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Attacking Shadow (Kitsune and Degu)

"It's not my concern whether or not your friend is suffering in the conference room." If anything, she felt a bit more sympathy for her boss being stuck with the insufferable SAO leader, and even then, she felt little sympathy. The man could handle himself, and he was probably kicking their guests out about now. The only thing she was sorry for was the inability to see the man's rage upon realizing his vehicle was gone. Even then, she could play it back on the security feed from Cole's front door. It was going to be priceless to see.

"He's a good boss." She nodded slightly and gazed out the window at the dark sky. She should have still been napping, yet there she was, sitting in the back of a car with one of SAO's own, and he had an interesting sense of humor to boot. Her threat hadn't been entirely unfounded, and she certainly wasn't bluffing, but there was something very peculiar about him.

"So we scout the scene, see what scents and evidence we can pick up. Gonna need to do a sweep of any surrounding areas, too, see what anyone's seen. Someone had to have seen something."
 
I know it isn’t your concern,” Lucian comment and moved his seemingly glowing, amber eyes back toward her. “Then again…how does your boss fair without your protection,” Lucian asked and tilted his head. “Suuuuurely he’s capable? Don’t suppose that’s my concern,” hr said with a shrug. “Merik’s temper is shorter than mine…wouldn’t put it past him to totally destroy our boss and blame it on yours.” Lucian said and guffawed.

After Lucian finished, the man took another sip of his drink and moved his eyes elsewhere.

All business, I see. So boring. Incredibly boring. Why am I working with someone?

“Yeah, yeah. All of that sounds good and pretty basic,” he said, waving his hand in a nonchalant manner. “But…you were there, weren’t you? I received your regards, so you must have been,” the executive mentioned.
“Oh, and as far as your previous question,” Lucian started again. “Government official who is one of us,” he answered with a chuckle. “Of course, that sounds a bit Outlandish, huh,” he said with a chuckle.
 
"Cole is perfectly capable without me. Believe me, his wife does not take his safety lightly, she'd tear out someone's throat in an instant if it was to protect him. I've seen it in person, and it wasn't pretty. Ruined her outfit shifting without warning like that, and it took hours to get all the blood out of the room." Of course she was there and had sent her regards, but it wasn't her problem if someone else died, so it wasn't like she'd taken the time to scout out too much of the situation until Cole had commanded her to do so.

"It's not my guy who lost his head," She shrugged. "I didn't look very hard, because I honestly didn't care." A government official who was one of them, that wasn't quite what she'd said, was it? It was an interesting idea though, she would admit as much. If one of their own was working both in the gangs and inside the government, there was no telling what kinds of things they had access to. It could be a bloodbath.

"I don't think that's quite what I said, although I don't like the idea of that very much either." She frowned and tapped a finger to her chin lightly. "We've been here long enough, I don't see why someone would be so bold to suddenly do this. It's either a test, or an outright declaration of war."
 
“Uhuh,” Lucian nodded, obviously uninterested in Cole’s wife’s clothing. “Merik should be shaking in his boot, I guess,” the executive added, simply humoring the woman—it may or may not have been obvious, as well.

Lucian sighed loudly and downed the rest of his drink, only to lean forward to pour more. “Seems that any feline would go snooping around,” he said and glanced back to her, lifting a brow. “You must be an abnormal cat. Not poking your nose in things, leaving your scent everywhere, even making your presence known somewhere it shouldn’t be,” the man pointed out.

Listening to Annaliese speak caused Lucian to roll his eyes and chuckle. “A bloodbath? You’re a pessimist, aren’t you? The Lucky Nines must be full of bitches, yeah?”

A declaration of war? That was possible, but it would depend on how many traitors joined and what sorts of abilities they had.

“And I don’t quite care what you said. I care about what I say. Usually I would say we should get ice cream, but here we are, not enjoying one another’s company at all and talking about a war between all of us. If our two groups can’t even stand one another for five minutes, would this really be a war? Survival of the fittest maybe…but not a war.”
 
"Stop with the fae thing and get out of my head." She gave him an irritated look. "I never said bloodbath, I only thought it." This was going to make things difficult if she had to constantly monitor her own thoughts around him. Maybe one of the witches could help to give her a charm that would keep the hybrid out of her head.

"Wouldn't you like to know what our members consist of?" Her expression went from irritated back to amusement as he threw a casual insult into the mix, although she did raise an eyebrow at the mention of ice cream. When was the last time she'd gotten ice cream? Why had he even thought about suggesting it? The man truly was an ice cream junkie if he was thinking about it even now.

"I never said I couldn't stand you. And I said it could be a declaration of war, not that it was," She corrected him gently. "Just because our bosses can't stand each other doesn't mean we have to hate each other. I'm just not an overly friendly person," She grinned and flashed him her sharp teeth with a laugh. "Cats are kind of solitary creatures and all, you know. I'm happy to live alone and be alone most of the time," Usually, anyway. "For all we know, the intent was for us to be at each others throats rather than working together. What better way to clear out territory than to make the people there take each other out?"
 
“Can’t help it. You’re thoughts are too loud,” Lucian said with a cheeky smile. “Believe me, I don’t do it on purpose. It’s really annoying actually,” he told her and sighed loudly. “My mother warned me about it,” he complained and leaned his head back to stare of the vehicle ceiling. “Speaking it out loud or not, your thoughts gravitate in that direction, which means you have little faith in our kind.”

Lucian mulled over Annaliese’s question—sure, he would love to know what the Lucky Nines have in their ranks; however, was working with them worth it? Possibly, being as inquisitive as he was.
“Sure. I’d love to know, but I don’t suppose you’d make those secrets as available as I’d like,” he finally said. “Though, investigating supernatural’s gifts is simple enough,” he pointed out with an amused, lifted brow.

Annaliese’s next statement actually did surprise Lucian:

I never said I couldn’t stand you…is that so?

“For the record, I don’t totally dislike you either. I think I dislike my boss more than you actually,” he admitted but laughed it off quickly after as he finished off his second drink. “I don’t suppose war would be the worst thing in the world overall. I mean…getting rid of those corrupt humans would give me great pleasure,” he said in a bitter manner; though, the executive didn’t linger on that statement.

Lucian moved on, eventually moving his body to turn toward her. “You are very unfriendly, and it’s actually really annoying; hence, my dislike toward felines, BUT how could I possible dislike someone so obsessed with me, hmmmm,” the man asked coolly. “Who sends ‘their regards’ to someone over and over and over again? Love from afar, maybe,” he asked, flashing a sweet smile her way, as well.

“I do agree with you though. What better way to take territory? Have the competition kill one another would have been my idea, if I’m being honest—no one would have found out though.”
Lucian paused and tilted head, obviously thinking hard to himself. “This was sloppily done. It’s almost as if they wanted us to see…”
 
"Humans are an annoyance, yes," She noticed immediately the way that his tone changed when he spoke of them, it was far outside the norm of what she'd seen from him so far. What grievance did he have against humans? "I don't particularly care if you find me annoying, we're not here to be friends." Her eyebrows went up at his insinuation, and it was only her great control over her expression that stopped her from rolling her eyes.

"Demons aren't my taste. You don't seem like the type to enjoy long naps after hunting." At least they agreed on one thing so far, so that was a start. "If either of us had been the one to go after territory, no one would know until it was far too late." For all his smart ass comments and his general attitude, she'd heard enough about him to know that when it came down to it, the man was dangerous. She just hadn't expected him to look like he did, but most people didn't expect her appearance to match with the name that inspired fear in so many.

"Of course they wanted us to see. If they wanted us to fight, then this was the perfect way. They knew I, or someone from the Nine's would hear through the streets and come investigate, and that the SAO would assume we had something to do with it. It almost seemed like your boss was hoping we did just so he had a reason for us to fight." He wasn't skimping on the drinks, was he?

"Either that, or this is a distraction from something bigger." His mention of ice cream had gotten itself lodged in her brain now that she realized she was getting hungry, and she turned in the seat enough to give him a lazy smile. "Maybe we'll stop and get ice cream after this. Every cat does like a good bowl of cream once in awhile."
 
“Mm. I’m not interested in friendships, so it works out perfectly. Lucian said this, but Merik was, in fact, his friend; moreover, he wouldn’t mind having Annaliese as something, but admitting that would be pathetic—Lucian wasn’t in the business of being or seeming pathetic.

Despite refusing to extend an olive branch, Lucian, instead, continued to tease and banter along with her. “Naps after hunting sounds abhorrent,” Lucian said and wrinkled his nose immediately after. “There are better things to do…I guess,” he said with a sniff.

She still hasn’t answered my question. Why was she sending me her regards? What relevance do I have to her…

“So,” Lucian finally started again after hearing the feline’s next statement. Her deduction was spot on. He knew that and she knew that. “A diversion is…an interesting thought; though, from what? And who would care enough to fuck with our kind anywa…” Lucian paused and furrowed his brows.

Like your boss was hoping we did…just so he had a reason for us to fight…

“Are you…do you think…” Lucian paused at the word ‘ice cream, however. All of the sudden his eyes lit up and he nodded quickly. “Ice cream is good in anyone’s company.”
 
Did she think what? Annaliese wondered what it was he had started to say, but clearly everything had vacated his brain the moment he heard ice cream. She'd been spot on about being a junkie for it, and she wondered just how far she could push that. If she was able to so easily distract him from an important topic just by mentioning the possibility... Well, that was good to know.

"Fine, let's get it over with, then. Sniff out the scene, see what we can find. We manage to get through it with minimal annoyance, maybe I'll even pay for the ice cream." What was a few extra dollars if it meant she got through the night quickly enough she could cozy up in her own home rather than run away with the rival's secondhand man?
 
“Mm. Let’s just hope someone shows up,” Lucian said and began to laugh gently. “I’m in the mood to snap someone’s neck,” he admitted and leaned back in his head. “I’m in the mood for a lot of things, but snapping necks and ice cream will do just fine,” he said with a big yawn afterward. “A cat nap afterward doesn’t sound half bad now,” he admitted and tucked a piece of jet back hair behind his ear.

“I don’t mind paying. I can get a free waffle cone anyway, so it wouldn’t make sense to just waste the points,” Lucian told her with a cheesy smile. “Can you believe that my boss would have the audacity to wad the card up and throw it on the floor! Who does that?! It’s a waste, right? Unbelievable…”
 
"So, snapping necks is your preferred method of killing? I'll keep that in mind if I start seeing anything like that, just don't go leaving me anything on my front step like a gift. I like to keep the property clean." Not that she'd always been able to, she'd had more than one body get buried on her property or fed to the wild animals after they'd dared to attack her. It had been quite a while since she'd had a direct attack on her home though, and the last thing she needed was something left on any of her steps or in the front yard. Bodies tended to reek once they'd been sitting there for awhile.

"A waffle cone?" Was this really one of the most feared members of the SAO she was sitting beside, talking about free waffle cones and crumpled cards? Surely this was a jest, surely Cole was testing her or keeping her busy so he could handle things on his own. If she was supposed to team up with this hybrid for the indefinite future, she might very well go insane listening to him ramble on like a hyperactive child.

"I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about, I just mentioned having ice cream because you're clearly addicted to it. But free is free, so to each their own." She shrugged. "I guess I don't pay enough attention to that stuff."
 
“Hmm…snapping necks is a method I enjoy, buuuut there are others that may or may not be more appealing,” Lucian said with a sniff. “I much prefer torture before death,” he admitted. “Whether it’s a snapped neck or a shot in the face, there will be some fun beforehand,” he added and cleared his throat. “And what do you prefer? Clean? Messy,” he asked.

Lucian’s eyes immediately widened once the woman expressed her confusion. “Surely…you know what a waffle cone is,” Lucian said and wrinkled his nose. “I mean…I guess if you don’t enjoy yourself with delicious things, you wouldn’t know.”

Continuing to listen to Annaliese, Lucian furrowed his brows. “I’m not obsessed. I like cake just as well,” he pointed out. “Our job is…messy sometimes and dark and everything that most wouldn’t want to do, so walking into a dessert shop,” he paused and offered her a bright smile. “It brings a bit more light to a life that is centered around tearing people apart.
 
"You'd like to know my methods, but unless you come after me, I don't see a need for you to see them." As long as they weren't attacked when they were out, and even then she could keep her temper and moves calm enough to appear weaker than she was. That was one of the most important rules she'd stuck to over the ears, making herself appear weaker than she was and doing a majority of her work in the shadows and out of sight.

"I assume it's a cone that looks like a waffle." She shrugged. How far were they from the scene now? "I do like delicious things, but I don't make a habit of going out to places to treat myself. I know how to cook, thank you." She didn't need servants or workers to take care of her food or other needs like Cole did.

"Well, I suppose we'll have to get that ice cream after all this, then, as some sort of compromise since we're forced to work together." No harm in getting ice cream if it made things more bearable. "If I were you, I'd have already ripped my boss' throat out. The man's an idiot."
 
“Suppose I’ll have to come After you then, won’t I,” Lucian asked, wigging his brows. “Especially since you won’t give away your secrets,” he told her. “Then again, I could just read your mind,” he teased her with a smirk. “Your annoyed face is amazing, by the way. It’s the only thing that I really don’t have to work hard for,” he said and leaned back in his seat again, half crossing a leg over the other.

“It is, indeed a cone that looks like a waffle, BUT it’s soooo much better than both separately. I’m telling you, you’ve been missing out,” Lucian said and rubbed his forehead with his palm. “Dilly’s isn’t close, unfortunately. That’ll have to be the second date,” he mentioned with a cheesy smile before moving on. “There’s another place though. Great strawberry Sundays and they have this delicious pavlova with pineapple cream,” he told her then let out a long sigh.

Lucian would have loved nothing more than to rid his bosses throat. He hated him, but that same man was the one who took him off the streets, gave him a family, and prevented him from destroying the human race.
“I’d love to rip his throat out,” Lucian told her with a sigh. “But then…I’d be the boss, and I’d have to force Merik to kill me. I’m not in the business of just letting people kill me.”
 
"This isn't a date." Her retort was immediate as she resisted rolling her eyes. Was he drawing out her annoyance so clearly he had to tease her about it? That wasn't good, she was better at hiding her emotions than that, but it didn't help that the man could read her mind from time to time. She would definitely be visiting one of the witches tomorrow to acquire a charm to deter that.

"Nothing says you have to be the boss." She shrugged. "You could move somewhere else, take whoever you want with you and just live. Granted, you'd probably have people hunting you down for killing your boss, but at least your life wouldn't be boring." That was one thing she could say about living a life of organized crime, even if she wasn't the boss either: it was never boring.

"No, I'm sure if they tried to kill you, you'd just torture them for information before finally putting them out of their misery." It was almost hard to imagine the man going on about ice cream torturing someone, but at the same time she could almost visualize him standing there with a knife in one hand and an ice cream cone in the other.

"Well, if you ever decide you've had enough of him.." She gave him a smirk and left the sentence unfinished. Cole hated the bastard just as much as she did, and if he was taken out by one of his own then it wasn't their problem.
 
“No? Totally thought you were taking me for ice cream…haven’t you heard? Dinner is always a date. Lunch is friends only,” Lucian said and began to chuckle. “Breakfast is a one night stand,” he added, though obviously teasing her.
His favorite past times were torturing physically and mentally; though, this was only playful torture.

At the subject change, Lucian tilted his head and looked up to the ceiling, thinking. “Don’t suppose I’d have to be, but if I was going to leave, I just would. No killing necessary,” he told her with a shrug. “I like my job, so I’d be the one punished, wouldn’t I?”
Lucian was silent for a moment. It appeared that he was truly mulling over what Annaliese was saying.

“Hmmmm. Actually…that does sound appealing! Of course, then, Merik would also be tortured,” he told her with a sniff. “He’s the closest to a friend that I’ve ever had. And I also hate him, but then he hates me, too. So, the relationship works out…But our is to protect the douche bag—meaning Merik would protect the boss,” he explained. “A frustrating situation. And if I hired someone…I’d have to just kill them,” he said, laughing.
 
"Well, to each their own. I think either you or your friend would make a much more capable leader than him, but that's not really my concern." No, her concern was unfortunately dealing with a possible invasion. Then again, how long had it been since she'd had free roam to do as she pleased in the matters of violence? Too long, if her inner feline was being truthful. All of her stalking and hunting prey in the woods was nothing compared to the thrill of hunting things that could talk. Things that could talk and try to weasel their way out with lies, squeal and squirm under her claws as she drew out the hunt until they were quivering messes of fear on the ground.

"All this talk of death and yet all I can imagine is you sitting there with this beloved waffle cone of yours rather than acting on it. Or perhaps sitting beside a corpse with it. How very demon like, with just a hint of Fae in your mischief. I can't say I've ever met a hybrid like you before." How long were they going to have to drive? Either the drive was taking forever, or it just felt like it because she was stuck there with a rival.
 
“You think two, lazy, demon, assassins would make good bosses,” Lucian asked, stifling a guffaw. “Paper work is the last thing we’d want to be stuck with…then again, I know another little pussy that would loooooove a chance at it. Maybe he’s why I hate felines,” Lucian thought aloud. “Maybe he’s worse than the current boss…” he added and turned his head to check out the window as Annaliese continued on.

Lucian let out a long sigh as he scratched the back of his head. “I’m glad that you’ll have something to remember me by. Not my charming good looks or my fantastic personality, nothing like that—just waffle cones…waffle cones,” he said the latter in a more dramatic fashion.

“You know, the fae are surprisingly very kind hearted,” Lucian said and chuckled. “That’s possibly why I’m defected. The two cancel one another out and I end up like—“ Lucian paused for a moment and looked over his shoulder, toward Annaliese. “We will be there in five minutes, so keep your fucking thoughts quiet, Kitten,” Lucian said with lifted brows.
 
He was very confident about his looks, how very much like a demon. When he stopped talking abruptly she raised her own brow, curious as to why he had stopped until he called her out on her thoughts. Nosy bastard.

"Kitten? Trust me, I'm not a good little kitty, so that's the absolute last thing you want to be calling me. You already dare to say more than most would, but you seem to have little fear of anything, don't you?" On one hand that could be seen as useful for a life in the mafia. On the other hand, even she knew when to be afraid of things, when to step back from threats, and when to run from a fight she couldn't win.

"I'll do you one better and keep my mouth shut too, lest you come up with another cat pun and make me shut that pretty little mouth of yours up." She winked at him and leaned her head back on the seat, closing her eyes and listening to the world pass them by outside. Honestly.. Cat puns?
 
“Interesting that you took kitten as an insult,” Lucian mentioned and snorted with crooked smile. “I wouldn’t mind making that you’re puuuuurfect pet name,” he said, making sure to draw out the ‘pur’ and place emphasis on the word ‘pet’.

At the threat, or what appeared to be, Lucian couldn’t help but laugh. “I have no reason to be afraid. Should I fear you, Annaliese? Is that what you’re implying? I have no way of knowing how absolutely terrifying you are,” he pointed out with a shrug. “You’re allusive, after all. And I have no way of knowing which assassinations you’re responsible for. Remember, you’re method is just as allusive as you are.”

Annaliese seemed peeved—maybe that was the word; of course, to get a rise out of her was his goal. To see how far one could push their enemy was advantageous, especially in the event that there’s future conflict.
“I know a puuuurfect waaaay to keep your mouth shut,” Lucian smirked and wiggled his brows. “I highly doubt your kitten claws could leave much of a scratch on this puuurfect face,” he sang
 
Could she kill him and make it look like an accident? Maybe do that and then make it look like a car accident if she got the driver quick enough too. Or maybe she could just go after the driver first, crash the car and hope she made it out with minimal injuries. Either way, if he was going to spend the remaining drive there repeating every cat pun he could think of, she was either going to tear his throat out, or stab herself in both ears.

Still, she managed to keep her composure despite how absolutely annoying he was, her lips curved up in a smile as he questioned whether he should fear her. He really didn't know how terrifying she could be, not many people did until it was too late for them to ever tell another living soul. That was the way she preferred it: mysterious, elusive, and under the radar anytime she was able.

Oh, he doubted she would leave a scratch on him? She'd do far more than that if she hadn't been instructed by Cole to investigate with him. Just for that, she would make sure to leave at least a single scratch on him before the night was over, and she'd made certain to shield her thoughts this time. It wasn't the first time having to do so against some sort of Fae, but it wasn't a problem she encountered normally and she was forced to put some effort into it.

"Oh good, we're here." Somehow she had managed to keep from speaking for the duration of the ride, despite how many puns he continued to throw or how determined he seemed to be to get a rise out of her again. "Best hurry up and make this fast if you still want your ice cream after."
 
The silent treatment…already? This had to be a record. Oh well, this would be over and done with soon anyway.

“Fantastic,” Lucian said and moved his bright, fiery eyes toward Annaliese. This woman knew how to deal with men like himself; however, he wasn’t bothered, nor would he show his knowledge of her intention.

“Shall we? We shouldn’t linger, after all,” he told her just ask their driver opened the side door.
“Ma’am?” There was an extended hand that lifted it Annaliese’s direction, obviously intending to help her leave the vehicle. “May I help you?”

Lucian opened his own door, opposite of Annaliese’s. The executive kicked one leg out and placed the other on the small step that assisted in pulling oneself up or down.
The man hopped down, landing gracefully on his tip toes. “Ah, what a nice night. Still smells of blood and piss,” Lucian said, closing his eyes, and taking in the repugnant aroma of death.
Mafia Life—Lucian smiled at the thought.

“Thanks for the lift,” Lucian called, poking his head back into the car and speaking from across the seats. “I’ll cover for you when Boss threatens to murder you,” he assured the man and finally took a few steps back from the vehicle; of course, the man immediately allowed his glowing eyes to pace from one end of the ally to the other. “Clear enough,” he spoke quietly to himself.
 
"Thank you kindly." Annaliese accepted the driver's hand gratefully without sparing Lucian a look, stepping gracelessly out of the vehicle and smoothing down her jacket. "Always lovely to see gentlemen still exist." Was she being too petty? No, she wasn't being petty enough after all the stabs the executive had taken at her during their ride.

"Unlike a certain vulgar someone talking about smelling piss." He wasn't entirely wrong about the smell of the area, it absolutely reeked of old blood and urine, but she wouldn't have been so crude as to say that unless she was trying to provoke a reaction from someone. Something Lucian seemed quite intent on doing with her from his behavior thus far, and she didn't plan to continue giving him those victories.

"Don't let your boss murder the poor driver. They always do tend to get the brunt of things, that's why I prefer to drive myself." She wrinkled her nose slightly at the stench, already having surveyed the area and deciding that there was no immediate threat. "You know, your men were too busy shaking in their boots to tell me much. What exactly were they delivering that got stolen?"
 
“Of course,” the man said and gave a swallow bow. “Have a wonderful night,” he told Annaliese then look back toward Lucian. “I appreciate your kindness, Sir,” he said and offered a halfhearted smile.
“It’s Lucian,” the executive reminded the man, returning a cheesy smile. “See ya ‘round,” Lucian finally said and awarded the other with a friendly wave, of course, the man returned the gesture.

With that, the driver stepped back into the car, threw the car in drive, hit the gas, and skidded the tires over the damp asphalt before he sped away. “Hmmmm. I didn’t realize I was expected to be a gentleman. I figured you were one of those weird, feminist ladies that demand they open their own doors,” Lucian said and began to chuckle. “To think, the allusive, assassin, Annaliese, would be a sweet, delicate woman—a helpless damsel that can’t help herself out of a vehicle,” he teased as he stuffed his hands into his pockets, beginning to pace.

“Your helplessness aside,” Lucian began again, “Seems this wasn’t a clean cut,” the executive said, pointing to the wall that had blood spatters from the length of his own head to the actual concrete. “It was a sloppy cut. Not one of a trained assassin,” he added and glanced over his shoulder.
 
"Playing the damsel has its advantages, believe me." Her voice had lost its teasing tone as she examined the scene, ignoring his prodding at her with his taunts and jokes in favor of sniffing around.

"You're right. It's incredibly sloppy." So sloppy it disgusted her, really, her face saying as much as she knelt directly where the murder had occurred and sniffed again. "We have to consider it was meant to look sloppy, though. Either this person didn't know what they were doing, or they very much knew what they were doing and did this to throw us off their tracks. It's hard to pick out another scent past all this blood. I forgot how much they bleed when they lose their heads." She stood and straightened out with a sigh, looking around the dark area carefully.

"They even left prints, but they're all scuffed from the concrete, so at best you're only going to get a size of the shoe." Ridiculous. How had she gotten dragged into this? "Even if they were an expert assassin, you still have to think about how they did it, and to be honest, I didn't pay much attention to the head. Weapon, or claws?"
 
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