#khrxnrt

Mammon’s face was hidden under their hood, but Lal knew Viper well enough to know the Mist was grimacing. Lal knew exactly what was going through the information brokers head.

This was bad. Iemitsu’s obvious distrust of Xanxus, and Xanxus’ understandable grudge against Iemitsu, those were bad enough. Having the CEDEF and Varia actively being at cross purposes was a disaster in the making. The only good thing was that Lal and Mammon knew one another and had a decent working relationship. Thank fucking god Iemitsu was somewhere else.

Lal could salvage this. Maybe.

It was hard to salvage a situation when the man who had the information they were after was currently a fine red paste splattered all over the living room carpet. Lal snarled and whirled on Mammon. “I told you to kill him after we got the information! You’re a goddamn broker, Viper! You know better than this!”

“Mu, this isn’t Varia work.” The floating Mist sniffed haughtily and refused to acknowledge Lal’s use of a dead name. “I thought you said the CEDEF had secured the area.”

“We did!” Lal snapped, clenching her hands and wishing for a target with all her considerable might. “No one else should have been able to get in! We’ve been watching this place for weeks!”

The lower level CEDEF agent standing behind Lal cringed. This was going to mean retraining for everyone involved in the mission. Lal despised failure in her subordinates. The Varia mook lurking in the doorway looked frustrated, eyes scanning the room for answers. Their kill had been stolen, and the Varia as a whole did not take kindly to outside interference on their contracts.

“This is disappointing.” Mammon sighed and slowly rotated in the centre of the room. “Mu, Boss is going to be angry.”

“You think I care what that little shit Xanxus wants?” Frustrated, Lal kicked the nearest wall. “This asshole had info we needed on Flame Bullet Research!”

“My commission.” Mammon whined without acknowledging Lal’s temper tantrum. “This is going to cost me so much money.”

The shadows along the ceiling shifted, uncurling into a slender black and white form hanging upside down from the swirled plaster by their feet. Lal and Mammon both stopped in their tracks.

“Mu, I though someone might still be here.” The Varia Mist Officer floated face to face with the hanging figure. A porcelain theatre mask titled to one side, delicate lines of red and violet paint creating a face that was entirely alien. Clawed, black gloved hands twisted into deliberate shapes, and Mammon huffed. “I’m a Varia Officer and the strongest Esper in the world. Your Mist is skilled, but I could still hear you thinking.”

Small hands flashed through more signs.

“I should kill you for taking a Varia target and costing me money.” Watching the hands move again, Mammon hummed thoughtfully. “The files would need to be complete, and I would need to check and ensure they were authentic before agreeing.”

The upside down figure straightened up, hands moving quick and emphatic.

“Mu, I don’t belive in credit, child. Only accumulated interest.” A dismissive wave and the masked child flicked their fingers. Mammon stiffened and scoffed. “A finder’s fee? What makes you think I can’t just kill you and take the information myself?”

Weight shifting just like someone preparing to fight, the hanging form gestured again. 

“… Agreed.” Grumbling, Mammon subsided and pulled out their wallet. “Mu, this is highway robbery.”

The child shrugged, and held out their hand, wiggling their fingers until Mammon placed a roll of bills in their hand. Another shadow unfurled from the ceiling, mask lined in red and spotted in a gradient of purple to blue to green to yellow. The second figure held out a thick binder to Mammon, who took it in hand and immediately opened it up to flick through the pages. The binder was flipped closed after a moment and Mammon nodded.

“Our business is concluded.” The two forms curled back up towards the ceiling, the edges of their bodies blurring into shadow. “Mu, and stay away from Varia targets from now on.”

“What the hell was that?” Lal snarled as soon as she was sure the strange little hitmen were gone. “Since when do you let people poach on Varia territory?”

“Mu, I thought you understood negotiation, Lal Mirch.” Humming in satisfaction, Mammon floated back over to the Varia mook and opened up the binder again. “It’s always nice to meet a fellow entrepreneur.”

“You let someone steal a Varia kill because you wanted to haggle?” Hissing in irritation, Lal fought the urge to stomp her feet. She might have Mist Flames now, but she still hated the circular logic so common to the Flame Type. “Please tell me you at least got the information we needed.”

“Mu, of course I did.” Mammon almost sounded offended under their mask of apathy. The hooded head tilted to one side, shadowed mouth twisting into a smirk. “How much is the CEDEF willing to pay me for it?”