Alvin was pacing in his office, holding a glass of whiskey in his hand. He has received the news of the failed assassination of Astrid Hofferson, and he didn't take the news well. He was pondering what to do next, when suddenly his phone rang.
He walked over to his table and picked up his phone, and saw it's a call from his informant. He answered the call, pressing his phone against his ear. "Hello?"
"Did you call a hit on Astrid Hofferson?" The informant suddenly asked, his tone indescribable through the call.
"Yeah. Why?" Alvin asked, feeling annoyed by the question.
"You shouldn't have done that."
"Shouldn't have done that?" Alvin barked, feeling furious,"Since when did I ask for your opinion? Who are you to tell me what to do or not!?"
"I am the only guy you cannot afford to lose. So, unless you want to lose my favor, you will listen to my opinion when I give it." the informant replied, a hint of edge in his voice.
Alvin forced his eyes shut as he let out a frustrated sigh, retaining himself from insulting the informant. He was right. Alvin couldn't afford to lose his only insider in B.S.D.I, and it added to his frustration.
Opening his eyes again, he said,"That bitch had been snooping around my business. Had to make a point to B.S.D.I to not mess with me."
"Even then, you shouldn't have sent thugs after her." the informant said.
"Give me one reason for not doing that!" Alvin all but yelled.
"I'll give you three.
First, she wasn't snooping around your businesses. I told you already that she's investigating Nightfury. And your storage happened to be one of the places Nightfury 'visited' recently. So, of course she'd be hanging out at a place where Nightfury had appeared.
Besides, don't I always inform you whenever B.S.D.I, or police are about to sweep any of your warehouses, or storages, or stuff?"
Alvin remained silent. It was true, the informant would have told him if B.S.D.I were making a move on him. He was just so angry and frazzled at the moment, he missed the obvious things in front of him.
"Second, if you did manage to get her killed, B.S.D.I would have been on your ass and the whole thing would have gotten complicated. Even without her dead, the stunt you pulled has created various complications."
Alvin sighed hearing that. The informant is right about that too. But at the moment, he was too caught up in his rage to consider it.
"Third, we can't have her dead. At the very least not now."
Now this got Alvin curious. "What do you mean?" he asked, frowning.
The informant was silent for a few moments before saying,"As I told you before, she's investigating Nightfury. And at the moment, she's the best choice at finding out who he is. She can lead us directly to the Nightfury, without either of us needing to break a sweat."
"Uh huh? And what gives you that confidence in her?"
"Because I know of her capabilities. Besides, a good chunk of my information on Nightfury comes from her."
Alvin's frown deepened hearing that. "Her? So you learn stuff from her and repeat it to me?" he asked.
The informant was silent again, but a few moments later replied,"Yes."
"Then why don't I buy my information on that pest directly from her, huh? She seems to be more capable at it than you." Alvin snarked.
The informant laughs. "You wouldn't have said that if you knew her. She'd much rather take a bullet to the head before she agrees to a deal with the likes of you."
There was another pause, before the informant spoke up once more,"Look Alvin, you cannot buy Hofferson, and I cannot go out of my way to investigate Nightfury or drill her for more information. We both have to play our cards right if we want to deal with this problem."
Alvin let out another frustrated sigh, but agreed. "Alright."
"Rest assured, Alvin. That pretty girl has her uses. But neither of us can afford to push our luck too far, so it's better we, especially you, tread carefully." and with that, the informant ended the call.
Alvin put his phone down on the table. Tread carefully? Just what the heck that bastard meant by that huh? Alvin downed the remaining liqueur in his glass, trying to calm himself. At the moment, he had better things to worry about.
…
Astrid stepped out of her cab in front of the B.S.D.I HQ building. She was in her usual blue shirt, amber tie and dark brown vest and pants. Her coat draped over one shoulder, as her right arm was in a sling. After the incident that happened to her, with five assailants trying to kill her for some bounty, she had spent a week in the hospital, recovering from her wounds.
She had just been discharged yesterday, with the doctor warning her to not put too much strain on her right arm, and to take it easy for a few weeks.
She stepped inside the building and headed towards the elevator. Punching in the floor number, she waited for the elevator to bring her to her destination, her office floor. The elevator ding indicated her arrival and she stepped out of the elevator when suddenly,
"Astrid!"
Astrid barely had any time to react when Ruffnut crashed into her, hugging her tightly.
"Oooff! Ruffnut-" She groaned from the sudden collision,"I can barely breath…."
Ruffnut immediately let go, offering a sheepish smile as she rubbed her neck. "Oops."
Astrid just rolled her eyes, when she noticed the rest of her friends approaching too. "Astrid!" They called out, thankfully not colliding with her and stopped before her.
"Oh, I'm glad you're okay, babe. If I was there, I'd have protected you from those guys trying to hurt you."
Astrid rolled her eyes, but appreciated his concern. "Appreciate your concern, Snotlout, but never ever call me 'babe' again." She said with a glare, causing the black haired man to cower behind Fishlegs and nod frantically.
"Anyways, putting Snotlout's comment aside, we're glad to have you back, Astrid." Fishlegs said with a smile.
"Is your arm okay?" Tuffnut asked, pointing at her sling.
"Yeah, I've been meaning to ask that too." Ruffnut added.
"I'm fine, really. The shot barely broke the skin, and it should heal completely in another couple weeks or so." Astrid said, trying to brush it off.
"What was it like?" Tuffnut suddenly asked.
"Come again?" Astrid raised her eyebrow.
"How was your experience?" Ruffnut joined her brother,"You know, being chased around by those thugs trying to kill you."
"Um, guys, I don't think we should be asking that…" Fishlegs said, raising his hand.
"Shut it Fishlegs." The twins told him before turning to Astrid, looking eager,"So, what was it like?"
"Look, guys, it was a traumatic experience, and I'd rather not talk about it." Astrid said, taking a moment to reserve herself, as she didn't want to remember that night again.
"Awwweee," The twins groaned, disappointed, but then Ruffnut looked up with a glint in her eyes,"Okay then, at least tell us about Nightfury."
Now, Astrid was taken aback by this question.
"Nightfury?" Snotlout suddenly spoke up,"Did that scum too hurt you?"
"No, you idiot," Ruffnut groaned on Astrid's behalf,"He saved her from those guys that night. Right Astrid?"
"Yeah…" Astrid replied, not wanting to talk about it.
"Come on, just share a few details at least." Ruffnut begged,"What was Nightfury like?"
Astrid paused for a moment after hearing that question. "He's……. Complex" She answered.
"Complex?" Her friends questioned.
"That's the only way I can describe him. He's complex,... And mysterious." Astrid said, her mind wandering back to the night, at the moment between her and Nightfury.
She felt a sense of intensity as she remembered how he checked on her, his mystery captivating her. She had to suppress a shudder as she remembered his gaze on her. Despite his face and eyes being covered with his mask, she could feel his gaze lingering on her when he checked on her. Even remembering it now gave her goosebumps.
"Anyways guys," Astrid suddenly said, snapping back into the present,"I think we should head back to our respective work."
The others nodded in agreement, and said their farewells before heading back to attend to their works again.
Ruffnut was the last to leave. "Still Ast, don't shy away from calling us if you need." She said before heading off herself.
"Sure will, Ruff." Astrid replied as the mischief loving girl left, showing her a thumbs up.
Astrid shook her head in amusement, her lips twisting in a faint smile, before she headed towards her office again. But on her way, she encountered another person.
"Astrid," Eret greeted her with a grin as he stepped in front of her, making her stop on her path,"That looks painful."
"Welp, I did get shot." Astrid quipped back,"That's supposed to hurt I believe."
Eret chuckled at her response. "Damn princess, you got greenlit before me. I gotta step up my game now."
Astrid simply rolled her eyes. "You say it like it's a badge of honor." she remarked.
"It kinda is," Eret says with a smirk,"Since it means you're doing something right." He then leaned closer to her,"Hey, how about I take you out for lunch, huh? Take it as a treat from me, for surviving through all that stuff."
"Thanks for the offer, Eret. But I'm afraid I'm not interested." Astrid told him, sidestepping him as she went towards her office.
But Eret wasn't easy to move, and he followed after her, walking beside her. "Oh, please, I insist." He said, still smirking.
Just then, Eret's phone rang, causing them both to stop in their tracks, and Astrid looked back at him. He took out his phone, and pressed it against his ear. Astrid didn't know what the person on the other side told Eret, but based on how his expression changed, she assumed it may be something important.
A while later, Eret ended the call and put his phone back in his pocket, before looking at her, offering her a smile. "Oh, gotta go, duty calls." He said,"But hey, if you change your mind princess, you know where to find me."
And with that, Eret turned around and headed on his way. Astrid stared at his retreating figure for a while, before turning around and continuing on her path.
Once inside her office, she threw her coat at her chair, the article of clothing landing and hanging over the top of the chair's back, before she herself sat down on the chair, letting out a sigh of relief as she got used to the familiar space of her office.
After a week stuck in the hospital, even her office was a desirable change of atmosphere. She stared at the board, taking note of every note, pictures and other stuff.
Her eyes fixated onto the picture of the masked vigilante.
Despite the conflict she felt about Nightfury, Astrid felt her desire to catch him flair up again. But this time, her desire wasn't only driven by her sense of justice and the responsibility given to her by her higher ups, but also by a sense of intrigue.
Now, she really wanted to catch Nightfury, getting pulled in by his mystery, as she desired to uncover the person behind that mask.