With an annoyed groan Krowe stepped out of a fancy looking limo wearing a lavish black and white tuxedo. He tugged at the collar, earning a slap on the hand from Kestrel who was also dressed nicely. But not in a dress as she despised them, but in a suit that looked more fit for business meetings
She sighed "I don't like these clothes any more than you do, but we need to wear them to get in" she said, looking at him with her one eye. Her usual black pirate like eye-patch was replaced with one that had a glossy finish to it.
In front of them was a huge mansion in the style of old Earthen architecture. With stone pillars and angled roofs, it was definitely out of place in the city of Nul, but luckily for Darov it was a fair drive away from the main city and it was hidden by the trees. In front of the staircase up to the main doors was a big fountain where the road went around it. Many others were there in fancy suits and dresses, but Krowe and Kestrel were there to do one thing. Kill Darov.
Krowe sighed and nodded, walking up the staircase and towards the over-sized oak doors where two butlers were waiting. Stereotypically they had British accents, and one of them bowed their heads towards Krowe and Kestrel
"Ah, Mister Sands and Miss Oshin, the master has been expecting you two to arrive" the man said with a cheerful smile "He's waiting for you in the VIP lounge, he'd like you to see him before he does his speech in two hours"
Krowe wasn't quite sure what to say as he walked past, so he just looked to Kestrel who rolled her eyes and cleared her throat "Thank you very much sir. We'll be sure to do just that" and then they walked past. Kestrel sighed at Krowe, giving him an odd look "You need to work on your people skills"
"Pft, I don't need to work on people skills. I work much much better at people skulls" he punched his palm to emphasize his point, which only made Kestrel lightly punch his arm.
Once inside, their senses were met with a vast range of stimulants. The smell of freshly cooked roasts and vegetables traveled up their nostrils, the sound of classical jazz being played by an actual band reached their ears, and the stunning sight of the buildings magnificent and lavish architecture made even the thick-skulled Krowe a little envious.
In front of the main entrance was a grand staircase which began separately on either ends of the room, then met in the middle of the room on the higher floor. On both the right and left were big hallways full of well dressed people, golden chandeliers hung from above and filled the white painted halls with light.
To the right was the way to the ball room, and to the left was the dining room. Krowe nodded and then looked to Kestrel as they walked up to the staircase "Let's be quick about this. Poison or gun?" he asked quietly as he brushed past a drunk couple who seemed to be having a little too much fun.
Kestrel kept her eyes forward and wrapped her arm around his "Poison first, we've give it a half hour and if he's still up then shoot him"
"Got it, do you have the vial? Or will you pour it in?"
"Whoever gets the first opportunity, this is too big of a deal to take chances"
Krowe nodded and gave her a slightly grin, but it seemed that they where approaching the VIP room as two large men in suits reached for the door handles of the big oak door in front of them. One of them nodded "Mr. Sands, the boss is expecting you. Ms. Oshin, I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to wait outside. The boss said what he wanted to talk about was leader to leader"
Hearing this, Krowe's eyes glanced over in her direction, but she kept her cool and simply nodded "Oh, I see. That is understandable. Of course, I'll just wait down in the bar, if one of you fine gentlemen would treat this lady to a drink"
One of the men seemed intrigued by this, and nodded "I shall accompany you Ms. Oshin. Lead the way please"
Krowe just watched her with a bewildered look, then turned back to the door "Oh, right. Thank you" he said, walking in after the doorman opened it and stepped aside.
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Krowe glanced around the VIP room. It was immaculately clean and its entire aesthetic was one of superiority and wealth. It was dimly lit, and the smell of smoke did linger in the air. But he shrugged and walked deeper in, until he came across a big square room with booths around the edges. The middle of the room was lower than the rest, and poles connected the ceiling to the floor. A few attractive women were dancing on them, but Krowe wasn't there to oggle. He looked around for his target, then spotted him. Darov was sitting at one of the booths and getting ready to eat a big meal from the looks of it.
Strolling over to the booth, Krowe gently brushed the curtains away so he could see in and wave "Hey Darov, you wanted to talk to me?" he asked, nudging in and sitting down. Nobody else was actually sitting with him which he found curious, but focused on what needed to be done.
Darov was a small man, with a broad build and almost elderly appearance. He wore a blue suit with a white shirt underneath, and a pure black tie. Atop his head was a fedora which concealed his dark brown hair. In his right hand was a very large cigar with a green banner around it, and in his other hand was a ring he was fiddling with. His eyes covered by a pair of black sunglasses, and he glanced up at Krowe who gave him a wave.
Clearing his throat, Darov began to speak.
"I'm glad you could come today Krowe. You always liven the parties up" he said, his voice gruff and tough
Krowe just smiled and looked down at his lap "Aw, thanks D. You're makin' me blush" he said as a joke, before looking up "Though before I can get to making this party a party, there's gotta be some alcohol D. You ain't hiding the good stuff from me again are you?" he smirked and gestured to the table that lacked any drinks.
Darov blinked a few times and held his head "Ah shit, how'd I forget that" he muttered, then looked out to a passing waitress "Hey hey, get us a few bottles of Feirwator would ya!" he called out. The waitress nodded "Of course sir"
A few minutes passed, and soon the waitress came back with a tray of big glass bottles of alcohol, labelled "Feirwator: Great taste since 3141"
Darov smiled and poured a big wine glass each, sipping his and exhaling as he smacked his lips "You cannot get better than Feirwator. Their wines, their vodkas..Mhm, it is all divine" he said with a lot of confidence.
Krowe nodded "I think their rum is a little bland but yeah, they're usually really good... Oh, you wanted to talk to me about something"
Nearly coughing on his drink, he nodded "Oh yes yes.. Yes" he sat up "Recently some punks attacked one of my little stashes, took three armored cars and left nobody alive. Lost a lot of pretty good men..." he sighed and looked down at the table.
Krowe looked up to the man and nodded "I see. That's pretty bad. Some random wannabes might have those cars. But how can I help?"
"It seemed that in their little rush of success, the people who did it spraypainted their logo onto the wall of the factory. It's a sword with a gun behind it in an X shape"
Krowe looked up to him and nodded "Okay, I'll keep an eye out for any logo like that and make sure to get those armored cars back to you"
He nodded and smiled "Thank you very much Kro-Ah shit" he groaned as the ring he was fiddling with fell out of his grip and down onto the floor, landing with a tink. Darov leaned down to pick it up, and in that moment Krowe made the decision. Whilst he was leaning down, Krowe took out the vial of poison and poured it into Darov's drink, before going back to sitting like before.
Darov sighed as he came back up from under the table, and held the ring "Ah..Can't be too careful with this ring... I got it back when I started the Legion, and got this ring to make sure that I never forgot the people who die under my leadership" he said, reaching for his wine and sipping it.
Krowe watched and nodded "Very honorable if I do say so myself"
But whilst Darov sipped his wine, he furrowed his brow and smacked his lips as he licked the insides of his mouth. It took him a moment but he looked up to Krowe
"I thought you were smart enough to use a tasteless one at least, Krowe"