Showing up moments before Ed had (that is to say a few minutes before the designated time) Lancer had been visibly sweating and breatheing hard-not only had he made the mistake of walking out here but he had also decieded to play forest ranger, having spent a good two hours wandering in what he was sure would be his pine tree covered grave. By some miracle he had wound up at the right place (and on time, even more shockingly.) Despite his frail frame he regained his composure rather quickly, taking a seat on the steps to the porch he did his best to brush off his signature beige overcoat-of which he had tied tightly shut around his chest and waist giving him the appearance of some oldschool detective. Luckily his leather boots had been perfect for his near death march through the forest.

Almost moments after his arrival another man appeared on the scene to match the one on the porch.

Lancer was quick to note that both slabs of beef were carrying guns-atleast one of them had the audacity to hide his little noise maker though, [i]perhaps he was the clever one of the two[/i] Lancer pondered? [i]Clearly the pair were both overcompensating for something[/i] he went on to surmise. But then again a brilliant mind such as his did warrant protection; a fact which quickly made Lancer decide these two men were no doubt here for that very reason. 

The clever goon who'd been lounging lazily on the porch when Lancer arrived finally did his best to rub two brain cells together in an effort to speak-the results of what Lancer was sure had to be a rather arduous task for the man resulted in a mere hello and handshake. Lancer was honestly somewhat surprised the brute didn't crush his one good hand in some overzealous display of machismo.

Goon two spoke up next and Lancer was somewhat surprised to find that he seemed to be the more articulate of the two gun toting men-then he flashed what many would call an amazing smile and Lancer nearly threw up all over his beige overcoat. [i]So this was [b]that[/b] type of guy, Mr. Boyscout-Captain of the football team and part time bully back in his day no doubt[/i]-the completely unfounded thought barreled through his almost manic mind like a bullet train. Atleast he introduced himself with a proper name before returning Goon ones (or Wheezy, if you prefer) handshake. 

Lancer made note to never call his newly named team mate “Edward” or “Eddie”-instead he'd use something like Ed, making sure to call the man by a name he did not listed in his introduction. He also made sure to pay attention to see if this would bother the much larger man, afterall if “Ed” didn't get under his skin Lancer was sure he could come up with a rather cutting nickname to take its place. 

Lancer had been waiting for good old Ed to shake his hand also but the moment never came, no doubt due to some discrimination on Ed's part-[i]people like him were just rude like that[/i] Lancer reminded himself. Up until this point Lancer had completely ignored the black sheep of the group-pun intended-because she just seemed so...well...normal? Maybe once she actually started speaking though there would be something worth taking note of, although in all honesty Lancer doubted it. His beady hazel eyes had scrutinized the whole group several times by this point and it was rather apparent by the ever present sneering scowl on his face he was not impressed.

Ed's coffee did smell damn good though. Of course he had only brought some for himself. [i]Typical.[/i] 

Lancer had been in the middle of continuing his mental tirade about the obvious shortcomings of his partners when a black car began pulling into view (the type of car Lancer had no idea, a car was a car to him). Lancer assumed this newcomer was either the very people they were waiting on or another new arrival to this ever growing little group-albeit one that was either smart enough or wealthy enough to actually somehow have a car all the way out here. 

Then Wheezy pulled a gun. 

In all honesty Lancer was surprised it had taken this long for the killing to start, the clearly unhinged walking muscle no doubt ready to blast everyone away while under the influence of some narcotics (probably steroids, Lancer noted). 

Only the shooting never started, Wheezy showing a degree of control Lancer thought impossible moments ago.[i] Or perhaps he was just a good dog on some invisible leash Ed held? Who knew?[/i] Lancer would have to pay close attention in the future and see if that theory panned out at all. 

– 

Lancer had to admit he was somewhat glad their new employers hadn't been gunned down in a hail of bullets before they could sign his first check. It was no surprise to him that good ol Ed, the bastardly boyscout that he was, wasted no time sucking up to the boss with his rather impressive attempt at actually sounding genuine. [i]The prick.[/i] 

Taking a silent approach as he often did (and had so far, not even offering a 'hello' yet) Lancer simply grabbed the documents offered to him-opening the dossier in a somewhat humourous, albeit rather impressive, one handed juggling act. Reading over the contents he was slightly disappointment and extremely elated at the same time. On one hand, this was an actual tangible case, but on the other...well...it sounded like a rather simple one. Still, every rising star had to start somewhere, right? 

“Well by all means if good old Ed here is ready to go then I wouldn't dream of wasting any of his precious time. I suppose I too am ready.” Lancer finally spoke up, his coffee stained teeth flashing as he spoke nearly as fast as he thought

He could feel his left hand flex on its own accord-he ignored the sensation.