See No Evil: Never Go To Plan (ch. 34) (Patreon)

"... Here's your cereal," I said, looking away as I held out the cereal to her. Cass accepted it, but out of the corner of my eye, I didn't see her move. Right. So, Cass slept in the nude. Fair enough, I did the same more often than not. What I didn't do was walk around the apartment in the nude. Especially when there was someone else in the apartment with me.

She didn't know better. I knew that much. How much of society's norms were lost on you when you couldn't understand people? How much were you left to interpret based on body language? Did she wear clothes herself because she saw other people wearing them? Did she read the body language of people that were seen naked and see that they didn't like being naked while out in the open? Shit, how long did it take her to figure that out?

Still, it was… awkward to say the least. Cassandra was in the ballpark of sixteen or so. Comics usually had her as either the same age as Jason or a year older -- she acted younger… or, rather, I treated her younger because of how ignorant of the world she was, but she could only be a year younger than me theoretically. And that was a fucking dangerous train of thought I was hopping off of.

"Right," I muttered, bringing my cereal bowl up to block the bottom half of my vision before I turned to Cass, that way I could only see her shoulders and above. Cass looked faintly amused but mostly curious at my reaction. My cereal was absolutely going to get all soggy, but I started to sign with one hand, hoping that my body language would convey the rest. >Clothes?<

She tilted her head. Setting her bowl aside, Cass raised her hands so I could see them and began to sign back. >Itchy. Hard to sleep in.< She answered, and that was pretty much the same reason everyone slept naked, so no surprise there. >Uncomfortable?<

Right. How did I explain social boundaries to a person that had no clue what they were?

>Do you walk around naked with Tifa here?< I questioned, wondering what I was getting myself into. Did Tifa already have a talk with her about this? I can't imagine that she hadn't if this was a problem.

Thankfully, Cass nodded, >She said only at home with people you are comfortable with.< Cass answered, looking slightly hesitant.

That was… sweet, but there was a misunderstanding there. How did I address it? Given the situation, and the fact it was Cassandra, I don't think subtle hinting was in the cards. She needed to be told outright, then we could work in caveats and exceptions.

>That's true,< I began, taking a moment to sign and think over how to say it. >And I'm glad that you feel comfortable around me. But, there's something called… attraction and sex. Nudity is something you should only do with people you are comfortable with, and if anyone you're uncomfortable with tries to see you naked -- break their legs and arms< That was a tangent, but I meant it.

Cass blinked slowly, a slight frown on her lips. >I know what sex is.<

Oh. I… should have figured. What was that statistic? Men think about sex every seven seconds? I'm pretty sure that wasn't true, but the point still stood. However, that response just made this conversation an absolute minefield and I had no clue how to navigate it.

>You want to have sex.< Cass added thoroughly unhelpfully, her eyes dipping down to my groin.

Fuck me. Actually, don't.

>That… is true… but there are circumstances< I started, and for the first time, I was genuinely irritated that Cassandra couldn't speak. It would be so much simpler if I could just use words and sign language had never felt so clumsy. >Tifa and I are in a relationship so we can't have sex with anyone but each other.< At least in theory. And now was not the time to being up open relationships.

Cass blinked at that, so that was apparently news to her. So, I followed it up. >There's more to sex than just the act of it. A lot of it you're currently ignorant of and that's not your fault.< I signed, thinking that was probably the best I could do on short notice.

Even better, she seemed to consider that. >Teach me?<

I fucking walked straight into that flag, didn't I?

>That… should be something that Tifa teaches you.< I decided, thinking it would be more appropriate. And it also meant I didn't have to have this conversation. I mean… I could, but it was too skeevy for me. It was a gray area that I didn’t feel comfortable handling. I’m pretty sure that Cass was expressing some degree of interest in me, and I didn’t feel comfortable being the one that explained the context of sex to her. Tifa was the better choice there.

So, it wasn’t just me trying to run away from an uncomfortable situation.

Cass offered a nod before she picked up her cereal and started walking back to the couch. It was impossible to gauge what her thoughts were on that. Physical pain and emotional pain hit differently -- her tolerance for the former was sickeningly huge, but I didn’t know about the latter. Did she think I was rejecting her? I didn’t want to make her cry or anything. Not that she was when she sat back down on the couch, dragging the blanket over her as she watched the TV without understanding what she was watching.

Right.

Looking down at my cereal, I took a few quick bites from it before dumping the rest since it had gotten pretty soggy. Honey bunches of oats didn’t last long in milk, unfortunately. I started to walk to the door, only to turn back and said, “Cass.”

Cass looked up at me and I started to sign at her. >I’m going to get Tifa and send her up to talk to you if you’re up for it.< To that, she offered a slight nod, a small smile on her face, telling me that nothing was taken personally. I guess being ignorant of rejection helped too.

I smiled back before I headed out the door. On the other side, I dragged a hand through my hair as I sighed. That… went about as well as it could have. Not wholly good, not wholly bad. It would be up to Tifa to give Cass the Talk. Rubbing my eyes a bit, I started walking and pulled out some eye drops to put in them so they didn't feel so dry.

As I headed down, I cycled through the camera feeds and saw that people were walking down the tunnels since Stairway was currently a crime scene. There was a steady stream of them, and checking the records, we were already up about five hundred people. In a day. I was right to expect a population boom. Tifa was still directing people, being a leader in the community. She seemed to have a handle on things.

Stepping into the elevator, I checked the news as I rode down. Reports of gang fighting were reported throughout East End. A half dozen gangs were being blamed for starting the gang war up again, the news assuming that the gangs saw an opportunity with the breakout and started back up themselves without any interference. Given that I kept track of Revy's progress, I saw that some of them actually had because the timing didn't match up for some of our attacks so they couldn't have been Revy.

That was good. It helped hide us better.

Lastly, it would seem that Batman failed to capture anyone. Dr. Freeze managed to get away, and there currently weren’t any reports of any major figures getting put back in Arkham outside of a few mundane crazy people. Naturally, I couldn't track Batman's movements, but I'm guessing that I wasn't the only one pulling an all-nighter. The Batfamily would likely be busy for some time now.

Good. This was good.

I arrived at the bottom floor and quickly headed down to the basement. And there I saw Tifa.

"Vergil?" She saw me as well as I stepped down the stairs, earning the attention of everyone in the room. Almost as one, I heard everyone suck in a breath as they stared at me. It caught me off guard enough that I nearly missed a step.

Then some guy started clapping as he stood in line. "Saint Vergil put down Two-Face!" He shouted, aiming a wide smile in my direction. That was the crack in the dam. A moment later, someone else started clapping while another shouted 'thank you' at the top of their lungs. I sent a wide-eyed look at Tifa, who caught it before offering a small shrug. I should have paid more attention to the chatter.

I held up a hand, trying to quiet the place down, and apparently, that worked because a few seconds later, the clapping and cheering abruptly stopped. "I…" I began, looking at the crowd, "did not kill Two-Face. I was just there when he died." I told them, trying to nip that little rumor in the bud here and now.

Some fucker elbowed his friend and whispered something. I couldn't read his lips, but I could guess what he said.

Never before had I stood before a group of people, told the absolute truth, and had everyone decry it as absolute bullshit before. Not a single one of them believed me. None. I could see it in their faces. They thought I was lying to avoid persecution by the cops that were here earlier today. And, just like that, I felt control over the rumor slip out of my hands.

That rumor would spread throughout Gotham. Two-Face was too high profile for it not to. The breakout and gang war would help his death fade into the background a bit, but… as far as the city would be concerned, I killed Two-Face. That was… mildly annoying. Especially considering that I couldn't prove that I didn't without going back on the story I gave to the cops.

That was something I would have to deal with later. Right now, I had other concerns. I jerked my head to the door behind me, and gestured to Tifa. While she approached, I turned my attention to the group and the LG frisking them down. "If you aren't going to believe that, then believe this -- you're safe here. Do what the LG say, don't be an asshole, and you are free to stay for as long as you like. Just be good to each other. That's all I ask for." The assholes started chanting Saint Vergil, and I could still faintly hear them through the door that I thought I had soundproofed. Not well enough, I guess.

"What's wrong?" Tifa asked, taking a seat at the counter while I slid behind the bar.

"So… Cass is a bit of a nudist," I started, hearing Tifa sigh while I went to make us both a pot of coffee. "And… well…" I trailed off, not quite sure how to finish the sentence. Maybe it was the lack of coffee or sleep, but it felt like I should be more in control of the situation with Cass. I guess it was because it felt like it came out of left field. "Nothing happened, but Cass… well… she has an interest in sex. I think."

While the coffee brewed, I turned around to gauge her reaction. Tifa rubbed her temples, "Sex with you, you mean?" Tifa clarified, looking at me.

"She didn't come out and say it, but that's the impression that I got, yeah. I told her that you and I are together, and there's a lot of context about sex she's unaware of and… that you should be the one to have that conversation with her," I explained, earning a Look from Tifa. I did feel a bit bad for throwing that on her, especially when she was tired, but I was more glad that I wasn't getting accusations hurled at me for cheating or something.

"I talked to her a bit about walking around the apartment naked, but…" Tifa sighed again with a small shake of her head.

I offered a small shrug, "It can wait until morning," I offered. "I can handle things here. You head up, get some sleep, and talk it out in the morning."

A small smile was sent my way, "Cass getting the talk is more important than hundreds of people coming to Lowtown?"

"Easier to deal with," I corrected, earning a huff of laughter from her.

"Especially with everyone treating you like a hero," Tifa teased while the pot began to brew the coffee. I scowled and earned another laugh. "You really do hate anyone thinking a good thing about you," she noted, her tone light, but that sounded like a loaded question.

"I don't like people thinking I'm better than I really am," I corrected. Ironic given that I was forcing myself to play two very different characters. Saint Vergil… and now Knight, however temporarily. Grabbing the pot, I poured Tifa a glass and made it how she liked it -- too weak, too sweat, and practically white because there was so much creamer in it. Her fingers brushed over my hand when I gave her the cup.

She didn’t say anything to that, but offered a small smile before she took a sip. “Don’t stay up too late, Vergil.” She advised before she got up. “And I’ll go talk to Cass.”

Good. Glad to get that sorted. “I’ll see you in the morning.”

“You better. We’re roommates now,” Tifa reminded before heading to the elevator. I waved goodbye as the doors closed, and before I could so much as sigh, my contacts alerted me that Revy had returned. She hopped out of the driver’s seat down the street, along with a few others, before they went to the back and started grabbing bags. While they did that, I started making more coffee -- Revy drank it with cream and sugar, just not as teeth-rottingly as Tifa did.

Minutes later, Revy arrived alone, the others going separate ways after loading up the loot to another car -- one duffel bag in her hands and another slung over her shoulder. She cocked an eyebrow at me, and I simply returned the gesture to earn a smile that was filled with teeth. "We nailed some asses to to the walls," she informed proudly, approaching and dumping the bags on a table.

"The Blackgaters had deeper pockets, but if you rummage through enough of them, you'll end up with the same amount -- About half a million in cash, and some weight in drugs," Revy informed, snatching up the coffee. "The others got about the same amount. Could have gotten more with those cards of yours. Ended up burning what we didn't take, so plenty of buildings in East End are sporting fire damage."

"How'd they do?" I asked, already deciding to reach out about getting work lined up for my construction company.

Revy shrugged, "Anna has a taste for blood." Revy offered as if that were a virtue. "Becca's smart, too cautious for my taste, but she gets it done. Ron and Jonathan are jackoffs." She seemed to think on it for a moment more. "All of them were vets, but skills decline if you don't use 'em. So, if you're doing this then you want Anna as an enforcer and Becca as the brains."

I nodded, "Okay. I'll arrange it in the morning."

The LG was about to split. For a while now, things had been getting out of hand. In Lowtown, there weren't a lot of rules. Just don't be a dick and that was it for the most part. However, with more people, that rule wasn't as ironclad as it had once been. Not everyone was so grateful that they never stepped out of line or pushed others around. The LG… more than a few of them had simply looked away. Or they were bribed too.

The LG had to change and this would be how I enacted that change. The corrupt and ineffective would be booted from the LG -- and Becca would be the one I would drive them to. Becca and Anna would form the proxy gang that would take over East End for me, and because most of the to-be gangsters lived here, I would have my gang that would support Lowtown from the shadows.

It would look like a natural split. A few veterans that were LG saw their chance to make it rich, and took over East End, but they didn't forget who housed them when things were bad. It was pretty much perfect. I just needed to start with training their replacements and implement the safety measures first.

Revy finished off her coffee, "Better if you let me do it. As far as they are aware, this was my idea," Revy pointed out. "That's Lowtown's share, but I think we should use the rest to jump start the gang."

I nodded in acceptance, "Fine, I can work with that." Jump starting a gang, I imagined, would be fairly expensive. "Things are going hot again. We need to stroke the flames some more to make sure the fires are going hot -- go out tomorrow too. Pick out a few more to go with you, your call on how many. Rinse and repeat this, and I'll cut off the dead weight in the LG."

"Aye, aye," Revy saluted before getting up and letting out a yawn. "I'm beat. Night," she said, heading to the elevator while I sealed the bags away.

"Revy?" I spoke up as she stepped into the elevator. "You did good."

She flipped me off as the doors closed, but there was a smile on her face. She was getting pretty bad at hiding what she really thought of the place and me. Revy, whose main characteristics in Black Lagoon were her bloodthirstiness and her greed… had just handed over three-quarters of a million dollars without so much as a word. I didn't know when exactly she had bought into Lowtown, but it seemed like she was all in.

I finished off my coffee, savoring the quiet moment before I took out my journal and started filling in a time table. A to-do list, basically.

"I should get a secretary," I muttered to myself, realizing that I had completely forgotten about my meeting with Preston today. Luckily he was the only person that I had blown off on accident, but… I was just so busy that remembering everything was starting to get difficult.

I liked the idea, I decided as I closed my journal. A secretary to help me manage the above-board company. In an ideal world, I could follow suit with what Cobblepot has, but no one came to mind of who I would trust as a secretary with a secret like my double life.

With a shake of my head, I looked down at the door to the basement. My contacts cycled through the feeds that had the broadest view. Everything looked like it was in hand… and word had spread amongst the LG about the bomb that was smuggled in, and I could see them thoroughly inspect everything. I didn't think it would last for long, but the day after the attempt? I'm sure they would remain on high alert.

It wasn't anything that needed me. Jack was down there as well, and Waylon patrolled the tunnel, reminding everyone that he was there. More than a few were afraid, but most got used to Waylon through exposure. They had it in hand. Dragging a hand down my face, I walked towards the elevator.

I closed my eyes as I rose to the top floor -- what a day. And I had a crazy week ahead of me. Running a company, starting several gangs, starting a gang war… again… engineering a fake conspiracy that would one day become a real one… what an absolute day. What would I be doing about now before finding myself here?

Huh. I'd be working my ass off at a retail job and preparing for Christmas.

The only thing that really changed was that I haven't prepared for Christmas at all.

Arriving at the top floor, I walked through the hall before coming to Tifa's apartment. I had the key, but it felt like I should knock… but it was also four in the morning. Opening the door quietly, I saw Cass on the couch, Tifa's blanket pulled over her as she slept. Or, more likely faked sleeping. Tifa poked her head out of the kitchen, gesturing for me to be quiet before pointing to her bedroom. As she left the kitchen, she took my hand and led me to it.

Her room smelled like perfume, I noticed. Clean, but she was settling in. There were a few books piled up on a nightstand -- a romance novel, a crime mystery, and a teen fiction. The walls were the same cream white they had been, though I saw some weights in the corner and some clothes piled on top of a hamper.

"I talked to Cass," Tifa informed, throwing herself into the bed. "And you were right. I'm pretty sure she has feelings for you, but she's struggling to understand what they are or how to approach them." She explained, looking to me as she reached out and patted the other side of the bed. I walked forward, mulling that over as I sank into a bed that felt like a marshmallow. It was way too soft for my taste.

"Oh," I muttered, looking at her as I settled into the bed, making myself comfortable. "Did… the talk go well?" I questioned hesitantly as Tifa turned on her side, still completely clothed minus her shoes.

"Too soon to tell, really. But she had a lot of questions in general," she said and I could feel her reddish-brown eyes on me as I laid down. The action caused me some pain as I tried to relax, my spine feeling like it was tied in knots because of the stress and tension.

I looked at Tifa, knowing that this was going somewhere. "Questions about what exactly?" I asked, knowing she wanted me to.

"About us. Sex and love. You were right -- she knew about the act, but not the context behind it." Tifa explained. "Then she started asking about our relationship. If we loved each other, if we had sex and so on." Oh. I saw the expectant look on Tifa's face but I had absolutely no clue what she was expecting.

"What did you say?" I hedged, turning on my side so we were both facing each other.

"That we haven't had sex because we're both too busy for it, but that doesn’t mean we don't care about each other," Tifa voiced, earning a small grin from me.

"Sounds about right," I said, reaching out and placing a hand over her's. "At the rate things are going, we're going to have to pencil it into our schedules." I joked, earning a huff of laughter from her.

"I'm free Thursday after three," Tifa responded, sounding amused.

"I could push back a few meetings," I offered, giving her hand a squeeze. Might be a problem because, based on my journal that I looked at a few minutes ago, I was packed for the next two weeks without the additional work I would be giving myself.

That earned me a coy look, "I expected you to say that you're free now," Tifa remarked.

"The spirit is willing. The body is exhausted," I answered somewhat sorrowfully. The excuse of 'I'm tired' felt so cheap before, but now that I was fighting to keep my eyes open… I could fall asleep during the middle of it.

That earned a small laugh from her, "I see. If Thursday doesn't work for you, Mr. Busy Body, then… how about Bruce Wayne's Christmas party?"

All of a sudden, I was wide awake. "Bruce Wayne's what now?"

"The Waynes always throw a Christmas ball around Christmas. Jason came here to invite us -- he must have forgotten to tell you about it because of Two-Face," Tifa said. "We have invitations because of Sainthood Enterprises. It sounded like it could be fun." It sounded like the exact opposite of fun, honestly.

But it was also an opportunity to rub elbows with the one percent in Gotham. Make connections and the like. It just meant being in the same room as Batman and his flock. At the same time, with a gang war and the breakout… it was too soon to tell where I was on his priority list, but I'm betting it was towards the bottom.

It was worth the risk.

"Sure. It sounds… fun," I agreed with some difficulty.

"Then it's settled," Tifa decided, and I had a feeling that we would be going even if I said I didn't want to go. There was a small beat of silence and I nearly began to drift off during it, only to get dragged back when Tifa spoke again. "What should we do about Cass?"

I had absolutely no clue. "We be straight with her like we have. We're together. Cass… I don't want to hurt her or anything… but…" I trailed off, offering a shrug as my eyes began to inch close.

"I wonder about that…" Tifa began, only to trail off.

If she said anything else then I fell asleep before I could hear it.