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never could you have imagined yourself attending a mafia gala. after all, you tried hard avoiding mafias, yet now you were going to attend one's gala.

the hall in which the gala took place in seemed normal enough, though it was incredibly crowded. to your dismay. you hated crowds that big, especially when you didn't recognize any of the people.

fortunately, childe drove you here so you at least had him by your side. you had been wearing a black dress with black heels, while childe wore a suit. it felt weird wearing something professional, a rare occurrence.

upon walking in, a few unfamiliar faces greeted you. well, mostly childe since they actually knew who he was.

but nonetheless, you forced a smile at them, while internally being filled with anxiety. the gala had nearly started and you were already wishing for it to end.

formalities aside, you noticed the interior was well decorated and everyone else had also been wearing formal outfits. some of them had masks on as well, which you assumed was a mafia thing.

you eventually spotted the directors, they had been chatting at a secluded area apart from the others. childe took you there, where they all began greeting you.

columbina's face lit up at the sight of you both. "ah, you made it!" she smiled with euphoria, grabbing your hand and shaking it.

you nervously returned the gesture, a bit taken aback. "yeah i did."

"it's a pleasure to meet you once again y/n," dottore exclaimed with a wide grin. even if they had been much less hostile towards you now, you still couldn't get used to him or columbina. nevertheless, you decided to push those feelings aside and greet the two anyway. "likewise."

"enough talking, let's go over there. far from here," childe suggested to you, pointing at a place that was seemingly empty.

you were more than relieved to go somewhere that wasn't packed with people. "sure."

but before the ginger could take you any further, you were approached by someone. someone whose very aura radiated significance.

dottore quickly cleared his throat before adjusting his posture, as well as the other directors. and it didn't take long for you to figure out why.

once you turned around to face the figure, your eyes right away looked elsewhere. indeed the tsaritsa had made another appearance before you.

and just like the last time, you weren't prepared for it at all.

she shot you a kind smile, one you couldn't take a direct look at as your eyes avoided hers.

childe felt the same tense feeling as you, which grew more profound when the tsaritsa spoke. "greetings all."

the others greeted her with joyful smiles, along with you. then she shifted her attention to you, "nice to meet you again y/n. i hope you're enjoying yourself."

you nodded at her, "thank you."

the atmosphere became uncomfortable once silence took over, urging the blue headed male to say something. "hey tartaglia, let's go do karaoke again. i'll get scaramouche to join us this time," he grabbed the ginger's arm, pulling him away.

"wait but y/n—" childe tried refusing until you interrupted him. "don't worry about me. i'll watch you guys, you go have fun."

he frowned, clearly not wanting to leave you, but dottore didn't care. he forced the male to go with him anyway, prompting the other directors to follow along.

you took a step forth to follow behind them when the tsaritsa called out to you. "come walk with me y/n." of course you couldn't say no to her. only an idiot would try that against a mafia leader.

so you did as she said, taking the spot next to her and following her wherever she was walking to.

"tell me, y/n. what is your honest opinion about the fatui?" she asked you, her gaze set on the other members.

you pondered your answer for a moment, then eventually came up with one that you were satisfied with. "i think it's a hard working company. or mafia, i guess."

the lady hummed at your response, before placing a finger on her chin as she halted in her steps to look at you. "do you agree with what we do?"

"i don't even know what exactly you do. but i don't have anything against it, i suppose."

you noticed her expression altering, as if she was surprised to hear you answer. "so you don't oppose anything we do at all?"

this time, you hesitated to reply. "i— well, i do believe what you do is risky. though that's a normal thing for mafias."

the tsaritsa was amused. her smile widened as she glanced back at the directors, who were currently arguing about who should sing first. "you fear that tartaglia will get hurt. even though he's willing to if it means he'll gain something from it."

"yea i guess so. to be completely honest, i dislike mafias in general. i think it's too much unnecessary danger. too many people get hurt. and the methods used could be cruel." you instantly regretted the words the moment they left your mouth. shit did i say too much.

fortunately, it didn't seem to bother her.

she let out a small laugh, "sacrifices must be made for the greater good, y/n. we do what we must do in order to achieve absolute peace. sure, the process may be undesirable, but the result will be worth it, don't you think?"

not a surprising response from a mafia leader. especially one with a goal such as that. "is it really worth it if people die?"

"would it not be an honorable death to die fighting for a cause so significant?"

you didn't reply. instead, you aimlessly stared at whatever was in front of you, slowly getting lost in your thoughts.

this was a debate of morals. was it truly alright to let people die to ultimately prevent more suffering?

nonetheless, this didn't concern you since you weren't part of the mafia. it only put your nerves at unease if anything.

the ambience felt suffocating, making you want to leave the area. "i need to go, pardon my rudeness," you stated as you got ready to walk away.

however, the tsaritsa stopped you, grabbing onto your shoulder. but gently, so that you could still leave if you wanted to.

"i heard tartaglia has been training you. how has that been going?"

you swallowed the lump in your throat, as more anxiety swarmed over you. "it's been alright." perhaps giving a short answer would make it uninteresting for her.

wrong. it only satisfied the tsaritsa more. "i must say, i'm curious how well he has trained you."

your eyes finally set on the white headed lady next to you, meeting her chilly gaze. 'where are you going with this?' is what you wanted to say.

but instead, you watched her impatiently. her exuberant grin widened as she turned her head.

you averted your gaze to where she was looking, where then another woman appeared.

she had long black hair and dark eyes which carried no emotion. she was pretty but her face was expressionless. like a lifeless doll. similar to when you first met columbina.

the tsaritsa tightened her grip on your shoulder, leaning her head towards yours as you both stared at the black headed lady.

the next words she spoke sent a shiver down your spine.

"would you like a chance to test out your skills?"