OSA Reimeiki

End of Arc 2: Lehtrocy

Start of Arc 3: Italy

---

"... Are you telling me... we're in Italy?!?" Emily says, looking around with wide eyes. Really, really wide eyes.
"Yeeeah, no doubt about it," Maria replies, taking a deep drag from her cigarette before jabbing at the Leaning Tower of Pisa with it.
"I'm also positive this is Italy," Kyna points at a family of ducks swimming in a nearby pond. "That breed of duck is native to Italy during this season."

"Ahhh, Italy, ze city of luuuurve," John coos in Jessica's ear.
Jessica giggles, "No, silly, that's Paris. And Italy's not a city, it's a country."
John waves off her comment with a dramatic hand gesture, "No matter! Paris, Italy, Santa's house, as long as there are beds-- Oof!"

John is bowled over by an over-excited Anna. Eyes, shining brightly, she turns around and yips, "Italy! Italy! You know what that means!!"
Nicole scratches her head, "Erm... pizza?"
Maria coughs, "Fancy cigars?"
Catherine mocks, "The Italian Mafia?"
"YES! THE ITALIAN MAFIA!!" Anna trumpets.
Catherine looks entirely nonplussed. "... What?"
"The Italian Mafia is one of the most best organizations in the world at organizing drug trafficking rings! I'm sure we can get some fancy cigars for you too Maria! LET'S GOOOOO!" Anna snatches Maria's hand and zooms off down the street in a cloud of Roadrunner-like smoke.
"Hey! Hey wait! We need to stay together! We don't know where we are!!" hyperventilated Emily, steam shooting out of her cherry red ears.

"Not a problem. We will soon our position triangulated using an advanced GPS system... hold on," Diya rapidly types away on her hidden mini keyboard in her arm, with a holographic screen flickering in front of her face.
"Ok, got it. We are at coordinates Lat. 43.7230, Long. 10.3964, noted. "
"... So... Italy?"
"Confirmed. We are in the city of Pisa, Italy."

"So we have to find Aaron, and that Daakshi captain Rachel, right?" Wenhao inquires.
"Why don't we just leave them and go check out that Italian restaurant over there?" Catherine puts in.
"Wh-what? Just me? And you? Together? At a restaurant?" Wenhao stuttered.
SMACK. "NO, you idiot! Jeez, I meant all of us! I don't know about you guys, but I'm starving."

"Erm, guys, before anything, shouldn't we track down Anna and Maria?" Nicole says.
"Oh right. Them. Tell me, why is it that our adventures always start out with us chasing Anna?" Diya sighs.
"Argh! Someone should put that psychotic creature in a straitjacket!" Catherine strangles the air.
Diya snickers, "Ah, good thing we learned from past experiences. I had a tracking chip installed subcutaneously in Anna's wrist at first chance after her last escape." Diya flips on the holographic display again. "Right, her position is... Hey! Her dot just disappeared from the screen!"
"Ugh! You idiot! Can't you do anything right?!" Catherine whaps Diya on the back of her head.
"Well, before the dot disappeared, it showed that Anna was somewhere really, really close to us, in one of those buildings probably," Diya points down the street.

---

In the meantime, Anna had dragged Maria into a shady looking building, the front lights completely dimmed.
Maria wheezes, not used to this much exercise in one day, "Hey! This isn't the cigar store, why the heck are we here?"
Anna turns, grinning widely, almost insanely. "There's something you should know... Something no one else in that group knows..."
"If it's about all those people you murd--"
"No! It's not about that. Others already know about that. No, this is something far, far worse. A secret I've managed to keep for years, ever since the beginning of everything."
Maria is silent. Half-anticipatory, half-fearful of what Anna was about to reveal.

"I... am a drug addict."
Blink once. Twice. "Wait, that's the big secret? But everybody already knows that Anna."

"No... that's only the first half of the story... I use drugs... To suppress my true nature," Anna rasps, the light from her eyes fading. "It's been... too long... I thought I could hang on until I could contact the Mafia... but it seems I used too much energy to keep up my facade back there... the light... is fading..."

"No! Anna! Don't die!! I don't have any money to buy cigarettes! You still need to lend me $10!" Maria grabs Anna by the shoulders and shakes her.
No response. Then...

Anna slowly looks up, eyes blank and dead-looking. In slow, measured tones, she says, "Who said anything about dying? Though I wish I could. Life is depressing. I could be at home, listening to Gillespie... but no. I'm in Italy. In a dark alley. Surrounded by... darkness."
Maria stumbles backwards, flinging an arm in front of her to try and ward off the dark aura emanating from Anna's soul.
"A-Anna?"
"Just leave me alone. The shadows will keep me company. Until then..." Anna whips out a hidden razor blade.
"No, Anna, don't!"
Anna slashes at her wrist, going a little deeper each time. She hits something hard below the surface. "What the--" She rips out the small square piece of metal from her arm. "Must have been those mental asylum guys. Hm." She looks at the blade, sighs, and throws it away.
"Just go, Maria. Leave me here to rot away. Into nothingness."
Firming her resolve, Maria stands up. "Anna. Don't worry, I'll help you. Just tell me the name of the Mafia member you need to talk to. I'll find this person."
Anna barely raises her gaze and a demented smile appears on her face.

---

The gang was heading down the street. "So guys, should we try that building there?" Nicole points.
"Yes! Yes, we should, that's the restaurant I was referring to earlier," Catherine grabs Nicole's arm. "See? I always get my way."
Diya rolls her eyes, "Whatever you say, Catherine. Come on, let's check it out.

They enter the restaurant. As a unit, the entire clientele turn around to face them, some hands reaching into inner jacket pockets. Everyone in the restaurant was wearing dark sunglasses. Fedoras. Tuxedoes. Polished shoes.
John's eyes widen, for once, completely distracted from Jessica.
He breathes, "The Italian... Mafia."