Author's Note: Well hello there once again! Thank you so much to the one person who was sweet and left a review. but at the same time I am not doing this for the reviews. It is all for a good bit of fun; that and because writing has always been very therapeutic for me. It feels so good to come back and write for my Lupin OCs, the boys, and Fujiko. Especially with Part V out of the way and more specials coming out. Just saw the new Koike film trailer (Fujiko's Lie) and omg ya'll! It is lit!
Here is a little bit of a tidbit: When it came to rewriting this series with my old OC's, Suiza never had any living relatives besides her brother. Now, I decided to give her a grandmother who would essentially be her mentor and model when it came to running the family business. I as obviously inspired by Diana Rigg's portrayal of Olenna Tyrell (The Queen of Thorns) from Game of Thrones. I think you will notice in this chapter how much Martin's world building and writing has influenced me.
Once again, I do not own Lupin. The song used in this chapter is by Notorious BIG (RIP)
Ghost Opera
Chapter Two: Mo Money, Mo Problems
"We don't play around, it's a bet, lay it down."
-The Palace Hotel-
"So what's our move then?" Jigen asked.
Lupin then revealed three tickets to the San Francisco Opera's performance of The Marriage of Figaro. "Why my dear friend, we catch a show. And it's a hot ticket, apparently Momma Shikibu there is well known and extremely sought after in the opera world."
"Were they expensive?"
"Oh boy were they." Lupin groaned, "Nowadays Opera and Broadway get you with such expensive prices.
Goemon shrugged as he looked at one of the tickets, "The poster art is beautiful I admit."
"Wouldn't it have been easier to just go undercover? Go backstage as I don't know, prop handlers, customers, hell, I wouldn't have minded being an usher." Jigen asked.
"I considered it, believe me. But there is a minor complication." Lupin replied.
"Is that another thing you don't want to elaborate?"
"Someone else is after the Emerald of Hesse, and it is someone we do not want to mess with. They call her "The She-Wolf of France", that is all I know."
"And she's already behind the scenes of the production?"
"She's one of the performers," Lupin said as he showed his friends The San Francisco Chronicle's "Drama and the Arts" section of the paper. He showed the men a photograph of the ballerina dancers that were set to perform in the production they were going to attend. He had marked the frontwoman with a red marker, showing a woman with blonde hair and blue eyes. "Genevieve Bermont is her name, but I have a feeling it's an alias. The She-Wolf of France is a revolutionary. Fancy word for "terrorist"."
"What would a terrorist want with the Emerald of Hesse?" Goemon asked.
"Maybe she needs money to fund her "revolutions"? Who knows," Lupin shrugged, "all I do know, is that we must be only did she send me a very cryptic email letting me know she is after it, but she made her presence known throughout the city." He went into his coat pocket, taking out some photos of street graffiti around San Francisco. One each of the photos, was the simple sigil of a wolf spray painted onto a wall. "It is her calling card. Know this gentlemen, it's not just the Shikibu's we need to worry about, it's her as well."
"Stay humble, stay low, blow…"
-Entrance to the San Francisco Police Department-
A cab pulled up in front of the SFPD's second precinct police department, out of it emerged a woman in her mid-to-late thirties. She had red hair that was tied back into a neat ponytail, her beige trenchcoat complimented her brown leather heeled boots. Her eyes were covered by her Burberry sunglasses. "Um, miss? That will be 21.50 for the ride." The cab driver said.
The woman went into her brown Vivienne Westwood purse, took out a matching wallet and pulled out twenty-five dollars from it. She gave the money to the cab driver, "You may keep the rest," She said in her thick Scottish accent. As the cab left the curb, the woman walked in. She took in the scent of strong coffee and terrible floor cleaner, and proceeded to the front desk, where a woman in a police uniform stood, "Hello, welcome to the SFPD's second precinct office, how may I help you?"
"Hello, my name is Inspector Sandra Mackenzie Campbell, I am with ICPO" The red-headed woman spoke as she went into her boxy purse and took out her photo ID and badge, "I am here to speak with your chief of police concerning a matter of the utmost importance."
"What sort of matter?"
She took off her sunglasses, revealing her green eyes, "A possible terrorist threat."
"I don't know what they want from me, it's like the more money we come across, the more problems we see. "
-Across the Bay, a mansion in the Montclair District of Oakland, California."
"Nothing is finer on a day off from rehearsal than tea on the terrace, wouldn't you say so dear?" Miya said as she looked at her granddaughter. Miya's gray hair was put up in a modest style, almost complementing the black long sleeved dress she wore.
"Aren't you hot in that nana?" Suiza asked, she herself wore a blue top that showed off her midriff, revealing her pierced belly button along with black dress pants. She took a sip of the ice tea she had, looking at the dried Oakland Hills.
"Nonsense, there is a fine breeze, besides didn't I always tell you not to wear short blouses, your stomach will get chilled and you will get sick."
Suiza laughed, "Grandmother, that's worse than when mother used to tell me that if I walked barefoot in the house I'd catch a cold. Give me scientific evidence to support those statements, and I will follow them"
"Fine, don't heed my advice."
"Only on that front, Nana. Besides," Suiza sighed as she overlooked all the files she had on the table in front of them, "I didn't realize the business was on the brink of failure, good thing I am now taking over at the most opportune time in the Bay Area."
"Some might say you're benefiting from this crisis."
"Let them say what they want, what was it grandfather used to say? "If you rile the tiger, he will show his claws"?"
"Yes, but that speech you gave to KRON 4 yesterday, your whole "saving your family and hometown." And yet you're making money off building subsidized housing and land development. Some would call you greedy."
"I'm all for social reforms, Nana. But unfortunately, this country was never kind to people like us, we had to learn to scrap and fight, and earn our keep. Let the press or the local gangs think what they want. I am doing what I need to do to save the Bay, and our family. This tour is my way to meet with our investors and the other families, the Shikibu family isn't fading."
"Then right now you must decide Susanna, what kind of leader, what kind of Queen you want to be." Miya took a sip of her warm green tea, she placed the cup on the small plate as she took a deep breath, "When your grandfather proposed to me, my father flatout told him no. It was very much a "Old money versus new money" scenario. But Sojiro was ever persistent, and in all honesty, I took it as my chance of real and true personal freedom. Especially when mentioned his plans of wanting to set up business in America.. He presented that ring, telling me that it once belonged to another Queen, one who let her favorite granddaughter marry for love. And if my father wouldn't let me marry him, then he would take me to America with him no matter the outcome."
"And you went with him?"
"Well at first I had to fight off other women he seemed interested in, once I showed him what I could do, he never even made a second glance at those harlots" Both Miya and Suiza laughed, "Oh I was good," She winked, "You, are even better. When Josuke, your dearly-departed father came with us to Switzerland to see me perform in Magic Flute as the Queen of the Night, he was stricken by a young soprano who played Pamina. I believe you know of whom I am speaking of."
"My mother."
She nodded, "Yes, Eva Macedo was a beauty. Beautiful voice as well, I was amazed by her talent for a woman as young as her, and of course the connections and pedigree your mother had. But my son was enamored, Sojiro almost opposed, and was more afraid of how the Yakuza back home would react. That's when I reminded him of how we eloped, and that is when I told him "If you rattle the tiger, you get the claws." That's right, I taught my husband that. And it is how he let your parents get married, despite a ridiculous bylaw of blood purity. Correct me if I am wrong but wasn't that notion used to commit genocide of mass groups of people?"
Suiza nodded.
"It isn't rare in this day and age to find multi-ethnic people." Miya scoffed, "Blood purity, ridiculous. Go back to Japan and see those little men knock-up young American tourists they find attractive, and they want to preach about blood purity. You know as well as I do, that this American nation was founded on immigrants. If we wanted to make our money solely back home in Japan, we would've stayed there, and not plant roots here in America. The point I am coming to my dear is this, be clever, be calculating, be a tiger. Isn't that the symbol Sojiro chose for us?"
"Yes," Suiza answered as she looked at her grandmother.
"The White Tiger of the West, how fitting." She chuckled, "I hope you will heed my advice, Susanna. Not just for the sake of our family, but for yourself. Remember, never forget what you are, for the world will surely not; make it your strength so it can never be your weakness. Armour yourself in it, so it can never be used against you."
"Another one of your wise words?"
Miya laughed, "No, I got that from reading George R. R. Martin."
"Know you'd rather see me die than to see me fly."
-San Francisco Police Department-
"Coffee Miss. Campbell?" The chief police asked Sandra, "Or I am assuming you prefer tea."
"Not all Brits have tea IVed to us, I am fine with coffee, two sugars please. Regular, that artificial shite is bad for you." Sandra said as she took off her trenchcoat, showing off her dark brown designer slacks and white button-up blouse.
The chief got Sandra the coffee, placing it on his desk close to the chair she was sitting in. "Okay," He started as he sat down, looking over the files Sandra gave him when she came in, "You said ICPO sent you here due to a possible terrorist threat, is that right?"
Sandra nodded, "Yes. I was given this case recently by my chief. Turns out this woman has made quite a name herself, incidents in Europe, the Middle East, Africa. Some consider herself a revolutionary, others consider her a pest, particularly law enforcement. So far, she has killed three officers of the law in Germany, South Africa, and Israel. She is also wanted for war crimes and inciting riots in Moldova, Dunkesk, and She Wolf of France, Genevieve Lupin."
"Lupin?" The chief asked dumbfoundedly, "Is she related to the master thief Arsene Lupin III?"
Sandra nodded, "She is his older half sister."
"I don't get it, how does a woman from a family of thieves decide to become a terrorist?"
"She probably took footnotes from her father, Arsene Lupin II wasn't exactly a saint. He may have been a thief, but he was messier and chaotic than his own father."
"So why come to San Francisco?"
"A source of mine from MI6 has evidence that points to the She Wolf being here, for what purposes no one can say. If what they presented to me is true, then we need to act quickly. This woman considers herself a revolutionary, the downtrodden believe so as well. She is no hero, make no mistake, if we do not act the same things that have happened in those other countries may come to California."
The chief nodded, "I understand, I will get in contact with the FBI and the CIA, see what resources we can pool."
"Aye, thank you, I will be staying at the Palace hotel if you need me." Sandra went to her purse, grabbed her wallet, and took out a business card, "Here is my cell, I just acquired an American number, my email is there as well." She said as she gave the chief her card.
"Will do, ma'am."
"Yo, I thought I told you that we won't stop."
-War Memorial Opera House, next day-
Suiza sighed as she walked through the backdoor of the opera house. She was dressed casually in a light blue blouse, black dress pants, and black flats. She held a cup of warm peppermint tea in her hand, her right hand clutching her Louis Vuitton bag. She walked up to the elevator, pushed the button to go down. Another woman walked up to her, her light blue eyes admiring her ring, "My goodness, that is a beautiful ring," the woman said in a French accent.
"Thank you, it was my grandmother's." Suiza smiled back.
"Oh, you're Susanna Shikibu! Your grandmother is the legendary Miya Shimada isn't she?!"
Suiza chuckled, "Yes, it seems I can't get away from my nana's shadow."
"Oh not at all, try having a prima ballerina for a mother, it's why I went into this profession. Oh where are my manners? You're Susanna, and I am Genevieve, Genevieve Bermont. I am one of the ballerina ensemble dancers."
"Wonderful to meet you," Suiza smiled, "So the ballet company is from France is it not?"
"Well the company is from the UK, but a lot of us are French. I'm from Blois."
"Wow, I've only been to Paris and Tours, lovely country." The elevator dinged, opening its doors letting the women in. "Going down?"
"Yes, meeting up with the dance director to finalize the routine. Yourself?"
"Dressing room, then to the vocal coach, and later to the costume department. I swear, opening night can't come any closer."
"One more week." Genevieve said cheerfully. The elevator went down, it stopped when it got to the first basement room which had the dressing rooms.
"Excuse me Genevieve, this is my stop. I hope to see more of you at least before opening."
"As do I, take care." Genevieve waved as she watched Suiza leave the elevator. Once the elevators closed, Genevieve stopped smiling, she growled, "This shit better be worth it in the end Albert." She muttered to herself.
Suiza turned to her right, walking down the hall to her dressing room, which was the last one. "Oh, Miss Shikibu," a brunette with glasses smiled as she walked up to her.
"Oh, Miss Francine," Suiza replied, "Here to bring me more fan mail and gifts?"
Francine smiled and nodded as she gave Suiza a small pile of letters and a bouquet of red roses with a card. "Secret admirer maybe?" Francine asked.
"I don't think so, it honestly can be from a fan." Suiza sighed tiredly as she went to open the door to her dressing room.
"Oh, let me," Francine opened the door and turned on the lights, the room illuminated brightly once the lights were on.
"Thanks again," Suiza smiled as she went to put her bag, tea, the letter, and flowers on top of the vanity, "I am sorry to bother you, but can you get me one of the water bottles from the pack? I forgot to pack my carrier."
"Of course Miss Shikibu," Francine smiled as she walked out. Francine paused for a moment as she noticed a stain on her blouse, she turned around to try and dust it off. Had she had a smaller bust, she would've fixed it without shame. "Alas, I am only playing this getup till I get my hands on that Emerald…"
Back in Suiza's dressing room, the singer was admiring the roses she had received. It wasn't new, many fans and secret admirers had sent her flowers. She took out the card, it was red with gold accents on it. She turned it over and read the message.
"At the end of the opening night of Marriage of Figaro, I will abscond with you, and The Emerald of Hesse.
Signed, Lupin III."