Russian Blue
by Rainy
edited by Nariel
Comments by adorable writer: Yes, I am adorable and you know it! Okay, this is chapter 4, as edited by Nariel who BTW has been doing a great job at this. The chapter's title is Dorian, as I did not think of any song that would actually go with it. Sanami Matoh is the owner of Fake, a manga that this fic relates to. I am the owner of other characters and my own little piece of room emporium.
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Chapter 4
Returning to work was a bit harder than he thought after the long absence. But his friends seemed sympathetic when they saw him again, mostly welcoming him back and giving him pats on the back in a manner of manly comradely. He was grateful for this. But then again, it did seem a bit lonely, his desk now.
Nothing had been touched. It was as if they were expecting him to show up any given day. Ok, so he was being overdramatic – he'd only been away for a couple of weeks… But somehow he'd expected a drama, kind of like the one he saw on that Mexican movie, when these people's life turned around a car accident and there was this big dog that this guy fought in illegal dog fights so he could get his brother's girl…
"You're a lose cannon, Randy!" Berkeley would have screamed at him, "You go away all these days and still expect to have a job? Get the hell out of my office!"
Oh gods, he was turning delusional…"Yo' Ryo…"
He turned. Drake was half-stepping in to the little office, "Rose wants to see us, A.S.A.P." Everyone at the precinct was there. There were some snapshots of people projected on the wall as Berkeley spoke.
"We have a new threat, kiddies," Rose spoke in his usual undertone, "The group is called The Choir. This is a band of organized crime operating in most cities in the US and now they have come here. We've managed to get some inside info about them, but nothing is certain yet. These are some of the people that we presume are in The Choir, not head honchos, but we can sense that they know something from the inside... Look at them closely, people: we're gonna be hearing about this bunch for a while..."
They were all so young! Ryo couldn't help but to feel some sort of paternal anguish just to think that maybe the eldest of them was about Bikky's age. He thought of all the times he'd scolded Bikky for mischievous behavior, like when he used to steal bike wheels or when he organized the young thieves and thug-wannabes for the "five finger discount" at the local stores run by elderly people. He half felt glad that he found Carol and that he was now - you could say - a man of good.
Then, his attention was drawn elsewhere…
"Good day to you all," said a very polite male voice with a soft accent that wasn't very clear from which part of the world it was. Ryo's eyes collided with those of the young man standing in front of the staff, violet eyes that seemed to be digging deep in to his soul as they too found Ryo's and stayed there for as long as they could. He was a bit taller than Ryo, with short reddish hair that looked silky and shiny. He had two piercings, one of them being a golden earring hanging from his left lower ear lobe, and the other in his right eyebrow, smaller than the ear one. His skin was freakishly white, with fine and delicate features as if he was drawn by an animation artist. He looked thin, skinny you could say, wearing baggy clothes that did nothing to hide this fact; long-sleeved white shirt that had its sleeves pulled up, a tie that was half made-half hanging loose, casual black pants with black shiny shoes, and his badge was hanging from one side of his pants, along the edge.
... and then, Berkeley spoke again...
"He'll be joining our little party from now on. Mclean, this is your new partner..."
Partner? Ryo's eyes widened towards Berkeley as the others started to leave the office. Rose pushed his glasses upward in that cynical, know-it-all attitude he always carried around,
"Something wrong, Ryo?" he asked with that stupid little smirk.
"Partner?" Ryo's voice sounded as if somebody else was speaking in his behalf (his heart, his subconscious not wanting another partner who wasn't Dee maybe?) and Ryo himself felt ashamed once the words came out, but it was too late to back them down now.
"Of course. You didn't think I would leave you solo, now did you?" Rose said, crossing his arms in front, expecting any reply from Ryo.
Well, yeah... "No... I guess not." Liar!
"Good. Show the newbie around, keep him up-to-date with everything going on here... If you have any problems you know where to find me..."
They were left alone. The two of them. Ryo felt like this guy was an usurpation, wanting to get into Dee's place. Ok, so maybe it was about god-damned time he got over Dee's departing, but still... still... you know?
"Awkward silence..." the other spoke in a soothing voice. Ryo's attention was brought back to him.
"Indeed... Umm.. sorry, I didn't catch your name..."
"Dorian Reeve... Mr...?"
"Randy... well, actually everybody here calls me by my Japanese name, Ryo; Ryo Mclean..."
"Ryo..."
"You from around here?" Ryo asked as he opened the door to lead the way out. They where soon walking along the precinct's corridors, Dorian walking along side of Ryo.
"No. Actually I'm from the port of Arcangues, northern Russia..."
"Funny, you don't sound Russian," said Ryo with doubtfulness in his eyes.
"I lost most of my accent after living here for twenty years, comrade." he said in a phony Russian accent that made both men smile, "I get that a lot... Gets a little tiresome after a while, everybody asking 'why don't you have an accent'... I moved to the States when I was a child... It's not that big of a deal. So I'm not your typical Russian boy with a funny accent and the funny fur hat... so what? I'm still a darn good cop..."
I bet you're not as good as Dee though...
"I hear your former partner got shot a year ago..."
They were now outside, with their shift ending just about ten minutes ago. Dorian took out a cigarette and proceeded to smoke as Ryo looked at him with upset curiosity. The snow covered the New York scenario as winter was refusing to go away still, making it as cold as Dorian's attitude.
"A year and three months coming this week, yes... He did. He was... he was a very good man..." he said pulling on his jacket and his breath could be seen thanks to the freezing cold weather. Dorian was wearing a long black coat that didn't seem to bring much protection against the cold, but that didn't seem to be bothering Dorian and maybe this cold attitude was the thing bothering Ryo at that particular time, "Well, see ya' tomorrow!" he said before taking a few steps to walk away.
"A very important man if his memory gets that fire burning in your eyes... I bet dear Dee was more than just your partner, a?" Ryo stopped cold and turned to see him, surprised by his comment, this lovely shade of doubtfulness in his face. Dorian smiled wickedly, looking straight ahead as the smoke drew patterns that just made him look even more eccentric, "Yes, I bet he was. He always preferred them blonds..."
"How do you -- Did you know Dee?"
"If I told you that I didn't I would be lying." Dorian gave a smoke and sounded nostalgic as he seemed to be carried away by his memories, "Yes, I knew lovely, hard-headed, sincere-to-God, passionate Dee..." he looked at the half-burned cigarette with this look in his eyes that said more than the words he spoke, "I knew that bastard well enough not to be sorry that he's dead..." then he threw away the cigarette and began to walk away. Ryo just stood there, half in shock, half in anger, and by the time he wanted to go after Dorian, he'd already vanished.
Dee had known Dorian? Ryo was well aware that Dee had had a few lovers before him, but he spoke of them in some point of their relationship... yet Dorian... He never heard Dee speak of Dorian in any of their conversations... ever... And if Dorian was a cop that meant that maybe him and Dee had worked together before... or maybe met at the academy... No matter... He was going to see Dorian next day at work and he was gonna have a nice long conversation with the newbie boy.
And as his mind was busy thinking through all these scenarios, he noticed the snow flake that had landed on the tip of his nose and turned up to see the rest of them drop down in a soft and quiet symphony.
Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow…
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Thank you Nariel for the Russian tip! And thank you for all your little snips of good fortune all over this edition! I am keeping the best ones for myself!