The Family [Finished]

[accalia]

Bear engulfs the leftover fries without another word. It seems he's content to wait, that's a habit Tony has as well, and some of the other long time cops in the office too.

[yamikuronue]

"There was nothing I could do," he says again, his voice small. "I was small, and weak. They forced me to my knees and told me to pray, and put their gun in my mouth. I was too weak to stop them because I'm... because I'm nothing but a girl."

[accalia]

"Hmph. You're small yeah, but you've got strength to. It's a subtler strength than most of us have, but just as strong once you know how to use it. Talk to Hatsuo, he's wiry like you yet regularly puts me on the floor when sparing. He'll probably teach you how he does that if you ask nice."

[yamikuronue]

Vic nods, slowly. "Okay."

[accalia]

"He tried to teach me, but i never could get it." Bear admits "He said it was all about leverage and getting your opponent to use their strength against themselves.

[yamikuronue]

Leverage.... Vic nods again, slowly. "I've seen people... I'm not good at it. But they say stuff, and before you know it, the person they're talking to is doing what they want, and they think it's their idea. Is it... kind of like that?"

[accalia]

"Kind of like that, but with your body instead of your words." Bear admits.

[yamikuronue]

Vic nods. "Okay. I think I can learn that." I hope I can learn that.

"Are we... okay?"

[accalia]

"Well, I'm not happy with what you were doing in your side job, but you're getting out of it so that's good enough. Yeah, I'd say so."

[yamikuronue]

Vic smiles. "Cool."

[accalia]

Bear finishes the last of his food and stands, walking back to the car with Vic in tow. The day of work goes past with a blur and before he knows it it's time for Vic to return home. Tony's car is in the driveway when Vic walks up the drive but the front door is open, something that Tony never let happen normally.

[yamikuronue]

Vic frowns, reflexively reaching for a gun that's not tucked into his waistband. He tenses, but he moves forward, bracing himself. Visions of Tony's dead body flood his mind: shot, or with his throat slit, or the house just empty with nobody ever coming home again.

[accalia]

Tony's sitting on the couch, a package of frozen peas held to his face. It seems he got a real good going over from Giovanni's goons. There's no evidence of blood, other than a scrape here or there, certainly nothing life threatening.

"Well. That could have gone better." Tony says in greeting, controlled pain in his voice. "I hope your end went better?"

[yamikuronue]

The breath and tension floods out of Vic in a rush as he sees Tony. In the absence of terror, guilt sets in, causing Vic to grimace. "Yeah."

[accalia]

"Thought it would. Bear's a good person." Tony smiles before continuing "We're out. In exchange we get to look the other way on the small stuff. We get to step in and play the cops fully if Giovanni's thugs do something too visible, but we ignore the small stuff. Then of course i had to get off that one last quip and that earned me this...."