"People should either be caressed or crushed. If you do them minor damage they will get their revenge; but if you cripple them there is nothing they can do. If you need to injure someone, do it in such a way that you do not have to fear their vengeance."
― Niccolo Machiavelli

The Hero's Guildhouse, along with other important buildings with long and ultimately boring histories, is in Prime Heights. Despite the simple name, the guildhouse is actually a soaring skyscraper. It is used for a variety of purposes including publicity events, private meetings, and dorms for the weaker heroes who cannot afford their own apartments. It would look bad if heroes- even practically nameless ones- lived on the streets. Tommy took enough bounties that he could afford a high-rise apartment in Prime Heights, but he spent the majority of his money on upgrading his gear and investigating clues. He hardly spent a dime on himself, so he stayed in one of the guild's many dormitories. He was, at least, allowed a private dorm, and he was the first to pick out what food packet he wanted for the week. Such were the luxuries for a high-ranking esper.

Prime Heights is home to many other important locations, though. The Moderator's Guildhouse is also in Prime Heights. Prime Church, where the borough gots its name from, was obviously in Prime Heights, and that was the most common religion in Essempei. Twitch Analytics, Essempei's largest stock market and business paradise, took up an entire city block. Prime Heights is, objectively, the safest borough of them all. It is the primary home of many rich, famous, or politically powerful people. The Hero's Guildhouse fit in naturally with all the other businesses wrapping up their deals on the highest floors of their private towers.

Tommy noted each one of those buildings as he passed them in the air. They were a common sight for him, and his familiarity with them all never failed to startle him into grave reality. When he was younger, he never would have thought he'd be able to get an aerial view of the businessmen darting around Twitch Analytics because he jumped out of the Hero's Guildhouse upper levels. But here he was, doing exactly that, and all without the threat of legal repercussions hanging over his head like a guillotine blade. The businessmen in the neighboring towers would have gotten used to him already. He suspects that the entirety of Prime Heights knows about the flying hero that zigzags through the air.

Tommy touches his wrist, letting his power roll back into his chest. His body starts to plummet, only slowing down when his glider reveals itself. He leans his shoulder forward, tilting his body towards a familiar rooftop. When he's a few feet above it, the gliders pop back into his metal backpack. He lands on the rooftop, rolling to disperse any lingering energy. The metal container on his back digs into his shoulder blades, but he rolls his shoulders to ease the momentary pain. As he stands back onto his feet, the pressure has dissipated completely. He continues walking across the rooftop until he comes to the parapet. He swings his legs over the side of the parapet, kicking them over a near fifteen floor drop without a care in the world. He looks down at the street far below him, counting the cars that swerve by.

This building is the one where he meets Enderwalk every few days. When Enderwalk partnered with Jolt, it became the place the three of them mainly hung out at. But long before that, before Enderwalk even called himself that, before Tommy called himself Vendetta, this was the place they parted after running away from the Hunters. Tommy swore to Enderwalk that they would meet again at this rooftop to check up on one another. Enderwalk held Tommy to that promise, and he's been doing that for years now.

A caw interrupts Tommy's thoughts. He looks up on instinct, and a black dot slowly becomes more defined. A crow with ebony feathers lands on the parapet next to Tommy. The blonde smiles happily. A year after Tommy joined the guild, he was found by a startlingly intelligent crow. No matter where Tommy went, the crow was there to check on him almost every day. Tommy didn't mind the company. In fact, he ended up naming the crow after the Crowfather, one of the most famous heroes that used to work for the guild before his mysterious disappearance. Tommy never personally met Crowfather, but the hero had left an impression on Tommy because of all of his good deeds. The crow responded to the name after Tommy mentioned calling him that, so it was cemented in the history books that Tommy had a friend crow named Crowfather.

A habit Crowfather picked up was bringing Tommy ziplock bags with a sandwich inside. Tommy didn't accept the sandwiches at first, certain that the crow had stolen them. When Crowfather didn't give up, Tommy decided to eat the sandwiches given to him. Crowfather was pleased and continued bringing them like he somehow knew that Tommy was hungry. Crowfather brought one today. While he usually brought peanut butter and jelly, he brought a ham and cheese sandwich today. Tommy broke the sandwich in half, setting one half beside him for Crowfather to nibble on. He started eating the other half with slow bites and a thoughtful expression.

"Crowfather, Big Crow, shit has gone down since we last talked," Tommy started explaining through mouthfuls of sandwich. When Tommy realized that Crowfather was sticking around, he began to talk to the crow about his problems. It didn't help that Crowfather seemed to understand him, his avian noises sounding like emotionally correct responses. Tommy long-since accepted the fact that Crowfather was intelligent, though, so he continued talking about his problems. "The heads of the Guild told me that I needed to prove my worth. I mean, what bullshit is that? I am an A-ranked hero. I take bounties all the fucking time. My worth has been proven. I could retire right fucking now, and I'll bet I will have done more than anyone else in that Primedamn guild. They're assholes, Crowfather... but they're also my boss, so let's stop shitting on them before they reveal they've bugged me or some shit. Fuck, what if they have bugged me?"

Crowfather squawks his form of a laugh, a hint of denial in the tone he uses. Tommy shrugs, deciding that if the guild bugged him, they'd have taken his ass to Pandora's Vault long before he made it to the rooftop.

"So, yeah, they told me to do some shit for them. I said no. They said we have information. I said fucking start with that. Well, maybe not word-for-word but close enough. It was implied." Tommy waves his hand to dismiss the finer details of the situation, ignoring Crowfather's skeptical expression. "They told me about the Red Army. Yeah, as if we didn't have enough fucking gangs in this city. The Red Army is weird, though. They've done a lot of shitty things, but no one knows anything about them. We have no motives, no members, nothing. They stuck me on the case. Probably because they know how fucking good I am at my job. They're all shit."

Crowfather caws his agreement. Tommy smiles slightly at him, unsure if Crowfather is agreeing that Tommy is good or that his bosses are shit. In either case, Tommy agrees with the crow. Even though the guildmaster and his assistants run an entire guild, Tommy feels like he does more work than them, and he only does work that furthers his own goals. Crowfather has technically gotten a biased version of the story, but Tommy liked to believe that his arguments had some worth beyond his own prejudices.

"Right! I accepted the mission- not because they asked me to. I am not a pussy or a pushover. I accepted because they offered to trade information. But when I show up to the last spotting of the Red Army, I find out that we don't have fucking jurisdiction. Can you believe that bullshit, Crowfather? They told me to do their fucking job, and then I find out that it's not even their job anymore. I was so pissed," Tommy tells Crowfather, and he is still very upset about the whole thing. When he returned to the guildhouse, he didn't even get an explanation.

Crowfather pressed his head against Tommy's thigh, carefully avoiding the knife Tommy had strapped there. Tommy ran a finger along Crowfather's head feathers. This certainly made him feel better even when the situation continued to paw angrily at his heart.

"As I was heading back, I got to see Enderwalk. I don't think you've met him before. He's a tall, lanky motherfucker. Annoying as hell but he's my friend. Don't do shit to him if you see him. He might be scared of birds. He seems like the type," Tommy warned Crowfather. "Enderwalk told me about the Red Army. The Syndicate is getting involved. I might have agreed to a temporary alliance."

Crowfather didn't make a noise, but he did turn his head up to look at Tommy. The blonde looked away from his friend. "Look, I get it, it's bullshit. Against everything I stand for. I should be joining the Red Army if the Syndicate wants them gone... but... I've read the fucking reports. The Red Army are crazy motherfuckers. They need to be stopped. The guild won't help me, and I know I can't do this alone. I need allies. I mean, who else am I supposed to fucking turn to? The Hunters? Reverie would have a riot if I came crawling back to him. I refuse to play into his hands.

"And, well, this is a good opportunity. It's a blessing in the ugliest disguise I've ever had the misfortune of seeing. We take down the Red Army, good. I get information on the Syndicate, good. And seriously, as long as I'm not working with Azrael and Inchling, I'll be fine. I hate everyone in the Syndicate, but especially those motherfuckers," Tommy proclaims, his voice lowering with pure hatred. His hands close into fists. Crowfather pecks at one of the fists, and Tommy forces his fingers to unfurl. "Once this mission is over... I'm going to finally do it. I will fucking kill Azrael and Inchling- and anyone else who gets in my way.

The Syndicate has many members, and Tommy is willing to do whatever it takes to achieve his goals. If he has to kill the entire organization in order to get to their leader and his right hand man, Tommy is more than willing to get that blood on his hands. Despite his status as a hero, Tommy is little more than an esper abusing the system for his own benefit. His goal, since the beginning of his heroing career, has been to eliminate the Syndicate. He doesn't care what he has to do or who he has to hurt to do that. The guild knows that, Tommy knows that, and he's going to make sure that the Syndicate knows that.

Crowfather pecks at Tommy's hand again, this time a lot harder. Tommy hisses in pain, drawing his hand to his chest. He glares down at the crow and his partially eaten sandwich. Crowfather seems unimpressed with Tommy's object. Tommy flicks his fingers at the bird, watching it hop out of range. Tommy narrowed his eyes at the crow, reaching his hand out further to grab him. Crowfather flapped his wings, rising up into the air. Tommy rolled his eyes, deciding that it wasn't worth it.

A familiar sound filled the air despite how inhuman it sounded. Tommy threw his legs over the side of the parapet to see Enderwalk standing on the rooftop. He is fiddling with his uniform. Enderwalk inclines his head towards Tommy. The blonde is left to imagine Enderwalk's expression because of the mask covering the vigilante's face. Fortunately, he knows what Enderwalk's strained smile looks like. He'll be slightly nauseous because of his powers, but he's happy to see Tommy because he's always happy to see Tommy. Even when they're fighting, a rare occurrence but an inevitable one considering Tommy's personality, Enderwalk will always be more than happy to meet Tommy on this rooftop that marked the beginning of his freedom.

"Vendetta... I've set up the meeting," Enderwalk exclaims, walking towards Tommy with an unevenness to his gait. Tommy reaches out his hands on instinct. Enderwalk grabs his hands. Tommy looks around for Crowfather to introduce the crow to the vigilante, but his friend is gone. He didn't even leave a crumb of the sandwich they had been sharing. Tommy frowns underneath his mask. He can't believe Crowfather would leave him without a proper goodbye. "Are you ready to go?"

"Yeah... ready as I'll ever be," Tommy whispers, turning his attention back to Enderwalk. The vigilante's grip tightens. Tommy winces as a faint humming echoes inside his head. His vision becomes spotted with blacks and deep purples until he can't see anything except the throbbing void. His stomach twists like he's on a rollercoaster. His head spins like a top. A shiver races down his spine as the temperature around him drops to freezing levels. For a brief moment, he can't put any coherent thoughts together. His entire sense of self fades into obscurity as he tries to figure out where the nebulous pain in his body is coming from.

Just like a taut band being released, conscious thought slams into his body. He blinks away the remnants of unnatural color, shivering away the last dredges of the coldness in his bones. He takes a deep breath to steady himself. Tommy has experienced an Enderian's teleportation a handful of times in his life, and it never gets easier. Someone from the Overworld is not meant to traverse the void. Tommy doesn't even have a hybrid trait that can smooth over his lingering uneasiness. There is no pain, but he somehow feels wrong inside his own body- like parts of himself are missing.

"I need a trash can," Enderwalk groans. He releases Tommy's hands, rushing off to find what he said he needed. Tommy blinks at his absence, looking around. He's in an unfamiliar building. It looks like the reception room to an office building with pale yellow walls, thin carpet, and flickering fluorescent lights. The brightness of the room hurts his eyes, so he focuses on a landscape painting on the wall above a row of chairs. He doesn't recognize the landscape, but he's never been out of the city. He's never seen a waterfall overlooking a mirror-like lake surrounded by lush trees and foliage. Part of him would like to see it in person, but he doesn't want to see it alone.

"Vendetta? Is that you?" Someone asks behind the hero. He turns around, meeting the mask of Warden. The villain is wearing yellow-gold armor including a chestplate and shoulder pads. Another set of armor made from a dark green material surrounds the yellow-gold pieces, covering much more of his body. The few places that aren't armored are protected by a thick, lighter green fabric that could easily block bullets. Not like Warden needs help blocking bullets, his ability to manipulate metal with his mind made certain that no bullet ever got close to him. He mainly used his power to telekinetically manipulate his primary weapon, a trident, or to manipulate the metal arms that were strapped to his back. The extra pair of arms were enhanced with enough technology that they could move on their own, but sometimes Warden needed to move them around in a way that was a little more complex than his machinery allowed.

Tommy knew all of this not just because he intently studied every member of the Syndicate, but also because like Enderwalk, he has a past with Warden. When Tommy was part of the Hunters, Warden was, too. When Tommy left, Warden stayed behind for a few more months before completely defecting. Instead of becoming a hero like Tommy or a vigilante like Enderwalk, Warden was able to join the Syndicate. Because he was completely committed to joining, Warden and Tommy weren't as close as Tommy and Enderwalk. Their relationship only extended to Warden and Tommy staying out of each other's way no matter what their individual mission was and saying hello any time they got a chance.

"In the flesh, Big Man," Tommy responds. Warden reaches a hand out to Tommy, and the hero reluctantly shakes Warden's hand. At the end of the day, Tommy would rather have a good relationship with Warden than a bad one. Warden was powerful, intelligent, and ruthless in battle. Tommy is fairly certain he could beat Warden in a fight if he wanted to, but he didn't want to. Despite the fact that Warden chose the Syndicate over literally any other organization, Tommy didn't dislike him. They had been close once, and feelings like that lingered even after time.

"It's good to see you well. I'm assuming that you're here for that alliance Enderwalk proposed," Warden said. Like any smart person, Warden wore a mask that distorted his voice. It was just to make sure that people couldn't identify him out of the mask. Tommy did it, too. But Warden's voice was more robotic than most. There were barely any traces of humanity at the edges of the distortion. It was definitely meant to be a fear tactic, but Tommy just found it annoying. He couldn't tell what Warden was feeling without the visual cue of his face or the verbal cue of his tone. Tommy had to learn to read Warden's body language, and Warden didn't move around enough for it to be that effective. He could, however, figure out the broader emotions. Warden, right now, was worried, and it didn't take Tommy any time at all to realize that Warden was worried about him. "You don't have to do this if you don't want to, Vendetta. Everyone knows you don't like the Syndicate, and I know that you have a good reason. We can take care of the Red Army without you. You don't need to do this."

"Fuck off," Tommy muttered instantly, ignoring the carefulness in Warden's tone. No matter how concerned Warden was or how close the two of them could be with just the bare minimum of work, Warden was still a member of the Syndicate and Tommy was still a hero with the guild. "I know what I'm fucking doing. I'm a fucking child or some bullshit like that."

"I'm not-"

"Vendetta!" Enderwalk called out, holding open one of the two doors in the room. He hesitated when he saw Warden and Tommy standing together with a tense atmosphere around them. He shuffled back a few paces, keeping the door open. He tilted his head towards the cream colored hallway that was visible from where Tommy was standing. "Serenade will see you now."

"Good riddance. See you later, Warden," Tommy proclaimed, waving goodbye to Warden as he followed Enderwalk. He knew that Warden had a lot more to say about the present situation, but Tommy wasn't in the mood to listen to any of it. He wasn't Warden's responsibility, and Warden wasn't any of Tommy's concerns. At the end of the day, Tommy would fight Warden, too, if the villain decided that Azrael and Inchling's lives were more important than Tommy.

As Tommy follows behind Enderalk, he reckons with the fact that he's having a meeting with Serenade. It could be worse, of course. He could be meeting with Azrael or Inchling, both people he hated very much. He could be meeting with Ravager or Dyscardia, both people who hated him very much. But Serenade wasn't exactly a best-case scenario. Anyone who could manipulate other people's minds wasn't a completely sane individual, and Serenade flaunted his instability like a badge of honor.

"He'll be in there. You're going to do great!" Enderwalk promised, pointing towards a door at the end of the hallway. Tommy nodded at Enderwalk before he pushed open the door. He stepped into a dimly lit room, closing the door behind him. This room was painted with maroon walls. There was a lamp turned on in the corner, but the overhead lights were off. There were a few potted plants in the corner, growing strong despite the obvious lack of light. They might get all their necessary light from the window hidden behind velvet red curtains. The focal point of the room was the black leather couch underneath the window, flanked by the potted plants.

The real focal point of the room, however, was the man sitting on the couch. Serenade sat with his arms lazily crossed over his chest. His legs stretched out in front of him, crossed at the ankles. He was wearing a pale blue trench coat with small bones where a zipper would be for any other jacket. He wore a yellow shirt underneath that along with black pants. He wore a dark blue veil tied to a silver circlet resting in his dark brown curls. His face was completely obscured by the veil, but Serenade has never shown any signs that he couldn't see with it on.

"Good evening, friend! How are you? I hope you have been well," Serenade calls out, the smile evident in his voice. Serenade and Tommy have met an infrequent number of times in both of their careers. They have fought just as many times. As evidenced by the fact that they were both standing there, neither of them have ever won those fights. Tommy has a higher tolerance for mind control than most people. Where Serenade could coax people into believing their lives were better off gone, Tommy's stubbornness saved him. He couldn't die, he couldn't give up, he couldn't stop until he completed his goals. The day Tommy was free from his self-imposed responsibilities, he suspected that his mind would be more malleable than most. But that day was not today, so Tommy was still free from Serenade's control. "It is the most wonderful news to hear that you are joining the Syndicate. I, at least, am very pleased with your decision."

"I can assure you, bitch, that I am not joining the fucking Syndicate. Get it through your thick fucking skull, I don't like you or any of your people," Tommy growls, ignoring the fact that he's there on the Syndicate's terms and not his own. He is probably way too confident in Enderwalk's ability to teleport him out of any danger he purposefully gets himself into. "This is, and pay attention here, a temp-or-ary alliance."

"Mere semantics. You are working with the Syndicate, no? It seems to me that you, Vendetta, are the one who has not gotten it through your thick skull that you hate the Syndicate," Serenade points out, rising to his feet. He takes a few languid steps towards Tommy. The blonde refuses to flinch, peering up at Serenade from his red-tinted glasses. Serenade stops right in front of Tommy. "What would this alliance entail, little hero?"

"I'm not fucking little, you tall-ass bitch," Tommy snapped. He pointed his finger at Serenade, bumping into the villain's chest a few times for extra effect. Serenade's hand snaps up to grab Tommy's wrist. Serenade's veil shifts, and Tommy knows that he's tilting his head in curiosity. He's waiting for Tommy to show fear, but Tommy isn't afraid of anything- least of all Serenade. "Don't fucking forget which one of our powers activates with touch."

"I won't. Now, tell me, what do you want from the organization you so clearly hate?" Serenade asks. He doesn't move his hand away from Tommy's wrist, but the blonde doesn't care. Serenade could break his wrist for all Tommy cared. He would still win this fight.

"A truce until the Red Army is gone- jailed or dead or whatever the hell you want them to be. The Syndicate will share your resources with me. Any resource that I need," Tommy bargains. The Syndicate is a powerful organization. They have a hand in every elicit activity. They hold the city's underworld in a chokehold. Tommy would have access to a lot more things than he would with the Hero's Guild. If he didn't take the chance to abuse that, he was wasting this opportunity.

"And what would the Syndicate get in return?" Serenade asks, his veil tilting back. Tommy can physically feel Serenade's stare. He doesn't like it, but then again, he never has.

"The Syndicate would be getting a weapon. I can be used in a number of ways. I even have access to the guild. As an A-rank hero, I have a reputation that some powerful people can't ignore," Tommy shrugs. "Or would you rather the Red Army continue running around in your territory?"

"You're telling the truth," Serenade states, dragging down Tommy's wrist with his hand. "But how am I supposed to trust you when you have an interest in destroying the Syndicate? That doesn't make for a very good start to our friendship, now does it?"

"I don't trust you either. This is just until the Red Army is gone. I can't let more people get fucking kidnapped by these assholes," Tommy replies, using every bit of the strength to not just tear his wrist from Serenade's touch. "Plus, we're allies with the same people, dipshit. Enderwalk and Jolt are my best friends. Warden and I are pretty civil. Croupier definitely likes me more than he will ever like you."

"Ironic, isn't it?" Serenade laughs. For as long as Tommy has been a hero, he's always been in orbit with the Syndicate. He was there in response to their every action. When they made allies, he found out what it would cost for those allies to turn their backs on the Syndicate. When they made enemies, Tommy was there to offer a chance for revenge. Tommy didn't think it was ironic if it was purposeful, but he wasn't in the mood to debate with Serenade. "Fine. The Syndicate will accept this deal for as long as it's beneficial for us. And we will have to add one more caveat. Someone must stay with you at all times, just to ensure that you don't rat us out to that guild of yours."

"As long as it isn't Azrael or Inchling, I don't care who I get to annoy," Tommy says, but his heart does jerk at the thought of being with a Syndicate member at all times. He has to remind himself that this deal is beneficial for him, too.

"Why do you hate them so much?" Serenade asks. His voice warbles, and Tommy knows he's activated his powers. Serenade is verbally asking, but the need to answer needles into Tommy's mind. The hate he feels surges in response, and a memory is triggered of a destroyed building still smoking. Tommy looks away from Serenade, trying to push the memory down as far as it can go.

"They killed my family," Tommy whispers. The first memory triggers even more. He can still see them- his family. There was Eret, steadfast and responsible, the one who taught Tommy about academic subjects and being respectful. There was Niki, kind-hearted and resolute, the one who held his hand and taught him how to sew. There was Jack, smart and headstrong, the one who taught Tommy about the streets and how to face his fears. There was Fundy, young and spirited, the one who showed Tommy how precious life was and how to enjoy his youth. There was Tubbo, gentle and excitable, the one who hugged Tommy like there was nothing worth doing more in the world and shared everything with him.

And then there was Wilbur, dependable and loving, the one who held Tommy during the long, cold nights and never would have abandoned him. Never willingly, anyway.

"Oh? Did you have a mommy and daddy that-"

"No. Brothers and sisters. I've never had a mother or father," Tommy explains. He doesn't care about his parents. They abandoned Wilbur, so Tommy felt no remorse in abandoning them. Tommy's true family were the people he and Wilbur found living in the streets, the little group they made that was so close they called each other my familial terms. His parents didn't care about him, but his brothers and sisters did. They loved him, and now... now, they are dead.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know. Do you remember how exactly they died, or...?" An explosion. They died in an explosion. One set and rigged by Azrael and Inchling even before they created the Syndicate together. Tommy breathed in sharply.

"I'm not fucking talking about this, especially not with you," Tommy hissed. He wasn't going to think about them. He wasn't going to think about that night. He wasn't going to think about the last thing he told his family. All he was going to think about is how he would be getting justice for them soon enough. It was all falling into place.

"That's unfortunate," Serenade says, releasing Tommy's wrist. He takes a few steps back, turning around to walk to his couch. Before he sits down, he looks over his shoulder at Tommy. "But that's alright. We'll be getting closer to each other, one or another since we're about to be roommates."