"Aye, Johnny, you coming?" Marino called from outside, his voice pulling Johnny out of the barracks toward the three waiting Stout Scarab's which were the shuttle vans of this time.
"Don't you know chauffeurs aren't supposed to talk unless spoken to?" Johnny joked, smirking as Marino rolled his eyes and reached to manually roll the window up.
"I apologize, Boss." Marino scoffed with a light hearted tone, catching Johnny's eye just as he turned away toward the van.
Heading toward their assigned duties, Louis broke off from Benny and walked with some other mutant kids in a different direction.
Benny, meanwhile, stayed close to Jeremiah, one of the warlock kids who had joined the organization a little later.
Marino, Ricky's former driver turned shuttle runner, rolled the window down just as quickly as he had rolled it up, addressing the kids gathered to guard Agatha's litter.
"Hurry the f*ck up! I'm not about to get stuck in traffic because of you runts!" Marino honked the horn repeatedly, impatient after waiting over twenty minutes for the likes of runners.
The kids who were riding in his van quickened their pace as Paolo and David got into Marino's van.
Benny got into one driven by another made-man, settling by a window seat that looked out towards Louis.
Jeremiah, the self-proclaimed head of the coven kids, sat next to him and started talking about something only to be promptly ignored.
Still standing on the sidewalk, Louis waved to him as Benny looked at him for a moment and then finally waved back.
"Hurry up." Johnny said in a low, deadpan voice as Louis lowered his head, nodding and walking over to the side.
Benny saw this obvious disdain on Johnny's face but turned forward because it wasn't his problem as the shuttle drove off.
"I still can't believe Madam Raven personally requested you." Johnny muttered, his voice low and scowling as he nudged Louis forward as the other runners noticed but stayed silent.
Obviously, Louis was under Johnny's close supervision almost all the time, but it was from a personal request that they both ended up being assigned to Raven's house.
Most of the mutant kids were kept under Johnny's watchful eye, while others were spread out among different groups to avoid raising suspicion, though they were still closely monitored.
Hopping into the driver's seat, Johnny adjusted the mirror to look at Louis before he started driving towards a high-end residential neighborhood, a dwelling that would likely remain out of reach for most of them and their families throughout their entire lives.
Flashing his pass, Johnny had the gates swing wide open only to unveil that each house had its own gate, blocked by plants with each property almost akin to their own island.
After a while, Johnny slowly rolled the vehicle toward one of the largest houses on the block.
"Aye, if it ain't the youngest capo himself." One of the gate guards joked, busting Johnny's balls as they both laughed.
"Hey Vinchenzo, how you doing?" Johnny asked, leaning on the window as Vinchenzo sighed while holding his forehead.
"F*cking tired, that's how I'm doing, I mean, my kid just won't stop crying." Vinchenzo lamented, the bags under his eyes an indicator of the sleepless nights his newborn is given him.
"Oh yeah-hey, how's Sonia, is she doing alright after the baby?" Johnny asked, reaching into his coat pocket.
"She's fine, the only thing is that she's all wired up and crazy sensitive." Vinchenzo said while gesturing towards the gate to open it for them.
"Cig?" Johnny offered, flipping open the box as Vinchenzo reached out instinctively, then froze, catching himself just in time and pulling his hand back.
SIGH
"I can't, this whole pregnancy thing got her acting like some sort of crazy bloodhound." Vinchenzo leaned back, rubbing his face as a deterrent not to indulge in the sweet taste of tobacco.
"Damn near beat me with a bat when she caught me smoking late at night in the basement." Vinchenzo heaved, making Johnny burst out laughing as he slapped the car door.
"So, you here for another round of picking?" Vinchenzo asked, trying to keep his mind off smoking as Johnny shrugged.
"Aye, gotta train them somehow, we all did it at one point," Johnny said casually, watching him nod back since when they first joined, they were pulling weeds at Lucky's house before ever doing gate duty.
"Ain't that the truth." Vinchezo sighed, rubbing his back as the gate creaked open, letting the van through.
The mutant kids were once again greeted by the sight of the luxurious mansion, one of those houses you only ever heard about in stories.
It was then that these kids with stars in their eyes slowly rolled up the winding driveway and parked beside a long row of expensive cars they could never hope to afford in their dreams.
"Everybody out," Johnny said, opening the car door as he rolled up his sleeves.
The hot sun bore down on them while he shrugged off his suit jacket and tossed it onto the seat behind him.
"Today, just like yesterday, we're hand-picking weeds," Johnny announced as the mutant kids lined up in front of him.
A chorus of groans followed, making Johnny frown as he looked them over, mutants and normies alike, all lumped into the same row.
"Aye, mafia life for bottom-of-the-barrel scum like y'all ain't glamorous, it's tough f*cking work," Johnny said, thumping his chest, lecturing them while trying to dial back the disdain in his tone.
It was then that one of the kids, a mutant, with his ears shaped like a bat's, raised his hand as Johnny glanced over at him and gave him a nod.
"But isn't this a promotion for what we did at the docks? I don't get why we have to go from picking weeds-"
"Did I stutter? I just told you why," Johnny snapped, his words hitting hard enough to make the mutant kid drop his hand instantly.
"I did this, my mentor did this, hell, even the guys outside the gate have done this exact fucking thing." Johnny insisted, pointing down at the ground as if they all belonged in this exact spot.
"None of you are special and yeah, some of you are mutants, but that don't mean you get to skip your way up the ladder like it's nothing," Johnny said, arms crossed as he looked them all over with a hard stare.
"You got no blood ties to the family, you're from a whole different organization or a whole different household and frankly, all you've earned so far is our respect." Johnny said, spreading it out so it applied not only to this bat-eared kid but all of the disgruntled runners faces.
"Now you gotta earn our trust, you gotta build connections, and then prove yourself until one day, you become made man." Johnny said, giving them hope only to push past them all and dash them just as fast.
"Until then, you're weed pickers."
Johnny's stride seemed to trample on the hopes of all these young and ambitious kids, walking towards the wide stretch of lawn, rolling up his sleeves, and leading by example.
"Um, boss, what about the skeletons-"
"Ignore them," Johnny said lightheartedly, casting his gaze downward and dismissing the skeleton standing awkwardly in the bushes since unless there was an enemy nearby, it just looked like a Halloween decoration.
"Now hurry up, the longer we take, the more days we'll be out here pulling weeds," Johnny called back, gesturing toward the field as the kids exchanged looks, uncertain, until Louis finally stepped forward.
They had no gloves or tools, just their bare hands scraping against the dirt.
There backs all crunched forward as Louis crouched down first, fingers digging into the soil as he pulled at the stubborn weed.
One by one, the others trudged behind him, their breaths heavy with complaint, dragging their feet across the field as they resigned themselves to a day spent as glorified groundskeepers.
Although they were at Raven's estate, carefully plucking weeds from the flowerbeds she'd once obsessed over, surrounded by runners handpicked at her request.
Raven herself was nowhere to be found.
The mansion stood tall and quiet, its mistress absent, as if the heart of the house had gone missing or better yet, on a shopping trip.
"Catapult, catapult!"
A fierce child's roar echoed through the dress shop as Sarah tumbled wildly, flinging herself from one spot to another under the guise of being a catapult.
"CATAPULT-" Sarah cried out, rushing to the side, only to collide with a nearby bookshelf laden with expensive ornaments.
Bam
"Ow~" Sarah stumbled backward, rubbing her forehead as her eyes widened as she looked up at a giant vase wobbling precariously before tipping over in her direction making the small girl freeze up like a deer in headlights.
However, without a moment's hesitation, Danielle lunged forward, worry etched on her face.
Danielle wrapped her small arms tightly around her ginger-haired sister, the small blond haired girl shielded her from the looming danger with her own body.
As the shadow loomed over both of them, Sarah froze, caught between it all as her eyes trembled fiercely under the falling vase.
"Woah, woah!" A man shouted in his thick Italian accent as he rushed over, catching the vase just before it could crash onto the boss's kids.
"That was a close one, phew~" The man chuckled, laughing heartily while tucking the vase under his armpit and looking down at the two girls.
It was then, as everything sank in, that Sarah's eyes suddenly softened, the glaze of fear melting away under the torrent of sadness.
Sniff
Sniff
Sarah's face flushed bright red, tears welling up as her tiny hands clutched tightly at the back of Danielle's yellow dress.
"It's okay~" Danielle whispered, her voice trembling since she was scared too, but the thought of Sarah getting hurt broke her heart more than the pain of any vase could inflict.
"I'M SORRY!" Sarah suddenly yelled loudly, turning her head towards the ceiling and howling out.
"N-No, it's ok-"
"I'M A BAD GIRL, I'M SORRY!" Sarah wailed, her outcry making the man flinch and from across the room, Irene and Raven sprang to their feet.
Having been talking with the dress shop owner moments before, they rushed over to find the unusual scene: a man standing over the two girls, clutching the vase.
"Sarah, what's wrong?" Irene asked gently, stepping toward Sarah, who sobbed uncontrollably in Danielle's arms.
Meanwhile, Raven took a different approach as she locked eyes with the man holding the vase and beckoned him over with a subtle curl of her finger.
"Franky, darling, why is my daughter and her sister crying?" Raven mused aloud, watching as Franky scratched the back of his head sheepishly.
This man, the one called Franky, was known as Frank Costello Jr., the eldest son of Frank and the elder brother of Eddy.
To everyone who asked, he had been studying abroad in Sicily before returning to join the family business.
But that was just an excuse since much like Ricky, he had left after Eddy died and only found the courage to come back and rejoin the Luciano family after hearing about the funeral Ricky held for his little brother.
"It ain't weird, I know it looks weird without the context, but I ain't made her cry, at least I don't think I did," Franky muttered, wondering why Sarah was crying as Raven took a step forward and tapped the vase.
"Franky, the vase, why are you holding it?" Raven asked politely, stepping closer and clicking her nail against it lightly.
"Oh, right, yeah, it-" Franky flinched, quickly explaining to Raven what had happened as she slowly nodded in understanding and felt a bit relieved.
"I'm sorry that I assumed otherwise, thank you for protecting them both, truly." Raven genuinely said, apologizing and expressing her gratitude to Franky.
"Oh, it was nothing." Franky boisterously laughed, the shop owner covering his mouth nervously as the vase he held under his armpit was a family heirloom.
"They're just kids doing kid stuff, we've all been there at one point!" Franky laughed harder, his chest swelling with pride at the recognition, as Raven tapped his shoulder before walking over to Danielle, who was waiting for her.
"Raven, I am so sorry-"
"Irene, relax," Raven smiled warmly, bending down as Danielle, who was clutching the ends of her yellow dress, waddled over and crawled into her arms.
The scared feeling melted away as Danielle felt the warmth, love, and sincerity in Raven's touch, holding onto her mother tightly.
"You did nothing wrong and don't have to apologize for children playing." Raven smiled, reaching over and gently pinching Sarah's sniffing chin as Irene watched her daughter.
"What were you thinking, Sarah? You could've gotten yourself and Danielle really hurt," Irene sighed, looking down at her furball of a daughter who sniffled.
"I'm sorry~" Sarah whined, resting her nose on Irene's dress and glancing over at Franky, who gave her a reassuring thumbs up.
"Mrs. Darkholme, I apologize for the placement of our shelves, this was entirely our mistake," the owner said quickly, rubbing his hands together and forcing a smile.
He'd gladly plant his head on the ground if it meant keeping a woman with pockets as deep as Raven's anchored here.
"Enough of the apologies, let's do what we came here for and shop," Raven chuckled, gesturing to the side as Irene smiled and followed her toward the back.
"Please don't put yourself in danger, Danielle, please," Raven whispered softly, trying to sound steady even though her heart was pounding and only Danielle could hear it and feel her worry.
"Yes, mommy," Danielle whispered back, her words giving Raven a small sense of relief as she walked over to the furniture where they had been sitting earlier.
An open bottle of juice sat calmly next to the half-empty glasses as Raven reached for it and quietly lamented at not being able to drink while pregnant.
Sigh
"I swear, I'm going to end up getting a leash for you." Irene lamented to Sarah, who chuckled before realizing she was supposed to be sad and quickly buried her head into her mother's shoulder.
"A leash, a dress, a car, a boat, it's all the same," Raven shrugged, reaching out towards the side as an attendant refilled her juice that was poured into a champagne glass before taking a sip.
Danielle shifted closer to sit next to Raven, holding her hand gently, not wanting to make the baby in her belly uncomfortable.
"Is it?" Irene genuinely asked, still feeling uneasy spending more than twenty, let alone hundreds of dollars on dresses.
Ever since that get-together where Raven first spotted her competition, she had already begun making her move, slowly sinking her claws into Irene.
It was hard to imagine that these women, all vying for one man's attention, would ever get along like sisters or come together in happy harmony.
In truth, people were selfish.
Raven was selfish.
And everyone could have their cup of tea with Ricky but they couldn't willingly drink it as they pleased.
However, when Raven went to size up the competition at Ricky's departure, her plan only solidified upon seeing all the figures starting to flock around him.
Agatha and Madame St. Clair were clear warnings.
Raven wasn't naive enough to think that, given Ricky's insatiable lust and inability to keep it in his pants, more notorious women wouldn't gather under his eye.
But no matter how much she wanted Ricky all to herself or even wished he'd change to be only with her, she knew deep down he never would.
The worst part was that it felt like her heart beat only for him, and the more time she spent near him, the stronger the pull to orbit solely around him became.
It was as if Raven was compensating, coping with the fact she couldn't have him all to herself by making sure she had everything for her children.
Of course, the others would get their respective slice, since Ricky would be furious if she undercut them all, but it wouldn't be the whole pie, only a slice.
Of her childrens pie.
"Irene, dear." Raven began, her voice smooth like aged velvet as her claws slowly started to seep into Irene.
"What do you think you are to the world to deserve your surroundings?" Raven asked a loaded question, her hand reaching out gently, finger curling around a strand of Irene's vivid orange hair, letting it fall between her fingers like silk.
Irene blinked, taken aback by the sudden philosophical question and pushed forward into a decision by Raven's touch.
"I-I don't know?" Irene replied honestly, confused by the direction of the conversation.
"Just take a guess," Raven said with a soft chuckle, releasing the lock of hair Ricky had likely toyed with himself more than once.
Her eyes sparkled as she shifted her attention to Danielle, absently caressing the younger girl's golden strands while the child looked at Raven's belly.
"A mother?" Irene said hesitantly, more a question than an answer as she glanced at Raven, searching her face to see if it was the correct one.
"Precisely."
Irene tilted her head at this confirmation, brows furrowed as her gaze flicked toward the rows of dresses they'd already bought.
But Raven stayed silent afterward, letting her words hang in the air as the moment thickened around them.
The stillness stretched until Irene couldn't stand it any longer, breaking the silence with a tentative breath.
"Raven, I don't mean to be rude, but what does being a mother have to do with buying out this dress shop?" Irene wondered, falling in line within the confines of the question that Raven had carefully worded just moments earlier.
"Would you humor me and answer another one of my questions before I answer yours?" Raven playfully said, taking another slow sip of her juice, unfazed at Irene stewing in her own anxiousness.
"Of course." Irene said as if it was obvious, smiling while Raven tilted her head to one shoulder.
"Let's say the world sees you as a mother, who do you see yourself as?" Raven's tone softened even more, redirecting her thought process towards another direction.
"I-" Irene's mouth opened, trying to answer but nothing really seemed to come out.
"It's okay," Raven said, watching her closely while swirling the juice in her glass.
"Take your time."
Unlike before, when she'd answered quickly, Irene now fell silent as the question really sat in her chest like weight, more personal than anything so far.
But that was the whole reason Raven had said this in the first place.
Because Raven knew full well, one word is never enough to describe who you are, not really.
Even so, Raven didn't press further, she simply sat back, swirling her glass, letting the silence stretch just enough to make Irene feel it, not as pressure, but as space.
Danielle rested her head lightly against Raven's thigh, lulled into a state of relaxation by the quiet ambiance of the boutique and the woman's calming touch.
Raven continued stroking her hair as if it were second nature, her fingers lightly trailing down the silky, blond hair of hers as the girl slowly descended into a quiet nap.
Irene, meanwhile, stared at her reflection in one of the shop mirrors as the racks of silk, lace, and velvet behind her blurred into colors she couldn't focus on.
When she looked at herself, she didn't see or couldn't look inward and simply looked at her outward reflection.
She saw the orange of her hair, the fair of her skin, the slight tiredness under her eyes and she realized she didn't know the answer to the woman staring back at her.
Who was she?
"I don't know." Irene's eyes lightly dropped, breaking under the weight of herself.
"Irene, I'm glad we became friends, honestly." Raven laughed lightly, taking another sip afterwards as her full attention was now placed on her.
"Because it is my joy to tell you that you're someone who holds power in this city," Raven said, pointing her glass toward Irene, the rim stained with the deep imprint of her lipstick.
"M-Me?" Irene asked, trying not to laugh at the statement but Raven simply shrugged.
"Of course." Raven said, having an exact idea about how she wanted to frame the following conversation.
"Although you yourself do not know who you are, the world sees you as a mother just like they see me." Raven related to Irene on a deeper level, showing that they were so similar rather than from how different they really were.
"The difference between us and the women out there on the street, well, look around." Raven lifted her hand slightly, her fingers adorned with subtle, tasteful rings, gesturing toward the boutique's grand interior.
Irene followed the motion, her eyes tracing over the racks of imported dresses, the soft lighting that turned fabric into velvet water, and finally to the quiet presence of Italian mobsters idling nearby, pretending to browse or check their watches while clearly waiting on them.
"That woman there, do you see her?" Raven said, her voice low and calm as she tapped the glass subtly with a fingernail, catching Irene's attention.
Irene followed her gaze to the street, to a well-dressed woman adjusting the cloth canopy of a sleek baby stroller.
"In a time where we're faced with recession, where the economy is only just beginning to show faint pulses of life," Raven continued, putting the entire focus on that random woman outside.
"She's living lavishly with polished shoes, silk blouse and that stroller alone costs more than most families make in a month." Raven then pressed forward, pushing the conversation even deeper onto an already mentioned subject.
"She presents herself as someone well-established, respectable, and flaunts the things she wears so that maybe she can even be admired." Raven murmured, eyes narrowing ever so slightly only to take another measured sip, voice growing firmer.
"And yet, she's out there." Raven said with a light sigh, watching her cross the street like everyone else.
"On the street, walking shoulder to shoulder with everyone else, vulnerable to whatever the world decides to throw her way." Raven leaned back, gaze cutting sharply through the window.
"What separates us is those sheets of glass, right?" Raven somewhat asked, turning back to Irene who was still trying to comprehend it all.
"Yet, take away the glass, and we are surrounded by made men of the Luciano family." Raven said, wrapping Danielle's golden locks around her finger while turning her gaze back at the woman.
"We are the same, we are mothers, and yet, we are protected without the sheet of glass." Raven said harmoniously, her voice calm but heavy with layered meaning. She finally turned her gaze back to Irene, her eyes deep with conviction.
"Not because our children's father is some decent banker with a weekend home, but because he's the boss of the Luciano family." Raven said, letting the cold hard truth hang in the air before pressing forward.
"It comes with its own risks but at that very same time, the same rewards." Raven leaned in just slightly, her voice soft but unwavering.
"You, Irene, are the mother of a child that has Ricky Luciano's blood flowing through her." Raven said, eyeing Sarah nested within Irene's arms.
"You are far more valuable than that woman pushing an expensive stroller to compensate for the fact that she doesn't have a group of made men escorting her." Raven revealed, smiling at her sweetly before setting the glass down.
"That's what you are, that's your power." Raven leaned back, her voice cool yet charged with purpose.
"So why not use it a little?" Raven asked, tipping the champagne glass toward Irene with a faint, knowing smile.
Irene looked down at Sarah, now fast asleep in her arms, her soft breaths rising, lashes resting against her cheeks.
The innocence of her daughter, nestled so quietly, contrasted sharply with the storm of reality Raven had laid bare.
"I don't know Raven, I'm not that kinda girl." Irene smiled sadly, knowing that she would probably never adjust to this way of life no matter how much Raven tried to comfort her.
"I'm just happy that Ricky even acknowledged Sarah let alone move me into that big house." Irene spoke from her heart, thankful she wasn't tossed away and given a safe place to raise Sarah.
"I just want Sarah to be happy." Irene said without any hint of hesitation, wanting to give Sarah a life filled with pure, unbridled happiness.
"Me too." Raven smiled, caressing Daneille's hair as she fiddled with her doll.
"But we deserve happiness as well."
"And although they say money can't buy happiness, well, those who said that have never had enough of it." Raven joked, earning a laugh from Irene, who playfully waved her hand.
"Oh, Raven, you're horrible~" Irene covered her mouth, finding Raven's nature so fulfilling.
"What?" Raven grinned, raising her brows and leaning forward.
"Are you seriously telling me that the people living in shacks are somehow happier than me and my family, when I get to have all the same love, all the same chaos, except I'm doing it draped in diamonds and sipping juice out of a champagne glass?" Raven asked with genuine curiosity, leaning back as Irene shook her head at the woman who, against all odds, was slowly becoming her only real friend.
"I think not." Raven said with a finality, holding up her hands in a polite motion.
Clap
Clap
"Now, let's use our baby daddy's money for a change." Raven chuckled, her crisp claps echoing through the boutique like a signal.
Within seconds, the attendants swarmed over like well-trained hounds, the dress shop owner leading the pack with a grin stretched too wide.
"Bring it all out." Raven said, winking at Irene in the process but before Mr. Davenport could leave, her hands gripped his shirt.
"Yes mistress Raven-"
"And when I say all Mr. Davenport, I mean ALL." Raven emphasized, her tone dripping with playful authority.
The sharp glint in her eyes made it clear as she wanted to see every piece he had in stock, even his undershirt if it came down to it.
"R-Right away!"
Then, much to Ricky's wallet's chagrin, Raven and Irene indulged themselves with laughter and champagne as dress after dress was purchased to Mr. Davenport's utter delight.
So much so, in fact, that on the drive back, the trunk door had to be propped open to accommodate the mountain of bags, the car crawling into the long driveway under the weight of luxury.
The runners paused from pulling weeds, glancing up as Raven and Irene stepped out, the afternoon breeze nearly sweeping away their wide-brimmed hats.
Irene watched in awe as the made men hurried to unload the dresses, their arms full of silk and designer tags, their silence only broken by the soft rustle of fabric.
"Raven, this is too much-" Irene said suddenly, her voice barely above a whisper as an anxious weight settled on her chest at the sheer amount of dresses.
Raven cut in with a soft laugh, waving off the thought as though it were a leaf in the wind.
"Nonsense, this is merely a drop in the bucket." Raven replied breezily, stepping out of the car with the grace of someone born to wealth.
"Vroooooooooooom~" Sarah cried out, arms stretched wide as she launched out of the car like a fighter jet, zigzagging through the air on invisible wings.
However, no flight is without obstacles as the redheaded furball veered sharply toward the grass fields, weaving wildly between the runners diligently bent over picking weeds, their focused concentration interrupted by her unpredictable course.
"C-Careful, Sarah, t-they're working," Danielle whispered, her small hand trembling as she pointed nervously toward the runners along with Johnny methodically plucking weeds from the garden beds.
As Sarah turned to head back to her sister, her flight path was suddenly blocked by a runner hunched over.
He leapt aside just in time, clearing the way for Danielle's full view of her little sister.
The moment their eyes met, the roaring engine in Sarah's throat abruptly cut out as her body snapped upright, stiff and straight like a soldier receiving orders.
"Aye, aye, Captain!" Sarah shouted, throwing a dramatic salute as her tousled orange hair danced in the breeze, the wild streak of her play now tempered with just enough seriousness to make Danielle giggle behind her hand.
"Sorry." Danielle apologized softly to the nearest runner, who had to lunge out of the way just in time to avoid Sarah's wild flight path.
The boy ducked his head slightly, and as she looked down at him, it was revealed to be Louis.
"Oh, no, you don't have to apologize," Louis chuckled warmly, flashing a smile and rubbing the back of his neck.
Raven caught the exchange from the corner of her eye and gave Louis a subtle side-eye before turning fully toward him.
"Sarah, don't interrupt them, please~" Irene said softly, moving quickly to scoop up her daughter before she could cause more disruption while thinking she was bothering Raven.
"I want cake!" Sarah protested loudly, her small fists pounding gently against Irene's shoulder.
Irene sighed, casting a glance toward Raven, who continued forward without breaking stride.
Raven's shadow stretched long and dark over Louis, who stood frozen, beads of sweat beginning to gather on his brow as he shakily picked weeds.
"Later," Irene whispered to Sarah, her eyes flickering between the two as she watched the silent tension build.
Drip
It was as if Raven was deliberately weaving an awkward silence, her fingers gently tracing circles over her very stomach that seemed ready to pop as her gaze settled thoughtfully on the mutant, a disruptive force stirring ripples through this tightly knit Italian-American community.
Raven knew exactly who Louis was and just as well, the role he played on the docks.
But more than that, she understood his X-gene, sensing a raw potential that far exceeded what the family had ever bothered to recognize or nurture.
"You're Louis, right?" Raven asked, tilting her head slightly as Louis opened his mouth to reply but his eyes darted to Johnny, who stiffened at the unexpected confrontation.
"Right?"
At that moment, Louis felt a sudden jab, a finger gently prodding the cheek that had turned away from Raven, before his face was softly turned back toward her.
Gulp
Louis could only gulp, his eyes locked on Raven as the soft, golden glow of the afternoon sun seemed to halo around her already radiant, pregnant form.
"Yes?" Louis managed, his voice barely above a whisper, caught off guard and struggling to find the courage to say more.
"I've heard a lot about you and I'm glad I can finally put a face to the name." Raven chuckled softly, her voice gentle yet carrying an unmistakable edge of curiosity.
"R-Really?" Louis asked, his eyes mesmerized as Raven smiled and slowly crouched down to his hunchback level.
"Of course. All I hear these days are stories from the docks about how two crazy kids bought enough time for my Ricky to come and save the day." Raven's words hit Louis like cold water, the reality settling in as he remembered this was one of Ricky's women, a fact made unmistakable by the very pregnant curve of her stomach.
"It made me smile though, when I heard that one of those kids was a mutant," Raven said softly, her voice low and warm as she started drawing circles in the grass before Louis.
The other mutants couldn't tear their eyes away from her, captivated by the gentle strength woven into her words.
"When I was your age, all I ever heard about were devils, demons, and horrid creatures masked in human skin but in reality, they, or should I say, we, were simply mutants, humans like any other." Raven spoke, turning her yellow eyes back up at the still blushing Louis before reaching out and scraping some dirt off his cheek.
"It makes me smile hearing how mutants are making a difference." Raven's words made Louis's face flush bright red as she slowly stood up and walked away, giving him a small wave.
"If you ever need anything, drop by the foundation and that goes for every one of you!" Raven said joyfully, her gaze sweeping over the other kids, who flinched slightly but smiled and blushed in response.
"Woah~" The bat-eared kid sighed with a fond smile, tilting his head as he watched Raven's departing figure.
But the warmth of that moment was quickly swallowed by a looming shadow.
But unlike Louis, who was blessed with Raven's gentle vistage, this kid's moment was shattered by the looming confrontation with Johnny as he paled upon turning around.
"GET BACK TO WORK!"
Meanwhile at Alina's house,
Paolo and David were just arriving only to not be greeted by Alina, but to see Moxie waiting on the front porch as David scowled.
"This little-"
Smack
"Don't you dare cuss out the boss's kid," Paolo warned, smacking the back of David's head. David frowned but wisely kept his mouth shut.
"Geez, that kid's turning into a greedy little goblin," Marino muttered, eyes fixed on Moxie's smile growing wider with every inch the shuttle crept closer.
SIGH
A loud, uniform sigh rose from the runners, each one knowing exactly what was coming as Moxie approached them while the shuttle rolled to a stop.
"Paolo I-I don't think my wallet can take it-Paolo?" David looked down at his wallet, shedding tears only to gaze up at Paolo already exiting the bus.
Standing in front of Moxie, Paolo reached into his pocket and dropped a single nickel into the kid's outstretched hand while Moxie's eyes gleamed greedily as he stared at the silver coin.
To put it in perspective, this was no small amount since minimum wage at the time was about 25 cents an hour, which was exactly what the runners earned.
Though Paolo didn't want to fork over his money willingly, he found it easier to be the first to cough up some change to Moxie, especially since the kid never asked for more than a dime from whoever paid first.
Strangely, Moxie had an uncanny business sense; he never pushed those who were quick to give, choosing instead to focus his pestering elsewhere.
Only those resistant to handing over what Moxie claimed as his caught his full attention, which was why his eyes locked onto David who was crying through the window of the shuttle before returning it to the next victim.
"Hehehehe~" Moxie's laughter grew more excited as the pile of cash in his hands steadily grew, making every kid nearly want to cry as the toll climbed higher and higher.
By the eighteenth kid, they were all coughing up at least a dime, until David finally came into view while being the last one.
Dropping a nickel onto Moxie's already full hands, David's payment silenced the young trolls' laughter, causing everyone to freeze, realizing the toll collector wasn't satisfied yet.
Moxie's smile faded into a frown as he looked up at David, who tried to slip past.
With a sharp wave, Moxie motioned to the side and a burly man suddenly appeared, closing in.
"Yes, little boss?" The burly man gruffed out, his dutiful tone only being drowned out by the huge shadow he cast down onto David.
GULP
Before the young mutant boy stood the towering, heavily muscled Vittorio "The Bull" Cardone, a fierce enforcer who'd earned the coveted role of chief bodyguard at Alina's house.
At just twenty-eight, Vittorio's fearsome reputation had exploded during the overthrowing of the families.
Given his nickname for recklessly charging through volleys of bullets and smashing foes at the orders of any capo nearby with a steel bat, he'd started to grow his name within the underworld and the family.
Ricky had been watching men like Vittorio closely, whom he simply called Vito, and wanted him to form a bond with Moxie.
However, upon meeting Vito, Moxie realized almost instinctively that the Bull would do whatever he asked.
This understanding allowed him to get all the runners to pay up and subtly turn the practice into an ingrained routine through his influence.
"Piggy bank," Moxie said, pointing directly at David as his words drained the color from everyone's faces, including David's, while Paolo just facepalmed in frustration.
"You cheap idiot-"
"W-Wait, I-I'll pay, I'LL PAY!" David shouted, panic rising as Vito stormed over and roughly grabbed the kid, no older than twelve, by the ankles.
"Ah!" David screamed, flipped upside down as Vito shook him hard, spilling everything he had onto the ground.
Like a greedy little goblin, Moxie crawled through the scattered items, tossing aside what he didn't want and stuffing the rest into his pockets.
"N-NO!" David cried, eyes wide as Moxie rifled through his wallet and pulled out a whole two dollars as Moxie's greedy laugh echoed once more.
"Thank you." Moxie said, not to David, but to Vito, who nodded in acknowledgment.
It was the signal to drop David and caused the shark-toothed mutant to fall onto the ground like a bag of rocks.
Sniff
"My money~" David sniffled, clutching his wallet and realizing it was empty as Moxie loomed over him with a sly smile.
"My money," Moxie repeated, tapping his chest and laughing as he strolled back toward the house as Paolo just shook his head at the antics.
"Moxie, Moxie~" Alina called gently, pushing the door open just in time to catch him hastily stuffing wads of money into his pockets.
He froze, clearly trying to hide it, then finally turned toward his mother with an innocent smile that only made the nearby runners frown in unison.
"Mommy!" Moxie shouted excitedly, running into Alina's waiting arms as she bent down to embrace him.
"Where have you been? It's time for breakfast-oh, hello boys!" Alina said warmly, planting a gentle kiss on Moxie's cheek as she looked over to see the runners all gathered outside her house.
All of them, in complete unison, gathered their gazes around the warm, loving Alina whose smile melted the heart of any anxious pubescent boy who happened upon it.
Then, to their nature, those young horny eyes started to trickle down her glowing skin all the way down to her breasts that were fuller than usual, pushed upwards by the gentle curve of her stomach.
As they sought to really stretch out the moment even more, their collective gaze happened upon Moxie's scowl.
Almost instantly, they all ducked their heads, sensing his displeasure, and causing Moxie's frown to deepen as the runners quickly bowed toward Alina, acknowledging her with respect.
"Good morning, Mistress Alina!" They all said in unison in the utmost respect, their words making her chuckle as she waved her hands.
"Boys, I've told you countless times, you can just call me Alina." Alina smiled warmly, their heads turning up until they saw Vito's scowl and immediately bowed them back down.
"Vito, dear, would you like me to make a plate for you?" Alina asked sweetly, turning to him as Vito immediately shook his head, his expression firm and resolute.
"No Ma'am, my ma already took care of that." Vito smiled at her, patting his stomach as Moxie nodded at the adequate way to speak to his mother.
"Oh, what a sweet boy," Alina smiled, turning back into the house, while Moxie's eyes burned with an intense fire, daring anyone to glance at her plump and juicy ass.
But what made them all tremble in fear was Vito's eyes that burned like a thousand suns, radiating an intensity that struck genuine fear into the hearts of the runners, fear that would haunt their lives for years to come.
"All of you will be repainting Mistress Alina's house," Vito declared, holding up the paint brushes with unwavering authority.
A collective sigh escaped the group as they all slumped at this proclamation, knowing that today wouldn't be any less tedious than the last.
"Mistress Alina wants a teal shade of egg white, if it's anything else than Moxie's fee will increase by five cents." Vito demanded, making them all straighten their backs immediately as they didn't want to give that bloodsucker a single cent more.
"I don't have anything left~" David whined, falling to his knees as his hands clutched the dirt beneath him.
Sobbing, Vito had an understanding expression and slowly walked over to the grieving boy, kneeling down to look David directly in his eyes.
"You always have those teeth of yours," Vito said, his words chilling David to the bone.
Instinctively, David pressed his lips shut, trying to hide his sharp shark teeth as if that would hide him from the prospect.
Bolting to his feet, Vito squinted before nodding and backing up slightly to the rest of the runners.
"Lunch is in five hours, I'll see you then!"
While the runners at Alina's suffered, those heading to Agatha's had just arrived at their destination.
Meanwhile at Agatha's,
"Remember, everyone: first we bow our heads to Agatha, then to the young master and then to the young mistress-" Jeremiah instructed, addressing the coven kids who grew increasingly nervous as the car pulled up outside the mansion.
"I am here on behalf of the Luciano family," Benny interrupted Jeremiah, directing his words to the guard of Agatha's house, who was also a member of the coven.
Somehow, without anyone even noticing, Benny slipped out of the window seat, stepped quietly from the car, and stood before the mansion without drawing a single glance.
The guard recognized him immediately and nodded, granting him entry as Benny proceeded inside to carry out his duties.
The Luciano family didn't fully protect Agatha's house, that was the head of the coven's responsibility, so Benny and the others were the only Luciano guards assigned daily.
Undead limped across the field, but Benny paid them no mind, barely noticing their numbers had doubled since Ricky had sent more reinforcements after receiving that vision yesterday.
As Benny approached the mansion, the caretaker Ginny was already waiting with a list of miscellaneous tasks for the runners to complete.
"Benny, stop!" Jeremiah called out, running after him furiously and boltling from the confines of the shuttle as he still wasn't used to Benny always doing this whenever he tried to enforce coven customs.
"I am here on behalf of the Luciano family." Benny said plainly to Ginny, arriving first ahead of the anxious runners struggling to catch up as the old woman glanced up briefly, then quickly looked back down.
"I see manners aren't taught in your so-called 'family,'" Ginny mocked subtly, trying to provoke a reaction only for Benny to stare at her with a deadpan expression.
"They are." Benny said plainly, his words making the old woman scrunch her brows as she stared back at him.
"What?" Ginny, thinking she heard wrong, asked again for clarification only for Benny to continue staring at her with that usual deadpan expression.
"They are taught within the family." Benny clarified as if Ginny didn't hear him the first time, keeping the same monotonous tone but extending the sentence for better clarification.
"Then are you taught to be mindful towards your elders?" Ginny asked sarcastically, scrunching her brows deeper as Jermeiah's back started to become drenched with sweat.
"I was taught to only be mindful of those within the Luciano family or those directly connected to them." Benny stated flatly, his tone void of any warmth as the covens paled, but the normies and lingering mutants just looked at this with a heavy sigh.
"Since you are not part of the Luciano family, nor connected to someone who has a familial or maternal tie, like Mistress Zatanna or Young Master Johnny, you are not entitled to any of my respect." Benny words seemed to pierce right through Ginny's shrewd expression, her entire body flinching at the bluntness displayed.
"That is why I do not look at you with any hint of respect just for being old." Benny continued evenly, almost like a programmed script as Jeremiah's jaw dropped in surprise, while a vein throbbed visibly on Ginny's forehead.
"I see that unworthy man knows how to pick them-"
Flick
In an instant, Benny flipped open his butterfly knife, the sharp sound cutting through the silence.
His fearless gaze locked onto the old coven witch, his hollow eyes reflecting the shock flickering across her face at daring to pull out a weapon.
"Do not refer to our boss in such a way." Benny said flatly, his tone void of warning but heavy with quiet authority.
It was clear that this old witch could easily disarm and even kill this boy, but even so, she couldn't.
It was why Ginny simply scowled and with a reluctant shove, she handed over the papers into his waiting hands.
"Lady Agatha's cars are to be cleaned and waxed by the end of the day," Ginny's furious words echoed, her floating grimoire casting a dark aura, though it didn't faze Benny in the slightest.
"Get it done." Ginny growled through gritted teeth, fully aware she couldn't touch this hateful little demon as rumors had started to spread that Ricky was favoring Benny.
Although Ricky had only recently started paying attention to Benny, the young man's rapid rise within the family made everyone suspect he was being groomed for a high-level position at a young age.
Combined with Ricky's retaliatory nature, no one wanted to cross Benny in fear of consequences dished out by Ricky.
Almost instantly, Benny sheathed his butterfly knife and immediately looked down at the paper, scanning it briefly before nodding it and turning back around.
"I'll start cleaning the Ford V-8 Deluxe Roadster." Benny stated flatly, picking the first car on the list and handing the next one to Jeremiah, who just stared at him in disbelief.
"Are you insane?!" Jeremiah hissed, shoving the list into another kid's hands and storming after him to lecture the robot in human skin.
"I don't know but I think that it is subjective for me to answer that question." Benny honestly answered, using the new word he had learned into its full effect as Jeremiah was baffled at this remark.
Like most people meeting Benny for the first time, Jeremiah found him hard to read and even harder to warm up to.
Just like Louis and Paolo before him, Jeremiah couldn't help but see Benny's bluntness as outright disrespect.
But obviously, Benny didn't seem to care and without looking back, he strode over to the supplies, grabbed some of the soap, and poured it into the water bucket, ready to get to work.
"Do you even know who that is?!" Jeremiah hissed, stalking after Benny as he knelt down and began mixing soap into the water.
"Ginny Boyle, caretaker of Ricky 'Slick' Luciano's two children Zatanna and Johnny-"
"No, no, no, no, in the coven!" Jeremiah facepalmed, dragging his hand across his face as he watched Benny dip the washcloth into the bucket and squeeze it.
"She's an old witch," Benny said plainly, the floating grimoire making the deduction obvious as Jeremiah just stared at him with a deadpan expression.
"She's a high-ranking member of the coven, someone who's earned Agatha's trust and is widely respected." Jeremiah tried to explain, watching Benny squeeze the rag and start washing the car.
"Okay," Benny said, nodding as if he understood, though it was clear he didn't quite grasp what Jeremiah was implying, making Jeremiah just scowled at him.
"You've got issues, Benny. Serious issues," Jeremiah said, watching Benny start cleaning the Ford.
"He's funny."
A voice trickled in, prompting Jeremiah to glare sharply to the side, assuming it was one of the runners, making his lips instinctively curl into a sneer before his eyes widened in shock.
"M-Mistress Zatanna!" Jeremaih stammered, dropping into a deep ninety-degree bow, sweat beading on his brow as he nervously faced the prized child of the coven.
"Yep, yep, yep!" Zatanna said with a bubbly laugh, a pink tint coloring her cheeks as she looked toward Benny as he turned to her and nodded respectfully, acknowledging the weight her last name carried.
Without a second thought, Benny returned to washing the car as Zatanna strolled up beside him.
"Whatcha doing?" Zatanna asked, smiling and peering at Benny with her hands clasped behind her back.
"Cleaning your mother's car."
"Why?"
"I was ordered to."
"Why?"
"Because I was told by the capo Johnny to follow Ginny's instructions for the Luciano family."
"Why?"
"Because our daily routine changed."
"Why?"
"Because the runners helped defeat a monster trying to invade our territory at the docks."
"Ooooooo, why?"
"Because one of the bosses' enemies was trying to send a message."
"Why?"
"I don't know anything beyond that."
Benny ended the quick back-and-forth as Zatanna grabbed her pigtails, swaying side to side while looking at him.
"My mommy says you're weak and that you're gonna die soon," Zatanna said bluntly, unable to grasp how heavy her words truly were as Jeremaih froze along with the other runners.
"Most likely." Benny replied, neither denying nor confirming since after all, anyone could die at any moment.
"Are you scared?"
"No."
"Why?"
"Because we all die."
Sniff
"What?" Zatanna suddenly sniffled, her sadness immediately apparent as she put her pigtails in front of her mouth.
The runners all froze, as if her words had signed their death warrants, draining the color from their faces.
"Will my daddy die?" Zatanna asked a loaded question that made the air leave their lungs all at once.
"No."
"Really?!" Zatanna's eyes sparkled as she watched Benny nod while scrubbing the dirt from the car's glossy exterior.
"I don't think anyone can kill the boss, not even death." Benny said, believing those words wholeheartedly as he pressed a little deeper into the car to get a smudge out.
"What about you, who can make you die?" Zatanna asked, strolling over to Benny who didn't even think about it.
"Lots of things."
Gasp
"People?!?!"
"Yeah."
"Who?"
"Lots of people." Benyn explained, knowing that anyone in the coven could probably kill him.
"Can my mommy kill you?"
"Yes."
"Can grandma Ginny kill you?"
"Yes."
"Can I-"
Bam
Suddenly, without warning, a wooden sword tapped lightly against Benny's back as Johnny appeared seemingly out of nowhere.
"Johnny!" Zatanna scolded, marching over to him as he nudged Benny, who was still focused on cleaning the car.
"Play, play!" Johnny shouted, eager to duel with his wooden sword, while Benny continued scrubbing without looking up.
"I can't." Benny simply said, dashing the child's hope in a millisecond.
"Why!" Johnny huffed, his frown almost comically exaggerated as Zatanna pulled him away.
"I have to clean." Benny replied calmly, dipping the rag back into the soap bucket.
"Why~" Johnny whined, his shoulders drooping in dramatic defeat as Benny shifted over to the side, having just finished the right passenger door, and continued scrubbing.
"Because I was ordered to"
"No, I wanna play~" Johnny whined, his eyes welling up with tears as his body instantly went limp in Zatanna's grip, forcing her to struggle to keep him upright.
It was almost like his defense mechanism as he stopped trying to stand up and fell towards the ground.
"Johnny, stop~" Zatanna whined back, knowing full well he was pretending to be dead just to get his way.
"No, I want to play!" Johnny shouted, his face suddenly filled with determination as he refused to move any of his appendages.
"Young Master Johnny, I'll play with you-" Jeremiah began, trying to build some rapport, only for Johnny to scowl at the sight of him.
"GROSS, GROSS, GROSS!" Johnny screamed, flailing like a dead fish as the sudden motion sent Zatanna tumbling backward onto her butt.
"Owie~" Zatanna said, rubbing her head while sitting up as Jeremiah rushed over to her aide.
"Young mistress Zatanna, I can-"
"Ew~" Zatanna said, frowning at the sight of Jeremiah as he froze before shattering into tiny little pieces at being rejected twice.
Johnny had only met Benny yesterday, but after completing his tasks, Benny spent the rest of the afternoon playing knights and dragons with him, right up until he was told to leave.
The reason Johnny liked Benny so much was simple: Benny did whatever Johnny wanted.
He played along without complaint, fully committed to the game and that's why Johnny was so determined to pick up right where they left off today.
"I WANNA PLAY WITH BENNY, PLAY, PLAY-"
"After the cars are cleaned, I will play," Benny said emotionlessly, fully aware that these were Ricky's orders and once those were fulfilled, he would follow the next in line: Johnny's.
Johnny's head jerked up, eyes locking onto Benny as he watched him meticulously scrub at the smallest speck of dirt on the backseat door.
"Really?"
"Really."
"I clean too," Johnny said immediately, grabbing a rag as Benny glanced over but stopped him.
Jeremiah let out a heavy sigh, assuming Benny had enough sense to know just how bad it looked making Ricky's kids clean the cars.
"You're doing it wrong, you have to put the rag in the soap bucket, squeeze it, and then wash the car." Benny instructed, lecturing Johnny like it was the most normal thing in the world as Johnny looked at the dry rag, then nodded seriously.
"Me too! Me too!" Zatanna cheered, running over to the bucket with a giggle while Jeremiah just stood there, slack-jawed, watching this madness unfold.
Over the next couple of hours, Benny continued lecturing Johnny and Zatanna on the proper way to wash a car, while the two dutifully listened.
It wasn't until Ginny, their caretaker, finished her chores and noticed they weren't playing where they normally did that she stepped outside, only to be greeted by the sight of Johnny and Zatanna working in tandem with Benny.
GASP
"Young Master Johnny, Young Mistress Zatanna, what in the heavens are you doing?!" Ginny hurried over, eyes wide as the two children flashed her toothy smiles.
"CLEANING!" Johnny and Zatanna cheered, throwing their hands up in excitement while the old woman bent down to inspect their work.
"You're filthy! Why did you do this?!" Ginny exclaimed in shock, eyeing the black smudges of car grease on their faces.
"Play with Benny," Johnny said simply, frowning as Ginny wiped the grease from his cheek.
"I wanted to play too!" Zatanna giggled, pulling away as Ginny reached to clean her face.
"I cannot believe you forced the Head Elder's children to do such repulsive tasks!" Ginny scolded Benny sharply, her voice rising as he applied a fresh coat of wax to the car.
"I didn't force them." Benny said simply as the other kids ducked their heads, staying silent, while Jeremiah tried to quietly distance himself from the whole scene.
"THEN HOW DO YOU EXPLAIN THIS!" Ginny screeched right in Benny's face, her spit hitting his cheek as he wiped it away with the rag without flinching.
"They wanted to play, but I needed to clean the cars first, and after seeing this they joined in-"
SLAP
Ginny slapped Benny across the face, stunned by the sheer rudeness of this defiant child as the two children gasped, covering their mouths in shock as the other runners slowly stood up.
"You listen to me young man, you're going to explain yourself to Agatha herself!" Ginny said, grabbing Benny's arm but he easily wiggled free.
"I have to finish." Benny stated, needing to apply this fresh coat of wax onto the freshly cleaned car as Ginny became reddened with fury.
"Binding!" Ginny commanded, casting a spell that conjured glowing red ropes from thin air, wrapping tightly around Benny.
Immediately Benny struggled, trying to reach for his knife but the magic held his limbs firmly in place.
At the end of the day, Benny was simply a normal human that wasn't afraid of anything, but that wasn't stronger than magic.
"What's going on?" Agatha asked, finishing up a long day's work as she appeared at the side. The two kids looked up at her.
"Mommy!" Zatanna and Johnny called, rushing to hug her legs.
"Make Grandma Ginny stop~" Johnny whined, tears threatening to spill as Agatha immediately raised her hands in a calm, prompt way.
Snap
With the single snap of her fingers, the stunned Ginny watched her spell immediately be analyzed and dispelled by Agatha who raised an eyebrow as the old woman bowed profusely.
"I apologize for my abrupt behavior, but I acted in the children's best interests." Ginny said, though her words rang hollow as she glanced at Benny.
"Child, please don't." Agatha urged gently, noticing Benny had already drawn his butterfly knife, his gaze locked coldly on Ginny.
"She is stopping the tasks assigned to me by-"
"And for that, I apologize," Agatha interrupted Benny, already familiar with the boy and growing more annoyed since Ginny should have known exactly who he was.
But Benny simply stared at Ginny like a dead fish, gripping the knife tighter and shifting onto his toes, ready to lunge forward at the slightest provocation.
"Ginny." Agatha suddenly remarked, her eyes casting a side-eye towards Ginny who bowed her head.
"B-But-"
"Do it," Agatha said firmly, unwilling to give that wicked blue-skinned woman any ammunition, especially since she was already cozying up to the Luciano family.
"I-I apologize for inhibiting your tasks." Ginny stammered shakily, bowing her head as Benny slowly lowered his knife and nodded in acknowledgement.
Pocketing the knife, Benny resumed right where he left off, while Agatha watched silently, her gaze steady and unreadable.
Agatha looked onward towards not only Benny, but the other runners as well as they slowly resumed their work under her watchful eye.
It wasn't something talked about heavily, only in passing, but Raven was slowly seeping her claws into not only Ricky, but the likeness of his mob image.
Agatha didn't know how or when it began, but according to her reports, sometime after the trial, Raven had started forming first-name basis relationships with nearly every capo's wife in the family and was steadily gaining influence among the high-ranking members.
It happened so fast and unlike Agatha, who had confined herself to the workings of the coven, Raven had spent her life mastering the art of understanding and manipulating people, so much so that she already held a seat among the most elite women of high society in New York.
There was discrimination and outright rudeness, but Raven was making so many strides that the ripples of her influence were even reaching Agatha.
Contrary to popular belief, women don't like sharing one man, and it was no secret that most of the women within Ricky's so-called harem wanted more of his time for themselves.
Whether they noticed it or not, lines were being drawn in the sand and as Ricky's children grew up, factions were bound to emerge alongside them and alongside the powerful matriarchs who founded them.
Hours had passed, the sun already dipping beneath the horizon, and Agatha was still watching the runners but instead perched by the railing.
The runners had finished washing all the cars, pulled every last weed from the garden beds, and were now being chased around the yard by Johnny and Zatanna, both armed with wooden swords and wild grins.
However instead of smiling warmly, Agatha's grip tightened on the railing as her eyes formed in on her children.
'I can't let that b*tch get ahead anymore than she already has.' Agatha thought, gazing down at Benny and Jeremiah as she gazed towards the two members she had intent on grooming for her children's purposes.
'I have to make sure that Zatanna and Johnny get whatever they want, no matter the costs.' Agatha leaned down over the railing, vowing to turn these boys into aides of her children.
"Head elder Agatha, how nice it is to see you on this glorious day!"
Suddenly, Agatha's quiet contemplation was shattered by the sound of a familiar voice echoing across the yard.
It was then that she lifted her head, only to find not just one recognizable face approaching, but several of them, each more unexpected than the last and clocked in a golden robe.
"Elder Frost?"
Meanwhile at Alina's house,
Drip
Sweat poured down David's body, his hands trembling as he applied the paint, his breath growing rapid and shallow.
Fear gripped his mind tightly, his eyes flickering with instinctive urgency, desperate not to make a single mistake, especially with the perpetrator looming behind him, the boy glaring daggers at his back.
"Poor guy." One of the normies sighed, watching David make a sacrifice for all of them as Paolo dipped his brush into the paint bucket.
"Better him than me, that's what I say," Paolo added, drawing a few laughs but David's ears were ringing, mostly because Vito was holding a pencil and paper, literally taking notes.
After Moxie finished eating, he caught David stealing a brief glance at his mother and from that moment, he zeroed in completely on the sharptooth mutant, tuning everything else out.
Every time David made a mistake, stepped out of line, or rubbed Moxie the wrong way, Vito was there to write it all down.
In the form of debt.
At that moment, David was twenty dollars in debt, money he didn't have.
And if there was one thing you never wanted to do, something that would later become a saying but was already a hard truth, it was this: never owe money to a Luciano.
"Moxie! Aye, Moxie! Where the hell are you?" Marco called out, arriving home from school and searching for his little brother, who usually waited for him.
Moxie's daily routine had become bullying the runners a bit before waiting for Marco's return under Vito's watchful supervision.
But not seeing either Moxie or Vito at the bus stop, Marco's anxiety grew as he began searching, only to come upon a troubling sight.
Sigh
"What did you do this time, David?" Marco whispered to himself, face palming at how his little brother always bullied this mutant for no good reason.
Smack
"Owwie~" Marco rubbed his head, sniffling as Vito reached to grab his waist but stopped when he saw Marco, pulling his hand back.
"What did I tell you about extorting the runners?!" Marco yelled, watching Moxie's eyes fill with tears as he covered the top of his head and lowered his gaze to the ground.
Sniff
"But he-"
"Oh no, no buts!" Marco lectured Moxie, picking the small child up with a disappointed frown.
"No ice cream tonight, and no cornbread either." Marco's words made Moxie's tear-filled expression fade as he shook his head in protest.
"N-No-"
"I don't want to hear another word or it's two nights," Marco warned, silencing Moxie instantly and picking up his adolescent brother.
Moxie rested his chin on Marco's shoulder as he was carried into the house, but his eyes burned with venom that would only be quenched by David's tears as he glared hatefully at the mutant all the way inside.
"What did I ever do to deserve this?" David fell to his knees, his head hitting the house as Vito slowly walked up to him and set the bill at his side.
"Little Boss Moxie expects the full amount by the end of the week." Vito explained, walking over to the house only to see two people in robes approaching.
The sun dropped down from the sky and the runners were just finishing up for the day as Vito scrunched his brow and walked closer to them.
"Boss, they say they're from the coven!" One of the two guards called out, halting the trio of robed figures before them.
Vito, standing a few feet back with a lit cigarette between his lips, scrunched his brows and waved them off.
"Tell 'em to come back tomorrow!" Vito barked over his shoulder, already turning to head back toward the house.
The three figures in shimmering golden robes remained silent, their smiles calm and unsettling.
One of the guards, catching the cue, spun back toward them with a mocking sneer.
"You got it, boss!" The man called, turning towards the figures and shooing them away.
"You heard him, scram-"
Before he could finish, the central figure raised her hand as a sudden stream of water shot through the air and down the guard's throat, cutting his words short.
His eyes bulged, arms flailing as he choked on the forceful flood pouring directly into his mouth, his expression twisted in alarm as his knees buckled beneath him.
"What a repulsive face you have, even more sickening to hear it talk."
Meanwhile at Raven's,
A group of robed figures, cloaked in flowing garments of gold, steadily approached the Luciano estate under the deepening dusk.
The gravel underfoot crunched softly as they neared the gate, the air thick with a strange ambient energy.
Vinchenzo, posted near the entrance and distracted by the unlit cigarette he rolled between his fingers, caught movement in the corner of his eye.
"Huh?" Vinchenzo muttered, turning his head just enough to catch sight of the gliding figures and more importantly, the floating grimoires that orbited lazily around them.
Which almost immediately caused his expression to morph into a scowl.
"Aye, I've already told you quacks that I don't care if it's coven business, you ain't getting in without an appointment." Vinchenzo marched toward them, lifting his coat to reveal the cold metal of his sidearm tucked beneath.
The figure in the center just smiled at this provocation and he didn't speak loudly, he didn't speak at all, instead all he did was just lift one hand and utter a single word as his grimoire flapped to a single page.
"Slash."
SPLAT
It happened in less than a heartbeat as Vinchenzo's next words died in his throat as a thin, red line carved itself across his neck.
His knees buckled before his mind could even process the searing agony ripping through his neck.
Blood erupted from the wound in thick, furious jets, splattering across the gravel like a crimson fountain.
The air filled with a sickening hiss as it mixed with his ragged, desperate breaths.
Clawing at the ragged tear in his flesh, his fingers trembled and slicked with hot blood that coated his skin, slippery and sticky.
Each gasp was gurgling, almost choking in a rasp of wet, raw, and utterly futile sounds as his windpipe spasmed and closed, cutting off the life-sustaining flow of air.
His eyes bulged with panic, tears mingling with the sticky blood pooling around him, while his tongue lolled uselessly as the darkness began to close in, stealing away his consciousness in a suffocating tide of pain and terror.
Then, after enduring all that, he collapsed to the ground like a heavy sack of rocks, lifeless and broken, while the man, the same one who had committed such a gruesome act, casually stepped over him as if he were nothing more than a discarded welcome mat.
"Open." The man said casually, twirling his fingers as the estate gates creaked and began to part before them on their own.
The others followed behind silently, reverent and deliberate.
Slowly, as they walked up the winding path, all but three opened their grimoires to the same page, an identical passage that swept across each of their worn, ancient texts like a dark thread weaving them together.
"Remember the plan." The man said, pulling back his hood to reveal the sharp, hawk-like features of Ezekiel, Samuel's father as his eyes gleamed with unspoken power.
"I want it quiet while I work."
With that single sentence, the grimoires began to glow behind him, their dull light merging into a sweeping, ethereal hue that spread across the entire field.
Sound seemed to vanish, swallowed by an oppressive silence that blanketed everything, except for the very ground beneath Ezekiel's house, where the eerie stillness held firm.
"Louis, stop slacking around and-" Johnny started, his tone sharp as he moved to reprimand the boy, but his words suddenly caught in his throat.
'Get back to work-the f*ck?'
In the middle of pouring out his frustration, Johnny felt his voice falter, as if some invisible force was swallowing his words before they could even escape.
But it wasn't just Johnny, every single person nearby felt it too: the runners, the guards stationed along the edges, the made men standing watch.
They exchanged bewildered glances, questioning their own senses, until their eyes settled on the figures in golden robes.
The fading light of the setting sun caught the shimmering fabric, casting a surreal, almost otherworldly glow that silenced everyone in an instant.
It was then that Johnny finally turned toward the approaching figures cloaked in golden robes. While everyone else hurled silent insults and whispered curses under their breath, Johnny locked eyes with Ezekiel.
For a brief, tense second, like the heavy tick of a clock, the world seemed to freeze as Johnny's eyes widened in shock just as Ezekiel's lips curled into a slow, chilling smile.
'GET DOWN!' Johnny shouted, but his voice caught in the heat of the spell as Ezekiel calmly raised his hands.
'Nice try." Ezekiel eroded towards him, flipping his red grimoire to another page as Johnny instinctively turned away, bracing for what was coming next.
Lunging toward Louis and the bat-eared kid, both clutching their throats at why they couldn't talk, they were abruptly tackled.
A sharp slash tore through the ground where they stood, carving a deep divot that plunged several feet into the earth, scattering dirt and debris around them.
Johnny didn't even look back but simply holstered the kids on his shoulders as he bolted towards the nearby tree's and cover.
Ezekiel laughed, tossing spells at Johnny one after another, not even aiming directly, just to watch him struggle as he leapt behind a tree.
But before casting another, he shrugged and casually strode forward, two robed figures trailing behind.
With a subtle flick of his right hand, the coven members immediately turned their focus toward the made men.
Almost silently, guns were unholstered while the witches and warlocks began quietly chanting, weaving their magic through their minds instead of relying on their grimoires.
The spell they cast in unison, a vast area-of-effect barrier enveloping the mansion, was so demanding that it made using their grimoires nearly impossible; maintaining such a powerful, continuous enchantment required all their focus.
Because they were not yet masters of their craft, they had to forgo casting other complex spells through their grimoires, instead channeling smaller, simpler magic mentally to stay connected with Ezekiel's commands.
Their synchronized effort forged a formidable defense, but it came at the cost of limiting their spellcasting versatility.
Eight figures had stayed behind as Ezekiel and two others strolled forward.
Half split off to confront the bulk of the undead charging toward them, while the other four braced themselves to face the made men, who now stared death straight in the face.
A made man impulsively opened fire, unloading a clip into the group but one witch calmly raised her hands, halting the bullets midair as if they were mere insects.
A wicked smile curled beneath the clock tower as the stopped bullets suddenly reversed, raining down and tearing through the shooter's body until he collapsed, a hole-riddled corpse.
Then, slaughter erupted.
The witches and warlocks timed their offensive perfectly, their elemental magic as their wind, air, and earth ripped through the air with devastating force without making a single sound.
Gusts of razor-sharp wind sliced into flesh, tearing torn clothing and skin alike, while blasts of compressed air slammed into bodies with bone-crushing impact.
Meanwhile, the earth itself seemed to rise up at their command, jagged shards and chunks of soil erupting from the ground to impale and consume the made men, suffocating within the very soil they once walked on.
Together, these brutal spells shredded the made men's bodies mercilessly, turning the battlefield into a chaotic storm of flying debris, blood, and broken limbs.
Amid the chaos, Johnny fought desperately to pull any of the runners to safety, his hands grasping at limbs and dragging them away from the deadly storm of magic.
Cuts and gashes began to mark his skin, sharp edges tearing through flesh and clothing alike.
Then, a sudden explosion of spellfire erupted nearby, the force catching him off guard and sending him hurtling through the air like a ragdoll, crashing painfully into the hard ground several feet away.
Amid the horrific chaos unfolding outside the mansion windows, Ezekiel maintained complete control over his grimoire.
In a surreal shift, the brutal massacre and bloodshed behind him seemed to dissolve, the scene morphing seamlessly back to mere minutes before, where the runners were calmly picking weeds, as if none of the carnage had ever occurred.
"Now, let's try this the easy way, shall we?" Ezekiel smiled at the two warlocks at his side, strolling up to the door and politely raising his fist.
"Who wants lemonade-"
Knock
Knock
Knock
Before Raven could finish her sentence, a sudden knock at the front door cut through the moment, drawing all eyes toward the sound but not before two little hands shot up into the air.
"ME, ME, ME, I WANT LEMONADE, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASSSSSSSSSE!" Sarah squirmed in her seat like she'd just crawled out of the desert, panting dramatically as if she hadn't had a sip of water in days.
"Can I have some too?" Danielle asked softly, her voice barely above a whisper as she raised her hand halfway, her eyes flicking up toward Raven with hopeful curiosity only to see her mother still staring at the door with a frown.
"Raven, would you like me to go and-"
"No, it's alright." Raven interrupted, her voice firm but calm as if it wasn't up for debate as she turned back to Irene.
"But could you be a dear and pass out the lemonde to them?" Raven asked, almost instantly softening her smile.
Irene returned the smile and nodded, reaching for the tray of glasses as Raven dried her hands on a towel and began making her way to the door.
As Raven made her way to the front door, her long legs moved with that signature grace, hips swaying just enough to hint at the control she held in every step.
But the serene curve of her smile slowly began to falter, twitching at the corners until it melted into a subtle, discerning frown.
She had been clear to the made men there were to be no interruptions, none, and especially not today.
However, as her disappointment furrowed her brows, Raven's mind began to twist and turn the implications of that subtle knock.
It wasn't the knock itself, it was what it wasn't.
If this had been an emergency, the doors would've flown open already, guards shouting, guns drawn, someone rushing straight to her side without hesitation.
But instead there was a knock, something that had never happened until now.
The thought turned over in her mind like a blade being tested for balance.
This moment in her life, this quiet afternoon steeped in lemonade, laughter, and the soft buzz of summer was rare, and all the more precious for it.
And yet, her hand glided silently toward the letter opener resting innocently on the shelf.
A delicate thing, polished and pretty, but with a point sharp enough to matter because Raven's guard was never let down, not truly, not even here, and not even now.
Her instincts, those honed in war, sharpened through betrayal, violence, and endless calculation, didn't vanish just because she was pregnant.
They didn't wilt in the presence of roses or the lavish presence of a mansion.
They waited, coiled beneath her skin, always ready to strike.
And as she walked toward the door, her fingers brushed the cool handle of the letter opener, not out of panic, but habit.
"Winky," Raven said calmly, her voice low enough to be nearly swallowed by the air itself as the elf appeared instantly with a soft pop at her side.
"Y-Yes, Mistresses, what do you need for Winky!" Winky yelled, holding her small miniature duster to her head to salute with it as Raven slowly wrapped her hand around the door knob.
"If I signal towards you, get everyone out of here, go to Lucky's basement." Raven side-eyed Winky, who flinched, gripping her duster tighter but nodding to carry out her will.
Raven rubbed her belly slowly, her fingertips drawing idle circles as her gaze lifted toward the door, soft at first, but sharpening with every heartbeat, honing itself like a blade against a grindstone until her eyes alone looked as if they could cut through steel.
Click
"Yes?" Raven, in the sweetest tone she could muster, asked methodically as three robbed figures appeared at her doorstep.
"You're Raven, Ricky Luciano's wife, right?" Ezekiel asked, raising a small smile as Raven waved her hand to stop him before moving it to hold her own cheek.
"Oh heavens, I wouldn't go so far as to say we're married, but if he asked, I wouldn't say no." Raven replied with a soft blush, her hand instinctively drifting to her belly.
"Ma'am, you're in danger-" One of the robed figures began, but Ezekiel's quick side-eye cut sharper than any blade, forcing the man to swallow his words mid-sentence.
"Danger!?" Raven gasped, her hand flying protectively to her stomach as her eyes snapped toward the one who'd dared to speak out of turn.
Ezekiel, silent and unreadable, delivered a cold, emotionless glance that made the man visibly shrink.
"Yes, Ms. Raven," Ezekiel interjected smoothly, his voice warm and steady.
"You're in great danger, and Ricky Luciano sent us to retrieve you." Ezekiel smiled wider, calm and reassuring, even as he extended his hand, each movement calculated, each word laced with deceptive comfort.
"O-Oh, I understand." Raven quickly nodded, showing she completely believed in the words spoken by Ezekiel.
"Let me go get Irene and the kids. I'll be out in a second!" Raven said hurriedly, her voice sharp with urgency as she closed the door firmly in Ezekiel's face.
"Hurry-"
Bam
"Ha~" Ezekiel let out a small, pained laugh, staggering backward as the door slammed squarely into his nose, sending a slow trickle of blood down his face.
"Inquisitor Ezekiel, are you-"
"I'm fine." Samuel said, biting back his urges to respond to the idiot beside him, cutting him off before he could speak.
"But shouldn't we go in-"
"No, it's easier this way since they won't put up a fight," Samuel said, glancing up briefly as he jerked his fingers to the side.
Crack
Cracking his nose back into place, he wiped the blood from his nostrils and fixed a hateful smile forward.
"Besides, I know how enraged Master Merlyn gets when parts get damaged, and I'm not in the mood right now after-Ha~" Ezekiel's words cut off abruptly as his eyes caught a scene that made him burst into laughter.
As night crept in, the mansion's glowing lights flickered and died one by one, swallowing the entire estate into oppressive darkness.
"Cunning b*tch," Samuel hissed, his fingers tightening around the doorknob as their use was up, they'd been discovered and slowly, he lifted his gaze.
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Samuel's manic laughter shattered the silence, echoing through the void as his eyes locked onto Raven's cold, yellow stare within the curtains of the second floor window as she slowly let them seep over her image along with the shadows.
"Good, GOOD!" Samuel laughed while pushing the door open and stepped into the darkness, the mansion swallowing him whole.
"It's more fun this way."
Author's Note: I know I said that I'd pace myself but I wanna move on with story and I'm getting impatient with the hole that I dug for myself with this long night thing but I hope your enjoying it.