“How can I be sure you're no longer targeting Tom?"

The question felt like… well, it felt like an arrow indeed, but at this point, at this level of stress, Octo just nodded and answered with his ears low in submission. “I'm not."

In front of him was only Max, but it felt so heavy to admit. The panther knew why; one of the weak links in business arrangements was family and friends. They were easily exploited and manipulated, difficult to keep around, but the benefits they provide…

Max crossed his arms, expression unreadable. Octo shifted on the seat, looking away with his tail waving.

They kept him sane, anchoring him to reality.

“Then what the fuck happened back there?" asked Max.

“They didn't know…" He trailed off, not knowing what to say.

The dog spoke up again before he could. “You know, I wasn't sure about coming here because you said it was mainly your past guys. But Tom seemed fine with it, so if he's fine, then I'm fine." He gave a sigh. “I thought that since he was fine with it, then everything's been done and fixed. Turns out it isn't."

“Y-yeah, it's done, Max. It's just…" Octo trailed off, leaning back on the seat. “I didn't tell them—forgot to tell them."

The dog clicked his tongue and looked away.

Octo squirmed in his seat and looked around. The restaurant was mostly done, only needing small adjustments to be ready for the grand opening. It was empty right now as it was break time. Róðgar went away with Tom, likely to reconnect with the wolf. Personally, Octo noted, as it was clear from the fox's body language that he didn't want his relationship with the grey wolf to be taken advantage of. That was something Octo could understand. Kevin, meanwhile, went away with the others to grab some lunch. Because he didn't know what happened, he was easy to handle, and thankfully, his past men also seemed to get along with him.

He was supposed to go with Kevin to survey the house he offered, but the red wolf didn't mind a short delay.

Looking back at Max, he really wanted to assure the German Shepherd that it was really done, that he'd done everything he could, but he was also sure that the dog had enough of it. There was really nothing else he could do; maybe he could offer a guardian to them, but there was no one else who wanted to hurt or take advantage of Tom. There simply was no other mafia or even militia group in Barrowisle. Besides, he was sure the grey wolf wouldn't like it anyway.

“You do know the things he did, right?"

Max stayed quiet at that, but his tail waved in discomfort. Octo knew he just brought back old scars, but they needed to address the ship in the room.

Because, no matter how much they didn't want to talk about it, Tom—and by extension, Octo—was… in a legally complicated situation.

Still, the panther leant back in his seat, brows furrowed in a coming headache. For that, there was nothing he could do except appease both his father and Tom. The grey wolf has repeatedly suggested that if somehow the police got involved, he would gladly drag Octo and his family down with him. It wasn't really an act of revenge, the way Octo saw it, but more like justice. They both had broken each other.

“You do know the things you did, right?" Max shot back at him.

The panther only nodded with his mouth set in a straight line. “I know."

Max looked away, then up, then down, then took a deep sigh and stood up. “Octo, I care for you, really." He sat down beside him on the seat, tail waving in distress. There was confusion in the dog's eyes when he looked at him, arm around his shoulders. “But seriously, we could do better."

If it weren't for the fact that Max was trying to comfort him, he would've snapped. The dog said that as if things were easy, that he had unlimited control over all of this while in reality… “I know." He simply replied, looking away as so many things hit his mind at once. “I… know…"

Thankfully, the shepherd didn't say anything, only gently rubbing his shoulder. The warmth was very much welcome, and as a drop of tear dropped down the panther's cheek, he found himself leaning on the comfort the dog provided.

Max was still his captain, he remembered amongst his muddled thoughts, and when he was in distress, he went to his captain.

They spent a while in that position, with Octo slumped on the table under Max's comforting warmth with his hand rubbing the panther's shoulder. This must be the stress, he thought; he had been both excited and stressed lately, so the mental burden was starting to weigh on him. Still, knowing that his friends still accepted him despite knowing what he was capable of was very comforting.

“Max." Octo took a deep sigh and recomposed himself, sitting up straight. The dog let him go but didn't move away. “Why are you… why are you still with me… and Tom… after knowing the things that we do?" He looked away with distress clear in his voice.

“Because I see that both you and Tom want to be better. And you are trying to be better." replied the dog without any shred of doubt, making the panther turn to him. There was determination in the dog's eyes that he was so familiar with, along with a serious smile. “Tom forgave himself. That's why I forgave him. While you—I know it's not your choice, Oct, and you're still trying to make it right. That I admire about you."

Octo nodded at that, a small smile tugging at his mouth. “But we're both still… you know… one word to the police and… lawyers will get involved."

As expected, the dog's expression fell. “Well, uh…" He scratched his nape. “I… uh, I'm pretty sure you could contact those lawyers."

That made him chuckle dryly. “You know, I'm quite sure you won't like this, but I'm already putting you and Tom under my family's protection. No, no one's gonna just follow you around and stuff, but really, if you want our help with anything, and I seriously mean anything, just call me." Max already opened his mouth, but Octo continued, “No, you don't need to do anything, and I pray to God nothing will ever happen to you. It's just that… well… you know."

The dog stared at him for a while before finally giving a reluctant nod.

Just when Max was about to say something, they saw Hans walking towards them. The older shepherd was typing something on his phone before pocketing it and smiling at them. “Oof, alright, what did I miss? Also where's everyone?" He asked, sitting down on the seat where Max had sat before.

Octo took a deep breath while Max just shrugged. “What did you do in the bathroom anyway? You took like 15 mins. Everyone went off to get lunch."

“Shit. And a bit of shame that we can't cook here for now." Hans grinned.

“Wow, such an impatient guest." Max rolled his eyes before standing up. “Let's get some food. Oct, you're joining?"

“I…" The panther trailed off. “Nah, you two go ahead. I'm not hungry yet."

That was an excuse, but thankfully, Max got the hint. He nodded and gently tugged at his brother's shirt. “Let's go. We'll be back soon, Oct."

“Alright, alright." Hans stood up and followed his younger brother outside.

Octo watched them leave, then took a deep sigh and wiped his wet cheeks. The responsibility he was carrying was heavy, but this time, he was prepared for it.

Róðgar had been through a lot in his life. He'd seen friends pass away and enemies trample on their corpses. He saw parties held less than an hour after a deadly battle costing almost half of his friends and tearful burials hours less than an hour after victory celebrations.

Which was to say, he did not want to see them anymore. It was his own decision to join the army, so he knew full well that whatever happened on the battlefield was his own blame. The reality of war had been far more brutal than he had ever imagined, and he had enough of it. The sounds of gunfire, the screams of the wounded, and the stench of death had become his reality. He had seen friends die, comrades fall, and the enemy's cruelty had left him scarred.

After years of service, he'd decided to retire, to just live a normal, civilian life. Unfortunately, he retired at the wrong time; the 2008 global recession affected so many, and he was amongst the unfortunate people who suffered the brunt. He had been left with almost nothing, forced to rely on the charity of friends and family to survive. The government wasn't able to pay his retirement, which led to issues with his marriage and ended with a divorce and loss of his assets. An illegal business from an old friend was the only thing that saved him from rock bottom, and he had to force himself to endure the back- and emotion-breaking labour of selling illegal substances.

Róðgar had been hesitant at first, but desperation had driven him to accept. The work had taken so much of him, forced him to sell illegal substances, to peddle poison to those who were desperate enough to buy it. The work had brought back memories of his time in the army, the same feelings of guilt and shame that had haunted him for years. But he had no choice, no other way to survive.

Years passed, and he was now in much, much better circumstances. Whilst he was still in the very same business that he'd grown to loathe, he had managed to carve out a niche for himself, a position of relative power and influence. He did not know what Octo had said to Giuseppe, but lately, Giuseppe had been very lenient with him, even allowing him to remain in Barrowisle for three months after the restaurant's opening. Still, the old scars persisted, and when he looked up at a grey wolf across the table from him, he couldn't help but cross his arms as if shielding himself from the view.

Tom was one of the few whom he remembered from his early days of joining the operation. The wolf was skittish and unstable, but he instantly saw his old friends in him, full of trauma and unsolved issues. He pitied the wolf greatly; what happened to him to become like this? Tom was a teenager; he should not have such issues, let alone be forced to sell illegal substances to stay alive.

To many, it was a strange pairing for a team. A middle-aged ex-military fox with an unstable teenage wolf, but they made it work. Despite their differences, they worked well. When Róðgar's words and negotiations failed, Tom's claws often worked amazingly well—a bewildering arrangement indeed.

So, it was delightfully bewildering for him to see what the wolf had grown up to. He was calmer, more stable, and, more importantly, healthy, and in one piece. He did not even recognise him during their first meeting; only after the wolf called him out did he remember.

It was bizarre, but not unwelcome.

It was lunchtime now, so he asked Tom for some bread. However, sitting at a table outside a café not far from the restaurant, neither knew what to say. It had been so long since they last saw each other and they were practically strangers now.

“Well… it's been so long." said Tom, opening a conversation.

Róðgar nodded, giving a smile. "It's good to meet you again, though I wish we were in a... more fortunate circumstance." His words were careful, a nod to the difficult past they shared and also a recognition that they had both moved on.

The wolf's response was rather hesitant. “I… do wish that too."

Silence fell between them again, occasionally broken by the sound of honking buses.

“Are you still in the operation?" The wolf spoke up, voice gentle.

“Yeah…" The fox trailed off, then added after careful consideration, “unfortunately."

That made the wolf chuckle.

“Though, I suppose I'm in a better position now."

“I'm happy about that."

They looked up at each other, then smiled.

“How have you been?"

“Here and there. I've seen…" The wolf trailed off, staring at the cup of tea in front of him. “…worse days."

Róðgar nodded.

“But, I'm good now." continued Tom, looking up and giving a smile.

He knew that smile. He'd seen it so many times already. He even gave that smile a few times when he first landed back in Þydneland after his deployment, his service over as he set foot on his homeland, eager for a fresh start.

And for that, he was glad.

“That's good to hear." Róðgar returned the smile. “What do you do now?"

“I'm working here in Barrowisle now. In Hallestead district." He pointed with his snout. “It's good enough for me, though lately I've been considering moving."

Finally sipping his tea, Róðgar nodded. “Your boss is giving increasingly more work?"

“Not really, more because I need a pay increase."

“Better discuss with the HR first, I recommend. If the workplace is good, then it'd be a shame to just move."

Tom sipped his tea, then huffed. “Yeah, you're right. It's actually comfortable there."

“Here you are."

They two looked up as someone called them. Max and Hans were walking towards them, making Róðgar narrow his eyes out of habit. Usually, he didn't mind company, but right now, he would prefer just the two of them. They had a lot to catch up on.

«Mind if we join?» Hans asked, and the fox could see that he was holding his younger brother back.

He glanced at Tom, and still, with one gesture, the wolf understood what he meant. Even after so long, they still understood each other so well. «There are still some empty tables inside; we'll join you when we're done.»

«Alright. We'll be inside.» Hans smiled and nodded before gently pulling Max inside the café.

He noticed that Tom was smiling apologetically at Max, but the German Shepherd just brushed it off and smiled back, making a gesture that they would be inside the café to wait.

With them alone again, the fox sighed. “I'm terribly sorry for that."

“It's alright." replied the grey wolf. “So, how long are you staying in Barrowisle?"

“Three months, I think. Can't say for certain. Signore… well, Octo wants me to help him with the restaurant."

That brought a smile to the wolf. “At least he put it to someone trustworthy."

Róðgar smiled. “You flatter me."

“How are the kids?"

“The young one is finishing high school right now. She should finish it this month. The older one is in university."

“I'm glad to hear that." Tom replied, giving a smile. He reached for the menu and lay it down on the table. “So, what do you want to order?"