Uneasy Truce

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A big celebration was held in the Hawk household. A celebration of the Boss' son's eighth birthday. A huge mass of citizens, politicians, friends and even rivals were gathered to join together and enjoy the hospitality of the Hawk family, although some more vehemently than others. Either which way, their young lad appeared to have a good time together with his friends and classmates. Not to mention the lavishing of gifts and toys to commemorate the occasion.

Looking out upon the celebration, the mistress of the household could not help but languish over the fact that she could not yet be part of it. There was still affairs to take care of. "Please, Oyabun Stella... My daughter has grown so sick after the attack, and yet they want to cast us out for being outsiders. Now that things have settled they want to..."

Taking a puff of her cigar, the short woman turned her head to look at the two women sitting before her. The mother and the older sister. "They want you gone for having caused 'trouble'. Yes, so I've heard. It would take not just a little bit of effort to keep you steady, but something tells me that it isn't all you are here for." Stella spoke, cutting to the chase, catching the two women by surprise, and a bit of an ashamed look came upon their faces.

"Yes, my lady..." Spoke the sister. "My sister is suffering dearly for her mistake. She was always so outspoken in her support of you. The Shukaku's took offense to that and mauled her. Some of the injuries... are beyond even the best surgeons' talents to repair." She said through clenched hands and teeth. Stella waved a hand, causing one of her consigliere to step up and offer the young woman a drink to relax. Taking it and sipping a bit of it down, she continued. "The men responsible for her injuries are still walking free, pending the hearing. But I think we both know we won't win that one. Please, your grace, whatever it is you want from us, name it. Just please do what we beg of you."

"Which is?" Stella asked with cold professionalism.

"Kill them... please."

Stella remained chillingly quiet for a good amount of time. Hopping off her boxes to allow her a view outside, she took a seat in her chair, carrying herself with poise and dignity. "You are asking a lot. Those men may be small fry, but the Shukaku's are not. I mourn with you, but the dangers of starting a war is too great."

"We'll give you anything... Please..." Begged the mother. "Wealth, jewelry, our homestead, anything. Please."

Stella looked around herself. "Does it look like I need any of that?" She simply replied. "We have known each other for years, madam. But I can't think of a time when you came by my home to simply have a cup of tea. Or when your daughter was allowed to see my son, despite growing so close during their elementary years. And... now you come to me, asking to risk war through murder... for money." She spoke, taking another huff of the cigar. "Hm. I cannot kill them for you. But I can offer due justice for the damage the scum inflicted on your daughter. I'll injure them within an inch of their life. After that... I'll help pay for better surgery to restore your girl. There will be scars, but she'll be pretty again."

Tears welled in their eyes at the news. Both of them approached the short woman and took her palm and kissed the back of it. "Thank you, Oyabun. We won't forget this." They thanked before being escorted out of the room, Stella smiling at them as they took their leave. Once the door closed, she rubbed her temples in a bit of frustration. "Give this job to Kenji. He still needs to prove his mettle. He mustn't kill them, but if they somehow get out of the hospital within the month, he is back to cab duty." She told her soldier who simply nodded before moving along to deliver the order.

"A bit much, madam?" Asked Huang Long, her underboss of their gambling operations, getting up to fetch her a new Cigar. False in nature, they smelled like the real deal, but they tasted more like candy than anything and held no health complications. Thanking the man, she clipped it and lit it up.

"Not too much. It is part of the duty." She said confidently. He simply chuckled.

"Let me clarify: Do you wish to go out to your son?" After a bit she simply nodded. "I could always take care of the final arrangements here. Just three people left, all with relatively minor requests and complaints."

"Appreciated, but the answers should come from the Don in person... Let's just make it quick." She muttered before waving for him to bring the next person.

Meanwhile, Ebon dressed their son in different room of their home. The young now eight year old boy was excited to play with the other children in attendance after having gotten a glance out of the window to the courtyard below where the party had gathered in full. Every bit of it was extravagant, some might even say far too much so to be the birthday party of an eight year old but all the stops had been pulled for this as it was not only friends gathered but foes as well. The party served more than a single purpose though the focus was of course on little Cato.

"Dad, can I go outside and play?" The young boy asked with eager eyes.

Ebon leaned down to pat the boy on his back, a charming smile on his face. Cato had his mother's eyes, and that made it hard for him to tell him no more often than not but he knew that Stella wanted to see him in his birthday clothes before he began to run around and get them dirty.

"Soon, Cato. Your mother would like to see you first. Get some pictures, it is a special day after all." He told the boy, already seeing the moment his words left his mouth that he did not understand.

Cato peered over the windowsill again, looking down at the party below. "Can't she take pictures later? I promise I'll stand still for them when she gets here. But can't I play until then?"

Ebon shook his head, "If you run around you might get dirty, your mother would not be happy. I'll tell you what..." Ebon stood back to his full height and moved to the other side of the room. Reaching up onto a shelf he pulled down a small gift box.

"Spend a bit longer here with me and I'll go ahead and let you open this early. What do you say?" He tried to make a deal with the little one, seeing the child's eyes light up at the sight of the gift he knew he had him hook, line, and sinker.

"Okay!" Cato responded excitedly, rushing to his father and nearly tripping over his Yukata but being caught before he could completely lose his footing.

"Careful now, and remember that you promised. A man is only as good as his word." Ebon handed off the gift, clear Cato paid him no mind as he began to unwrap the present given to him.

Opening up the box he pulled out an set of action figures that came with several heroes. A man in a white mask, a woman with horns, a four armed hero, and a blue skinned girl with a tail. Ebon recognized some of the heroes, some of which he'd even fought before. But now was not the time to think of such things but to enjoy the happiness the hero figures brought his son.

"Wow!" The boy began to skip around the room holding up the unopened pack of figures. "They're so cool. I saw this one on tv the other day, he beat up this really scary villain. And this one was on tv this morning, she froze a whole bunch of villains trying to steal stuff!" Cato began to talk about each of the heroes, to which Ebon listened as though it was the most important information of his life, nodding along to his boy's stories.

With the third individual out of the way, Stella allowed her a moment to relax and simply huff her cigar. She didn't slump or sigh, for that would imply a state of annoyance that could not be afforded to someone of her status. She needs to be always careful and carry herself with utmost dignity. Anything less can be seen as weakness or incompetence. She had seen the results of that in the years past. She would not repeat them.

Stella smiled at her Consiglieri, Eiichi who nodded in understanding. Eiichi had always been loyal to her despite anything. When many had their doubts about her when she took over the Yakuza, Eiichi held nothing short of absolute confidence in her. And with his sharp mind and seeming ability to read feelings despite being quirkless made him invaluable to their family. Getting up and fetching her festive attire, Stella remained behind to enjoy her cigar until it had completely burned out. Looking to the side, she noticed that her underboss for the drug cartels in the Tokyo branch still remained, looking down at her phone with a solemn look.

"Something the matter, Yasuka?" Stella asked gently, not wanting to sound like she was accusing her or berating her for not having left.

"No, not at all, Donna. But there is someone else who wishes to see you." She spoke up. Yasuka was a beautiful woman, but what set her apart from others was her ruthlessness with business when it got interrupted. If the dealer goes back on their word, whether on the terms or the payment, there will be hell to pay. Word is that she once brought two oath breakers to a butchery and began to torture and chop one of them up to such a horrific extent that the other man swallowed his towel in shock and terror, choking him to death before he could witness more. A mercy, to be certain.

"Who?" Stella asked simply, already returning to a state of affairs and intrigue, as was befitting. "No one gets to make demands unless planning ahead and requesting an audience. They better have a good reason to think they can just come unannounced and make demands of us."

"It is the Kurama Yakuza. Their head is here and seeks an audience to discuss business. Sato Kurama wants to find-" Yasuka began before being silenced by a hand being raised from Stella as Eiichi returned with her beautiful orange and golden Kimono, looking as if on fire when caught in certain lights. Waving to dismiss her, the Donna continued: "Tell Sato that he will have to wait until the festivities wind down. He did not make a prior arrangement, so he will have to wait until *we* have established a new one. No one commands the Hawks. Send the details to my devices. I'll look it over before calling him in."

"Yes, Donna." Yasuka said with a reverent bow before leaving the room to only Eiichi and Stella. Undressing from her suit, she walked up to her trusted advisor as he assisted in getting her dressed. She had always had a hard time getting into them and still make it look proper for her status. Almost fully undressed, he began his work. "So, what do you think? Did I make a mistake to not act immediately?" Stella asked.

"No, Donna. You are doing right in showing that you cannot be pushed around. Especially during an event such as today. Yasuka understands that too. She's smart. She simply wants to avoid a war." he answered. With a final knot did he complete her kimono.

She chuckled softly. There is only two people in the world who can hear her giggle, so it often came down to chuckles to keep up appearances. "Research the devices she's sent the information to. Ensure that you know as much as possible about the topic and what brings about this bold approach. Use our network if you need to."

"As always. Do not worry for even a second about that, Donna. Just go and enjoy your son's birthday." He suggested as he went to work, letting Stella leave to participate. It didn't take long for her to hear the excited chatter of Cato, causing her to smile gently before heading there.

Ebon heard the sounds of footsteps approaching the room but he was not alarmed, he recognized them, the gait, the rhythm of each step. He knew it like the back of his hand and it was music to his ears. But he did not tell Cato, wanting her appearance to be a surprise.

And a surprise it was, as Stella appeared in the doorway it took but a moment of Cato to notice her arrival. "Momma!" He shouted, hurrying toward her and throwing his arms around the actually much shorter woman. "Momma, you look so pretty," He complimented.

"Beautiful, as always." Ebon added as he approached her as well. "I let him open a gift early, to tide him over until he could go out and play with the other kids." He told her, holding the camera in his hands.

"Dad said I can go out after we've taken pictures. Can we do that now?" He asked his mother, his eyes begging her to let them so that he could join the party.

Ebon knelt down and wrapped his arms around the both of them, "Our boy is so energetic, Stella. Sometimes I wonder if his quirk is some sort of endless battery. Were we like this as kids?" He asked, as his arms wrapped around them snuggly, a tight but loving squeeze for the two most important people in his life.

"Don't look at me, darling. That battery he takes after you. I was always the timid one who played damsel, remember?" She teased him, wrapping her arms around her beloved family. It felt strange to already be shorter than her son, but that didn't matter in the slightest. He was her flesh and blood, and that was the most meaningful thing in the world to her. "Yes, darling, of course you can play with them. But I want this memory on a photo first. It will just be a couple of them and then you can go ahead and play until your feet bleed." She joked.

The images began with a few of Cato alone. A few proper poses and then a few that he had freedom to stand as he saw fit. Cool, action hero, silly, she allowed all of it. Then would be the shoot of her and Cato together. After a few of those it turned to be just Cato and his father. Ebon made for a magnificent figure on pictures, and it was obvious to see how well Cato took after him in appearance. "You are gonna be such a lady-charmer in the future, darling." she teased. Then came the most important of all: The photos of the whole family together. She didn't draw it out for too long, knowing he was getting antsy by now. After the images were taken, she gave him a pat behind to encourage him to run out and play, to which he didn't waste a single second.

"What a little game-buff we've raised, huh?" She joked. "Shall we go and let everyone meet the hosts?"

Ebon let out a content sigh, leaning down to press a kiss to his wife's cheek. "Indeed, I can only hope that he'll manage to find a woman half as incredible as you are. There are so few in the world that I've only found one and I married her the moment I could. Even with all the charm and good looks of his father it'll come down to luck unfortunately, Love." He responded, ignoring every voice in his head telling him to pick her up and spin her around like the beauty she was.

Standing back up he offered his hand to her, which she had to reach up to hold onto but he held it gently. "Let's greet our guests, I couldn't have done it alone. I feel naked without you at my side." He smiled warmly at her as they began to walk.

Down the stairs into the foyer of their home, the sound of Cato laughing outside said that he had found the other children and was having fun with them already. Opening the door all eyes turned to them as they exited the front of their home. The party was lively already, people talking in groups, gathered around the food and refreshment tables, the guards of different families all told apart by the crest on their uniforms. Though it seemed all were having fun there was still a tension in the air. But no one would dare do anything here, no one was foolish enough. A single slight or fuck up here would mean war beyond war. An uneasy truce had been made for this occasion and to the families that made up the Yakuza following the code was a matter of honor, and honor was a matter of life and death.

Ebon led Stella to the refreshments, greeting friends and foes alike as they passed. Taking a drink from the table he handed it to Stella before grabbing one himself. Even with the truce being all but law every precaution had been taken. The cups and containers that held the drinks were special, changing color when any non-consumable chemical was added to the liquid, the food was watched over carefully and had been made by a neutral party and shipped over from a fancy catering restaurant in Hokkaido beyond the reach of any of the families here.

The music was live, a small select few from an orchestra house in Tokyo that owned the Hawks a debt that would have a large amount shaved off from for their performance here. Everything seemed to be going perfectly as they spotted Cato showing off one of his new action figures to some of the other kids. Something that Ebon pointed out for Stella, the two sharing a moment as they watched their little boy enjoy himself.

Stella could do nothing but smile warmly at the sight. The kids jumping and running together, some sitting down together to watch clips of shows they liked and acts of heroism. She loved the little tike, and to have her husband beside her to relish in this time made it all the better. Some would call this all excessive to have for a small kid, but to her, nothing was too good for her boy. She knew that she ran the risk of spoiling him, but she was also sure to keep up the discipline training to ensure that he understood the blessing she bestows him and be grateful for it. Not for her sake, but because spoiled brats don't do good in the real world afterward.

Leaning her head against Ebon's hip, happily admiring the wonders of childhood, she was soon disturbed by the sound of someone treading on the stage towards Stella. Turning her head and steeling her nerves just in case, she saw a member of the Chomei Yakuza approach. "Donna Stella." He spoke with reverence. He was not a true member, however. He was more of a senator who was neck deep in their pockets. "I was hoping to be allowed to share a few words in honor of the occasion." He inquired, holding forward a slip of paper where he had written down the speech he intended to hold.

Going over it once, twice, thrice, Stella looked up to the man after having shared the sight with Ebon too. Nothing semed out of the ordinary. "You are welcome to speak in an hour, when the speeches are meant to be heard. You will be called up when it is your time. Enjoy the festivities until then." she said, welcoming him to make the most of the occassion.

Nodding and walking off, she then saw Huang approach her. He didn't seem intent on trouble or warnings, but rather seemed just as joyous as anyone else in the family. "Stella! You look even more stunning than ever! No small feat." He teased, but she accepted his praise. "I got the gift you requested of me. It wasn't easy, but hopefully the young one will take note of it amidst all of... This." He spoke with a humerous tone as he looked to the table with the piles upon piles of wrapped presents.

Stella accepted the gift and nodded. "I am sure he will. Thank you for your efforts, Huang. Go fetch a cookie and enjoy yourself. The rear rooms of the house are also insulated if you manage to find something new." She offered with a teasingly accusing tone.

"You are all too generous, Donna." He said with a playful bow before walking off, seeking both treats, drinks, and conquest.

Ebon had no memory of a special gift, assuming now that it was something that Stella herself had the idea to do. Even so, it seemed odd to have not been told about it. His hand moved to pat the top of her head but stopped, catching himself from petting her in front of so many eyes. Instead he stroked the back of her head, something more dignified than his pat on her head would have been.

"Another surprise for the little one? At this rate he's going to spend the next few weeks jumping from toy to toy without knowing what to play with." He chuckled, studying the shape of the gift and wondering what it was. He was half-tempted to let things rest where they were and find out alongside Cato but the thought of waiting that long when Stella could tell him here and now ate away at him too much for him to simply shake away.

He sipped his drink, letting out a content sigh before simply coming out with it, "So... What is it?" He asked without subtly. He wore his curiosity on his face without any attempt to hide it or if there had been some attempt it was a complete failure to do so.

She waved her small videogame case sized package a bit and handed it over to one of the guards who placed it upon the table. "Such is the price of having rich parents who love their son. As for the gift? Trading cards. Remember how he fell in love with that card game a while back? 'Exalted Super Rare' prints of his favorite heroes and villains. I didn't want to talk about it in case that we couldn't manage to acquire them." Stella explained.

The music shifted as several of the adults took to the make-shift floor in order to do a slow dance to the music. Stella held up her hand for her husband to take hold of. "What do you say, my beloved? Shall we show them how it is done?" she asked. "It's been a while since we danced one of these. Will be fun to see if you still have the feet of a legend."

"You flatter me, Stella. But I would never pass up the opportunity to hold you close. Let's dance." He smiled warmly, kneeling down and placing a kiss upon her offered hand before wrapped an arm under her, lifting her up as she used his forearm like a seat. Now at face height with him did she place her hand upon his shoulder, him holding onto her other hand gently as they made their way to the dance floor.

The slow music made for a soft and rhythmic pattern, easy to dance to especially when he did not need to worry about stepping upon his partners feet. Being at this level with her was always a joy, a charming smile on his face as he danced with her. "I'm sure he'll love his gift, you've always had a knack for knowing just what to gift others. I should know, every morning you gift me with your presence and every night... Well. Let's just say I've never gone to bed upset." He teased, whispering just above the music to his lovely wife as he moved back and forth, even adding in a slow spin now and again just to keep in the spirit of the entire thing.

He dipped her lightly, briging her back up and plating a chaste kiss upon her lips.

"It seems you've still got the moves." Ebon jested with a wink.