Chapter 3: Language Barriers
"You did what?" Tino winced at the anger laced words. Arthur definitely was not pleased.
Tino had thought he had gotten the luck of the draw today. The owner of the Alps, a stern Swiss man named Vash, had decided that the bar needed to be closed for 'cleaning'. That gave him ample time to move his few belongings into a painfully small apartment and plenty of time to figure out how he was going to explain to everything to Arthur.
He must have spent at least an hour just staring at his phone, the screen taunting him with Arthur's number. It took him another thirty minutes just to press the send button. So here he was sitting at a table in some French named café, far away from the Baltic Strip, across from Arthur Kirkland, his boss.
Arthur Kirkland was an elusive figure. Some said that he had once been a Royal Marine and secret agent back in the United Kingdom. Others said he had been some kind of elite hit man responsible for a number assassinations around the world. No one was quite sure of his past and Arthur like to keep it that way. He liked to stick to the plan and, if something ever went wrong, there would be hell to pay. And poor Tino was now in Arthur's murderous line of fire.
"You've screwed up big time, Vainamoinen . You were supposed to keep an eye on things, not get involved! Bloody hell, how am I supposed to deal with this?" Arthur growled, running a hand through his dirty blond hair. He was an handsome man with bright green eyes and rather bushy eyebrows. He wore the attire of a posh business man and he had a superior air about him, making him look snobbish. Well the truth was that Arthur was a snob.
"I…I…don't know, sir."
"Everything is completely ruined now! You have no idea how bad you've made everything. No idea how much time and effort has been wasted with your stupid mistake. If I had known you were going to be this incompetent, I would have sent that idiotic Alfred!"
Alfred F. Jones, Tino's loud mouthed partner, was probably the biggest pain in the ass that ever walked the Earth. He was a hot-blooded American patriot and he wanted everyone else to know it too. It was a miracle that he wasn't morbidly obese with all the fast food, mainly hamburgers, that he ate. Arthur seemed to detest him more than Tino sometimes did, but the two seemed to have a deeper bond than they were willing to admit.
"I'm really sorry, sir. I didn't…know…I didn't think…"
"That's right! YOU DIDN'T THINK!" Arthur roared, causing the other customers glare at them in annoyance. Tino shot them an apologetic look before whispering to Arthur.
"Please, sir. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to join Lukas and his cronies, honest. I'm sure I can talk to Berwald about getting out, but…" Arthur raised a hand to silence him, face turning from pissed off to interested in the fraction of a second.
"Berwald?" He said the name slowly, curiously. "Berwald Oxenstierna?
"Yes…he was the vampire who saved me from the Bad Touch Trio." Tino was met by silence as Arthur paused to think. This made him very uneasy and very scared. Was Arthur deciding on his fate? Was he going to send him back to the office, force him back into his desk with no hope of ever going back out into the field?
"This might work to our advantage." Arthur murmured finally, his lips curling into a secretive smile. Tino failed to see it since he was too busy thinking of a way to convince Arthur to keep him on the case.
"Vainamoinen!" Tino snapped himself out of his thoughts, meekly staring at his now smiling boss.
"Yes, sir?" He asked, steeling himself for the worst.
"A few seconds ago, I was planning on sticking you back on paperwork duty, but I've changed my mind. Your new position will prove worthwhile to the mission as a whole."
Tino let out a sigh of relief. He thought he had been done for. But, somehow, knowing Berwald had gotten him out of this mess. Of course he was grateful for it, but the question still remained. Why? Why had Arthur changed his mind after hearing Berwald's name? Tino opened his mouth to ask when Arthur interrupted him.
"Now I want you to get back before your new mob friends notice your disappearance. I'll be in touch." He smirked, standing up and heading off. Tino's phone chose to buzz at that moment, telling him he had received a text message. He glanced down to check it when he realized something. His head snapped up.
"But, sir, wait! I still have questions!" Tino called after his boss, but it was too late. Arthur Kirkland had disappeared. Tino frowned and returned his attention to his phone. The message was from a blocked number, probably from one of Lukas' minions.
Come 2 Alps. Lukas needs u.
Tino grimaced. Great…what did the he want now?
Tino pushed open the backdoor of the bar, glancing inside. He spotted the white haired man from before, the one he was told was called Emill. Emill glanced at him with stolid purple eyes which gave way to relief the moment he realized who it was.
"Nick. Thank god you're here. Its gotten bad in there." Voices sounded behind the shut door of the nearby VIP lounge.
"你知道喜欢我为什么?" Tino winced. That was definitely Lukas.
"我不敢相信这家伙!" He didn't recognize that voice. It was male and obviously he knew his way around the Chinese language.
"What's going on?" Tino asked confused.
"Lukas thought it would be a good idea to open up a 'business meeting' with another mafia boss. Its falling to pieces like the last one due to the language barrier."
Emill explained, ushering Tino towards the door. "That's where you come in. Help them communicate so we don't have another war on our hands."
Tino didn't get the chance to reply when he was thrown inside. He stumbled slightly, but quickly straightened up. Before him stood two mafia bosses and two of their followers, Lukas, Sigurd, and Berwald on one side and the infamous Wang Yao and two unknown men on the other.
Wang Yao was the head of the Kaidan Mafia and he was ranked one of the most dangerous criminals in the Baltic Strip. Hailing from China, he had a large network of spies throughout the entire Baltic Strip and a strong 'family' bond with his fellow mafia members. If there was one mobster you didn't want to mess with, it was Wang Yao. Because he would find you and deal with you in the most brutal and horrible way possible. Gathering from Yao's frustrated expression, things were not going smoothly. The Chinese man glanced at Tino, eyes flashing dangerously.
"你是谁? 这是一个私人会议!滚出去,现在!" Yao growled, waving his hands in a shooing manner. He was quite a handsome man with long dark brown hair secured back in a ponytail, exotic almond shaped brown eyes and he wore a business suit that was covered by an elegant cape made of a beautiful silk like material. The man closest to him put a hand inside his jacket. Tino's best guess was that the man Yao's second in command, Honda Kiku, and he was waiting for his boss's approval before he opened fire.
"原谅我。我的意思是没有不敬." Tino quickly replied. Yao's face betrayed his curiosity and surprise.
"你说中国人吗?"
"是的。我花了许多年,你的伟大的国家学习。我先生Densen的翻译, Nick Kringle."
"很高兴认识你。我希望我们能走到这个协议...敏感的话题." Yao smiled politely at Lukas who beamed right back at him. It became obvious early on that Lukas had over stepped his boundaries and taken part of Yao's territory. He refused to budge on the issue which meant they were getting nowhere fast. After only thirty minutes, it was obvious that Yao had had enough.
"我已经受够!我希望你是为战争准备!Kiku, Jia Long, 让我们去." Yao spun on his heel and made for the door. Lukas' face contorted in anger when Tino hurriedly translated. Tino knew that, if he didn't stop Yao, he could be out of his new position. That would put Arthur in a foul mood...again...and possibly get him put on permanent desk duty or worse. Tino sprung up from his seat, grabbing Yao's shoulder.
"请不要离开。我敢肯定,让我们去…"Suddenly Tino found he couldn't speak without making a painful, gurgling noise. A hand had enclosed itself around his neck.
"Don't you dare put a hand on Teacher, you worthless human." came the snarl of Jia Long, who's hand was ready to crush his neck to pieces. His fangs shined dangerously, like Sadiq's had the night before.
"Let…go…of…me!" Tino wheezed as he clawed at Jia Long's arm, letting go of Yao in the process. The vampire tightened his grip in response. A ferocious roar shook the room and Tino found himself freed from Jia Long's grasp. Jia Long was now pinned to the wall by Berwald, who was growling low with his fierce fangs bared. Jia Long hissed back at him, looking small and childlike compared to Berwald.
The thing about vampires was that they were a rare commodity in the world. They were few in number, but strong in power. The rumor was that they were carriers of some genetic abnormality that affected them when they reached a certain age. The vampiric populous refused to comment, leaving their origins to the imaginations of the curious. Vampires, being nearly indestructible, made as perfect bodyguards for those who needed absolute protection. It wasn't a surprise that mafia bosses had their own special bodyguards; in fact they were a must have. That was probably the reason why vampires flocked to the Baltic Strip.
"Jia Long, 後退." The smooth, calming voice of Yao wafted over everyone's senses like an expensive perfume. Jia Long obeyed instantly, fangs retracting, and pulled away from Berwald sharply. Berwald glared at him icily, face stoic once more.
"請原諒他。他只是很保護我." Yao patted the young vampire head fondly. Jia Long frowned slightly, turning away from his boss. Yao spoke once more, this time to Tino.
"我不喜欢这些轻轻的罪行。不要考验我的慷慨,我的耐心。如果这样的事情再次发生,我会带来死亡看不起你的头上."Tino hurried to translate for Lukas. Relief spread through the mobster's expression and nodded in thanks to Yao. But Yao ignored him, dark, enigmatic eyes settling on Tino.
" 这是很好的满足你, Kringle." With a flourish of his cape, Yao glided out of the room with Kiku and Jia Long close behind. As soon as the door slammed closed, Lukas let out a hoot of laughter and he yanked Tino into a bone-crushing hug.
"Aww you did great, kid! I knew it was a good idea to let you on the team!" Tino let out a grunt of pain as he struggled to free his fragile ribs from the Dane's boisterous grip.
"Actually…you forced me into th…" As per usual, the thick headed Lukas was not paying him any attention.
"Come on! Lets drink to the future of the Vikings Clan!" He said, trying to drag Tino towards the front room. Tino suppressed a wince as he wiggled out his 'boss's' grip.
"I'm really sorry, sir. I have to get home. Its getting late and I have work tomorrow night and I don't think Vash will appreciate it if I'm sleeping off a hangover instead of working." Lukas let out another laugh, patting Tino's head fondly.
"All right, Nick, but you owe me a drink!"
"Of course." Tino gave a small wave before hurrying out the door, passing Emill on the way outside. Emill seemed to have a question on his mind, but Tino was stopping. The sooner he got home the better.
The afternoon sun that had smiled pleasantly on him back at the café was slowly fading from the skyline, darkness bathing the streets like a shroud. Tino paid the shadows no mind and headed down the sidewalk. He was too deep in thought to notice the menacing figure following him. When the hand of said figure clamped down on his shoulder, poor Tino nearly jumped out of his own skin. He whirled around to see Berwald staring at him.
"B…Berwald, what are you…?"
"L'kas t'ld m' ta walk ya h'me. S'not safe."
"O..ohh. All right!" Tino spluttered nervously. They began to walk together, Berwald easily falling in step beside him. Every three steps Tino took equaled one of Berwald's. The stalwart vampire kept quiet, stoic expression never changing. Tino fidgeted nervously and began filling the air with nervous, one-sided conversation.
"Wow…that was certainly…interesting experience! I mean…frightening really. I thought Jia Long was going to…to…rip my throat out!" Tino glanced up at him, smiling. "Thanks for saving me." Berwald shot a look down at him and Tino faltered, glancing away hurriedly. His nervous spluttering began again and he began rattling off his thoughts on what had happened. After a good ten minutes of that, Berwald thrust his hand out and stopped Tino dead in his tracks.
"Oof!" It was like running into a brick wall. Tino winced ever so slightly and stared up at Berwald.
"What was that for?" He murmured.
"Th's is y'r st'p." Berwald jerked a thumb at the building beside them. Tino blinked and examined the building closely. So it was. The decrepit apartments were not welcoming sight, but it was home…for now.
"Thank you for walking me home, Berwald." Tino said as he fished in his pockets for his key.
"S'ord'rs." Berwald grumbled. Tino nodded in understanding, retrieving his key with a smile.
"Well…Good night Berwald. I'll see you later." He waved good-bye before trotting inside his apartment building. He didn't see the vampire wave good-bye; Berwald merely stood and watched him intently. A bit unnerved, Tino skittered up the stairs to the third floor, right up to the gray, peeling door. He had nearly put the key in the doorknob when he faltered, key falling to the floor.
How had Berwald known where he'd lived?
ANNND SCENE!
WOOOHOOO! Why do these chapters always take me so long? Idk...maybe I'm lazy...probably! XD
ANYWHO! This chapter was fun to write! I just had to give Yao a pimp cape! It was meant to be! I promise that the next chapter will be up soon! I actually have almost finished it so it won't be long at all! I want to thank everyone for the lovely reviews you've all left me! They're always fun to read!
Again I'm not giving the translations for the languages used in this chapter. Google Translate is your friend people! Hahaha
As a preview for Chapter 4, here is the title:
"The Motherland Wants You!"
Guess who's gonna be making an appearence? :3
Much Love!
Moi!
