Friday: 12:03 AM
Lungmen port
In an abandoned, run down warehouse located near the docks, a discontented looking male Lupo was pacing back and forth. It was in the middle of the night, and his black tuxedo made him blend into the shadows. A few seconds later, he hears a set of footsteps approaching from behind.
"Boss, those scientists are here." A Sicilian crossbowman says as he appears behind a crate.
"About damn time those goons showed up." The Lupo snorted and went to the meeting spot. After walking a good few meters, he finally spots a gray haired Liberi holding a suitcase. He had a group of entourage behind him. He clicks his teeth out of frustration, as he wanted to punch him so badly in the face.
"Tch, I kept the end of our deal Ferdinand." The Lupo approaches the scientist, his anger flaring up. "Now hand over the fucking payment or else I will kill you right here, right now."
"Still the temperamental type, Lorenzo." The Liberi chuckles, which irritated him more. "Don't worry about the payment, that's why I'm here right now." Ferdinand says and unlocks the suitcase.
"Oh you better pay up. I had 17 of my famiglia get killed because of your plan!" Lorenzo shouts, his memory reminds him of the incident that night. He thought that only a few of his well trained people would finish the job, but it turned out to be completely unexpected. When a scout suddenly broke him the news of the incident, he couldn't believe what he was hearing. Only when he observed the scene from afar and watched a video from the internet did he fully believe what became of them. The blue horned monster from that Rhodes Island place single handedly slaughtered them. He didn't even look like a Sankta, yet he wields a weapon resembling a Laterano gun. Unless they learned how to switch off that neon light bulb of a Halo of theirs.
"Is a thousand gold ingots suffice as down payment?" Ferdinand glances at him with a smile. Lorenzo takes one ingot on his hand, examining it before returning it down to the bag.
"As much as I hate to admit it, this'll do." He says as he pops a cigar on his mouth. "Still, I want that fucker dead." He adds.
"You mean that escort from Rhodes Island? I just have something that'll pique his interest." Ferdinand smiles mischievously and gestures to one of the female scientist standing beside him. She hands him a weird looking device and he puts it down on the table. "Hehe, we'll use this to lure his true self out."
"So tell me. Why the fuck would he be interested in that piece of broken junk?" Lorenzo asks, annoyed. He went to the table and studied it. It was a small chip-like device that had wires connected to it. At first glance, it looked like a small tablet.
"Trust me on this one," Ferdinand says and takes the device back to him. "And you'll get your revenge. I have an appointment with one of their scientist this Sunday, and you and your... Famiglia will pose as security."
"Tsk. So you'll double cross them? You eggheads sure are despicable." Lorenzo spats back and a grin forms on his face. "Alright, this'll be the last time we Siracusian's be working with you, so let's finish it." He said and both men shakes hands, marking the start of a brewing conflict within the outskirts of Lungmen.
...
..
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Saturday: 6:38 pm
Lee was currently inside a fancy restaurant in uptown Lungmen. It was decorated with a classic Yen style look with a red and white finish. Antique decors were also hanging on the walls.
"... Lee? What's on your mind?" A voice spoke across the table, making him flinch as he was brought back from his daydream. Lee looked at the person sitting in front of him.
"Magallan. Sorry, I must have spaced out a bit." He says as he embarrassingly scratched his cheek. "The location you picked is quite mesmerizing to look at." He glances around the restaurant and sees all kinds of people eating and minding their own business.
"Really? I have a friend of mine who recommended this place, his name is Emperor." Magallan says with a giggle. "Come on Lee! The foods won't eat themselves!" She added and began eating.
Lee stared at her for a second. She wasn't wearing her work clothes. Instead, she wore a simple gray t-shirt and dark blue jeans. It really was just a simple outfit, but for some reasons she looked good in it.
'What are you even saying?!' He shakes his head to clear thoughts.
Magallan had finally invited him to dinner. For some reasons, when Lee told Blue Poison about it, she had a deadpan look on her face and nonchalantly cheered for him before closing the door of their bedroom. He thought to buy something for Blue Poison later.
"So Magallan, what made you want to be a field researcher?" Lee asks, trying his best to start a topic.
"Hmm, back when I was a child, I've always dreamed of exploring the uncharted territories of Terra. Especially the northern pole near the country of Sami."
"Is that so? That's amazing. Did you accomplished it?" Lee asked, his eyes filled with curiosity.
"Not yet. That's why I signed a cooperative relationship with Rhodes Island in preparation for an expedition!" Magallan sighs and stares at her drink. "But I don't know if I'll accomplish that silly dream of mine." She lets out a sad smile. She suddenly remembers her childhood, a trip down to memory lane. The stinging words that others said to ridicule her left scars in her heart. She notices the atmosphere between them went gloomy after she went silent.
"Hehe, sorry about that. I ruined the-" but Magallan's sentence was cut off when she felt a warm hand enveloping hers.
"I believe you. I don't know what troubles you went through. But if it's you Magallan? I'm sure you'll accomplish that dream of yours." Lee smiled at her before retracting his hand. Hearing those words from him somehow left her all warm and fuzzy.
"Lee... *Chuckles*, honestly, you're so strange."
Whenever Magallan hears his comforting words, she feels like she could do anything. 'Seriously, this is getting out of hand.' she puts a hand on her head internally as she starts to sort out her feelings. Magallan steals glances at the enigmatic man across her and feels her curiosity towards him skyrocket.
After the awkwardness went away, the two of them started doing small, casual talks. They shared stories with each other and clearly had a good time. As soon as Lee and Magallan finished eating, they made their way out of the restaurant and went shopping to the nearby mall.
"Hey Magallan, I'll just buy some sweets there." Lee said and pointed at café selling sweets.
"Alright, I'll wait here!" She replied and sat down near the fountain.
Blue Poison has a sweet tooth, so as soon as Lee saw the café, he soon went to buy some.
The aroma inside was so sweet that one could almost taste it. What surprised him was the excessive amount of choices in the menu.
Milkshakes, chocolates, cookies and numerous other types of sweets are scattered in the menu. Lee soon found Blue Poison's favorite flavors in the menu, but even then, the types of delicacies is just simply numerous that he's having a hard time picking which blueberry flavored dessert Blue Poison want.
After deciding to buy a cake paired with a milk shake for Blue Poison, he also bought some for Magallan so she has something to eat while they walk back.
"Wow, that's a lot of sweets." Magallan said as she approached him.
"It's for a friend. Oh right, here." Lee hands her a milkshake. She gladly took it and they walked side by side.
"Thanks Lee." Magallan said and he hummed in response. Both of them began immersed when they engaged in small talks. They talked whatever they could think of from food, people, the current events and whatnot. The atmosphere around them is lively, thanks to Magallan's personality. It completely overshadowed Lee's aloof personality.
Time flew by as they talked with each other, not knowing that they were already in front of Magallan's room.
"Hah, that was a great dinner Lee. Thanks for accepting my selfish request, I enjoyed it." Magallan said while twirling a strand of her hair in her fingers.
"I enjoyed it too. Things like this isn't bad from time to time." Lee states and unknowingly finished with a killer smile, which made Magallan blush as she averted her gaze.
"You should smile more often Lee."
"I hope that smile just now didn't look forced. My face muscles have a hard time whenever I smile." He chuckled and both of them locked eyes.
"W-Well, thanks again Lee. I hope we get to hangout together again sometime." She stammered as she felt her heart thumping faster. She tries calming herself down by breathing in and out slowly.
"Me too. See you tomorrow!" Lee said and waved his hand. Magallan stared at his back as his figure slowly disappeared from sight. She entered the bedroom and plopped herself on the bed.
"I hope I get to know him better." She mutters under her breath and smiles.
.
..
...
"Uhh, say what?" Lee asked Ifrit, who was standing in front of him.
"Tsk, I told you, Silence wants you now." She huffed.
When Lee got to the 24th floor, he saw a temperamental devil standing in front of his door. She was frowning so badly that her brows met in the middle.
'Silence wants me? What the fuck?' Lee said in his mind.
"Please explain." He says, annoying the Sarkaz in front of him.
"Huh? Are you dumb or something?" Ifrit grunts and his mouth twitched slightly. "Silence told me she wants you to go with her tonight."
'*Sigh*, so that's what it is.'
"Next time, please finish the whole sentence first as to avoid any misunderstanding." He says and opened the door. "I'll get a change of clothes first. So where should I meet her?"
"Lobby. And don't make Silence wait! Or I'll burn you like trash!" Ifrit shouts and storms off, leaving Lee with his mouth open.
"Nevermind." He shrugs his shoulder and put on a black undershirt and combat pants. He also wore his black and blue trench coat. "This should do." He checks the remaining ammo he has and pockets them all. Before he could leave, he saw a note stamped on the door fridge. He put the cake and milkshake he bought for Blue Poison inside. He removed the taped note and read it.
'Lee, Dr. Silence told me to come with her so I left a note for you to know. I'll wait for you at the lobby.'
-Blue Poison
"..." Lee stared at the letter in his hand, a bitter smile forming on his lips. "I shouldn't get too close with them..." He says as he pocketed the letter and left the room, making his way into the lobby.
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...
..
In the lobby, Silence was looking at the escort team who were talking with each other near the entrance. An armored vehicle was parked right outside.
"Dr. Silence.." She looks to her right and sees Blue Poison standing there. "Lee's here."
"Mhm." She nods as the tall figure of his slowly approached her.
"Ready to escort you doctor." Lee said in his usual unusual tone. Silence sees him wearing his operator garments.
"Thanks for coming. I take it that you've met Ifrit? I hope she wasn't a bother." She glances at the girl beside her.
“Yes, she was quite lively.” Lee said while eyeing the devil and shrugged his shoulders. Silence smiled at him.
"Huh? What did you say?!" Ifrit chimed in but Lee just ignored her.
“So for this mission, all you need to do is to have me escorted to the building where me and Ferdinand will meet. Blue Poison will also be with us. The rest of the team will stand guard outside. I will handle the matters regarding the procurement of the equipment.” Silence informs.
“So I’ll just keep an eye out?”
“Yes, but I doubt he’ll do something.” She states.
“Got it.” Lee started to think about that incident with Magallan. ‘I got a bad feeling about this.’ He clutches the grip of his gun.
“Dr. Silence, we’re ready to go.” Andreanna said.
“Alright, tell them to move out.” Silence motioned them to follow.
Silence and the entire escort team enter the armored vehicle parked outside. The driver sped up and the team made their way to the docks of Lungmen.
Author's notes:
(I'm sorry for the delay, I was busy racking my brains finishing the events in AK. Also, my school starts classes next week, so my schedule will be tight asf. But I'll try my best to update the story once or twice a week.)
(This was my luckiest pull so far. Got all of them from the free 10hh ticket. Hope you guys got lucky too!)