With a sigh, Raven took the small child to get some ice cream and back to the house so that they could both rest and wrap their heads around what was happening. Raven knew the kid was skillful, but not to the extent she could've seriously harmed him.
Another perk about the kid was that she was very good at being cute and innocent and had no qualms about the world around her. On the way back, Raven spotted a toy shop and urged the little girl to go in.
"Just one toy. For managing to baffle me earlier today, you get to buy whatever you want from this shop," instructed Raven as he shoved the kid into the store before him.
"Whatever thing?" asked the child as her mouth curved upward.
Raven nodded, and the kid dragged him to the counter.
"I want that," said the child with a happy face as she pointed to the cash register.
"Are you insane or something? What do you think I am?!" yelled Raven as he stared at the kid in disbelief.
"A liar..." said the young girl, pouting.
Raven took a deep breath and squatted to the kid's eye level.
"Listen; any toy in the shop. Sold by the shop, from the shop... Got it?" said Raven, trying his best not to get angry at a pint-sized killing machine.
The child sighed as she nodded and walked around the shop. After a few minutes, Raven had to take a call from Beast.
"How's the search?" asked Beast.
Raven knew his boss was in his relaxation mode since he could hear his mouth half full.
"It's going fine; I found her. Or at least, someone resembling her..." replied Raven as he peered around to see the girl trying to find a toy.
"You found her?! I'm surprised. Oh, wait, what do you mean by someone resembling her?"
"I don't know if this is the girl, but everything checks out. She looks like the kid in the photo, but I can't confirm just yet. She might not be the one who killed those guys because Wolf has given me a letter that might prove otherwise."
"Do pray tell, Raven."
Raven sighed as he saw the young girl finally find her dream toy. He smiled to himself and looked away to continue his explanation.
"Wolf's letters detailed about a group over here called the Syndicate. They are like us but are far more aggressive in their punishments as they send out people to kill their targets. The main part is that we've sent forty guys, and only five remain."
"So you think that it was that group's doing instead of the child?"
"It could be a possibility."
"Well, I would be the one to debunk that myth, as the 60 guys killed weren't our guys."
Raven nearly jumped out of his skin when someone tugged on his coat.
"I understand. Shall I get back to the kid now?"
"Sure, you may. Just ensure she doesn't know who you are until you see if she is worthy of our ranks. And you know what happens if she chooses not to join us."
As Beast hung up, Raven bit his lip. If this kid lied the whole time, did not meet expectations, or chose not to go with him, he would be forced to kill her. Holding a gun or knife to take a kid's life was the last thing the Mafian High King wanted to do.
Raven then looked down to see the kid holding up a teddy bear. That was until Raven took it to inspect it a bit more. It was a pale yellow tiger with an ice cream helmet. It's not a helmet with an ice cream print; it's literally the ice cream as the helmet.
Plus, a small little cone beside its cute ears. And the soft toy had the softest fur Raven had ever felt. The kid was squeezing it as if it was the most precious thing in the world to her.
"Don't worry, I won't take it from you. Come on, let's pay for it," said Raven as he nudged the girl to pay for the tiger... Bear... Ice cream... Plushy.
When they were at the counter, the little child refused to let go of the toy.
"You have to let the nice lady scan the damn toy, pipsqueak," scolded Raven as he was nearing the end of his patience.
When the kid started to pout, Raven cursed in Dutch as he grabbed the kid and hauled her towards the scanner, as if she was the product.
"Well, that's one way to solve that problem," commented the cashier.
As the duo left, they strolled by some other shops selling candies and snacks which Raven went ahead and bought some to try.