Danger Lake: Speed Skating, Obstacle Skating, and Ice Hockey

[Fuyu Muley]

 

[Lorem Corpus]

◆◆◆ The girl in the club with the crooked smile...

Ｓ Ｕ Ｅ

... the one with all the answers, at the top of the pile ◆◆◆

♦ ♦ ♦ Sue walked onto the lake wearing an odd outfit not exactly ideal for the winter weather, but perfect for the speed skating she craved. She gave a fierce grin as she surveyed the lake, which had been filled with hazardous spikes, rocks, and obstacles by the Fuyu staff. Just the kind of reckless life-threatening danger she needed after so much boredom. Strapping on her bruised ice skates and tossing her shoes carelessly into a bush, she pulled her leg warmers over the tops of her skates and stepped onto the ice. At first, Sue was wary and watched out for thin patches of ice and slippery wet patches of frosted snow, but then she smiled. The rink was good. Good enough, at least. And Sue took off like a rocket, zooming around the frozen death trap like a fly around a peach, laughing happily the whole time.

◆◆◆ She has you in her grip, there's no getting loose
The girl in the club with her neck in a noose ◆◆◆

 

[Lorem Corpus]

[[ Somebody? Anybody? Feel free to join in!! ]]  

[Sapphire Waltz]

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Fiore arrived at Danger Lake rather slowly, she had been weary of stepping on any ice and accidentally slipping. Her boots weren't exactly made to challenge the frozen ice. Once she did arrive, the Lucchese Family member scanned her surroundings. For many reasons of convenience, the red-haired girl decided to stay at bay from the rink and simply watch out for a possible dark blue-haired teen that could be identified as Rossiya. There seemed to be only one person on the rink: some pink haired girl in even odder clothes that put her own lacking personal style to shame. "And I thought I couldn't match up some clothes." the teen said out loud and unless the girl had enhanced hearing, she would probably be too busy giddily skating around the rink to hear her. Realizing that she was alone and without the company of the skirt chaser Elias.

Despite the fact that the two were supposed to meet up here, it seemed as though her roommate had either gotten lost on the way or simply decided to go somewhere else. Goldenrod eyes researched for a pale Russian, but in vain. "Looks like she isn't here. I guess I'll stay here for a bit, perhaps Elias will finally arrive. Slowpoke, unless he's decided to ditch the idea for finding Rossiya just to flirt with others."

 

[Rukia Arisawa]

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Romulus had been observing the Ice Ball with a measured gait when a cell phone buzzed from beyond. Retrieving it from his back pocket, and taking note of the number through his lengthy chestnut bangs. His mouth twisted into a frown before punching the green button and answering with his usual "Si." He was hoping that few here would be fluent Italians, or that the fluid Romantic language would act as a magnet to those he'd been searching for.

Holding the cold silver metal surface against his right cheek, sea-green eyes probed the landscape. Continuing in his search, Romulus passed the snowball fighting area, and dancing lake. He'd checked the Spa Cabin first. All of a sudden, a shock of crimson hair caught his eye in the distance. Leaning to the left, Romulus attempted to gain closer inspection of the short female. Unfortunately, a lanky hat-wearing boy blocked his vision. Was the boy with her? Possible not, as he'd split off in the direction of another lake a minute later. He decided to tail her until he could get a better look at her face. So far, this was his only lead. If it wasn't the Lucchese, he would check the other skating lake.

Unfortunately, his higher-up had still been talking. "Zio, arrivederci. Lo vi contattera in seguito." He had understood the gist of the boss's speech; there had been a minor "change in events, so to speak". "Non mi piace…" he muttered, rubbing his gloved hands together vigorously to rid them of the cold, hastening his speed. He would deal with it; this was part of what the Genovese assassin had to work with on an average basis. Wishing to avoid immediate detection, he kept a safe distance away, finally getting a good view of the girl when she changed course. Arriving at "Danger Lake" no more than two minutes after the petite female, Romulus approached her casually. After a brief mental debate he coughed quietly, facing the lake, appearing quite interested in the towering pines surrounding the event. "Mi scusi, signorina. Sto cercando una rossa con il nome di Lucano. Ti capita di essere lei?" If she was the Lucchese intelligence member, ideally she spoke Italian, right? Perhaps her Family ran it differently.

Hopefully this was the right person, and it didn't sound like he was trying to hit on her with his "suave" Italian. He never did understand that stereotype.



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II OutOf Charades: Hooray for Google Translate...

Translation: [1] "Yeah / Yes."
[2] "Uncle, goodbye. I will contact you later."
[3] "I don't like this..."
[4] "Excuse me, Miss. I'm looking for a redhead by the name of Lucano. Would you happen to be her?" II  

[Sapphire Waltz]

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The red-haired teen had been staring blankly at the sheet of ice in front of her, in some hope that something would happen. Fiore enjoyed to do crowd watching as a hobby after the countless hours she would spend spying on targets, other mafia members and pretty much anyone the Family members ordered her to go stalk. There was even the occasional act of defiance when she would follow some higher ups to find out what they were exactly plotting. However, when there was only one person on the rink, things got boring quite quickly as one pink haired girl was not what you called a crowd. The little concentration she had on the sole skater on the rink ceased and her ears perked at the sound of a familiar language, Italian to be precise, coming from a voice that was evidently male and unfamiliar to her. On first instinct, the Lucchese Family member took a few steps back in order to gain some proper distance from the speaker. Goldenrod eyes hoped to have a good look at the face for better recognition, but at eye level, the only thing she saw was some jacket.

"Why are there so many skyscrapers in the Academy?" Seeing as he knew her name could only mean one thing to Fiore: he was also part of the criminal society. She did not recognize him as being part of her Family, unless he was a new recruit sent by the Lucchese in order to keep an eye on her. Backing up a few more steps in order to properly look at him without snapping her neck, a few distinguishing features were to note: a deep scar ran across his face. A small smirk ran across her lips, there was no mistake about who this man was. "In realtà sono io, ma dimmi, che cosa fa affari membro del Genovese hanno con me?" Her arm discretely reached out for her pouch in order to reach out for a weapon: her throwing knives? There was also the Colt gun she recently acquired but hadn't the slightest clue on how to use and her knuckles, except she hadn't strapped them on after all the layers of clothing she wore. Cursing herself for not taking extra precautions, it seemed that the throwing knives were the only viable option.

Out of mere curiosity, the red-head couldn't help but comment, "Non ero a conoscenza che mi è stato segnato come tale un obiettivo difficile. Per loro di inviare un assassino esperto come te. Dovrei essere lusingato? Signor Romolo Matteo Valori." A small realization came to her as she spoke. If he was indeed, the infamous sniper Valori, why would he approach her at such a short range? In addition, it did not appear that the tall man was in possession of his high-precision rifle. Unless he intended to finish her off without the use of his usual weapon. Perhaps the teen could accord him some time to speak, though in the life as a Family member, one should never let their guards down. Who knew what the intentions were of the Genovese member, but one thing was clear: Fiore had no intention of dying on some frozen lake on this day without a fight.

Thanks to Google Translate:
{1} "Indeed I am, but tell me, what business does a member of the Genovese have with me?"
{2} "I was not aware that I was marked as such a difficult target. For them to send an expert assassin such as yourself. Should I be flattered? Mister Romulus Matteo Valori."

 

[Rukia Arisawa]

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A wide grin spanned his scarred features when the Lucano girl responded to his nonchalant banter. Under ordinary circumstances, he would consider it rather ironic: both Lucchese and Genovese knew well the other's name and reputation, but had never met. "La mia, la mia. E non ho nemmeno sono presentato..." He murmured, tone carrying a hint of amusement. Her guard was up now, that much was obvious. Having abilities such as his, Romulus could see her alteration in position relatively plainly.

Of course, he was subconsciously doing the same, especially when she practically leapt three meters backwards. She was noticeably shorter in comparison to 183 centimeter Valori, perhaps height was the case. Oddly, he did not expect what next came from her mouth. Turning from the icy landscape to meet the Lucchese spy's goldenrod eyes, a raised eyebrow signified a questioning look before the young man's features cleansed themselves of expression. The heightened aurul faculty he had maintained throughout his search alerted him to the slight rustle of crumpled stationery, as well as the brief, near-soundless slide of metal on metal. His turquoise gaze flicked to the front pockets on her navy flannel coat. Carrying his own share of concealed hardware, he stiffened, waiting as she began to speak once more.

A low chuckle of amusement escaped his frozen lips. It was a nice change; he appreciated her talent in the use of the language to. Typical Family members stuck mainly to the necessary vocabulary, or perhaps long-established Family code. "Ah, non preoccuparti, la Signorina Lucan. Se questa era la fine, non avrebbe visto arrivare." It was not a jest; most people didn't see it coming when he picked them off from the roof of a skyscraper, a mile and half away. Not that he was incapable of taking care of business in close combat, his skills gave him an almost equal advantage either way. Nevertheless, his stone's throw proximity to the red-haired teen, in relation to his repute might have indicated something of the opposite nature. In every respect, Romulus knew he should still be wary of the girl. The Genovese and the Lucchese had never been the best of friends; and sending two of their more valuable members was unquestionably risky. Yet, something was out of place to the experienced Mafioso. He had received the order approximately thirty hours previously; the journey being somewhat accelerated with the use of Family resources. From personal experience, he could confidently state that he had a means of communication on his body at all times, lest the nature of the mission prohibited it. How, then, had the young agent not been notified? Something was awry, here.




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II OutOf Charades:

Translation:
[1] "My, my. And I haven't even introduced myself..."
[2] "Ah, worry not, Miss Lucano. If this was the end, you would not have seen it coming." II  

[Sapphire Waltz]

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Was he mocking her? Fiore instinctively let out a scoff at his first comment, eyes still glaring at the tall man. "Uno ha bisogno non si presentano ad un membro dei servizi segreti. Soprattutto quando non si distinguono tanto in termini di competenze," the Lucchese Family member hissed back. The red-haired teen mentally refreshed her mind for any information she possessed about Valori other than his name and position as an assassin in the Genovese Family. From the various reports the teen had read as well as pictures she had been forced to memorize to the dot concerning his existence, the red-haired girl honestly didn't have more relevant information.

His rise in fame in the criminal society coincided with the period where Lucano was still a new recruit that could not be trusted with the difficult missions where she could easily be pinched, potentially break the Omertà, known as the Mafia code of silence, and rat out the entire Family. However, what were the previous Intelligence members destined to collect the information doing? The reports hardly went into any specific details and were all very vague. Romulus Mateo Valori was part of the Genovese Family and had been what most would call a genius assassin for his prowess with the sniper. In 2008, he appeared to be working in a team, paired up with a girl by the name of Roan Agostino and together they managed to execute many mafia members. How they managed to defeat so many, the reports didn't go into any detail, as if there was nothing to discuss or there simply nothing known.

Perhaps those who had tried to follow his trail weren't slacking off after all, Fiore had well considered that possibility before. The lack of information could mean that the spies simply did not understand how two Genovese youths had managed to hit so many other skilled Family members. Two options were clear to the red-haired teen. One, Valori was either extremely skilled with firearms like Rossiya's kind and had been through countless hours of training in order to hone his skills. Or two, he was the same as her and Elias: gifted humans as some call it. Those with special abilities, physical abilities or enhanced senses. As far as the teen knew, very few in the Lucchese Family were aware of such information as it was something the Capos and other higher ups intended to keep to themselves. The fact that he was not carrying a rifle on himself further amplified her suspicions. The real mystery that haunted the girl's mind: which special ability or power did the blue eyed man have? Possessing such knowledge would give her an advantage if they were to oppose each other.

Her train of thought was broken by the sound of his laughing voice, something she did not quite enjoy hearing. "Molto divertente. Se la mia testa non è quello che desiderate, allora che cosa affari avete con me?" Fiore intended on adopting a more relaxed position, but it felt in vain as her hand was millimeters away from properly gripping her knives and her posture still alert for any sudden movements. "L'ultima volta che ho controllato, il Genovese e Lucchese non hanno formato un'alleanza." After all, the Lucchese had no intention of forming a pact with any other Family; they had wanted them all gone at the bottom line.

Translation:
{1} "One needs not present themselves to a member of the intelligence. Especially not when you stand out so much in terms of skills,"
{2} "Quite amusing. If my head is not what you desire, then what business do you have with me?"
{3} "Last time I checked, the Genovese and Lucchese have not formed an alliance."

 

[Rukia Arisawa]

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The Lucano girl's attitude seemed to change rather quickly; it now appeared she was quite angry with the man. A slight feeling of social awkwardness crept up on him. He had never been good at communication (he blamed his unconventional upbringing), especially with the opposite gender. Romulus had always preferred to work alone, anyway. Teamwork may bring good in some situations, but too many people brought nothing but ill fortune for the Genovese assassin. And so, it occurred to him that if he was to be working with the feisty redhead for the time being, that he should not aggravate her. First impressions were lasting ones, and it would do him good to pay more attention to 'bella figura'. "Mi scuso. Non volevo ferire l'orgoglio di una spia." He bowed his head for a moment apologetically. Instead, he found himself examining her attire. Many people were as yet clueless to the fact, but a lot could be told about an individual by their choice in clothing. She wore black suede boots that reached to her mid-calf, and dark leggings underneath loose shorts. In his blue eyes, she did not value appearance so much as functionality and comfort. They were without detail or extravagance to draw attention to oneself. From this he deduced she valued her job more than some "normal" people might.

The pang of unease continued when the elfin teen continued to act as if she truly had no idea why he was there. He disliked being without his rifle; the familiar feeling of it strung across his back and shoulders was not one of the gun's weight in metal, but of security in his abilities. It would be lying if he said he wasn't suspicious of the Lucchese's behavior. He pursed his lips, running through what he knew, and what was undetermined. Ah, there was no way he could devise around it. Meeting her dubious gaze, he spoke with carefully and measuredly. Not wishing to be overheard, the brunette kept his voice low. "No, non del tutto. "Un accordo di reciproco interesse" è il testo esatto che ho sentito. Ti sembrano non sapere che cosa sto parlando, che mi confonde..."

"Tuttavia,"his gaze flicked from the trees to her left, the sky, across the lake, the entrance to the lake, and back to the ancient pines. "Non si può parlare qui. La posizione è insicuro..." Not entirely sure where he was going or if she would follow, Romulus turned on a heel, somewhat anxious for her to follow him elsewhere across the fallen snow.









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II OutOf Charades:

Interpretation: 'bella figura', or 'the beautiful figure' is an Italian phrase that concerns the way Italians judge or measure appearance, is better described here. (It's really short, sorry >.<;; )

Translation:
[1] "I apologize. I did not mean to wound the pride of a spy."
[2] "No, not really. "An agreement of mutual interest" is the exact wording I was told. You do not seem to know what I'm talking about, which confuses me.."
[3] "However..."
[4] "We can't talk here. The location is insecure." II  

[Sapphire Waltz]

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Fiore couldn't help but display a small frown. What exactly was this man planning? The teen silently accepted his apology with a nod, she did not want to appear overly friendly with him and let her guards down even if he was being strangely kind to her, he was still a member of a different Family. The risks were too grand and the red-haired girl had simply met him moments ago, however the brown-haired man was offering rather interesting information. In addition, it wouldn't have been the first time that she risked her life searching for information or answers to her questions. Curiosity could really kill the cat if she wasn't careful enough. "'Un accordo di reciproco interesse' Che è davvero nuovo per me," Fiore replied back in a half hushed voice simply out of habit because he started it.

His words were too tempting for the spy's own good. They had managed to pique her curiosity to check whether or not she had received any orders from the higher ups. The hand that had been in her pouch reached for a small zipper rather than the knives intended for Valori. Fiore carefully pulled out a BlackBerry Torch 9860. It was the mobile phone that the youth had been given specifically for Family affairs and which the girl would be able to send and receive orders if it was deemed necessary, though it was much easier for them to contact her than the other way around. Pressing a few buttons in order to check for messages and calls for anything she could have missed in the moments where she was searching for Rossiya. "Se dire la verità, così non c'è nulla. Devo ancora essere contattato a questo punto o il tempo," the teen replied in a serious tone before quickly placing the smartphone device back into her leather pouch. The goldenrod eyed girl let out an evident sigh. lightly ruffling her hair in annoyance. The internal debate the red-haired girl was having as to whether or not some trust should be given to the Genovese assassin was coming to an end as the short girl was beginning to believe his words. That much Fiore would have to admit despite her growing irritation. "Sarò onesto con voi. Io avrò fiducia, le tue parole, per ora, perché è certamente la possibilità della Famiglia non mi sta raccontando tutti i dettagli."

The Lucchese spy was aware she was being extremely rash and reckless and if anything went wrong, her life was on the line. However, the teen wanted some answers and knew that some risks just had to be taken. "Una condizione. Seguirò per voi se e solo se uno dei miei soci è di ascoltare pure. Egli deve essere in arrivo presto." It was the safest compromise Lucano could think of on the spur of the moment. If ever Elias decided to arrive to her current location, at least the intelligence member wouldn't arise more suspicion from the Gambino associate by speaking to a man he would not recognize as a part of the Genovese. "Forse avete già sentito parlare di lui? Ha proprio la fama grazie ad una piccola esibizione di qualche anno fa ed è un socio Gamino."

Translation:
{1} "'An agreement of mutual interest' you say? That is indeed new to me."
{2} "If you speak the truth, well there is nothing. I have yet to be contacted at this point or time."
{3} "I will be honest with you. I will trust your words for now because it is certainly is a possibility the Family is not telling me all the details."
{4} "One condition. I will follow to you if and only if one of my partners comes to listen as well. He should be arriving soon."
{5} "Perhaps you have already heard of him? He has quite the reputation thanks to a little stunt a few years back and is a Gamino associate."

 

[Rukia Arisawa]

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Suspicions confirmed, Romulus dipped his chin slightly. What a peculiar situation he looked to be in. He remembered walking into the briefing, just yesterday, though it seemed longer. Mario and Liborio had both been there, seated at the same polished, cherry-red elongated table. Liborio began, as was usual. "Romolo. C`è una nuova assegnazione di Mario e vorrei prendere." There had been something peculiar about their faces, the atmosphere in the room was unusually tense. It was obvious now that some piece of information had been withheld from him. He had noticed, that their tone varied from job to job. With each piece of business they wished to assign him, they phrased it a differently. Yesterday the pair of bosses had been polite, even, which was truly rare. He was aware that it was their way of attempting to manipulate him, to make him think he had a choice in the matter. As if the Family wouldn't condemn him if he decided to refuse on a whim. Despite their merciless, manipulative nature, he knew a part of them feared him. No other child had been as strange, admitted into the Genovese at age seven. "The child who could hear you whispering before opening the door." "That boy who watched the pigeons flap about the next block over."

In his pocket his own cellular seemed to grow heavier as he observed the girl opposite him clicking through phone levels, until determining there was nothing to be gleaned from the device. "Non so se l'Accademia matinee le barriere segnale nascosto? La mia stave lavorando been un memento fa. Forse.." he returned in the same, hushed volume. Romulus paused. Herein was a weakness; a lack of knowledge in things old and arcane that so dominated the grounds he now stood upon. Before receiving the task, he had scarcely heard of the place. He did not dwell, however, into what could have been, had his youth been spent in such an institution, instead of constant training in drafty, untouched manors or foreboding bunkers by a collection of austere mentors. Further unwelcome digression was averted when the golden-eyed spy spoke again. Though a straight face did not show it, her honesty came as a surprise. What was more, she had admitted her decision to believe him. For the time being, at least. It did give him a measure of satisfaction to know he had partially succeeded- trust, even temporary, from a member of another family was unheard in these days. Small victory; she wasn't finished.

Habitually impassive features gave way to a hardened line of a mouth as she continued to fill the space between them with polished Italian. Several things came into his mind next. First, a name: Faustian, Elias Faustian. It had come so easily, now, because the boy had been described as plain and hat-wearing- the gangly teenager following Lucano earlier. Second, the boy was assumed dead; after appearing to overuse some "abilities" in a failed infiltration stunt. The only other known gifted human in the Cosa Nostra. Third, and most important, he would be outnumbered- a risk. He had been just about to ease his heightened hearing down to human levels, too, when the sound of footsteps became audible. Moving his turquoise gaze to his peripheral vision, a thick Russian accent cut through the air with brisk clarity. "Ci sono due, non uno. Uno è di sesso femminile." Slowly, he turned back to the Lucchese spy, fixing his now hard gaze on her goldenrod one. "Si dovrebbe spearer che il tuo partner sa quell che sat facendo, Signorina Lucan. Altrimenti, avremo un piccolo problem." He let his half-focused concentration down, they would be within both of their earshot now.





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II OutOf Charades:

Translation:
[1] "Romulus. There is an assignment Mario and I would like you to take."
[2] "Do you know if the Academy maintains any hidden signal barriers? My own was working a moment ago. Perhaps…"
[3]"There are two, not one. One is female."
[4] "You should hope your partner knows what he's doing, Signorina Lucano. Otherwise, we will have a little problem."
II  

[Sapphire Waltz]

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Romulus's comments intrigued Fiore and left her with a few questions about himself, or more specifically his ability or abilities. She had already deemed him to possess at least one, that much was sure for now with the amount of information the spy had of him, but perhaps he had more tricks up his sleeves which would facilitate his job as a Genovese assassin. "Could it be enhanced hearing or sight? Animal Telepathy? Technopathy?" Without moving her head, the goldenrod eyed teen tried to look around for any signs of fauna or machinery which could support her last two hypotheses, but seemed in vain. "Perhaps he has another ability I haven't quite considered..." Should she bother asking? What were the chances that she was told the truth? "Come potete assumere queste cose?" Fiore asked, her voice tinted with curiosity and a bit of suspicion.

"Ti darò qualche credito e scontato che conosciate già la sua identità. Stai monitorando Faustiano, giusto?" She had presumed what the brown haired man said was true because the red-haired girl had no means of finding on her own unless she decided to openly use her powers in front of him. That would only result in a bird's eye view of her surroundings, wherever the retarded Gambino associate was. "Mi sembra piuttosto plausibile. Egli è conosciuto per essere abbastanza l'uomo signore dopo tutto," the girl added with a small shrug in a neutral voice with her arms crossed in an attempt to keep herself warm. If Valori had not been aware of Elias's name and she been the one to leak his identity, Fiore knew that the boy with his signature fedora would have been far from pleased. If he would ever find out that is. The air user had shown some paranoia as to being discovered by the Lucchese and the Gambino due to his current status as "missing" after a string of events back in America.

Footsteps were beginning to be audible to the short girl and her stance changed to a more crouched one, until the red-haired teen heard the man speak, referring to her partner. However, who was the second person accompanying him? Her hand once again reached out for something in her pouch before the spy fully pulled it out and concealed it within her long coat sleeve: a throwing knife. It did not matter anymore whether or not the sniper had seen her take out the weapon, her main concern was this unknown figure alongside Faustian. "Tu sei abbastanza veloce per dire 'noi', quando ho solo fiducia temporaneamente. Continuo a vederla come 'si' e 'I' per il momento" Fiore commented as an aside in a suppressed voice. How rare it was to have a semblance of trust as an intelligence gatherer these days, the girl mused to herself. "Se è davvero il mio partner, si dovrà guadagnare la sua accettazione come bene. Per quanto riguarda l'altra persona è con, non sono sicuro della sua identità."

Translation:
{1} "How can you assume such things?"
{2} "I will give you some credit and assume you already know his identity. You are tracking Faustian, correct?"
{3} "That sounds rather plausible. He is known to be quite the ladies man after all."
{4} "You are rather quick to say 'we' when I have only trusted you temporarily.
{5} "If it is indeed my partner, you will have to gain his acceptance as well. As for the other person he is with, I am unsure of her identity."

 

[tablowme]

›› WE'RE ON ↗↗ t h e r u n ↵
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx⇣xx and xxI'm xxabout xxto xxlose xxit
xxxxxx< .¸¸ SHE'S LIKE x✕xA GUN !
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> ѕнe αιɴ'т αғʀαιɗ тσ υѕe ιт ! <
xxxxxxxxxIt's one last fight we're .the . last . o n e s .standing.

█║xWe'll catch our very last train ( ❁ ) We'll light our very last flame
xxxxxxxxxxxxand we'll knock it all back ↘↘
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx( and forget our names! )

Rossiya let out a chuckle at his comment about putting money on her, he wouldn't be disappointed if she played her cards right. "If word reaches the right ears, the Five Families should brace themselves," she disclosed, voice right down to the whisper as she spotted civilized people within her line of sight. Narrowed eyes and a smirk, she casually added, "Sometimes, death is the solution to our problems, no man means no problem." her steps didn't turn into strides once the redhead came into sight, she kept her eased pace with the brunette while they spoke. She knew she had the last word in the matter, the smirk on her face hadn't faltered in the slightest. The wily mobster would have him wrapped around her finger, she had sworn on it.

The gunner had her eyes fixed on a familiar face, Fiore. However, they couldn't help but drift when she caught sight of the stranger with her, tall with brown hair. Her instincts told her to let go of her inhibitions and go for the strong front, she went with them. Long, effortless strides with Elias' hand loosely in hers, she had managed to swallow up the space that separated her from the Lucchese. While she sashayed, she had decided to play around a bit and figure out the purpose of this stranger. She gave the redhead a smirk while her eyes light up into a pinwheel of blue shades, "Hello, you must be Fiore," she began with the Finnish accent she had picked up in Helsinki. "I'm Suvi Jokikunnas, I waited a while to meet you but you know how can be," she leaned closer to Elias, if only she had known beforehand, he could have been on board.

Internally amused, Rossiya gave her brunette companion a confused stare before she her lips took an 'o' shape. "You never told me Fiore had a boyfriend," she had found herself in the best situations on this particular day, this was one was the most entertaining. She poked at Elias' chest with a nimble finger, her act continued in a scolding manner, "I guess you just forgot to tell me, huh?" the ravenette had been glad that he held her hand even when they had neared the lake. It was much easier to turn this situation into a game for herself. She supposed that Suvi was now dating Elias, or at least, that was the idea that it would give off.

[You guys set up the perfect crack post.]

 

[Feiyimei]

The Five Families...he had not given them much thought except how to avoid them, but it seems like they were about to come into the picture now. Fiore had confided that she was not a loyal pawn to the Lucchese. Speaking of which, spotting Fiore was not a hard task what with her mop of red hair though Elias was quite surprised to find her chatting with another man and not just any men from the well-calculated posture and what appeared to be a scar running through his face. It looks like he now had to deal with more than one pesky little Italian-American. Had he been discovered already? He had taken special precaution to steer clear of the States and even Mexico for the past year or perhaps Fiore wasn't as reliable as she had claimed to be. Out of precaution and to gauge this potential enemy's physical capabilities, hazel eyes took in the unknown man's athletic build and tall physic. This is going to be troublesome.

He kept his hold of Rossiya's hand as they ambled down towards the lake shore and the duo who appeared to be in a deep conversation so as to know show his alertness. "Looks like she's got company," he commented in a cheery voice though he was actually quite worried. The little distance separating them and the unknown man would merely muffle his words, but his tone would have been loud and clear from his calculation. Of course, he was unaware of Romulus' Gift, but acting the part from the beginning always added credibility to his actions.

"I guess Fiore finally hit puberty," he said in response to Rossiya. His tone was unguarded almost friendly as he leaned he gave Rossiya's hand a light squeeze before sliding it around her waist. He was enjoying this a bit too much and the foreign woman was being one hell of a distraction. "I hope we're not interrupting anything." He was actually thinking otherwise especially if both of them were plotting anything. There was a high chance that Fiore had only struck up a conversation with a fellow student although the man looked quite old, but Elias preferred to rely on worst-case-scenarios. He was planning to observe their reactions at his and Rossiya's sudden appearance though he was skeptical that Fiore was unprofessional enough to meet up with an associate when she knew Elias would be coming soon. Better be safe than sorry.

"Now, in all seriousness, is he a friend of yours? How about introducing us to this fella over here so that we can finish breaking the ice. " Although he was addressing Fiore, his eyes never once left the tall man she had been conversing with though more than once he had been tempted by Rossiya's close proximity. He was waiting for any tic or unusual movement that would give the man away though he had been greeted by nothing but a wall of impassivity so far. As for Fiore, he was expecting more than a simple 'yes' or 'no' answer from Fiore and much more than a simple round of name exchange. Even if he was no made-man or a member of the Lucchese, reason why he used 'yours', the air user knew the basic codes made-men employed when being introduced to someone of the Family.

 

[Rukia Arisawa]

_____________________________________________________________



"No, solo ascolto - vi è una differenza nel modello del suono, questo è tutto. Orme di un individuo non si compensano come quella coppia di questo fare." Sparing Fiore a glance, Romulus shrugged. It was a smooth lie, one he hoped the spy would swallow, eager as she seemed to unravel him. Tracking? Perhaps he should not have said so much a minute ago - the little spy was trying her best to assess his skills at that very moment, but it was a far-off guess in his opinion. The made man was intent on keeping an eye on her, lest any unforeseen trickery be up her sleeve. The unidentified character was an issue, however. If it was indeed Elias Faustian, and Fiore was honest in saying he was a womanizer, the girl would be a bothersome obstacle. Neither he nor the redheaded female would be able to speak any more freely than before. It peeved the man to be out in the open to long; being a sniper made one wary of enemies in high places.

Turning in the direction of voices and shuffling foliage, he aimed his currently human-strength sight on the row of pines not fifty meters away. He nodded vaguely in response to her trust-oriented ultimatum. He had no intention of becoming anything close to brothers-in-arms with someone such as Faustian, so he saw little benefit (or likelihood) in the German trusting him. A pair of figures had emerged from the forest - the stalky, brunette, fedora-baring Faustian; accompanied by a taller, slender woman with inky blue-black hair who was oddly familiar. He met the girl's enthusiastic introduction with a raised brow, the deep diagonal scar scrunching above it. The voice he had heard was distinctly Russian, but the leggy female was sure making an effort to mislead him. Romulus was no expert at crime rings and mafia outside the States, but he knew enough, had been enough places to have half a hunch. Making sure to revert to English, Romulus smirked and cocked his head at the one who called herself Suvi. "Are you sure it isn't something a bit...colder?" Somehow, he found it highly unlikely a Gambino messenger-boy had been capable of bunging a Toska over the head and convincing her she was a common schoolgirl, or stranger yet, a Finnish prostitute. Intelligence was not his forte, but he was half certain the ravenette was Solntsevskaya. Alliances seemed to be getting more complicated. Or, well, the chestnut-haired lad was getting more paranoid.

Speaking of a particular male, Faustian seemed to be enjoying himself a little too much for Romulus's tastes. Perhaps he had gone soft, running and hiding for over year a year. The boy was glaring at him, so he returned it in equal force. In a way it was comparable to a competition of male dominance; had it been possible literal daggers may have been flying between the two. Both he and the Toska had now made gibes about Romulus having a relationship with Fiore; a quip a younger, less focused, flustered Romulus would have vehemently denied. Instead, he maintained his blank expression, engaging in words in lieu of the former. "There is nothing between myself and the girl, I assure you. But I wonder, what is a dead boy doing in school? Not to say, a woman's arms….. Elias Faustian." He replied coolly. The close had been meant to poke at the boy, yes. By no means did Romulus Matteo Valori love his job, but from the day he became a man of the Nostra, he was aware the Genovese and Gambino did not "get along".







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II OutOf Charades: SORRY FOR TAKING SO LONG D:

Translation:
[1] "No, just listening - there is a difference in the sound pattern, that is all. An individual's footsteps do not offset each other like this pair's do."
II