Private Finished I didn't ask for this

Razon explicitly remembered that he had spoken to Vidi about plans to look over the surveillance that evening but now, it had been over 4 hours since a wrench got thrown into said plans. They had run into unwanted company and choosing not to argue with the demon, he allowed the momentary break. He remembered telling Vidi to return to the manor as soon as possible but it was starting to get late and he still couldn't see hide nor hair of him. Razon would be greatly surprised to know the carpet hasn't worn out from all his pacing, but more importantly, his phone hasn't crashed yet. Vidi hadn't been responding either to any messages he'd sent out in the past hour. He'd normally receive curt responses to but the last few had none and all his calls were left to voicemail. Surely, he thought, the demon had just gotten sick of his persistent messaging. Although there was that one part of him that worried something could have happened to Vidi while he wasn't watching. It had been a while since the incident with one of Klaus' kids as well as both Vito and Klaus' departures, but it was still fresh to him. And of course, Vidi seemed to him like the sort of kid who had bad things following him around. Not only did the demon have almost no sense of danger, he was also very impulsive -- Razon could only imagine what happens when he wasn't looking after him. Was that a problem? Possibly, yes. Suddenly losing the previous leaders of the gang was a huge pain in the arse to deal with -- if anything of the same nature were to happen with Vidi at such an early stage, it would be worse. Minutes would pass and there would still be no sign of Vidi. No messages would get replies, and no calls would go through. Razon was starting to think Vidi could be in a dying in a random ditch in the forest right now and he just probably didn't get a note about it.

Vidi was royally fucked. Well he didn't need to be but he's digging his grave deeper. He told Razon they would meet up at the manor, but while not stating an exact time, he vaguely remembers saying it in a way that they would be meeting right after he finishes his business with the asshats they ran into. Except that wasn't what happened. Vidi went and grabbed a snack with Caspian and they ended up searching the city for her bag. He could always say he lost track of time after taking a detour, believing Razon and his gang could take a little time tying some lose ends with Caspian's bullies. It wouldn't really work 100% but it was better than saying nothing. Which was sort of what he had been doing the whole time he was with the girl. Vidi snuck a few messages telling that "he was busy" but the reaper was relentless. He'd sent so many messages over the last few hours that Vidi had to resort to switching off his phone only an hour after, just so he didn't have to think about it. Vidi killed some time, decided to stay with Caspian as much as he could and making shitty excuses about needing to make sure they guys wouldn't bother her anymore, et cetera, et cetera. It was so easy to convince her to hang out with him longer, honestly. But by now, the sun had set already and he'd escorted her back to her dorms. And Vidi? Not too far from the manor gates, rehearsing in his head what he would explain to the reaper. He had been standing out of sight from the front gates, making sure that Razon wouldn't be aware of him unless he went to the surveillance room. But Vidi was sure that his hiding wouldn't really help the situation. Finding a moment to get his thoughts together, he took a sharp intake of breath, holding it in for a few seconds before letting it go and finally turning around to face his judgement. There was no other prelude or lead in when the demon made his way to the front door. There was no knock or any pause; as soon as he reached the front porch, he went straight for the doors and pushed them open without missing a beat.

"And where have you been?" Razon greeted. His voice hid nothing of his displeasure at Vidi's latest escape. It was the first thing that came to his mind the moment the doors flung open, revealing the person he'd been waiting all afternoon for. He stopped pacing as soon as he heard the clatter of the knob and pointedly glared at the younger male standing under the arch who looked to Razon without so much as an expression of guilt on his face. "I was expecting you'd be here when I finished what you asked of us but I returned to an empty manor. I'm guessing you had one of your little escapades, didn't you?" What is it this time, hm?" he continued, not even giving Vidi room for retort. "Out for a stroll or did you go on a date with that girl? Would you care to explain how you managed to spend a full 5 hours without providing some sort of explanation as to where you are? Or would you keep to yourself as you always do?" he asked, taking a few steps approaching Vidi. "It seems we've reached some sort of misunderstanding about what you've actually signed up for and I want to hear your perspective of it. It's been very confusing for me and my unit, you see. You vanish without notice and when we least expect it, you suddenly make yourself known and throw orders as if you'd always been there. I'm sure you understand that isn't how things work, yes?" The reaper continued his approach, only stopping once he was face to face with Vidi -- at least, it would be if Vidi hadn't dropped his gaze to the floor. His voice was a degree softer but it never lost firmness. "We both know that you've got more than just a few rough patches to fix. Now I really just want to know if you do have issues, please do enlighten me, Invidia. Did you really mean what you said before? Did you really want help with this -- or are you just not telling me something?"

Did he mean it? Vidi would have wanted someone else to answer the question for him. If he would be honest, he'd originally felt cornered when he was approached about the gang. He had nothing to do with it from the very start and all he really just wanted was the promise of a warmer house that he was offered. But things didn't really turn out well for him. After being the only one left in the Rosales house, it seemed everyone looked to him for questions. He could have followed after Eroshay and the others but he chose to say instead. Like the idiot that he was. He told himself repeatedly it was for their own good but there were times he doubted his own reasoning. They are doing better, as far as he knew. It was probably better of this way. He clearly remembered the words he said in front of a council of leaders when he took up the leadership way back then, swearing to fulfill the role and duties to the best of his ability, asking for guidance he needed from the council. And he had said all this right at Razon's face. Well, it was a council but Razon was literally just. right. there. Now he stood there, speechless; while he expected an interrogation from Razon, he didn't expect it to be like being pushed into a corner. He was standing there, not moving an inch in the middle of the foyer, but it didn't feel any different from being driven up a wall. Vidi averted his gaze from the reaper as soon as he stepped forward, not wanting to see the anger. He knew why Razon would be angry but if Vidi were to be honest with himself, even he was just as equally frustrated by the whole thing -- at the current situation, at Razon's endless pestering -- but he was also angry at himself. He had spoken words he only half-meant when he was chosen as the new leader of the Rosales gang. If it was possible, Vidi would have wanted to slap his past self in the face for having said all that bullshit. That time, Vidi wanted so bad to change everything about himself. He wanted to be a new person and not the one that had been too withdrawn and too... bland. He was planning for a full renewed identity as a Rosales. But it was a daunting task from the very start and as they days turned into weeks, Vidi found himself exhausted. He soon realized he forgot what he'd been pushing for and soon after lost his will. After then, all he could do was run away and hide; no different from the person he used to be. He had no words to explain it to Razon. He had no excuse. Vidi visually shrunk on the spot, unable to look the reaper in the eye. There was silence for a minute -- maybe even longer. Neither of them spoke. Vidi wanted to take a step back but at this point he could run back outside and the Reaper would still wait for him here. "I understand what I said before and I fully meant it," he spoke from under his breath, unable to raise his voice any louder. A beat passed for them, and Vidi took a deep breath before he was able to look at the reaper in the eyes. There was no fire in it; as there wouldn't ever be but he tried his best not to falter. When he spoke, his voice was louder, stronger. "I took the role of being the new leader not because of a whim. I thought it over and I know my responsibilities but I don't need you constantly reminding me. I will choose my own pace and I'm not letting you control everything I do, Razon." With that said, Vidi quickly sprinted past him towards the staircase, eager to get away from the moment as fast as he could.

Having said his own part, Razon allowed Vidi to speak his. He expected every word that slipped from the demon's mouth and he couldn't be any more disappointed. He wasn't disappointed in Vidi; not at all. If he didn't know his background, he would be, but the kid was growing a spine and that was a good thing on its own. But those weren't the words he wanted to hear. In any case, there was still a lot of work. Vidi wasn't still cut out to be called a proper leader, but in due time, perhaps he would. He's still young, and he would still have to learn a lot of things. Vidi didn't allow Razon to speak another word after him, storming away just as soon as he said his piece. He thought it rude, but he didn't want to argue further. While Razon could easily catch up to him and block his way, he decided against it -- it was already late after all. Vidi couldn't ever really run, but he would give him this moment -- and also he rest of the evening. It was already late after all. Breathing out a sigh, he turned to the other hallway, muttering a quiet "Good night, Vidia," before fading into the night.