Thinking constantly about the current situation, I again enter the pawn store where I'm greeted by a scene in which Emerald leaving the store.
' She doesn't even say goodbye.
I think a little disappointed.
" Is something wrong?"
Asks me the Big Mom who has turned her attention to me. In response to her question I simply sigh helplessly.
" Nothing serious, at least in Big Papa's eyes."
I say, unsure of what to think about this dangerous to me and Neo situation .
" So don't worry, if my husband says something it must be true."
Big Mom says, with a reassuring smile.
" Besides, has anything else happened? "
Asks Big Mom changing the subject.
" Nothing happened? "
I reply unsure of my own answer.
" From what I've seen little Neo wasn't too happy about your proximity to your new green-haired friend."
Says Big Mom looking at me then she looks at Neo standing behind me.
" I noticed"
I say knowing Neo's annoyed look which after prorusing this topic was on me again . Seeing this big mom smiled and laughed .
" It's that time already , huh?"
Said big mom looking at my pink mouse with a smile .
' What?
I think without understanding what she is talking about.
" Both of you are growing up and soon the time will come for you to be interested in this kind of thing."
Says Big Mom apparently noticing my confusion however her words further muddle my already tired head . Likewise with Neo , who looks at big mama with distraction.
" But well if we are talking about your friend Emerald, I helped her with her stuff. She's a nice girl just a little shy."
Says Big Mom with the same motherly smile.
" Speaking of Emerald, we are not friends. We've only known each other since yesterday. But thank you and I'm sorry for the inconvenience, especially now that the pawn shop can't handle it."
I say feeling guilty due to the fact that the pawn shop again had to accept stolen jewelry and the money that big mom gave for this jewelry probably won't recoup from their sale . In short I again caus trouble for the pawn shop .
" You don't cause trouble so you have nothing to apologize for. After all, one's own helps one's own. I expected nothing less from you. You are a good girl. "
" And as far as the pawn shop is concerned it has always been like that here, people just sell things and never buy anything, they only prefer the new stuff. This only brings losses in the end. "
Big Mama says with a sigh after which she rests her hands on the countertop.
'All the more reason for me to feel bad '
I think when Big Mom giggled seeing my face.
" Who do you think I am girl, I have millions hidden under the closet. That's for a rainy day. I'm a former mafia boss you know? "
Big mama said with a sly smile.
"Then why Ash and Copper..."
I say when big mom suddenly interrupts me.
" They kill for money?"
At big mom's words I nod in confirmation.
" They are twenty-five years old, it's their decision, they want to move out but to do so they need money so they work in a pawn shop. But as I said it's going poorly to make money here, so they are making money on the side."
" And before you ask, they don't want my money or their father's money, they want to be independent just like you and Neo."
Says Big mom with eyes full of pride when all the events so far are put together .
" I see you figured it out ".
Big mom says . .
" Petty theft will get you nowhere. You know it well yourself, to be independent you need a stable income, not a hideout but a home. We both know that you don't want to live the way you lived before, you and Neo want something of your own, a home."
"I had many ideas how to help you, I wanted to send you to school but to do that I would have to adopt you. But that would have clipped your wings and I don't want to do that."
" I never wanted to clip your wings, you are free and I understand that you do not want to be adopted. I know that the life you have, even though stressful somehow makes you happy. But I sincerely hoped that after the jewelry would no longer pay off you would ask me about working at Lombard. However, that would also tie you up and not give you much perspective. "
" However, you asked me about working as a hired killer. And I honestly didn't want to show you this yet, but I prefer to introduce you to this world myself, although at first I wasn't sure about it. Even now I'm not, but I don't want you to end up like I did in the beginning. I was not able to find myself in this world, which caused me to experience many unpleasant things "
"This world is a cruel place girls. You have to be strong to live here with dignity. However, looking at your strength I am not so worried anymore.But nevertheless I will help as much as I can"
Says Big Mama thinking about something. However, for me, her words were very meaningful. It's good to know that someone always has your back. This place in particular is the reason I didn't die whether from hunger or wounds. The pawn shop is important to me however Big Mom is right I have nothing of my own.
'That's why I'm working now to change that. No more petty theft, it's not about making a living anymore, me and Neo need an option for life, a purpose bigger than eating and sleeping'
I think deeply when big mom comes back from her thoughts.
"Well if we're talking about money, I talked to an old friend of yours. And I was able to negotiate everything with him , so far he has managed to earn a few pennies of which I have already put aside a percentage for you."
Says Big mom pulling an envelope from under the counter . Handing it to me I feel that it is not very thick but it is not thin either, opening it I see a thousand lien which is not a small amount for doing nothing.
" He's a hard worker I can say. In two days he made two hundred and fourteen calls, although the information wasn't super useful at least he and his men were able to give information about where some targets were located."
" They got their dole for this information. One lien to one lien and in the end they got a total of ten thousand for it. This envelope is your ten percent which leaves Mr. Lotus with nine thousand which he was happy with. Funny faunus of him . "
Says Big Mama as I hand the envelope to my pink mouse who hides it in her pants pocket. Immediately after that I feel the vibration of my scroll and see that it is a message from Lotus.
'What a coincidence'
I think while reviewing what he sent me. Earlier when I talked to Big papa I wrote to him to continue the search for suspicious activity and as I ordered, I just received the information about a suspicious exchange in one of the parking lots.
" We'll be getting going Me and the Neo have work to do".
I say, saying goodbye to big mom I leaving the pawn shop just to get another message this time from Ash. The message contains the photos I asked Asha for earlier. I send these pictures to Lotus with the information that I am looking for these people .
With the message sent, I hide the scroll and move to the suspicious activity in the parking lot.
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Neo pov.
'Nothing again'
I think sighing to myself as I look at Kurumi which running in front of me surrounded by her red and gold aura . With another sigh I stop my run and Kurumi, hearing that I am not running after her, also stops and turns her head in my direction
"Why did you stop ? "
Kurumi asks me and I just shake my head to show her that this is pointless.
' It's late, we'd better rest and look for tomorrow'.
I think knowing that Kurumi is still thinking about that woman. The fact that she is alive scares me, however, Kurumi and I are stronger now.
' We run all day, if something happens tomorrow we won't have the strength to do anything'.
I think while looking at Kurumi, and I know she knows it too. Immediately after we checked that parking lot and didn't find anything of interest there, we went to look further around town. We tapped into the gangsters' conversations and checked out their likely hiding places. All this in one day!
We searched the entire neighborhood in one day. And just as in the first days, we found nothing. All the suspicious exchanges sent by Lotus were either drug or weapon exchanges. The only exchange of dust was the exchange of Xiong people.
" Okay let's go back"
Says Kurumi when suddenly a notification comes on her scroll. Of course, Kurumi quickly pulled out the scroll and checked the message.
" Lotus found someone from the photo. They are under the overpass, north bridge. It's half an hour from here"
Says Kurumi as a golden red aura wraps around her body then she moves towards the overpass and I move behind her knowing that we are lucky and this may be our only opportunity to catch the information.
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Pov 3 person
Behind one of the pillars of the viaduct hidde male silhouette at the side of which appeared two other smaller ones.
" Lotus? You came here yourself ? "
Asks one of the small silhouettes with a girlish voice apparently speaking to the male silhouette, who turned his head to look at the two small o.
" Yes, I was walking back along the road when I noticed the cars and the truck, it was suspicious because they went under the overpass, they always do that when they do exchanges so I went and checked, they were just getting out of the cars and they were the people you asked about."
Lotus says in a quick tone scratching his neck when his eyes looked around as they could not focus in one place .
" I'm not going to ask what you took or how much of it you took, but I sweare if you're kidding me. "
Said the small Silhouette approaching the larger one.
" No No No, look it's them there ".
Says Lotus leaning slightly out from behind a pillar pointing his trembling finger in one direction. The two small silhouettes also leaned out and looked only to see two cars and one truck standing by the riverbank. Standing around the cars are five people who are clearly visible due to the lights on the pillars around them.
" They have been standing there since I called you".
Lotus says, turning back to the girls who have taken the scrolls out of their pockets and then pointed them toward the cars.
" The cameras are weak but I can say that I recognize them . "
Says the girl after which she looks at the Lotus.
" They have been standing there for half an hour?"
Asks the girl to which Lotus nods in confirmation.
" I really have no idea how you are able to recognize what is going on around you. But good job, now get the hell out of here I don't want your drugged up ass to screw something up. "