Bonrue leaned against a light post and stared up trying to spot a star through the orange, light polluted city sky. His attention was drawn back to the alley he stood outside of when Cassius emerged from it wiping blood from his knuckles. "So it did come to that?" Bonrue asked, knowing the question was rhetorical. "I tried to avoid it but he gave me attitude on top of being a few weeks late. Letting that type of behavior go is bad for business." Bonrue shook his head and joined his friend on his walk back to their building. Suddenly two black cars screeched to a stop alongside them and a woman dressed in all black hopped out the passenger seat of the front car and approached Cassius. "Kikazaru would like to speak with you." "He could've called." Cassius replied. Unamused the woman frisked him, found his gun and handed it to Bonrue who reluctantly took it. "Get in." She ordered. The back door to the car swung open. Cassius sighed and turned to Bonrue. "Tell Capella I'll be late." He said before getting in the car.

Bonrue made it to the fifth floor of his building and walked down the hall to his door. He shared the apartment with Cassius and his older sister Capella who opened the door from the other side as he placed his hand on the knob. "Oh good I caught you." She started "There's food on the counter for you two, sorry I can't eat with you I have a job." She stopped and looked down the hall. "Where's Cass?" Bonrue pushed past her and made his way inside. "Kikazaru wanted to see him." Capella's face grew sour. "Funny, that's who I'm on my way to see." "Cassius hates your line of work, and he especially hates when you have Kikazaru as a client." Bonrue remarked as he cautiously prodded the food on the counter. "You made this?" "Well it keeps the lights on and pays for the food that yes, I made, so he's just gonna have to deal with it till we figure something else out." She answered. Bonrue didn't reply, due to his mouth being full. "Well if I don't see him on my way there tell him not to wait up ok?" Bonrue nodded in compliance. "See ya later Rue." She said before closing the door behind her.

After a ride across town, Cassius was escorted out of the black car and into a large warehouse. In front of him was the woman in black and two men also dressed in black followed behind him as they made their way through the concrete halls eventually making it to a large room. The two men stood at the entrance but Cassius and the woman continued inside. Blue and green neon lights filled the room and on the far wall was a giant screen that featured some sort of music video. In front of the screen sat Kikazaru wearing his signature pair of headphones with the right side pulled back slightly so he could hear out of that ear. About the same age as Capella, Kikazaru ran the Eromital city underworld. "Cass! You made it. Welcome." "I heard you wanted to talk to me so I dropped everything to get here as quick as I could." The obvious sarcasm in Cassius's voice made Kikazaru smile. "Oh Cass, that sense of humor of yours almost makes me forget that you've been stealing from me." Cassius didn't say anything. "But don't worry Cass, that's not why I asked you here tonight. Patrice you can leave us now." The woman in black nodded and exited the room. "So what do you want?" Cassius asked. Kikazaru got out of his chair and walked over to a large trunk sitting up against the wall. "Well even though you've been skimming off the top of my business you are still the best street guy I've got, soooo I've got a special job for you." Kikazaru pulled a wrapped cylinder out of the trunk. "I need you to take this over to the excavators of the Clavis ruins in the Flain archipelago." "For what?" Asked Cassius. "Don't know. But this order came from the tip top. From big bro Izu himself." "Iwazaru?" Cassius repeated for confirmation. "The one and only. And if you do this for me I might just forgive your little transgressions." Cassius took the package. "Great! You leave in the morning. It's a two day trip. Take the bus in the eastern station to the port town of Gumu and then take the number three ferry to the island. Got it?" "And why can't you take it ?" Cassius asked, his voice clearly annoyed. "Patrice!" Kikazaru called. "I can't take it because I have an appointment with the lovely Capella." Cassius frowned and took a step forward but was stopped by Patrice and her two goons. "Get him out of here." Kikazaru ordered. "She won't be going home tonight so you probably won't see her until you get back. I'll tell her you said hey." Kikazaru taunted as Cassius was being escorted out.

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.