Nemo me Impune Lacessit 2.9
Masks, ever since capes had been a staple of Earth Bet life, masks and double lives had been important, it doesn't just protect a cape from getting shanked in his civilian life it also protects those closest to you and right now getting Greg to wear a mask is an objective before all of us make the hit, that and also masks for the sorceresses.
"I understand the need for masks but I'm pretty sure people already know me" he said as he took an interest to a Tengu mask almost putting it on his face before reconsidering and putting it down with his face scrunched in disgust "I don't like the long nose" he simply states as Lung began piling up other masks.
"Well since you are quite a figure in the city, we had to have the element of surprise by masking you as a new cape would make the Empire 88 and the PRT be a bit surprised and can't make a reaction out of it" Greg took a fox mask and then put it on his face, clearing his throat.
"Call me Gwynbleidd" he said in a raspy voice Taylor looks at Lung and the two sighs.
"No Greg we are not going to use Geralt of Rivia's title, we don't want the Heiress apparent of Nilfgaard to sue us for copyright infringement" Lung said as Greg removed the fox mask "and also that's not a wolf mask that's a fox, mostly worn by women" he states and with those words Greg quickly put the mask back on the table. It was still strange to look at Lung as anything more than a gang leader.
Taylor remembers that Lung had been once responsible for trafficking drugs, guns, and women around the city, and yet from what she could understand Lung let his men do whatever they wish around his territory so long as they don't challenge his authority, she thought and it was rather surprising that Lung seems to be more friendly to Greg than him to the Protectorate, considering another fact was that he had already decided to brutally crack down his own illegal activities after the Witchers left Brockton bay.
"I might use the fox one" she said as she took the mask and then put it on her, this fits Lisa more than me, "Tattletale should have this mask it fits the shape of her face"
"Ah yes Tattletale she truly is a foxy kitsune" did he just?
"Hands off creepy old man" Greg quips as Lung barks a laughter.
"That shit is so...fuck you!" even Taylor had to laugh at that as finally Greg decided on a crow mask.
"This looks right up my alley" he said as he notes the details of the mask "Lung, what's Japanese for crow?"
"Karasuba"
"This seems fitting for me just for this" with that said Lung then left stating that he will relay messages with the sorceresses should they begin their move leaving Greg and Taylor.
"I'm sorry if you had to get caught up in this"
"Taylor..." Greg looks at her "He's your dad" he simply states "we may not meet eye to eye what with me being a Witcher and having a dangerous job twenty-four/seven with a survival rate of twenty percent and him being someone who understandably tries to shield you from the world and all its collective darkness but we both had something we can agree on..."
"We don't want harm coming to those whom we cherish"
A blush creeps on her cheeks "uh-uh that's...fine...anyway" damn him.
"Who's idea is it anyway?" he asks as Taylor then looks back at him.
"Huh?"
"Blue balling me? Handcuffing me at the bedpost? Poking and prodding me? Making me a human body pillow?"
Oh "it was Emma's idea, not that I am complaining" she said smiling with good humor "we have been planning to get back at you since you left but then you surprised us so we have to improvise"
"Women..." he mutters as Taylor clapped his shoulder.
"Oh you'll recover from that you big baby and besides..." she winks at him "you seem to like it" he shrugs at that not denying or agreeing and she then leads him at the back of the spice shop, at their locker room Taylor then proceeded the third of the locker revealing it to be empty but then she pulled out a switch which she then press a button opening a false panel at a cabinet located at the end of the locker room.
Taylor opens the cabinet revealing a set of bombs, potions, and a set of civilian style Kevlar jackets "you have been getting busy while I was away it seems" Greg states and whistles as he began to remove his armor.
"Not actually, the Spice shop was actually an abandoned ABB listening post, me and Emma never knew about it until we found the cache here three months before you reappeared, we planned to sell the cache at a profit but then decided we might be needing it and also she uses this to store some of her bombs, from Zerrikanian sun bombs to Dimeritium bombs" she watches as Greg began to put in some of the gear, testing the gloves and also the jacket if it fits him.
"The Empire 88 will think that I'm some new ABB cape, that'll catch them off guard" Greg surmises and Taylor agrees with that as she looks at the final result of all the dressing up before her, he certainly looks like a bulkier version of Oni Lee, she observes as Greg puts on the Crow mask.
"I need to suit up as well" she said as Greg nods and then leaves the room to give her privacy.
When she leaves the room wearing her choice of gear, a black t-shirt, a tight pants with a combat strap covered by the Kevlar jacket, she saw Greg looking at her up and down, eyes widening "you look..." he hesitates, Taylor could see a blush on his face "...sexy that is" he is trying to cover his blush now.
Am I? She had always heard from Lisa that she was good looking if she only looks for something that would accentuate her figure but she had never heard it from anyone other than her and Emma that is, Emma and Lisa had curves in the right places, even Sophia herself had one despite being a hard, buff tomboy "stop it, flattery wont give you any kind of reward" she said and Greg raises his hand.
"Hey, I'm not flattering you to save my life, I'm just saying the truth you do look sexy on that" he defends himself with a smile.
"So what are we going to do first?" she asked as Greg put a hand on his chin as he was on a deep thought there was a knock on the door and the two looked at each other and nod.
They went to the front door of the Spice shop and when they opened they are surprised to see a young teen in front of them "I finally found you, mother said..." the boy said with hate and desperation on his voice as he shook his head and then approach Greg.
"Please you have to help me save Aster from father!" Taylor looks at Greg as his face was paler than his hair.
"Theo?"
Danny was pushed to the ground by one of the Empire 88 thugs, first consider where you are, he thought as he looks around and then saw a sanitized floor and some cleaning materials all around the corner, a janitor's room and could be under a hospital.
"Are you alright?" a little girl's voice made him look up from where he was, oh God they also take children too? There were no words to describe as the little girl approached him helped him up.
"Did they take you?" the girl shook her head as she removes the zip tie freeing his hands.
"I work here" is she an Empire 88 cape? If this was some form of torture Danny had to steel his mind and prepare for the inevitable, no way in hell will I-, the little girl shook her head "no not what you think..." she began as she looks around the place before turning her attention back to Danny, her eyes pleading.
"Father said that my powers are only useful for keeping the place clean" the girl said, the tone of her voice sad. "They made me collect roaches, lice, and worms in one place and the pest control would kill them all" Danny approaches her as she sniffles, fighting back tears.
"It hurts when I watched them die" she said as Danny embraces her.
"Hey kid its fine, its fine, no need to be sad" he reassures as the girl began to cry out, he pushes her gently "what's your name kid?" he asks as the girl smiles weakly, all traces of sadness and desperation now gone, just like Taylor whenever she felt sad, Danny thought as green eyes and hazel brown ones meet.
"Aster Ru-Anders and you mister?"
"Danny...Hebert" he said as Aster smiles more brightly.
"Nice to meet you Mr. Hebert!" she said enthusiastically as she detached herself from him "you don't have to worry much" she said her voice filled with such innocent hope that Danny couldn't help but be caught up in it.
"I wish I have your enthusiasm little girl" he said as Aster turns from him and then from one of the desk she pulls out a phone and shows it to him.
"My brother says that he is looking for help to take me out of this place, away from father..." she states, her voice despite the cheery demeanor still have some traces of uncertainty behind it.
"Your father?"
"H-he's...Kaiser" the girl simply said but Danny could tell from the distress in the little girl's voice that whatever relationship both father and daughter had it was far from being happy.
"You're not joking are you?" he asks as the girl shook her head and the look on her eyes made him believe her.
"Please Mr. Hebert I-I don't like this the same way as you do but my f-father is a powerful man" yeah he's the leader of a neo-Nazi gang, not that Danny was one to blame the sins of the father to their children but still there was a bit of suspicion against Aster on his part, what kind of monster would try and indoctrinate their child earlier to whatever they do? He remembers that while he and Annette often talk about business they both made it their child's choice if she wants to join in or not.
The door opens and both of them flinched "I am disappointed in you Aster..." came a voice as Danny turns and then saw the armored form of Kaiser "when I told you to guard the prisoner, I didn't tell you to release and socialize with him" for such a small girl Aster's glare was hateful and borderline murderous on Danny's view.
"He doesn't have to be treated like an animal, father"
"Aster...your mother...she betrayed us...she betrayed me..." Kaiser said as Aster only snorts.
"No father she didn't, mother wanted more for us! Not your silly dress up gang! Not your hypocrisy!" a backhand slap sent Aster reeling on the ground.
"Hey!" Danny shouts coming towards the defense of the little girl "how could you do that to your own daughter?" he demands as Kaiser glares at him.
"Maybe you should be asking why you were involved in the first place" Kaiser said as he turns "but of course you are involved with the Witcher, so you knew what you are getting into, the same as my wife did when I killed her myself"
The Journals of Gregory Veder, the Bloody Eagle of Alamut Castle
Memories have been coming back, some still fuzzy but whenever I meet or see something familiar it becomes clear.
Fate had a cruel sense of humor, as Khalid always told me. I helped Kayden give birth to Aster, what I thought back then was that I was doing something good, I helped bring forth a child to the world despite the corniness it implies, it felt good to help. I didn't think that it would lead to some kind of a connection, that for some reason I became somewhat of an uncle to both Aster and Theo, Kaiser's children. I never made the connection between that single mother and Empire 88 until Kayden went open to me about it.
She told me about the Empire 88, their operations, their businesses, and their connection to Coil and how to fight them should Coil use them as some kind of a defense against Khalid and I, after we left Brockton bay, Kayden must have paid the prize for her betrayal and it all went back to me helping her give birth to Aster. It must've been some full circle when Theo came in front of the Spice shop demanding I help him save his sister.
I went against Coil because he was a threat not just to Dinah but to people close to me, the same could be said of Kaiser, he has threatened Taylor by kidnapping her father, and if anything I promised to myself that no one will ever try to threaten people close to me. It wasn't even a threat, it was a promise that I will have to fulfill now and forever.
Author's note: this will be a fifteen to twenty chapter arc so yeah this will be long but still that reveal what do you think of it? Anyway like I said on the SB infodump I did more will come but its just its a busy year for me as I am looking for a job and having failed law school entrance exam I had to review now for Civil Service despite it being suspended so yeah sad for me.
Criticisms and Praises are appreciated!
Miko 56