Just Another Smokey Bar

Patience would be, as always, smiling at Dom. When he whispered the name quietly to himself she could see him fade quietly into his own thoughts. Curiosity would cause her to tilt her head to the side, her big black ears upright as the cat woman would keep staring up at him.

The silence would soon be broken, as his thoughts seemed to come to a conclusion. As soon as he mentioned 'Mob' Patience felt her heart skip a beat. She knew that this perp wasn't a part of her family's reach. This guy was most likely a bloodline geek, or maybe a part of some different smaller street gang. Either way, she would keep Dom away from the R&R... Even if he got into trouble with them, she would do her best to keep him safe.

The idea of him getting killed by them bothered her more than anything, but why? What even started these strange feelings? As she stared up at him with her big yellow eyes she couldn't help consider how crazy she was herself. 'He's a cop.' The words echoed in her brain. The same words she told herself daily. The same words she told her 'parents.' Neither of them seemed to care as much as she did. Persephone teased her about him, and Hades was all too happy to play 21 dad questions with her about the young man. Patience always kept them both updated on who she was talking to, who she was gathering info on. And when it was Dom she was watching, they both always made sure to make her uncomfortable, as any parent would.

His next word would snap her out of quiet reminiscing, a word she didn't recognize but he said it after flicking water at her. Quickly she tried to shake the water off her face, her movements very feline. As he spoke to her she would lean her head against him, rubbing her face against his shoulder/bicep. As she did so she slightly pulled her ears back, looking up at him. Her own smile seemed to show she caught his slight smirk, it was the first time she had ever caught any sort of smile from him. It made her heart flutter a little bit, another strange feeling.

Shaking her head a little bit she would speak to him, trying to fight a gentle laugh, her voice was unusually soft now. She was unsure what the word meant, but it made her smile. "I mean... I'm a little tipsy, but I wouldn't say it's affecting me too much." Her expression would go from affectionate to slowly devious. "I'd tell you this stuff even if I was sober... As for my information, don't you mean 'keep YOU updated?' Although... That's boring, isn't it? Guess I'll have to break into your house to show you what I can really do~ Since you doubt exactly how useful I can be. Don't waste my talents, Cop boy." The cat's wicked grin was almost threatening, daring him to question her. With a giggle, she continued. "Hope you don't sleep naked, Dom. Tell me~ Do you sleep with a gun nearby?" Mentally she prepared him to change his demeanor once more, she waited to see his expression turn into annoyance. Seeing him smirk rattled her, but she was still always ready to flirt dangerously with him. She wondered if he might ever consider himself to be special, or did he think she was like this with everyone? It didn't matter, at least not yet. She wasn't ready to tell him that neat little tidbit yet.

On cue his shoulders stiffened, and a steely look overtook his eyes; uncompromising, and very much in disapproval of her banter. Yet he couldn’t muster the desire to move once the wildkin glanced up at him, hesitation striking like a match somewhere beneath his sternum. Her purrs were strung like silk, and melded with the melodies from the jukebox, almost forcing one to listen from the allure alone. As much as the notion nagged at his wits, she made a decent point. Perhaps roadblocking her skills was a bad call after all. Other than her natural agility and spy-worthy tactics, her history with crime provided her with instincts that normal civilians didn’t have. Such as a few minutes ago, with her inkling of Crivin’s name being an alias.

Either that or she actually knew where he lived, but to that he was sure there was no chance in the Underworld. Still, her remarks went unappreciated. “It’s a good thing our relationship is professional, or I may just be obligated to answer,” he replied firmly. “Also, being reckless isn’t exactly a worthwhile trait for a woman. Especially one in your position-” As he said this, a few solemn memories began to resurface. They were somewhat hazy, but intruded upon the moment relatively quickly.

Jhalli. It was a word he’d learned long before moving to Eyls’ayn, when the days seemed a lot longer than they did now. For someone to say so suggested a girl’s naivety and silliness, usually blamed on her innocence and lack of understanding in the world. Most of the time this sentiment would be directed towards his late sister, who in their earliest years would be chastised for her unorthodox tastes in music and art.

Dom frowned inexplicably and broke her gaze, reaching out for the glass of water. Taking a quick swig, he suddenly wished that he’d ordered a spirit instead. Even in the process of calling Patience’s bluff, she’d still gotten to him. Maybe more than she knew. It was…unnerving. “-Besides, you might not be able to sneak around so easily in a place like Ivybrook. If you get caught out of line there it’s either a violation or a misdemeanor, and I’m positive you don’t want another one of those on your tab.”

Patience would let out a soft chuckle, shrugging her shoulders. Her big yellow eyes still stared up at him, behind her, her tail swished from side to side. In a normal cat, this pose with wide eyes and swishy tail could have been seen as playful, she didn't fear Dom. He was still a cop, but there was something more behind his rigid cold stare. Patience couldn't read it exactly, but she could feel the subtle changes in his demeanor toward her. Before now, he had never given her a sincere smirk of any kind, and his eyes always felt cold when he stared her down. Now there was something else.

"Mmm~ Yes... Good thing." The young woman would let out a sarcastic chuckle toward the remark about being 'professional', shaking her head she continued. "And being a boring man who doesn't know how to have some fun, isn't much of a worthwhile trait either. Especially when you've got the number of a good looking woman, and refuse to use it for anything but business." Patience would narrow her big yellow eyes in a cocky way, her ears would still be completely upright. She really wanted to add more, but for now, she would leave it at that.

Letting out a soft huff, she would continue. "Might I add it's cute how you think I'm this careless around everyone." The cat would lean back away from him, setting herself back in her chair all the way, her boots came up once more resting on the table. "Reckless or not, you're just about the only one I let my guard down around. Whether you wanna use that against me when you're wearing that shiny badge, is up to you. You already got me labeled as a bad girl... so what's the point in trying to lie to you about my intentions?" A soft huff would escape her, she was reminding her self of why he always seemed to give her that cold stare.

She was a criminal, and if he knew half the stuff she had seen he probably wouldn't hesitate to lock her away. However, there were worse people in this city then the R&R. As much as people wanted to believe they were some cold uncaring crime lords, her family sometimes worked against other gangs in the city. Sure blackmail and extortion weren't uncommon in her line of work, but the people that usually got targeted weren't really the best people anyway. The idea made her smile a bit, he thought she was just some petty thief if he only knew.

Snapping herself from her thoughts she would look over at him again, showing him a big toothy smile. "Weird that you think I couldn't blend in at a place like that when a drug dealer got away with it. Believe it or not, I'm very good at behaving like a lady when the time suits me... Too bad you're too busy treating me like a criminal all the time~ Or I might consider giving you a chance to see it." Patience's expression softened back to being serious, with just a hint of sweetness still mixed in. Her black ears pulled back slightly, and her tail slowed to its usual curling motion. "You know~ We could totally nab that guy... As crazy as you think it is to work with me... No one ever suspects the cute cat girl... I'd be more worried about you giving our position away, to be honest. You'd be the one to stick out like a sore thumb. Mr. Tall Dark and Broody."

“Fine-” Dom gently placed his glass down and sought a place to direct his attention other than the table. This found him focusing on the jukebox at the other side of the pub. Sometime between her catty proclamations and calling him a hard ass, it had petered off into a short silence, auspiciously revving up for another score. The next song began with a monotone keyboard sequence, and methodically built up to a saxophone rift. Softer vibrations of a snare carried the beat, once again jazzy and optimistic. Great. “You’re a saint. Happy?”

It wasn’t often he had to contend about knowing better. Most people accepted this as fact without question once they learned of his profession, a subtle perk that came with authority, and very few had the nerve to challenge this. The golden-eyed feline had a sharp tongue, sure, but her willingness to do what others wouldn't was, in all fairness, very interesting.  ‘Different sides of a coin’ didn’t seem tantamount enough to describe the disparity between their senses. After all, she traded with a different currency altogether.

But despite this, the idea floated nearer to the forefront of his mind. For obvious reasons, none of their encounters ever made it to record, so technically he didn’t need to delegate her to the traditional informant role. However, he still had a responsibility to his station as an officer. Taking advantage of their arrangement beyond the regular duties was a definite hit-or-miss. And as much as her confidence seeped through like warm air in a hollow wall, it didn’t put him in a keen mind to find out which one was more likely. Stepping out on the law tended to have that effect.
 
After meditating on this for a little while longer, Dom turned to fix a tight stare on Patience; more reserved than combative this time, but above all curious. “Believe it or not, dealing on my side of the law isn’t as simple as it looks. Having a good run-in with the department is one thing, but staying off their radar is another.” He paused briefly and passed her a small nod, an undeclared offering of understanding between them. “We don’t nab people often. Most of the time we’re investigating, and someone that can sell drugs so readily at a university probably isn’t taken down so easily. Let’s agree on this first.”

His silence would cause her to look away from him, her eyes scanned the room seeing if anyone had taken a fancy to the two young people. As he seemed to be brooding she would allow her ears to drift backward, listing to the music. Did she actually anger him this time? It bothered her for a moment. She didn't want Dom angry at her, for once she actually cared about his feelings. Soon the awkwardness would be broken by his voice once more. The word 'saint' made her grin. "Maybe~ Depends... The young woman would keep her eyes off of him for now, however, her playful grin still accented her feline face."If I'm a saint are you going to be the one who worships me?" With a giggle she shook her head, even deeming that too cheesy for herself. Another deluded fantasy perhaps? "You know what? I think I like being the bad guy more... I don't think I would look good in white anyway. Too much shedding my black fur all over it... And heavens know I'm not pure enough to wear it honestly."

Somehow his words stung her a bit, he was obviously being sarcastic. Keeping her ears folded back she didn't bother looking at him. It was true... She wasn't a saint, she WAS bad. It hurt admitting it to herself but more so accepting it coming from Dom. Letting herself inhale a slow breath of air she felt a sudden pain in her heart. Reality sunk in a bit harder then it should have, releasing the breath she would turn to meet his gaze. Now that she was staring at him, her eyes were a little colder. The usual playful grin was no longer spread wide over her face, she wore a rather surreal resting frown on her lips.

Keeping her eyes on his she listened to each of his words, as he spoke he could see her taking everything he said into consideration by the way her eyes focused intensely on his own. Once he gave her a soft nod and finished speaking she would look away from him breaking their stare. "Whatever needs to be done, Dom. If you want me to help you I'm always happy to lend a hand... Or in my case, a paw. We can do whatever is needed. If all you really want from me is to supply you with information, then I can do that too." This somehow felt related to her statement that had seemingly made him go silent earlier, when she called him out for being 'boring.' She nodded gently reassuring herself, whatever happened she was in debt to Dom first. She would pay him back.

Patience would slowly turn her head, her eyes softened a bit allowing her ears to slowly rotate forward once more. She didn't bother smiling for him, but her face wasn't so somber this time. "Your department sucks. Agreed." Slowly her eyes would narrow playfully, daring him to argue with her, before he could she would flash him a toothy smile, her voice hinted she wasn't being serious about her previous statement. "Well... It isn't all bad right? They got you, and you caught me. So at least you have that. Too bad you didn't jump on the chance to take me in. You could have had one more under your belt. Shrugging it off, her grin widened to show him her fangs. "As I said, whatever needs to be done. If we need to go by your rules, then fine. You know my deal, I stay outta the system. Just... let me know the plan." She pulled her lips back from her smile, turning it back to a soft grin.

Shock flickered across Dom’s expression as Patience finished speaking; in particular, her refrain about locking her up having broken the terseness of his gaze. The day they met and made their terms was the first day they stood on even ground, so the last thing he wanted was for her to think it was a mistake. And since he considered second-guessing the least efficient way to settle a matter, the same went for his own sensibilities. Meaning, as farfetched and unreliable as their partnership seemed up until that point, there honestly wasn’t a moment he’d do differently. Well…maybe apart from the nuzzling.

A flash of gold brought him back to reality as they locked eyes again. He simmered down a bit and raised a hand to brush through his hair, features conveying a dry dissent, and as much as he hated to admit it, the slightest touch of concern. Typically it wasn’t so easy to get under his skin, but seeing those rare instances of seriousness from her was a little humbling. And with her jesting somewhat lighthearted again, it made him thing this was her attempt to extend another olive-branch. The sudden thought made him want to chuckle. Getting hung-up about her teasing now of all times; it was beneath his manners.

Speaking of purity. “Hm, you could say that. The EPD definitely has its limits,” he said, answering her quip with a more earnest sentiment. “Most of them don’t put us in a position to stake out a place like Ivybrook.” Without causing some sort of HR nightmare, that is. Hades forbid they cause an actual panic on school grounds. He imagined a cavalcade of seething mothers marching to the beat of an organized call for restitution. The logistics of it was enough to induce a brief pang in his left temple. That definitely wasn’t happening.


“If -if you were to start investigating-“ He stressed the word ‘if’, purposefully keeping the comment in the realm suggestion. “-The first step would be talk to some of the students on campus and see what they know about it. Then you’d have to visually confirm that it’s in circulation, and the best case scenario for that would be to see it from the source themselves. Does that sound like something you could execute without stepping on your tail?”

Watching him run his hand through his hair made her curious. What was he thinking? His movements seemed almost forced, quietly the feline would pull her boots from the table once more. Scooting herself sideways to face him in her chair, she was looking up at him again. Large yellow eyes focused intensely on his if he dared to look back. For now, she stayed silent, letting him feel the silence as she contemplated whatever it was that was going through her devilish feline mind. Her sassy features and dancing tail would seem to only convey some devious plan she was concocting. After this quiet stare down that seemed to last for ages, the young woman would grin.

"My my, Dom... Is that you asking me for help?" Patience kept herself leaned in close to him, looking up at him her face was just a little bit away from his own. She was messing with him, keeping the presser on him by keeping herself close but not touching him. Her lips would be giving him a small almost sultry smile, a gentle slow blink would be the only thing that broke eye contact between them. "You're catching on, Cop Boy." Widening her smile slightly, she continued. "Blending in is child's play for me... I assume you'll be around as well, doing your best to not blow our cover? I'd rather have you nearby, then across the city back at the station. I don't mind asking around, but there is that saying about curiosity killing the cat. Sticking my nose in someone else's business has put me in some pretty precarious situations before. Sure I can try and find us a lead by playing a student... but... I expect you to be nearby if I need you." The last repeated statement was said with a sultry affectionate purr. It was weird to her, saying she'd need the help of someone else. More so the help from a man, who just happened to be a cop.

"You should know I'm not gonna tell you what kinda places I've been, but rest assured that a college full of students is one of the least dangerous of them. Yeah I can walk around 'without tripping on my own tail.' The way she voiced the last part was mocking him, making sure to use a goofy voice to say it. "I think it's time for another drink!" The cat would grin at him, placing her hand on his shoulder she would use him to stand herself up. She waited for a moment removing her hand but relishing the fact she was standing so close to him. The weird cat part in her mind wanted to lean down and sniff his hair. Did his hair smell any different from his skin? Was it as soft as her own? Curiosity killed the cat, as stated earlier... And boy was she curious.

“Yes, we’ll be working closely. Someone has to be your cat sitter,” he snorted. Letting her loose on a college campus was his last intention. While her feline wits were plenty functional, distractions were easy to come by when given the possibility, and should even the smallest brick in their plan be placed awry, it could effectively tumble the entire foundation. He pictured a stray mouse stumbling across the hallways in a hurry, or a bright ball of yarn falling down a flight of stairs. As ridiculous as the thoughts were, they somehow presented a vague threat in his mind. Even unconsciously he began to consider what sort of trouble she could get into with an unattended laundry bin.

It begged the question of just how involved they could both be before he had to cut her off. After all, she wasn’t wrong: The unknown nature of the investigation put them in a dangerous spot. And none of it was truly an obligation of hers past simply handing out information. Yet she’d already made her standing clear, announcing the quality of her skills as proof, plus her willingness to use them for the decent cause.

With this in mind, Dom briefly found himself reflecting on the ball again, and why she chose to flee instead of letting him know the truth. Maybe it was his fault for being so aloof. Maybe she considered cops part of the problem rather than the solution. It wasn’t unlike the oddball recruits who used to carry on about the difference between insightful service and pragmatic service. Being receptive could be straining, but rigidly carrying out orders gave things a vindictive edge. Still, it irked him to think that this could be the case, since he knew the EPD was better than that. This time their partnership would warrant the title.

“Alright, alright. I’m just making sure you know what you’re getting into-“ He tossed her an annoyed look as she rose, more ruffled by how liberally she moved than the petty remark, but didn’t react any further. “-And we’ll have to make arrangements of course. I take it you haven’t been to university for actual studies before.” To her lively declaration for drinks, he simply added: “Gin. Dry.”

Patience would laugh softly, turning away from him. 'Cat sitter' She laughed softly to herself still, the idea of him thinking he needed to babysit her. There was no doubt in her mind she was older than him, he smelled human for the most part... Then again a lot of creatures did. Now she was a little more curious, had she ever actually asked him if he was human? Did it matter? What if he was some sort of terrible slime monster or lizardman and she had no idea? 'Yuck...' The thought quickly left her mind as she turned to look at him once more, 'well at least he looks good now.'

She didn't bother with the show this time, at least not on purpose. She still stuck her hands on the bar standing up straight, her tailed swished slowly behind her. The man was busy drying a mug waiting for the cat Wildkin to take another set of drink orders, and throw it once more on her tab. A tab she was never worried about since the pub owner was in debt to her boss.

"Carl~ Two more drinks, please! Another whiskey for me! And tall, dark, and handsome wants 'Gin. Dry.'" With a grin she mocked Dom's ever serious personality. Once the tender served up her new round of drinks, she would take them, and sway back over to her friend. "One for you~" She set his glass down in front of him, then she set her own down. "And one more me." She took her seat once more next to him, still turned sideways to look up at him.

"What makes you think I've never taken classes before? You don't think a girl like me has the brains for that kinda stuff? Kinda rude, don't ya think?" Patience waited to see if he would struggle a little bit, before cutting him off. Her expression showed him that she didn't appreciate the comment, but she wouldn't let it bother her too much. At least not now. She wouldn't forget that remark, but for now, she would bury that feeling.

Softening her gaze she would shake her head, "You're right. I never really thought about college I guess. That would mean putting me in some official system. Plus the whole mom being a prostitute thing, and living mostly on the street doesn't really foot the bill. I'm super glad that you got to have your cute little fairy tale dream job though, Mr.Cop. Some of us aren't as lucky though." Pulling one of her almond-shaped nails up to her lips she tapped them softly thinking, the shiny black nail polish on it was perfect and unchipped. She was a little annoyed now, making sure to stick another knife in him in trade for the one he shoved into her with his cruel remark about her not taking actual classes.

Giving him a reluctant smile and pulling her finger away from her lips, she would sigh in an apologetic way. "Honestly... I'm not sure even what I would have gone for... Or if I could even get into a college at this point~ Guess I'll just have to stick to my hobbies and leave it at that. It really doesn't matter what I do now, right?"

She didn't really think about it too much until now, she probably could have gone to school... Hades would have easily paid her way, she was sure of it. After all, they did homeschool her, so they did care about her education. However, she really was never interested. As well as she wouldn't take advantage of her adopted family like that, no way would she make them pay for something so expensive.

Thinking about what she had said, she felt herself getting a little too personal. Attempting to quickly change the subject off of her hobbies, and back to the mission, she would give Dom her favorite grin. "So, what kinda arrangments then?" Waiting for him to answer she would reach into her pocket, running her fingers over her sheathed butterfly knife. Feeling the smooth metal against her fingers gave her a way to distract herself from being a little bit uncomfortable.

He gratefully retrieved his own drink and raised it to his lips, this time giving her the courtesy of a short nod. She’d replaced her whiskey with more whiskey. This was only her second or third one, but perhaps he ought to confiscate it.

Dom raised a brow as she began to speak, taken aback by the sudden accusation in her tone. It took a few seconds for him to realize that the soreness behind her words was real, and further more, to recognize the disappointment that clouded her expression. A moment passed where the silence at the table became inescapable; shoehorning for dominance only with the tension that followed. But for once, it wasn’t his temper that chilled the air between them. She obviously didn’t take too kindly to what was said. He shifted forward in his chair and prepared to offer a rudimentary amend, seeing the fault and how it could be taken badly, but she cut him off as quick as a lance. Instead, he was made to listen.

Lucky. For her sake it wasn’t easy to hear, but there was no doubting that she’d experienced more of life’s rougher edges. As an officer he should’ve been a lot more mindful, but the words slipped out without much thought. And though not completely baseless, they were nonetheless critical and assuming.

So the urge to correct was there, clean as a whistle and strict as protocol. After a while her whiskers no longer buzzed and she seemed to simmer down, the harshness in her tone dying down with a single smile. He set his glass down, taking the chance to reply. “Patience, I…“ He wanted to tell her he didn’t mean anything by it. That his only goal was to elucidate rather than offend. But this wasn’t entirely true even for him, and Dom was sure the feline would see right through a mundane condolence. Once she explained herself it became all too glaring how little they knew about each other. “…You’re right. Next time I’ll try to play fair.” Quiet perforated the conversation for a few heartbeats. He hesitated before clearing his throat and adding: “I didn’t attend university myself, so I don’t have room to talk. The choice is always complicated.” He didn’t like the taste of it, implying that they had anything in the world in common, so he decided to leave the sentiment at that. All the same, he was glad when she did also.

“First, we’ll have to map out the location. This shouldn’t be difficult seeing as how it’s a campus and directives are usually left everywhere. Going unnoticed will be the biggest obstacle as far as navigation goes.” Dom borrowed a pen from one of the adjacent tables and grabbed a napkin from the middle of the table. He scribbled a single word ~SUSPECT:           ~ on the sheet before slipping it to Patience, leaving some space beside it for her to spell out Crivin’s name. “I was thinking we could sign-up for one of those tours they give during the season. We’d be able to camouflage better in a larger group.”