#The Bohemians#
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Online: XX
#O7: did anyone see the news?
#B2: a lot of people saw. cant you tell?
#O6: what should we do?
#B10: this has nothing to do with us why is she telling us to come to her office
#A19: 🤣 shes the principal
#A19: go to her office
#A19: all you miscreants
#A19: she just barking. I don't think anything will happen
#A19: she only got her job because of her connections. not like she earned it
#A19: she cant do shit to us
#B17: I don't remember us doing anything illegal
#B9: this is about guys who make r2 right?
#B9: were good
#O12: did you guys know Sayer's got closed
#A7: is this because of #A6?
#O16: I don't anything will happen to us, tho
#O16: we don't sell rush II
#O25: we don't use that either
#A13: heard it's much more than r2
#A14: wow... So many people have disappeared
#B19: didn't #B3 know what was going on?
#B15: #B3 isn't here anymore
#O1: guys, does anyone know anything?
#O1: is there anyone that can explain what is happening
#O1: am getting scared
#A19: 🙄 calm down
#A19: you omegas get scared so easily
#A19: the dog is just trying to make a power move
#O7: do you have to be a shit faced idiot at a time like this?
#A19: what? You're scared too?
#A19: do you sell the drug?
#A19: do you make it?
#A11: @A19 dude, are you like... actually, super dumb?
#B19: #A1, #A2, #A3, #A4, #A5, #B1, #B3, #O8 and #O3 are gone
#A14: didn't they have their own little clique like they were better than everyone?
#A19: #A4 is the dude that got a two for one deal, isn't he?
#A19: the pompous fucker got scared and ran off
#A19: lol. What? Daddy's money is not enough to save him from the big scary dog?
#A11: stay on topic you idiot
#A19: I don't get what the big deal is
#A14: did they know something and didn't tell anyone
#B13: maybe they went to the Prosecutor's
#A8: appaz, a few things I learned after asking around
#A8: because r2 was present at our scene and someone got hurt, we can all get implicated
#B8: but it had nothing to do with us
#B8: some people weren't even there
#B9: is that why the group suddenly thinned out?
#A18: all we have to do is turn in Eddie, right?
#B17: all this bullshit because of a cheap thing like that slut?
#O16: we just have to say we weren't there and we didn't know anything.
#B15: that stuff happened so long ago, why would they drag us into it?
#B13: guys, we just have to pin the whole thing on #A6
#B10: I think so too
##: same
##: same
##: same
#A12: what of the dudes that bailed and didn't tell anyone?
#B19: full disclosure, although the official announcement has not been made
#B19: just found out
#B19: the platform has been subpoenaed
#B19: they have all the chats
…
…
The popular and deeply treasured omega actor, Niel, stepped out of the building into a sea of reporters that had been waiting, ready to ambush whoever stepped out of the prosecution. Since the press conference, the area around the Prosecutor General's office had become a literal camping ground for reporters. Everyone and anyone were eager for any news.
"Niel!" "Niel!" They chorused, shoving phones, cameras, microphones and recorders in his face, desperate to be the one to get his attention.
He stepped back, shielding his face with his hands.
"Why did you come here today?"
"What can you say about the case?"
"Are you tied with the actors from Blue Star ENT.?"
"Are you related the hospitalized omegas?"
"How are you related to them?"
"Are you a member of the group called the Bohemians? What about Dionys?"
"What do you know about them?"
"How are you related to them?"
He made a look of tangible disgust "I came to file my case as a victim, I don't even know what a bohemian is." He crossed his arms across his chest "Is that something I should know?"
The crowd fell silent for a moment.
"What do you mean?" A silent voice asked.
Niel pointed a finger to himself "I'm a victim of Rush II. I was drugged, against my consent and ended up in the hospital for weeks."
They were too stunned to speak. The news that such a thing would happen to such a public figure, and a beloved one too, was not something they could comprehend.
He tilted his head to the side "You don't believe me?"
"No... That's not..."
"I will say right now, I was wronged in the worst way possible. I am a victim of someone else's recklessness." He pointed to himself "Me, the victim."
"Why are you making this public?"
He briefly glanced back to the direction he had just came from "They said they would give me justice, so I came."
They erupted again with a series of questions, so much that he could hardly hear a word.
Elaine emerged, placing herself firmly between Neil and the reporters.
Their excited barrage of questions increased in amount and volume, it was almost deafening.
Her eyes scanned the crowd, moving left to right and then right to left, taking a split second to observe the faces of everyone present. She observed them until they quieted down "In the next 3 minutes, any one of you found within thirty kilometers of this building will be brought in on charges for obstruction of justice."
Later that day, Neil uploaded several pictures: his signed statement, a summary of his current health report, a summary of his health report after the fact; all with a tag, #Iamthevictim.
The response was as one would imagine, overwhelming public sympathy for victims, support for Elaine's crusade and complete demonization of anyone or entity associated with the drug.
Mari watched the news coverage about Niel stepping forward, heart almost in her mouth. Though the lawyers had explained over and over again that they were all working hard for Lein's benefit, her worries were not eased in any way. She wasn't sure at whom her resentment should be directed... Hank, the group, the State for this seemingly sudden prosecution, Jason or just Lein himself. All the way to Ethan's appointment, she was nothing but a bundle of nerves.
Ethan could almost sense the tension radiating off her "Auntie..." He started quietly, like he was sharing an important secret with her "...Alex said nothing will happen to Lein and my Dad said Elaine is very efficient."
She hummed and forced a little smile, despite her growing troubles, she was determined to focus on Ethan today. She shifted in the chair, turning sideways to face him "How have you been feeling?"
"Good."
She hummed, reaching a hand out to stroke his head. Personal feelings aside, she had a professional interest in his condition too. It was fascinating "Do you feel anything unfamiliar about your body?"
He shook his head "I kept a journal you asked me to..." He rummaged through his bag for a moment to retrieve the book, holding it up for her to see "...I write in it every day."
"That's good."
The monitor pinged and their number flashed on the screen. It was their turn to see the doctor.
Olly welcomed them and offered up a seat.
After the routine question-and-answer session, Olly determined, it would be best to continue the current regime until Ethan was willing to do another thorough glandular assessment. It was now his turn to be subjected to Mari's subject-exhausting questions. He found it a little bit... vexing but having someone ask the questions that Ethan didn't ask or simply did not think to ask was reassuring. He was convinced that her presence would stop his patient from engaging in desperate, and possibly dangerous actions to conceal his secret.
"Thank you..." Ethan looked at Mari now with even more respect. He felt a different kind of security with her, she didn't ask too many questions but even in the state of not understanding the full picture, she did everything she could to help him.
She laughed softly, her fatigued eyes twinkled a little "What do you mean?"
He fiddled with the edge of his shirt, biting the inside of his lower lip with his eyes fixed on his shoes. Mari must have had a lot to deal with but still, she came with him despite that. He would have understood if she had opted out of the arrangement, this generosity of hers weighed heavily on his conscience.
Sensing his growing guilt, Mari stroked his back "I am very happy that you let me help you. Rose would never depend on me like that." She reached behind, to the back seat, to retrieve the packed lunch she had prepared in advance "You didn't get to have lunch because of my endless nagging of your poor doctor. Take this..." she placed the bag in his hands "... let's have lunch."
Ethan's manners, while not at a literal table, were graceful, every movement was measured. It was almost perfect, a sight that always caught her attention. Not just that, it drew her in. Added to that was the almost tangible chill that radiated off him, something she now understood to be the pheromones of his husband. Both mannerisms and air were a natural deterrent to anyone who attempted to approach him. She had seen it happen a few times at the cafe, the people that tried to strike up a conversation with him always left quickly feeling small and maybe even irrelevant. In contrast to that, his character was that of a total sweetheart. It made her even more curious about his background. The initial maybe he was a rich kid's theory was thrown out the window after meeting his doctor and a very dark and unsettling picture started to shape in her head. She hoped she was wrong, omega grooming had been made illegal for decades.
Ethan was even more grateful to Mari for having prepared lunch. He rubbed his full belly happily, it was delicious. Maybe after the trouble with Lein, he would ask her to teach him how to make the sauce so he could make it for Alexei. It had been a while since they shared a meal he cooked. He made up his mind then, tomorrow he would secretly prepare a meal for his husband and visit him at the office. They would have lunch together.
"Ethan..." Someone hovered around his desk "...did you just get back from lunch? Did you eat alone today again?"
"You should eat with us tomorrow." Another person chimed in "There's a really nice place, good food, great atmosphere... I think you would like it."
He pressed his lips into a thin line. He did not know these people, more accurately, he had no interactions with these people outside of work. It had been this way since his marriage, he kept receiving these kinds of invitations and unwarranted shows of concern. His co-workers were constantly making efforts to get close to him. They reminded him of the people who hurt Lein, superficial and self-serving.
All they did previously was speculate about his background and spread rumours about him, with the revelation of his marriage, suddenly they all wanted to be friends. He wanted to spit in their faces.
Maybe it was time to resign. Lein had once asked if he was okay with drawing characters for the customizable coffee thermoses and mugs the cafe wanted to sell. He could solely focus on that instead, it's not like he needed the money anyway, but he had to have the discussion with Alexei first. He felt a little annoyed when he imagined the man's likely reaction to the news. He almost rolled his eyes.
"Ethan?"
He jolted out of his musings, they were still here?
"What do you say?"
"I have plans."
A certain chatroom...
Users: XX
##1: dude the chatroom is completely empty. Every1 bailed.
##10: some people ex'd b4 the whole thing went down
##7: they knew and didn't tell anyone
##7: probably got themselves off the hook quietly
##3: I recognized a lot of the people that went to the general's office
##9: you went?
##9: why? Doesn't that make it look like we did something wrong?
##3: nah, I was just staking out the place to see who would show up
##2: that's a literal crime you fucker
##3: I didn't talk to anyone
##3: I just wanted to hear what the fuss was about
##4: what'd you hear
##3: they want to try the Bohemians as a criminal entity
##3: isn't that a bit much??
##3: don't remember us committing any crimes
$$0: I heard they want to try us as a criminal entity
$$8: criminal entity?
$$8: that's a bit of a reach, don't you think
$$0: did we actually do anything illegal
$$0: we don't sell drugs
$$0: everyone consented too
$$2: yea like how desperate is she for a promotion
$$2: barking and making a big deal about nothing
$$7: yhu guys heard?
$$7: #A6 was arrested
$$9:😱
$$9: when?
$$9: why?
$$5: heard that too
$$5: not just him, a lot of people were taken in too
$$5: do they actually have a case against us?
$$6: I heard that Sayer's was part of a drug ring
$$6: it's why they always had juice on hand
$$2: but what does that have to do with us?
$$2: it's not like we were the sellers or makers
$$1: dude...
$$1: didn't you know?
$$1: a few Bohemians worked for Sayer's
&&1: guys
&&1: did you hear, a lot of people got plea deals
&&1: ### said they saw people at the general's office
&&1: a lot of people that left the group showed up to testify
&&9: does anyone know why #A6 was arrested?
&&5: it's not just him, June too
&&6: I get #A6 but why June? Was he selling too?
&&7: I heard it was something about a conspiracy charge
&&7: didn't make any sense
&&0: yo! Guys!!
&&0: remember those omegas that were fighting?
&&3: lots of fights going on
&&3: gotta be more specific
&&0: the one that got her nose broken and ended up in the hospital
&&3: oh... Those ones 😒
&&0: yeah... They were taken in too
&&0: not just them, a lot of people have been getting arrested
&&6: never knew there were so many drug dealers in the group
&&0: this isn't just about drugs
&&0: I heard the group might be facing a racketeering charge
€€8: assault?! Prostitution?
€€8: i don't ever remember that happening
€€2: what conspiracy?
€€7: no, I heard it was criminal harassment and cyber bullying
€€9: no, no… it was reckless endangerment
€€0: what have y'all been harping about??
€€1: bitvh, hav u bn under a rock?
€€1: evry1z bn getting arrested
€€0: what for?
€€6: apparently it's assault, reckless endangerment, conspiracy to commit crimes, criminal harassment cyber bullying, and prostitution ☝️
§6: what the fuck!§6: I got summons§4: wait, it's real?§2: fuck!§2: what for?§6: invasion of privacy and criminal harassment §6: what even is that?§6: who did I harass?
££1: if you have any videos and pictures of anyone on your phones, delete them now!!!
££5: why?
££7: what's happening?
££3: I thought this was just about the drugs
££1: it's not
££1: FUCK!!!!
££1: haven't you guys been paying attention to what is going on
££1: they're getting people for illegal surveillance and distribution of illicit materials
¢¢8: I have a fucking family, how do I explain this
¢¢3: we didn't make the fucking videos
¢¢3: if this gets out
¢¢3: im going to lose my job
¢¢1: what the hell is cyber flashing?
¢¢2: distribution of non-consensual imagery? What is that??
¢¢2: I didn't do any revenge pornography, I just shared a few videos
¢¢1: please someone tell me what is cyber flashing?
¢¢1: anyone
¢¢7: what does your letter say?
¢¢1: ..under investigation of cyber stalking, cyber flashing and distribution of an intimate image...
¢¢9: who were you messaging
¢¢1: what?
¢¢9: it should state who you sent the messages to
¢¢1: um... Chloe?
¢¢9: didn't she leave like 4 years ago?
¥¥1: dudes this is..
¥¥1: this is absolutelyINSANE
¥¥6: you heard?
¥¥8: yea. #A56 was taken in for something that happened 3 years ago
¥¥9: when he followed that dude home?
¥¥8: no... He had been messaging him non-stop since then
¥¥8: the dude pressed charges against him
¥¥2: their calling people in for messages too?
¥¥5: guys remember those two omegas that were getting sued and got into a fight?
¥¥5: it was because of the video of lein
¥¥5: even though #O10 started the whole shit it was #O13 that recorded and shared it, his sentence is going to be heavier. #O10 pinned the whole thing on him
¥¥7: fuuuuck!!!
¥¥5: they're trying to make it a criminal case
∆∆1: can we ask people not to testify against us?
∆∆8: like how?
∆∆2: people are being called in for things like sending messages and videos
∆∆5: we just have to delete those, right?
∆∆7: if we apologize and ask them not to say anything, it would be fine, right?
In the last weeks, Lein had been working really hard.
Extremely hard.
After school he would stop by his lawyer's office to tell them everything he knew, what he remembered, who he met and how he met them.
It was an unending barrage of questions.
Then he was prepped for his testimony at the witness stand. He wasn't sure about the details, but his testimony will be needed in about three or so trials? He had to know how to answer the Prosecutor's questions and how to handle a cross-examination.
It was harrowing.
Any free time outside school and the cafe was spent with lawyers. Then he had to show up for the preliminary hearing and pre-trial motions.
In all this, he had not even caught a glimpse of Jason. He shook his head to disperse the thought. Now was not the time to focus on the absence of the man, there was a much more pressing issue at hand, like this little shit who was currently getting his ass handed to him.
Raymond's grunts did little to deter Lein's persistent and frankly, merciless beatdown and no one around showed any signs of wanting to interfere. In fact, they almost seemed to be... enjoying this.
Like every other time before, Raymond's invitation to hang out or party or whatever the fuck he wanted was rejected. The fact that Lein had zero interest in making any social connections at school was as standard as the sky being blue, but Raymond just kept asking.
Lein showed his usual, detached polite smile "Sorry, I can't. got work." He turned around and swiftly headed to his bike.
The people next to Raymond snickered at his rejection. He began to see red "I don't know why he's being so pretentious. He's not working, he's been going to the prosecutor's office." He proclaimed very loudly and confidently.
The snickers began to quieten.
Someone grabbed him by the arm "Dude..."
"... he's one of them, those people called the Bohemians. I heard he was so hopped on drugs he almost died."
The grab turned into a pinch. Lein, who was almost out of earshot, begun to slow down.
"There's even a video of him and his sugar daddy going around. I can't believe there's someone who wanted trash like that."
At this point, Lein had come to a complete stop. His grip on his helmet tightened.
A curious group had formed around Raymond, speaking in hushed whispers. A lot of people thought it was not funny and honestly a little childish to dredge up unconfirmed rumours about a person's past in a bid for personal vendetta.
A lot of disgusted gazes were directed at Raymond.
Everything else happened so fast, it took a few seconds to register what had occurred.
Lein charged at him with ferocious focus landing the bottom of his boot squarely in his chest. Raymond was sent flying with full force. The disgusted looks turned into looks of shock and surprise and then admiration.
Seemingly satisfied, Lein held himself back. Maybe it was the Jason factor, but getting into physical altercations was something he had tried to avoid. He let out an audible exhale, the suffocating feeling in his chest eased a little.
Raymond struggled to his feet "WHAT THE FUCK?!" He bellowed as he rushed at Lein, who simply sidestepped him and kicked him in the shin "Fuck! That means it's true..." He spat viciously "...your sugar daddy found out he had been paying for the town whore and dumped you!"
Lein smiled, not the polite smile everyone was familiar with, but an unsettling smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. He lunged at him again but this time, he didn't stop. He threw his helmet straight at his head, following it's trajectory to land a punch and well...
Lein was arrested.
Remember kids, no matter how well deserved a beating is, assault is still assault.
Yohan, Raymond's father, is a prominent lawyer. Maybe not the very best or among the cream of the crop but he was good. Good enough to be brought in as a defense counsel in one of the most prominent ongoing criminal cases. He looked at the clearly unremorseful and prideful man sitting behind the bars of the holding cell. He threw Raymond's hospital reports in front of the arresting officer "I have no intention of settling, I will sue."
Hank arrived first. The call from the policestation actually surprised him. Lein getting into trouble was not a new thing, that was his signature growing up. He was always up to something; fighting? Ha! Hank had personally taught him how to do so because well, Lein could be a bit of an asshole sometimes, so why not do what he believed was necessary.
The result?
There were a few minor incidents but never one that required police intervention.
Even more surprising…
In this last year, Lein had been so meek, so introspective that he had actually forgotten what a menace of a child he had raised. The unease that had weighed heavily in his chest fell away, in its place a sense of his dormant reemerging pride. When he saw Lein's lack of remorse, that feeling amplified by a few times. He walked passed the man who was making a ruckus about dragging his son to court, ignoring him and focusing solely on Lein "You hurt?"
Lein shook his head.
He gestured to his face, pointing out his black eye and bruised lip "Got a little something."
"I got distracted for a moment."
Hank nodded in approval and finally gave Yohan his attention "You want to sue?"
"Of course!" He yelled "He attacked my son first. There are witnesses."
Hank nodded, truly this sounded just like the work of his menace. Lein would definitely be alright.
Hillary arrived next.
"We have no intentions of reaching any settlements." Yohan threatened "I will press charges."
"Of course not. Why would there be any settlement?" Hillary said with a composed smile "Please sue, my client is a very patient man. You can drag this out as much as you want."
Yohan snorted, all they had was a cafe and a gym, why would a middle class family be so confident about being able to withstand a civil case?
Hillary continued "But for full disclosure, your son got beat up for revealing the identity of a witness protected by the State in an ongoing high profile case. Not only that, that information was rather distressing and we are very curious to know how your son happened upon this information..." She gasped dramatically as she placed a hand over her mouth "...could it be that you revealed details about an ongoing investigation to an uninvolved party? You and your son might be facing criminal charges." She gasped again in feigned surprise "Sue? Would you even have the time for that?"
When Mari heard the news, she had the same feeling as Hank.
…and Jason was a little amused.