Sunday, 1th May 2011 – Brockton Bay, Nozomi's home
"Do you wish some tea?" Mother gestured towards the table.
"There is no need for that. We'll just take the money and go," Lao answered though he also moved forward into the room. Yan close behind him. After an instant I decided to let them. The chance to be seen in the hallway was low. In the apartment it was non-existent. "That is, if you have it," he kept his voice low and left any threat unstated. He thought it made him more menacing. A fair assessment.
We didn't have any money. It did not matter.
The door closed behind them and their fate was sealed.
"You couldn't even give me a single undisturbed day with Mother," I hissed at them. A few hours was all I got.
They were a threat. Mother did not have powers.
"I am so sorry for my daughter; it's a hard time fo-" Mother stopped mid speech as she noticed their motionless bodies and starry eyes. The words caught in her throat.
It was lucky that they came when I was here. If they met her without me here..
"I should rip out what passes for a mind in your excuse of a brain and replace it with something half way decent," I ranted at them. I was so sick of dealing with gangs. "Maybe then you'll be more than a tick sucking the life out of others."
"Nozomi.." Mother looked at me worried. Probably about reprisal.
She was defenseless against them. I had to remove the threat.
"Oh, there is no need to worry. They will remember exactly what I want them to. Not that they would mind even if they did remember after I am done with them," I said darkly.
I didn't want to think about what would've happened to Mother if I wasn't here.
I considered. Add a bit of empathy here, trim a bit of cruelty there. Link satisfaction with helping others instead of cutting them down... Insert a gut wrenching feeling of sickness at the thought of hurting Mother. Remove every single memory they have of her...
"Tanaka Nozomi! Stop!" I straightened out in long entrenched instincts at Mother's stern voice.
She was still looking at me worried. Not at them. At me. Why?
Oh, she wasn't worried about retribution. I almost choked on the words. "They.. they'll take you from me." Again. I wouldn't let that happen. Never again.
"I am here. I am fine," she spoke to me calmly.
But you wouldn't be if I wasn't here.
"You do not need to go that far to prevent that. Do not lie to yourself," she chided.
Oh? Did I say that out loud?
She met my eyes. "You have a lot of power now. More, I think, than I understand. You will have to decide what sort of person you want to be, because no one else can do that for you anymore."
"Do not let them make you lesser," she told me. "They do not deserve that."
Who do I want to be?
I sighed. Keiko would be disappointed if I went through with my first idea.
A little later Lao and Yan left thinking they had gotten the money though they hadn't.
It did not mean I left them otherwise untouched. I just could not. Not while they were a threat to Mother.
The change I made was small. They still were able to talk about hurting Mother or plan to hurt her.
They would no longer be able to follow through. I took that choice from them. Forever.
I did not tell Mother.
"Did you have to make the girl punch the wall," Mother raised an eyebrow at me.
I also removed Lao's memory of Mother in the time bubble, but compared to the other change I made this was barely a blip on my conscience. They had gotten away far too cheaply still.
"Yes. There was no way for her to not try something," I shrugged. "This way she should be satisfied thinking she got to rough me up." Even though she hadn't.
I hated letting them go easy like this.
"You do not look happy about this," Mother looked at me. Inviting me to share my thoughts.
I mulled it over for a moment.
"This feels like losing," I sighed. "Even though they left without any money, they think they got it. They will be back." They always are back.
I had no idea how to deal with Lung without killing him. Which would give the PRT an excuse to go after me.
She shook her head. "We lost nothing today. No one ever wins all their battles. But we did not lose either. Nothing important was lost today." She shrugged. "When you can't win, lose as little as you can and set yourself up better for next time. There is no shame in avoiding a bad fight. Have a little patience and choose your battles."
I still grumbled. They came to my home, threatened Mother and for now they got away with that none the worse.
I spent the next few hours with Mother just talking and catching her up on everything she's missed.
I'd be busy in the evening.
We needed money and I knew exactly where to get it.
Sunday, 1th May 2011 – Brockton Bay, a different apartment building in the docks
POV: Tsang Hao
The entire room was filled with books and shelves, it smelled of paper and ink. Just how he liked it.
Lao and his young student carefully watched him. The girl was fidgeting while Lao stood comfortably. They were the last to return with this months protection money.
Tsang Hao carefully finished writing the current line in his book. It was not his job to go out and collect the money. That was a young boys job. His was much more important. Every number had to be correct, every expense accounted for and every income recorded.
Lung was not to be cheated.
Which meant he had to ask some questions now.
"This is less than it should be," he remarked.
He let the silence stand while he lit himself a cigarette.
"People died. Some left," Lao stated simply.
At least the boy knew better than to say why. Bakuda. Lung.. doesn't make mistakes. Yet… She never would've gotten away with implanting members if he hadn't gotten arrested. Not because Lung would have pity or empathy with them, but because they were his. He did not accept others harming what was his. That was his right only.
The boy's excuse was plausible. Nevertheless he lit himself a cigarette and pretended to think it over for a bit while he studied the boy. He did not fidget unlike the girl. Probably not a lie then. He'd have someone double check it anyway, just in case.
"Coil is gone. The Empire's capes are gone. The ABB is strong with Lung returned. We will push into their territories to make up this deficit. Concentrate on downtown," he decided.
The loss of the brothel did not help either, but fresh meat was always underway. There where many many countries worse off than the US which made it easy to give false promises about what would await them.
They were still looking for those girls anyway. Lung hated being stolen from.
Whoever managed to find them would earn themselves a boon, or blot out a bit of past shame. Lung was not beyond a bit of forgetfulness if you did not fail constantly.
Anyway. He had orders to give. He gave them a look that commanded attention and watched them puff themselves up.
"Lung proved the mind-controller can not take him. Nor can the lightning girl stand against him forever." Though she can do so for longer than any but Hookwolf. "As they share his race, he wishes to recruit them." The girl grimaced at that.. which he understood. Lung gave his capes a lot of leeway and mind-controllers had a reputation, though in the case of Mental Out it looked to be not the case so far. "Blink is to be shot on sight." Lung did not mention why, but he watched the blurry footage that showed a metal door costing Lung an arm in an instant. He knew better than to mention it. He hoped she kept her restraint until it was too late.
After they acknowledged their orders he dismissed them and returned to his work.
"And that's enough thinking for now," a black-haired girl's voice interrupted him and he stopped. He did not think about it at all; it was natural to follow her orders.
"I had only intended to take all your money. And leave you to scramble to explain to Lung why it's gone. But now I need to leave you in place. So I can only take a little of the money," the girl sighed. "Just gotta make a few modifications. Nothing too important, I promise."
He kept staring into nothing while the girl pondered. Not caring for anything at all.
"Just text me, if you find the brothel girls or make actual plans about going after any of my team," she smiled. "Don't worry, you won't remember this. Or doing anything of what I ordered you to do."
With the boy and girl gone he returned to his work.
He lit himself a cigarette.
