(When did you want to bring in the child aspect?)
As he watched the screen of his laptop, he couldn't help but laugh at the hackers Matteo brought in. he had paved the road for them, cutting down any firewalls that stood in their way and battling any other defenses with no help from them. Still, he found it extremely funny that they were losing a winning battle. Had they done what he advised Matteo to do in the first place, all the files and notes would be theirs. That's not to say that they didn't have any files. No, they had the files Pierce managed to grab before he was found. But as the saying goes, liars make the best actors, and he was one of the best.
Not only did he manage to get everything the agency had on him, but he also grabbed the fake reports and a few corrupted ones. Keeping the true information to himself, he would send the rest to Matteo, along with a little virus of his own. That'll teach him to trust anyone outside of the organization. Pierce was just looking forward to the money Matteo would owe him once he removed the virus from his equipment. Just the thought of that was delicious.
As the hackers finally lost the battles, he smirked and sent Matteo a message about their failure. Though the hackers would lose their lives, Pierce didn't care one bit. It was their fault for getting mixed up with a psychotic idiot like Matteo. Just as he sent the information over to him, Pierce saw a little message from Auraleous. "Kitty cat he says, huh? Well, let's show him just how sharp this kitty's claws are." He yawned and stretched, 2 hours was a long time to be sitting in one place on his derriere. He stood and did a couple of laps around the roof, doing a quick warm-up, then sitting back down. He fluffed his bag just a little and closed his eyes, aiming to get some sleep before the sun rose in 2 hours.
(Was thinking maybe Conan asks Auraleous to take care of one, or possibly something happens to him and the child is left orphaned?)
Auraleous sighed awake a few hours later desperately wishing he could take the day off and remain asleep. He glanced over to the other side of the bed, finding his cats curled up with each other, sleeping peacefully and without a care in the world. "What I would give to trade places with you." he laughed softly and pulled himself out of bed, barely just awake enough to make a haphazard breakfast, find food for his cats, and get himself ready for the day. Just once before he readied himself to leave, Auraleous peeked out his window again to double-check that Panther had left. Even without seeing anyone up on the rooftops, Auraleous couldn't help but feel he was still being watched. If he was, he didn't have much of a choice considering he had to get to work.
grabbing his bag and a pair of black gloves, Auraleous tugged them on, said goodbye to his cats and made his way to his car, occasionally glaring up at the rooftop but not giving Pierce another thought. He couldn't, now they had bigger problems like the system being down, and this Matteo person.
From everything Auraleous knew about Pierce, he didn't really seem like the 'group project' sort of guy. Every file they had on the renowned Panther described him as a lone wolf. Partnerships were rare if anything an inconvenience for the agency when it happened. It made it harder to predict what Panther was going to do next if he was planning with a stranger. Maybe that was the entire point, and maybe if Auraleous were a worse person he might have been impressed by Panther's tactics.
But Auraleous couldn't afford to be impressed, he had a job to do and people to keep safe.
"G-good morning sir," Conan gave a shy wave as Auraleous stepped into the office. Auraleous breathed a small sigh and swung a chair over to Conan's side. "I've told you before, just call me Auraleous, and if that's too long, I also go by Rae. Now please stop giving me sad puppy dog eyes for messing up yesterday and show me what you've found." He urged, opening his own laptop and starting his own research, taking a sip of his coffee. "We're in for a long day, new- Conan. Everyone, and I mean everyone has messed up more than once here. And it wasn't just you either. So stop worrying and put that energy into helping take down the people who hurt the innocent."
(I like Conan, but maybe he needs to go :E)
Pierce had woken up just in time to hear Auraleous' car drive away. He yawned and was just about to head down to get some food when his phone went off. Glancing down at it, he saw instructions for another hit. Immediately he groaned and threw a little fit. He had just done something amazing, hacking into the Agency of all places, and only one person realized what had happened. He looked at the edge of the building, debating leaping over it. He walked over to it to collect the things he had left around it and noticed a cat sitting in the window of Auraleous' house. "Hmm, I should go check on Graye, he needs some new stuff too so maybe I should stop by the pet store. Let's just get this over with." Pierce sighed and packed his stuff back into his bag. He went back down to his bike and went over to the new location.
~-~-~-~-
He finished this assignment in less time than it took yesterday, this time it was a robbery. It made him chuckle a little, he was literally being a cat burglar. It was later in the afternoon but not completely evening time either. Once he cleaned up and left the materials at the drop-off point, he went to his house. taking a quick shower and changing into a new outfit. The shirt was half-black and half-white with a chain detail that he paired with a pair of black pants. He put on a baseball cap and a black face mask. He got on his bike and drove to the pet store. He went in and made a beeline for the bird stuff but got distracted by the cats up for adoption. One of them looked exactly like the one he saw in the window this morning. "Maybe I should adopt you and train you to break into houses. I could call you Ahallucination. That way I can tell people 'It's just Ahallucination'." Pierce snickered.
(sorry it's so short, I'm having a rough night.)
(No worries at all, sorry for the late responses)
"Rae?"Conan glanced up from his laptop, closing it slightly and facing the hero. Auraleous arched an eyebrow to show he was paying attention but kept typing away at his computer. "Do you ever worry?"
"Course, all the time," Auraleous muttered, finally looking up to find Conan staring intently at his desk. "Do I need to worry about something?"
Conan snapped his head up and shook his head quickly, "No! No, I was just wondering aloud. You live alone and you don't have a life outside being a hero, at least from what I read on your file."
Auraleous shrugged and crossed his arms over his chest, silently defensive. He knew everyone a part of the association had a file as was protocol but he didn't like the idea of just anyone reading it. "I have two cats. I social enough for my own comfort. I try not to get close to anyone because of my job. Fewer people to get hurt if it's just me." He reasoned cynically, nodding to Conan "And you?" Auraleous tried to relax a bit, reminding himself Conan was new and was trying to make a friend.
At that, Cona gave a faint smile "Just my little brother and me."
Auraleous nodded grimly, "I hope you both stay safe then. In this line of work, one never knows what day will be their last." For the rest of the day they typed away on their laptops, an alert of a robbery two hours into their search, seemingly unrelated to yesterday's assassination but Auraleous didn't want to write anything off just yet. Anything could be connected to the case and knowing Panther, unfortunately, Auraleous wouldn't put it above him to commit every crime in the book to show off after something as big as his latest gig. "If anything does happen to me, I know since I'm new, would you be willing to help Kaz?" Conan asked softly, afraid to speak the situation into existence in case his terrible luck caught up with him and he did somehow end up dead.
Auraleous looked up, immediately read to say no or to argue nothing would happen to the young newbie but he saw something in Conan's eyes, fear perhaps. Of what he didn't know but Auraleous recognized that same fear within himself and gave nod. "Of course. You have my word."
Deciding against adopting the cat, Pierce went around and picked up the stuff for Gray. He paid quickly and walked out, putting everything in his bag and buckling it to the bike then put on his helmet with the intention of getting on. "What now? I have no assignments. Hmmm…" Pierce turned the key and revved his engine. "Well, might as well grab something to eat. Maybe check out the park? Hm." he flipped his visor and leaned forward, pushing off and riding to his favourite lunch spot. It just so happened that it was close enough to the hero headquarters that he could see, but far enough that not many of its employees came to eat there. He truly enjoyed its rooftop dining experience for that reason alone.
Upon reaching the restaurant, he parked and locked his bike, taking his bag and helmet with him. "Bonjour mademoiselle, as-tu une table*?" He locked eyes with the young lady standing at the host stand. A pink flush appeared on her cheeks as she grabbed a menu and stepped out from behind it. "Oui, suivez-moi, s'il vous plaît**!" she said in a cheery voice. She led him to an outdoor table near the edge of the rooftop and gave the menu to him. "I will be back with some water and to take your order, please take your time." She said with an accent and walked off to where she came from. Pierce smiled and leaned comfortably in the chair, lazily browsing the menu. It was just a courtesy, he had been here, and ordered from here enough times, to know exactly what he liked and didn't.
The girl returned with his water and Pierce gave her his order. She left and Pierce took out his book and his pen, looking at the information he had collected. He was lost in his thoughts and only snapped out when he heard footsteps coming closer. "Here you are, sir. You seem to be preoccupied so just call me when you need me. For anything." The girl looked at him with her face flushing. "I'll be back to check on you in just a few." He smiled until he could no longer see her and dropped it. "The only thing nice about this place is the food." He muttered and took a bite of his pasta. Chewing slowly, he reopened his book and continued to read what was written.
*(Hello madam, do you have a table?)
**(Yes, follow me please!)
The conversation had left Auraleous rattled. While death was an inevitable constant in all their lives, he didn't like how Conan seemed so sure about his own end. Almost as if he was expecting to die. They spent the rest of their day in tense silence, only breaking it occasionally when something came up in the reports but other than petty robbery this morning, all was quiet. Auraleous stretched as his phone alarm went off, signaling his lunch break time. He closed his laptop and stood, gently nudging Conan, who seemed lost in contemplation. "Want to join me for lunch? I'm heading down to the restaurant. or I could pick something up for you?" He offered, grabbing his bag and slinging it over his shoulder.
Conan glanced up and gave a small smile, "Thanks but I think I'll keep working here for a bit. I'll grab a bite to eat soon." He reassured, jerking his thumb to the mini fridge in the corner of the office. Auraleous nodded and gave a small wave as he departed, "I'll see you later then, don't overwork yourself."
"Hello, bar please?" Auraleous' French had dwindled significantly since coming to the States back when he was a teenager. His French had never been good to begin with but at least he knew some phrases. It was bad enough now that he didn't even want to try out of fear of embarrassing himself or offending anyone, so he stuck to English. Once seated, he ordered a glass of wine and his regular lunch sandwich and side salad of the day. Auraleous was enough of a regular to know most of the staff and customers half if not most being a part of the agency on their lunch break or staking out new leads for whatever mission they were on. His gaze roved over the familiar faces, his mind going through the files he had memorized. On the off occasion, he'd catch a new face but typically dismissed that as a civilian, that was until his gaze landed on a very familiar face, one he had been dreading to meet since last night. He caught his waitress passing by and requested his food be brought to the table, informing her he had found a friend to sit with. Friend might have been a stretch but he didn't want to raise alarm.
"You have some nerve coming here with every hero at the agency trailing your every move." Auraleous didn't bother with formalities as he took up the chair across from Pierce, his gaze flicking to the book the other was reading before it focused on his face. "Care to explain why you're stalking my house?" He leaned back casually and tipped his head to the side. "or better yet, working for Matteo? Thought you were a lone wolf sorta cat."
The restaurant began to get noisier which could only mean that the agency was on lunch break. Pierce leaned back in his chair with a sly smile and wrote down more information in his book. As he finished his appetizers and waited for his main course, he took a sip of his drink and realized he would also need a refill. Pierce asked his waitress to top it off just as he heard a familiar voice asking for a place to sit.
He glanced over at the man who had seated himself near the bar and watched as he scanned the surroundings. Pierce looked down and heard footsteps near his table before someone slid in across from him. Without looking up, he smiled and flipped a page in his book, writing a few short words. "What? No hello?" he locked eyes with the man and ran a hand through his hair. "You must know me well enough to know what I'm like, agent. How could I not toss myself in the midst of a warzone?"
Pierce watched Auraleous' eyes notice his book and he slowly closed it, placing it to the side. "I'm not staking out your house love, it's good to stay up-to-date with everything your loyal nemisis does, especially when his underlings cannot do anything to keep him secure. How is our little Conan doing after he failed at his job earlier?" Pierce laced his fingers together and placed them under his chin and he leaned forward. He chose to ingore the comment about Matteo, the less he knew, the better. He was planning on disposing of him soon, why should he reveal all his plans to his nemisis? Even if it would be a big help to him.
Auraleous spared another glance at the notebook, a frown setting on his features as he mildly wondered what could be written there but his pissed-off mood took over most rational thought to investigate that any further at the moment. "For the likes of you, not even a friendly salute." He retorted, narrowing his eyes as Pierce closed the notebook. Okay, perhaps it was more important than he gave it credit for if he was putting it away. Important enough to hidden from an agent.
"Forgive the question before. I do know what you're like. The question is I can't tell if it's stupid or impressively cocky for you to be in enemy territory so exposed when a single word could get you surrounded by 20 agents looking for any chance to put your ass in prison, or better yet in a grave for all the trouble you've put us through." Auraleous ignored, or at least tried to ignore, the little pet name Pierce used but it made Auraleous tense ever so slightly in his already defensive position.
He fell deathly quiet as he watched the man across from him, his gaze never leaving his target even as coiling doubt leached into his mind.
"Leave the newbie out of this." He hissed, not wanting Conan anywhere near Pierce, even in conversation. But the doubt had already latched itself onto Auraleous's memories. "If anything does happen to me…" echoed in Auraleous's mind again and again. At first, he had thought it was newbie jitters, just the fear that came along with having never actually been out in the field of fighting crime but then again, it could be something more…
Conan had seemed unnaturally nervous the previous night and even in the morning when Auraelous had reassured him it was alright, he could feel the waves of guilt rolling off the kid. And then the promise out of nowhere after only just one day on the job. How could Conan have failed, they had resolved the virus together and brought the agency back to perfect functioning just an hour ago…unless that was never meant to happen in the first place.
"He has a brother…" Auraleous whispered in horror before he shot out of the chair and bolted down the street back toward the Agency building, praying he wasn't too late
(Possible death/suicide mention in next few responses, can skip if you're not comfortable with that. Also hi!! sorry for not responding in a while, sort of lost motivation for a bit and then dealing with moving back to college has taken a lot of energy out of me.)
(I'm ok, I don't think I have any triggers tbh. Nice to see you back! I get all that, reach out if you ever need to chat!)
(Also, Does this mean that the virus issue was released by Conan because of a threat made against his brother?)
(Will respond soon, Just thinking of a response!)
(sounds good, it won't be for long.
Thank you, hopefully I won't be gone for so long again😅)
Conan also works for Mateo, no one knew tho and if he failed he'd lose his life or put his brother at risk.
No worries take your time )
(I apologize for how long it took me to write this response! If it ever seems like I forgot, Just bump it and I'll respond!)
Pierce could tell that Auraelous was interested in his book. He hid his smile and leaned back, the seed was planted and all he needed to do now was let the glorious plant come to fruition. "Well, some in the underworld like to call me the Mad Hatter of Amsterdam. Why Amsterdam I don't know, I've never even been there. Or have I?" He winked and sat up straight, his lunch had arrived and he needed to leave a good impression on the waitress if he intended to leave here with more than a satisfied stomach.
Seeing the other man's reactions to his playful name-calling excited Pierce like a child who got exactly what they wanted on Christmas day. He made a mental note of this and set a goal to irk the man with as many names as he could in the future. It wasn't his reaction to the name that caught his attention, however, it was how panicked he became after hearing that simple sentence. Pierce frowned slightly and laced his fingers together. "A brother?" he said quietly. He watched as Auraeleous sped out of his seat and ran out. Did he miss something?
A quick perusal of his book gave him all the information he needed. Matteo had mentioned things spicing up at the Agency a few months back. He had said something about a small fry on his way to becoming a bigger fish in the water. The name was slipping him but within a few more skimmed pages, the name was there. Pierce felt gratitude for his obsessive note-taking because, without them, he wouldn't have this much information to look back at. Nor would he have the rage he felt currently.
Matteo had always been a calculating person but the person he apparently trusted the most, was Pierce. This was laughable considering what Pierce had been planning for him. There was a reason he was not solely affiliated with his business, why he preferred to be a contract killer. Yes, he mainly signed with Matteo but that didn't mean he didn't have business elsewhere. It was why Pierce felt so angry at his cowardly use of a scared lost soul who was only trying to protect his loved ones. It totally wasn't because Conan reminded Pierce of his past life. Matteo had irked the Panther and its claws were coming out.
(Hello! I'm so sorry for not responding, it has been a rough few weeks but i will get a response up soon!)
Auraleous couldn't care about the book. Frankly, he couldn't care about much as he stumbled through the doors of the agency, only managing to remain upright through sheer luck and determination. Determination to find the newbie, hopefully in a way that was more pleasant than what he was imagining.
Don't! Don't think like that. He wouldn't. He's fine!
Auraleous swiped into the private office space of the agency, scanning the desks they had been sitting and working at not even half an hour ago. He had promised to bring back lunch, hoping it would take the edge off the night and the better part of the morning. They could have talked more as colleagues or even friends. Maybe Auraleous could have learned about Kaz. But as Auraleous turned a corner and made it towards the front receiving offices, the stench of medical sterilization equipment stung his nose, followed immediately by the sound of paramedics and heroes trying to figure out what was happening.
What happened? He was fine an hour ago He hasn't left the office since he go here
Auraleous numbly stepped onto the scene, eyes wild and wide as he gazed upon possibly his worst nightmare. Instead of a desk, it had been shoved aside so a gurney could be wheeled in. The shape of a body was outlined under the swath of stark white blanket. Auraleous stood in front of the gurney, breath shallow as some coworker or another, he never really learned their names for this exact reason, tugged him away and slowly started telling him what had happened after he had left for lunch, all of which Auraleous caught in bits and pieces through the fog in his mind.
"Conan had gone back to work after you left….sat there for a long while…suddenly wanted coffee…kid has never drank coffee before….stress….added creamer from his drawer….medics think it was poisoned…don't know who…" Auraleous slowly stood as a detective came over to the pair. By now, he knew the drill, and being the only other person Conan had had any contact with before, he… Auraleous let himself be cuffed and taken into questioning.
__
Auraleous had thought this day was long this morning after getting to work, if only he knew. It had been nearly three hours of questioning, investigating, and then further questioning before Auraleous was finally cleared. He scrubbed his face and took a deep breath as he went back to sitting down. By then, the gurney had been wheeled away along with Conan. The scene had been cleaned and cleared as if everything had been erased from time. Auraleous looked at the desk from this morning and saw that, too, had been wiped clean as if he hadn't worked there at all. He let out a shakey breath, whipping around when he felt a hand on his shoulder for a moment.
"I know it's been a long day, but do you mind answering one more question?" The detective asked. Auraleous nodded after he gained his composure.
"Do you happen to know about Conan's family? We're aware of a younger brother but no family as far as his records show."
Auraleous grabbed for the chair again, sitting back down as Conan's seemingly harmless request that morning came rushing back. "n-no…none that I know of.." He managed out.
The detective nodded in realization. "If there's no one else, the kid will have to go into Child Protective Ser-"
"Me." Auraleous piped up. "I. I promised Conan I would take care of Kaz. I just hadn't realized how soon…"
Another nod from the detective. "We will need to dig further into the family history in case any kin are suitable to take care of the kid. If not, we'll contact you in a few days for a search into your history and make arrangements. Until then, the kid will stay with us." Auraleous wanted to protest, but he knew not much could be done without any written proof from Conan, and well, that couldn't happen now.
After another hour or so of making sure the detectives had all his information and being a ghost in his job, Rae made his way back home in the late hours of the night.
Before he went back to his home, possibly out of paranoia, Auraleous went up to the parking garage to search for anyone, mostly Pierce, staking out his apartment. When he found no one, Auraleous taped a small piece of paper to where he had last seen Pierce.
"Happy now?"
