Viper joined him in the streches, listening all the while tot he things Fang said. It occured t him thata in the last dya Fang had been more helpful to him here than Specs had been. he wondered if his trainer was ok after all of this. "Lets hope those days come soon. In the mean time you think you could get me back to Spec's place?"

"Oh? I thought SweetPea had told you.", Fang stopped and returned to a normal standing position as he looked back at the newcomer and spoke with an honest confusion, "Specs is being considered for something. One of our second tier members is seeing to that for the moment, so we can't have you going back to see him quite yet". Fang's face was one of sotic pleasure, the constant pokerface that refused to snitch his intents or meanings, "Besides. I am now in charge of your care by word of Joseph Ratterman. He said the head boss was looking at the city for additional supplies and you were supposed to be frontmost for the idea that we are still bringing in new blood."

"Concidered for something.. something bad I guess given how you said it. I really hate the idea of eing tossed around from house to house. Most of my stuff is still over there."he said, nibling his lip as he thought about the things he'd seen the other day. No he wouldn't mention them until Fang brought it up first.

He didn't really want to leave Specs after all, the act of helping the male regain mobility in his fake arm comined with the man's efforts to fix Vipers necklac meant he felt he owed Specs something. That Specs needed someone around to help.

"Unless you can clear him of the charges, seeing as you so quiltfully admit it is for wrongdoing and not new funds or supplies, by proclaiming his innocence I cannot let you back. It wouldn't take long...", Fang raised his brow and stepped around to glare at the boy where he was, "if you think he is so innocent, then I only have a few questions and I will personally override the Italian Don's son for command to leave Specs be. That is. If you think you can clear his name, of course."

"You don't question or detain someone you think is innocent anyways- its an easy assumption you think he's done something wrong."Viper glared back firmly. "I haven't known him long but I'll answer your damn questions."He didn't want Specs to get hurt. For some reason he wanted things to just resolve peacefully.

"Good.", Fang smiled as he stroked the huge ten millimeter gun at his side. Looking onward at the boy, and glaring into those eyes, made it almost impossible for one to even breathe without the other seeing it in full, "So why is it that our enforcers are getting reports of increased unlabelled goods in the lower downtown district? Right where Specs is setting up his surveillance grids on the Civil Guard? Any funny notes you ought to bring up about how he might be getting goods past the Guard and our merhchant channels?"

Viper shrugged."I don't know- maybe the same way you got me through. What kind of goods are so important that you'd detain one of your own over it. " He shifted in his seat and sighed. "Next question?"

Fang slid the gun upward at the sign of defiance, a thing he had expected in full. "No, little shit. Same question". Fang turned the barrel to one side and pulled the trigger to prove the gun;s potential. A loud grind as three gears caught beneath the stock and spun into life, two more at the hammer began, and in two seconds that gun whooped and sent a slug peircing through the table and deep enough to be lost in the cement beneath the floor, "What he's smuggling is very much illegal, even to us. And what he is is not detained. He is being considered, that means watched, and right now you stand to show me more than enough intent to help him continue if I let you walk out that door. He knows that we're onto him and that f**k is likely to have his little Katzfressers detonate a d**n riot or worse". Fang glared, "Fine! What about his database? You know how much he stole from our files about our previous lives or how he keeps making donations disappear like he does? Over a million flat got vamped in the last two months, and he's the only f****r I can't touch who'd know how to do that."

"I was there a single night and part of a day. Noot much time to poke into his things if you stuck me there as a [email protected] spy."Viper growled, bullets meant nothing to him anymore- why be afraid of something that would probabely kill you someday. "You dragged me out of my home and dumped me somewhere I don't know jack shit about! The money, thedataases, the people here I don't know anything Fang except that I left the places I was safe and ended up getting hurt helping you. So fine shott me if that wasn't [email protected] answer you wanted! He took me in I'm not going to let my inexpirience get him hurt."Viper fumed, unarmed and injuried he couldn't take Fang.

"That. Is my point. You can't claim to know that he is innocent. You were know that he IS at all.", Fang released the hammer and smiled hatefully at the kid, "He's been under consideration for a while, but as of his ignoring our cry for aid, a time when I was SHOT by the way, he is now considered a dangerous rogue agent. The bastard is Italian property". Fang bit his lip as he stepped forward into fighting range. Seeing the boy there he prayed that they would be able to trust one another without needing to quarrel. On that mindset he offered his hand in peace, "Your being brought here was not to spy on him, nor is it now. We need you to be in good hands and safe so that Han can judge you as a member of the Jades. Like us, he worships a liberated Germany. Mafia or not, he wants to see you on the field doing us some real good. SO, please. Let Specs be and he'll never know that we are looking into these factors with his name involved. When the leaks are fixed and he is not considered a danger you will hopefully see him out here with the rest of the second tiers like me."

"How the hell am I going to keep quiet about this? He'll think it odd when Idon't come back for awhile.." Nibbling his lip he knew that he could neither proved Spec's innocence or guilt, espcially with what he'd seen.

He would just have to trust his trainer to be ok. That Fang wouldn't hurt him.

"Taken care of. You were attacked, in case you forgot, and in that attack you proved to be a formittable fighter seeing as the men responsible are now dead... You are, even by Specs' knowledge being cared for by SweetPea, and when you're better and back to work with me, he can find out how you are when he comes to give me his reports for the month.", Fang growled, "If he comes to give me his reports for the month."

"I got shot and tortured- that is so not anything to be proud of Fang. But I guess thats your call."He set the weights aside and took Fang's hand. "I think thats enough lifting for now anyways.."

"Than might I suggest you testing your new muscles with a visit to your new homebase? As I said, I will be taking care of you until all of this nastiness is resolved.", Fang gently pulled the boy closer and placed one arm around him in a strong one-armed hug. He couldn't say it. Apologizing would be weak and stupid of him. But he could at least show his support in another way, "If anything happens, you will be one of the first to know right along with me."

"Thanks.. he sacrificed his home to care for me so.. I feel like I owe him. But you risked your life to save me twice so I owe you too. I guess its best if you take me to the base." Viper hugged him back, feeling like a child compared to Fang. Hell every one here made him feel weak.

"Good. This is SweetPea's home, actually, but if you ever need someone to tend a wound she is a certified at-home physician so the cops won't question you. Attached at the east end is a garage with an upstairs portion where Wolf lives. He's a street member, but he's also a first tier who is often not around.", Fang looked the boy over and shrugged, "Obviously, most of the first tiers don't draw their income from the gang. They, like Wolf, usually have jobs to attend". Fang then took his new apprentice by the hand and started out with Viper not far behind. The half-rubbled street outside was still desolate and still the largest victim of the bombing besides the buildings around it.

He took in th information with a nod, blushing a littl when Fang led him out y the hand. The intimacy of their last encounter had not lost its shine even after the hell he'd bene through. Squeezing Fang's hand a little he continued on. "Where's your place?"

"You remember the grate we came out of? Just uphill of there. I have another house, the city calls it 'restricted property' for all the crime of war, but you don't... you don't really need to see it.", the thug became very quiet and returned the gently hand gesture as he led the boyish member up one alley and out into the wake of a working deli, "Like I said about Wolf, most first tiers have jobs. What I do, and Specs and SweetPea and Black and, well, a few others, is to divvy up whatever the gang lets in. Allocates the funds into personal accounts. 'Import Merchants', every damn one of us. And we use the real merchants to send our letters.". Fang smiled very lightly without looking back, "But that's pro'ly the last thing you care to hear. Just been too long for me. Too long since I had someone I could trust to see me like this...". Fang nodded. It was true that Specs was being tailed, and that he was not in the best of regards with many of his cohorts, but that was only the major reason that Viper'd been taken into the guts of the city like this. Part of it was clearly and consciously a far far more selfish sort of thing indeed.

"All cogs in the wheel Isee."Viper smiled and kept a hold of Fang's hand, finding it comforting to fele another human's warmth. It was a sweet gesture after all he'd suffered. Hearing more about the gang he wanted to be there for all his allies- no matter how small.

As for Fang trusting him well thats built that trust from the moment he'd sen Fang and this only made it better. "It's an honor really to be trusted when I'm this new.."

Fang smiled in a far less than happy way and clung to that hand as he walked through the blasted street. Behind them the deli and a nearby male behind his large wagon of a cart both pulled in chattering business and traded currency along with metals and items for the goods that each held. Using the cover of that sounds, Fang was able to purr without the notice of anyone but Viper; "i want you to be safe, but I want to do something. After what happened. I want-...". And as they strode through the next ally one man left the deli behind them with a shotgun's blast. Yelling ensued as several others followed to chase the man away, but in the chaos that they wre leaving Fang's words were blotched cleanly out of the audible range.

Viper strained to hear what Fang was saying but couldn't make out just what Fang wanted. That purr brought a color to his cheeks though as the sounds behind them continued to be so loud. "What did you say? Couldn't hear much over that racket."He asked shyly, sliding closr to Fang. His weapons had been left at SweetPeas until Fang deemed him fully recovered I guess.

After what had happened he was just a wee bit skitish out here.

Fang pulled the other closer as he spoke, totally unaware of his lacking that sacred thing called firepower. "Oh.", his own voice a truly disappointed tone at having not been heard over the sounds of his usual city. Between booming over riots and being the loudest sob in bars he was not at all used to being drowned out when he was working his words. "I said: After seeing what happened to you, with... the Civs and with having to be drawn into a dispute without proper help, I want to show you softest. Its. Its not just for me. You deserve someone that can show you some kind of grace for all your pains. Its simply owed you". And Fang tightened his grip as they crested that alleyway and once more overlooked the dried out riverbed where they had once parted ways. Below them several rows of houses lay in part or total ruin. Street signs where bent and welded to fill holes, curtains obvious stuffed in some with fencing to fill leaks, and where they could there were planks of wood where roofing had been. Nice as the places once were, the bombing's effect was clear along with the restriction for anyone other than merchants to enter; Even construction crews or anyone to fix the broken machines they'd have needed.

Viper blushed softly, pulled close to Fang he finally understood what Fang had tried to articulate before. He didn't know what to say and tightened his grip on Fang's hand. "I- I'm not sure.. but if you think its for the best then I trust you.."He whispered, baring the wounds of his torment to the other by way of the hopeless look in those eyes.

He was afraid of being emotionally distant, that his appreciation of the sensuaal things in life would be ruined. but with Fang he prayed that t would all be good. That the dull ache in his chest would ease up and the fear would pass away.

And it was as simple as that. With the white-walled house tucked amongst the middle row below, Fang was so much closer in that act to having another ally without question than he'd been several short yards ago. Still holding the male by the hand he pointed out his house and murred a soft consideration before speaking up, "Keep whatever digressions you have for the city in the city, though. No one but lowtime thugs even think about raising a fight in the residential". And that was all he said about it, closing with; "But, more importantly, I hope you won't refuse a glass of German's finest. A sugared rum from back when my parents' parents were pro'ly in diapers."

"Of course not- it would e rude and I try not to actively be rude to my betters."Viper answered quickly, sighing in relief at the supposed quietnessand peace of their current sector. A little bit to drink wouldn't hurt- it might even dull his pains Viper mused.