Stay out of it

Despite missing two nails and bleeding on the desk, it was Jason's anger that hurt the most. She was stupid. That stupid little girl who couldn't do anything right. "Please stop," but it seemed like her plea was drowned as Jason started to yell. She was frozen in place, looking as her hands were shaking holding on to the desk.
Rhys pushed Jason back, hopefully making him trip as he stepped closer, grabbing him by the neck of his shirt. "You don't get to disrespect her, is that understood?" he hissed, giving him a fist to the face before just dumping him on the floor. Stepping over him he looked at Nyx, "seeing as Jason is so focused on me being soft .. How about you do the punishment?" Nyx grit her teeth, keeping her hands from the desk, her hands shaking. She looked to Jason, unsure if he really wanted to do this. "Seems like the easiest way .. That way we can see if I'm the only one getting softened up."

Jason would stumble backwards, almost falling over until Rhys grabbed him. The hiss just made him angrier. It was unfair. The fist however completely emptied his head for thoughts for a few seconds as it was overlapped by ringing from the punch. And then the pain spread, like a pulsating pain, making him wonder if his bone fractured. He groaned and rubbed his face close to where he was hit, barely hearing what was said.
He got up, feeling a little disoriented, maybe a little high from his body reacting to the hit quite strongly, or maybe he had just lost it. “You know what… Fuck you Rhys.” He spat, quite literally too. It even surprised the goon that was watching them.

The room went quiet. That was before Rhys scoffed, shaking his head as he clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth. "Fuck me?" he repeated, nodding a bit to himself, scratching his lower lip with his thumb. He grabbed around a bat next to the desk, scoffing he swung it at Jason.
Nyx gasped, releasing her grip on the desk as she turned to see what was going on. Even the goons took a step back. "Stop it, Rhys," she pleaded, but Rhys didn't hear her. She was shaking still, stumbling forward and falling to her knees. "Rhys, please," looking to the hybrid with pleading eyes before looking at Jason. Why were they doing this?

Yeah, Jason would soon realize his mistake when he decided to spit at the hand that had fed and kept him safe. Everyone was quiet, even the goons were just.. baffled. And what could Rhys really do other than assert his place in the hierarchy? Jason should have seen the bat coming but he didnt, barely getting his arm up to take the blow with his wrist. He felt the wrist snap, only to go back in place again, hurting like crazy.
Nyx tried to intervene but it probably wouldnt help, maybe just make things worse. Jason took whatever blows Rhys would give him, but eventually he would fall, and when he did, he was out like a light, beaten and bleeding. One of the goons pulled him by the arm. “Where do you want him boss?”

Rhys leaned away as Jason went unconscious, throwing the bat away in anger. The goon asked a question and he hummed, "put him in the kennel with the dogs," he just said, "it's time he's reminded of his place." Being put with the dogs wasn't too bad, but it meant being locked in a cage where you couldn't stand up fully nor lay down comfortably. He looked to Nyx, "Go get your fingers looked at," he ordered, otherwise dismissing her. Nyx got to her feet holding her wounded hand, watching as the goons grabbed Jason to carry him. "You could've stopped this if you had been working at your powers like I had told him to help you with." That was a hard pill to swallow for her, but she just nodded, heading off to find someone to look at her hand.

Jason was dragged away and put in the cage as ordered. When he woke up, it was with a pounding headache and an uncomfortable feeling as the bars had been pressing so hard from his deadweight that it was like they had been stamped into his skin. He sat up and groaned, gritting hisbteeth as he rubbed his neck. “Fuck me..” he mumbled as he realized where he was. He must’ve really pissed him off. He would however just accept it and lean his head back against the bars, closing his eyes for a bit. He wasnt tired but his head definitely felt beaten up with headache.

Rhys had more important things to handle, so as Nyx slipped out she did as she was ordered first. A nurse they had hired made sure to clean it out, wrapping it up nicely and giving her some painkillers. However Nyx decided not to swallow them, saving them under her tongue as she went out of the room. Spitting them in to her good hand she looked around, feeling her heart in her chest. Going to him right away would be risky, so she waited her time, making sure everybody had gone to eat.
Entering the kennel, some dogs barked until they realized it was simply Nyx, some whimpering, wanting to get petted by her. But she didn't have the time for that today. Looking in to each cage she finally stopped as she found him. "Jay," she muttered, sitting down on her knees in front of the cage. She was unsure how to feel about this, so she simply looked down, handing him the painkillers - he needed them more than she did, that was for sure.

He didnt know how long he had been there or how long had passed. The dogs went wild and he scrunched his face in pain as it was so loud. He had to cover his ears, gritting his teeth hard. If he hadnt had a headache already, surely clenching his jaw as hard as he did would create some tension. The barking died out and he needed a moment before looking up. Seeing Nyx he frowned. “No. You’re crazy. Get out of here before they notice.” He spoke in a lowered tone, though seeing her offer up the painkillers he took them. He decided to chew them first, even if the taste could make him gag. It just felt like they would work faster that way. “How’s your hand?” He muttered after having swallowed the saliva and pill mix he had managed to create.

He told her to go away, but he knew her good enough to know that he couldn't boss her around like this. At least he took the painkillers, and she remained quiet as she heard him chew, still not looking up. His mutter made her shrug, "hurts like hell," she just said. There was really no point in lying about that, but she kept out the fact that the painkillers had been meant for her. He didn't need to worry about her right now. "I wish you would've told me this was coming," she admitted, inspecting how her hand had been wrapped up. If she moved it too much she could feel spikes of pain go through her arm.

Once the pills were down he slouched back down to his halfway curled up sitting position. Didnt look like someone who was having the time of his life. He hadnt imagined it to feel like nothing. But he wanted to check with her anyway, even if the answer wasnt a good one. She then said something that made him lift his head to look at her. "He would have known." he just said, to then look ahead with an absent look in his eyes. A small contemplating silence before he just sighed. "But yeah. I should've." he mumbled, just to agree with her. He looked at a spot on his knee, reaching over to peel off a bit of dirt. The dogs dragged in a lot of mud and frankly he hated sitting in the spot he was in right now. "There's a lot of things I should be doing and shouldnt be right now." he just concluded, glancing shortly at her. "I think I really fucked up."

Nodding she knew that Rhys would've known, but she would've gladly have run that risk. However the notion of things he should or shouldn't be doing made her feel more guilty. Sure, they were both consenting adults, but this wasn't just any other dating scenario. Not that she would say they were dating, they had just been holding hands and making out, but it was as close to dating as they could get with this type of work. "I'm sorry," she apologized, feeling that she was part of that shouldn't list in his head. "I'll talk with him once he's calmed down," she said, biting the inside of her cheek.
Looking at her wrapped hand, she felt her muscles tense from her mind going crazy. She was just a stupid girl with a stupid crush, and there were things bigger than this that they needed to worry about. "We can stop it .. If you want to knock a thing off your list," she finally said, avoiding his gaze, not wanting to show how much it hurt to say that. She liked Jason a lot. And had things been different they could've done more together. "I won't hate you; I don't think I ever could."

She apologized and he frowned a little confused but just remained quiet. His expression maybe looked as if he was thinking very hard but he was also still in pain so it could also just be that. “No, it’s better if you just stay out of it.” He sighed. Rhys was quite clearly onto them. It was too risky.
He blinked a little slow, feeling tired already but he would never be able to get some sleep being here. It was true torture. She broke the silence and he shrugged lightly at it. Though it was something that meant a lot to him. His communication just wasnt the best. “It’s better if we just focus on the mission. For a while. So I guess we should. It would remove any suspicion too.” He said, not really seeming like he was willing to make a decision, even if his words suggested otherwise.

Not everything was about him with regards to Rhys, but saying that out loud would be like kicking him when he was laying down. When it came to the question about them, she knew it was an easy answer. However it didn't take away the hurt in her chest. "I'm off the mission," she muttered, but she knew what he meant. She knew he was the one in a cage right now, but she felt like the one that was trapped. Sighing she got up, knowing she couldn't stick around here much longer. "I have a meeting with the big boss .. I think he might want to send me away for a while again," biting her lower lip she shook her head. It wasn't for him to worry about, and yet she felt like she owed him that. Last time she had been sent away for a whole month. She had been miserable the whole time, and she wasn't even allowed to call home or anything.

“There will be more.” He pointed out, though it was hard to believe that he wasnt just condemned to stay here until he either perished or maybe turned into a dog too. Odd that that thought made him look at the other dogs and wonder whether they had been people once? His mind was definitely a little in shambles after everything.
She got up and he glanced in her direction. The notion that she was going away made him sigh, lifting a hand to rub around his mouth in a instinctive motion. “Shit..” he said, looking up at her. “That sucks.” He added, though if they were real lucky, it wouldnt be so. He doubted that there was such a thing as luck. “I’ll be out by the time you’ll be back.” He scoffed, pulling a small smile. It was maybe for the better that he was stuck here to think things through. At least he could calm down.. at some point. He was at least still in the mindset of praying for all bad for Rhys, just for beating him up, for what he did to Nyx.

She nodded, sending him a slight sad smile, "I'll be hoping for it," she said. It would be wise for her to walk away, get to the meeting before she needed to be there, but she took a chance, walking around the cage before squatting down. Leaning in through the bars, she grabbed his face with her good hand pulling him closer. Giving him a tender kiss, she knew it wasn't the best time, and yet she needed it. "For luck," she muttered against his lips before getting up once more. She needed to get going.

He had sort of expected her to just go but then he felt the hand on his face, pulling at him and he followed. The kiss surprised him and left him a little speechless, even as she muttered and got up. He hadnt even told her that he had fallen for her but now it felt like it would only do more harm than good. “Be careful.” He said, grabbing a little onto the bars, looking maybe a little to vulnerable as he looked at her.

Emily’s day had gone pretty normally. Once the goon had made sure she was at work, he had made it to only frequent the store from time to time as to not cause any kind of obvious disruption to Emily’s daily life. She had been working as normally when some odd men started entering the store. She became suspicious rather quick but also wasnt too sure what to say. They all looked like business men. Nothing super odd, beside the way they looked around. Like they were anticipating something. And soon enough, someone stepped in. Mortimer might have recognized him from his earlier days. He did also just go straight to his daughter at the desk. “Where is your father?” He asked, eyeing her up and down. Emily couldnt keep to herself, walking up to them. “What’s going on here?” She asked, to which the man turned his head to look at her, smiling in some sort of way that was both creepy and polite. “I’m here to collect a payment.” - “The store pays to the Kaine’s.” - “The store is now under new management.” The man simply replied before his smile faded and he looked at Emily seriously. Then he turned to Mary. “So anyway.” He remarked before the door opened and a man in a suit pushed in the goon that was looking after Emily. “Found this guy lurking about.” The brute spoke in a rather refined english accent. “Well done Marcus. Send him back to the Kaine’s how we usually do. I want them to know.” He told him. Then he looked at Mary, unless Mortimer had shown up. “The payment.” He demanded.

It had been quite the busy day for Mary, but alas time passed faster that way. As some fancy dressed men stepped through the door she was a bit surprised, and yet she was being on her best behavior. That was when one of them - clearly the leader - stepped forward and demanded money. She didn't buy his bad attempt at being charismatic, eyeing Emily as she spoke up. Safe to say, Mary was quite on edge now, trying to breathe, looking at the clock for when her father would be back. It wouldn't be for at least another ten minutes. She had to be smart about this.
She was quite lucky that the goon was pulled in. It meant she had a bit of time to text her father, tell him to be weary. Then the man turned his attention back to her once more, her eyes carefully looking towards Emily before looking back at the man making demands. "I-I'm sorry, we weren't expecting collection before the end of the week," she said, taking a few deep breaths to try and calm her nerves. She didn't like the talk about the goon being sent back to the Kaine's. It sounded violent, and while he was a criminal, he didn't deserve that much brutality.
However as fast as she had written to her father, it didn't stop him as he entered the shop from behind his daughter. "Emily, Mary .. Why don't you head out for lunch?" the man spoke in a kind voice, looking to the shop guests that he recognized somewhat. "Daniel .. Long time no see," speaking calm and collected.

"I guess I'll have to get creative then." he said, eyeing her and then Emily like he was considering something. The goon's fate was pretty much sealed the moment he had been found, and Marcus just dragged him with him out to leave them alone. Emily had also been sort of hoping that Mortimer would have been delayed and yet the old man appeared in her field of view. Emily frowned lightly at his words and yet the man called Daniel seemed rather pleased by the suggestion. "Go ahead." he gestured them, though Emily had a bad feeling about it. She looked to Mary and shook her head lightly. "The years havent been kind on you, I see." Daniel chuckled.
"Rumors spread fast in this town. The Kaine's have started trouble with the Barley Brothers, so this is my chance to take advantage of their weak spots." he chuckled, looking at Emily and Mary before gesturing for them to go on ahead already, before he would lose his patience. Of course it was just a ruse to get them outside. "So how about that payment?" he asked, checking his nails before he sighed. "I'm not as patient as your former collector."

Mary hesitated, but the look from the man named Daniel made her know that it was either going now or staying for something worse to happen. Grabbing Emily by the arm, she pulled her with her outside, breathing a bit unsteadily as she looked back at the store, "he's going to be alright," she muttered, but mostly it was to soothe herself.
Meanwhile inside the store Mortimer was cleaning up the disk, listening to Daniel talk. He had always loved hearing himself talk, hadn't he? "Payment is due Friday," he said calmly, placing his palm against the disk, leaning on it for a bit. "I can't say I'm surprised, but this is the first time you've even dared entering Kaine territory in a long time, isn't it?" Mortimer didn't fear losing his own life, rather he worried for his daughter. "I know what you must do .. But I plead to you, as a man who once saw you as a brother, please spare my daughter."

Emily felt Mary's hand on her arm but was clearly hesitant before she followed. It didnt seem to matter what they had done, because more nicely dressed men were waiting outside for them, ordering them to stand by. No way would they let either of them get a chance to run and tell the Kaine's of this.
"Payment is due when I say." Daniel said, matching Mortimer's calm with a small smile. The statement made him hum as he looked around for a bit. "It's true. The last time my men clashed with the Kaine's the loss was immense, I was pushed down the hierarchy. But now are different times." he remarked, not really being too worried at this point. How many fronts could the Kaine's handle either way? The mention of his daughter made Daniel sigh. "I'll consider it. If you hand over the payment. I'll double it for her life." he said, quite sincerely as well. Though that only meant that giving him nothing would not promise Mary's safety.

Mortimer sighed, looking down as he nodded. He knew his past would've caught up with him eventually, but he had hoped he could've gotten Mary sent off to college at that point. Sadly, with money having been so tight, it hadn't happened yet. Walking over, her was limping a bit, opening the cash register, "I can empty this lot out .. And you can take all the merchandise you need to add to it," he said. Placing the money on the desk, he was reaching under, grabbing something, and as Daniel would attempt to take the money, Mortimer would swiftly place a knife through his hand so it was stuck to the disk.
He leaned in closer, "the Kaine's will have your head sooner than you think, old friend," he warned him. Sure, he had taken beatings from them, but that was the life. However they had always treated his daughter fairly, and that had to count for something. "Take the money and go," his voice cold now.

Mortimer presented the money and it wasnt quite what Daniel might have hoped for, but it was also better than nothing. He reached out just to have his hand slammed down on the desk and a knife cutting through. Tensing his jaw hard, he seemed to keep himself in check as he pulled his hand back to inspect the knife. "Maybe. If they'll find me." he said, pulling the knife out and throwing it on the desk, using his other hand to grab the money. "Maybe Mary will know her place better than you." he said before he looked around at his men in the store nodding at them before he left. They would approach the old man and do their best to mess up the store while throwing him around. Daniel came out and handed the bloodied money to someone before wrapping his hand in a cloth. Looking at Emily and Mary he seemed to make up his mind. "Burn the place down. Boys!" he yelled. It was like it had almost been planned from the beginning because the men who held briefcases opened them and pulled out bottles. Emily hadnt ever seen an actual molotov cocktail be made, but these men made them on the spot.
"Make sure they have good spots. Especially her." he said, pointing at Mary. He didnt find Emily that relevant. The bottles were lit and thrown, people on the street beginning to notice and chaos spreading.

Mortimer knew this was his time. He wouldn't be able to survive another round of gang wars, and this way he could at least make a difference. Sure, as he was being tossed around and beaten to near death he knew that it had been a risk. But he also knew Daniel, knew how self destructive he could be, and he knew that he would make a spectacle out of this. Eventually Mortimer was left on the ground of the floor, blood spilling from his head as his eyes hazily moved around to look at all the inventory on the floor.
Outside the calmness soon turned to chaos as Mary's scream moved through the streets. Tears running down her cheeks, fighting to get free, but the man in the suit held on to her so tightly that she would have bruises. She was hysterical, crying and screaming, begging for her father's life as the building was set ablaze. Her whole life, all she had ever known, burning before her eyes with her father inside. Words could not describe the pain she was experiencing.

Emily was just in shock and it got worse when people around her all seemed to go into a panic. She felt a familiar feeling, like she had been in a situation like this before but in the moment she couldnt even think. She just stared at the building as the flames really caught on. Daniel hummed, letting them both take it in. He waited till Mary wasnt as hysterical anymore; When she had realized that it was pointless to fight them. He went to her, grabbing her by her chin, crouching down if she had fallen to her knees at this point. "Your father paid for your life. But not quite enough. I'll be expecting you to pick up from where he left you. I'm sure he had made sure to have an insurance for you, in case anything happened." he said, not saying too much as he believed that Mary wouldnt remember half of it as it was. Looking at Emily, he let them go. It wasnt until Marcus returned to whisper something in his ear that he seemed to smile and look back at the girls. "I see. Well, bring her along then." he said, Marcus walking up to Emily like a loyal hound to grab her arm. She was still just staring at the burning building, quite docile and confused if not shocked from her senses, following as the strong man began pulling her.