Day 2
New York: Genoard Residence on Millionaire Row
Millionaire Row, true to its name, was where all the rich, successful men and women lived. It's beautiful white Gilded Age manors seemed to clash against the grey and brown that overtook the rest of the city and it's expansive estates and lush gardens made you forget that you were in the middle of Manhattan. The grandest by far of the residences was the Genoard Mansion where, at the time a heated dispute was getting... "resolved".
"DIE!"
"There's no reason to be so angry you should have only been embarrassed for 1 min 24 seconds."
"You're right there isn't, but die anyway."
"Wow he's telling a girl to die!"
"Sexist!"
"Don't tell my sis to die!"
"I tell both genders equally to die so it's ok."
"Hyaha!"
"hyaha!"
"Really can't you guys say anything but 'hyaha'?"
"I'm not sure about Junior here, but I choose not to, in order to keep on the same intellectual level as you guys."
"Oh, I see… Wait a minute!"
"Hyaha?"
"Don't try to play dumb now!"
"Ha! It's funny cause she's actually playing dumb."
"Die."
"He said die to a girl again!"
"Scum"
"Lowlife"
"Hyaha!"
"hyaha!"
"Shut up! Death is gender neutral!"
It was in the midst this twisted conversation that Jacuzzi awoke. He wasn't sure how the argument started but most of his fiends had a few screws loose so it was probably better no to know. He also didn't really want to enter the conversation at this stage. For one thing he could barely keep up with the pace they were going.
Maybe he could just keep pretending he was asleep...
"By the way Jacuzzi why are you pretending you're asleep?" asked Melody pointing one of her bells in Jaccuzi's direction.
Jacuzzi twitched.
"Jacuzzi was what!?"
"You mean he was secretly listening to everything we were saying!?"
"For about 5 minutes and 34 seconds" responded Melody in a laid back voice.
"Shame on you!"
"But… It's… not like…" started Jacuzzi raising his hands in a defensively
"Scum"
"Lowlife"
"Hyaha!"
"hyaha!"
"Isn't that a bit harsh!?" asked Jacuzzi on the verge of tears. The tattoo of a sword on his face wavered slightly at every heavy intake of breath.
"No"
"No"
"No"
"Hyaha"
"hyaha"
The door creaked open as a girl walked into the room.
She was the same age as Jacuzzi and was what you could called attractive. However, the eye patch on her right eye and the visible burns that went up her arms hinted that she was far from normal.
Jacuzzi looked at her with tears in his eyes.
"Nice!" he cried at the girl looking for some comfort from her.
The girl named Nice looked slightly troubled, she scratched her cheek, her one eye avoiding Jacuzzi's pleading expression. "Well listening in to other people's conversation isn't very leader like…"
Jacuzzi broke down crying.
Jacuzzi Splott was the leader of a band of delinquents and was also the one responsible for turning them from a group of washed up Chicago street urchins into a force to be reckoned with, all by just being himself. It was not like Jacuzzi had overpowering charisma or a keen intellect or anything like that. He was probably the biggest crybaby ever to be a leader of a gang. However, people seemed to gathered around him, not because he was particularly dependable but because they just couldn't leave him by himself. Perhaps that is one form of charisma.
2~3 years however they were forced to migrate form their home city of Chicago to New York after causing some trouble for a certain Mafia family. Two of the members of the band had gotten work at the Genoard Mansion, as a cook and bartender, and asked if a "few" of their friends could work there as well. The owner of the mansion, Eve Genoard, agreed. So, Jacuzzi's gang began the balancing act of two jobs, one was to work at the mansion as extra hands and the second, what they always did, distill and sell liquor. Now a days they had to pay a cut to a group called the Martillo family, who Jacuzzi had to remember every time he paid up, were not "Mafia" but "Camorra" which were, he was told completely different.
Through all this, even though he swore to cry less in the future on the train to New York (which is it's own story), he bawl, sniffed and blubbered at the smallest sign of danger or guilt.
Like he was now.
"There, there Jacuzzi. I'm sure you had a reason."
"Hic… hic… you are?" took his face out of the pillow he was crying into and look back at his comanions.
"Yeah so stop crying."
"We said too much."
"Hearing Jacuzzi cry for more than 6min and 13 seconds is painful."
"Hyaha!"
"hyaha!"
"Re… really guys?" Jacuzzi sniffed, almost giving a hopeful smile.
"Nah, you're still scum."
Jacuzzi started crying even harder.
"Now, now guys, anymore bullying of Jacuzzi and I'll blow you up." said Nice.
…
The whole room went silent for a few seconds.
"Haha… we were just kidding. Right guys?"
"Yeah, we didn't mean it."
"I did for about 47 seconds."
"Shut up Melody!"
"No, no! Put that bomb back Nice! She didn't mean it!"
"Why are you even smiling like that!?"
"It's because big sis wants to share her beautiful smile with the world!"
"Ah that makes sense… Wait, wait Nice put that lighter down!"
"See she's still smiling!"
Jacuzzi stopped crying and looked up at Nice who was now holding one of her bombs and a Zippo lighter.
"N... Nice?"
"Don't worry Jacuzzi I'm doing it for you…" Nice's cheeks went bright with color
"L… L… Liar, y… y… you just want to blow u…up the explosives." said Jacuzzi still sniffling.
Nice smiled radiantly back at him, "Yep you're right."
"Niiiiiiiiice!" Jacuzzi broke out in tears.
"Umm… excuse me."
The fast pace conversation came to a complete halt as everyone's eyes were turned to the source of the voice.
Eve Genoard was standing in the doorway.
"I'm sorry if I'm disturbing anything." she said smiling apologetically.
"No, no it's fine." said Jacuzzi who seemed to make a full recovery.
"Yeah, you don't need to worry about that, you own this house anyway!"
"You're the boss."
"Nah, sis is a Baroness!"
"We were just slacking Jacuzzi."
"He's so fun to bully."
"Last time he cried for 12 minutes and 39 seconds"
"Hyaha!"
"hyaha!"
"Wait what!?" cried Jacuzzi.
"Anyway," Nice cut in, "You were saying Eve?"
Eve was laughing at the comical banter that it took her a few seconds to regain her composure.
"You have a visitor Jacuzzi."
Jacuzzi looked up at her confused, "Really? Who?"
"Me."
Eve moved to the side as the newcomer entered the room adjusting his slightly singed overcoat and smiling brightly as he scratched his head of white-streaked black hair.
Everyone froze.
"Aidan?!" Jacuzzi cried, his face a shade of white.
"Hey Jacuzzi long time no see, eh?" Aidan said, laughing warmly.
Nobody answered but glared at him, watching his every move.
"You guys are noisy as ever." Aiden continued.
He looked around the room at the glaring youths.
"Umm..." he reached into his coat, "I got something for you."
In that moment everyone in the room drew their weapons.
So, as promised we are in New York! I put in some description of Jacuzzi's situation because I don't know how far the anime went with that. Hopefully the banter between the delinquents wasn't too confusing. I liked how it was done in the novel and decided to adopt the style but it gets confusing who's talking when with multiple people. I'm debating whether to continue Aidan's story or if I should jump a few day's to when the other OC's + Graham reach NY but either way I'm hoping to write a fight scene soon :D.
Any comments, suggestions, or concerns are as always welcome.
Thanks for reading!