It was just before dinner, before their argument. And Jon sat on the edge of a bed in a poorly lit room in a run down brothel, a sack over his head and Fuss beside him. Waiting.

"Fuss, this is not what I expected." Jon whispered.

They both nodded.

Then Jon heard the loud footsteps coming down the hall, they were heavy, long strides that carried a deep voice filled with mumbled cursing.

This was the boss he was supposed to meet?

The door to the room was thrown open; it slammed into the wall with a bang, boots landing like a bass drum, voice like a tuba:

"You trying to take my girls!? Come to my house, come to steal my girls, my money - think I wouldn't find out!?"

*Bam* The sound of a bat, smashing into the wall. A deep hole, crumbling pieces of plaster pattering down.

"Who sent you! Who hated you so much they sent you here to die!?"

To Jon it sounded like a 300 pound raging beast of a man was in front of him, a bat angled right at his head. And it should have been terrifying.

"Can I take this off now, Suzy?" Jon asked the middle aged, plump woman who had greeted them minutes ago as they'd entered the brothel.

"Damn it!" Suzy shouted, smacking the wall again, "How'd you know?"

"Fuss told me." Jon said, removing the hood and seeing the woman more clearly now in the light. Her short blond hair rough and wet with sweat, bright makeup painted across her face in an attempt to hide the wrinkles that tugged at the tired corners of her eyes, she sagged back against the damaged wall.

Suzy stared at the lion beside Jon and frowned, then grunted.

"What do you want? I can't tell if you're just crazy, or just stupid."

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"I'm Jon, and I'm here because Eli told me that a lot of girls working here would like a better job, one where they didn't have to sell their bodies?" Jon reached into a potato sack he'd brought, "If they'd like, they can use their skills and abilities to sell these instead."

Suzy leaned back, her grip tightening on the bat wrapped with rusty, sharp wire, as Jon pulled out a trap and held it up.

Suzy stared at his hand, slowly leaning forward, "It's not drugs?... what is that?"

"Traps." Jon said, pushing the button - *Snap* "For rats." - Suzy jumped back with a shout, her bat already in the back swing. Jon just stared at it.

"Idiot." Suzy spat, her sheer clothes a whirl around her body, her breath heavy.

Jon just nodded, then slowly approached again. This time she took the trap out of Jon's hand, turning it over and playing with it.

"...I hate rats." She murmured, "How much?"

"A copper." Jon said, "And an even split to whoever wants to sell them."

She examined the trap closer. Her face thoughtful, but remained suspicious, "Who's this Eli? Is he a Boss?"

"Not really. He came up with all this, but Fuss is really the one in charge."

Fuss said with a wink.

Suzy looked at Fuss, rubbed her eyes, blinked. Then she pulled a tiny vial from somewhere on her and took a small sip.

"What's in it for me?" She asked.

"You can sell them, too." Jon said, "There's plenty. And you get to kill rats, what's better then that?"

"Gold." Suzy said, "Because what you have here will cost me money. I get half of everything a girl brings into my joint, and if they're out there selling these?"

"Oh." Jon said, his shoulders hunching before he began to stand up, "Alright. I'm sorry." He headed to the door to leave.

"Sit back down." Suzy glared at him. Then she stared at him for a long minute, her face twisting, "You really were just going to leave?"

Jon nodded.

"No threats? No...you really came in here to just offer them a job selling these stupid things?"

Jon nodded again.

"You're fucking insane." Suzy said, laughing and shaking her head, "Of all the stupid things, I was really going to kill you. I almost did."

"I know, that's a mean bat, Suzy."

"And I don't know why I'm doing this." She muttered, sticking her hand down her low top, digging between her breasts then pulling out a silver coin and slapping it on the bedside table, "But if I don't, at least one of my shit for brains girls is gonna follow you out the door."

"We did it." Jon cheered.

"But this is how it's going to work. You do business in my house, it goes through me. I'll give the girls the choice to sell these things if they want, but they buy them from me. If they want to leave and you want to manage the housing, food, health, and drama - of twelve women?"

Jon and Fuss shook their heads rapidly at the threat.

"I didn't think so." And with that she shoved the coin at Jon. Who stared at it.

"Thank you, Suzy." Jon said, "But do you have anything smaller?"

Suzy glared at him, and of course Jon just smiled.