Pre'achan settled down as much as he could, pose a little apologetic for having been so exuberant. "Yeah, her. And okay!" He fluttered to a more comfortable perch, the back of a chair providing a better grip for his claws. 'Don't hold on too tight, birdie-boy, you don't want to leave holes in this...' he told himself, head twisting around to watch Jack go to the door. Ooh, what was Riley here for? And why hadn't he seen the human for a while? Pre'ach'an supposed Riley could have come in when he wasn't looking, he couldn't be everywhere... But then Jacky would have told him... The white raven shook his head, bringing his attention back to what Jack and Riley were going to be talking about.

Riley squeezed out a small smile. Sooner? Now he suspects somethi-Keep it cool, Riley. Keep it cool. "Sorry about that, I got caught in a conversation on my way in." Before sitting the boy checked out Jack's office and spent an extra second eying the white raven perched on the chair. That wasn't just a raven, Riley knew it. If it were the ghost raven wouldn't have hung around as long as it did. So Jack did have someone in, potentially an assassin... potentially HIS assassin.

Suddenly Riley found himself choking down a cough. All he needed to do was speak his peace and get out. Without another moment wasted the human boy sat himself down in the chair allocated to him and took a deep breath "The packages arrived on time and untouched. Your business partner is pleased and is expecting to do further business... but... they felt um... They were decidedly ostentatious of their guns while I was there. I didn't act like I noticed but I think there's something going on there you might speak to your 'customer' about."

There. It was done. That wasn't so hard, was it? Riley closed his eyes trying to savor the feeling of not having to speak to Jack anymore, despite being in his office with the imposing personality looking him right in the face. All Riley had to do was not mention Jackie, the Clan, or anything else that might potentially irritate a don. Slowly his eyes opened back up and he looked Jack right in the shoes. "I'm sorry but... I don't have anymore information on that woman you had asked me about."

“Ah yes, Jacqueline no doubt. She was on her way to the lower levels when I was alerted to your arrival.” He watched him carefully, something was up with this one today. He couldn't quite place it, but there was something. The news however was not as planned, expected certainly, but not hoped. Jack closed his eyes and rubbed his temples before reaching down to a desk drawer, sliding it open he pulled out a silver tie clip. He slid it across the desk towards Riley. The late sun glinted off of its detailed markings, the clip resembled a feather.

“It seems that they need a friendly reminder of just who they are dealing with. There's going to be another drop. Tomorrow. You are going to be delivering it, keeping with friendly faces first. There will be eyes in the sky for you as always.” He finally let the human in on something about the transactions that he might not have known. Jack never sent a single person out, there was always someone watching from the shadows. It was both for his people and his own safety. Glancing down at the clip on the table as if motioning to it. “Bring this with you, if you feel unsafe or if your gut says otherwise pull it off and put in your pocket. That will be the signal.”

And with that he was finished. Jack began pulling out paperwork again, jotting notes in the margins of expense reports. Lifting his arm, fingers stretched out he gently shooed the ghost raven off the back of his chair. He had plans to set in motion, a quick round up for a second, albeit short notice, delivery. The buyers would need to know not the mess with The Flock, or anyone who stood for them.

Pre'ach'an listened intently, watching the movements of both men. Riley seemed nervous, but... That could have to do with being in front of the Don. The news itself was mixed, good shipment, bad customers. He'd have to tell Jackie! He bounced a little, maybe he would be the eyes in the sky! Or, better yet, sent to watch the woman mentioned. Oh, he couldn't wait!

he hopped away from Jack's hand, a well-aimed fluttering jump landing him on the window sill again. Turning to face the room, he watched Riley. He wanted to follow him, see what would happen... But the llama was still outside! "Uh, Jack? Did you want to see the pasta llama? I could take a note to her, if so." He kept his hopping in place to a minimum, excitement somewhat contained to easier be understood. "If not, I could just go..."

Riley eyed the tie clip and reached out for it. "Thank you, Sir."

It wasn't until the ghost raven had gracefully landed on the window sill that he made his way for the door "Do you still want me to check up on that woman or... are you going to send someone else out for that?" Crap, no, you're suppose to make yourself sound useful, not incapable. Mobs don't like incapable people. Instead of giving into the apologetic smile he would typical have given anyone else after failing to find something for them, Riley looked down at the tie clip again. If nothing else he could mimic corvid behavior and appear fascinated by the bright object as it flashed in the wisps of sunlight.

"I don't believe they've noticed me as not belonging on that side of town." Stop it, Riley. Just stop. You want off that assignment. "Um... but then again it's not really a good place for a human... not with the vampires and all." Riley pocketed the tie clip and looked back at Jack and Pre'ach'an. He wasn't meaning to hold back information from Jack, he feared the man, sure, but he liked how fatherly Jack was with the rest of the Flock. He knew her role in getting Cain set as the new Don of the Clan and wanted to tell them that news but the fact of the matter was he was absolutely terrified of Lady Chello would find out.

Swirling in the back of his mind were Jack's words of there being ravens sent out to watch over him. How much had they seen? Did they know he worked for both mobs? Maybe they've figured out I don't want to work for either. That'd make things easy. A thought occurred to Riley and his head perked up "Tomorrow's delivery will be the thirtieth... you said if I did so many missions I'd be free of those gambling debts... is... thirty enough?" Probably not, but it's worth a shot.

Looking down at the young girl, with her flirting behavior, Revy momentarily ran through her options. There was several ways she could go about getting that envelope. All of them with their positive points and negative points. The first was to fight with her. Second, she could stand there and demand it. Then there was always playing the girl's game back at her for once, seduce her. Finally shrug like she didn't care and say it was on her head how her father would handle not having it delivered. Each idea brought it's own pleasure to the table.

For instance, Revy enjoyed fighting. There was nothing she liked more than to move unseen towards her target, gain what she needed, and then when the job allowed her the final victory - the kill. Clean and quick. The quicker, the better. It was something that her honed skills were prideful of. Slash across main arteries. Punctures through the throat. All leaving behind the red gleam of blood. Still, fighting this girl was against the rules. Jacky was one of their own, even if it felt like she didn't always act the part.

However, plan B so-to-speak was just as inviting. For two seconds. The idea of mouthing back and found with futile words was boring. Her abilities as a spy wasted on the child who already knew her goal. There was no point in it. Beaten before the game could begin. So that wouldn't work and therefore wouldn't do.

Then of course, Jacky and her eagerness to put people on edge, might enjoy a taste of her own medicine. Revy could imagine it now. She would lean in close to Jacky, eyes intense with passion and lips partway open suggestively. When she leaned so close that their dark hair was almost tangled together, she could snatch the letter right up. Then coldly say, "You're not my type." Now that would be fun. But it was also rather mean and crude. Jacky was in many ways yet a child. There was more to Revy than pure killerblood instincts.

So she opted for the final option. Taking her meal with her, she calmly walked over to the barrel she had been sitting on early. Jumping up and squatting on it, she ate her meal with her eyes gazing wickedly at Jacky. Another barrel was before her with her blades on them. Their gleam outshone only by her own green eyes. "Or I could just wait for you to deliver it as you are supposed to. Can't imagine what the old man would think if it wasn't sent my way." She returned to her food unperturbed with the intruder in her space. The lower levels held many things, but one of them was not enemies. That included Jacky, obnoxious but innocent of true harm towards her.

“That's precisely why you have back up. If you feel you can't handle the situation, remove the tie pin. I have measures set in motion that will ensure not only your safety but that of the cargo as well. As for the woman, intel takes time. You can't expect to get any information on a first go around. As per usual, I will be expecting some sort of new information in her regards as soon as you get it. She isn't, at the moment, a top priority target, not that I would give you a target like that so soon.” Jack put the pen down and stared across at the human, he wasn't going to let the kid know that he had another person on the same job. Information came easily different ways to different individuals, and the two of them could often bring in different information making the whole process quicker and more efficient.

Jack sensed that he wasn't going to get much work done today with how things were going so far. Steepling his fingers he sighed before pushing off his desk again. The heavy chair dragged across the floor. He flicked his hand as an invitation to Pre'ach'an to join him on his shoulder. “Come with me, we can see the llama together.” Picking his jacket off the back of the chair he pulled it on before making his way to the door, and Riley.

“Depending on how tomorrow's delivery goes, you may consider your debts paid. I'm sure there will be many faces around here who would be upset to see you leave, myself included. You are a fine young man who prides himself in his work, from what I have seen. However should things go as I envision, not as I hope, then you will want to complete your intel job as well. Things considered you are welcome here at the Nest.” He placed a hand on the human's shoulder as he opened the door completely ready to make his own leave of the building.

~~~

Sighing dramatically and rolling her eyes she thrust the envelope over to the assassin. “Ugh fine, you win... again.” Jacky had already gotten an earful from her dad earlier about taking more responsibilities. Here she was hoping her friend could at least provide some fun or chatter, although that was more Brendan's roll. She looked up to Revy, even if she liked trying to push the border with her... a lot. The raven girl tried to find a seat before giving up and flopping herself on the floor, the ruffles in her dress billowing out as she sat down.

“Speaking of the old man, what has he got you doing now? I miss going out as your eyes in the sky, and helping with your intelligence gathering jobs. He says I need to stay at the Nest and keep my beak out of trouble.” She huffed indignantly at that. Pulling at one of her coils of hair she rolled her eyes again.“And it's hella boring.”

"Really? I'm going with you?" Pre'ach'an's excitement translated easily into his flight, quick wing-beats taking him to the Don's shoulder. He settled onto Jack's shoulder carefully, not wanting to accidentally claw him. He still wanted to know if he'd be going with Riley tomorrow... Or maybe out spying soon! Oh, maybe both? He tilted his head at Riley, one green eye facing him as he listened to the man. Jack was going to let him go after this? Aw, he'd hate to see Riley leave... Maybe he'd fly by every once in a while just to chat. Or maybe Pre'ach'an would have to track him down to chat. Either way, he didn't want to see him go.

Looking over at the girl sympathetically, Revy reached over and picked up the envelope. Deftly shifting a fingernail into a claw, she slit the envelope neatly open without ever breaking the seal. Pulling out her instructions, her eyes alertly scanned them. Whoever had asked for this one must have paid a high price. It wasn't a simple matter. There was a mystery man lingering out under a bridge down by the river. An active place during the day. It was strange that he would be out in the open like that. Evidently he was the shady type. No mention in her instructions who hired them to deal with him. Just that he wasn't completely human. Such vagueness bothered her. This entire mission bothered her. Still, orders were orders and no one had taken her down yet.

Getting off the barrel and leaving her leftovers there, she walked over and knelt in front of Jacky. Laying a hand on her shoulder, she softly said, "You may get your chance. I think I will need help with this one. Just some eyes in the sky. There is a nonhuman drifter hanging out for some unknown purpose down by the river. I have nothing on him. Will you scout for me?" Also, not knowing his strengths or weaknesses was already against her. She was a spy. Why she was given an assassination job with a deadline of dawn tomorrow didn't bode well. There was no time for infiltration or spying. Taking Jacky with her wasn't wise, but going alone on this particular one wasn't either.

Sunlight poured in through the parted blinds of the upper-floor office and right onto the dozing form of Dr. Rhodes as he relaxed in his fine desk chair. The afternoon sun was something he always took advantage of as often as possible and today would be no exception... well, that is until some idiot started knocking on his door. At first it was soft and he just ignored it, hoping they'd get the picture and just move along but no... this particular individual felt that it was completely necessary for one Dr. Rhodes to attend to patients when the sun was in the absolute perfect spot for sunning. His face had been the picture pure and utter bliss, eyes closed, a slight smile, no care in the world would alter that face... but someone knocking on his door was not a personal care of his own. It was an annoyance. Quickly his eyes snapped open and he glared at it hatefully. He glared at the shadow in the gap under the door indicating the two feet belonging to the imbecile who would dare wake him from his wonderful sunny afternoon nap.

Dr. Rhodes slowly stood up and made the longest, most lethargic route to the door he could before ripping it open. Behind it was an intern with files he had talked about earlier in the day. Dr. Rhodes recognized them by their folders immediately, but he felt obligated to be cross. After all... the intern woke him up and that was against his rules. "What is it?"

"Just these, sir, I was wondering if we cou--"

"Not now, I'm busy."

"But your light was off--"

"And you still stood there knocking my door like an idiot, Fish, now I know you haven't gotten there yet but I'll let you in on this one little thing, 'kay? Only a few things happen in a doctor's office when the lights are off. Either he's not inside, sleeping, not inside, reading articles off of a grossly out-dated slide projector for shits and giggles, not inside, sleeping with a nurse, dead on the floor, sleeping with a male-nurse, not inside, trying to contact long-dead ancestors, not inside or kicking the shit out of a migraine. Now scram."

The intern flinched and backed off a step "Why were... your lights off, then?"

Dr. Rhodes narrowed his eyes. This was a persistent and incredibly irritating intern. Sure, he was in his shoes just a few years ago, but he had grown past that and loathed anyone who might find themselves in that position without the elegance and consideration Kevin had, himself. Growling and narrowing his eyes was all the answer the intern needed to figure out he was suppose to retreat at that point. Unfortunately there were other people in the hallway, a few of which also required his attention. The nap had to be abandoned for today but tomorrow, barring cloudy weather, he would be back in that cozy chair soaking in the sunlight once more.

Madam Sauda paused as she felt a disturbance in the atmosphere of the the little cafe. She froze as her eyes shifted eminently following the air of arrogance. It was as she thought Sai. She closed her eyes as she breathed in a long breath calming herself. He was young and stupid and hopefully one day he'd grow up. His actions up to now proved a different outcome. She looked over at him once again as she watched him sit down a wicked grin appeared on her lips as she watched him eat. She snapped her fingers as a piece of his pie turned to warms and mold. Surly this would help him win the ladies. Who didn't love a man who could stomach anything. She thought as she giggled to herself.

This was growing rather boring. She had better things she could do than sit here like a common house pet. She rose quickly throwing her money on the table. She smiled at the men as she left being sure to leave her mark just for Sai. She knew he hated her and it was fine with her. That meant nether one of them would grow old and lose their edge. She prowled the streets as she looked for something fun to get into. She paused only a few feet from The Flocks territory. She grinned as she laughed to herself finding her thoughts rather amusing. Maybe it was time to have just a little fun with the old birds.

Cain looked at the dog that was behind the wizard, keeping an eye on him before he remembered that he still needed Sauda, Saizo, Beaufort, and he believed Samhain was down stairs making sure that the cooks made his meal right and did not poison him. Considering they had lost dr. Kevin to the flock, which is why so many changes had to be made, after all if one person defects and goes to someone else, it meant that something was wrong and someone was the cause of it. He breathed in the scent deeply, it was intoxicating, his gold eyes watched as the wizard picked one up and began to tell him about it. He reached forward, taking one himself as he began to look it over, it was something that was worth wild. A smile slid across his face as he placed it back into the box, he sat back in his chair as he collapsed his hands together in front of him, thinking for a few moments. "Will two million be enough for the whole supply?" he finally asked, thinking about Beau and how this was going to be a good drug and poison that was going to benefit him though he will have to make sure that the Flock does not get it. It may seem as if he was throwing around money as if it was more then was needed for something like this, but he knew what he was doing, if he paid the male hundred dollars for a vial then he could get at least a hundred and fifty dollars for them. He smiled at the thought of it, finally standing up as he reached behind him, opening up a box that was on the shelf that was there before he sat it on the desk before the man, he then looked at the dog once more before he grinned. He wanted every little drop of the Pixie Honey that the wizard can get him. "What are you plans for Max after you pass?" his words were simple and those two sentences were the most that he had said all day, it was clear that his words weighed heavy on the room as those that were already in it seemed to shift uncomfortably.

Jack lead the way out of his office and started down the halls to head outside. He could have just taken the window out, but that meant leaving the human on his own. He didn't like leaving anyone who wasn't a full member of the Flock on their own in his buildings. The young raven was just as fidgety although Pre'ach'an was always that way, very rarely sitting still, it was a quality he had hoped would phase as he got older, but so far not so much. “Yes, I'd like if you shadowed me some. Get to know the business part of the Flock. God only knows it's a chore to get Jacqueline to try, maybe it will rub off on her when you two chatter, or whatever.” He knew it was a good relationship the two had he just hoped that his girl would wisen up and start to take things more seriously, hopefully she listened to Pre'ach'an. Hopefully the impromptu meeting with the llama would go quickly and smoothly, he didn't want to waist any more time than needed.

~~~

“Uh.. really? Just like before? You know I'm the best pair you can have up there. Still have my wing blades? I know daddy gave them to you when he confiscated them.” She was talking about the custom blades that fit the side of her hand when she was in her human form, but also shifted with as a bird. She wasn't the useless princess many pegged her as, she knew the shiftier side of the job. When her father was making deals and alliances and otherwise dealing Flock business, she was finding out the facts that greased the wheels. If there had been another brood mate with her, she would have been head of the shadowed work. But as it was she was expected to continue where her father left off, and was forced to leave that work behind.

Her grin was wicked, eyes sparkled dangerously. Jacky knew when to have fun and when business began, sometimes they were one in the same. “Chicky girl, what are we looking at? Tell me some things I want to know before I'm in the sky. What's our time frame, do we know anything about our target? Oh and Jack can not know I'll be up there for you.”

Her old grinning coming back to her otherwise serious face, Revy stood and lightly raced over to a cabinet. Unlocking it with her claws, she opened the heavy wooden door and pulled out Jacky's familiar gear. Returning to her young friend, she carefully starting strapping it on for Jacky. With each careful action, she softly explained, "This literally is a vague mission. I'm supposed to take out some dude down by that large bridge. Humans couldn't get down there as they would be trapped. It stays in the shadows and away from the sun so I'm pretty sure we are dealing with a new vampire in town. One that hasn't found The Clan yet. I don't know if it is pureblood, fullblood, halfblood, or a newly transformed level E.

Whatever it is, I have been asked to take him out. We have until dawn. That makes me wonder if the sun's rays are to help burn away the evidence. That gives us about 12 hours to work in. Such vague knowledge. Strange, it is almost as if your father didn't review this assassin assignment before sending it to me. I can't imagine he would knowingly have me go after such a sketchy target with so little time. Makes me wonder who contracted this." Finishing getting the blades attached, she lowered her hands to either side of Jacky's face and forced her to meet her gaze. It was imperative the girl not get too close to the fighting. "Promise me Jacky that once I am on the scene, you will stay away from the fight until he is dead. If you won't make this promise to me, then I won't allow you to come. I will go to your father first... don't say I won't." She couldn't have anything on her conscience. At least not this. The idea of her closest friend harmed because of her was not something she could live with.

Sai had shoveled a few pies down his throat already before he noticed that the consistency of the pies were rather slippery and slimy...and started to taste a bit off. And...was that blueberry moving by itself? Taking the pie out of his mouth, it took Sai a few seconds to make the connection: his pie was no longer a delicious baked treat, it was a muddy pile of dirt and...worms. The young man gave a little yelp and spit out the rest of the "pie" that was in his mouth. A half-bitten worm wriggled in the mud. "Aghhhhhhhh!" Sai squirmed and then proceeded to hop out of his seat. He watched as Madam Sauda left the Cafe with a slight smile on her face and cursed to himself. By now, half the occupants of the Black Cat Cafe had seen him in his distressed state (and boy, were they amused at the sight). A few girls giggled at his antics. Others simply looked revolted and taken aback. He was currently in the process of gargling his mouth with the hot tea on his table to get rid of the terrible taste, and from time to time wiping at his tongue with a napkin.

Grumbling to nobody in particular, Sai reluctantly left the Cafe some cash on the table before he entered the back rooms where the Clan's important business was held. He knew that Cain was around here somewhere, and Sai felt like giving his younger brother a visit. Sai's ears perked up as he heard low voices talking and headed in that direction. Sai threw open the door that Cain and the visitors were behind, making a grand entrance. There was some wizard-looking guy and a dog sitting across from the Clan's don. Ignoring them and the fact that they were in the middle of a deal, he went straight towards his brother and attempted to give him a big bear hug. "Caaaaa~in! How's my little brother?"

"Two million is acceptable. All I've brought today, and a fifty-year exclusive agreement that I won't provide honey to any... other organizations." The Wizard sat back in his chair, steepling his fingers in thought. Two million was a bargain for the honey, which was likely to sweeten future deals. Pun possibly intended. He frowned thoughtfully, pondering investments for the money as well as his other purpose for coming. A purpose that the taciturn don brought up with his next question. "Mundanely, Max is taken care of. According to all of the official paperwork he's my grandson. The accountants will take care of things from there..."

The talk was boring, and went over Max's head. He had no interest in honey of any kind. It smelled interesting, but he still considered 'food' to be 'meat'. Or possibly peanuts, those were good. Sometimes maybe grass if his stomach was upset. But not honey. Honey and sweet things had never appealed to him. Besides, there was a more interesting smell over by the bookshelf. He took a couple of steps and sniffed, then a couple more. They have rats... I should tell them... or I could catch one. Then they'd believe me. Useless cats can't even get rid of rats...

Max fought between the impulse to say something and the orders to keep quiet, but fortunately for his self control his name was spoken by the Wizard. He snapped to attention and went to stand beside the chair alertly, trying to remember the ignored conversation in case he had been asked to do something.

"It's the less mundane future that is more troublesome. Obviously Max cannot enter normal human society, but he should not be forced into hermitage. So, to that end, I have a proposition." The Wizard smiled and patted Max's arm with an absentminded soothing motion that seemed to calm the dog. "I am therefore giving you the chance to prove that your clan will make him more welcome than the Flock. If you succeed, all of my wealth, both magical and monetary, will transfer to you upon Max's death. His natural death, of course, and don't think my will won't reflect that. I don't know whether he'll age at the rate of a human or a terrier, but less than a century isn't that long for a demon to wait."

Just as the Wizard finished talking, the door burst open and a demon charged through. Max burst into action immediately, before the newcomer could get past him and attack the Wizard. "Attacker!," he shouted, and tackled the newcomer. For all Max's short stature and apparent slenderness, he was wiry and full of energy, and he had the advantage of surprise. He wrapped his arms around Sai, growling. "Bad Cat! No attacking!"

The area under the bridge stank. There were the expected smells, of course... polluted river, long-dead fish, and the effluvium of any place where the homeless were likely to seek shelter. That scent was faded, though. There were no homeless people living under the bridge now. They had been replaced by the vampire. Or perhaps 'replaced' was the wrong word, because what the area under the bridge now smelled of the most was death.

Death and its aromas didn't bother Beau. Except to make him hungry. He grinned toothily and watched the vampire from his comfortable perch. Comfortable for a half-shifted were-opossum at least. It had been a bit precarious without a tail. Reckon how long it'll take him ta sniff me out. He's gotta be new. Th' older ones know ta look up.

The vampire was pacing back and forth. Obviously he could sense someone watching him, and didn't know what to do about it. Idjit ain't worth tellin' about th' Clan. He won't last a week...

Beau considered easing his way back up to where he'd parked his truck, but that was a long way to go without drawing attention, and he didn't feel like wasting the time fighting an infant vampire. It was always tedious, and they never had any flavor. Sighing, he shifted enough to free a package of beef jerky from his pocket to snack on and settled in for a long watch.

With the sharp blades in place Jacky moved her hands deftly and watched as the light glinted of the metal. Her attention was forced on Revy when the older girl grabbed the sides of her face. “I was listening.” Jacky was always listening. It was what she did best, one of her few good qualities. In fact she had her brain going overtime, trying to figure out why her dad would even take a job. The whole thing seemed off, she understood his wanting to take additional jobs, but he was a smart man and never wanted any of the Flock in overly risky situations. There wasn't even anytime for an honest intel gathering, just a quick fly-by.

“Revy, I will stay in the sky and in my feathers. Don't say a word to Jack. He'd kill me if he found I was leaving the nest on a mission. And you know no one else can provide you the same info from a single swoop, because it looks like that's all we're getting in on this trip.” She still had that deep sparkle in her eye. Her head cocked to the side before she got up, she knew she couldn't get out of the building as she was there were too many eyes around. Standing up she began shifting to her natural raven form; soon a dark, lustrous bird flapped up to the barrel, sharp blades flashing with each wing beat. “CAWW” Jacky was set for whatever was up next.

Revy nodded to Jacky, and walked swiftly to the door. Opening it and slipping out into the shadows, she ran lightly through the dark corridors. Her slender body was fleetingly fast as she swerved with agility around corners and up more steps. Reaching the back entrance, she paused long enough to acknowledge the watch that guarded that exit. Then she stretched out into a longer form, running on all fours. The sun had set, giving it's place to the rising moon. Mist rose from the ground hiding her from prying eyes. If any even looked out, they would see a momentary shadow. A play of the moonlit rays dancing in the night. Going around the outer edge of town was the long way. However it kept her out of the city streets. She could have always traveled by rooftop, but didn't want to change meeting others on the way. When Revy took on a job, she wanted no distractions from it. This would take her an hour longer, but it would also ensure that her own cover was not blown when she reached the river.

Before Sai had a chance to give Cain a hug, he himself was tackled by the dog that moved across the room very quickly from his former position in order to get to Sai--and the dog had a lot more strength than he appeared to have. Surprised by being ambushed instead of being the ambush-er, Sai wailed before taking both him and the dog down. The two of them rolled around on the floor for a while to the amusement of the Wizard and Cain before Sai was able to get some breathing space. "Agh-" They tumbled across the floor some more. "I was-" Sai struggled to get the words out while still fighting the dog's tight embrace. "-just trying to say hi!!"

Pre'ach'an tilted his head to look at Jack now. He tried to stay still as Jack walked, hunkering down on his shoulder more than standing on it. He'd known Jacky didn't want to deal with the business end of the Flock, bu he'd thought she'd been at least paying some attention... Thinking about it more, it might be good for him. He really didn't like getting into rough situations, and those didn't happen so much with business... "Okay. I think I'll like some of it," he chirped, green eyes blinking. "I don't like getting trapped and fighting, anyway." And he did tend to stick out to anyone who could pay attention. "Safer, but still interesting!"

Samhain stepped onto the elevator, a slight disproving scowl on his face. He was still frustrated with Cain for sending him off to oversee such a trivial thing as his food being correctly prepared. It was not the tiger therian's duty to check for poison, that was what the handful of rodent shifters were for, was it not? Holding in a sigh and closing his eyes, he cursed how arrogant the cat demon could be beyond his calm and silent mask. He was a clever leader, but such success was perhaps starting to get to his head, assigning such a menial task to his personal guard. Then again... it could be a clear sign of something much more grave. Was Samhain's usefulness wearing out?

Swallowing any and all doubts in his mind as the elevator smoothed to a stop, the small man stepped out in the hall before Cain's office, his hand immediately reaching for his gun as he saw the open door and heard sounds of a struggle. However, at hearing Sai's voice, confusion crossed his features for a moment as he hesitated. Cautiously, he stepped forward to see inside, a twitch of a smile crossing his face for a moment as he watched the cat demon's plight. The Wizard's "body guard", Max, was clinging to the shifter, growling. It was almost cute.

However, knowing he would likely get in trouble for dawdling, he straightened to his full height and stepped into the doorway, calling out in a low, soft, but commanding voice. "Sir, contain your escort or I shall have to forcibly remove him." He said, giving the Wizard a hooded glance- the shade his dark hair cast over his face giving his amber eyes an eerie glow.

Carrying a small package under her arm, Sunita eyed the cafe across the street. Technically, she'd been done making her deliveries. She should have been going back to deliver the payments. However, the violet eyed brunette had an idea. Having overheard a couple of other kitties, she gathered there was some form of meeting upstairs. If she could get some information on them, Jack would be pleased.

It was settled. Making her way across the street, she opened the door and stepped inside. Just in time to see a couple of felines running around. So, many cats. They'd eat her in one bite, if she were in her other form. Debating on where would be best to shift, she figured the bathroom would be a good shot. From there, she could go through the vents and travel up. Thank goodness she wasn't as well known to The Clan. It meant she could move in and out of places without Too much concern. Wearing a pair of fitted jeans, and a dark blue shirt, she looked to be another customer. Now... where are the bathrooms? She'd never actually been In the cafe.

Riley fiddled with the tie clip in his coat pocket. This didn't bode well with him... why would Jack give him something clearly defining him with the Flock in the same conversation he told him his last 'mission'. The human boy rubbed his face and wandered outside of the Nest. He gave a nod to Palea, determined not to think of her or anyone else watching him leave as a threat in any detectable manner. He tucked his chin down under the line of his scarf and made his way around the building to head off to his afternoon breakfast.

One bus ride and a good walk later he was in a place that made him even more uncomfortable than the Nest. Riley hesitated outside of the well-trimmed Black Cat Cafe and watched the door a moment before entering. He knew the room was kept at a decent temperature but Riley couldn't help but shudder each time he passed through those doors. Despite his discomfort, he knew he had to come. For one thing sometimes his 'target' appeared here off and on but did not seem to be currently in... it also was where he needed to drop off an envelop that currently resided in an inner pocket of his coat.

The dark haired boy took a seat in a booth facing the majority of the restaurant and pulled a menu out of the wire holder and pretended to read it. In the past year he had been in this cafe so often he had memorized the menu and prices they offered for each meal and had even started to figure out the shifts of the better trained kitchen staff. Yeah, today is probably the day with that guy that over-cooks the eggs... Off to his side he was vaguely aware of a sweet brown-haired girl looking around the restaurant as if she were a little lost. He would have normally offered her some help but he had priorities right now. Priorities that included the purchase and destruction of beautiful, golden waffles.

The weight of the silver clip in his pocket might have disappeared when he sat down, but it still weighed on his mind. It might have been a symbol for him to feel he ought to officially associate with the Flock in a more complete manner rather than as an indentured worker thanks to his previous gambling habit. Riley's eyebrows furrowed for a moment thinking about how idiotic he had been to get in that deep with this sort of people. He had been young and stupid-- he was still young and stupid-- but he at least sorted out his gambling problem seeing as it landed him the task of being a rat for two different rival mobs. Maybe he could get out from under the thumb of the Clan soon as well... that would be nice. Then I could just drop this lifestyle like a bad habit and do things normal people do. The thought of visiting the lair of a bunch of vampiric demons for much longer just couldn't settle well with him. For one thing he was borderline hemophobic, but there was the entire self-preservation situation floating around his mind as well. Riley's eyes started to close as his thoughts raced without order around in his mind. Quickly he was closer to sleeping than waking as he leaned closer and closer to the table.

Cain smiled as he nodded, this was actually a better deal then he first initially thought it was, after all he was getting a fifty year supply of it, and an agreement that he gets exclusive rights to any and all of the honey. A smile was evident on his face as he was about to motion for someone to make the trade, meaning them to switch the boxes around as he got paper out to draw up the agreement. That was one thing he did that his father had not, he got every deal, every agreement down in writing so that he had proof to what what was agreed upon and so no one, not a single soul could back out of the deal. As he wrote out the deal and the agreement, nodding his head to let the wizard know that he heard what he was saying about Max. Though before he could say anything, the doors to the grand office were thrown open from the presence of his brother coming in.

His eye twitched slightly, considering he was interrupting a conversation along with the completion of something rather important. He found it rather amusing that Max had tackled his brother and they were now wrestling upon the ground. He then turned his eyes back to his paperwork, ignoring the little fight that was going on, after all it was Sai's own fault which caused him to be in the position that he is in now. "That is a better bargain then I would have thought of you to make, Wizard. So i shall take you up on it." he said to him as he nodded, signing the papers that he had finished writing in his scriptive handwriting, pushing them towards the Wizard with the pen so that he may sign them, motioning to a errand boy to put them in the small closet on the other side of the room, with the other substances he had just purchased that day.

"Samhain, Max shall be coming into our Clan in the near future." he said with a smile, to be honest he didn't really need his body guard to make sure the person that the kitchen was preparing for him was prepared right, he just needed a little space from the bodyguard, after all since he had become Don he was never alone. Samhain seemed to always be by his side, which was odd for him since he had been on his own for 23 years, working as the silent assassin of the Clan until his father had passed away and he had to take over the position. Though little did Samhain know that Cain planned to let him take care of Max, a chuckle escaped the male's lips as he thought about Samhain using Max to annoy his brothers, that would be a wonderful thing in his mind.