Amira scribbled a few words on the notepad beside her phone with the receiver tucked between her shoulder and her ear.

"I've got it. No, I think I will take this one myself. I think it's time to take Viridia out on a real job. Plus, I have an idea for that block; I'll bring it to you later."

She hung up the phone and tore off the little sheet of paper, then stuffed it into her pocket as she stood and headed into the hallway. Viridia was in the study, where she could be found spending a good deal of time when not training with either Amira or Spencer. 

Poking her head around the slightly opened door, Amira found Viridia with her head in a book.

"We've got a job. This one is for real, and you're up. Come on- let's get ready and I'll fill you in."

Before Viridia could start to ask questions, Amira turned and started heading for her apartment suite. A change of clothing was in order.

Viridia slammed her book shut and blushed, hoping @Amira hadn't spotted the cover. Not that she would care, running an escort service. But if Viridia was going to be Amira's assistant, then didn't she need to know all about such things? She slid the book under a leatherbound copy of The Iliad. 

Sex and war. My new life, I suppose. Though I need a money book to add to the pile.

She'd already practiced some self defense skills, after all. Even though Spencer had initially classified her current skill level as "not able to survive for the four seconds it would take for me or Amira to help you", she was at least making slight progress. 

Viridia followed Amira into the brunette's apartment suite and reclined on the bed as Amira headed toward the closet.

She shot an envious glance at Amira's figure- the lean, expert muscle that was so hard for Viridia to imagine on her own frame.

With a sigh, she reclined back on Amira's bed and stared at the ceiling.

"What do you mean a real job? And do I need to change too? I'm getting really used to this jeans and jacket thing. Draws less attention than the witch's hat."

Stepping into the closet, Amira scanned the rows of clothes so neatly lining three walls. 

"You're going to want to draw attention for this one." she called back from inside.

A few seconds later, a few pieces of clothing came flying out of the closet and landed on the bed. It had worked out that Amira and Viridia were roughly the same size- adjustments were easy enough to make if needed. The biggest difference was height, and since Amira hated wearing short things, her shorter clothes were perfect for Viridia. The outfit that landed on the bed was a sleek black pencil skirt, a form-fitting black top with black lace along the neckline, and a black bolero jacket. 

"That should do it. Put your hair up. The look you're going for is my assistant. You need to look sharp- you're the gatekeeper to The Firm's Left Hand and number one assassin- and someone is about to have to do business with you."

That taken care of, Amira went about getting herself changed. She didn't bother shutting doors. Viridia had been around long enough now that they had become quite comfortable around one another. Then again, there was the elephant in the room that Viridia didn't know about but Amira still hadn't given Garrett the go-ahead to breech with her. Well, Amira thought to herself, tonight would definitely give her a sense of how the young woman might handle that.

She donned her "uniform;" the one that the sole survivor of the Las Vegas warehouse raid had left describing her as "some kind of crazy demon." The tight black pants and black button-up shirt with the mandarin collar went on first, then the coal-black boots that reached her knees. Her hair went into a tight braid behind her head, then she grabbed the empty leather corset belt and headed back into the bedroom and joined Viridia.

"How is everything fitting?"

Viridia raised an eyebrow at "draw attention", wondering if she'd need to find another hat. She propped herself up on her elbow and examined the clothes. 

"Am I going to a... sexy funeral? Oh, right. Your assistant. Of course."

At least pretending to be a witch had the side effect of faking confidence.

With a sigh, Viridia pulled herself to the edge of Amira's bed and leaned forward, walking on her hands with her legs sticking straight up in the air. After moving six feet or so, she tucked her head down and rolled forward, gracefully popping up into a standing position. Noticing Amira's stare, Viridia shrugged.

"Sorry. My mom had me do acrobatics since I was a kid. My dad made me stop."

Viridia quickly changed while Amira did the same. The clothes were easy, but the hair was tricky; she was so used to wearing it down and wavy.

"Uh, fine. Just trying to work on the hair thing. I don't wear it up too often. So what kind of business are we doing tonight?"

The skills Viridia seemed to have hidden that kept popping up were building up to quite an interesting CV for her young apprentice. This particular talent was something Amira wished she had herself- but filed it away for now with an amused stare before moving on. 

"Let me help."

Taking the brush from Viridia, Amira sat on the bed and set to running it through her pretty, long locks of firey hair. It was quite exotic to Amira- she'd never seen anything like that before coming to the States- and for a brief moment allowed herself to marvel at how it felt like pure silk. Then she began working the hair into a French twist, like her friend Marjorie had shown her at the secretaries school. As she did, she began explaining the job. 

"The man we are going to see is named Benjamin Sauls. His street name, however, is Benny Black. He owns a small drug operation on the eastern side of Downtown LA, in a building owned by The Firm. He pays rent to us in cash and in product. Lately, Benny has become...unreliable."

Reaching to the table beside her bed with one hand, Amira flips open an old, worn cigar box and pulls out a silver comb which she slides into Viridia's hair to secure the twist in place. She then stands and buckles the black leather corset belt around her waist and walks toward the cabinet near the window. 

"Benny is now two months behind on his rent, and he's been bringing us cut cocaine for several weeks."

She opens the cabinet, revealing a dizzying number of blades from which she begins selecting quite a few and slipping them into her belt, as well as her boots. 

When she closes it, Amira turns to Viridia with a steady look, straight into her eyes. 

"Viridia, I will always be honest with you in these things. You know this business isn't always pretty; and there is a very good chance that I'm going to kill this man tonight. But that's going to be his choice in the way he handles himself with you, alright? Your job is to make him explain why he's late with his rent, no bullshit, and confess to giving us impure product. You take nothing from him but answers, and you show no fear. He will not touch you. The moment he learns you work for me, he will know not to risk that- but he may try to dance around with his words. Just do your best to get what you can out of him. I'll decide when enough is enough."

Finally, Amira took the long, ghoulish gray hooded coat and slid her arms into it. It was the first time she'd donned her assassin's garb since returning from the " retreat," but it felt good. She felt ready.

But was Viridia? Amira looked to the young woman. She looked quite stunning in the suit, in fact. It fit well and gave the look. Amira nodded slowly with a very small grin. 

​​​​​​"You look perfect. Are you ready for it?"

Viridia closed her eyes as @Amira closed her hair. It was nice to be with a person- with people. Pretending to be a witch had been lucrative, but far too isolating. Pretending to be a gangster had been much easier. No, it was nice to feel Amira's fingers running through her hair- to have a real friend, albeit one that intimidated her at times. 

Her eyes widened- though not as much as they did the first few days- when she saw Amira's collection of blades. Her eyes drifted past the collection, settling one particular jewel encrusted blade.

"Okay. So Benny is cheating you- cheating us. And it's- um- probably a better business decision to kill him- so that anyone else who owes you money will pay and not assume they can do the same thing. That makes sense."

She nodded.

"Okay. So I'm going to just get answers from him, and eventually you're going to pop out and ventilate him. That's fine. Great."

Viridia looked down at the secretary outfit, and barely recognized herself. It was just like being a witch. Believe you're someone else hard enough that everyone else believes you.

My name is Gloria. I'm a lawyer. I own a grey cat and I drink fancy tea. One time a male law student groped me and I punched him in the throat. Maybe I have a boyfriend. Named Dave. But Dave knows his fucking place, which is beneath me. Gloria. I'm so fucking smart and calm. Goddamn I'm so calm. 

Viridia bowed her head and gave a businesslike nod of her head. Her hands went behind her back, forcing her to stand straighter and hold her chin higher.

"Absolutely, Miss Dayan. Lead the way."

It was almost like watching someone become possessed, the way Viridia's persona changed. In a way, her face changed as well; and it was quite impressive. Amira smiled, partially because she knew at least some of the end result of this visit, but more so because she couldn't be more proud of the progress Viridia had been making. The young woman had more talent in one finger than Amira had seen in fifteen men in the entirety of The Firm. 

Pretty soon, it would be time to meet Tyki.

Falling into the act herself, Amira put on her game face and led Viridia- Gloria- downstairs to the garage where Spencer was waiting with the car. He opened the back door of Amira's car for them, then got into the driver's seat. Amira gave him the destination, and he started the engine. 

It wasn't a long trip. The building was a brick, two-story structure that took up a quarter of block frontage not far from the Seraphinium. The building appeared very well kept, and the signage read that the business was for a landscaping company. Spencer pulled past the front, making a turn around the block, then slowed to a stop around the side. 

Amira turned to Virida before opening the door.

"This is my stop. From here, the show is yours. I'll be in the building before you- but he sees you before he sees me. Remember, you are my representative. Take no shit from him. He will try to play you, but you know the truth already. Get him talking as much as you can, keep your face like a stone- even when you see me. Spencer will drop you off at the front."

With that, Amira got out and moved like a cat toward the side entrance. She pulled a key from an inner pocket of her coat, and within a moment had disappeared inside. Spencer watched until the door was fully closed, and then a few seconds more before he pulled the car away from the curb again and made another trip around the block. He glanced in the rearview mirror at Viridia.

"You read, Miss?"

Viridia tried to reshape her mind, preparing to think and speak the way her imagined persona would. She gave Spencer a professional smile, then spent most of the drive ensuring her hair was perfect. 

Take no shit from him. 

Viridia hardened her face and eyes as she nodded at Spencer.

"Of course."

She stepped out of the car before he could say anything else. Her shoes clicked on the pavement. @Amira had moved so gracefully.

I want to be able to do that. 

Viridia redirected her thoughts as she approached the "landscaping" company and thumped her fist once on the door. The door opened slightly and Viridia's voice cracked like a whip.

"I am here as a representative of Amira Dayan; take me to Mr. Sauls immediately."

Benny Black looked up, box cutter in hand, from a stack of still-packaged kilos he was about to send through processing. The voice was unfamiliar, and that annoyed him. 

"Goddamnit," he muttered to himself, then called back lamely, "Yeah, alright- I'm coming."

Standing from being crouched on one knee, he comes to a full 6'8"; a monster of a man with broad shoulders and sun-darkened skin. His heavy boots plonk against the concrete floor as he emerges from a room adjacent to the main room of the lower floor. 

"Well ain't this something?" he thinks to himself. "The King of LA is sending legal beagles now? What a fuckin' joke."

"I'm Benny Sauls. What can I do for you?"

He had a deep voice that could have shaken the walls around them if he'd wanted to- but instead he seemed utterly unconcerned about the impending interaction. He pocketed the box cutter and crossed his hulking arms over his chest, looking at Viridia expectantly.

Across the room, no more than 200 feet away, Amira had made her way into a shadowed corner of the same room. Her breath is silent as the dead as she watches. Her eyes are narrowed and sharply focused, and both of her forefingers are positioned in the loops of her two favorite, wickedly curved black blades.

Viridia paced into the landscaping business like she owned the place. Stone-faced, she looked over Benny Black. More accurately, she looked up at Benny Black. But she remained emotionless as the large man cast his literal and figurative shadow over her, and she stepped aside so that she stood in the light. 

"Mr. Sauls, my name is Gloria Santoro. I represent the business interests of Amira Dayan, and she's sent me here today to gather information. We can begin with your rationale for your failure to pay your rent."

Her eyes met his without blinking.

"Of course, if you'd feel more comfortable having this conversation in an office or somewhere else on the grounds, I'm happy to accommodate you."

Benny almost laughed, but managed to keep it to a cocky grin.

"Is that so? Well, sweetheart, things are pretty busy around here. Moving product ain't as easy as it used to be, you know? Prices going up, getting harder to find workers- you know, supply and demand and all that."

His grin hardened and he narrowed his eyes.

"Besides, this neighborhood ain't so good for selling like it used to be. Cops all over the place. Did 'Miss Dayan' think about that? Maybe the protection from the boys in blue ain't what it used to be, huh?"

Back in her corner, Amira grew a wicked grin. His opening play was pithy- trying to blame The Firm for his bad sales rather than his shit product. Amira knew for certain that the police steered well clear of the Firm's business interests and properties; even this one. Her eyes shifted to Viridia, wondering how she'd manage it. 

Viridia met Benny's grin with a cool stare.

"You can address me as Miss Santoro."

She tilted her head, repeating the information in a way that suggested she was committing it to memory. 

"Prices going up. Supply and demand. And the cops. Hmmmm."

Viridia stood up straight, pacing with her hands behind her back.

"Everyone else seems to do quite well with the level of protection my organization provides, Mr. Sauls. Perhaps there's something else you'd like to add as an addendum to your explanation? I have sources here that have suggested your product has declined in quality. I don't suppose there's any truth to that?"

For a split second, Benny Black's eyes went wide- but he marshalled his expression and glowered instead.

"The fuck you say! My stuff is high-quality- nothin' but the best! Someone's been feeding you some bullshit. No. No, I know what you're doing. You're making some shit up. I know what you people do."

His voice was getting louder, and he uncrossed his arms to wag an accusing finger toward Viridia as his face reddened.

"You can tell Amira AND her boss that it's their own damn fault they ain't gettin' paid. Yeah. This whole stinkin' town is going to shit."

Amira just shook her head. Liars always get louder when they know they are caught. For such a big man, he acted like a child almost. Viridia, however, was flawless. For a moment Amira wondered if she'd misheard nursing school instead of law school. For her part, Amira's mind was made up; she was going to waste the guy; but she decided to let Viridia go as far as she could before that. 

Viridia didn't blink as the giant man shouted at her. She was afraid, sure, but her fear of Benny was nothing compared to her trust in Amira.

"Right. High quality stuff."

She tilted her head, indicating the crate marked with "44-157." 

"And that's quite a lot of aspirin- a shipment that size has no business being here unless you're cutting with it. So please put the finger away, calm yourself, and start telling me the truth."

Viridia tilted your head.

"In return, I'll tell you the truth, which is that I don't think it would be prudent for you to send me back to Amira- and her boss- and tell them that 'it's their own damn fault'."

She paused and pursed her lips.

"Are you sure there isn't anything else you'd like to mention regarding the economic shortcomings of your operation?"

Amira's head tilted, as well, as her eyes moved to the crates. She never would have know that just by looking- she probably would have smashed the crates open to see what was in them while she was tearing the place apart while Benny was tied up and whining. Watching Viridia do this was something quite amazing, actually. Her combination of skills and knowledge was turning out to be a rare and highly valuable asset. 

Benny growled through his teeth and clenched his fists.

"Ok look, goddamnit, I got guys that were stealing from me. Some of my broads were skimming from processing, then some punks selling were pocketing the shit and feeding me lines about getting mugged or they got pulled in by the cops and the stuff was confiscated. I lost thousands, ok? That ain't my fault. I had to take care of that unpleasantness then try to find new employees, but see now I don't trust no one, so business slows down because I'm doing all this shit myself, see? So I'm a couple months behind- big deal. It's coke- it'll sell. I just need the bodies. And who gives a shit if it's cut. Junkies buy, then they buy more, right? They put it up their noses one way or the other."

His voice wasn't as loud, but there was a distinct wavering that wasn't there before. Amira tightened her grip on her karambits.

Viridia nodded. 

"A final question, Mr. Saults. These people who stole from you... these punks and broads... what did you do to them? In your opinion, what's the best way to handle a subordinate whose greed starts cutting into your profits?"

She smiled for the first time.

"Asking for a friend."

It was the smile that caught Benny off guard. The broad hadn't smiled the whole time she'd been there. She'd looked like she'd been sucking on a lemon the whole time- what the fuck was she smiling about now. He opened his mouth and stepped forward to start giving her an earful about what he did to punks and thieves, when he heard and felt a flutter of wind directly behind his neck. Before the realization completely registered, though, something like a freight train slammed directly into his spine. 

Amira landed on him with both booted feet, having made an almost perfectly silent, vertical leap from less than ten feet behind him when Viridia had said, "asking for a friend."

Benny groaned and tried to push himself up from the floor, but Amira drew one of her karambits and leaned down over him, holding the blade directly beside his head so that he could see it.

"If I were you, Benny Black, I wouldn't move a muscle. What do you think?"

The man just nodded, eyes wide. Amira got up, but kept one foot pressed hard between his neck and chin. She now had both blades in the grip of each palm. Her gaze at the man was pure rage- yet at the same time, cool and terrifying. 

"I have heard smarter excused from people dumber than you, Benny."

She pressed harder on his neck, and the man gasped for air. She held her foot there for a while, simply letting the bladesmake loops around her finger, waiting while his face grew a deeper red, until it was nearly purple.

"Not paying your rent and tributing up cut cocaine to your benefactor? Benny- come now- I really thought you were a better business man than that."

Finally, she took her foot away and sat down on the floor beside the man now gasping deeply to find air. She reached over and patted his bald head, smiling.

"No...I really didn't."

With a final loop, she gripped the karambit in her right hand and jammed it hard up into the base of his skull. There was no scream, no gurgle, no gag. He just stopped moving completely; his body kind of melting onto the floor. Amira yanked hard and removed her blade and stood. The wound began pouring blood, making a puddle on the concrete floor. Amira reached down into the dead man's pocket and started fishing around.

Viridia grinned as Amira collided with Benny. It took a hell of a lot for a woman to knock down a man that large, but the surprise combined with a proper application of force seemed to do the trick. Her eyes moved to Amira and paused there- there was so much anger in Amira's eyes. 

If she was going to kill him, why not do it immediately? Viridia exhaled. She's just intimidating him. Maybe there's another job for him she has in mind, but he needs to get scared first.

Viridia had taken a couple steps toward Amira when the older woman wrenched her blade across Benny's throat. 

The redhead's mouth dropped open and she froze mid-step.

It was one thing to talk about Amira killing Benny- it was something else to watch it. As Amira fished around in Benny's pocket, Viridia just stared as the big man's life seeped out of him.

Her first instinct, based on her experience as a nurse, was to try to help save him. 

Her second instinct was to run away.

She managed to resist both of them, and looked away from the gory scene in front of her, trying not to vomit.

Finding the ring of keys in his pocket, Amira withdrew it and turned to Viridia, wiping the blade casually on the right leg of her pants.

"Well, that was a hell of a jo-"

Her eyes fell on Viridia, who seemed a bit more pale than usual. She followed where the the young woman was looking.

"Oh. Ok, come on, no need to stay here."

Amira slipped the blade into it's place and gently guided Viridia by the shoulders toward the door. Spencer was leaned against the car finishing a cigarette. He looked up when the door opened. Seeing no one was bleeding or running, he just blew out the stream of smoke and looked at Viridia, then to Amira.

"Looks like that went...well?"

Amira shrugged once, partially smiling.

"She did perfectly- absolute pro. Let's get back."

Spencer nodded and dropped his cigarette. Amira opened the back door for Viridia and followed her in. Once the car was moving and they were a few blocks away, Amira reached into her pocket and took out the ring of keys. 

"Hey, you did some incredible work back there, Viridia. I mean, you really did the job. This is for you."

Amira held the keys up for Viridia, smiling softly.

Viridia stared down at the ground and forced her stomach to steady itself, not wanting to embarrass herself in front of Amira. As her boss led her away, Viridia tried to force her shaky legs to step normally. She forced a smile at "absolute pro" and tried not to think about how the pool of blood reflected the light. 

When Amira handed her the keys, Viridia stared down at them.

"Um. Are these for the landscaping place we were just at?"