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Dante glanced coldly at Rolf but didn’t say anything. It probably meant they had to deal with this on their own. The news of Loir being burdensome was certainly not what he cared about at the moment... Eden crossed her arms. She missed the pups already. Rolf had entrusted them to one of their men, but she wished she had brought them in the car so she could cuddle and play with them, rather than suffer this tense situation here... Dante hadn’t said a thing since they got inside the car, and it was annoying her a little. He even had his eyes closed, but she could tell he wasn’t sleeping; his upper half was sitting upright and his breathing didn’t match that of someone dozing off. It felt more like he was focusing...
“...Have you ever met another Zodiac?” he asked out of the blue.
“I’ve only seen the Rat and the Eagle... both from afar. Old Dragon Long never comes out of his place, from what I know… What about you?”
He chuckled.
“This isn’t my first school reunion.”
Eden frowned. Although he made it sound like a fun gathering, it was probably very far from it... It was no secret that all the Zodiacs were at odds with each other. Their only interactions were power struggles, and sometimes, direct fighting. It was rare for a Zodiac to show up rather than letting their underlings do the job, but it did happen a few times.
Eden tried to think of what she knew about all the Zodiacs, but it really wasn’t much... Even if she had worked for some of them, she’d never met them directly. Loir usually handled their requests and he seldom let her know who they came from. It wasn’t like Eden cared much until now, either. She usually handled the job and did her best to forget about it soon after. She didn’t care who she worked with; the money that came in didn’t have their name on it. As long as she could pay for her mother’s bills...
“Which one is the crazy one scared of?”
“Probably the Dog,” said Eden. “The only contracts he’s ever avoided were the ones that came from the Russians or anyone under the Russian Watchdog’s protection...”
Not every ethnic group outside the Core was strong enough, so a lot had rallied under a Zodiac they could align themselves with. In that aspect, the Eagle and the Zebra were among the Zodiacs with the most population in their territories. Hence, the Eagle also protected and oversaw people whose families originated from now-disappeared or ruined countries of Eastern Europe... people who had literally nowhere to go, even if they made it back to the other side of the Atlantic.
“...Aren’t you afraid the Rat’s only going to be there to kill you?” she asked. “You made your statement clear by going onto the Dragon’s territory... and killing Yang.”
“I’ll just make sure that she doesn’t kill me first.”
Eden sighed. The Rat was known for her short temper, though. Eden had seen her kill people who had merely trespassed on her territory... Such a small community like hers wouldn’t have survived if it wasn’t for her peculiar character. Compared to the Chinese Dragon or the Japanese Snake, the Rat’s population was more like a congregation of different ethnicities from South-East Asia. In a way, she was the protector of all those who didn’t fit in those first two groups, nor with the Indian Ox. Despite her character, Eden respected her for being one of only two female Zodiacs...
“Have you met them all already?” asked Eden.
“They’d be dead if we had.”
“I meant the three we’re about to see.”
“Yes.”
She was surprised. From his earlier speeches, she thought Dante was out for blood with all of the Zodiacs, but now, it sounded more like he actually had some sort of half-decent relationship with them.
“...Do you think it will end badly?”
“No.”
He had said that with a smile; he even grabbed a cigarette to smoke, opening the window. Eden grimaced. How could he be so reckless? Even if they were on his territory... Still, she kept her arms crossed, trying to suppress her urge to light it for him. She had done that gesture so many times at the bar that it had become an annoying reflex. She took a deep breath and looked the other way, watching out the window for enemies. Like before, they were traveling with two more cars, but she thought it was rather useless. If people were to attack them in those narrow streets, they’d most likely come from above... Dante was only lucky because the Mexican mafiosos liked to brawl in the open, but on the other territories, the other groups wouldn’t be so direct. Unlike her expectations, though, nothing happened until they reached what seemed to be their destination. Seeing how Dante looked very relaxed, Eden thought it might not be the first time he came here to meet these people, either... Still, it didn’t mean there was no danger. She waited in the car with him while his men moved around to check the perimeter for potential assassins. Eden tried to go back into her bodyguard mode, adjusting her jacket, when her eyes fell on Dante’s lips.
He still had that lipstick on. He couldn’t be serious about going in like that? His golden eyes caught hold of her stare quite quickly, and a wry smile appeared on the Tiger’s lips.
“What is it? Should I have worn red instead?”
“...Enough, take it off,” she said.
“You told me to wear it.”
“I know what I said. I didn’t think you’d be an idiot and actually do it...”
He chuckled, but clearly, he showed no intention of taking the stupid lipstick off. Eden was conflicted. Should she leave it like that? He was about to meet the Zodiacs like this and pass for an absolute idiot! Even worse, she was wearing the matching color on her own lips. She was going as his bodyguard; she didn’t want them to know that they were sharing a bed! Yet, Dante, perfectly calm, was taking another drag from his cigarette and visibly enjoying her annoyed expression. Eden took a deep breath, trying to calm down. She couldn’t believe this was now turning against her.
“Take it off,” she insisted.
“You take it off.”
She frowned. What was she supposed to take it off with? She didn’t have a tissue or anything... She glanced toward the front seat but upon meeting her gaze, Rolf avoided her and quickly got out of the vehicle. Eden internally grumbled.
