[center][img]https://fontmeme.com/permalink/190410/dda480b970e96fe6fe15e82b37705706.png[/img] [hr][b]Corner Room of a Hotel Overlooking the Cafe Dumont Area [sub]Somewhere in Switzerland[/sub][/b] August 12th, Present Day, Afternoon [sub]Tags: [@Kyouki][@Demon Shinobi][@Raijinslayer][@Ambra][@Suku][@Jakeozzy][/sub] [hr][/center] Long after everyone had finished speaking, their receivers crackled to life. For a few seconds, there was nothing but dead air, but from the ambient noise of wind and traffic came a voice at last. [color=7851A9]"Caterina: excuse me,"[/color] it said, [color=7851A9]"Please say 'over' when chatter's, err, over. Over."[/color] Renato Guerra dropped the channel and, free from anyone listening in, finally started breathing again. These types of missions were the least optimal type for someone like him: known and impatient, a combination which typically had one consigned to a hotel room peeping or operating increasingly arcane machinery. Of course, playing to his weaknesses was likely the reason this had been assigned to them. This was as much a test for him, the alleged instructor, as it was for the other six. He reached forward and split the closed curtains of the window overlooking the cafe just enough to see, but not be seen. Peering through the gap with his binoculars, he saw Yoshiaki and Cyril seated at a table, watching something or someone out of his angle of sight. Looking further down the street, he saw the storefront of the tailor Veronica and Akari were investigating on suspicions of extortion, laundering or some other vaguely-defined "mafia activity". While Renato couldn't see the other two at the mall, he could only assume Caterina was being professional (threat of encroaching on his teaching position notwithstanding) and guiding Kurune on the proper path. It was after shifting his gaze back on Cafe Dumont that Renato noticed something. He angled the opening so he could see further down the street to confirm his suspicions: there were two SUVs. Both were the exact same make and model, one commonly used for armored vehicles. Both had somebody waiting in the front seat. Both were positioned where they could overlook the locations of the Vongola members. The only notable difference was that the vehicle in front of the tailor was merely idling. Renato immediately reactivated his receiver, switched to Yoshiaki and Cyril's channel, and spoke: [color=7851A9]"Sugihara, Leggieri: they're watching you. Don't look... [sub]Um, Sorry.[/sub] Don't look, [i]please[/i]. It's the SUV further down the street, at Leggieri's nine O'clock. Over."[/color] He switched the channel. [color=7851A9]"Russo, Sokolov: stay there please. They might be inside. Over."[/color] [hr] Much like Akari and Veronica had assumed, the tailor [i]was[/i] involved with mafia activity. Unlike what Renato had assumed, their matters here were not necessarily hostile towards the two spies. The two mafiosi who had entered earlier shortly before Renato passed on that warning were indeed here only to acquire goods. Just not clothes, however. Rather than peruse any clothing options or speak to a tailor, the two individuals - a tall man and a shorter, scrawnier one with glasses - went straight for the attending clerk. Shortly after, an older man, the apparent owner of the store or some other form of upper management, came out of the back to greet them. After a brief exchange, one in hushed whispers, the group of three went to the back of the store. At the same time... [color=7851A9]"Sokolov, Russo: did you two do anything?"[/color] Renato's voice suddenly came through the receiver. [color=7851A9]"Their vehicle is on the move. It appears to be backing into the alley parking behind your shop. I can't see it anymore. You're solo. Um. Duo. Over."[/color] Fortunately, their new objective was clear: figure out what was going on in the back of the shop. There was no way those two events were coincidental. And now there were plenty of openings; the store was, for the most part, unattended. The clerk was busy helping a civilian customer in one of the measurement stations, administration was doing who knows what with the two mafiosi in the backrooms of the establishment. Meanwhile, their target's transport no longer had eyes on the interior of the storefront. Who knows, maybe it was as simple as just... walking in and taking names? Or perhaps waiting until it was done and interrogating the owner? Maybe even following the SUV after it leaves. The possibilities were endless. [hr] Contrary to what his message to the girls had suggested, Renato was not worried in the least. Frankly, he was a bit relieved; one SUV taking independent action meant that they weren't there because they knew there was someone watching. Unfortunately, the ones at Cafe Dumont definitely [i]did [/i]know that someone was watching. Still, as long as they were just watching it would be-- [color=7851A9]"Sugihara, Leggieri: they're exiting the car, and they're armed."[/color] Renato was already out of the room before he had even finished his first sentence. [color=7851A9]"Wait for my signal please. Over."[/color] The SUV near Cafe Dumont had let out three individuals: two from the back and their driver. Two were armed with firearms - stolen Dying Will Guns from the Vongola, perhaps? The last was armed with something much scarier: a green box. Fortunately, the crowd would delay their approach, if only somewhat. That bought Renato time to get down to the bottom floor. The fact they chose to regroup with the two Cyril and Yoshiaki were spying on earlier bought him time to get close enough to the cafe to... [color=7851A9]"[sub]Ah... um...[/sub] AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"[/color] That, evidently, was the signal, if Renato's thumbs up was anything to go by. To his credit, the sight of a particularly notorious mafiosi issuing an apparent war cry from the down the street struck fear into the hearts of Cyril and Yoshiaki's five targets; they started to run in the opposite direction. As their targets attempted to flee, Renato coughed into his receiver: [color=7851A9]"....Um... That was the signal. I will secure and search their vehicle. Please make good use the runners. Over."[/color] Chasing down a group of three and a group of two wouldn't be too rough for the two, Ren figured. [hr] Meanwhile, Kurune and Caterina continued their tailing-cum-tourism in peace despite the disturbances going on outside, just around the corner. While getting too deep into the act in a place as big as a mall might have been a detriment to their hunt, they were able to keep on target for the most part due to Caterina's influence. But maybe it was her familiarity with mind altering phenomena. Maybe it was because of how into the tourism thing she was. Regardless, Kurune was the one who had noticed it: they were walking in a cyclical path. Their targets weren't doing business; they were on patrol. And, of course, it didn't take a genius to realize that something was up once the targets started acting a lot more paranoid (which, not coincidentally, happened shortly after a certain someone was sighted at Cafe Dumont). They turned around and began walking in the girls' direction, but it didn't seem like they were coming at them specifically. It was then that Caterina's intuition detected something. The atmosphere in the mall had shifted. No, it was more than that. The 'intent' had shifted, and it wasn't coming from the ones they were following. It was coming from above. Based on the shadows cast by the skylight sunbeams, it was two things. What they were was unclear, but there were definitely two of them and they were both ready to make a move if anyone tried anything funny. The situation was as followed: two-man(?) rooftop patrol watching, a two-man ground floor patrol approaching, a maze of shops and other shopping center trappings, and of course, all the civilians spending their day working or shopping. Initiative was theirs to do as they saw fit.