#/diamonds

[the-red-mafia]

The Lost

The whole mafia expected Velvet to be upset following her mysterious conversation with Zaeor. What Maroon and Thorn didn't expect, though, was her running off to break into the B.A.D. mansion all on her own. The two scramble to follow them and the trio unite to search for answers within the walls of Velvet's childhood home. Also available on Wattpad: https://www.wattpad.com/user/TheRedMafia Next Update: [Updated] Word Count: 5910

A day after “The Thief”

Maroon knocked on Velvet’s door for the third time, anxiety taking over them. 

“Velvet, I know you’re upset at Zaeor, but can you just let me know you’re okay?” they pleaded, “No one’s seen you since dinner last night.” The older teen had been locked in their room since they had gotten back from the UPS headquarters, only emerging after Zaeor had left to grab food. The god had returned about half an hour ago and seemed completely unbothered by her lack of presence. 

“They’re too frustrated to be useful right now,” he had told Maroon, “It’s one of their flaws.” Maroon had ascended the stairs anyway, and now stood in front of the closed, silent door. 

“Velvet, I really don’t want to do this. But I need to make sure you’re okay.” Maroon took a deep breath and grew a mushroom on the other side of the door. It fidgeted with the lock before a loud clicking sound echoed in the hallway. The teen opened the door, the mushroom melting back into the floorboards. 

The window across the room was open, letting in a cold breeze that sent goosebumps down their arm. The red and black comforter of her bed was still tucked in as if it hadn’t been touched in a few hours. Several empty energy drink cans sat on the bedside table. Maroon walked over to them, spotting a handwritten note set precariously on the edge. They picked it up.

Velvet’s handwriting, they thought, I can’t tell what it says. Maroon returned back to the doorway.

“Thorn, can you come up here?” they called out. Footsteps thudded against the stairs before the other teen appeared down the hallway. Their purple flannel matched Maroon’s sweater, which still made them smile slightly. Maroon took a deep breath. 

“Velvie giving you trouble?” He asked, smirking. 

“No, they’re not in here.” Thorn’s eyes widened.

“They’re not?” Maroon stepped out of the doorway, letting Thorn pass. Thorn looked around the room for a few moments. 

“Huh. Where’d she go then?” 

“That’s what I need your help with,” they replied, holding out the note, “I found this on the bedside table. Can you read it for me?” Their friend nodded, taking the small piece of paper. Ae looked at it for several seconds before shaking aer head.

“It’s in some other language. Latin, if I had to take a guess. I can’t read this.” 

“Try and read it out loud, then. I’ll translate.” Thorn let out a groan.

“Gods, I hate reading Latin.” Maroon chuckled and sat down on the perfectly made bed. Thorn sat down next to them.

“Here goes nothing,” Thorn mumbled, “‘Zaeor, apud Unorem consilium quaero.’” Maroon’s eyes widened. “She’s going to Unor’s base?” they breathed. “Noli sequi. Necesse est ut sōla id faciam. Te vocābō posteā’. And then they just signed their name.” Maroon’s heartbeat raced as they took the note from Thorn. The older teen looked up at them.

“So what are we doing?” it asked. Maroon was quiet for a moment.

“We’re going after them,” they said, standing, “They probably took the Umbrella, but we can take Rhyme’s ship.” Thorn nodded, standing as well. 

“I’ll go get the others. We can leave ASAP-” 

“No,” Maroon interrupted, “‘Non sequi’. She doesn’t want anyone to follow her.”

“I feel like what she wants doesn’t matter in this case,” Thorn muttered. Maroon brushed the comment off and turned to the door.

“The two of us will go. What if they’re in danger? We have to help.” 

“I mean, I’m with you on that part. Even if it’s Velvet,” Thorn began, “But I don’t know how comfortable I am with just taking Rhyme’s ship.” 

“I don’t see another option.” Thorn closed their eyes for several moments.

“Yeah, okay. If you’re sure. Let’s go.” 

Velvet looked up and down the hallway before sprinting into the next door. They shut the door quietly and took a deep breath.

Just a few more offices until his, she thought, Hopefully I can find something before then. They were picking up a folder off of the desk in front of them when a loud alarm began to blare. Velvet immediately set the folder down, but the sound continued. 

Trapped folder? What’s in here- She picked the folder up again when the door slammed open. Velvet quickly threw Kil-layye Mo’ore towards it before turning around. A familiar squeak hit her ears. 

“Maroon?” They breathed. Maroon waved slightly, standing up. The door shut, revealing Thorn behind it. 

“Oh it's our lucky day, huh?” the prince began, “She was behind the first door we checked.” Velvet balled their fists and glared at Thorn. 

“What the hell are you two doing here?” 

“We found your note,” Maroon answered. Velvet’s eyes widened. 

“What? It was in Latin, how’d you-” Velvet looked Maroon in the eyes, who tugged slightly on the sleeves of their red sweater. 

“How long have you been able to understand Latin?” the assassin demanded.

“About 500 years,” Maroon mumbled quietly. Velvet groaned loudly, summoning her sword back to her hand. 

“Of fucking course. Listen, I don’t know what you’re doing-”

“We wanted to make sure you’re okay,” Maroon began, “You were upset last night and then suddenly you’re breaking into B.A.D. and- I just wanted to help.” 

“And I’m here too,” Thorn added.

“Ugh, okay. But I don’t need your help. I’m fine on my own.” Maroon placed a hand on Velvet’s shoulder and smiled.

“I know. But this way, we can make sure.” Velvet looked them up and down before sighing. 

“Fine, whatever. Did you two set off the alarm?” Thorn sheepishly raised aer hand.

“That one’s my bad. I didn’t realise the cameras were on.” Velvet blinked a few times. 

“How…what? Why would they be off?” 

“I don’t know!” Velvet groaned again and sheathed Kil-layye Mo’ore. 

“You’re an idiot, frūx.”

“Hey, we’re here to sav-” Maroon cut them off.

“Is there any way to shut it off?” 

There’s an off switch in Unor’s office, but that’s way too far away to reach without getting caught right now. Where’s the other one… Velvet’s eyes widened and they quickly turned to the door. 

“Follow me. We’ve got to go visit my mom.”

Solana sat awkwardly at the breakfast table in between Mad and Rhyme, taking a bite of her eggs. Their companions refused to meet each other's eyes. Rhyme pushed his eggs back and forth on his plate while Mad looked towards the ceiling.

“So,” the elf tried, “Those kids, huh?” 

“Mhm,” Rhyme mumbled. Mad stayed silent. Solana waited a few moments before setting her fork down. 

“Rhyme, how far do you think they could’ve gotten?” Rhyme looked up at them. 

“If they figured out the boosters, they could be two galaxies away already.” Solana sighed. 

“Let’s hope Zaeor can find them soon, then.” Silence took over the room again. Mad eventually stood and took Solana’s empty plate. 

“I’m going to my room,” Mad stated. Solana quickly stood up and jumped over the counter, blocking its exit.

“Oh no you don’t,” he said, crossing his arms. Mad looked them up and down. 

“Do you need something, Solana?” 

“More like you two need to talk,” the elf replied, “Now sit your robot ass back down.” Mad sighed.

“Solana, it’s really none of your business-”

“It’s either I do this, or Velvet does it when the teens get back. And I think you’d prefer me.” The droid was silent for a moment before returning to their seat. Solana smiled and hopped back on the counter, taking a seat in the middle.

“So, are you two gonna be able to mediate yourselves like adults, or do I have to sit here?” Rhyme looked up at Mad, who looked away. Solana rolled his eyes.

“Sitting here it is then,” they crossed their right leg over their left, “What happened at Eliza’s?” 

“Solana, really? Everything is fine-”

“Clearly not, if Rhyme here got as upset as she did on the UPS mission.” Rhyme’s cheeks became a light pink and she sunk deeper into her seat. Mad looked at her.

“Rhyme? What are they talking about?” The thief took a deep breath.

“Mad, I’m really really sorry,” he blurted out, “I fucked up really bad and I hurt you and I’d take it back if I could but I can’t and I just…” His voice faded out.

“You just…?” 

“I…don’t want to lose you. I can’t lose you. You’re…well…” The teen looked up at Solana, who motioned for her to continue. 

“You’re the only person who has cared about me in, god, 5 years?” He chuckled nervously, “You’re my only friend. I fucked up, I know that, and I’m sorry. And I’ll do anything to make it up to you. Because I don’t think I could handle losing you.” Mad was silent as it stared at him. The two made eye contact, or as much eye contact as they could considering one was a robot. A minute passed before Mad spoke. 

“Rhyme…” they began, “What you did…in front of me…it really fucked me up.” Solana’s eyes widened. 

I don’t think I’ve ever heard Mad curse before, they thought, glancing at Rhyme. The teen seemed to be having a similar thought. 

“I know, and I’m sorry-”

“I’m not done,” Mad interrupted, “I can’t look at you without seeing her bleeding out on the floor over and over again. My programming keeps analysing it, looking for some way for me to change it. But I can’t. And you can’t change what you’ve done.” Rhyme looked to the floor, but nodded. Solana frowned.

“Mad?” the elf asked. Mad groaned.

“Could you two let me finish my thought?” 

“Shit- sorry.” Mad sighed and stood up. It took Rhyme’s hand and pulled her up to her feet. Rhyme’s eyes widened as he looked at them. 

“As upset and…frustrated as I am about it, I think I’m more upset at the situation than you,” it mumbled, holding both of her hands, “I mean, I’m still upset, but I care about you too. And…I can’t lose you too.” Solana smirked. 

“S-so, do you forgive me?” Rhyme asked, the light pink returning to his face. Mad chuckled slightly.

“Yeah, I guess I do.” Rhyme smiled brightly and pulled them into a hug. 

And that’s how you do it, Solana thought, Damn, if only that worked on Velvet. My life would be so much easier. 

“Don’t do it again,” Mad added before glancing up at Solana, “But that’s the most genuine apology I’ve heard in my entire time being with the mafia.” The elf rolled their eyes. 

“Hey, don’t look at me. What do I have to apologise for?” 

“My screwdriver.” Rhyme suppressed a laugh while Solana glared at the robot. 

“I didn’t fucking take your screwdriver.”

“I don’t believe Velvet snuck past all four of us without help.” 

“She’s the best assassin in the universe, of course she can!” Rhyme finally couldn’t keep it in anymore and broke out in loud laughter. 

“Have you seen her?” Rhyme pushed their face into Mad’s shirt to muffle her laughter. Mad stared down at him, wide eyes taking over the previously blank screen. Solana raised an eyebrow and jumped to the other side of the counter. 

“I think that’s my cue to go,” she said, gesturing to the door, “I’ll go check on Wyatt.”

“Solana-” The elf sprinted to the stairs, leaving the two of them in the kitchen alone.

 

Nala took a deep breath as she ran a brush through her hair. She pulled a section in front of her shoulder and stared into the mirror on her vanity. She was halfway through braiding it when there was a knock at the door. Nala frowned and checked her watch.

Unor’s not supposed to be here until 11:30, she thought, It’s only 10. 

“Who is it?” She called out. 

“Tua fīlia, mater,” A familiar voice answered. Nala’s eyes went wide. 

“Velvet?” She breathed. She quickly stood and opened the door, revealing her 15-year-old daughter in front of her. Two of her teammates, Maroon and Thorn if she remembered correctly, stood behind her. Nala pulled Velvet into a big hug. 

“Oh, Velvet,” she breathed, hugging her tightly. 

“Hi Mom. Can we come in?” Nala let go and smiled. 

“Of course.” The teens entered the room, Velvet shutting the door behind her.

“Hey Velvet’s mom,” The redhead, Thorn, said. Nala waved at him. 

“Hello, Thorn was it?” The teen nodded, so Nala turned to the other one, “And you’re Maroon?” 

“Mhm,” Maroon answered. She smiled.

“It’s lovely to see you two again. How have you been?”

“Good-” Velvet walked to the other side of the room, where a large computer set up sat. Nala looked at her daughter.

“What are you doing, Velvet?”

“Shutting down the alarm, give me a sec.” Nala frowned. 

“You set off an alarm?” Velvet groaned.

“No, those asinī did.” 

Asinī? I don’t think I know that one.

“Well I’m sorry I don’t know the entire B.A.D. mansion by heart,” Thorn apologised sarcastically, “I didn’t grow up here.”

“I didn’t fucking ask you to come-”

“Language,” Nala corrected. Velvet groaned.

“Sorry, mom. I didn’t ask you two to follow me. In fact, I think I explicitly said don’t.” 

“In our defence, you told Zaeor not to follow you,” Maroon chimed in. Velvet turned and glared at them. 

“‘Cause I was under the impression no one else spoke Latin. I guess I’m learning a lot today.” Nala chuckled and stood next to Velvet in the chair. The teen typed quickly and eventually got into the main security system. She paused on the screen for a few seconds.

“Left side, dear,” Nala stated. Velvet pressed the button and the bright ‘System Normal’ status blinked green. 

“Thanks, mater.” She clicked out of the security but pulled up the files application.

“What are you three doing here anyway?” Nala asked, turning to look at Thorn and Maroon as well, “And why didn’t you want your teammates to come with you?”

“Because she’s an angsty bitch,” Thorn mumbled. 

“Language.”

“Sorry, Mrs. Bolton.” Nala chuckled.

“Please, just Nala.”

“I’m looking into some information about something we found at a UPS headquarters. Do you know anything about Unor going to the station on Kenip?” Nala thought for a moment.

“I know he went there, but I’m not sure what for. I think it was just a routine drop-off he wanted to go on.”

“Yeah, that’s what I thought,” Velvet mumbled, “What about December 9th? Have you heard anything about something then?” At the same time, they typed the date into the search bar.

“That’s the day of our winter fundraiser.”

“Fundraiser?” Thorn asked, “Aren’t you guys like, rich?” Maroon put a hand on Thorn’s shoulder.

“Thorn-” Nala laughed and waved a hand.

“It’s alright, Maroon. It’s a fundraiser for a missing kid organisation, part of my plan to improve B.A.D.’s public image. It was also originally planned to help look for Velvet, but…” she gestured to Velvet, who rolled her eyes. 

“That’s sweet, how you never gave up looking for her,” Maroon said, smiling, “From the way Velvet used to talk about her parents, I thought you two didn’t get along.” Nala frowned and looked down at her daughter. Velvet, however, turned to glare at Maroon.

“I never said that.”

“I know. I just thought since you hated Unor so much-” Velvet looked back at the screen. 

“She’s just as much of a victim as we are.” 

“...we?” Maroon looked towards the floor, and Thorn took their hand. 

“That’s actually another thing I should look for,” Velvet mumbled under her breath. They typed Maroon’s name into the search bar.

“Velvet, that’s not what we came for,” Thorn said, “We don’t need to-”

“Shut it, Thorn.” The screen loaded for a moment before a grey ‘No Results’ tab popped up. Velvet sighed. 

“That’s about what I expected. Maroon, what was the name on the folder again?” 

“Project Rapio.” Nala paused.

“Now that name I’ve heard before,” she stated. Velvet looked up at her.

“What do you know?” 

“It’s been Unor’s new project for the past few weeks,” Nala sat down on her bed, “He didn’t tell me much, just that he would be redirecting resources to it for the next few weeks.”

“So the folder was right,” Velvet breathed. 

“What folder?” Velvet stood and turned to her teammates. 

“I have to search Unor’s office. Are you two coming with me?” Nala grabbed her wrist.

“Now wait just a second, young lady,” she said. Velvet looked at her.

“What, mater?” 

“First, drop the attitude. That’s no way to talk to your mother.” Thorn stifled a laugh as Velvet broke her wrist out of Nala’s grip.

“Sorry.”

“Secondly, Unor’s in a meeting there right now. You’d get caught immediately.” Velvet groaned.

“Do you know when he’ll be done?”

“11. Then he’s meeting me here at 11:30 so we can go make plans for the fundraiser.” Velvet mumbled something that Nala couldn’t make out. Maroon took her hand, drawing her attention. 

“We could stay in here until she leaves with him?” they asked, turning to Nala, “If you’re okay with that, Nala.” She smiled.

“Of course I’m okay with that. I’d never pass up a chance to hang out with my lovely daughter.” She pulled Velvet into another hug, one that she tried to wrestle out of this time. Nala won out, of course. She always did. 

“So, uh,” Mad began, looking down at Rhyme, “What was Solana talking about with the mission yesterday?” Rhyme lifted his head to look at the ground.

“Oh- uh- that was nothing.” 

“I can’t help but think that’s a lie.” 

“It’s not!” Rhyme said quickly, looking up at them, “I was just overwhelmed and thought you hated me.” 

“You know I can just text Maroon and ask, right?” Rhyme let out a strained laugh.

“Maroon won’t respond, they’re avoiding us.” Mad’s screen displayed a smirk.

“Maybe they’re ignoring you.” Rhyme narrowed her eyes. 

“Do you know something I don’t?”

“Maybe,” it said, “Maybe they talked to me before they left and I told them how to fly your ship.”

“Mad!” The droid laughed. 

“Why would you do that?” Rhyme demanded, “Where are they going, anyhow?” 

“That part they didn’t tell me. They just said Velvet ran off and they wanted to go after her. So I told them.” 

“I don’t know why you wouldn’t just tell them to take all of us,” Rhyme replied. 

“They said Velvet had said she didn’t want to be followed. I figured they could handle it.”

“But my baby-” Mad laughed again as Rhyme fake-pouted. 

“Your baby will be fine,” Mad replied.

“Well yeah, you’re right here,” Rhyme mumbled. Mad looked down at her.

“What was that?” Rhyme’s heartbeat raced and he blushed.

“Nothing, don’t worry about it.” Rhyme looked down at her hands, still in Mad’s. He quickly pulled them back and stuffed them into his pockets. Mad pulled out their phone and quickly typed a message. After a few seconds, it beeped. 

“Oh, they found Velvet. They’re with them and their mom now.” 

“Nala’s in on it?” Rhyme asked, “I shouldn’t be surprised, actually. She was the nicer of the two.” Mad nodded.

“I think she’s one of the only people I’ve heard Velvet talk about positively.” Another ding and a smirk appeared on Mad’s screen.

“Maroon said whatever you said yesterday was important.” Rhyme’s heart skipped a beat.

Dammit, Maroon. Fucking traitor. 

“I don’t think so,” Rhyme replied, crossing her arms. 

“Hold on, they just texted what you said.” Rhyme jumped forward, knocking the phone out of the droid's hand. Rhyme tripped over Mad’s foot, falling onto Mad. The two landed on the ground, Mad laughing loudly. Rhyme glared at the phone. 

“I was joking, Rhyme, I didn’t even ask them. I was just getting an update,” Mad said, looking up at her. Rhyme switched his glare to them.

“Scared the shit outta me, strange robot.” 

“Although, I might text them about it now considering that’s how you’re reacting.” Rhyme held Mad’s shoulders down and shook his head. 

“Can’t do that if I keep you here away from your phone.” 

“Are you sure about that?” Mad chuckled, “Rhyme, I’m a robot.” 

“Shit.” Mad laughed again, a bright smile appearing on their screen. 

“I’m just kidding. Maroon probably wouldn’t tell me, anyway.” Rhyme sighed, taking her hands off Mad’s shoulders.

“Good.”

“I am curious, though,” Mad added, “You don’t have to tell me, but I do wanna know.” 

“Maybe I’ll tell you. Eventually.” Mad displayed the eyes emoji, which promptly spun around. Rhyme stared at it before breaking out into laughter.

“What?” The droid asked. 

“What are you doing?” 

“Rolling my eyes.” That response only made the thief laugh harder. She set her forehead on their chest while she laughed. 

“Who…who told you to do that?” he asked through laughs. 

“Thorn. Why, does it look stupid?” Rhyme shook his head.

“No. Never stop doing that.” Mad shrugged as the thief sat up.

“If you say so.” The two looked at each other for a few moments. Mad’s screen changed to a smile, causing Rhyme to frown. It switched to a question mark.

“What’s wrong?”

“What did I just say?” Mad’s screen went blank.

“Huh? Oh- you meant-” Rhyme laughed again, shaking her head.

“No, I’m kidding.” Mad’s screen displayed the rolling eyes again anyways.

“Better?” it asked. 

“Better.” Mad laughed before looking Rhyme in the eyes.

“Can I stand up now?” Rhyme’s face went bright red and he quickly scrambled to get off of the droid. 

“Sorry-” 

“It’s okay. Are you gonna finish your breakfast?” Mad asked, gesturing to the full plate. 

“Right, yeah. Kinda got interrupted during that, huh?”

“That would mean you actually started eating.” Rhyme’s eyes widened. 

“I thought you weren’t looking at me earlier?” Mad shook their TV.

“My camera was looking at you, the TV wasn’t.”

“‘Course, how silly of me.” Mad nodded as the thief sat down at the table. It joined her, this time sitting to her right. Rhyme smiled and took a bite.

“How is it?” 

“Perfect,” Rhyme answered.

Just like you.

Velvet led the way down the hallway, Thorn and Maroon following behind. Nala had cleared out the area a few minutes before, but Velvet had Kil-layye Mo’ore drawn anyway. They passed down a set of brown double doors with several stickers on it. Thorn looked at them: a rainbow, stars, and the letter c sat in the middle. It looked like there were more letters, but they had fallen off. 

“What’s in there?” Thorn asked. Velvet didn’t even turn around to look at the door before responding.

“Nothing.”

“Doesn’t look like nothing.” 

“Drop it, frūx,” Velvet hissed. The prince put their hands up. 

“Right, got it.” The trio walked for another minute before Velvet stopped in front of another set of double doors. These ones were blank, and a deeper brown than the other ones. Velvet took a deep breath. 

“We’re here.” Maroon looked down at her. 

“Are you sure you’re okay with this, Velvet?”

“Of course I’m fucking not. But we don’t have a choice, now do we?” 

“I’m sure we could figure something else out. We could ask Nala-” 

“No,” Velvet stated coldly, “She’s endangered herself enough today. I’m not letting her get hurt again. Let’s just get this over with.” Maroon frowned as Velvet pushed the big doors open, Kil-layye Mo’ore raised. They creaked slightly but revealed an office with a large black desk ordained with various trinkets and papers. A laptop sat on top of it, open. There were three chairs around the desk: one on the side of the laptop and two with their backs towards the door. 

Paintings lined the walls depicting old buildings and other people, presumably older members of the Bolton family considering their similarity to Velvet. The walls were a deep, blood red with black sigils lining the middle. Thorn pointed them out.

“Any idea what those say?” He asked out loud. 

“Don’t look at them for too long. They’re a form of security.” Thorn quickly looked away.

“Unor’s got a lot of magic access for a mortal,” ae mumbled. 

“It’s really not that surprising. He’s not that far off from becoming a fake god.” That sentence caused Maroon and Thorn to stop dead in their tracks. 

“...what?” Maroon breathed. Velvet turned back to look at them. Her red hair fell out of the clip, so she adjusted it while she talked. 

“You didn’t know?”

“I think you conveniently forgot to mention that part,” Thorn replied through gritted teeth. Velvet just shrugged. 

“Well now you know.” 

“What do you mean ‘not that far off’?” Maroon asked. Velvet sat down in the main desk chair and typed something into the laptop.

“Same fucking password, what a fucking idiot,” they mumbled, “I mean he’s not far off. He’s got four and a half of the five souls he needs, so he’s almost there.” 

“Souls?” Thorn demanded, “How exactly does one become a fake god?” Velvet groaned.

“Did I really forget to explain this?” 

“I wouldn’t be asking otherwise.”

“I don’t know, you’re you,” the assassin mumbled, “To become a fake god, someone needs to collect one soul of each type. Unor’s got four and a half.” Maroon took a step forward. 

“Half?” Velvet refocused on the laptop, typing more into the keyboard. Maroon opened their mouth to say something more but stayed quiet. 

“Damn it, this is wiped clean,” they mumbled, “It’s almost like…” Thorn stared at her.

“If you say what I think you’re going to say, Velvie…”

“He knows we’re here,” Maroon said in a small voice. Velvet quickly stood from the chair and joined the duo.

“How could he know we’re here?” Thorn asked, “There’s no way.”

“He must have found out about the UPS break-in and put two and two together,” Velvet answered. They pushed the doors open again, this time a loud alarm blaring again. 

“So that whole planning thing with Nala was bullshit?” 

“Maybe not. I hope it wasn’t. I hope he’s not here and is just hoping his guards will be able to capture us.” 

“The guards that are also him,” Thorn muttered. Velvet nodded and stepped out into the hallway, making a run for it back where they came. The other two quickly followed.

“If we can get back to Nala’s room, could we-” 

“Too dangerous,” Velvet interrupted Maroon, “There’s another security panel in the library, but that’s way further. I don’t know if we’ll make it.”

“And there’s no chance they’re gonna fall for the false alarm from Nala for a second time,” Thorn added. Velvet nodded. Footsteps began thudding behind them, voices shouting in various languages Thorn didn’t know. Velvet glanced backward.

“One of you, make a wall.” Thorn obliged, a wall of vines growing and blocking the hallway behind them. They added a horizontal layer as well, just in case. In front of them, a large metal door slammed shut. Velvet quickly stopped in their tracks, breathing heavily.

“Fuck,” they said. 

“W-what’s that mean?” Maroon asked. 

“Full lockdown’s been activated. We can’t get out that way. Or any way, for that matter.” 

“Then what’s the plan?” Thorn demanded. Velvet glared at him.

“I’m fucking working on it, Thorn.” The voices behind the vine wall grew louder as Velvet scanned the hallway. A few feet ahead stood the sticker-covered doors once again. The assassin’s eyes locked on it right as Thorn’s did.

 

Maroon looked at their two friends as they both looked ahead. They followed their gaze to the door from earlier, the one Velvet had dismissed. 

“Fuck, okay,” she breathed, running forward. Maroon and Thorn followed. Velvet slowed in front of them and carefully tried the doorknob. The door gave way, warm sunlight fading in from the large bay window on the opposite side of the room. Maroon glanced at Velvet, who had her eyes closed tight. She took a deep breath and, once Maroon and Thorn were inside, shut the door. 

The room was well-lit from the window alone, a pair of blue curtains hanging from the rod above them. The right corner had a large canopy bed, decorated with blue and purple bedsheets. There were four pillows on top and an extra blanket folded neatly at the end. Pictures of butterflies and various star systems sat above the bed, forming a star. 

A large rug was in the middle, a blue flower. The opposite side of the room from the bed had a desk with a textbook open on top of it. The chair was pushed in and a layer of dust had begun to form on the pages. A closet was pushed up against the wall the door was on, slightly ajar. 

Velvet slowly turned around, taking in the scene. Maroon watched as they walked towards the window. 

“Who’s room is this?” Thorn asked, crossing his arms. Velvet sat down at the window, looking out. Maroon walked towards the open textbook. 

“This is- was. This was a friend of mine’s bedroom.” Maroon looked down at the book, wiping the dust off. There sat a name.

“Caran?” Maroon read, “Oh…that’s who Caran was.” Velvet nodded, standing again. 

“Try not to touch anything, okay?” Maroon wiped their hand on their trousers. Velvet joined them at the desk and glanced down at the book. 

“‘Course that’s what he was reading,” they mumbled. Maroon looked down at them.

“What is it?” 

“Algebra.” 

“What’s…algebra?” Velvet stared at them for a few seconds.

“I’ll let Mad handle that one.” Maroon nodded but kept their eyes on Velvet. The assassin slowly opened a drawer and their eyes widened. 

“Jackpot,” they breathed. They pulled out a laptop, similar to the one from Unor’s office. They sat down back at the window and opened it up. Maroon sat next to them and Thorn joined on the other side of Maroon. 

“His laptop?” Thorn asked, “How’s that gonna help?” 

“Unor’s not going to limit a dead person’s access to classified documents. That’s his one weakness: he’s cocky. He killed someone, so there’s no point controlling what they can see.” Maroon’s heart skipped a beat.

“He killed Caran?” Maroon asked.

“Of course he fucking did. Are you even surprised?” 

“...no.” Velvet typed in another passcode and smirked. 

“And we’re in. Project Rapio…” They clicked on a file and quickly scanned it. 

“That looks like the one we found at the UPS,” Maroon commented. Velvet nodded. 

“It is.”

“Anything new?” Thorn asked. Velvet closed the document and opened up the next. 

“I’m looking, give me a minute.” Thorn looked around Maroon to read the screen.

“That’s in English?”

“Yeah. It must be the memo he sent to the lower-ranking operatives. They typically can’t read Latin.” Thorn was quiet for a moment before his eyes widened. 

“Unor’s trying to capture us for one of our souls?” it exclaimed. Velvet slammed the laptop closed and stood. 

“We should get out of here,” she mumbled, “We’ll have to break the window.” Maroon glanced at Thorn, who was staring at Velvet.

“Velvet, did I read that right?”

“I have no clue what you’re talking about, Thorn.”

Soul? If he already has 4 and a half, why would he want… their eyes locked on Velvet, Oh. 

“Velvet, that half a soul Unor has,” Maroon said quietly, “It’s yours, isn’t it?” Velvet turned back to glare at them.

“So what if it is? It doesn’t change anything.” 

“Oh my gods,” Maroon breathed, “Velvet, I’m so sorry-”

“Is that why you’re so…you?” Thorn asked. Maroon stared down at them.

“Thorn-”

“What? That was the nicest way I could think of.” 

“Just fucking drop it, will you?” Velvet demanded, “It’s not that big of a deal.” She jumped onto the window seat and drew Kil-layye Mo’ore, using the hilt to break the glass. Maroon and Thorn quickly moved out of the way. 

“It is a big deal, though. You’re missing half of your soul, your personality, your…emotions.” Maroon let the last word hang in the air as Velvet sheathed her sword again. Thorn looked between Maroon and Velvet.

“So all this time, I’ve been calling you a bitch for ignoring your emotions,” the prince began, “But you haven’t been. You just haven’t had emotions?” 

“I’m done talking about this with you two. Just forget you ever figured this out, okay?” 

“Velvet, stop.” Maroon grabbed their wrist, forcing them to look back at them. 

“What do you want, fungus?” 

“How long has your soul been broken?” Velvet groaned.

“Are we really going to do this?” 

“The quicker you answer our questions, the quicker we can leave,” Thorn added. Velvet glanced at each of them before sighing.

“Fine. Since shortly after my 14th birthday.” 

Nearly two years, Maroon thought, Dear Ailuj-

“Does Zaeor know?” Velvet scoffed.

“Of course he fucking knows. He’s what stopped him from taking the whole thing.” Maroon’s eyes widened. 

“So that’s what you meant,” Thorn said. The two of them looked towards him.

“What?”

“You keep saying that he saved your life. I thought that was after you started working for him, but it's why you’re working for him.” Velvet rolled her eyes.

“That’s what you choose to focus on?”

She’s been like this since before the mafia was formed. How did no one notice?

“I don’t control where my brain goes, Velvie.”

Does anyone in the mafia know? We…we could’ve…I could’ve…

“Do not fucking call me that, especially-”

“Why didn’t you say anything?” Maroon blurted out. Velvet turned to them.

“What do you mean?”

“Why didn’t you tell anyone? Me, Mad, anyone. We could’ve helped you sooner.” Velvet narrowed their eyes at them.

“Because there’s no way to help me, Maroon.” The youngest teen’s heart skipped a beat again as they looked at her. 

“There has to be something.”

“There’s not, Zaeor’s checked. I’m stuck like this for the rest of my life.”

“Fuck, that’s morbid,” Thorn muttered. Velvet sent a glare aer way. 

“So is my entire life. Get used to it.” 

“What if Unor was dead?” Maroon asked. The two teens refocused on them, Thorn’s eyes wide.

“What are you talking about, Maroon?” Thorn asked. 

“If Unor was dead, wouldn’t all the souls be released? Couldn’t you get it back then?” Velvet frowned.

“In theory, but there’s no guarantee-”

“But it’s possible?”

“Maroon, are you saying we should-” Velvet cut Thorn off.

“Yeah, I guess it’s possible.”

If killing Unor could fix Velvet’s soul…after everything he’s done, what’s stopping us?

“Then let’s attack Unor first,” Maroon stated, “We’ve been on the defensive this whole time. The day he’s actually planning on attacking us, we attack first. Stage a full assault on this base. Take it over and end this.” Velvet stared at Maroon for several moments. Thorn took their hand but Maroon didn’t take their eyes off of the assassin in front of them. 

“You’re right,” Velvet finally replied, “That’s what we’ll do.” Maroon took a deep breath and nodded. 

“Mushroom, are you sure you want to-”

“Yes. I’m sure.” Velvet held a hand out to Maroon and the three teens stood on the windowsill. Thorn had a concerned look on his face as he stared at Maroon. 

“One of you want to make something to get us down?” Velvet asked. A giant mushroom sprouted from the ground, stopping right in front of them. Maroon led the way onto the pileus.

It’s time to end this.

[doitforpink]

[blindbeholder]

hey so... everyone knows Kabru is the opposite of Laios, but nobody talks about how the rest of their party members are also opposed,

scab criminal Mickbell against unionized worker Chilchuck

dogboy against catgirl

Rin the outlaw mage who hasn't actually done anything wrong against Marcille the highborn upper class mage who's secretly a necromancer

Dia the dwarf who distrusts dungeons against Senshi the naturalist who's lived in dungeons for decades

Holm the support mage who uses other creatures as a shield against Falin the cleric with a martyr complex

[scoutingthetrooper]

these are the best cards on the planet and no one can tell me otherwise

(etsy)

[sabertoothwalrus]

dungeon meshi & steven universe are in no way a 1:1 and greg and shuro aren’t alike at all but can you imagine for a second if marcille was in pearl’s shoes. if falin sacrificed herself to have a baby with SHURO out of nowhere. the things she would do….. she’d be in western elf jail for the rest of her sad gay life

[knives-blue]

"i want morally grey female characters" you fuckers could barely handle rose quartz

[partywithponies]

I feel like enough time has passed since Steven Universe ending to say this: inventing your own alter ego and then launching a war against yourself is an iconic move actually. It's like if Batman and Bruce Wayne had public beef except if entire armies were involved. She really Did That. She said "go big or go home" and then went so big that no-one could ever go home, and then changed the fate of the entire galaxy by faking her own death. She slutted it up bisexually and broke countless hearts along the way. Iconic move after iconic move. Non-stop slaying. A queen an icon a legend. No-one does it like her.

[boilingdreamland]

Starting a Collection of Dyas

[accoffee7]

The beauty of planet earth

I didn't finish this, hence the unrendered feet. but I feel like I've spent too much time not to post

[retrogamingblog2]

I wonder why game freak removed this feature...

[the-sp0tless-mind]

[the-red-mafia]

The Thief

After returning to the mansion, the mafia decides to bring Rhyme on their mission with them. With Mad not talking to them Rhyme is paired up with Maroon. The duo discover something sinister within the walls of the UPS facility, and something complicated within Rhyme and Mad's relationship. Also available on Wattpad: https://www.wattpad.com/user/TheRedMafia Next Update: [Updated] Word Count: 4464

An hour after “The Assassination” 

“We are not bringing Diamonds on a mission with us,” Velvet spat, crossing her arms. Mad’s screen was blank as they turned towards Solana.

“I agree with Velvet on this one. There’s too much that can go wrong.” 

“I don’t see what your guys' problem is,” Solana replied, “We could use an extra fighter tonight. Velvet, you said yourself there’s supposed to be twice as many guards as last time.” 

“We’re better as a cohesive team, Solana. Diamonds would throw a wrench into the plans.”

“What’s the alternative, leave him here alone?” 

“Her and Wyatt, probably.”

“No, he can go to his own house. Tell him to take the child with him for all I care. There’s no need for her to come with us.” 

“If y’all could stop talking about me like I’m not here, that’d be great,” Rhyme called out. The trio turned to look at the teen, who was sitting on a Madbay bed with an IV coming out of her arm. Bandages wrapped around his abdomen and the heart monitor beeped. The child was on another bed, fast asleep. He didn’t seem injured, but Mad had bandaged him up anyway. 

“Sorry,” the robot mumbled. 

“Also, I don’t think Diamonds is in any shape to go on a mission,” Velvet added. 

“I’m fine, Bolton. And like I said earlier, I want to help,” the thief replied. 

“And like I said earlier, I don’t care.” Solana sighed.

“Why don’t we take a vote out of the whole team? I think Maroon and Thorn are finally awake.” Velvet looked at the elf and sighed.

“Fine, whatever. My vote is no.”

“Mine as well,” Mad stated. Rhyme frowned and looked up at Mad, who refused to meet his eyes. Velvet crossed her arms.

The hell is wrong with them? 

“Well, my vote is for yes. I’ll go talk to the others, see what they think.” Solana turned on his heel and walked out of the Madbay, Mad following behind. Velvet watched them leave before looking back to Rhyme.

“The fuck you do to them?” she demanded.

“Huh?” 

“Mad would never want you to go home. Clearly you did something while you were out to piss them off.” Rhyme let out a strained laugh. 

“Oh, and you know Mad so much better than I do.”

“I live with them, fūr. And I know they love your company. So something happened and I want to know what.” 

“Velvet, I have no idea what you’re talking about.” The assassin crossed her arms and sat down on the kid’s bed. He moved slightly, but Velvet ignored it. 

“There must’ve been some kind of complication. Maybe you didn’t tell it about your injury. Or Wyatt got hurt and you brushed it off. Hell, maybe you even lied about the mission in the first place.” Rhyme looked towards the floor. Velvet smirked.

Bingo.

“You called them at like, 5 am this morning saying you wanted to rescue Eliza’s new kid. But that wasn’t it, was it?” 

“It’s none of your fucking business, Bolton,” Rhyme shouted. The kid moved again, catching his attention. 

“Careful, Reuter, you’ll wake your brother.” The kid stopped moving around and Rhyme’s eyes once again locked on Velvet’s, glaring.

“I don’t appreciate the interrogation, Bolton.”

“And I don’t appreciate you fucking up one of my team members before a crucial mission.” Rhyme let out a strained laugh and crossed his arms.

“How crucial could breaking into the UPS be? I do it all the time. It’s never anything of use.” Velvet frowned. 

“You’ve broken into the UPS before?” 

“That’s what I just said.” She looked away from the thief and out the window. Clouds were forming around the mansion, a rare sight on the planet. 

Maybe Solana had a point, they thought, Rhyme might be a good asset to have tonight. It’ll give me more time to figure out what the hell happened, and placing any blame on him would help with the media…I just don’t want-

“Velvet!” Solana’s voice shouted, startling the assassin out of their thoughts. The Madbay door slammed open and the elf came through, their hands in the pockets of their jeans.

“The votes are in, Diamonds’s coming with us.” Velvet locked eyes with Rhyme, who smirked, before sighing.

“Fine, whatever.” Two arms suddenly wrapped around her stomach and a face pressed against her side. Velvet quickly looked down to see the kid, now pressed against them. 

“Fucking-”

“I’m scared!” The kid shouted, hanging onto the assassin tighter. Velvet looked around at the two other people in the room. Rhyme and Solana looked at each other before breaking out in laughter. Velvet attempted to push the kid off but he wouldn’t budge. 

“Diamonds, get this fucking thing off of me,” the assassin growled. Rhyme continued laughing. 

“It’s just a child, Velvet,” Solana said as she caught her breath, “What’s your name, bud?” The kid looked up at him.

“Wyatt.”

“Hey Wyatt, why don’t you go with Solana?” Rhyme prompted, “They’re the elf.” The child shook his head and pressed it closer to Velvet. The teen groaned and stood. To their surprise, the kid held on. The sudden weight nearly caused her to fall to the ground but she quickly steadied herself. 

“What do you want, kid?” she muttered.

“Don’t leave me alone. Please.” 

“Mihi deōs,” Velvet groaned, “If I take you to Mad, will you leave me alone?” He looked up at her for a few moments before eventually nodding. Velvet sighed and adjusted the kid to be on their back. Solana laughed and held the door open for them. She paused at the door, turning back toward Rhyme. 

“Oh and, Reuter,” they began, “I’m going to talk to Mad about this. If I found out you hurt a mafia member…” They let the threat sit in the air as they turned and walked out, leaving a very confused Solana standing in the doorway. 

12:15. 

Mad stirred the red soup, the grilled cheese sitting on the pan. Maroon and Thorn were setting the table. The sound of plates hitting wood and metal being set on table mats came from its left. 

12:16. 

They were done setting the table now and sat in the wooden chairs. Mad flipped one of the six sandwiches and turned to them. 

“Thorn, you said you only wanted one side crispy?” The teen nodded, smirking.

“It makes it taste better.”

“I disagree,” Maroon mumbled, but Mad just nodded. They slid the sandwich onto their hand and set it down on Thorn’s plate. 

“Mad!” Velvet’s voice carried down the entryway, their footsteps echoing off the walls. Mad glanced up at the clock. 

12:17. 

“There, kid. There’s Mad. Will you get off me now?” Velvet said, stopping in the kitchen doorway. Maroon and Thorn’s eyes quickly fell on Wyatt, who jumped down from Velvet’s back. He grabbed onto the robot’s leg and smiled up at them.

“Mad!” 

“Hi, Wyatt. Are you okay?” 

“He woke up and attached himself to me,” the assassin began, “Refused to get off until he saw you.” Mad sighed and kneeled down to his level. The bandages were starting to fall off of his arm, no doubt from Velvet carrying him. The bruise seemed to be healing nicely, though.

“Are you feeling better?” they asked. He nodded.

“Could someone explain who that is?” Thorn asked, pointing at Wyatt. Mad kept their eyes on Wyatt. 

“Do you want some grilled cheese and tomato soup?” He nodded vigorously. Mad gestured to the table, and he sprinted over to take a seat. 

“That’s Wyatt,” it began, “He was recently adopted by Diamonds’s foster mom, Eliza Gracy, but we saved him this morning. He’ll be here for a bit until we can find him a good home.” Thorn’s mouth made a big ‘O’ while Maroon turned to look at him. 

“Hi Wyatt, my name is Maroon.” Mad carried a grilled cheese and bowl of soup over to the child, setting it down in front of him. It then turned to Velvet. 

“Are you hungry? Do you want some lunch?” 

“Not really, no. What the hell happened on that mission?” The teen demanded. Mad paused for a moment before turning back to the stove.

“Language, Velvet!” Thorn shouted, covering Wyatt’s ears, “There are little ears around now.” Wyatt squirmed out of Thorn’s hands.

“Fuck you, frūx.” Mad placed a sandwich on a plate and handed it to Velvet.

“Eat.”

“I told you, Mad-” 

“I can almost guarantee you’ve barely eaten today, Velvet. Would you prefer the soup instead?” The assassin narrowed her eyes but took the plate.

“No. Soup is fucking weird. But you’re telling me what happened.” 

“Of course,” the droid said quietly, “Let me get Maroon food then we’ll go outside.” Velvet frowned but nodded. Mad plated another sandwich and bowl of soup and set it in front of the youngest mafia member. 

“If Solana comes out here, tell him the last two sandwiches are for him and Diamonds. Just wait another twenty minutes or so before letting Diamonds eat.” Maroon nodded. Velvet followed it outside through the sliding glass doors in the kitchen, taking a bite of the sandwich. 

Mad sat down on one of the outdoor chairs, the teen following suit. 

“So what the fuck is wrong with you?” Velvet began, “What did Rhyme do?” 

“He killed Eliza.” Velvet groaned. 

“That’s what you’re upset about?”

“She wanted me to do it, at first. I didn’t. But…I don’t know. I feel like it was her plan the whole time?” Velvet took another bite of the sandwich. 

“Probably was.”

“But then why bring me? Did he just…” Mad’s voice broke slightly, “Did he just want to hurt me?” Velvet’s eyes widened as she looked at the droid. Mad looked away.

“Sorry. I know emotions aren’t really your thing. Um, what was I saying?”

“I really just wanted to know what you were pissed at Rhyme about. But you seem more…hurt than angry?” Velvet took another bite, “I don’t know. Did you run into any complications other than Eliza?” 

“Just her guards.”

“Got it.” The teen finished their sandwich and stood back up.

“Well, I’ve got mission planning to d-”

“Can I ask you an emotions question?” Mad blurted out. Velvet frowned.

“I mean, I guess. I feel like I’m the worst person to give you an answer, though.”

“I just wanna know, have you ever been so upset at someone but you can’t just…I don’t know, hate them?” Mad paused, “Like, you feel like you really should hate them but you just can’t?” Velvet was quiet for a minute or so. She seemed to be lost in thought as Mad’s soul seemed to race. Its thoughts raced as the teen sighed. 

“I guess.” Before Mad could ask more, the teen disappeared through the door. 

Mad seemed to refuse to meet Rhyme’s eyes, causing a pit to form in her stomach. The Red Mafia had changed into their mission uniforms: Mad in their red shirt and black jacket, Velvet in their jumpsuit with the red x, Maroon in a long-sleeved red shirt with a pair of black pants, Solana in a pair of red cargo shorts and a black tank top, and Thorn in a simple black short sleeve with red pants. Rhyme felt very out of place in the all-black outfit Velvet had given him. It was a little big, but the two teens were close enough in size for it to work. The assassin had also handed her a black beanie and sunglasses, similar to what Solana had on his face. 

“Did you get any of that, Diamonds?” Velvet asked, crossing her arms. Rhyme turned towards them from his current seat in the Umbrella’s cockpit. 

“Do you want an honest answer?”

“Mihi deōs.” Rhyme chuckled before standing.

“Before I make Velvet say that all over again, I should probably tell you all my name.” Mad finally looked at her.

“Diamonds, are you sure?” it asked, “You don’t have to say anything you don’t want to-”

“Mad, shut up,” Thorn demanded, leaning forward in his seat. Rhyme laughed again, putting her hands in her pockets. 

Keep joking. Ignore it.

“Trust me, strange robot, I’m sure. But, has anyone got any guesses before I reveal all?” She added a wink for good measure. Solana laughed and raised his hand.

“It’s going to be something stupid, like Bert or something,” the elf said. Rhyme shook her head and pointed at Maroon.

“Any guesses, fellow rhymer?” Maroon smiled and thought for a moment. 

“Hmm, Harper?” 

“Nope, although that’s kinda cool.” Before Rhyme could even glance at Thorn, the teen shook their head.

“I’ve got nothing, I’ve met you once.” Rhyme laughed again.

“Fair enough. Well-”

“Wait, Mad, what’s your guess?” Solana asked, “I think you know Diamonds better than any of us.” Mad let out a little chuckle that caused the pit to subside slightly. 

“I know Diamonds enough to already know his actual name.” 

“Boooooooo,” Thorn groaned, “Velvet, your turn.” The Red Mafia leader had been quietly standing behind Rhyme for the duration of the guessing game. She rolled her eyes.

“I’d guess, but that’s kind of unfair considering I also know it.” 

“Of course you do,” Solana muttered, “Diamonds, I apologise for whatever spying Velvet did to figure that out.” 

“All good, Solana. Anyways, drumroll please.” He gestured around the room, but everyone just stared at him. She stood up straight again.

“Rhyme, my name is Rhyme.” Maroon, Thorn, and Solana stared at her. 

“You’re joking,” Thorn stated. Rhyme shook his head.

“Nope. Ask Mad or Bolton.” Thorn glanced at Mad, who nodded. 

“So were you always good at rhyming, or did you learn it as a joke from your name?” Solana asked. 

“Bit of both. Hard to deny my amazing natural talent,” she flipped her hair as well. Maroon laughed and smiled at him.

“Your name really suits you, Rhyme.” Rhyme winked before turning around to look at Velvet. 

“Alright, what were you saying about the mission, Bolton?” Velvet sighed. 

“As I was saying,” they began, gesturing to the large map displayed in the hologram in the centre of the room, “We’re going to be entering from the East door. According to Zaeor, it should be less guarded. We’ll split up in groups of two: Mad and Thorn, Solana and me, and Maroon and Rhyme.” Rhyme attempted to hide the throb in her soul.

There goes that plan, he thought, God, it’s never gonna talk to me again.

“Unor recently visited this location to do ‘business’, so there’s a chance he left some information behind. Me and Solana, aka group 1, will take the top two floors of the complex and search it. Mad and Thorn, group 2, will take the second floor, and group 3, Maroon and Rhyme, will take the ground level.”

“So we’re just looking for any sign of Unor?” Rhyme asked before he shook his head, “Right, your whole thing is killing him. Forgot.” Velvet rolled her eyes. 

“Just get in and get out. Search your floors as quickly as possible and stay together. Maroon, we don’t have an extra set of comms to give Rhyme, so you’ll have to communicate for both of you. If any of you see anything, radio in. Am I clear?” The group nodded, with Rhyme adding a “crystal” to the silence. Velvet sat back down in the captain's chair while Rhyme moved to sit next to Mad.

“Hey, strange robot,” she said, smiling. Mad looked away from him and scooted to the left. Rhyme frowned, the pit in her stomach growing once again.

“So….are you sure we can trust that Zaeor dude to take care of Wyatt? He’s not gonna brainwash him or anything?” Mad sighed.

“No. But we don’t have any other choice.” 

“Right, ‘course.” Mad stood up and moved to talk to Velvet, leaving the thief alone in her seat. 

The pit grew larger.

Maroon led the way down the hall, Rhyme following close behind. Mushrooms slightly damped their footsteps before retracting back into the floor. 

“There’s an admin office to the left,” Rhyme mumbled. Maroon nodded. They took a left and Rhyme kicked down the door. The room was slightly messy, with chairs out of place and papers strewn around the desk. Maroon smiled. 

“Jackpot,” Rhyme muttered. The thief jumped to the desk while Maroon took to the bookshelves. They were quiet for a while, the sound of paper rustling and books opening and closing surrounding them. Rhyme muttered something under her breath.

“What was that?” Maroon asked, turning towards him. 

“Nothing, just thinking out loud.”

“Okay.”

“Actually, can I ask you a question?” he blurted out, “About Mad?” Maroon paused for a moment before nodding. 

“Let’s say I were to, possibly, bring Mad with me on a mission to murder my foster mom.” Maroon’s eyes widened.

“Oh.” The thief let out a nervous laugh.

“Yeah. How would I go about…apologising?” Maroon set the book they were holding back on the shelf. 

“Did you…mean to bring it along?” 

“Yeah.” A frown formed on the younger teen’s face. 

“Why? Don’t you kn-”

“Of course I know,” Rhyme interrupted, “I was the one they talked to every time they saw Velvet kill a new person. I was the one who understood.” 

“Then why’d you bring them?” Rhyme looked at the floor, one of her hands forming a fist. A chill went down Maroon’s spine.

“I don’t fucking know! My brain thought it would be easier if they were there. In case Eliza, you know…” Her other hand formed a fist and she quickly grabbed a file from the desk.

“But now I’ve ruined my relationship with the one goddamn person I’ve loved in 5 fucking years!” He threw the folder on the ground. Maroon watched the papers fly all over the room. The folder landed with a small thud, some kind of words on the front.

“Shit, sorry rhymer. I got carried away,” Rhyme mumbled. 

“It’s…okay. What’s the folder say?” The thief glanced down at it and her eyes widened. 

“Holy shit,” she muttered, picking up the scattered forms.

“What is it?”

“It says ‘B.A.D.: Project Rapio’. Help me pick up the papers.

Rapio. I seize.

Maroon quickly grabbed the papers around them and handed them to Rhyme. She scanned the pages while Maroon adjusted their earpiece.

“What is this language?” Rhyme asked. Maroon held their hand out so Rhyme handed the folder to them. They scanned the folder, their heartbeat racing. 

“He’s gonna attack the mansion.” They reached up to their earpiece. 

“Velvet, we found something.” Her response was almost immediate.

“What is it?” 

“Unor’s planning an attack on the mansion. On the 9th of December.” Maroon counted in their head.

…nine, ten, eleven. Eleven days until the 9th.

“Shit. Head back to the Umbrella, everyone.” Maroon took a deep breath. 

“Okay, we’ll be there,” they mumbled, turning to Rhyme, We’re meeting back at the Umbrella.” Maroon took a deep breath as Rhyme nodded. 

“Let’s get going, then.”

“Oh, and Rhyme.” The teen raised an eyebrow.

“Yeah?” 

“Talk to Mad. Tell them what you told me.” Rhyme frowned and looked away.

“It won’t even talk to me, though.” Maroon set a hand on her shoulder.

“I’ll talk to them. Get them to talk to you. Okay?” The thief looked up at them and a small smile appeared on his face.

“Thanks, fellow rhymer.”

“Rhymers stick together,” Maroon said, smiling, “Let’s go to the others.”

“Velvet, would you quit it?” Solana asked, crossing his arms. Velvet paused her pacing for a moment to glare at them.

“No.” 

“You’re stressing everyone out.” 

“That sucks, deal with it. I’m thinking.” 

“‘Course.” Velvet flipped through the folder and resumed their pacing. She muttered Latin under her breath as she read.

“Why are his plans mostly in Latin anyway?” Mad asked from the captain’s chair. 

“He’s really into ancient Rome and its culture,” Rhyme answered, “Eliza tried to learn it to talk to him but failed miserably.” At the mention of Eliza’s name, Mad looked towards the floor. Rhyme stared at them for several seconds before sighing. 

“This is bad,” Velvet mumbled, “This is very bad.”

“What’s it say?” Solana asked. Velvet looked up at him. 

“He’s found a way to break through the magic barriers and bought help from the UPS soldiers to stage a full-on assault.”

“Are we sure he didn’t just plant that document?” Thorn asked, aer arms around Maroon, “I mean, why would he give the UPS a document in Latin? He must’ve planted it knowing we would be showing up.”

“But what does he gain from that?” Maroon mumbled. Thorn looked down at them.

“Freaking us out? Getting us off our game?” 

“Us being off our game is the least of his concerns if he has two thousand soldiers,” Velvet interrupted. Solana’s eyes widened. 

“Two thousand?” she breathed. Velvet nodded. 

“Fuck.”

“Thorn is right about one thing, though. We have no way of knowing if the date or numbers in the plan are accurate,” Mad stated, “Unor could’ve planted that and lied.”

“So you’re saying we could be attacked anytime from now to the 9th?” Maroon asked. 

“That and after as well. He might have given us a date earlier than the actual attack to lower our guard.” Velvet closed the folder and groaned loudly. 

“Okay, we’ll have to reinforce all the magic defences. Find different spells, evolve our current ones. We’ll get Zaeor to recast the location remixer and-” 

“How about we save the plans for Zaeor?” Solana asked, patting the seat next to him, “We’re almost at the mansion anyways.”

“I’m not sitting down, Solana-” The elf sighed and stood. 

“Alright, hard way then.” She quickly held Velvet’s arms down and picked her up. They tried to squirm out of their grip to no avail. Laughter came from the other teens around the cockpit. Solana set them down in the seat and buckled them in. Velvet glared up at him.

“Let me out, mīles,” she spat. 

“Nope.” Solana looked around the cockpit. Despite the laughter, the air was still tense. Mad wasn’t even looking at them, instead completely focused on the GPS system. Maroon pressed up against Thorn, who hugged them tighter. Rhyme couldn’t take his eyes off Mad, no matter how much the robot ignored him. 

“Everyone buckle up,” Mad called out, “We’re about to land.” Thorn gently let go of Maroon and the two of them returned to their proper seats. Rhyme plopped down next to Solana, giving them a slight smile. 

“You good, Dia- Rhyme?” Solana asked. The thief nodded. The Mahogany Mansion slowly came into view, the pizza box Solana left outside still sitting on the picnic table. He chuckled to himself. Next to them, Rhyme shivered. 

“God, I hate that,” she mumbled. 

“Hate what, landing?” Thorn asked. Rhyme shook his head.

“No, the scanner thing. It just sends a thousand chills up and down my body and it freaks me out.” 

“Scanner thing?” Maroon questioned. Mad also turned to look at the teen, causing her to straighten up. 

“Oh, you mean the magic profiler,” Velvet interrupted. All eyes looked towards her.

“The what?” Mad asked. 

“The magic profiler. It just makes sure no one can enter that isn’t with one of us.” Thorn rolled his eyes.

“You need a better name for that.”

“There is one, but it’s in Astarca.”

“I’m not even going to ask what Astarca is,” Rhyme muttered. The Umbrella landed softly on the red soil and Mad guided it towards the garage. Rhyme’s ship still sat outside, parked and powered off. The mafia and Rhyme flowed out of the ship and into the mansion. Zaeor and Wyatt were sitting in the living, the kid playing Mario Kart on the TV. Zaeor looked at them and raised an eyebrow. 

“Back already?” He asked, smiling. Wyatt paused the game and stood up, embracing Mad. The droid picked him up and patted his head. Velvet threw the folder at him before crossing her arms. The god raised an eyebrow as he caught it.

“What’s this?”

“Read it. We found it at the UPS headquarters.” Zaeor scanned the pages for a minute or so before looking up at Velvet. He muttered something in a strange language that Solana couldn’t understand. Velvet replied in the same language, anger underneath the words. Mad leaned towards Maroon.

“Are you getting anything from this?” they asked. Maroon shook their head. 

“It’s not Latin or any fae language I’m aware of. Thorn?” 

“It sounds somewhat familiar but I have no clue.” Velvet’s hand formed a fist as Zaeor stood. He walked towards her, his voice low. Wyatt pushed closer to Mad.

“He sounds scary,” he mumbled. 

“Do you know what he’s saying, Wyatt?” Mad asked, looking down at the boy. He shook his head. 

“Fucking hell,” Velvet growled before returning back to the mysterious language. Solana raised a hand.

“Hey, uh, Velvet? Maybe switch languages so we can understand what you're saying?” The assassin looked back at her but Zaeor quickly said something that caused them to turn back around. The argument went on for a minute or so more before Velvet threw their hands in the air. She turned on her heel and stormed out of the living room. Zaeor called out after her.

“I’m fucking leaving!” they shouted back in English, “If you’re going to be completely unreasonable, I’m done talking to you!” Solana watched her run up the stairs before turning back to Zaeor.

“What was that about?” Mad asked the god. Zaeor sighed and sat back down on the couch. 

“She’s being…difficult. And paranoid.” Solana frowned.

“About the attack?” The god nodded. 

“I mean, it’s worth taking a look into,” Rhyme stated, crossing her arms, “Yeah, it could be fake, but there’s no harm in researching it more.” Zaeor sighed and looked over at the group. 

“Let me make one thing abundantly clear,” he began coldly, “The Mahogany Mansion is perfectly safe. No one can get in or out without permission so we have nothing to worry about. Regardless of if Unor is actually planning an assault, he will be unable to pull it off. There is nothing to worry about.” The room was silent for several moments after he finished as the group stared at him. Maroon grabbed onto Thorn’s hand and took a deep breath while Mad held Wyatt close to it.

“Couldn’t we just reinforce the defenses? Magical or otherwise?” Solana asked. Zaeor shook his head.

“There’s no need. You all are completely safe.” Zaeor gestured towards the TV, plastering a smile on his face.

“Now, surely you all need time to unwind from your mission. Sit, let’s play.”

Something in Solana’s brain told him that it wasn’t a suggestion, so he sat.

[zoologica42]

get identified idiot

[isjasz]

🌖🌗🌘🌑🌒🌓🌖

(happy eclipse day yesterday🎆🎆🎆)

[couldreallyeatawholecakerightnow]

Did not realize polls were timed...no wonder y'all be asking for rebogs

Anyway tell me about ur jewelry in the tags if u wanna!!

[shitbl0gger]