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In the mafia, meetings were expected to happen occasionally. It was important to do routine check-ups on how everything was running and to prepare future plans to better improve the business. Typically, they were organized by Luca, who would rename it a hangout and proceed to play or talk on a stream set-up. That way, fellow Lucubs that couldn’t attend in person could watch. Not only was it the best ‘meetings’ most Lucubs loved to attend, but it was also a good source of revenue outside of ‘traditional’ means for the boss. Serious meetings were held by the higher tiered Lucubs and were often private affairs. Business rarely interfered with pleasure in the mafia.
However, it came as a surprise when a global text demanded that every available Lucub attend a mandatory meeting with a code of silence. On top of that, no one was allowed to disturb Luca until after the meeting. No one could figure out why and not even the long-standing Lucubs knew what was going on. The meeting was held in Luca’s personal amphitheater in the mafia stronghold. Lucubs began to file into the room with bated breath.
Despite having the same uniform code, one look around the room would point out the division each Lucub belonged to. Dressed in the standard white suits were the new recruits in the mafia, huddled together with hushed tones around their captain. At the exits were small crews, enforcers of the mafia, decked with their long trench coats and heavy weapons. At the ready, the enforcer Lucubs were silent with a sharp gaze searching for anything off.
Lined against the walls and upper balcony seats were showmen and women of the mafia. Consisting of those who enjoyed the finer arts, these Lucubs were more informal with their uniforms, keeping the same design but with added touches. These are the ones who created the artworks for the boss, as well as obtaining the famous works of art from several museums and private estates, were identified by pearls in their designs made to the uniform. Other Lucub showmen that had flashier designs were the fast talkers, the negotiators, and renowned flirts who would charm both your heart and your wallet from you in a heartbeat. Decorated with diamond jewelry, these Lucubs would give even Vox Akuma’s beloved Kindred a run for their money on who was the better silver-tongued devil. Both groups of Lucubs were respectively sorted into the Pearl or Diamond divisions.
In the main seating area were the techies of the mafia, dressed in a mix of semi-formal and casual streetwear. Several held tablets and phones, quickly tapping away to send directives and reconnaissance to the Medical division and fellow Lucubs out in the field. Several had cameras and mics held up to the main screen, assisting fellow Lucubs who could not physically attend due to prior obligations. Up in the front were the record keepers, pencils creating a symphony on notepads, who kept detailed information of the events so far. Despite being more muted and humbler in their style, their actions spoke far more for them than their own voices.
Regardless of each Lucubs’ background and profession, each proudly wore a lion mask on their face. From full roaring lion masks to masquerade lion masks and half lion masks that covered the upper parts of their faces, each one was decorated with unique colors and imbedded with gems personally given by the boss himself on proven loyalty and dedication. New Lucubs’ masks would be made with simple leather. Over time, the mask’s material would be upgraded to bronze, silver, gold, platinum, and finally iridescent opal.
Once everyone who could attend was seated in the room, the doors slammed shut and reinforced metal shutters followed soon after. Tension and whispers filled the room as time passed slowly. Just when it felt like this was an elaborate trap to separate the Lucubs from their precious boss, a door opens near the main screen of the theater. Everyone stops what they’re doing to focus onto the main stage. The lights dim to focus on a lone figure who steps onto the stage.
“You all must be wondering why I summoned you all here.” Lucy addresses the room as a collective sigh of relief echoes. Lucy laughs, giving a small smirk. “Why so serious, guys?”
“Lucy, my dear,” a female Lucub steps forward and bows towards the stage. “On behalf of everyone here, I must ask…. Why were we called here?”
“Yeah, and why isn’t boss here as well?” a Lucub chirps from the balcony.
“Is something wrong that we were called here?”
“Did we do something wrong?”
“Who needs to die to fix this?” questions echo across the room, anxiety evident in their voices. Lucy quickly waves her hand, silencing it in seconds.
“Don’t worry. I’ll get to that in a moment. Just as a reminder, you all were ordered on a code of silence so what is said here remains here until I give the word, alright?” murmurs of agreement sound out and Lucy pulls out a remote. She presses a button and the screen behind her lights up.
“Alright. As you know, recently, there was an incident at the stronghold recently.” A picture of a man who looks like Luca with black hair appears. “This man, who shall be named as Luca Kanekuro, infiltrated our home and attempted to assume Luca’s role. This man proceeded to torture Luca and kept him locked up without anyone’s notice.”
“Now this isn’t anyone’s fault so don’t blame yourselves. Especially you, enforcers!” Lucy points to the Lucub enforcers in the back who shuffle in place. “No one could tell the difference, not even me. Who could have known that there was a literal doppelganger of Luca that existed before that point?”
“By the time any of us knew, the damage had been done. But what’s important is that Luca is safe and Kanekuro is gone…. For now.” Lucy grimaces briefly before she schools her face into a serious expression.
“Which leads me to my next point. Right now, Luca is still injured and more concerned for the rest of us than what happened to him. So, our priority is making sure that Luca is happy and rested for what I call…” the screen changes behind her to show a birthday card design with an Augustus design. “The big bonanza.”
Oohs and aahs ring off as Lucy starts going through the slides quickly.
“The big old goof been trying to spoil any surprises being made for his birthday. As his family, we are going to make sure he doesn’t find out anything. Right now, I have him being distracted by his friends from NS company, so he won’t be back home for least a week. They have plans for Roblox, Minecraft, and who knows what else.” Lucy grins, pulling up a list onto the screen.
“Here’s what I need you guys to do. I need my enforcers to keep away anyone who would dare to ruin the birthday boy’s fun beforehand. Use your power of... persuasion to convince them into a truce.” The Lucub enforcers salute towards Lucy, who salutes back.
“Showmen, and women, I need the best of what you got. Pearl division! Decoration planning is in your hands, and I need the best art of Luca you can come up with. If you want to add me, his friends, or even yourselves, go for it! Draw, paint, knit, whatever your medium is, do it to your heart’s content! Also, if one of you could make a nice little costume for Augustus, that would be great.”
“Diamond division, think up the best one-liners and charm to throw at Luca. Fluster my brother so much that there’s no denying how much love and appreciation everyone feels for him. Though, with the head flirts leading the charge, I doubt you’ll have much difficultly doing that.” Laughs and excited giggles erupt as the showmen and women begin to scheme the complimenting (*cough* teasing *cough*) they would unleash onto the boss.
“Tech division, your job is to set up the party room with fog machines, DJ set up, lights, and a stream set-up since Luca will want to stream his birthday with everyone. You’ll be coordinating with the Pearl division to prepare the room so brainstorm with each other. Speaking of which, I’ve already selected a room for you guys to use that is labeled under maintenance. As far as Luca knows, that room had a weapon malfunction and is unfit to stay in for a while.” By this point, the room was abuzz with planning, the serious tone ebbing away into bubbling excitement. Lucy shakes her head with a smile, pressing another button on the remote to remove the security shutters.
“Alright. Everyone who has their assignments, head out! Feel free to ask for help from your fellow Lucubs and the other communities. I know for a fact that Kindred, Yaminions, Quilldren, and Mystakes are at the ready for assistance. For the rest of you, feel free to stick around and coordinate any small details I might have missed. I, and your fellow captains, will assist you finding a role… oh, one last thing!” All Lucubs freeze at Lucy’s call.
“Should any of you let one bit of info leak to Luca before his birthday...” Lucy’s smile turns dark, sending a shiver across the room.
“Well... I don’t need to tell you what happens to loose tongues, do I?” Heavy silence follows briefly before cheers erupt.
“Oh, yes, queen!”
“Understood perfectly!”
“God, you’re so hot when you’re threatening us~”
“Marry me, Lucy, my love!” Laughter and ‘Get in line!’ echo out as the Lucubs proceed to leave again. Lucy giggles, stepping down from the stage towards the front aisle of seats. Approaching the remaining Lucubs, they gaze up in avid curiosity.
“Alright, recordkeepers. I need you guys to pull up all the previous moments we have of Luca for the past year. Pile it together and provide it to the Tech division to compile into a video. Get it from multiple sources quietly and efficiently.”
“Right away, Lucy!” the recordkeepers begin to pack up and file out. Lucy gazes for a moment at them, tapping a finger to her chin. Her gaze settles on a single Lucub who is still writing in her seat.
“You.” The Lucub flinches and looks up from her notebook to Lucy’s pointed finger. “Come here.”
The Lucub rushes over, fumbling with her pen and notebook. Lucy does a quick glance over the Lucub, who salutes so quickly that she nearly knocks her mask off from the impact.
“Y-yes, ma’am! How can I help you?” the Lucub fidgets in place. Smirking, Lucy does a tiny salute back.
“Lucy is fine, Ms... What’s your name? I don’t think we’re met properly before.” Lucy quirks her head, noting the bronze half-mask on the Lucub’s face.
“I... um, well, I’m...” the Lucub struggles to talk, eventually settling into an awkward silence. Sensing her anxious energy, Lucy gives a gentle smile and rubs the Lucub’s shoulder.
“It’s alright. You’re one of the lurker Lucubs, aren’t you?” the Lucub nods, face downcast. “Hey, that’s nothing to be ashamed of. Just because a lot of us have loud, vibrant personalities doesn’t mean you’re any less for being shy and quiet. You support in your own way, just like the rest of us.”
“Thank you... Lucy. I...” Taking a deep breath, the Lucub’s gaze snaps back to face Lucy. “I’m Amelia.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Amelia. Now, onto business...” Lucy wraps her arm around Amelia’s shoulders, walking her away from the other Lucubs. “I have a very special mission for you.”
“A mission? What is it?”
“So, every Lucub does their best to make Luca happy. Sometimes, Luca really can’t believe how much you all support him every day since he first met you all. So much so, that I think he needs a physical reminder of it. This is where you come in with this.” Lucy lets go of Amelia and pokes her. Amelia’s eyes jump down to Lucy’s finger.
“Taskeru....” Amelia whispers. Lucy blinks for a moment before breaking into laughter, sitting on the stage edge for support.
“No, no! Not like that. There’s a line waiting for that anyway. No, I meant this.” Lucy taps her finger onto Amelia’s notebook. “I want you to get everyone’s personal thoughts and messages written down into this book. Once you have everyone who has something they want to say, you’re to guard it until Luca’s birthday where you will hand it over to him in honor of the Lucubs.”
“You want me to do that?! But why not one of the captains?” Amelia shrieks, her voice drawing nearby Lucubs’ attention. Lucy shushes her and waves off the other Lucubs.
“Calm down. If I ask one of them, it’ll be too obvious. Most captains don’t interact with other divisions too often beyond Luca’s streams. Luca would get suspicious if a captain went everywhere for something not important. Being in the Recordkeeper division, it’s expected that you’ll be moving place to place to assist the others.”
“What if he questions me, though? If I’m appearing everywhere, won’t he notice?”
“This is why it’s a good thing you’re a newer Lucub. Since you’re still learning, you’ll probably be doing random errands. On top of that, it wouldn’t hurt to pretend to be asking fellow Lucubs about how things work around here.” Amelia ponders for a moment, her fingers slowly spinning a pen.
“I guess... that could work.”
“I know it will. Unless you’re doubting me and my faith in you.” Lucy’s eyes quickly narrow at Amelia, who jumps and shakes her head rapidly.
“No, no! Of course not, Lucy! I would never doubt one of the head leaders of the Mafia.”
“Good. Then, you have a couple of weeks to get it done.” Lucy smiles, lifting herself off the stage. She dusts herself out and holds her hand out to Amelia. “I look forward to your results.”
“I’ll do my best.” Shaking her hand back, Amelia bows and rushes back to her seat. She fumbles over her bag, excitement radiating from her.
“One last thing, Amelia!” Amelia jumps in place and turns back towards Lucy. “Just in case, I recommend carrying a few notebooks filled with random info. I don’t care what so long as it’s something we would discuss here.”
“Understood! Good-bye!” Amelia bows frantically before rushing out of the theater. She skips a bit, grinning in excitement.
‘This is gonna be great! This should be easy. With boss gone for a week, there should be no problem getting this done. I can’t wait for the party!’ humming to herself, Amelia heads over to her division section to prepare her supplies.
Oh, how Amelia wishes she didn’t jinx herself. It was all going so well. The birthday supplies had come in and were being sorted. The Pearl and Tech divisions were already on a massive decorating spree in the party room. Amelia had even managed to get one of the divisions’ personal comments down without a hitch. It was all coming together so nicely~
Until Luca came home. Not that it was a bad thing for him to come back but it wasn’t good that he was so soon either. It got even worse when Luca took two steps in before toppling over and passing out. It was harder to say which was louder that day, the uproar of all the Lucubs rushing to help him or the scolding he got from Lucy later.
Amelia had lingered nearby that day, having been interviewing the Medical division before the boss’ return. From what she heard, Luca had started showing signs of a cold and was promptly sent home by Vox and Ike. By the time Luca had returned, exhaustion had overwhelmed him before he could reach his room.
A couple of days had passed since then. Being ordered to stay in his room, Luca has been silently resting with regular checkups. A few of the Lucubs who had managed to assist him first unfortunately caught his cold and were quarantined to prevent its spread. Duties were re-delegated, and everyone was given extra assignments to aid the increased workload.
Even Amelia had put aside her secret mission to help her fellow Lucubs since she kept going everywhere. Finally taking a moment for herself, she was resting outside in the courtyard of the stronghold. She idly flips through one of her notebooks, gazing at each entry.
‘I know everyone loves Luca, but I never really realized the dedication behind it all. I feel so bad I can only collect so much from everyone, but I know boss will appreciate anything we give him.’ Amelia sighs and closes the notebook. ‘Now if only I can think of what to put for my message.’
It hadn’t really clicked in her mind to start preparing what Amelia wanted to say to Luca until one of the Lucubs had asked her what she had put. Now here she was, having an internal debate on what to do. She twirled and twirled her pen, her mind running just as fast. What could she do? A message would be the simplest, but the hardest to condense.
“Dammit. Maybe I’m better off leaving it for later.” Amelia sighs again when her pen flies out of her grip, landing a few feet from her. As she starts to get up, a black glove reaches her pen first. Her eyes trail up to meet tired violet eyes.
“Uh, hi. This yours?”
“B-boss!!” Amelia shoots up from her seat and bows her head frantically. “Wha... what are you doing here?! I thought-”
“Shshshshhh!! Keep it down. I don’t want to get caught.” Luca holds a finger to his lips, rushing over the Amelia. She looks up, still slightly bowed to him.
“Why are you here? I mean-! Not that you can’t. This is your place, after all. But... it’s just...” Amelia starts to panic again, only to be shushed again.
“Please calm down. It’s fine. Everything’s fine.” He looks around before putting his hands together. “Look, I just really needed to get out of my room. I can’t take two steps out of bed before Lucy or Medical Lucub sends me back.”
“But... shouldn’t you rest? You literally passed out a couple of days ago.” Luca sighs heavily as he drops onto the bench. Amelia sits down next to him, watching him push his hair back.
“I know, I know. Everyone’s been worried that I’m pushing myself too hard... but it’s not like I don’t know my limits. I just... I just need a few minutes outside. Just a change of pace, you know?” Luca turns towards her, his eyes pleading.
“Uh... sure. I won’t say anything if you don’t.” Amelia nods slowly.
“Ah, thank you, thank you!” Luca grins, his eyes sparkling with joy. Amelia stares for a moment before looking away at some nearby shrubbery.
‘God dammit, why is he such an adorable puppy?!’ Amelia grips her notebook tightly. Suddenly, her pen appears in front of her vision.
“You dropped this, right?” Luca wiggles the pen in front of her face. Blinking in confusion, Amelia slowly takes the pen from him.
“Oh, yeah. Thank you.” Amelia tucks the pen into the spiral binding of her notebook. A long silence fills the space and she begins to fidget.
‘Okay... this is awkward... Do I say something? Should I leave? Is there a protocol I should follow? Maybe I should-’
“So, how do you like it here?” Luca asks, breaking the silence first. Amelia shrieks before quickly covering her mouth. Luca quirks his eyebrow as Amelia clears her throat and nods.
“Yes... it’s been great. Everyone’s been so welcoming and nice. I’m hoping to be better friends with them all.”
“That’s great! I’m glad everyone is treating new Lucubs well. They make me so proud.” Luca smiles, his chest puffing out in pride.
“I mean, you lead by a wonderful example, boss. It’s no wonder why so many people support you.” Amelia gives him a smile, only for it to falter when his expression becomes pensive.
“Yeah... you all support me so much. Laughing with me, getting worried for me, and just being there...” he pauses, taking a moment to gaze up at the sky.
“Sometimes... it’s really hard to believe how much support I’ve gotten in such a short amount of time. I... really don’t know how to thank you all.” Luca chuckles softly, his hand idly turning his gold ring around his thumb. Amelia gazes down at the notebooks in her lap, pondering for a moment.
“Boss.”
Luca turns to face her just as she does the same. As their eyes meet, her expression turns serious.
“Every time you feel like this is too good to be true, we Lucubs will always remind you how much you deserve this. You earned our support and I believe not a day goes by that it doesn’t grow stronger. We’ll be right behind you, ready to cheer our boss on.” Amelia grins, clutching the notebooks tightly in her arms. Luca studies her for a moment before breaking into a fit of laughter.
“Wha- hey, why are you laughing at me?! Boss!!” Amelia shoves his shoulder lightly, miffed.
“I-I’m sorry. It’s just-” Luca takes a moment to compose himself. “Thank you. I wasn’t expecting that, but I appreciate it anyway. But you know, you didn’t have to get so serious. If you had been any more serious, I’d be worried that you have ligma.”
“Ligma? Why- Oh, wait, don’t you dare-!!”
“Ligma balls.” Luca cackles as Amelia hides her face in her hands. She groans as Luca nearly falls off the bench, clutching his side.
“I can’t believe I fell for that. How could you, boss? So mean and evil.” Amelia mutters into her hands.
“Hah! That’s what happens when you mess with an evil, mean boss like m- hey, ow, stop that!” Luca covers himself with his arms as she repeatedly swats him with her books. Luca pouts, rubbing his arms.
“Not so evil now, huh, boss?” Amelia laughs, holding the books in her arms again. Suddenly, he snatches a notebook and steps away from her.
“Haha! Now I have your book! What do you have to say about that?” Luca laughs as Amelia shoots up from her seat. She reaches for it yet he holds it high above her head.
“B-boss, please. Those are very important. I need it back.” Amelia pleads. Luca puts a hand under his chin, pretending to think heavily about it.
“Important, you say? Well, as the boss, I think I should review these and make sure they’re up to code.” Luca steps back again as Amelia frantically jumps towards the book.
“No, no, no! It’s already been checked, double-checked, triple-checked! Don’t you trust me, boss?”
“Hmm... you know, I should probably get back to work. I have a bunch of documents to go over. So, I’ll just start with this one!”
“LUCA!!” Luca and Amelia both freeze at Lucy’s voice booming across the stronghold. Amelia quickly looks down at the two notebooks in her hand. She thumbs through it quickly as Lucy gets louder and louder, still screaming angrily for Luca.
“Well... uh, we need to get our stories straight. Wha-” Luca turns to find himself abandoned. Frantically searching around him, he doesn’t have time to run before Lucy slams the door open to the courtyard.
“LUCA! What are you doing out here?! You’re supposed to be in bed!!” Lucy stomps over to him.
“H-hi, Lucy. I was just, uh, getting some fresh air...”
“Without at least leaving a note? What if you passed out again?!”
“I mean, I wasn’t alone... there was a Lucub.”
“Really? Who was it?”
“It was.... uh... we were talking and got so caught up in conversation that... I forgot to ask her name... but she was shorter than me! I think...”
“Luca, that doesn’t narrow anything. There’s several Lucubs that are shorter than you.”
“R-right... Oh, wait! I have her book! This might have her name in it.” Luca flips open the book and freezes on the first page. Lucy looks at the page as well and both fall silent. On the page, there is a list filled with ligma, sugma, grabma, and mabo memes that Luca has used so far.
“Luca...” Lucy’s gaze rises up to glare at him. “Did you really make a book filled with your memes?”
“I... umm.... ow, ow, ow!” Luca cries out as Lucy pulls his ear.
“Of all the dumb things to be doing, you’re sitting out in the cold, by yourself, and writing memes.... while sick!!” Lucy begins to yank him to the door, Luca howling with pain.
“Lucy!! I swear-OW! Please, it’s not what you thi- OWWW!!” Luca continues to plead as he’s lead out of the courtyard. Lucy pushes him through the doorway and reaches for the door. As she grabs the doorknob, Lucy hesitates for a moment. She quickly looks inside, making sure Luca is far away enough, before throwing the notebook into the bushes.
“Ow!” Amelia’s head pops out, rubbing where the notebook landed. She flinches as Lucy stares her down.
“Normally, I would be scolding you too since I recognized your writing but... considering what could have nearly happened, I’m letting you escape... for now.” Lucy whispers to Amelia, who can only nod in fear.
“Good... now go finish your job.” Lucy orders before she slams the door shut. Amelia slowly emerges from her hiding spot, listening to the shouts fading in the distance. Amelia takes a moment to compose herself before re-entering the stronghold.
Things went smoothly for the next couple of days after. Just as Lucy worried, Luca succumbed to a fever soon after. More Medical Lucubs routinely checked on him while Enforcer Lucubs stood guard 24/7 outside of his room, by Lucy’s orders. Amelia went full-drive into finishing her assignment, barely collecting the last of the Lucubs’ messages the day before Luca’s birthday. After being reviewed by Lucy (and scolded), Amelia was given one final assignment. Waiting in the party room, she, along with the other Lucubs, waited for Luca to arrive.
‘Okay, you can do this. No pressure.’ Amelia took deep breaths to relax when Lucy’s and Luca’s voices were heard down the hallway. Everyone falls silent as they approach the door.
“You’re going to love it, Luca. I approved of all the necessary installments to secure and repair the room.” Lucy says as the door opens. The moment Luca steps in, the lights turn on and party poppers go off.
“Happy birthday, Luca!” the Lucubs cheer, throwing confetti into the air. Luca grins, looking at all the streamers and decorations around the room. Lucy steps into the room, giving a small kiss to his cheek.
“Happy birthday, brother. This took a lot of work from everyone to make this possible.” Lucy gestures into the room and Luca steps further in, his eyes full of joy and wonder.
“I can’t believe... thank you all so much! This is great! And look at all of the food!!” Luca rushes to the table full of food. Varying from different sweets and drinks, the main centerpiece consisted of three cakes: a mango mousse, cookies and cream ice cream cake, and a mafia-themed fondant cake decorated with little Augustus figures and a chocolate name plate. As Luca eyes all of it, Lucy taps his shoulder.
“Now, before we get into the celebration, we have your first gift ready for you.” Lucy gestures towards Amelia, who rushes out to them.
“It’s you!” Luca points dramatically at Amelia, who only shrugs in response. Amelia holds up a notebook, handing it to Luca.
“This is the hearts of all the Lucubs written in here. So that you’ll never forget our undying support.” Amelia bows as Luca slowly looks at the pages. After a moment, he looks back at her.
“Alright. Thank you... uh...”
“Amelia. Nice to officially meet you, boss.” Amelia bows again as more poppers go off. The party starts and everything goes into full swing. Sometime later, Luca manages to take a moment to read through the book and comes across Amelia’s entry.
‘Boss... I’m really happy to have discovered you a while ago. You always bring a smile to my face whenever you’re streaming, and I can’t stop laughing at all the fun you have with everyone. I may not speak much when you’re streaming but I want you to know... I’ll always support you now and forever. May you continue to grow and succeed in the future. Happy birthday, Luca Kaneshiro. Keep on pogging.
-Amelia, a fellow Lucub.’