[center][url=https://fontmeme.com/fonts/the-capone-gang-bege-font/][img]https://fontmeme.com/permalink/200420/030cdff421f7888c6535769bfc70380d.png[/img][/url][/center]

[hr]

Lyss entered the VIP room and felt the presence of the apparitions grow stronger. She also noticed that the only visible exit was the one they just came from. The lounge was of poor taste, with too many curtains to hide separate rooms or doors. It smelled of cologne, liquor, and of many private dances.

She allowed the others to do the talking at first. She preferred to remain an unimportant guest tonight. Just a nameless face among the group of Coven sisters, if she wouldn’t need to step in to negotiate. As they greeted the man in the white shirt, [i]Luis[/i], an unfamiliar name in the Black Market and also not an abscised, Lyss let her gaze wander the room. The strongest apparition she could feel was coming from the direction of the bar. She watched Isla walk up for a drink and reminded herself to keep an eye on the newest Coven member after she drank it. Her gaze moved towards the man at the bar. Was he the one giving the strongest signal, or was it the woman behind the counter? They were too close to tell.

It was also unnerving that most of the others in the room were abscised. How they’d gotten their flesh suits, she didn’t want to know, but she also wanted to know why a bunch of spirits would wind up here. Was it the business? Were they the ones who made the cures or curses their buyers asked for? Or were they here just to protect [i]Luis[/i] and his partners? Who, by the way, weren’t pointed out in the beginning just to confuse her sisters. Mr. Man Bun also mentioned Tampa, which meant he either heard about them through Kimberly or did some digging around to figure it out.

A small wave of paranoia passed through Lyss as she turned her attention back to Luis. How much did he know? Had her name been mentioned, too? She could have gotten nervous at that moment, but as Penny explained their position she aimed the anxious focus onto their negotiations. It was a great idea to mention that Annabelle would make her way to Miami if she wasn’t taken care of. An order of cures this big would make it easy to scam them, but Luis had a concern of his own now. A reason to have mercy on them with the intention of self preservation alone. Lyss silently thanked Penny for getting their point across so clearly.

The woman with the cowboy hat suddenly stood. Lyss turned her eyes onto the woman. Not an affixed or an abscised apparently , and now named Luis’s second partner by the way she considered the Dollhouse [i]her[/i] club. At least Luis pulled her reins in before she kicked them out.

Claudette began to speak now. As she listed the various problems the Coven wanted solved, Lyss was surprised to hear of Claudette’s own curse. She looked at her sister from where she stood nearby and wondered why Claudette had never mentioned it before. After all, Lyss was an expert at keeping apparitions at bay. Maybe it was because Claudette hadn’t faced the apparitions since Lyss joined the Coven, or she was ashamed to mention it?

They were finally getting to the total bill of the Coven’s visit, but before Claudette or Lyss herself could accept their “generous” offer, she felt her back tense when a familiar voice entered the room.

Ellie… Babylon’s new plaything.

Lyss turned to face her old Coven sister’s body to see none other than Molly standing with her. Lyss’s eyes narrowed. She watched her strut on by and plop herself right next to the man bun. She whispered something into his ear and Lyss felt her face grow hot with anger. [i]That bitch is going to ruin everything.[/i]

Madison began to shout at Babylon, and Lyss agreed with everything she was saying, but she needed to calm down in order to get this deal over with. Lyss was going to turn to her, to put a hand on her shoulder as a reminder to stay calm, that she wasn’t alone in her anger, but then she saw the yee-yee bitch pull out a rifle. [i]Oh, [b]fuck[/b].[/i] Now would have been a good time to have Emily in the room to “accidentally” blow off the affixed woman’s fingers.

Herik, as if oblivious to the hostile cowgirl, reminded Luis that the price still had to be said. Lyss pressed her lips together. It was a smart move to try to continue the deal despite the tension, but the price had already been made. However many cures they needed for seven thousand each. One half price because he was “[i]feeling generous[/i].” That made the total come to about $45,500 if it included her cure for Maximillian and an extra healing cure for a safety precaution.

The bill wasn’t that horrible, but it was still an outrageous price.

And they drugged Isla, of course. Lyss had to take a breath through her nose and slowly release it through her mouth before she decided to step into the negotiating circle. She’d done this plenty of times, but she’d never been on the opposite side of the deal. Lowering the price would be difficult, but she had an idea of how to go about it. So, she turned to Luis and looked him in the eyes. It took a lot of effort not to look at Ellie’s face.

[color=D3D3D3] “Mr. Luis, I can’t imagine you would hold your clients at gunpoint. Would you mind asking your partner to settle down herself? I’m sure you’d like to keep your business.”[/color] She flashed Natalie a brief smile. [color=D3D3D3] “I can promise you that my sisters will behave if your new friend’s behave as well.”[/color]

That said, Lyss carefully moved her way to sit next to Claudette on the couch. She kept an air of composed patience about her as she leaned back on the couch and crossed her legs. She then folded her hands in her lap.

[color=D3D3D3] “We would like six cures total, including Annabelle Heart’s cure. While three of the cures are meant to repair curses, two of them will be simple healing cures that shouldn’t take too much time to prepare. I’d like to offer half of your usual price for a cure for those. Does that sound fair?”[/color]

[b]"Dollhouse offers potions... so we can clear up this annoying terminology issue,"[/b] Luis started, [b]"Also, don't mind, Natalie, she's a little on edge."[/b]

Lyss nodded. [color=D3D3D3] “Noted.”[/color] 

[b]"But, the Dollhouse accepts these terms... would you like to meet again tomorrow for us to exchange?"[/b]

Lyss smiled as Luis accepted her terms, but she wasn't done. She'd managed to reduce the price by $7,500, leaving the bill at $35,500, but she wanted to knock that last $500 off for Isla's drugged state.

[color=D3D3D3]"I'm glad you've agreed, but I also would like to mention that since we've been in your establishment, one of your partners has pointed a gun at us and your bartender has drugged my sister. If you could perhaps make the total an even $35,000 I think we could ignore it."[/color]

[b]"Oh booo hoo, nobody got hurt,"[/b] Natalie added. [b]"What are ya' gonna do if we say no?"[/b]

Lyss looked over at Natalie and raised an eyebrow. [color=D3D3D3] "I understand you're looking out for your business. I would do the same, if it was for my sisters, but this isn't how these negotiations are meant to go."[/color] She shrugged. [color=D3D3D3] "The rifle I can forgive, but I cannot forgive you for drugging my sister even if it was because of your apparition friend behind the bar."[/color]

[b]"Now, now, Natalie... it's okay, we will take off the five hundred... but that's the final offer."[/b] Luis answered.

Lyss smiled widely and sat up in her seat. She leaned towards Luis and extended her hand. [color=D3D3D3] "I'm glad we could come to an agreement. Thank you, Mr. Luis."[/color] She even looked towards Natalie. [color=D3D3D3] "Thank you, as well."[/color]