"Greetings Miss Holland, my name is Sin, the new messenger of the 7 families," one of the 5 men dressed completely in white revealed a flirtatious smile to Captain Drei. Sin was the kind of man who would get all the looks of women passing by on the street, with a noble and manly aura around him.
Drei Holland scanned the body of the man who dared to address her as she waited for her order to arrive at the table. "What happened to the previous messenger?" asked Drei crossing her arms over her chest as she leaned her back against the back of the seat.
"He's dead," the man said raising his right hand. "I killed him myself. Failure is not allowed in the 7 families...even if it is a superior, he must be eliminated," Sin took one of the empty seats and moved it closer to the captain's place.
When a large shadow appeared next to him, Sin looked up with a frown on his face as he saw a fatty standing in his way. "What do you think you're doing, you know my origin and yet you dare to stop me?" said Sin drawing a pistol from his waist.
Rou had moved instinctively as he saw the man invading his captain's personal space, blocking his advance. Even if he didn't have the strength to back up his actions, Rou couldn't allow someone to take advantage of Captain Holland in front of his presence.
"Tell me, you get out of my way or I'll blow your brains out, your choice," Sin pointed the pistol at Rou's forehead and lightly pressed the trigger removing the gun's safety.
"You crazy bastard!", Rou thought trembling inside, he had heard that people change when a gun was pointed at them showing their true nature, but Rou didn't feel that infernal force that could lead him to failure. "Get lost scum, so what if you are a messenger of the 7 families. You are in the presence of my captain and you owe her respect if you don't want to lose your life," Rou stepped forward raising the rifle to his side, his forehead was sweating and it got worse when the 4 men at the other table stood up and walked in his direction.
Drei Holland stood silently watching the staging in front of her, Rou's acting was within her expectations. If Rou had hesitated just one more second to act, her life would have disappeared under the captain's hands.
"I see, it seems no one has taught you how to respect your superiors. So, as the messenger of the 7 families at this time I have decided that you must die," Sin pressed the trigger of the gun with his eyes swollen as he received Rou's words. A mere guard dared to insult him in front of his men, if he allowed the guy to get out alive no one would respect him in the future.
Bang!
Rou felt his mind fading, although he didn't feel the bullet impacting his body, the sound of a gun fired so close to his ears left him dizzy for a second.
"You've played enough, retreat along with your men before I forget you belong to the 7 families," Drei looked coldly at Sin, stowing the silver gun under his suit.
"My mistake, I was just playing Miss Holland. I had heard that you took a new personal guard and I felt the need to test him, you know well that not just anyone can be at your side", Sin made a movement with his hands as a sign of reverence. "Later I will wait for your visit Miss Holland, your family has sent a special message for you and I will not stay long on the island, I hope you understand me", Sin left the dining room together with his men.
When the men disappeared from the dining room, Rou felt that his body was totally exhausted. After returning to reality, he did not have a bullet wound on his body, listening to Sin's words they were just toying with him.
"Sit down, remember we have little time," Drei said as Rou wobbled in his position.
"Yes my lady," Rou settled back in the seat looking up at the bullet hole in the ceiling.
"Dmitry, if you're not careful, you'll die. Guys like Sin live tied to the past and never forget," Drei said looking at Rou.
"I'm not going anywhere my lady, even though I'm weak, if your command is to stand by your side, I'll come out of hell itself to protect you," Rou said regaining his courage.
"I need to be stronger, even a fatty like me needs to get more strength if I want to survive," Rou thought. "Klaos and Melniv, maybe if I ask them they have a way to make me stronger, I don't have anyone else to rely on besides the captain".
Finishing lunch, they both resumed the captain's schedule, checking the checkpoints on Vargo Island.
"You're free for an hour," said Captain Drei entering the control building.
As the sun disappeared over the horizon, Rou let out a big sigh as he threw the helmet over his head in the room he took as his property. Seeing him walking alongside Captain Holland, Rou didn't need to explain his origin or his name, most of the guards asked him what it was like to work alongside the captain and if he could introduce them to her.
"I don't know what to say, you surprise me boy," Klaos said bringing a set of grooming supplies to his side.
"The strange thing is how he was able to gain the captain's trust, any man who addressed her on anything other than an official order would end up in sickbay without exception," Melniv stubbed out the butt of his cigar in a cigarette holder on the table.
"Thank you friends, if it weren't for you I might not be among the living right now," Rou said sitting down on the floor. If it wasn't for agreeing to drink alongside Melniv and Klaos, Rou would never have met Drei Holland and his identity would have been questioned, in a way they had been his saviors.
"What do you say boy, who would have thought your resistance to alcohol was so low. Klaos remind me to keep Dmitry away from the bar during business hours."
"I'm not as weak as you think," Rou clutched his head and crossed his legs before adding. "Although it may be sudden, I'd like some help with something."
"Oh...what do you have in mind boy, now that you are under the captain's command, there is nothing that can stop you on this island", asked Melniv taking out another of his cigarettes.
"I am too weak, I still don't know at what point I can escape from this place, I must be prepared in case they try to attack me", Rou thought. "The truth is that I am new to this working as a guard, I am still too weak and would like to improve my strength in the shortest time possible, no matter what method they have in mind."
Melniv and Klaos frowned, they weren't so dumb to know that Rou didn't have the ability to protect another, besides his bulky body, his movements had too many openings and the air around him was strange even for them.
Klaos walked to the entrance of the room leaving a few words, "We don't know what you're hiding boy, and we don't care. If you need help training, Melniv may be more useful than me, for the moment I must get back, see you tomorrow."
After a few minutes of Klaos leaving, Melniv took the last puff on his cigar and began to speak.
"You heard him, if you want to be strong I can be useful, but this won't be easy nor will it be cheap. Unlike Klaos, I have something that could help you, but...", Melniv took a pause. "I need to know if you are willing to go through the same hell to get it. Boy, what do you say, do you have what it takes?".
Rou picked himself up off the floor at Melniv's words, "I am."
"Ha Ha Ha Ha, no need to make that face boy, I see you are determined with this. Still you'll have to wait until tonight, I'll be back with Klaos to deliver the report of our round, see you later," Melniv left the room.
Rou had less than an hour to spare, he had thought of going to the supply area to get information, but the moment his body touched his bed, he slowly lost his strength and fell asleep.
"Little fairy, don't run from my side", Rou was naked in a crystal clear river trying to catch the fairy he saw in the past, unlike the previous times, another fairy with a lyre in her hands was watching them from the top of a tree, playing a soothing melody with her eyes closed.
"Are you sure you should continue here," asked one of the fairies as she was caught by Rou.
"Captain?" said Rou surprised to see that the fairy had the face of her captain.
When Rou returned from his dream, he could see that Captain Drei Holland was standing in the doorway of his room, next to Klaos and Melniv who stood their ground.
"I remember telling you that you had an hour off, who knew you would forget to return to your position, if it wasn't for your friends right now I wouldn't know how to find you," Drei said indicating to the guards behind her to stand down.
"As ordered captain, see you Dmitry, take care".
"Cowards," Rou thought as he saw the speed with which they left him. "My lady, I haven't forgotten your orders, it's just that the watch I had on me broke down," Rou said covering his right arm.
"So that's it," Drei took a step into the room. "If it's something simple I can handle it, show me your watch".
Rou didn't have a watch, although Ted had one on him, his acquaintances might recognize it exposing Rou's identity. "Don't worry captain, I already thought of that and asked another guard if he could fix it for tomorrow.."....
Drei Holland looked suspiciously at Rou. "Never mind, gather your things and come with me, you have 30 seconds, otherwise you will receive a punishment", Drei crossed her arms looking towards the entrance of the room as if she was waiting for someone.
Rou didn't have many things besides his clothes and the toiletries that his teammates brought him. "I'm ready captain," Rou packed everything into a black backpack and placed it on her back.
"Follow me", with a simple order, Drei walked towards the elevator of the residential building, while some shouts were heard from the other end of the corridor when they both entered the elevator.