There was someone sleeping in the room, completely dead to the world with their head on the table and well worn clothes. Closer inspection revealed it was a girl, though her age was debatable. Considering how loose her clothing was she could be anywhere between fourteen and sixteen.
As the room filled up with the others, Renato continued to eye the sleeping female with mild interest. She hadn't even reacted, let alone moved since he came in and he was one of the first ones there.
The others let her sleep, as she was clearly exhausted. Or they would have, had it not become clear from her flames she was having a nightmare.
Renato, as the one closest to her, went to lightly shake her shoulder in order to wake her up.
Only to have to dart back as the girl woke up in an instant, lashing out entirely on instinct with a semi-sharp knife. Renato eyed the minor bit of damage to his suit thoughtfully...she had good instincts if she was able to catch him off guard.
Jade green eyes blinked for a moment, and she still look just barely lucid.
"Where am I? And who are you people?" she asked rather bewildered. In accented English, not Italian.
Renato stared at her, before replying.
"You were sleeping with a knife in your hands and you have no idea where you are?" he asked.
"I was planning on gutting the next person who went to force more drugs down my throat to keep me sedated. Maybe if I killed enough of those backstabbing bastards they'd get the hint and leave me the hell alone," snarked the girl, yawning. "Where is this place anyway?"
That had their attention and not in a good way.
"You were drugged?" asked Fon.
"You're in Italy," commented Renato.
"...So I guess that weird man with the ridiculous mask and costume actually managed to remove me from that cage they shoved me in. I should probably thank him, even if I have no idea who you people are," commented the girl.
That settled their question of how she got there and why, but not who she was.
The girl politely listened to their introductions, before giving them a name that was quite likely faked. If she had been drugged and thrown into a prison, it made sense she wasn't about to trust others very easily.
"Call me Jade."
"Alright then Jade...how old are you and when did you activate your Flames?" asked Renato slowly.
Unlike the idiot Cloud, this girl clearly had some bite to her.
"My what?" she asked, staring.
Fon helpfully conjured up some of his Storm flames, which had her staring.
"Is that what they're called? Wait, what's today's date?"
"August third," said Renato.
"Well in that case I just turned sixteen four days ago, and my 'flames' went active around the tail end of June," said Jade.
"Who is your famiglia?" asked Renato.
"My what?" said Jade baffled.
"Your family," clarified Viper.
"The last person I would call family died the same day my flames went active," said Jade slowly.
"Are you telling me that you're a civilian?" said Renato incredulous. Once was a coincidence they could ignore, but twice? How exactly did someone miss a Sky this strong in their bloodline?
Jade glared at him and it had far more bite than it should have. Renato had to automatically dismiss the idea of 'useless civilian', because there was something haunted in her eyes that said she didn't have a nice childhood or life until this point, and was therefor far more prepared than the Cloud was.
He had the sneaking suspicion that becoming part of the mafia was actually going to be an improvement in her life, rather than a nasty shock.
"Do you have any place to stay?" asked Viper.
"I was quite literally removed from a room after being repeatedly drugged, and I have never left England before in my life. What do you think?" deadpanned Jade.
That didn't sit well with any of the mafia-raised Elements. The second someone figured out what she was, there would be idiots after her in a heart beat.
"You planning to keep an eye on her until later, Viper?" asked Renato.
"I have a safe house nearby, and this means free information on our potential Sky," said Viper evenly. "Though if you have the money to pay me that would be even better."
"I'd have to find out where my bank branch is first," said Jade. "It's not like I have anything better to do with the inheritance I was left with. I also cook and clean, so if you have a recipe book you can cut down on eating out."
Viper seemed visibly pleased hearing that.
Jade seemed to look around her with wide eyes, not really caring about the 'mission' they were given.
She followed Viper easily enough, though the fact she still had that knife on her was left unspoken.
The second they reached the apartment, Viper made sure to lock the door before bluntly stating...
"I know who you really are and why you kept silent," said Viper.
She stiffened.
"I'm not going to enlighten them about the magical enclaves. However I would like to know in a bit more detail what you meant when you said you were kept deliberately sedated," said Viper.
"Why?"
"Because it gives me a chance to impress the current head of the family enough to get back into the vaults that were taken from me when Cygnus kicked me out," said Viper. "Apparently it wasn't enough I had been a Slytherin with high marks...he took particular offense that I didn't give a damn about blood purity so long as it made me money."
Jade stared at him for several moments.
"So just to be clear, your main motivation is money."
"Money won't betray you and it gives you more power than fear or charisma will," deadpanned Viper.
"...So if I wanted to sue the hell out of the bastards who kept me caged for several months in a house that belonged to the family that they were guests in originally..."
"Then I would be more than happy to help get your pound of flesh so long as I got a healthy percentage regardless of which side they belonged to," said Viper immediately.
Jade's smile was anything but pleasant.
"I have the feeling we'll get along fine...cousin."
"So which one of the Black sisters was your mother?" asked Jade.
"Bellatrix. You have no idea how pleased I was hearing she was dead," said Viper. "How did you accomplish that, by the way?"
"I don't really remember. I remember seeing Sirius fall through the Veil in the Department of Mysteries, and realizing that there was a very high chance that she would get away with it because of Dumbledore's stupidity about putting threats down permanently. It felt like a weird warmth filled my body, followed by a haze of pure rage. It felt like there was a film being removed from my mind as I slit through twelve Death Eaters. The next thing I knew I was being hit with multiple stunners, followed by Dumbledore telling me I would have to remain in Grimmauld place 'for my own good' and for the 'good of others'," said Jade in disgust.
"Sounds like you went into a mixture of Hyper Dying Will mode and Black Battle Rage," commented Viper. "Likely why they kept you sedated."
"Black Battle Rage?" repeated Jade.
"It has multiple names, but the effects are the same. Those in a full rage become unstoppable weapons of destruction who will go through anything and anyone who gets in their way. Pain will not effect them, their magic is heavily amplified beyond normal limits, and they will not hesitate to brutally murder anyone in their path. Most people fear the Blacks for that very reason, though I heavily suspect that it's mostly due to people awakening a Cloud secondary and not having any idea how to properly channel it," said Viper.
"Cloud?"
"Reinstate me in the family and I'll give you a general overview of yet another secret society that you've been dumped in."
"How?"
"We can go to Gringotts in the morning. Considering you were completely out of it earlier, it would be better to come at this with a fresh start and some food," said Viper.
"So...I'm the head of the family?"
"Exactly how much did they keep from you?"
"I was treated like a house elf ever since I was big enough to reach things like the stove, and told absolutely nothing of my heritage," said Jade angrily. "Worse, I had very little chance to do any research and no idea where to look because one friend was an overachieving bitch and the other was a lazy bastard who was only interested in chess, food and Quidditch and complained if I did more than the assigned reading. I don't know if they were deliberately sent my way to keep me ignorant, or if they just fell prey to Dumbledore's bullshit and thought he knew better than everyone because of who he was."
"It's also entirely possible they fell prey to Sky Charisma, and thus naturally fell more in line with his Sky rather than yours. Even if he never did go active like you," said Viper. "That isn't to say it excuses their actions, but it meant they were more easily swayed."
"What about you?" asked Jade.
"I have no reason to want anything to do with that hypocrite and just as much reason to hate England as you do. Bellatrix was my mother, after all and thanks to her actions I have to hide my face from the magical sector," said Viper bitterly.
If he was surprised by the hug, he didn't show it.
"So long as you have the decency not to stab me in the back, we'll get along fine. Especially if you help me sue those bastards to hell and back for caging me."
"Deal. Are you hungry or would you rather sleep first?"
"Considering they started drugging me by using food, I'd rather do the cooking myself. And since I wouldn't have the first idea where you put your personal poison collection, if you have any..." said Jade.
Viper snorted.
"If need be I'll eat dry cereal in the morning from an unopened box."
Viper took Jade to the nearest outlet mall, and gave the perfect cover story for why she had nothing to wear.
"My cousin's dirtbag ex-boyfriend destroyed all her clothes and left her without anything to wear. Could you help her find a new wardrobe? I already have a set budget," said Viper.
"Sure thing!" said the chipper salesgirl, her sympathy on overdrive after hearing that. She took one look at the rather respectable budget and began to drag Jade around the store. It was perfectly clear she wasn't going to let the girl leave until she had at least three pairs of clothes that fit properly.
Viper smirked and went to get something to eat. This might take a while and he had no idea how long she would spend shopping.
At the very least they'd be putting her new messenger bag that he put an expansion charm on to good use.
The only reason he even suggested it was because the clothes she had on were barely acceptable and the most he did was convert a decent amount of gold into regular currency, which meant he wasn't actually paying for this shopping trip. They had already gone far over budget with books and other 'feminine essentials'.
Viper had been pleasantly surprised that his cousin was almost as frugal as he was. She hated spending far too much money on brand name crap and preferred the generic items, unless it came to food.
If she couldn't make it, she went brand name quality. A fact he was inclined to agree with, especially if she could make such delicious meals like breakfast this morning.
"I feel rather violated and ridiculous," said Jade flatly.
Viper turned to look and nearly choked on his drink.
Talk about a major difference.
The clothes she had on before hid her actual figure far too well, but what she had on now made it painfully obvious how skinny she was. However with properly fitted clothing she actually looked closer to her actual age. All she needed was a proper hair cut and she might even be enough to suit Renato's tastes in bed mates.
Renato wasn't the only one staring at their potential Sky. They all were, save for Viper who looked completely bored.
"...Talk about a major change."
Jade glared at him.
"To be fair, the clothes she had were in dire need of replacement and her wardrobe was a complete joke," said Viper disinterested.
"Are you trying to court her or something?" asked Renato. "Last I checked you'd never spend this much money on anyone."
"He's my cousin, actually, and he merely paid the fees to have my accounts moved to Italy and the rest sealed off," said Jade.
"Your cousin?" said Fon with interest.
"Second cousin once removed on his mother's side. My paternal grandmother was his great aunt," said Jade.
"As fascinating as this is, can we get on with the mission?" asked Lal pointedly.
"Agreed," said Verde.
"What exactly are we doing? I'm afraid I was still working off the drugs they dosed me when I woke up last time," asked Jade.
Well at least Renato could respect her somewhat professional behavior. Jade didn't even flinch at the fact they might have to kill during the mission, considering they were robbing a place.
Though any chance of him dismissing her as a 'clueless civilian' like he had with Skull went out the window when she was not only able to waltz right in to get the files with Fon as back-up, but was able to keep up with the Storm the entire time.
She definitely had Fon's respect with how smoothly she had slipped into the shadows to steal the files, and how calm she was the entire time.
"You have experience in this," commented Fon.
"Far more than I would like. It's easier to sneak around unnoticed than it is to go in guns blazing like an idiot," admitted Jade. "Besides, this way we can leave traps to insure we make a clean escape on the way in, and watch the fall out afterwards."
Fon's smile was a bit sharp, but he radiated clear approval at the tactic. He could already tell he'd like this Sky...she had no illusions of her skills and was far too aware the dangers of being too hasty while on assignment.
Fon wasn't entirely surprised when Jade left the room that Viper looked at all the males with a dead serious aura about them and proceeded to lay down the law. He felt that the Mist was being rather generous, really.
"Let's get one thing straight. I could care less if any of you decide to pursue Jade as a woman, rather than just as a potential Sky. However if you plan on simply using her as another one night stand (Viper looked pointedly at Renato when he said this) then I am obligated as her only remaining family to completely annihilate you."
"You make it sound like you could," said Renato.
"Renato, I can do so much more than simply destroy your mind. I just prefer not to because it brings up annoying memories," said Viper coldly.
Fon eyed Viper for a moment, before calmly asking "Lion, Badger, Eagle or Snake?"
"Snake, and I will be asking you later exactly how you knew to ask," said Viper immediately. "For future reference, Jade was a lion, but there was almost no loyalty among the majority of them...including her so called 'best friends'. I suspect she may have Guardians, or at least Elements among them, but I am reluctant to confirm that at this time because most of the damage done to her was by people she should have been able to trust."
Renato wasn't the only one to nod at that. Clearly Jade needed a clean break from wherever their employer had rescued her from, and Viper wasn't about to bring up any false obligations that might cause problems later. At least not until she had a full set of Guardians able to keep her safe.
"Are you really cousins?" asked Fon curiously.
"My mother was a member of a very old, very established line that had certain ideas of who was acceptable to marry. To put it in simple terms they never fully accepted the fact that the English nobility had lost most of their power, and so kept only to 'acceptable' lines. Unfortunately they had no issues with marrying 'in-house' so to speak so long as certain qualities were present."
They didn't have to read between the lines of that to realize that Viper's family still thought inbreeding was acceptable.
"Exactly what happened to her?" asked Fon.
"She went Flame active and one of her secondaries is Cloud. I don't really need to elaborate what happens when a Cloud goes into a rage, do I?"
"She has a Cloud secondary?" said Renato.
"Mist and Cloud are fairly common in our family. However when one of us awakens as a Cloud, there can be...side effects. Imagine a Sky with Cloud instincts going active when the closest thing to a father figure they have ever had was murdered right in front of them, with no real adults or authority figures willing to do what was necessary to take out the one responsible or deal with them later. Imagine that same Sky being put under so much stress and responsibility because the adults assume it's their job to fight in the front lines of a war they were dragged into."
Seeing the collective wince of the others, Viper continued.
"Now imagine that the only 'support' she had was a Sky who is so delusional that he believes he can redeem someone like Renato and not expect him to go right back to his old habits in order to make a living, and who refuses to allow any of his men to kill the enemy in the hopes of 'redeeming' them later. How do you think that Sky would react, seeing a rival stronger than them snap under the pressure and take out the active threats in a permanent manner, without giving a damn about any thoughts of redemption?"
"You're telling us an older Sky had her captive because she killed the one who murdered her father figure?" said Lal.
"To be more specific, she killed my mother for murdering the head of our family...who coincidentally happened to be Jade's godfather and my cousin," said Viper bluntly.
"...And you're perfectly fine being Jade's Mist despite the fact she killed your mother," said Renato slowly.
"My mother was a woman who wouldn't hesitate to torture children and complete innocents in the name of her Sky. And out of that side of the family, Jade is really the only one I would even admit being related to," said Viper bluntly. "So just to clarify, if I find out any of you hurt Jade by breaking her heart, I will not hesitate to end any of you in a way that will leave a warning to the others."
After hearing even a fraction of what happened to her, the idea of hurting her like that never even crossed their minds. Even if Viper wasn't giving them the full details, just the gist of it was enough to make a general idea.