[Lord English]

((You can be anywhere in the United States. Begin your journey and have fun.))

[Lord English]

Bell’uomo sat at his home office and was on the phone. The room around him was decorated with pelts of animals from different trips to increase his skills. He was nodding as he listened to the executive on the phone, placing his feet up on an oak desk. He had picked oak due to its Norse ties to strength and the gods. On it, he would have a picture of his deceased wife and child, they had been killed in an assassination attempt against his life and most of his family had been wiped out. He still held ties with a great company on the rise and would set up a meeting with an executive later. As the executive spoke on the phone, his nose wrinkled, causing the cut on his left nostril to open as it flared. He held onto the phone with a gloved hand, finally speaking in a deep voice as it sounded half gargled, “I know the sales are going down in that department, so just focus our sales in the areas the public are demanding. I could drop you all as beneficiaries if you think you can go back to holding your own. I bought you out of Bankruptcy, don’t forget that.” His eyes squinted as a scar on his brow forced it to partly stay up. He heard the final words and set the phone down. He sighed and placed his feet back onto the black tiled floor, standing up as the shoes tapped against the floor. He went to an oak closet, opening it and taking out a black suit, a symbol on it carved in gold of a tribal wolf devouring a skull, rubies in the eye of the wolf. He began taking off his current attire as he began making the call to a corperation he was going to meet with. “Caio,” He spoke, the voice on the phone seeming to know who he was and hooking him to the executive. While waiting, he placed a red button undershirt on with a black over coat onto his scarred body. He heard the executive speak as he was taking his pants off, “I am leaving for the airport as we speak and should arrive in six and a half hours. I hope the accomidations are prepared for our meeting?” He heard the response as he pulled his black suit pants on and spoke in response, “Good, good, I will be at your building as soon as I land.” He hung up then placed his shoes on. This was going to be a long cross country flight. He walked from his office and down a flight of stairs to head out of his high end apartment in the Italian Embassy to take a black limosine to the nearest airport.

[Peridot]

Manticore calmly lifted the rim of a porcelain mug to her lips as she took in the heavenly scent of roasted coffee bean. The Arcobaleno was casually seated by herself at a table within the D.C airport’s Starbucks and enjoying a quiet moment to herself as she waited for one of the representatives of Costa Coffee to arrive from an international flight. They had business to discuss, and Manticore wanted things resolved sooner rather than later. Plus, it was courteous to meet someone directly at the airport when they flew internationally. Normally, the occupants of the coffee shop would find it unusual that a two year old was drinking coffee, but no one seemed willing to risk approaching the young child and get labeled a pervert or kidnapper, especially when her parents could simply be in the bathroom.

Manticore smirked to herself. She didn’t even need to use any of her well-renowned illusions to cover for herself. The thief took a sip of the dark drink and swallowed before sighing. The mass produced Starbucks coffee was definitely lacking a certain something: by necessity, the coffee had to be over-roasted and staler than she would have preferred. Still, Manticore mused to herself as she took another sip, convienence and atmosphere was at least as important as taste. No matter where she was in the world, there should be coffee. Her eyebrow twitched slightly with irritation as she recalled a time when she had been forced to drink the watered down, liquid diarrhea served by McDonalds. And only the Arcobaleno Pact would stop her from killing the soul who brought up the Georgia incident.

At least the baristas in this establishment had the presence of mind and discipline to clean out the equipment. Manticore gave herself a mental reminder to complain to the family head about whether anything could be done to improve the chain’s taste as she continued to sip her coffee and watch the arrivals idly.

[Lord English]

Bell’uomo rode silently in the interior of the black limo, his symbol etched into gold along the sides where seats were not available. He reached into a small case that held a ring, marked with the same emblum. He placed it onto his left ring finger, closest to his heart. He felt the limo start to move and he couldn’t relax. This deal could make or break the family. He heard the phone near the front of the car begin to ring, it’s black receiver shining a deep red as if it was made of blood. He uttered a firm, “Ciao.” He heard the person on the other line and closed his eyes as he heard the news. He snapped them open as words of feirce tone roared into the phone, “Sto mai tornare in Italia. Faccio un bel ambasciatore e ho fatto una vita decente qui. Scendere di mio caso, nonno. Sono libero dall’inferno ora. (I am never coming back to Italy. I make a fine ambassador and I have made a decent living here. Get off of my case, grandfather. I am free from hell now.)” He slammed the phone down, that was a bit of family who he didn’t want to hear from. His step-grandfather looked down on the mafia heritage of the family, thinking it was a great dis-honor.

He moved to the back of the limo and slammed himself onto the seat, opening a cooler holding fine wine. He pulled out one that was already opened, pouring a glass and taking a sip. He wanted to damn the entire bottle but that wouldn’t be wise to get drunk then be on a plane. He placed the bottle back in the cooler and took the poured wine… on the floor. He sighed and realized he hadn’t placed the cup there. He decided to not even try again and laid his head back on the seat. He stared out of the back window up at the sky and waited to arrive at the airport. Wanting the day to just be over already, even if it ha just begun.

[Peridot]

Manticore drained her coffee to the dregs and then glanced at the big arrivals and departures board, noticing the flashing sign which signaled that her contact’s plane had finally landed. Getting to her feet, Manticore flicked the empty coffee cup behind her, not even needing to hear the chink of porcelain against the metal bottom of the trash can to know that she had thrown it accurately. Yes, it was wasteful of the mug but she frankly couldn’t care less about the waste. The Arcobaleno slipped into the crowd before weaving a mild cloak of Mist flames around her infantile body to conceal herself from view. This way, she could move at full speed to the designated destination point just past immigration without alarming the locals too much.

With speed like hers, it didn’t make sense to take the cramped and slightly rickety trolleys from the terminal back to the main airport building. In only a few seconds, Manticore arrived right where she was supposed to be. By her calculations, it would take at least another ten minutes or so for her contact from Costa Coffee to arrive. The Mist user conjured up a simple illusion: a gorgeous, long-legged woman with fair skin and caramel colored hair to do nothing but smile and hold up a sign with her contact’s name near along with the legions of limo drivers so that he would know who to talk to. Such petty minutiae was fairly mind-numbing.

[Lord English]

Bell’uomo let the limo drive in pure silence to the airport. As the car came to a stop, he got himself out of the car and only flicked his eyes to the opened trunk. The limo driver got out of the front to deal with it but Bell’uomo waved him back into the car, he only had one piece of lugage and he was keen on carrying it himself. He pulled a pet crate out containing a large dog inside, heard growling from within. He also pulled out a breifcase, small enough for him to carry onto the plane. He looked around and saw people staring, one woman’s child wanted to come over and see the puppy. “Mommy mommy! He has a puppy!” He watched her struggle to pull away from her mother and managing to come up to the crate, looking up at the man ignoring the scars on his face as she said, “Mr can I see your puppy?”
He smirked a bit and said, “Does your mama approve?” He tried hard for his accent not to show, though he rushed the word ‘mama’ out of habit.
The mother rushed over and said, “Sorry sir! She just loves animals of all kinds and if she could?”
Bell’uomo smiled a little and unhooked the cage a bit, “He is a little friendly.” He let the cage open and the large wolf inside sprung out at the small girl, knocking her over. The mother was about to grab her little girl in fear but the situation calmed as the little girl laughed at the large floppy tongue hitting her face. He smirked and said, “I told you he was a little friendly.”
The mother smiled and then called her little girl to get up so they could catch their plane. She pushed out from under the wolf and went with her mother, waving thanks to him with a smile. Bell’uomo looked down at his wild pooch and said, “Time to get back into the crate.” The dogs ears flopped to the side in not understanding. He sighed and said, “Entra nella cassa. (Go into the crate.)” The dog followed orders and went into his crate and waited for it to be closed. He locked the crate and began heading for the counters since he’d already checked in online the day before. He just needed to check his cute ‘puppy’ on board.

[Peridot]

Manticore’s eyes narrowed imperceptibly as she sensed the approach of the limo to the airport. That alone wouldn’t have been strange enough to draw the Arcobaleno’s attention; however, the person sitting inside possessed an ample store of dying will flames. It would be worth it to take a peek at whoever this was. The thief was used to casing joints and surveying her surroundings, and it would put her ill at ease to know someone unknown, and with power was lurking around in the vicinity.

She decided to leave the illusion to its own devices, since the infant only had to go to the floor directly above to see whoever it was that was drawing her attention. Manticore headed up, lightly bouncing up the staircase hand-rails and eventually taking her place in the crowd of people bustling by. Most of them were civilians moving about in their predictable, sluggish and herd-like pattern. The baby was aware and noted every single one of them, acknowledging their presence and then mentally dismissing them in her mind. Even the man who by the nervous glint in her eyes, likely was in possession of a fraudulent passport was beneath her notice for the moment. The smell of deceit roiled off of him like a particularly fragrant perfume.

No, she was after someone far more dangerous for the time being. It was the suit which alerted the Mist flame user’s first. Back in the good old days, people dressed formally in preparations for flights. Of course, flight attendants were skilled and extremely beautiful in those days as well. Manticore thought back on those times nostalgically. Nowadays people dressed like such slobs, choosing comfy and casual clothing over refined suits and long, lady-like dresses. The Arcobaleno let out a sigh and then focused her thoughts back on the sharply dressed individual. There was no point in wasting time for days gone past. Even if time had paused for her, there was no way to keep time from rolling onward around her.

Curious to see how and whether he would respond, and not wanting to waste time approaching him in the baggage check line, Manticore purposefully let out a small pulse of killer intent.

[Lord English]

Bell’uomo had walked part way to where he needed to get his dog to. He heard his dog growl for something he too had felt but was about to brush it off until the wolf let out a warning. He placed his hand into his pocket and made it look like he was holding a gun in his pocket. He had a feeling of stern alertness to him, his eyes wandering as he waited the short executive line to check his pooch. He placed the pooch down and “let go” of his “gun” so he could show his tickets and stand to look around. He could barely feel the hiding mist and this distressed him. He placed down the required amount to have his pooch stored safely and securely.

He showed his identification as an ambassador and then took his tickets back. He stayed alert and moved on to the security check, keeping his briefcase as his side and his hand in his pocket holding a “gun”. He made sure to not feel as a threat but as on guard as he stood in the security line. He should have surpassed it as an ambassador but he wanted to see if his pursuer would continue to tail him through the airport.

[Peridot]

Manticore watched with interest at the man’s reaction to her killer intent. Clearly both he and the animal he kept caged sensed her presence, even if they weren’t able to directly pin-point the source of the Mist flames. Not only that, but he had enough control to keep his cool and not openly attack or cause a scene among the horde of ignorant and unaware civilians. An approving smirk slipped across her face. Alert, vigilant but also subtle, that is how a true mafioso should be not some of those thugs passing themselves as hit men these days. Manticore decided that it would be worth talking to whoever this person was. Besides, she was getting a bit bored killing time.

When the man looked around, that is when the Arcobaleno caught a glimpse of his face and the distinctive scar on his face. She couldn’t remember which family he came from, but the look in his eyes showed that this man was a boss or boss material at the very least. Manticore slipped past the joke they called security in this place. The metal detector would have gone off if she had a gun on her, but the adorable pangolin currently snoozing and wrapped around her neck like a gaudy wrap didn’t rouse a peep out of the machine. Once past security, Manticore dispelled the Mist Flames hiding her and calmly took a seat on one of the benches next to a guy retying his shoes and replacing his laptop back into his carry on luggage.

[Lord English]

Bell’uomo carefully went through security, taking his hand out of his pocket with an attempt to keep the illusion of there still being a gun in there. He did not know where the threat had possibly gone but he was not about to put his guard down. He placed his briefcase on the rollers before the conveyor and carefully took his shoes off. He also placed a slip on top of the briefcase that seemed to be some form of official document that he attained by opening the case just a crack to pull it out. The crack wasn’t enough to see what was inside, but when the person scanning the case saw it about to come through, they hit a button, which was pressed again as the case and shoes passed through. He passed through the detector without even a beep, taking his briefcase to slip the document back in then carrying it in an off hand as he spotted the small being next to a man tying his shoes.

He grabbed his own shoes and as the other man left, he sat down next to the baby and slowly placed his shoes on, buying time by seeming to have trouble as he spoke casually, “That was you?” He made sure his ring was visible, tilting it with his fiddling hands so he could show this one who he was without announcing it. He knew what she was but made sure to keep things private between them for now.

[Peridot]

Manticore smirked at the feint as the man beside him pretended to struggle to put on his shoes.

The glint of his ring caught the thief’s eye, and just a quick appraising glance gave her everything she needed to know about the status of the person she was speaking with. He had been boss material, like she had originally thought. It was a bit interesting that he seemed to be travelling completely alone. Nobody else had reacted to her presence. Well, she mentally amended, he wasn’t completely alone since he had his wolf with him on the plane.

“Mnn. That was me.” She let out a light grunt of affirmation accompanied with a short nod of her head. The Arcobaleno didn’t want the boss to be unnecessarily paranoid for the rest of his trip. “It would be rude for me to not pay my respects.” Manticore left out the implied ‘to a family boss since they were being subtle for the moment. Nor did she mention the part where she had been bored nearly to tears waiting for the delayed flight. Wolves were highly territorial animals after all, and even the less territorial mafia families did not react well when told that a thieving Mist user had been spotted on their turf.

“I also wished to put a face and voice to the name. That event made quite the stir.” She was referring, of course, to the infamous assassination attempt on his life.

[Lord English]

Bell’uomo gave a slight nod to the first comment of it being them. He finally got his first shoe on, working on the second then. He heard that she wanted to pay her respects and gave another nod, it was quite kind of the Arcobaleno to wish to see a boss. He paused when the [i]event[/i] was mentioned. He slipped the shoe on a bit more easily as he thought if there was something to say on that. “It did stir up quite a lot. Why would an event need a face though?” He was curious as to what the importance of placing him to the incident was. He felt more comfortable being able to talk to them face to face and made a careful wave for the Arcobaleno to follow as he moved towards his gate. His flight did not leave for a while, though, so he would have time for the being to talk. He would listen on the move as he went to gate C6, sitting in one of the two seat areas next to the window so they could talk in confidence but not oddly being watched by strangers.

[Peridot]

Manticore saw the mafia boss wave her over to follow as he moved towards his gate. She briefly checked to make sure that her illusion downstairs hadn’t been tampered with or interacted with under the pretext of a slightly slower than normal blink. Thus satisfied, the Arcobaleno agreed to follow behind. With a nudge, the pangolin sleepily coiled around her neck dropped onto the floor tile and transformed into a simple beige colored skateboard with sharp scales along the sides and tops of the deck. The infant hopped onto the board and with a simple push rolled her way along side the taller man. A simple glamour helped her avoid any second glances from normal civilians they passed.

It wasn’t as intensive or flame dependent illusion as pure invisibility, instead the glamour simply helped her blend into the background and seem easily forgettable and unremarkable as long as she didn’t do anything to directly affect them. The fact that she was unnoticeable was slightly a shame since she just pulled off a pretty sweet illusion flip on her skateboard.

Her thoughts back on the task at hand, Manticore settled in at a comfortable pace following along besides the sun ring holder. “I like to keep breast of the movers and shakers in the world and the Mortelupi are one of the few I haven’t gotten to know yet. Cute wolf, by the way.”

They reached the waiting area outside the gate, so Manticore nimbly dismounted from her board and took the seat next to him where they could talk normally. “Some of the more skeptical of my acquaintances were spreading rumors of an imposter with your name. I can see they were just stirring up trouble, though.” The baby had a dreadfully devious smirk on her face when she said that last line.

[Lord English]

Bell’uomo nodded to her mentioning that his wolf was cute, making a mention of “His name is Sicario.” Then as he listened to the news of an impostor, he sighed. He knew there were several out there and that it was typical for wannabe mafias to spring up. He shook his head and said, “Yeah but there might be an impostor somewhere. Usually an [i]illusion[/i] to themselves and to others. No offence.” He wanted to speak of what he thought but at the same time tried to hide his meanings in case others listened, knowing mist was a thing to cause issue. He made sure to glance back at the moving people every now and again like a normal person, while asking, “You guys are powerful, right?” He tapped the finger with his ring towards her to give her a sense of meaning that he meant all the Arcobaleno.

[Peridot]

Manticore nodded, keeping a note of the name and snickering a little at its meaning. When she saw how distressed the boss was looking, the illusionist decided to make a small bubble around them to prevent others from hearing their conversation. She was used to speaking in ambiguities, but she felt considerate enough to help out the man sitting beside her. “Tch, you can say what you want. I take no offence, and the sheep can’t hear you, honestly.”

At the man’s question, Manticore smirked devilishly. It was always of interest to her to hear just what kind of rumors floated around about her or any of her kind in general. The reports and rumors always had varying degrees of accuracy but were usually very amusing. She liked to keep information on a need-too-know basis. “…Yes, although we don’t like to spread it around. Tch, being powerful is like being a lady. If you have to tell someone you are, then you aren’t.”

While she spoke, Manticore fingered the light purple pacifier hung around her neck, in a mirror image of how he was tapping his ring. “The name is Manticore, by the way.”