Chapter Text
It was a warm day in Belobog when Bronya had an open schedule. No meetings with Architects, no briefings from the guard…
Since there was no one to greet, she spent the morning sorting out her personal office. Budget reports to the left, manning requests to the upper right, mobility and exercise documents to the bottom left drawer… Feeling rather relaxed, she'd even begun to hum one of Serval's new hits while she worked. Sure, she was a little out of tune, but there was no one else around to hear it!
She'd been sorting through a stack of performance reports from two years ago when a sharp knock popped her peaceful bubble. "Are you busy? May I come in?"
Not who she was expecting at this time, but still a welcome surprise nonetheless. Paperwork could wait. "You may enter."
Old hinges creaked as the door swung and revealed Gepard in the doorway. "Is this a bad time?"
"Not at all. Please, come in!"
The door closed with a swish, at which point Bronya gestured to the chair at the other side of her desk. "Is everything alright?"
Gepard gratefully accepted the invitation. As he sat, Bronya couldn't help but notice how dark the skin around his eyes had become as of late. "You saw my report already? About my findings?"
Years of etiquette lessons were the only reason Bronya didn't grimace at that question. "I saw a report, yes."
Though he really should be accustomed to it by now, Gepard still felt a frision of humiliation. It was easy enough for him to surmise what that wording meant. "Pela had some… edits, I assume."
Rather than answer, Bronya lifted the paper in front of her up for him to see. Even at a distance, he could see the slashes of red. It briefly reminded him of a book Serval used to read before bed about painting everything red before the queen could see. "I suspect she doesn't like me much…"
Flipping the paper back to herself, Bronya stifled a giggle. "You misspelled 'Belobog.'"
"What?!" Gepard made a frantic lunge for the report, only to stumble into the desk when Bronya tugged it back. After a brief game of keepaway, she handed it over with a laugh. If it weren't completely against the Silvermane guard code to speak ill of the supreme guardian, he'd have educated her on what a jerk she was being.
It only took half a second to notice where "Bleoboog" had been circled, along with several arrows and question marks. Gepard could feel his face flaming in shame and only barely resisted facepalming. If Bronya gave any notice - while still a jerk - she was merciful enough to not mention.
"If it makes you feel any better, I gave her a verbal counseling," she offered as consolation. "We can't have subordinates insulting superior officers."
"No one else saw?"
"Just her and I," Bronya solemnly vowed, though the way the corner of her mouth kept twitching belied her amusement. At least he could be sure she wasn't lying.
Shaking off the residual embarrassment, Gepard cleared his throat and returned to the real purpose of his visit.
Paraphrasing his official "report," Gepard reiterated the events that led up to the sighting at the club. Simms had gone out of his way to blend in with the crowd. He'd also received what looked like a payout of sorts. Was he betting himself? What was the connection?
Nothing had happened since that last visit to the underworld. Gepard had spoken with Simms's assistant about his schedule (under the guise of a readiness exercise) and the man was in meetings all week. Sampo had also been checking the fights everyday and there had been no sign of his presence.
"The 12th received a batch of new recruits recently," Bronya mused aloud. "They're young and impressionable; I doubt he'd need to twist their arms much to get them to jump when asked. That, combined with whatever promises the organizers have been making, would be more than enough incentive to join."
"You think he's offering recruits as canon fodder?"
"It's certainly a possibility," she admitted. "Resources are always limited and Simms would know that pulling men from other jobs for a full investigation wasn't possible."
Before he could add anything else, Gepard yawned unexpectedly. His jaw gave an uncomfortable pop before he managed to cover his mouth.
Once the tears cleared from the corners of his eyes, Gepard noticed the concern in his companion's eyes. "No."
"Gepard."
"I'm fine."
Whether he acknowledged it or not, their conversation was officially over. "Let me look more into Simms and see what I can find. In the meantime, you-" she pointed a knife hand at him "-need a break. I'm approving an early release for the day."
"...Isn't that a little excessive?"
Bronya crossed her arms in response. "Would you rest otherwise?"
'Good point.' "Probably not."
The supreme guardian nodded at that. "It's been slow enough today; everyone could probably use a break. You can tell everyone it's a morale day. Spread the word, then go take a nap."
Not wanting to fight a losing battle, Gepard acquiesced. When she pointed the knife hand toward the door, he got the hint and took his leave.
Once the door clicked shut, Bronya straightened the papers on her desk. Without looking up, she announced, "you can come out now."
"Nothing gets past you, does it, princess?"
Her quantum cloak dropped with a flutter as Seele stepped out from the shadows. Apparently, Gepard's training on stealth enemies was not as comprehensive as he thought if even he didn't notice they had company.
"You knew as soon as I walked in, didn't you?" Once close enough, Seele took her usual seat on the edge of the supreme guardian's desk. She gave little notice to any papers that may be wrinkled in the process. Bronya had long since given up leaving a chair for her girlfriend. Besides, not that she'd risk admitting it out loud, but watching Seele swing her legs back and forth from her perch was cute.
"I'd like to think I'm a bit of an expert at this point," Bronya demurred with a soft smile. "Besides, it's time for lunch."
"Oh no, don't let me interrupt,'" Seele joked just a bit too loudly to be purely in jest. "Should I give you two more privacy next time?"
Bronya placed a hand on Seele’s cheek, stroking it fondly. Even months later, that action never failed to bring a blush to her girlfriend’s cheeks. "There's no reason to be jealous; you know I adore you."
Predictably, Seele's face burned brighter as she choked on nothing. After a moment or two to recover, she took hold of the hand on her cheek with both of her own and nuzzled in. "Yeah, I know. Sorry for being a jerk. I just worry about you, you know."
Even now, Bronya's chest still flutters at just how cute her girlfriend could be. One minute she was sass and snark, the next, docile and sweet; Bronya was utterly charmed. She just couldn't resist leaning in to place a gentle kiss on Seele's lips, smiling at how eagerly her girlfriend leaned into it.
Just when the shock wore off and Seele was starting to reciprocate, the other pulled away. Such a tease…
Ignoring her girlfriend’s pouting, Bronya shuffled a small pile of documents into a drawer. "Just let me put these away and we can go?"
Seele hummed her assent, content to watch and swing her legs back and forth. Not one for long stretches of silence, she had to ask,"for real though, is he okay? I could grocery shop with the bags under his eyes."
Bronya paused her work to think, earning a frown from the other. "My hands are tied; short of ordering him to take leave, I can't force Gepard to do anything."
Seele shot Bronya the side-eye until the supreme guardian laughed and resumed working. "Let me look into it. I can ask the moron what's going on and if there are any strings I can pull."
"By the moron, I assume you mean Sampo?"
Seele arched a brow in response, earning herself a peck on the forehead. "Isn't that what I said?"
"That's rude to say about your friend."
"Did you forget he kidnapped you?!"
Bronya made a show of pretending to think, giggling at the growl her girlfriend gave in response. Seele didn't deny they were friends, though. "True, but how could I stay mad at someone so obviously near to your heart."
"I hate you. I hate him and I hate you."
"No you don't."
Nonsensical grumbles were the only response, which Bronya took as a win. Figuring that she had reached a good stopping point for now, she stepped away from her desk and sighed. "That's good enough for now. Are you ready?"
All teasing was instantly forgiven as Seele hopped to her feet. "I've been ready! Let's go!"
—
Snapdragons, the florist had assured Gepard, were the perfect solution for accidentally missing his sister's last concert.
Mechanical Fever had premiered a new single last Friday - to rave reviews! - and he'd been too busy filing paperwork to go.
Administrative hell and Qlipoth fort were one and the same. Heck, even Bronya groused from time to time about all the work the late supreme guardian had left piled around her room. "Forget geomarrow," she'd vented one late night last week, "we could burn all this instead and stay warm for weeks!"
Not that she ever would, of course. Bronya loved her people, loved her city and if that meant wading elbows deep into budget meeting notes from seven years ago, she'd do it.
But he digresses...
Serval understood that Silvermane's work always came first - she was a Landau, after all - but it didn't make disappointing her any easier. She also sought him out in the crowd at the start of the show, shooting him a grin before hitting the first chord. The thought of her looking for someone who wasn't there made his stomach plummet.
'Next performance, I'll bring glow sticks and flowers,'' he vowed to himself outside the doors of Neverwinter Workshop before shouldering his way in.
"You should have seen him-Geppie! We were just talking about you!"
And there, sitting across the counter from his sister with a ridiculous grin, sat Sampo Koski. He gave this coquettish little one-finger-at-a-time wave that made Gepard want to eat the entire bouquet now crumpled in his fists. For a moment, he considered walking right back outside from whatever fiasco was taking place here.
Serval, meanwhile, observed the exchange with obvious glee. Gepard could hear more than just the wall gears turning as she looked between the two, smile slowly growing. "Geppie, hi! You didn't say you'd be dropping by!"
Unease slithered beneath his skin at both their unnaturally bright and shiny dispositions. There'd been a time in basic training when he'd come face-to-face with two starving direwolves and the similarities were uncanny. This was so clearly a trap, but there was no escaping now…
He brandished the flowers at his sister, wincing as several snapped stems fell out the bottom of the cellophane. Blessedly(?), she pretended not to notice.
"Aww, that was sweet of you!" Serval had oohed while reaching for her present. "And here I was just telling Sampo here what a sweetheart you could be!"
"An absolute peach," Koski chimed in with a wink.
A vase materialized from somewhere behind the central pillar of the workshop - probably remains from his last floral assassination - and Serval stuffed the mauled stems in. Add a bit of water et voila! She made a whole production of arranging the snapdragons, to Gepard's shame and Sampo's amusement.
Once satisfied, she took a step back to take them all in. "I love them, thank you! See and here your friend didn't believe me when I said you were just a giant puppy dog under all that armor."
Oh no, that train of thought was not allowed to leave the station. "We're not friends; he's helping with my current case and that's all."
In true Koski fashion, Sampo either did not receive (or straight up refused) the memo.
"Officially, we're 'collaborating,' but unofficially," he paused and gave an exaggerated eyebrow waggle, "we're partners!"
Gepard grimaced as his older sister's sparkling eyes snapped to him. "Partners?!"
He, in turn, shot Sampo a look so icy, it made the city limits look like an island paradise. The conman flinched held his hands protectively in front of his face.
"Before you murder me - which probably goes against your precious code of conduct, by the way - why not take a look at what I brought!"
Unnoticed until this point, a paper bag sat next to Sampo's feet. Once certain his life was no longer at risk, Sampo bent over and removed the contents for both Landaus to see. The bottle in his hand was made of thick, dark glass and full of mystery liquid.
Serval reacted first, reaching over to poke said bottle and watching it slosh. Mind going a million directions at once, she kept glancing from the bottle to Gepard. "...What in the name of the preservation is this?"
Before Serval could catastrophize further, Sampo cut in. "Energy supplement and an underworld specialty at that! Brewed and bottled by our very own Dr. Nat!"
All her previous worry evaporated in the blink of an eye. Instead, Serval's gaze shifted from her brother, to the drink, to their guest and back. Gepard imagined that the gears turning on the walls were an accurate representation of what was going on inside her head.
Already dreading the conversation to follow, Gepard turned a frosty look on his "friend." Said "friend" visibly shivered under the attention before throwing his hands up in the air.
"Don't look at me like that! I'm just here to drop that off for you!" Sampo assured before shooting Serval a wink. "Your big sister's company was just lagniappe! Who am I to pass up good company?"
"Sampo Koski-!"
"And with that, I should probably be on my way!" Sampo announced before giving an exaggerated bow. "It was a pleasure talking to you today, madam!"
In an uncharacteristic show of…something… Gepard watched in fascination as his sister curtsied back. The conman sauntered past him, briefly patting him on the shoulder, before disappearing out the door. Like every other encounter with Sampo Koski, Gepard was left feeling like he was missing something. Bizarre, but not worth wasting anymore brain power on it than he already had.
Once they were alone, Gepard finally allowed himself to relax. Shoulders slumped and feet dragging, he made his way to the now-vacant stool in front of the bar. Metal groaned as he dropped unceremoniously onto the seat.
After only a blessed moment or two of reprieve, Serval was eyeing him with renewed interest. "So~o…"
The expectant look on his sister's face made Gepard want to curl up and die on the spot. "Please no."
"You're partners now?"
"No."
"That's not what Sampo said. I can call him 'Sampo,' right? I mean, we're practically family already!""
"Aeons, No."
"I'm just wondering why this is the first I've heard of it! He's such a sweetheart, too!"
"Whatever you're thinking-!"
Serval finally cracked and broke down laughing. "I kid, I kid! Never could take a joke, could you, Geppie?"
Gepard responded by dropping his forehead to the countertop. "I hate my life."
Serval reached over the pet his head, as though he were an oversized dog and not just an adult regretting their life choices. "No you don't. Stop being so melodramatic. I'm only teasing because I love you!"
He tilted his head to look at her while keeping one cheek still smooshed to the counter. "Could you not?"
"Nope!" she giggled, ruffling his hair more when he groaned in agony. "You'll always be my baby brother, who I love and adore!"
Much as he was used to this treatment from his older sister, it didn't make her teasing any more palatable. Gepard sometimes suspected that she must spend her days fiddling with gears and plotting new ways to tease him. He could imagine it now; Serval, alone in her workshop, looking over old photo albums and cherry picking the most embarrassing memories.
When Gepard made no effort to swat her hand away, Serval suddenly stopped and changed direction. "Energy supplement, huh?"
"It's nothing, really."
Even for free, Serval wasn't buying that bogus response. "You know I'm worried about you, Gepard. Ever since Bronya broke up with you, you've been working non-stop!"
That comment finally caused him to sit upright again. "No one broke up with anyone! You know that was all arranged, right?"
"Pfft, of course I know! Anyone with eyes would've known! Incidentally, she and Seele are adorable together. "
"They are," he agreed before slumping forward. "I'm glad they found each other. Bronya seems happy."
Serval seemed to zero-in on that statement as she leaned across the counter and into his personal space. "You deserve to be happy too, Gepard."
Ahh, this again. Most of the time, Gepard had a difficult time convincing people that a firecracker who'd construct a chainsaw catapult could ever be his older sister. Once in a while, though…
(He preferred Serval's normal brand of crazy over this any day, not that he'd admit it even under duress.)
"I'm just… a little tired, that's all," he finally admitted without making eye contact. "Work has been keeping me busy and I've been having trouble sleeping. Politics, you know how it is."
"'A little tired,'" she scoffed. "Baby bro, you look like a one-legged man at an ass-kicking competition."
"... It isn't that bad."
Unconvinced, Serval shook her head. "Don't let work define your life, little brother. Look what happened to me."
That was rich, coming from her. "You worry about me, but I'm more worried about you. Ever since-" getting kicked off her research of the stellaron, being disowned, the former guardian's passing "-you haven't been the same."
"I was happy. I am happy," she assured, softly but firmly. "You don't need to worry about me."
(She thought she hid it well, but Gepard knew. While she liked to spin it as a "push needed to pursue my true passions of mechanics and music," Serval had reacted to being removed from the guard like one would a bad break-up. Time had softened the blow, but ever since the madam Cocolia's funeral, he'd noticed a heaviness return to her eyes. It wasn't difficult to put two and two together, even for someone like him; love songs didn't just write themselves, after all.)
"It's my job," Gepard insisted, "as a captain of the guard and your brother, to worry. I have a duty to fulfill and just because we are family does not make you exempt!"
"Poor Geppie, the Landau name left such big shoes for you to fill," Serval mourned before beaming and pinching his cheek. "Luckily, you've got big feet!"
Looking down at his perfectly normal sized feet, Gepard scowled. "I was being serious."
"I'm sorry~!" (She wasn't.)
"Why did I come here again?"
"Because you love me~!" Serval sang before side-eying the vase of crushed flowers. "And because you're a chucklehead who ditched his poor, older sister for a date with some paperwork."
"Not by choice!"
"I know, I know," she teased. "Now take your sketchy, underworld moonshine and get some sleep, okay?"
"It's not moon-!"
Recognizing an exercise in futility when he heard one, Gepard cut himself off. Bringing a hand up to massage away the ache forming in his temple, he grabbed the bottle of not-moonshine from Serval's outstretched hand. "Yes, okay, I will. "
"You promise?"
"I promise."
"Good." Pause. "And Gepard?"
"Yes?"
"You know I love you, right?"
Recognizing that same unusual tone return to his sister's voice, Gepard answered sincerely, "of course. I love you, too."
"Good," she responded before shaking her head and pasting on a giant grin. "Now, go home and get to bed! Consider it an order!"
Gepard offered a crisp salute in response, which earned him a giggle from his beloved - if overbearing at times - sister.