The bell chimed as Chief Black walked into Café LeBlanc. The warmth of the place washed over him, a stark contrast to the cold calculation of the Hao Pavilion.
"Mr. Black, welcome," Zero called out from behind the bar, wiping a glass.
Black offered a tired smile. "Zero. Is the kitchen still open?"
"Of course," Soma replied, popping his head out of the kitchen window. He took one look at the Chief's face. "You seem down."
Black kept his smile plastered on, though it didn't reach his eyes. "Oh nooo, I'm okay. Just tired. One hearty meal would suffice."
"Which one?" Soma asked, leaning on the counter. "All my food is a hearty meal, since it's made with love."
Black laughed, a short, genuine sound. "Surprise me."
"Got it," Soma said with a confident grin, disappearing back into the kitchen.
Zero placed a glass on the counter and poured a generous measure of amber whiskey. "You can talk to me," he said softly. "There are no more customers. It's about to get dark."
Black looked out the window. The shadows in Delancey Alley were lengthening, swallowing the light. His smile finally dropped, revealing the exhaustion underneath. He took the glass and downed half of it in one go.
"How long have you been here?" Black asked.
"Not for long," Zero replied, refilling the glass. "It's been about six months, I think."
"What do you think of the Kingdom?"
Zero paused, a nervous smile flickering on his face. "Are you trying to trap me? Are you a Kingdom's informant?"
Black scoffed, shaking his head. "No, it's not like that. The King... he's jealous. He looks at the Concord, the Theocracy, the Empire... if the Dynasty were closer, he would be jealous of them too. Did you know the Watchers are just a mimic of the Concord's Sentinel program? A pale imitation born of envy."
"I've heard," Zero said neutrally. He sighed, leaning against the back bar. "Haaa... look, I've met all kinds of customers. Since my café is in the alley, most people that come here are the people who know the alley. The poor folks. The workers. And from what I see... they are happy. Despite everything."
Black looked at Zero, really looked at him.
"I don't know what kind of job you do," Zero continued, "but if your job can help them live a better life... I see no reason why not to try."
"Try?" Black repeated, the word heavy on his tongue.
"I don't know if you're powerful enough to change the Kingdom in one day," Zero said with a shrug. "And to be honest, with monthly horrors visiting us... is there any power in this world that truly matters to begin with? So... how about you just try?" He offered a simple, encouraging smile.
"And with my food," Soma announced, walking out with a steaming plate of Beef Bourguignon, "you can try better with a filled stomach."
Black looked at the food, then up at the two of them—a demon and a human, working under the same roof in perfect harmony, offering comfort to a stranger. He felt a knot in his chest loosen.
'I guess my dream was never impossible to begin with,' he thought.
"Thank you, Chef," Black said, his voice thick with emotion.
Soma gave him a thumbs up. "No problem, Mr. Black."
…
The morning sun filtered through the blinds of the 7th Precinct briefing room. Out of all the recruits graduating from the Academy, the "Troublemaker Trio"—Erwin, Domin, and Havisa—had somehow all been stationed at the same precinct.
They were dressed in their fresh, long-sleeved patrol uniforms, covering the bruises from the previous night's unauthorized raid. Erwin and Domin arrived first, scanning the room. Not wanting to be presumptive, they took seats in the middle row.
A moment later, Havisa walked in, chin high, and sat directly in the front row, dead center.
"Why is she sitting there?" Domin whispered to Erwin. "Isn't that for the brass?"
"Rookies sit in front, boot."
A voice whispered right in Domin's ear from behind. He jumped, nearly knocking his chair over. It was Officer Valdi, leaning back in his chair, grinning.
Erwin immediately stood up. "Yes, sir."
He walked to the front row, Domin scrambling to follow him.
"You didn't tell us rookies sat in front," Domin grumbled as they sat beside Havisa.
Havisa chuckled without looking at them. "You guys didn't ask."
The room began to fill up. Monet entered, giving them a small, tired smile before taking a seat behind them. Then Wolfe walked in, his demeanor as laid-back and grumpy as ever, slouching into a chair near the wall. Detectives Morhan and Celvise arrived together, exuding veteran energy, and sat beside Wolfe.
Once everyone was settled, the door opened, and Captain Céline Dubois walked in. The room went silent.
"Morning shift," she began, her eyes scanning the room. "Today will be a hectic day. We are in the final prep for the Silent Night. And not only that, we got new blood, too." She looked down at the front row. "And all three of them have already had their fair share of... actions."
A low rumble of hazing noises—"Ooooh," and mock-coughs—rippled through the room. The rumor of the three rookies sneaking out to the field had spread fast.
"Get up," Céline commanded.
Erwin, Domin, and Havisa stood up and faced the room.
"After months in the Academy," Céline said, her voice hard, "you still have to cement yourself here. You have to earn the right to stay. Prove yourself. The way we do things matters, so I don't want any more surprises." She leaned forward. "But you will learn that this job will throw surprises at you like there is no tomorrow. Do you understand?"
"YES, MA'AM!" the three shouted in unison.
"Alright," Céline said, looking at her clipboard. "Let's start with the hotshot. The 'Golden Commander.' Let's throw you straight into the wolf's den." She pointed to the wall. "Recruit Smith, you're with Wolfe as your T.O."
Erwin looked back. Wolfe stared at him with heavy, unimpressed eyelids.
…
"Good morning, sir," Erwin said, approaching Wolfe in the motor pool.
"Save the chat for later," Wolfe grunted, unlocking the rune-car. "Set up the bag. Check the flares and the suppression cuffs."
"Yes, sir."
…
Hours passed. It had been a grueling initiation. Wolfe had run Erwin through a series of rapid-fire tests on protocol, radio codes, and rune-car maintenance. They had responded to one call, which turned out to be a false alarm caused by a nervous shopkeeper.
Now, they were cruising through the mid-day traffic.
"I heard from Sergeant Lomare you're not a T.O. anymore," Erwin said, breaking the silence.
Wolfe kept his eyes on the road. "I won't be for long. You have the guarantee of a 'Golden Ticket' from Captain Céline. But don't think for a second you can be laid back because of that. In fact, because of your unique stance, I expect zero mistakes. You mess up, you make her look bad. You make her look bad, I make your life hell."
"Understood, sir," Erwin said.
They drove past a shadowed alleyway. Erwin looked at it, his mind drifting to the events of the previous night. "Sir... how is the investigation on the mysterious man going? The one from the sewer?"
Wolfe shot him a sharp look. "Stop concerning yourself about that, boot. That is way above your pay grade. At the moment, you are on patrol. Focus on the street."
"Yes, sir."
Wolfe suddenly hit the brakes at a random intersection. "What street are we in? Don't look at the sign."
Erwin didn't hesitate. "Intersection of Bleeker and 4th, entering the Textile District."
Wolfe nodded, easing off the brake. "Correct. Having the memories of the street is necessary. When things go bad, you need to be able to tell Command exactly where you are without looking at a map. It's about control of your status."
…
The sun was setting as the rookies gathered in the locker room. They were peeling off their heavy uniforms. Domin sat on the bench, looking absolutely exhausted, his head in his hands.
"Are you alright?" Erwin asked, buttoning his civilian shirt.
"I think I've made a mistake on everything there is," Domin groaned. "I filed the report wrong, I almost tripped during a chase... my T.O. looked like he wanted to shoot me himself."
Erwin smiled sympathetically. "Hang in there. Today is the preparation for tomorrow's Silent Night, after all. Everyone is on edge."
Domin sighed. "Yeah. Preparation. Just waiting for the mistakes to happen so we can clean them up."
Erwin paused. "Thank you, Domin," he said suddenly.
"Huh?" Domin looked up, confused. "For what?"
"I'll buy you a drink," Erwin said, grabbing his jacket and heading for the door with a renewed sense of purpose. "Later!"
Erwin ran toward Captain Céline's office and knocked firmly on the glass.
"Come in," Céline called out, looking up from a stack of paperwork. Chief Black was seated on the couch, reviewing the interrogation transcripts of Guilon.
"How was your first day?" Céline asked, leaning back.
"It was insightful, ma'am," Erwin replied, standing at attention. "Sergeant Wolfe is a great teacher."
"What brings you here?"
Erwin took a breath, ready to plant the final seed of Sebas's plan. "I was just talking to my fellow rookie, Domin, about the preparation for tomorrow's Silent Night. And I noticed a pattern."
Chief Black looked up, interested. "Are you finding something?"
"I've been thinking about the Hao Pavilion," Erwin said. "It started running about three months ago. And if you look at the records, the last Silent Night had the same kind of chaos preceding it. A few days before the Silent Night, chaos erupted."
"The raid where Damocle died," Céline realized, connecting the dots. "The death of the Honey Badger Syndicate's leader."
"Yes," Erwin said. "What if the mastermind's plan is the same? He uses the pre-Silent Night chaos to destabilize the board, and then uses the Silent Night itself as a cloak to strike his true target while our forces are diverted or hunkered down."
"The question is," Céline said, her brow furrowing, "who will he attack? The gangs are already broken."
"The Hao Pavilion themselves," Black answered, the realization dawning on him. "They are the only independent power left standing. If this 'Mysterious Man' wants total control of the underworld, he has to break the one group that refuses to play the game."
Black stood up, nodding. "Great job, Officer. That is a solid deduction."
"Chief," Erwin said quickly as Black moved to grab his coat.
Black stopped. "Yes?"
"Can I join the operation?" Erwin asked.
"Erwin," Céline interjected immediately, "it is your first—"
Black held up a hand to stop her. He looked at the rookie. "Why?"
Erwin looked him in the eye. "Because it's my job to help people. The very least I could do... is try."
The words struck Black hard. It was the exact same sentiment the café owner, Zero, had shared with him over whiskey. 'If your job can help them live a better life... why not try?'
Black smiled, a genuine, rare expression. "Fine. But you're in the back. Observation only."
"Thank you, sir," Erwin said.
Céline walked over and slapped Erwin hard on the back, sending him stumbling a step.
"What are you doing?" Erwin asked, wincing.
"Haaaa," Céline sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Are you not hearing my words? 'No more surprises.'"
"Didn't you say," Erwin countered with a faint smile, "that we will learn that this job will throw surprises at us like there is no tomorrow?"
Céline stared at him, then let out a defeated groan. "It's my fault. I will tell Wolfe to double your training." She walked past him out of the office.
"Wait!" Erwin called out.
But Céline wouldn't hear it. She was already barking orders in the bullpen.
…
High in the Hao Pavilion, Sebas stood by the window, watching the sun dip below the horizon. The city was holding its breath.
"Kai," he said softly.
Kai appeared from the shadows, using his flicker foot movement. "Master."
"Ready the spiders," Sebas commanded. "Make sure our 'bugs' are safe. But keep them oblivious. Their fear needs to be genuine for this to work."
"Already done, Master," Kai reported.
"Great," Sebas said, adjusting his cuffs. "The show will start tonight."
Kai flickered back out.
Behind Sebas, Amanzio shifted uncomfortably. "Should we go this far?" he asked. "Using the Pavilion as bait?"
"People love a fallen hero rising from the ashes," Sebas said, turning to face him. "Just play your part right, Amanzio. You are the defender tonight."
"There is only a handful of people who know the true nature of our plan," Misela added, looking at her manicure. "The small folks will perceive it as a real danger. If we aren't careful, panic will kill them faster than any enemy."
"Then the Hao Sect will help them afterwards," Sebas said with finality. "Make sure our bugs are safe. As for the unknown variable that we will inevitably encounter..." He smiled beneath his veil. "Don't worry. We have help."
…
Down on the street level, a block away from the Pavilion, a man in a sharp suit sat at a small, open-air noodle stall. Gellert Grindelwald casually ate a bowl of simple noodles, his mismatched eyes scanning the crowd with a predator's calm. He wiped his mouth with a napkin, checked his pocket watch, and waited for the curtain to rise.
**A/N**
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**A/N**