"... So where the fuck are we going? My sister's apartment isn't in this section of town." Nezta sighs. "Your sister's apartment, the one you know if, is a safehouse for our people and a Sanctuary for... people like us." The rabbit contemplates this, staring out the window again. He takes a drag on the cigarette, the nicotine making him feel buzzy and tingly and a little bit sick, though he thinks the sick part of that might be something to do with just watching a man have the back of his head splattered all over a brick wall. His thoughts turn to that, and then to the fact that he can smell the iron stink of blood in the air. There's a stirring inside of him, an uncomfortable rumbling in his stomach and a heat towards his groin. He shudders, nausea rising. "... fucking... what the hell is going on?" he demands. "I am permitted to tell you that your sister runs the largest criminal organization in Chicago, but the issue is much more complex than that, sir." "Where does she live then, if the place she took me to for dinner with her boyfriend wasn't her apartment?" he demands, flicking some ash out the window and taking another drag. "Was that even her boyfriend?" "Rose Helm Manor, sir, is the proper name. As for her boyfriend, the Queen has no boyfriend. It was likely her pet, Kalvin," he answers. "We are here." For a long moment, silence. The tiger glances over to see the rabbit staring wide eyed and open mouthed, cigarette dangling dangerously from his lip, held in place simply by the action of the paper sticking to it. They have turned into a short driveway before an enormous wrought iron gate. The gate itself is overgrown with vines - very much on purpose. The thick metal plating bolted to the back is mostly hidden by them, and it looks much nicer this way. On either side, a high wall made of stone bricks, all dark in color, all lush with greenery. He knows the place. Everyone knows the place insofar as they know nothing about the inside behind the walls and gate except that there are no trespassing signs posted every ten feet on posts sticking out of the dirt and there's concertina wire and small sharp spikes under and woven through the plant life at the top. They also know that someone once tried to break in, and there was a huge news story about how that person was 'torn apart by wild dogs' near the property border, having never made it in. There are no documents declaring who owns the place. The name is simply listed as "R.Q." and nothing more. They sit there at the entrance idling for a few moments, and then two thin, lithe looking women bleed from the darkness. They don't appear, or step forth from the shadows. It's as if the shadows were wrapped around them and at their whim, pulled away to expose them to the headlights. "... the Jumping Jack Fuck?" Jules whispers. The women flank the car on both sides, knock on the windows at exactly the same time. "Roll it down," the tiger orders. Nodding and swallowing nervously, he depresses the button and rolls the window down. The woman leans down, peering at him curiously. He's transfixed by her eyes. There are no pupils, just shiny reddish irises that seem to flow oddly like liquid in slow circles. The scelera are black, barely visible outside of the oddly liquid looking eyes. Her fur... her fur is golden, what little of it shows under leather and tight cloth and black balaclavas. He's pretty sure she's a canine, but all he smells is the faintest trace of vanilla. She sniffs at him. "You're smoking the Queen's cigarettes," they say at the same time. "Mother smokes those too." "Uh... giant tiger guy um... said I could..." he says nervously, staring into her eyes. She stares right back. "Relax little bunny, we're just smelling for bombs," the one closest to him says. He gets the feeling that they are sisters, just from what they've said and their odd... synchronization. "Speaking of bombs, what ever happened to that one that was thrown over the fence?" Nezta asks quietly. "Diffused," they say at the same time. The sister closest to him continues the answer alone as the one closes to Julian pushes her head in the window, thrusting her muzzle against his chest, "Ken rewired it. Returned to sender by us." "W-What the hell are you doing...?" Julian demands, pushing her face away. She lets out a giggle and pulls her head free of the car. "You smell like the Queen. It surprised me, I'm sorry. At any rate, we'll open the gate." The women turn and step up to the gate, vanishing into shadow again without so much as bothering to step out of the headlights. Moments later, the gate swing slowly open and the engine rumbles as the expensive car is pulled inside. Julian stares around into the dark, pretty sure he can feel eyes out in the darkness watching - the twins, and more. He keeps the window down, glad for the fresh air. The scent of Nezta's blood was starting to make him feel dizzy. They pull up past black gardens hidden by darkness, the moon hidden by clouds overhead. Three in the morning can be a dark time even in the city when in a place with a twenty foot high wall surrounding an enormous tract of undeveloped land. What confuses Jules is the fact that he can see a well lit area in the distance, near the house. He peers at it as they drive closer, closer. People become visible a dozen of them at least. "You're in luck. Your sister is still working out." Jules blinks and then stares as they come to a stop. More people are visible now, a number of species from canine to lapine to feline, to scaled species such as snake and lizards of various kinds. "Working out...?" he asks softly. The doors unlock and Julian climbs out with trepidation. His paw grips the pack of cigarettes in one hand and the lighter in the other. He zips his coat up and waits until he feels the heat off of the enormous man's body beside him. His eyes are locked on the crowd, spread wide around an area with... "Those walls are glass," he says, confused. "Bullet proof glass reinforced with specialized methods," the tiger says, sheathing his sword behind his back. "I suggest we approach." They walk up. Members of the crowd glance back and then stare at the small rabbit, ignoring the tiger completely. Both of them step up to a glass wall as the crowd parts to allow them to pass. "Why do they look afraid of me?" "They know who you are," is the simple answer. Inside the glass, a woman in a red tank top and rather tight, rather short shorts stands tall. There are seven large people inside, five men and two women. They're all armed. His sister's long, flowing hair is tied back. She wears a pair of sunglasses against the brilliant lights on poles flooding the area. Under the tank top, there's some sort of lump vest. Odd black bands are bound around her upper arms and wrists, connected up to the vest by straps. More straps run under the shorts and connect weights to the upper parts of her legs, and then her ankles. "What is she wearing?" "Three hundred fifty pounds of weight." Julian gags and chokes on the last drag of his cigarette, dropping it to the ground. Glaring, he stomps it out. "I beg your pardon... did you say three hundred and fifty?" "I did, sir," he answers. He gasps in surprise as someone marches up to the far side of the glass cube. Julian's heart pounds staring at this person as she jerks open a large door, a door with a metal frame and a number of thick bolts. The person ducks in the rises. Through vent holes, they hear the newcomers speak. "Get lost, losers," she says, her voice smooth and silky and all kinds of sexy. A shiver passes down Julian's spine. The seven stare at her then nod in turn and pass her by, leaving the cube. "Valentine, you've come out to play!" Jane says, wearing a big grin on her face. "Where are the twins?" The enormous woman chuckles, a sound that is at once amused, and predatory, and bordering on sensual. Soft yet pleasing, like running one's fingers over velvet. "My girls are busy with the little hellion. You know how they get when torture is on the table... It'll be a real angry bitch to peel them off each other to wash the blood from their fur when those two are done," the woman responds. It is most definitely a woman. "She's... she's..." "Red Rook, two of two, sir. Ms. Mercy. Fourteen foot six inches tall, weight commonly assumed to be somewhere north of six hundred fifty pounds. Her bra size compared to band size is mind boggling, she smells like whiskey, tobacco smoke and the stuff dreams are made of, and she is the single most terrifying individual I can even think of at any given moment - second only to your sister simply because as far as I know, Mercy is aware of the meaning of her namesake." "What the fuck does that mean?" "It means your sister doesn't have a heart. She has a chunk of black ice darker than the bottom of a deep hole on a starless night, sir." They stare in. Jane is cackling. "I do love your daughters and their... eagerness. Shall we dance then, beautiful?" "How about a wager, first? If I win, I get you for a night." Jane smirks. "If I win, I get you, and your daughters." "Weights off?" Jane drags her tanktop over her head and unhooks the belts connected to a tight sports bra, then the ones connected to her arms, her underwear, and her legs. After a bit of kicking and tugging, she is free of them. "Fuck the hell yes. Mercy, I have been waiting for a good fight with you." Jane stretches, cracks. The huge woman is dressed up in a long leather overcoat that she throws off onto the ground. Her golden fur looks soft. Above her breasts, above the tanktop, there's a large tuft of golden fluff hanging down to the hem of her shirt. Abdominal muscles are plainly visible, as are arm muscles. She pulls that tight tank top right off her head, exposing a sports bra that Julian is pretty sure must be made of something woven out of metal with the volume of tissue that it is holding back. Her pants fall next, muscular and strong. Her hips are wide, her body downright painfully gorgeous. The woman's eyes are like her daughters except for one thing. They're wide with vicious excitement. "Shall we then?" Jane asks. "Oh, my beautiful Queen, lets." Jane blurs. Julian is confused. Her fists are at her sides, and then they simply are raised. The afterimage of where they were lingers for only a second. "Everyone back the fuck up!" Nezta shouts. The entire crowd takes a big step back. The golden retriever and then black rabbit stand still a moment and then Jane blurs and vanishes. The golden's head snaps to the side, and blood hits the ground. Jane reappears, her foot against the woman's face. She blurs again and the canine's hand snaps up. The rabbit reappears, both legs caught in the grasp of the enormous paw. "Are you taking it easy on me?" Mercy asks, spitting some more blood onto the cement. She reaches up and jerks a broken tooth out, throwing it on the floor. "I'm offended." "Sorry. I was worried you'd be getting tired in your old age." Growling with anger, the Canine hauls back and slams Jane into the ground once, twice, and then a third time. The cement cracks beneath the impacts. "Sister!" Julian shouts. The canine's golden eyes turn up to him as she raises the smaller woman and tosses her into the wall. Jane hits the wall feet first and then blurs, vanishing. Julian dashes up to the glass but doesn't make it before his sister. She presses a paw against the wall, blood leaking from the corners of her mouth and staining her fur. "Little brother! You're early!" she says happily, smiling. The smile exposes her teeth, long and sharp and all wrong for a rabbit. "You weren't supposed to see this!" "You... you're hurt!" he shouts, looking fearful. He's blinking back tears. "I've had worse." Those words ring in his ears, loudly. The canine's lips are pulled back, exposing her teeth. Jane blurs. The glass cracks in several places as she bounces off. Mercy jerks and twitches, her body being slammed by countless impacts. She waits patiently, it seems, taking the beating that should have shattered her body. Her eyes flick about, seemingly following the trail of movements, of after images of the rabbit as she zips around. Her paw snaps up and Jane slams into it hard. She makes a noise halfway between a squeak and a gag as a pair of fingers close around her neck. The giant presses her to the floor and then raises a fist, pounds it down on the rabbit. Jane gags again. "I win." The canine releases her and rises, dusting herself off. Red colors the fur of her face, lacerations from boot strikes bleeding quite a lot, as head wounds tend to do. Jane rolls onto her side and makes a disgusting wet noise, vomiting onto the cement. "You bitch... you broke three of my ribs. And I think you... you did. You cracked some vertebra and popped something inside... tore my intestines somewhere too... can't fight like this," she growls. The canine looks back. "That would be your kidney, I think. If you want to keep fighting, my Queen, then spread your wings and cut me. It's been years since you took a blade to my flesh," she drawls. "Maybe I can release too... we can really play. When was the last time we had a ground war?" "If I release here, everyone dies," Jane answers, chuckling a little and picking her tanktop up. She wipes her mouth with it. "I give. You win. Some day though, Mercy, your ass is mine." Another velvety chuckle that makes Julian feel like this was just a game to both of them, and nothing more. "Yes, my Queen... but fortunately for me, your ass is mine tonight," the large woman replies, grabbing her coat. She draws a cigar box from the pocket and pops one out, sticks it between her lips and then simply snaps her fingers. The end flares to life. "Your brother is cute. Tend to him. He's freaking out." Jane looks to her weights and then shrugs and heads for the doors. Before making it there, her entire body stiffens as if someone poured electricity into her form. She doubles over and gags then coughs and hacks. Blood splatters onto the cement, hot and thick and dark. She rises and wipes her tank top across her muzzle again. She wanders through the doors after the enormous woman ducks out. "I am sorry about your kidney, ma'am. I intended to damage your insides, but not pop something," Mercy says softly, giving her a pat on the head. "You going to be alright?" "I'll be fine. Pawn the Seventh can patch me up. Is it tonight you want me?" Jane asks, glancing to Julian. "No. As I said, tend to your brother and yourself. You are not as durable as you like to pretend you are. Goodnight. I need to go check on the girls," she says softly. Jane limps around the box, spitting blood on the ground as she goes. Jules steps back as she approaches, the stink of blood strong in the air again. "I'm sorry you saw that, little brother, but I promise, I really have had wor-" "Will people stop fucking saying that!?" He shouts, stepping back into the tiger. His heart is pounding, his breath coming hot and fast. His knees buckle and he hits the cement, cigarette dropping onto his paw. He's so in shock he doesn't notice for several long moments until it has smoldered through his fur and badly burned his skin. He shakes it off and stares up at her. "I-I can't... I can't... he got shot... killed... your... blood and... giant..." He trails off and then his eyes roll back and he slumps to the ground, turning onto his side and vomiting. "Fuck! He can't handle it!" Jane shouts, kneeling. Her brothers eyes are rolled back, and then his trembling body goes still. "God damn it! Get a stretcher and get him in to Pawn Seventh!" She rises, and shoves the tiger hard and then grits her teeth in pain. "Good fucking timing asshole." "I GOT SHOT! The skulls knew I was there!" he roars back, clearly upset. "I'm not happy about this ma'am, but you can't blame me. You said 'as fast as you can' so I DID!" She frowns at him then spits more blood on the ground and stalks to the front steps, limps up them. The door swings open. She glares inside. Already waiting, Pawn the Seventh, a small woman with a maid's outfit on and simple hair, red sunglasses - even at night. "Ma'am. You sent for me?" "I need a new kidney and a gut patch stat, a bullet or pieces pulled from Nezta and my brother needs a mood leveler, the same package you take in a lower dose I think." She tilts her head, then nods and reaches up behind, unlaces her maid's outfit. She pulls free of it, stepping out in a white t-shirt and white pants. "Yes ma'am. All of you need to come to my work room immediately. I will prepare for surgery." She glances back. Her people are lifting her brother onto a stretcher. "Fucking mess. That's what this is, a fucking mess," she mutters, sighing. A cloud of vapor drifts down the stairs, flowing like water, then puddles beside her on the floor. It then flows up, taking on the form of a rather intense looking lioness. She frowns at the Queen, tendrils of vapor bleeding off of her and vanishing into the air. "Yes, quite. And once more you've stolen my best maid for doctor work, ma'am." "Sorry, Elka. I'm just... life just got super complicated for everyone here." The maid nods. "The Rise of a Monarch. Complex stuff indeed." "... Not sure I can handle it..." "Sure you can. You don't have a choice. You're our fearless criminal mastermind leader. Now, what say you go get a drink, ma'am. Maybe it'll help you remember the heartless person you need to be."