99 PROBLEMS

Blood hung from the moon overhead in the evening air, bathing the cobblestone streets in crimson. Not a whisper was uttered from the wind, for the clouds, too had spied upon the collection of scattered limbs which Vito had compiled; the throne of death upon which he sat with his ankles crossed, and his arms extended along his throne's back; a simple bench positioned off to the side of the road.

Vito permitted himself a pleasured half-smile, and with the click of his heels he did rest his polished shoes atop the dismembered corpse nearest to him. What a fine evening it was.

Quiet... warm night. Felix kept his head bowed, his face down, his cloak's hood up, and his eyes stuck on the road. He didn't want anyone to notice him heading back into the country.. or the city.. he didn't want to draw attention to himself by apparating, or by using any magical means.. so he walked, walked one foot in front of the other. It was a warm night, but he wasn't taking his cloak off for anything, and so it took him a while to recognize that it was in fact getting colder. Actually.. it took him until he could see his breath forming in front of his lips to realize how cold it was. Slowly, Felix looked up.

A man sat on a throne of limbs, and Felix felt a smile twitch his lips. He had heard rumors of this man.. killers learned who other killers were. Without pausing, Felix changed his direction and went to stand directly in front of them, surveying his throne of limbs. Without hesitation he bent down and pushed an arm back into place where it had fall at an odd angle and looked wrong on the chair he had made. "Enjoy yourself?" Felix asked, turning his eyes to slowly look at Vito.

"I trust by now you've learned that I always enjoy myself, Barker dearest." Vito briefly acknowledged Felix's presence, a man to whom Vito had often mentally referred in his darker moments as a point of reference; an example as to why one must keep in check their lust for an audience during their acts of violence, so not to lose in the flurry of blood what blamelessness he possessed in regards to the Ministry of Magic.

Though, that example seemed to have been forgotten entirely that evening as he'd favored the opportunity to scrawl his name across the streets of London.

Vito idly slid the first and second fingers upon his right hand between his parted lips, and licked from the chilled digits what blood remained there from his victims. "It is beautiful isn't it?" Vito asked, though his inquiry may have been translated with ease as "Aren't I perfect? Look at what I did. Look at my masterpiece. Praise me." He drew his hand from his mouth and folded it in his lap amongst the heart that he'd balanced there. "They killed one another under my command. I said the word, and they became hungry for it," he growled proudly; a noise that nestled in his chest and burned with the passionate fire of an artist.

Felix observed the handiwork like an artist appraised a new painting, taking in the way it was set up, the angles the human's were placed at, Felix nodded once. "It is indeed beautiful Mr. Symmons.." He said, completely ignoring the fact that Vito knew his name as well, Felix was quite the household name, and it was an entertaining prospect to him. As mentioned before, killers learned the names of other killers. "An interesting way to kill them." He said, his manner light, his eyes still surveying the throne. "I prefer cutting them apart myself, but to each his own." Felix looked at Vito amused, his eyes showing his amusement to the poltergeist.

"I'm sure it was quite entertaining to watch them murder themselves.. did you have them make the throne too? Or did you do that yourself?" he asked lightly, trying not to sound anything but slightly amused at the entire situation. He did not want to seem condescending, especially to a man such as Vito, a man Felix had very high respect for. He managed to hide himself away from society so thoroughly, even his rat in the Ministry wouldn't turn him in. Felix could not call himself powerful, but he was a household name, a name people feared at night, which was entertaining for Felix, but he knew others looked down upon his need for an audience, but to each their own as he had stated. To each their own.

With an exaggerated - as was Vito's every action - roll of his eyes, Vito did respond to Felix's proclamation of his enjoyment of a more hands-on approach to murder. "Yes, indeed. Because that paid off so very well with Clara Bow," was his sarcastic recollection of the woman whom had escaped Felix's clutches to later arrive in Vito's.

"Surely, you aren't serious?" Vito inquired with an incredulous arch of his right brow. "You really are a naive little one, aren't you?" He smirked. "Of course I did not. Tell me, Barker: What king assembles his own thrown? Not I, I assure you." And from the arm of his chair Vito acquired the severed arm of the man to whom he next referred, "Might I introduce you to the artist?" Vito's smirk widened considerably, and from the strings of muscle which dangled from the amputated limb Vito plucked those which would command its digits to fold in a waving fashion.

A contented and alluring sigh resonated from Vito's chest, and he lethargically discarded of the appendage on the ground below, "Run along now, Felix. I am sure your pet is waiting at home."

Felix's eyebrows arched slightly when the name Clara Bow came up. "I wonder if you are referring to the girl by the name of Chase Moor?" Felix asked lightly, his eyes moving away from the throne to look around the area, half checking to make sure they were alone. Felix was all to aware of Vito's ability to become invisible, and would rather not have anyone stumble upon him, while he was looking at a throne made from human remains. "You sound as though she escaped?" Felix laughed lightly and shook his head. "Oh no.. I let her live, I let her live to tell the tale, because I like my tale being told, Mr. Symmons." Felix said lightly, his eyes moving back to Vito as he picked up the arm and made it wave.

"All very amusing I am sure, sir. And luckily for you it was I who stumbled upon you this night, and not an auror or muggle police. I'm sure you'd handle yourself well, of course. However I know it's not exactly your style to leave your mark everywhere as it is with me." He said gently, his eyes traveling to Vito's as he spoke again. "My pet? Ah surely you have not heard? I have been traveling, I have no pets as of right now, but of course, once I do, if you ever need some entertainment sir, I'm sure I could provide you with a few mouthwatering women all ready to do your bidding.. just give me a call." He said smiling at Vito, bending himself into a half bow.