Thanks so much to the people who favorited/followed/reviewed after the last chapter! You guys are amazing!
KeepHopeStayWhelmed: You think so? The more I think about it, the more I like the idea...it really depends on what you guys think, haha ^.^ I'm so glad you liked that scene, though! I honestly felt really awkward writing it because my mother was sitting next to me the entire time. :| Hehe, Aerie certainly doesn't think they're perfect for each other bwahaha that might change though. ;) Yes...JUSTICE IS COMING FOR YOU VON TRAPPS (except you Alphonse, you're too cute)! Thanks so much for reviewing!
Savage Kill: Thanks, buddy! :) Was it really? It was awkward to write because my mother was sitting next to me the entire time I wrote it... :| But I'm glad you liked it! Hmm..that sounds interesting! I literally have no inspiration for anything at the moment XP I do, however, know what I'm doing in the next chapter. Thanks for the idea, and thanks so much for the review!
mks 12 98: :D I'm glad you like him! Thanks for reviewing!
XxFire-PhoenixxX: Hmm... I think because he's already a Yonko he will have already saved Fishman Island. But that other one sounds interesting! No, I'm not done with the Von Trapps quite yet... ;) Thanks for reviewing!
tuskkins: Haha that seems to be the general opinion now! I might just have to change it ;). Who knows?! Thanks so much for the review!
RainbowGuardian13: Really? Hmm...I only asked for an opinion cause I get a lot of reviews asking if I'll end up hooking the two of them up. The original plan was for it to happen at the very end, maybe even ten or so years after the story ends. But now I'm not so sure...I have a lot planned for them to become closer friends but not much after that. Did you like that scene? It was really hard for me to write because my mom was sitting next to me the entire time I wrote it. ^.^' Awkward! Thanks for the offer I may take you up on that someday! I think I know what I want to happen next, but I gotta get them out of the mansion first! As always, thanks for the review!
MonochromeRaven: Hah me either! I won't include him, I promise! Thanks for the review!
Guest: Fozzie Bear: Thanks!
Zecrea: Bwahaha! That was a fun scene to write! (Did you catch my Pirates of the Caribbean references?) That seems to be the popular opinion now, so I'll update the summary when I finish the chapter. :) Next one should be out relatively soon, let's see how much homework I have this week . Yes, they will be meeting other people. :D Yes, now that you mention it, they haven't used haki yet. That's because I don't feel as though Aerie is strong-willed enough for it...but soon! She, along with the others, will mature in time. Thanks for the review!
WARNING: This chapter contains a poor plot. Sorry guys. :(
Chapter 19: It's Complicated
It was dark when Marco woke up. His electric-blue eyes scanned the unfamiliar room for a moment, finally coming to rest on the fireplace. The fire had long since burned out, but the embers still glowed a bright red. In front of the fire, he could make out the silhouette of Aerie in the high-backed chair.
He slid off of the massive bed and stood up, actions that were annoyingly painful. He slowly walked up behind his friend in the chair.
She appeared to have fallen asleep reading the thick tome on her lap. Her head was tipped forward, chin resting on her chest. She hadn't changed clothes, either, from what he could see.
Gently, Marco lifted the book off of her lap and set it aside. He brushed her hair from her face and slid his arm down her back, the other one going behind her knees. She woke up just as he was lifting her from the chair.
Gold eyes snapped open and Aerie jerked in his grip. This startled Marco enough to accidentally drop her back on the chair. She immediately scrambled to her feet and around the back of the chair in order to escape his grasp.
"What are you doing?" She asked wearily.
Marco shrugged. "Taking you to bed," he answered nonchalantly.
Aerie gaped at him as her face reddened a bit. Thankfully, he couldn't see it in the dark. "Why?"
"You're tired. You need to sleep, too."
"Thank you, but I was perfectly fine where I was." She could practically see the disbelief on his face. "Besides, you're the injured one here. You need sleep more than I do."
Instead of pursuing the subject, like she assumed he would, he changed it. "What were you reading?"
"Crimes of the Century," she answered after a moment. "I was reading about some of the things that have been stolen around the world. A lot of the items mentioned were either highlighted or circled."
"Probably because we were the ones to steal them."
"That's what I figured. What did you do with the artifacts?"
She heard him shrug. "Sold 'em. Black market, shady dudes."
Aerie was somewhat surprised. "Really? You didn't keep any of them?"
"Why? Then the Marines would know for sure we stole them. We might as well have confessed at the crime scene. Of course," Marco added thoughtfully, "they knew it was us, but they never had the evidence to convict us. Father walked free at any trial he was ever put in. I've always figured that he has a deal of some sort with the Marines, too, to ensure we would not ever be found guilty."
Aerie stared at the glowing coals. It actually made sense. It explained how Lorenzo had accumulated so much money and yet remained almost anonymous in the world. He could probably afford to buy the Marines instead of just paying them to look the other way. So much for being upholders of justice.
She yawned loudly. She knew Marco was smirking at this, and she hated herself for being so tired all of the sudden.
"C'mon," he said, snagging her wrist in his long fingers, "bed."
All feelings of being tired left her mind again as she jerked her hand back. "No! We are not sleeping together!"
It took Aerie about two seconds to realize what she had just said. She moaned in embarrassment and slumped to her hands and knees. I can't believe I said that, and so loudly too! I really hope no one is awake to have heard that!
Marco sighed. He wasn't sure whether to be amused or annoyed by her antics. Although he did enjoy sometimes seeing her get flustered, he was extremely exhausted right now and wanted nothing more to sleep.
"Would it help if I promised to stay on one side of the bed?" He asked after a moment.
Aerie silently weighed her options. "I suppose it wouldn't be too bad..." she muttered, mostly to herself. She pushed herself back on to her feet and fixed a glare in the direction she heard his voice originate from. "But you better keep your hands to yourself!"
"Fine," Marco agreed in exasperation. "For goodness's sake, woman, just go to bed."
Satisfied with his answer, she made her way through the dark room to the enormous four-poster bed on the opposite wall. She lay down on it, as close to the edge as she dared. She felt the mattress shift as her commander got comfortable on the other side.
"G'night," she said quietly. Marco hummed in response, already half-asleep.
Lying on the soft bed, the day's events all caught up to Aerie, making her realize how tired she really was. Within seconds, she too was asleep.
~...~
Meanwhile, off the beach on the other side of the island, a certain pirate crew had just finished their plan to rob the Von Trapp mansion. Despite Eliza's warnings, Thatch devised a plot that would put even the most skilled thief to shame. Pops even approved of it too, laughingly telling the "crazy kid do whatever he wants".
Sometimes, Eliza seriously questioned her family's sanity.
However, the most infuriating part of the Fourth Division commander's ingenious plan was how he intended to involve the redheaded nurse.
"You want me to do what?" She practically screamed at him.
Thatch was unperturbed by her outburst. In fact, he seemed almost amused by it. "Now, now, Eliza, don't act like that. It's really not a bad deal, if I may say so myself."
"Only because you made it up," Izo muttered off to the side as he cleaned his pistols.
Thatch ignored him. "Besides," he continued, "it'll only be for a couple of days. After we loot the place, we can forget all about it."
Eliza groaned and slumped her head forward into her hands. She didn't like this whole scheme at all. "Fine," she sighed in defeat.
The pompadoured man snickered in victory. "Excellent." From out of nowhere, he produced an elegant charcoal gray dress, a black hat with a long feather, and some black heeled boots. "Now, if you'll be a dear and put these on..."
"What?! It's the middle of the night! You can't be possibly plannin' on leavin' now!"
"Well, no... I just wanna make sure you look good in this color. That's all."
Eliza glared at him. "Right, and I'm the bloody King of the Pirates."
"Oh, come on, no need to be mean. Besides, the earlier we start the better. We'll need all the time we can get for the plan to work. Which it will," he added, seeing the apprehension on her face.
After a moment, the nurse snatched the dress from his grasp. Groaning to herself at the expensive, silk fabric, she moaned, "I have a really bad feelin' about this."
Something seemed to occur to the white-suited man at that moment. "Oh, before I forget, can you fake another accent? We want to be convincing enough to fool these guys."
Eliza thought about it. "I'll see what I can do," she said eventually.
Thatch grinned. "Great. Meet me outside in, like, ten minutes. We'll start from there." He and Izo left the room, probably to get ready for their own parts in the act.
As she changed, Eliza felt a horrible sense of foreboding come over her. "I hope you know what you're doin', Thatch," she muttered to herself.
~...~
"Miss Aerie... Miss Aerie, wake up..."
Aerie rolled over in her sleep and hummed.
"Miss Aerie, please? It's almost noon."
Noon? I slept that long? With a small groan, her eyelids fluttered open. She was met with the sight of a beaming Alphonse.
"Hey, you're awake!" He said cheerfully.
"Is it really noon?" She asked tiredly.
"Yeah. I was getting bored watching you sleep, so I decided to wake you up!"
"I see." She rolled her head over and noticed Marco's side of the bed empty. The sheets were cold, too, meaning he had been gone for a while. "Where's Marco?"
"Dunno." The boy shrugged. "He came down for breakfast, bandaged and bruised. Father asked how he slept, and all he did was take a bagel, ask me to keep an eye on you, and leave." He chuckled. "Miss Withers nearly had a conniption when he wouldn't talk to anyone but me. Damien left, too, shortly after. Haven't seen either of them since."
Aerie took a moment to think about it. She couldn't help but wonder where her commander and his perverted brother had gone.
"Anyway," Alphonse continued, still with a bright smile, "c'mon it's time to get up! I've got something I wanna show you!"
Aerie shook her head and let out a small laugh. "Alright, you win, I'm coming."
She pushed back the covers and sat up on the bed. Alphonse took one look at her choice in attire before his face turned bright red and he quickly spun around.
"I'll...uh," he stammered, "I'll just wait outside." He rushed out of the room, shutting the door behind him.
Aerie stared at the closed door. How on Earth is he related to Marco and Damien? She wondered. Where Damien would have thoroughly enjoyed her outfit and Marco would have been indifferent, the boy became flustered at her clothing, or lack thereof.
She slid off the bed onto the cold wooden floor. She shed the garments she had worn the night before and found a white peasant's blouse in a drawer, along with some black pants. She pulled these clothes on, adding her pair of boots to the mix. Glancing in the mirror, she noted the sorry state of her hair and face. She yanked the still-curly hair into a ponytail and used a towel to wipe off the remnants of the makeup she had been forced to wear.
Finally deciding herself to be halfway presentable, Aerie opened the door to join Alphonse in the hall. He glanced at her apparel, looking more comfortable now that she was in actual clothes.
"Where are we going?"
He grinned, an action that lit up his young face. "You'll see," he said, grabbing her arm and pulling her down the hall to the secret passage. He took her in a different direction this time, leading her up a set of narrow stairs rather than down. They climbed in companionable silence.
After about ten minutes of leading her further and further upward, Alphonse stopped in front of a door. He pushed it open, allowing bright sunlight to stream into the passage.
Aerie raised a hand to shield her eyes as they adjusted to the light. When she opened them, she realized they were on a balcony overlooking the front of the estate. Her jaw dropped slightly at the view they had over the jungle. She could see over the canopy of trees, except for the taller ones. Far off in the distance, she could even see the glittering blue ocean.
"Wow..." She breathed, at a total loss for words.
Alphonse chuckled. "C'mon, we're not there yet." He gently tugged on her arm and led her up another set of stairs going up the side of the roof. At the top was a landing that wrapped around the backside of the peak they were at. Down this landing he guided her until they were behind the peak and on the flattest part of the roof.
He gestured with his hand at the object before them, releasing her arm in the process. "This is what I wanted to show you."
In front of them was a large, glass dome, possibly seventy feet in diameter. The glass panels were held in place by iron framework, elegantly crisscrossing the structure. Inside of the dome was what looked to be like forestry, with different shades of green and a multitude of colors sprouting from within.
"A greenhouse?" Aerie asked, turning to the younger boy.
He nodded excitedly. "Yeah, it's the only one like it! Wait 'til you see what's in it, though!" He once again gripped her arm and took her to the door leading inside.
Alphonse unlocked the door, also made of glass and iron, and passed through it. He didn't bother locking it behind them.
The plants were large from the outside, but being inside the greenhouse with them, Aerie could see they were enormous. Some of the trees and ferns nearly reached the ceiling of the dome!
"Don't touch that one," Alphonse warned, pointing at a decent-sized vine growing up the side of a tree. "It secretes acid that can burn through your skin."
Aerie nodded, storing the information away for later use. As they walked through the humid glass building, she noticed the acidic vine growing over a majority of the plants and across the ground.
"How come it hasn't burned through the rest of the foliage?" She asked.
"Dunno. Father hasn't let me experiment with it, he only uses it for a guard system. Technically, I'm not supposed to be up here."
She looked at him in surprise. "Why not?"
"Well," he ducked under a tendril of the acidic vine, "for one, that vine grows all over this place. It's 'too dangerous'," he hooked the first two fingers of each hand and shook them, "for me to be in here, seeing as I don't have a Devil Fruit that can regenerate my body if I get hurt. For two, Father keeps something in here he doesn't know I know is here. He doesn't want anyone, even the almighty Damien, coming up here."
"How'd you get a key?"
Alphonse tossed a mischievous smirk over his shoulder. "How else? I stole one from Miss Withers. Old bat has keys to everywhere in this place."
Aerie glanced around them. With a small start, she realized the plants behind them were actually leaning towards them as they walked away. In fact, some of the non-acidic vines were even following after them.
"Um, Alphonse?"
"Yeah?" He glanced over his shoulder over at her. "What's wrong, Miss Aerie?"
"Are the plants...following us?"
"Hmm?" He stopped and turned fully around at the creeping plants. "Oh, yeah. Sorry about that. It's normal." He turned back around and walked forward on the path through the foliage.
Normal?! Aerie mentally screamed, looking around at the vines and ferns. How is this considered normal?
Finally, Alphonse stopped. If Aerie could guess, she would say that they were in the center of the greenhouse. In front of them was a stone dais, supporting a large, metal box. Just like she had predicted, the acidic vines were growing all around the metal box.
"This is what I wanted to show you." Alphonse nodded at the box. "Inside that safe is the thing that Father is hiding."
"What is it?" Aerie asked.
Alphonse shrugged. "No idea. I think it's something he stole back in the day and decided to keep for himself."
The pirate hummed and examined the safe. There wasn't a combination lock, just a small keyhole in the center of the side facing the duo.
Aerie pointed at the keyhole. Before she could ask her question, he shook his head.
"Won't fit. Neither will any of the other keys that the witch has."
That must mean Lorenzo has it somewhere else. Still, I shouldn't even worry about it right now. "Why are you showing me this?"
Alphonse suddenly seemed very uncomfortable. He shifted from foot to foot and avoided eye contact with her. Sheepishly, he scratched the back of his head. "Well, you see..."
"What?"
"I...well... I was in one of the secret passages last night, and I happened to be in one of the walls to your room." He glanced at her to gage her reaction thus far. When receiving her curious look, he continued. "I heard you arguing with Marco in the bathroom. Then you must've come back into your room because I could hear the drawers of the wardrobe opening. Marco came back in after a few minutes and he asked about your books. You said something about wanting to find Father's weakness, so..." He trailed off.
Aerie nodded in understanding. "Makes sense. How do you even know whatever is inside is important?"
Alphonse made a wide sweeping gesture to the plants around them. "Why else would he surround it with acidic plants?"
"Touché."
Alphonse pulled back his sleeve to check his watch for the time. "Aw, is that the time?" He asked dejectedly. He looked at Aerie apologetically. "Sorry, but I need to get you out of here. Withers'll crap a chicken if I'm not downstairs in ten minutes."
Aerie told him it wasn't a problem. She took one last look at the metal safe before following him out of the greenhouse.
~...~
Marco really couldn't stand his family sometimes. Both of them. But, really, who doesn't reach that point somewhere in his life?
"Ah, how lovely the jungle is this morning, isn't sir?" Greeves, Damien's manservant, asked as they traipsed through the thick brush.
Damien hummed in agreement. "It certainly is, Greeves. Of course, this is no compare to the beautiful Miss Aerie."
Marco couldn't resist the urge to roll his eyes. All his older brother had been talking about this morning was about Aerie. His favorite topic was how "beautiful" the woman was and how he intended to persuade her to stay at the manor.
"Too bad she hates you, yoi," he said in a bored tone.
Damien whipped his head around to glare at his younger brother. "That can change."
"Don't bet on it."
"Marco, what would you know about the affairs of the heart?"
"I know she hates you."
Damien actually looked hurt. "How rude. But, never fear, brother, I shall win her heart with time."
"Have fun with that, yoi."
"Well, she seems to have a fondness for you," he said, giving the bandages crisscrossing Marco's torso a pointed look.
"That's what family does. We look out for each other."
The older man stopped and gazed at Marco with an unreadable look on his face. "Indeed," he murmured before continuing his trek through the jungle.
Marco frowned at his brother's back. He didn't exactly approve of his brother's fascination for his crew mate.
"Where are we even going, yoi?" He asked some time later.
Damien turned over his shoulder and smirked. "You'll see soon enough, dear brother."
~...~
Eliza was liking Thatch's plan less and less the further it progressed. The gray silk dress was uncomfortably hot in the humid jungle, and her hair was beginning to frizz in it's pinned position on the top of her head.
"Thatch, do you even know where this mansion is?" Izo asked irritably from behind her.
Thatch stopped and rubbed his goatee. "No idea," he finally admitted with a laugh. Izo released a heavy sigh while a tick mark appeared on Eliza's forehead.
"You're tellin' me we've been parading through this jungle for four hours and you have no idea where we're even goin'?" The redhead snapped.
"Yeah, pretty much." The man laughed again.
The three walked on in silence. Thatch was still emitting an air of confidence and happiness, while Eliza and Izo were contemplating knocking him out and dragging his sorry butt back to the ship.
Finally, they reached a clearing in the trees. It revealed a wide field, surrounded by an iron fence and limestone pillars. The three pirates faced the backside of an enormous mansion, also made out of limestone. Inside the fence, guards patrolled back and forth across the lawn.
Thatch tossed a victorious smirk at his companions. "Found it," he sang.
Eliza rolled her eyes but didn't reply. Izo gave his brother a disproving look before leading the way to the front gate.
As the three approached the gate, a voice called out from behind them, "Hold it! Where do you think you're going?"
They turned around, to come face-to-face with several gun barrels. The men holding them were completely dressed in black, and their heads were covered in shiny plastic helmets.
Thatch put his hands up in the universal sign for surrender, motioning the others to follow suit. He put on his most charming smile. "Come now, gentlemen, there's no need for that."
"State your name and your business." One of the men, presumably the leader, ordered harshly.
"I," Thatch lifted the high silk hat off his head and bowed dramatically at the waist, "am Count Reginald Howell the Fifth. This is my wife, Countess Scarlett Howell, and my manservant, Nancy. We wish to speak to Master Von Trapp. We have a business proposition for the chap."
Eliza almost winced at Thatch's horrible accent, but managed to keep the false fear on her face. Izo, however, scowled at the name Thatch made up for him.
"Do you?" The helmeted man asked suspiciously. "Do you have an appointment with the master?"
Thatch grinned sheepishly. "Well, my good fellow, no. No we don't. We were hoping he would simply hear us out if he was unavailable."
The man was about to reply again when someone from behind asked: "What's going on here, Captain?" They each turned to see three men approaching from the jungle.
"Master Damien, I did not realize you were away!" The captain hurriedly pointed his gun at the ground. He gestured to the three visitors. "They wish to see Master Lorenzo."
"They do?" The one named Damien asked quietly. He looked at each of the pirates carefully. One man had long black hair pulled into a ponytail at the based of his head, and wore a black tuxedo. The other man had auburn hair, also in a ponytail, but wore a business suit, a monocle, and a high silk hat. The third, a beautiful redheaded woman, was in a charcoal colored dress and a black hat, which sat at an angle on her head.
At once, he was all charm. "My friends, welcome! My name is Damien Von Trapp. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance." He shook both of the men's hands and kissed the knuckles of the woman.
"The pleasure is all ours, I assure you!" Thatch pulled the blond into a friendly hug. "I am Count Reginald Howell the Fifth. This is my wife, Scarlett, and my manservant, Nancy."
Damien extracted himself from the embrace and smiled. "Please, follow me. This heat is dreadful, and it is much more pleasant inside." He offered his arm to Eliza, who accepted it with a demure smile. He unlocked the gate and began walking toward the house.
"Lead the way, D-Man!" Thatch let out a hearty laugh and walked beside him. Izo followed at a respectable distance. The blond's two companions walked behind him. Once through the gate, the guards locked it and presumed their patrols.
Thatch turned his head over his shoulder to look at the other blond man. "I say, dear fellow, what happened to you?" He gazed pointedly at the bandages covering his torso.
Damien looked at his younger brother, silently telling him to keep quiet. "My poor brother was mauled by a bear, I'm afraid. We barely managed to find him in time."
"Poor man," Eliza murmured, giving him a sympathetic look.
"Oh, don't worry, madame. He's a fighter. Aren't you, Marco?"
Marco gave a noncommittal shrug, but didn't reply.
Damien gave a strained smiled. "Please forgive him, he doesn't have the best manners."
"Perfectly understandable, old chap." Thatch grinned at the older man. "Some people just don't have as much class as fellows such as you and I. Am I right, Nancy?"
Izo snorted at the statement, but covered it with a cough. "Of course, sir. You are the classiest of them all."
~...~
Alphonse and Aerie quickly ran down through the passages to the ballroom. Just as the young man had predicted, Miss Withers was not happy to see them.
"Master Alphonse, you are late," she sniffed. "Where have you been?"
"Around," he answered cryptically. "What's it to you?"
"I don't appreciate that tone of voice, young master." The nurse narrowed her already beady eyes.
Alphonse casually poured himself a glass of sherry from a crystal pitcher. He took a sip before answering. "Too bad. You're not my mother."
Withers looked like she was about to erupt. However, she was saved by one of the butlers walking in.
"Ah, Master Alphonse," he greeted pleasantly. "Are you ready for your dance lesson?"
Dancing? Aerie wondered. That's what we were almost late for?
Alphonse shrugged and handed the glass over to Miss Withers, who accepted it with a scowl. "Sure thing, George. Let's get this over with."
The butler, George, walked over to the piano on one side of the room. He pushed off the cover and sat at the bench.
"Are you ready, sir?" He asked.
Alphonse shrugged again. Miss Withers set the glass of sherry down and stood facing the young blond. As soon as George began playing, the unusual couple began waltzing across the floor.
Aerie couldn't help but gawk at the pair. Miss Withers was constantly barking out instructions to the poor kid, who would snap out a sharp retort. George winced at their constant bickering, and he abruptly stopped playing.
"Ah, Miss Withers," the butler said tentatively. "Perhaps Master Alphonse would perform better if he had a different dancing partner."
The hag scowled at him. "And who would you suggest that be, George? The rest of the female staff despises the little monster."
George cleared his throat awkwardly. "Well, I'm aware of that, Miss Withers, but Miss Aerie here doesn't seem to mind him. Maybe she could try...?" He shot a pleading glance in her direction.
Aerie got the hint. "Sure, I don't mind dancing."
Miss Withers moved away from Alphonse and Aerie took her place. She took one of his hands in her own and put the other on his shoulder. He put his other hand on her waist. George started playing the piano again and they moved across the floor.
"Where did you learn to dance, Miss Aerie?" Alphonse asked.
She shrugged. "My dad taught me. I had to go to a lot of formal events with him when I was younger."
He nodded, going quiet. The song came to a close and the pair stopped dancing.
Immediately, the sound of clapping echoed through the large room.
"Miss Aerie, that was simply wonderful!" Damien said, strolling into the room. Marco rolled his eyes and leaned against the doorframe.
"Thanks," she replied politely. She made eye contact with Marco before glancing at the bandages around his chest. Her eyes were then drawn to the other three people who entered the room behind Damien, and she had to resist the urge to facepalm.
"Well now, Damien, old chap, who is this young lady?" Thatch asked, a shit-eating grin on his face.
"A friend of Marco's," the blond answered smoothly. "She's visiting for the weekend."
"She's a pirate!" Alphonse added excitedly. "Aren't you, Miss Aerie?"
Damien sighed and shot a glare at his youngest brother. Aerie nodded, and said, "Yep."
Eliza wrinkled her nose, as if she were disgusted. "Oh, darling, get away from her. You don't know where she's been."
Thatch laughed and put an arm around Aerie's shoulders. "Nonsense, my sweet! Any friend of the Von Trapps is a friend of ours!" He hugged her close to his torso.
"If you say so," Eliza muttered uncertainly.
Aerie couldn't believe this was happening. It was bad enough she and Marco had been taken prisoner here, now these three walked in willingly?
"Miss Aerie, Alphonse, this is Count Reginald Howell the Fifth, his wife Scarlett, and their manservant, Nancy." Damien introduced them.
"Nice to meet you," she said, extracting herself from Thatch's embrace.
Alphonse stuck a finger up his nose. "What kinda name is Nancy?"
Izo sighed irately. "I'll tell you once I know, young master." He shot a pointed glare at Thatch, who ignored it.
The auburn-haired man adjusted his monocle. "Now then, D-Man, where is your old man at? I really must discuss business with him."
Damien smiled charmingly. "I shall notify him of your presence. Please wait here." He turned and left the room, Miss Withers and George following behind him.
As soon as they were out of earshot, Marco snapped, "What the hell do you think you guys are doing, yoi?!"
"We could ask you two the same thing," Izo said, crossing his arms. "Where have you guys been the past three days?"
"And since when have you had two brothers?" Thatch asked, pointing at the young Von Trapp boy.
Alphonse frowned and looked at his older brother. "Wait...you know these guys?"
Marco pinched the bridge of his nose. "Doesn't matter. Why are you here?"
Thatch smirked and put his hands on his hips. "We're gonna rob 'em blind!" He declared.
The room was silent. Finally, Aerie said, "Please tell me you're joking."
"Of course I'm not! Why would I?"
"Because you don't want to do that," Marco said impatiently. "Trust me, Thatch, this family is not people you can just mess with."
"Why not?" Asked Eliza.
Marco sighed. "Look, my father-"
"FATHER?!" The three supposed-thieves shouted.
"Yes, father. He isn't afraid of anything. He will do whatever it takes to get even; whatever it takes to settle a score." He ran a hand through his hair. "I'd hate to see you idiots get hurt over something as stupid as trying to steal from him."
"You're one to talk," Izo snorted, looking pointedly at the bandages. "What happened to you?"
"Long story, yoi."
"That's not an answer," Thatch said, crossing his arms.
"It doesn't matter what happened, what matters is we get out of here." Upon seeing their unsatisfied faces, he sighed again. "Does Pops know you're here?"
"Yeah, but he doesn't know you're here." Eliza pointed out. "Why haven't you contacted us?"
"He was catching up with dear old dad," Alphonse answered. "Besides, the only long-distance den-den in the house is in father's office."
"We have one, in case anyone tries to contact us," Izo said.
"Good," Marco replied. "You should hold on to it. Don't let anyone, especially Withers or Damien, take it."
"Take what, dearest brother?" Damien asked, reentering the ballroom.
"Take you out to dinner, Aerie," Marco ad-libbed. "He'll probably drag you off to some dive and expect you to pay the bill."
"Come now, don't be rude to the D-Man!" Thatch cried. "I'm sure Miss Aerie would have a wonderful evening with the dude!" He nodded conspiratorially at Damien. "I got your back, bro," he stage whispered.
"Thank you," Damien muttered. He smiled pleasantly. "Father can see you now."
HOLY GUACAMOLE GUYS, DID YOU KNOW THIS STORY HAS REACHED OVER 12,000 VIEWS?! I LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!
Haaaaa...okay now that that's over, I'm so sorry for the late update and the poor quality of the chapter. I'm not really satisfied with this one, at all.
On a more positive note, I was really pleased with the results of my question that I asked last time. If you haven't noticed, I changed the story summary, but not the genre, as romance will not be the main focus of this fic, just a little something extra for you awesome dudes. :)
Thanks for reading! Please favorite, follow, and review!
From the U.S. With Love,
Batman
*Update: Sorry, it's been so long, I forgot I already used the name Silas in this arc. Thatch's new fake name is Reginald.