Scat whistled, low and lilting, as Beau sauntered into the dimly lit dive bar. The trio - Thomas, Beau, and Scat - looked clearly out of their element; literally dressed to kill, their snazzy entourage a stark diversion from the dilapidation and oxidation that coloured the surrounding neighborhood like a long-forgotten carnival carousel. the sparse bar was somehow more baren and less reomantic in the cutting daylight. And, for once, the harshness of that reality... and her contrast to it... made Beau more than just a little self-conscious. The apples of her supple cheeks tinged a pale, blushing pink as she gave an awkward twirl; "the boys" unable to to mask their juvenile smiles in reply. 

"Sweet sassafrass, A.C. How're we supposed to take her anywhere lookin' like she does," Scat hissed at Thomas, dragging Beau through a covert side door with such force that she nearly sprained her ankle. "We're trying to avoid a controversy here, REMEMBER," he chastized in a low tone, knuckles white with strain as his fingertips dug into the soft flesh of Beau's arm. Struggling lightly, Beau pouted at him as she squirmed beneath the vice of his grip... her lip quivering ever so slightly. 

It wasn't her fault. Her temperature... and that of the surrounding broom closet... spiked ever so slightly with the thought, as Thomas slowly and purposefully moved to her defense. 

Thomas chuckled as Scat spat his words; such conviction and ... spite. He followed them through the covert little door and into the broom closet. As the wall door behind them shut Thomas flipped on the light and turned to the other two. "Scat, she looks wonderful."

"I'm not sayin' she don't, A.C.! Just... How are we supposed to focus with such a fox, hmm? This kitten got BOTH of us smitten!"

Thomas smirked. "Let'er go, Scat. She kept me safe and I promise she can more than handle herself if anything goes sideways. For one moment, think with that big ole brain of yours instead of thinkin' with this one, hi?"

Thomas smacked Scat in his junk as he said it to emphasize, and the younger man relinquished his hold on Beau's arm and looked at her. "I apologize doll, I don't mean ta be rude or anything like that." He bowed his head in respect to the beautiful moll that was Isabeaux Duquette. Thomas smiled and nodded, then proceeded to the back wall of shelving in the closet. Of course there was another secret door inside the secret room. Why wouldn't there be? Thomas tugged the shelving unit away and revealed a blank slot of wall that he pushed and opened. Ushering the two through the door, he pulled the shelves back in place and shut the wall...again.

Taking the lead, he walked through a labyrinth of passages until they came out to a hidden exit in an alleyway two blocks from Scat's. "Mk, from here, we just have a few blocks before we reach the joint."

Thomas began walking and talking. "When we get there, you and Beau are gonna go in. If I have to come in there things are gonna get bad for them and someone's gonna start loosing a lot of merchandise. Maybe an appendage if they aren't careful with the way they talk to me. So. I'm gonna give them a chance to pay up nicely. They owe fifteen percent of their income for the week, and it's pay day. Capisce?"

He looked at Scat, and then to Beau. "Feel free to leverage them anyway you want so long as you don't actually hurt them. Unless they try and get handsy first. They get jumpy, take care of it. Again, if I have to, there's a bigger problem, hi?"

Scat nodded then looked at Beau, "Yeah boss. I got an idea anyway. I bet Beau has a few too." He chuckled and as they rounded the next corner, Thomas signaled the joint and turned to lean against the wall outside of the entrance.

"Go on then, you two... Make these cats pay up. Get the Order's money, and then we move on..."

Thomas pulled out his cigarette case and stuck one in his mouth, lighting it, then tucking the case away. As he watched Beau and Scat head inside, he pulled a coin from his pocket and began flipping it while he waited.

"Make somethin' of it, Beau... I know you can," he whispered quietly as he held the cigarette between his lips.

Scat offered Beau his arm with a warm smile as the two set off for the small storefront. Beau, still salty from beign so rudely handled, snerked and shrugged away with a roll of here eyes; the click of her heels propelling her foreward so that she entered the shop a few steps ahead of Scat. 

The building was tiny, run down... a failed Groceteria still desperately clinging to the last scraps of life through sheer will and ravenous need. The chain itself had obviously and gloriously failed just a few years after the war. But this wheezing shell of a shop was kept alive by local workers desperately trying to keep their commuinty a float. The shelves were dusty and near barren, sparsely populated with what meager supplies the poor populace could manage to afford... mostly dry goods, non-perishables, and an ample pharmacy. 

Beau eyed the deserted isles with no small amount of disbelief. There was NO way this place pulled enuough to make it a worthy mark. Something else had to be up. She hadn't known Thomas long, but she'd felt his character. And she couldn't believe that he'd prey on anyone so destitute. Either he'd played her for a fool, which... given the whole *magic* thing she really couldn't believe... OR there was someting else going on here. 

As they neared the yellowed and peeling counter, Scat pushed his way past her, "I'll handle this, Turtle Dove. You just hang back and look pretty." Beau rolled her eyes again as he winked, stepping up to the counter to speak with the manager... who shirked away with an overt expression of worry and dread. Scat, laughing, nodded as he leaned against the counter, "Right you are, mate. Y'know what time it is and who sent me. So, we acn do this the hard way or the easy way... and can I just say, I'd really appreciate the easy way." 

The man stuttered and shuffled, wringing his hands nervously as he fumbled with a safe behind the counter. "Ye...yes, sir. Of... of course, sir." Beau watched as the man slid a nearly flat envelope across the counter with shaking hands; the faintest glimmer of polished chain peeking from beneath the cuff of his blue collared button down before her shifted and began wringing his hands once again. "That's... 15%," the man nodded anxiously, "Right off the top of all our inventory." 

Scat opened the envelope and flipped through a few paltry bills with an arched brow, the man flinching away as he continued to stammer, "I... I know. It's not much. But business has been so slow. And a new garden sharing plot just opened up down the block. The people just haven't been buying. That's all we owe. I swear it. 15% of all the groceries we've sold. Seeds included!" The man slid to one side of the counter, drawing their attention to a measly rack of seed packets and rusted pod-filled cans. Scat, with a huff, shook the envelope at the man as he turned to leave, "I'll tell O'Malley. But don't come crying to me if he sends us back next week." 

With a triumphant flourish, Scat motioned for Beau to follow as he made his way out. The bell above the misty glass door tinkled softly as the man behind the counter watched Scat cross the street over Beau's shoulder; his eyes flickering between the scene behind her and her pursed red lips. And expression of terror and defeat crossed his weathered features as he followed Beau's gaze down to the counter's small gate... the smallest sliver of gleaming polished leather visible beneath it's short, swinging door. In the heat of his theatrics, it seemed he'd slid just a little too far. 

Beau, with a grin wicked enough to steal the Devil's soul, leaned across the counter and tugged the man toward her by his tie. He was really trembling this time, as she wrapped the worn silk around her fist, holding his gaze with sweltering intensity. "My associate might be an idiot, Mister. But I ain't. Capisce?" The mand gulped audibly as the reached with the other hand to unbutton and push back his sleeve, revealing the polished gold chain underneath. "Now, then... you and I both know that there ain't a grocer one with the salary to buy a piece like that. Nor them shiney shoes, neither. And, if you really was as hard up as you put on, you'da pawned 'em right quick months ago. So... how's about you open whatever little green door you got hidin' around here and give me what you really owe," Beau crooned like some vicious silverscreen vixen as she released him. "Otherwise," she chastized as her tone turned dark and ominous, "I can reign a world a hell down on this whole place the likes a which people will still be talking about in decades." 

Beau poignantly plopped her small handbag onto the counter, the heavy tell-tale *thud* of her revolver echoing off the bare metal shelves around them. "And, while you're at it," she added with a nearly evil glint in her eye, "Why don't you add three bottles a your best hooch... as an apology for the deception." Her brow quirked as the man croaked and swallowed. "Otherwise, I'll see to it that your grandchildren's grandchildren are blackmarked in this neighborhood, you understand?" 

Sliding her hand into her purse, she met the man's gaze with tense anticipation. For a brief moment he held her stare before sighing, and reaching beneath the counter. With a soft, metalic grating, he pulled a small lever beneath the cashregister and the shelving unit behind the counter swun open. With a heavy sigh of regret and surrender, the man disappeared into the small stairwell amidst echoes of drunken voices, clackign billards balls, and tinkling glass. Beau, not about to follow a stranger into unknown territory without back up, clutched her 1903 with white knuckles as she silently cursed Scatt for his haughtiness and ignorance. 

A few moments later the man returned up the stairs with a crate of small pharmeceuticla bottles - Kimballs, Mrs. Winslows, Ergoapiol, and Nembutal. Beau, brow arched, eyed the crate with a mixture of admiration and disbelief as he pulled the door closed behind him... just in time to hear the soft tinkle of the over-door bell as a mother and two children entered the nearly deserted store. The grocer, noting her expression simply chuckled as he placed a large paper bag on top. "Here are you're supplies, Mrs. Smith... just as ordered," he chirped in an overly conspicuous tone, placing a heavy brown paper sack atop the crate. "We're fresh outta the large bottles, but these small ones here equal up too the same amount, all the same," he winked as he slid the crate across the counter top to Beau, "You have a mighty fine day now. And I'll see you for your delivery again next month." 

He held her gaze for a moment before nodding and turning to greet the newcomers. Beau nodded with a haughty smirk, heaving the weighty crate as turned for the door. "Thank you so much, she called over her shoulder as she back through the squeaky glass door. It was lovely doing business. I'll see you next month. Same time." The two shared a knwing look before the door swung closed behind her... Scat lookign utterly bewildered and Thomas trying not to laugh as Beau waddled across the street with her heavy haul.

Did they know they'd sent her into a blind tiger? By the looks of it she couldn't tell. Scat was dumbstruck. Thomas looked half-smitten and laughing his ass off. As usual, she wasn't really sure what had just happened, and she was really beginning to hope that pattern would wera off... soon. 

She'd done well. She knew it, Scat obviously knew it. Thomas ought  to know it. This haul alone was enough to blow him away (as she nearly always did)... but her wobbling, weighted strut combined with Scat's indescribable look of utter disbelief struck him as so ludicrously hilarious, that he could hardly move to assist her. Instead... both men simply let her bear the boon all teh way across the street as they collectively tried to regain control of their reactions. 

Glaring at Thomas... half agnry and half proud of herself... Beau dumped the crate onto Scat without warning, who fumbled with it's awkward weight with a croak of protest. "Oh shut it," Beau hissed, pushing with enough force that they both fell silent for a moment... the shock of which surprised her enough that it wore off nearly immediately. 

"What next," she asked, blinking innocently up at Thomas with an expression somewhere between 'holy shit' 'that was awesome' and 'I'm sorry'.

Thomas smacked Scat as she waddled out of the store with her catch. "Oy, I told you she'd do good."

The two laughed but canned it really quickly as she shoved her bounty into Scat's hands. They both got quiet as Scat quickly moved to load a nearby vehicle. Turning to Beau, Thomas handed her the -first- envelope that Scat had been given.

"So, you're going to be very angry, but this still belongs to the store. They are actually one of our better speakeasy arrangements. They made a deal with me to check your grit. Scat here was supposed to play stupid and take the small amount." Scat winked at her and chuckled, "Sorry love. Thomas told me I had to go along with it. Even the trying to make you feel less than at the club. I really am sorry. I think you're gonna make a killer moll, doll." Opening the bigger envelope, he pulled out a quarter of the cut and handed it straight to Beau. "That's your cut of the bet I made against the owner. He didn't think you'd have the grit. The rest here, goes to Tommy and tha Phoenixes."

Thomas chuckled and pulled Scat's cut out then stuffed the rest into his coat pocket. "Beau, love, run in there and hand them back that first envelope. Who knows, maybe they'll let you keep it since you and Scat won the bet. He never once doubted you'd miss it." Thomas turned to the vehicle.

"But when you get back? We have a garden to torch down the block. The store itself needs to turn a profit to stay out of the copper's eyes, capisce? We keep prices low for the population around here. I mean, we don't -need- it to make a lot with the speakeasy. Just need it to stay in the black." Thomas slipped into the vehicle and turned the ignition, the older modeled, flat bed truck spitting a bit before firing up.

"Good touch on the booze though. We'll keep that as a bonus and have some at the club. Scat, hop up on back and keep it from breaking."

He looked at Beau still standing there with the envelope. "Go on, I'll pull closer so we can just pick you up. Then we'll go pay the garden lot a visit."

Beau took the envelope shooting both of the men 'the look'. "Right, well," she snapped at Scat, "Here on out, I don't give a flying fuck what his orders are. You ever put your fucking mits on me like that again and you'll end up like our dearly departed Vinne, capisce?" The smile quickly disappeared form Scats face as he chuckled nervously, "I was just following orders, kitten..." he floundered, wavering under the searing glare. "uh huh," Beau replied, "And you can do that perfectly well without gettin handsy. I won't say it again." 

And she didn't. The command was utterly final as she whipped around and sauntered away toward the store. 

The shopkeeper chuckled as the door's bell tinkled again. Beau, with a bashful smirk, nodded as she slid the small envelope across the counter. Smiling, the man unbuttoned his cuff and unclasped the thin gold chain that adorned his wrist. "I was sure you'd miss the small things," he admitted with a happy grin, "I've run this bit with dozens of recruits. You're the first one perceptive enough to pass... and by far the prettiest. That combination of traits will serve you well. And if anyone ever doubts it, you remind them... with this." With a wink, he clasped the thin chain around Beau's wrist like a trophy and stashed the smaller envelope back in his safe.

"Now then," he chirped as he straightened, "I suggest you bugger off. There'll be more jobs waiting for the like of you. I'm sure of it." He nodded to the door as Thomas and Scat pulled up. Giggling, Beau admired her new piece of jewelry, tucking a stray curl behind her ear as she moved for the door. 'Thank you' she mouthed silently, sharing another knowing look with the shop owner as she slipped out the door. 

Sliding into the passenger seat of the truck, Beau shot a playfully pouting glare at Thomas. She didn't even have to say anything. He already knew. But as she swatted teasingly at his shoulder, he did seem to take notice of the gold tennis bracelet that hadn't been there before. It seemed she was makign good impressions already. 

As the truck peeled away, Beau leaned in and snuggled close to Thomas. "So... I've been thinking,"her bright blue orbs blinked up at him as she guaged his reaction... smoothe, calm, and collected as always. "About the garden," she continued softly, "I'm not convinved that you're approaching this the right way." She didn't look at his expression as she took a deep breath and pressed onward, "I understand that the shop must stay in the black. But I don't think burning the crops is the best idea. There are other neighborhoods in far greater need even than this one. What if we fronted money from the speakeasy to buy the crops? Then flip 'em to other locla districts for low-balled profit? It would keep the people here happy... and in our sway. And push out any competing business in the area. Win-Win. Yeah?" 

Finally she looked up, eyeing him expectantly. He'd either go for it or list the reasons it wasn't a solid plan. Either it would be a wonderful idea OR it would be a learning experience. 

Thomas chuckled and nodded along.

"A solid idea, my little 'Beauquet'... However, the garden share isn't a market. It's a shared plot of land that some of the locals got together and purchased to make a community garden. I'm normally -for- such things, and we even offered them to help protect it for a fee. They explained it wasn't a profitable market and I agreed to let them harvest so long as they didn't cut into the economy. My eyes on the street though?"

Thomas slipped his arm around Beau and held her, even as he tapped the back windshield at Scat and waved two fingers toward the passenger side of the vehicle.

"They tell me those bastards started selling their crops, and that's why we can't get the farmers to put the crops in the store. They are selling higher at the 'share' instead of where we are. I understand that the farmers want better prices, but the people here can't afford it."

Thomas sighed. "It's a rough struggle. The people are going to pay for the crops, but in doing so they won't be able to pay for as much as they could. Frankly, I'd be happy if the farmers and the store could cook up the books and slide the speakeasy profits INTO the books to cover the store into the black. That way we can give the farmers fair prices for their crops. We'd take a loss, but sometimes it's about where you can wash money and how to hide it then about making -every- venture turn a profit." Thomas released the wheel as they slowed for a stop sign and tugged his cigarettes out, lighting one and puffing away.

"I'd sell the merch at the same low price at~"

Thomas was interrupted by Scat yelling off the side of the truck at some body as they slowly drove by; Scat's hand reaching out and striking the man on the back of his head...

"HEY YOU LILLY FUCK WOP! YOU'RE ON THA WRONG SIDE OF THA TRACKS HUH? GET OUTTA HEEERRRRREEEE!" Scat stood and threw his hands up at the guy who simply flipped them the bird. Scat yelled back. "SEE YA TONIGHT EH?" Plopping back down, he started laughing and Thomas chuckled.

"Sorry, that was one of Scat's old guys... His family moved so he moved, but he still comes to the club when he's around." Thomas sighed and shook his head, taking a drag. "Okay, where was I? Ah yeah... I'd keep the prices low and just gladly take tha loss for the community to be able to eat right. Hell, we could shut the store down and still make plenty in profit. Unfortunately, we need the grocery store to, well, wash the funds like I said... So, fixin' those books is the best plan, and burnin' these fuckers outta town? The next best. They've been abundantly clear they don't wanna work with us. So, put'em outta business... No matter how much anyone suggest it though, we ain't saltin' their earth. I might do a LOT of things, but killin' the energy of this planet we live on? Fuck that..." Thomas slowed up as they pulled near the garden, hopping the truck onto the curb of the sidewalk and then flooring it.

"Hang on kitten," he cautioned then turned and yelled to Scat, "HANG ON SCAT!"

Flooring it, Thomas drove the truck through the small wooden fence to block the garden off. Horn honking, and people running, he smashed the brake and slid to a halt in the middle of the garden and hopped out of the truck, Beau sliding down into the seat as he did so. Before she'd even realized, his gun was pulled from behind his back and aimed high in the air...

One shot...

"GARDEN'S CLOSED EVERYBODY!"

Two shots...

"GET YOUR SHIT AND GET THA FUCK OUT!"

Three shots...

"RIGHT FUCKING NOW!"

The gun lowered and aimed into the tiny booth at the entrance to the garden.

"THAT MEANS YOU TOO, YOU SACK OF SHIT LYIN' POTATO HUSKERS! GET OUTTA HERE! AIN'T NOBODY GOTTA DIE BUT THESE DAMNABLE CROPS!"

He walked, gun facing outward, to the little shack and about the time he got there and young girl and boy burst through the door and took off running down the street, buttoning and readjusting themselves as they did so...

"Fuckin' uncouth little shits..." he mumbled under his breath and slipped the gun back into it's holster along the back of his pants.

"Go on, clear on outta here..." he started waving his hands at others, kicking one man in the rear as he tried to grab more crops.

"You want crops? Go pay for 'em at the store like everyone else. Their cheaper there, and trust me, the farmers are gonna sell there with their little bullshit 'not-for-profit' scam done here. GO ON! GIT!"

He looked over to Beau and Scat. "Start spreadin' tha fuel! I'ma see if they got any books in 'ere..." He pointed to the little shed and made his way in it's direction...

Scat bailed out of the back immediately, metal fuel can in hand. He didn't even seem to blink before indiscriminately dumping gas over every green and living thing in range. Beau, on the other hand, was just a little less obediant. There was a LOT of viable food here... good food. Not just scragly vines and shriveled potatoes. These were juicy melons, fist-sized tomatoes, plump squash, varying verdant beans, bushy beets and onions, and thriving carrots. Far too much to just throw away. They were the mob after all! There were far better messages to be sent than just indiscriminate destruction. 

Gathering everything that she could, Beau began dumping armfuls of the greens into the bed of the truck... as much as she could get away with... beofre grabbing the spare can and dousing the rest of the plants. She might have to burn the field, but -  at a minimum - these seeds were worth salvaging... and selling. 

With the small patch of community garden resonably fueled for take off, Beau slid back into the turck and whistled for Thomas. They'd need to clear out before igniting the bitch. And, as far as she was concerned, the sooner the better. 

Thomas threw files and drawers around looking for anything worthy of keeping. The safe was opened, the drawers emptied with ledgers everywhere. The only thing he was able to gather from it was a name... Messina. He'd seen that name before. He was fairly certain his own cousins a few times removed had worked for the Messinas. They'd been out of business for a long while, and it made little sense to see the name, but there it was as clear as day. And here in Seattle again. He tore the page from the ledger and decided maybe it was time to see if this was the same Messina family from the journals of Sullivan Black. Maybe it was, maybe it wasn't, but he knew a certain man who worked in the morgues who could help him out...

A whistle jostled him from his thoughts and he turned to see Beau turning the ignition in the truck. Scat, hopping on the back of it paused for a moment and looked at all of the vegetables... Looked at Beau... Back to the veggies... To Thomas... Then shrugged and waved at the man. "C'mon, we gotta go! I can hear the sirens, and this shit needs to be smoldering before the trucks show up." Scat banged on the roof. "BACK IT OUT!" he called to Beau, who threw the truck in reverse and looked at Thomas. He waved his hands in a circle and she nodded, gassing the truck backward. Thomas held his hand out and Scat threw the last of his gas can across the lot. Thomas caught it and returned to the small shack, dumping gas across the desk and floors then stepping out, tossing the can into the room... Walking out of the front of the garden, Thomas carefully lit a cigarette and took a few puffs before smiling as Beau pulled around in the truck. He winked at her as he opened the door, flicking the cigarette through the small window and into the shack.

It didn't happen immediately like the movie pictures portrayed, but it only took a few seconds before the gas and fumes ignited... The shack was in engulfed rather quickly, and the flames spread into the field with ease... Thomas held a hand up, keeping Beau from driving for a moment. He wasn't leaving until he watched it for a second. The flames danced and, seemed to follow his hand. Was he... Was he conducting the fire in a symphony of destruction? Perhaps he was, and Scat was none the wiser... Or perhaps it was just happenstance that the flames danced with his hand. Finally, he gave Beau the two fingers shake, and the trio was off; Thomas shutting his door as the truck began to roll.

"I see you grabbed some crops. Now -that- was smart thinking. We can turn a profit with them at the store. Double back and we'll go ahead and put them on the shelves to help encourage the farmers to come back."

Thomas grinned at Beau as Scat hunkered down on the flat bed and smiled as he watched flames grow smaller in the distance. Sirens were louder and the first of the squad cars pulled up just as the flat bed rounded a corner headed back to the store.

Pulling out yet another cigarette, preferably to actually smoke it this time, Thomas chuckled. "Well that was fun. Hows about after we drop these veggies off we pay a visit to another little place. Just opened up in town. Might be time to introduce ourselves to the new butcher shop."

Thomas puffed on the cigarette and blew a plume of smoke through the window. He heard Scat complaining about no cigarettes and pulled his case out. He looked at Beau and smirked, tossing the case out of the window, then waving his hand back as it smacked into Scat's chest.

"Oh! Thanks boss!" Scat lit up and leaned around the truck's cab and tossed the case back into the truck for Thomas.

The trio continued on their route back to the grocer to turn over their new bounty. Time to turn a profit!

Beau watched, transfixed, as the flames danced in response to Thomas will. And something in her surged as well; a deep, stirring hunger that raked her insides with aching need. Chewing her lip, she watched him closely - utterly absorbed in him - as she wondered... why? Was there a reason... beyond simple human(esque) nature... that the heat in her responded to him so? Was there something more to her attraction? Something... magical... perhaps? Was that even possible? At this point, what WASN'T possible?

Beau realized she was stairing as Thomas signaled her... twice... that it was time to head out. As the sirens grew closer, Beau floored the rickety flatbed and sped down the street toward the Groceteria. She grinned as Thomas  noted the crops, nodding quietly. "I couldn't very well stomach destroying perfectly good merchandise. And, to be honest, I thought this way sent a better message," she smirked at him... nearly beaming under his aproving gaze. She was doing well... she hoped.

As they pulled up behind the Groce-easy, Beau had to pause and think that over. Here she was actually working for the mob... the MAGICAL mob... and she actually HOPED that she was doing well. What was wrong with her? No person in their right mind would actually want that... would they? But, then again, she snickered to herself, she wasn't exactly a person in the traditional sense, was she? Maybe that made it okay?? Or maybe she was just too smitten by this badboy persona sitting next to her that she could chalk it up to regretably clichè female behavior. Either way... she was kind of okay with it. It was better than a life of stage-side prostitution any day. 

Sliding out of the parked truck, Beau rapped on the rusting back door while the men began quickly unloading the bed. With a screeching wail, the door swung slowly open... as if there hadn't been a real delivery in ages. The bewildered look on the grocer's face was nearly priceless, and enough to make Beau laugh out loud, as he eyed the bounty of fresh and healthy vegetables. The glint in his eyes closer to apraising a pile of gold than a mound of produce. 

"She's a keeper," he told Thomas, with a nod of acknowledging aproval toward Beau. Scat, in reply, sulked with pouting exasperation as he hefted the last of the melons out of the truck. What was it with her? What was it that made EVERYBODY so smitten with EVERYTHING she did? It was uncanny and, quite frankly, a little unfair. At this rate, she'd be made in mere days when he'd been at this for months now. And he wasn't entirely sure how he felt about that. 

Within a few minutes the produce was squared safely away in the Grocery storeroom, ready to be inventoried and shelved once the commotion died down. Now, they just needed to stash the truck and move on. A feat Beau was sure Thomas would have a wonderfully 'miraculous' solution for... one way or the other. Sliding into the truck, she reved the engine softly before sliding over and making room for the men. They'd need to move quickly before the suits started searching for the truck... assuming any of the farmers were brave or stupid enough to talk. Which... given their brazen resistance she was SURE someone would be. 

"Don't I know it, hi?" Thomas yelled back to the Grocer as he helped Scat unload the rest of the haul. Looking at the young man, he could see Scat's intense thoughts and feelings, and with a swift arm he wrapped it around the boy's head and caught him in a loving choke-hold, laughing. Pulling his head close, he whispered...

"Boyo, don't get in your head. I see you're worried about her bein' better than you. You've earned your place, Scat. You're -MY- right hand. It's different than being in the Phoenixes, but it's just as important. I trust you with my life, how Kat trusts hers with me. You and Beau? Yall are like my own little family in the family, yeah? Don't you ever forget that... You're a part of the Order, even if it's in a different light. You're -MY- capo... My soldier. You don't answer to the rest of the family like Beau will. It's different. Capisce?" He ruffled the younger man's hair then released him with a laugh, jokingly shadow boxing with him for a bit before just hugging it out.

"Good, now get in the truck and take it to the warehouse. Beau and I will meet you back at the club. And boy?" Thomas grabbed Scat's collar, serious as death in his eyes.

"No fucking heroics this time. You're my best man, don't fuck that up. To the warehouse, and then collar up and back to the club. On the double weasel, boyo..." He smacked Scat's back and nodded, then left the man to do his job.

"C'mon kitten, back to the club for us, and Pikey... We'll see you -next- time, aye?" The grocer nodded and continued counting his new inventory. "Oh, make sure and get that piece serviced... And call if those farmers come round to give hell. We'll be back before ya hang up."

Thomas threw his arm around Isabeaux and began to lead her away from the dilapidated but soon to be flourishing (he hoped) grocery store. Back from the direction they originally went.

"So Scat's handling the truck... I found connection to a name I know from journals in my past. I think I need to pay a visit to an old friend in the city's morgue. Goes by the name Harvey Quinn. Good fella. My cousin Sullivan Black was his teacher back in New York, and Vegas, and finally here in Seattle where he was gunned down while working with the Messina family. Sullivan that is." He chuckled and turned the corner with her, continuing down the sidewalk toward Scat's club.

"So I wanna see what the Messina's got their hand in, if they even do, or if they were just purchasing some vegetables." He smiled and kissed her cheek. "But I think I should tell ya, you did great today so far. It's only just the beginning too. We've got the morgue, and another little place to hit up. There's a new place we need to shake down and see about hosting some local games in their back room. We can work it out and close it off. Just a few little details to hash out with the owner." He chuckled. "Like how they're gonna pay us to keep them safe..."

As he finished, they stepped foot into the club and Thomas led her to the bar. "Anything the lady wants, Sly, and a gin an' tonic for me." Thomas sat her on a stool and propped his leg up on the foot rest before pulling his gun out and setting it on the counter. Reaching into a pocket, he grabbed three bullets and popped the clip from the gun, reloading it, and slapping it back in. Sly, never caring, went about making the gin n' tonic without question like it was every day, normal business for a loaded 1911 to be placed on his bar top. Sliding the drink over as Thomas holstered the his weapon, Sly leaned over to Beau and winked, "What'll it be, dollface?"

"Water... on the rocks," Beau answered jokingly. "What? I don't like to drink on the job," she explained in reply to Thomas and Sly's questioning looks. She leaned affectionately over onto Thomas' shoulder as Sly slid her a tall glass of ice water. "I'd love to learn more about your family," she cooed. "...and mine," she added offhandedly. Heaving a deep sigh, she sipped her water quietly, "Scat seemed... offput... at the Grocer's. That's not my fault, is it?" She gazed him silently for a minute in that special way she had, trying to read his expressions as the thoughts passed behind his eyes. He didn't really have to say anything. She knew. He'd been funny all day... no matter what excuses he'd made for his earlier behavior. 

"So... um... Do you want me to do my thing at this place we're gonna sha...re a visit to? And will we be visiting the library? Tomorrow perhaps?And... um... does this like... make us official?" Beau took a long gulp of her water... and nearly choked as she noted Thomas' sly smirk and arched brow. "As partners, I mean," she yelped, nearly falling off her stool as she flailed a little too emphatically, "... well... associates? I mean... I guess what I mean is what does this actually mean? And when do I get to ask all the other questions that are rolling around up here?"

The temperature in the room lifted noticably as she chuged away at her water, suddenly wishing she'd ordered something harder. How was it that he made her blush so? For anyone else it was a feat worthy of Everest or Kilamanjaro. But Thomas... only had to give her that certain look, and *BAM!*  - forest fire in the making. 

Thomas laughed as Beau fanned herself, waving to Sly for another glass of water as she frantincally tried to cool her flaring fever. The exit light above the door popped softly under the weight of her supernatural stress, sending  a shower of sparks and incandescent glass down upon Scat as he entered the bar... looking even grumpier than before as he dusted the shrapnel from his coat and glared at the two wouldbe love birds across the bar. 

Thomas's giggle cut short as Beau's fanning napkin froze mid-swing... both of them noticing his surly stare at the same moment. Either he was still VERY  bothered by her, or something had gone VERY wrong. 

"Hmmm, let's see... Yes, yes, probably tomorrow yes, no, not quite, it means you do good work, and you can ask, but I may not be able to answer them..." He looked at her with a bit of a smirk. "I think that answered your questions." He chuckled, a big grin across his face... At least until he heard the tell tale *POP* of the light above the door and turned, seeing the glass rain down on a defeated looking Scat.

The look on his face, both priceless and worrisome at the same time, had Thomas turn and lean against the bar to face him.

"What's gotcha skunked, boyo?"

"Fuckin' bastard at the warehouse. Damn Benny is pinchin' us for usin' the stall. Tha one we pay him handsomely to keep available for us. Trucks outside right now, A.C., and we gotta get rid of it. He ain't listenin' to me. Gonna need your strong arm. Tom, he put a gun against my head and laughed... Told me to tell ya the business was over."

"THA FUCK IT IS! GET IN THAT TRUCK!" Thomas growled and leaped from the bar's small rise and landed flat on his feet... Of course now that anyone thought about it, he -always- seemed to land on his feet... Strange. Thomas' shoes clicked and clacked across the floor of the club as the metal, razor-edged heels connected with the concrete. Looking over his shoulder without stopping he yelled backward, "You comin' or not?" He didn't wait for an answer and shoved out of the club's door, Scat quickly in tow.

By the time Beau had rushed outside, the two men were already in the truck. Thomas waved Beau on and Scat hopped out. "C'mon hun, in ya go. I'll drive since I know where the warehouse is." With Beau inside sitting bitch, the trio was off again. Thomas threw an arm around her and pulled her close, his free hand fishing the cigarette case out from his breast pocket. A flick of his wrist and the thing was lit, even in front of Scat...who simply shook his head. "Can I get one of those boss?" Thomas handed the first off and repeated the process, a second cigarette now smoldering away between his lips.

"What're ya gonna do, O'Malley."

"What am I gonna do? What am I gonna fuckin' do, Scat? I DON'T KNOW WHAT I'M GONNA DO! But that fucker Benny is gonna wish he'd never fuckin' crossed the Phoenixes is what's gonna be the fucking result of it. Fuck!"

He puffed and puffed, exhaling a plume of smoke out of the window then turned, starting to shake his finger as he spoke more...

"Here's what we're gon...na... Yea. YEAH!" He laughed. "Beau's gonna go in there, ain'tcha doll? And you're gonna cuddle up to that fat fuck Benny... Make him think tha world of ya... And them I'm gonna bust his fuckin' door in and put a god damned bullet in his stiff and let him bleed from his fuckin' cocksack."

Thomas growled... "And then we'll own the whole fucking place. We can roll him off in the river for all I fuckin' care, point a gun at my boy. I'll bleed you god damned dry!"

Scat smirked... It wasn't every day he ACTUALLY saw Thomas mad... And he couldn't help but wonder how the moll beside them was gonna handle it. However, something in the back of Scat's head, knew she'd make sense of it somehow... And hell, he didn't even doubt she'd blow Benny's dick off herself just as a point. He smiled, she was growing on him quickly... He liked the way she made Thomas react...

Pulling the truck around a corner and parking along the streets edge, he pointed up the street to a waterfront warehouse. "There ya go, Beau... That's the target. Yer lookin' for Benny Tribianni... Runs the joint."

Thomas opened his door, still fuming, as he puffed the last of his cigarette and threw it on the ground. "Lets get this shit over with and get rid of this fucking truck."

"It means you do good work..." 

The words slapped Beau in the face like a tonne of bricks. Clearly she wasn't where she thought she was, and it stung. She felt like a cheap whore... again. A useful 2-bit trick, nothing more. Just like always. And she gave a bitter little chuckle in reply. How could she be stupid enough to think this would be any different? She'd really let herself think that after everything....

but then, what WAS everything, really? 

As her self-esteem plumetted, the temperature spiked. If she really thought about it 'everything' wasn't much of anything, really. Even her taking care of him... for three days... was because of her own freakish nature. So... if she thought about it the right way... she owed him, she guessed. He'd never have been in that situation if not for her, so... Wasn't it only fair? Was it fair? She wasn't sure. It never felt fair. But... this did seem to be the prevailing pattern of the world. So, maybe she should just be happy that he, at least, seemed to treat her nice.... usually. There were worse bosses, she knew. Surely this was the lesser of two evils, even if it did make her insides ache with tense sadness and disappointment. Heaving a soft sigh, she thrust her chin up. Hey... she should be proud of herself, right. She did good work. 

Fanning herself with a damp bar napkin, Beau tried desperately to still the spiraling train of her thoughts. Luckily, Sctas entrance was enough to do that for her. He looked livid... but not so much as Thomas did once Scat explained. Inside Beau's head it was like flipping the exchange switch on a highspeed track.  The warehouse? OUR warehouse? ... ooo... that stung. Not 'our' warehouse. You do good work, remeber. That's all. But still... our warehouse?? What aobut the loft?

Beau's feet hit the floor before Thomas had even moved. It was only out of courtesy that she waited for him to move first. Which he did... with no small amount of seething irritation. Of course she was coming. Who the fuck did he think he was talking to? With another weighted sigh, Beau slid into the truck, shooting him one of 'those' looks as he threw his arm around her and pulled her close. Obviously they were gonna have to talk later. But why?? What had he done? Was it something he said? No time to figure that out now. 

Her temperature flared beneath his arm as he laid out his plan. So that's why he brought her along. She was a tool. A snap-trap with legs. Beau snerked softly as Thomas raged. At least he was loyal to his tools. It was more than she could say for any other man she'd ever met. ... and his steely eyes had a certain alluring glimmer to them when he was angry. 

Beau grinned... more angry than antyhing... and straddled Thomas' lap, pulling the door to. Stealing his cigarette, she held his gaze as she took a long drag, blowing wreaths of smoke out the open window. "Don't worry, 'Boss', I got this." Kissing his cheek, she pulled her 1903 from the small clutch she'd been carrying, leaving the purse on the bench seat. Scat, looking some mixture of shocked, intrigued, offended, and bashful, quickly turned to stare out the window as Beau hiked her dress well above her waist... tucking her gun carefully into the sturdy garter belt beneath. Patting his cheek, she took one last puff of his cigarette before sliding off his lap and out the door. The cloud of smoke she exhaled lingered; swirling to shroud the vehicle as she vanished up the street with a wave of her hand. Where'd she learn that trick? 

Fluffing her blonde curls, Beau strutted into 'Waterfront Warehousing' with a coquettish smile. As her red-soled heels clicked lightly against the filthy concrete floors, everything stopped; workers pausing mid stride to turn and stare at the clearly out of place vixen who'd wandered into their midst. A few well-placed smiles, some eyelash batting, and peppering of shoulder grazes, and Beau was excorted post-haste to Benny's office without question. 

As the office door slid slowly open, Beau was met with a growling sneer from a portly man across a heavy mahogany desk. "My, my, my.  You're quite the tribute. Who're you gonna be lickin my boots for, dollface?" Steeling herself, Beau repressed the shiver that threatened to rock through her as she slinked into the room with a sly smile. The door latched behind her as she leaned across the man's desk, tugging Benny toward her by his tie. "O'Malley sent me," she crooned, holding his tie fast in her fist as he tried to jerk away, looking like an angry badger as he sputtered, spewed, and stuttered ragefully searching for the right words to tell her 'fuck off'. Beau continued to smile softly, pulling him close and caressing his fat, greasy cheek with hers as she whispered softly, "And he was very clear that there wer far better things for me to be licking, Mr. Tribiani." Releasing her grip, she nuzzled him softly... fighting the urge to gag... as she leaned back and met his gaze; her soft pink tongue trailing over her crimson painted lips. "Are you sure you want to waste this on you boots," she pouted playfully, stepping back so that the grotesque goblin of a man had to move around his desk to clasp her waist. 

Beau bit her tongue behind her syrupy smile as Benny pulled her close and pressed his sweating, heaving body against her. "So... that street rat sent you, hm? Maybe I need to show him what it means to be 'DONE'," Benny snarled, nocking the fascinator from her hair as he notted his fingers in her coifed curls. Forcibly spinning her away from him, the gelatinous brute pinned her against the desk, slamming her face into his scattered paperwork with enough force to spread a tell-tale burning heat across her nose and cheek. For a second everything was light and fireworks, then heat and blackness as Beau blinked against the force of the blow; the weight of Benny's body behind her stiffening as she squeaked and whimpered. So he was one of those. 

Whining softly, Beau twisted to gaze fearfully back at him over her shoulder. Spreading her knees wide, Beau wiggled ever so slightly, swaying her hips back and forth as she smirked... even as a thin droplet of blood trickled from her eyebrow. "Mr. Tribiani... you haven't even heard my proposition yet." She smiled wickedly up at the man, her eyes growing dark as she channeled all of her hate and loathing for him into her little cherade, "Hear me out.... please. I don't like that vagabond any more than you do." She wiggled a bit more, feigning struggle as she continued, "You can't imagine the twisted, depraved things he forces me to do. Please... I have a plan. And if you help me... I'd be indebted to you for all my life." 

Chuckling in a disgustingly misogynistic kind of way, the man backed off. Plopping down into one of the plush office charis that framed the desk, he spun to face the door, motioning for her to move around and face him. "I'm listening," he bellowed with a sneer, "But you'd better make it entertaining... or I'll send you back with an extra slit to rut." 

Scampering with mock submissive fear to appease the degenerate, Beau unzipped the back of her dress and let it fall to the floor; folding her hands behding her back... to better display her figure, of course. The room, chilled from the seaside breeze, warmed noticably as she swayed and sashayed; watching the hunger and loathing desire grow in Benny's eyes. She watched as his pupils narrowed down to pin pricks; time stretching out like laffy taffy as she continued to hum and dance.

Sweat dripped from her brow as Beau pushed... forcing all of h er energy into holding Benny's interest with her strip tease... as revolting as she found it. "You see," Beau cooed, flourishing one hand to draw his gaze down her scantily clad form, "there two things you need to know about Thomas O'malley..." 

Benny's lecherous grin fell from his face quickly... much to Beau's glee... as she libeated her pistol from it's hiding place at the small of her back and leveled it straight at his head. "One," she hissed, pulling the slide, "He is unarguably the best man I've ever met." Benny, thick and lumbering as if her were caught in quicksand, tried to lurch for his desk. "Sit! Down!" Beau commanded, putting all the force she could muster behind the words. Benny, confounded and befudled, gawked and stammered like a fish out of water as his body obeyed her commend without his consent. Even as he TRIED to resist her command, he was plastered back into the seat by a wave of heat that rolled painfully through his office. "And two," Beau smiled wickedly... almost maniacally... as Benny's eyes snapped wide, pupils dialated with helpless fear, "Business is over when we SAY it's over." 

From their position down the road, Scat and Thomas heard two shots ring out from the warhouse; a stampede of workers flooding the streets as they fled in shock and terror. 

Thomas dropped his cigarette case as the first shot went off, his gaze turning swiftly to the warehouse as the second shot fired...

"God dammit Beau!" he cursed out as he tugged his gun from it's holster, the cigarette case clanging to the ground like a starter pistol firing as his legs propelled him to the warehouse. Scat was hot on his tail, gun pulled from the arm sling under his jacket. The two men bolted up the stairs to the back door of Benny's office and one swift kick had the door bolts broken off and busted open. Scat, having not seen Thomas quite that strong before, stood back a bit and wondered what had just happened; the older of the two promptly made his way into Benny's office.

The scene, nothing from what Thomas expected, had him stall momentarily. Beau was dressless, standing ever so beautiful in her knickers, with her gun out and Benny rolling on the ground clutching his crotch and screaming curses.

"Wh..aaat happened?" Thomas asked slowly, his gun aimed at Benny, but his eyes glued to Beau. "You okay?" He looked around and smirked. "So I said you do good work... This... This is the stuff that makes associates." He chuckled softly over Benny's crying and screaming.

"OH SHUT IT YOU INSIGNIFI-CUNT, LITTLE FUCK! YOU'LL BLEED OUT SHORTLY ANYWAY! THIS IS WHY YOU DON'T CROSS THE PHOENIXES!"

Thomas shuffled over and swiftly kicked Benny right square in his ass, between his thighs, to make the pain that much more excruciating. Looking at Isabeaux he shot her a smile. "This is why you're amazing... Go ahead and get dressed. Scat and I will finish up Benny," he turned to Scat who was just shaking the awe and coming in the door. "Oy, go get the truck and bring it around. The gates are still open. Get that thing off the streets." Thomas turned back to Benny and flipped his gun in his hand. The handle of the gun connected swiftly with the back of Benny's head and with the single motion, the fat man was silent... Aside from his labored breathing.

Slipping an arm under each of Benny's, Thomas lifted and hoisted him up. Leaning back with a grunt and digging his feet in, Thomas drug the man across the floor; a smear of blood and other fluids mixed as he slid. "Search through his records love, see if you can find anything for a reason he'd -want- to double cross us and end business..."

Thomas continued to drag the K.O.'d bastard Benny across the floor until he got to the balcony. Grunts and growls could be heard as Thomas hoisted him up and over the balcony and let him drop to the floor, a sickening thud as his head and neck cracked underneath the weight his body.

"Oof, that's going to be a lot to clean up... Good thing we have magic, huh Beau?" he called back over his shoulder with a smirk.

"We'll weigh him down then roll him off onto the boat and take him out to sea. I know there's some chains around here we could use so the little fish can feed on his rotting corpse."

Thomas leaned against the railway and reached for his cigarettes then cursed, seeing the glinting silver down the road where the truck had been. A wave of his hand had the item fly to his reach where he snagged it, tugged a cigarette out, and lit it. Now he had to wait for Beau to get dressed, and Scat to return with the truck safely hidden away. This day just got more fucked as they went along. Would be nice to be the new owner of Waterfront Warehousing though... Maybe he'd let someone in the crew head that operation... He was more akin to running a cabaret with Beau...

Beau shimmied into her dress, the tell-tale sound of the zipper echoing off the high concrete walls as she stepped out onto the balcony just in time to watch Scat pull the truck into the main storeroom. She was really trying NOT to think about the weight of what she'd just done... but Thomas' overly-descriptive game plan was making that rather difficult. 

"Tommy, could you... could you not," she asked innocently, trying her best to hide the wrinkle in her nose. He'd know this was her first. He propbably knew before he sent her in. ... but had he ever thought about what that *actually* meant? The way her blue eyes searched his face let him know she wondered if he could still remember what that was like. 

Scat parked the truck, and together the men loaded Benny's corpse onto one of the small tugboats in the docking bay. The engine rumbled, low and deep as they trawled away from the docks. Beau was surprised how cold it was on the open water. Even in the peak of summer, the frigid mist and cutting breeze made it nearly unbearable. Hudling close to Thomas, she wriggled her way beneath his jacket and snuggled in. Even if she was a bit miffed, it was fucking cold. 

As Scat navigated the small boat out of the bay, Beau nuzzled into Thomas' chest and did her best to stave off the waves of thought and emotion that crested within her like the sea benath them. She did good work. But she was gonna have to harden up. And she knew it. The engine went silent as Scat idled into a safe place. And with a heavy sigh, Beau shoved herself away from Thomas and moved the the back of the boat. She was knealing beside Benny's corpse before either of the men... tripple checking the chains and cement blocks. Feet scraping against the damp deck, Beau shoved her shoulder against the dead weight... grunting as she leveraged him onto the edge, Scat and Thomas joining to give her the last little boost needed for the body to splash heavily into the churning water. Beau, stairing over the boat's stern, watched as Benny's blank features faded into the depths. Pulling a silk flower free from her fascinator, she tossed it into the ocean after him before wordlessly turning away and walking... knees bloody and dripping... back to the bow. "C'mon, boys. We've work left to do. Let's get." 

Thomas watched Beau as Benny sank deeper and deeper... He watched her flower float along the waves as they rolled. The trio was so far away from land that no white caps were even visible. Simply rolling waters as the tide washed in. Even mid-day it was chilly over the ocean. The boat would have to be taken care of as well... They could wash it back at the docks, that would work just fine. Thomas sighed and turned his attention back to Beau as she walked her way to the bow of the small tugboat... 

"C'mon, boys. We've work left to do. Let's get."

Shaking his head, Thomas placed a hand on Scat's shoulder.

"Take helm, boyo, navigate us back to the docks and we'll start cleaning the warehouse and I'll make a call to see if anyone is interested in a warehouse business." He nodded, then made his way to the front to join Beau, sitting on a wire spool that was wrapped with cabling for a wench.

"Beau my darlin', how are ya feelin' about now? You okay? I know that wasn't easy..." he reached over and placed his hand on her back, rubbing softly.

"But we should talk about it..."

Beau snerked and shot him one of 'those' looks. "Darlin', huh?" She rolled her eyes, "I'm fine. I did good work. What's there to talk aout?"  Those words were soooo loaded. Maybe it would be better if they had this conversation at home. ... not that this wasn't private enough given the noise of the engine and Scat's isolation in the wheelhouse. Beau sniffled against the whipping winds and shifted slightly, turning her shoulder to him but not quite moving away. It was a bit too cold to push him away entirely, even if she'd wanted to... not that she did. And that was the rub. That's what made his carelessness seem so cutting. Even if he was trying to fix it now, it could easily be just because she was a good asset. And that stung. 

Thomas nodded softly, continuing to rub her back.

"Yes, you did do good work. Excellent work. More than that, you made bones with this family today... Things you've seen that can't be taken back. Things you've done, that can't be changed. Things you've done -consciously- I might add." He stopped rubbing for a moment as he fished out a smoke, hiding away to light it before lighting a second and offering it to her...

"So yeah, there's stuff to talk about. Like how you -are- an associate. WE, are associates. You've stepped up quicker than anyone I've ever seen. Decided to throw your lot in so quickly it's almost unheard of, Kitten... And honestly? I can't think of someone else I'd rather have at my side, Scat not included. His job is different..."

He puffed and exhaled...

"You helped kill a man today, Beau. On purpose. That changes you. It changes you in a way that I can't explain aside from both a rush of guilt, and a rush of power surging in your body at the same time. Good news, you killed a slime ball. Bad news, you snuffed out the life of another human being and played god, or a god, or what the fuck ever you want to believe in. It's what we do in this life... If you're ready? Well... I think you could be so much more in this life." He sighed, "But, you need to know it only gets easier and easier here until theirs an itch that can't be scratched... It's like a drug, babe, the power that you feel being in control. Are you ready for that kind of life?"

Beau blinked up at him. She really had gotten herself into more of a mess than she thought he'd ever fathom. "I'll be fine. In the end... he's not even the first. Not really. I was born a killer... before I even had the will to choose. And as far as drugs go... I got a good dealer so... " Beau shrugged softly, taking the cigarette from him with a surprisingly steady hand, "It'll settle later. And when it does, I'll sort it out just like I always have." 

She wasn't sure she wanted to go any farther than that right now. She'd been stupid and naive and gullible. Even more so than usual. He'd told her exactly who and what he was and yet, somehow, she'd let herself hope... well, it didn't really matter what she hoped at this point. Either way it was a disservice to them both. 

Blinking up at him, she admitted softly, "He spoke badly about you. And said awful things about how he'd send me back to you."  Her bright blue eyes sparkled with... too much... as continued, "Nobody gets to talk about you like that. Not around me." Chuckling softly she tried to hide her blush as she turned away, exhaling a plume of smoke ove rher shoulder, "You're the whole reason that I jumped in in the first place. You've done me a solid... and promised me more. So whatever you ask, I owe." 

Noting his displeased expression at that sentiment she added quickly, "And I give it happily, Tommy." Her eyes did that thing again, that told him there was more she wasn't saying as the words '...for you' died on her tongue before crossing her lips. 

She chuckled darkly, as she turned back to him, "Besides... for that fat sack of shit I'd have bitten it off if I coulda stomached putting that maggot in my mouth." Partly it was a front, he knew... but there was something else that glinted in the glassy blue of her gaze that told him she was also VERY serious. Where had THIS Beau been the last week? Where did she come from? This was a special kind of carzy... but maybe... just maybe... it was a kind of crazy he could get behind?

Thomas stared at her for a good long while, his cigarette smoldering and smoking itself out as he sat still. Finally he shook his head and chuckled. "Yeah... You'll be fine. I don't doubt that. I don't know too many gals that could handle themselves the way you do. But you know you don't owe me nuthin', right kitten?"

He chuckled and winked. "I wanna help ya because one, I know it sucks not knowing about yourself and things like that... And two? Well... I like ya, and kinda wanna keep ya around as long as I can. Maybe one day keep ya for myself. If ya follow my meanin', doll... And more importantly, if ya'd have me. I know Kovi kinda likes ya too or he wouldn't have started teachin' ya... Special." He winked and went to stand.