AN: With some extra money, I commissioned an artist for an original cover art for this story. Maybe I will also do the same with 'You had your chance'. However, FF resolution kinda fucked it up, so I uploaded it on Imgur for the full image and resolution.

Just add the dots and slashes where it says since FF doesn't allow links.

imgur DOT com SLASH gallery SLASH Kwn0N97

Being a delivery boy has its advantages and disadvantages. The major complaint with my side job being that Roman is still an asshole and sends me to shitty places since I'm low rank in whatever stupid hierarchy he has designed.

So it shouldn't come to a surprise that I was finally sent back to the slums to make a delivery. The place is as bad as I remember. Except now I am much better dressed. I finally bought a sleeveless vest with a nice light blue tone and a nice pair of leather boots.

It cost me quite a bit of lien, but the brand and comfort they provided was more than enough reasons to pay. Although, I should buy a darker color set. Just for deliveries, where I could get a few stains on my clothes.

But those are thoughts for later since I reached my destination.

Another rundown place, the poorly built building was a testament of perseverance as the cracks showed a possibility of the whole thing collapsing on its weight. People should at least have some decency to pretend to care about their homes. I can't imagine living in a place like this.

I approach the metallic door and knock it twice before stepping back and wait for a reply.

But instead of a vocal reply, I get a door thrown open with the full intention of hitting me on the face, which I easily dodge.

I catch a glimpse of a human with short black hair before he slams the door shut.

"Hey asshole, do your fucking job!" I hear him screaming behind the door. "Why is a fucking animal on our turf?!"

I roll my eyes in annoyance. Roman probably thought it would be funny to make me deliver shit to open racists. What an ass. However, if these idiots try to attack me, then I will just beat their sorry asses and take the money and other things as my compensation.

I deserve that much.

As in cue with my thoughts, the door opens again and a much larger and bulky man steps outside with a metal bat wearing a gray tank top and a pair of black trousers.

"Before you try anything, I'm here to make a delivery. You fucking wastrels." I taunt him as I summon the small box of liquor between my hands.

A rather innocent package, considering where I am.

The big guy stops and lazily inspects the box before turning his head. "Oi, this is our delivery… cat."

I look in the direction he is looking and see the window open and the same guy from before sticking his head out. "Do they take us as a fucking joke? Take the drinks and break his arm or legs. I don't care. That should teach them a lesson to not mock us and treat us with due respect."

I groan, knowing full well how things will end. "Go fuck yourself, all of you."

"Beat him up!"

Carrying out the supposed leader's orders, the thug tries to hit my head with his bat, only to miss the mark entirely as I am already behind him, where I kick behind his knees to force him down and grab one bottle before smashing it against his head, drenching him with strong alcohol and causing a few cuts where the liquid seeped into as I hear him hiss in pain.

I drop the box and grab a fistful of his hair and expose his throat where I deliver a direct punch, causing him to drop on the floor gagging and coughing.

I didn't use my full strength, or I would have obliterated his throat and killed him.

I turn back and catch sight of the bastard who started this, and as any bastard, he flees screaming deeper into the building.

Knowing that I need to get paid for my services, I kick down the metallic door and invite myself in.

Unfortunately, the commotion outside and the scared human were really loud.

Armed thugs pour into the hallway, blocking my path to collect the money. I sigh in annoyance as my hand goes to my right pocket to retrieve a pair of gloves.

The gangsters slowly walk towards me with wicked smiles, seemingly thinking of ways to hurt me when they bring me down.

Retards.

Adjusting the last glove around my wrist, I summon my trusty pair of brass knuckles and charge against the first moron who couldn't act before my fist connected with his nose, shattering it as his body crashes against the wall. But just to be sure finish him off with a knee straight to his stomach and knock off all the air from him, effectively taking this idiot out.

I focus on the rest and send them a smirk, causing all of them to take one step back in fear.

I give props to Neo, this is fun.

"You sent me to a human supremacist gang." I growled as I approached the table where the crime boss was calmly counting a sizable stack of money.

Yes, I don't pull any punches when I refer to those idiots as supremacists. In retrospect, it makes sense why I didn't see any faunus as I moved around their turf. Also, some of those guys were spewing nonsense as I knocked off their teeth.

"Yeah, and?" He answers with a mocking question of his own, not even bothering to lift his eyes from his money.

"You are an asshole, you know that?"

"Thank you. But you are here in one piece, so that means you collected my money."

"I freaking hate you."

I throw the pack of lien cars on the table, most of them with spots of dried blood. Nobody died, but it is surprising how much a person bleeds if you cut certain parts of the head. I'm lucky that none of that reached my new clothes or I would have been beyond pissed.

Roman chuckles as he grabs the money and stacks it together with his own stack, and shuffles through it. "I assume you also got your compensation for such unruly clients, didn't you? It would have been a waste if you left so many things up for grabs for any idiot in that ghetto."

I merely scoff and fold my arms. Is a slum for a reason. They barely had anything of value besides cash, and the cash I gained wasn't that much since most of them ran away like rats after I knocked out the seventh crook. "Am I done for the day? This is supposed to be my free day, you know?"

It's Saturday. If it was Sunday, I would be throwing a fit.

The thief merely shakes his head. "Not yet kitty, there is one more job for today. I rarely mind doing business with anyone, but this client is a bit… formal. Too formal for my liking."

"Get to the point."

He calmly stands up from his chair and walks up to a crate, where he picks up a bag with colorful clothes inside and tosses it at me. "Wear this uniform when you meet up with them and drop whatever they want you to drop."

"What?" I inspect the clothes inside the transparent bag, a plain red shirt with a red cap and a pair of black pants. Is a simple work uniform, but this is the first time I am asked to wear one.

"Surprised? I sell stuff, but I can also smuggle things into the city. With you around, smuggling goods couldn't be any easier. You can walk up to a cop or cross any checkpoint and they would be none the wiser."

I can't argue with that logic. Nobody can tell what I have stored in my inventory.

I check the clothes again and see a small logo on the sleeve saying Xpress. It is surprising that an actual courier company exists. I just saw none of them or trucks. Or maybe they only operate in specific areas in Vale, which could explain a lot of things. Anybody who moves cargo would rather do it in safe areas like the Upper Class district or the commercial one.

It's not like the residential district is a war zone but neither can I deny how dangerous it can get at certain hours of the day, especially in what zone you live in. The closer you are to the slums, the higher chances of getting mugged.

"What makes this… client special? This is the first time you are giving me actual instructions on how to do my job."

Besides the obvious written instructions of drop off, and get paid in cash.

Roman shrugs nonchalantly. "Atlesians can be a rare bunch."

"Atlesians?" My ears perk up at that name.

"They aren't as smart as they think. They can't hide their pompous accent even at gunpoint. What's the point with all the secrecy when your mouth betrays you?" He finishes with a laugh before taking a long puff from his cigar.

Questions are pointless. That's the best I can get from him.

"Okay, fine. So I meet up with the atlesians that want something smuggled into the city and then delivered to another place disguised as a company courier?"

"Pretty much."

"Wouldn't Neo be better suited for the job?" I ask. Her semblance is perfect to blend in with anybody and move around the city unnoticed and her muscle would be very much appreciated.

"You are my delivery boy, kitten. Besides, my dear Neo is occupied with… garbage disposal at the moment. You will be fine, I think. Now if you excuse me, I have… business to attend." He says before heading deeper into his hideout, leaving me alone with my thoughts.

Neo doing garbage disposal? I laugh at the mere idea. She is probably beating up people somewhere in Vale and must be quite entertained, since she isn't texting me to amuse her.

I quickly head to an empty area in the warehouse and change to the uniform before leaving through the main entrance, where I am greeted by the same elegant driver except he is also in the courier uniform.

I hop onto the fake company truck and head off to the Agriculture district, a very silent drive. Unlike the luxury cars, there are no drinks or even relaxing music, just me watching the highroad and other passing vehicles.

We arrive at the specified location, but there is nobody around. I look at my driver, who shrugs before pulling out a cigar and his lighter. I sigh and get off the truck before jumping on top of it where I lay on the roof in wait, watching the darkening sky along with the abstract beauty that the shattered moon provides. An idea pops into my mind and I ring out my scroll, which I promptly used to take a picture of the sky with the moon at the center.

I don't know what came over me, but it is a pleasant view.

A view I have little time to appreciate as my ears perk up when catching the unmistakable sound of bullhead engines getting closer by the second. I become concerned at first, but my stance relaxes when I don't see any law symbol. Or any symbol at all.

Night vision for the win.

The bullhead skillfully lands on the ground and opens the hatch, revealing a pair of atlesians walking out in interesting uniforms, both wearing white helmets hiding their features but their mouths. A third one comes out pushing a rather big cart filled with unmarked black metallic crates.

A quick count tells me there are five crates in that platform cart.

One soldier approaches me and hands me a paper note. "Deliver these crates to the written address. We will make the payment after a successful delivery."

I check the address and learn the delivery is somewhere in the upper district. Then I eye the soldier who keeps a stoic professional attitude. "These… these aren't bombs, right?"

An atlesian military group giving me the mission to smuggle goods to Vale upper district doesn't give the best vibes. However, Roman's advice comes into play and I promptly dismiss those concerns since it isn't my business to care and I shouldn't bother myself with questions that will never be answered.

The soldier also agrees with my thoughts, since he doesn't answer my question. Instead, he calmly turns around and heads to the bullhead with the other two. The hatch closes and takes off to who knows where.

I keep staring in the direction where they left for a couple of minutes before walking up to my driver and handing him the paper with the address. He takes a quick read and starts the engine.

In my case, I return to the crates and send them straight to my inventory.

[(Unmarked crate) added to your inventory]x5

Why haven't I tried to store a vehicle yet?

-Later-

I adjust my red cap, wincing as my ears twitch in protest. This only feeds my hate for hats. They are so uncomfortable, but I must keep the dress code for this stupid job.

We soon arrive at the specified building, a closed apartment complex which even has the luxury of affording a gate guard who notices our arrival and sighs before walking up to us with his clipboard.

"Can I help you?" He asks with a deep voice.

I grab the paper and read it out loud. "Yeah, eh… delivery to miss Lee. Apartment number 103?"

The human nods and takes a quick note on his clipboard. "I see. I will notify the young miss. Please wait a moment."

He hurries to his cabin and I watch him do something, which I wasn't sure about until a small holographic screen appears in front of him and he talks to whoever is online.

I wait a long minute before he exits his cabin and opens the gate. "You can come inside."

I nod and exit the truck, but since I need to keep appearances, I head to the back of the truck and unlock the cargo door, where I retrieve a sizable but empty sealed box.

The guard says nothing but yawns out of boredom. "First floor to the left." He says between tired breaths.

Finding the apartment door was fast thanks to the guy's directions.

Standing in front of the door and my job destination, I take deep breaths and adjust my hat again, fucking hats, before knocking on the door and wait.

The response is quick as a dark-skinned girl answers the door, and I must admit her magenta eyes are unique and the small brown hair with two tan strands sticking up in the front. She is wearing what I think is work-out clothes.

"Your delivery, miss Lee."

She frowns at first and sticks out her head to check each side of the hallway. "Come inside, quickly."

I comply and enter her apartment, a very nice looking one and much bigger compared to mine. It has at least four rooms and it looks very organized and clean. It is not like I don't clean my home, but I keep a schedule for cleaning once a week so it loses that nice tidy apperance overtime.

I drop the fake package on the floor. "So where do you want me to put all your… crates?"

The girl kicks the rug under her and reveals a trap door which she unlocks. "Over here."

That doesn't look suspicious, none at all.

But I must follow the instructions and complete this very convoluted delivery, so I go down to the secret basement, which is unsurprisingly dark until she turns on the light, revealing a very empty room, a single light bubble at the roof.

Since this is the dropping point, I summon all the crates from my inventory and place them at the left corner, one over the other, forming a small 5 story tower.

"There you go, five crates of whatever they are. So about my paym…"

She sharply turns around with a glare. "I will check them first before I give you anything."

I raise both hands in mock surrender. "Fine by me. No need to be aggressive."

She quickly goes to the tower of goods and checks the first box, barely opening the lid so I cannot see what's inside, not like it matters. She then moves the top crate and places it below before doing the same with the second one, and so on and on.

I patiently wait for her to check the goods before she approaches me and hands me something. "Here it is, now leave."

I check the item in my hand and recognize the shape of a digital wallet, causing me to frown since I was expecting cash, but I can't really voice my displeasure with the method. Although, it's been a while since I had a wallet in my hands and it looks pretty nice. I may be able to convince Roman to let me keep the wallet after he wires all the funds.

With my job finally done, I exit the basement and then the apartment before I head to the truck, where my professional driver is calmly smoking another cigarette. This time he doesn't throw it away and keeps it in his mouth as he enters the vehicle and starts the engine.

I follow suit, and once inside, I finally take off the stupid hat. My ears relishing in their freedom from their horrible prison.

Not even a minute inside, my scroll starts ringing.

No rest for the wicked.

To the surprise of no one, Neo is the one who sent me a message. Clearly she was done with her job and got bored.

'Are you done?'

'Yes, these atlesians are really weird. But at least they weren't assholes.' I write back.

'How did they pay you?'

A slight frown passes over me. Her question is rather strange but I am honest with my answer. 'They handed me a digital wallet.'

I calmly stare at my screen, watching the three dots moves showing that Neo is taking her sweet time to send her message.

'You have a tracker with you. Go to the commercial district, my favorite place, and don't move.'

Shit…

I pull out the wallet from my pocket and analyze it with scrutiny but can't find anything out of the ordinary, or maybe there is something which I cannot recognize for my lack of knowledge.

"Drop me off in the Commercial district."

He doesn't question my orders and makes a turn to the left to reach the highway faster. In the meantime, I take off my worker's shirt and call back my clothes from my inventory. I won't take off my pants though, it is very uncomfortable to change clothes in my position and I don't want my driver to check me out. It would be embarrassing.

I lean on the wall and wait for the crazy girl, my foot tapping the floor as I grow impatient and worried by the implications of a tracker with me. I really don't want trouble with the technological advanced atlesians.

Or at least until I grow strong enough to brush off their tech. Or maybe if my intelligence stat is high enough, I could start developing my tech. I can only laugh hopelessly at the mere idea of building tech. I don't even know shit about the basics.

But I no longer feel the need to wallow in my own thoughts as I see Neo slowly walking with her pink umbrella wide open, despite the sun long gone. She sends me a smug smile and extends her hand.

I throw her the bugged wallet.

The smug girl catches it mid air and pulls out her own scroll with a cable. This is the first time seeing her with her scroll on hand, and oddly enough I find it surprising that her scroll is pink. It should be an obvious choice, but I am accustomed to seeing either white or gray scrolls.

I don't know what she is doing, but she is clearly doing something with her scroll on that compromised wallet as she is typing something really fast. The moment doesn't last, though. She disconnects the device and drops the wallet before crushing it under her boot.

There go my plans to gain a new wallet.

"Can I go home now?"

She shakes her head with a smirk.

I drop my shoulder in defeat. "Figures…"

She doesn't waste time and grabs my right hand so she can lead me wherever she wants to take me. I know better that resistance is futile. Let her have her fun and everything will be okay. Besides, she is still physically stronger than me. I'm slowly getting there, but that will take time.

I have a gut feeling that I will match her at level ten.

We soon arrived in a different area. Compared to where I was, this street is full of young people, teenagers and young adults. Many of them have bottles, and I quickly assume it is alcohol. It's a pretty straightforward answer, if you ask me.

We go through the crowd until we reach further down the street, a single building standing out from the rest.

A nightclub, to be exact.

One with a long queue.

Neo takes me to the entrance, blatantly jumping the queue, and the other guests are already voicing their anger and displeasure. Yet all of that falls to deaf ears as Neo smiles at the bouncer, who opens the door for her and lets us in.

To rub salt to the injury, she turns around and blows a kiss to the people waiting outside. We don't stay to watch the consequences unfold since the bouncer closed the door.

The scenery change is immediately noticeable, starting with the loud music playing. A catchy techno song that invites me to dance or at least bob my head to the rhythm. The further we go inside, I get to see the large dance floor, filled to the brim with people. The lights flashing and the DJ at the top of all dancing on his own.

But why is he wearing a big teddy bear's head?

I am not given time to think much of the situation as Neo pulls me to the side, towards the bar section. As we walk, Neo shows off her well-deserved arrogance as she snatches drinks from other customers and gulps them down or knocks them over the counter.

Obviously, such disrespect would be met with a response.

"Who the fuck do you think you are?" A big horned faunus guy stands up to Neo, easily towering over her. At that moment, she releases my hand and slowly closes the distance with the faunus.

Anybody would be worried or even scared, but I know this girl isn't anybody, and she only shows off the difference of strength with her smirk turning malicious as the faunus tries to grab her. Except his hand ever gets close, as she already has him on the ground and her white boot slowly crushing his throat.

What is even more surprising is that nobody is paying attention to the scene. They are either dancing or drinking. She continues with sadistic glee until the bartender coughs, successfully getting her attention.

The worker waves his hand and another bouncer comes into the scene, except he doesn't chastise Neo, who already released her grip. Instead, he grabs the faunus by the collar and drags him away.

She slowly looks at me and gives me an innocent smile, causing me to sigh.

To break the moment, the bartender places a single color drink with a small umbrella, which Neo happily takes and starts drinking it from the curvy straw. With her entertained, she calmly gestures to me to follow her and so I follow.

Ignoring another group, we go upstairs which is a VIP zone, judging by another bouncer guarding the stairs. The people on the second floor aren't as wild or lively compared to the people on the first floor. They are sharing drinks around their own tables and luxury couches.

But I don't stay to appreciate the view as I catch up with the ice-cream girl and arrive at another door, which is no longer guarded by the bouncers but by actual armed people with swords and guns. All of them sharing the same dress code, the black tuxedo with the red glasses and tie.

One of them notices our arrival and opens the door for us, except Neo doesn't enter. Instead, she gently nudges me to enter first, which I do. I check over my shoulder only to find her outside as she waves me goodbye and finally leaves me alone.

The same armed guard enters and closes the door.

"Ah, our star of the day is finally here." The distinguishable thief announces as he mockingly claps his hands. "Don't be a scary cat now. Come in. Take a seat and grab a snack. There is a lot to discuss."

A quick look around makes me realize how luxurious the office is, and the bigger man sitting in front of Roman is the owner. And he doesn't look too pleased. I hope my companion isn't the cause of his less than pleased mood.

Who am I kidding? Neo is clearly responsible for his sour mood.

"So tell me kitty. How was dealing with the mighty military from Atlas?" Roman, as always, is the one to break the ice in the room.

I frown. "Atlas military?"

It would explain why they were so formal and disciplined, but still doesn't answer my question why they are here in the first place and smuggling whatever they are smuggling.

"Mmhm, our friend Junior here has his suspicions, but nothing too concrete. But one thing is for certain, Atlas presence is terrible for business."

"Do you really want to discuss business here with him?" The man known as Junior finally speaks up and points at me.

The flamboyant thief just leans on his sofa with a grin. "Why wouldn't I? He is useful, and this little job proved he can step up in the ladder. Just a bit."

Junior sighs in exasperation. "Whatever, your way of things is not my business." He then turns to glare at me with a deep frown. "Listen kid, Roman is right when he says Atlas presence is bad for business, so take a seat. This might take a while."

Understanding his underlying tone to keep my mouth shut, I comply and find a comfy chair to hear him out.

He grabs a file and throws it on the table, revealing pictures which I don't get to see from my position, but Roman does and raises an eyebrow. "We have sighted their airships around the city walls, and your delivery proved they have undercover agents inside the city. I assume those crates had weapons and dust. Can you confirm it?" The bearded man directs his gaze at me.

I shake my head. "She didn't let me get close."

"That's unfortunate, but it matters little. The purpose, on the other hand, does matter, and I can make an educated guess."

"Go ahead, it might be interesting." Roman waves his hand dismissively.

Junior crosses his arms and rests on the back of his seat. "If you kept up with the news, Vale's council purchased a war hound from Atlas around a little more than a month ago. But any news or rumors about it went dark. I know very well how those from the council operate and they would have announced their purchase and premiere for active service. But they never did. Doesn't that strike you as odd?"

What is a war hound in the first place?

"Those old fools only know how to bicker against each other, it wouldn't surprise me if they lost or broke their new toy." Roman scowls, and gulps down a small drink that he has next to him.

"Is a possibility, a very low one. But that doesn't matter after learning that at the same time, information about it stopped coming. They dispatched multiple bullheads, ambulances, along with cops headed outside the city. And coincidentally, the White Fang becomes more active in Atlas."

Junior's last words get Roman's full attention, his face twisting into a frown. My ears perk up and become more attentive the second he mentioned the Fang. Maybe it was my lack of interest or a busy mind that pushed its way down my priority list about learning more about the white fang from other sources. Or I am making excuses for totally forgetting my original objective.

Either way, this big guy clearly knows something.

"Oh? You think those fanatics had a hand in these events?" Roman asks.

"I don't think so. I know so. Supposedly, Atlas' forces dealt a crushing blow to the White Fang, but recently they made a comeback and the faunus gangs in Mantle launched a massive attack on the other gangs, and they were winning until Atlas forces stepped in. As for Mistral's gangs, they didn't launch a major offensive or anything crazy, they just expanded. However, Vale's sect went completely dark. Not a single SDC convoy was attacked or any report of sabotage. "

The thief rubs his chin in thought. "Mmmm, that explains Atlas' poor attempts at secrecy. They want to keep whatever they are doing here off the books. Can't blame the general, it would be a massive loss of reputation if the public ever learns that those animals stole their precious robot."

"Exactly. Currently, we identified their agents inside Vale. The bastard sent his ace operatives." He throws another pair of pictures on the table.

And I instantly recognize one of the women shown in the picture.

Roman picks the other picture and frowns as he analyzes it. "They… might pose a problem to my plans. Off books give those bastards free leeway to act as they see fit. Say kitty, you met with them, didn't you?"

"I…I only met one of them, the one with a shaved head." Her hairstyle and magenta eyes are too unique to forget so easily.

Junior sighs as he crosses his arms. "So maybe they are taking turns when lurking around the city. That makes things more manageable, but my boys still wouldn't stand a chance against any of them."

"What about your girls, then?"

Junior shakes his head. "It's better if we don't pick a fight with any of them, lest we want the full might of the strongest army on our asses. Let's just wait it out. They will give up after a couple of months."

"Ah ah ah my dear friend." Roman chides in. "You know me. I cannot just sit around and do nothing like you. There is a lot of business to conduct and I can't lag behind. Just keep me updated on their movements."

"You are playing with fire, thief." Junior growls.

"I know. That's what makes it more exciting." As ever, my boss shows off his arrogance.

The bear man stares at the thief with a blank expression before he sighs in annoyance. "Don't drag me or my boys down with you, that's all I ask."

Roman merely shrugs. "Sure, whatever, it is not like I will charge head on. Now onto other business, I heard you wanted to move a lot of things and I happen to know somebody who is more than capable.." He glances my way with a smug look.

Selling my services?

"My boys can deal with the work. I won't trust a stranger." Junior straight up rejects the offer.

I see genuine surprise in Roman's face for a second, but disappears as soon as it appears. "Worth a shot. At least give the poor kitten a drink for his troubles."

Junior silently pulls out a black card from his chest pocket and throws it in my direction, which I catch with ease.

"Give it to the bartender." He says.

I check the black card, and it doesn't look like a credit card or lien. But I know that they don't want me around anymore and I won't press the issue. But I would have liked to stay to hear more and ask Junior about the White Fang, especially about Blake.

And their overall situation.

But that is a matter for a future time.

I just leave the VIP room and head back to the first floor and the bar counter where the same bartender is cleaning a cup.

I sit on the bar stool and slide the card towards the bartender, who raises an eyebrow but says nothing as he takes the card and slides back a menu, listing a lot of drinks, which I don't know any of them.

Does it hurt to add a small description of the drinks?

However, I am sure most, if not all of the options have some level of alcohol mixed in them which I want to avoid as much as possible. I know it is ridiculous to sit in a bar and not order any drink, but I have my principles, or what I think my principles are.

"Anything that isn't alcohol or at least has barely any?" I ask as I push away the menu with a single finger.

The worker rolls his eyes but accepts my order nonetheless and gets to work.

I calmly watch him grab all the ingredients and produce magic with his hands, skillfully cutting the fruit and throwing everything in a blender for a couple of seconds before pouring the mix into the shaker.

Seconds later, he slides my drink with a little orange slice and a straw. I take my fresh drink and take a whiff and feel no burning sensation in my nostril, meaning that he followed my request of little to no alcohol.

So naturally, I take a quick sip from the plastic straw to wet my taste buds, but grimace when the taste differs completely from what I expected from the fragrant smell. It isn't strong, but it sticks in my throat and feels very odd, difficult to describe the sensation in my mouth.

Alcoholic beverages truly are an acquired taste.

I place my drink on the counter and slowly push it away. I'm more than satisfied with the first sip.

But one man's trash is another man's treasure. That saying comes true, except my drink is a woman's treasure. Neo swiftly swoops in and takes my discarded drink before planting a quick kiss on my left cheek.

I'm not given time to react or say anything before she disappeared between the dancing crowd.

[Affection with (Neo Politan) increased by 2, 08/100]

Hurray? I can only stare blankly wondering what is she truly thinking or how her mind works because sure as hell I don't. But on the bright side, I no longer have to force myself to finish that horrible drink.

"I never thought that bitch could be affectionate."

"I agree sister, she is more the stabby type."

I turn my head to the right to face the newcomers and discover twins walking up to me. "And who are you?"

I take a closer look, and quickly pick up the heavy makeup on both of them, along with their pale green eyes. The twin from the left is in a white strapless dress while the other is bright red and black.

They quickly take position on each of my sides and share a smile.

"Melanie"

"Miltia."

I take a quick glance at both sides and sigh. "Well, I'm Ma'iq. So why are you here?" I point my point for solace.

"We make sure no idiotic kid with aura can cause damage to Junior's club." Miltia answers as she motions her hand to the bartender, who starts working again.

"And we need to monitor your friend unless we want a murder to take place." She says as a matter of fact, as she points to a specific direction which I follow with my gaze and finds Neo shoving off people or spilling their drinks with blatant antagonistic intentions.

And whoever even had the stupid idea to fight back is met with a potentially bone crushing kick.

I facepalm loudly and let out a loud groan, muffled by the loud music and my hand. "I… I cannot argue against that. How the fuck I am still in one piece?"

"That's why it's surprising." Melanie shrugs.

The other twin slides the same horrible drink from before. "Here is your drink, by the way."

That's a nice gesture, but I can't help myself but push the alcoholic beverage away, earning a slight frown from Miltia. "I don't really drink, I just ordered it because I didn't want to waste the card and even I hated the taste of that particular drink."

"You don't drink? Are you aware of where you are?" Melanie asks incredulously.

I force a smile as my ears fold in embarrassment. "Yeah, I am. I was pretty much dragged here without little choice in the matter. I would rather be at home sleeping or watching TV. But Neo wanted me to come to this club and meet with our bosses."

There is a short silence before Melanie flashes a knowing smile to her sister. I can even see a glint in her green eyes.

"What do you think, sister? Should we have some fun?"

"I would love to, sister. It's not every day an opportunity finds itself to get back at that bitch."

Did they mean Neo? They weren't subtle, with their displeasure at my crazy companion, after all.

It makes me wonder what caused this bad blood between them. It is a mere curiosity on my part.

And what are they planning exactly? Hopefully, nothing bad. I don't want trouble, but I doubt they would start something since they have been polite so far.

"You lost me with your cryptic words." I reply with both hands up in surrender.

However, Miltia takes that opportunity to grab my left hand with care and pull me up from my seat.

"I will help you to find your way, then." She says with a sultry tone, completely taking me by surprise.

Before I can even reply, she practically drags me towards the dance floor and snaps her fingers, and coincidentally, the music changes and the lights start flashing, giving a different effect to the scenery.

People are ecstatic, to say the least.

Everyone is partying wild.

I am the only one who stands out like a sore spot, remaining like a statue and looking at everyone in confusion. Awkward moment that doesn't last as the twin grabs my hands and starts guiding me to the rhythm of the music, occasionally having me give a spin.

It is strange to be led around in a different manner that isn't moving from point A to point B, but I am slowly finding the appeal of dancing to the beat despite not knowing how to dance at all.

Unironically, I think I am a quick learner.

I don't care about the time but the music beat starts to slow down and so do the people's excitement, and coincidentally it is the time where the couples around us start getting close to each other. And some take it to the extreme and shamelessly suck each other's faces.

I roll my eyes and return my gaze to the sister who suddenly is very close, her arms resting around my neck and slightly pulling me close for mere seconds before releasing her grip on me. She doesn't stop and turns around and leans dangerously close.

I don't know what game she is trying to play but I will not shrink away. Neo also likes teasing me. My arms quickly wrap around her waist and pull her even closer, my lips twisting in a wry smile.

If she is inviting, then I will gladly take her up on her offer.

Except my hands never even get the chance to go lower than her waistline as she elbows my chest and breaks away, except she doesn't express anger or disgust but a playful yet provoking smile. "Aren't you an eager one?"

I shake my head with a chuckle.

Just as I open my mouth to reply, my first companion comes into the scene, butting in between Miltia and myself with puppy eyes, pretending to be hurt.

My head tilts to the left in confusion, but also curiosity.

"Do you mind?" She scowls.

However, like many times, Neo merely gives her a lazy sidelong glance and loses all interest, turning her full attention on me. An action that clearly infuriates my dancing partner but holds herself from lashing out, yet I can see she is murdering the ice-cream girl many times over with her gaze.

"You want to dance with me?"

The mute girl nods.

Her honesty makes me frown as I think between my options, both girls are… fun partners but stupidly enough I have more trust on Neo than Miltia or Melanie, I just met them after all. Also, I took into consideration that I will be seeing this crazy girl the following days and there is a high chance she will hold a grudge.

I'm sure there are more reasons, but the main ones are more than enough to make my choice and take Neo's hand, accepting her invitation.

[Affection with (Neo Politan) increased by 3, 11/100]

Her smile widens and takes me to a distinct part on the dance floor, not before turning around and sticking out her tongue to the beautiful sister, who flipped her off in response.

Funnily enough, one guy tries to approach her but doesn't get to utter a couple of words before she knocks him over and leaves the dance floor with an ugly expression.

Neo merely giggles and wraps her arms around me, pulling me close for a few moments before pushing me away and starts dancing, or what I think is dancing because, unlike Miltia, she is very wild with her movements. Shaking her head to the beat and her hair flying everywhere with no care in the world.

It is a bit awkward to be her partner, but thankfully everyone is more focused on their little world to notice us. It doesn't take long before Neo gets bored and drags me off the stage towards a table. One full table with a group of friends who are immediately scared off by Neo's glare, and they were kind enough to leave their drinks behind.

Gift that she takes to full advantage and starts tasting each one of them and the ones she didn't like. She just threw them off the table. Completely ignoring the fact that the drinks were served in glass cups and all of them shattered and spilled all over the floor.

Junior's men are going to be pissed when it is cleaning time.

And with a quick glance at my surroundings, I find the twins glaring daggers at us, more likely their anger directed at Neo rather than me. Or at least I hope so. I would like to learn more about them if possible.

So to not leave her alone in her drinking game, I summon my favorite drink and pop the Pepsi can open. Even if it's a ridiculously expensive drink, I can no longer deny how delicious and addictive it is and it tastes even better when it's cold.

I finish gulping down my drink and crush the can in my hands and follow her example of throwing the trash on the floor.

Moments later, my scroll rings. I raise a questingly eyebrow at Neo who is her typical smug attitude.

I roll my eyes and check my messages.

'Don't fool with the twins. Their mom will turn you into a rug.'

I choke on my own saliva for a second before looking at Neo in surprise. "I didn't plan to… who is their mom? And why do you think I would want to do something with them?"

I didn't plan on doing anything… overboard with them, but still. Miltia was inviting me to go a bit further. I'm innocent.

She shakes her head in amusement and points to my scroll, which I promptly check the next message that arrives.

'One of the strongest and ruthless gang leaders of Mistral and a very over protective mom too. And I saw you trying to grab her sweet ass.'

I drop my scroll on the table and cover my red face in shame. "Fuck me…"

Neo is already by my side and pats my back to comfort me, but with a sidelong glance, I can tell she is having fun at my expense. But a moment of being made fun of is much better than becoming a rug.

But my self-deprecating moments stop when I feel my ears being gently rubbed, my head subconsciously lowering for easier access. I don't even need to turn to know who is petting my ears.

So I just sigh and let it happen, besides it feels nice and relaxing.

Something I need right now.

"Up up, our drive is waiting outside. Time to leave." I jolt awake from my bliss by Roman's clapping hands and his demanding tone.

Neo pouts and looks rather annoyed at the thief, who quickly calms her down with a playful head pat and she repeats the same action with me.

"Do I get paid for overtime? This is later than my usual hours, you know?" I reply with a cheeky smile.

But sleeping late won't affect me since tomorrow is Sunday and I don't work that day.

Roman smirks and uses his cane to carefully lift my chin to meet his dark green eyes. "How could I forget my always reliable and hardworking kitten? But I know you are such a dedicated member of our dysfunctional family that you can easily pull extra hours out of the kindness of your heart, can't you?"

I roll my eyes at his clear mockery, but don't retort. I merely stand up from my seat and stretch my neck.

Neo doesn't stay very long and leaves along with Roman.

However, he stops and turns around.

"Before I forget…" He reaches under his jacket and pulls out a rather thick package, which casually throws it in my direction.

I'm quick to catch it with one hand and watch it disappear the second I touch it.

[9000 lien added to your inventory.]

No overtime pay, but sure as hell, this makes up for it.

I should give in to a small temptation or upgrade my arsenal.

Decisions, decisions.

Important Note: Remember to check your FF settings to get notifications for any story update, since it is deactivated by default. So if you felt strange you haven't received a single story update in a while, it's because this system is now in place. I missed a week's worth of chapters because of it.