#then try to set up an appointment. yay (through gritted teeth)

[funshinebf]

bled from my asshole again today btw. is just as unpleasant the second time as it was the first. like i definitely bled way less. but the ideal amount of blood to come out when you shit is actually none so like im still not hitting that goal unfortunately

[misstinfoilhat]

Whumptober 2019 #15: Trembling/Adrenaline- Bungou Stray Dogs

I am seriously out of ideas. As I start to write this, I still have no idea what is going to be written on this page once I'm done.

(And now that it's done, I'm still not sure what this is. This was just me writing without any purpose, having no idea where it would go. I think you can see a pretty clear shift in the story- yay Hypomania!)  If anybody has any requests, something they want to see, just a small scenario somewhere in some story, please don't hesitate to leave it in a comment/message (depending on where you read this). I really need something to work off of, because I'm empty. Something angsty, fluffy, funny, gory- whatever. I would like to keep writing Dazai-centric things for this, though. Today's prompt was supposed to be 'scars'. I am going to write that- but I'm not able to right now. I'm going to pick it up later. Instead, it's this mix between a prompt from the past and the future! (Even though they’re both technically from the past since I’m behind af.) 

Whumpvember! -----

Some days, Dazai was able to take all he had lost with stride. It was in the past, a finished chapter that didn't need revisiting. There was nothing to do with it- what was written, was written.

Other days, days like today... that just wasn't an option.

Because these days, he felt haunted. As if the many ghosts from his past suddenly came up beside him and sucker-punched him in the gut, leaving him on the floor, heaving for air and trying to stagger back to his feet on his own.

Currently sitting on top of the tallest skyscraper in Yokohama, he let his feet dangle over the edge as he watched the city down there, moving on with their life without him. 

They couldn't see him- didn't even know he existed up here. And he, he had no idea who they were.

Like ants, he imagined that he crushed them with the soles of his shoes, dipping them playfully in the air far above everyone, squishing them one by one- none ever the wiser.

He didn't care about these people. They didn't care about him. He hadn't even known that they existed until a few minutes ago. And they, wouldn't know that he ever existed at all before he plunged down, smashing onto the sidewalk in front of them like a watermelon.

Well, if he did. He wasn't sure anymore.

Sneaking up here, that had been the plan. But now, he wasn't sure if it would be the painless suicide that didn't inconvenience anyone that he wanted.

He had seen enough skulls crush to know that it was quite difficult to digest the first couple of times.

Filling his lungs with air and breathing it out slowly, he closed his eyes and tried to imagine a world where he wasn't used to seeing heads explode, while simultaneously realizing that he didn't want to be the reason another child woke up in panic, reliving the moment a stranger's body pulverized on the pavement in front of them for the rest of their life.

So, no. He wasn't going to jump. Not right now, at least. Maybe tomorrow, during school hours. There would be less children around to witness it then.

Except, the ADA had a mission tomorrow.

...phew, good thing he didn't die today, or else, his death would really be an inconvenience for everybody.

Especially Atsushi. It was the first mission where he had been given the lead- they were going to execute the tiger boy's game plan.

Dazai hummed humorously, thinking about the worry knitted between the kid's eyebrows, and the small drop of sweat trailing down his face when they got the mission and he was appointed to take the lead.

His strategy was... fine. It was no 'Shame and toad', or 'Footsteps of heat and haze', but it was... fine... totally fine.

...as long as he was there to do some patch-work, of course.

Dazai laid back, resting his head on his arms while looking up at the night sky. The clear, dark blue nothingness, filled with the small, pretty twinkling balls of luminous gas with nuclear fusion reactions in their cores.

...Also called stars.

Ten thousand year old lights shone above him, radiating from orbs that could live up to a billion years... and here, he was lying on the roof of a tall building, wanting to end his life after only twenty-two.

...mourning the life of people who were unable to live past much more than that. People who hadn't been ready to die. Good people. People he wished he could bring back.

He huffed out a bitter scoff, shifting and dragging his hands across his face wearily.

It was late, the wind was picking up and it was getting cold. His mind was going places it wasn't supposed to, so he should probably get back to the dorms.

Listlessly, he hosed himself up to a sitting position, retracting his feet from the edge and started to get up.

As he placed his weight on his heels, his left foot slipped on the ledge.

In a moment of confusion, he tilted slightly to the side, instinctively grabbing urgently for something to hold onto. The slight tilt of the roof didn't help at all. His inside contorted into a tight knot as he felt his back glide off the edge.

The world was moving in slow motion. He knew his only way to save himself from this all too ironic death would be if he somehow was able to grab onto the small edges of the rooftop.

What happened next only lasted for a couple of seconds, all though it felt like much longer.

Twisting his body slightly, he was able to grab onto the edge with his right arm, but the suddenly added burden of his body weight immediately jerked his shoulder out of its socket. A blinding, shooting pain traveled to the tips of his fingers that threatened to give out.

Dazai grit his teeth in agony and shut his eyes closed, forcing the hurt back with pure willpower, determined to get back up.

He kinda wished he had informed Atsushi about some of the holes in his plan- just... in case.

With the very last of his strength, he pushed his feet against the wall, using the momentum to fling his left arm up with no other option than having blind faith in his ability to catch a hold of anything.

A small sigh of relief forced its way through his body as he felt his hand touch the cool steel of the roof tiles. Scrambling his legs, trying his best not to slip, he was able to climb, painstakingly slowly, back up.

His heart was racing and he panted heavily, crawling a safe distance away from the slippery side, settling on his back while gripping his injured shoulder tightly.

His whole body was trembling from the rush of adrenaline, and he knew he had to get down from there and (reluctantly admitting to himself that he also had to) visit Yosano to help him set the shoulder back. Usually when he tried to do it himself, he would screw up so many times that he eventually ended up passing out- Mori had dislocated his shoulder and made him try to set it back so many times (it was a good way of breaking out of hand cuffs or tight ropes), that he was almost used to it by now.

He knew he would be able to do it eventually, but just the thought made him gravitate towards the edge again...

Carefully, he coerced himself up to a seated position, a bit impressed with the arm that was now hanging limply by its side, and that it had been able to hold his weight at all after the initial injury. Right now, he had no contact with it, which was usually how it went.

He had heard about things like this, when your body would go above and beyond to survive in near-death situations... Oh, how his body must have had betrayed him for all these years...

Before he could slip back to old habits, he turned and headed for the fire escape he had come up.

Climbing the caged ladder with only one arm was difficult, but manageable. For a while.

About half-way (why had he picked the tallest building in all of Yokohama?), the adrenaline was starting to wear off, and his shoulder began to throb violently. His left arm and legs were getting tired. But, he wasn't stopping. That would only result in his limbs stiffening, and that would only make it harder.

So, he kept descending the ladder at a steady pace, until finally, he stepped on the last step.

It was a 2,5 meters drop from the ladder to the ground. Dazai moaned in exasperation, and (finally) let himself fall.

He hit the pavement bellow with a small thud. Such an anti-climactic ending to his venture on the skyscraper- but at least there weren't any traumatized children around.

Scowling up at the ladder, he rubbed his back wearily and gathered himself at his feet, limping his way back towards the Agency.

--------

“What in the world...?” Yosano uttered dumbfounded, as Dazai dragged himself into the Agency, only a little late. Her words caused a chain reaction. A mixture of perfectly groomed, or disheveled bed-haired heads peeked towards the entry, where Dazai stood, leaning heavily to the wall.

Honestly, Dazai had no idea that it was going to take that long to get back- or that it had been so late in the first place. He hadn't been able to get home for a shower or a change of clothes, before he had to be at work.

His coat was dirty, the knees of his pants ripped and his hair a mess. He looked suspiciously pale, and his breathing was labored like he was in great discomfort.

“Morning...” he mumbled hoarsely, grimacing at how small his voice sounded. It obviously didn't help with the seven pairs of eyes (eight pairs, if you counted Kunikida's glasses) that looked concerned at him.

Before he was able to try and explain himself, Yosano had a tight grip around his healthy arm, which admittedly was sore and stiff after the long climb, and dragged him off towards the infirmary.

------

An hour later, Dazai reappeared at the office with his arm in a sling. Yosano had taken a look at him as he got up from her table of horrors with a small giggle, telling him it was almost nice to see him back in his signature look. 

High as a kite on pain killers, he decided that she was mean and didn't deserve an answer except for a tongue, childishly sticking out and blowing raspberries towards her.

“How are you doing, Dazai-san?” Atsushi asked worriedly. The group were all leaning over the same table, probably going over today's mission a final time.

Dazai set up a wide grin and strode over with featherlike steps, except for the occasional hobble as his backside made reminded him that asphalt didn’t cushion your fall very well.

“I'm great,” he beamed and shook the orange pill bottle he had received from the doctor. “Yosano-sensei is being generous with the funny-pills today.”

“...Right,” Kunikida answered with a frown, while Dazai wormed his way under Ranpo's arm, jiggling the bottle in front of his face and murmuring tauntingly, “And you can't have any of my candy either,” -to which Ranpo pushed him gently away.

“So, what mess did you get yourself into this time?” Kunikida asked gravely, choosing to ignore his partner's foolishness.

The bandaged idiot jerked his head up quickly, watching the bespectacled man intently.

“Oh, I was just going to kill myself, but then, I almost died!” he exclaimed wide-eyed.

Stupified expressions glared at him for a long moment. Atsushi blinked repeatedly until Kunikida cleared his throat to get everyone's attention back to their work.

“So... We'll enter through exit C at the back- where Tanizaki will be waiting to let us in...”

Dazai made his way over to the blonde man and grabbed his shirt tightly, wide orbs glaring deeply into his eyes with a seriousness rarely seen in the slender man.

“Didn't you hear me? I was going to jump, and then I didn't, but then I slipped, and, and...”

Kunikida sighed deeply, calmly placing his hand on Dazai's tight grip, firmly prying his fingers open.

“Yes, we all heard you. You were going to kill yourself, and you almost made it. Now, you should go back to the dorms and sleep this... buzz off, so we can get ready...”

“What? No! I'm coming with you. And I wasn't going to kill myself- I mean, I was, but I wasn't, because I was coming here!” Dazai smiled, nodding vigorously, looking around the room for support.

Atsushi immediately averted his gaze, unable to look into the wide doe-eyes as the light in them eventually would go out, when he realized that they had reworked the whole plan around him not being included.

Apparently, Dazai couldn't find any support from any of the others either. His voice had quieted down considerably when he asked, one final time with just a small glimpse of hope still left in it, “Right?”

“I'm sorry, Dazai-san,” Atsushi said, reluctantly peeking back up at him, as he stood dejectedly in front of Kunikida.

“B-but, no! I was... I was gonna jump, I would have jumped... But I wanted to see my little orphan's debut as team leader!”

“Your little...?” Atsushi uttered, dumbfounded.

“Yeah, like... like Oda said,” Dazai trailed off, lowering his gaze to the floor and shook his head lightly in his haze.

The spectators exchanged bewildered looks.

With a weary rise and fall of his shoulders, Atsushi breathed out tiredly and walked over to Dazai, who was mumbling something about 'footsteps of heat and haze', and placed a light arm across his elder's back and started to walk him towards the exit.

“Come, we should get you home,” he explained and tried for a smile to tell him that it was all okay and nothing to worry about.

“B-but, the mission-” Dazai tried to argue feebly, but kept walking in the direction Atsushi was taking him anyway, trying to look back at the lowered gazes, refusing to look at him.

“Don't worry about it, we'll be fine for a couple of hours-”

“But-”

“-I can make you some food, we can play a game if you're up for it-”

“...What?” Dazai suddenly halted to a stop.

Atsushi stopped too, looking up at his mentor and smiling reassuringly.

“We're going to have to send Yosano if you can't go, and someone needs to look after you... My ability isn't necessary for this, it's fine.”

“No...” Dazai proclaimed, lightly shocked. “No, this... this isn't how it's supposed to be. It's your big day, and... and I'm supposed to look after you, and instead, you're looking after me and it’s all upside down!”

Atsushi chuckled nervously, patting Dazai's uninjured shoulder in what he hoped was a comforting manner. “It's okay.”

“No, it's not. I- I didn't jump last night because I wanted to be there with you on this mission. It's a big day, and... I ruined it... I messed everything up for you by being stupid and broken and...”

He shook his head bitterly, finally looking at the boy. “...and I don't deserve it. You're so pure and...good, and... I'm... not. I'm horrible.”

Dazai's guilt-ridden and genuinely distraught look made the white-haired boy's heart twist painfully in his chest. He had no idea this meant so much to him. Had no idea he did. 

Dazai was just this silly, carefree person at the Agency (albeit with a burning death-wish), who could come up with flawless tactics in the blink of an eye and was supposed to be unbreakable.

Somehow, he wondered if this was how normal children felt when they first realized that there was no Santa Claus.

“Stop that,” Atsushi said finally. “Y-you... You already look after me. I wouldn't be alive if it wasn't for you. I would have starved, or the mafia would've sold me on the black market!”

He was getting some stealth to his voice now, and it looked like Dazai was listening, so he continued.

“You gave me a place to stay, a job. Literally the shirt on my back! You gave me a reason to live... A reason to fight... Sitting out one measly mission isn't going to cancel that out... You can't nullify everything,” he closed with a small smirk.

Dazai chuckled a little too, taking in a deep breath and straightened his back, finding some encouragement in those words- that Atsushi wasn't mad at him, but it didn't mean that he hadn't screwed up royalty.

“Fine,” he sighed, letting Atsushi steady him lightly across the parking lot towards the dorms. He threw his working arm lazily over the younger's shoulder and ruffled his hair vigorously.

Atsushi easily leaned into the light-hearted show of affection, feeling a fuzzy warm feeling melting away the heavy ice that had overwhelmed his heart moments before.

Dazai kept his arm around Atsushi as they crossed the large space. It wasn't until they finally passed the small gate that gave them access to the dormitories, that he spoke again.

“So... death by black market, huh?”

[the-spoony-bard]

A Matter of Leverage - 11

Fandom: Fire Emblem Awakening

Style: Leverage!AU; modern setting; adventure/drama

Word count: 3935 words

Read on Ao3

“Lon’qu, are you in position?” Robin asks, sitting at the bar in the ski lodge trying to ignore the concerned looks Olivia shoots at every sip.

 The cold chill of winter whistling outside provides a sizable amount of snow for the ski resort as the team spreads throughout the mountain building. Murray was easy enough to find hanging out by one of the fireplaces in one of the many rooms of the high-end lodge after a full morning of action on the slopes.

 “Yeah,” Lon’qu reports back from outside, bundled up like a marshmallow to fend off the chill. As amusing as his aversion to the cold was, one glare was enough to make any of Gaius’s quips die before leaving his tongue.

 “R-Robin?” Olivia says shakily, but with conviction, as she walks over to stand behind her. “A-are you in… the r-right frame of mind to d-do this?”

 “Olivia, now is not the time for this discussion,” Robin replies, gritting her teeth, all too aware of the three other sets of ears privy to the conversation.

 “I t-think that it’s the p-perfect time,” Olivia presses. “If… if you’re too distracted—”

 “I’m not,” Robin retorts, even though she knows it’s not quite true. “Just run it how we planned.”

 With something of an injured air, Robin slides off the barstool, taking her drink with her as she sits next to Nowi in a quiet corner away from any other patrons. Nowi looks up innocently from her laptop at Robin’s approach, like one trying to pretend she’d not just heard Olivia’s concerns. Olivia gives Robin one more frustrated look before she turns away, bringing her phone up to her ear and sliding into character, a thick journal tucked under her parka-clad arm.

 “Now’s not the time to be getting cold feet!” she says in a heavy German accent as she walks past Murray, pausing for a moment with her back to him so that he notices the spandex pants under the coat. Robin automatically rolls her eyes out of reflex as Murray’s own zero in on Olivia’s curves under the tights. Olivia, in the zone, keeps talking as she absentmindedly sets her journal down on the table. “Tell him that I’ll be more than happy to speak to him later. We are all partners in this exciting opportunity! Yeah. Yeah. Just give me a second.”

 Olivia walks away, leaving her journal behind, Murray watching her with undisguised interest.

 “This guy is too easy to hook,” Gaius notes with no small degree of disappointed wonder.

 “That he is,” Robin agrees, watching Murray reach for the abandoned journal without a moment’s hesitation. “Do you have a Wikipedia page all set up, Nowi?”

 “Yep!” Nowi chirps. “Just finished uploading all of the pictures now. I had to hunt for someone that was close to Olivia’s height first to Photoshop her in and that was—oh, is he looking her up now?”

 “Looks like it,” Gaius says, watching Murray pull out his phone from another vantage point to search the name written on the front page of the journal.

 Murray’s eyebrows raise approvingly as a smile spreads across his face.

 “Something tells me our boy likes Miss Florina Enke, Olympic medalist in speed skating,” Robin says, smiling to herself.

 “I like her hat,” Nowi adds, looking at Olivia and the formidable amount of white fluff resting atop waves of pink hair.

 “Thanks,” Olivia replies in character as she sits at the bar.

 “He’s on the move,” Robin reports, watching Murray close the journal back up before making a beeline for Olivia.

 “Excuse me,” Murray cuts in, sitting right next to Olivia who turns to him in polite surprise. He holds out the journal with a charming smile. “I think you left this?”

 “Oh! Oh my!” Olivia gasps, clutching the journal to her chest. “Thank you so much! My entire life’s work is documented in here!”

 “Happy to help,” Murray continues, dialing up the charm. “And may I just say? It’s an honor to talk to someone as accomplished as you, Miss Enke.”

 “Oh, you are too kind,” Olivia laughs, averting her eyes modestly.

 “I’m such a fan of speed skating. Love everything about it. The speed, the adrenaline the…” Murray trails off for a moment as his eyes trail down the spandex stretched across Olivia’s legs and hips. “The costumes.”

 Olivia laughs again as Gaius makes a gagging noise.

 “Huh,” Olivia replies, more appraising than anything. “Please, call me Florina. And you?”

 “Murray.”

 “Murray…” Olivia repeats sweetly. “You sound like a man who knows what he likes.”

 “Got that right!”

 Olivia hums pleasantly, crossing her legs with slow care as she leans back in her seat.

 “Do you partake in any sports yourself?”

 “I’m down for everything,” Murray says as if it’s something intended to blow Olivia’s mind. “I’ve even judged competitions before.”

 “Involving swimsuit models, sure,” Robin snorts, unimpressed.

 “I’ve thought of starting up my own before,” Murray continues, caught up in his own excited boasting. “Something like a winter themed X Games built up in the mountains, but here’s the exciting part—when it’s done, it all gets taken down like it wasn’t there, just knocking it off the mountain. People would totally go for it.”

 “Ja,” Olivia narrows her eyes ever so slightly, leaning forward like one fully interested. “You’ve certainly got my attention.”

 “Yeah?” Murray leans forward too.

 “You know my partners and I just purchased this resort. We’ve been working on renovations that could spice the place up and an idea like yours… It would be a perfect fit for our relaunch.”

 “You’re damn right it would be,” Murray laughs, Olivia joining in.

 “Okay, Olivia,” Robin cuts in as Nowi pulls up the accounts on her laptop. “Bring it up, but slowly ease him in. They’ve only got a couple hundred thousand cash we can easily squeeze out of them. Gaius, now would be a good time to get in position.”

 “On it, Bubbles.”

 Gaius jogs off, putting on a nametag as he straightens his tie, walking through the ‘employee’s only’ door like one meant to be there.

 “Do I do it now?” Nowi asks excitedly.

 “Not just yet,” Robin holds up her hand. “Wait for my signal. You can get on the lift at any point now, Lon’qu, but be prepared to ride it a few times. Olivia needs time to work her magic.”

 Lon’qu grunts in affirmation.

 “Ja, it would work very nicely,” Olivia replies after her polite laughter ends. “Of course, you’d have to buy into our little group.”

 “Ready to go on your call, Bubbles,” Gaius reports from the other side of the building, staring down the door of the manager’s office.

 “Hold on for now, guys. Olivia could be at this for—”

 “Okay, how about I write you a check for five hundred thousand?” Murray says, startling Robin to silence. Olivia does a double take as well, smiling blankly as she struggles to find the words past her surprise.

 “Okay then,” Robin says at last. “Your partners would be delighted.”

 “My partners would be delighted,” Olivia echoes, easing into a more natural smile. “And so am I.”

 “Great,” Murray grins. “I’d like to see your management though, look over your plans.”

 “Oh, of course. Would you like to go now?”

 “Sure.”

 “Splendid. The sooner you’re happy the sooner we can move things along.”

 “Gaius, get in there,” Robin says hurriedly.

 “This guy has got to be the easiest sucker I’ve ever robbed,” Gaius chuckles as he jogs down the hallway to rap smartly on the manager’s door. After the call to come in, he does so, approaching the desk with his hand offered up for a handshake. “Nice to meet you, sir. Hector Beil. I’m the representative from Sunny Day Resort Solutions.”

 “Nice to meet you,” the manager replies, shaking Gaius’s hand despite his confusion. He glances down at his personal calendar to search for any record of an appointment, but Gaius gives him little time to look, flinging himself into a fluffy spiel about raising employee morale.

 “Okay, Nowi,” Robin speaks over the two other conversations coming over through the coms, looking over at Nowi’s expectant grin. “You may now stop the lift.”

 “Yay!” Nowi cheers, hacking into the lift system in short order and freezing it in place.

 “Lon’qu, are you up for this?”

 “Fine,” Lon’qu says grudgingly between his chattering teeth. The other person on the lift shouts in alarm as Lon’qu pretends to fall, gripping onto one of the bars as he allows himself to dangle from the carriage. “Help,” he calls halfheartedly.

 Gaius nearly sighs aloud in relief as the manager receives the call not even a minute later.

 “There’s someone—gods, is he alright? No, I’m on my way,” the manager sets the phone back down. “I’m sorry, but something’s just come up.”

 “It’s alright, take your time,” Gaius smiles innocently. “I’ll be right here.”

 “Hey,” Nowi giggles, tucking her feet up under her legs as she sits, “Lonkers? Just hang in there.”

 Lon’qu groans, hitting his forehead on the carriage he hangs from as the other person above him continues to panic on his behalf.

 “Just give me a second longer, Twinkletoes,” Gaius mumbles as he removes the name tag, hurrying around the room to replace and cover all traces of it being another man’s office—covering papers and plans with their own, turning around family pictures, and replacing the name on the desk.

 “Oh!” Olivia claps her hands together as she leads Murray along slowly, trying to buy Gaius more time. “Here is where we were going to have our Jacuzzis! And there our hot tubs! A spa inside the resort is the perfect way to unwind after a full day out on the slopes, wouldn’t you agree?”

 “Yeah,” Murray says, the tone of his face suggesting he can already picture Olivia stretched out comfortably in a hot tub.

Gaius is just setting a picture Nowi edited of him and Olivia standing together with a handful of medals in her hand on the desk when Olivia opens the door.

 “Hector!” she exclaims as he shouts “Florina!”

 Gaius leaps from the seat behind the desk and strides forward to embrace Olivia lightly, the two of them kissing each other’s cheeks.

 “Hector,” Olivia coos as she steps back, hands clasped together excitedly. “This is Murray! He’s interested in joining our little group!”

 “Wonderful!” Gaius reaches out his hand for Murray to shake.

 “You know it, dude!” Murray cheers, brushing aside the proffered hand for a hug as enthusiastic as Olivia’s. Gaius gives Olivia a wide-eyed stare over Murray’s shoulder before he is finally released.

 “Ha ha, yeah,” he replies weakly.

 “As you can see,” Olivia steps in to give Gaius a moment to breathe, “we’ve already settled most of our physical changes here.” She gestures to the rolled out plans on the table of the floorplan, covered in a series of notes and sketches. “What do you think?”

 “Might not hurt to add a dance floor on there,” Murray winks. Olivia laughs as Gaius smiles halfheartedly. “Man, this is exciting!”

 “I’m glad that you’re impressed,” Olivia sashays over, running her hand up Murray’s arm to rest on his shoulder. “So what do you say? Feel comfortable enough to write that check now?”

 “We’ll need to go to Alabama for that,” Murray replies happily, oblivious to the way Olivia’s and Gaius’s faces freeze.

 “Alabama?” Gaius repeats, wooden.

 “Yeah,” Murray continues easily. “My dad’s the one that writes the checks.”

 “Oh,” Olivia says, unable to hide her disappointment entirely. “Alright then.”

 “Hey, no biggie.” Murray shrugs, throwing one arm around Olivia’s shoulders and the other around Gaius’s. “My dad’s super cool. He’ll totally get how great this idea is.”

 “Let’s go to Alabama then,” Robin says weakly.

 “Good,” Lon’qu says, safely on the ground. “It’ll be warmer.”

 “Already getting tickets!” Nowi chimes in.

 “Let’s hope Roddick is as cool as Murray claims,” Robin says grimly.

 ○

 “Dad!” Murray booms, nearly giving his dad a body slam with the weight he throws into the hug, the both of them pounding the other on the back. Olivia remains safely to the side, waiting patiently through their show of chest pounding and general bravado.

 “And who’s this?” Roddick asks appraisingly, looking Olivia up and down like one would survey a juicy steak. “Another model?”

 “Oh, Dad!” Murray cuts in for Olivia, leaning over slightly to speak in an undertone, though he doesn’t bother speaking quietly enough for Olivia to not hear clearly. “This is Florina Enke. The Olympic speed skater.”

 “A pleasure to meet you, Mr. Roddick,” Olivia inserts smoothly, holding out her hand.

 “And she’s French!” Roddick gasps upon hearing Olivia’s German accent. He takes her hand, placing a wet kiss on her knuckles. To her credit, Olivia doesn’t immediately wipe her hand off on her jacket.

 “She’s here because we have an awesomely genius plan at her ski resort!” Murray presses excitedly.

 “Hmm… Sit down,” Roddick instructs a little gruffly, ushering them over to the couch.

 Olivia eases herself down onto the fake leather, smiling as Murray rests his arm on the back of the couch behind her head and shoulders. Roddick sits across from them in a cushy reclining chair, but he does not recline himself. He leans forward, forearms resting right above his knees.

 “Okay, be prepared for your mind to be blown!” Murray exclaims, using the hand not on Olivia shoulder to gesticulate with his point, miming a miniature explosion with his fingers.

 “By what? Your stupidity?” a new voice cuts in bitingly.

 They all turn to look at Roddick’s second son, Norris, standing on the stairs, face already pulled into an expression of undisguised disgust.

 “Come on, Norris!” Roddick says before Murray can retort. “Sit down here and listen to your brother’s plan first.”

 Norris looks at his father, brother, then pauses longer on Olivia, disgust morphing into a fusion of confusion and resentment. With an incredibly long and loud sigh, he at last shuffles off of the stairs to sit in the chair beside Roddick’s. Murray gives Norris a sneer for just a second before he clears his throat pointedly, happy to be free of any more interruptions.

 “We are going to throw a winter X games event to launch our new ski resort! We’ve just got to write Florina her check for five hundred grand to fund it.”

 Olivia simply smiles as the hand on her shoulder gives a light squeeze at ‘our.’

 “What sort of stupi—”

 “I love it!” Roddick booms over his other son. “It’s creative ingenuity like that that built this company!”

 “Or, you know, someone who actually works hard to keep things going,” Norris mutters bitterly.

 Robin cringes as the earpiece suddenly gives off a grating screech in her ear. She glances over to Nowi at her side in the van outside, her face crinkled up in both pain and annoyance.

 “What was that?” Robin whispers.

 “I don’t know,” Nowi pouts. “Gaius, Lonky, did you get that?”

 “Yeah, we did,” Gaius grimaces.

 “Oh, stop whining!” Roddick shouts back inside, all of them completely oblivious to Olivia’s momentary discomfort as he shoves Norris’s arm. He turns to Murray with a much kinder response. “I fully support you. Norris, and go and write this lovely lady her check.”

 “You’ve got to be—”

 “Norris…” Roddick growls warningly.

 Norris lets out a groaning sigh. Roddick nods, arms crossed over his chest with a very serious glare.

��“I don’t get it,” Nowi throws her hands up in the air as she turns to Robin. “Our signal’s squeaky clean, but I can’t reach Olivia’s com. There’s something else that’s just dominating our signal.”

 “Something from inside,” Lon’qu notes. He and Gaius both look up in unison from their vantage point in the backyard.

 “Can you guys get a transmitter or something up there? We need to be able to reach Olivia.”

 “No problem, Bubbles.” Gaius strolls casually over to the house, dusting off the overalls of his gardener ensemble. “Hey, can I have a boost?”

 Lon’qu nods, bending down and cupping his hands together. With a grunt, he hoists Gaius up once his foot is securely held. Only a second later and Gaius scrambles up. He chuckles as he opens the door to the upstairs office, the sliding door not even locked.

 “Look, we want to make this happen,” Roddick gives Olivia a toothy grin back downstairs.

 “We is a strong word,” Norris cuts in. “Speaking as the president of your company—”

 “We want to make this happen,” Roddick repeats with more force. “Go and sign the checks for her.” He practically drags Norris out of his seat and pushes him forward.

 “Fine,” Norris complies at last.

 “You can go with him, if you want, honey,” Roddick grins again. “Tell him whatever it is you need.”

 “Of course,” Olivia returns the crooked grin with a charming smile. She rises smoothly to follow after Norris, looking over her shoulder. “Thank you very much.”

 Roddick nods his head at Olivia before turning to his son, not even waiting until Norris and Olivia made it to the stairs before announcing, “I like this one, son!”

 “I don’t know what you see in him,” Norris says, far less impressed as he gives Olivia an incredulous look as soon as they’re out of sight at the top of the stairs.

 “Oh, Murray?” Olivia smiles vaguely, a hint of a chuckle in her voice. “I see an opportunity, but nothing past that. I like my men… with control. Who know what they want and how to get there.”

 Norris clears his throat awkwardly at the intenseness behind Olivia’s eyes.

 “Yeah, sure,” he chokes out, tugging at his collar.

 Robin peers through her binoculars, spotting Olivia and Norris on the stairs through the huge windows.

 “Guys, they’re coming up to the second floor. I don’t think I need to tell you that this needs to be done fast.”

 “It’s on the last few seconds,” Gaius reports, sliding Nowi’s transmitter into one of the modern art pieces with a dizzying amount of spirals. He looks to the door at the sound of Olivia’s voice outside.

 “It must be difficult managing a company as large as your father’s.”

 “You seem to be the only person who notices that,” Norris returns.

 Gaius rolls his eyes as he pulls out the flash drive from the computer and slides back out onto the porch. He grins down at Lon’qu.

 “Trust fall!”

 “We don’t have time for this,” Lon’qu glares.

 Gaius jumps down. Lon’qu takes a step back.

 “You didn’t catch me!”

 “You landed on your feet.”

 “Because I didn’t think you’d catch me. And now I’m just disappointed in both of us.”

 “Good job, guys,” Robin says as Gaius and Lon’qu jog over to the van. “And it sounds like Olivia’s sealing the deal right now.”

 “Here you are,” Norris says, signing the check. “Five hundred thousand dollars.”

 Olivia smiles, reaching her hand out to accept the check before Norris suddenly whisks it away.

 “You can’t be serious,” he says, almost pleading.

 “Pardon?”

 “You’re too smart for this! You’ve seen my brother! All of his bright ideas end in disaster. I mean, paintball water skiing?” He pulls a brochure out of his desk with a flourish, waving the aggressively colorful folded paper in Olivia’s face. “His failed business ventures don’t end there! You can’t seriously be considering this!”

 “Oh?” Olivia leans to the side in her seat, bringing her finger to her chin thoughtfully. “I’m always open to new business opportunities. Your brother being involved is hardly a necessity.”

 “That’s—” Norris cuts himself off, mouth flapping noiselessly a few times before he recovers himself. “He hasn’t had to work a day in his life. I’m the one that made this company what it is today. My hard work is what turned disaster area relief into a growth industry.”

 “Disaster area?” Olivia repeats curiously, her clenched fingers going unnoticed by Norris.

 “People always need their homes fixed,” Norris shrugs in a show of mock pride. “It’s a lucrative market. Give them a low quote, hammer in a board or two if they’re lucky, then double the price if they complain. Eventually they can’t keep paying, and we put a lien on the property. Once the bank forecloses on them, we buy the houses cheap. It’s genius in its simplicity.”

 Olivia smiles tensely, looking off to the side as Norris simply stands there with pride, holding the check loosely between two fingers.

 “Donnel and his mom aren’t the only people they’ve done this to,” Lon’qu growls.

 “I heard,” Robin grits her teeth. She glances at Nowi out of the corner of her eye, still typing away at her laptop. “Olivia, can you figure out how many?”

 “How big is this operation of yours?” Olivia meets Norris’s eyes.

 “I’d say… four hundred, give or take.”

 “Four hundred?” Olivia repeats, nearly breaking character through her disgust.

 “Oh gods,” Robin mutters, rubbing her forehead.

 “We’re spread all over the country. Hurricane areas, tornado zones… they’re all perfect locations. And that is hard work that Murray could never understand.”

 Norris holds out the check now.

 “Olivia, do not take that money,” Robin orders.

 “What?” Gaius exclaims. Even Nowi is temporarily distracted from her computer to look over and echo Gaius’s sentiment.

 Olivia simply stares at Norris, not even having lifted her hand before Robin spoke.

 “Don’t tell me that’s gotten you squeamish,” Norris laughs. “It’s all legal. I’m just using a loophole.”

 “What are you talking about, Bubbles? You can’t—”

 “I said don’t take that money,” Robin repeats, not even looking at Gaius.

 Olivia reaches out to take the check in her hands, holds it up to look at it, then rips it cleanly in two.

 Norris lets out a barking laugh out of shock.

 “Okay, Olivia, here’s what you’re going to do,” Robin directs. “You’re going to hook him into a bigger investment.”

 “If what you’re telling me is that you want to do real business, then I might just have an opportunity for you,” Olivia stands up so as to more readily meet his eye. “But it is for serious investors only. This is a deal that I would never present to your brother.”

 “Okay,” Norris replies somewhat breathlessly. “Interesting.”

 “What are you doing?” Gaius whispers furiously.

 “Forget about the money,” Robin finally looks at him. “This is bigger than that. We’re going to take the company, and we’re going to give all of these people their homes back.”

 “When were you planning on telling us about this?” Lon’qu asks with unmasked judgement.

 “Yeah, I thought we were a team,” Gaius agrees. “We have the right to know what we’re getting into.”

 “Um… Robin?” Nowi cuts in, poking Robin’s arm. “So, I think I found something…”

 “Define something,” Robin replies tensely.

 “That interference from earlier was coming from inside the house. I wasn’t able to zero in on it from just here, but the transmitter picked it up.”

 “Picked up what?” Robin presses.

 “The house is bugged. It’s looking like standard law enforcement equipment.”

 “The cops haven’t given up yet then,” Robin sighs, leaning back in her seat.

 The team pauses as Roddick’s coarse voice comes in through Olivia’s com.

 “There now! Everything settled?”

 “Yes, wonderfully,” Olivia replies. “Thank you very much. If you will excuse me, I have a partner I must meet with. I’ll keep in touch.”

 Olivia walks out casually, though her face is already reverting back to its natural nervousness.

 “I hope you know wh-what you’re d-doing, Robin.”