Oftentimes the hazy mornings which followed rainy weather were some of the most beautiful. That day was no exception; the clouds that remained balanced that playful yellow sky and gave the morning an overall tranquil atmosphere. It was a happy day, with the sun breaking through the clouds at last, but all the same there was a peaceful ambiance.
Only a few souls had made it out and about yet, the rest undoubtedly all warm and cosy in their beds. Of those out enjoying the long-awaited daybreak, four of them had come from a certain hotel. Errands had to be run, after all, and although Francis had originally only invited Feliciano to tag along, Lovino had insisted on joining them and Alfred, having been a lot more active than usual, didn't want to miss out on the fun.
Most of what they had come out for had been found. Only a couple stops remained now, if that. Feliciano was helping Francis carry the bags while Alfred prided himself on holding the shopping list and marking off items as they went.
"Just the bread now, and then we'll be all set," the latter said with a smile and a nod.
"About time, I'm damn near starving. They got anything to snack on at this bakery?" Lovino asked in a hopeful tone, looking between Alfred and Francis.
The innkeeper laughed and waved his hand as if to dismiss any doubts. "Of course they do, I was going to suggest getting us all a little something for the trip back."
As they rounded the corner, however, Francis' face fell. The four of them were met with the sight of a tall, pale man in a dark coat, one who was humming rather cheerfully as he paced up and down the street, only stopping at the sight of the group approaching.
"Braginsky," Alfred whispered, unwittingly tensing beside Lovino.
"Dobroye utro, Fedya," the tall man responded with a smile and a short wave.
Francis took a few steps forward and attempted to look over Braginsky's shoulder. "It's never a good thing when you're out this early. Please tell me nothing bad happened."
The Russian magistrate, however, offered nothing but a soft chuckle as he looked down at the cobbled streets beneath them. Feliciano shuffled closer to the innkeeper and hugged his arm, Francis kissing the side of his head.
Alfred took a deep breath, then pushed up his glasses and straightened up. "C'mon man, tell us what happened, or at least let us pass. We just wanna get something to eat, okay?" He said softly, his eyes trained on a white sheet which lay spread out on the ground just behind the magistrate.
The other three followed Alfred's gaze, and Braginsky let out a soft sigh as he moved to the side. In some spots, the sheet was stained with red, and Feliciano dropped his bags before hugging Francis tightly and hiding his face. Lovino scowled up at the magistrate and moved closer to his brother, standing in front of him.
"It's not very pretty, but it was quick," Braginsky started to explain. Alfred was edging towards the sheet, but stopped abruptly when he felt the Russian's eyes on him.
"I won't go into detail since it looks like all of you frighten like rabbits, but I will tell you that she didn't suffer for long. We're finding a way to move her to the station now so that we can have the street clear. I think we have a lead-" here he looked first at Alfred, then at Francis with an uncharacteristically grim expression, and the two nodded knowingly "-but if any of you know more, I would like for you to tell me."
"Reminds me of Nonno, doesn't it, Lovi?" Feliciano said morosely, his voice thick with tears. Francis held him close and stroked his hair, humming softly.
At the mention of someone who could possibly be connected to this morning's incident, Braginsky turned his attention to the two brothers. Lovino shivered, but moved away from Feliciano and stepped closer to the sheet. He used his crutch to move the sheet, then he cringed and stepped away.
"It's our grandpa. We came here about three weeks ago. We were supposed to come here with him, but uh-" Lovino stopped and shook his head, a bitter chuckle escaping his lips. "Damn monster would've killed us both, but he let us get out of there. Me and Feli just barely made it, but no matter how long we waited, he never came back."
Braginsky tapped his lip and looked upward, his smile slowly returning. "Monster, you say? What did it look like?"
"Big black wolf. Almost thought it was a bear at first. It was all by itself, and its leg was hurt. I wanted to give it something to eat. Nonno wasn't too sure, but it wasn't hurting anything yet, so he let me. It went after my face, then when Lovi went after it, he..." Feliciano trailed off and shook his head.
It wasn't the first time Alfred had heard the story, but hearing Feliciano tell it himself was different. Lovino was always able to contain his anger and remain distant when talking about it, not that he did often, but his little brother was unable to hide how he felt.
The blond bit his lip and looked away, unconsciously rubbing a spot on his chest. What could he have said to help the situation? He could hardly give him a hug out here; there's no way he could've kept himself composed. With a sigh, he reached over and rubbed Feliciano's back, then nodded to Lovino, who gave him a nod in return.
"It's hard," Braginsky mused, playing with the long white scarf wrapped around his neck, "losing someone so suddenly. I lost my mother and my little sister, and it was a long time before I felt like myself again. I wouldn't wish that on anyone, especially not you two little larks. I'll send word and we'll look for a lone wolf near the town. Hopefully we'll be able to find it and make sure your grandfather and this young woman can truly rest."
"Grazie, how nice of you," Lovino said flatly. Alfred gave him a soft nudge which earned him a scowl in return. So be it. There were better people to piss off than the likes of Ivan Braginsky, after all.
But the magistrate simply chuckled and ruffled first Lovino's hair, then Feliciano's, and he stepped closer to the sheet and turned over the part Lovino had ruffled with his boot.
"Go on, then. You won't disturb the crime scene any. Will you bring me a raspberry danish on your way back, Fedya?" He asked with a wink, and Alfred rolled his eyes and shoved his hands deep in his pockets.
Francis chuckled and let go of Feliciano so he could give him a wave. "He'll do just that, Ivan. Say hello to your sister from us, okay?"
Braginsky nodded slowly in approval and crouched down by the sheet, ready to lift the corner as soon as the four of them had moved on. "I'll tell her. Come over sometime soon, she misses cooking for more than just the two of us," he said, and waved them away with a smile.
. . . . .
After making it back to the hotel, albeit with one less pastry than they had when leaving the bakery, Francis dismissed Feliciano and Lovino so that he could start putting breakfast together. Or at least that was what he said.
Alfred was just making his way out of the kitchen to go back to his room. Arthur was there sitting on the counter with a cup of tea, maybe he could help Francis. The hand on his shoulder told him otherwise, making him groan.
He turned around to face the others and began to fidget as Francis asked, "Would you mind staying and helping me, just until everything's ready?"
"I don't know," Alfred replied slowly, scratching the back of his neck. "I don't think I can last too much longer and still manage helping you out."
Francis and Arthur exchanged glances, then Arthur huffed and flicked his wrist before taking a sip of his tea. The slightly ajar door leading out into the dining area closed and its lock clicked into place to make sure no guests could intrude. Seeing this, Alfred sighed and faded to transparency as he sank into a chair.
"Okay, whaddya want me to do?" He asked, resting his chin on his wrist. His form shook as he did his best to stifle a yawn.
The innkeeper smiled and took out the groceries that he would need for breakfast, tucking the rest away for later. "I think we should talk about this morning. I can't be the only one put off by how Ivan was acting."
"Typical Braginsky," Arthur murmured, his face contorted into a scowl. "What happened this time? Do I want to know?"
A huff escaped Alfred as he rested his chin on his wrist, but Francis spoke before he could open his mouth.
"It was a young woman, but I doubt we would have known that if we found her on our own, poor thing. From the sound of it, she's not in very good condition," the innkeeper hummed as he darted to and from the stove, seeming to be working on a new dish every time.
"Yeah, but wolves can't do that. He said a wolf went after her, but Matt said they're actually kinda skittish by themselves. This was like, the middle of town, and whatever happened definitely wasn't pretty. I think it's a cover up," Alfred stated matter of factly. He squirmed before settling for resting his head on the table and sighing heavily.
"Alfred-" Arthur started, then he rolled his eyes and shook his head as if to clear the lecture already forming. "I know Braginsky is a suspicious character, but he's the head of law enforcement here. Of course he'll be found around crime scenes."
The housekeeper hopped off the counter and crossed over to the table where Alfred was. He picked up one of the books stacked on it, then sat across from him and cracked it open. Once in a while he'd mutter a few words under his breath, but Arthur never gave any further elaboration. Likely it was him reviewing his 'research' that he'd collected over the course of his life.
"Also, it wouldn't be like him. If he had to do anything like that, he would definitely make sure he was deep in the forest first. He wouldn't want Katya to find out. It wasn't him, but he was awfully quick to go along with what Feliciano and Lovino were saying, even though the three of us knew it was something more like us. Or at least more like you two anyway. I want to ask him later," Francis replied, scowling in concentration though his tone remained fairly light given the current conversation.
It was enough to make the three fall silent, though with the innkeeper's constant movement, the kitchen was never truly silent. No matter what the runners of the hotel suggested, and even his brother at times, Alfred wasn't totally convinced of the magistrate's innocence. Ivan Braginsky was weird at best, dangerous at worst.
He and his sister, Katya, had shown up roughly four years ago, and he had always been suspicious. There was no keeping secrets from him; he had the four of them figured out during their first meeting and he had an annoying way of knowing the gist of what people were thinking. Plus animals didn't think much of him and Matthew was always tight-lipped after a trip to Braginsky's house.
"The Vargas brothers should be safe," Arthur hummed over the sizzling of the pans. "Any curses should have manifested by now, but I don't want to send them away any time soon. Just in case whatever's doing this is holding a grudge against them. But what's gotten into you, Alfred? I could swear your brother said you were growing close to Braginsky."
"Yeah, well, if he's getting into bad things and hurting people, I don't wanna be involved with him. I already have to be super careful all the time, especially with those Vargas guys staying here as long as they have. I don't want anyone making it even harder. It's not just for my sake, but everyone that's got a hard time blending in," Alfred replied as he slumped over the table.
As he reflected on just how unfair this emerging situation was, he was vaguely aware of Arthur running his hand through his hair. It caused him to hum in response and rest his head on his arms so he could better enjoy the affectionate gesture without moving too much.
Comfortably curled up in his chair, Alfred closed his eyes so he could focus on his guardian's actions. Arthur brought his chair closer so that his soft voice wasn't completely drowned out by Francis working.
"We'll sort this out, we'll make it safe for you and everyone in town, alright? All of our questions will be answered in time. For now, why don't you look after everyone here?" He suggested, using that same doting tone Alfred had heard often as a stubborn child that needed to be coaxed into something.
When he fell silent, Francis spoke up. He waltzed over to the table with a plate in hand and set it down before clasping his hands over his chest and smiling.
"I know what we can do! Instead of only talking to Ivan, I'll invite everyone later tonight. That way I can talk to everyone and see if anyone, even Ivan knows something. I'd like to think he was only being so suspicious because we couldn't talk freely," he hummed. He checked the pots and pans simmering on the stove and leaned back against the counter with an expectant expression.
Mm, just as long as I can come too. But yeah, I'll keep an eye on everyone, don't worry," Alfred murmured with a sleepy grin.
Francis and Arthur both chuckled at that, but Alfred didn't see what was so funny. It didn't bother him for long, however; before he knew it, the housekeeper's quiet singing and gentle actions had lulled the exhausted spirit off to sleep after such a trying morning.
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dobroye utro good morning
Fedya basically the Russian form of Freddie
grazie thank you