Chapter Text
Typically, someone like Gepard (the Landau’s golden child, Indomitable Shield of Belobog, Idol of every Silvermane Guard, Defender of Justice and Peace, and Paragon of Preservation) would not cross paths with someone like Sampo (small-time criminal, smuggler of illegal goods, silver-tongued conman, and general nuisance to the common public and the Silvermane Guards). Not because they were on opposite sides of the law, but because there wasn’t a reason to cross paths in the first place.
Gepard was stationed at the frontlines and spent most of his time in the Restricted Zone. Rarely did he venture into innercity Belobog unless he was visiting his sister or making a report directly to one of the Acting Commanders or to the Supreme Guardian herself. His place among the Silvermane Guards was barricaded walls, the howling alien-like monsters tearing at their gates, and ice and snow as far as the eye could see.
Sampo, on the other hand, flitted between the Overworld and the Underworld like a phantom in the shadow, an apparition that people could only see in the corner of their eyes. He knew the ins and outs of the Administrative District as if it was his second home and his familiarity with Boulder Town and the Great Mines was second to none. He did most of his business in both areas and never had a reason to travel far from his ‘regulars’. His place in Belobog was the dim streetlights of the night, the shadows of alleyways and rooftops, and the crowded paved roads of carefree, untroubled citizens.
Gepard was committed to the defense and fortification of the city walls, to become Belobog’s shield against the outside forces that tried to tear her down. His duties often did not include small-time criminals and public order.
Sampo was committed to his ‘clients’. His business slogan was, ‘If the price is right, Sampo Koski will make it happen’. He had no intention of risking his life and subjecting himself to all that ice and snow beyond the walls of Belobog.
It wasn’t that they weren’t aware of each other’s existence. Gepard Landau was one of the youngest guards promoted to Captain in the past several decades and his achievements on the battlefield were well known. He was the little brother of the famous rockstar and mechanic, Serval Landau, and the only son of the noble Landau family. Though he rarely appeared in public, there wasn’t a citizen in Belobog Overworld that didn’t recognize his name.
On the contrary, Sampo had a different kind of reputation-- though that didn’t make him any less (in)famous than the young Landau. His crimes could be considered insignificant, at best, and petty, at worst, but he managed to put himself on the Silvermane Guard’s most wanted list after an incident that involved the Minister of Finance, a few missing keys, and the spice factory that he owned.
Not that Sampo intended to be so well known that even the frontline soldiers, who were pretty much removed from Belobog’s general gossip, would know his name. But who asked their Minister of Finance to be such an easy mark? Was it his fault that the man was a talkative drunk? He didn’t even give the guy the ol’ Sampo Koski charm before he blurted out all his dirty little secrets, including the identity of his side mistress, the location of several hidden, untaxed properties, and the name of his not-so-legal supplier of hard-to-obtain commodities. Alas, instead of using this incident to reflect on his misdeeds and life choices, he slapped Sampo with an arrest warrant.
The world is unfair, especially for handsome, talented guys like Sampo Koski. But in an unjust world, all he has to do is even the playing field himself, right?
And that’s why he’s spending his lovely Tuesday disguised as a Silvermane Guard at 20:18 on the dot marching to the 3rd Arsenal Warehouse in the Silvermane Guard Restricted Zone.
Now normally, he wouldn’t be caught dead here (or be caught in general).
The geomarrow heaters were pretty much useless with all the constant blizzards and monsters wreaking havoc, leaving the area several degrees colder compared to Centercity Belobog or the Underworld. In the Restricted Zone itself, there were not many places for him to hide. Every available space and building was used for either supplies, research, or personnel, all of which were always occupied with people at all hours. And there were too many Silvermane Guards for his taste, most of whom knew each other for years, so he couldn’t just walk in and take someone’s name and uniform and call it a day. Instead, he would have to make the effort to fake a new identity, create fake transfer papers, and make a fake reason to stay in the area for a few hours before safely leaving under the noses of the Silvermane Guards.
Also, Sampo is a big-picture kind of guy. You see, why steal from the very people who are, well, defending all of Belobog from hordes of bloodthirsty monsters, when there are easier and less life-risking ways to make money? He might be a good-for-nothing swindler but he lives here too, y’know? Frankly, he likes Belobog in one piece-- errr… two pieces, considering how their oh-so infallible Supreme Guardian closed all access between the Overworld and the Underworld.
But you see, here’s the thing. One of those hidden, untaxed properties that our lovely Mr. Minister of Finance owns apparently resides in the Restricted Zone. And it happens to be that the so-called 3rd Arsenal Warehouse has his name written all over it.
Not only is it located rather far away from the other warehouses, their oh-so-generous Minister of Finance even assigns his own ‘Silvermane Guards’ to guard the premise. That is, until recently when a fragmentum monster has broken through one of the defense lines and nearly killed the poor guy on duty. Since then, the frontline soldiers were forced to pick up the slack under the minister’s order until he could find a replacement (that wasn’t a coward and willing to risk their life for money).
And that’s where Sampo Koski comes in to save the day!!
The unfortunate sap they’ve placed on guard duty is supposed to be on medical leave four months ago but instead, he has to stay here in the cold and ice to carry out this unreasonable responsibility! So being the kind and benevolent gentleman that he is, he finally has given that guard the personal leave he deserves and will soon free the rest of the Silvermane Guards from the duty of having to guard the 3rd Arsenal Warehouse in general.
By stealing everything in it, of course.
After all, what’s the point of guarding an empty warehouse?
His plan was pretty simple. After relieving the poor soldier of his duty, he would come in as the ‘replacement’ provided by their esteemed and noble Minister of Finance. All of his (fake) papers had already passed the Restricted Zone’s border inspection so there wasn’t any reason for anyone to doubt his identity. And even if they did, they could only confirm it with the Minister of Finance himself, who should be preoccupied with his side mistress at this time of night.
With the warehouse being relatively isolated from the main area of the Restricted Zone, he should be able to do as he pleased without alerting the other Silvermane Guards of his activities and be out of their hair in less than a few hours.
Or so he thought, until he saw Gepard Landau, the Gepard Landau, Captain of the Silvermane Guards, Indomitable Shield of Belobog, the very icon of Preservation and Integrity, standing at alert in front of the 3rd Arsenal Warehouse as if he was another Private taking on his first guard duty. Except no one would mistake that special geomarrow armor as something any soldier could wear.
Sampo’s brain stalled for a second. What the ever-loving fuck is the golden child of the Silvermane Guards doing here? As far as he knew, the young Landau rarely came out of the frontlines. Not only was the man involved with several military operations and expeditions, but he was also constantly occupied with meetings and conferences between other captains and high-ranked commanders. Ergo, Captain Gepard Landau of the Silvermane Guards, one of the most important military leaders (if not, the most important military leader) in the Restricted Zone, should not be here to play guard dog like any other ordinary soldier.
“Halt! Who goes there?” Sampo froze on the spot, forcing himself not to swerve his head around because he knew there was no one else in the area but him and the Silvermane Captain. But at this time of the year, nights came faster and stayed longer. The sun had long disappeared below the horizon about two hours ago and the cloudy sky made everything look darker. There were only two light sources: the one lamp shining above Gepard like some kind of heavenly light, making his blond hair look golden in the distance, and another one more than ten feet in front of the conman. His footsteps were silent out of habit and he was wearing the more armorless version of the Silvermane Guard uniform, therefore it would be hard to detect him by sound.
In other words, unless his night vision was as good as Sampo’s, there was no way the captain should have been able to see him. And after studying the Indomitable Shield of Belobog once more, he found that those too-blue eyes were scanning in his general direction but not focusing on his exact position.
Then how in the aeons…???
Sampo decided to step out immediately after five seconds of forethought. The captain definitely knew that there was someone here even without visual proof and if the grifter tried to make a run for it, the blond would immediately chase after him like a bloodhound.
“Sir!” Sampo yelled out in a nasally, youth-ish voice, playing as a cadet just out of training. He marched forward into the nearest lamplight so that the captain could see him and his very authentic Silvermane Guard uniform and saluted. “Private First-Class Samuel Toksi reporting for duty!”
“At ease soldier,” Gepard replied firmly but not unkindly, his solid and unyielding vigilance immediately softening in the presence of a comrade. Huh, maybe he’ll actually get out of here in one piece. “What brings you here, Private… Toski, correct? I don’t think we’ve met before. Are you new to the Restricted Zone?”
The conman inwardly cursed as he kept up his rigid salute. Generally, small talk wouldn’t be a problem for the charming Sampo Koski but in this situation, knowing too little or too much would bring about suspicion from the captain. He would have to be careful with his words.
“Y-Yes sir!” Sampo purposefully stammered, his posture tense and a bit awkward like any new recruit being scrutinized by their superior. “I-I have been personally assigned by the Minister of Finance, Architect Yore Schmidt, to stand guard at the 3rd Arsenal Warehouse reporting at 20:18, sir!”
“By the Minister of Finance?” The captain looked contemplative, which usually meant bad things for the conman when the person he was trying to trick started thinking. “I see… I don’t recall seeing a missive from Architect Schmidt about the change in guards.”
Yeah, probably because it doesn’t exist— but it’s not like Sampo can tell him that. “I-I was assigned to this station to-today. I-I turned in my deployment papers to in-inspection…”
At his statement, Gepard made a sigh and it took all of Sampo’s self-control not to tense at the sound. “I supposed it would be too much trouble for the Minister of Finance to follow protocols.” The captain crossed his arms, looking exasperated, resigned, and strangely apologetic. “I’m sorry Private but I’m afraid you came all the way here for nothing.”
Sampo blinked a few times from underneath his helmet. “Ex-Excuse me, uhhh, sir?”
Gepard’s expression couldn’t be considered friendly. In fact, his entire facial features seemed to be as stiff as ice, but his too-blue eyes appeared kind and considerate. Sampo could feel goosebumps rising on his skin and it had nothing to do with the freezing temperatures.
“The Private previously stationed here was suddenly approved for leave. Of course, the leave is well-deserved-- Private Bulger went beyond the line of duty by taking this post in light of his circumstances, but the handover procedure wasn’t properly done. Fortunately, we already have a list of candidates considered for this position.”
What? A list of candidates? For this hack of a job?
“That reminds me-- Private Toski? You were reassigned to the Restricted Zone under Architect Schmidt's orders?”
Though the inquiry seemed harmless and mildly curious, it suddenly made Sampo feel as if he was thrown into the spotlight. Generally, he loves getting attention, loves playing entertainer and actor to his ignorant and unenlightened audience, but he also loves freedom and not getting chased by a horde of hostile Silvermane Guards.
Sampo swallowed inaudibly. “Y-Yes sir!”
“Then perhaps you know or know of Sergeant Reid?” Who? Fortunately, Gepard continued on without expecting a reaction or a verbal answer to his question. “He was your predecessor— before Private Bulger took over. Did Architect Schmidt tell you of his accident?”
Ah, now he knew who the Captain was referring to. Yes, ‘Sergeant’ Reid, the miserable chump that got put into the hospital and slapped with a huge medical bill because he took what he thought was an ‘easy’ job. Sampo had his fair share of ‘easy’ jobs and in his experience, ‘easy’ always meant ‘easy for the client to cut you off when things went wrong’. Indeed, while their infallible Minister of Finance paid the poor schmuck the paycheck they agreed on, their relationship ended on the same day the guy got mauled by a fragmentum blaze monster.
“N-Not really, sir…” Did their ever-so-generous Minister of Finance seem like the type of guy to charitably give all the down-and-dirty details about a potentially hazardous and life-threatening job? Ha, Mr. Yore Schmidt would sooner admit to cheating on his wife.
The sigh that the Captain made was both full of disappointment and woe and though it didn’t seem to be aimed towards him, Sampo suddenly felt a bit guilty. “Well, I won’t trouble you with too much of the details, but Sergeant Reid was not properly trained for his duties. Therefore, when an actual emergency situation occurred, he was unable to make the appropriate decisions and got seriously wounded in the process. To prevent more cases like this, it was decided that the 3rd Arsenal Warehouse security position would be classified as a high-level assignment and only Silvermane Guards ranked higher than a Private would be allowed to take on this assignment.” Sampo’s guilt abruptly disappeared, followed by a sense of bafflement. “Of course, since you came with the Minister of Finance’s recommendations, there’s no need to nitpick your eligibility or rank. But in accordance with Silvermane Guard Restricted Zone Protocols, you’ll need to go through our three-week mandatory preparedness and emergency training before you can be approved for active duty.”
It was fortunate that Sampo wore a helmet. Otherwise, he wasn’t sure what kind of expression he would be making in response to what he had just heard. Mandatory what-now? For three weeks??? And it seemed that Gepard had more to say because he didn’t pause before moving on to the next thing.
“Since your arrival was rather sudden, our HR department would need a couple of days to process your transfer paperwork-- assuming that the Minister of Finance didn’t go through the correct channels, of course. Nonetheless, you won’t be added to the guard roster until HR gives your supervisor the go-ahead. Ah, your supervisor is Captain Dunn by the way.”
Sampo swallowed the ‘what the fuck’ that threatened to spill from his big mouth, maintaining the awkward ‘fresh out of cadet school’ persona he adopted. “I-I see…” Like hell he does. Why does a simple and out-of-the-way guard job have to have so many rules and regulations?? Granted this is the Restricted Zone; the law and order here can’t be compared to the other defense lines around Belobog, but obviously this warehouse is the Minister of Finance’s own personal (and illegal) treasury of (mostly illegal) commodities. It’s not even listed as part of the Restricted Zone’s supply reserve so does there need to be so much high-level security around it?? “But-But, Sir, Ar-Architect Schmidt told me to I-I’m supposed to report for guard duty effect-effective immediately…”
Again, the so-called Indomitable Shield of Belobog shot him those uncomfortably kind and sincere blue eyes. “I understand and I applaud you for your dedication to your duties, but these things are unavoidable and highly necessary for your continued service here in the Restricted Zone. Nevertheless, I’ll make sure to inform the Minister of Finance of your new schedule. For now, you can head back to the barracks for the night and report back tomorrow morning at 0600. Oh, pardon me but have you been assigned to a barrack here in the Restricted Zone?”
Yeah, as if Sampo wanted to stay here overnight when he was supposed to be in and out of the Restricted Zone within a few hours. “N-No, sir, b-but I’m stationed in-in the Southeast garrison…” Or rather, stationed in ‘never will you see me again’ garrison because Sampo could see a lost cause when he recognized one. To be honest, it had been the moment he laid eyes on Gepard's way too picturesque face.
Though pretty much the most publicly known Silvermane Guard, a lot of Sampo’s info on Gepard was pretty superficial.
Who cares about what he does in his spare time? (Gardening, apparently, though in reality, the man is a workaholic and the word ‘time off’ doesn’t seem to exist in his dictionary.) Or what music he likes? (Anything his elder sister wrote.) Or his three sizes? (Sampo also knew his height, weight, and the circumference of his butt, just to cover all his bases.)
What he would like to know at this moment was how likely would be caught if he just dropped everything and made a run for it? Sure, the Captain carried around that humongous shield/guitar case thingy but that was more of an indicator of his ridiculous arm and leg strength rather than his speed.
Regardless, there shouldn’t be any reason for Gepard to doubt his current identity. While Sampo was confident in his ability to escape from any situation (with the help of his trusty smoke bombs hehehe), Mister Minister of Finance was already out for his head and he didn’t need the folks that regularly fought corrosion monsters to join in the fun (Miss Seele is enough thank you very much). So to avoid having every battle-thirsty Silvermane Guard on his ass, he saw no harm in pretending to be a clueless Private and taking the easy exit by walking out through the front door.
“Ah, Lieutenant Kohler. Right on time.”
Sampo was momentarily confused by Gepard’s statement before a loud crunch of snow abruptly broke through the silent night. The noise came right behind him, nearly launching him into the air like a startled cat, and the conman had to suppress a very unmanly yelp as he swerved around to locate the sudden sound.
He wasn’t sure when but at one point, an unfamiliar Silvermane Guard seemed to appear out of nowhere just a few feet from his position. Most guards below the rank of Captain would wear a standard Silvermane Guard uniform and ‘Lieutenant Kohler’ was not the exception, but Sampo immediately noticed something… different, about this Lieutenant.
Well, for one, he managed to sneak up behind the Great Sampo Koski up until the last minute, and Sampo knew he was not careless enough to allow that. Also, instead of that stiff, standard military march, Kohler just sauntered to them as if he was going out for a picnic-- as long as you didn’t pay attention to the very sharp and shiny halberd perched on his shoulder.
“Yo,” was Kohler’s laid-back greeting, displaying a hint of his Underworlder accent. “What’s goin’ on, Cap?”
Yeah, also, he had never seen any Silvermane Guard talk to their superior in such a casual way.
Gepard didn’t seem offended by the ‘disrespect’ and made a gesture towards Sampo. “This is the new recruit recommended by the Minister of Finance.”
There was a noticeable pause from Kohler and though his face was hidden underneath his helmet like Sampo, the conman could feel the other’s gaze as if it was stabbing him. “No joke? Yer here because of Mista, uh, what’s-his-name again Cap?”
“Architect Yore Schmidt,” Gepard kindly reminded the Lieutenant and for some reason, Kohler sounded very amused about it.
“Right.” Kohler's laugh was somewhat throaty as he reached over with his free hand and gave Sampo a few hardy pats on the back. “Well new guy, welcome to the Hell Zone. We got hordes of fragmentum monsters breathing down our necks, lukewarm gruel made with mysterious ingredients, and frozen toilet water. And if that doesn’t convince you to spare yourself the misery and get the dodge out of town, then hopefully the combined odor of fifty of our unbathed comrades in one barrack will do it for ya.”
“Kohler, don’t scare the recruit,” Gepard reprimanded sternly, crossing his arms in front of his chest. Sampo forced himself not to stare at the bulging arm muscles made by the motion. “In correspondence to Restricted Zone Protocol 1547-32, Private Toski will have to attend our Emergency and Preparedness Training before being approved for active duty. Unfortunately, he was not informed of this beforehand and would have to come back so that we could give him his modified schedule and add him to the roster. If you could take over the duties here, I’ll escort Private Toski off the premises and to the rail lines.”
“U-Um,” Sampo couldn’t help but butt in. “Es-Escort?”
Ah, there were those uncomfortably kind pretty blue eyes again. The pure sympathy it emitted almost brought a shiver to his spine.
“The Restricted Zone is a bit difficult to navigate for newcomers, especially at night. There’s an incoming blizzard in a few hours and I don’t want you to get lost and get caught in it.”
Muscled escort? By the most beloved and trustworthy captain of the Silvermane Guards? Not that he can’t find his own way out, but it’s nice to have someone high-profile to collaborate with his fake identity.
Sampo could feel Kohler’s grin radiating from behind his helmet. “Oh right, the Training. Gotcha Boss. Better get the poor bloke out of this joint before that snowstorm showers hell on ice. Shawnie’s and Tav’s on thawing duty and they won’t be happy spending their shift on the newbie.”
“Lieutenant,” Gepard once again admonished as he placed a sturdy hand on Sampo's shoulder, causing the conman to stiffen up slightly.
Instead of looking chastised, Kohler brightened up as if he was praised instead. “I’ll hold up the fort here, Cap! Go and send out the new guy.”
Gepard made a long-suffering sigh but otherwise, the Silvermane Captain was surprisingly good-natured about the Lieutenant’s lackadaisical attitude judging by the friendly clasp of hands shared between them.
After that brief farewell, Gepard started to lead Sampo away from the 3rd Arsenal Warehouse (away from his easy money, sigh ) and toward one of the Restricted Zone’s entryways that led into the city and to the rail lines. Mr. Minister of Finance really picked an out-of-the-way spot to keep all his valuable things in because it took a good six minutes before they saw another Silvermane Guard marching about. Then from that Silvermane Guard, there was suddenly a lot more than just one or two. The conman could barely turn his head without making eye contact with another Silvermane Guard in the vicinity.
It was a different experience for Sampo to be saluted and greeted so enthusiastically by the Guards when he was used to being either chased down or ignored by them. Even without seeing their expressions, Sampo could hear the friendliness in their voices and the fervor in their gestures. But he supposed being next to their esteemed and noble Captain would do that, and unlike many other ‘high ranked’ commanders he had observed, Gepard took their passion and vigor with a straightforward and earnest attitude. His tone and his actions always held a hint of kindness, mostly hidden behind his stiff face and unsmiling mouth.
They passed several buildings, crossed the gear bridge, and walked down the long corridor without stopping despite all the greetings and hellos they had been getting along the way, and even when they finally reached the barricaded security check, the captain insisted on accompanying him to the rail car that had been called up for his departure.
Who knew the Indomitable Shield, the ice knight in shining armor, the man that Serval once called to be ‘uncompromisable’ would be so accommodating to a (fake) low-rank soldier like him? He couldn’t help but feel a bit flattered at the moment.
Only for a moment though because the next time they saw each other— well, there wouldn’t be a next time because the Iron Wall of Belobog would be back defending the weak and preserving the city and Sampo would be doing something equally as important (for his wallet) on the far opposite end of Belobog. Eventually, he would have to come back to poke his nose into the 3rd Arsenal Warehouse once more but by the time he got around to doing that, Mr. Gepard ‘Preservation and Justice’ Landau would be back in the frontlines.
The inside of the rail car was warm because of the installed geomarrow heater and Sampo nearly groaned in relief once his stiff joints started to thaw. Man, he doesn’t get how all those Silvermane Guards fellas could just walk around without turning into a living popsicle, much less fight against fragmentum monsters in these conditions. The Underworld feels like a tropical paradise in comparison.
Sampo basked in the warmth for a few seconds longer before finally turning around towards Gepard. For some reason, the captain was standing at the doorway, staring at him in a rather intense manner. Usually, he would have enjoyed the blatant attention, especially from an unexpected beauty like the blond man in front of him, but he was still not out of danger of being arrested.
Sampo quickly saluted in a nervous and clumsy manner. “Cap-Captain Landau, sir! I’m—I will report back at 0600, sir!”
“Hm, yes,” Gepard responded rather vaguely, his blue eyes focusing on his helmet-covered face. Then, after a moment of silence, the Silvermane Captain shook his head ever so slightly. “...Fragmentum breaches are generally uncommon but the Restricted Zone has the highest concentration of fragmentum corrosion out of all the defense lines in Belobog. This is also the entry point to the frontlines as well.”
“...?” Sampo’s confusion was clearly expressed through his body language.
“The 3rd Arsenal Warehouse is some distance from the main base zone and it’s also out of the way of our patrol routes. So if something happens, I’m afraid we won’t be able to respond immediately to the situation.”
Ah, was this an explanation for the weird rank restriction on that guard position? Why tell him now?
“The aggression of the fragmentum monsters is also on a higher level than the ones in the Southern defense lines. Unlike the ones in the snowfields, the fragmentum monsters in the frontlines will actively try to breach the city walls and often come in waves of hundreds. The majority of our manpower is used to hold them off and to eradicate the ones that came too close, but I can’t say in good conscious that one or two won’t slip in the process. Sergeant Reid was very unlucky and happened upon a fragmentum monster that escaped our notice and dodged our patrol routes.” Gepard took a deep breath as Sampo stared at him in bewilderment through his helmet. “I am not belittling your abilities, nor your resolve, but for your own safety, I ask that you don’t come back to the Restricted Zone.”
…No way. Sampo could feel himself gapping at the stern figure in front of him, momentarily stunned by what he heard. Is this guy serious?? Gepard, Ice Wall Gepard, the guy with the permanently frosted face, the Silvermane Captain with a noble identity and too many military achievements to count, worried for the small guys in the back?? He followed this insignificant soldier all the way from the far end of the Restricted Zone to the rail line just to give him a talk and to convince him from taking the Minister of Finance sketchy job??? Oh, that’s just too cute.
Sampo felt his lips twitch into a grin as he saluted once more. “I-I um… I understand, sir. I, um, will take your words into consideration, um, sir!” He purposely made sure he sounded intimidated by Gepard’s lecture, shaking his knees slightly to portray an overwhelmed and frightened young recruit. Internally, he was amused by the captain’s sincere yet useless concern.
Gepard gazed at him intensely once more, his bright blue eyes unreadable for the first time since their encounter, before releasing a familiar, long-suffering sigh. Finally, the Silvermane Captain stepped back to allow the rail car’s doors to close together and for Sampo to escape to freedom. The conman wanted to celebrate by throwing his bombs into the air.
“Toski,” Gepard called out as the old rail car doors slowly slid close, and their eyes suddenly met. “Koski.” Sampo, who had considered himself scot-free, tensed. “Sampo Koski.” Those blue eyes, full and bright in both color and emotions, were inexplicitly gentle. “Keep out of the Restricted Zone.”
Their gazes were cut off once the doors were sealed shut and almost immediately, the rail car began to move. Sampo’s reaction came ten seconds too late.
He ripped his helmet off, cold sweat dripping from the fringes of his hair and down his jawline as he dashed to the end of the car. Through the frosted windows, he saw the flutter of blue as Gepard walked away without taking another glance at the departing car, his figure slightly obscured by the shadows of the night and the thick flurries of snow. Nonetheless, that eye-catching golden hair, vivid and radiant, made it easy for Sampo to find him. He stood there gawking for a long time until the Silvermane Captain was out of sight.
Stiffly, feeling numb despite the now stifling heat, Sampo reached up to rake back his damp hair, an unsteady laugh echoing in the empty compartment.
What the fuck????