The sun slowly sank down towards the horizon west of Philadelphia, exerting a tremendous battle of oranges, pinks, and reds as it dropped inexorably away. As the stars came out, so did the nocturnal creatures who called the city home: the cats, mice, gangsters, dolls, gamblers, drinkers, killers, and thieves. Runa supposed that she was potentially all of those things, but it was hard to know what course her life would take. There were so many things up in the air.

Runa stood on the rooftop of the Delaware Apartments, staring out at the sunset until the stars began to twinkle to life above her.

Yes, many things were up in the air. But there was only one thing that was truly bothering her. If she got an answer on that one question, then it'd help her figure out everything else in her life. 

Runa reached inside her blouse and looked at the ring that was on a chain around her neck. The last vestiges of daylight illuminated the large emerald set in white gold. The ring looked back at her, shaped like a cat's eye. 

She stared at it until it was too dark to make it out clearly, then she tucked it back inside her blouse.

Runa had never been a particularly patient girl. If she couldn't indulge her curiosity, then why'd she even come to America? 

No, she needed an answer.

*

Originally, Runa had intended to try to sneak into wherever Jack lived and wait for him, but on second thought that sounded like a great way to get dumped into the Delaware with cement shoes. The bodyguards were good, of course, but Jack himself was no slouch. No, her best bet was to catch him at the Cat and Phoenix. It was a safe spot, his home turf, but a place that she'd gotten comfortable as well. 

Runa stayed in the shadows outside the bar, trying to think how the hell she'd start this conversation.

*

After most of the patrons had left, Runa slinked into the bar and perched on a stool. She didn't trust herself to work behind the bar that night, and she could hear someone else rustling around in the back. It must be Jack. She considered pouring herself a drink to steady her nerves, but decided it wasn't worth the risk. 

"Uh, Jack? It's me, Runa. I was hoping to talk to you for a bit, if you were around. Sorry for coming by like this, but I was hoping to speak with you privately."

The quiet nights brought about a opportune moment for reflection, during which Jack could process his experiences of the day, week, or whatever, while also convincing himself he was still getting work done. In truth, he'd begun to slow down. The Cat was a great place to unwind and socialise with the locals, however Jack was enjoying it more and more each passing day. He'd have to put a stop to it, or just retire altogether. He smirked at the thought and weaved another barrel on its edges through the enclosed spaces behind the bar, the ale sloshing inside.

With the barrel positioned, he straightened up, only then realising Runa was stood aside the counter. He was pleased to see her and smiled, deciding now would be a suitable time to take a break.

"Runa! It's good to see you. My apologies, after Detroit I slipped back into the city overnight. Just thought I'd get some of the boring jobs done down here."

He sat, which possibly gave away his curious nature as to the circumstances of her approaching in such a way that indicated a motive. He took a jug of water a filled a glass, then sunk half of it and fixed his attention on her.

"I'm sorry, did you say something?"

Runa smiled, her mind obviously racing behind her eyes. 

"Glad things went well in Detroit."

She slid into a stool near Jack. A man with his power didn't need to be lugging barrels around, and seeing him do so helped her understand him a bit better. In her mind, a man who wanted to handle all the details of a bar like this... it wasn't his business, but his home.

"So Jack, uh... I'm just going to ramble for a bit here, because it's probably best for me to just unload what I've gotta say, and then let you respond. But I want to be really clear about something: I don't need or want anything from you- money, special treatment, whatever. I can take care of myself. I just want to know the truth, and I can handle anything."

Feeling more confident as she continued, she accepted the glass of water gratefully from Jack, occasionally pausing to drink from it.

"I'll just... I'll tell you a story, I guess."

She took a deep breath and began.

"Growing up, I always liked my dad more than my mother. My dad's a bartender, and he's got this big, warm voice and personality. He's a teddy bear. My mother... was not. I think she loved me in her own way, but she was unique. She was a hitter- a high priced freelancer. She was pretty expensive, worked all around Europe... her name was Ada Berg. They called her Iceberg."

Runa's green eyes flashed up to Jack's, wondering if he'd betray any hint of recognition, but she dropped them quickly back down to the table where she laced her fingers together.

"Based on what my dad told me and what I've been able to piece together, my mother never wanted kids. She was damn good at killing, and bounced around Europe without an ounce of guilt. Just wired differently. Well, the story that I was told is that twenty years ago she crossed paths with an up and coming mafioso that got involved in a job of hers. They got involved, whether it was for a night or a week or whatever, and they went their separate ways. A month later, she found out she was pregnant."

Runa's eyes bored into her hands.

"She told me flat out that she didn't want me and was planning to... well, deal with the situation. But something made her stop, and instead she found some big-hearted sucker on a Scottish isle to marry a woman who was already pregnant. She spent a few years making sure that I was settled and safe, gave me my name, then disappeared one day when I was around four. My dad got a letter, I got a couple letters. One for when I was a kid, one for when I was older, and one to be opened in case of an emergency."

Runa exhaled.

"Well, the first couple letters basically laid out everything I just said. The last one, the emergency one, well I opened that too because what could be more of an emergency than being bored, right? Well, it mentioned that if I was ever in any kind of trouble, then I should find Jack Mezzo and show him this ring."

Runa reached inside her blouse and removed the chain around her neck. She placed the ring on the bar, revealing the emerald shaped in the cat's eye.

"She said this was a family heirloom of yours, and that you'd know it when you saw it."

Her own green eyes finally met Jack's and she steadied herself.

"Look, Jack... I've already got a dad. I don't need money, and I'm not looking for anything you haven't already shown me: a chance to earn my spot. But based on the letter from my mother and this, she sure as shit seems to imply that you're my father. So I've just gotta know whether this is true or not. Did you know Ada Berg? She might have been going by a different name at the time, but I'm assuming you didn't have multiple dalliances with beautiful Scandinavian assassins... no offense. Either that, or maybe someone gave her your name and managed to fool her, even if she had good sources. I dunno. I'd believe anything at this point, but, uh... I'm really curious as to whether that person and this ring bring back any memories for you."

Jack inspected the ring, knowing full well it was stolen well over a decade ago, perhaps even two. It had been Jack's fault though, which he had lived with since. Runa didn't need to know that though. He contemplated the questions that would follow her comments, he had a few circling, though mostly effort was being made to piece together the events around that time. He had known Ada, briefly. And they had been involved. But the ring was always intended for someone else. 

Much like his grandfather, Jack had paid more attention to his work than chasing romance. There had been a chance, once, and he almost took it. For the first time in his life though, he waited too long, and it slipped through his fingers. A spate of misguided decisions followed, and before he knew it he was rolling with murders.

Reality loomed and Mezzo cut through the questions that would directly address the situation. It was uncharacteristic of him to avoid the point, however unlikely it would be he could escape it.

"You're in trouble," he paused, allowing what she said to come back to him, "the letter, you said you were to open it if you were in trouble?"

Runa didn't know she was holding her breath until she realized how close she was to passing out. She exhaled audibly and forced herself to seem cool and collected as they looked up at Jack.

"Well. I. Uh."

Runa bit her lip.

"So I don't expect you've ever heard of the Orkney Islands. North of Scotland. But, uh, I'm from a fishing village of a couple hundred people. I knew everyone. And there's just not that many girls on the island, so ever since I was 14 I had guys eyeing me up for wifehood. Now I have two brothers- stepbrothers, I guess- so between them and my father no one ever bothered me too much. But I could just feel myself going crazy if I had to get married and live in that village the whole rest of my life pumping out kids and cooking fish every day. And my dad taught me how to read, and all I could think of was that there was this big, giant world that I'd never get to see. So... I considered that to be an emergency. Even if maybe that's not what my mother intended, exactly."

There wasn't much he could do with that. He was expecting something he could take action on, perhaps divert from the glaring revalation that he had a daughter. There was a peace that flowed through him though, knowing that the potentially iminent danger was thousands of miles away in some fishing villiage in Scotland. It was a good feeling - his brand new daughter was safe. 

"So, you're looking for adventure out here, or is this just a passing visit?"

It was avoiding the topic, again. He could do better. He shook his head and grabbed a bottle from behind the bar. A pair of glasses hit the counter and he unstopped it, then hesitated. He placed the bottle down and remained focussed on the tumblers.

"It's true, if you're who you say you are, it's true. I'm not surprised, but certainly thought that the moment had passed. If there was a child, I would have been visted much sooner," he glanced up at her, "and not by yourself, either."

Another short delay, he re-corked the bottle.

"Why don't you make us some drinks? I want to see what it's like, knowing I'm drinking something my own blood made."

Admitting it was the first step, the drink might shake loose those old emotions.

"I'm here to stay," she insisted. "Well, in America, at least. Everything seems to be happening here, and... well, I think maybe I could do well in this country. Find enough to keep me interested, at least. And I really like it here in Philadelphia. Even if you'd told me to get lost tonight, I'd probably still stick around with the crew if I could. Some good people there..."

Runa had been staring down at the emerald ring, but glanced up when Jack put a couple of glasses on the bar.

"It's true."

She blinked.

"I- thank you, for telling me the truth. And I can't speak to my mother's motives, but based on her other actions it sounded like she intended on planting me the most boring place she could find. She is - or was, I guess- a strange woman. I assume she's alive, but I haven't seen her or heard from her since I was four. I hear rumors about her every now and then. I guess she spent a lot of time in Russia? But I don't know anything for sure."

Runa was rambling a bit, but she trailed off as Jack mentioned his own blood. Okay then.

She resolved to try for a complicated drink, but one that seemed appropriate. 

It took her quite a while to gather the ingredients from the bar and even longer to measure and blend the beverages: the whiskey was paired with cognac, sweet vermouth, expensive Benedictine liqueur. She then added dashes of Peychaud's bitters and aromatic bitters as well. As she worked, part of her forgot that Jack was even there as she focused on the drinks. But as she stirred them both and strained them into glasses, she couldn't help but glance up. 

Dropping a cherry in each glass, Runa handed one of the drinks to Jack.

"This is a new one- the Vieux Carré. Supposed to be strong. Just came out of New Orleans."

He wasn't familiar with the drink, which was good. He hated not being surprised anymore, so today was either a good day for it or a case of being careful what you wish for. In the time Runa took to make the drink, he had time to collect his thoughts. Watching her shift about the bar had helped his thoughts ground themselves, then he was handed the drink.

"Thank you, Runa."

The cherry settled into the mixture amid a brief silence.

"You're welcome here, if that's where you want to be. If I'm honest, I'd like you here. I don't have much family left, and I need someone at my side that isn't going to be afraid to nudge me back on course if a stray. I've never really wanted children, or expected I'd have the time, emotional capacity or lifestyle that would be suitable to raise a child." He took the drink in hand and admired the skill and care it took to produce, "you're here though, now. I can't tell you what to do or what not to do. I can see you know a thing or two about survival, about when to run and how to make smart decisions."

He took a sip. It was good, a little on the fancy side, but still enjoyable. He returned the glass to the counter and pondered over it for a moment. A knot had developed in his stomach as if a brutal realisation had dropped from his mind and landed into his gut. An inevitability, almost.

"Keep tight lipped though. Last thing either of us need is a weakness to exploit."

Runa flashed a grin; she could tell right away that at least he didn't hate it.

"You're welcome. And yea, I'd definitely like to stay. Even without this whole... thing... well, it's a great group of people."

To hear that he'd never wanted children was a bit of a surprise, but not that much. There was a reason he hadn't settled down. But... well, at least he didn't have to raise her. She nodded as she made his last point.

"Yea... I'll be discreet. I wanted to talk to you, wanted to have this conversation and fight out if it was true, but... well, I dunno. Things don't need to change much. I'm not really looking for someone to buy me a pony or take me to the fair or whatnot."

She paused, wondering what to call him. She already had a "dad"; Rollo might be fine with most of Runa's decision, but the old man would put up a battle over that title. Still, "Father" felt too formal, even though it was how she thought of him.

"Thank you, Jack. I appreciate all of this more than you know. I'll do my best to live up... well, everything."

Runa left the ring on the bar.

"Glad I could return this to you as well. Is there a story behind it?"

He took the ring in hand and studied in his palm. It glimmered back at him with an almost taunting charm. The honest answer was no, he didn't know much of the story behind it. However he knew where it was intended. The roots of the ring to his knowledge go as far back as Tabitha Gato, an Irish girl and his great-grandmother. It would at least explain the vivid colour of the gem rooted in the centre.

He flipped it into his pocket and smiled reassuringly, with a michevious suggestion.

"Probably a story for another time, Ms. Katte."