Chapter 37: Midnight

“Fingers crossed he’s in a good mood.” chuckled Anton as he put the phone to his ear.

Mica kept her eyes lowered as she worked to avoid the glaring looks that both Fiona and Kianna were giving her. She and the dark elves all stayed silent as Anton lightly rocked his head back and forth while he listened to the phone ringing on the other end.

“Hello. Leopold! It’s Anton ... Good evening to you too. How’s it going? ... Good, good. Listen, sorry I’m calling you so late, I hope I didn’t wake you?” said Anton as the line was answered “Oh, still working? ... So are you still at your office then? ... Ah, you’re at home ... Okay great. Perfect scenario actually.”

Having shifted their ears forward, the two dark elves were clearly trying their best to listen in on both sides of the conversation as they leaned in over Anton.

Noticing their efforts, Anton waved them both off as he gave each of them a tired look.

“So is Ila there with you? ... And how’s she doing? ... Good to hear ... It really has been too long.” he said as he leaned his head back and looked up at the ceiling “Oh, it had to have been this last new years party? ... Or maybe the one before? Regardless, it really has been too long. Way too long.”

Mica couldn’t help but to shift about uncomfortably in her seat as she listened to the unnervingly casual conversation.

“Right. Real quick though, before we get to the actual reason I called you tonight. Did you happen to get that e-mail I sent you?” asked Anton as he glanced down at Mica “ ... Yes, that’s right. The apartment complex ... No, no. That’s a real acquisition now ... Well, yes, originally it was going to be a purchase. But not anymore ... Well, truth be told, I’ve acquired the previous owners as my slaves. So now it can be treated as a straight acquisition ... No, this is a first. I generally don’t make a habit of collecting slaves. This was a unique situation though. A very unique situation in fact.”

Reminded of their circumstances, Fiona grimaced in annoyance as Kianna grinned sheepishly.

“ ... No, not yet. I know I need to. But like I said, this situation is unique, so I’m taking my time with their registrations ... Well, the truth is things with them might be a bit, controversial. So I’m trying to get as prepared as possible before I take that step ... Exactly, I want to be ready for any fallout I might experience over this.” explained Anton “ ... Oh no, no, it’s nothing like that. No, the truth is that they’re dark elves ... That’s right, dark elves ... No, they are definitely dark elves alright. Real dark elves ... Normally it is impossible, or it was. But, believe it or not, I found a way to do it ... No, as far as I know this is a first ... Well, if it has ever happened before it was either never documented or buried outright ... Exactly. That’s why I said it’s going to be controversial ... No, it’s not a fluke, I’ve actually done it more than once now ... Two of them ... Mm hm. Females, both of them ... Hm, well, I wouldn’t say that. They’re not quite as monstrous as you’d think they would be. One of them is actually quite the little sweetheart. Or, most of the time she is. The other one though ... mm, not so much. She would be closer to what a normal dark elf is expected to be ... Yeah, pretty much.”

Kianna hummed a small sound and rocked her head in a cutesy manner as Fiona narrowed her eyes into a glare and pointed her ears straight back behind her head.

“Excuse me? ... Oh, well, that ... Oh really? ... I see, hm, possibly?” muttered Anton as he glanced up at Fiona “Well the biggest thing is that she’s young, and has no experience ... That is a pretty big factor though ... Are you sure this is something you would even want to try, Leopold? ... Well I can’t guarantee that it’ll work out the way you’re thinking it will ... Well, yes, of course it might. But I think another factor that you’re not taking into consideration is the cost ... You do have to understand that she is a dark elf after all. So unfortunately, no matter how we slice it, this will not exactly be cheap.”

Fiona’s face softened as Anton looked away from her. Shifting her gaze to her sister, the two dark elves stared at each other as uncertainty formed in their eyes.

“Tell you what. Let’s just see how things go with the rest of this conversation. And if things go well, we can come back to this topic.” smiled Anton as he focused his attention back on Mica “ ... Oh no! I’m not saying no, I’m not at all against the idea ... Well we can figure it all out later of course. And if we do decide to go ahead and actually do something, then I’ll definitely give you a good deal. So don’t worry about that.”

Fiona’s ears pointed themselves straight upwards as her eyes went wide and her mouth fell open. Across from her Kianna was shaking her head as a disbelieving expression masked her face.

“In any case, I think it’s time that we got to the real reason I’m calling you tonight.” said Anton as he grinned at the miserable looking kiochi “Well. Believe it or not. I’m afraid to say that somebody actually tried to kill me earlier this evening. And I think there is a very, very good chance that this somebody, is someone you might know...”

Groaning softly, Mica began to chew on her lower lip as she dropped her eyes back to the floor.

“Yes, I’m very serious ... No, it was a full blown assassination attempt ... Oh, no! No, I’m fine. Not even a scratch ... Well, an effort was certainly made, I can say that much. Unfortunately for her though, she never stood a chance.” chuckled Anton “ ... Oh, I’m fairly sure you do know her ... Well, you see. I’m afraid to say that my assailant was an eager, but very unskilled little kiochi, named Mica.”

Anton’s grin broadened as he watched Mica become more and more crestfallen.

“ ... Mm hm. That’s right ... No, no, this one is definitely yours! I guarantee it!” smiled Anton “ ... No. Of course not. She’s alive. I have her right here in front of me ... Oh yes, I’m completely serious. I’m looking right at her ... No, this is definitely your daughter, Leopold ... Well, would you like to talk to her?”

Mica brought her eyes up as Anton eased forward and held the phone out towards her. Leaning as far forward as her bounds would allow, Mica tilted her head to the side so Anton could hold the phone to her ear.

“Hello, Daddy!?” cried Mica into the phone “Can you hear me!? ... Yeah, it’s me ... No, I...! ... Yeah...”

Mica was silent for a moment as she listened to the muffled voice on the other side of the line.

“ ... But, it’s...! ... No, I, I got a contract! Yeah, it’s a real one ... I told you I could! ... Yeah, it’s a real contract! ... It’s from that Renegade place ... Yeah? ... They were in your Rolodex thingy. That’s where I found them ... Well I didn’t know that! ... Yeah, I did. Why? It’s not like it’s a secret? ... Yeah? ... Why not? ... I don’t see why it even matters! It’s not like they weren’t going to know exactly what I am as soon as they saw me!? ... It was kind of weird ... Because when I first talked to the guy he didn’t really say much until I said I was a shinoccubi, and then he got really excited and just started giving me jobs ... No, this is the only one, so far ... Well I had to! ... Because you guys wouldn’t listen! ... No you wouldn’t! ... No! No you wouldn’t!” exclaimed Mica as her face became more and more agitated “Because you all kept saying I needed to prove myself! ... Yes you did! ... Well how else was I supposed to do that then!? It’s not like you guys were trying to help me! ... No, no you didn’t! All you kept saying was “You’re not ready, Mica! You’re not ready!” over and over!”

“For the record, I’d like it to be known that I do agree with that.” chuckled Anton “I don’t think you’re ready either, Mica. Not even close.”

“Will you shut up, you jackass!” snapped Mica “What!? ... No, Dad not you! It’s this guy, the one I was supposed to kill. He’s talking shit! ... I guess? They didn’t tell me what his name was ... No. They just said to kill him and not the two dark elves that were with him. Which by the way, fuck these bitches! First chance I get I’m slicing their fucking ears off! ... Yeah, you say that now! But you don’t even know what these two psycho bitches did to me!”

“Wait? Renegade didn’t even tell you my name?” mumbled Anton as he cocked an eyebrow “Well that just shows how completely incompetent they are ... Although, actually, thinking about it. They probably didn’t even know it was me ... Since there’s no way they would have only sent one person if they did ... Hm, that’s interesting...”

“ ... I don’t know! They didn’t tell me why, and I didn’t ask ... I don’t know! Cause I didn’t think I was supposed to!? ... Well how the Hell was I supposed to know you knew him!?” exclaimed Mica “What are even the odds on that!?”

“Apparently they’re better than zero...” mumbled Anton.

“Shut up!” snarled Mica as Anton merely grinned at her “Not you Dad! This guy is still talking, and-! ... Huh? ... Uh, sure! ... Yeah! I can do that! ... Yeah! If you can get him to do it ... Okay! Hold on!”

Anton creased his brow in confusion as Mica smiled up at him.

“My Dad wants to talk to you again.” she said as she eased back in her seat “He’s got an interesting proposition for you!”

Arching his eyebrow at the phone, Anton settled back into his own seat as he planted the phone back to his ear.

“Hello.” he said in way of greeting before going silent and listening “ ... What? ... Well, yes, that’s? I mean, yes, I can. Not that I would ... Because I would never do that to your daughter. Obviously ... Well that was before I knew who she was ... Excuse me? ... That, wait, you can’t be serious? ... No, absolutely not. Because I’m not going to, I refuse ... Because there’s no point to that. I don’t even know where this is coming from? And it doesn’t even matter, I’m not going to do it ... No ... No, Leopold! What are you even trying to accomplish with this? ... I mean, I can understand...! ... Wait, what? What did you just say!?”

Leaning in over Anton, and having apparently been listening back in on the conversation, Fiona and Kianna both blinked in surprise as their ears pointed themselves straight upwards. They stared at the phone for a moment before as one they slowly turned to Mica.

The kiochi’s brow creased in confusion as she took in their blank expressions and then watched as the emotion drained from Anton’s face.

“ ... Hey? Hey, what’s going on?” she mumbled as she tightened her eyes in irritation “Why are you all looking at me like that!?”

Anton’s empty expression hardened as he stared forward at nothing and listened to the voice on the other side of the phone.

“Leopold. I am not appreciating the direction this conversation has taken.” he said calmly “If this is your idea of a joke, then I have to say, it is not funny.”

Mica and the dark elves all flinched back in surprise as Anton suddenly stood up out of his seat.

“Stay here.” he said softly to the dark elves as he quickly moved around his chair and made his way across the open space behind it.

“Hey! Wait! What’s happening!?” questioned Mica as she looked up at the two stoic dark elves.

Her confused expression shifted into a glare as a thin, smug grin slowly spread across Kianna’s face.

“Wow. You’re fucked...” mocked Kianna as her grin grew into a thin smile.

“Wha, why!?” demanded Mica “What’s going on!?”

“Oh, you’ll see. Soon enough...” cooed Kianna as she turned away to gaze at Anton.

Across the room and standing with his back to them, Anton kept his voice lowered as he continued his conversation.

“Alright, Leopold, enough of this nonsense. I am going to open a portal to right outside your office, and you are going to meet me there to pick up your daughter. I am not going to fight with your daughter again, and I am absolutely! Not going to kill her. Now, how long is it going to take for you to get to your office?” said Anton as he set his jaw and stared up at the ceiling “ ... Enough. This is your child. What is wrong with you. I can’t believe you would even say that ... That is not what happened ... She didn’t “give” you away, Leopold. Or “betray” you. I was the one who put two and two together and figured out who she was ... It doesn’t matter what was said ... No, it doesn’t ... She, ... yes, she did ... Well, I’ll be honest. It certainly affects my opinion of you and Ila ... Can’t be helped ... That’s hardly fair, Leopold. At least consider her situation ... Oh, she was certainly under duress ... There are two dark elves here, Leopold. I’m sure you can imagine how things went for her ... To say the least ... That is irrelevant ... Because it’s irrelevant ... Because as far as I’m concerned it changes nothing between us. Mica is only here because of a job. It’s just business. And this business between me and her, will not affect the business between you and me ... Again, irrelevant ... Because how you choose to live your life is none of my business, Leopold. And I have no intention of intruding any further into your, or your families personal affairs ... No, I don’t see any reason that I should be concerned with it ... Because it has absolutely nothing to do with me ... I don’t see how it does? ... Leopold, I’m starting to get the impression that you are trying to imply that I do have a reason to be concerned ... Well, I assure you. It is not something I am going to be concerned with ... No. I’m not ... Leopold, I’m going to pretend you didn’t say that ... Okay. Now you listen to me, Leopold. I understand that you’re upset. I do. But if you dare to-!”

Anton stopped short as the stillness in the room was suddenly shattered by the customized musical tone of a ringing phone.

Everyone’s head immediately turned to face the same direction as their eyes all fell onto the pile of Mica’s stripped garments that had been left laying on the king sized bed.

Bewilderment was clear on Anton’s face as he quickly looked from the ringing clothing to Mica and then back.

“ ... Leopold ... I’m going to need to call you back.” he mumbled into the phone “There’s apparently another call I need to deal with.”

Dropping the phone away from his ear, Anton ended the call amid the muffled protests from the other side. He then turned completely around and locked eyes with Mica before going still and staring at her until the ringing from her garments finally came to an end.

“ ... Mica, did you bring your cell phone with you?” asked Anton as he stared right at her.

“ ... Yeah.” answered Mica.

“ ... Seriously. You really brought your cell phone with you? To assassinate someone?” questioned Anton as he shook his head in disbelief “And you didn’t even silence it!?”

“ ... I, forgot!” growled Mica through her teeth.

The dark elves both bowed their heads forward and covered their mouths with their hands as they tried to stifle their laughter.

“Oh, I see.” said Anton calmly as he nodded his head “ ... And why, in the world, did you bring it?”

“Cause I needed it!” snapped Mica “No one was I gonna believe me without any proof! So I brought it to take some pictures...”

Anton stood still for a moment before he slowly raised his hand and began to roughly rub his eyes with his thumb and index finger.

“So your saying that you brought your own, personal, very traceable cell phone, with you to commit a murder ... And you did this for the specific purpose of taking pictures of your victim ... And thus creating evidence of the crime ... That you then planned to show off ... As infallible proof of what you’ve done...” said Anton as he pinched the bridge of his nose and shook his head “And you honestly think that you should be considered ready ... Are you serious!?”

Losing control of themselves, both Fiona and Kianna doubled over at their waists as they began to laugh hysterically.

“Shut up! Shut! Up! Stop laughing at me!” raged Mica as she hung her head and struggled in her binds “I didn’t think about any of that!”

“For God’s sake’s, Mica. You need to be sanctioned...” grumbled Anton “What is wrong with you!?”

“Shut up!” screamed Mica.

Anton sighed and began to rub his eyes again as the cell phone on the bed stated to ring anew.

“Kianna, can you bring me that phone, please!” he said as he moved back in front of his chair and dropped down into it “I need to sit down for a second...”

“Yes! Of course!” chirped Kianna as she choked back her laughter “Right away!”

Mica grumbled miserably but said nothing as she glared at the haughty dark elf. Seething at Kianna’s smugness, Mica watched her sashay her way over to the bed and start searching for the ringing phone.

“ ... It’s in the arm-guard-thingy!” she called before looking back at Anton.

Sitting rigid in his seat, Anton was staring at her with wide open eyes as he slowly shook his head back and forth.

Mica couldn’t help but to grimace as she looked at the floor in embarrassment.

“Here you go, Master!” cried Kianna as she quickly came up to the chair and handed Anton the still ringing phone.

“Thank you.” said Anton as he looked at the name spread across the front of the phones screen “Who is “Nokko”, Mica?”

“That’s my sister!” cried Mica as she leaned as far forward as her bounds would allow “Let me talk to her! Please!”

“Hm ... Alright...” said Anton as he slid his finger across the phones screen to answer the call and then tapped the speaker button before facing the phone towards Mica.

“Nokko!” cried Mica as she spoke at the phone “Hey! Can you hear me!?”

“Hello? Mica, is that you?” answered a voice through the phone.

Save for a seemingly older more mature tone, the voice speaking through the phone had a very similar cadence to Mica’s, and could have easily been mistaken for her.

“Yeah, it’s me.” mumbled Mica.

“Mica, what’s going on? Mom and Dad are screaming their heads off at each other, all while talking about you?” said Nokko “What happened?”

“I! Uh, I kinda fucked up, petty badly...” admitted Mica as she grimaced at the phone “And I think it’s really bad, actually...”