Six days later

My face was set in a mask of seriousness as I listened to Nana speak, an expression that was mirrored by the woman herself as she stood in front of my desk.

"...-and I've been working him over just as good as anyone else but he just isn't talking, Hime." Nana said, a small amount of frustration leaking into her voice as she spoke, "Either that old bastard is more resilient than we realized, or he just doesn't know a damn thing and was spouting bullshit about someone coming to kill him for talking."

My frown deepened at her words, "And what do you think? Would continuing his treatment provide any results or should we just give up our endeavors? I don't want to waste your time if you think you're trying to get blood from stone at this point."

Nana shook her head, "This is important. If there's any chance that Takao knows who put him on the job, then we need to know."

I nodded, leaning back in my chair, "And do you think he actually knows anything or was he simply, as you said, spouting bullshit?"

Nana clicked her tongue, "Hard to say. He's been squeaking like a mouse but it's mostly been things we already know. Kidnapping women he wasn't allowed to to put in his brothels, embezzling funds, selling out our people. Takao's been a naughty boy for sure, but I still don't know if he actually knows who he's been selling all that shit to."

That wasn't good. Takao was the lynchpin in all of this and literally our only lead at the moment. If he actually didn't know anything and was just bluffing, or was just unwilling to say anything even under the threat of torture then all of our leads dies with him. If he didn't talk, then we'd never know who was so interested in the ABB's internal operations.

The last thing we needed right now was an enemy in the shadows, poking and prodding at us in search of weaknesses in a time of such great reform. We needed to know who had been responsible for Takao's duplicity and why. It was much more difficult to fight an enemy whose face you didn't even know.

Nana was right, this wasn't something we could just give up on.

"Do what you must to get him to speak." I told the woman seriously, "If it doesn't work or is too much on him, then we can simply cut our losses. Any information he has, if any, is simply too valuable to lose. You have my full permission to use your own discretion from here on out, Nana."

It was a rare occasion that Nana was given leave to do whatever she wanted to her prisoners. The woman's normal methods could be constituted as cruel and unusual at the best of times. The things she would likely think up now that she wasn't held back by the normal conventions were horrifying to even consider, but now wasn't the time to be conservative. We needed results

Nana's resulting smile couldn't be called anything but chilling, "That right there is music to my ears, Hime. Give me a few days and I'll have him squealing like a pig in whatever key you want. I promise you that."

I held back the small shiver that was nearly produced at her words, "Right. Well, as always, I appreciate your efforts Nana. Please make sure to-"

Before I could say anything else, I was interrupted as the door to my office was opened unceremoniously. Both Nana and I looked over, surprised that someone had entered without giving any sort of warning or asking permission, though my surprised look faded into a smile at the person we were met with.

"Hey, Yuko, I've gotta ask you something." Tammi said as she came in. As always, Tammi had exactly zero cares to give as she practically barged into my office like she owned the place, not paying any mind to the fact that I was technically her leader now.

It hadn't been as much of a surprise as it probably should have when Tammi asked to join the ABB a single day after moving in with me. As unfortunate as it was, we both knew that it wasn't likely possible for her to return to a normal civilian life after all that she had done in and for the Empire. There was nothing saying that her former colleagues would follow the Unwritten Rules and leave her be, especially after she had so blatantly abandoned their cause. It only made sense that she would ally herself with the next largest gang in the city, barring the Protectorate.

The fact that her girlfriend was the current leader of said gang probably had something to do with it, but who could say?

Getting over her surprise, Nana turned towards the blonde, a smile slipping across her face, "Well look at what we have here." Nana's expression was like a cat eyeing its prey and I held in a sigh at what I knew was about to happen, "Hime's little girlfriend has come to visit? Don't you know that it's common courtesy to knock before you enter your leader's office? Even if she is your partner, what you just did was pretty rude, sweetheart."

Tammi crossed her arms, a scowl coming to her face at the woman's words and the sigh I was holding back came out full force, "And who the hell are you?" She demanded, not backing down an inch even when faced with Nana's intimidating demeanor, "I know she doesn't give a shit if I drop by unannounced, what I don't get is why I should care what you think."

Nana laughed at Tammi's words, surprising her, "Well aren't you just a treat? You've gone and snagged yourself a real spitfire here, Yuko!" Nana said, before the smile on her face turned slightly dangerous, "You should come visit me in my shop sometime, sweetie. There are a few things that I would love to show you."

Tammi's scowl returned and she went to respond, but I interrupted before this could get out of hand.

"That's enough," I said sternly, stopping her before she could form a rebuttal. Looking towards Nana, I continued, "I'll contact you in a few days to check on your progress, Nana. If anything pertinent comes up involving Takao, bring it to my attention immediately."

The woman saw the dismissal for what it was and pouted, "You really are no fun, you know that?" My stare didn't relent and her pout only deepened, "Fine fine, I got the memo. Have fun with your girlfriend, Hime. I'm off to have fun with our resident rat."

"Make sure to come by my shop again soon, alright? We still have to redo that tattoo on your back." She called back to me as she made her way to the door that Tammi had unceremoniously thrown open. Her face turned dark, "Months of work, completely ruined in a single second. I swear if that bitch wasn't already drooling at the walls and babbling like an idiot, I'd put her there myself. Ruined one of my best pieces and it was completely original so I don't even have stencils to remake it…"

She continued muttering obscenities towards the former Tinker as the door closed shut behind her, cutting her off. I gave it an amused look before turning my attention back to my girlfriend who looked completely befuddled by what she had just heard.

There was a moment of silence before she turned to me, surprise evident in her eyes, "You had tattoos?"

I giggled, surprised that that was what she singled out from everything that had just happened, "Yes, I did. A rather large one on my back that Nana took quite a bit of pride in, as I'm sure you can tell. She called it one of the finest works that she had ever produced."

"Was it?" Tammi asked as she stepped forward in front of my desk, sitting down in a chair.

I shrugged, "It was one of my own designs so I'm afraid my opinion would be biased in that regard. I quite liked it though. For the relatively small time I had it anyway. I can show you the design some time; I believe I still have it somewhere."

"Huh." She said, giving me an appraising look, "Y'know, now that we're basically all out in the open and junk, I'm just now realizing that I had you pegged completely wrong when we first started hanging out."

I raised a brow, "Is that so?"

She nodded seriously, "Yep. At first, I thought you were just some rich girl or something. Maybe your parents were really good lawyers or something and that was why you always had to leave in the middle of our hangouts. Y'know, to escape the hit men that were being sent after you."

"Lawyers?" I asked, amused by her words. She nodded seriously, though the glint in her eyes spoke otherwise.

"Yeah, lawyers. You wouldn't believe the amount of people that hate lawyers. Especially the really good ones. Figured that maybe your folks were on the 'right' side of the law and managed to make some enemies." Her face shifted in mock thought, "Though I guess being the daughter of a gang leader and a gang leader yourself isn't much better. Probably less hitmen though."

"I'm afraid I wouldn't know." I sighed, playing along, "I've only ever been the one set of parents, I'm afraid, and lawyering certainly isn't in our history."

"Yeah, I figured that. You can only have so much evil in your blood after all. StilI, I could get over the whole crime boss thing, but tattoos?" She shook her head, staring into my amused eyes with faux disappointment, "I can't believe I thought I knew you. I'm not sure how I'm going to be able to forgive you for keeping something like this from me."

I gave her a sad look, thoroughly enjoying this now, "Is that so? And should I be expecting a heart-wrenching text sometime tonight proclaiming that the spark has died? I would like some forewarning so that I can make sure to keep my freezer stocked with ice cream for my inevitable heartbroken soap binge."

"Nah, I'm too lazy to break up with you. I mean, we just got together a few days ago and that was a whole thing. I'm not going through that again any time soon." She gave me a charming grin, "I guess you're stuck with me for now."

My lips twitched, "What a shame. However will I cope?"

"I'm sure you'll figure it out. You're smart like that."

"I suppose you're right." I sighed at her words, before dropping the act and giving her a smile, "Now then, not that I'm unhappy to see you here, Tammi, far from it in fact, but might I ask why you've decided to pay me a visit so…" I looked back at the door which she had practically slammed open, "...abruptly?"

Catching my glance, Tammi actually had the decency to look a bit embarrassed at her actions, "Uh, sorry about that, I wasn't really thinking. I'm just starting to lose it because I've been so freaking bored these past few days. That's why I came up here in the first place."

I blinked, "Excuse me? You're bored?"

"I'm bored." Tammi nodded, "I've been a cape for years now and I'm not used to just sitting around like this, you know?"

"...Is that so?" I asked, somewhat confused, "I'm sorry, I thought your position in Kaiser's court was much like the one you currently have with the ABB. Was I mistaken?"

She nodded, "No, you're right, it was, but he also ran things a whole lot differently than you. The Empire has a ton more capes than you do and they used us a lot more, sending us out to check on shit or even just to patrol our territory. You haven't told me to do any of that yet so I've just been sitting on my ass so far and I'm getting antsy. I need something to do."

I was left momentarily stunned as I realized that she was right. I had been so caught up in managing the gang itself, that I had momentarily forgotten to utilize the resources that were now at my disposal.

Though, now that I thought about it, it made sense that I hadn't. Though our gangs were of similar size, the way that the Empire and the ABB operated couldn't be more different, and not just in our illicit activities. The Empire could field more than triple the amount of capes that we could at any given time and certainly weren't afraid to do so. Tammi had explained it to me that her job was akin to a courier or human transport, that she was always moving around their territory doing one thing or another at almost all times, and it seemed that the rest of the capes in the gang were like that as well, always having something to do to keep them busy.

The ABB, on the other hand, relied more on non-parahuman manpower. The way the gang was structured gave more authority to the individual members of the various branches of the organization. This was mostly out of necessity, as unlike the Empire, we simply couldn't afford to field a cape every single time there was an issue within our territory and instead left it to whoever was in charge of that area, usually an Officer.

This led to capes having a much more auxiliary role in the gang. I was a special case due to my status as heir to the gang, but both Lee and Bakuda were normally left to their own devices unless specifically called upon for a task. Bakuda used that time to tinker or try to fill my father's ear with nonsense, while Lee just disappeared until he was called upon.

I wasn't actually sure what Lee did in his spare time but given the nature of the man himself, I imagined it wasn't very exciting. The only thing I could be completely sure of was that he wasn't spending that time sleeping. Those bags under his eyes were practically etched in at this point.

My own position in the ABB was that of a manager, directing and overseeing things within the gang as I make sure things run smoothly and effectively. If there was an issue that required a cape to deal with it, I would either send Lee to deal with it or take care of it myself. Other than that, there was basically nothing for an Enforcer to do except wait.

But Tammi wasn't used to that and now that I actually thought about it, it wasn't exactly the most effective way of going about things. There were a lot of changes happening within the ABB; perhaps this could just be another.

"I'm sorry, Tammi. I never considered the fact that you might not be used to how things are run here." I finally said, giving my girlfriend an apologetic look, "Like you said, Enforcers in the ABB are used much differently than in the Empire. The position is more reactionary instead of proactive.

"That said, you're also right that you should have something to keep you occupied. Hmm… give me a moment."

I glanced down at my paperwork-covered desk as I tried to think of something that she could do that would keep her occupied and alleviate her boredom. As I did so, one sheet in particular caught my gaze and my eyes widened in remembrance of an issue I had completely forgotten about.

"You know what, I actually think I do have something for you to do." I said, as I moved some papers out of the way to get a better look at it, looking it over for a moment. Yes, this was perfect.

I looked up at Tammi who was giving me an eager look, "With all of the changes that our operations are undergoing, as well as the business with consolidating the territory that we gained from the Merchants, I have had my hands full and haven't quite been able to turn my attention to an issue that has popped up recently." I gave Tammi a small smile, "I was going to send Lee and a handful of men to deal with it later today if I couldn't get to it, but if you'd like, I can let you handle it instead."

Tammi gave me an eager look, "Let me hear it."

"For the past two days or so, I've been getting reports of an issue with one of the warehouses that we recently acquired from the Merchants leftover territory. It's a smaller warehouse that was probably used as housing, but we aren't sure yet." I explained, "My men say that nobody has been able to actually enter the building itself, though not for lack of trying. The way it was explained to me, it is as if there's an 'aura' of some sort that permeates the warehouse and the surrounding area, causing unease to anyone within a certain distance and only getting stronger the further into it you go."

She connected the dots quickly, "You think a cape set up over there?"

I nodded, "That's what I believe, yes. The aura they described is clearly some sort of Master effect, but it is localized entirely on that single warehouse and several meters outside of it. Clearly a parahuman at work.

"It's possible that it's a new trigger or it might even be a leftover member of the Merchants hoping to get their own fill of the scraps left by their former gang. Whatever the case, it is disrupting operations in the area and with things in such a tumultuous state, we need to know whether or not it is an actual threat to the ABB or not."

I lifted the paper up, revealing the report that one of my men had written out, "I was going to send a small taskforce to deal with the issue, but if you are really itching for something to do, I could give the assignment to you instead." I offered. Her mouth opened and I could immediately tell that she was going to agree, but before she could I held out the report to her, "Before you agree, read this over and tell me what you think."

She took it from me curiously, looking it over as she read the report. It contained a few key things such as the location of the warehouse and its proximity to our borders and possible civilians, but most importantly, it gave a detailed explanation on what exactly the aura did to one who entered it, courtesy of a particularly brave grunt who had already been commended for his admirable actions.

According to him, the effect was minimal if you were standing a good distance from the warehouse, akin to a minor amount of apprehension at best. That apprehension only grew more intense the close that one grew to the building. Mere shivers down the spine gradually grew into a feeling of being watched or even stalked, and if you actually made it to within a foot of the building, that feeling would have grown to a gut-curling fear akin to being stuck with a home-intruder in the dead of night.

The man who wrote the report hadn't actually had the ability to enter the warehouse, but I imagined that it only got worse from there.

Tammi read the report, taking in what was written, and frowned slightly.

"The cape, you think it's a Master?" she asked, putting the report back on my desk.

"That, or a Shaker of some sort." I nodded, "Though I find it unlikely that a Shaker would be able to keep their power active for this long. As you can see by the report, the effect hasn't dulled in the slightest since it began, remaining the same constant size and intensity. A Master with an area of effect power is most likely. Do you still want to take the assignment?"

Tammi nodded almost immediately, "Hell yeah, I'm gonna take it. This is exactly the kind of thing I was looking for. If causing fear is the only thing they can do, then I shouldn't have too much to worry about."

"Alright then, it's all yours. I'll be assigning someone to join you on your task though, just in case of any unforeseen complications." I thought for a moment, "Let's see… Kon has been complaining about a similar boredom to you since he no longer has his task with Takao to keep him busy. He'll be more than happy to assist."

"The guy with the sucker?" I nodded, "Alright, I don't mind. He's pretty cool."

That was probably a bit of an understatement on Tammi's part. Though they had only spoken a few times since Tammi joined the ABB, she and Kon had gotten along like a house on fire. Something about Tammi's general abrasive nature paired extremely well with Kon's laidback attitude, and once they had gotten past the initial distrust due to Tammi's background, it hadn't taken long for them to become something akin to friends.

Part of me felt I should worry how they might influence each other, but the larger part of me was happy that two of the people closest to me got along so well. I had been somewhat worried that Tammi would only have me as a friend due to her background and the distrustful nature of my men towards anybody non-Asian.

Though with the changes I was making, there was only so much longer that that could go on. Pride in one's heritage was all well and good, but I was not going to be the leader of an Asian supremacist gang for any longer than I had to.

As I mused to myself on the possible effects of the ABB's sudden loss of their Asian-only status, Tammi hopped to her feet, a not-so-small amount of eagerness in her posture at the idea of finally going back out onto the streets, "Alright, I'm gonna go get suited up. Is he gonna meet me here?"

I nodded, "Yes, I'll call him in a moment. He lives nearby so it shouldn't take him too long to get here."

"Cool. I'll try to be quick then." Just before she turned to leave, Tammi paused for a moment, catching my attention. As I turned to look up at her, she grinned and leaned across the desk towards me, puckering her lips. Catching her intentions, I leaned up and met her halfway, happily pressing my lips to her own. After a lingering moment, Tammi pulled back, smiling like an idiot.

"I don't think I'll ever get used to that." She said as she settled back to her feet, grinning from ear-to-ear.

I giggled quietly at her words despite the blush that was doubtlessly covering my own cheeks, "Neither will I, I don't think. Though I'm certainly not going to complain about that fact."

"Heh, me neither." Tammi chuckled, still grinning like a loon, "We really need to go on another date soon. One without the heavy talks and mind-shattering revelations that basically ruined our last one."

I paused at that, thinking back to all of the work that I still needed to take care of. I doubted I'd be able to leave my office any time soon, "I'll see what I can do. I might be able to clear my schedule some time in the next week or so."

GIving me a grin, Tammi turned around and began heading towards the door, "I'll hold you to that, Yuko. I'll see you later."

"Oh, actually, one more thing before you leave, Tammi." I called out before she could actually leave the room. She paused at the door and looked back at me in slight confusion.

Despite the flush on my cheeks, I made sure that my face was as serious as possible as our eyes met, wanting to convey that I was speaking to her as her leader in this regard, and not just her girlfriend. She was surprised by my sudden shift in demeanor, but quickly gathered herself, sobering up quickly and gazing back just as seriously.

My lips twitched in slight approval at that, before I became serious once more, "Remember, your main goal is to figure out exactly what is going on down there. If you can manage to open a dialogue with whoever is responsible and negotiate, then you should prioritize that. If not, then just leave things alone and come back. The warehouse isn't important enough to start a fight over. Not right now."

Tammi gave me a solemn nod, "Got it. I'll keep the fighting to a minimum."

I returned her nod with one of my own, happy to see that she understood how serious this was, before my continence became much softer, "Wonderful. I'll contact Kon and have him ready to meet you outside for transport. Keep the flying to the minimum if you can. I doubt the Empire has figured out exactly where you've gone off to and there's no need to tip our hand this early."

"Honestly, they probably already have an idea." Tammi commented, "I wasn't exactly subtle with my friendship with you. My argument with my cousin probably made it to Kaiser by now, and there's no telling what Agnes knows."

"True enough. Even so, the element of surprise is not one I like to give away so easily. Let's try to keep it a secret at least until we get your new costume prepared if at all possible."

Tammi shrugged, "Makes sense, I guess. I'll do my best to keep it under wraps."

"Thank you, and good luck, Tammi. Call me if you run into anything the two of you cannot handle alone."