If anyone could see the look on our faces that night, they'd think Yayoi and I were going to toss Yasuo out of the car. Now I admit, our engagement has been in the background of the recent happenings of the past few days, but the two of us were never expecting to be married so soon. To top it all off, it was all to catch a psychotic egomaniac who has a bone to pick with me because I wasted a bunch of his blood psychos.
So believe me when I tell anyone about the past week since the attack, my mind has been everywhere except for the fact that I'm getting hitched. It did take a day before Yasuo could get the okay from the other bosses. When Hector found out, he nearly grabbed a pistol to shoot Armando dead on the spot. But we needed Armando to take the bait and attack us while we thought our guard was down.
Now, as far as I know, the Queen told Yasuo to wait an additional week to ensure proper preparations could be made. An operation on this scale requires careful planning and the right amount of attention.
Now I know what you're thinking because I've asked this before. What about the attack on Dogland? Isn't this too soon to try to have a wedding? The answer to such questions was more infuriating than having to ask them. The story was that some hoodlums were trying to rob the place. They killed Mr. Martinez and started fighting amongst themselves over the mountain of money. Then they killed each other. It even cost a bit of money to plant as evidence. At least this way, only those who were a part of this thing of ours would know what's up, which included Armando. I hated to admit it, but Mr. Martinez did help us beyond the grave. Armando would likely believe he'd gotten to me by a close friend after being killed during the attack.
I'd been staying at the Isoarashi compound on the east side of Iscariot City near Red Rock Canyon. It was a little farther from the Murcielago Estate, but my current schedule didn't allow me to visit home much. Since I would be marrying into a Japanese family, I was told to familiarize myself with Japanese customs and traditions. So I'd been taking lessons from my future sister-in-law, Sakura. Between the lessons on the ceremony, the Sakazuki blood oath, and Pandora's constant teasing about taking it a little too easy. I was nearly at my wits' end, but all of this was for a purpose, I told myself. Even though there was the possibility that Armando could not be either that stupid or prideful about to march into a lion's den.
Even though I wasn't having the best time having to go through all of this, it was made worse by not having the only silver lining I would've had. Ever since Yasuo expedited our wedding, Yayoi has been avoiding me like it was the night before the ceremony. Now I could easily say it was due to the fact that she let me drink her blood, but actually saying that could land me in some trouble. If we weren't engaged, I'm sure if Yasuo found out, he'd cut me down for soiling his sister's honor. Even though we agreed to keep it between us, it was a little weird that she'd been avoiding me.
Tonight of all nights, I'd been told I'd finally get relief from the lessons. I'd been sized for my Haori that evening, and I was told Yasuo and Walter would pick me up later tonight. So what better way to spend my free time than to go pick up Mom's jacket? It'd been nearly ripped to shreds during the attack, but it was salvageable enough to restore. Too bad it took a week for it to fix. In the compound's western wing, Yasuo's tailor, Akiko, had Mom's jacket folded neatly for me with a note that said, "Take better care of this next time."
Throwing the jacket back on, I ventured out toward the front gates of the compound. Don't get me wrong, the Isoarashi's place was nice enough, but it reminded me too much of the estate. When I got to the gate, I found Becca standing against the wall to the left. She'd been dressed somewhat like Yayoi was. I guess she found it nice. She'd been looking up at the moon, which was slowly rising as time passed.
"Yo... Becca," I called out. Her gaze shifted away from the moon to me. A huge grin tugged at her lips, revealing her new fangs. She waved at me and said, "Yo, Alex. What's up, soul-brother!"
"Not too much. I just got my jacket back from Ms. Akiko," I answered. "You waiting on Penny?" Becca nodded, and I joined her in her moon-gazing.
"You're adjusting well, right? No sudden urge to tear anyone's throat out?" Becca shook her head. "Thanks to Isoarashi, I can keep my hunger at bay. It was rough when I first woke up, but I'm getting better at the not nearly draining people thing."
"That's good," I said. "Honestly, if I had another choice, I wouldn't have put you through this."
Becca playfully punched me in the shoulder. "Come now, Alex... Without you, I'd have died that night. I'll admit, becoming a paradigm wasn't something I wanted, really. It's actually not that bad. Gonna miss going out in the daylight, though."
Hearing the Duessy's engine from a distance, the sound would be followed by its appearance. Penny had been in the front seat wearing a white scarf and a brown dress. "Good evening, Becca... Alex."
"Hey, you two going out?" I asked. "Yeah," Penny answered, "Becca and I are going to Sotenbori again. I've never had such a delicacy like sushi before?"
"Doll, it's Sushi," Becca corrected. "Oh right, yes. It's so strange to use Japanese words," Penny giggled, "Alright Alex, we're off. Have fun tonight, and don't do anything to make my sister-in-law sad capiche."
"Of course," I said. "I've seen her handle that sword, and I'd rather not be on the business end of it." I waved them off as they began pulling away from the gates. Getting a cigarette, I lit it and began smoking my one for the night. I'd been waiting for Walter to arrive with Vito and Furio. They wanted to take me to this blind tiger on 32nd Street that Vito had heard about a few days ago. I wasn't interested in the hootch, but the place doubled as a jazz club.
Even though I wouldn't be going unarmed, I felt naked without Wanda. I was told I couldn't bring it with me because I didn't like hiding it in the crimson haze.
"It must be exciting playing a normal mook for once," Pandora said. "The carnage and death are nice, but a little fun is good for the soul." I tugged at the heaven's cloth on my arm, and Pandora manifested herself in a much smaller form, much like a fairy on top of my head."I may be your monster, but I'm still a paradigm. Can't always rip and tear into people."
"Oh, come now, it's not like it's all bad. You're a lot harder to kill than most, plus you're very powerful. Most men would sacrifice their firstborn children or massacre entire civilizations for what they have."
"Cut the shit," I snapped. "This power is only a means to an end."
"Relax, Frankenstein's monster, I was just pointing out the facts. I know you better than you know yourself." I'd refute that if she wasn't always swimming around in my head. "Wait... how do you know about Frankenstein? You're supposed to be some century-old witch."
"Sorceress," Pandora corrected, "and you forgot about the pile of books you left inside the haze. Your old flame had an interesting selection." Right... I'd forgotten about that.
Pandora would spend the rest of the time finding new ways to irritate me until a car pulled up to the front gate. I'd quickly scoop her up, throw her back in the crimson haze, and tug at the cloth tightly. "Hey, you jerk, watch the hair!" she'd shout before disappearing back into the haze. I could see Walter and Vito sitting in the car's front seat. "Aye, the little boss got his jacket back," Vito said. "Come on, get in, ya skinny bastard."
I couldn't help the grin that formed on my face as I opened the door. Hearing someone break balls and not mean it for once was nice. I found Furio and Julius sitting in the back when I got in the car. "Jules!? Are you coming too?"
"Why yes, dear brother," he answered with swagger, "if you think I'd miss the first opportunity to celebrate something with you, then hell will freeze over tonight. Father will be attending as well. He's going to meet us there."
The old man was coming too? He really has changed. As Walter pulled off from the compound, the guys started talking about what they would do to the blind tiger. I could remember some of the things they talked about, like Vito saying, "Don't worry, little Al, we won't get you into any trouble with the missus. But there's nothin' wrong with checking out any sweet dames."
Then Furio started fake crying, "Il mio piccolino, all grown up, marrying a good woman. I mean, it'd be nice if she were Italian, but this one will do."
Since I was the man of the hour, they'd do nothing but break my balls until we got to Fuentes. When we went inside, it looked like a normal restaurant. Julian spoke to one of the waitresses, who beckoned us to follow her to the back. There we'd find a door with a little slot at the top. The slot opened, and someone said, "What kind of spice complements life?"
Julius leaned close to the door and whispered, 'Variety is the spice of life." The slot closed, and the sound of various locks emanated from the door until it opened, revealing a large club within. There was a mix of paradigms, lupus, a few shamans, and even Acolytes attending. Even men and women of the cloth needed to cut loose.
The waitress showed us to a large table booth where Father sat with Yasuo. Father had a lit cigar in one hand and a glass of blood he'd been sipping in the other. When we reached his table, Father patted the space next to him as he looked at me. "Over here, son... Tonight you sit with me." Putting his glass down, he snapped at the waitress. "Bring some blood and a bottle of Campari. Antonio should've got a shipment yesterday, as per my request." The waitress bowed and then scurried to fulfill my old man's request as the rest of our little party sat down. Another waitress brought by some menus for the rest of them. She told us to just call her over if any of us were ready. "Hello Alex," Yasuo greeted, "I'm pleased that Akiko has restored your jacket."
"Yeah, she did a good job. I just wish I didn't have to keep getting it fixed all the time." Taking one of the menus, I flipped through it even though I only wanted one thing. Finding it on the menu, I raised my hand for the waitress as she was returning. "Hey, could I get the Gambas al Ajillo?" She smiled and jotted down the order on her notepad. "Sure thing, by the way, that was an excellent pronunciation, sir. You a Spaniard?"
"N-No," I lied, "I just had a very good friend who taught me a lot." Well... technically, that wasn't a lie. Mr. Martinez didn't teach me any Spanish, but he spoke enough for me to understand what he was saying. But no one at the table except for my father knew of Mom. The moment of awkwardness didn't even last as the others began ordering their food. Much to my surprise, Father ordered the same thing I did.
We had a pretty decent time during dinner. Vito and Furio were cracking jokes. Walter told a few stories of his life before becoming a paradigm. There was even a point where Jules was telling us about some lucrative investments he'd made recently. During the attack on Dogland, Jules met with Henry Ford himself to discuss some stock purchases in his company. With the way the economy has been lately, we'd likely make so much money our heads would spin.
When the food and drinks arrived, the conversation turned into a discussion of everyone's first marriages and some advice for me. Yasuo's advice was more based on him being her brother than on anything. My old man was a walking testament of what not to do in a marriage. Uncle Furio told me to be spontaneous to keep things interesting, like what he does with Auntie Maria. I felt like a little kid compared to all these old men. He probably looked the part, too.
Halfway into dinner, things began to pick up in the blind tiger. Another crowd came in and sat at the bar. Out-of-towners, from what it looked like, and they were a little rowdy. I finished my cup of blood and move on to the Campari Father poured out for me. The bottle was almost empty, so I thought of ordering the next one. After confirming with the old man that there was more, I called the second waitress. "Hey, can you get us another bottle? These wise guys nearly drained what was supposed to be for me."
"Sure, I can get that bottle for you while I'm at it, hun," she smiled. I grabbed the bottle and handed it to her, and as I did, our fingers briefly touched. As I went to apologize for that, I felt a small jolt in the back of my neck. It was strange, but briefly, the waitress leaned down to my ear. "Don't say anything," she said, though she wasn't speaking aloud. She was speaking directly into my thoughts. "Look, I don't know how this is possible, but are you a shaman too?"
Technically speaking, yes... But there were a lot of problems with admitting that straight away. "It's complicated," I thought. "Whatever the case, maybe just go along with whatever I say, and I'll pretend I didn't sense it." She backed away. "Don't worry, sir, I'll be sure to get you more food in just a bit."
The waitress scurried away before anyone at the table could question that strange tension. Father nudged me on the shoulder, saying, "Careful, son... you don't need to follow my example that closely."
"Relax, old man, I was hungrier than I thought," I chuckled. Looking at Yasuo, I put my hands up to push the story further. "I've got a good track record of being faithful."
"That I don't doubt," Yasuo said, "Trust me, I have a keen eye when it comes to any matter regarding my dear sister." He laughed as he took another sip of his drink.
"That was a close one," Pandora snickered in my ear. I just gave her a mental message to shut her trap and carried on as if nothing had happened, or at least I tried to. I might've just been jumpy because of recent events, but I noticed I'd start glancing over in the waitress' direction whenever she appeared. I even started scratching my cloth like she'd come up to our table and zapped us with an electricity rune.
"Son... are you alright?' Father asked as he tapped me on the shoulder. "Y-yeah... Of course." I felt his hand atop my head, meaning my answer wasn't convincing. "Don't get me wrong, remaining vigilant even now is smart. But I'm sure you'd know if there was anyone that would be a problem. Right?"
Realizing what he meant, I apologized to Pandora via a mental message. I'd forgotten that our existences were tied together, so if I bit it, so would she. Pandora has already shown me that she's more than willing to help me survive and save others, even if she can be annoying sometimes.
As our night began to wind down, the idiots at the bar grew rowdier. Almost to the point now that they were bothering the other customers. "Can you believe these fucks?" Vito said.
"They're probably tourists from the New York hive," Walter guessed. "I remember some of those crews being a bit more lively."
"Whatever the case, they're disturbing the peace," said Vito. "Boss, you want me to say something?" Father shook his head, "Leave them be. Allow the blind pig's keepers to deal with them." It was an order becoming increasingly easier to hear and harder to follow as the seconds passed. It was probably the Campari making that happen. When I heard the waitress's voice, I tried picking out what they were saying. "Get the hell off of me, pig!" I turned around and noticed one of those thugs had her by the waist. "Come on baby, I'd like to give ya a nice tip, if ya know what I mean."
Father grabbed me by the jacket as I tried to come out of the booth. "Alexander... I believe I said let it be."
"I'm not going to pick a fight. I gotta piss..." Father narrowed his eyes, and I was sure he could tell I would still do something. "Just be careful then... You seem a little drunk." That was as good an ok as I was going to get. So I got up from the table and started heading for the restroom. Before tonight I'd never drunk alcohol before. Most of the time, due to being underage a couple of months ago. I didn't realize I'd be such a lightweight. The room spun around slowly, and even though I could walk in a straight line, it was only because I was taking it slow. When I reached the bar, the little dispute between the waitress and the pushy thug had escalated slightly. She'd been trying to pull away from him while another employee tried to pry her colleague away. Allowing myself to sway a little more, I bumped into the guy, making sure I used more force to add to my drunkenness.
"Aye, watch it, bub," the guy shouted as he pushed me to another's party's table who consisted of two bald men, one of them seeming familiar but the booze was impairing my ability to recognize faces. Even though I was sure I wouldn't fall over easily, I let myself fall over so that everyone could see I was unjustifiably attacked. The only part I wasn't counting on was for it to hurt as much as it did. "Ow... you sonuvabitch!" I shouted. "The hell ya do that for!?" Standing back up, I tried to maintain my balance.
"You need to watch where ya going, ya fuckin' wop. Beat it before I give you a world of hurt." Before I could put up my dukes, someone grabbed me by the back of the neck, then another giant hand reached for the asshole that pushed me. "Take this outside," said a strangely intimidating voice behind me. When I could see who picked me up, I almost pissed a little. This guy looked like he'd been one of those Greek sculptures that came to life. He was bald and huge, like Heracles. As he carried us away, the guy who pushed me began ranting about knowing who he was, and our escort regretted messing with him. We got tossed into the back alley, and the bouncer crossed his arms. "Alright... settle it... The loser gets kicked out forever."
As the jerk got to his feet, he smiled at me. "Good... I can teach the pipsqueak some manners." I just stood and popped my shoulders, then cracked my knuckles. "Buddy... you have no idea what kind of trouble you are in."
The jerk approached me with his fist held high and took a wide swing. I backed out of his range, stepped back in, held my arms out, and tackled him to the ground. We started wrestling for a second until I got a hold of his collar. Punching him in the jaw, I pulled back for another, but before it could land, he grabbed me by the throat and started squeezing. Feeling the air suddenly cut off, I stopped and tried to pry him off my throat.
With his other hand, the jerk started reaching for something I was sure the bouncer couldn't see. Assuming it was a weapon, I took my hand off the hand choking me and bit the heaven's cloth. Pulling it off, the crimson haze began to manifest and solidified into that armored arm I had during the attack. Tearing the cloth from my other arm, it transformed as well. Then I had him by the throat with both hands, squeezing harder than he was squeezing me.
It must've been way harder than I thought because he immediately let go to try to save his neck. "You got some balls, asshole... Thinking you could feel up on whoever you want... plus you thought you could shoot me in an alley."
He tried saying something, but it came out as a garbled mess of gurgling and retching. I wasn't going to kill him, just make him pass out. "Careful, you're on the fast track to having to kill a witness," Pandora warned. When I stopped seeing red, I noticed the guy's eyes rolled to the back of his head. I let go and quickly got off him before I could do more damage.
"Damn," said the bouncer. He knelt to check the guy's pulse, then whispered, "ok, good..." The guy was still breathing, at least. He then checked the guy and found a snub-nosed revolver hidden in his pants. "Well, it's what he gets for being bad at a fight. Not that you were any better, kid."
The bouncer picked the guy up and tossed him over his shoulder. "Tell the barkeep that your table's tab is on me tonight. Just say Heracles said it's ok." The bouncer... or maybe I was mistaken, took the jerk back inside. I honestly didn't think his name was Heracles. He would show everyone a new shining example of what happens to people who disturb the peace. Wrapping my arms back up, I felt the cloth wrap slightly tighter than usual. But something resisted it.
"You wouldn't wanna fall from God's grace, right?" Wynn's words echoed in my head.