Richard walked into the main meeting room, tail limp between his legs. He was nervous, maybe scared. Signore Giuseppe requested a meeting and he was very sure that this had to do with Operation Red Wolf 2 which failed so outstandingly. He was not looking forward to this at all, and when he looked around, no one was either.

He entered the room and was greeted by a deathly aura originating from the empty table in the back of the room in which Ludwig usually sat down. Even by his mere name, Signore Giuseppe exudes power. Sitting down next to Pacal, he fidgeted a bit. The jaguar next to him might look calm and composed, but the hyena knew by the waving of his tail that he too was nervous. His subordinates were standing behind him, talking amongst themselves. For once, Richard envied them.

Then, Giuseppe entered the room with some files in his hand, and the room went silent.

The older panther did not sit down, not even taking his time as he immediately started with a firm tone. “I think I do not have to explain the reason you are here today." He glanced over the room and crossed his arms. “Explain yourself."

Just like that, everyone in the room became even tenser. No one dared say anything, not even Lucia and Boulder. No one dared look up.

“Well? I'm waiting."

A click of a gun could be heard, then Lucia spoke up. “S-sir! Operation Red Wolf 2 failed."

“Elaborate."

“R-Red Wolf… escaped, sir. We lost Ludwig. We retreated just when the police came. We had three casualties and 10 missing, possibly captured."

Giuseppe did not answer to let her continue. When she didn't, he turned to the others. “Did any of you watched the news yesterday or today? Or even just read some articles on the internet?"

Yes, Richard did. Pacal did. Shinori and his other subordinates did. They messed up for far more than they thought they did.

The older panther growled. “We made it to the national news—heck, even international. Congratu-fucking-lations. 'Shooting Incident in Barrowisle'. 'Ten Injured in South Iceland Shooting'. 'Possible Terrorist Attack in South Iceland." His tone got sharper as he spoke. “'December Shooting in Barrowisle, Lower Ysenhalt'. 'Ten Injured in a Shooting Incident in South Iceland'. Those are just some that I remember." He smacked a file onto the table, making everyone flinch.

“And that's not the worst. I want to ask you, who is Red Wolf? Who. Is. Red. Wolf?"

No one answered.

Giuseppe smacked another file onto the table. “What did he fucking do to earn two operations launched against him?! How the fuck did we fail at both?! Lucia, Boulder, explain yourselves!"

The bear and the rhino flinched. “Red Wolf e-exited the operation, sir. We couldn't let him roam freely."

“And when was that? Ten years ago?! Twenty?! A hundred?! How did we not have anything about him?! How did you use this one single file as a source of information about him?!" He smacked the table. “Even if that turned out to be true, what kind of reconnaissance that only needs three months to take?! Did you screen his background to match the one the file describes?! Did you analyze his behavior?! Did you or did you not decide whether he is still a risk or not?! What the fuck led you to decide to deploy a sniper for him?!"

Signore Giuseppe's anger became even more intense. Richard wanted to leave the room. His fur wanted to bristle but instead matted back as he cowered. He kept his gaze down, not wanting to be noticed.

The panther's voice calmed down. “That day, shortly before the police arrived, Octaviano met Red Wolf while he was escaping. They fought and Octaviano was injured, but that is not important for our meeting here. What is important is that he said Red Wolf did not want to be a part of us any longer and that he is not a threat." Giuseppe enunciated each word clearly. “He is not a threat. He has kept his mouth shut."

“You may think that I am bluffing, that I am picking my son's side just because he is my son, but no. I met this Red Wolf myself." He said, making Richard and some others flinch in surprise. “Yes, we do not take kindly to people quitting our operation. Yes, the initiation ceremony required you to put your loyalty in the family. But you have had years to take care of him! What has he done to us in that time?! He never bothered us! He never attacked us! He did not tell anyone about us. Frankly, that was the opposite of someone who broke their oath to be loyal to our family. And you still hunted him down without any success? Not even a talk on the table?!" Signore Giuseppe wiped his face in exasperation. “Quali sono i vostri motivi?!"

No one replied. Richard waved his tail in agitation as the weight of the situation began to sink in. Red Wolf was innocent, in short, they targeted someone for no good reason, failed twice at that, and now made international headlines. Depending on the panther's mercy, it would be death or prison for them.

The hyena's mind went to Octo, though it was no use. Octo promised an exit from here, was that just bluffing? Was he just testing his loyalty back then?

Richard wanted to throw up and curl up.

“I had to clean up the mess. The city government was furious. The national government was outraged." Giuseppe pinched the base of his muzzle. “And I came to the most logical conclusion I could find." He gave a sigh before looking back at them. “I declare the Cosa Nostra in this city dissolved."

Richard looked up in shock, as did several people. What?! They were dissolved?! What about the operation?! He looked around and found almost everyone voiced their surprise. “What?!" “What about the debts?!" “Where do I go next?!" “You can't do this!" “Please reconsider, signore!"

“That is not all." The panther said again, making everyone go quiet. “I will not forget all those years of your service. I thank you for that. You are all pardoned. You will all be compensated, every one of you. However, be reminded that all of you are still under watch. One wrong step, and you deal with us." He spoke clearly, making sure that the warning was well understood.

Richard understood that well.

However, Giuseppe then continued. “Now, with the Cosa Nostra dissolved in this city, some of you may be wondering what else to do to fulfil the contract. For that, Octaviano has something to say despite his absence." He opened the file and began to read.

“Although Cosa Nostra in this city is dissolved, those who wish to remain loyal to the family will still have a chance." The panther said evenly, his voice somehow changed akin to something Octo would use. “We plan to build a restaurant in this city. Not as big as Lo Squisito, although that is in the works. We invite you to work there. The plans are still being finalized but you will be able to work there legally." The word 'legally' hung in the air, so enticing.

Was this… really another chance that Octo was talking about?

“We are opening these positions: waiters, receptionists, and administrative management. We open at least 15 positions, and there will be more depending on the development. Other than the base salary, you will gain the following perks: a residence for five years or the monthly rent equivalent thereof for five years if you refuse the residence, tier 3 LFTH for as long as you work, and transportation fees. Do note that you will still need to be screened and interviewed for further candidacy." Giuseppe paused for a bit, then closed the file and looked at them. “If you want to join, raise your hand."

For a while, no one responded to that. Then, Pacal raised his hand, surprising everybody. “I want to join. I will not fail again."

Taken aback by what the jaguar said, Richard raised his hand too. “I want to join." He looked up at Giuseppe, holding back a sob as he realised that Octo did keep his word, that he did not leave anyone in the dust. He still cared for everyone.

Everything really was going to be fine.

Some others raised their hands as they murmured. Some of his subordinates also raised their hands, even Shinori. However, he was surprised to find that Oliver did not. He turned around and looked at the ibex in question.

Oliver smiled at him. “I want to go to university, sir. As much as I want to work right now, I also want a degree to my name. The money would help a lot."

He smiled at the ibex.

“Quiet." The panther said, making everyone go quiet again. “Now, those of you who choose to join the restaurant, leave the room and meet Lorenzo. Your contract is not over yet. The rest stay here and we will talk about your contract. Lucia and Boulder, especially, stay here. I demand that we finish Operation Red Wolf 2's files properly."

Richard stood up and nodded, feeling like an intense weight had been lifted from his shoulders. Next to him, Pacal stood up too and put his hand on his shoulder. Richard smiled and followed him.

Everything was going to be fine, he told himself as he followed the jaguar into the exit from hell. He had another chance; he would not forsake it.

Taking his time to walk, Octo put his hands in his pockets and looked around. It already stopped snowing a few hours ago, so it wasn't as cold. Today was two weeks after the new year, yet there wasn't really much festivity around. The atmosphere in Barrowisle still felt rather tense. That incident really had such an impact, didn't it?

He was on his way to Tom's place. Although his stomach still hurt, he still needed to do this. His parents were understandably worried and told him to stay home for now, but he assured them that this would be a quick trip and that he had Max there to take care of him in case anything happened. For good measure, he told them they had better worry about those whose life was ruined by this operation. His parents, especially his father, did not answer and only nodded.

Hopefully, that knocked some more sense into them.

For now, he entered Tom's flat building with some food his mother made. He headed towards the lift and sagged against the wall after pressing the button. This was just a stab, he reminded himself. Tom had had much worse for so long because of him. This was nothing but a very small price to pay.

He smiled sadly. They were indebted to each other, weren't they? He helped Tom pay for his eye operation, true, but his family operation did so much damage to the poor wolf that a stab to the stomach was nothing. He couldn't make it up to the wolf, he knew that. His family had basically robbed him of his teenage years.

Tom had all the right to be angry or even hate him. They didn't have much time to talk during their last meeting, so when Tom was finally discharged from the hospital, Octo asked him for a chance to talk more about it. He didn't want their relationship to just end like that. He didn't want his inner circle to become even smaller—he lost Kevin already; he didn't want to lose Tom, and in extension Max, either.

Thankfully, the wolf gave him a chance. He also told him that Max deserved to know, too. Octo wasn't really looking forward to explaining it to the shepherd, but Tom had a reason. Still, he would not tell the dog, not because he wanted to, but because he had to.

Honestly, he envied Max. Out of everyone he knew, Max seemed to be the one with the least things to worry about. He had his family business, Tom had his depression and… this, and he wasn't sure what Kevin had but he had a hunch that it might be poverty.

Now, here was he, cleaning a mess he didn't even start, though he definitely had a hand in. The door before him seemed too big, the small peephole appearing like an eye judging him. With a sigh, he gave it a knock.

Max opened the door and smiled at him. That was forced, Octo could tell. “Hey, come in."

The panther smiled curtly and nodded, then went inside.

“How's the stomach?" Max asked him as he led him inside. “Really, shouldn't you just rest at home?"

“Still hurts a bit, but I'll live." Octo tried to fake a smile, but when he walked forward on the wrong step, pain shot up his body and made him cringe. He dropped the coat he was about to hang and held his stomach in pain.

Max immediately was on him. “Hey, take it slow, Oct."

“'M fine, just… just hurts a bit."

The dog looked like he wanted to say something but kept silent.

The bedroom looked very messy. The blankets were all over and the computer desk was filled with stuff that shouldn't be there. There was a small table with a bowl on top of it on the side of the bed that looked like it belonged in the kitchen. Octo glanced at it curiously before turning to Tom on the bed. The wolf was sitting on the bed and leaning on the headboard, eyes closed. “Tom."

Tom's ear flicked and he gave a mrf.

“How are you feeling?" Octo asked as he sat down on the bed.

The wolf sighed and opened his eyes, shifting on the bed. “I'm fine."

Immediately, Max held him back. “Don't stand up! Just sit there!"

“I wasn't about to stand up, Max." Tom said, moving a bit to make himself comfortable. “It's fine, really. I've been worse."

“That 'I've been worse' is exactly why you should stay put! God, Tom, don't freak me out even more!"

Coughing a bit to get their attention, Octo gave them the food container. “Anyway, here's for you. It's my mom's cooking. She hopes you get better soon." The panther scratched his whiskers. “Actually, she hopes that we get better soon."

“Thanks, Oct." Tom received it and put it aside on the nightstand.

They went quiet, and the discomfort grew even more when he noticed that Max looked rather confused and distraught.

Then, Tom said plainly, “Max deserves to know."

That made Octo and Max both turn their heads at the wolf. “Know… what?"

Octo looked at Tom, then at Max, then back at Tom, then back at Max. He didn't know whether he should tell the dog or not, honestly. On one hand, he trusted Max and he knew Max wasn't the type to tell anyone anything. Max was considerate and trustworthy. On the other hand…

Instead, he took a deep sigh. “Tom was almost dead when I found him."

He studied their reaction. Tom stared at him in disbelief whereas Max frantically tried to hug the wolf, lecturing him not to jump into a fight again. He could only watch them with a small, fond smile, even though inside he felt deep shame for lying to the dog. He felt glad inside, though, as Max's panic and anxiety contributed to his gullibility.

After calming Max down, Tom managed to assure him that he was fine and promised that he wouldn't just jump in again. “Anyway, Max," said the wolf with a smile. “can you get me the porridge near Aldo across the road? I'm kinda hungry."

“Yeah, but…" The dog looked at the food that Octo brought, then at the empty bowl on the desk. “Alright, I shouldn't take long. Do you also want some, Oct?"

Octo shook his head. “Thanks, but I'm still full."

“Alright." Max stood up and put a jacket on. “Please watch Tom, okay?" He said to the panther.

“Will do."

With that, the dog left the room, and shortly after, they could hear the door being locked.

Right after that, Tom turned to Octo with his anger on his face. “Max deserves to know." He said again, this time in a low, threatening voice. “If you don't tell him, I will."

Octo looked away. “Tom…" he started, “If I—we—tell Max, it may break our friendship."

Hearing that, the wolf went quiet.

“I understand that Max deserves to know this, but again, this is not one simple fact, Tom. If anyone else knows, the ripples would be bigger than what you imagine."

Tom looked down, and Octo hoped he really was thinking about it. This wasn't a simple fact. The less people know, the better. In fact, the panther thought that it wasn't an exaggeration to say that this concerned national security. His father told him a few times that he had to clean up this mess and talk with “important people", and he knew well who those people were—a reminder of how far his father's reach was.

All the more reason for him not to accept what his father offered.

“You're right." Tom then said. “You're right." He took a deep breath. “You're right, it's for Max's own safety that he did not know." His gaze was still sharp, but at least he saw less malice there. “But I still want you to at least protect him from what you can do."

Octo nodded, fully accepting that. It was already what he intended to do, anyway.

“Still, I want you to know this, what your family has done to me." The wolf's tone returned to a sharp one.

Octo gulped.

“Let's start with the fact that there are two, even three personalities in this body. I told you this before in the hospital, but I still want to make it clear. I'm the one whom you know as Tom." Tom's eyes narrowed, and when he spoke again, his demeanour changed to become more malicious and his fur bristled. “And I'm the one who wanted you dead that day, even now, actually."

Giving a nod, Octo kept his mouth shut. Even the wolf's accent changed. While Tom already told him about this back in the hospital, it still sounded so horrible. What his family did to Tom was so, so much that it even damaged him psychologically. He did not know the full extent of what the wolf said, but from the articles he came across, he still knew that this was something that even the scientific community didn't fully understand.

“Now, we're telling you this because I, not Tom, I, still want you dead. Tom is the one who's keeping us from taking you right here right now." The way the wolf said that was unnerving—his tone even yet full of hatred coupled with sharp eyes and bristled fur. “I don't fucking need apologies, I don't fucking need you saying 'yeah I'm sorry' because there's fuck-all that you say right now. What we want you to do is to explain what you want to do, because in case you haven't noticed, we know you, we know where you live, we know your pretty little organization, and if the police aren't going to help, my jaws will."

Octo gulped again; even without the threat, he already wanted to explain. So, he explained it. He told Tom everything. He told them about the reason his mafia group chased after them, how all of this was a big misunderstanding, and how his father disapproved of this operation. Tom remained silent the entire time with his tail waving eerily gently, even when the details seemed too much. Octo couldn't help but feel like he was talking to someone else, not the Tom that he knew.

Even though that was actually true.

“My father was utterly furious when he found out about it." He finished. “He wanted to come here to personally apologize to you, but unfortunately, he had other business to take care of. So, on his behalf, we very much regret what happened and we'd like to deeply apologize for the things that happened."

Tom took a deep breath and looked away. The silence suddenly felt too much, so he continued.

“And if you need anything, and I really mean anything, just tell me. I'll see what I can do. Just give me names and what you want me to do to them." He turned to the wolf.

The wolf growled low, the first sign of emotion he gave. “Me, I want nothing more than for you to kill all of them." He paused, then when he continued, he seemed to return to the Tom whom the panther knew. “I… don't know. What Lain just said sounds enticing, but I don't know what else you can do except to take the operation down." The wolf took a deep breath. “I don't have any names, and those I know, I dealt with them in a way that they won't bother again."

That was terrifying and comforting at the same time.

“So, what the fuck are you gonna do now?" Tom asked him—he did not know which Tom.

He shifted on the bed, showing his growing discomfort. “I've always wanted to take this operation down. For a while that was a hot point between me and my dad, but now that he… uh… has seen it by himself, he wanted to dissolve the one in this city. It's wrong, I know, which is why I've never wanted to be a part of it."

Tom was silent and was still staring at him.

“Now, my dad supports my plan to build a restaurant instead." Octo continued.

“For the guys who used to work in the mafia?"

“Yeah."

“The fuck?!"

“I… I can't do anything about it, Tom, it's outside of what I can do." He looked away.

They went silent again. The panther took the chance to take a deep sigh and look around the room. It looked messy, though as he studied it more, he noticed that only the things that Tom would need were there. They seemed to be put here for easy access. On the small table were some plates, and on the computer desk were some clothes and medicines.

Then, Tom broke the silence after a few moments. “Octo."

Hearing that, he turned to Tom. The wolf was staring at him, eyes narrowed in what he could tell only as held-back anger. “I forgive you, but I will never forget this." said the wolf, enunciating each syllable. “I will see if you live up to your words. A drop of indigo ruins a pot of milk, but in your case, you dropped a pot of indigo into the milk. Be glad I have another empty pot."

Face flat, Octo nodded. He understood the analogy.

The wolf then looked away. “I don't know if this is really your fault or not, like… I really want to say that this is your fault, but deep down I know it isn't. Lain also knows it isn't."

Comforted that he forgave him for what he did and accepted him for what he was, Octo nodded and hung his head low in deep shame as well as thankfulness. He might know a lot of people, but he trusted only a few. “I will hold my own words as I do yours."

Tom asked. “So, what now?"

They went quiet again.

He took a deep breath. “Like I said, the… part in this city is now dissolved. Instead, I'll use the resources to build a restaurant."

“And you're gonna offer some of them to work there." Tom pointed.

“…yeah."

The wolf looked away and growled. “Fucking hell, panther."

“It's… really, it's outside of what I can do. The least I can do is pick those who are loyal to me to make sure nothing else would happen. And if you need anything, and I really fucking mean anything, tell and I'll see which strings I could pull." Octo put his face in his hands. “I… I can buy you a new laptop right here right now if you want." He said, rather muffled.

Maybe he sounded desperate, but that seemed to help Tom to calm down… that or that was not Tom, because when the wolf continued, he sounded more like the wolf he knew. “Honestly, I'm not fully against your plan. I know some people there, and… you could say I made some friends." He gave a dry chuckle. “One of them is dead now, though, but I don't miss him. Still, from the way you explained, I could see that it's… full loyalty or not, which means some of them might not want to do what they're told to do but they have no other choice."

Octo looked down. That reminded him of Richard.

“If your words are anything to go by, I doubt any of them would do anything against you." Tom replied evenly. “And I'm sure you'll be personally responsible for whatever they do, right Oct?"

He looked at the wolf, eyes narrowed in caution. “Yeah." Wow, not only did he threaten him, but Tom was also entangling himself with Octo, securing his own standing and putting Octo at the stake. Honestly, he was surprised at the wolf's cunningness. He nodded again. “Yeah."

“Then I think it could work. As long as you manage to make it work."

He didn't know whether he was wrapping himself in a deal he shouldn't do, but honestly, he felt like it was the right thing to do. He had debts towards Tom, and this was his way of repaying.

Now, for his own safety, he needed to be sure of those he was going to take for the restaurant staff. He had the list from his father, and he could say he was very sure of Richard and his boss. For the others, he might need either some bonds to be forged, some deals to be made, or even… some threats to be delivered.

Whether he liked it or not, that was his responsibility.