Wang Yao had spent most of his life preparing for the unexpected. Endless hours of training and learning had taught him almost everything he'd need to know about the subject.
Somehow he still didn't see the early morning kidnapping coming.
In Yao's defense Ivan was murderously unpredictable even to himself.
In Yao's defense he'd just walked out of a bakery and had mere seconds before he was shoved into the back of a car with black tinted windows. (The same one from before if he was correct)
In Yao's defense that cinnamon roll was very delicious and very distracting. Currently that cinnamon roll was plastered all over the sidewalk and Yao was not happy.
"Excuse my language but, WHAT THE HELL ARU?!" He turned to see a giggling Francis, a fearful Toris, a stoic Eduard typing at his computer, and a very very very angry Ivan glaring holes into Yao's head.
Yao back pedaled quickly becoming meek and compliant, "Uh-um hello?" He grinned sheepishly.
Ivan grabbed him by his collar shoving a page from yesterday's Gazette paper in his face.
"You be owing me an explanation da?" The Russian smiled and an evil aura surrounding him in dark purple and blue waves. "Why don't we talk about this?" He pushed his face close to Yao's shattering any ideas of personal space.
"What. Is. This? Who. Wrote. It?"
"Well, it's, ah, it would be-" Yao started.
"It is page five of the Newburg Gazette. The already famed, or should I say now infamous, news has spread of the crimes of a nameless homeless man. What is noteworthy is how much the criminal looked like Ivan Braginski, a well-known Newburg business man.
The suspect was found drinking at…"
Everyone stared at Eduard as he rambled on and on. Ivan's face became more and more childlike as his smile grew as did his scary aura.
"Mon ami?"
"Yes Francis?"
"SHUT UP."
The Estonian looked up in surprise. His face slowly started to turn red as he found everyone staring at him.
"R-right."
Yao facepalmed and sighed, "I don't know who wrote it, I'm not privy to the names of our anonymous writers. You'll have to talk to Mr. Zwingli about that."
The mafia lord smiled more gently (but no less terrifying) "You seem to misunderstand me Yao-Yao. Were you or were you not present at the scene in this picture?" A huge finger pointed at the pipe wielding figure on the page.
"I was but I fail to-"
"WHO TOOK THIS PICTURE." It wasn't really a question.
Yao took the page silently and studied the photo.
"I wasn't anywhere near the place this picture was taken from. You checked my camera and SD card. You also patted me down for any others. It wasn't me." He looked Ivan in the face as he said it. Ivan stared back evenly trying to decipher the other man's face.
"But you know who did."
The Chinese man sighed, "No, I don't."
"Patron, I think he is telling the truth."
Everyone turned to Francis who had been studying the scene play out quietly. Yao started at him in surprise. Was this criminal defending him?
"Hhhhhmmm," Ivan frowned slightly as he considered his henchman's words. Suddenly he smiled hugely.
"Well, it seems as if we've had a misunderstanding!" He giggled loudly, "I'm not surprised Yao-Yao we've hardly taken the time to get to know each other!" Yao felt dread rise in his stomach.
The Ruskie leaned forward invading the smaller man's space again, "We should remedy this with dinner da?"
The Chinese man went red sputtering, "I-I'm not some woman you sweep off her feet! Aiya!"
Ivan giggled again, "But Yao looks so much like one I couldn't resist! Besides it's a dinner between friends! Silly Yao-Yao!"
"Yao-Yao" deadpanned at the mafia lord's childish enthusiasm, "I am not your friend."
"Why not Yao-Yao, we could learn so much from each other."
The two glared into the other's eye neither was willing to back down. Eventually the reporter sighed admitting that it would be in his best interest to accept the offer.
"Fine, but it'll have to be after I get off work."
Purple eyes beamed in delight, "Perfect! I'll pick you up at seven, oh let's say tomorrow is Friday da?' Yao nodded, "Then tomorrow at seven! I look forward to seeing you!"
The car stopped and the door was opened, Yao was not surprised to see he was at the Gazette's doorstep.
"Nowhere fancy!" he yelled through the closing door his only answer was laughter from all within.
"Aiya!" he mumbled and turned to enter the office door.
Back in the car Ivan was studying his French employee.
"Why did you defend him?"
Francis leaned back calmly, lighting a cigarette, "If he knows anything he won't tell you now. Take him out to dinner a few times, badger him about other things and make him think he is out of the woods on this one. Then you can get your answers from him some other way."
The Russian rubbed his chin, "That is actually a good idea da?"
Francis smirked, "I do come up with those every once in a while."
~^.^~
Vash Zwingli made it a priority to uncover the truth. The people deserved to know what was going on in their town and they deserved justice too. He had made it his life goal to bring the mafia's dirty little secrets to light. That and protect his sister with his life.
He had encountered much resistance and trouble on both endeavors so unlike Yao Vash was unsurprised as he was pulled off the concrete back doorstep of his office and onto the leather seats of Ivan's Rolls Royce.
"Ah, how may I help you Mr. Braginski?" He ""asked calmly in the face of a dangerously smiling Russian.
"I have some questions about an employee of yours; does Khaki Undo ring any bells?"
Vash allowed himself a small grin, "Perhaps."
"Francis," Ivan ordered quietly as Zwingli felt warm metal against his ear and heard an audible click of pistol.
"Mon ami, it would be within your best interest to answer the question."
The Swiss man held himself straight and didn't flinch as he glared into purple eyes.
Ivan growled, "No? Doesn't ring any bells? Maybe little Lili's blood can help you recall da? After all she was so willing to walk right into my waiting arms, one would think she was asking to get hurt."
Anger flooded Vash's eyes, his fists clenched, and his teeth loudly gnashed together.
"You will not touch her," he snarled.
"I will not have to if you tell me what I need to know товарищ," Ivan bit back.
Vash somehow stiffened more, "He is an anonymous writer, we correspond through letters, there is never a return address, and I have never met him. Good day gentlemen." He turned to get out of the vehicle.
Another click sounded behind him and he didn't need to look to know that it was Ivan holding the weapon. "Not good enough," the boss growled.
Vash frowned weighing his options, "He mails me under the name Jejuna Gwin."
"Ah good!" Ivan sang, "We are a talking now! What else? I would like to see some of those letters."
"No, I won't allow it."
"Toris, Francis could you search him please? Something tells me he has at least one thing of interest to us with him."
"Honhonhonhonhon…"
"I'm very sorry about this sir…."
"WAIT NO! DON'T TOUCH ME YOU PERVERTED MONKEY! FINE! HERE IT IS TAKE IT, JUST GET THOSE FILTHY HANDS AWAY FROM ME!"
The Frenchman continued to leer over the flailing blond while Toris just stared unsure of what to do.
Ivan rubbed his temples at the noise finally giving in and taking the envelope in Vash's desperately outstretched hand himself.
"Honhon, next time Mon Cher," Francis blew a kiss at the flustered blond next to him. Vash shuddered.
"There will be no next time you frog."
A tap suddenly sounded at the tinted window. Everyone stopped and stared at it in a dazed silence.
"Open it," Ivan instructed. A red headed man with a cigarette dangling from his mouth leaned in.
"Goo' day uaisle," he smiled, "and lady," he added to Francis who scoffed angrily. "Me brothers and Ay can' help but notice from all the commotion in 'ere that these men might be botherin' ye Mr. Zwingli. Do ye need any 'elp with 'em?"
"It is quite all right Dylan, I was just leaving." The Welshmen nodded and opened the door for Vash who coolly stepped out. After a few feet he stopped and turned back to the Russian's car smirking slightly, "Good luck Mr. Braginski, and be careful. It would be a pity if something were to happen to you, now wouldn't it?"
The back door of the Gazette had never been slammed harder.
Ivan took a look at the letter in his hand before opening it. The article was small compared to the previous one. The envelope indeed read Jejuna Gwin while the article read Khaki Undo. The article complained about the harassment of citizens at the hands of the local mafias. A picture of him sitting at the café table while Francis and Toris collected Yao from across the street resided inside the typed pages. The scene was captured in surprisingly good detail.
He needed to research this strange new player in the game.
~^.^~
Yao sighed as he walked down the street. The normal neighborhood gave him the creeps, kids playing in lawns, birds chirping, the occasional dog barking and cat meowing. It was too, too ordinary. Such a change from the odd occurrences he was used to dealing with. He expected men with guns to jump out at any time, or for a nearby building to just suddenly implode. His tummy rumbled and he whined pitifully as he thought of that morning's particular occurrence. He never did get to replace his cinnamon roll…..
He had a huge bouquet of some kind of pink flower over one of his shoulders, he wasn't sure exactly what kind it was but he hoped his sister liked them. She loved the color pink so maybe….?
He walked up to the door of a depressingly regular house and knocked. A girl with long dark hair answered the door.
"Dàgē!" She exclaimed excitedly in a musical voice, "What a nice surprise!" She looked dryly at the flowers, "You need help with something don't you?"
"What?" Yao scowled, "I bring you something every time I see you!"
The girl chuckled, "That's true too. Well don't just stand there come on in."
~^.^~
Chip off the Block was a busy place at best, especially since the bar decided to install HD TVs for the sports fans. Beer was spilled everywhere and yelling over the football game on screen was heard sporadically throughout the establishment. In the back corner Angelique didn't seem to mind. She just sat watching the game with everyone else, just much quieter.
A woman in a green dress and a pink flower in her long brown hair chased after a skipping blond boy with huge eyebrows down the aisle in which Angelique sat.
"Peter," the woman called, "why don't you go play foosball over there honey?"
"Ok Liza!" the boy called back.
The woman landed in a chair not far from the Monacan, "Kids are a handful!" She laughed jokingly.
"Yes…quite."
"I mean take their friends for example! They always want to hang out but their parents never make any effort to help you make it happen! So you end up going through all the trouble of picking them up, making sure they have everything, and chauffeuring them all over town!"
"So, Peter has lots of friends?"
"Oh yes! I especially adore his cute little friend that's been staying with us!"
So Ravis got out safely. That's good; everything is going according to plan. Angelique mused. "I've been having trouble with some children," she stated.
"Bullies?" The other woman probed, Angelique nodded.
"They're so horrible," the specked girl explained, "and they've banded together almost exactly like a gang I just don't know what to do."
"You know Peter is actually quite strong and smart for his age, maybe he can do something about those bullies."
"Oh, I wouldn't want to him to get hurt."
"He won't do anything drastic! Just spy a little. I'm sure he can find out what those kids are up to for you."
Angelique smiled at this, "Why thank you, I'd appreciate it."
The two women continued to talk useless banter until the ball game ended.
"Excuse me for a moment I just won my bet," Angelique went back to her stoic face as she stood.
"As I was saying before knowledge is very important for our youth," Liza smirked.
"Oh really?"
"Yes, in fact there is an informational meeting for parents nurturing their children's education tonight. It will be about how learning to play orchestra music can enhance children's minds."
"Thank you for that intriguing notion. I will have to go collect my money now, goodbye."
"Bye! Come on Peter it's time to go!"
"Do we have to Liza I'm winning!"
The babysitter and kid went one way while the gambler pulled her coat collar up around her face and went the other.
Angelique smiled quietly to herself, today was going well. She'd even made $600 off of her bet.
~^.^~
"Yao!" said man jerked back into the solid world.
"Yeah?" He mumbled.
"Lunch is ready!"
"Right….Mei, is Angelique and Lili part of the Undercovers?"
His sister laughed, "Now how would I know that?"
"Don't lie," Yao chided, "I know you work for them."
Mei chuckled again, "Yes they are. Angelique is one of our main coordinators. Though I'm surprised you picked up on Lili. She only joined recently, and of course you know that "musician" still oversees all of us."
He brother nodded, "I see." They were silent for a moment, their chopsticks clinking together as they ate.
"The Russians are on high alert, this anonymous writer has them on edge. They're also facing the fact that the threat may be one of them. Plus the pressure coming from the incoming Italian mafia isn't doing them any favors."
Yao humphed, "Ivan has enough man power to deal with the invaders. He knows his way around brute force. Traitors are hair rising but he's had them before."
"Khaki Undo though, he's afraid of him. He'll do just about anything to kill that man right now Yao."
Mei grabbed his hand and stared at her brother worry and tears etched into her face.
"Please be careful dàgē, these men are so very dangerous! We've had to avoid them despite how strong our order is, we even lost one of our own recently. If they were to kill you I don't know what I'd do."
"You know why I do this Mei."
"They've been dead for over eight years Yao! It's time to let go!"
"I WILL NEVER LET IT GO ARU!" The Asian man ripped his hand away from his sister violently swiping off the contents of the table in front of him while the tears flooded down Mei's face. (She would later be grateful that he managed to miss the egg drop soup they'd been having.)
The sat in guarded and tense silence, Mei clasped her hands together and stared at them while Yao stayed with his back to her trying to control his breathing.
You're a hot mess and I'm fallin' for you and I'm like hot damn-
Mei laughed and dried off her eyes at as her phone went off. "Great timing Feliks," she muttered and picked it up.
"Hey girl! Like how are you?"
"I'm good thanks Fel."
"Oh good! I'm just like calling to remind you about the like totally steamy chapter you promised me Mei."
Yao facepalmed, "You still write those books Mei?"
Mei began to giggle uncontrollably.
"Like, whose that?" Feliks asked.
"It's just my brother Feliks, nothing to worry about," the Taiwanese girl said trying to stifle her giggles.
"Oh, well in that case, duh! She so totally still writes erotica, she's like my little money maker, you dirty pervert you Mei-Mei!" Yao and Mei partially stopped listening for a moment as the front door opened and the sound of footsteps and plastic bags being handled came from the hallway. "Anyway I also wanted to let you know that you and all the other girlies have a meeting tonight, so don't be late!"
Kasem, probably the only normal member of the Wang family came into view, groceries strung on his arm and headphones over his ears. He saw his two siblings and pulled off the earbuds while also managing to remove his shoes at the same time.
"Oh hey, Yao! It's been a while ภราดา! What have you been up to? I got more rice and eggplant Mei."
Mei put up her finger to show she was on the phone and Yao moved forward and helped bring the food to the kitchen.
"I've been good. I'm working for a newspaper now, but you probably heard about that."
"Nope! I stay out of this criminal business! No sudden death for me thank you!" Kasem grinned happily at Yao who laughed. That's actually a good motto the Chinese man mused.
"Well how's teaching treating you?" He asked.
"Oh it's wonderful! I love teaching 5th graders! I might get bumped up to 6th next year which I'm not looking forward to but the kids are great so it shouldn't be that bad."
"That's nice, aru."
"It is."
The two brothers put the food away in companionable silence until Mei came stepped into the kitchen also.
"Ok Feliks I'll see you there." She hung up and turned back to her brothers. "I better get ready now."
Yao nodded, "Yes I'm sorry for keeping you. Have fun, and be careful yourself worry wart." She nodded.
"Oh, and Yao?"
"Yeah?"
"We prefer to be called," Kasem put his hands over his ears, "the Appetitores de notitiis occultis, or Appetitores for short, not the undercovers." She paused debating, and her normal brother took his hands away from his head cautiously. "The Ruskies have a delivery of cocaine coming in two or three weeks. The way things are going they might postpone it but who knows. It'll be on the docks."
Yao smiled sadly, "Thanks Mei."
Mei smiled in return.
"I did not hear any of that, I did not hear any of that!"
Yao shook his head as he left what a dysfunctional family.
~^.^~
Roderich swore as he made his way through the dark of his home. Why did the night have to be so black in this city like a curse? He held a gorgeous feathered mask in his hand and his period cloak billowed out behind him. He was only just figuring out how to keep it from knocking things down.
It was a bad idea to have this meeting in his home. True it was the safest but it was still inconvenient for him. His house was for creating orchestras not holding dangerous secret meetings, even if he was technically the leader and that the code about teaching kids orchestra music to for his house was easier than the code about gay lovers for Mei's house….
He huffed again as he narrowly missed tipping over another vase.
"Kesesese."
For some abnormal reason Roderich found himself falling backwards off his feet, and two strong arms capturing him in their iron hold.
"Now where might you be going so late at night huh princess?"
"Unhand me you uncultured brute!" the musician hissed back.
"Bad choice of words Roddy," the mystery man chuckled and Roderich felt himself fall further towards the floor. He let out a fearful squeak but was righted again unharmed.
"Kesesesese, I was just kidding specs!"
Roderich narrowed his eyes from behind his jabbed at glasses and growled, "What are you doing in my home Gilbert?"
Said albino just reclaimed his hold on the aristocrat and twirled him around. "I heard you were getting ready to have a party and thought I'd join. Kesese…"
"Gilbert, society meetings are hardly parties. They are important in-"
"In maintaining the flow of information through the world. Yeah, yeah," Gil waved his hand dismissively, "I've heard it all before. The point is I want in on this meeting."
"Impossible! It won't happen you fool!"
Gilbert frowned, "Shit's going down with the Russians and it'll be my ass on fire if I don't know what's going on," he glowered furiously, "Contract killers are the first to go in these situations, we're…expendable. Please just this once Roddy?"
Roderich frowned and seriously considered letting this man suffer but decided against it. He sighed, "Fine, you can hide under my chair or something…"
"KESESE, THANKS SPECS! YOU WON'T REGRET IT!"
The lavender eyed man rubbed his temples tiredly, "Of all the unlawful men I could be close acquaintances with I ended up with you."
Gilbert grinned seductively, "Come on princess, you know you love me."
Roderich dodged Gil's probing hand and continued down the hall. "Whatever, we'd better hurry if you wish to have enough time to hide."
~^.^~
The room was lit by candles, fitting for the clothing of its occupants. Roderich flushed under the gray mask that covered, thankfully, most of his face. Subtly he kicked the albino under the table and the wandering hands "wandered" away from his crotch.
A woman in dusk pink dress with a huge bustle was seated just behind him at the long ornate wooden table. A black mask rested on her face and a large book in her lap. In front of her sat a man in a red outfit adorned with gold, a woman in a dark green dress covered in pink roses was next to him. After her was a young boy in white, a man in a ridiculously warm looking outfit of mostly fur stood across from the boy and next to a girl in a traditional Chinese kimono, a short girl with a long blue dress and ribbons dangling from her blonde hair sat next, and a man in a brown coat with a puffin in his lap sat diagonally from Roderich's left.
The musician stood and cleared his throat. "Let us begin this meeting. You will all notice that we are missing a member of our order. Aleksander Balakov was a prized member of the Appetitores who took risks many of us were not willing to make. He gathered much information that we could not and will be sorely missed. Let us have a moment of silence for his passing."
Everyone stood and bowed their heads.
"Appetitores de notitiis occultis," the woman in pink murmured and everyone mimicked in in unison.
"So let's get started," Roderich began and sat back down, everyone once again following, "What have we got?"
"My brother is in the game," The Asian girl spoke up.
"You told him about us?" The woman to Roderich's right hissed.
The girl in the kimono shook her head angrily, "No! He guessed. He is very attuned to these things and very smart. He won't betray our secret."
"What have you told him?" The man in red asked.
"Nothing much. He guessed at the Librarian's and the Writer's membership among us, not to mention mine. He guessed the Musician's long ago. I gave him the information of Ivan's drug movement set in two weeks."
Roderich nodded, "Yes our sources say that his shipment will come in as planned."
Not unnoticed by the woman in pink or the "Librarian" as was her code name, Roderich suddenly stiffened and pulled at his cravat a little.
The woman in green leaned back into her chair contemplating, "Yao could be very useful to us. We would all like to see Braginski fall out of power," everyone nodded in agreement, "This new player could be just what we need to turn the tables."
"I have worked with Yao, his methods are slightly unorthodox but effective. There is no one like him out there. If anyone can bring Ivan down it is him," the man in the brown coat granted. The group mulled this over.
"The Island Mercenaries are in town. Vash Zwingli hired them to protect his workers," the girl in blue spoke up. In Roderich's lap Gilbert stiffened.
"Yep!" the boy in white exclaimed, "I'll be scouting out things for you and my brothers!" They'll have to recognize me now!
"Scout," the woman in green scolded while everyone facepalmed, "calm down please."
Roderich coughed his face appearing slightly red, "Yes…moving on with business…" the boy scowled.
"Indeed," the Librarian's voice was businesslike as usual, "The Help and I have assigned areas of highest priority to those with the most experience in the department."
The man in the fur spoke up, "I'm way ahead of you girl," he pulled out folders from his coat, "Here are your assigned areas guys. There are no names on them as like usual and nothing is labeled but you should still totally know how to read them. I don't have to like remind you guys that these cannot, cannot, cannot fall into enemy hands."
He pulled a light gray folder, "Ice this one is for you, basically just stick to the information on the internet k? Oh, and keep tabs on Eduard and Ivan's other henchmen dudes, that jerk Francis and the hotty Toris. Alfred isn't due back from England for a while yet." The folder was slid down the table to the man with the puffin.
A pink folder was set next to the girl in the kimono, "Paramour honey, this one's yours. Keep an eye out for the Rest of Yao's family. He and Ivan have a dinner rendezvous at The Green Olive tomorrow night so see if you can use your high gay smut writer status to snag yourself table and a date so you can listen in on their conversation."
The girl giggled, "Of course!"
"Bullfighter." A gold folder was handed over.
"Writer." Blue.
"Rose." Green.
"Scout." White.
The short man skipped up to the Librarian and handed her a black folder.
"Here is the overview of everyone else's stuff and the odds and ends no one in particular is assigned to."
He turned to Roderich and slyly leaned towards him a purple folder in hand.
"You have one too, as well as your assignment."
He then winked down at Gilbert who gave a small wave.
Roderich cleared his throat again, "Thank you Help for assisting us in spite of not actually being an affiliate of our order."
"Don't like mention it! I love to "help" though to be honest I think it'd be really dangerous to add my name to your roster."
The rest of the meeting was short and tense.
The woman in pink was the first to get up and leave. She knew exactly who was under the table.
The woman in green, Rose, caught on as well and shook her head as she exited.
~^.^~
It had been a few hours since everyone had left and Roderich leaned over the arm of his chair with his face in his hands Gilbert lounged in a similar position where the man with the puffin had sat.
"Damn, Braginski hired me to oversee that shipment," the albino grumbled. Roderich said nothing.
"I don't want to be involved in it if it goes wrong. I'll have to disappear for a while." He lowered his head into his arms. "Fuck this is a mess."
Roderich still didn't comment.
He looked up at the aristocrat, "Dude Roddy what's your problem?"
The musician sat up in a flash.
"What's my problem?" He hissed, "You want to know what my problem is?"
Gilbert put his hands up in defense as Roderich advanced on him, "No actually, I don't think I do."
Roderich grinned evilly as the tides changed in his favor.
"Well that's just too bad isn't it?"
Long time no see readers!
Translations:
Товарищ: Comrade in Russian
Dàgē: big brother in Chinese
ภราดา: Brother in Thai
Kasem is Thailand
If you didn't catch it Eliza and Angel were talking in code about Ravis escaping the mafia and the meeting at Roderich's house in the Football/ Bar/ Kids are a handful scene. Yes I ship Sealand X Latvia. Pretty hardcore really…
Appetitores code names:
Rose- Hungary or Elizaveta
Bullfighter- Spain or Antonio
Scout- Sealand or Peter
Musician- Austria or Roderich
The Help- Poland or Feliks
Librarian- Monaco or Angelique
Paramour- Taiwan or Mei
Writer- Liechtenstein or Lili
Ice- Iceland or Emil
Everyone's code name has to do with something in their normal life. Lili is a newspaper writer, Angelique works at a library (hopefully that will be covered in the next chapter), Paramour refers to Mei's job as an erotic novelist, Roderich is a musician (really, we all had no idea XD ), Ice is because Emil is from Iceland, Scout is because Peter's main job is scouting, and Hungary always has some kind of rose in her hair. The Help refers to Feliks helping but not being a member. Antonio's name meaning will hopefully be revealed in the next chapter as well. Bulgaria's, or Aleksander's was Risk because of his already mentioned risk taking, idk if that will ever actually come up again…..
It's getting good guys!