Walter left Francis and me in the kitchen alone; I listened out to see if he was gone. I felt some relief when I heard footsteps going up the stairs. Setting the violin case down, my gaze met Francis's. The words I wanted to tell her were suddenly stuck in my throat. I wondered again if I should say to her about this. But hesitating right now was only going to make this more difficult.

"What's wrong, Lexi?" Francis asked as she approached me. Her eyes filled with so much worry that I felt she might start shooting crazy questions.

"Listen," I said, trying to get the words out of my throat. "It's my Father... he knows about you... about us."

The worry in her eyes quickly changed to horror. Francis sat down at the table as she tried to calm herself. "What's he going to do?" She asked, her voice shaking. "Is he going to kill me?"

I shook my head, pulling up a chair next to her. Then I wrapped my arms around her, holding both her arms. "No, nothing like that. But it is a bit complicated."

Francis turned to me, the worry filling her eyes again. "Father has been watching Dogland for a long time," I explained, "If he wanted to do something to you, it'd have been done. But that usually isn't a good thing either."

My eyes fell, looking at Francis's hands. I loved how soft they felt against mine. More than that, I loved how clean they were. I was okay with bloodying my hands, but hers. I couldn't bear the thought.

"He wants to use me?" Francis said, her hands clenching as she spoke. "He must've noticed how good my magic was." It was strange how Francis said this, as if she knew she was talented. Maybe it was that she was the only Shaman I knew, but it just felt off.

"Well... yeah," I said, "But it's not just you. When I was coming up in the Estate. I met face to face with the Queen."

"The Queen?" Francis repeated, "She spoke to you?" I nodded and allowed her a moment to process that. "We were both too good," I continued. "Father has promoted me to Capo. It's why Walter is here."

"With a promotion comes more responsibilities, doesn't it?" Francis asked as she seemed to put the pieces together.

"Yes," I answered, "Father wants me to marry into the Isoarashi family." This was it. I expected her to shake me off and storm out of the kitchen. I was ready to beg her to stay and tell her I had no choice. But, like always, Francis blew my expectations out of the water. She did shake me off, but she didn't get up. Instead, she cupped my cheeks in her hands and kissed me. It wasn't a long kiss, but it felt reassuring enough.

"Alexander, vous êtes un homme stupide. I hope you didn't get any silly ideas as I'd leave you," Francis said, her voice dripping with disbelief. "I know you, Paradigms, have your customs. I'm not some idiot human girl."

Now, it was my turn to be confused. Like an idiot, I let my jaw hang open after hearing her say that. It didn't make any sense. Beatrix was angry with my Father when he came back with me.

"Look, Alex, you're good at what you do. Your Father finally sees that. If I have anything to be upset over, it's the fact that he intends to use me." Francis let go of me and crossed her arms. Now she was getting upset. "I only want to use my magic to help you. I'm not going to take orders from your Father."

I know Francis was serious, but I could tell help but laugh. No one I knew other than Furio or Jude could have the guts to speak about my Father in such a way. "What? It's not funny," Francis protested.

"Sorry, Franny... I'm just laughing at myself. You're right. I am a stupid man." I hugged her again and gave her a peck on the cheek. She still was a bit cross with me, but it wasn't too bad.

"So... Which Isorashi?" Francis asked, leaning into my shoulder. "Yayoi," I answered, "Yasuo's sister." Francis sat back up, that worrying look coming back to her. "Any particular reason?"

Her question raised a brow, but I decided to humor her. "It's to strengthen our alliance with them," I said, "as well as something about her being a sin factor." Even though that fact didn't mean much to me, I noticed Francis went stiff after hearing it.

"A Sin Factor," she repeated as if the two words felt heavy. "You're sure?"

"Y-Yeah, you know anything about it?" Francis didn't say anything for a moment. The gears in her mind seemed to spin so fast they might fall off.

"Do you know anything about the Sin Factors?" Francis asked, her mind finally coming to a halt. I just told her what Father said to me about them. When I was done, she took some more time to think. She turned to me again and placed her hand on my chest. She muttered something I couldn't understand, and suddenly that slight pain I felt when I met the Queen returned. But it vanished as quickly as it came.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

"Alex, I need you to answer my next question, honestly," Francis said, her tone becoming more serious. "When you met the Queen. Did she give you anything?"

I'm unsure why I'd lie to her about that, but she had her reasons. Maybe some Shaman thing I needed help understanding. I took out the medal, and the wad of cash Queen Jeanne gave me and showed them to Francis. She didn't seem as interested in the money as the medal. Taking it from me, Francis began to examine the medal as if it were a precious diamond.

"Alexander," Francis called out, her tone unlike anything I've ever heard. "Your Father... What use did he have for me?"

"He didn't say," I answered, "He just wanted you to stick around. He even went as far as to give his blessing on being my concubine. Not that I think that low of you."

Francis shook her head, "That's perfect. I want to join you when you meet Yayoi. "

"Woah, are you sure?" The question escaped my lips faster than I could hold it in. "Won't that be a bit awkward?"

"Yayoi will likely know of your Father's compromise already," Francis said. "Besides, despite not having such a custom since the Edo period, the Isoarashi is an older family. Meaning they would allow me to become a sokushitsu. I am a magical creature, after all. Not a human."

The entire Edo period went over my head, but I could grasp the basic concept. I wanted to avoid getting Francis involved in my work, though. It was dangerous. There were even times when I almost died. Yet, she'd been talking like she wouldn't change her mind. Something had driven her to want this, so who could I deny that? "Alright, I give," I said, throwing my hands up. "Where are you supposed to be meeting Yayoi tomorrow? You have to promise me you'll be safe. I won't let you unless you do."

Francis kissed me again, this time for a little longer. "I promise I'll do whatever it takes." For just a few more minutes, we sat together in the kitchen. Then we got up and started heading to our room after I picked up my violin case.

Francis returned the medal, telling me to keep it on me no matter what happened. The gold coin seemed a lot heavier than before. When we returned, Francis crashed immediately, not even bothering to put on some night clothes. I stayed up a little to see what Furio had given me. Placing the violin case on the desk, I opened the locks. Inside was a submachine gun, specifically the Thompson, the American's brand-new weapon they liked waving around. The metal was black with the exact bat wing engraving Wanda had.

The Thompson was a work of art. It could quickly cut down a squad and was compact and easy to carry. What would happen if we had more of these in the West? But the fact I was getting one now meant that there would be more dangerous jobs to go on. Now that Francis wanted to come with me, I felt an enormous uneasiness in my gut. I even worried that she'd interfere in the job if it came down to it. Father, using her was the main worry. Don't get me wrong; Father knew how to cut off a rotting limb.

Sitting the Thompson down, I plopped right down on the bed. Francis was already sound asleep, so there were no talking things through any further. I brushed some of her hair off her face and burned her beauty into my memory. Then I slipped into the bed beside her and pulled the covers over us. "I promise, Franny," I whispered, "I won't let anything happen to you.

The next day went the same as usual, although Franny spent most of the day with me. She'd given me my daily blood to drink and tried getting me to sleep. Francis mainly spent the morning practicing more spells, creating runes of different kinds. Whenever I'd wake, I'd catch her meditating or carving a new rune in a stone she had. It wouldn't be until a little bit into the afternoon that she'd rejoin me in bed. A few hours later, sundown came, meaning it was time to go.

When I got up, I entered the closet and picked out a suit. I might want to look good since I would meet the boss of another family and my bride-to-be. I only owned two suits, one black and one grey. Taking the black one, I got changed as quickly as I could. Before putting on my jacket, I pulled out my harness holster and began hooking it on. For a moment, I turned back to see Francis waking up now. She began to change, too, opting for the wool suit she kept around for when she went out for the day. She even wore pants, a vest, and suspenders. Other than the nightgown, I couldn't remember the last time I saw Francis in something a little more feminine. But I just chalked it up to being not her style.

I reached into the closet, getting the other harness holster for Francis to put on. When I held it up to her, she looked a little puzzled. "If you're going with me, you'll be carrying. I got a spare piece in my bag."

"You've only taught me how to shoot a handful of times," Francis laughed nervously. She did take the harness, though she was hesitant. I didn't want her to take the gun because I didn't trust Isoarashi. They were violent, sure, but next to the Rotterdams, the Isoarashi were the most honorable gang of thugs in the city. The Huangs, on the other hand, were an entirely different story. I've only dealt with them a few times, but I knew they primarily dealt with opium and prostitution. They ruled most of the entertainment district in Iscariot City and had a reputation for having wild parties. At some of those parties, I heard people didn't come alive.

Going in my back, I pulled out the Colt 1911 I'd been issued when I volunteered. I ensured it wasn't loaded initially, then pulled out a couple of magazines. Handing all of the items to Francis, I crossed my arms, waiting for her to proceed with a weapon check. Francis pulled the slide just a bit to see inside the chamber. There wasn't one loaded already, but it was nice that she remembered. Francis then checked the gun's safety, which was already on, then slid the magazine back into the gun. She almost went to pull the slide back, but I put my hand over hers before she could do so. "Nope... Remember, Franny, the gun is only there to defend yourself. Only hotheads keep one chambered."

"R-Right... Désolé ma chéri," Francis said as she holstered the gun. "Now, shall we go?" We descended to the first floor, where Walter awaited us. He had on a nice grey suit with a fedora to match. He honestly looked like some detective for justice. As he saw us come down, he looked confused, which he had a right to be.

"I hadn't known we were having a third come along," Walter said cautiously, reinforcing every word.

"Relax, Mr. De Santis. She's practically got my old man's blessing." That wasn't a lie, but Walter didn't look like he wanted to dispute it.

"If that's the case, welcome aboard, Mademoiselle Abreo," said Walter. "And please... Call me Walter. Now we best be going. Yasuo Isoarashi dislikes those who aren't punctual."