Tara sighed as she glanced through the paper. The last few days had been devastating, and among the surviving districts Race Street in particular had been hit hard. Not only had they lost their GFC Spaceman and their Godfather JackMezzo, but they'd also lost three other crewleaders as well: William_Bowden, ArturoStrigliori, and Charlie__Pavanno- not to mention DustyKid, a young man with a penchant for street speaking and great potential. The losses had been devastating on a personal and professional level.

Worse, empty districts  sent a bad signal to the rest of the world; it was practically in invitation for others to move in, and it could be expensive as hell to clear them out once they were entrenched. The world needed someone in there to safeguard the business interests of this thing of ours. 

Picking up the phone, Tara made a single call; the solution was obvious.

Nikita arrived within moments; Tara welcomed her with a smile and waved to the seat on the other side of the desk. The temporary office wasn't anything special, but it was comfortable enough for a brief meeting.

"Nikita, thanks for coming in today. We've both worked for Race Street a long time, but I've often felt like we're two trains passing in the night. We both worked with Adonis- and especially with Charlie__Pavanno- but we haven't had to chance to work directly together to a great extent in the district."

Tara flashed a subdued smile.

"And now we won't be able to, as I'd like you to head out on your own. You're a talented businesswoman, able to move adroitly through both the streets and business districts. You've been a loyal member of Race Street, and you've helped us out immensely- especially in the recent chaos we just experienced. Our society needs someone in LA to hold back more disruptive elements, and someone with your talents and experience is perfect for the job. You'd be working closely with Zoom, who will be based in Downtown LA. My understanding is that you'll be working out of Pasadena."

She nodded.

"This is a big opportunity for you, Nikita, and I'm excited to see what you can do with it. All you'll need to do now is decide on a name."

Having had a chaotic few days, Nikita was beginning to feel the pressure pounding of a never ending headache.  She had been sitting at her new desk for Don Alo, going over papers seeing what was what since the dust had begun to finally settle, when the phone had shrilled loudly out of nowhere.  Hearing the new Godmother's voice had Nikita sitting up straighter, preparing herself for more devastating news.  The urgency of a quick impromptu meeting with the Godmother of South Philly didn't leave much time to change into something other than her usual work suit.

Once arriving at Godmother Byrne's office, Nikita took the seat offered, but didn't relax her posture.  She braced herself for the worst, and focused intently on every word as Tara began to discuss the recent events.  Sadness filled her heart at the mention of the fallen, most of all Don Pavanno, with whom she had grown close to, and enjoyed working with him.  Even the smiles Tara displayed just hadn't sunk in as the mood began to elevate in the discussion.  Nikita blinked wondering if she had heard correctly, but knowing she wasn't an idiot of any kind, the words Tara spoke got through finally.

"I appreciate the praise and acknowledgement.  It would be an honor to lead my own organization, and work with Don Zoom.  He is a man of reputable stature, and I look forward to a chance to see the sunshine in Los Angeles, and all the great opportunities that are waiting to be discovered there.  I cannot thank you enough for this opportunity ma'am, and build a stronger business relationship with you as well."

Thoughts rolled around in her mind about names, thought back to the recent chaos, all the losses she endured, recently and over time.  Nikita's passion for roses was well known by several acquaintances and friends, sometimes noted about her dark humor on things, had the ideas coming to her.  She kept eye contact with Tara then smiled for the first time in what seemed like days.

"The Black Rose Crime Syndicate seems the most fitting Godmother."

Dominic was hidden amongst the crowd, was one not to draw to much attention to himself. He started to clap for Nikita, as they had worked together back at Midas and back at Tops along with most recently Black Label. He was sad to see her go but he understood the call of the Godmother. 

"Congratulations Nikita, well deserved." 

Excited to see that his long time friend and the sponsor that had brought him to Philly was getting authorized, Nikolai stood and waved as Nikita boarded an airplane for her flight to LA.  While his face showed a large smile of happiness, it was covering up the relief he was feeling inside.

Nikolai knew that his wealth would now begin to grow and his former sponsor would no longer be able to apply the Leftover Tax of $10,000 per day.  He also knew that with her new position, she would surely be too busy to chase rogues and therefore MRBot would not get confused and mis-spell Nikolai's name in the future.  Things were definitely looking up for this old lion.