LOKIforDREAMS

Nicholas froze as his worst nightmare strolled right into the Daily Days. He slowly sank to the floor behind the counter, wishing that the boards would move to swallow him up. Ever since that night he'd been hung off the back of a freight train, he'd been deathly afraid that Vino would one day walk through that door. Like he'd just done.
One of his typists leaned over and asked what was wrong with him, but Nicholas couldn't say. He was flashing back to watching the train tracks flashing past, inches from his nose. Not only had he had to ride a second train back, Elean never let him forget it. Shaking through Claire's proposal, he pointed over, but couldn't get more than, "I-i-i-immortals? Th-that's not my department!"
Amused by the quaking man on the floor, Claire felt his spirits lighten just a little. "Well who do I hafta talk ta? I'd be nice if you tol me before you pass out, alright?" He asked, leaning on the counter. The room was dead silent, except for Nicholas's whimpering. Suddenly a black man hurried up to the counter yelling to the room, "Come on! Come on! Remember all the homeless people who'd love your jobs right now ya'll!" Soon the sound of phones and papers filled the front office again. Turning to Nicholas, Elean prodded the fear stuck man with his toe. "Will you get up? You're ruining our reputation here!"
Claire stood back and watched as the black man pulled his friend into a chair before turning, rather professionally he thought, to Claire, "I'm sorry about that sir. Would you follow me and step into the president's office, please?"
"Now dats what I call service, eh Buddy?" Claire playfully, and viciously, ribbed the shell shocked blonde as he passed him. His words were a little late, however, for the man had already passed out. Elean led him back into the president's office, where he was left on the couch with a tea cup in front of him, facing the mountain of papers. After all the coffee that morning, he ignored the tea. "So, Mr. Stanfield. You have an interest in finding one of the immortals?" The president asked after some time of silence.
"Call me Vino. And yeah, I guess ya could say I'm lookin for him." Claire grinned, his imagination running away with all the things he was going to do with that little . . . . . But first he had to find him. "Alright, Vino. You do realize we require payment for our information services. Something about yourself perhaps?" Claire sighed. Now was the part he'd been dreading since he left Tony's grave. Instead of a straight answer, though, he tried to side step the question.
"I'm not sure what there is that you guys don already know about me." Then voice behind the desk chuckled, a jovial sound that made Claire want to strangle the throat that made the sound, just to get him to stop. "How about the reason you are planning to kill a ten year old boy?"
How did he know? Claire was sure of one thing at this point. Well, two really: his own ability, and that this guy gave him the creeps. He decided to drink the tea anyways. "How bout dis for a reason?" He sighed, lifting his bangs to show the fairly large scab receding into his hairline. The president gave an appreciative "MmHmmm" but otherwise, said nothing.
"I don't see why you didn't go to the Martillos though. After all, you're friends there have adopted him." Claire shifted. He'd figured that was the case when he'd found that girl Rachel talking with the kid there. But he really didn't want to have to explain to Firo and company why he wanted to torture Czes. Torture, after all, was probably the right word for murdering someone who wouldn't die. His method of murdering anyways.
"Although with your intentions, I'm not surprised." The assassin on the couch jumped slightly, pulled suddenly out of his own thoughts. "An how do you know what my intentions are?" Claire asked, standing up. The guy behind that desk was really starting to irritate him. "This is an information broker, Mr. Stanfield. If we had no information, we would have no business."
Claire turned the doorknob, throwing a quick line over his shoulder, "I guess that's all the information yer getting outta me then, huh?" But when he pulled open the door and started to leave, he almost ran into Elean, who was listening at the door and quickly backed up as the homicidal customer left the offices of the Daily Days.

TwinsOfABlackRose

Claire groaned leaving the Daily Days; they were no hope at all. With a sigh he started to make his way across the back alleys thinking through everything he had done to this point. It was bad to lie and betray friends especially those who are friends with your family but the idea of simply talking to Firo sat in the back of his mind. He wouldn't though because where Firo was Ennis wasn't far and Czeslaw had become attached to Ennis. It was during this long period of thinking and walking with his hands in his pockets when a familiar cheery voice echoed behind him.
"Hey Claire!"
Claire smiled smugly as not to show his tension and want of not to meet the other at this particular moment, "Ah Firo," he said turning around pulling his hand from his pocket to shake his friends, "it's been a long time!"
"Too long for my likings," he said shaking it back ecstatically, "I heard you're not a conductor anymore."
"Yeah gone straight down the path of assassination," now was a good a time as any and he may not have this chance again. He hoped that Firo would forgive him for what he was about to say.
"How has things been with you?" He asked, "Heard you an Ennis adopted some kid..."
"Yeah his name is Czeslaw," Firo didn't know what Claire had done to him, Czes kept quiet about that kinda stuff around him, "he's really quite cute, Ennis is with him at the park. You want to meet him?"
Claire's fingers twitched in his pockets and a smile came over his face, what do I do? He thought. He had a few options at this time;
He could take the offer and meet with Czes and Ennis.
He could run and find Czes.
Or he could hold his ground and wait, but if he waited Czes might get the upper hand and plan another attack.
"Claire you okay?" Firo's voice showed small amounts of horror, "You're...are you...going pale?"
Claire immediately snapped back and waved Firo off gently, "Please, call me Vino~"
"If ya say so," Firo still thought something was off when he watched Claire stride calmly away. But he really didn't have anything to worry about he thought; Claire out of anyone in this world would be the least likely of all people to get himself into some trouble. Still, he decided it would be a good idea to check in with Luck to see how things were going.

Claire made it to the park and waited on a bench, so many kids, so many of whom were the appropriate age.
"I can't wait to kill you again," he muttered under his breath then saw two figures coming into view. From what he had heard about Ennis she was the type of person he wouldn't want to have a brawl with in the middle of the park at mid-day. He decided it would be safer to find Czes at a more convenient time. That didn't stop him from speaking with him today or at least showing his appreciation to the runt.
Czeslaw and Ennis walked hand in hand past the red head, only Czes turned back to double take at the man holding his fringe up so the scab was visible as he slowly mouthed the words, 'Can't kill me that easily'.
Czeslaw shivered before matching his smirk mouthing a couple of words back, 'Unlike you I can get help'.
What did he mean by that? Was he saying that he found someone who'd help him dispose of him? No! He could not take that from a little kid, he had to find out who this 'help' was and he had to do it fast. Time was running out. He'd been walking all over the city and it was nearing afternoon and soon it'd be night then no one could help him and he'd be vulnerable. He wasn't going to let that happen again.

Luck cut the deck of cards then started to shuffle them again idly; he wasn't preparing them for anyone just shuffling to pass the time as he listened to Firo talk from the other side of the table. In times like these he would agree with him and the Martillo's but Claire was closer so he'd do everything is his power to protect him.
"So you can see why I thought it was odd," Firo said watching luck pull the aces from the deck putting them on the table. Luck was quite good at reading a deck of cards he remembered, and not to make a pun, but he was quite lucky as well.
"This is Claire you're talkin' 'bout right?" He looked up with an eye closed.
"Well yeah who else?"
Luck put the aces back in this time pulling forth the pair of jokers skimming them across the table to Firo, "Then why are you worryin'?" He smiled putting the card down pouring himself a drink, "Go home to Ennis and tha kid, Claire'll be fine."
Firo put his hat on his head and made his way to the door, no it wasn't fine. Why was Claire at the Daily Days? He may have been doing a favor for Luck but that was unlikely.
"See you later then," he said closing the door behind him.
Luck sat back down sipping at his drink looking down at the cards in front of him, "Come on Claire," he said flicking the Queen over the table so it knocked the jokers off, "get it together."

LOKIforDREAMS

That night, fully aware that he was not a child and could look after himself; Ennis let Czes leave her apartment, like she did almost every night. He was almost like a cat; he kept to himself, he only had a few people he thoroughly trusted, and he kept to odd hours. Ennis sometimes wondered where the boy went, but she didn't think too hard about it. After all, what trouble could a ten year old really stir up? Actually, that was the part she tried not to think about. Czes was too cunning to be left alone, but she couldn't exactly stop him.

Czeslaw Meyer was far too cunning. After failing to kill the Rail Tracer last night, he know he was much too small to do it by himself. Luckily, Czes was old enough to know how to get other people to do whatever he wanted. And he'd heard of just the person he wanted to do this for him. Czes just needed to find him.

~Flashback~ *earlier that day*
"Hey Firo?" Czes asked, climbing onto the barstool next to the brunette. Firo set down his drink and looked down at the boy. "What's up Czes?" The innocent look in his eyes suddenly turned to a steely glint. "I was thinkin, you know that guy they arrested from the Flying Pussyfoot? Ladd Russo?"

"Yeah. Din he shoot yer head off or somethin?" Firo asked, reminding himself that he was the younger one here. The boy was something like two hundred years older, after all. And, until now, Czes had simply been a smart little bastard. That sweet young voice that would never crack, asked, "Didn't he have a gang in New York? Where are they?"

Once again, Firo was caught off guard. "I dunno, kid. The warehouses by the pier maybe. Why didja wanna know?" This made Czes smile, sickeningly sweet. "I wanted to know so I could make sure not to go there. I don't wanna get shot again, now do I?" Then he ran off, his grin turning malicious as soon as his back was turned.
~End Flashback~

Czes found himself in his third or fourth warehouse of the night. He'd found three drug junkies, a squat of homeless men, and the largest rat's nest he'd ever seen, before he found the right place. He'd actually heard it long before he got into the warehouse. Someone inside was rambling and, by the sound of it, breaking something. He snuck inside through an open window and settled himself on an oil barrel until the blonde noticed him.

It took about ten minutes of insane rambling and smashing whatever was available. Graham finally stopped, tossing and catching his favorite wrench as he started talking again, more calm and controlled than before. "Lemme tell ya a sad, sad story. A little mouse gets lost. He doesn't know where he's goin. So the little mouse runs into a big ol cave ta get outta the open see, where he might get hurt. But the mousie doesn't know that he just scurried into the home of a big ol bear. So what does the mousie do? He could go back outside. But he might get hurt. He could stay, but the bear'd just squash the mouse widout thinkin about it. Maybe the mousie knows where he is? Maybe he's too scared ta move? Even when the bear's got his paws on him. Poor, poor mousie. What a sad little mouse."

Instead of listening to anymore of the 'story', Czes decided to speak up. "Oh I know where I am. And I know who you are, Mr. Specter." From what he could see of the blonde's face, Czes was glad that the man was staying where he was. There were crazy people, Czes thought. And then there were people who reminded him of Fermet. This guy was one of those people.

"Oh? The mouse thinks he can play with the big boys eh?" Graham saw a flash of fear in the small boy's eyes. He liked that. Even if it was a child, this kid was smart to be afraid of him. But the kid wasn't running away, like most of his boys had tried to do.

"Actually, I was wondering if you would do a favor for me. You know someone named Claire Stanfield, right?" Czes asked, steeling himself to make this deal. Graham grinned at the name. He knew that name. He hated that name. His wrench left his hand, crunching into the concrete beneath him. "You jokin with me kid? Of course I know that bastard!"

Czes leaned forward, resting his chin on his hands. "Then have I got a deal for you..."

~~~~~

Luck got back to the apartment late. He'd been called out when something happened with the family business that Berga couldn't handle. As he closed the front door, he noticed that Claire had gotten home already. Which was odd in itself but his adoptive brother was not in sight. And every light in the apartment was on. Hanging his coat next to Claire's, Luck went around the place, flicking off the lamps.

When he got to Claire's bedroom, he noticed the light was off and slowly opened the door. Nothing. With Claire's current mood since last night, Luck was expecting the other man to throw a knife or something. But nothing happened. Looking inside, his eyes adjusted until he could make out a figure huddled in the corner on top of Claire's bed. It was Claire, holding one of the bigger kitchen knives protectively. Wide awake.

Luck sighed. It couldn't go on like this. Even as amazing as Claire was, he couldn't run on no sleep without going truly insane. He remembered back when he'd been six. Claire had been seven and, whenever it was rainy or something happened that had scared Luck, really scared him, Claire would let him baby brother sleep in his bed with him. Now it looked like roles had reversed themselves. The red head was the scared one.

Moving into the room, Luck gently took the kitchen knife from his brother and took him by the arm. "Come on, Claire." Claire followed his brother out into the kitchen, sleep deprived, mumbling, "It's Vino." Where we goin?" Ignoring this, Luck replaced the knife in the drawer and led his brother back to his own room. "We're going to my room. You're sleeping with me tonight."

Claire didn't object.