He got up made breakfast while Van was in the shower and woke up Ari after the prep work was done. He began setting out the plates for them while Ari walked out dressed in a pretty red dress with a princess crown. He seen Van sit down and eat just like any other day before the whole incident. He watched the two play with their breakfast for a bit before telling them not to. Of course Van objected but went quiet and ate the rest of his food then started getting ready for work.

“I’m taking Ari to Daycare today,” Sen said not sure if he should be saying this.

“Ok,” Van replied simply, not asking any questions. This was rather unnerving but refreshing also. He relaxed and bid him a good day at work while he finished cleaning up the breakfast plates.

Getting Ari ready was a hassle since she didn’t want to stop playing with her toys. The two were ready and he forgot that he should have called Greenbell for a ride. He had just locked the door when he heard “Where did you want to go today?”

Sen looked and seen Greenbell standing at the gate as if she was greeting them like a good neighbour. “Ah, uh, Good FairyTale Daycare.”

She nodded and opened the door to the car and they both got in. He relaxed in the car with Ari watching the scenery pass by. It almost felt too good to be true, his new job, new house, someone to drive him, good pay. He’s been going with the flow the past few weeks it was only now sinking in that his life changed overnight.

They arrived and Greenbell told them that they were going to wait for him. Ari and him walked in the Daycare and Emily greeted them warmly but it quickly was replaced by a friendly greeting when she seen who entered.

“It’s been so long! How have you two been?” Emily asked smiling. He couldn’t help but think that she was cute, he smiled back and told her some of the situation he was in. He then ended with him and Ari being in a better place. “Oh my, well that’s good. How do you like the new job? Does it pay well?”

“Being a Personal Chef does have it’s perks, especially when my boss doesn’t care what I cook for him.”

“That’s wonderful, he must be a hard worker if he knows how to treat his employee’s well.”

“Yeah, I just have somethings to do today and I can’t take Ari with me. So I’ll pick her up in a few hours.” Sen said a bit distracted.

“Of course, we’ll see you before 6 then?”

“Yeah, have a good day,” Sen said and Emily smiled and went to the room with all the kids. Ari had already left to see her friends so he walked out and told Greenbell where to drop him off.

He walked into the bakery and asked the person minding the till about ‘Cheese Cakes for Birthday Parties’. He was lead to the back and was escorted to the back alley where he walked down taking a few turns here and there before reaching an old warehouse.

“Well, well, well! Neko, here to borrow some more?” someone said sitting in the back with a few people around.

“No,” Sen said roughly, he hated this man. Even if he was looking like that the motorcycle he rode should have let the pavement do more talking. The man was not nice looking, he had scars across one side of his face and part of his bottom lip was missing. Mostly Sen hated how easily he said his first name. It made him uncomfortable at the sound of the mans thin voice uttered his name, how it felt like the words were dripping poison into his wounds. “I’m here to pay back what I owe, Mr. Nummer.”

---

Van looked through the old papers but couldn’t find Sen’s name in any of them. He worked throughout the morning well after lunch. Then received a text from Greenbell with an address, he got up and went out to met Kathrine for a ride to the mentioned location. Tony rode with him so that the woman wouldn’t be too distracted, he whispered to Tomorrow that she can follow as long as she keeps quiet and out of the way.

He got out when they arrived and walked in with a suitcase that Tony had prepared ahead of time. Van’s voice turned cold as he seen the situation, “Gentlemen.”

“Well if it isn’t the Dragon Prince! How ya doing Princy?” This was Nummer Wong, someone he used to be partnered with before he broke it off because Wong was a bitch. They had known each other for three years and Wong gave him permission to use his first name. Van had no trouble with the man’s work ethics, it was the personalty that now matched the face.

“It seems White Adder is doing well without me.” He said coldly as he looked at Wong dead in the eye. It was no mistake that the two hardly got along at times, after all how was a Dragon and a Snake suppose to get along?

“I’m busy with a client, you’ll have to come back later.” Wong struck spitting his venom then snapped his fingers and Wong’s men grabbed the ‘Client’. Van tried his best not to growl deeply, he could feel the fire rising from his stomach into his chest.

“I’m sorry but this matter is more important and it seems you made it even more urgent.” He said as calmly as he could and snapped his own fingers and his men surrounded the small number of Wong’s. Said man narrowed his eyes at him almost hissing at the intrusion of new feet.

“What’s this? I thought we agreed that we wouldn’t mess with each other unless it was within good reason.” Wong rose his defence, rattling a warning before he strikes.

“So glad you remember Wong Nummer, for you see,” Van almost purred seeing the man’s unease. He walked further into the warehouse and stood beside the ‘Client’. “This ‘Client’ of yours belongs to me.”

“Impossible!” Wong hissed wildly, “He came to us after you left! How can he be yours?” Van turned to Tony and nodded. Tony walked forward and threw an envelope on the desk, Wong took it and started to read it then froze. Van felt delight in the fear of the man reading the signed contract between them. Of course it was only a copy and the important parts were blacked out protecting his employee’s privacy. “This changes nothing! He owes me $2,195,000 in cash! He can’t escape this.”

“Oh?” Van said and nodded to Tony, the suitcase was then placed on the desk. “This ‘Client’ is my responsibility so anything he owes becomes my burden as well. Release him.” Wong tightened his hand on the suit case then relaxed. Van could see that the Snake had thought of something cunning but Van knew what will be said next. “Wong.”

“How about we make a deal? Give him to me-” Van pulled out a gun and shot the suit case close to Wong’s hand. The aim was precise and was enough to startle the Snake into backing up and hiss furiously.

“You know I hate sharing, besides your messing with my things. Release him willingly or else this place will be painted red in a few minutes.” Van said his voice dropping to a threatening deep tone, there was silence for a few moments then Wong snapped his fingers.

“You heard him!” Sen was released and Tony grabbed him and pulled him back to the entrance and out to the waiting cars. “I’m sorry, I truly am very sorry. Please forgive me Dragon Prince.”

“How much did he take out?” Van was not threatened by Wong’s men standing by hands on their guns. He ventured forward so that they could have a more peaceful talk.

“He took out $5,000 six years ago.” Wong reported like old times when Van ran the business. Van could see those small dark eyes working up a plan desperately as if they returned to those days where Wong was trying to ruin him.

“And you charged him $1,000 a year that he doesn’t pay? Why wait so long?” Van asked now feeling like a wolf circling it’s prey entrapping them.

“It was your idea, wasn’t it? To wait,” Wong said and smirked as if he had thought of the best plan to take down a Dragon.

“This is why we are no longer partners. You take things too far, this was not what I meant when I said we should wait.” Van said and felt the growl return back to his throat and the fire started to burn once again.

“You’ve gone soft, Dragon Prince.” Wong hissed back baring his fangs ready to spit venom then suddenly was more cheerful almost playful as they started to circle each other finding a weakness in the armour. “You lost that fire you had when you were younger. I don’t even hear about you anymore on the streets, what happened to ya?”

Van frowned and walked up to the desk, the people around him becoming uneasy with each step. “I grew up, I no longer hunger for money. I found something more substantial when I left you.”

“Oh yeah like what? Tell ol’ Wong what’s more important than money?” Wong felt like he had the upper hand now as he slithered closer to the resting Dragon ready to sneakily strike when the moment was right.

Van walked around the desk now finished with their dance, Wong was shorter than Van remembered so he had to bend a few inches to tell him. “I found blood to be tasty.”

BANG.

“GAH!” Van had pulled out his gun and shot Wong in the foot, he seen the man collapse to the floor. The Snake’s plan had backfired when he tried to bite, only causing more harm to himself than his potential victim.

“Don’t worry Wong, I won’t kill you, yet. This is merely a warning: If you mess with what belongs to me it will end in blood. Tell everyone that works under you that this man is mine.” Van said and put his gun away and threw down a photo of Sen to cover up some of the more unsightly wounds on Wong’s body. His face.

He and his men walked out of the place and out of habit Van got in Greenbell’s car and was surprised to see Sen there in the back with him. “So that was the Shark that was after you?” Van asked. He figured that Sen went to Wong a few days after he dispatched from his first project. At least it was tame compared to what Wong had in mind from when they first started together. ‘Maybe I impacted Wong’s character with my generosity? Before he would have beat the clients in their home with the women and children watching. Wong, I’ll be watching you now so that you don’t step out of line. Hurting clients is one thing but families as well will pay a larger price.’ He glanced at Sen and wondered what would have happened if he hadn’t found him when he did.

“Yeah, I-I thought I had enough but- I’m sorry, I should have, I didn’t know.” Sen said fumbling over his words trying to come up with an explanation of what he was going through.

“It’s fine, you owe him nothing now.” Van said reassuring trying to comfort his employee.

“Did you, did you kill him? I heard the gunshots.” Sen looked nervous now having seen part of Van that should have been hidden.

“No, those were warning shots, my aim isn’t really that good but I can bullshit my way out of it.” Sen laughed at that, given what Van had shown him before. He wanted to keep the childish version of himself in Sen’s eyes to remain. Although, Van debated on weather he should tell him what he does it would be simpler this way for Sen to leave if he knew that his Boss was a monster. He made up his mind and was about to tell him when Sen spoke up first.

“Since I don’t owe him anymore, what do I owe you? That was a lot of money.” Van seen that the opening closed before him and something selfish took over at that instant. Sen’s stiff posture told him that he was still on edge possibly scared. Wouldn’t do any good to scare him further right now. He went for a joke that was the disguise of his hidden selfish desire.

“Your right it was, guess you’ll just have to feed me forever.” It worked, Sen laughed but it also hurt knowing that Sen only sees it as a joke. That’s fine, he was used to pain at this point. Van turned away from Sen and looked at the scenery reflecting on his actions.

A Father gets to see his Daughter again.

A Father is free from further harm.

A Father is free from debt.

A Father can have a happy life with his Daughter.

‘He probably only planned to work until he could pay off the debt and break our contract afterwards. There’s no way that he’d stay now, his life is just getting started there’s no need for me to hold him back.’ Van didn’t know how he should feel, just the thought of never having his moms cooking was only starting to sink in. ‘I’m glad I enjoyed it as much as I could, beside I’d only put him in danger if he stays any longer.’

They arrived at Good FairyTale Daycare and since Van didn’t trust Sen to be alone he went with him to pick Ari up. Van looked around and seen how soft and fluffy the place looked. It had it’s pastel colours and Princesses in castles and friendly looking Dragons. Unlike him, he knew he was the scary villain in those stories.

“Hi, you’re back early,” a woman in her 20’s peeped from one of the rooms with glass walls. He spotted Ari playing but she wasn’t happily playing. Was she just going along with it for her Teacher’s sake?

“Ari,” Van said simply in a soft voice and said girl looked up and smiled brightly and ran out to meet them. Ari ran to him first hugging his leg calling out ‘Dawddy’, she took his hand and pulled him into the glass room. “Ah, wait Ari. I don’t think I should-”

“Sit,” Ari ordered and automatically he obeyed, sitting on the floor a small round table before him. Ari went and got something from a corner, it looked like a crown. “New Friends should always wear this.”

He looked to Sen for help but he only tried to hold back a laugh, now he sat there with a small crown on his head and kids staring at him. Ari started telling him the rules and instinctively one of the rules didn’t sit right with him.

“No.” He said after hearing that he has to make friends with everyone in the room, his childish self taking over.

“But it’s the rules!” Ari argued.

“Says who?” Van asked wanting to know who set the rules.

“Daddy says so.” Ari said and Van tried not to show how displeased he was. He looked at all the kids there and can easily pick out the order of it.

“I don’t have to do what your Daddy says,” Van said turning back to Ari. “If I don’t want to be friends with the other kids then I shouldn’t have to. Trusting them not to hurt me is a big thing for me and I should decide if we can be friends.”

Ari stared at him for a few moments then said “I don’t have to be friends with them?”

“No, if they hurt you then they are not friends they are bullies. Just say you don’t want to be friends with them because they hurt your feelings and leave it at that.” Ari nodded and went to the group of kids and told them what she felt and what she wanted. She turned around and went back to him and they got up and left the room, Ari smiling more now then ever.

Van put the crown on the desk and looked at Sen and the woman, he then stared at Sen folding his arms. “The only friends you need beside you are ones you can trust. Whether you have a lot or little doesn’t matter, but forcing her to make friends with everyone is dangerous.”

“Yeah, Dangaroo’s!” Van looked down and seen Ari mimicking his stance beside him. He couldn’t help but wonder if he was creating a monster.