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Description
Opening Arc: It's The Principle of the Thing

Using my trusty iPod, I was able to find a shortcut to Clice's home and rest on her stairs. Stalking on the go has never been easier when you can track someone's home via a GPS system after a name and city. By the time I found my way to the front of her surprisingly decent home, the sky had darkened to an orange hue with a hint of purple. I marveled at the polished white exterior. I mean, it wasn't anything extraordinary, but it certainly was an appealing place to live. Enough so that I was too distracted by it to notice Clice was home!
"…The fuck…?" Clice asked. She was no doubt confused on how I got in front of her house before she did. But hey, I was confused on her more mature voice as opposed to her pick-pocketing voice.
"Yeah, real popular word today, I know."
"So you figured everything out, huh?" she asked me as she actually walked over and sat down beside me. If I had to choose an age, she looked like she was eighteen. My previous image of her being some sort of endearing klutz was replaced with her actual mature demeanor.
"Except for why you did it. You don't seem like you're living too badly."
"I really need the money. That's all it boils down to." She was trying to close the conversation on why my money was in her pocket. Cute.
"You wanna try that answer again? I know someone who's mighty tempted to put one in you…right here." I imitated Duke's hand gesture he made earlier, causing her to laugh a bit, with a sigh following shortly after. She looked down at the brick path that led to the house, probably thinking of a way to explain her little backstory.

"You've heard about Maichosis, right? Well, my mother has that."
"No, sorry, never even heard of it." I tried to sound as polite as I could, though I'm sure it came out a bit uncaring nevertheless.
"Ha!" Clice threw her head upwards with her eyes staring up into the sky. "Right, you don't have to learn that stuff because you're past school. Well, it's basically one of the few illnesses that came with mana." I never knew that mana even came with illnesses. I just assumed they took away all the major inconveniences of being human, including health problems, fragility, and even destroyed anything unnecessary in your body, like human waste and unneeded fat, instantly no less. Hearing that mana has a negative effect on some people nearly blew my perspective on it all together.
"So, hospital bills, then?" I asked her.
"She's so sick… And my sisters are all depending on me to make sure we keep this house. I don't want her finally regaining her strength and not having a home to come to. Not while I can help it." She stood up to dust her legs off while I stood up to resist the temptation of seeing if she was wearing something nice under that skirt.
"Whatever." I took a deep breath. "You do what you've got to do." I dusted my pants off and began to take my leave. "Just don't be stealing from dangerous families anymore."
"Hey!" Clice called. I turned a bit to face her. "I wouldn't blame you if you thought I made that story about my mom up…" …And I can't believe I didn't consider that. "Jennifer Wistan. That's her name. And…thank you."
"Don't mention it. It's not like I could do anything anyways." What having no powers and all. I waved her off as I made my way to the nearest convenience store. At least my debit card still had a couple million for the month, so buying myself a quick drink was still an option.
"Welcome to Mana Twelve!" A boy said after I entered the store.
"Hey. Where are the drinks?"
"Right over there to your right, sir."
"Thanks." I walked over to the refrigerated area, opened a glass door, and picked up a nice cold bottle of water inside one of the many store refrigerators.

"Her name is Clice Wistan," A coolly voiced male said a few feet to my left. I turned my head as I closed the fridge's door. There were three men, all wearing very expensive white leather buttoned trenchcoats. I know, because I have the same one back at home. Two of them were blonde twins and towered over both me and the other male with black wavy hair, who looked to be my age and height. The black haired one seemed to be the one calling the shots on whatever they were doing.
"So you want us to go and get your money back. Couldn't you have done that, boss?" The further twin asked. His voice sounded much lazier than the calm voiced male.
"Yeah, and while you were at it, a quick tap and leave," the other twin said, but with a more serious tone, believe it or not.
"What, no man; she has to be barely drumming sixteen."
"Sounds like she has baked long enough in the oven to me!" Ha! …Well…I found it funny…
"No such actions will be taken," The smaller one said. He was the one carrying the charismatic voice all right. "This is not about getting back money or sex. It's about setting an example, the example. Step on the Vindili family's toes, and get got. Keep it quick and classy," he said with an amazingly casual voice.
Vindili? That name was a name our family knew well. The Orinvinchi family and the Vindili family were on good terms, sure, but we did things entirely different. For one, our family is in the business of taking out the garbage that managed to climb their way into power; usually involving some form of a lethal object between the eyes. But the Vindili family mainly took care of themselves. If you didn't wrong them personally, you were good. However, if you so much as talked trash a bit too long…
"Didn't expect to see a member of the Vindili family here," I said while closing the fridge.
"We didn't expect to see you here neither." One of the twins replied semi-defensively.
"It's 'either', bro," The corresponding twin corrected.
"Not now!" I could hear the exasperation.
"Who's asking?" The other twin said after quickly shaking his head. The boss of the group smiled and pointed towards me.
"Nicholas of the Orinvinchi family?"
"Yeah. Do we know each other?"
"I know of your family's brand when I see it, and that you're the only Orinvinchi I've yet to meet. The name's Victor Vindili. It's a pleasure to finally encounter the amiable son of the late Lady Arial. I've heard stories about your younger days; you snuffing out the Gobilo family commando style? You're a classic."

Icebreaker! That made his guards immediately fumble to show the respect I'm used to receiving from fellow criminals.
"I heard you were having problems with a girl?" I asked while the three walked closer to me.
"A pickpocket, nothing more." The value of life must escape Victor when it comes to thieves.
"A fine dame, that one!" The mischievous twin added.
"Everyone is fine these days, Donnie. You shouldn't even think about her like that. Murder is murder, but bone a teen and you're surely bound for Hell," His brother sighed. Victor then looked to his escorts. I couldn't tell what his expression was, but they didn't seem alarmed.
"A deed is a deed. Good or bad, sound legit?" Victor merrily proposed.
While the twins looked at each other trying to figure out what he said and what he meant, Victor looked back at me and shrugged with a humble smile. "Good company, am I right?"
"Do you have to kill her?
It doesn't make any sense for someone like you drop blood over a measly pickpocket." I hoped that my line of logic would be enough for him to back off of Clice.
"I'd like to think that I don't have such an ego to place a value on who is and who isn't worth killing when they wrong a Vindili. Besides, it's the principle of the thing. It's not often a young thing like her goes out and steals right from my wallet. It's unnatural, even." Note to self, he's very adamant in his ways and is well versed in his own line of reasoning.
"What if I returned your money to you? Not my money, but the money she stole?" I asked.
"Eh?!" Victor sounded confused by my offer. He even had one eye slightly raised. "Then I suppose withdrawing from the hit wouldn't be too bad. I'd like to think that we're a forgiving family when needed. Is she a romantic interest, or…?" he asked.
"No. Nothing like that. I'm just feeling charitable."
"I'll tell you what then; as a favor to the Orinvinchi family, I'm giving you twenty three hours to get that cash back to me."
"Why twenty-three?"
"Because I like going one step beyond." He placed his hand on my shoulder with a calm yet stern look.
"Listen, you enjoy the rest of your night, we need to get going. It's late. Nice thing finally meeting you, Nicholas." He patted my shoulder twice as he walked past me and headed towards the exit, his guards nodding their heads at me as they walked behind him.

Twenty three hours, huh? My life…

Description
Opening Arc: It's The Principle of the Thing

Using my trusty iPod, I was able to find a shortcut to Clice's home and rest on her stairs. Stalking on the go has never been easier when you can track someone's home via a GPS system after a name and city. By the time I found my way to the front of her surprisingly decent home, the sky had darkened to an orange hue with a hint of purple. I marveled at the polished white exterior. I mean, it wasn't anything extraordinary, but it certainly was an appealing place to live. Enough so that I was too distracted by it to notice Clice was home!
"…The fuck…?" Clice asked. She was no doubt confused on how I got in front of her house before she did. But hey, I was confused on her more mature voice as opposed to her pick-pocketing voice.
"Yeah, real popular word today, I know."
"So you figured everything out, huh?" she asked me as she actually walked over and sat down beside me. If I had to choose an age, she looked like she was eighteen. My previous image of her being some sort of endearing klutz was replaced with her actual mature demeanor.
"Except for why you did it. You don't seem like you're living too badly."
"I really need the money. That's all it boils down to." She was trying to close the conversation on why my money was in her pocket. Cute.
"You wanna try that answer again? I know someone who's mighty tempted to put one in you…right here." I imitated Duke's hand gesture he made earlier, causing her to laugh a bit, with a sigh following shortly after. She looked down at the brick path that led to the house, probably thinking of a way to explain her little backstory.

"You've heard about Maichosis, right? Well, my mother has that."
"No, sorry, never even heard of it." I tried to sound as polite as I could, though I'm sure it came out a bit uncaring nevertheless.
"Ha!" Clice threw her head upwards with her eyes staring up into the sky. "Right, you don't have to learn that stuff because you're past school. Well, it's basically one of the few illnesses that came with mana." I never knew that mana even came with illnesses. I just assumed they took away all the major inconveniences of being human, including health problems, fragility, and even destroyed anything unnecessary in your body, like human waste and unneeded fat, instantly no less. Hearing that mana has a negative effect on some people nearly blew my perspective on it all together.
"So, hospital bills, then?" I asked her.
"She's so sick… And my sisters are all depending on me to make sure we keep this house. I don't want her finally regaining her strength and not having a home to come to. Not while I can help it." She stood up to dust her legs off while I stood up to resist the temptation of seeing if she was wearing something nice under that skirt.
"Whatever." I took a deep breath. "You do what you've got to do." I dusted my pants off and began to take my leave. "Just don't be stealing from dangerous families anymore."
"Hey!" Clice called. I turned a bit to face her. "I wouldn't blame you if you thought I made that story about my mom up…" …And I can't believe I didn't consider that. "Jennifer Wistan. That's her name. And…thank you."
"Don't mention it. It's not like I could do anything anyways." What having no powers and all. I waved her off as I made my way to the nearest convenience store. At least my debit card still had a couple million for the month, so buying myself a quick drink was still an option.
"Welcome to Mana Twelve!" A boy said after I entered the store.
"Hey. Where are the drinks?"
"Right over there to your right, sir."
"Thanks." I walked over to the refrigerated area, opened a glass door, and picked up a nice cold bottle of water inside one of the many store refrigerators.

"Her name is Clice Wistan," A coolly voiced male said a few feet to my left. I turned my head as I closed the fridge's door. There were three men, all wearing very expensive white leather buttoned trenchcoats. I know, because I have the same one back at home. Two of them were blonde twins and towered over both me and the other male with black wavy hair, who looked to be my age and height. The black haired one seemed to be the one calling the shots on whatever they were doing.
"So you want us to go and get your money back. Couldn't you have done that, boss?" The further twin asked. His voice sounded much lazier than the calm voiced male.
"Yeah, and while you were at it, a quick tap and leave," the other twin said, but with a more serious tone, believe it or not.
"What, no man; she has to be barely drumming sixteen."
"Sounds like she has baked long enough in the oven to me!" Ha! …Well…I found it funny…
"No such actions will be taken," The smaller one said. He was the one carrying the charismatic voice all right. "This is not about getting back money or sex. It's about setting an example, the example. Step on the Vindili family's toes, and get got. Keep it quick and classy," he said with an amazingly casual voice.
Vindili? That name was a name our family knew well. The Orinvinchi family and the Vindili family were on good terms, sure, but we did things entirely different. For one, our family is in the business of taking out the garbage that managed to climb their way into power; usually involving some form of a lethal object between the eyes. But the Vindili family mainly took care of themselves. If you didn't wrong them personally, you were good. However, if you so much as talked trash a bit too long…
"Didn't expect to see a member of the Vindili family here," I said while closing the fridge.
"We didn't expect to see you here neither." One of the twins replied semi-defensively.
"It's 'either', bro," The corresponding twin corrected.
"Not now!" I could hear the exasperation.
"Who's asking?" The other twin said after quickly shaking his head. The boss of the group smiled and pointed towards me.
"Nicholas of the Orinvinchi family?"
"Yeah. Do we know each other?"
"I know of your family's brand when I see it, and that you're the only Orinvinchi I've yet to meet. The name's Victor Vindili. It's a pleasure to finally encounter the amiable son of the late Lady Arial. I've heard stories about your younger days; you snuffing out the Gobilo family commando style? You're a classic."

Icebreaker! That made his guards immediately fumble to show the respect I'm used to receiving from fellow criminals.
"I heard you were having problems with a girl?" I asked while the three walked closer to me.
"A pickpocket, nothing more." The value of life must escape Victor when it comes to thieves.
"A fine dame, that one!" The mischievous twin added.
"Everyone is fine these days, Donnie. You shouldn't even think about her like that. Murder is murder, but bone a teen and you're surely bound for Hell," His brother sighed. Victor then looked to his escorts. I couldn't tell what his expression was, but they didn't seem alarmed.
"A deed is a deed. Good or bad, sound legit?" Victor merrily proposed.
While the twins looked at each other trying to figure out what he said and what he meant, Victor looked back at me and shrugged with a humble smile. "Good company, am I right?"
"Do you have to kill her?
It doesn't make any sense for someone like you drop blood over a measly pickpocket." I hoped that my line of logic would be enough for him to back off of Clice.
"I'd like to think that I don't have such an ego to place a value on who is and who isn't worth killing when they wrong a Vindili. Besides, it's the principle of the thing. It's not often a young thing like her goes out and steals right from my wallet. It's unnatural, even." Note to self, he's very adamant in his ways and is well versed in his own line of reasoning.
"What if I returned your money to you? Not my money, but the money she stole?" I asked.
"Eh?!" Victor sounded confused by my offer. He even had one eye slightly raised. "Then I suppose withdrawing from the hit wouldn't be too bad. I'd like to think that we're a forgiving family when needed. Is she a romantic interest, or…?" he asked.
"No. Nothing like that. I'm just feeling charitable."
"I'll tell you what then; as a favor to the Orinvinchi family, I'm giving you twenty three hours to get that cash back to me."
"Why twenty-three?"
"Because I like going one step beyond." He placed his hand on my shoulder with a calm yet stern look.
"Listen, you enjoy the rest of your night, we need to get going. It's late. Nice thing finally meeting you, Nicholas." He patted my shoulder twice as he walked past me and headed towards the exit, his guards nodding their heads at me as they walked behind him.

Twenty three hours, huh? My life…