//------------------------------//
// Chapter 2: Reality Soft Spoken -Part 2- 
// Story: The Lavish Silver Spoon 
// by Lyle Daydream 
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It all happened so quickly. 

Moon beaming across the horizon, the world stalled in its ascent to progress. Mellowing pony or fact, it did not matter if the individual was one or a cat, all fell into their nightly routine. Or so it should have been. As quick as can be, Silver found her life turned upside down, from unprecedented wealth to a wonder of survival. The staff arrived rather quickly and proceeded to operate on her father from the comfort of his own bedroom. No surgery mind you but procedures that were intended to help stabilize him for a trip to the hospital. With that door closed the silver-maned pony found herself hysterically pacing the floor, at least until Diamond Tiara quickly galloped into the home after hearing the news via telephone.

It had been nearly a couple of hours now, and all seemed to be quiet throughout the house. Despite the fact that this was a time of uncertainty, everyone found their own short-lived peace in the moment. The staff decided to continue their work amid an undeserved quiet while some were in the bedroom helping the nurses tend to Silver's father. Rosetti was carefully tending to Silver's comfort as she slept at Diamond Tiara’s hooves, all the while Diamond was doing her best to hold back her fear of the worst. 

The tension in the air was thick as the bayou fog, only settling when the click of the father's door finally graced the ears of everyone. Within minutes, the crowd of workers reformed around the door, and Diamond was quick to nudge Silver awake who shot up like a bullet when she realized who was standing in front of her. "I-is he ok, what of his condition?”

The nurse let a deafening silence take the air, collecting her thoughts but unintentionally giving a wave of anxiety to everyone in the room. "He's alive but…his condition is declining. We can hold him at the hospital and continue to watch over him there but whatever took his consciousness this time has gone too far for us to save him. I imagine that within only a week's time, he will be with the spirits. I'm sorry, Silver Spoon."

There was an audible gasp or declaration of disbelief from the staff but all Silver could utter was a choked inward breath. Her father was dying…he was dying and there was nothing she could do about it. It all came so suddenly, hit her so hard. She was going to be alone in a week's time, without the father figure that gave her life so much meaning and value. Without the man who fought in defense of their freedom, returned from all that chaos only to dote on his daughter with a smile on his face the entire time. 

Silver could feel it, Diamond could see it, her legs wobbling as the silver-maned mare dropped to the ground and tears began to well up in her eyes. Everyone was quick to offer Silver what support they could but the truth of the matter is, everyone was saddened by the news. Her father was such a benevolent employer, more so than his daughter or any other noble. To see him go would it truly mark the end of a serendipitous era. Silver was not so like-minded, getting to her hooves and rushing to her father's door in an attempt to be with him but the nurses were quick to deny access. "Miss Silver you must calm down, he is resting. If you were to crash into his bedside now, who knows what damage you might cause. You must be patient and wait just a little while until he stabilizes at the hospital."

"First you tell me that he's d-dying…and then you refuse to let me even see him. I order you to stand aside."

"As your medical professional, I refuse that offer. He is not in good condition just yet, you'll have to wait, mam, if you want him to live."

"You…you absolute charlatans, I should have you arrested here on the spot…" Silver was adamant to wield her anger until a reassuring hoof from Diamond Tiara embraced her shoulder. "Fine…fine, whatever…but hear me now if my father dies before I can see him at the hospital, I will hold you especially accountable. Do you hear me? I will have you in chains as fast as you can blink."

It wasn't their fault, she was angry and had damn good reason to be. It wasn't just her loss of a really close family member that was angering her but the idea that her way of life would be completely uprooted. Who would run the company? Would the bits dry up after long leaving her homeless on the streets? All the questions of a mare who's never worked a hard day's work in her life. She stay pondering that thought in her room for the time being.

At least until her train of thought was broken when the doors to her room opened and in walked a rather professionally dressed pony. His business suit and slicked-back white hair made it obvious that he was some type of official. "Ms. Spoon." the official uttered, taking another step towards her bedside adorned by Diamond Tiara and Rosetti. "I...am sorry for your loss. Even now I strain to hold back my own tears but...business must be done first and foremost. Your father was an understood pillar of this community and as such, he will not be forgotten. If you and your friends would be so kind as to follow me to his study, we have a matter of his to discuss." Despite her choked state, Diamond and Rosetti did manage to support her to her father's study where the official took the center of attention.

"Ms. Spoon, Mr. Cat, Diamond Tiara," he began. "I would like to direct your attention to the paper placed in front of you. Though he has not passed on yet, the nurses on their way to take your father to the hospital informed me that whatever affliction he has is going to be 100% fatal in a week's time. As such, he will most likely be in a consistently bedridden state and will not be able to look over his affairs. It is by his own words that before his death, his will be doled out. Lying before you is the document in which he has agreed upon including a message for his daughter specifically. 

A clear of the throat before he began. "If this message is reaching you, then that means my passing has finally come. Thought it would take me in the war but it didn't. Thought it would take me when I had to fight my PTSD but it didn't. Instead, I'm likely to have passed in my sleep, peacefully and without regrets, hopefully. In the event that that day comes around, I have something to say. Silver, I know it's been tough. Ever since I came back from the war, I know I've been a little distant. Ever since your mother passed, I know I've been a little irritable. Doesn't mean I don't still cherish those days back then, before the second deployment, those days when I was still stationed in my own city. I could come home every weekend, see you, take you and your mother out for food, and a day out in the parks. What I wouldn't give to have those days back. Even if right now, I was still alive, I'd like to give myself just one more day with you but...the company is in flux lately. At the point now where even a day's break leads to another issue I gotta sit down and fix. I ain't left this study in nearly 7 hours as of writing this and it's getting worse. I fear I'm doing something wrong here and it's starting to weigh on my mind more than usual. I'm hoping that with some luck, you might be able to fix that. I know you weren't expecting it but that's the case baby girl. The company is effectively under your watch as of the reading of this will. I hope you take good care of my dream and I hope more that you take care of yourself. Thank you for a life worth living Silver."

Silver found pause. The company in her name...but...but she didn't know one thing about how to run it. It's not important. It shouldn't be important. Yet here she is contemplating it. How exactly was she supposed to run this company, let alone save it? It was thought that the company would fall to someone who had the actual experience to run it but to give the company to his own daughter, she couldn't fault him on the logic but…what has she gotten herself into?

Fat Cat found pause. The company was in her name...but why would he delegate such a lucrative opportunity to her and not his own brother? Why on Earth would he find more comfort in a spoiled rotten brat taking ownership than he, a business connoisseur? He had half a mind to question such a disrespectful result, even as the sorrow lofted around the room. Unbeknownst to anyone, he poured over the document again and again trying to find out exactly how much power the little utensil had. Again and again and again until he finally noticed the stipulations at the bottom of the page. Yes...yes that would do nicely. “Your father was adamant that you undertake his affa--”

"Now hold on now, if you please.” Mr. Cat interrupted.

“Mr. Cat, could this potentially wait until after I have finished the presentation?”

“Now now, don’t get your horseshoes in a twist, I just thought it might be a bit important to point out a very interesting stipulation before we continue, as it says here in pretty bold words.”

Even the official was perplexed by his sudden interruption before he himself remembered exactly what Fat Cat was talking about. Even still, he let out a sigh and ripped the paper from Fat Cat's hooves. "As I am the one who helped write this will, that was going to be a part of the presentation. Please be seated, Mr. Cat." There was a nervous smile before Fat Cat took his seat and the official continued. "As per the rules stated by your father, you will indeed inherit the company Ms. Silver Spoon but unfortunately, not until you are of legality in age as that is when your father assumed you would be most knowledgeable about the inner workings of the company. As Mr. Cat pointed out so unnecessarily, the company will legally transfer under your name when you turn 18. I can assume that is soon?"

"Why yes, dear official." Fat cat begin again, stepping out of his seat and throwing a hoof around his shoulder as if they were best buddies. "Of which is woefully tragic, a true tear-jerker of the heart. Unfortunately, that means that the company will be without management for at least a couple of days, I wonder who could take over that process until Silver Spoon is ready to take that throne? What's that? You want me to do it?" 

"No one said anything Mr. Ca--"

"Well I guess if you're really hurting for somebody" he interrupted once again. "Then I can take over the mantle for a couple of days and get things running smoothly for your eventual takeover. Worry not silverware and rest assured that your father and his legacy will stay firmly cemented into this foundation."

There was a glance of angered eyes from the official but he found a sigh replaced it. "Well this is certainly not by the books but your father has mentioned your brother as being one of the few who can help with company affairs. If there are no objections to this course of action, Fat Cat will effectively take over ownership of the company until Silver is of age. Any objections?

There was a sort of acknowledgment behind the uncertainty, the recognition that that would be the best course of action. At least, that was the thought process behind most of the room. Despite the fact that Mr. Cat would be taking over the affairs for a couple of days, Silver was still lost in thought on how she would actually run this company once it was her turn.

Taking Silver Spoon's words to heart, however, Diamond Tiara seemed awfully suspicious of Fat Cat's enthusiasm to have taken this position so boldly and quickly. Forgo coincidence for but a moment, a lack of civility was the most obvious giveaway, no tears shed. Brother of yours kicks the bucket and you only seem a might bit perturbed. Something was definitely off here, and yet, no one would still guess what was to come.

There was but a moment given, an assurance that Silver Spoon knew exactly what she was getting into. Then and only then did the official collect his part of the documents and depart the household. Only when Fat Cat was left to his lonesome did Diamond Tiara and Rosetti attempt to console their friend.

Tears dripped down the couch cushions like water breaking free of a dam. For as much comfort as the two could offer, there could never be any true comfort for the realization that true reality does not care for one's personified reality. Silver at this point was hysterical, like a bank teller trying to run the numbers over and over again. "I just don't, I don't get it! Nothing went to plan, everything's going wrong!"

"Silver mam, please calm down. Or at the very least, mind how much of that bottle is disappearing down your muzzle, that's one of your father's strongest applications."

"I dare ask the reason for such care to exist." She yelped, wine glass forgotten, bottle firmly in hoof. "It is by this time in 4 days--"

"Three days lady silver, midnight was about an hour ago," Rosetti uttered.

Silver can only stare with scorn in her pupils causing Rosetti to shrink in his spot. "It is by this time in 3 days I will be running a company after all. So please do forgive me if I'm a bit perturbed as the man I know and loved as my father is guaranteed death, in his sixties no less. In this day and age, as far as medicine has come, he still had a well enough 10 years before any of this was thought to come to pass. But no…here I am, drowning myself over an illicit beverage that I'm sure my father had to go well out of his way to procure, with only 3 days to figure out…anything!"

Just as it seemed like she was about to explode into an all-out temper tantrum, she plopped her stuff right back down on the couch in a huff. "Dizzy?" Diamond asked.

"Terribly so…"

"Please Silver, do your dear friend a favor, and let's try not to drink our problems away, tempting though that may be."

"I just…maybe in the back of my head I was still that little girl waiting for him to come back from the war. And every day that he did it, I ran, I jumped, I screamed thinking that that man was invincible."

"A lesson that has to be learned, I'm afraid." Diamond found herself the nearest and coziest blanket she could, draping it over silver as she attempted to fight off her dizzy stupor. "I know it hurts to hear but I wasn't kidding when I asked you what your plan was should your father not be here. Know that I will be here every step of the way during your grief but more than anything, I want you to be confident and how you approach the world from out under your father's shadow."

"I…I don't know…" Silver groaned. "I fear I have not a single skill to my name that would help in running a company. It's not like he sat me down every day and gave me a living example."

Rosetti came to a stand, removing the wine bottle and the wine glass from the table and returning it to the kitchen. "In which case, perhaps a little bit of shut-eye would do your mind some good. Best not to dwell on such stressful situations when you're lit up like a stick of TNT."

The kind of day they had, Diamond Tiara could only nod in agreement. "He's right, you're more likely to end up in an alleyway on the street in this state, let alone make decisions based on strategy. Best we all get some sleep for the night and think about it in the morning."

"W-wait Diamond--"

"Easy there Silver," Diamond uttered has she rushed to catch Silver from stumbling off the couch. "Don't strain yourself, I'll be here with you tonight."

"J-just…those dolls and the pricing and figuring out how to make everything work with other shops and…at the very least can you help me understand what I'm getting myself into come tomorrow?"

Diamond Tiara happily knotted and a sigh of relief was well-earned. As quickly as everything had happened, the pair found themselves sound asleep that night.

Not a soul alive that can say that curiosity truly killed the cat. Rosetti was one of skepticism, always has been when it came to that bulbous pony. Daring never to step outside his means, he withheld his accusations and simply went about his work tending to the house and the night. However, his hunch would be more than correct as Fat Cat wasn't exactly a night owl on usual occasions. That night, however, he found himself firmly in the study, seated upon the same chair that Silver's father sat and mulling over the new power that he had. Now any man worth his weight in liquid gold knew that 3 days wasn't exactly a lot of time to turn the company around. That's why a plan had to be set into motion.

"Of course I pulled it off, what kind of idiot do you take me for?" There was a slight grit of his teeth as the voice responded, causing him to crush his cigar between his teeth and force him to begin hacking up the substance inside. "You would do well to watch your tone, I don't appreciate these valid accusations you're throwing at me. Instead, why don't you listen, before I have one of those hellish hounds wring that precious feline confidence out of you." He uttered as he replaced the cigar to his lips and relit it. "The information you provided was rather accurate, his will was set up just the way you thought it was and for that, you will be handsomely compensated. After...you deal with one last issue. What is it? Why, shouldn't it be obvious? I left a little piece of silverware out and I'd like you to put it back in the drawer."

Damn, his heart was racing. Curse his curiosity and inability to mind his own business. Perhaps this day, curiosity will kill the cat after all. Rosetti's fear of what was to come was so heavy that the only thing that seemed audible to him was the hyperventilation he was now exuding. Rain had just started to fall outside and each kick of lightning flashing the household only stirred up his nerves even more. He tried his best to quietly back up and descend the steps to the couch where Silver and Diamond Tiara were sleeping. Unfortunately, not his fault he likes her healthy piece of cake every now and then, his weight caused a floorboard to Creek just outside the door. "Who's there?!" Fat's voice bellowed from the other side of the door.

"I-its just me Mr. Cat. Uh, Rosetti sir."

"Oh right, the fat one." Rosetti huffed, he was fatter than he was after all. "And what do I owe this visit, you hefty individual?"

"W-well sir, I found myself so excited by your offer to help Lady Silver run the company that I found it appropriate to ask if you would like to indulge in some of your brother's collection."

"Collection? Well damn, I never expected my benevolent brother to be indulging in something as criminal as that. In that case, I might take you up on that offer, later of course. I got a lot of checkbooks to balance."

"R-right sir. Sorry to trouble you." As apparently happy as he is, Rosetti wasted no time with hastening down the steps. Like the crash of a shell through tank armor, he damn near killed the girl as he shook Diamond awake. "Wake up, wake up."

"Rosetti, heavens above, stop shaking me at on--" A finger to the mouth as Rosetti motioned to shush. "Have you been partaking in the wine yourself?"

"What no, just listen. You and Silver need to vacate the premises, fast."

A raised eyebrow as she found herself in a more comfortable upright position. "What in the Equestrian States are you talking about?"

"No time, you two need to leave right now." He uttered, having to nearly double the power of shaking to rouse Silver from her buzzed stupor.

"It's nearly midnight Rosetti, what could possibly be so urgent that you need to rouse me from my slumber so aggress--oh, I feel like I'm going to throw up…"

"Throw up on the way out the door, you two needed to be out of here hours ago."

Even as frantic as the butler was, Silver only groaned and grunted as she attempted to fall back into a sleepy state, Diamond Tiara following her hoofsteps. "Apologies, but I see no reason for us to escape into the night at the moment. Unless you give us a good reason, I feel as though this can wait until the morning."

"You won't be waiting for anything if you're dead. Look, I just got done overhearing your uncle's recent conversation and you are not going to like what you hear." It was at this moment that the both of them sat up, now deeply concerned. "I don't know if you two have ever had the opportunity to fall in line with a couple of hardy criminals, but your uncle is by far the most natural. He planned this entire thing, from your dad's death to his taking over the company. And now we need to be gone yesterday because I just got done overhearing him telling someone that they need to deal with a silverware problem."

If hell had fury, it would be the expression on Silver's face as she got to her hooves. "You can't be serious. You mean to tell me that you're blaming my uncle for the entire ordeal. Rosetti, I'm tired and dizzy and...I think I need the throw-up, I do not want to hear your conspiracy theories. The only thing that my uncle has ever done has tried to go into partnership with my father. Where is your proof of ill will?"

As if the universe was answering her question, a flash of lightning illuminated the dark household. The unusual object in question was a strange silhouette standing on the terrace that overlooked their backyard. "There…" a slow and methodical movement as all of their heads turned to view the figure in their backyard. 

Silver was especially concerned. "That terrace is nearly three stories off the ground, who would be so dumb as to--" Diamond and Rosetti were quick enough to realize what was about to happen. Their bodies moved quickly, hammering Silver's person to the ground as a loud bang rang out alongside broken glass and a small flash of light. Within seconds, Rosetti had reached under one of the couches and pulled on a small tab. When the tab opened, out came a rather small pistol, a colt .25, to Diamond and Silver's surprise."Wait just a darn minute, who hid a fully functioning gun in the couch?!"

As quick as can be, Rosetti haphazardly returned two bullets the assailant's way. "WHAT ARE YOU TWO STILL DOING HERE, RUN!"

Their hooves could only take them so far so fast as gunshots began to ring out behind them. Before long, Rosetti was bounding behind them as well, the assailant hot on their trail. His aim was damn near perfect, chipping off paint near their heads the two times he fired before they reached the doors. 

Silver, Diamond, and Rosetti crashed through those doors with all their might, storming down the steps into the foyer where Rosetti had the ingenious idea of hiding among the base of the glass cases, spreading out to give him a hard target. All the while, the strange figure slowly and quietly crept into the room, his feline eyes scanning the dark room in ignorance until a flash of lightning illuminated just enough for him to attempt to make out their hiding locations. Clack, clack, clack went the two-legged assailants' shoes on the granite floor as he continued his search. He would find them, it was only a matter of time. "Let’s not drag this out please, I know one of you was on to me from the very start. And yet somehow, you still did not see this coming. If it's all the same to you, I'd much rather be done with this trifling matter sooner than later."

Despite the man's words, all three of them waited patiently as the man crisscrossed around the room. Rosetti understood that they could not hide forever, it was only a matter of time before he got an idea and used it to weed them out. There had to be some way for the girls to escape at least, something that the assailant wasn't expecting. His eyes started from one corner of the room to the next but the only true option for them at this point was to either return up the steps and possibly give the cat a bigger target, try for one of the side corridors that led to the employee rooms and kitchen, or the laundry room. As he was firmly blocking off two options, the laundry room was their only choice. Rosetti motioned to the two other girls close by and pointed out the room, giving them a countdown of three to make a run for it.


One…two…Three!


Before the assailant could blink, a massive vase went sailing over the room and toward his head. Only by a split second was he able to dodge the incoming projectile and turn his head to see his targets bounding for the laundry room. He gave chase, of course, popping off a few shots to trip them up. Only by the skin of their teeth were Diamond and Silver able to enter the room but Rosetti found himself still a couple of feet away. With the assailant right behind them, he turned around and began firing back shots causing him to take cover. It was the assailant's understanding however that this would end pretty soon as he spoke very quietly. "Four…" he uttered as another bullet passed him by. "Five…and six." Click. The sound of an empty gun. Within seconds, the assailant rounded the corner and allowed a bullet to greet Rosetti's shoulder. He whined out in pain for only a second before diving into the laundry room slamming the door behind him and locking it. Crack. Almost immediately, the wood was already splintering as the assailant began rushing his shoulder into it over and over again. No doubt he would be within their hiding spot in only a minute, in which Rosetti had to make a choice. "Lady Silver, Lady Diamond. I'm starting to think that your uncle is out of his mind. Looks like this old Jack without his Jill is not going to stop until he has you in a bag at the bottom of the river."

"Stow your humor, Rosetti, you're bleeding. We have to get that patched up now." Diamond Tiara uttered as she began searching for some type of sheet to tie off the hole. "For the Love of--I was under the impression that you guys did laundry today."

"We did! Oh, where are those blasted blankets?!"

“Would you two stop for a second and just listen to me? He’s after you guys, especially you Silver. You two trot for the hills before he gets in."

“What are you talk…No…No, Rosetti. I understand that you are in service to me but you can't seriously be thinking that you can hold back that two-legged freak. I will not allow it, come on through the window with us."

"Apologies mam, but I think I have an idea of who is targeting you and there's no way you're going to make it out alive unless someone distracts him."

"You know him?" Diamond Tiara frantically asked.

"One of my own mam, which means I'm going to have the best possible shot at taking him down. Look, despite all the things I had to do to get here, despite all the corners I had to cut just to secure this job, I wouldn't have asked for anything better than this life. I mean sure, now that we're talking about it, you do seem to have a little bit of hostility towards my kind, not to mention that every single time you leave the house you bring back at least five bags worth of expensive things you don't use or wear, not to mention that--" Amid his ramblings, his eyes shifted upward and was met with a duo of annoyed glances. "Well…that's not the point. The point is that despite everything that you've done and everything that I've had to go through, you have been good to me and I would like to repay that kindness in full."

Rosetti quickly began to search the room, frantically and thoroughly. He only stopped when he came across a secret compartment contained beneath a floorboard in the corner of the room. Inside that hole was a box covered in mountains of dust, a symbol that it had been there for some time. "Rosetti, what exactly is that?" Diamond asked.

"Well Lady Diamond, considering that you have given a lot of people like me a better lot in life, I can't say that I trust every single individual who works here. Kind of hard to keep your possessions safe when everyone is going for the same thing." Wincing from the pain in his shoulder, he still endeavored to continue. "You need to take everything inside this box and go west of the river to 24th Avenue. The place you're looking for is called Sit A Little. You show the cook there what's in this box and no doubt you'd be safe at least for a couple days."

"Absolutely not," Silver argued. "You can't simply expect me to run away while you potentially throw your life away."

"You ain't gotta like it Lady Silver, but it's the only choice you got. Or did you forget that there's a man with a gun trying to kill us right now? Your uncle ain't going to stop until all the loose ends are tied up, which means he ain't going to stop hunting you even if you escape this place." Another crack, this time coming from the door knob crashing to the ground. "My apologies Lady Silver but you two need to go!"  Before that silver-haired mare was able to put up any more resistance at the sight, Rosetti, bless his heart, picked the girls up by the scruff of their necks and heaved the ponies out of the window. Next came the creak as the door swung open.

Shoes clacked in, a raise of the eyebrow as he looked from left to right. "Just you?"

"Just me I'm afraid. Found yourself wanting for work so much that you take a job from your victim's own brother? Sounds to me like you’ve lost those higher-than-most morals you used to be about.”

“Hmph,” he uttered, raising his gun to train on the nervous butler’s head. “Cowering child turned cowering butler, nothing’s changed I’m afraid. You still can’t even properly hold a gun correctly and yet here you are, parading yourself as something resembling strength. Please tell me that brave act wasn't for the girls?" Though his words stung like salt in an open wound, the gunman never lost his stoic composure and continued to point the gun Rosetti's way. "Doesn't matter I suppose. Besides, It’s just a job, nothing more, nothing less.”

"You don't know me D, the things I had to do to get away from eating scraps on the streets. I put on this brave face because that girl gave me a chance to be something more than a simple gun for hire, and I'm damn close."

"Your temperament? Gun for hire is generous at best. Either way, you were at the wrong place at the wrong time. I don't pick my targets, I just do my job, sorry. So will you put on that brave facade for your death to or--” The sound of a struggle emanated from the laundry room as Rosetti rushed his would-be assailant with previously unknown vigor.

Silver was right. Rosetti didn't stand a chance. Even with a weight advantage, it seemed like whoever this assailant was had more than enough expert knowledge and experience with a little tussle every now and then. If her father were here right now, he would have shed just as many tears as Silver did today. The gunshot was loud and deafening and when the silence became unrelenting, to the window came the would-be assailant looking out to the area just beneath the window. At least a 2 to 3-story drop it seemed and from its vantage point could he make out that the river winded its way through the estate. Thanks to the torrential rain, its current was rather rapid making it completely impossible to tell whether the girls survived their plunge or lay at the bottom of it. Not fond of getting his fur wet, he opted to hear the scolding from Fat Cat instead of jumping in head first.

The clacking of his shoes echoed throughout the quiet house as he proceeded back to the foyer, up the steps, and to the left toward the study. A click of the door knob as it turned and opened to reveal Fat sitting peacefully in his brother's chair, smoking a cigar. "Is it done?"

"It certainly could have gone better."

"Wow!" The pony worthy of a slap to the face laughed out. "Am I actually hearing that you had trouble? With two girls who know nothing about anything outside of these walls no less? Are you or aren't you the supposed fabled two-legged Hitman, Damien Keller?"

To say that that feline wasn't ready to put a bullet through this pony's head would be a lie. The annoyance on his face couldn't have been more paramount. "At the very least you can stop throwing my reputation in my face…sir." He choked out. "If you could stop choking on your cigar for a second, you would benefit to know that they had help from a rather weighty individual. Suffice it to say, the girls have escaped possibly through the river."

Fat Cat found pause once again, At the very least, Damien was expecting a temper tantrum of extreme proportions. First was the removal of the cigar, then came the scolding and the muttering, before the table would be eventually flipped and the cycle would start all over again. To his surprise, Damien was not forced to use his precious firearm as Fat Cat simply replaced his cigar and turned toward the window to look out to the city. "Haha, now how's that for a twist? What about the fat butler?"

"Removed."

"Hmph. That girl has been sitting in this ivory tower for more than 75% of her life. To think she'd just run away. She's not going to last a day out there in the real world, let alone an hour if you have anything to say about it."

"Am I assume that means--"

"See, now you're thinking like that professional I hired. Don't come back unless her body is in the bag with you. Understood?" Damien glanced down at the envelope that was just pushed across the desk toward him. His eyes curiously scanned it before his hands went to open it. As the contents inside caught a glimmer in his eye, his seemingly stoic gaze fell back upon his employer who only smiled knowing that he had won. "Well?"

Damien's response? The adjustment of his glasses before he dropped a new clip into his pistol, the rack of the slide loud enough to cause a grown man to cower in fear. "Crystal…"