[h3]Slums district[/h3]

It was already dusk when they poured in. An ominous dark mass, slithering to a corner table, the lantern light around it sucked in by its blackness. The shape twisted and rippled slowly, lazily. Tiny brilliant orbs floated to its surface from time to time. Harmony Titanfoot, sitting at the bar, was gradually becoming more nervous.

This is going to be [i]so awesome[/i].

One of the tiny, reflective orbs scanned the room and froze on her. It measured her from head to toe, meticulously, with the patience of a master jeweler. A long moment after, the mass, which was in fact a huddling of black-clad backs, spit out a chair from its bowels and moved it away from the table. As if with invitation. The short woman rose from the bar, walked the distance to the corner table with confident but much less aggressive strides than was typical to her, and carefully sat on the chair. The dark mass closed around her.

When her eyes adapted, she was greeted by rough masculine faces, huddled together in a way that made their eyebrows and mustaches connect into a furry [i]fairy circle[/i]. Their wrinkled, evil eyes narrowed at her, some of them licking their lips with thick, greasy tongues. It was a Hydra of lowlives, hungry for victims, misdeeds, and who knows what else. Harmony felt as threatened as elated - this was uncharted territory, and she was good at adapting. There were lessons to be learned here. Her loaded flintock became heavy and cold against her thigh.

"Harmony [i]Tiiitanfoot.[/i]" The central head of the hydra chewed on her family name. She could see the physical effort it took him to not look at where her feet would be had the table been transparent. These locals were always so literal. "We've got yer name from, sources, nevermind where, and believe you will be of service to us." The absolute nature of the last statement did not escape her. "There is a - a kid, a vagrant of sorts, moving [i]material[/i] around, illegal trade and the like, steppin' on our toes all along the way. We want an accident to [i]accidentally[/i] happen to him. Maybe a roof was too loose around the edges. A wheelbarrow not fastened strong enough. Water leak on a steep street - you get the gist of it. You will provide the materials, and have full, uh, [i]creative[/i] freedom. And no downpayments - After all, you still need to prove you self, eh, Harmony of Titanfoot?"

They chuckled as he looked around. "Hard to believe a [i]noble's daughter[/i] would hang out with the likes of us, eh boys? But then again, how boring must life be in the upper district. It's no wonder this little girl came out to play - " He reached out for her chin with a thick gloved hand. With a hard, swinging motion, she nailed the glove's hems to the table with a fork, and pushed a flintock against it with her other hand. There was an awkward silence.

"You know - " The short woman said, rising from her seat, "Most flintoks don't vork in dis orientation, since dey rely on gravity to hold the gunpauder and bullet inside.  This one is a little different. Hauever, the solution to dis problem has a side effect, one that does not leave [i]just a hole[/i] when the veapon is fired from a range of one foot or less. The effect is similar to... vat's the vord... Oh yeah. [i]Meatloaf.[/i]"

The large man pulled his hand back, his face visibly contorted from being forced to visualize Harmony's explanation. "You tiny b*tch, don't you know who I am?" He growled, "You have one week. [i]And[/i] the payment is halved for insulting me." The fairy circle became visibly hostile. "I'll make it easier for you - I refuse de job." She sank back into her chair. "I don't knou hoo you tink you are, but you don't have half of vat it takes to say da Titanfoot name so easily."

"What the hell?!" He roared at her, pushing the table away. The dark mass spread outwards, splitting into its members. "Nobody refuses the Dark Companionship!"