“A hero is weak as is, only after his journey that he is sang as strong. I’m no hero; I’m already at the peak. It’s the hero’s job to overthrow me, and my job to stop him before he gets there. As with a hero he also needs the rival. For when he ascends to Godhood a new Devil will take my place. When a God sleeps; a new Devil arises.” His hair was long and black, but lighter as it got to the tips, but covered in grease. He looked to rarely shave with heavy untamed scruff and eyes a plain brown. He was thin and without remarkable features.
“Nicely…said Watson,” The teacher hesitantly evaluated, breaking the foreboding silence brought on by his writing.
---
Watson was sprawled asleep across large comfy chairs. Sat next to him was a tanned guy of similar age, his hair equally dark but with a fitting five o’ clock shadow. His eyes were more grey than blue, completely broken off from the world, with a completely expressionless face. He held himself well and as the crowd watched him, he typed away at a computer.
After a short while the decent looking guy cursed under his breath, but the shaggy looking boy turned over at the sound before he sat up to see what the guy was cursing at. He found the messages now being written in code, like “The suit is at the dry cleaners.” “Yours keys are in the breast pocket.” “I’ll pay through paypal.” Nothing too strange, besides a few jumbled characters, “tsoc si ruof-derdnuh” “eno dna flah zo”
The boy yawned, evaluating in a knowing but tired voice, “Selling weed, Ash?”
Ash’s poker face was shattered in shock, “How did you…What?”
“The messages of actual importance were written backwards. A standard code, but obvious given there were only few like it. I couldn’t directly tell from the normal conversation but the written code. Let me guess you’re selling middle quality weed, at a decent upcharge. A high-quality ounce is ~250 which in turn means 1.5 would be ~350.”
“How do you know all this?”
“Boredom, looked into the pricing. I have an issue of remembering next to all information I find an interest in.”
Maybe it was a curiosity that provoked him to want to know more, or maybe it was simply the desire of digging himself out of the hole. Though if there was ever a moment where both Ash and “Watson” would dare admit their journey together, it would begin with the following question, “What else can you tell?” His face returned to its expressionless self, but his grey eyes held a ray of hope.
Watson looked the screen up and down before he answered, “Simple evaluation is, you’re an idiot waiting to get caught.’
“WHAT!” He expressed in a shout heard by the entirety of the room.
“You aren’t running through a proxy, your code is obvious, you likely are having it mailed to your house, and you’re doing it all on the public network. What do you think I will find if look through the messages? You’re a newbie, or close to being caught, as you have only one buyer lined up. The buyer you do have, seemed nervous. He is constantly typing then stopping as if planning every word. He isn’t paying cash and is quick to accept your upcharge.”
Ash could only nod in acceptance as he thought over Watson’s evaluation. “You could tell this all from a cursory glance?”
Watson nodded, “I’d decline this guy’s offer, and go off the radar in your area for a while. You’ve left a trail that may or may not mean something currently. Though it will mean something later down the line. Reinvent your brand and clear your trail. Set up a proxy and use a new code. Only accept cash payments, and don’t accept the deal if they are too nervous. Also get a P.O. box at a post office at least four counties outside of where you live, pay for it with the cash made from the dealing.”
Ash listened to Watson’s wordy guide with vested interest, taking down notes as he monologued. He knew Watson was right with everything he was saying. The bell rang for the period to be over; the two continued to sit there talking. Watson didn’t know everything with the trade but with the experience offered by Ash they created a whole new brand together. Watson created a new code for Ash to use and showed him how he could be using the dirty cash.
When the day closed, the two sat at an old dusty bar and laughed throughout the night, drunk not on beer but the shared laughs.
---
The two stood side by side with their diplomas in hand. As the cameras turned off the two walked off to a nearby pub to reminisce. Neither were old enough to drink but the tender didn’t care, “Congratulations to you both! I know you both will go far, tonight is on the house.” The tender expressed with a delighted smile. The patrons that conversed with the two expressed similar words of praise. The two held charming smiles, accepting all the encouragement. When the night slowed down the two finally got time to reminisce without disturbance.
“Two years Watson, in two short years you created a dealer you can be proud of.”
Watson laughed not holding anything back, “Instead of bailing you out, I’ve instead taught you how to not get caught.”
The two talked till dawn, the jubilant atmosphere created by them didn’t dull till the conversation slowed and the two moved to leave.
They were drunk, high, and beyond merry. Time was a non-existent feature of life and never wanted the sun to rise and the high to fade. They droned on with pointless topics circling back to completed ones unwilling to admit to an end.
When silence finally fell between the two both of them stood out in the middle of town miles from where they started. Watson dropped a bombshell, “My name isn’t Watson but Aster. My natural hair is blond, and these contacts are really irritating.” He removed and threw aside the contacts and his eyes were a welcoming blue.
Ash didn’t ask Aster for an explanation, and the two parted ways. On their hands, rested a pair of matching golden signet rings.
---
Walking alone the Ocean City boardwalk Ash saw a familiar face. Which to him didn’t mean much, almost everyone’s face was familiar in someway or another. The eyes were what stood out to him, they were a welcoming light blue that brought Ash back to graduation night.
“Five years ago, now? I haven’t seen Aster in five years.” Ash mumbled to himself, he at multiple times tried to find Aster but every time turned up with nothing. He tried IP traces through Facebook as Aster was still active there under the guise of Watson. He found the IP to be out in China and under the perception of branching out the company he set dealers out there around the area the IP was located. Aster wasn’t to be found.
Ash looked nothing like his high school self, he held himself high and was now of a muscular build. His hair was short but messy, and the tan was almost a burn. He was completely shaved, and the golden watch spoke volumes of his wealth. His grey eyes were narrow, and he never turned around to watch his back. He wouldn’t be phased so easily anymore.
With a simple slap of hands Ash and another man walked right by each other amongst the crowd of pedestrians. In his hand was now a wad of cash and it is simple to assume what he previously held.
It wasn’t long later another man bumped into him, this time without exchange. “Sorry about that, my fault.” The voice was deep and soothing, perfect for the bedroom. With the same familiar face with the same welcoming eyes. ‘He was going the other way previously how is he now here?’
“No worries,” And brushed off his shoulder and found something was missing from his pinky. The tan line was easily seen as the pale white skin was contrasted out. He looked over to find the man gone. The man had stolen a cheap but important signet ring.
He bolted out of the crowd in search of the man but was without luck. Ash didn’t slow as he made calls, “Look for a tanned man with golden blond hair, a clean shaven and chiseled face, a pair of eyes welcoming everyone, and a half smile at every female he walks by. Looks to be about 5’ 10” and well-trained.”
His phone rang not long after, “You’re better than this Ash. This isn’t high school anymore.” The voice was taunting him, challenging him.
“You want my attention? You got it. Money? Drugs? Women? Power? Return the ring and it is all yours.” He poked but didn’t raise his voice.
“There are three cops on the pier. Two of them are watching you, one of them is none the wiser. Clear the two watching you. We’ll be in touch.” The line was cut off and when Ash tried to call it back the line had already been disconnected.
The task was nothing challenging, there were always cops following him. He walked in the opposite direction of the crowd and into a clearing. He walked into every store and made sure he couldn’t be seen from outside, forcing the pair to walk in after him. After five stores he already knew who the cops were.
His reward was a text, “2: Dz yzo zivtt nkokoskn iwk xkh?”
“Just a jumble of letters…” He mused over it for awhile writing down information as he went. He assumed the base language to be written in English, so he based it on English letters and words.
Through all he got nothing, this code was completely random.
“Damn it Aster, you would be really useful right now. Wait…2…” He started jolting down the words again this time a different scramble. “Pj bjf oeagg miuiuetim eri zic?”
“You piece of shit!” He angrily whispered. “Do you still remember the key?” was the message decoded. The message was sent through a randomizer twice and it was something Aster had forced him to start using. Most times the times the message would need to be decoded was mentioned in earlier messages but would seem whoever sent this wasn’t patient.
He sent a code version of “Yes,” but was randomized three times instead of two. To keep someone else from knowing they would change which randomized tier they were using.
It all finally clicked when he got the reply, “When a God sleeps; a Devil arises.” A trademark saying of Aster.
“Aster, it’s you?”
“You’ve gotten better man.” That same raspy voice called out from behind him.
“It’s good to see you man.” Ash spoke quietly his words carried by the wind.
“Still got a long way to go.” Seamlessly flowing between Aster’s fingers was Ash’s signet ring.
