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"Asshole," Mari mumbled, sitting down a table with a huff. It wasn't directed at Wooyoung, she couldn't blame him for his decision. She had no true reason to be bad at him anyways. What she was really riled up about was the fact that the Underboss was undermining her abilities. The girl had proven herself to be a very skilled individual! She was probably one of the best in the faction if she had a say on the matter. Placing her under watch of the Kim Faction was a waste of her abilities.
She couldn't just disobey her orders though. She has no idea who the traitor is, all she knows is that he's been spotted. Plus Wooyoung and San had disappeared into the crowd like smoke, unable to distinguish who was who. Of course, Mari knew her friends rather well. The mere sight of their back would let her know who was who. However, there were too many people in the room combined with the Kim Faction's presence. It would be like trying to find a needle in a haystack.
With a frustrated frown growing on her face, her eyes trailed across each person she could see. She tried to see if she could spot the skull brooch on their outfits, distinguishing whether or not they were from the Kim Faction or not. Yet San had told her they're not all wearing a brooch, they would give them and their numbers away. If she wanted to figure out who was who, she'd have to look at their demeanor and discover any suspicious behavior. "This is the worst job possible. How am I supposed to do this?"
"Now what poor soul left you all alone here?" Mari jerked away from the sudden voice, snapping out her slight daze and turning around to see who was talking. A stranger was standing behind her, eyes gleaming behind the mask he held up. She couldn't see his face as at all, the covered up entirely by full face mask on his face. Yet she knew he was smirking at her, eyes burning ablaze and his lips probably holding the power of a devil. The girl was immediately on guard, her eyes dropping to the skull brooch in his jacket. "How could he leave such a pretty robin on her own?"
"Kim Faction, scum," She hissed, scrambling out of her seat to put some distance between the two of them. He chuckled at her response, muffled behind the suffocating mask he wore. He took one step towards Mari and she took several more back, reaching for a weapon despite not having one on her. Were Wooyoung and San armed? Or were they just as unarmed as she was. "Stay away from me. I don't know what you want, but you surely won't get anything from me." Mari narrowed her eyes as the masked man nodded understandingly, slowly raising his hands up as if he was being arrested.
"Don't worry little robin. I'm not going to harm you." He reassured her. She didn't feel so assured though as the two were slowly backing into a corner. The farther back they walked, the less populated the area became. Mari didn't like the way things seemed to be going, she needed to find an escape. "I have no bad intentions, I simply approached you because you were alone. Can you really hurt me for trying to comfort a poor broken robin?" He asked, clearly trying to prod her into something.
"I have no idea what you're talking about. However," Mari hissed in response, stepping on his foot with the heel of her shoes. His eyes widened at the sudden pain, bending over to cradle the pained foot. "You wouldn't dare touch me on such a neutral ground. The moment you let a malicious act occur in this room will be your last waking day on this planet." She informed him, slipping past him while she could. Those heels did have a use after all don't they? She may not be the best at walking in them, but they were at being used for self-defense.
Though due to her lack of experience in them, she wasn't as fast as she'd like to be. The stranger quickly caught up to her when he got the chance, grabbing her hands and keeping her right where she was. Despite the fact that Wooyoung did the exact same thing, it wasn't the same. This wasn't her friend trying to make her have a good time and enjoy herself. This was a Kim Faction member who was borderline harassing her. Had this been any other situation, she would have got him off her back by now.
"You know exactly what I'm talking about," He protested, trying to get her to see what he meant. Suddenly, the Kim Faction member leaned in towards Mari's ear, whispering something so soft she could barely even catch it. "I saw it. You and him, dancing the night away like it was some sort of fairytale. And yet he left you, little robin, all alone and broken-hearted. You don't have to be though." Mari immediately reacted, trying to get her hands out of his grasp. Yet he simply held tighter, not taking his chances to let her leave.
"Let go you creep," She demanded, her actions futile in trying to escape him. He simply led her back to the dance floor by force, happiness practically radiating off of him as they walked. Once they reached their destination he turned right back to her, watching Mari struggle to be let loose from his hands. Her eyes burned into his, glaring daggers into skull. "I said, let go."
"All I want is a dance, little robin. I'm sure I can give you the time of your life!" He told her, blinking his eyes innocently at her. This was the first time Mari had been pushed around so much, she usually would never let a single soul try and take advantage of her. Yet here she was, being played with like she was some kind of doll. Mari needed a way out, she needed some sort of distraction to get him off her back.
And then she spotted him, her eyes locking into him as if she was an eagle spotting prey. Yeosang was near the edge of the crowd, talking to one of the trustworthy associates that had attending the masquerade. Mari could practically spot him from a mile away thanks to the compass tattoo that was marked on his neck. That was it, that was her escape. With an innocent look on her face, she spoke to him, "I'm sorry but I think my company is needed elsewhere."
With as much strength she could muster, she snatched her hands away from him. Shoving him back into a group of people conversing behind them, Mari practically speed walked over towards Yeosang. The boy had noticed her shuffling towards him, blinking his eyes curiously at her as she patched into his shoulder for support. "Hi, how are you doing? Enjoying the party?" She asked the group she had snuck into, flashing them a friendly smile.
Though her expression dropped as soon as she turned to Yeosang, whispering her situation into his ears. "I'm being harassed by one of the Kim Faction's men and I can't do much right now. You don't mind if I hang out with you for a bit?" He raised a brow her statement, turning towards the dance floor to see the problem for himself. That's when they spotted it, the masked man stomping past people on the dance floor. With a murderous yet betrayed expression on his face, he steadily made his way towards her.
"Now how in the hell did he get in?" Yeosang asked, but he wasn't expecting an answer. He simply flashed the same smile Mari had at the associates, apologizing for the sudden interruption. "She's a friend of mine, one of the faction's strongest and most skilled soldiers. It's basically an honor to have her join us, she's a very talented girl." The boy explained to the associates, watching as their eyes sparkled like stars at his words. Yeosang made her seem more glamorous than she should be.
"It's a pleasure to meet you," One of the associates spoke up, holding their hands for Mari to shake. With a quick glance towards Yeosang, she shook it cautiously. "I am Adachi Yuto, I work with both the Yakuza and your faction as your associate. I was with Yeosang during the discussions for... a transaction." she nodded her head in understanding. This was one of the people had met on his trip with his father in Japan.
Though the introductions were cut short when the Kim Faction member crashed the conversation. He shoved his way between Yuto and another associate, his heaving as he glared at her. "Why are you running away little robin? All I want is a dance, you know that. There's no need for running." He growled, his fist slowly clenched into a fist. Yeosang was caught off guard by his actions, subconsciously shielding Mari behind him.
"Don't move another inch. One wrong misstep and you'll be the Seo Faction's next target." He threatened, backing away from him to get some distance between the two. The Kim Faction's eyes widen at his words, almost considering his actions and what to do next. Yet the man simply laughed, first soft and barely audible to sinister and thundering. The associates that Yeosang was talking to quickly scurried away in freight as others turned towards them in confusion.
"Oh, the sweet little robin brought her friends into the mix? You think they scare me?" He challenged, going insane as the seconds went by. Mari glared right back at the man in front of her, grabbing into to Yeosang's sleeve as if she was getting ready to make a run for it. "Are you really getting riled up because of a dance, little robin? How pathetic! How prejudice of you little robin, when I did nothing to hurt you!"
The man tore the mask of his face, throwing it away for all to see. It looked like he was truly going mad, dark circles under his eyes and scars placed all over his skin. In sheer frustration he began to run his hands through his hair, ruffling up the mess on his head as he spoke. "Are you scared of me now, little robin? You've caught sight of who I truly am, won't you dance with me now you broken, little robin?"
He reached out his hands, practically lunging toward her to snatch her away. Mari was so close to just taking the heels of her shoes, using them as a way to defend herself from the crazed harasser. Yet before she had a chance, Yeosang placed her out of harm's way. If any blood was to be spilled, he wouldn't let it be by her. Someone else stopped the stranger as well, a fellow member of his own faction in fact.
A boy grabbed his wrist in a desperate attempt to restrain him from causing any more trouble. He had a skull brooch pinned onto his suit just as the stranger did, but he was wildly more composed than his fellow member. No words were spoken by him, but he did push him away from Yeosang and Mari. The harasser was fuming at his actions, wrestling with his fellow members to gain the control he once had. "How dare you? Do you believe I am the oppressor in this situation? My own ally? That witch must have you all under a trance! I am innocent! All I wanted was a dance with the little—!"
His words were cut short by the loud banging of guns shooting off. A feminine scream sounded through the room as the man dropped dead, oozing blood from his shirt and stuck in a state of betrayal. The associates who had witnessed the scene began to scream right after the first, running away as quickly as they could. Mari's eyes were wide with shock, her eyes soaking up all that was in front of her.
"Blood has been spilled and it's a Kim Faction member once more," Yeosang mumbled, staring down the member who held his ally dead in his arms. Blood shouldn't have been spilled, not at the masquerade. It was mixed grounds between two mafias, once they were alerted of their fellow member's death they were going to hunt them down and seek revenge. She slowly looked up from the corpse, searching the crowd for the one responsible for the kill.
Disappoint filled her head as she found Wooyoung, hands trembling as he lowered the smoking gun down. She was grateful for his help, she truly was. Yet He was specifically told by San that blood could not be shed in the environment they were in. It would start a full-on shootout once the death registered in everyone's mind. Mari wished desperately that she was mad at him, that she could walk over and scold him for his actions.
Yet he stumbled towards the two with despair radiating off of his figure. He dropped the gun he was carrying as he practically fell into Mari's arms without a second thought. "Blood has been shed, Mari," Wooyoung spoke, a horrified expression on his face as he clung onto her. "One of our own was shot by the traitor, Mari. Your mother has been shot." Her breath hitched at the words that came out her friend's mouth. The girl's brain was shutting down as it processed his statement. Her mother has been shot.
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