Zev almost laughed at Isaac's question. He'd told the younger man his fake history, so the thought that he actually liked bartending and mixology was not an illogical leap. But in the end, that too was part of his elaborate lie. He actually couldn't give a damn about his cover job or the skills it required.

"Bartending is interesting and sometimes challenging," Zev replied, "but it's not the same as ending a life. Being able to skillfully and successfully kill a person — well, that just hits different, you know?"

For a moment, that cruel grin returned. But it faded as Isaac described the person he'd encountered. None of what he said was familiar to Zev, but vigilantes who worked outside the law were not unheard of. It was entirely possible someone was out there hunting and killing Rockets — and for fun, too, by the sound of it.

"It felt like it wanted us to suffer."

"Impulses," Zev murmured coldly after Isaac fell silent.

People usually fought defensively, to survive another minute or hour or day in the hell of the world. But there existed a small number who fought to destroy. Sometimes their carnage was little more than unchecked chaos; those types could be eliminated with a well-aimed bullet between the eyes. Sometimes, however, they were lethal, their bodies beaten into weapons of singular, deadly intent.

Zev would know. He was one of them.

He'd have to be more careful.

Isaac Merlo

NOTES
+ Mission: Slumber Party

Isaac's question drew Zev out of his thoughts and back into his small Slateport apartment. The hitman cast his stony stare at Isaac for just a moment, debating whether or not to ask the blonde boy for more details about the vigilante, but decided that they had spoken enough for the night. Zev himself was exhausted, though none of his fatigue showed in his expression or body language.

He stood, his meal finished, and walked to the storage closet. As he went, he gestured to the other door next to it. "That's the bathroom," he explained, pulling out an extra pillow and blanket. "You can use these to sleep on the couch."

Zev handed them to Isaac so the younger man could arrange them however he saw fit. In the meantime, Zev cleaned up the dishes and put the cooking equipment in the sink to soak. He'd wash them in the morning. Finally, he summoned Chimecho back into her Pokéball and put it in the wall cabinet along with the others, which he closed and locked.

"Night, Isaac," he said as he walked past the couch again toward his own bedroom. The farewell was automatic, without any feeling behind it. Nor did Zev wait for a reply. He grabbed his phone and wallet from where he'd tossed them, then entered one of two doors at the end of the hallway and shut it behind him.

Alone in his bedroom, Zev made a note on his phone to look into unaffiliated persons who matched the description of Isaac's monster. The boy hadn't given him much information to work with, but the list of non-League and non-Rocket people killing Rockets couldn't be long. Zev might have to do some digging, but that was nothing new.

He'd find out who this person was. It was only a matter of time.

Isaac Merlo

NOTES
+ Mission: Slumber Party