3
Smoke Break
Chapter 1
Finding a good cigar in Vale was no easy task, there were plenty of places for cigarettes but very few that carried a decent selection of cigars. There was only one place, Cloud Chasers, which had the brand that Roman liked. He was particular in his tastes, something smooth that went equally well with whiskey and murder but wasn't overpowering. Roman had found this place a couple years before and very quickly became a loyal customer. The store had everything he wanted; a peaceful atmosphere, good music in the background, a separate smoking lounge, and samples of all their products. Roman even made friends with the owner Reilly who was a dog Faunus, his sensitive nose was excellent at picking the best tobacco and Roman admired his skills along with his discretion.
Roman was a busy man and couldn't always make it to the shop during normal business hours, so him and Reilly came to an agreement that once every two weeks he would keep his store open late just for Roman who would repay his kindness with a large tip. Most people didn't realize that Roman was a criminal with standards, if he took a car to escape capture he would return it later full of gas or if he frequented a store, chances were good that it would remain crime free and he would pay in cash. Those who didn't ask questions or kept his haunts quiet were tipped well and such was life.
The sun had set long ago and the only lights left were the streetlamps and the single open store along the deserted main street. Roman walked alone, the sound of his cane clicked endlessly into the darkness around him, opening the door a sweet aroma of toasted tobacco and brandy curled around him. The bell on the door rang and brought Reilly running excitedly out from the back of the store, he sprinted up to the edge of the counter and welcomed his customer.
"Ah Mr. Torchwick good to see you again." Reilly said, tail wagging eagerly.
"Glad to be back, I smoked my last cigar this morning and have needed a fix all day."
"Well then," Reilly responded reaching into the cabinet, "here's one on the house." Roman flicked open his lighter and took a long drag off the cigar.
"See this, this is why I like you."
"Well thank you sir, oh where is your friend? You know the tiny one that smells like ice cream, I forget her name something like Rocky Road."
"Neapolitan, and she doesn't care for the smell in here."
"Ah very well then." Reilly turned around and pulled a box from the humidor, "Here is a box of your usual favorites, and this is something new I thought you would be interested in." He lifted a cigar and handed it across the counter.
"This one swells sweet, like uh. . ."
"Like coconut, sweet grass and ocean air?" Reilly offered.
"Yeah almost like a beach."
"Very close, this comes from an island to the south and is very mild, super smooth too with just a hint of layering in the flavor."
"Sounds good, can I try?" Roman asked pulling out his lighter.
"You know you don't need to ask just enjoy."
Roman set his first cigar in the tray to the side and ran the new one under his nose. He lit the cigar and took a slow breath, holding the smoke for a moment to acquire a feel for the different style. As he smoked the bell dinged and Reilly's head snapped up excitedly to see another man walking into his store. He stood at the door for a moment removing his hat and tucking it away into a pocket on the leg of his pants. The man was younger and had a Mohawk haircut, his jacket and pants were adorned with many pockets and as he walked up to the counter Reilly could make out the scent of machine oil masked by cologne.
"Do you have Luckies?" The man asked Reilly who nodded over to the wall covered in various cigarette boxes. "Great I'll take two cartons, you know this is the first store I've come across that has that brand."
"Not many people still smoke them, most people prefer filtered cigarettes." Reilly answered while pulling out the cartons.
"Yeah, but filters hide good flavor and they use lower quality product, you just can't beat toasted tobacco." The man answered pulling some lien out of a jacket pocket, Reilly rang up his purchase and slid the two cartons across the counter to him.
"Thanks for your business Mr. . ."
"Currahee, Adler Currahee, and thank you for being open late, it took some time to get here from Atlas." The man answered, reaching up to the collar on his jacket he produced a small knife from a hidden pocket and cut open the large white boxes.
"Well these aren't normal business hours."
"Oh, then it was just my lucky day. Either way I'll remember to come back to you in the future." Adler said stuffing the individual packs of cigarettes into the many pockets on his jacket and trousers.
"Hey kid what's with all the pockets?" Roman spoke up having finished the cigar.
"What's with the hat?" Adler remarked quickly, catching Roman a touch off guard.
"It's called style, not that you would know anything about that." Roman recovered.
"Oh yeah? What about that jacket? It's at least two seasons old and if you had taken it in at the seams it would have given you a fuller more aggressive look."
"Yeah right kid."
"And another thing, don't wear off the rack, it doesn't suit you, like this, this is all custom." Adler said gesturing to his own tan jacket that he had cut for himself.
"And who made that for you? Your mommy?"
"No, I did. Now if you're done I'll be leaving."
"Isn't it past your bedtime kid?" Roman said noting the Atlas academy patch on his left shoulder.
"Probably, but tell you what, your girlfriend looks short. Probably has a hard time finding clothes, here's my card call me if you need alteration work done." Adler responded pulling a business card out of his back pocket.
"Hey kid, how did you know about my partner?" Roman asked genuinely interested.
"Green eye shadow next to your second button, she looks about four foot nine." Adler answered turning for the door, he gave one last pat down of his various pockets making sure none of the packs inside made a noticeable imprint. Reaching the door he stuck a hand in his pants pocket and retrieved his hat, adjusting it while looking at his reflection in the store's window. "Thanks again." He called back to Reilly before stepping outside.
"Jeez, kids right?" Roman said looking back to Reilly.
"Oh that reminds me," Reilly said twisting his head slightly, "A girl came by here looking for you today."
"Yeah? What did she look like?"
"Black hair with a bow, yellow eyes, white shirt, and there was just something I didn't like about her."
"What did you tell her?"
"She came in here looking for murderer and criminal Roman Torchwick, I told her that I only serve good well-paying clients that would never rob from me. Then I asked her to leave my store."
"Well this has been fun Reilly but I must be going, until next time." Roman said leaving a large pile of lien on the counter. Walking down the deserted street Roman examined the card he had been given, "Hmmm wonder if this kid can make a nurse outfit?" he silently pondered as she strode home.