Sibling rivalry is a hell of a thing.

Benji rolled his eyes, stuffing the crumpled box of cigarettes back into his jacket pocket as he fumble for a match. His hand brushed the wrinkled telegram card he'd received three days ago, reminding him of his older brother Augustine's urgent plead for help. Sure, now his older and better looking brother needed him. Never needed him for anything else before, Benji was just in the way. He pursed his lips, running his tongue over his teeth as he pondered what to do next. Taking a drag on the cigarette, he held it for a moment before letting the smoke seep through his teeth as it mixed with the frigid air of the crisp fall morning. His resolve was shit but family was family and everything he'd ever been taught was that family came first. 

He walked the two blocks from the station, focusing on the sound of his shoes striking the pavement to keep him centered. Every so often he raised his hands to his mouth to blast warm air into his cupped hands, cursing himself for leaving his leather gloves at home. Soon as he could he'd need to get another pair from Woolworths. Approaching the worn brick apartment building, Benji pulled the card from his pocket to double check the address. Augie lived on the 6th floor and of course there wasn't a lift so he hightailed it up the stairs, catching his breath on the landing. From down the hall, he could hear heated shouting and a general ruckus. Two red faced men barreled out a door, spittle flying as they screamed threats and epithets, promising that they'd return. They stormed down the hall, still yelling at full volume about the types of trash the city allowed, pushing past Benji on their way downstairs.

"Hey watch where you're going punk." One of them growled, almost as an afterthought to what had happened just moments before. Benji stepped back and raised his hands and the two men thundered down the steps without a second glance. Once he was certain that they were gone he turned and picked the card up from the ground where it had fallen, squinting at the address again. He checked doors and stopped short when he came to the door number on the card, groaning internally as he realized it was the place that the two jack booted thugs had just left. He pushed the door quietly, calling softly for his older brother who emerged with a gun pointed straight at Benji's head. 

"Woah woah Augie, don't do anything rash!" Benji yelled as he ducked for cover. His brother dropped the gun on the counter with a clatter quickly and Benji could see his brother relax. 

"Sorry about that, those boys ya know? They won't leave me alone! I had to take out a small loan but I repaid it within a month. Now they're saying it wasn't enough and I still owe them and they've come after me ever since. I've been trying to dodge but I think they mean business this time. I've been saving up my hard earned cash but they told me I got till tomorrow to pay my dues and I still owe another hundred bucks. I sent you the message cause I was hoping you could help me hustle up the last bit."

Benji was taken aback as his brother explained his plight and knew now my ma always said he'd gotten the brains of the family. Augustine was a fuckin moron who'd borrowed money from an unscrupulous businessman but there was no way in hell he was gonna come up with the hundred bucks unless...

"Oh no you're not gettin me involved with one of your stupid shenanigans again Aug, no this is stupid."

"Come on Benj, you're my last hope. I know you were always the fast one as a kid and I never told ma about all the things you stole, come on we just gotta fence a couple rich broads and we're golden."

An hour of hemming and hawing had Benji and Augustine going in different directions towards the nicest part of Philly. There were always a couple hapless tourists near the historical parts of town and he was certain he could make quick work of his job and leave his idiot brother in peace. Sure enough, there was quite a bit of foot traffic near Independence Hall but it was tough finding a mark that looked loaded enough to settle the score. After a few attempts he'd managed to filch $20 from passers by, often with fingers quick enough to lift the cash and put the clip or wallet back. Still, he was cold, tired, hungry, and picking pockets for pittance for his idiot older brother. This was absolutely not how he wanted to be spending his time and the coffee shop across the way was looking rather inviting. 

He made his way toward the warm shop and pulled the door open, unaware that he had captured the attention of someone earlier who was trailing him now. The place was bright and filled with the warmth of fresh brewed coffee and baked goods so he found a small table and sat down, placing his hat on the table next to him. He drummed his fingers on the table in an effort to warm them up, grateful when the waitress came over to take his order. She brought back his coffee a minute later and he wrapped his fingers around the cup, drinking in the warmth through his hands before taking a sip. He closed his eyes, tapping out a beat on the cup only to have his reverie interrupted by the sound of someone sliding into the seat opposite him. His eyes snapped open and he found himself face to face with a blonde woman with piercing eyes who gave him a wry smile. 

"G-good evening." He stammered as she looked him up and down. "Can I help you?" He managed, disquieted by the woman's gaze. She smirked, resting her chin on her folded hands as she rested her elbows on the table. After another long pause she spoke.

"You've got some skills kid. You're fast, I like that." Benji swallowed hard and pulled himself back slightly, displaying his unease as she continued. "Relax kid, I just wanted to tell you I admired your work although it didn't seem like you got what you were looking for. I admire a hard worker though. My name's Callisto, what's yours?"

Benji sighed, letting out the breath he'd been holding inside and reached his hand forward to shake hers. 

"Benjamin. I uh, I was trying to help my brother out of of a pickle. He borrowed money from someone and told me that even though he paid it off, they're still hounding him and he's short a hundred bucks and needs it by tomorrow. That's where I come in, I'm light on my feet and got really good at filching things as a kid without ma noticing. He figured I could pinch what we needed and he'd be free and clear but I guess I wasn't as good as I thought I was."

 He sighed, taking a sip of his rapidly cooking coffee as Callisto pondered what he'd said. 

"Still, I think I was the only one who really paid any mind, I guess you could say that it's because I've made business like that my personal business." She smiled, tenting her fingers in front of her face as realization dawned on him that she was in the same sort of unscrupulous business that had gotten his brother in trouble. He frowned, toying with his coffee cup as he leveled a distrusting gaze at her. 

"What are my choices here?" He asked, his tone distrusting. 

"It's no skin off my nose." Callisto answered, reaching into her purse for a wad of cash. She fanned out the bills and waved them in front of her chin. "But I can help you achieve your goal faster. All I'd ask is that you help me out from time to time in endeavors that are far more lucrative and less risky. I mean pick pocketing for a hundred bucks could take you days and you say he's only got till tomorrow right? You've got skills kid and I could use someone whose light on their feet like you. I can even offer you other opportunities that your brother couldn't even dream of giving you. You could do whatever you want, music, owning a business, sports...I can get you anywhere you wanna go." 

She smiled again and Benji could feel his resolve waning. She was convincing and the thought of being able to pay for the trumpet he'd been eyeing was tempting. He sat there for a moment, weighing his options as he thought of the possibilities for himself and after living his life as the youngest of 6 kids in hand me downs and little opportunities to himself, he decided that maybe the fast track to the top wouldn't be the worst thing. He took another moment before extending his hand again towards Callisto who broke into laugher. 

"Well that didn't take too long. I thought you'd fight more!" She handed him a folded wad of money, shaking her head when he protested, indicating that he should put the money in his pocket. He stuffed the bills in his jacket as she made her move to leave, standing up and pushing her chair in. "Tell you what, here's my card, I'll be in touch. Tell your brother to quit looking for money in all the wrong places."

Callisto turned and left the coffee shop and Benji wasn't far after her. By the time he'd walked out the door though, Callisto was nowhere to be seen. He hunched his shoulders against the chill of the evening and made his way to the meeting place he and his brother had agreed on. After handing his brother $80 and telling him it was the best he could do, he decided to go one step further. 

"Listen you don't owe me and hopefully you can get this all fixed but you gotta get out of town. These guys won't stop if they know they can bully you into giving them this money. Take the money and run, get out of here and don't come back. Live your life, work hard, and don't take loans from gangsters." He hugged his brother and turned, hoping Augie would take his advice and leave, never to follow in his footsteps.