Security Detail (1)

The light shines brightly early Sunday morning onto Lucario who is quietly sitting in front of the caution-taped house and lighting a candle. He kneels in front of the freshly lit candle then lowers his head onto the first step of the house.

"O powerful Mammon, I offer you the wealth that the Buenavista Family has received under your guidance. Bless us so that we may continue to flourish under your prosperous reign. Please forgive my ancestors as they have sinned against you and paid the price in your fiery pit."

Lucario continues to keep his head down but suddenly hears the sound of Lily laughing outside. Lifting up his head, he sees Lily running towards him while the golden sun rays shine on her. A gasp slips through Lucario's lips as a light breeze brushes against him. He quickly glances down at the candle that has been blown out by the wind.

Thinking to himself, he wonders if Mammon is giving him a sign of some sort or an omen. Regardless, Lucario opens his arms and welcomes his little girl. "Good morning, Lily."

"Good morning, Daddy!" Lily greets as she tightly hugs her father. "What are you doing out here on the ground?"

"It's Sunday, so I'm praying to Mammon who is the person who protects this family."

"Can I meet this person?! He protects my family, so I have to say thank you."

Lucario hesitantly looks down at the candle then back to Lily. "I think he is sleeping now because the candle is out. Maybe when the candle is lit again, you can meet him."

"I can wait until then!" Lily excitedly shouts, jumping away from Lucario and squatting in front of the candle. "Hi there, Mr. Mammon. My name is Lily. I hope that you can light your candle again soon so that I can say thank you." Lily giggles to herself as she feels like she's becoming more like a Buenavista, but Lucario can't help but stare at her and feel uneasy as the golden rays continue to shine on her back.

Amidst his thinking, Lucario finds Ethan running over to them. He seems to be worn out already from the training he received at the crack of dawn.

"Lily, why are you still in your pajamas?" Ethan asks after catching up to them. "I thought you said that you would wait for me in your room. Why did you suddenly leave?"

A bit nervous from the sudden scolding, Lily grabs onto her father's shirt sleeve. "I was waiting for you. I promise. But then I saw something shiny outside and I wanted to see what it was."

Realizing that he scared Lily, Ethan steps back but then notices that Lucario is staring at him. "Good morning, Mr. Lucario. I didn't mean to ignore you."

Lucario stands up from where he is squatting then picks up Lily. "That's fine. I understand that you were just worried about Lily. However, why did you have Lily wait for you in her room? What were you planning on doing?" Lucario asks, staring daggers into the little boy in front of him.

Ethan straightens up as he feels the ice sliding down his back. "Last night, Lily said that she wanted to have training with me early in the morning, but I told her that I have to wake up before the sun rises in order to do a different type of training. So, we agreed that Lily will stay in her room and wait for me to finish my personal training so that we can go to our group training together."

"I'm surprised that you held up well for your first day of training," Lucario comments, starting to walk back to the house. "I know that your thoughts are developed well beyond your current age, but I figured that your body right now would not be able to handle it."

Following closely behind, Ethan peeks up at Lily who is watching him and waves up at her. "I have been taught the lesson of mind over matter as you might be aware. As long as my determination and will are strong, my body can withstand anything."

Lucario glances down at Ethan for a second then looks forward again. "Well, as long as you're strong enough to handle the training, then you can stay here on the weekends."

"What kind of training are you doing, Ethan?" Lily asks, looking over her father's shoulder.

Ethan hesitates at first, unsure if he can tell her. Lucario takes note of this and explains. "Ethan is training to become a subordinate of the Buenavista Family. He will become a loyal member and become your right-hand man when you get older if he survives that long."

"Don't say something so scary to Ethan!" Lily nags as she hits her father's shoulder. "Ethan won't die. He's really strong."

Lucario scoffs while peeking over his shoulder. "I'm sure he's strong since he has a motive."

—

The day passes by when Lucario calls a meeting after lunch for the selected men who will be applying to work at the academy starting Monday. Standing before their boss, the five men stiffly hold their ground as they try not to buckle under Lucario's gaze.

"You five have been carefully picked out to apply to work at the academy. Like I said last time, there will be no punishment if you don't get the job. That school has a bunch of fucked up rules, and I wouldn't be surprised if only one of you passes. Tell me what your roles will be if you are able to pass the application process."

A seemingly ordinary man steps forward. However, he has a track record of having one of the highest kill counts in the estate. "We will be protecting Miss Lily disguised as curated faculty members, ensuring that there are no assassins lurking in the shadows."

"Insight of this, we will also be properly performing our duties as curated faculty members so as to not get fired," continues a man with sun-kissed hair that's neatly tied back.

Clearing his throat, a man who looks like he would rather be playing video games than stand where he is finishes the second rule. "Whether that will be as a janitor or an assistant teacher, we will ensure that our duties are carried out while protecting Miss Lily."

"We must also protect the children in the academy." The rumbling of the bassed up voice vibrates through everyone's chest as a man who's built like a truck proceeds.

In contrast, a voice like an angel belonging to the smallest of the chosen applicants sings into the men's ears. "Those who work at the academy have a duty to protect the students. While our main task is to protect Miss Lily, we have to keep the students safe as well."

Lucario nods his head to confirm that they all understand their roles if they are lucky enough to get the job. However, his demeanor suddenly changes once he slides a folder across the table to them. "You five also have another job. Starting today, you five will become Lily's personal security detail with Ryan being your team leader. It goes without saying that it will also mean that you will have a more detailed idea about what's going on than the other guys. You understand where I'm getting at. Correct?"

The ordinary man picks up the folder and opens it up, revealing various details and information about the Johnson Family. Surprised at the fact that something potentially very dangerous has been happening without them realizing, the five men answer, "Yes, Father Lucario!"

"Good. That was also the reason for why Ryan, Billy and I picked the five of you. Each of you has a different skill set that is necessary for protecting Lily." Lucario stands up then points at the folder in the ordinary man's hand. "Study and learn everything about that family. They are going to come after Lily sooner or later, so you must know everything before they do. The number of men at their disposal. Their methods of getting rid of people. The types of people that they deal with who could be a problem. You must know everything. I don't expect anything less than perfect from the top members of this organization."

As Lucario leaves the meeting room, Billy turns once more to face the five men. "Go introduce yourselves to Lily after this. She has to be familiar with you in order to not feel awkward having the lot of you constantly around her. We'll do the rest on our end."

With that, Ryan closes the door, leaving the men in the meeting room. As they sit in the silence, one by one, they take a deep breath before unanimously shouting for joy.

"We did it!"

"We can finally see the angel up close!"

"I hope she won't be scared of us."

However, like what Ryan said earlier, despite their child-like glee, these men are amongst the top members of the organization.

Henry Dingles. A seemingly ordinary man from a Hispanic background. He joined the organization after high school and slowly rose the ranks, becoming part of the elite assassins that specialize in high profile hits. His preferred method of killing is lengthy torture but does not mind doing one hit kills if ordered by Lucario.

Angelo Tan. A blonde hair playboy who can't seem to hold a woman any longer than a couple of days. He was recruited by Billy when Billy noticed how well Angelo can simply slide into a group and start a conversation. Recognized for his ever improving ability, Angelo became the go-to scout for the organization and dedicated his life to gathering intel of dangerous groups by immersing himself with members of those groups.

Bryle Kingsly. A world-renowned hacker who does nothing but play video games in his free time. He was caught by Lucario and his information team when he tried to gather information for a client. Lucario liked Bryle's boldness and recruited him into the organization.

Clyde Lee. A semi-truck of a man who would give anything to pound a man into the cement. His jacked body has led him to be famously held in the group as the best close combatant fighter. He does not mind getting his hands dirty as long as it's for Lucario, the man who saved Clyde from loan sharks who tried to kill him.

Dennis Yap. A man whose height is much to be discussed. What he lacks in height and strength, he makes up for it in intellect. Dennis is one of the smartest members of the organization. His strategy plans never have a back up and are flawless. He originally joined the organization after college to get away from the pressure of his Asian family but learned to appreciate the things they have done for him as they have led him to Lucario.