Rosa looked over at the door that Bryce had been posted up against. She slowly moved her leg away from the man's hand, watching as the door slowly crept open. A fog of sorts seemed to spill out from behind the doors, filling the room with the stench of a skuntank. The girl curled her nose at the odor, having no idea what could have been making it as a dark-skinned man in a velvet shirt stepped out, pinching together the buttons only so much that the top didn't fall off his shoulders.
The man pushed the door open further as he walked out of the room, letting the girls get a good look at the massive bed which seemed to take up the majority of the floor space, which just happened to be covered with a mixture of both men and women in various states of undress. The view, however, was just barely out of sight of the two other boys in the room, having been blocked by the figure of the man which had just made his exit.
"Sorry about the wait," the man spoke, and his voice immediately sent chills up the girls' spines. His voice was deep and gravelly, yet unexpectedly melodious. "My name's Tauvionne Burgandeiss, but you can refer to me as Mr. Tavi." He slowly walked over to the open seat across from the group, slouching down into the cushion as he pulled an expensive looking decanter from below the desk. "I see we have a couple of celebrities here. I do hope you'll excuse my absence from your visit thus far. I tend to show preferential treatment to the
real VIPs such as you two, Miss McGuire and Mr. Sancho. Alas - I've had my hands full all morning."
"Real VIPs?" Ruben spoke up, the imposter syndrome the boy was battling with evident in his expression. Pia had a similar reaction. He sighed, sliding deeper into his seat. "Mr Tovion, what could someone like you…" he looked around at the opulence of the room, "...possibly gain from meeting someone like me?"
Tavi nodded, pouring some amber liquid from the bottle into a glass which was already on the table. "Of course. You're a VIP Mr. Sancho - a legend, in the making." The man smiled, leaning back in his seat with his new drink. "You're a footballer, and a Pokemon trainer. You're a star, whether you get the chance to be on the field or not. There's beauty in you, in the person you are, and where you've come from; as well as where I can still see you going." The man took a sip from the glass. He watched Ruben carefully as the boy looked down at his own hands. Tavi chuckled before pressing a button on his seat, which opened up a wall off to the side of the room. "Just look over there…
those are my most prized possessions. Everything else in this room is expendable - either inherited from my father, or given to me as bribes or payments for services rendered. Now, as for those... autographed photos of all my favorites - all of the greats, from back before they really
made it."
Rosa glanced over at the wall which had just opened up. She hadn't noticed what had lined it before, but whatever had been there was replaced with nearly thirty large pictures, each of which seemed to depict people who were either around her age or even younger. There were football stars, Pokemon trainers, and cinema legends. "Who… are these people?" Rosa questioned, not recognizing a single one.
"Stars. Legends.
Champions. All of these people started out with nothing, but found themselves ranking not only among one another, but among history's greatest." The man took another drink, breaking the flow of his speech as he pointed towards Ruben and then at the wall. "See, there? That empty spot? That's for you. All I can gain from you, is the renown I know your name to be capable of." The man took another drink, leaving the wall open for the four of them to take in as he turned back towards the group. "I know what it's like to come up from nothing, and so I look for that in others. I search for those who may not have talent, but instead the drive to take them where their goals may be. They're all… so, beautiful. Whether that drive burns them to cinders, or propels them to the top of their craft - they're beautiful, nonetheless."
Ruben glanced down at his ankle, then over to Pia as the man mentioned the drive that burned them to cinders. If he were Rosa, he'd have his face covered by a sweater right now. As it was, the boy settled for tucking what he could fit of his chin into the collar of the muscle shirt he was wearing. It wasn't much. He, on the other hand, recognised plenty of the faces on the wall. Unlike Rosa, he understood perfectly what it meant for some of those faces to have burned to cinders; drugs, partying, underperformance, mental health...injury. Many of the faces on that wall had succumbed to the vices of the world around them one way or another, especially if they ended up in a place like this.
"You'll have to forgive me Mr.Tovi…" Ruben said with a sigh, hesitantly rising to his feet and examining the wall of faces more closely. "Please don't take offense but I've never really agreed with the sort of thing that guys do here. Attaching my name to that is a little…" He squirmed at the thought, recognising a few of the players on the wall as Hulbury Port FC stars of today.
Tavi slowly rose from his seat, swaying as he walked over to join Ruben. The man put his hand on the footballer's shoulder and leaned in, looking at the faces on the wall with him. The man parted his lips, making sure his voice was only so loud that the two of them could hear each other. "It's not an endorsement of any kind, don't worry. This is… my private collection. Outside of VIPs such as yourself, I'm the only one who gets to see this. It's not a bad thing to be up on this wall, nor does it mean you care about the business practices I've inherited. This is all just… a hobby. A hobby which I've travelled the world to build up my collection in. See there? Do you really think the champions of Hoenn, Kalos, and Sinnoh would be up on here if they stood in the same place you do now? They're all people I saw potential in, the same as you. All I am, is a fan. All I desire… is to look up at a signed photo of you as I listen in to the jabbering wannabes go on and on about The Boltund Blitz."
"You'll have to forgive me Mr Tovi…" Ruben said, straining the words out. "The last time I en...." the words seemed to flow out so naturally all of a sudden until his mind caught up to his mouth. He realised where he was again, or more importantly, who he was with. He glanced back at Pia before leaning in closer and bringing his voice to a whisper. "...the last time I was in a place like this, pictures I didn't even know they had were used against me. Hopefully you can understand why I'd be reluctant to willingly give a photo away after that." He sighed, his breath becoming audibly bated as he moved closer to the dangerous man.
Tavi sighed and shook his head, carrying on in the same quiet manner he had before. "Yes, of course - terrible bit of business, that. If it had been up to
me, your romance would have been allowed the necessary time to flourish and bloom. Unfortunately, that side of the business belongs to
our sisters, and not to me. It is… regrettable, to hear about your disinterest. I do hope you'll reconsider in the future though, at least before you get too big to sign a lowly fan's portrait. But for now, I suppose I should start looking at a way to get back at that
devil for ruining this crowning bit of my collection." The man patted Ruben's shoulder, letting his hand linger there a second longer than was necessary before turning and walking away.
Pia side eyed the both of them, not knowing what was being talked off but her suspicions ever rising higher as she saw her boyfriend talk to the mafioso. She glanced up shortly at Rosa too but the girl seemed way too distracted with anything that was on the wall. Pia didn't recognize most of the faces on that wall except for a few actors. There were not a lot of women on the wall, that was for sure.
"And to you, Miss McGuire," Tavi spoke cordially, throwing himself back into his seat quickly after leaving Ruben to his thoughts. "I congratulate you on your recent victory at our gym here in Hulbury. I truly see why they call you The Sorceress. A very interesting match indeed - though I have to say, and I hope you don't take offense to this, but I'm much more interested in how you fare in contests at the moment, given your placing at the event in Turffield."
There it was again. The nickname "The Sorceress" that Nessa also had briefly mentioned before. Pia wondered where it came from and how it came to exist. She had the burning urge to ask but given their position here, she tried to withhold it. Still, it surprised her that he was interested in her for different reasons than just Ruben.
"Ah, yes. I was truly lucky to have placed second in that contest. I had practiced that skit for quite a while. I've actually been working on a new one too." Pia replied with a gentle smile spreading across her lips.
Tavi nodded, taking another drink from his glass before setting it down on the desk. "Well I certainly look forward to what you can do. Maybe I'll have the opportunity to ask you to be up on that wall someday too." The man smiled, looking over at Ruben before fixing his gaze onto Rosa. "Now, moving on to
business."
Ruben perked up at that comment. He grumbled quietly, but held his tongue. His pleading eyes settled on Pia. The thought of the returning to a place like this after she'd 'made it' irritated him more than he thought it would. What was worse, the fact the mafia boss had the audacity to extend the offer to her, after he'd refused it, rubbed him the wrong way.
Rosa met the man's gaze, swallowing hard as she thought of what to say. He didn't seem to be nearly as scary as Priscilla, but he was still mafia. "I'm sorry I didn't come sooner… I've been in town for almost two weeks and I-"
Tavi quickly raised his hand, cutting the girl off as soon as she'd started. "Don't worry about it. I'm in no rush. Our plans are still in the process of working themselves down, so it didn't really matter when you came to us." The man opened a drawer on his desk and pulled out a stack of letters, each of which had been addressed to Rosa. "Priscilla's got a stick so far up her ass about these things… its hard not to fuck with my sister when she gets anal about these things. She can't reach me here, given she has to go through me for keeping her own business afloat. So don't worry - if she tries to bitch or complain, I'll take the fall for you."
Rosa laughed uneasily, unsure of whether he was referring to Priscilla as his literal sister or just as the leader of the Sisterhood. She didn't care to ask, however. Instead she turned to look at Ruben who had yet to move from the wall of pictures. She didn't think she'd have to worry about him trying to play hero again here, given just how different Tavi seemed to be.
"So," Rosa leaned in, feeling her palms growing sweaty as she fought against the fog in her head. "What… what's next?"
Tavi smiled at the girl and nodded. "Of course, I'm sure you have other things you'd like to get to. It is, after all, your birthday - is it not?"
Rosa winced, and shrank into her seat.
"Y-yeah… I'm eighteen now."
"Yes, I thought so." Tauvionne smiled and turned his chair away from the girl. "In that case, I'll hurry things along, just for you." The man said sweetly as he pressed another button on his chair, opening up the wall directly across from Rosa, Pia, and Bryce - revealing a large collection of what was easily counted to be one hundred guns.
Pia swallowed whatever moisture she still had in her mouth after being exposed to so many guns. All kinds of them, automatic ones, handguns, shotguns and many more different kinds of guns. Each for their own specific kind of jobs she was sure. These would
definitely get whatever job done. Her face turned as pale as sheet once again, not from anger but utter fear. She was face to face with someone who could put a bullet in her head and just as easily make her disappear from the face of the earth.
Ruben's brow raised ever so slightly at the sight. Though his expression barely changed, his body was stiff. More guns. It put him at some ease that Tavi didn't seem the type to wave the things arounds like Priscilla, but still, he hated that Pia had to be anywhere near these things. Even Rosa. That said, the boy thanked his lucky jirachis that he'd held his tongue with Tavi's earlier invitation to Pia.
"It was a bit of a rush job, seeing as how I was already busy. I never expected you'd do all this
today, but it isn't a big deal regardless." Tavi slipped a glove over his hand as he reached up towards the wall, pulling down a seemingly regular handgun. The man then grabbed the box which Rosa had brought with her, placing a layer of plastic around the firearm before laying it back down in its home.
"Thanks?" Rosa quietly rose from her seat and held out her hands as Tavi finished wrapping the box before putting it in her possession. "But.. what am I supposed to do with it now?"
"Of course." Tavi pulled the glove off and tossed it in a bin beneath the desk before retaking his seat. "All you have to do is take it to Motostoke. Someone will be waiting to take it off your hands at that point."
"Oh," Rosa exclaimed. It did seem pretty obvious, after all. She didn't know how to get in touch with Damien anyways, so it made sense there'd already be someone there waiting for her. "So it
is for Damien."
"No, not exactly. Damien doesn't need to know about this part of the delivery."
The girl furrowed her brow slightly, wondering exactly why Damien shouldn't know about this? She couldn't help but feel that it was kind of suspicious, but the fog clouding her mind was getting thicker by the minute. It's not like it mattered anyways - this was just a means to an end for her. Especially after the dreams that she'd been having, she was growing increasingly curious about whether that man with the different colored eyes was the person she was going to learn about or not.
Rosa pulled her bag off her back, opening it up and putting the package back into it before pulling out the other that was still left. "I think this is also for you then…" she quietly passed the second box across the table to the amusement of Tavi.
Pia sighed. Tavi didn't seem to particularly want to put a bullet in their heads but the sight was still enough to make her tremble even just slightly. The thought of Rosa running around with a gun
again also wasn't a tranquil thought… What was this weird business Rosa was in being their delivery girl for guns...
"Ah… from Damien, huh?" Tavi grinned, opening the box quickly in front of them. Rosa was curious about what she'd been carrying around these past few months, given Priscilla hadn't opened her package in front of her or Ruben. The girl leaned in slightly to see what was contained within, but quickly leaned back at Tavi pulled out what seemed to be a pokeball which had a dark grey and black design rather than the regular red and white she was used to. "
They have really outdone themselves this time."
The man lifted up a scrap of paper, reading the note that had been contained within to himself as an off-putting smile crept across his face. Tavi turned his attention back towards the people in front of him, putting the ball and the note back into the box before dropping it beneath the desk. The mafia boss pressed a button on his seat, closing the wall behind him as he cleared his throat.
"Nothing kids like you need to worry yourself with, though." Tavi's gaze shifted from Ruben, to Pia, and then finally landed on Rosa once more. "I have a gift for you - as a celebration for your birthday, as well as finishing up this little job for us, and of course… for winning your second gym badge."
Rosa stared at the desk, wondering what was so special about the ball she'd been carrying around. Though, as interested as she was, she was more excited about finally being at the end of this series of deliveries. Her gaze rose to meet Tavi's; her eyes were innocent, and without caution. She was still ignorant to her own destiny, despite having met many of the pieces already which were to be integral to her rehabilitation. The gears of fate had long since began turning, and the board upon which she sat was a bloody battlefield which had yet to escape the confines of its own namesake. Although, all that mattered to her now, was that as far as she knew, once she got back to Motostoke her journey would be able to turn back towards normalcy for a while.
"A gift?" She questioned, furrowing her brow slightly as she cocked her head. "What… why?"
Tavi smiled, pulling an ornate box roughly a foot in length from within it. "Just a little thank you, from me to you. Consider it a gift, with no other strings attached. I promise you this." The man pushed the box across the table towards the girl, nodding his head as she put her hands on it, looking up at him in confusion. "Go ahead. Open it."
Ruben glanced over at Pia. Neither of them were quite sure what to make of this whole birthday situation. From what Ruben knew, mostly from old films,
people like him didn't offer birthday gifts to their couriers. Ruben daren't get closer, but walked closer to the chairs in the middle of the room to get a better angle and see what the girl was getting.
Rosa looked between Tavi and the box… and then over at Ruben and Pia, gauging each of their reactions to everything thus far - including the box that was now sitting in front of her. She took a deep breath and then held it in, pulling individually at the numerous ribbons which encompassed the box. After a few seconds of unwinding, the girl pulled the top of the box off, revealing a card which simply read 'Happy Birthday' in thick, playful block-style lettering sitting atop a mountain of tissue paper.
"I wasn't sure when exactly you were going to be coming my way, or what you'd end up doing before then for that matter. If I'd known you were going to bring friends, I'd have brought gifts for them as well as added a bit more to your card. Alas, I fixed up this gift for you back during your stay in Turffield in hopes of giving it to you as an early gift…" Tavi smiled, leaning back in his chair. "I do hope you don't find it too garish. It may seem sort of tacky, given that you
are a Pokemon trainer and likely won't have a use for such a thing… but I believe there's a certain sense of security in knowing there's always a backup plan within arms reach if ever your Pokemon fail you."
The girl listened to Tauvionne speak as she dug through the tissue paper, gingerly setting the card off to the side as she searched for what was supposed to be her 'backup plan'. That was when she found it, and shakily began to wrap her fingers around the handle before pulling it free for all to see.
"I'm a strong believer in protecting the women that come under my roof - whether they're under my employ or not. I know it might be…
weird, to get something like this from me - what can undoubtedly be considered a stranger. But, I would be able to rest easier at night knowing that someone of your stature had a second form of protection - just in case." The man looked over towards something in the corner of the room as he continued to speak, putting his feet up on the desk as he leaned back further in his seat. "It's nothing overly fancy - no golden hilt or jewel encrusted blade - so I hope you'll forgive me in that regard. However, it is practical and is a
tested design."
"Th-thank you." Rosa stated, taking in the sight of the knife. Her hands were shaking, but she wrapped her fingers tightly around the sheathed blade nonetheless. Her gaze shifted towards Pia who was just beside her, wondering what the girl was thinking given everything that had happened up til now had ended with her receiving a knife of all things.
Ruben quietly found himself back among the chairs in the centre of the room, eying Pia carefully before stealing Rosa's old seat next to his girlfriend. The day had winded him, and the thought of little Rosa walking around with such an unambiguously brutal...thing. It was unsettling. He couldn't imagine Pia was used to seeing such a thing, but he knew how that sort of scenario turned out. He'd seen so many kids taken off the streets by one of those, one way or another. He certainly didn't remember her from the academy, but just going off the look of her, he never thought of Rosa as someone likely to become nothing more than a statistic.
Ruben wasn't the only one with such thoughts. The colour on Pia's face had never returned and she still looked at everything wondering if this was even real. First guns, now knives… What more was to come. What the heck are these Mafia practices and what was she supposed to think of this? The questions raised in her head but eventually she settled on just one answer as she sighed. 'I shouldn't have gotten involved'.
"And with that, I believe
all of our business for today is finished." Tavi smiled, quickly taking his feet off the desk before leaning forward in his seat. "I apologize for taking up so much of your time, but it's not often that I can have such a cordial gathering in my office." The man dug around in another of the drawers on his desk, pulling out a large white brick wrapped in plastic.
Tavi noticed Ruben wince at the sight of the brick, but didn't let the boy's reaction diminish his smile any. "And of course, Mr. Sancho, if we ever do happen to meet again outside, I hope you'll be more open to giving a fan an autograph." The man's gaze lingered on the footballer for a second longer than necessary before he rose from his seat. "I wish you all the best of luck in your journeys going forward. But as for me," the man looked back at the door he'd come out from earlier and then started twisting the brick in his hand before looking back at them playfully. "I think I'll need a bit of a pick-me-up before returning to my prior business."
Bryce escorted the group to the exit of the main building, waving the trio off as he went back inside. Rosa tapped her hand against her bag, feeling the point of the knife's sheathe poking out from the side of it. The day was nearly over, and she'd almost gotten through the whole of it without having to think about the fact that it was her birthday at all. But now…
Ruben was happy to be free of the place. The tension hadn't lost a step, but the fresh air at least was refreshing. He walked a few paces behind the girls, who themselves were a step or two behind Bryce. His gaze lingered on Pia, who refused to so much as look at him.
"So, it was your birthday today." Pia's words cut through the tension between the trio. Her sharp, clearly upset voice probably even sharper than the knife Rosa had gotten as a present as she put her hands in her waist. Her thought process was abnormal compared to usual. Pia doesn't drink but right now… after witnessing all that? That was all she was craving for. "Sounds like there is something to celebrate." She flipped her short wavy hair to the back. "And I'm desperate for a drink." She winked with a small smirk. Ruben doesn't drink so that also meant Ruben was not coming.
Ruben raised a brow at that. Sure there was the incident at the festive market, but since then, he hadn't seen the girl so much as sip wine. Since when did she...? He opened his mouth to say something but stopped himself. What use was it at this point? Still, he was beside himself. This game of cat and mouse Pia was playing couldn't last forever. Could it? Though...he glanced back at the building they'd just left. He got why the girl would want to forget it all.
"Pia...I know all that was a lot. You ok-?" He asked.
"I'm fine." Pia cut him short. She sighed. What did she feel? A lot of things. Angry, scared, in love, jealous, furious, betrayed, hurt, upset, glad? Glad. Glad that they made it out alive. Wait. In love?
Pia smacked both her hands against her cheeks softly. Her cheeks were warm. The colour of her face had finally returned after they got outside. She took a deep breath to calm herself down. She couldn't think of those things. She merely liked him. She was ready to be disposed of at all times. Such was her fate to begin with. That's what she told herself. She just liked him a little bit and she hates lies. That's why she was so upset. That's what she kept telling herself.
"I'm fine. I'm just…" Pia thought for a little. "Hurt." She then confirmed. Ruben watched her and his expression softened. That rugged determination, the feeling that he 'at least' wanted a response out of the girl was gone. Seeing her like that hurt him, especially knowing it was his fault.
"Look, I uh...what I meant earlier, is that you're the only girl I see anymore. You stayed at my house and it felt normal. I was in a strip club and the only thing I could think was 'where's Pia?'.Then in the blink of an eye, we're here. Rosa of all people knows. We bumped into each other in Turffield," he began before giving the tiny girl a look as if to say 'no more details than that'. "I was a mess just at the idea that you were in trouble. You're family." He hung his head, stopping himself before he ended up being the one that said more than what was necessary.
Pia rubbed her arm while listening. "Family"... huh. The words were nice but also terrifying. It meant just enough but at the same time also too much. It was uncomfortable. She looked away from the boy. She had seen him covered in girls. It was hard to get that image out of her head but at the same time it was exhausting to stay this angry. If his words really had any truth in them… then perhaps she could blow the steam off… for now.
"I see…" She merely answered. "I'm glad you came. Just… Don't
ever let me see anything like that again." She sighed tiredly but immediately turned her expression back into a glare. "That doesn't mean you can do that as long as I don't see it. And don't
ever lie to me again." She warned him sternly, something she didn't think she would ever have to do. She felt unexpectedly possessive of him.
Ruben reeled back in response to that. There wasn't much he could say to that other than…
"Sorry," he sighed.
Rosa had been listening quietly to the couple's conversation, just hoping that they'd be able to reconcile and make up plans of their own. She didn't want to celebrate her birthday, she didn't want any gifts - she just wanted to pretend that the day never even existed. That was the whole reason for filling her schedule with everything she'd gotten into today.
The girl had been biting her lip; not quite so hard that it drew blood, but definitely enough that it felt uncomfortable. There were so many things she could have said… but nothing she really wanted to. "I'm … sorry too... for not telling you the truth…" Rosa added, shoving her hands into her pockets as she continued down the road. There was a lot that she wanted to tack onto the end of that, but given her mind was already foggy, she didn't feel comfortable enough in how the scenarios played out in her head to actually say it. 'I just didn't want to get you involved again.' The thought played itself over and over in her head, as if the idea itself were shouting at her to just let it out.
Pia walked up to Rosa and laid a hand upon her head, not ruffling it as Pia hated it when someone did that to her.
"You can make it up by having a drink with me." She said with a stoic face but the warmth of her hand was enough to make it seem genuine.
Rosa winced as the girl put her hand on her head, wondering what she should do now. She felt like she was
almost there but just hadn't quite reached it yet. She tried to remember how much money she had on her, fondling around in her pocket for her ATC. "I don't know if I can…" she mumbled, wondering how she should break the news that even with the nugget they'd both gotten a while back, she was still more or less broke. "I still have to buy food for my Pokemon this week, and for myself, and then-"
"I can cover it." Ruben announced, raising his hand like a bad student trying to win favour with a teacher. "You guys can get whatever you want, open a tab and I'll...pay it tomorrow or something."
Rosa glanced back at the man and suddenly remembered that he
loaded. She thought back to the bag of chips that she'd left when she got him involved in Turffield, realizing that a few drinks to finish
taking her there would be nothing compared to everything else he spent so casually. But… she couldn't just pop up and instantly accept his offer.
"Oh… n-no, I couldn't ask you to do that." Rosa stammered, losing her footing as she tried to think through where this conversation could go. She had to make sure Pia was fine with him coming to begin with, given how they were just now trying to make up for everything from earlier. Regardless of whether it was easier or not for her to accept the footballer's money, it wasn't her decision on whether or not he came.
Pia raised an eyebrow at Ruben as well. Him paying? Usually she'd fight back and ask if she could at least pay for her own stuff but… she was tired… drinks were expensive… her guilty conscience lost against her unwillingness to deal with this now.
"Suit yourself…" she said as she walked off. After she took a few steps she stopped again. "... you coming?"
Rosa sighed, playing at sounding defeated as she walked a little quicker to catch up to Pia. She didn't think there'd be any issue getting her to accept, but she would have been happy either way. It didn't exactly matter to her whether she was able to go out for drinks or not. She exchanged glances with Ruben as he caught up, noting that he looked very uncertain. 'But for him it probably did,' she thought.
"I wouldn't feel right using your money to drink if you're not there with us," Rosa stated as she looked up at the man. She knew that most of her acts wouldn't work on him, given their history together. So what was best, was to just be truthful with him.
Ruben, who had been thinking up a way to excuse himself from the 'after party' that didn't rise more suspicion from his girlfriend, was dragged from his thoughts by Rosa's statement. This was one he wasn't going to win. With a forced chuckle, he tagged behind the two girls. Pia didn't want him there, he didn't drink, he really didn't trust Rosa as far as he could throw her...yet somehow the three of them were going to go to a bar.
Great.