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Post by LβEΜα΄Κα΄Ι΄Ι’α΄Κ on Apr 10, 2018 5:10:40 GMT -5
Al was due to come home soon, having just come off the phone in a conversation with him. He had sounded happy, all things considered, despite admitting that he had gotten quite a few new bruises and cuts. He didn't seem to mind them and after he had assured her many times over again that he was fine and had not sustained anything bad she decided that he wouldn't be able to hide it from her if he did anyways. So Seraphin took her time looking through the fridge to see what she could make without burning anything too badly so that Alphonse would still have a house to return to when he got home.
Eventually settling on some of the prepackaged chicken nuggets that she had developed a taste for, she decided that Alphonse wouldn't complain too much knowing that she just couldn't cook. Putting them out on a plate, she placed it into the microwave before grabbing the blue kettle on the stove and filling it with water before letting it boil. Maybe some tea would also be nice for him. He had been gone for an entire month on some very hush-hush mission and had promised he would give her the details when he arrived at home. It was somewhere safe to him and she knew his reluctance to disclose any details was from a place of paranoia and experience. She had seen him come home hurt and bloodied enough times to know the job he did wasn't simple and when he finally spared the details of the jobs to her many years ago, she had been determined to at least make his life easier. If all he wanted and needed was a safe place to come back home to to feel like he belonged, then she would do just that.
Hearing the microwave beep, she smiled as she took the plate of chicken nuggets out and placed it on the countertop before moving to along in her way to turn off the fire as the kettle started to wail. From where she stood, she could hear the familiar rumble of Alphonse's beloved car and knew he was going to be in soon. Just in time too. As she went to make the tea inside the quaint teapot Alphonse had bought for her awhile back, she saw a familiar pair of eyes peering at her from underneath the sofa.
Clicking her tongue for Leon to come out, he meowed loudly, running towards her legs and immediately rubbing his head into her. Smiling at the kitten, she picked him up and held him briefly before remembering that she had been making tea. Putting Leon back down despite his reluctant meow, she gently nudged the kitten on his way before grabbing a cup from the cabinet.
It slipped out of her grasp the moment she heard a muffled scream from where she stood and the cup shattered to the ground. It had taken Al too long to come to the door and with the scream, she found her heart beating fast. As she pulled the door open, she could make out two figures rushing off into the tree line, one clearly injured and being dragged along. She would have pursued if it wasn't for Al. God, Al.
Her husband was dying.
There was blood everywhere and it was coming out too fast for her to comprehend even as a sound escaped from Al as she moved to place her hand over his and help him staunch the bleeding. She was already calling for Camille as she reached into her pocket, hands shaking as she called for an ambulance. There was too much blood and his hand was slowly relaxing under her's as he reached out a blood soaked hand to touch her face. She hadn't even realized she was crying.
His voice, despite how soft and weak it sounded, was steadier than her insistent rambling that he would be okay. That he was fine. She remembered clearly exact words he had said to her that night with each word coming out in a struggle. "I'm sorry." Like somehow he was at fault for all of this. Like he had wanted this to happen. Like he had caused the cup to shatter to the ground and for the chicken nuggets to go cold. The way he said it was the same way he had said every apology to her ever and there was such gentleness in it that was wrong for a man who was bleeding this much.
He didn't seem to be very responsive after that and the paramedics placed an oxygen mask over his face the moment they arrived mere minutes after her call. Things went by in a haze of motion and as she sat in the ER waiting for some sort of news on his condition, she found her mind numb and carefully blank. There had been a dead man at the sight and it could pass off for self defense if they played their cards right. Al knew how to do that. But on the matter of who had attacked him...
She tightened her clasped hands, knuckles going white and a sharp jolt of pain travelling to her nerves. They would be back if they found out the job was unfinished. Unless she got to them first for what happened to Al. Staring at the white walls of the Emergency Room as she waited for some news of Al's condition, she set her mind on exactly what she had to do. She had killed before. Several times actually - all for Alphonse. It wasn't what he had wanted for her nor of her, but it was what she wanted to do for him.
Nurses went in and out but none of them could disclose a single thing to her and when the light in the ER finally turned off and the doctor came out, she found out what she had needed to know. Alphonse was alive. The doctor had said that she wasn't sure when he was going to come to. He had received some blunt force trauma to his head and he had lost a lot of blood and oxygen and had barely came in in the nick of time. She was gentle with Seraphin, directing to Alphonse's room where he laid as still as a corpse.
In a dreadful manner, the slack features of his face reminded her of the way she had found her mother all those years ago and realized everything she had been working to preserve was gone. Slowly approaching his bedside, she found whatever energy she had that had kept her functioning for the last few hours was gone as her hand brushed against the side of his bed before she sat down next to him. Leaning over his still form, she cried.
It had been awhile since she cried over Alphonse - and rarely was it something he had done. It was strange, but it seemed like she had shed more tears for things that had happened to him than over their arguments and disagreements. And now he was like this. To imagine he had been so happy in their call - to the point where she could hear his smile - it was unfair to see him like this. Cold and unmoving, stiff and not here. Not really. It was hard to accept that this was real and that this had happened to him. It always seemed to happen to him. She remembered the Alphonse she met in her youth. He had lost his innocence, but through every struggle he still tried to keep his smile and she tried so hard to protect it.
It was supposed to be okay.
She had only felt this furious several times in her life and she knew exactly what she had to do. After sitting with Alphonse for several hours - the sound of the HR monitor the only evidence that Al was still here with here - she made sure he was safe. Leaving him in the trustworthy care of Millie, she went outside to go through their mutual contacts.
They couldn't get their hands on him again. If this was what they did to him in front of their house then what they would do to him elsewhere scared her more than anything in the world. Phone call after phone call went into voicemail boxes with automated tones or personalized ones. None of them picked up. They were all busy or asleep was what she could only presume. It was early or late depending on where they lived and after making over a dozen phone calls just to get no response, she wanted to give up for the day and go back in with Al to check up on him again and never let him leave her sight.
This would be the last call she would make for the night.
Strangely enough, it was as if Xingfu knew. The call was answered immediately on the second ring and as she pressed the phone to her ear, she found that he sounded surprisingly awake and cheerful. "Hello!" His voice was quite happy. If only he did know. "Is something wrong?" There was something more alert in the way he said those words that made her think that he had been sleeping regardless of what he was leading her to believe.
Softly taking a deep breath, she steeled herself. "Xingfu, I need some help." She said the words as evenly as she could despite the fire burning deep inside of her and the pain in her chest. "Al's been hurt," she admitted swallowing thickly at the words. "The... the person who did this to him - they got away. There was two of them. I think they'll be back."
There was a moment of silence and she heard a sound on the other end that sounded like he had just sat up. "Hurt? Hurt how? What kind of help do you need?" The questions came in with so much concern, she felt like she had made the right decision after all.
"I... I don't know," she said, hesitant with her English. "The doctor said his head was hit pretty hard and he lost a lot of blood and he was stabbed in the lung." There was a sharp intake of air on Xingfu's side as if it was in sympathy or shock. She wasn't quite sure, but she would bet it on the fact that Xingfu knew what that felt like rather intimately. "I'm thinking of leaving him here with Camille. He's not safe until they're gone but... I don't know if I can deal with them on my own."
He didn't seem to hesitate as he answered immediately, words gentle and calming despite everything. "He's going to be okay. Nothing's going to happen to Alphonse, okay?" She could hear something that sounded like soft cussing from his side despite not knowing any Cantonese. It was the way he said it - the infliction - that reminded her of it. She wasn't sure though. "I can't come myself or I would - I have somethings I have to do, but I have a very good friend who will take care of you. She knows what she's doing and I will get her into contact with you, okay?"
He paused briefly before continuing, "I'll tell her about the details and once I send you her contact info, just set a time and place for her to meet with you. I'll cover the travel expenses, don't worry about it." He seemed to had said his fill. She supposed she would have to end the call sometime soon and go back in to check on Alphonse but it seemed like Xingfu recognized her reluctance to sit in silence with Alphonse's still form. "Do you want to talk about it? I'm up anyways and I won't be needed until a few hours from now."
So he had been sleeping after all. A sharp twinge of guilt twisted in her gut but she decided to take him up on the offer. She told him everything that happened in the safety and privacy of her car. He had been sympathetic and understanding of her pain. It had been as much kindness as she could ask for and Xingfu encouraged her, helped her find strength and hope in a dire situation that offered none.
It had been two hours later that they ended the call and he had sent her the contact info of his reliable associate by the name Yuen Xiaoli.
After sending Xiaoli her location of choice - a rather quiet hotel that Alphonse had taken her to before to get away from the familiarity of their house when it became too oppressing - and a date that was a day down the road so that she could make sure there would be no complications with Alphonse for the next twenty four hours, she found herself spending most of her time worrying and tearing herself into pieces over Alphonse's safety and wellbeing.
In the end, she settled to praying for him to get better. Though she knew fairly well he didn't believe in God, she was certain she could pray enough for the two of them and all she wanted was for him to be okay.
When the day came, she had left Alphonse with Camille after hugging her son and telling him that she had to make sure that Al would be okay for sure, she headed to the hotel room that she had booked for the day. She wasn't sure how quickly the attackers would move or if they had moved at all, but she knew that they couldn't be found here if they stayed too long. Otherwise they would know that Al wasn't being watched over by anyone but Millie and she didn't want Millie to get hurt as well.
Worrying her hand as she waited for Xiaoli to arrive, she glanced up when she heard a knock at the door. Pulling it open, she smiled in relief as she finally put a face to the name. "I've never been quite as glad to see some as I am to see you," she said quietly, praying that Xiaoli knew english. She knew her own english wasn't good, but it got the job done at the very least. "Come in," she added as she stepped to a side to allow Xiaoli room to enter. "I think it's best we talk about the details and a salary in private."
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Post by Deleted on Apr 10, 2018 5:28:33 GMT -5
Sometimes, she was late to bed and late to rise. It was a normal thing; sometimes, she just didn't get up early. Today seemed to be one of those days - a day where she just wanted peace and quiet, a day where she wanted to be left alone. When Junjie gently touched her shoulder to wake her, she sleepily reached out to push him away. It was a gentle motion and he understood, murmuring something about taking care of the boys. Once the bed shifted and told her that he'd gone, she rolled over and tucked herself up in the blankets, nuzzling the pillow.
It had become more common in the past year or so. She hadn't thought she'd really cared about policework, but it had been something to do and while she hadn't cared that much about following the law, she'd liked helping people.
Now, she wasn't much more beyond being an extortionist. Xiaoli would be the first to state that she enjoyed the work she did; people knew to keep out of her way and those in the area she frequented knew to cough up or face the consequences. If there was a fight, so be it. It was fun. But she felt like she was less-trusted after the scandal, after the Hong Kong police had been investigated. It hadn't been a thorough investigation, and only two officers had been caught our; her, and some other man in her department.
He'd been found dead just days later, a knife to his throat. She knew to keep her head down and to not get on the bad side of anyone. Criminals, police - she didn't care. What she did know was that the Red Lotus had cleared it up after she'd asked, and she doubted that it put her in their good books anymore. She wondered, sometimes, if it was because of her connections to Gao. It wasn't a far stretch, really. Trust by association, which had proven to be more troublesome than it should've been.
She considered herself lucky to a degree - but that was just that. To a degree. It hadn't taken her too long to fall back into the rhythm of working, but this time she wasn't pretending to be a good cop to avoid conflict. There weren't arrests she could prevent or facades to hide behind; she couldn't play the part of a confident, crooked cop. Now, she was just Yuen Xiaoli; unsure of her own identity at this point, she wasn't really confident on what to do. She did fulfil her role well, for she had always had a knack for getting money and goods and information out of people - but she was uncertain as to where she went from here.
At some point, she must've dozed off again, surrounded by the soft sheets. When she half-opened her eyes again and looked at the clock on the beside table, it told her that it was eleven in the morning. The boys would be at school. A quiet sigh escaped her as she finally pushed herself up and got to her feet, considering the messy bed before she dismissed it and picked up some clothes to wear. Once that was done, she wandered to the shower. Down the stairs, she could hear the news on television. Though she wasn't sure what day it was, she supposed it was a day where he wasn't at the bakery. That was fine, then. She let her mind clear as she undressed and stepped under the too-hot water of the shower.
Xiaoli was fine with domestic from time to time, but there was something mind-numbing about it when it was a constant in her life. It was just going through the motions; drying herself after the shower, dressing, and drying her hair. She hadn't thought that she'd come to a day in her life where she'd consider if she was going to put her hair up or not (she decided against it for now), but here she was. Though she didn't particularly want to face the day, she headed downstairs regardless. The television was still on, but her husband wasn't in the living room - the sound of plates told her that he was in the kitchen, instead.
"Good morning," he greeted as she walked in and sat at the kitchen island. "Qingfeng had a temper-tantrum before we left, I'm surprised you didn't hear."
She rested her elbows on the kitchen counter and rested her chin in her head, watching him quietly. He set a plate of food in front of her before he set his own down and sat next to her, pausing briefly to kiss the top of her head. To her surprise, it made her feel a little less tense. She began to eat but didn't speak, one leg kicking back and forth absently.
"Gao needs you to see Sze before he opens his bar, he said you'd know why."
It took her a moment to process this, before she frowned up at Junjie. He glanced at her from the corner of his eye and raised his eyebrow, but shovelled food into his mouth like some sort of heathen. She rolled her eyes in response.
"I know why," she said, tone cold. He made a ooh sound, like some child seeing a childhood fight. "I'll go later and pick up the kids after I'm finished."
"So you can spend the time before then with me," he grinned at her and reached over to absently run a hand through her hair. "Ideal. Do you have anything else to do today, though?"
Xiaoli shook her head and finished her food. She waited until he'd finished his before she took both dishes and dumped them in the sink with the intent to be washed later - she didn't really feel like it, right now. Junjie stood up, too, though he didn't seem to realise that she was watching. He patted his pockets with a small frown, turned his head to the side. It took her a moment to realise that he didn't realise because he couldn't see her; he was facing her on his blind side, more focused in finding whatever he'd lost.
He wandered away to find it - she assumed he'd lost the keys - and so she walked into the living room and settled on the couch, barely dodging a stray piece of lego. Qingfeng seemed intent to kill her. Murderous child.
The day was, as expected, uneventful. Junjie found his keys and threw them at her (reflexes alone caused her to catch them), and then he settled next to her, partially-draping himself over her so that they could cuddle. Mild chatter went back and forth - nothing of use, just mindless observations or comments on whatever was on the television. Eventually, she looked at the clock and frowned. She had over an hour before the boys finished school, so she stood up and stretched her arms above her head.
"You gonna fight someone?" the lazy man on the couch asked, stretching out more. His legs hung over the arm of the chair and nearly touched the ground. "Come here. Let me braid your hair. Don't want it getting caught."
She huffed with amusement and sat cross-legged on the floor as he pulled himself up, a sort of slow sleepiness to him. No doubt that she'd find him napping when she came home.
Junjie braided her hair with his usual calming motions, humming to himself as he did so. Once he was done, he tapped her shoulder and gestured for her to stand up. Xiaoli did so and turned around to look at him, bringing the braid to fall over her shoulder.
"How do I look?" she asked, gaze following him as he stood up. He draped one arm lazily over her shoulder and leaned down to gently bump his nose against hers, a grin on his face.
"Beautiful and terrifying. Have fun, kick ass for me."
"Will do," she brought herself to her tip-toes to give him a quick kiss before she patted her pocket to ensure the keys were there. Once she was sure of that, she grinned at him and headed to the door.
"Be safe!" he called after her, just before she closed the door behind her.
The drive to Sze's bar wasn't a long one, but it was a relatively boring one. She parked a block away and walked the rest of the way. As expected, the door wasn't locked and so she let herself in. A few men were clustered around the main bar area, talking amongst themselves quietly. When the door clicked behind her, they turned to look at her. One of them paled.
"Yuen!" laughed Sze nervously, standing up and approaching her with open eyes. "As radiant as ever! How can I help you?"
Xiaoli tilted her head and assessed the men. They didn't look like they could fight, in their suits and ties - business partners, probably. Not a threat at the moment. She refocused her gaze on the man in front of her, raising a single eyebrow at him. She held out a hand and he flinched back as if he were expecting her to throw punches immediately.
"Brother Feng wants his money, Sze." her tone was cold, and this only made him look more unnerved. "You have kept him waiting for far too long. You know what measures we have to go to if you don't pay up, yeah?"
Sze looked behind him at his business partners and smiled nervously at them before he gestured for Xiaoli to follow him to a quieter area. She followed, if only to see if he was going to pay up. While he sat down, she remained standing, ready to intercept him if he decided to run. Instead, he rested his head in his hands and muttered something to himself, though she couldn't quite pick up what he was going on about. She didn't bother trying to speak again - she just waited.
"Are you going to kill me if I can't pay?" he asked in a quiet tone. Pathetic, she found herself thinking, and she snorted softly. She crossed her arms and turned her head to the side.
"With your track record? Sure. And we'll take over your bar. And whatever money you're hiding away." she shrugged. "Time's up. You have to pay."
"You should understand, you have a family!" the desperation was sickening. She raised an eyebrow at him. "You can't be heartless, Yuen."
"Maybe I am," she said, with another shrug. "Maybe I don't have a family. I really don't care. Are you going to pay?"
He seemed to realise that she wasn't going to let him, and he tugged at his thinning hair in some frustration. Then, he pinched the bridge of his nose and reached into his jacket, waited a moment before he pushed a red envelope towards her and slumped his shoulders in defeat. Xiaoli took it gingerly and opened it to check that everything was there, before she put it in her own pocket and smiled coolly at him.
"See? That was easy. If you keep up with payments, maybe Feng will give you protection again. See you around, Sze."
Without another word, the young woman tuned on her heel and walked away, nodding to the business men as she passed. They murmured amongst themselves in Mandarin, but she didn't dwell on it too much. She simply left and checked the time on her phone. It would take her half an hour to get to the school - so she'd be fine for time, really. Xiaoli headed back to her car and, on the way to the school, she stopped by to pick up a couple of snacks for the boys.
This, it seemed, proved to be a mistake. As she drove towards their home, the two of them squabbled in the back seat; mainly over who got which chocolate bar. She pinched the bridge of the nose and glanced to them from time to time in her rearview mirror, a frown on her face.
"How was school, Biao?" she asked, if only to get him to let up in the arguing. It seemed to work, as he accepted the chocolate he was left with. Qingfeng licked his immediately to prove it was his, before he began to eat as quickly as possible. There was going to be chocolate in the back seat. Junjie could deal with it.
"It was good," he replied softly - and began to talk about his day. It was relaxing and the younger boy was occupied, and so the car ride home was significantly more bearable. Even so; it was a relief when she parked the car and exited, walking around to Qingfeng's side to unstrap him and help him out. She kept a firm hold of his hand upon realising that he was staring at the street with wide eyes, and she gave the keys to Biao so he could go inside first. She picked up both their bags and followed, Qingfeng hopping behind her while making (what she assumed were) frog sounds.
While Junjie took over the care of the boys, Xiaoli headed to the kitchen so that she could call Gao. He would come over to pick up the payment and he was going to bring Chengxin with him - it didn't take her long to realise that they were going to be expecting dinner. She sighed softly and hung up without a farewell - and just as soon as she was going to move to do something productive, another call came through.
To receive a job from Xingfu (or, well, through Xingfu) was something of a relief, and hearing the details was...a surprise. She listened attentively, shooing Biao out of the room gently when she needed to. Though it would be away from home, it would be...a good break for her. She wanted to get out Hong Kong, would've settled for just getting out of this area in particular; but this was a good thing. A bodyguard job for a woman by the name of Seraphin Fournier. It seemed decent enough, so she'd settle for it.
There wasn't really time to tell Junjie yet, but she had no doubt that he'd support her and be fine with it. The evening progressed and Gao came to collect the money, Chengxin at his heel. The two stayed for dinner, and while Xiaoli took the boys to bed to read them a story, Junjie stayed downstairs to talk and to see the duo off. Once everything was calm and the boys were fast asleep, she headed back downstairs and found her husband sprawled out on the couch, taking up every area of space. She paused briefly by the coffee table to look at one of Qingfeng's latest drawings, before she felt a hand grab hers and pull her down on top of him. She squeaked softly but let herself fall, chin bumping against his chest.
"Looks like you just fell for me," he said with a grin, and she smacked his arm lightly. "How was your day?"
"Successful," she yawned widely and settled herself comfortably until she could see the television. She felt Junjie's fingers running through her hair, undoing the braid that he'd put into it earlier. "I got a call from Xingfu."
She felt him shift his weight before his arm settled on her back, and he lightly traced his fingers over her shirt. He hummed for her to continue.
"I took on a bodyguard job, but it's abroad," she turned her head to look at him, reaching one hand up to absently ruffle his hair. "I don't know how long it'll go on, though."
"Have fun with it," he laughed quietly. "But make sure to video call, otherwise Biao might kill me in cold blood."
Xiaoli smiled and shook her head, and agreed to these terms.
It felt like too soon for her to leave but she didn't mind it too much. Before she left, Junjie styled her hair again and it was with great amusement that she accepted it. It was like a pampering session; she kissed him goodbye and that was that - she wasn't sure when she'd see him or her boys in person again. A week or a few months or longer, she didn't know - and she was going in partially-blind, too. It was only trust for Xingfu and the bare basics basics that let her go with the flow. And the need to leave.
The quiet hotel seemed relatively pleasant when she arrived, but she wasn't here to take things in. Instead, she headed to the room that had been specified and knocked gently before she clasped her hands in front of her. Fournier was a French surname, right? Xiaoli was not a brilliant linguist, so she hoped that English would be fine. Her gaze flicked up as the door was answered and she smiled faintly at the woman, only a little smaller than herself, who opened the door.
"A pleasant change for me," she mused softly. She had grown used to people fearing her arrival. It was rare that people appreciated her appearance. Dipping her head, she entered the room and took a moment to glance around before she refocused her attention on the other woman. Her polite smile remained on, and an eyebrow raised. "You don't need to worry about salary. Brother Xingfu has already sorted that; all I need to know are further details."
Already, there was a vague sense of homesickness from her boys - but she pushed it down and focused her attention on the job ahead of her. It had been a long time since she'd worked abroad, but hey; here was hoping that everything would work out. It was a relief for Fournier to speak English, too - Xiaoli's own was good, though heavily accented. She hoped it wasn't a bother for the woman.
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