Re:reaper

"I need you to keep your hood down so no one recognizes you," I said, glancing at Emilia. "Let me handle the talking. Also—" I hesitated for a moment before sighing. "I'm going to be lying. A lot. So try not to react to my bullshit, alright? If you do say something, make sure we don't contradict each other."

Emilia gave me a firm nod, though I could see the slight hesitation in her expression. "I'll try my best," she said, adjusting her hood to better conceal her features, namely her ears.

"Good," I said, stepping toward the door. "Just think of it like a game—whoever breaks character first loses."

Emilia blinked at me. "Is that supposed to make this easier?"

I smirked. "No, but it does make it more fun."

With that, I raised my hand and knocked on the door.

Heavy footsteps approached from inside.

"What's the password?" a gruff voice demanded.

fuck, i forgot about the password. shit, I do remember it, but I can't fucking say it with out Emilia becoming extremely suspicious with me so, I'll have to be brash. because that always works.

"I've got money!" I called out confidently.

Emilia shot me a confused look, probably assuming I had some kind of plan. I didn't. Her existence had just thrown my original plan out the window.

The door creaked open, revealing a massive figure, a simply enormous man with brown skin, broad shoulders, and grey hair. His sharp eyes narrowed at me with suspicion. "That's not the password," he growled.

"Really?" I raised a brow. "'Cause where I come from, that works every time." I flashed an easy smile. i am trustworthy, look at my smile, it is trusting.

The old man snorted, but I caught the slight twitch of a smirk before he forced his expression back to neutral. "Cute. Now, what do you want?"

"We're looking to make a purchase of a valuable item and someone suggested that a guy named Rom was our best bet," I explained smoothly.

The old man stepped out onto his front porch. Jesus, he had to be nine at least feet tall. "And just what exactly are you looking for?"

"then I'll have to assume your rom huh?" in the corner of my eye I could see Emilia 

The old man gave no reply, probably meaning he wanted his question answered first.

I tilted my head. "So I'll take that as confirmation that you are Rom?"

The old man remained silent, clearly expecting me to answer first.

I let out a chuckle. "Well, nice to meet ya too, Rom. I'd love to explain, but I'd say it's a rather private matter. How about we talk it over a drink?" My tone was cheerful and casual, but every word was carefully chosen, as well. I'd rather be in, than outside.

Rom studied me for a moment, then let out a gruff sigh. "Fine." He turned and walked back inside, leaving the door open for us to follow. 

Emilia blinked, clearly surprised at how easily that worked. She hesitated for a second before following me in.

I shot her a quick wink and a grin. "See? Told ya I got this." Then, I turned back towards Rom to follow.

---

Rom took a seat at a long table and Subaru and Satella sat down directly across from him.

"So, who are you two, anyway?" he asked gruffly.

I put on a casual smirk. "the name's Belova, and this is my sister, Tella." I shot a quick glance at Satella, but if she reacted to the fake sibling bit, her robe hid it well.

Rom grunted. "Alright. What are you looking for?"

I mulled over a few different approaches before settling on something simple, most effective one. "My boss sent me here to procure a very special piece of jewellery,"

Rom arched a bushy brow. "Procure?" He reached down, pulled up a large, dusty bottle, and set it on the table with a solid thud. Jesus thats a huge bottle. i thought surprised, but didn't show any change outwardly.

"The owner was a reluctant seller. you see." I explained cheerfully. 

"Ah." Rom let out a knowing chuckle, taking a swig straight from the bottle before belching loudly. "That kind of procurement." 

ew

"So what's all this got to do with me?" Rom asked.

I nodded, spreading my hands. "Unfortunately, right before I could do my thing, some other sneaky bastard swooped in and snatched it first," I sighed dramatically as if recalling a great personal tragedy. "shitty luck, huh?"

Rom burst out laughing.

I blinked. "Uh, dude, it's not that funny. I'd say there are plenty of things funnier than my misfortune." I shot him a fake annoyed glare.

Rom wiped a tear from his eye, still chuckling. "So I'm guessing your boss won't be too happy with you."

"not at all, my life at the moment is ticking till its grave at the moment." I admitted with a theatrical sigh "Which is why I'm here. Any thief who nabs something valuable is bound to try pawning it off sooner or later, right? If they bring it here, I might be able to buy it back before my boss decides I'd look better six feet under."

Rom hummed in thought, swirling the bottle in his hand. "Well, if someone's looking to offload stolen goods, this is the place to do it." He peered at me over the rim of his drink. "You know who your thief is?"

ah damnit, relationships, he's gonna get pissy at any mention of felt. i should just do a vague description to make it less suspicious but I hope he won't get instantly hostile.

I tapped my chin, pretending to struggle for details. "Hmm… not sure. But I do remember a few things." I paused as if piecing it together in my head. "Blonde. Short. Kinda thin. And, uh… red eyes." I let the last detail hang in the air before shrugging. "That's all I got."

Rom stiffened.

...good? Bad?

"And what do you want with her?" Rom asked. His voice was casual but his massive muscles had tensed noticeably.

baaaaaad... shit okay, this question is important gotta word it well.

I immediately threw my hands up, putting on my best Whoa, chill dude expression. "Hey, hey, no need to get worked up! I'm not looking for trouble." I waved my arms a little for emphasis, but Satella was already on high alert, subtly shifting as if ready to summon ice at a moment's notice.

"All I wanna do is buy it off her, seriously." I softened my voice, keeping things light. "She snatched something my boss wants, and I'd rather not end up dead over it. That's all. No hard feelings, no drama. Just business." I forced an easygoing grin. "Girl was just doing her thing. No problemo from me."

Rom's expression remained unreadable as he studied me. The silence stretched for a moment too long. before he let out a sigh. "Alright, fine. Her name's Felt," he grumbled as if the name itself left a sour taste in his mouth. "She'll probably be here in less than an hour or so. You can stick around and wait."

i gave a quick nod, as Satella relaxed "thank's rom, that's real kind of ya."

He grunted in response and took another swig from his bottle, clearly uninterested in pleasantries. "Just keep it quiet while you're here. We don't want any trouble."

"Of course," I said with a smile that was just a little too wide. "We're not here for anything other than business."

Satella shifted in her seat, her expression unreadable as she glanced at me, her fingers twitching slightly as though she were already calculating how best to react if things went sideways. I gave her a quick, reassuring glance, winking once again. She blinked in surprise but let out a quiet breath, her shoulders easing ever so slightly.

Rom, apparently satisfied that we weren't about to cause immediate trouble, lumbered back behind the counter, leaving us to our own devices.

I scooted my chair closer to Satella, leaning in just enough to keep my voice low. "See that?" I whispered with a smug grin. "That's a master at work."

She narrowed her eyes, her lips twitching in what could have been amusement or exasperation. "A master of what, exactly?" she muttered.

I shrugged, still grinning. "The art of persuasion. The delicate craft of getting what you want without breaking a sweat. you should take some note's, it's a very useful skill."

She let out a quiet huff, but the last traces of tension in her posture melted away. she gave a small chuckle. "Right," she said dryly. "I'll be sure to take notes."

"well, now we wait."

A/N uuuuum, can i get an uuuuuuuum, an uuuuuuum double stick on a cheese bar?

Ma'm, this is a google head quarters, we don't do that here. :(

any way, do you like this, do you want more. well more might come, just gotta fight my crippiling pain addiction.

see ya next time.