Keats leaned forward in his seat and listened intently as Via adroitly explained her business in more detail. He didn't know the specifics, of course, but he was able to gather enough from her speech to connect the dots. So she did have connections outside of "polite society".

The young man felt his stomach clench momentarily. He clearly saw two paths in front of him. In the first he politely steered the conversation back towards art before politely excusing himself when they arrived at the hotel. Walking away... to what? Standing at the local employment office, sleeping in some shit hole with a dozen other guys looking for work? Grinding away his life for a paycheck that'd barely help him survive? A miserable life... but a moral one.  When he'd discussed The Calling of St. Matthew before he'd focused on the idea that a man could be plucked from obscurity to accomplish great things. But Via, powerful as she seemed, wasn't Jesus. And Keats felt that if he allowed himself to be called by her, he'd be forced to cross lines he hadn't before. That second path, though, was an opportunity. An opportunity to wield some sort of power, to try to take something for himself from a world that had given him very little. Might be a short life, but at least it'd be an exciting one. Besides, if he had to do anything too distasteful he could always walk away, right? Right?

Even as he said the words in his head, he suspected he knew the answer- but he didn't care. He cleared his throat and his conscience.

"Miss Parile, I don't have much to offer you at the moment. I've got almost nothing to my name other than this suit- and yesterday I didn't even have the suit. But I'm willing to work. And I'm no genius, but I'm a quick enough learner that'll handle anything you can throw at me. I don't suppose you're looking for help?"

As Via silently stared at him for a moment, Keats gave the most confident smile he could muster. The tiniest smirk appeared at the corner of her mouth.

Then, before she could say anything, Ewiv barked from the front seat. "Trouble heading our way- looks like a car full of Germans."

It was right around the third gunshot that Keats began reevaluating his new career path.

*Ewiv tells the drive to move up along the drive side of the Germans so he can get a clean shot. Soon as they start to get up along side he takes careful aim and blows out the rear tire. As the tire blows out the vehicle swerves across the road and smashes into a parked car. The driver up the black sedan pulls to a stop so Ewiv can get out and check the car for survivors.

He walks up to the car gun raised looking inside to see if anyone is moving about. The driver of the car is lying unconscious on the wheel, the passenger has a broken nose and is trying to find his gun on the floor of the car quickly so he can defend himself. Ewiv pulls the trigger twice making sure both men don't cause anymore trouble in this life.

Ewiv holsters his gun and walks back over to the Sedan to make sure everyone is ok. As he walks over he calmly pulls a hanker-chief out of his pocket and wipes the blood off his face.*

"You alright boss lady?"

"Alright, yes. But we won't be for long, I suspect. Not in this neighborhood. Gunshots don't normally play well in the backyards of high society."

Via rolled up her window, clearly unfazed. It wasn't the first time she'd seen a man dead. Her time in the Italian Nursing Corps had deadened those delicate sensibilities. She opened the door and stepped out into the street, checking the area. This particular back way into the hotel wasn't as highly traveled, and she didn't observe any heads poking out of windows. How different the classes reacted to danger; in the lower income areas, people would flood to the gore to take a look at the harsh realities of life, but in the wealthier districts and shops and apartments, the people retreated to the safety and comfort of their inner sanctums, into the veiled safety of their zip codes and zoning and faith in the incorruptibility of blue. 

Looking for prying eyes and seeing none, she clicked her heels across a nearly silent road, broken only by the soft idling of engines and the memory of a loud gunshot that made everything seem still in comparison. She reached into the jacket pocket of the passenger, and removed a billfold. The indicia was there.

"Kunstschutz. Not surprisingly. Though incredibly ill suited for the task." She turned back to smile at Ewiv knowingly. "Should I be offended they sent such a bungling duo to dispatch us?" 

She plucked the identification from both the driver and the passenger, though the documents were likely forged. Handing both to Ewiv, she instructed "Henri will be interested in knowing about this. Good shots, Ewiv. Good man." Via patted him kindly on the side of his jaw and slid back into the car where she was met with the wide eyed glance of the young Mr. Keats.

"Not quite the calling you were looking for, Saint Matthew?"

Keats half stepped, half fell out of the car, staring blankly and trying to process what had happened. Those men were dead. Killed right in front of him. Keats stared at Ewiv for a few seconds before dropping his gaze. He'd never seen a dead body before- never mind a killing. He felt like throwing up, to be perfectly honest, to sprint away as fast as he could. But that wouldn't exactly impress anyone- and it might get him a bullet in the back. He needed to do a lot of thinking today, but now wasn't the time. Keats steeled his will against the horror he witnessed, choking down his innocence, because this, apparently, was how it had to be if he was going to make his fortune. He looked steadily at Via, raised his chin, and fixed his tie.

"Not exactly what I was hoping for when I woke up today, but I suppose it's an acquired taste. If you'll have me, I'd like to join your organization."

*Ewiv looks Keats over and smirks slightly at his pale skin. This is obviously the first time this kid has seen death, that'll change soon enough. No one exists in this world of ours without their fair share of death.*

"Back in the car Kid, we need to move." he says and then turns his attention to Via. "Amateurs, I'm rather insulted. We should head back now before the cops show up with their questions."

*Ewiv slips back into the front seat and waits for Keats to get back into the car before instructing the driver to carry on."

"Get in," she instructed, her eyes kind but her voice stern. "We have a lot to discuss. And you have a dinner date I think you should cancel. We'll talk." 

She leaned back into the soft leather seats and closed her eyes. She knew the shipment today was a dangerous venture, but worth the extra risk. Not the first time she'd been chased, but it was the first time in the middle of the day with in a public place. The Kunstshutz was getting bolder. She'd need to lie low for a while.

"Ewiv, let's go to the airport. I'll have someone gather my things from the Arms. It's best if we don't go back there. Call Will and tell him I'm taking a private flight."

*Ewiv waits for Keats to stumble back into the car and then gets back in himself. He instructs the driver to take the back roads to the airport and calls Will to let him know what has happened. He then makes another call to have Via's things picked up and sent to the airport via a direct route and then turns his attention back to Keats.*

Welcome to your new world, hope you're a quick learner or you'll end up like those two smucks in the car back there. First thing you do when we get back to Detroit kid is get a gun, and learn how to use it. I don't want you freezing on me in a gun fight like a deer caught in the headlights. And cheer up kid, it's your lucky night. You just joined the best crew in Detroit.