Mob Sorcery 5 - Ch27

Further messages pestered him as he rose and prepared coffee in the penthouse kitchen. Alessia’s humming rolled over him from where she sat in the main room. The barest rays of dawn bounced off the harbor, but Vince kept the lights on so he didn’t burn his balls off with boiling water.

Visit today or tomorrow, Anzu messaged. We’ll be home this evening and tomorrow morning. Otherwise it’ll be a pain to arrange something.

Can’t you teleport? he replied.

She sent him an animated emoji of a catgirl dressed like a famous detective getting black bagged. It appeared to be part of the same set as the one Gaby sent him a while ago.

The problem is you, Anzu said. Our penthouse is heavily monitored and all hell will break loose if you’re caught visiting us. We have a special teleportation system set up to let us in, and we need to make arrangements to get you through it.

Or else I’m the one getting shoved in a Houou black site, he replied.

Perhaps. The risk of somebody noticing what you’re carrying goes up and then you’ll have a lot more to worry about.

Shit. He hadn’t thought of that.

“Alessia, do you know if you’ll have the stuff with the house sorted by tomorrow?” he called out.

“I know now,” she said, turning to look at him over the counter that separated the kitchen from the main room. “There’s some paperwork to handle before anyone can get to work, but the house can support the necessary security upgrades. The owner accepted my offer and terms.”

“So I’ll be busy tomorrow?”

She raised an eyebrow and placed a hand to her chest, drawing his eyes to her impressive bust. Very little covered it as she wore a sheer black nightgown that allowed him to see the lacy indigo bra beneath it.

“I wanted to inspect the property with you,” she said, fluttering her eyelashes at him and twitching her wolf ears cutely. “It’s our last chance to make any last minute modifications. I know you had some… ideas with Nina and Nicki. But I plan to visit you. Pola as well, once she gets past her concerns with Nina.”

The idea of Alessia visiting him in his own home excited Vince. Even if it wasn’t his yet. He’d been using her bedroom, which held a special allure, but fucking his billionaire boss into his own bed was an experience he’d yet to enjoy. The same went with Pola.

“Sure,” he said. “I’ll keep tomorrow free.”

Alessia smiled brightly at him, her tail wagging behind her.

Today, he messaged Anzu. I’m busy tomorrow.

Surprisingly, the fox didn’t question him further. I’ll make the arrangements and message you once they’re complete. Be sure to have your flier available all afternoon. You can’t bring any emotional support bodyguards, but feel free to tell them. Even Kiyoko. She knows where we live and can glare at us from her perch. Maybe we can put on a show. She added a kiss emoji at the end.

Vince sincerely doubted anything would happen, sexually or violently. Mostly because Anzu had been surprisingly business-like.

“Except for sending you a photo of her tits,” Daji pointed out. “Do keep your dick in your pants, master. I want to see her brain melt as you fuck her into submission, but that requires you to be on top and in control.”

For once, he agreed.

Okay, maybe not for once, but Daji had been very horny lately and he worried it was influencing his thoughts.

“With the amount of sex you have, you can’t blame me for how hard your cock is right now,” Daji teased.

He sighed and willed the blood from his crotch. Both coffees were ready and he carried them out to Alessia. She patted the sofa beside her while setting down her tablet.

“I take it you’re making plans.” She took her coffee with murmured thanks. “You’re much busier now. Making date plans for all of us between work. Are you finding the time to train?”

“In bursts, but I’ll find the time for a big, dedicated session when things calm down,” he said. “Unlike Nina, I go crazy when I do nothing but train. January drove me nuts.” He sipped his coffee. “You’ve been busy yourself. Always out and about. I understand why Fia felt stressed when she was just a capo.”

Alessia’s face burned and she looked away, ears flattening. “We weren’t as busy then. But… You’re right. Fia picked up a lot of work at times like now, although this is exceptional.”

“Why?” he asked.

“February is a busy month. There are charity events for many causes I have to attend. Lunar New Year is happening as we speak, and Aulfair has a sizable Chinese population that fled the Japanese occupation. While I don’t care much for it, we also had Setsubun for the Japanese last weekend. And it’s an election year. Uncle Wagner created chaos, but the first primaries to select Davis’s opponent are happening as we speak.” She paused. “Not literally, but you know what I mean.”

Vince sort of did. He avoided political news like the plague and knew next to nothing about who the candidates to oppose President Davis might be. Nina and Fia probably knew, but they’d also been busy. Not that they’d talk to him about something as tedious as political primaries.

“… I thought you cut back on that?” he asked quietly.

Alessia ran her fingers over the back of his palm. “I did. Thank you for remembering that little conversation we had. I cut back on the degree of lobbying I’m doing, at least in person. I’d be flying across the country for the next few months otherwise. Instead, I’m simply targeting funds. If I cut back entirely on political lobbying, I’ll burn bridges as old as Aulfair. And while it’s easy to say ordinary voters are at fault when they blow their foot off and say nobody warned them, I like living in Aulfair. I’d rather not follow in my ancestors’ footsteps in that respect.”

He nodded grimly. Duilio had given similar warnings, and it was difficult to simply write off the words of those who had lived through such times.

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to drag the conversation down.” She leaned against his side. “Weren’t you and Pola doing early morning runs? She woke us up the other day knocking on my door.”

He stared at her. Alessia smirked back.

“Should I start knocking on her door and ask that you do some early morning yoga?” She drew a circle on his chest while her tail swirled seductively behind her. “Fair’s fair, no?”

“I think it’s better when Pola sleeps in,” he said drily. “We can still sneak in some ‘yoga’ if you like, so long as we clean up before she sniffs us and whines too much.”

“Please. I got used to smelling her, Fia, and Nina all over you. She can handle my scent.” Alessia pushed him down and nipped at his neck.

The front door opened with a loud series of clacks and a beep, and she froze. Vince held her against his chest while reaching for a flame laser.

Lucia strolled into the main room, blinked at him, and made an “O” with her mouth. She carried a large bag.

“Sorry. Didn’t mean to interrupt,” she said, failing to hide a grin. “But breakfast is here. Unless V is going to be your breakfast, boss.”

“Shut up, Lucia,” Alessia growled as she rose to her feet, face red. “Pola should still be asleep once we finish eating.”

Lucia simply nodded, unwilling to push her luck.

Unfortunately for Alessia, the smell of food drew Vince’s other billionaire girlfriend from her slumber. He’d have to organize that yoga session for later.

Especially as he had plans for lunch.

Ally showed up just before noon and Lucia dragged him out of the atelier. He’d been doing barrier training. The cramped fight with those zombies had been another dangerous reminder of his most glaring weakness.

“It’s a weakness,” Daji said. “Even if you refuse to use my barrier to cover for your weakness, I’d say the biggest problem you encountered was a lack of multi-target spells above initiate-tier. You’re a known quantity. Expect assassins specialized to kill you. Hamelin, Juliet, and that sorcerer with the virtuoso-tier spell were all hitmen aimed at mages exactly like you.”

If they’d been aimed exactly at him, he’d be dead.

“Similar enough to you,” she corrected. “You’re strong and have been responding to your weaknesses. Ambushes that stop you from casting your dragon will kill you as easily as your somewhat deficient barrier.”

Rather than working on some new mega spell, Vince needed to fix his fundamentals. Retraining his barrier would take weeks of him squeezing in an hour or two each day. Learning a better offensive spell that offered power and could strike multiple enemies could hold off somebody like Hamelin.

Or perhaps Mei’s summons. Plus, who knew what might come his way during Houou’s civil war?

He entered the penthouse’s main room to find Ally and Alessia talking by the breakfast bar.

“—rings take a lot more catalysts,” Ally was saying. “I stopped making them due to margins. I don’t know how Therox makes his rings, but they sell for less than the cost of the catalysts needed to make one.”

“And I suppose most enforcers dislike paying for quality,” Alessia mused. “Most Lionetti enforcers can cast a barrier, but the quality varies drastically. Many demihumans struggle with barriers, unless they have a knack for sorcery or an elemental affinity that excels at them. If you can give me an estimate of what you’d need to make them in bulk—”

“Um, the problem is also time.” Ally’s tails flailed about behind her as she gripped her skirt. “I can make large batches of infusions relatively quickly, but lack the crafting setup to make magic tools in bulk. Given why I suspect you want them, I can’t promise the numbers I think you need.”

Alessia frowned, then perked up. “So you just need more crafting tools, yes? If I sponsor your expansion as part of the contract, do you think you could meet a bulk order of barrier rings? And possibly other high-quality magic tools?”

“Eh? Um… M-maybe…” Ally bit her lip and looked around. “V-Vince, she’s bullying me.”

“I sympathize. She likes to bully me with large amounts of money, too.” He nodded while crossing his arms.

Alessia’s tail lashed the tiles. “This is me being nice. I can be a bully if I want to be.”

“Please, don’t,” he said.

Ally held her hands up and held back a giggle. “I know. Um, I need to think about it. I didn’t exactly plan to become an arms supplier in the underworld.” Her ears and tails drooped. “If you give me a day or two.”

“I understand,” Alessia said. “I do need to know sooner rather than later. While I’d rather not trade in a favor with Uncle Wagner, we’ve run out of time to delay preparations. If you don’t want to do it, or don’t think you can meet my order even with help, it’s fine. The infusions and other magic tools are plenty.”

“Thank you.” Ally bowed in an old-school Japanese style, causing Alessia to wave for her to stand.

“I know you’re just being polite, but I don’t feel comfortable making a friend bow.” Alessia wrapped a hand around her stomach while her tail twisted. “Try to enjoy your date with Vince.”

The mafia don shot him an unreadable look as she slipped past him, her tail rubbing against his leg. She’d dressed simply today. Presumably because she planned to work in her office all Sunday. Even so, he did his best not to turn and stare at her ass.

It helped that Ally stood in front of him. Her green dress matched her eyes, but rippled with a pattern of off-white flower petals in sunlight. A cream sleeveless top almost looked too plain, except that it matched her white pantyhose. Perfect clothes for a date.

Vince scratched the back of his head. “Sorry. I nearly forgot about our date. I’ll go get changed.”

“You look fine,” Ally said, her four red tails standing upright.

“It’ll only take a second. I’d feel bad.”

After he took a very quick shower and put on clothes he hadn’t worn while training in a small, cloistered room for several hours, he rejoined her in the main room. Nicki had arrived by then.

“So, am I carrying you two lovebirds around?” she asked, kicking her talons in the air as she leaned on the back of the sofa. She’d already attached her special talon covers.

“If you don’t mind the danger,” Vince said.

Nicki clicked her tongue and shot him an annoyed look. “Maybe you’re different, but getting dragged to an atelier and forced to practice magic every day has been driving me fucking insane. I feel like I’ve been sent back to school and Nina is my hot teacher that I’m super jealous of.”

“You were jealous of your teachers?” Ally tilted her head to one side.

“You’re so precious to not have been.” The harpy patted Ally on the head, causing her to puff up her cheeks.

“I remember most of my teachers being old,” Vince said. “I doubt the teenage girls looked at them and went ‘Wow, wish I had those wrinkles.’”

Nicki blinked. “Oh, right. Normal schools. I went to a local place up north.” Which meant Elfland. “Only a few elves, but everyone was a demihuman. Principal was a succubus, although she only fucked the teachers.”

“Why do I feel Immanuel used the school as a recruiting ground?” he said.

“Probably because they did. Anyone with a lick of talent vanished overnight, magical or otherwise. You’d come to school one day, there’d be some guys in old-fashioned suits, and you knew Johnny Smalls had melted the school bullies last night.”

Vince only remembered sorcerer visits in elementary school, when they did the regular aptitude tests. If the mage colleges had showed interest whenever something magical happened, he’d have been scooped up before his balls dropped, given some of the shit he and Ronin pulled.

“Anyway, I’m game,” Nicki continued. “Who are you bringing with us? I can carry you two, but…”

She looked around, as if expecting Nina or Gaby to walk out of the pantry.

“Just us,” Vince said. “With Hamelin’s help, we have advance warning of any major hits. That doesn’t get rid of the danger, but I’ll go nuts if I have to live a life in fear. Especially as I get the feeling Houou will be less willing to try something with Ally around.”

Ally frowned. “They already tried to kill me, Vince.”

“And every fox I’ve spoken to, including the Yakuza and Mei, think that Hatoyama was smoking some insane shit to try it,” he said. “Your father is the fucking boogeyman. After watching Kiho fight, I can only imagine how insanely strong he is if everyone is worried about him and not her.”

Hamelin had said Kiho was stronger than the entire hit put together, and he was inclined to agree. Whether or not he could have held off Juliet without her help didn’t matter. The fact she’d chosen to join in doomed the attempt on his life, and she’d called herself rusty.

Yet Mei had explicitly brought up Kazuo Masuda when he’d asked her about the attack on Ally on her shop. If even a crazed fox attempting to become a kyuubi didn’t want the attention of Ally’s father, Vince doubted he’d need to worry about corporate hits while out with Ally.

“How’s the lawsuit going?” Nicki asked, before Ally could protest.

“Mostly good, but it’s complicated.” Ally shifted uncomfortably. “I changed lawyers after Mei’s betrayal, even though Knightsgate representatives approached me directly. Houou increased the settlement offer enough that everyone I’m speaking to thinks I should take it, although I suspect it’s because Mei’s not involved now.”

“Right, it was Mei’s lawyer who said to refuse it, right?” Vince narrowed his eyes.

The fox nodded. “The suit hurt Houou’s image. Knowing what Mei was up to… I feel used, even if this was one of the only times she might not have been responsible. It does bother me that Masaki Hatoyama won’t pay the settlement directly.”

“If the legal system was about fairness people wouldn’t get bankrupted by legal fees,” he said drily. “Anyway, we should go. Don’t want to be late for our date, do we?”

Her cheeks colored and she looped an arm through his. Nicki mimed vomiting.

“The others do this all the time,” Ally protested.

“Yeah, but when you do it, it’s too cute,” Nicki said. She grinned at the fox. “Do you know where you want to go?”

Ally showed her phone to Nicki, who let out a whistle.

“Cute idea. Never been, but a girl can dream.” Nicki stared at him, and Vince pointedly ignored her.

They flew north-west, beyond Albion and toward Gaby’s place. But before they reached the nouveau riche heights of Gaby’s neighborhood, Nicki descended next to a large lake. A pair of Lionetti enforcers descended behind them from their own flier and kept their distance.

Vince immediately understood Ally’s date idea. The lake was called Lake Fontaine, or something similarly silly. It had been named after another of the city’s founders, just like Rosewinter Park.

When demihumans and sorcerers flocked to Aulfair in the 1920s, they found a tiny bay, hills, forest, and a hellhole of a town famous for murder and sawmills. Nobody noticed the local towns vanishing in the economic depression that followed the Great War, even as the sorcerers transformed the terrain wholesale. Many small rivers and creeks drained into the harbor, and they set up a reservoir in one that became Lake Fontaine. The rest mostly got filled in or redirected.

These days, the lake got used for what Vince saw on its surface. Recreation.

Row boats drifted lazily across the lake, and a small island in its center contained a fancy sheltered area with a small dock, tables, and even grills for the most daring. Vince suspected anyone grilling there flew over.

“It’s busier than I expected.” Ally covered her eyes as she looked out over the lake. “I suppose it is Sunday.”

“I didn’t see anyone fucking in the boats as we landed, but I bet that happens when it gets dark,” Nicki said.

Vince ignored them and turned to face south, toward the harbor. Then he scowled.

Movies and TV shows had told him he should have a perfect, if distant, view of the Tri Sommet. Instead, through the buildup along the river he merely saw the many skyscrapers that lined the southern side of the harbor. If he squinted, he thought he saw the bent tips of the Tri Sommet.

Ally giggled at him. “I came here in high school and otou-san did the same thing. Apparently they edit in the view these days. They redeveloped the waterfront in the 70s and 80s, after Immanuel arrived.”

Damn demons. They ruined Aulfair.

While he and Ally rented a rowboat, Nicki disappeared. Probably to stretch her wings.

Vince quickly learned that even if he considered himself a man of many talents—or perhaps a few very specific ones—rowing a boat was not one. Ally’s telekinesis made his life easy, and soon they drifted into a part of the lake away from the other couples floating about. Despite her comment about how busy it was, it wasn’t really. Winter still lingered and Valentine’s Day was next week.

The boat rocked as Ally rose and turned around. Her four fluffy tails shifted around his body as she leaned against him. She smiled up at him, her green eyes curving. He wrapped his arms around her waist.

“I’m glad we finally found the time for a proper date,” she said. “I didn’t mind the simple lunches and dinners, but this is the sort of thing I had in mind.”

“Sorry—” he began to say.

She reached up and flicked his nose. “No apologies. Life happens, and I understand. I even got you involved with Mei, which is what led to this. The Miuras interrupted our last planned date and the heist fallout means you’re in so much danger.”

“I’m getting used to being in danger,” he said. “Seriously. After the billionth assassination attempt, having the street explode has become passe. The first attack downtown rattled me. Now I realize I need to live my life, or I’ll be stuck in an armored cocoon forever. Aulfair is full of immortals with a list of enemies too long to fit in a tweet.”

“I don’t think that joke works anymore. They allow longer tweets.”

“You know what I meant.” He tickled her nose and she giggled.

They drifted for several more minutes. At some point, Ally turned pensive.

“Is this about Alessia?” he asked.

She nodded. “It’s heavy. I… don’t really know who to talk to about it. You’re not in small business, and the few people I know aren’t exactly… helpful.” Her expression darkened and she sighed.

“I can’t promise to help, but I will promise to listen,” he said.

“That’s enough.” She gripped his hands. “Nobody feels they can relate to what I do or say, so they never bother to listen. They just wait for me to finish talking and change the subject to what they want.”

He blinked, and began rubbing his fingers along her arm. For Ally to be this upset meant she’d been bottling this up for a while.

Then again, she’d struggled with her shop for nearly a year before he met her. And who knew what she truly thought about how things went in New York.

“Alessia’s offer and support is amazing,” Ally said. “She’s not overpaying, and I understand acquiring a reliable supplier in the underworld is hard, but not even Mei offered to cover my costs or handle catalyst supplies. The problem is… me.”

“I don’t think you mean it in the way I’m interpreting that,” Vince said slowly.

She gave a half-smile. “I mean that this isn’t the path I expected to take. Becoming an enchanter and crafter for the mafia… or any major organization. I joked about Mama’s Etsy store, but I think I just wanted to run a bigger version of that. A fancy magic store with bespoke items, where people could get what they needed. The day you came in…” Her breath caught.

“You sold this cane to me way underprice.” He patted it.

“In more ways than one.” She giggled. “In New York, the Yakuza meant I had a reliable trickle of customers who wanted bespoke, high-end magic tools. If I made something odd and it sat on the shelf for a while, an uncle or auntie would show up and we’d haggle over the price. I’d never make a loss, because… Well, they knew otou-san.”

He nodded. Even if the tools found a lifelong partner, Ally’s store succeeded through the power of nepotism.

“I’ve convinced myself that everything went wrong here because of Houou. And that’s partly right,” she said. “But the rumors are dispelling. Customers show up and buy certain things. But it’s very specific, and never the big, high-end items that I love making. Nobody comes in like you and lets me pick out a focus or a magic tool. No custom orders.”

“That might be the location—” he tried to say.

She shook her head. “I went to one of the high-end stores that I thought I was emulating, but with a homier vibe. The customers weren’t much different. They’re after fashion statements or brand items. When even the best magic stores in the city sell Therox’s shitty barrier rings instead of anything decent, what does that say? The difference is they charge twice as much.”

“People are dumb?”

For some reason, Ally deflated. “Yeah. I guess.” She rubbed her eyes. “I felt I was building up to something big there.”

He laughed and pressed his face into her silky red hair. Her tails flailed about for a moment before she settled.

“Don’t stop being you, Ally,” he said.

“Mmm.” She was definitely pouting. “I don’t think they’re dumb, just… Uncaring. Ignorant? I don’t know if it matters. They can’t perceive quality or understand why they’d pay so much, so they default to what they know. Which is cheap stuff. Sometimes it’s cheap stuff with an expensive price tag. If I wanted to beat that problem, I needed to specialize and understand the customers I needed to attract. The other stores do.”

“What do you sell the most of now?”

“Illusions. In all forms. I think it’s the flexibility compared to transformatives, which take time to recover from and have serious side-effects. Also the magatamas. I posted online about them once and a sorcerer showed up and bought them all. After that, I increased the price, but sorcerers still show up to buy them. I suppose they’re useful as batteries in their research.”

Vince frowned. In other words, Ally’s customers came to her for cheap versions of what foxes excelled at and weren’t easily replaced by other magic.

He wasn’t sure he wanted to voice that thought.

“Why not take Alessia’s offer and try thinning down your store to focus on those items? While you work out what you want to do long-term?” he suggested. Then bit his lip. “Sorry, I said I’d listen—”

“No, that’s fine.” She shook her head, her fox ears fluttering. “You paid attention to what I actually said and didn’t try to fly in like a hero, which is why this can be annoying to talk about with Mama and otou-san.”

While she laughed, he couldn’t help but notice the way her tails closed around him, as if searching for security.

“The issue is that I don’t have the time to work for Alessia and run the store,” Ally explained. “Plus, I’d need a whole separate workshop to start making magic tools in bulk. I can make infusions in large quantities above my shop, but magic tools need bulky devices to melt down catalysts and temporarily store the magic. Plus safety regulations get stricter at that point. Except in Texas.”

“Why not have Kiho man the store while you make tools?”

She smiled bitterly. “Mama’s helped a lot, but that has to end at some point. And not just because I’ve gotten used to living by myself. I don’t sell enough to hire staff. So…”

“You’re at a crossroads. It’s either go full-time for Alessia or fix your store,” he said. “Hence your reaction.”

“Yeah. Alessia’s been so kind, and every voice in my head tells me I’m an idiot for turning this down, but…” Ally bit her lip. “Am I sheltered to refuse this? I can’t help but think that the reason I’m even considering refusing is that I know if the store fails, I can just return to New York. Or Papa will do something.”

“Did you think that when Houou attacked you?” Vince asked gruffly, his arms tightening around her.

Ally fell silent. She shook her head. “You’re right. I’m being hard on myself. Thank you.”

“Like I said, I can listen. Even if I can’t help you with your business troubles.”

“You’ve helped me more than you can believe,” she whispered.

They rowed around the lake a little longer, before Ally’s tummy growled. She blushed. At that point, Vince spotted the food vans spread along the side of the lake. Bougie restaurants loomed in the distance.

“Wanna go back?” he asked.

“Sure. It was nice, but—”

A shadow fell over them and the flapping of wings drowned out Ally. Nicki descended. She carefully closed her talons on one side of the boat, which nearly capsized it.

“Nicki!” Vince snapped.

Ally’s tails glowed white and her telekinesis stabilized the boat. Fluttering back into the air for a moment, Nicki’s eyes also glowed white as she barely avoided taking a swim. She held a bag in her hands and kept it secure.

After the brief panic, she landed on the far end of the boat.

“Sorry.” The harpy rubbed the back of her head. “I noticed you hadn’t eaten when I was grabbing food and got stuff for you as well. Not used to boats. Figured they were heavier.”

“It’s fine. So long as you brought food,” Vince said. “Now gimme.”

Ally giggled as she took two long cardboard boxes off Nicki. Both contained lobster rolls covered in lashings of hot butter, sprinkled with fresh greens, and seared on top. Nicki had her own box, complete with matching roll. A fourth box contained fries and some spicy mayo. Nicki had even brought cans of soda.

“I can tell you were a food delivery bird,” he said. “And why you had a bad rating.”

Nicki bared her teeth and raised a foot ready to kick him. Then stopped herself and instead dug into her lobster roll.

“Fuck. This is so good,” she said around her food. “Overpriced as hell, but you’re paying for it.”

He assumed that was metaphorical, given he paid her.

Once they finished eating, Nicki didn’t immediately leave. Ally frowned at her.

“Sorry to be a third wheel, but I wanted to check something with Vince,” the harpy said. “You messaged earlier to say you needed me to hang around all afternoon to go somewhere. Any clue where yet?”

“No, not—” he began to say.

Then his phone buzzed. The timing was too good to be true. Almost as if Anzu was watching him.

Go to the café you met the unicorn at once you finish your date, Anzu said. I’ll meet you there with a British accent. If you fuck the little fox, don’t spend too long on after care.

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Commentary: It's a cutesy Ally date, because she deserved one.