OP Mage MC Pt. 5 ft. The Mafias
Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4
Right so… this is 8k words… and the formatting is totally different… and i decided to split this Arc into two parts because theres no way im posting that lenght of chapter in one go. Im also posting this on phone so excuse the slightly different format - ill fix it once i come back home from work 💀
Let me know your thoughts on the more personal and detailed style of this chapter, if you guys dont like it i have no problem switching back to the lighter narrated style of the previous chapters - ALSO the ending is rushed bc i finished it at work, i might edit it later but it is what it is for now 😭 Enyoy <3
Ps. Names of the skeletons inspired by @.battlemaiden13 on tumblr :)
—
Your home was quiet, only occasionally disturbed by the sound of pots and pans moving over the stove as yet another nurse came to make you your meals and help you clean up the appartment. It was during those quiet periods of time where you realised how full of chatter and loudness your days had really been back on base before your unfortunate run in with the assasination attempt.
The skeletons were no doubt worried about you, and you hoped they wouldnt do anything stupid wile you were gone - even though a nagging feeling told you that they would do exactly that, especially considering they were not allowed to visit you while you were away. It was a precaution as much as it was an order - the investigation was still ongoing, and even though they were the ones that found you and brought you to the hospital - they were still under suspicion until the assasin was found. The fact made you sigh as you sat up in your bed, limbs tense and heavy, bones clad in unfeeling leather as you looked down on your numb hands.
It had been a little more than two weeks since you were discharged from the hospital, and slowly but surely you were regaining control over your motor functions, a process that took far too much time for your liking - the burning weight of the black envelope sitting hidden in your nightstand urged you. It was surprising to say the least - recieving something like that, especially in the comfort of your own home, but then again the old man was never one to be stopped by anything.
You wondered what he could possibly want, as estranged as you both were, it was a suspicious kind of coincidence that he had decided to contact you now of all times.
Whatever it was, it had to wait a few more weeks before you were comfortably able to stand and walk on your own two feet and a few more days before you knocked on an elegantly crafted metal door, large and ominous as the dull thud of your fist echoed through the silent moonless night.
It was then that you were met by a figure, clad in black, a cold look on the mans disfigured face, it wasnt familiar to you but he seemed to be expecting you none the less as you were led inside. It was a place filled with dull, whispered chatter, eyes locked on you from every direction as you made your way upstairs, the smell of cigar smoke permeated the air as you took care not to let your weakened state show. You never met any eyes, shoulders at ease as some of the men around the foyer seemed to recognize you - but they didnt speak, your guide leading you straight past them and up to a very familiar hallway, standing before a very familiar mahogany door.
Your guide knocked twice on the door before turing to you, giving you a cold, steely look as he nodded and left back in the direction you both came from.
You looked back towards the door and almost rolled your eyes at the theatrics, whatever stress this whole routine was meant to induce towards other guests wouldnt work on you and you sighed crossing your arms.
“I dont have all day you know.” You spoke camly towards the door and a moment passed before the suble sound of shuffling cought your senses.
“Then get your ass in here already.” A gruff, low voice followed your quip and you let out a puff of air in amusement, finally making your way inside.
It was then that you finally came face to face with the author of that little love note that was placed in your home all those weeks ago. A large, scarred man, sat comfortably in a leather chair behind a desk, his sharp emerald gaze eyeing you with a disgruntled annoyance as you made your way inside and closed the door with a muted click, setting yourself to rights as you met his gaze.
Vincent Forrester was an old man past his prime, short black hair graying on the sides, his stubble lined with white on the sides, his face scarred and lined with evidence of past worries and stress - it was an odd thing… for a mage that is. They didnt often live long enough to start graying, another sign of just how capeable he was. You knew him, back when you were still new to the mage circle, you remembered how the rookies looked at him with eyes full of stars, full of respect. He was a titan, an old communal legend between mages, the greatest healer in history, mending flesh and raising the dead as if he was born to do it. He was accomplished, he was praised, he was respected.
“You look like shit.” He scuffed, leaning back in his chair and you almost snorted, the corners of your mouth lifting. His personality was still crap.
“And youve aged.” You quipped back with a raised brow and a moment passed before you two shared a look, a silent hello, a silent welcome back before you moved further into his grand office, taking a seat across from him, sighing as the weight of your body dragged you further into the leather. He moved to pour a clear brown liquid from a fancy crystal decanter into two glasses before pushing one your way. You eyed it but did not indulge as you kept your focus on him.
“Im on meds.”
“‘Course you are.” he let out, as if it was obvious and motioned you to pick up the glass.
“Drink.”
You held eachothers gaze for a moment, his a steeled glare and yours a raised skepticism before you relented, placing the short clear glass to your lips, the smell of something strong hitting your nose briefly before something bitter and awfully reminiscent of strong cough syrup hit your tongue. Your nose scrunched as you downed the liquid in one go, cringing from the bitterness as you heard the old man snort at your discomfort.
“You trying to poison me now?” You coughed, a strong tingling hitting the back of your throat as you looked up at the man.
“If I wanted to kill you, poison wouldnt be how.” He scruffed and picked up the other glass, downing it with a thrown look your way. “Doesnt work on you anyway.” He grumbled and you hummed, folding your hands in your lap.
“Clearly.” you comented as he set the glass down, watching eachother with a nostalgic sense of familiarity. It was silent for a while, neither of you were really inclined towards conversation, your relationship had dwindled into estragement over the years and you knew Vincent wasnt one for small talk, and so you decided to move straight to the point.
“So, why am I here?”
“What, cant an old man invite his former coworker for an evening out?” He gruffed and you rolled your eyes at the sarcasm in his tone.
“We both know you wouldnt ask me here just for a drink.” You pulled the heavy black envelope from your coat pocket, placing it on his desk with a narrow gaze, Vincent was never one for friendly visits, never one to call on anyone just for a check up. Not anymore.
This was business, both of you knew that, and you met his eyes steadily as you leaned back further into your chair, watching him expectantly.
“No, I didnt.”
Vincent then lit one of the cigars he had been eyeing, getting comfortable and leaning back in his squeaky leather chair as he finally opened up to you about the contents of the letter.
Something has been going on, something that the mage circle and the goverment both seemingly paid no mind or attention to, something that had the ever steady Vincent Forresters brow furrow as he spoke.
He wasnt part of the circle anymore, not for years now, he was barred from ever stepping foot anywhere near it - but even still he had eyes and ears everywhere, old connections, no doubt new ones as well, ones you had no clue about even as well informed as you were - but considering the past, considering his hatred for the circle and considering how badly he departed it must have been a serious thing indeed for him to be calling on you.
He wouldnt have if he could help it, so whatever it was either involved you personally or needed some serious fire power to solve.
“Theres talk of disappearances.” He started, and you raised a brow, inclining him to continue.
“Kidnappings, missing persons, odd whispers of sightings in the night.”
“Nothing new then.” You commented and he let out an unamused snort, shooting you a look at your steady gaze.
“No, nothing new.” He gruffed, leaning in and motioning to your glass again and you pushed it towards him as he poured you another helping of whatever it was that was sat in his decanter.
“Except this time its not just humans.” He finished and you turned a look his way, picking up a glass as your eyes narrowed in confusion.
“Monsters?”
“No, the fucking tooth fairy, ‘course its fuckin monsters.” He snapped sarcastically and motioned with his fingers for you to hurry up and take a drink and you snorted at his dramatics, taking a sip and cringing at the taste as you set the glass back down.
“Could be supremacist groups, theyve been around since the barrier broke.” You commented and watched for his reaction, not that you could glean much from him - Vincent was always hard to read, even before his current occupation.
“Could be, thought so myself at first, turns out its something else.”
“Something else?” Your brow raised watching as he settled back in his chair, taking a puff of his cigar as he eyed you down.
“Yeah.”
“Like what?”
“What, you think I invited you here for a fucking dinner date?”
“You dont know.”
“No.”
“You want me to find out.”
“Yes.”
“How can you be sure its not just the same old shit?”
“Because the same old shit stinks the same, this is something else.” Vincents brows furrowed, he dragged his thick fingers over his eyebrows as if to nurse a headache as a moment passed between you. He seemed stressed, almost distressed even, the sight didnt set your mind at ease either. He wasnt one to blow things out of proportion.
“Ive had people on this for months now, somethings not adding up, or someone is keeping their grimy hands on keeping it covered up.”
“So you called me.”
“Youve always been nosy, figured youd take an interest considering this concerns your new pet project.”
You scoffed at him lightheartedly, watching him take another puff from his cigar as you leveled him with a look.
“Is that what it is? A pet project.”
“You tell me.” He huffed, raising his brows mockingly as a stream of smoke encircled his face and lifted up towards the ceiling. The attitude made you chuckle, and you gave the man before you an easy smile as you lifted up your brow at him.
“You know im off duty right now, account of almost losing my life?”
“Sounds like you have free time on your hands.”
“And why would i go and poke my nose into an ex-communicated mages crime family on my free time?” You questioned, half serious and half amused as you slotted your fingers together on your lap. This was a big favour he was asking of you, he no doubt realized that based on the shared look he gave you. Vincent never dropped the dramatics however, letting a still silence settle over you as he took another deep inhale of his cigar before blowing out slowly, letting his sharp, tired eyes roam over you. The sight made goosebumps raise on your skin, you hated when he did that.
“Tell you what, you solve this little problem of mine, and ill take a look at those injuries of yours myself.” He pointed a finger in your direction, and you couldnt suppress a shiver as emerald green grew bright and took on a caustic glow. Expert healers had a neat little skill of looking through someone, physically, mentally, and it seemed the old man had yet to lose his touch. There was no hiding from him, not like you hid from demons, not how you hid from the skeletons. You werent sure you missed the feeling of someone looking through you like that, but if it was to be someone, it might as well be him.
“You still remember how to heal someone?” You asked, shaking off your discomfort as you shot a skeptical look his way. He shrugged, slightly gesturing with his hands.
“Eh, how hard can it be.” He joked, and you couldnt help but huff out your amusement. The one man in the world who could see right throught you, joking about his incompetence. What a day.
“Where do you want me to start?”
“I told you, ive had people on this for a while, if you want a starting line then thats going to be it.”
Vincent rose from his seat then, putting out his cigar in a fancy glass ash tray as he circled around his desk. He motioned for you to follow him as he made his way towards his office door.
“Go, meet them, see for yourself.”
—
As you entered the large room, six pairs of eyes turned to you and you had to fight yourself from cringing at the sight.
The first look on the band of skeletons dredged up some unfortunate memories from the not so distant past, and for a moment you had to second guess whether or not you were already acquainted with them before realizing that none of them seemed to hold any sort of familiarity towards you. They were familiar only in the way they looked, but upon introduction, your heart eased. Another batch of alternate skeletons - who would have thought.
You had to briefly glance at Vincent as you entered the open lobby, discarding his answering raised brow look as you turned your attention back to the pale faces before you. The act seemed to intrigue him,, but you paid him no mind as you went on with introductions. Your name only, seeing as Vincent made no effort to bestow upon them your occupation, youd follow his lead.
Roulette looked exactly like Sans, if not a bit taller, sporting a white button up and a pair of black dresspants with matching suspenders, he seemed to be at ease as he made his introductions, a laid back smile on his face as he tipped his hat in your direction. You shook hands and it was then that you noted the slight scrape of indents and scratches on his bony fingers. You noticed that the seemingly relaxed look to his white eyelights was indeed fake - guarded, inquisitive, he was observing you, your body language in particular, another trait he unfortunately shared with his counterpart, except this time it seemed more a precaution and curiosity rather than blatant disdain. You weren't sure how to feel about that.
Sniper was a double of Papyrus, tall and lean, dressed in a sharp black suit with an orange undershirt. He introduced himself cheerfully but seemed a bit more reigned in than Papyrus had been. He was… gentlemanly, you supposed, tipping his hat with a small bow as his grin lifted his face before he stood straight, he looked towards you with curiosity, but didnt comment on his interest, letting the others handle their turn at introductions.
Colt was bigger than you remember Red being, with a lot more scraches and nicks on the side of his skull and hands. His grin was sharp, gold tooth glinting in the light as he assuredly walked up to you with a heavy, lidded gaze. He gave you his scarred hand for a handshake, only to pull it up to his teeth in a mock kiss hello as he purred out a low introduction. He looked entirely too pleased with himself, and entirely too used to the sharp scoff sounding from beside him at his antics.
Musket was clearly an alternate of Edge, and that alone made your shoulders tense and eyes sharpen at him. He wore a black and red three piece suit, his height towering over any other skeleton in the room and you felt yourself tense at the crimson color of his sharp gaze, - and yet, he surprised you, apologizing for his brother's poor conduct, shooting him a disapproving look before turning towards you with a calm and confident demeanor. He did not offer you his hand, only a nod of greeting in your direction as he threw an inquisitive glance down your form.
Carbine, Blue’s lookalike stepped in and approached you in Muskets place, offering you a businesslike grin as he offered you his hand to shake. He had an air of charm around him, the same kind that a lot of businessmen had, the same type of professional conduct as he made a simple introduction. You found it curious, if not suspicious, and as you searched his gaze for any more clues on his personality it seemed as if he was doing just the same, evaluating, analyzing, trying to glean some sort of clues about you. The curiosity wouldnt have bothered you, if it wasnt for the fact that he was perhaps the one skeleton that looked almost exactly the same as his counterpart - apart from the suit of course. You couldnt help but distrust his intentions.
Rifle, however, was perhaps the least interested in making any sort of introductions, he had been watching your from the corner of the room, dividing his attention between you and the window outside, he was tall, slightly taller than Stretch and a bit wider at the shoulders, he didnt hunch as much perhaps. Carbine introduced him in his place and you wondered why Rifle seemed so cautious, you tilted your head at the way he positioned himself, seemingly at ease leaning against the window before the light catch of eyelights caught your own through the reflection of the window, your eyes met before his head turned further away, hiding from your gaze as you wondered if he had been looking at you through the reflection this entire time.
Overall, you werent happy, but you relied on your experience of babysitting dignitaries for years now to keep your expression open and shoulders relaxed. The only one who seemed curious at your lack of enthusiasm was Vincent, but you didnt offer him any insight as to why you had been as unenthusiastic about your new acquaintances as you were apart from a passing glance.
Introductions were brief that day, cut short mainly on your behalf as the hour drew late, and Vincent urged you all to sit in order to get right to business, impatience clear in his tone. He explained the situation, that you would be helping them figure out exactly what was going on - the quicker the better. Some of the skeletons protested, Roulette and Sniper questioning the choice to get a civilian involved while the others cast the old man disapproving or confused looks.
Vincent laughed, shocking the room into silence and making you huff out a sigh. Civillian huh, seems like they had no idea who you were. Not that you were surprised - it was just like the old man to keep important details to himself.
Vincent threw you a look before turning to the group, shrugging and telling them that the decision was final, seems he wasnt going to enlighten them on your identity, not that you minded, it was perhaps safer this way. If anyone came to knew you were there, and especially if you were injured, it could lead to trouble - so you didnt comment either.
The evening meeting ended soon after, without any of their concearns adressed Vincent told them to keep you in the loop, any protests were waved off without an answer and you were escorted out of the room, the old man leading you to one of the free guest rooms in the building, telling you to stay here for now. Itd be easier to coordinate information if you were to stay on base, and you didnt protest when he said hed get your stuff for you in the morning - he already had a way into your house anyway, might as well make use of it.
Morning came soon after, and Vincent put you to work immediately as he brought you a stack of papers and files along with your things - closed case files, copies of missing person profiles, lists of the many gangs and supremacist groups currently active around the same areas where most of the disappearances were filed. Some of those files were well protected, hidden away from the public eye and your brow raised when you noticed the official seal of the mage circle on some of the papers lower down the pile - those were guarded, you knew because you were partly in charge of overseeing most of the archives. You snorted in disbelief at the extent of Vincent Forresters reach, seems you had a friendly rat problem down at the base, not that youd do anything about it.
You knew as stand offish as he was and as dangerous as he was to most others, the old man was an ally, it was the only reason he was sharing any of this information with you and not some proud old mage from one of the more prolific families.
About an hour into reviewing the information that was provided for you, a pattern seemed to emerge. The missing people was a mix of humans and monsters at first glance, but a further look into the backgrounds of the people made you realize that most of the humans that were abducted or otherwise were involved with moster kind in one way or another. A bar owner that employed monsters as a part of their business venture training program, a daycare attendant who babysat monster children on her days off, a teenage girl who began dating a monster just a few months prior to her disappearance. It struck you as odd, not because something didnt add up but exactly because it seemed too perfect - it fit the mold of a racist and xenophobic crime far too well. The supposed targets were always connected in some way to monsters, they were always people well liked and cherished by their community, always the perfect feel bad victim that makes people gasp in shock horror at the news and make them question just who could possibly do such a thing.
So then, what makes the old man think it was something other than a hate crime?
You hummed to yourself, deep in thought when a knock rang at your door.
You turned, questioning as you reached your sharp senses beyond it, a familiar thrum of magic making your skin raise. The skeletons you had met before this were significantly different from the originals, but this new group were far too simmilar for your liking. It was making your brow scrunch in disdain even as you tried to placate your own expression into a calm neutral before opening the door.
Sniper had stood beyond it, high spirited and bright eyed as he eyed you down, offering his greetings as he reintroduced himself. You had let him in, hesitating slightly before reminding yourself that this wasnt Papyrus and Sans wouldnt come snapping at your face for ever having the gall to share a few words with his brother.
Sniper had given you news that you would be working with one of each of them on the case, seeing as you were… a civilian… and that the skeletons didn't feel comfortable leaving you on your own devices in such a dangerous part of town. You could almost hear the echo of the old mans laugh as you heard him out, but didnt protest at the arrangement, it was better to lay low, on that he was right, it wouldnt be good to be recognized when you were in such a vulnerable state.
He told you that he would be giving you a tour around the premises today, seeing as he was off “work” for the day, you almost snorted when you had asked him about his job and at his vague answer, you knew full well what his work entailed, you were the only reason why Vincent hadnt been apprehended throuought the years - deigning oblivious ignorance at all his many dealings within protected territory. You didnt want to break the lie, it was probably better that Sniper and his family thought you knew less than you did, so once again, you closed your eyes and ears at his obvious lie.
Your morning was spent touring around the property, getting refamiliarized with the halls of the large manaion which hosted Vincents little group of miscreants and lawbreakers, many of which were too busy discussing business in many of the rooms in hushed whispers to pay any real attention to you. Some you recognized, some recognized you, but beyond a glance and a subtle raise of brows, none of them commented on your sudden appearance here. It was part of the job you supposed, knowing to keep your mouth shut when one of Vincents older aquaintances came for a visit. There were new faces too, many of which you recall seeing in the many temporary housing locations near Ebbott, you briefly wondered just how many of them had gotten through the integration paperwork due to Vincents meddling alone.
Sniper was a good guide, leading you through the halls with a practiced ease, slowing down his pace as he noticed you trailing behind him, your legs still numb from the poison in your system making your pace unhurried. Not that it seemed to bother him, he joined you at your side, explaining where evwrything was, showing you towards the kitchens and the dining hall, as well as the other communal places within the building. He was chatty, but focused more on small talk rather than anything else, expertly avoiding any topic that would threaten to reveal more than necessary to a guest. It was almost practiced, and you had to wonder whether or not he was put in charge of guests often, it would make sense, considering how easy the conversation flowed with him leading it.
Occasionally you almost found yourself slipping, almost revealing too much about yourself and had to steer the conversation away from his sneaky prying. He was feeling you out, you knew that, he knew that, and the glint in his eyes whenever you deftly avoided his prying was a telling sign that he remained unsatisfied and curious about your involvement in all of this.
“IT ISNT OFTEN BOSS HAS PERONAL GUESTS OVER, WE WERE PRETTY SURPRISED WHEN WE WERE TOLD YOUD BE LIVING HERE.” He commented, opening the large front door for you as you passed him, noting the fixated gaze on you as he observed you for a reaction.
“Only for a while, Vincent has a tendency to spring stuff on people without explaining much.”
“THAT HE DOES, ALTHOUGH GETTING SOMEONE INVOLVED WITH HIS WORK IS EVEN MORE SURPRISING.” Sniper prodded, and you knew he was looking for an explanation, some sort of tell, but when you turned to him, eyes calm and face in a neutral and polite smile, you could see a sense of disappointment cast over his eyelights.
“We help eachother out every now and again, its nothing special really.”
Sniper let out a hum at your vague answer and you commented no more as you both exited into the gardens, the midday sun high in the sky as you walked through the greenery.
“HAVE YOU KNOWN EACHOTHER LONG?” He asked after a while and you had to force down a smile at his questioning, humming in thought as you glanced around the manicured bushes lining the gravel path.
“Long enough I suppose.” You answered, stopping near a large tree, the shade shielding you from the harsh rays as you filled your lungs with the fresh air, you briefly noted that your skeleton guide stopped a few steps behind you, standing straight with a gaze burning into your back. You turned to him then, eyes meeting his narrow gaze, his bright grin tensing at the corners as he eyed you down.
“IS THAT SO.”
You raised a brow at the slight change in his tone, and watched as he approached you with long strides, casting a shadow over you as he eyed you down.
“Yes.”
“YOU ARE VERY GOOD AT AVOIDING QUESTIONS ARENTNT YOU.” his tone was amused but the look in his eyes was anything but.
“Am I now?”
“INDEED.”
He leaned in, tone lowering as he faced you head on, gaze meeting gaze.
“Perhaps its not for you to know.” You state calmly, turning your body fully towards him.
“OH?”
“Your “Boss” hasnt told you much has he?” You responded calmly and watched his eyesocket twitch at the corner when you emphasized the word Boss.
“Perhaps you should ask him?” You tilt your head, a smile on your face as you keep your gaze trained on him. You werent going to be the one to break this illusion, if Vincent wanted to tell them you were the worlds current raigning High mage then he could do it himself.
A moment passed in silence but it was quickly broken once Sniper straightened, pulling down his hat and putting it to his chest as he gave you a bow, his tone changed from the tense cheerfullness onto a more muted and apologetic one.
“MY APOLOGIES, I SPOKE OUT OF TURN. IM JUST A BIT CURIOUS CONSIDERING VINCENT HAS NEVER MENTIONED A FRIEND LIKE YOU.”
“Oh? A friend like me?”
“WHY YES! YOU ARE QUITE MEMORABLE SO IT WOULD MAKE SENSE IF HED AT LEAST COMMENT ON IT IN PASSING.”
“Memorable?” You raised a brow at the tall monster and watched as Sniper fidgeted slightly, covering it up with his hat as he straightened it back on his skull, fingers twitching slightly.
“WELL… YOU ARE QUITE BEAUTIFUL, IF YOU DONT MIND ME SAYING.”
You blinked up at him, jaw open at the sudden turn of this conversation, your silence visibly unnerving Sniper as his eyes flew across the garden, trying to avoid your own where as before he would not tear them from you. You could have sworn you saw the slightest darkening of his cheeckbones but it could have just as well been the dancing shadows cast from the tree leaves.
You couldnt help but lift a hand to your face, trying your best to stiffle a laugh and tensing your shoulders in an effort to stop them from shaking. You cleared your throat once you spotted how the motion captured the skeletons attention, eyes bright even though his expression never once changed from the cheerful facade he had first greeted you with.
“No, I dont mind… Thank you.” You offered, plucking a stray leaf from his shoulder, a motion he followed closely with his eyes, shoulders tensing at the slight touch of your fingertips.
“Youre not too bad yourself.” You added on, gaze narrowing before putting distance back between you both.
The tour continued after that, Sniper having to clear his throat and awkwardly change the subject as he urged you to follow along with the rest of the tour, embarrassment staining his features as he had walked too quickly ahead of you only to snap himself back to attention after he noticed you chuckling behind him, joining you back at your side.
The walk through the mansion grounds proceeded without incident after that, and soon you were back in your room, reviewing the last of the compiled files on your desk as you rested your worn limbs from the exercise of the day. Keeping up appearances seemed to take out a lot out of you, the damage from the poisoning attempt still clearly wearing you down and the feeling was discouraging. Thankfully Vincent kept to his word as he visited you later in the evening, bringing you a hot meal and pulling on spectacles as he told you to sit down and shut up as he took a look at you.
A couple of days passed, and you found yourself mainly keeping to yourself, only ever leaving the room to pick up something from the kitchen or to bother the old man in his office for an update on your newfound case.
The only other person who seemed to take an interest in your goings on was Sniper, who also occasionally knocked on your door for a quick check up. He had told you that currently the investigation was slow and that it would take time for any new leads to show up, but to sit tight and wait for the others to finish investigating. You figured that was the reason why you hadnt seen any of the other skeletons around since the first day, because they were out scouring for more information whilst Sniper kept an eye on you, not that he told you that himself, but you would be a fool not to recognize the arrangement for what it was.
The seemingly cheerful skeleton didn't bother you often, perhaps once or sometimes twice a day if he was feeling especially curious, he never did stop trying to pry you out of any little information he could and you would find amusement in denying him the pleasure. His so called attraction to you was the only thing you didn't really understand. At first you thought he had only admitted to your so-called beauty because he was covering for his aggressive prying, but then again, you did seem to catch him looking at you more often than not, even just in passing. You reasoned that it was only because he had to keep an eye on you as part of security and left it at that, you were far too busy recovering and piecing together a case of disappearances to put any deeper thought into it.
A few days had passed when you received another knock on your door in the early hours of the morning, and as you dragged yourself out of the soft warmth of your covers, bleary eyed and half asleep, you had to fight yourself from slamming the door right after you opened it once you laid eyes on a pair of familiar bright eyelights beyond it. It wasn't Sans, you had to remind yourself and knock yourself out of your sleep filled stupor as you opened the door wider in order to greet Roulette.
He was all laid back smiles, hands tucked in his dress pants casually as you noticed him cast a quick glance down your form, almost too quick to catch. He greeted you, and apologized for the random visit with a casual tilt to his voice as he stood in the doorway.
“hope i didnt wake ya, didnt really have time to call in a visit.” he shifted his weight, and you had to blink at him slowly to let your mind catch up with his impromptu visit.
“Its fine, did something happen?” you questioned and opened the door slightly wider, hesitantly inviting him in, albeit to your surprise, he didnt take the invite, instead loitering in the doorway, looking slightly more uncomfortable with each passing moment.
“no uh…” a moment of silence passed before he dropped his gaze down and back up again with lightning speed before he cleared his proverbial throat.
“boss told us to keep you in the loop and a few new leads have popped up, thought you might wanna get a change of scenery and go in person.”
You raised a brow at him then, but didn't argue as you agreed. It was only after closing the door and starting to get ready that you noticed that you were in fact not dressed to receive guests, pant-less and scantily clad you brushed a hand over your face in embarrassment, no wonder Roulette looked so uncomfortable.
It was after getting yourself presentable that the two of you made your way out of the mansion and in a black convertible, Roulette taking the wheel as you had slid in the back, subconsciously putting some more distance between the two of you. If the skeleton noticed, he didn't comment on it, instead asking you how you were feeling about your new living arrangements.
The ride wasnt long, filled with the odd small talk and occasional question from Roulette before you asked him about the case. He had told you that there were some witnesses that could point you in the right direction that you should meet and speak to personally. They were bystanders that had been dismissed by the police, as to the reasons why you could not understand, but you'd rather take a look yourself than make assumptions right off the bat.
The first one was an old woman, silver, unruly hair tied back behind her frail shoulders as she met you both in a little cafe on the side of one of the towns main streets. Your first impression of her wasnt great, purely as a witness she seemed rather unreliable, her thick rimmed glasses sat perched upon her nose and her face scrunching as she struggled to hear your name upon introduction. You wondered if her age was part of the reason why the police had dismissed her so readily, but you didnt voice your doubts as you took a seat at the table, Roulette sliding in the seat beside you.
You questioned her about the incident and she retold you of an evening a couple of weeks ago. She had been walking her dog when she noticed some sort of commotion in one of the darker alleyways further down. She told you about seeing a group of men, dressed casually in dark clothes as they piled around a young girl and a bunny monster. She told you about an argument that the group seemed to share, about the foul language used before her dog had started barking and seemed to startle the group out of their bickering. It was that very same evening that one of the girls from the unsolved disappearances had gone missing.
Overall the conversation was brief, and you asked the woman some questions before you had made your leave, Roulette hot on your heels as he opened the car door for you.
The next witness was the exact opposite from the previous one, a teenage boy still in high school. He seemed tense as he shook his leg at the table, hands folded on his chest as he eyed both you and the skeleton beside you with apprehension. It took an order of some ginger beer and some charm on your part to get him to open up about an incident about four days ago. He had been out with some friends, fooling around near an abandoned warehouse close to town when the group had stumbled upon something they maybe shouldn't have. A group of men, speaking in low whispers about something. At first they dismissed it as nothing, only to think otherwise when they returned to the warehouse the next day, only to find bloodstains and a torn red plaid shirt thrown out in one of the ditches surrounding the warehouse. The boy remembered the missing posters around town and the shirt beared an awful resemblance to the one the missing bar owner had on the day he disappeared.
Another vague clue, you noted the location as he wrote it down on a napkin and took your leave soon after.
There were two more witnesses, both with the same kind of vague sightings and odd clues mixed into their testimonies, and the web slowly but surely grew more complicated in your mind.
It was on the way back home that you snapped out of your thoughts at Roulette's insistence, he cleared his throat and you met his gaze through the rareview mirror.
“its gettin pretty late, you hungry at all?” he asked simply and you looked out of the window, noting that the sun was already setting, casting an orange glow over the city.
“Yeah, I could eat.”
He had hummed and commented no further as he took a turn on one of the avenues, parking his car in a nearby diner.
You didn't speak much as you both sat in one of the more closed off booths near the end of the row and ordered some food, Roulette joining you with an order of fries and a burger, a rather casual meal for someone dressed in a suit, but you were hardly one to judge.
“youre pretty good at all this.” Roulette commented suddenly as the waitress brought you both your meals and you had to tear your gaze away from her in order to keep up with his words. Was it just you or had you seen that waitress before?
“Oh? What makes you say that?”
“just the way you interact with people.” He shrugged and your brow raised at his vague answer, he chuckled before elaborating further.
“you make them feel at ease, willing to talk… makes me think you're used to this sorta thing.”
You exchanged a silent look then, it was clear he noticed the ease in which you handled interrogations, although what he thought of it was still a mystery.
You shrugged and took a sip of your drink, brushing off his prodding. “I deal with things like this often.” you answered simply, continuing on with your meal. “Its part of the reason why Vincent asked me to help out with this.”
“that so?” Roulette took a sip of his drink, projecting a sense of casualness although you knew his interest was peaked - this was the first time you had given them any clues as to who you were and you could tell he wanted to learn more.
“so what, you a private eye or something?” he asked you, raising a browbone with amusement in his grin, you could tell he was partly joking, but the other part seemed serious as he threw a fry into his mouth.
“No, not quite.” you huffed, throwing him an amused glance at the notion.
“so then, what are you? who are you, really?”
“You seem rather curious about that.”
“can you blame me? Vince isnt the sort of guy that just gets random people off the street involved in his business.”
“Is that what I am? A random bystander that just found their way into Vincents office one evening?”
“unless ya tell me otherwise.” You huffed, throwing him a smile as his grin widened, he seemed to be enjoying this back and forth, and you would be lying if you said you didn't feel the same. Then a thought crossed your mind, a little mischief glinting in your eyes and all at once your demeanor changed. You turned serious, narrowing your eyes at Roulette and he picked up on the shift immediately. Your tone lowered, conspiracy in your voice as you stared him down across the table.
“You really want to know?”
His grin never faded but his eyes narrowed as he gave you a small nod. You leaned in, theatrically pretending to share some big old secret as you held an open palm to your mouth and whispered at him as he mirrored you, playing into the bit.
“Im actually his ex-spouse.”
Roulette choked, coughing and sputtering as his face cringed in discomfort. It took an awful amount of self restraint not to burst out laughing at his reaction, but you kept your face serious as you continued your theatrics.
“We had a really ugly break up actually, its probably why he never mentioned me.” You sighed, pulling a disheartened look on your face as you looked away, lest you break down into laughter at the absolute shock horror on the skeletons face.
Roulette took a moment to compose himself, turning his startled gaze away from you, “you uh… thats one hell of an age gap…” he chuckled nervously, scratching the back of his head in a habit.
“Oh! Thank you for thinking so, people always tell me I look amazing for my age!”
“oh? they do? not that its any of my business but… out of curiosity how old are you?”
“I'm a bit older than Vincent, not that I'd ever give you an exact number.” Roulette's eyelights had dimmed to a near black as he stared at you, frozen, and for a while he looked like a deer in headlights. It was then that you couldn't stop yourself from snorting, letting your facade crack as your shoulders shook from the poorly disguised laughter. The skeleton across from you narrowed his eyes, and his tone turned incredulous as he leaned his forearm on the table.
“youre messing with me?”
“Im messing with you.”
“stars, I thought… actually never mind that.” You snorted at his wayward thoughts watching him as he composed himself in real time, running his hand down his shirt and it was then that your tone turned somber, you met the skeleton's eyelights, giving him an earnest look.
“Look, I get that this is all sitting poorly with you all, the fact that I'm involved at all is probably not something you expected to be dealing with.” You paused, and watched as his eyelights scanned your face.
“But the truth is you're probably better off not knowing.”
“hard to agree with you on that, considering you're a stranger living in our house.”
You sighed, but didn't argue, instead finishing the last of your drink.
“Yeah, I know, but you trust Vincent, don't you? You really think he'd put any of his men in danger willingly?”
A moment of tense silence passed, both of you looking at each other before finally, a shrug, Roulette's grin relaxed as he leaned back in his seat
“nah, hes not the type.”
You hummed in agreement, raising your eyebrows at the evaluation before the conversation died down.
You returned home a little while later, head filled with thoughts of the witnesses you had come across as well as the conversation you shared with Roulette. It didn't surprise you, their suspicion, but you'd rather not announce your status unless deemed necessary. Despite how the diner visit had ended, he remained amenable to you and did ask your thoughts on all that you had learned today - only thing was that there weren't many thoughts to share, the witness reports had been vague at most and besides looking into the locations and talking to some relatives you weren't sure where to go from there. You had to wonder whether or not there was something else you were missing… or perhaps, something else was hidden from you. You put that thought on the back shelf for now, you would have to have a sit down with Vincent and ask him personally.
Roulette escorted you back to your room, and you felt yourself grow weary from the storm brewing inside your head, so much so that you almost missed the light call of your name from the door, you turned to the skeleton, knocked out of your thoughts.
“hey uh, you know its nothing personal right? the prodding and whatnot.” He asked you, an earnest look to his face as he rested his hands into his pant pockets.
“I know.” You shot him a smile, eyes tired but understanding, and he seemed to relax at your words.
“good, thats… good.” He shifted his weight, unsure how to continue and you gave him a bit of mercy as you spoke up for him.
“I’ll see you around?”
“yeah, we should probably go check out those locations the witnesses mentioned.”
“Tomorrow then?”
“yeah, i’ll come pick you up.”
You nodded and a moment passed before he made his way out of your door, unhurried and laid back and as you moved to close the door behind him you heard him speak up.
“oh and, make sure you're dressed this time? not that I don't appreciate the view.” he had the gall to wink at you as your eyes widened, embarrassment froze you in your tracks as you stared at his retreating figure, waving at you over his shoulder.
“night darlin”
He turned the corner and you huffed closing the door, it was too late for this - and as you undressed and got yourself ready for bed - you couldn't help but smile at the odd residents of the mansion, if nothing else, you were having a seriously eventful medical leave, you just hoped your doctor wouldn't chew you out too badly.
