[I]The morning after...[/I]

Shay awoke on the couch to a now unfamiliar sensation of the sun beaming across his face, the bright morning light piercing the English sky most expectantly. For the first time in quite a while, the sun baked the London streets, and Shay took it as a promising omen, both for his reconciliation with Vera and for the job they'd be doing today. There were still misgivings about the whole assignment, but it wasn't as if he had not done worse in his days working for the gang. Deciding he had time for a bath, Shay stripped out of the clothing he still had clung to his body from the night prior, not caring how crumpled it was as it landed on the couch and began to run the water as he prepared himself a quick breakfast of rye bread with dried ham slices and a glass of water. Not bothering to sit as he ate his meal, Shay finished doodling the details of the map he'd been working on of the von Goethe residence. 

Half an hour later, being fed and bathed, Shay trimmed his beard and greased back his hair, deciding he needed to look presentable like usual, albeit with a very special reason to keep on top of it. Having Vera in his life certainly gave him an incentive to look his best, because he wanted to show her he gave enough of a damn about showing he was putting in an effort for her, both in matters of the heart and physically. They both had flaws they had to overcome, and at the very least, looking like they were trying inside and out counted. Satisfied, albeit with a few less hairs that got yanked with his comb, Shay wet a cloth with some cologne and patted around his neck, wrist, and armpits. Good to go.

Finally, donning his thick black peacoat and cap, along with his army-issued boots and adjusting his shoulder-holster for his Webley under his coat, Shay locked up and headed out to meet up with his people at the Tawdry Countess. 

After walking the few short blocks, Shay entered the Countess shortly after 0900 to an endearingly warm reception. Sam offered him a raised hand in greeting, and Grant was at the bar, filling a small bowl with cocktail olives, a favorite of his. He looked up when he saw the Irishman and waved him along. "Just the lad I was looking for. Come on Shay, big day ahead of us. Are you well rested?"

"Yes sir, first good night in a while." Shay responded, following him into the office and taking an offered seat. He found himself sinking into the soft leather as he leaned back into it. 

Grant smiled, popping an olive into his mouth. "The way you've been carrying on with Miss Addley, I can imagine. The boys aren't giving you a rough go of it?"

"Quite the contrary, they've been exceedingly enthusiastic about the idea. Truth be told, I was a bit worried about how Sam would take it, Miss Vera being his sister and all that, but he seems to be our biggest endorsement." Shay admitted with the slightest hint of a smile. Grant nodded his head in quick succession.

"I think for Sam, he's just happy Vera's found somebody he knows and trusts to be a good man, and you are Shay. Ever since you came to us, you've been a great asset to the family and I think I speak for everyone when I say we were quite worried about the night you took the bullet. How is the shoulder, by the way?" Grant asked, sitting down himself but looking intently at Shay, who rubbed his shoulder where he took the shot.

"Surprisingly, it doesn't hurt that badly anymore. A bit of an ache, but nothing sharp. Shouldn't affect my aim at all." Shay said, plucking a smoke from his coat pocket. Grant slid over a lighter as he fished for his own cigarette. The two lit up in silence before Grant spoke up again.

"With luck, you won't need to use that particular talent for quite a while."

Shay inhaled a deep drag and flicked the ashes into a tray, all the while looking Grant in the eye. "You find a job that involves putting a 215-grain round in that bastard Donald Hayes' heart, let me know. I'm itching for a chance to even the score and make the bastard pay for putting Vera into harm's way like that." he said darkly, recalling the night in the rain he had last shot his rifle on the job to protect Vera from the Adders, and the night a the Tuscany where he had taken the shot. 

A voice came from behind, "Been looking into some payback against the Adders for that bit of bad business, you can rest easy." 

Clint walked into the office, wiping his hands off on a towel before taking a half-seat on the desk. He wore a vest over a button-up shirt and some grey dress pants and immaculately shined boots. He was meeting with someone of high standing, Shay decided. "They've been bold lately, more than usual. Between trying to murder Vera in the street and then brazenly attacking you both in public like that, we're not going to let that stand. They're fucking around in our turf, excuse my language, so it's time we dab in theirs. But first, the job at hand."

As if on cue, Vera stepped into the office along with the others and took a seat. Her smile was radiant and immediately lifted Shay's spirits, and he welcomed her sitting next to him. It was liberating to not have to hide their affections from the others; he felt accepted, at peace. No one made to ruin that for either of them. He placed a hand atop of Vera's on his knee before replying to the question.

From his pocket, Shay produced the carefully folded map he worked on, and laid it out across the desk for everyone to see. "Of course. Here it is, to the best of my recollection. Vera, please feel free to point out any discrepancies from what you recall, but this is about as accurate as I can recall. Hard to forget where things are in that place.... it was a bit, what's the word? Ostentatious."

Shay went over everywhere Vera and himself had been inside of the mansion, where personnel were located, entrances and security fixtures, artifacts worth noting, and of course, the painting. All in all, Shay took roughly five minutes to go over it, with Vera interjecting intermittently to go over what she had observed, and soon the room went into details over the operation.

Finally, Grant looked at both Shay and Vera. "Think you can pull this off?"

Shay dragged on his smoke one more time before extinguishing it in the tray. "Won't take twenty minutes."