"What your suggestin' is most concernin' Arackniss.." The incredibly soft wisened voice sounded from the other side of the tall backed brown chair on the other side of the wooden desk.
"I know Paps but do you really see another answer?" The short soft bluish-grey furred spider answered with a small nervous grin as his black fedora hat with yellow band remained in the grip of all four small bluish-grey hooks fingers. It matched the rest of his black suit, white tie and yellow shirt and matching small yellow shoes.
There was a long drawn out silence that made the barely five and a half foot tall spider demon fidgeted a little as his father deliberated on what his 'only' son was suggesting.
"Unfortunately, I do not.." Henroin finally responded in the same contemplative soft tone remaining seated. "Ya realise how serious this is if indeed what ya suggestin' is true? It makes this gang war our dishonour, it brings dishonour to my name in the eyes of our associates as our unspoken agreement has been broken." These words made Arackniss' pink eyes with black-slit pupils blink then nodding in agreement, his soft bluish-grey quiff of fluff on top of his head shook with it. At this point Henroin spun around to his 'only' son in his seat his own pink eyes with black slit-pupils narrowing as he slowly pushed himself forward into the light, revealing his face from the shadows that had surrounded it.
Arackniss was no fool. He didn't dare open his mouth to prompt his father into speech as despite his outward soft approach he could feel the intense rage bubbling underneath the surface. There family name meant everything to him, to them both as it was all they had left.
"We both know who to finger but we cannot do so without proof.." Henroin mused softly, his eyes locking with his son's once more as his two index fingers covered his pale grey moustache that covered his top lip, he was a slightly paler bluer shade from his son with a pure white mop of slicked back head fluff and wearing a black suit with white shirt and a maroon red tie, there was a red rose in his lapel and a triangle of a white handkerchief in his pocket.
"You want me to be the one to find it, don'tcha Paps?" Arackniss responded moving around the desk and dropping to his knee, taking his father's pale blue hand in his, his eyes flashing in concern for the spider demon who looked very much like an older, taller version of himself.
"I want you to be discreet about it. There is no-one I trust more to find the truth than my only son." Henroin responded carefully pulling his hand out from the grip of Arackniss and resting it on the arm of his chair as he continued. "I know that ya will not fail me. Your the only one of the three that hasn't broken my heart.." The smaller, younger spider seemed to flinch at the somewhat harsher tone when his father spoke of his siblings. It was a rarity that he even acknowledged they existed considering his devotion to the story that he only had one son.
"I know and it will never happen, not from me.." Arackniss trembled just barely managing to hold back his emotions. Then he felt it. The small hook-clawed hand he had let go of was now stroking his quiff of head fluff gently.
"I know my boy, I know.." Henroin responded as his expression softened to his 'only' child, the one that always did exactly as he was told and had never given him cause to doubt his loyalty. He had even been devoted enough to follow him down here into the bowels of this hellhole..
........................
It had taken Arackniss a while to pull himself together emotionally after leaving his father's office. While he would never show anything more than cold indifference on the outside to the goons and brother mobsters that both he and his father had 'brought into the family' over their decades in Hell, inside was a different story. He still felt the great sting of betrayal and anger towards both his siblings that had left him alone with their father for different reasons. His brother Anthony had abandoned him in their youth, meaning that his father squeezed on the pressure to 'be a better man' and his sister Molly because she had been the cause of their deaths. His sister had been the one who had finally turned the crime family into the cops and the resulting shoot out had been how him and his father had ended up down here in the first place. They were both traitors and his heart burned with unrelenting pain whenever he thought of either of them.
The five and a half foot pale bluish-grey spider demon shook roughly as he left the gentleman's club, a small speak-easy bar that was the cover for their underground business. His fedora was back on his head and his two lower hands behind his back as he pulled out a packet of cigarettes and a zippo lighter and leaned against the light post outside the coup. As he inhaled the first puff of the smooth tobacco he felt himself calm somewhat and exhaled out the smoke, sagging a little. After a few more draws his mind started wandering onto the job his father had given him and he started to walk casually down the street. When struggling for inspiration the bluish-grey spider found that the pleasure of a simple stroll with a cigarette was a great way to find it again.
He continued to walk, long after he had flicked the butt of his cigarette away now thinking on how best to go about this new task. He didn't know which one of his boys he could trust to help him finger the guy he needed to. After all, a double cross was not an easy thing to prove but if it ended this gang war with the Casino Demon he would do it to save his father and their family honour.
"I can't believe that I had to give up half my territory to that slithering creep!" An unknown female voice sounded deeply upset making Arackniss blink out of his thoughts in some confusion. He might be a criminal mobster but his mother had instilled enough manners in him to be concerned by a demon-dame in distress. The then caught a glimpse of what appeared to be an unkempt female and an effeminate male demon as they passed a slight gap in the building that looked into the next block over. They didn't look like the usual lower-east side residents and this made him suddenly suspicious on what they were doing here.
"Ah! Quit gettin' ya panties ina knot, I promised I'd help ya gettit back, didn't I?" The second male voice drawled making him pull out his gun, an S&W Model 10, and loaded it while swiftly and silently moving down a nearby alleyway where he could cut off the pair before they were able to leave the Spider Mafia territory.
.....................
"You better! I should be back there smashing that fucker's tinker-toy-bullshit into smithereens, not wussing out to fucking follow you so you can fuck and make up with your dull bastard!" Cherri Bomb continued to rant, venting all her frustration out onto her best friend since it was technically all his fault she was being dragged into his mess.
"Hey! Get pissy with me all ya want babe but leave ma man outta it, alright? Like ya said, I'm the shitty boyfr—" The pink-furred spider stopped mid-sentence as his head bumped into the barrel of the gun now cocked and aimed up at him.
"Well, lookie what just flew in, a couple'a pigeons lookin' for some lead pellets.." This new voice drawled in a similar bronx-style accent which made both the female demon and the effeminate male one laugh in amusement.
"Yeh. No. Fuck off Shrimpo, we're in'a hurry here—" Angel returned dismissively not even looking at the assailant or feeling remotely threatened by the small gun in his head, this was hardly the first time someone had done this to him.
"Ay! I ain't done wit'cha, drag act! Your teresspasin' on our turf!" The smaller pale bluish-grey furred spider in the black suit pulled out a second gun, same size and caliber as the one in his opposite hand and pointed it at the other side of the taller pale pink furred spider.
"Ok, ok.. Sheesh, someone is overcompensatin' for some— Nissy!!" Angel finally looked at the smaller spider demon in the face and his smile widened brightly. He might not have seen his brother in decades but he recognised that sullen moody look anywhere, and the fact that he looked like a shorter, darker furred version of him was a massive give away.
"Uh.. What?" The smaller spider frowned confused, momentarily distracted as the guns faltered a moment in his shock.
"You know this little creep!" Cherri exclaimed also looking stunned and scowling.
"Are ya kiddin', of course I know him!" Angel beamed in delight at the face of his older brother, who was scowling once more, ignoring the gun that was still pointing against his head. "Long time no see bro. Ya look good, how ya been?"
There was a pause as Arackniss blinked then looked the paler, taller spider demon up and down. His eyes narrowed then squinted at his face, hardly missing that this spider looked like a prettier version of himself.
"..Tone?" The smaller pale bluish-grey spider's matching pink eyes blinked in disbelief, pain evident in them.
"Yeh, it's me.." Angel uttered softly flashing an emotional look to his long estranged sibling and for a long moment both spider siblings stared at each other, the gun still held a loft but it dipped a little.
"Ya fuckin' asshole!!" Arackniss suddenly roared out enraged, smacking Angel across the face with his gun that was still curled in his hand. "Ya fuckin' ditched me! How the fuck couldja do that?!" The pale pink spider demon dropped to his knees after the second blow with a pained winced, rubbing his cheek.
"Ow! Fuck.." Angel muttered feeling his eyes water at the pain.
"Hey! No-one gets to hit my bitch!" Cherri Bomb who had been watching the whole thing curiously up until that point launched herself at the small bluish-grey spider demon, wrestling him roughly to the ground and straddling him to hold him down fast. Her hands holding his upper arms as her shins held his lower ones.
"Woah! You are one crazy broad with nice gams.." Arackniss stated with a smirk after being slammed into the red dusty ground. It was only now that he was really seeing the one-eyed female demon with long strawberry hair was he able to look passed the tattered clothing, smeared make up and unbrushed hair. "I like 'em crazy, ya lookin' for a good time sweet-cheeks?"
"Oh. Eww.. No!!" Cherri responded with a look of absolute disgust at the suggestion.
"You loss toots.." Arackniss merely rolled his eyes as if this wasn't the first time he had been rejected.
"Oh yeh! He is definitely related to you Angie.." The female demon drained her head back to Angel who had got to his feet and picked up his brother's gun that had been knocked out of his hand in the struggle.
"He ain't no relative of mine! Not anymore!" Arackniss declared as the pale pink spider walked over calmly with the gun and put it to his brother's head.
"Is that ya talkin' or is'zat Papi?" Angel asked with a nasty smirk. "How is he anyway? Still a homophobic, nasty old bastard, is he?"
"Whatta ya care! Ya broke his heart—"
"He broke mine first!!" The pale pink effeminate spider snarled, actually throwing the gun down so it smacked his shorter pale bluish-grey furred brother making him wince. "Dammit Nissy, I never wanted t'leave ya guys. He forced me out when he found me smoochin' that kid Joey from down the street. The one that went 'missing' shortly after, remember?" Angel sighed heavily. "I wanted t'get in touch but I was scared. Papi threatened t'kill me if I ever showed my face again. I'm pretty sure he still means it t'this day.."
"Ya think that's an excuse? Ya broke both Ma's and Molly's hearts and who had'ta pick up the pieces! That was me!" Arackniss snapped back. "And do ya know how hard Paps came down on me after? I am his only son, I have t'be the better man! And look what it got me? Shot dead with him in a shoot out in with the cops, thanks t'Molly!"
"Good! I'm glad that the old fucker got shopped in by her! He deserved everythin' he got!" Angel snarled angrily. "I hate him, I never want t'see him again but don't be like him Nissy, please.. I never blamed ya for anythin'." These words made Arackniss quirk his brows curiously at his taller effeminate brother.
"....But it was me that told him about Joey." He finally admitted softly.
"I know Papi squeezed it outta ya Nissy.." Angel murmured back hanging his head a little. "It's ok.."
"Uh, yeh... As fucking touching as all this catch-up-shit is it doesn't get me my turf or you the identity of the Casino Demon. Are we wasting this little creep or what?" Cherri Bomb's voice exclaimed loudly looking unimpressed by all this small talk that seemed to be getting them nowhere. Her one eye travelling from Angel to Arackniss with some annoyance as she was getting fed up holding him despite the fact he wasn't fighting her off.
"Wait, wait!" Arackniss exclaimed. "Ya lookin' for the Casino Demon?"
"Ya know somethin' about him?" Angel asked curiously looking at his brother.
"Maybe I do? Maybe I don't, what's it to ya?" The pale bluish-grey spider asked back with a smirk.
"How about this? Ya tell me whatcha know and I don't let my best bitch here waste ya. Kapeesh?" The pale pink spider grinned along with Cherri and Arackniss merely chuckled in amusement at this.
"So what's stoppin' me from lettin' dad know ya in his turf?" He added questioningly.
"What's it gonna cost me to keep ya mouth shut?" Angel exhaled sagging his shoulders.
"Ya do somethin' for me, I do somethin' for ya. It's that simple." Arackniss responded with a grin. "Help me finger Nayk for his double-cross and startin' this gang war and I will help ya identify the Casino Demon. We got an understandin'?"
"Let him up.." Angel said to his best friend casually.
"Seriously? How many creeps are we sparing Angie?" Cherri asked with a frown, thinking that his boyfriend was making him soft.
"Just let him up sistah. Face it, we need him.. If we end this gang war then the Casino Demon won't argue with me." The pale pink spider demon exhaled and Cherri groaned but immediately got off of him and the five foot and a half spider demon got up and started brushing himself down. "Alright Nissy, no funny business.. Who the fuck is Nayk and where do we find him?"