Slagthuset Nightclub

The pulse of music could be felt several meters from the door of the club. Tino was already moving to the beat as he easily slipped in through the back door and made his way up to the floor of the club proper. Slagthuset was one of the most popular clubs in the city. It was, as always, packed with people, dancing and drinking and carousing. And none of them were aware that the ones running this place were members of a powerful organised crime family.

Tino wove through the close, heated bodies and went upstairs to the VIP room, simply flashing a smile at the bouncer before sauntering in the door.

Sitting in the VIP room next to his brother Ingvar, Asgeir straightened his blue-striped tie. The music made the room feel as if it were pulsating around him. He looked up as Tino entered the room before giving him a friendly, acknowledging nod. He tapped Ingvar's shoulders and whispered to him, "It's time." He got up and walked towards the door, turning to address whomever was listening, "Excuse Ingvar and me, we'll be back momentarily." Asgeir opened the door and waited for his brother to join him.

Waiting for luggage at the airport must be one of the worst things Søren new. He had waited two hours for one small suitcase, but then again, it was filled with money. His business trip had spawned a nice bit of profit, and he was now waiting for a cab to drive him to his next destination. Keeping a watch on his surroundings he wondered how his mafia family had got on without him. It didn't take too long for a car to appear, and Søren lunged for it immediately. He opened the door and sat down with his suitcase still in his hands.

"Slagthuset. You know where it is."

(I'm back. Camp was fun, though there was a storm right above us one night.)

Tino nodded to Asgeir, and his eyes followed the young man as he left. The Finn sprawled on one of the open seats and checked his watch idly. Søren should have been there by now... Tino waited patiently for his boss to arrive, scrutinising each and every person who walked in.

Ingvar nodded when Asgeir said it was time to go and swiftly followed him. They needed to take care of some business before the boss got back from his business trip. He was hoping that this would be over with quickly, as the music had started to give him a headache and he wasn't in the mood to deal with people who were either stupid or were trying to cheat his family out of what they wanted.

The cab drove to Slagthuset quickly enough, but Søren felt like it took a little too long, and guarded his suitcase, just in case the driver would attempt to steal it. Every time he had big money with him, Søren gradually grew more and more paranoid about it, so the quicker he reached his destination, the better. He stepped out of the car, and handed some coins to the driver.

"That should be enough." he said, and stepped inside the nightclub. Clinging onto his suitcase, he waded through people like he had always done. Moving round these places made some people develop skills of being able to vanish easily. As inconspicuously as he could, Søren made his way to the VIP room.

"Hiya! Anyone missed me?" he asked, and placed his suitcase on the table.

"All too much. Welcome home," Tino greeted. He eyed the suitcase curiously. "Is there some reason you brought that up here?"

"Knew it. ANyway, remember the forged antiques?" Søren asked, and then continued without waiting for an answer, "I sold them all to some collector. This suitcase contains the profits."

The Dane smiled like he had just won the lottery, almost as he was waiting for praise. He opened the suitcase.

"Good, eh?"

"Excellent... I guess there really is one born every minute. But really? Of all places, you bring it straight here? How did you even get it on a plane?" Tino asked, incredulous. "That must have been an exercise in paranoia."

Tino patted the seat beside him in welcome. "Relax. Take a load off. And you deserve a drink."

Listening to Tino's wondering of him bringing the money to the night club instead of taking it to a safer place made Søren grin even wider. The fact that he had succeeded in controlling his paranoia enough not to hurt or start yelling at anyone made him proud of himself.

"Well, it did take a lot of concentration, but I can handle things like that!" Søren explained and sat down. He let out a little laugh. "I sure feel like having a drink."

"Of course. We should celebrate another successful business transaction. If business keeps improving like this, you'll own the city, Søren." Tino flagged one of the barmen down and ordered himself a scotch on the rocks. "What would you like? Drinks on me," he offered to his boss.

Søren laughed. He sure liked the thought of owning the city.
"That would be very useful, to own this city. A worthy asset for us. As long as we don't run out of buyers. But hey, idiots are easy to fool, and the world's full of them! And I'd rather have a cold beer at the moment. The best for cooling down."

Søren sighed, and laid back his head. "Where are the others?"

"Honestly, taking over this town would be relatively easy for us, if it weren't for a few pesky others trying to do the same. But...with a little planning, and some well-thought-out risk-taking..." The guy returned with their drinks, and Tino thanked him with a wink. "Keep them coming. Then we could start thinking about expanding operations. I certainly have enough connections to get us on the map, and Asgeir and Ingvar know everyone worth knowing from here to Shanghai..." He listened to the ice cubed clinking in his glass for a moment, then held the glass up for a toast. "To possibilities."

He took a sip from his scotch, savouring the warmth as it went down. "The others just sort of ditched me here. Other business to attend to, or something like that. Ingvar seemed to be in a bit of a rush."

"A few wise decisions can take pretty far, you are right. And in times like these, expanding seems to be essential, and extremely useful. I doubt bigger families expect us to rise, and that is an advantage we would be stupid to turn down." Søren took his beer, and cherised the moment of relaxation. He held up his pint, and clinked it against Tino's glass. "To possibilities!"

He took a deep swig of his beer, and set the pint down on the table. "That will do wonders to my nerves. Other business? Oh well, they always seem to have it so. And Ingvar is always in a rush when I'm around."

"Those two are always up to something. They're devious. I can never quite understand the way they work with each other. It's like they speak some other language that only they could understand. I guess it comes from being such close siblings."

"And of course Ingvar is always in a rush around you. He's a type-A people-pleaser and you're his boss, right?"

"They are very suspicious from time to time, but they have yet never let us down. It's weird the way they communicate, almost in silence. A few words and gestures, and they seem to read each other's thoughts. But you're probably right, similar minds, I guess."

Søren took a swig of his beer, and stopped to think for a moment.

"Yeah, that is true, but I wonder, could it also be something else?" Søren paused, then burst out laughing, "Or maybe not."
,

"They do their little mind-reading routine and plot against the world. They're fascinating, really." Tino finished off his scotch and smiled when he received another almost immediately.

"I wouldn't be so sure it's nothing," he speculated. "He seems pretty willing to do anything for you. They way he look at you sometimes... I think he thinks you're sexy. But please don't tell him I said that, he might kill me in my sleep."

"Well, I suppose it would be fascinating to follow, if you have enough patience. i myself find it a little creepy, to be honest." He took a few deep swigs of his beer as if to calm down.

"I-I was suspecting something like that. I promise not to tell, losing you would be a severe blow for this organisation. But your speculation surprises me, I thought it was all in my head, but I guess I'm still sane." He finished his pint with a few gulps, and set the glass on the table.

"No matter what they get up to, it never gets on their hands... You're right. It is pretty creepy. I mean, I'm a good cleaner, I always make sure to shut the barn door behind me, but those two are blank pages when it comes to that stuff." Tino swirled his glass absently.

"Good to know someone can't afford to lose me... At least that's one less to worry about blasting me to hell one night. And yes. You're sane." Tino eyed the Dane's beer. "Want another?"

Worming his way through the close dancing people wasn't one of Berwalds favorite things to do. But the boss should be back by now and maybe there were some interesting news to be heard. He made his way towards the VIP room and didn't even have to look at the bouncer for him to let him through.
He pushed open the door and went inside with the same stoic face as always.

"Those two cause some sleepless nights from time to time. And you are person far too efficient and skilled to lose. Finding a replacement would be impossible." the Dane mused. It was true, though he hoped he wouldn't have to regret confessing this later. Then his focus was brought back to alcohol.

"Yes please. Oh, hej, Berwald." he greeted the man who had just entered the room. He hoped it would have been Ingvar, but tried to hide his dissapointment.

"Guess what? I managed to sell all those fake antiques!"

Berwald sat down at the table and greeted both of them with a small nod before turning to Søren.
"Good o' ba' prize?" He was always interested what horrendous prizes the people payed for fakes. It was rather amusing to hear about the proud buyers of fakes.

The Finn winked. "I know, I'm far too important an asset. At least you have two of them. If Asgeir falls off a cliff, you have Ingvar to get the job done. I'm irreplaceable."

Tino greeted Berwald with a soft murmur, then couldn't help the way his eyes repeatedly flickered over to the other. He hoped it wasn't too obvious.

"Do you want a drink, Berwald?" he asked, flagging down the same guy from before.

With a small nod Berwald accepted Tinos offer and order himself a glas of whisky. He tried not to let his gaze linger to long on the Finn, he didn't want to frighten the smaller man. Many people had already called him scary if he look at them to long. Even though he really had a soft spot for the Finn and if Tino asked he would grant him any wish, really.

"A' inter'sting n'ws?"

The Finn ordered himself another drink and glanced over at Berwald, accidentally locking eyes with him. The violet gaze snapped to the floor in mild embarrassment and Tino felt his face warming up. Awkward... He tried not to get caught staring at people he found attractive.

And Berwald was attractive, in a rugged, intimidating sort of way. It took a lot to get past the frightening exterior, but underneath, he was a great guy. A little quiet, difficult to understand, but he'd always been courteous, even sweet to Tino. As a result, an affection for the Swedish man had grown in Tino's heart.

He realised suddenly how distracted he'd become. "Hm?"