Dino rapped his knuckles lightly on the door of an antique-looking house, waiting patiently to be let inside. The blonde shoved his hands into pockets afterwards, and looked around the vicinity for anyone that might be following him. Of course, even if the police were watching him, he had a perfectly legitimate reason for being there: Luca had asked him last week before the whole Vendicare prison escapade to swing by and ask the home's owner about updates on a business deal that was particularly important to Cavallone Pharmaceuticals.

Of course, Dino had his own reasons for being here, too.

After a few minutes, the door opened, finally, and the occupant gave Dino a wide grin. "Dino! I didn't expect to see you so soon."

Dino rolled his eyes slightly. "If I didn't show up, you'd be hounding my doorstep. And then we'd all be in deep shit if Caprice the Harpy caught you."

"Ah, yes, that mousy-looking gold digger… Poor Lulu." Daemon stepped aside, giving Dino permission to enter. "Moving on, I trust you brought my payment?"

"Of course." Dino grinned, holding up a folder. "All the times Caprice is in and out of the estate, as well as all the secret entrances, and, as an added bonus, an updated list of Luca's interests. He's changed since school, after all. Sort of."

"Perfect, thank you." Daemon took the folder and gingerly filed it away for later perusal. "You've outdone yourself, Dino. Overpaying me, getting my dumbass of a brother out of that Hell, escaping the Vendicare hounds… You're certainly a piece of work."

"I'll take that as a compliment." Dino shrugged. "Oh, by the way, Luca does want you to swing by his office. Something about a business meeting."

Daemon gave an overdramatic sigh. "His office? In that heavily guarded glass building? There's no privacy there."

"…I'm pretty sure he does actually want to get work done this time, Daemon." Dino eyed his teal haired accomplice. "Instead of your favorite alternative."

"What a shame. It's been such a long time, too."

"…I'd rather not know about your sexual conquests with my brother, Daemon."

"And you won't have to!" Daemon gave a blissful grin. "Not with all the information you so kindly provided me with."

"Mmhn, it was well-earned, after all." Dino smiled in return. "For your help. Now I just need to let the dust settle before I can leave, too."

"Don't wait too long, Dino." Daemon suddenly turned serious as he waltzed from the foyer and down a nearby flight of stairs into his basement, expecting Dino to follow. "I'm sure you can already feel Castor's pull, what with Mukuro being there and you here."

"Yeah." Dino traipsed after Daemon, gnawing on his lip. "It makes me very, very sleepy, but also makes it impossible to sleep soundly. I was so exhausted last night after that run and all the blood magic, I should have been out like a light. But I tossed and turned and my dreams were empty and restless at the same time."

"You should have gone with him. Waiting will make it harder for you to survive here." Daemon sat gracefully in his chair, positioned perfectly between half a dozen or so computers.

"If I had gone, the door would have taken longer to close and the Vendicare hounds could have followed us." Dino shifted. He already felt guilty about pushing Mukuro through that door. He wanted to be with him more than anything, but if he'd left with him right away, they'd still be in danger.

And there was work left to be done in Pollux.

"I'm just saying, Dino." Daemon glanced at the blond. "I know you had little choice in the matter, but you wouldn't have been facing them alone. You have connections in Castor. They don't."

He turned to face him completely. "Besides, the Vendicare hounds are persistent as all fuck. If they really want my brother, they'll force their way through a door and bring him back. Or at least, they'll try their damnedest to."

"…" Dino pursed his lips. "They're going to try to rip through the dimensions to Castor regardless of the consequences it poses to themselves and the surrounding areas? Are they stupid?"

"…I thought you knew that already." Daemon snorted. "They arrested my brother for having dinner with you after all. What was it they called him? A 'siren of the deep'? Laughable."

"Well, yeah, I mean I knew they were idiots, but I didn't realize they were that stupid." Dino ran a hand through his hair. "We have to hurry then."

"We?" Daemon narrowed his eyes, suspicious.

"Absolutely." Dino just smiled blithely. "In order to prevent the Vendicare hounds from basically breaking the universe, we destroy them. So I'll need to get back inside."

"…You are absolutely insane, Dino Cavallone." Daemon scoffed. "Why would I want to help you get back into that hell hole?"

"Because destroying them means you can go to Castor with Luca and not have to worry about Caprice or any others trying to put you in that water prison." Dino looked positively smug.

"Alaude was right. You do play dirty."

Dino just gave him another dashing smile. "I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about, Daemon Spade."

"Mmn, of course not."

Tsuna was leaning on his cashier's counter, watching as Mukuro catalogued the inventory and made sure all the flora was well watered. He was glad that he had Mukuro's help around the shop. And, he could keep an eye on the new arrival.

He was from Castor, of course, born and raised. But he'd been with Alaude and Hibari for so long he felt like he was familiar with Pollux – and the landlord of the modest apartment complex was considered a Pollux war criminal (Tsuna didn't see how, really, the man was brutal, yes, but never did anything that wasn't a necessity).

So, while Tsuna himself wasn't a former resident of Pollux himself, he felt like it was a refugee from that world, too. And, as it was, 'refugee' was an apt term. Alaude, Hibari, Reborn, and now Mukuro, had all escaped from Pollux for some reason or another. From, what Alaude told him, he and his brother were nearly forced into arranged political marriages. Reborn briefly mentioned he was a war criminal, but no one ever mentioned a war in Pollux. In fact, aside from the escaping of arranged marriages, Pollux seemed generally peaceful. Or so Tsuna thought. His mind was quickly changing the longer he watched Mukuro.

The newest addition to their little flock had been on edge lately. Sometimes he would jump at shadows, even ones that were from the innocuous plants that were Tsuna's merchandise. He seemed so strangely skittish. It seemed like it was more of Tsuna's nature than Mukuro's, but then again... Tsuna didn't know Mukuro at all. And he remembered that Alaude had asked him not to get too close. He didn't know if Alaude was genuinely worried or if it was because Mukuro was waiting for Dino and didn't know it.

And there it was, another jump at another innocent flower. Tsuna was starting to get worried. Something was definitely wrong with the runaway. Something definitely wrong. The runaway was fidgety and paranoid, jumped everytime someone even thought about saying his name.

Tsuna sighed, and smiled as he stepped around the counter. "Mukuro."

As expected, the addressee nearly jumped out of his skin. He whipped around to stare at Tsuna, wild-eyed. Tsuna's smile faltered. What was going on with him? "…Tsunayoshi?"

"…Mukuro, take the day off – the week, even, if you need it." Tsuna's brow creased in worry. He opened his mouth to speak again, but closed it, his brow furrowing further and his lips tightening.

"I don't need time off."

"Rest, Mukuro." Tsuna sighed and walked over to Mukuro, turning him around and nudging him through the back of the shop. "Go, rest. Take time off before I send Alaude and Hibari-san after you."

Mukuro reluctantly allowed himself to be kicked out of his job. He had little energy to fight back, anyways. He hadn't been sleeping. No, the ringing in his ears kept him awake, and when there was no ringing, there was the anticipation of ringing.

Mukuromukuromukuromukuromukuromukuro

You're under arrest, and your sentence is the gallows.