Unexpected Proposal

N followed Vesalius through the hospital corridors towards the high-class patients' section.

The pair walked in silence, each lost in their thoughts.

The red light from the setting sun would light up the hospital wherever there were windows, leaving N with a new appreciation for the hospitals beauty. The atmosphere was oddly serene.

Lucas, the head guard, was standing menacingly outside the room Sofia was in. 

After he sees Vesalius and N approaching the room, he gives Vesalius a nod of acknowledgment, though his eyes lingered warily on N.

"Right, heard your boss woke up. We're here to check up on her," Vesalius said in an annoyed voice.

Lucas hesitates for a moment but steps aside to let them both through.

Inside, the room was quiet, save for the soft hum of medical equipment.

Sofia lay on the bed, her eyes open and alert.

The scars adding to her beauty and exuding an aura of strength and elegance. Her long black hair cascaded over the pillows, framing her face in stark contrast to the clinical whiteness of the room.

"Doctor Vesalius," she greeted him, her voice surprisingly strong given her recent ordeal. "And you must be N. Lucas gave me a run down, I would never have imagined you getting an assistant Vesalius."

Vesalius lets out a light laugh "I didn't either."

"How are you feeling, Sofia?" asked Vesalius as he moved closer, his eyes scanning her vitals.

"It's strange," Sofia admitted. "The wound feels... weird. Can you take a look?"

Vesalius moved closer, gently inspecting the bandages and the areas where the bullets had been extracted.

Suddenly, Sofia reached out and pulled him into a hug. Vesalius stiffened for a moment, but then relaxed, understanding the importance of not causing her any distress in her delicate state.

"It's been a while," Sofia whispered, her voice barely audible. "Thank you for saving my life again."

Vesalius patted her back gently. "I just did my job, S. Now, stop this before you reopen your wounds."

After a few moments, Sofia released Vesalius and lay back against the pillows, her expression softening. "So, who's this new assistant of yours? Someone related?" she asked, her eyes shifting to N.

Vesalius chuckled, the sound a mixture of amusement and exasperation. "This lad right here is N. He's quite the enigma, I tell you. N, I'm sure you know this lady here is Sofia, the mob boss. And if you're wondering why she isn't acting much like a mob boss, well, this is how she acts whenever she meets me. I have no clue why."

Vesalius continued, his tone becoming more serious. "Sofia, you need to be more careful. Your injuries were severe, and while you're stable now, it could have easily gone the other way."

"I know," Sofia replied, her voice tinged with regret. "I let my guard down. It won't happen again."

Trying to change the topic away from herself, Sofia turned her attention back to N, curiosity evident in her gaze. "So, what's so special about you, N? Why does Vesalius call you an anomaly?"

N replies in an unbothered tone, "Vesalius says that I died and somehow came back to life. And that my regeneration is better than everyone else."

Sofia takes a moment to digest that information, before looking at Vesalius dumbfounded. Expecting him to start laughing any moment saying It's a joke.

Vesalius laughs, "Yeah he ain't lying. His body defies all medical knowledge."

Sofia's eyes widened in disbelief. "If anyone other than you was saying this, I would not have believed them. If the wrong people find out about this..."

"Exactly," Vesalius interjected. "That's why we need to keep this under wraps. For N's safety. And that's where you come in."

Sofia raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "What do you mean?"

Vesalius leaned in slightly, in a serious tone. "N needs to learn how to protect himself. He's got this amazing ability, but he doesn't know how to defend himself if things get rough. I think it would be beneficial for him to work under you, Sofia. He could learn a lot from you and your team."

N looked unbothered but he had this feeling that he should go with Sofia.

Sofia considered Vesalius's proposal, her fingers tapping lightly on the bed. "Alright, I don't mind. I'll place him with Lucas, but you'll need to tell Lucas about N."

Vesalius sighed, a wry smile playing on his lips. "Yeah alright, that's no problem. But here's the big thing that needs to be taken care of before that."

"Y'see, it was actually Hiro who found N. He kept N with me and so we'll need to talk to him since he's pretty much taken N under his wing."

Sofia replies "Oh. But if N has Hiro, why do you want me to take him? Hiro is the strongest person I know, he should be more than capable when it comes to teaching someone how to defend themself."

Vesalius let's out a small laugh, "haha, yeaah about that. Hiro is strong, no doubt. The problem is, the people that will come after N, they'll be armed and ready to kill. To protect himself against those types of people, I think it'd be better if N stays with you for a while."

Vesalius then turns towards N and asks, "So, with that said. How do you feel about working under Sofia for a while?"

N takes a while to contemplate, and then speaks up, "I had travelled long and far searching for purpose, and now I have it. It is to pursue strength, so I ask you, Miss Sofia, if I were to join you, would I be able to grow stronger?"

His eyes radiated a faint hunger and desire which both Sofia and Vesalius pick up on.

Sofia smiles and says, "Yes. Lucas will show you the ropes and turn you exponentially stronger."

Vesalius laughs nervously and says, "Great. Now that that's taken care of, I'll call Hiro here and tell him about the situation. I've already told my assistant to call him here so he should be here soon."

"While we wait, Sofia why don't you inform N about your gang?" Says Vesalius with a cheeky chuckle.

"We are not a gang!" Speaks up Sofia.

"We simply act like one to keep the others in check" says Sofia with a proud look.

"Vesalius, what sorts of lies have you fed N about me and my team!?" asks Sofia in a slightly annoyed voice.

"Hahaha, I'm kidding S. I'm kidding. I told N that you were one of the good guys, who kept others in check" says Vesalius while chuckling away.

"...Alright. But before we move on, like you sometimes call me S, is 'N' a sort of nickname as well?" asks Sofia.

"Tell her about yourself a bit, why don't ya" says Vesalius to N with an excited smile.

"I do not remember my past. I do not remember how I got to this place. I have dreams of events that I believe are from my past. In that dream, I remember owning a jacket that had 'N' written in the back, and so I chose that as my name." says N in an emotionless voice.

"And how did you meet Hiro and Vesalius then?" asks Sofia with genuine intrigue.

N continues, "I roamed this land for countless days, searching for purpose. One day I happened to come across Hiro and idolized his feat of strength. On that day, I resolved to follow the path of strength, and in doing so I went overboard and had to get medical treatment, which is how I met Vesalius."

Sofia looks towards Vesalius to find him barely holding in his laughter. She feels as if something important was left out, so she asks Vesalius, "What's so funny?"

Vesalius cracks up, unable to contain himself further and starts to rant, "going overboard is an understatement. This guy exercised to the point of passing out, after not having food or water for who knows how long. Had a heart attack and laid on the ground for who knows how long before Hiro found him and brought him to me, where he somehow recovered on the table, when I was sure he was a dead man!"

Sofia thinks to herself, It's been a while since Vesalius acted so... passionate about something and with a smile, says to Vesalius, "good to see you having fun."

Then comes a knock on the door and after waiting a few seconds, in comes Hiro. Looking extremely displeased and disappointed.

Vesalius sees Hiro in not the best of moods and gives N a suggestion, "It'd be best if you go and talk to Lucas about Orion. He'll give you a run down, and you're free to tell him about your situation as well, he's trustworthy. But no one else."

N agrees and starts to move towards the door, where Hiro stops him and asks him if his time in the hospital was good, and if he learned something.

N nods, and says "this was truly and enlightening experience, I learned about countless things that would have been impossible other wise."

Hiro smiles, his mood gets a little bit better and he then lets N go.

Hiro gets closer to Vesalius and Sofia, sits in the chair that N was sitting in previously, and in a serious tone asks, "Please do not lie to me. Firstly Vesalius, why did you not tell me Sofia was injured. And then Sofia, what happened."