☂︎︎ HOUSE OF SHADOWS ☂︎︎ - five hargreeves

* 𝚂𝚝𝚛𝚎𝚎𝚝 𝙳𝚎𝚊𝚕𝚜 *

[026]
- ☾ '☂︎︎' ☽ -

It was like an old western showdown. Both groups stood an exaggeratedly large distance away from each other, separated by nothing but the overcast sky and the double yellow line of the street they so stupidly decided to make the deal in.

Except there were no cowboy hats, studded boots or anything remotely Western. In fact it resembled a hostage exchange more than a negotiation of any kind.

Hazel and Cha-Cha were staring Five down as he approached. Even through the masks they seemed to bristle with unease. Cassidy stood with Luther several feet behind the boy. Her eyes were narrowed at the familiar blue and pink animal masks.

"The masks really necessary?" Five asked.

They seemed reluctant to remove them, but otherwise tossed them to the side.

"So where is it, kid?" Tired. That was all that radiated from the woman. She seemed less unnerved than her partner by the fact that they were outnumbered. Cha-Cha tilted her head and stared Five down, and Cassidy could tell from expression that this was the less reasonable, and more dangerous of the two.

"Wow, that's how you're gonna start. You know, we can get right back in our car and call it a day," said Five.

Cha-Cha was quick to pull out a pistol from her hip and point it at Five's checkered uniform chest. "You won't even make it halfway there."

Looking indifferent, Five smirked slightly. "Maybe. But as I'm sure you found out in your previous foray, my brother is not your average giant."

It was the man's turn to speak, he scratched his tangle of facial hair. "He's right. You dropped a chandelier on him, got right back up."

"By the time you took him out, he'd smash your precious briefcase to a pulp," the boy continued, unfazed.

Hazel waved his own pistol at the ground. "Probably us too, right?"

Cha-Cha had spotted Cassidy next to Luther. Though barely, she was mostly dwarfed by his shadow and thick coat.

"Who's the kid?" Hazel questioned, angling his gun slightly so it was pointed at Cassidy.

"I'm the bodyguard," she called, forcing a wry smile.

"Then what's the big guy for?"

"Intimidation."

Cha-Cha was peering at Cassidy as well, though she took on a more skeptical look. Her shorts, school shoes, and oversized blazer didn't exactly make her intimidating like Luther. She didn't have much going for size, her face didn't have threatening scars like Diego did. It took a minute before either Commission workers did recognize her.

"Oh, hell no. She's the one with the frying pan."

Cassidy smiled slightly at the memory, even waving languidly at Cha-Cha as she scowled back. No doubt remembering the concussion she received after the mental pan cracked against her temporal lobe.

"So how do we help each other without getting stabbed?" Hazel asked, continuing to eye the curly headed teenager hiding behind King Kong.

"I need to get in contact with your superior," Five stated matter of factly. "So I can have a chat with her. Face-to-face."

"About what?" Cha-Cha asked somewhat aggressively.

"Well, I don't believe that's any of your concern."