*Tap, tap, tap tap.*

  The four of us stared ahead as the woman tapped her fingers oable.

  I felt the awkwardness of the situation, and tried my best to make the atmosphere a bit less tense, but I had no idea where to start.

  Stel and I had moved to the other side of the booth with Ichigo and Albert. I'd taken over Bck Star's pce at the table as we watched the se unfolding in front of us. Bck Star, or Enrico, or Henry, was seated in front of us, nursing a bruised cheek, as he sat across the table o a stern looking, 30-something woman with curly bck hair, who was quietly sipping tea.

  Her aura had calmed down, and I was able to get a read on her now that I wasn't freaking out. Her aura was a calm, tranquil blue with a simmering red and pink underh. She was clearly very, very angry, a had the air of someone who had seen some serious shit.

  And of course, I'd met her during the apocalypse at Refuge Zeta.

  Right before Red Masque gave the order to kill or capture me.

  "Mmrgggh. Pass the soy sauce, please?" Iurmured with her mouth full, pointing at the bottle o me. She looked at me with an expression of curiosity and .

  I slid the bottle across to her and g Albert, who was smiling sheepishly at the woman.

  "Um. Hello there," I said with a nervous smile. "Good to see you again, Arsenal."

  I was still transformed, but I'd recreated my normal appearance.

  The woman gave me a cold stare, her eyes narrowing, and she pursed her lips.

  "Why am I not surprised that when things go to shit tonight, you three are involved?" she said with a sarcastic drawl, lookiween Albert, Bck Star, and me. "Especially you, pendejo."

  Bck Star flushed and scratched the back of his head nervously. "Well, you see..."

  He trailed off, his gaze dartiween her and me.

  "You. Do not speak. Boy." she snapped, gring at him, before looking back at me.

  She gred, and then her face softened as she turo look at Ichigo, who looked like she was gonna choke on her sushi if she took another bite.

  "Look. I don't have to know where you stashed the Matsudaira girl and who the magical girls that put my muscle on the shitter for the st hour. And I am fairly certain it was you lot and the little shit here who got the her out," she tiurning to face me. "You did well in saving my stupid little Enrico here back a Refuge Zeta. You are not my enemy, and family is family."

  Her face suddenly hardened.

  "But we do have a problem," she said, pointing her fingers at me, and then Bck Star. "And it is a problem I ot let stand. The schism of the Crimson Order is tearing this city apart. And you two, whether you wao or not, pyed a role in that."

  Bck Star winced, and looked away.

  "Yeah. I know, Tia," he sighed.

  "She's your aunt?" Albert asked, looking at him.

  Bck Star nodded. "Yeah, uh, teically we're cousins, but we're more like siblings, really."

  "Valentina Ruez, though people know me better as Arsenal," she smiled, and shook Albert's hand.

  "Er, good to finally talk to you when we're not running from oversized monsters I guess," Albert smiled, awkwardly.

  "It is. Though, if I may be ho," she said, "if you were not sitting here with my dumbass little dipshit here, I would probably be kig your ass and twisting your nuts off for tonight."

  She gred at him for a long moment.

  "A smash and grab operation like that isn't Red Masque's style. What the heck is even going on with the Order?" Albert asked.

  "You are aware of the current situation, I take it?" she asked. "Gang leaders and newers scrambling to seize territory in Red Masque's absence. Myself included, unfortunately. I was hoping to get some support from my lil bro here and help get things back to normal as Red Masque's right hand woman while he keeps things from going to shit. Instead, what I got was a fug coup and a civil war as he eats sushi with a bunch of snot-nosed brats."

  I looked at her with wide eyes.

  "You guys are really trying to get him to take Red Masque's pce?" I asked.

  "Perhaps. And unfortunately, we do not have Red Masque's access to all his ats," she replied. "Which, to my knowledge, Enrico here does. Our systems were set up so that if 336 ho by and Red Masque does not access his systems, biometriership passes to Enrico."

  "Look. I don't want that kind of power!" Bck Star groaned. "That would mean dealing with the other vilins and their stupid bullshit. And way to blow my identity out of the water here!"

  He gred at the girl sittio him, who was busy eating a roll with her chopsticks.

  She raised an eyebrow and g him.

  Ichigo practically did a spit take.

  Bck Star raised a finger and opened his mouth, then closed it, his face red with anger and frustration, and turned away. "Ugh, fuck it."

  Valentina turo face us again, and crossed her arms. "As you see, the little ma is not very keen on being a leader."

  "Well, that's uandable," Stel interjected, looking at Bck Star. "It's not like he's really had the best of experiences with yanization."

  Valentina sighhed.

  "Like it or not, he does have a responsibility to the people here. Even if we are criminals, we do have a sense of pride and honor as Red Masque's men. He 't just run away from his responsibilities, especially not now when things have gotten so chaotic. I've been busting my ass to get everyoo calm the fuck down while we figure shit out. It's not easy to be the orying to hold this all together. He should be helping us, and instead, he's out pying around with you kids," she replied.

  She looked around, gring at eae of us.

  "I'm not asking for much," she tinued. "Just for him to e bad do what's expected of him as a man and a leader. I do all the heavy lifting. I just need everyoo rally around him and stop being pencil dicked, testosterone-fueled morons."

  She gred at Bck Star again. "I don't care if he stays here as with you idiots. But if he doesn't want the whole fug city to burn down in gang violehen he o step up and stop being a brat."

  "Is this seriously about money? Accessing Red Masque's personal ats?!" Bck Star asked.

  "Of course, dipshit. It is about money. Money for the people who depend on the Order for a paycheck, food oable, and medie. You think they get healthcare or worker bes from the fug state?! They rely on the anization's funds to get by. And without access to the vaults, a lot of the people w for us are hurting," she snapped.

  Bck Star's face fell, his expression one of guilt, and I couldn't help but feel bad for him.

  "Still. It's blood money. And you guys just tried to snatch a goddamned girl in the middle of the street. I'm sorry but yoing to have tive me if I don't just hand it over," he replied.

  "You know very well we expanded beyond drug money a decade ago," she replied, giving Bck Star an angry gre. "Real estate. stru. Opioids and amphetamines discarded and expao the manufacturing of diabetes medication, statins, and antibiotics. Legal services. Food banks. You know all of that."

  He frowned and looked at her, crossing his arms. "Yes. Yes I know."

  She looked down at her cup of tea.

  "eople who rely on the Order. If it colpses, there will be a power vacuum, and then it's only a matter of time before a rival gang anization moves in, or some upstart takes trol, and the city goes to shit," she expined, looking up at him.

  She put a hand on his shoulder.

  "You are not Red Masque, you 't do everything he could. But you help, Enrico," she said.

  She looked over to me and I winced before leaning bato her seat.

  "I mean, sure. You could just let the entire underworld colpse into a war, and thehe Magical Knights e to wipe out whatever is left, I guess they could help then," she shrugged.

  "That's not what I said!" Bck Star shouted, his voice raising in volume.

  "I am just saying," she said, her tone level and calm, "you don't want to be a leader. You don't want to step up, take responsibility, and do the right thing, that's okay! Yet you are happy to use your little trust fund to eat sushi, but don't want to help those who are less fortuhan you. Fine. But don't expect us not to look at you with rese and disgust when we are struggling."

  "I didn't mean it like that," Bck Star said, rubbing his temples.

  "Well, that's what you're doing. That's how you are ing across to me, and the rest of the men and women who raised you and are dying because you won't help us," Valentina snapped back. "If you don't want to lead, fine. Let someone else step in, but you are not doing right by the people of this city by keeping Red Masque's secrets to yourself."

  Bck Star was silent, his head hanging in shame.

  "Look," she tinued, her voice softening slightly, "you do whatever you want ter, Enrico. I just ask that you do the right thing, ahe city in whatever way you . I'm not asking you to sign over everything to me and for me to take over the family business. I'm asking you to give the men and women who are out there fighting for scraps something to keep them from falling apart. We need something right now. We need you to help us, to give us hope that things won't fall apart. Without you, the whole city falls to pieces, and there is going to be nothing but violend destru. You are the heir of Red Masque, you have a duty to this city to do something, if you don't step up and do the right thing, no one will. Do you really want that on your sce?"

  Bck Star sat there in silence for a moment, his face torted in thought. Then he spoke.

  "What about the Magical Knights?" he asked. "You 't tell me they don't have some sort of pn to deal with the situation here. They have to be pnning to do something about the chaos iy."

  "They, above all others, lost more people iaclysm than any other fa. The only ones who suffered greater casualties were the Heroes Guild," she replied.

  She looked around at us, a serious expression on her face.

  "You guys are all kids. What, fifteen, sixteeeen years old? I know that I 't ask you guys to do too much. But if I could give you just a bit of advice, it would be this - be careful out there. This whole city is on the edge, and it won't be long until something goes down. Be ready to act, be ready to do whatever it takes to keep this pce from going to hell, because o does, there won't be much that save it. And that includes the Magical Knights."

  She sighed, shaking her head. "I don't mean to be an armist, but I don't think the situation get any worse. And I am not even going to talk about what happens if another of the Fourteen show their ugly mugs in town."

  "The Fourteen?" Ichigo asked, raising an eyebrow. "Who the hell are they?"

  "Ah. It's just a name given to the fourteen most wanted and dangerous supervilins in the world," Stel replied.

  Albert nodded. "Yeah, they're a really big deal. Red Masque's presence was a deterrence from the more psychoties ing in to do whatever. I guessed that the knights moved Tesserad Emberline down here strategically."

  "Yup," Valentina said, nodding in agreement. "But our intelligence posits it is more defensive p to keep the academic district safe rather than an offense against the underworld. They're a bit shorthanded right now."

  "And they have to protect their base," Albert said. "So the rest of the city is a bit fucked."

  "Yup."

  The two looked at each other, then back at Bck Star, who looked like he was about to cry. He took a deep breath, and looked back up, meeting Valentina's eyes. She held his gaze for a moment, before nodding. Then he spoke again. "So I don't really have a choice here, do I?"

  "No," Valentina said firmly. "No you do not."

  "Alright. Alright," he said. "Fine."

  She looked at him and smiled, and patted his shoulder.

  "But I do have some ditions."

  She raised her eyebrows.

  "Such as?"

  Bck Star looked at us and then back to his aunt. He took a deep breath, and spoke.

  "I want you to promise that no matter what happens, we will finish transitioning out of our current business. The people who work for the Crimson Order will be provided for. I don't want any more drug dealing, or human traffig, or any of that shit. No matter how much we try to justify it with good works, that's the shit Red Masque was doing, and that is not a legacy I want to tinue."

  She raised her eyebrows.

  "Arms sales and prostitution are gest sources of ine."

  He sighed.

  "I know. And there are things like prostitution I'm not so ive on if it's voluntary," he said, running his hand through his hair. "But since everyone's balkahat means the different businesses and supply s have been carved up, and it'll be easier to start shifting them over to a new paradigm, right? I help. And you too. And if you wao take charge, that means you will have to accept some of my decisions."

  She nodded. "That's true, but the moill o e in somehow. We 't just turap off and expect things to be fi will take time."

  "That's why I'm asking for your help," Bck Star said, his eyes narrowing. "We start with a couple of things. Start shifting the focus from the bad stuff, and start shifting towards more legitimate enterprises. I do a lot, I know I . I just need you to help me, to support me. I'm only sixteen, and I know nothing about this business. I'm going to need your help. So let's start small. Let's start by shifting some resources towards things that don't involve killing people. Things like struedical research, immigration wyers. Stuff we've already been doing, but more. Things like that."

  Valentina smiled, and put her hand on his shoulder, squeezily as he furrowed his brows.

  "I imagine Voltage ran off with the sex trade and drugs, and you were stuck with the real estate and ons manufacturing?" he asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

  "He always had his hands on that shit. Especially the drugs, that fug coke fiend."

  "Then it should be easy to transition out, shouldn't it?" he smiled.

  "You need moo keep the men happy," she replied. "And our tenants are all hurting on cash. If you want the men and women in the anization to follow you, you will o pay their dues. And you have to make a show of power. Especially with all these rival gangs moving in on your territory."

  "I don't know how to do that," he replied.

  Valentina shrugged.

  "Look. Just be willing to do what it takes. Violence has a certain nguage that the men speak, and right now you o make sure you speak that nguage loud and clear."

  Bck Star shook his head and looked at our side.

  "I just. I'm just so sid tired of this shit. The killing, the fighting, the death, the drugs, all of it. I want out. I want to be free of all this, I want to be my own person."

  "That's why I said to let me do the heavy lifting. I will help you," Valentina said. "You be the man you want to be, and I'll be the person that makes that possible."

  Bck Star sighed.

  "I'll ime to think about all this," he said. "This is a lot of shit you're throwing on my p. Look, I promise I won't run away ft out, and I'll even help you unlock the funds you need. Just keep me out of public eye."

  Valentina smirked and ruffled his hair. "Good boy."

  I shared a gh Albert. Bck Star seemed flicted, and I wasn't sure how I felt about all of this.

  Ichigo chewed loudly on the food oe, her cheeks puffed out from all the rice she had shoved into her mouth.

  "Mmph?" she asked, her eyes dartiween Bck Star and Valentina.

  "I agree with him, Valentina," Albert said. "All this talk of murder and killing isn't really helping the situation."

  Valentina snorted. "Boy, I know you aren't one of us. I tell from your aura. You have a good heart. You are a hero in the making, I tell. You are all heroes in the making."

  I winced and looked away.

  "But know this. Crime will always exist. There will never be a time where the w isn't here will always be people who will try to take advantage of those who are weaker, who will do anything to gain power, and there will always be those who will stand up to fight them. If crime exists, better it be quiet and anized, rather than a disanized, chaotic mess that will harm the poor and downtrodden. All of the people that I represent are criminals. We all know that we aren't saints. But Red Masque had rules, aried to minimize colteral damage as much as possible."

  The four of us were quiet, processing her words. Albert spoke first.

  "What do you mean?" he asked. "Are you saying that crime is iable, so you're just trying to ma?"

  "Yes. That is exactly what I mean," Valentina replied. "Crime will exist, whether we like it or not. It's aability. The only question is what kind of crime we tolerate and what kind we don't. And the ao that is that we want the kind that causes the least harm possible. Red Masque uood that, which was why he ran the Order the way he did."

  "I don't uand how you justify what the Crimson Order does. You guys deal in drugs, ons, loan sharking, all sorts of terrible things. And you say that it's better because you guys trol it, and that it's less harmful?" Albert said.

  "It is less harmful, because it is managed," Valentina said. "We leave profit oable to avoid destroying our ts."

  "By your own logic," Albert tinued, "the only reason you are better thaher criminal anizations is because you're more powerful than they are, and write the rules. If they were as strong as you were, wouldn't they be able to do the same thing?"

  "In a sense, yes," she said simply. "That is hoorks, and why the hand that holds power should be steady like Red Masque's was. But I know you guys are heroes in the making, and I am n to vince you otherwise. But this is the truth of the matter - we live in the world as it is, not as we wish it to be."

  "I still don't think you're right," Albert said.

  "And I'm not going to vince you otherwise," she said with a smirk. "Keep your idealism. It is what makes you strong."

  Albert and Stel looked at each other. I could feel their uainty and disfort.

  I was quiet. I didn't want to say anything that might offend the woman in front of us.

  Valentina turo me and Ichigo. "I am sorry to burden you kids with this."

  She looked back at Albert, and then to Stel.

  "But this is the reality of our world, and I think you o uand it."

  Stel nodded and looked back to the others, and I did the same. I could see their disfort in the air.

  "Now, enough with the heavy talk. You kids eat, I've gotta go take care of some things," Valentina said. "Enjoy the meal and the appetizer, courtesy of me."

  With that, she turo Bck Star.

  "You and I are going to have a little chat about you ditg us earlier, boy. I'm going t Bckwood and Lysander in too, and we are going to get some things sorted out," she said, pig up her sandal on by the entrand tapping her hand with it.

  Bck Star sighed and nodded, ging away from the overly engineered on.

  "Yes ma'am."

  Valentina gave me o look, and then got up and walked away. Her aura was calm, but there was still a simmering anger beh the surface. I couldn't tell what she was feeling, but it made me feel a little unfortable.

  Ichigo, still stuffing her mouth full of food, watched her leave with narrowed eyes befng at the others, and then back at her pte. She looked at the sushi, and then she finally sighed.

  "Ugh, fuck," Ichigo said. "I thought she'd never leave. What the fuck, Sienna. No offeo Stel here, but meeting Matsudaira was a big enough shoow a bigshot supervilin has your phone number and is a regur tact? What's . Osmium Titan is gonna show up for a house call?"

  Stel and Albert both winced and gave each other awkward looks.

  I shrugged and sighed.

  "It's a long story, okay?" I replied. "Just an unlucky week."

  "Ugh. Try an unlucky," Ichigo groaned. "But, at least I don't feel bad anymore for beating up a few of her guys."

  She sighed, and took another bite of the food, before chewing thoughtfully, and swallowing.

  "You know," she tinued. "I wonder if this pce serves uni...?"