Work Text:
Click, click, click
My shoes patter against the Basements concrete ground, after all theres no need to hide my presence when I am meeting him. The air smells of death and unwanted souls, though it does bring me some memories back to when I was little, it smelled more disgusting than I remembered.
Today I am going to visit a ghost.
My teacher, Paul Verlaine.
Not many mafia members know about him, I have my doubts even my brother knows he exist. A Port Mafia executive, feared by those who know him, he goes by many names as I have been told, King of Assassins is a popular one. His teaching methods are brutal, they weren't violent or anything, just... Hard to understand. You just have to get used to it when you are one of his students, and if you don't, you get harsh missions without a single dose of knowledge of how to kill someone properly.
I finally arrive at the worn out metal door, for an Port Mafia executive, you would expect a luxury office high above. Is Executive even the right word to describe this mans position in the mafia? Hes more of a last resort weapon if I were to call it.
I hold my hand up to knock.
"Gin."
I stop, and turn.
Verlaine stands behind me, only leaning against the wall on the opposite side of his room. I face him fully and bow, it is common practice to bow infront of an Executive in the mafia, who knows what they could make you do.
I straighten my posture to look at him again.
He seems to be carrying a paper bag, it not often he goes outside of the basement, though I have my doubts anyone keeps track if he does go outside. The bag has a logo of a piece of bread, and a certain fresh baked good aroma coming from it. Why is he carrying bread?
Verlaine walks up to me, bag in hand.. Is it a well designed trick?
"Gin, could you move from the door...?"
I immediately step aside and bow once again to say I am sorry. Verlaine unlocks the door to head inside, I soon follow him right after and shut the door.
Verlaine puts the bag down on his desk of papers and shuffles through it, looking for something probably. I stand by the door, arms behind my back until I am given an order from him. Verlaine grabs out a small bag that reads "Pain au Chocolat", a loaf of bread sticks out of it. The bread had 2 sticks of chocolate inserted in, probably to act as filling or to add flavor.
During my time in slums, me and my brother mostly ate bread when we were lucky, they were more like slices than loafs. This bread was like a loaf, only smaller and had chocolate in it. Chocolate was also a rarity back when we were young, I remember my brother coming back, drenched in someone elses blood, but he held a half a chocolate bar, most likely eaten by someone else already. That was during my birthday, at that time, it was the most delicious thing I ever had, no food has beaten the title so far.
Verlaine went to sit down on his chair, staring at me whilst he eats. Its currently early morning, so I haven't had the chance to eat breakfast yet, maybe that's why the smell it so.. enticing...
"Do you want one?"
He offers, his mouth stuff with bread. I hesitate before I do a small nod.
Verlaine puts the bread he was eating down on the table and grabs another one from the bag. He holds it out to me to grab. I walk up to him and politely accept the food. Verlaine grabs his eaten bread off the table and sits back down, continuing to eat it again, only staring at the door.
First, I take of my mask, letting it dangle off one ear. The aroma and the need to eat grows stronger as the mask is finally removed, it smells.. Good
I take the first bite off the bread.
My eyes light up! How come this isn't popular in Yokohama? Maybe I should tell Higuchi or my brother about this. I continue eating, savoring each bite as I go. The taste.. How do I describe it? Its has this buttery dough texture to it, but the sweetness of chocolate inside creates a perfect gush of flavor. Every time I bite down, it feels like a warm hug, yet with a bit of excitement and movement added to it. I should ask him where he got it from..
"So, how is it?"
"Its so.. delicious..!"