Just Another Smokey Bar

Patience would widen her smile to him as he backed away a bit from her to offer her a hand. Such a handsome strong man, it made her let out a soft giggle. Time to drop a bombshell on him, it almost hurt not telling him the truth. The cat would meet his hand with her own, her skin was warm and soft. "Fine... I'd like to be honest with you anyway... It's a little annoying having to tip-toe around you. There's a lot you should know about me, Dom... So... Let's start with the basics."

She held his hand with a strong grip not letting him go, her eyes sharp staring deeply into his. "My adopted father is Hades." The words came out rather carelessly as if it wasn't that big of a deal. However, she knew that would probably cause some sort of alarm to go off in him. She was the adopted daughter of a well-known criminal, a criminal that had never been caught. Everyone knew Hades ran a crime ring, but every bit of evidence was always lost or deleted due to an expensive team of lawyers. Patience was the daughter of one of the most powerful men in Eyls'ayn, the daughter of a Mafia boss.

She let go of his hand resting both of her own on her hips, waiting for a string of questions to unravel from his mind. Whatever he asked, she would answer truthfully, as long as it didn't endanger her family. Inhaling a soft breath she would nod gently to him, silently she told him she was ready to tell him what he wanted to know. Her body language went from being powerful to being oddly submissive to him now. Her tail would cease from moving, hanging motionless behind her. Her ears were pointed forward, standing up to intently listen to what he had to say. The sharp yellow eyes that had been cutting into him softened now with her lips, which were relaxed into a gentle smile.

Dom raised a brow and waited for Patience to continue, figuring this was a really bad attempt by her to lighten the mood. But as the quiet stretched on awkwardly, and the only solace she offered up was an endearing smile, his expression fell to doubt. Then disbelief. Then shock. It was as if someone had struck a match just to ogle at the flickering flames, having given no thought to the burn that would follow, or who in proximity would be affected by the fire. Everyone sensed the potential for danger, yet no one knew what to do. And unfortunately their negligence would cost.

God of the Underworld. Gatekeeper of Hell. Leader of the Roses and Ruin. Biggest mob boss in the city. And not to mention the EPD’s worst legal nightmare. Trying to hook Hades’ gang was a major challenge for the department, as anything that could go wrong often did. Whether it was missing evidence, missing witnesses, missing testimonials, or even missing officers…the trail miraculously went cold every time. Search warrants were about as useful as a hairpin key on a steel padlock, and they could have easily formed their own judicial library with the amount of settlements made ‘under the table’. While he wasn’t keen on the idea of corruption being inevitable in cases involving the R&R, these instances often sucked the vitality out of their investigations. And worse yet, if what she said were truthful, their partnership had allowed her to slip right under the department’s nose as well.

As her hand began to slip away, Dom moved forward and seized Patience’s wrist, tugging her none-too-gently back to their previous position. However, the closeness was smothering for a very different reason this time. The scene played much like their previous exchange at the construction site. Except now he had no interest in releasing her. Any sympathy he may have held before was forfeited, and the iciness of his glare seemed to chill the air around them. “This isn’t one of your games I’m going to entertain. The R&R are a tyrannical group of crooks. Why should I believe that you’re one of them, much less cozied up under the wing of an egomaniac like Hades?”

If this would have been anyone but Dom, it would have cost him dearly to handle her in such a rough manner. However, because it was Dom, the cat would shield her mind from his icy stare with a soft grin. This was expected, she knew she'd need to explain herself further. Letting him hang onto her, her tail would sway back and forth, and the ears on her head would roll back slightly. "When I was little my mother gave me away to a rather awful orphanage. We used to have to steal in order to survive, or we got beaten black and blue. One day I stole from the wrong vendor and got caught. Before he could call the law on me, Hades's wife had stepped in… I was just a kitten back then, mangy and useless… But they took me in any way. Hate them if you want to, but they gave me a place to call home. A warm bed, clean clothes, and plenty of hot meals… Even the love of a family which I never really had."

Patience stared up at Dom, her expression was soft. "I'm part of the R&R, Dom. I told you, I've seen horrible things… Believe it or not, though, there are much worse people out there than us. You wanted the truth from me, don't hate me because you can't handle it. I won't hurt your career and I sure the hell won't hurt you, but I can't hide from you who I am. Who I call my family. My name is Patience Rose West, and I am the adopted daughter of Hades and Persephone."

The cat went quiet, staring up at him. She was waiting for him to speak again, to say anything to her. Would he hate her now that he knew the truth? For the moment she could feel her stomach tighten, fear was seeping into her. If he still held onto her, her free hand would reach up gripping his shirt. He could see it in her eyes, she was afraid. Her body was a little tenser then it had been now, her big yellow eyes would blink slowly. She didn't want to fear him, she wanted to trust him, to tell him all of her secrets.

Prompted by the nervousness that suddenly glossed her eyes, Dom’s hand loosened around Patience’s wrist almost immediately. The impulse to apprehend slowly faded into confusion, and began to coil with the frustration lumping in his chest.

Under lesser circumstances, the idea of a virtuous mafia boss would’ve elicited a chuckle from him. The vision she had of Hades’ reputation was far too…off-putting. Her word on his character would never be taken seriously beyond the EPD’s doorstep; even if she actually did prove to be a living embodiment of his better nature. A mobster with a ‘soft heart’ didn’t parallel the gang’s prolific history of defraud, plus this plea couldn't reconcile the damage they had done over the years. Yet she seemed proud of who her parents were and where they fit within the city. Especially where she fit in as their daughter. However, the lesser of evils was still a force of evil, and regardless of her kinship to Hades or how she felt about their ‘family’, this fact would not change.

Rose-West. Dom drew in a deep breath and exhaled gently through his nose. Doubt creased his brow as he looked back at her. Fear. Worry. Uncertainty. All played a part in turning her expression sour. At once a tinge of regret quickened his pulse, and he finally released her wrist entirely, fingers brushing lightly over her palm just as she clutched his shirt. But her retaliation didn’t come. At least, not in the way he expected.

His heart missed a beat. Was she being…endearing? For the first time he wondered if the wildkin was serious about certain advances more than she let on. And if this distance wasn’t enough to reveal the lighter shades of yellow in her irises, Dom would have thought his mind was playing tricks on him. Did she expect them to go on? She knew the shadiness of their position long before he did, and yet somehow…here they were. Her unpredictability never ceased to amaze him. “I believe you,” he replied after a moment, curt and to the point. “However, the law identifies your family as a criminal syndicate. Viewing it any other way is naive.”

“I assume the woman that texted you was the goddess. What do your parents know about our situation here, and why haven’t they put a stop to it yet?”

The cat would let out her own soft sigh, she was relieved when he fully let her go. Being handled by a man in such ways brought back some very uncomfortable memories. Dom's eyes were different though, he may have been stern and cold with her, but he wasn't crazy like the owner of the hands who had harmed her previously.

Blushing a little red in the face, she could feel her body shudder. The booze still in her body helped fail her usual poker face. Clearing her throat she would remove her hand from him, patting where she had gripped him. "I never said I was proud of my family's way of life. I know exactly what they do, and whether or not it's bad… All I'm saying is that there are worse people in the city than us."

Her lips formed a slight frown as she continued to speak, her voice was low oddly gentle. "I tend not to tell people who I really am. I get treated differently once people find out who my family is, more so my adopted father. Greed for power and wealth can turn the people you trust most into backstabbing liars. So… It's just easier being stray cat Patience."

Now with her hands to her sides, she would give him a soft nod, her face still flushed. "Hades is fully aware of the situation. He was the one who asked me to go observe the college in the first place. Children are Hades's weakness, and when you're as old as he is college students still fall in that range. Besides, selling drugs on a school campus is disgusting to him. Instead of the R&R dealing with the situation, I requested if I could enlist the EPD for help. In my mind… If the R&R dealt with it, it could lead to a war, which means innocent lives could be at risk. At least the EPD can handle the situation accordingly and you get to take a few more of us criminals off the street." Patience knew two gangs fighting would mean possible blood in the streets.


The cat would finish her serious topic, then her usual playful smile would spread over her face. This time her eyes stayed soft, dropping her seriousness for the moment. "Yeah, that was Persephone. And if this was the current situation you're talking about, you don't need to worry. Who I decide to spend my time with is no concern to them. Cop or criminal, my parents are more thrilled that I'm with someone. Regardless of how we see this partnership, to them, you're some kind of beacon of hope. Hades wants grandchildren, and Persephone wants me to spend less time on the streets."

The cat would have her ears pointed forward, the long black tail behind her would swish slowly. A gentle awkward giggle left her, but she was smiling.

Enlist the EPD…don’t need to worry…

It was unfortunate that the department wasn’t a freelance group, or else he would have to commend her cleverness. Trailing after the breadcrumbs of the city’s largest gang didn’t bode well in theory, but he could admit that her coaxing probably saved them from a longer and less manageable investigation in the future. Yet forgoing all suspicion didn’t seem like the correct move either. Especially since the ties of her extended family apparently held it all together.

Dom blinked warily at Patience, straining to conjure up a new frame of reference for their partnership. She had her right to a good home and a good family, and wherever she happened to find these things in Eyls’ayn, it wasn’t within his jurisdiction to deny her. Moreover, their immediate goal didn’t present a conflict of interest as long as they were on the same side, and since she helped to detail the case this remained true.

He passed the young wildkin an astute nod, reassuring in a very small way that he understood. -Or was at least processing on a similar level. Perhaps he should have been more earnest about offending her now that he knew the truth about her family, but obviously the affair was far from perilous in their eyes. In the meantime, he agreed that she was better off in the care of the law; although he wasn’t exactly moved to a Cheshire grin as she were.

Dom crossed his arms and stood at attention, dark gaze shifting once over her ears as they swiveled forward. “After we’ve completed our business at the university, I want to meet your parents,” he said, the curtness of his tone indicating that there would be no argument. “This isn’t a pardon for the R&R, but I would like to see for myself what kind of life they’ve given you. No more secrets.”

Patience would watch Dom's face for any signs of readable facial expressions. His silence would make her a little uncomfortable for the moment. He seemed to still be processing the information she had given him, which was understandable. When he did speak however her own expression changed from playful to slightly shocked. Her yellow eyes widened, and she frowned. Her tail would swish behind her, and her large black ears would pull back slightly.

"Wh...what?" Patience would narrow her wild eyes at him, not in anger but in suspicion. She stayed quiet for a few seconds to fully let his words sink into her brain. Once she thought about it, her ears rolled forward once more but her eyes stayed narrowed. "You're serious, aren't you?" The cat would shake her head in disbelief, then she would lighten her eyes up grinning once more.

"Fine. I'll introduce you to my Mother and Father when our job is done~ You have to promise me you won't try and arrest my parents though… If I take you home, you have to visit as Dom. Not cop boy~ You have to promise me you'll leave your superhero cape here… I won't bring you to them if you're not going to be on your best behavior."

The cat smiled a little wider, the idea of bringing Dom to her home was a little exciting. It would be weird to have her family see her walking around with a rather handsome man, but the idea did give her butterflies. More so if she decided to stay on his arm while she introduced him to her adopted parents, then showed him around her home.

Patience's sharp smile faded to a soft grin once more, her voice started with a gentle giggle. "Just… Be ready. Persephone and Hades are relentless. You think she was bad through text… Don't be shocked if they are brutally honest, or awkwardly blunt… But if you really want to meet them and see where I hide when I'm not on the streets, then no problem… Who knows~ If you be good, I might show you my secret place."

With the last words, she would giggle again with a wink this time. Most would assume right away Patience was hinting at a rather lewd proposition, however, it was quite the opposite. The cat had a secret place that only a few welcomed people had seen.