Chapter Text
In the darkness of the foul-smelling room, the little boy clung tight to his dirty, tattered teddy bear, his favorite teddy, the teddy his mama made for him. He nestled closer to his mother, who laid cold and motionless upon the ground, burying his face into her backside.
“M-Mama…” he was such a small, frail looking boy. This small, frail boy had exhausted himself out repeating her name over and over again. His tiny hand grasping her shoulder, as he had shook her endlessly, uncaring of all the blood that was now smeared on his person.
The bad man had come.
The bad man had come and hurt his mother.
He didn’t know when the tears had stopped for him. He was so very tired, so very hungry, and cold. The little boy laid in the darkness of the room, without even the moon as support, gripping his mother’ blood-soaked clothing, as he laid beside her.
“Mommy.” His voice was now simply a dull whisper, as he closed his eyes, squeezing his teddy closer to his chest. “… M, mommy…”
= 27 years later =
♩ ♪ ♫ ♬ Let Magical Seraphina Be Your Protector of Justice~! ♩ ♪ ♫ ♬
The commercial on the television wasn’t what he was paying attention to. If anything, the happy go lucky jingle that chimed in the background, was ironic for the scenario that was playing out in the room.
♩ ♪ ♫ ♬ Don’t forget to buy Magical Seraphina’s Plush Friend Wesker~!♩ ♪ ♫ ♬
Wesker is Only Available for a Limited Time!
♩ ♪ ♫ ♬Magical, Magical, Love, Love Circle~! ♩ ♪ ♫ ♬
“I, I ca, can pay you! I can pay you ten times what they- EEeEh!” the man’s desperate, snot induced plea, fell into a strangled cry, at the sound of the gun being cocked and the barrel being pressed into the side of his head. “FUCK YOU, YOU SON OF A-“
A single pull of the trigger.
There was only the sound of a soft ‘pop’, as the silencer had done its job, leaving only a smoking barrel and a hole straight through the man’s skull.
“Useless…” the violet eyed man muttered under his breath, eventually coming to stand straight. No matter how clean his shot, there was always a little blood splatter left behind. He had felt just a few drops hit his face and it annoyed him, as he brought his gloved thumb up, to swipe at the stains.
His cell began to vibrate in his pocket.
“…” he was entertaining the idea of just ignoring it, there was only one person it could be. With a sneer, the violet eyed man turned away from the scene, placing his gun back in its holster.
As his cell continued to vibrate endlessly, he took out a pack of cigarettes. He was a picky man when it came to the brand of cigarettes he smoked, he didn’t just ingest any random shit into lungs. These cigarettes were custom tailored to his preferences, even the package was one of kind. They were created to have a hint of cinnamon and mint mixed in with the tobacco, a flavor he preferred. The filter was degradable, meaning he could crush it into tiny pieces and leave no trace of it. It was perfect for his line of work.
Leaning against the arm of a sofa, the man took out his lighter, flicking the flame to life, as he brought it to the end of his cigarette. With one long puff, he felt his nerves begin to subside and a headache starting creep up, as his phone continued to rumble away in his pocket. If he didn’t answer, he was sure the person on the other line would track him down and so he pulled the smartphone out, pressing the green button.
“If you ever ignore my call like that again, I will kill you.”
An empty threat. Taking long puff of his cigarette, the man waited for the person to get to their point.
The tone of the person’s voice shifted, no longer were they angry, now they sounded more amused, “I know your back in the city. No rest for the weary, right? But then… You weren’t doing ‘work’ were you?”
“You already know that answer.” another long puff. His cigarette was almost done.
“So, did he have any info?”
“No. He was useless and now he’s dead.”
“Another failed lead.” The woman sounded displeased for only a second, before going back to her normal tone. “Listen, I have a couple of assignments for you. And don’t start giving me fucking attitude because I don’t give a shit. Find yourself a place to hole up in, someplace nice, decent, and ‘normal’. Keep your body count to a minimum. These won’t necessarily be hit jobs I give you, not unless they don’t play nice.”
The man clicked his tongue in annoyance, crushing the filter of his cigarette in his hand.
“I told you,” the woman on the other end of the phone snapped, having heard him. “, I don’t want to hear it!” she stated this angrily, though it was obvious she was enjoying herself. “Just do as I say. I’ll contact you later. By the way, Scara-“
“…”
“Welcome back.”
☂️🌻 My Neighbor the Hitman Isn’t Cute!! ☂️🌻
Episode Zero
With a little bit of her tongue peeking out, eighteen-year-old Lumine Tigel squinted her eyes in concentration, as she very carefully slipped the white thread into the needle. “Ahh!” she let out a little gasp of happiness, as she nailed it on her first try. Usually, it took her two or three tries! The unfinished plush duck in her lap, laid limp and without stuffing, as she now went to work on sewing up the sides of it.
She hummed to herself, head bobbing to the beat of the music from her stereo, while piercing the needle in and out of the fabric. To say she loved stuffed animals, pastel colors, cute and adorable things wasn’t a huge exaggeration.
Lumine’s room was decorated from top to bottom with all kinds of anime figures, stuffed animals that lined her bed and shelves, as well as two, large bookcases full of both Shoujo and Shonen manga. Neon pink and baby blue lights raced along her walls when night fell and her entire study desk, was littered with all kinds of Magical Girl Seraphina fan merch. One could easily guess her hobbies, as she had an assortment of otomes games laid out by her bed, as well as dozens of sewing magazines and cosplay designs scattered about. Just a few feet away, was a human sized mannequin, with her current work in progress cosplay.
Half of her plushies had actually been made by her and she even made a few copies, to sell for some extra cash. Her hobbies and snacks were enormously expensive, and her parents only gave her enough to cover food, rent, clothes and books for the upcoming college semester. ‘If you want extra cash, get a job!’ And so, along with her brother, both decided to do just that during the summer.
However, Aether refused for her to lift a finger, stating he’d bring in cash for the two of them, with a carshop gig he picked up. Not one to be coddled to much by her brother, even though she secretly enjoyed it, Lumine worked hard to make sure he wasn’t breaking for her sake. Just because he was two minutes out of the womb before her, did Aether paint himself the ‘older’ twin brother.
The song on the stereo started with the chorus and unable to control herself, Lumine plopped her work on the ground, hopping onto her feet, while twirling around, getting lost in the rhythm of the music. Clad in her pajama shorts and a snug, One Piece shirt, she threw her arms into the air, swirling her hips to the beat, “I do the same thing I told you that I never would~!” she sang out loud, hopping up and down. “Oooo woahhhh~!” just as she was about to go another round with the chorus, did her cellphone go off, ringtone blaring the theme song for Magical Girl Seraphina.
Making her way to her desk, while still gyrating her hips as if she were some hardcore dancer, Lumine eventually came to pick up her phone, turning down the stereo at the same time. “Hello?”
“Are you going!?”
“Huh?” Lumine knew exactly who was on the other line, but she was confused as to what she meant by her question. “Going? Go where!?” she plopped down onto her computer, kicking her feet out.
“You haven’t heard!???”
“Take a breather Xiangling,” Lumine fiddled with her pencil box on the desk. “, now just calm down and explain to m-“
“THE LIMITED EDITON WESKER PLUSH IS BEING RELEASED TOMORROW!”
“EHHHHHHHHHHHH!???” Lumine shot up from her seat, both hands coming to hold her cell to her ear, as she began to run around her room like a chicken with its head cut off. “T, to, tomorrow!?” panic was defiantly in her voice now. “But that’s so soon! Are you sure!?”
“Yes,” Xiangling sounded both desperate and sad at the same time. “, I can’t believe they would do this to us! Apparently, they didn’t bother to update the website, they just dropped the commercial today! Only about five stores in the city will be having a midnight release! First come, first serve!”
“Is that Lumine?” another voice rang out on Xiangling’s side of the phone.
Lumine stopped pacing, “Is that Fischl?”
“Mhm, I spotted her in front of the toy store, trying to see if she could reserve a Wesker for herself! No cheating, princess!”
Giggling, Lumine could imagine the tongue Xiangling was now sticking out at their friend. She was so grateful to have found such great best friends. The three had met at an Anime Convention in their freshmen years and had been inseparable ever since. Xiangling’s father and Fischl’s affluential parents, were actually two of the reasons why Lumine and her brother were able to get their own shared apartment.
“I can stop by my dad’s restaurant and pick up some takeout! We can have a girls night and discuss what our gameplan is for getting those Wesker’s! Is your brother working tonight?”
“Mhm, until midnight.”
“Oooo, again?” there was a slight pause, before she asked, “Are you lonely?” Xiangling knew the twins shared a pretty strong bond and Aether was extremely overprotective of his ‘little’ sister.
“It’s not that I’m lonely!” Lumine let out a sigh of frustration, plopping back down onto her computer chair, “I just wish he would stop being so stubborn and let me get a job, so he doesn’t have to work so much! He’s a big worry wart,” her eyes casted to the photograph on her desk. “, him and you know who.” She smiled knowingly, staring at framed photo still.
“I need to call Oz, if I’m going to spend the night at Lumi’s.” Fischl could be heard saying, while digging out her own cellphone from her bag. “He can bring the limo around.”
“Right, right, your highness.” yet again, Lumine could now picture Xiangling rolling her eyes at Fischl. “Anyways, we’ll talk more about Aether and ‘you know who’ when we get there. Should I get him food too?”
“He’ll probably have already eaten, by the time he comes home, but please! He loves your dad’s cooking and would be pretty bum if he finds out we ate some without leaving him any.”
“Mmk~! Will do! I’ll grab extra. See you soon, Lumi!”
“Ok!”
“Laterz~!”
With a smile, Lumine said her ‘goodbyes’ and hung up. She let out pitiful groan, before slouching in her chair, letting the thing spin her around a couple of times. As an avid collector of everything to do with Magical Girl Seraphina, this was a pretty big deal, and she already knew just how much she had in her wallet.
Silence in reigned in the room for what felt like an eternity, before Lumine shouted miserably,
“I’m broke!”
= + 8: 12 P.M Mondstadt District + =
“The victim’s name is Louis Andrews, twenty-seven years old, unemployed and living alone. Based on the rigor of the body, I place time of death around eight or nine in the morning, I’ll get a better estimate when we start the autopsy. We won’t know for certain if he was high on anything, but we did find several illegal substances scattered about, as well as needle marks in his arm.”
Camera flashes went off in succession, the chatter of radios being turned on and off sounded in the small, enclosed space, as forensics made their way around the room, dusting and collecting as much evidence as they could find.
“As far as the team gathered,” one of the forensic members, Dylan, spoke with detective, who was currently crouched down beside the corpse, crimson eyes narrowed on the bullet wound in his skull. “, there was no signs of forced entry. A scuffle around the living room area took place, there was blood found on the coffee table-“
The violet haired man grabbed Louis by the back of his head, slamming his head face first into the wooden surface.
“It’s probably where the head wound came from. It looks like our victim was tortured-“
“Fucking talk, or you’re going to watch as I cut your dick off and feed it to you.”
“I, I don’t know what you want from m- AAAAah!”
“Then, he was shot point blank in the head, once, which we determined to be the cause of death, given his other wounds weren’t fatal. There’s gunshot residue around the cranial entry wound, meaning our perp held the barrel right to his temple. We already know the caliber of gun that was used, since the bullet passed through the other side of Louis’s head and lodged itself into the floor.”
“Make?”
“A HK45 Tactical, sir.” Dylan held up the evidence baggie with the bullet inside and handed it to the detective, who took it wordlessly.
“…” the red eyed man’s brow furrowed, and he began to nod his head sternly. “Thanks.”
“I’ll make sure to send you copies of everything once I get back to the lab.” With a hasty and sloppy salute, the Dylan made himself scarce. He knew all the rumors and stories about the red-haired detective, and he wasn’t about to stick around, when the man made a face like that. Everyone pretty much to deal with the guys partner, then him personally, only because his partner was a lot more sociable. Speak of the devil.
Jean Gunnhildr made her way into the apartment, nodding her head towards Dylan, who gave her a wide grin, before slipping out the exit. Her blue eyes immediately fixed on her partner, who looked deep in thought, holding on to a piece of evidence in both his hands. Traffic and finding a babysitter for her niece, had been two of the main reasons why she had been late to the scene.
“The officers outside gave me the run down of what happened,” knowing her partner didn’t like small talk on the job, she decided to jump right in, as if she had always been there. “, is there something special about that bullet, Diluc?”
“It belongs to a HK45 tactical.” Diluc handed jean the evidence bag, eyes staring at the victim, who was now being covered by a thin sheet.
“… Another one?” she whispered, holding up the bag, so that she could get a good view of the bullet in the light.
“We won’t know for sure until we get it analyzed, but yeah, I think it is.” He looked over to her, seeing her concerned expression. “Just like all the other victims, there’s no sign of forced entry and a clean getaway. We won’t find any prints. He cleaned up after himself.” He muttered darkly.
“Don’t start that.” Jean gritted out through her teeth, eyes narrowing, as she always grew upset when he got into one of his moods. Being his partner for over five years, it got on her nerves whenever he sunk into his ‘Dark Knight’ routine. She knew the moment when he started to second guess the law and think that finding criminals ‘HIS’ way would be better and faster. “This guy has to slip up sometime, besides, I know it’s bad to say, but he’s only been targeting criminals so far. So at least we don’t have ‘innocent’ victims to worry about…”
“Yet.” Diluc muttered, agreeing with her other sentiment.
Jean let out a tired sigh, knowing that soon Diluc would start becoming much moodier. “Let’s just wait for forensics to finish up their reports. Did you already check around?”
“Yeah.”
“Hey, I’ll finish up here,” she suddenly had a great idea, hoping that certain someone could make him feel better. “, why don’t you go check up on you know who.” she patted his arm. “Go on, I heard from Barbara she’s been staying home alone a lot. It’s nice neighborhood, but still…” she was being vague on purpose, and it worked.
“What?”
Jean wanted to laugh, trying her best not to smile, as she saw the obvious shift in mood the red-haired man had taken, he looked at her with a ‘tell me everything’ expression, “Don’t you know these things? It’s called a cellphone. She has one, you know. You should call it.”
“…” Diluc looked guilty now. It had been exactly five days since he had last talked with her, even longer than that since he had seen her. On the phone she had sounded fine, but their conversation hadn’t lasted more than ten minutes, and it seemed as she was always checking up on him, rather than the other way around. That was just the type of girl she was.
“Go on, go on,” Jean goaded, shooing him off. “, I got this.”
“Right.” Diluc took one final look at the body, before making his way out of the apartment.
“…” a couple of paramedics began to hoist the body onto a gurney, and she watched on silently, as they wheeled the victim out of the room. “So…” she took slow steps around a few of the numbered markers around the scene, glaring at the small splotch of blood, where the victim’s head use to be. “Our ‘ghost’ is back.”
= + 8: 56 P.M Mondstadt District + =
With her mouth full of food, Xiangling tried not to cry, as she continued to pour her heart out to Fischl and Lumine, “I spent all my money on manga and shrimp chips! I didn’t think it would be announced so soon, especially right after the movie merch just dropped!”
“I’m in the same boat as you,” Lumine picked at her food with a fork, hanging her head in shame. “, I don’t have any money either. I sort of splurged on an anime boxset and fabric for my Seraphina cosplay.” Her golden gaze fell on the mannequin in the corner, where only rough mock up, was the extend of her progress.
“Look alive, loyal peasants,” Fischl upturned her nose haughtily, a wide smile growing on her face “, I shall grant you both a much needed boon! Then you two shall-“
“Pass.” Lumine and Xiangling spoke up in unison.
“You know how we feel about you lending us money, Fischl.” Lumine nudged her friend with her barefoot.
“But this a limited-edition plush, Lumi! I don’t even care about the money and you guys know that!” Fischl had suddenly returned to her normal speech, which she often did when faced with her true feelings, as she now looked between the two, trying desperately to change their minds.
Fischl von Luftschloss Narfidort was not only Lumine’s best friend, but the daughter of a very affluential and notorious family in the city of Teyvat. She was the odd duck of her family, since she had chosen to go to public school, instead of the prestigious boarding school that was recommended to her. Because of this, she had been shunned a lot by her peers, especially when it came to the way she talked and her awkwardness around people. For Fischl, meeting and becoming Lumine’s friend, had been the luckiest day of her life and she would gladly forfeit all her money, to make sure Lumine stayed by her side.
“We know, we know,” Xiangling raised her hand up in a soothing gesture. “, but it just doesn’t feel right! It’s ok Fischy, don’t worry about it! Looks like we’ll be sitting the one out.” Bringing her hand down now, Xiangling started to sulk.
As for Xiangling, she had been in sort of the same boat. Her passion in life was not only anime and manga, but she also loved to cook! Xiangling would always help her dad in the restaurant whenever she had time to spare, which left her little time to form any type of relationship. Becoming socially connected with anyone in school had been hard, since no one really shared her likes and hobbies, or cared about her passion to become a head chef. Meeting Lumine had changed her outlook on friendships real quick and she adored the golden eyed girl to death.
In a way, the three had all been misfits, who had found their way into a friendship with one another, and the trio never looked back. Something had clicked and instantly, they had all become like sisters, with Lumine somehow being the glue that kept them together.
“You know, even if I did have the money,” Lumine set down her plate, reaching for her drink. “, I wouldn’t be able to go to the midnight release! Aether would kill me! Not to mention if you know who found, he’d probably handcuff me to my desk!” she brought her drink to her lips.
“Oooooooh~” Xiangling waggled her eyebrows now, happy to change to this particular subject. “I bet you’d like to get handcuffed by him.”
Lumine spat out her drink, practically making a mess of herself, as her friends laugh out loud, at her shocked expression. “N, no way!”
“Is that a blush on your face, Tigel?” Fischl prodded teasingly, passing her a napkin to help clean herself off.
“No!” Lumine snapped, snatching up the napkin, as she glared at the two, who were teaming up on her.
“Oh, come on, you can’t blame us for teasing you!” Xiangling began to pout. “Fischy and I don’t have any guys in our lives, you at least have a potential boyfriend!”
“Po, potential boyfriend!?” Lumine knew if she lifted her face, they’d see right through her. “We’re just friends!”
“Childhood friends!” Fischl and Xiangling clasped hands with one another, as they sing songed those words together.
“Come on, it’s perfect!” Xiangling exclaimed, knowing Lumine was just pretending to pat herself down, to avoid looking up at them. “Besides, he’s a cop, he’s older than you so you know he has experience and, THE MOST IMPORTNANT FACT, he’s hot! What are you waiting for!?”
“He’s a detective, actually,” Lumine finally raised her head, giving Xiangling a grumpy stare. “, and you realize that another reason my parents were alright with letting us get our own apartment, was because he told them that he’d look out for us, right? And ‘childhood friends’ is a stretch, I’m more like the kid who followed him around, because he was ‘cool’.” She smiled at the memories that swam up in her head.
“Yeah, we know! But he can look out for you and your vagina~!” Fischl gave a salacious smile.
“FISCHY!” Lumine gasped loudly in disbelief, hurriedly grabbing up a pillow from her bed and chucking it right at the girls head.
“Aahahah!” Xiangling pointed and laughed. “She nailed you right in the- Oof!” the same pillow now smacked her in the face. “Why youuuuu!”
Just as Fischl and Xiangling began their all-out pillow war, did the doorbell ring. Lumine decided to leave the two to their own devices, as she started out of the room. It was odd to get visitors as this hour and she wondered if it was her brother, who just forgot his house key. Either way, she was taught to always look through the peep hole first and so she did just that, having to slightly stand on tiptoe. Being a whopping 5’1 had its cons for sure.
“Ah!” the moment she saw who was on the other side of the door, did Lumine quickly undo the all the latches on the door, before swinging it open. “Diluc!” she exclaimed happily.
“Good evening, Lumine.” Diluc held in his hands a box of doughnuts and cup holder, that held three drinks on it.
“What are you doing here?” she stepped aside, motioning for him to come in. “Aether isn’t home by the way, he’s at work.”
“That’s why I came over actually,” he gave her a stern look, as he entered the apartment, hearing in the background what sounded like her two best friends in her room. “, I had to learn from Jean that you’ve been by yourself in the apartment for a couple of nights.”
Lumine let out a loud sigh of exasperation, “I’m not a kid, Diluc,” she shut the door now, crossing her arms in front of her, with an air of indignation. “, I’m eighteen, you know, fully legal and all.” Her cheeks puffed out, a clear sign she was upset. “I can stay home alone, and I can take care of myself!” She huffed, taking the box of doughnuts away from, as she headed into the kitchen. Yeah, perfect boyfriend material. She thought bitterly, placing the box on the counter. He’d never see me that way.
Diluc followed after her, cursing himself for putting his foot in his mouth, “Don’t twist my words, Lumi. I know you’re old enough to do a lot of things and I’m not saying you can’t. I’m just worried about you and Aether.” He tapped his fingers underneath her chin, causing her to look up at him before he booped her nose. It was something he often did, and it usually ended with her smiling. Thankfully it worked, as Diluc watched a soft smile grow on her face.
It was something of a habit for him to do since he had never liked seeing her sad face. She didn’t like to be reminded, but when they were kids, Lumine was a big cry baby and Diluc being older, would always try to calm her down. Lumine had Aether, so Diluc never considered himself as a brother to her. In fact, he himself couldn’t wrap his head over the feelings he held for this girl, who had burrowed his way into his heart and forever stayed there. It was beyond complicated, especially considering he was nine years her senior and a trusted by her parents.
“Xiangling and Fischl are here?”
“Yeah,” Lumine couldn’t hear them anymore and she assumed the two girls were probably eavesdropping on their conversation, hoping to score some juicy fuel for the fire. “, we’re having a ‘girls’ night.”
“Well good thing I bought a dozen doughnuts, though I only brought two hot cocoas.” The third cup was his coffee, which he preferred black with no crème. “Well, if those two are here, then I can lea-“
“I have to go!” Xiangling practically fell out of Lumine’s bedroom, scrambling to stand up in the hallway, as she shouted her departure.
“Y, ye, yes me too! Ho, ho!” Fischl stepped out of the room, coming to standing beside Xiangling, flipping her hair haughtily. “Oz is picking us up! I have, I mean, we have very important, er, stuff I, WE, need to attend to! Ho, ho, you lowly peasants would never understand!”
“Sorry, Lumi! Bye, Detective Ragnvindr!” Xiangling wasted no time in waving and winking, as she quickly made an exit out of the apartment.
“Fare thee well, peasants!” Fischl bowed her head, before taking her own leave, slamming the door behind her.
“…” Lumine blinked a couple of times, trying to process what had just occurred. Seriously…
Diluc looked back at Lumine, with a surprised expression of his own, “Are they always like that?”
“…Yup.” Lumine let out a tired sigh, shoulders slumping forward. They didn’t have to leave, is what she thought, because Diluc wasn’t going to make a move and their ‘relationship’ wasn’t going to go anywhere. I mean, not that I want it to go anywhere, anyways! Ugh, leave it to those two to put dumb, stupid thoughts in my head! She reached for one of the hot cocoas, her favorite drink and looked over to Diluc, who had already taken up his own drink.
As he drank, Lumine took a good long look at his side profile, knowing full well that her best friends were right. The man was handsome, painfully so and it was surprising that he wasn’t a model. His long red hair was always swept in a high ponytail, and he always wore such nice designer suits, that fit him snug and perfect. There had been a couple of occasions where a few modeling recruiters had literally stopped him in the streets, to offer their cards. But Diluc’s passion had always been to join the force and even though he was extremely good looking, he wasn’t some pushover. Lumine had seen firsthand how very dangerous and well trained he was. He had reached the top of his class in the police academy and in no time, got promoted to detective.
“So,” Diluc considered himself good at keeping his composure and he was sure Lumine didn’t mean anything by it, but the more she stared at him, the more he grew anxious for some reason. She probably didn’t realize how hard she was fixating on him with her gaze and that was very much like her, since she was the type of girl that was pretty straight forward and always wore her heart on her sleeve. If he thought like a cop, he’d place her as a person who could be read like an open book and didn’t need a lie detector test. He admired that about her, since it wasn’t something, he could do himself. He wanted desperately to protect that innocence about her. “, what were you guys talking about?”
You… She definitely wasn’t about to say that out loud. “Wesker, plushies.” Lumine murmured, opening up the box of doughnuts, eyes widening in awe, as Diluc remembered she loved maple flavored ones.
“Wesker plushies?”
“Mhm, Wesker is Seraphina’s furry partner! After so long, he’s getting a plushie!” she bit into the doughnut, uncaring if she spoke with her mouth full, as she continued to gush. “Anyone who is a fan of the anime has been dying for a release of his plush! Since day one, we’ve been waiting patiently! Now, they’re finally going on sale! But guess what!” finishing her doughnut, she faced him with a sorrowful look.
“What?” he didn’t mean to laugh, but Diluc always found her adorable whenever she was so expressive with her facial features. She would often get pretty dramatic too about things and it just really made him want to hug her sometimes.
“He’s going on sale as a limited-edition plush! Can you believe that!? AND, he’s going on sale tomorrow!” she groaned out in despair. “And I’m pooooor!”
“Ahhhh,” Diluc began to sip his coffee, with a ‘is that so’ expression splayed across his face. “, and where did all your extra money go to?”
“…” Lumine hung her head in shame, knowing exactly where he was going with his line of questions. “A box set…”
“And?”
“Fabric for cosplay…” she mumbled begrudgingly.
“And?”
“... Shrimp chips, manga and fast food…”
“And how much is this, Wesker?” Diluc knew nothing about anime, but he did enjoy hearing all about it from Lumine and sometimes Aether, who would occasionally watch the shows with her.
“Ehehe,” Lumine smiled wearily. “, a hundred mora and some tax.”
“A hundred mora…” Diluc had to process that number. “For a stuffed animal?”
“It’s LIMITED EDITON!” she complained, stomping her foot for added emphasis.
“Oh, I’m sorry, let me rephrase that. For a LIMITED-EDITION stuffed animal?” there was obvious sarcasm in his tone.
“Yes.” She wore zero shame on her face, as Lumine stood her ground on still wanting Wesker.
“Lumine.” now it was his turn to let out a tired sigh.
“Once they sell out, I’ll either have to wait for them to be restocked orrrrr….”
“Or?”
“The black market!” Lumine giggled, pretending as if she was about to do something shady and illegal.
“Very funny,” smiling, Diluc set down his coffee. “, tell you what, I still owe you a birthday present.”
“Huh? What do you mean? Didn’t you get me a gift card for-“
“Gift cards aren’t really a gift, there more of a place holder for a better gift.” He hoped that sounded reasonable enough and she wouldn’t question it any further.
“… The gift card was for a hundred dollars though…” Lumine muttered under breath, remembering clearly what she spent it on. “Um,” she knew where Diluc was going and the last thing she wanted was to take advantage of his kindness. It was just like him to do something like this, and she should have known better then to complain to much. “, it’s okay Diluc. I can totally just wait for-“
“I’ll transfer the money into your bank account tomorrow,” Diluc stated firmly, giving her no room to argue. “, so just consider it your official birthday gift. Go get that limited edition stuffed toy.”
“Luc…” when she had turned fourteen, is when Lumine had decided to stop shortening his name. She was the only who actually called him that and It wasn’t as if he said ‘stop calling me that’ but Lumine had just stopped. Now, Lumine was sort of at a loss for words, so all she could manage was to whisper his name, in the way she used to. She had averted her gaze away shyly, so Lumine missed the way he stared at her with such tender affection. And by the time she looked back at him, it was gone, and he was back drinking his coffee. “Thank you!” she exclaimed.
Deciding it was bad for his health to remain as they were and unable to do anything about his dilemma, Diluc motioned towards the living room, “I’ll stay until Aether gets here, I have a few choice words for him. Shall we watch a movie?”
“Okay!”
= + + =
[GROUP CHAT: FISCHY, XIANXIAN,LUMI]
[XianXian] ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ Soooo, did anything happen last night!?
[Fischy] Speak now, peasant! Do not keep me waiting in rapt suspense!
[Lumi] I’m seriously going to sucker punch both of you! NOTHING happened!
[XianXian] （；へ：）are you kidding us!? Come onnnn Lumi! Why didn’t you jump his bones!?
[Fischy] Pure love. This is pure love, XianXian! Lumi wants to go on a date! She wants to be wined, dined, and treasured!
[Lumi] ಠ_ಠ Can you guys stop trying to get me laid for like five seconds and listen!?! Last night Luc gave me my birthday present! I can buy Wesker now!!!
[XianXian] Whaaaaaaa!? What a minute! WAIT A MINUTE!! Since when does your ass ever call him ‘Luc’!? ALSO, didn’t he already give you a birthday gift! I specifically remember you gushing over getting several new plushies, because of his gift card!! SUSPICOUSSSSSS! (｀Д´)
[Fischy] True, PURE, Love!! She is even shortening his name now! Aaaah, I’m blushing!
[Lumi] … You guys are insufferable, I swear! (ꐦ○_○）Anyways, Fischy are you gonna line up at midnight??
[XianXian] waaaaahh T_T, this isn’t fair at all! I’d go for the support for you two, but my cousins are visiting tonight and they’d totally make a big fuss over me staying out past midnight!
[Fischy] I regret to inform you, Lumi, but I simply cannot. Oz found out about Wesker and he refuses to allow me access to the outside realm! The audacity of the man to keep me a prisoner in my own abode! The pure malice I feel inside my heart, tears me asunder!! But he did offer to buy the Wesker plushie for me, via online.
[Lumi] Nooooo…
[XianXian] Let’s hang out at the arcade today! Lumi, we’re sorry!!!!
Lumine couldn’t remember the last time she sighed so much in her life. If she were to be honest with Aether, he’d more then likely call out from work, just so he could escort, and she knew that his boss was a stickler with time. Since he was new, making a good first impression was paramount, especially when it was the deciding factor in being handed custom jobs at the shop, custom jobs that paid well.
Diluc crossed her mind of course, but then she recalled himself saying that Jean and him had a lot of paperwork coming up on their desks soon. Paperwork meant he’d be in a grumpy mood and more than likely be spending his free time with the station house cots, instead of going home to his own bed. The last thing she wanted to do was bother him with her 1st world problems, while he was dealing with murders, rapists and thugs.
“…” standing from her computer chair, Lumine shuffled like a zombie to her closet. Was it really going to end like this? Even after Luc gave her money for Wesker? But if I sneak out…? Reaching for one of her pastel yellow sundresses, Lumine ruminated deeply on the issue, beginning to undress. Aether said he’d be pulling another all nighter, the last one in for a while, since Diluc warned him not to go overboard. Last night he didn’t come home until 12:36! If I go off of these facts, he might come home even later then that! AND, if I’m the first in line at the store, then I can get Wesker when the doors open and be home in time! He won’t even know I was gone!
“Alright! I’ll do it!” determined now more then ever, Lumine quickly finished dressing. Her outfits of choice were always dresses or skirts. Sometimes she wore shorts, but it was only when the wind was pretty strong. She loved to accessorize and wear all kinds of barrettes in her hair. She also loved shoes, sandals, flats, high heels, boots, you name it, she loved them! Fashion was a must in her eyes, even if she couldn’t afford all the high tier brands.
Twirling around a couple of times in front of the full-length mirror, Lumine gave herself thumbs up, before snatching up her purse and starting for the arcade. Knowing those tow, they were probably already on their way, not the most caring about what they wore out. As she stepped out of her apartment, she heard landlady talking away in the distance and she paused just outside her doorway, seeing the woman escorting someone. Their landlady was a pretty chill person and never bothered them for anything. The apartment building itself was fairly new and taken care of, so it wasn’t as if they had any complaints.
“You’ll be staying right next door to two very well-behaved individuals! No noise complaints whatsoever! The last tenant left due to money issues, nothing to do with- Ooooh, Lumine, darling! Perfect timing, you’ll be having a new next-door neighbor!”
For a while, Lumine had been trying to see the person the landlady had been escorting, but she had refused to move out of the way. Now that she was finally being introduced, she watched as the woman stepped aside with a flourish, motioning her hand to the man that was behind her. “…” her breath caught a little, as she stared at the man whose violet gaze was both piercing and hypnotic. His face was handsome, alluring even, like a dancing flame in a darkened room. She felt like if she were to reach out to touch him, she’d be burned, scorched even. No, more like fileted.
It was the aura he gave off, totally different from anything she had ever come across before. Lumine’s was boggled by the fact that the landlady stood beside this man without a care in the world, smiling away, as she showed him off. That just made Lumine think she was being a bit to dramatic, especially since the man was really good looking. His clothes looked expensive, a bit to expensive and she wondered what he was doing renting an apartment here of all places.
He wore a dark purple vest, over a pitch-black dress shirt, that buttoned all the way to his neck and was accented by his dark tie, that had a small silver cufflink attached in the middle, that looked like an electro symbol. His slacks were also black and were iron pressed properly, all the way down to his ankles, where Lumine could tell the man definitely wore designer dress shoes.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
It surprised her to hear the man greet her first, even going so far as to take a few steps closer to her, with his hand outstretched in a courtesy handshake. She half expected him to say nothing at all, to be the quiet, stoic type, sort of like Diluc. Get a grip, Lumine. You’re gonna make him think you’re a wierdo. “P, pleasure to meet you! My name is Lumine Tigel!” as she introduced herself, she reached out for the man’s hand, heart pounding madly in her chest. The moment she took ahold of his hand and his fingers curled around her own, did she felt a slight shock course through her body. Like static electricity. She hadn’t expected his fingers to be so long, or his hand to be so big. He wasn’t that tall of a man, maybe a head taller, but why did it seem as if he could easily tower over her, if he wanted too?
“Scaramouche Fiorillo*.”
“Ms. Tigel here lives with her twin brother, Aether!” feeling a little left out, the landlady started talking again, clapping her hands together merrily. “Both of them are super sweet! I believe their starting college in the fall!”
“…” Lumine didn’t appreciate the woman telling Scaramouche all about their personal life, but she wasn’t about to make a huge deal about. Realizing the man still held her hand, she quickly pulled away, trying her best to look casual. “Well, welcome to the building, Mr. Fiorillo!”
“Thank you.” Scaramouche was all smiles now. “Are you stepping out?”
“Mhm, I- Ahh!” Lumine suddenly yelped, remembering her plans. “I’m gonna be late! Byeee!” with a wave, Lumine jogged past the man. For some reason, she could still feel the touch and feel of his hand, upon her own. Aaagh, maybe those two are right… She found herself groaning out loud. Maybe I do need to find myself a boyfriend.
= + 10:40 p.m. + =
To say she felt guilty, was an understatement, in fact she even thinking of offering up a couple of prayers to the Archons above. Lumine had just finished texting Diluc that she had gotten Wesker, which meant she had blatantly lied to the man. In the back of her mind, she apologized profusely and hoped that he’d never find out her dirty little secret. She felt like crap and was so ashamed of herself, as she readied to go out. It was supposed to be a happy occasion, she was finally getting Wesker, so why did she feel so miserable?
“…” she made sure to keep some lights on, as she started out the apartment door. “Huh?” it was the smell that caught her attention first. It was a mixture of mint and what she guessed was cinnamon. Unconsciously, Lumine tilted her head up just a bit, sniffing the air around her, as if she was some sort of dog. It was a nice smell, and she followed the source, gaze falling on their new neighbor, Scaramouche. The man was now wearing his black dress shirt, vest having been discarded, his collar laid unbuttoned, his tie gone, and his sleeves were now rolled up to his elbow. Woah…
Lumine didn’t ever think she’d be attracted to a guy who smoked, but there she was, finding the man even sexier than before. She hadn’t been particularly quiet in leaving her apartment and so she was a bit perplexed as to why he was ignoring her. It wasn’t like she was seeking his attention, but Lumine could tell he wasn’t about to pay her any mind. Just like last night, she was unaware of how focused she was, oblivious to anything else, as her mind wandered. I wonder how old he is. He doesn’t like any older then Diluc… Maybe younger? He leant his arms against the railing of the apartment building, his butt slightly sticking out, which gave her a good view of just how slim he was. Despite that, she could easily make out the curves of his biceps and his masculine frame underneath his clothes.
“If you keep staring, I’ll think you want something of me.”
“Eh!” instantly, her hand came to clamp over her mouth, cursing her inability to keep her voice down. She hadn’t expected him to talk to her and even though he had, Scaramouche still wasn’t looking at her. “S, sorry…” even though he wasn’t paying attention, she still bowed her head in apology. “Ah!” her sudden outburst this time around made the violet eyed man look over at her, with an irritated expression. Did she notice? Not one bit. “I got it!” she quickly ran back inside her apartment, with a bright smile upon her face.
Scaramouche had only to blink a couple of times, before the whirlwind of yellow and pink colors, known as Lumine Tigel, came rushing back outside. Without much warning, she hoped to his side, holding out what look like a piece of string, with an ornament attached on the end. He didn’t know what she wanted from him, as she continued to stand beside him.
“For you, a welcoming gift!” with her other hand, she tapped the purple bear charm at the end of the decorative strap. “I made this myself! I know it’s kind of girly, so you don’t have to use it or anything. You can even throw it away if you want! It’s supposed to be a phone charm.” a sheepish smile now grew on her face. “I just wanted to gift you something, since it’s the proper thing to!” And to break the ice between us.
Scaramouche took the charm, only because he was certain she’d continue to stand there, with her hand held out, until he did, “You made this?” he sounded skeptical.
“I did!” Lumine puffed her chest out in pride. “I make all sorts of stuff! I love to sew, it’s sort of my hobby.” she wore a cheery smile, as she watched Scaramouche continue to eye the charm in his palm. “OH!”
Once again, Scaramouche was taken aback by her random outburst and he found himself glaring at her, as she scrambled to take out her phone. Was she always this energetic and loud? The landlady said they were quiet teenagers, but now he had his doubts. He had of course done his own research on the individuals he’d be living next to, everything checked out and it didn’t appear as if they were involved with any gangs. But what his research always failed to provide him was the personalities to said individuals.
“I gotta go!” Lumine started past the man.
“Where are you going?” judging by how she stopped and looked back at him, Scaramouche could tell she was surprised by the question and so was he. But then again, he did find it odd that she was slipping out of her apartment at this hour. This girl didn’t look as if she were going to work a graveyard shift and her clothes told him that she wasn’t about to whore herself out. Not unless her gimmick as a prostitute was ‘young, colorful and stupid’.
“Errrrrr!”
Scaramouche arched an eyebrow, crushing the filter to his cigarette, “You’re hiding something.” Did she have any filter on her face? It was impressive to actually find a person who couldn’t hide their emotions and it was also comical, to see her make so many funny faces. I stand before an actual idiot.
“Actually…” Lumine couldn’t help but divulge the entirety of her problem to Scaramouche. She figured since he was an outsider, a complete strange, he could sympathize and maybe even give her some advice. Lying to Diluc still weighed heavily on her mind and if she were caught by Aether, he’d be pretty upset. By the end of her entire spiel, she threw up her arms, announcing her own way that that was indeed all of it.
“I was right,” Scaramouche looked bored, as he took out his pack of cigarettes. “, you are stupid.” He muttered, tapping the pack against his wrist.
“… Yea- Wa, wait what!?” she hadn’t expected to be flat out insulted by the man, who now turned away from her, ready to once again zone out and go back to smoking. “What do you mean!? How am I stupid!?” she exclaimed; a bit louder then she meant too. If she were a bird, her feathers would definitely be ruffled and puffed out in every other direction.
“You already made up your mind to get the damn doll, consequences and feelings aside. You’re already outside as well,” Scaramouche resisted the urge to roll his eyes, already feeling as if he was wasting to much of his time on this brat. “, so just go and do what needs to be done. You’re annoying.” He muttered, flicking his lighter on, as he brought the flame up to the end of his cigarette.
Lumine gaped at the purple haired man, who took a long drag, before exhaling the cinnamon scented smoke. It was true, she was already outside, ready to go get what she wanted and being a huge hypocrite in the process. If she really felt bad, she would just turn back, go inside her apartment, and tell the truth to Diluc. “Grrrrr,” what pissed her off the most was how flippant and rude the man had sounded. Did he have no delicacy!? “,fine, I’m going! I’m gonna go do what I set out to do! But I’ll have you know when I come back, imma march right into my apartment and tell my friend the truth! I’m also gonna tell Aether the truth too!” she pointed her finger accusingly at Scaramouche now, who looked highly unfazed, as he once again leant against the railing of the apartment. “A, an, and you know something else, YOUR ANNOYING!”
“…” he could hear the loud growl of frustration she huffed out and he managed to catch sight of her pivoting on her heel, to quite literally stomp away. As she disappeared from his view, he looked back out at the scenery the top floor of the building provided, eyeing the dozens of twinkling lights in the distance. In a few minutes he’d have to get ready to meet a contact and he briefly wondered if his business would be concluded before hers.
Scaramouche was actually grateful his neighbor was a stupid brat; he had been told to keep his body count low and wasting bullets on loose ends, after he finished a job, was tiring. For the time being, he’d be her next-door neighbor. “…?” he paused now, as he remembered the phone charm that he still held in his palm. He brought it up to look upon it once more, a visible sneer on his face.
About to toss it away, Scaramouche’s eyes caught sight of Lumine, making her way towards the sidewalk. From all the way up here, she looked significantly tinier and fragile. This neighborhood was known for being low in crime, so he doubted she’d get herself into trouble. And even if she did, those were the ‘consequences aside’ he had mentioned. If anything, he was just curious of the outcome her excursion would bring. Would she get what she wanted, or would something bad actually happen in the end? Now THAT was entertaining to think about.
Before he knew it, Scaramouche hadn’t throw out the charm. Instead, he stuffed into his pocket. With one final puff, he crushed the remaining filter and turned to start getting ready.
=t b c=