia's list of call girls three times.

making his way through winding forest paths, following the sound of gunshots piercing through the silence of the early afternoon.

eventually breaks into the place that Xanxus has carved out for himself, to replace the battlefields he used to raze in his glory days.

that there really are so many things about Xanxus that haven't changed. This - the propensity to hide away from the world - is one of them.

lingers just where he is. He does not bother concealing his presence. He knows it's useless to, with someone this strong.

his back to Squalo by circumstance and by choice. He's ripping up another target dummy with his bullets.

knows that it's a waiting game from here on, and he's not going to lose. Words irritate him. Noise is Squalo's domain, not his.

...Voi, they have a mission for us. I guess they figured that it's high time you get some proper exercise.

exhausts the clip he's using. He turns to the table beside him and reaches for another one, snapping it into place.

finds himself watching Xanxus' every move. It's a study in restlessness, the kind that destroys whatever it touches.

There won't be any restrictions this time. You'll be there to go wild. I'll be there to kill things & keep you in check.

snorts derisively. He puts three perfect headshots through the next dummy, one bullet after the other, in the same hole as the first.

You can complain all you want, Xanxus. Whether you stay here and rot or go with me at 20:00 hours tomorrow night is your choice.

I mean, you're grown up enough to make your own decisions, right?

turns and walks away. He tries not to think about how it's actually harder than it should be to do that.

keeps firing. He misses once in the next five rounds, and only after Squalo is long gone.