-Oxford - Thursday: Part 22-
Kyoko was washing the dishes, Ruto stood next to her drying and putting them away. The place had a dishwasher but she liked to use the time to think and relax. It wasn't that the meal had gone awful but she had noticed the difference in the room. Her father was doing the best to charm the room, Laura was just as amazing as her father was. Yet it was clear that this dinner had a more business feel to it compared to the meals she had become used too. It was odd that it hadn't been like this when Ren and Yashio had been there. Her whole family seemed far more accepting of him and then when Juliena had joined them it had also had the same feeling of warmth in the room.
Her eyes trailed towards the room, the five young men sat close to each other now that the meal was over. The chairs had been pulled, people were more relaxed, well minus the fact that David and Amanda had pretty much removed themselves completely from everyone else. It was clear that they were likely the most unpleased with the way things were. They had been very polite but it wasn't their normal outbursts and teasing, actually, there hadn't really been any of that the whole night. So she couldn't say it was going badly, but something was off. Sighing heavily as she looked back down to the dishes she was washing. 'And after all this, I can't call it a night' she thought more to herself. She wanted to make sure Daiki had eaten and had set some food off to the side. She had also done so for Ren and Yashiro. Afterall it was her fault they weren't here. Maybe she had been mistaken but something inside of her said she hadn't been, if Ren had been there she was pretty sure she would be at her wit's end. 'Yet he doesn't seem to eat much' she sighed heavily "He's as bad as Daiki I'm sure" she muttered under her breath.
Ruto eyes fell upon the young woman, "It could be a tie between them Miss Kyoko" her eyes darted towards him and she saw the kind smile, while he was once again fully covered now that the meal was over she was always amazed at how much of his emotions always seemed to fall within his eyes.
"Really?" She knew Daiki's eating habits pretty well, the man ate of course whenever he was hungry but it was rarely anything that was not convenient for him. For the most part, he seemed to live on a liquid diet of soda. Yet based on what she recalled from her time with Ren, that man didn't seem to drink soda, which meant if he was more of a liquid diet sort of person it was most likely liquor. She frowned thinking of the large collection her father had and not to say his awful habit of smoking cigars. Hanging her head she sighed heavily. "Why don't people take better care of themselves?"
"Lory is trying to do better" she frowned at him slightly. It wasn't that she was bothered that he knew what he was thinking, she had been told more than once that her face said it all when she was not careful with her masking her thoughts and feelings.
Kyoko knew that but her own father didn't have the best eating habits let alone he always was always smoking. Still, it bothered her to think that the family she finally had gotten was only hurting themselves in a way. Her eyes trailed towards Lory who held Maria in his lap. It was an odd sensation before all she had was Shoutaro, not that his parents weren't kind people and good to her but deep down she knew that she was just a burden to them. It had felt different with Shoutaro while she was still living in that illusion that she had created to be happy, at least that's what she believed now. Now she had so many people she found herself worrying about. 'I guess I haven't changed all that much' not that she minded. There was no way she wanted to ever return to who she had been before.
"Lady Kyoko" her eyes turned towards Miroku right behind him was Reino. "We were just about to call it a night." She tilted her head looking towards Reino for a moment.
"I would like to speak with you before you leave." She turned her head towards Ruto who didn't seem too pleased if his eyes were any sign of his distaste on the matter. Yet he gave a slight bow of his head, Miroku turned towards Reino slightly before he gave a slight shrug and walked off, both parties seemed to be on the edge, not within perfect earshot but none of that really mattered to her. Reino sat on the little stool watching as she washed the dishes by hand.
"Why do you do it that way?" She blinked slightly looking up at him before tilting her head.
"It comforts me" it wasn't exactly a lie but she wasn't going to go into details with the man. "I wanted to let you know that I plan to keep the contract, it seems your talents will be of a use to me after all. I'm afraid I don't have a time frame though." She really didn't but she knew she couldn't take her time anymore, but at the same time as long as she was out and alive. The chances of Alice Patterson being dead was low, they needed her alive but only until they had her. Her eyes narrowed slightly as she thought. "I hope you can stay in the country a little longer," she said looking towards him slightly, the thought that most of the people would be leaving soon suddenly hit her. The fashion show would be over, her father would be going back to Japan with Maria and Ruto. In truth, Kyoko hadn't made up her mind yet if she would be returning back to London. The truth was she was thinking there might be the best bet, General Brown was already set up here, King apparently was in contact with the police which meant that officer. Heth likely was somewhere in Oxford, would it be wise to go back to London now?
"I don't see a problem with it." He said carefully pulling her attention back to him. For a moment she questioned if he was talking to her thoughts about rather stay in Oxford or go back to London. Yet she realized quickly that she had asked if he could stay in the country a little longer. She nodded her head slightly. "It would be helpful if I knew the details."
Kyoko "All I already told you I just have a need for your talent." she paused in her task before looking carefully at him. "How do you know him?"
He was Snake now, then again he was always Snake even when he wasn't. Jia Mianju was for lack of better words, asleep at the moment. The man who was gentle and kind. The man no one really saw when he walked by wasn't around. He was the nice guy next door, he wasn't the nice man who bought the kids in the neighborhood he lived in ice cream. Nor was he the guy with the pretty daughter who he was worried about might become the next Alice Patterson all because of his job.
Looking down at his phone for what must have been the millionth time he waited for his next orders. Straw Sandal would not be pleased with the development, the Young Master knew but it wasn't as if they could go against the Young Master, he was the Carp and unless the Dragon who even the Young Master still showed some fear towards said otherwise there was nothing to be done. 'A matter of time before the Carp becomes the Dragon' and when that happened they would be sad, they would mourn the loss of the Former Dragon and swear their loyalty to the New Dragon or pay the price. Lucky for him, he actually liked the Young Master, something that most people he knew didn't but they were wise they kept it to themselves, for the most part, they obeyed without question. Not that he liked puppets but that was a fine line between being that puppet and saying your piece so he knew that the Young Master allowed it... unless he was in a mood. Yet for the time that was still a few years off into the future, the Dragon was not yet so weak he could not kill the Carp nor would he hold back simply because that was his son. 'After all, he had allowed him to take from his brother. Simply because it had not been yet been announced.' It wasn't as if he no one knew that his older son had fallen in love or who he had fallen in love with.
He could still picture her screams and pleas for it to stop, for the man she loved to not look at her nor the horror on her love's face when soon she was begging the Young Master for his touch. No longer caring who looked, as long as he touched her. Yet she had been tossed aside like so many others and had been in a coma for the last year at that. It was almost as if she didn't want to wake up, the doctors from what he recalled couldn't find a reason for her coma. He had been there, of course, he was always found himself behind the scenes, he had watched the young man who loved her even after all that had happened as he held her hand. The Carp had finally returned her to his brother, he even gave his word that he would not touch her again. He had no use for her anymore unless he gave him one. He had broken that man completely because now he knew exactly how far the Young Master would go, and by not killing her. He had made it all the worse.
Snake perhaps pitied the man only because of the lingering feelings of Jia Mianju, after all on record she had been mugged and raped. They had got the guy though, at least that was the story. The truth was the young man who had been taken in as the mugger and rapist took the fall because his own family had needed the money. It was a common story in China, he was sure it was common everywhere after all the Dragon and Carp weren't gentle souls no Dragon could ever be a gentle soul, death was always the cost for becoming the Dragon.
One of his lackeys appeared at his side, he knew he should have bothered to learn their names but the truth of the matter he didn't care. He knew their faces, he knew their tattoos, but names weren't important to him. They would all end up dead at some point and there was no reason to befriend them, that was not how their world worked. Yet they were still far enough down the totem pole to not know the truth of what it meant to be anywhere near where he stood. Yet there was a place even for future dead meat, out of the five poisons he was likely the nicest of the punch, he didn't take his anger out of them nor did he really treat them badly, they were loyal to him without a fault and it wasn't born out of lust or fear.
"Hey Snake, Heth wants to see you."
"Has he finished with another?" He wouldn't put it behind him the other two were almost completely broken and honestly it wouldn't hurt if they were seen by one of their medical members. Heth hadn't exactly been kind to them, he never was when he felt trapped. It was no wonder really how they gave in just to make the pain stop.
"Doesn't seem to be the case, I mean those two sure likely have been broken by now but he ain't happy with any of the other girls."
He mentally sighed, that was likely the real issue then. It was because they didn't have anything that screamed Kyoko to him and that's really what he wanted. All the more reason to keep Alice away from him. "How is she?"
"She ain't fighting no more." He said with a shrug of his shoulders. "So maybe we don't need him to break those girls."
There was truth in that of course, being raped repeatily was a way to break a girl in. Yet that took time and he was pretty damn sure a day wasn't enough time without the more physical aspects that Heth liked to add to the mix. It was why once he claimed he was done they tested the waters. They served them, repeatily at that. Not just them but others they had. They might be Oxford but the location was a prime place. They had a large group here, the goal that the Dragon had was to become the new Russians. To be the top dog, not the bottom, they did well in Asian parts of the world and they were doing pretty good here too. Still they needed more, more influence and more power here and that was something they didn't yet have.
His dark brown eyes watched the doors to the police station. There was a buzz around the location and he knew it was due to the police looking or hoping to find the young girl Alice Patterson. It always amazed him how it didn't matter where he went in the world, crime was always there and children always went missing. He pulled out his pocket watch checking the time. No one would think twice about him being there, he was already in his early 50s and time was not as kind to him as it was to his wife back at home. 'This is only supposed to be a quick check.' He was retired, he should be back in Japan, but no, he had gotten that strange call and he had moved without really thinking. He knew his wife would understand she was just that kind-hearted but that didn't mean much at this time. He was tired of waiting and his plane back to Japan was in less than two hours.
Darting his eyes back up towards the doors to the police station he waited until he caught sight of her. The faint smile that played across his features as he watched her movements. Again he knew no one would bother looking at an old man like himself, no matter what he looked like which as his wife like to tell him was a grump. Slowly he looked away when she turned towards his direction. As if waiting for the bus to show. That's when he felt her presence, 'How?' his eyes turned towards the woman he knew to be Gayle King, the smile that played across his features.
"Hello" she sat down next to him. He knew damn well she had a car, not just that but a driver. The man himself was looking at them from where he sat, clearly confused but he couldn't let her know that he knew. So he grunted slightly before looking away from her, again as if waiting for the bus.