"...I dunno, there isn't much to do in Oak, unless you really like castles. I can tell they go to great lengths just to cultivate that whole 'spooky castle' image, but...", as I take a bite from my usual morning sandwich, i pause my speech as my mouth was full, resuming only after swallowing and wiping the napkin over my lips, "...I doubt we'll find many of our siblings taking a liking to it..."

As we leiusirly discussed both sightseeing and the quest to find our siblings, I also understood how soon enough, we'd need to go back to raising money to support our comparatively peaceful life... Our last round of work had stuffed our pockets full for the better part of a month. And so long as we had money in our pockets, we could live a free, and comfortable life. Alas, it appeared the job opportunity was its way to meet us, with a casual, yet sharply dressed man with slicked black hair... Between his look and that cocky smile of one who's untouchable, you could easily identify him as a member of the mafia... But I also happened to recognize him as a Martello family henchman, one who'd hired us on a few jobs in the past:

"Good morning ladies. How are you enjoying this fine breakfast?", he greeted with a confident, seemingly friendly disposition, but the determined posture of someone who knows what they want.

I could only narrow my eyes as I looked at the man, but I knew better than to violently object to a made man's approach. Especially when I actually recognized the guy, well enough to know what his presence meant. I'd seen this guy walk around some time, approaching random people like he owned the place... And in a way, that statement didn't fall far from the truth... Every mafia family worth its salt had kept the police on their payroll, enabling men like the one right before them to walk around discussing potential business in broad daylight:

"Hmmm...? Oh, you... Same as always really. But you're not here to ask me about food are you?", I ask him, staring intenty as I already know there's only one reason why he'd approach us like this...


Words: 400

If there was one thing that was useful about their current situation, then it was without a doubt the fact that the recent chain of requests had filled their wallets well enough to ensure they wouldn't need to worry about food anytime soon. That by itself was of course quite a pleasant boon for Diana, who often found herself enjoying an appetite much larger than the average human. After taking a bite from the sandwich she had ordered Diana paused for a moment to think about the words that were spoken by her dear sister. Kaede made a solid point with her opinion on their current location. As a castle town, Oak didn't offer much excitement unless you were interested in Castle Phantasm or the urban legends about haunted forests, that were proving to be more than simple myths.

Indeed, a spooky castle town was the best way to describe Oak, and it was also not exactly a place their siblings would take an interest in. "Yeah, I don't think we're going to find anyone staying here longer than they need to." It was quite correct, considering their siblings they would likely have gone somewhere more interesting or exciting instead of this gloomy place.

However, as she finished her sandwich and ordered another goblet of milk the Lycan's body tensed for a moment. "I smell troubles..." And as if on cue one of the Martello family's henchmen was on his way to approach the two girls. Her eyes sharpened lightly as she mumbled softly. "That explains the scent..." Fortunately for her, it seemed Kaede was fine with taking the lead in the conversation, leaving Diana to enjoy the more pleasant aspect of the current situation: for a hand sneaked toward the nearby plate that contained the small pile of sandwiches and soon started to chew on another one.

"If he wants a sandwich I'm not gonna be sharing ours." Diana mumbled softly as the waitress arrived with another goblet of milk, making Diana thank her with a sheepish grin as she took a hold of it and jugged down the content already halfway with one swing.

Yet even despite this carefree demeanor Kaede would no doubt notice the tenseness of her sister, for the tail that rested on the bench in between them, had the fur stand upright, a sign that she was usually agitated or in a foul mood!

WC: 400/1000~

Of course, keeping my sister well fed drained the bulk of our finances. I learned to get by with as little food as I could, but Dia couldn't or wouldn't bother. And I didn't really mind, I could work jobs like these with one hand behind my back, and taking care of my siblings was the main reason why. I was just about to point out most of them were wanderers just like us; point out how we could just as easily find them looking around in one place than we could travelling around the country, when the Mafioso approached us. I took a moment to slurp my milkshake, nodding at Dia's decision to hog our breakfast. I might as well buy him one than I'd share food on the plate with anyone but my family. Alas, the man had a different set of intentions altogether:

"Ahaha, Dont worry girl...!", he laughed heartily, slapping his leg, visibly enjoying some amusement early in the morning. That said, this hardly distracted him from what he'd come here to do, the business he'd come to offer. Finally turning to answer me, he confirmed my initial though with that sly grin, "I'm here for something else entirely. I have a fresh job opportunity for two beautiful, enterprising gals like yourselves."

I stare into those cold green eyes - the eyes of a killer just like mine - wondering if this could really be a job opportunity, or a trap. Awkward silence falls between us, but eventually I nod, sharing one last look at Diana:

"Sure... What do you need?", I tell him, in between another bite of sandwich, feeling my pulse quicken as I recognize the possible danger to Diana. I could easily spot her anxiety, and she probably felt mine even if she couldn't so easily see it... But we both knew we couldn't get rich without taking some risks.

At this point though, I'm still perfectly confident in our ability to bail out if need be... But eventually, the cryptic Mafioso drops the one name that could possibly reassure us:

"The Martello family will remember your good service.", hearing this name, he grins and stands up, "Come up with me. We need you right away."



Words: 700

It was quite easy to notice that Diana was quite a big eater, and surprisingly enough it wasn't because she was gluttonous. Her body simply demanded a lot of food to be able to function at its peak, it had always been the case and as a result food was often considered precious for Diana, to the point that unless you were family she wouldn't be willing to share a meal, and if you weren't someone she liked a lot then you could forget about touching any meat she had on her plate.

Fortunately for the mafioso she had just finished her meal, for when the man stated that they had a new opportunity for the two of them, a soft groan came from the wolf-eared girl as she took a final sip from her goblet, peering into it to confirm she had truly finished her drink and turned to look at Kaede for affirmation to see what she thought about this assignment. She didn't care much about the Martello family, in the end, they weren't 'her' family, and if Kaede felt the assignment could spell them trouble then she was going to trust upon the instincts of her sister, waiting to see what would happen as the man stood up, no doubt leading Diana to follow whatever decision her sister would make!

WC: 223
Total WC: 623/800

Anyone with the slightest bit of brains between their ears knows what will likely happen if they try to take away food from a dog's plate. With that in mind, assuming werewolves to be far more vicious about wouldn't be a stretch at all. Not that I'd ever seen Dia act agressive towards me over food, but then, i never tried to take anything off her plate. No, I'd much rather put as much food on her plate as she wanted, watching that brimming joy as she ate

And work like this could satisfy that need. To some it may be unsavory, yet to me this was simply work. I cared very little what I had to do to survive, what I had to do to a society that cast us aside... It was all the same so long as it paid well. I knew Dia didn't really like it, and I couldn't help look at her when the Mafioso opened the door to a locked room:

"Over here. Just to be safe, leave your weapons outside. That prick's got a big mouth, and we don't want nobody killing him. It goes without saying, if he dies before he talks, you can forget about the money."

I nodded as I walked inside with the mask on, and come face to face with a battered and bruised mafioso. Seemed like teh Martello men had turned him into their personal punching bag.

"Ohoho, look at this. Out come the gorillas and in come the whores. Don't get your hopes up girls, I ain't telling you jack shit, you can go bac- AAAGGHHHH!", a guttural scream of pain cut him off as I reacted almost on instinct, closing the gap and greeting the loudmouth with a stomping kick to his kneecap.

They'd hired a professional, and that's exactly what I'm gonna do here. I hope Dia decided not to come in, but then, she's already seen my at my most vicious anyway. Even without my weapons, my precision as a knife user was still there, and I'd target every blow to break something. An elbow, a finger...

"I can do this all day.", I need not say anything else, "You know what we want, so it's only a matter of how much you want to suffer.", every time he refused to speak, he'd lose something else. It was only a matter of time...


 Words: 1100

A short explanation was all they needed to know what was meant to be done: interrogation, or rather perhaps the term torture would have worked better in this case? It was a question Diana idly pondered as the mafioso placed the terms on the table: make him spill the beans on the route an important transport was going to be taken, but he had to leave the place alive and preferred without lethal injuries or awareness of who interrogated him.

Although Kaede had already gone inside, masked and judging from the sounds she was already dealing with the task the Mafia family had given them. She knew Kaede was strong, that she was willing to do things like this for the sake of her family, but Diana also knew that behind that cold exterior was an immense warmth, and it hurt her immensely each time that kindness was forced into the deepest part of Kaede's psyche. She had taken on all this cruelty, all this evil for the sake of her siblings.

It hurt the young lass, to see her sister forced to act such a role. If only she could lessen the pressure on Kaede so that she could be her kind self more often... To Kaede it must had been a surprise to see the large creature enter the door, something that looked like a cross between a human and a bipedal wolf, and yet the term monster might had been much easier to describe it.

"Time is up. They lost their patience." A deep voice growled from the Lycan as she stepped toward the man, a clawed hand grasping around his throat as she pulled him up into the air, chair and everything. "Speak human scum, if you do I might show enough tolerance to let them reconsider."

The hostage's face had turned pale, his body squirming feebly in her grasp as he protested weakly. "If you kill me they will kill everyone you hold dear!"

In the room outside a soft chuckle came as a masculine voice chimed in amusement "Bad choice of words."

The Lycan raised her face closer, her jaws opening slightly as she exhaled against the man's face. "Who says there will be a corpse once I'm done with you? I'll gobble you up like a fillet!"

As her jaws started to reach for the man's throat he cried out "N-No please! I-I-I speak!"

It seemed she had done her work, lowering the thug and the chair back onto the ground as she marched outside. By the time Kaede finished noting down the info and came back outside the mafioso addressed her. "Good job, we'll deal with him, you should check up on your companion..."

He gestured with a thumb toward the nearby room whose door was on a slit, and if Kaede approached it she would no doubt hear the feeble sobs coming from inside, Diana's body shaking lightly as she had already turned back into her human form, clutching her clothes lightly.

It was no secret to Kaede that Diana was not fond of turning into her monstrous appearance, and yet her actions just now... Was this dark path they walked becoming more difficult for her to bear?

+800/800 WC (20% deduction from adventurer)