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Pitter Patter goes the rain
Wet droplets of water dripped down the side of his umbrella as (Y/n) (L/n) made way to the dark alley. An unseen figure walked alongside him
Curious eyes watched him from the shadow. Eyes of drunk beggar, of stoned prostitutes and murderers of all kinds laughing quietly to themselves amidst the downpour, creating for a miserable sight
Some can say this is the dirty side of Vale, where all its unsavory aspects are flushed down, kept away from the public's eyes in order to keep a positive image of their ruler
In such places, they thrive like parasites. Crimes committed everyday without consequences, sometime even encouraged among the law
People like them are to be kept in check by the families. But it seems one of them had slacked off on the job
"Sir. The meeting will start in another 2 hour. I suggest we use a more mobile means of traveling to reach our destination beforehand"
A man beside me spoke. His hair is a deep blue. He wear a suit embalmed with our family's crests on it. However, the most prominent detail about him is the two wolf ears sitting atop his head
"Ease up, Cyan" I said to my bodyguard, eyes glued forward "The Families can wait, but the rain comes and goes. It's best if we enjoy it for a while"
"Understood, sir"
Suddenly, a hooded girl bumped into me.
I gazed down just as she looked up. Silver eyes widened in fear before she hurried off to a nearby alley. Within moments she was out of sight
I patted my pant pockets. My wallet was gone
"Cyan. It would seem as though a rat just pulled a sneaky on us"
"You intentionally let her steal it, sir"
"Don't sweat the small stuff. After her"
Cyan sighed and jumped up a nearby building. His Faunus physique easily enabling him to scale to the rooftop within seconds and pursue the red-cloaked girl
"She's in the Hemwick alley, sir"
"I see" I spoke to the side, sitting on the ledge
Having caught up with him just moments before, we both observed the girl stumbling through the dirty alley, staining her cloak with the grease and mud of the road as she continued speeding up
"Look at her. She's paranoid" I muttered "She's checking the corners. The route she takes are dangerous and easy to get lost into. That's a good way to throw her pursuer off"
She gazed up again. Silver eyes widened in fear as I cheerily waved at her
The girl changed direction and disappeared from our sight, rose petals left in her wake
"That girl has good intuition" Cyan remarked, before narrowing his eyes "Sir, you're not thinking of doing it, are you?"
"What? I have no idea what ya mean by doing that" I blinked innocently
"Picking up young strays and adopt them into the Family, of course"
"Again, I have no idea what you mean"
"Alright, allow me to make a list" He raised up a finger and began counting them "Ever since you've taken over the business, you've personally recruit a total of five new memebers. Velvet Scarletina, Neopolitan, Eva Taurus, Nora Valyrie and Lie Ren"
"Uhhhh...."
"One is the sole survivor of a massacre on a Faunus settlement. One killed her father who is a master illusionist. One is a slave you rescued from the Schnee's Dust mine. The last two are child mercenaries that you captured on a heist"
"To be fair, THEY are the one who wants to join the Family" I rolled my eyes "Now, are we going to meet little Red and her friends or not?"
"She has acquaintances, sir?"
"The path she takes, while desolate, has many footprints on it. The winding road makes for a good hideout, easy for hiding and exiting on emergency cases. Enter through the front and I'll be spotted. Sneak from the back and I'll be ambushed"
I jumped down from the rooftop. My coat flutter in the air as I used my umbrella to slow my descent, landing on the ground with a click of my shoes
Forget the meeting, now I'm genuinely curious what else these girls are capable of
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Dirty water stained her leg as Ruby ran forward, her form nothing more than a blur at the speed she's going
Her heart is pounding in her ears. Fear. It was something she has not felt for a long time
This was not the first time the girl had pick someone's pocket. She had done it multiple times before. Yet this was the first time she had been found out
Being an orphan on the street, especially on this district, means one have to rely on their every wit and toes to survive for another day. Guilt is only there for the first few times for her before it fades into acceptance
Where honor was thrown to the dirt, love is trampled onto the ground. Kindness only exist in the form of equivalent exchange
It was with her immense luck that she had found friends she can rely on in this dystopia
She jumped forward and crash through the wooden planks. Her entrance alerted the three other girls inside the room
"Ruby!" Long blode locks brushed by her face. Her sister Yang was the first to be by her side with a concerned expression
Weiss, and Blake came after. Respectively the cast out heiress to a Dust business and a former revolutionaire's daughter, they've proven to be valued companion the month spent together
"I'm fine, I'm fine!" She quickly stood up and dusted herself off
A glance behind her showed that the ominous man from before was nowhere to be seen. She let out a deep breath
"So, how did it go?"
"I got some stale breads from a nearby baker" Yang held out a few soggy pieces of dairy. Thankfully undrenched from the mud
"I...managed to get a few piece of chicken from a couple" Weiss miserably held out the meager ration. She was still not used to robbing people yet
"Fish" is Blake's reply
"Blake...why are there blood on the fish?"
"Man with fish resisted. Has to kill"
They stared at her
Yang shrugged. Weiss scrunched her nose in disgust.
"A-anyway, what you got, Ruby?"
She hesitatntly showed them the inflated wallet. Ruby had felt bold that day, never knowing how much a dangerous individual she had encountered
"Wow, this is a lot of money" The other girls were amazed as they rifled through the wad of cash inside. "We can buy a lot of food with this. Probably about two month's worth or so"
"Three month if we know how to ration it" Weiss perked in "It seems like Ruby's met a millionaire of sort. Those are considered jackpots around here"
Rich people are less inclined to search for their money since they stored most of it in their fancy banks. But at the same time, those who are determined to call the police may just get them in trouble
"U-uh, guys, I think I have something to tell you about..."
Ruby averted her eyes as the others looked at her
"I...might have bitten off more than I can chew"
Pitter patter goes the rain
In the distance, the faint sound of footstep hitting the pavement can be heard
"The man I stole from. There's just something about him"
Taking the risk, she dived in
"Unusual"
Body hit body. She found herself losing her balance
"Different"
A hand held her up. Silver eyes met his. He smiled
"Dangerous"
The footstep faded into reality, replaced by the spatter of rain echoing around them
"I think he's searching for us right now" She swallowed "In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if he suddenly appear behind us to get a scare on us"
"Seriously Ruby? Did you actually thought it is possible?" Weiss reached out a hand "If he get close we should be able to see him. There's no way a person can be that skille-"
Her hand touched something soft. Slender finger brushed against the sleek fabric of high-quality vest. Something she recognized none of them possess
...
"...boo?"
"AHHHHHHH!"
Weiss was the first one to react. She picked up a nearby knife and fling it at the intruder
The man twirled his umbrella and deflected the thing to the side. He sidestepped Yang's following punch with ease, using the momentum to spin around and threw her back at the charging Ruby
A slight step as he lowered his centre axis to evade another stab. The mobster reversed his bumbershoot and catch Weiss's clothe with the hook, flinging her into the air
His impromptu weapon moved in a blur. Three continuous whack sounded. The next thing the three of them know they were knocked onto the ground, coughing furiously
From above, Blake jumped at him with a knife in her hand, only to be kicked to the side by Cyan. She crashed to the wall, creating a small crater where she lied
"I don't care if you are a child" He stated coldly, lowering his leg "Any attempt of inflicting permanent injury to the Don will make you enemy of the Family, and will therefore mark you as a target of extermination to us"
"Tut, let it go Cyan. These girls don't know who I am yet"
"Just letting them know the rules, sir" He respectfully stepped to the side, allowing me to approach the downed street rats
I inspected all of them. Dirty right down to the scruff of their neck and smell like dead dogs left in the sewer. The girls obviously have been thrown out here for some time.
They wouldn't be the first
Normally I would just ignore them. Take them to an orphanage by our turf and leave em' to Martha's care. But it seems these children are different
For one, they've still got some fight in them.
I noted how the white-haired child is constantly clenching and unclenching her fist, looking for any window of opportunity to take me down. Tense, but not reckless
For two, they know how to look out for their own
My eyes moved on to the blonde one, shielding her red-cloaked friend from view as she glared at me, liliac eyes still occasionally flickering to a crimson color
I smiled
My men could learn a lesson or two from them
"Children. I am not here to harm you" I spoke to them, tapping my umbrella into the ground "In fact, you could say I am here to give you an opportunity"
"Y-yeah right. After you barged in and gave us a brutal licking? Fat chance"
I am enjoying this
Instead of the reverence or fear people usually give off when addressing me, theirs are full of defiance.
"That is incorrect. I would never actively seek harm to a lady unless said lady had just fling a knife at my chest. Then I believe it would be considered self-defense"
The white-haired one blushed and gazed down. I brought a chin to her finger and lifted it up
"No, no. Tis' is a jest. I am impressed in your skill and thus want to make an offer"
"What kind of offer?"
"One you can't refuse"
I silently relished in the children's fear
"Again. Tis' but a jest" I laughed "What I meant is that I'm a mobster. Yes, the kind that wear fancy suits and go around doing normal business with my Thompson. I was wondering if you would like to join our family"
"Family?" Ruby peeked her head "Like...us, but bigger?"
"No, as in the Mafia Family. A syndicate doing organized crime that operate within separate parts of the Kingdom. We will take care of you, feed you, ensuring you will never have to suffer on the street like this again"
"So what's the catch?" The white-haired one glared at me
"You will be a part of us. Serving as the Don's men" Cyan interjected, gesturing toward me who huffed in annoyance "You will work in his shadow. Fight for him. Kill for him. Do anything he say with your utmost effort"
"- Or that's how it's suppose to go" I shrugged, extending a hand to them "Regardless. I'm a man of my word. As a part of the Family, you will be under my protection. Should any of you find yourself at wit's end, I will always be there for you"
"Don't trust him"
"Hm?"
The Faunus girl rose up from the rubble, hateful eyes glaring at me
"What makes you think he won't go back on his words? That he won't abandon us like our parents?" She spat "The world is cruel. Kindness does not exist here. He'll only be kind to us until our uses run out, then we'll be lucky to get out alive in one piece"
There was silence as the mobster silently regarded her. Finally, as if deciding on something, he casually walked over to her
"My, a sad one aren't you?" I knelt next to the Faunus "To be young and to suffer so much. What is your name?"
"Blake" She paused, before answering "Blake Belladonna"
"Do you not believe what I said?"
"I see no reason to"
I pulled out a knife and handed it to her
"Then, Blake. Use this and stab me"
Her eyes widened in shock. Blake tightened her grip around the handle as she stared dumbly at me
"When you rush at me, you were aiming for my heart" I pointed at my chest "Great for a quick kill, but ultimately risky. Since it is protected by the ribs, this requires more precision in your movement. A better alternative would be...here"
I took hold of her hand and gently guided it to my jugular
"The throat area is vulnerable to either the thrust or the slash, the thrust being most effective when driven into the hollow at the base of the throat just below the Adam's apple"
"A thrust there, into the jugular vein, or a slash on either side of the neck, where cutting the arteries which furnish the blood to the brain will result in extreme loss of blood and death in a very short time. Even with Aura, such a wound will be fatal to me"
Cyan tensed up behind me. We made eye contact, and he reluctantly backed down
"Do it" I tilted my head to the side, exposing the vulnerable flesh underneath "If you truly think I meant you harm, plunge this into my neck with all your strength"
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He tugged at the blade, but her hand remained steady. Amber eyes stared in shock at the man. Desperately searching for any hint of deceit she could find
There was none
She swallowed. Reluctantly, she pulled back, still staring at those eyes of his. Eyes that spoke of the truth, the truth, and the truth alone
"W-why would you do that?"
"To make a point" The man stood up and fixed his coat "To show you that that's what a real family would do. They trust each other with their lives, like brothers and sisters in all but blood"
"You'll have the chance to find camaraderie among our ranks. As it is now, if you refuse you'll be nothing more than a street ruffian for the next few years before ultimately dying on a random sidewalk. Your choice"
I picked up my parasol and looked at them
"Well?"
"Mister...would you really accept us into your family?" The white haired one grimaced "Even when we are dirty street rats who'd snitched on others far too many times before?"
"Of course" I blinked "Haven't we already cover it up? It doesn't matter who you are. Once in the family, you are all equal in my eyes"
They exchanged glances with each other. After a moment, they reached a shared decision
"I'm Ruby Rose"
"I'm Yang Xiao Long"
"Weiss Schnee"
"Blake"
""""We would be glad to join the Family""""
"Nice to meet you all. I'm (Y/n) (L/n). Just an average Mafia boss with small ambitions" I gestured for Cyan to hand me another umbrella "Now get under here, won't want you to get wetter than you already are"
A faint hope flickered inside them as the girls huddled together under him
Ruby and Weiss clung to him. Yang held her sister's arm. Blake trailed after them from the back
Rolling his eyes, the man pulled Blake in and wrapped them inside his coat. They protested for a bit, but eventually quieted down as the warmth of his body spread through their own
Pitter Patter goes the rain
The cold, freezing rain splashed on the ground before them
Yet this time they are safe. They are warm. They now have a home
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"You know in the end we didn't attend the Families meeting, sir."
"Oh shit. I forgot"
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