Three days passed and there was no sign of TonyCastelli. Kaira visited the HQ everyday looking for him but no one knew anything. Preeyah kept telling her not to worry but she never gave any details about Tony's whereabouts. That made Kaira even more suspicious and curious. 

She sent a message to everyone and told them to gather in the Villainy Inc. Lounge. TheButcher was the first one to arrive and of course he was accompanied by his soulmate AlejandroGuevara. Next to come were Joy and Preeyah. In one hour the lounge was filled with people from Las Vegas: Klejnot, Ichigo, DarGabrielson, @GuvNavyor who instead of paying attention was dancing around with some girls, James holding a can of beer, Shinni who was eating salted watermelon, Jones who was dragging the dead drunk Bearski with him. 

When everyone was finally gathered Kaira went up on the bar and looked at the crowd. Everyone! I am sure you are all curious to know why I asked you to come here today, and no James, we didn't come to get drunk! We are all here because I have a very important question to ask and that is WHAT HAPPENED TO TONY?!

Kaira sighed..

I am starting a search today and I need your help. I want all of us to get united and help finding our beloved boss, friend and goat. We will split and search different places for him. The one who finds Tony will receive a great reward.

Kaira's eyes were sparkling with hope.

Everyone! Drink tonight and have fun. The drinks are on Tony for when he returns. We will start the search tomorrow morning.

Kaira stepped down from the bar. A feeling of pride was surrounding her. She got a drink in her hand and raised the glass up in the air shouting.

To Tony!

Klejnot came to HQ with Ichigo, walking with him and chattering over small things that happened that week, not sure what she was called to the HQ to discuss. But she came without complaint. Sitting down at the bar she listened to Kaira. 

"I have not seen him for the past three-four days but that was when I kept trying to get him to leave his office." 

She listened to the rest. Curious to where he ran off to, probably some personal business. She nodded, "Alright. Ill help look." 

She got a glass of whiskey and raised it before downing it quickly.

Once the meeting was over and drinks began to be passed around, Shinni left. By the time the meeting had ended, the moon had finally reached its peak. He took a deep breath of the night air. If he was going to be searching, the night would be the perfect time to do it. Normally, he would have Eagal help but he was an early bird. Fortunately, he knew someone that was in town that would be able to provide the tracking skill he lacked. So with that, he headed home to make a call.

Once home, he headed straight for the phone and dialed the number for the most popular hotel and then was transferred to a room. There was a click before a voice answered.

"Yes, you can borrow Mace and Bullet. They'll meet you in the nearest park. Also, I sent a few extra things with them. Have fun."

With that, the person on the other line ended the call.

Shinni grabbed his coat before heading towards the nearest park. It was going to be a long night.

When the male arrived at the meeting spot, he whistled. He was immediately met with two pairs of glowing eyes. Out came two wolf hybrids, a natural predator of goats.

"First I'll need you to pick up a scent. We're looking for a goat. I know, an odd creature for a city such as this but that's what it is." He said, holding his coat out to the wolves. A big chunk was missing from when Fortunado decided it would make a great snack.

"Alright lead the way you two." The male said, ignoring what the animals had brought with them.

After a few hours of walking and tracking, a forest came into view. The male relaxed noticeably at the familiar surroundings. The city always made him tense and wary but a forest made him relaxed and free. He enjoyed the night noises as he followed the hybrids deeper in. Once they got close to the heart, Shinni could hear rhythmic beating of drums and chanting. Well... That wasn't a good sign. Hopefully, the goat hadn't been sacrificed yet. He signaled for the wolves to stay as he carefully made his way to the clearing to take a peek.

What he found wasn't too surprising.  He found a group of people walking in circles around the goat, occasionally bowing and dancing. Said goat was looking at the humans in confusion as it was obviously being worshipped. Okay, now there's the goat which means Valentino wasn't too far behind. It didn't take long for him to spot the man, tied to a tree in a dress. And not any dress, it was a dress reserved for nuns except it seemed to be a tad more revealing than the usual garb. The male let out a silent chuckle before he filed it away for later.

The man backtracked towards the wolves and finally went through the items that were brought. Flame retardant, check. Igniters, check. Igniter switch, check. Just as he finished putting the items on the wolves; the forest suddenly went quiet. This caused the male to pause before a loud booming voice interrupted the silence.

"We summon the Great Shinni!!!! We have need of your assistance. In return, we have prepared a human sacrifice. Come and advise us as you claim your sacrifice!"

The man's eyes narrowed. Great, nothing like being summoned by a bunch of weird cultists who were worshipping him and the goat for some odd reason. He sighed and stepped out of the trees. 

"You called?" The male responded, sarcastically. A few people in the group gasped as if they couldn't believe that he had actually been 'summoned'. The leader of the group was first to speak.

"First, do what you wish with your offering and take your time. We have plenty of time to talk."

Shinni paused and turned towards Tony pretending to be interested in the offer as he made sure the man was okay. 

"First, I must ask. Why is he dressed like that?"

The leader looked at Tony. "His clothes got ruined during his capture and that was the only thing nearby."

Shinni grimaced, tonight was not Tony's night. He sighed then picked up the goat. "Since you didn't specify, I'll take the goat. You can keep the man."

The leader looked baffled. "But we prepared a human sacrifice. We went through a lot of trouble to get him and the goat."

"I don't know what you think I am but I have no use for another human being. Also, if you're going to summon things and offer sacrifices you need to be specific. I hate it when people don't do their research." He stated before walking back towards the woods.

"Wait, you didn't give us any advise!" The leader shouted and the short male sighed.

"I believe I just did. Oh well, it doesn't matter. The Hellhounds will be here for you shortly." He responded, glancing back as he hid a smirk.

"Hellhounds?" The leader questioned, confused.

"Yes, Hellhounds. You know, the beasts born from fire and brimstone? They appear after a failed summon." Shinni responded, calmly.

"And what is there purpose?" One of the other members finally, sounding terrified.

The male grinned as the goat bleated, most likely alerting everyone to the danger they were unaware of. "Well, they're purpose is to maul the failures." Right when he said maul, he hit the switch as the two hybrids came charging out of the woods, snarling and looking as bit as the Hellhounds he claimed they were.

It wasn't long before the woods were filled with snarls, screams, and begging. Shinni ignored the commotion, being careful not to trip over the switch cable or any severed parts. Once he made sure the goat was safe and wasn't going to run back into the clearing, he went back to retrieve Tony. "Well, Don Valentino, let's get you some proper clothes and get you two home before Kaira has a heart attack. Your sudden disappearance has really worried her. Oh, and I don't recommend you watch those to work. It can be quiet nasty." He commented, cutting the rope that had Tony bound before shouting to the wolves. "Leave nothing behind if you can help it. I'll trust you two will find your way back on your own." He said before leading man and goat out of the woods.

Late in the night, the people gossiped, like they did always. People from outside Vegas would think money and glamour are the leading commodities in the city, but  they aren’t and never will be. The stories told and passed on usually delivered on both and entertainment as well as leverage. No saddening story, will ever go secretly enjoyed and now amicable tale will ever go unused for one’s advantage. Vegas, the merrier the ones seated at the table, the more wary one should be.

But while everyone knew that, it never kept anyone from sharing liquor and stories over too-many-a-chip at the gambling tables. The laughter and chaos made head turns as one of the tables a gentlemen jumped up and screamed

“FULL GOAT, I GOT FULL GOAT!”

The bystanders laughed, while his opponents scoffed and pointed out that the term was ‘Full House’ and that more importantly his hand did not add up to that, but only to a straight. But right when the croupier was about to collect all chips, the man who had shouted about his supposed victory gestured and silenced everyone at the table.

“Wait, let me tell you a tale first, before your laughter ensues...” he spoke, starting loudly but ending slowly… and softly.

"It’s a short story, so I’ll be quick. There once was this goat that found its home at the edge where desert meets city. Just there were the iconic “Welcome to Vegas” sign is located. And because people found this image so untraditional they often stopped on their way over and see what it was all about.”

The man paused to take a sip of his drink, secretly taking pleasure seeing the puzzled faces in front of him. After drinking he made a wide gesture with his right hand, over his head as a backwards ticking clock, halting to his top-left, their right.

“The first person that met the goat was wealthy and well-dressed gentlemen. A big fish, a spender, those who make Vegas famous. Now the goat was hungry, but it couldn’t speak, so it blinked is eyes and tilted it’s head - hoping to portray a sense of need. But the wealthy man, while compassionate, did not understand the goat. They hugged and separated ways. And the goat was left behind, hungry.”

One of the bystanders took off, bored off the story. But the man continued, while his table-guests looked still puzzled. He made a wide gesture with his left arm, over his head - into the opposite direction as before and halted at his top-right, their left. And meanwhile he spoke.

"The second person was a nobody, a cleaning lady in one of the hotels on The Strip. She saw the goat, recognised its need, but had nothing to share with it - so they hugged and separated ways. And the goat was left behind, hungry.”

The man saw another person leave, but after sipping from his drink, his right arm made a wide gesture again, going to his upper-left, their right.

“The third person to meet the goat was a beautiful lady, a moviestar who had never seen a goat in real life before. She got close, smiled like an angel, but void of true emotion and without understanding of the goat its deeper needs - and they hugged and separated ways. And the goat was left behind, hungry.”

The crowd around them thinned out, and the man recognised he didn’t have much time and audience left. He made another big motion, this time with his right hand, over his head, to his upper-right, their left.

“The fourth was a winner on his way home. A number 13 out of 12 that got 1 this one time in his life. Happy for winnings that he didn’t need. He saw the goat, hugged it intensely in his enthusiasm, sharing an emotion only he experienced and they separated ways. And the goat was left behind, hungry.”

As another of the bystanders left, the man took another sip of his drink and was about to speak again when he got interrupted by the croupier.
“Sir, however entertaining your story is - NOT -, you are holding up this game. Is there a point to your story.”

The man laughed and explained how each of the characters stood for one of his cards.
“The wealthy man was the King, the first card on the table. The second was the 9, also at the available at the start, but hardly significant. The third was the queen, the card we got on the turn and things get interesting there, especially with the winner, number 10 arriving on the river card.”

The table-guests understood the poor-ass references, but juggled their emotions between bored and puzzled, while the croupier continued.
“Sir, that’s nice and all, and I’m sure the fifth guy to meet the goat was named Jack. But that’s irrelevant. This was no full-goat, not even a full-house, but just a straight and you lost this hand to the man with the four-of-a-kind over there. Now please, could you vacate this seat for someone that has chips to spend instead of stories to tell?”

The man lift his hands up in the air as a sign of surrendering, knowing when he was beat and got of his chair and took off towards the bar to get a new drink. It wasn’t after long as a fine dressed man took place on the stool next to him.

“That’s a great story you’re telling here in the casino’s, Dar.” Tony said. “But how is that going to make me money?”

The man, revealed to be Dar, was surprised to see his boss who Kaira had been looking for suddenly show up in the casino’s.

“Well boss, I admit that the goat we found in your office the other day has been an inspiring concept to make a buck in this place. The absurdness of it proves to be distracting, even in a place like this. All of the bystanders at my table just now were associates of mine. The story gave them the opportunity to picket their pockets. From the start, I was well-aware that I lost that hand, but hell, I know I won the night. And that’s thanks to your goat!”

Tony smiled, while twirling around the spirit in his glass. Once it settled inside, he got up from his stool and said:

“That goat, it’s quite something, isn’t it?”

Tony tapped Dar on the shoulder and took off, leaving Dar wondering whether that goat started to make sense all of a sudden. It didn’t, did it?And where did Tony took off to again?

AlejandroGuevara remembered something of walking to Villainy HQ with TheButcher and watching Kaira standing there on top of the bar giving them one simple, yet demanding task.

He hardly remembered more, as he decided to finally say Yes when James offered him a beer.. And then another one. And one more, until he did not fail the Butch-imposed absense of dicing anymore. Not that Alejandro was an easily-addicted person, but he just was in a mood to say yes to anything. Not to Klejnot's whiskehiccup.. Even Bearski laying numbb on zeeflor waasn't aahreaason tooo wrfuse nothe drihink. Vry sloowleee vreethin in Alixhis haht tunned black..

Until with a large bang Alejandro was thrown on the floor!

What was that! Alex moaned as every cubic inch of his body seemed to hurt.. Fuck you, that was me!

He looked up and saw Butch laughing

Oh fuck.. Now i know what happened, why the hell you wearing the left half of my clothes? 

The convo lasted a while until TheButcher mentioned they should start the search for TonyCastelli, and Alejandro suddenly remembered some of Kaira's words..

With Butch saying they should split up to search, Alex decided to get some consolation inspiration at the nearest casino, but as he stepped out of Villainy HQ, he suddenly knew.

One day, quite some time ago, Alex had gone to a very special place, a place that took him a long time to find, a place he could only find with huge perseverence, it had taken him days to find the house. And looking at the time frame of Tony's disappearance and the description of his mental state just before it, he knew Tony was finding the place Alex once found. 

Before even entering the casino*, he turned around, walked back to Tony's Headquarters, knocked on the door and waited for Kaira to open.

After she opened the door, Guevara let himself in, talking while entering

..do you remember me telling you about the place I found, a while ago, with this vague picture of a very balanced woman drawing cards to predict my future..?

He didn't wait for Kay to nod

..that is where he is at. It explains his behaviour of the last days, I recognise the nervosity of being on the brink of maybe coming to know more than you think you can handle.. He will be back soon. And he will come back as a more complete person. Don't worry, Kay.. But.. well.. Can you explain me how I ended up in the room with TheButcher?



*Of course that was a lie, as he did go in, lost all he had and only then, a couple of minutes later, he came out and went back to Kaira

Tony was slowly making his way down the streets of Los Ang...Vega...York? He wasn't sure where he was exactly, but he knew that he definitely needed something more to drink if he was going to keep enjoying his night....day....days? He also wasn't sure how long it had been since he was back at Villainy Incorporated headquarters. He knew that by this time Kaira had received sober Tony's note to search for him. So he had to make sure that they did not catch drunk Tony. 

He would make it quite impossible. He had paid multiple lookalikes to go around to different places pretending to be him. They were quite convincing too as he knew that it would fool many of them. This party would not end for him easily!

Later that night...

Tony was making his way down an alley after visiting and having a meal of hot dogs and beans with his old bum friend from the Bronx in New York. He had a flight to catch back to Las Vegas, although he was unsure of what direction he needed to go. Just then he spotted a familiar figure approaching him.....it was Klejnot. He made a mad dash across the street causing multiple car crashes as he went. He saw here waving from behind and she was yelling, "Tony!!". But he knew he could outrun her and get to the air port to escape capture....

Once on the plane ride home he was starting to relax when he heard some familiar voices on the plane. He began to scan the area until he spotted his assailants! It was Preeyah and Joy. Although they may have just been on a trip together he couldn't be certain that they were not on the hunt for him. So he ordered one more mixed drink from the flight attendant before he sprinted for the front of the plane. Everyone watched in horror as Tony grabbed a parachute and opened the plane door. He downed his drink, waved at his two lovely hands, and jumped from the plane.....

After he was on the ground safely, he caught a bus to Las Vegas....

The city seemed safe as far as he could tell. He didn't yet see any of his crew members searching for him. While on his walk he spotted Kaira looking around and he decided to run into the closest bar. Once inside he figured he would be safe. He continued his drinking until he realized that he heard a recognizable sound on the floor behind him. He slowly turned around on his stool to see that his Goat Fortunado had found him. He sprinted for the door, but felt his something grab his pant leg as he fell to the ground. He scratched at the floor and yelled as Fortunado dragged him through the back door of the bar. The other bar patrons just stared in confusion at what was happening. 

Once he was in the alley he began to wrestle with the goat as he fought to free himself. He saw his moment and pulled off his trousers before sprinting out of the alley. He ran for what felt like hours, but was most likely just a couple of minutes. He spotted a neon sign that said "Beer and Liquor" and decided that would most likely be a safer place to go. 

Once inside he sat down and felt that maybe he could finally relax......

After about two or three more drinks he could barely see straight. But he saw that some of the dancers were having fun and making money in the bar. He figured he needed more money to drink and that he would be a better dancer than any of them! He began to put on a show for those around so that he could get some more drinking money.

Just then somebody showed up in the bar.....it was TheButcher. He tried to talk to Butch as he carried him out, but Butch clearly did not understand what he was saying. Maybe Butch was too drunk to understand. He wasn't sure, but he was sort of happy that he was finally going home.

Tony was finally found....