Told you it wouldn t be that bad.

Tsuiichi just scowled, directing her glare at the drink set on the counter before her. She had one arm resting on the counter, bent at the elbow with her chin resting casually in her palm, fingers curled inward. She d only gotten a day s rest after her mission with Sine yet here she was again, back in the same situation, even the same conversation, as before. It was alright. Not as bad as I thought it would be. Mostly because he was pretty damn good, but She fell silent, her mind slipping images of Sine fighting, almost dying, before her eyes. He wouldn t have made it out without her; of course, the same could be said about her. All the same I d just rather not have to do it again. It was painful. Nikkodemus chuckled, and Tsuiichi glanced up through her eyelashes to wash him rest his back against the wall, as was his custom. What exactly is funny about that, Nikko? He shook his head. Nothing, Iichi. Nothing at all. He had a wicked grin spread across his face as he stared out over the room before him then it was gone, becoming a focused, solemn mask a moment before the door to the bar flew open, revealing a broad-shouldered, barrel-chested man wearing a white shirt with slacks and suspenders. Nikko sighed. It s too early for this Hey there, Nick! the man bellowed, lacking any sort of regard for the abstract concepts of peace and quiet and completely disregarding Tsuiichi as he made his way past her to stand before the bar. Good to see you re doing well! Nikko sighed again. Well, it s only been, what, half a week since we saw each other, Ilahi? Hard to believe I can get myself into trouble that fast. Yeah, well, that s the thing, Nick, the man replied, rubbing his hand against the rough silver-gray stubble on his chin. You re always in some sort of trouble or another. Only reason nothin bad happens to you is cause we re around. I m also blessed with good fortune. Nikko stepped off the wall and rolled his neck, reaching behind him for two glasses. Be sure to note that I don t consider you a result of that. He set both glasses down on the bar, poured liquor expertly into the both easily twice as much in Ilahi s than his own and leaned over the bar, fingers steepled, to focus intently on the man before him. I suppose if you re here, it means you can t buy me any more time. The man opened his mouth to object, then glanced hesitantly toward Tsuiichi. Hey. Over here. Nikko snapped his fingers before his face. She s here because I want her here. Answer the question. With a sigh, Ilahi responded: You re right. We ve been tracking down leads all month, but every time we find one, we end up with less to move on. He took a hefty swig of his drink before continuing. It s just gotten to the point where we can t accomplish anything. Not in the public eye, like we are. If we do, we ll just draw attention. Sorry, boss. He outplayed us he has most of what he needs, and we can t stop him from getting the rest. We were taking way too many risks with the last job anyway.

Nikkodemus just stood silently for several moments, eyes unfocused, the hand not holding his glass clenched tight into a fist. Several moments later, another sigh. It s alright, Ilahi. I knew this was going to happen eventually. Just wish we d had more time to prepare; we have more cards to play when the time comes, but I need to figure out the best way to use them first. He took a long draw from his drink, longer than Tsuiichi had ever seen him pull, then set the glass softly back on the bar and stood up straight. The three of you are on protection detail from here on out. You know the targets. Take your families to the safe house, then get on that. And send a message across town as soon as you get the chance. If we re already as late in the game as you say, it s about time I started calling in favors. With a grimace, he downed the last of his drink, then shooed Ilahi out the door with his hand. Get going. I ve got other things to do today. With nothing more than a nod in response, the muscled man stood from his stool and headed out the door, this time silent save for his footsteps. Tsuiichi turned her head to watch him go, and when she looked back behind the bar, Nikko was staring intently toward her. Was that reallyIlahi from the Holy Brigade? I had no idea he worked for you. What was all that about? He just shook his head. A lot of people work for me. But that s not what you need to worry about right now. Sine should be here any minute. Not a second after he d finished speaking, the door swung open again, this time revealing Sine, standing tall with a piece of straw hanging from his lips. He held the door open for Lorelei, who just brushed past him without any sort of gratitude and hastily sat down at the bar next to Tsuiichi. Think you re a bit young to be up here, kid. Nikko said, half of a smirk pulling at his mouth. Lorelei just glared at him in response. Hey, Tsuiichi! Good to see you again. Tsuiichi just grimaced, shaking her head. Lorelei looked far more dejected than seemed possible for a teenager. Morning, Tsuiichi. Good to see you back on your feet. A pang of discomfort shot through Tsuiichi s bruised shoulder, and she took a slow sip from her glass to mask the wince it induced. Morning. How s the kid been? Not much worse than usual. Can t stop talking about you, but not that much more than before. Course, that s a lot more normal than I d consider healthy. Lorelei s jaw dropped open in surprise, and she began to stutter quietly, ignored by everyone else in the room. You bleed yourself dry for kicks, Sine. You don t get to decide what s healthy and what isn t. He just grunted in response, resting both arms on the counter and staring thoughtfully into space. Alright, Nikko. What s the plan here? Nikkodemus hand flashed to the holstered revolver at his waist, though the motion was there and gone too fast for anyone but Tsuiichi to notice. It made her nervous. The kid s father is gonna be here soon.

Apparently she s got enough cash saved up to repay him, and she s gonna convince him to just let her go. That doesn t exactly seem likely to happen, though. I mean, he was willing to spend so much money to get her back He ll go for it. No worries, Sine replied, still staring off into space. Lorelei just nodded in acknowledgment. He s got enough money to cover it. And he s got plenty of more important things to worry about than her. Lorelei spoke up before anyone could figure out what to say. He s right. Just let me talk to him. I ll handle it. Sine didn t react; Tsuiichi just stared. No one spoke for several moments, then Nikko just nodded. Alright, fine. He ll be here any moment now. Go get set up at the center table over there. Lorelei sits at the far end. Keep the briefcase out of sight, just in case. Sine, I want you right next to her. I ll be at the middle of the table. Tsuiichi, just stay where you are, he said, stepping out from behind the side of the bar. Don t speak unless you re asked to. He added the last as he walked toward the table, without even pausing to look back at her: And make sure your gun is loaded. Part 2 I ve got the money here to repay you, so you don t need to worry about that. I ll be eighteen in just a few months anyway. Just let it go, dad. The man seated across the bar was tall easily almost as tall as Nikko, who watched his expression with cold fire in his eyes. His skin was a dull silver tone, his silverhair only discernable through its metallic sheen. The black trench coat he wore was made all the more menacing by the purple accents and silver armor plating set into it. The woman at his side was, in every way possible, a fair example of studies in contrasts. Her amber-brown hair was pulled back into a ponytail at the top of her head, falling to the nape of her neck and brushing against the maroon cloak wrapped around her throat. Her revealing black clothing was laced with gold. One condition. Everyone in the room, save for Nikko and the man s companion, drew back in surprise for a moment. It was the first time he d spoken since entering the bar; up until now, Lorelei had been the only one talking, ranting and raving at her father, obviously upset. What is it? Nikko asked, staring daggers into the man. He pointed one stiff finger at Sine. He stays with you, he said, completely ignoring the fact that it was Nikko who had asked the question. I want him around to make sure you don t get yourself into trouble. Deal, Sine replied, teeth clenched. Lorelei opened her mouth to object, but stopped herself once she realized it would be counterproductive.

Lorelei s father grinned, mouth turning up slightly at one end. You realize what that means for you, don t you? Sine grimaced. Yes, Esper. It means I m fired. Don t patronize me. Let s wrap this up already. Esper s smile never twitched, save to grow even wider. Fine.Kumori, make sure the money s all in order. He stood with a shadowy sort of grace, slid his chair back into the table, and turned to face Tsuiichi at the bar. So. You re the young woman who helped Sinemetu recover my daughter. Tsuiichi s heart went cold for a long moment. She could see Nikko s entire body tensing, his fists clenched tight in rage. Hope it wasn t too difficult. Though Nikko might not have agreed, Tsuiichi had always thought the best response to intimidation was to face it head-on and let her inner wiseass shine through. No, not at all.Just a day s work, after all. Good to see you care so much about them both. She let the irony drip from the last sentence as much as she could manage. Esper s grin faded to a grimace in a heartbeat, then back to neutral in even less. He turned away from her, toward his associate, who had just snapped the briefcase shut once more. I suppose we re done here. He turned to face Nikko, making eye contact as quietly malicious as possible. It was good to see you again, Nikkodemus. Nikko practically growled in response. Get out of my bar, Esperado. You said yourself that we re done here. Once again, Esper s mouth turned north in a wicked smile. Fine. We re leaving, Kumori. Without another word, he turned and stalk quietly out the door, Kumori following silently behind him. As soon as the door shut, everyone in the room heaved a sigh of relieve save for Nikko, who just let the tension fall from his body like shackles. Good to see that that s done with. How do you know him, Nikko? Tsuiichi asked, watching him make his way back toward the bar, stopping just next to her. He didn t answer. Now that that s out of the way, he said, reaching over the bar to pour himself another drink, I ve got an errand to run. And you all are coming with me. Confusion bounded across the room, carried by the quick, questioning glances that Lorelei, Tsuiichi and Sine shot toward one another. Grab your things and let s go. We re headed downtown. Without another word, he downed his drink and made his way toward the door. The others stared after him for a long moment before rising to their feet and following him out.