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Mention: [@Punished GN]

Tayla had to get to her father’s boat in a short while, but she needed a breather. She couldn’t show up upset or he’d question what was wrong. How the hell would she explain the shit show that was Edict, and how she plans to kill him? She couldn’t. Not without worrying him and she didn’t want him to worry about her. She put him through the ringer for eight years, and she’s been doing good. She needed to appear that nothing was wrong.

She was five blocks away from the docks, doing a little lap to get all the anger out when a myriad of different brightly colored feathers dropped down in front of her.

[i]“... Wah Gwan, mi gyal,”[/i]

Tayla’s attention was brought to an odd sight… [url=https://i.imgur.com/6aPSXZI.jpg] a prominent Caribbean woman[/url] that stood at five-one… leaning against a light pole wearing a bright red dress, matching high heels, and a letter in her hand.

“Ya’ lookin’ lovely today,” The mysterious woman said, speaking [i]very[/i] fast in a thick Jamaican accent (or Jamaican Patois). “I gotta’ letta’ for ya’! Someone is [i]very[/i] interested in meetin’ ya’!”

She waved the letter in the air.

Tayla could only understand so much of what she said, but she got the gist she’s trying to give her something from someone. She didn’t trust it. She made the mistake of trusting one person a little bit, and it turned into something that felt like a betrayal. 

She glared at the woman. [color=DE198A]”Who?”[/color] she asked, keeping her distance from the woman.

“... I don't know, my girl!” The woman said. “Read the letter!” she laughed as she presented the letter.

Tayla cautiously approached the woman. She got as close as her arm length would allow her, which was pretty long given how tall she is. She took the letter. [color=DE198A]
“That’s it?”[/color]

The woman silently stared at her.

“Unless there somethin’ else on ya’ mind, mi gyal, yeah,” The woman waved Tayla off. “Keep that thing away from paper, mi gyal! It’ll self-destruct!”

The woman walked away, her heels loudly clicking as she turned a corner then… Silence.

When Tayla opened the letter, the first thing she would have noticed was a hundred dollars in twenties, with a note: 


[quote][i]Tayla Choi,

We hope this letter finds you well. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Luis Cox, a respected member of the St. Portwell Community. I heard of your predicament with Sycamore, and you possess knowledge and skills that could interest my organization. Meet me at the Christiansands at your earliest convenience.[/i]

Signed,
[u]Luis Cox[/u][/quote]

Tayla read the note inside. She didn't understand why anyone would want her for information on the Coven. She knew fuck all about it as it is now. She'd have to dig deep for memories she forgot if they want to know something from a decade ago. Fuck. 

She put the money back in the envelope, not trusting it. This wasn't free money. The meeting would be what she's getting paid for. She looked at her phone. She had twenty minutes to make it to the docks. She could go to the club now. But given how there wasn't a time or a date on it, and how that woman popped up out of nowhere, she assumed they were keeping tabs on her and would know when she arrived. She'll go tomorrow after work, no matter what. Auri and the rest of them could kiss her ass. This might be a better opportunity. 


[hr]

The [url=https://i.imgur.com/cEJ7XxC.jpeg]Christiansands[/url] was a famous club in Downtown St. Portwell, it opened at eight on the dot, every day, extenuating circumstances aside. It was an upscale club where all the relevant people in St. Portwell went. It illuminated the very street it was placed down… and there was a long line to get in, even on a Tuesday! The [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q-qT7sTzblAl]music[/url] could be heard from all the way down the street! Then there was the VIP line, which had way fewer people…

Tayla got into the VIP line. She assumed that's where she was supposed to go, since she was invited and this wasn't the type of club that had people giving out personal invites unless they had money. 

She knew she couldn't get into Christiansands wearing what she usually did. It's not the kind of place for extra baggy clothes, so she had to opt for one of her old club outfits. Her ex had her in pretty trashy clothes that didn't look good on back then, and most definitely not now with how skinny she is. She chose the most flattering thing in her closet. Silver sparkly pants, a matching bra top and jacket that she kept buttoned to hide her midriff. The jacket wasn't meant to be worn with the pants. It's supposed to be a stand alone with a very tiny skirt to make it seem like she didn't have any pants on. 

She hated being back in old clothes, but she never got rid of them. Had a hard time parting with it more than putting it in boxes. She paired it with white heels, easily making her the tallest woman in the club. She did the bare minimum with her hair, giving herself a side part and gelling it to keep it in place. 

Inside the club everything was loud and all too familiar with the atmosphere. She hated it and wanted to finish this as soon as possible. 

“... Tayla Choi?” A woman wearing a pinstriped suit said, holding a clipboard she smiled at her, “Come this way to the VIP section; our boss is waiting for you!”


[Later I guess, I’m about to go back to writing the timeskip post. Add to this part if you want to]
Tayla was led into the [url=https://i.imgur.com/Fhrkitl.jpeg]VIP section[/url], which had to had to be soundproofed in some way as the music that was being blasted through the rest of the club couldn’t be heard. The only music that could be heard was the [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b74hnDHCmik&pp=ygUUY2hyaXN0aWFuc2FuZHMgdG9waWM%3D]music they played on the speaker.[/url] 
The literal second that Tayla entered the room, a [url=https://i.imgur.com/STbc5kZ.jpg]very tall man with a manbun[url] waved her down to one of the couches. “Oh, Tayla!” He started, “I’m glad you decided to join us!” 

“... Yeah, come over and have a seat!” The [url=https://64.media.tumblr.com/6b0c5fec0f2a134cf86f4523a5a883a6/tumblr_p33qwg5lf51u22cq7o1_1280.jpg]woman that sat next to him[url] said, pointing at the little seat across the couch with only a little table separating them.

She was alarmed at both the sudden greetings and this place looking like a sex club. It put her more in edge. She looked at the seat they offered and noticed her back would be towards the door. In places she trusted, that didn't matter. But here she couldn't give anyone the chance to get the jump on her, so she moved the seat angling it so she could keep an eye on those two and on the door. She sat adjacent to them now. 

[color=DE198A]“What's all this about?”[/color] she asked, getting straight to the point. 

The man sat back in his chair grabbed a glass of whiskey on the table, and took a sip. He smacked his lips as the woman who sat next to him spoke.

“Aye!” The woman said, “Introductions… I’m [i]Natalie![/i]”

“Luis Cox… as you may have already guessed,” He leaned forward with the glass in his hand and said, “We’ve come to make you an offer… an invitation to my organization known as [i]Dollhouse.[/i]”

He let the words hang in the air, before he continued.
“We are an independent organization that plays a vital role in the supernatural scene of St. Portwell and… we are quite interested in this Father Wolf and that Coven you used to be a part of. Or are a part of. We’ll hash that out later.”

“A serial killer’s [i]baaaaaaaaad[/i] for business!” Natalie cosigned. “We are trying to take him out of the picture before he switches to [i]our[/i] clients!”

“We want eyes in St. Portwell, in every faction… including that Coven,” Luis calmly said as he stood up. “I was hoping that you could be one of them… we will [i]handsomely[/i] reward you if you take up the offer.”

“And [i]relax,[/i] sweetheart!” Natalie laughed, “If we were going to do something to you, it definitely wouldn’t be here!” She grinned, bearing teeth.

Tayla didn't trust this deal at all. She's never even heard of the Dollhouse. But she'd be lying if she said it didn't sound a little good.  She wanted Father Wolf gone as much as the next paranormal being. She's still on his list like the rest of them. The Coven's not getting shit done and she can't trust them to. 

[color=DE198A]“What's in it for me? And what's the caveat?”[/color] She could play spy, but there's got be something else. It'd be too easy to just show up like she usually does and take notes. 

“Well…” Luis smiled. “... What would [i]you[/i] like? Here at Dollhouse, we take care of our employees.”

“We got [i]everything![/i] Money, magic, broads - too many, in fact!” Natalie laughed. “We need to get rid of some of them!”

“The caveat…?” Luis paused momentarily, “... You don’t expose us or our hand in the Sycamore Tree Coven. As we like to remain under the radar….”

“If the feds catch a whiff of us…” Natalie laughed as she dramatically stuck her tongue out and gagged. When her face went back to normal, Natalie said, “Let’s make [i]everything[/i] clear up front so there’s no confusion about what we both want. It’s a mutual exchange, after all.”

It was too good to be true. That's it? They would give her anything she wants and all she had to do was keep an eye on things? [color=DE198A]“So all I have to do is spy and make sure the you're not exposed and the Feds don't have a reason to come sniffing around, and in exchange I have [i]anything[/i] I want? No catch? It's that simple?”[/color] she asked in disbelief. 

“Well, yes…” Luis said, “I understand your worries, but maybe helping you understand [i]our[/i] point of view wil help assuage your concerns.”

Natalie laughed.

“Do you know what your little Coven sister Alizée Altieri did a few nights ago at Veni Vedi Veni…?” Natalie asked, then laughed again.

She was slowly becoming less suspicious since it's that easy, but she did want to hear their side of the story. Nosy as she is, if Alizeé had done something at another club she wouldn't care, but it's the Wolfpack's club, and she'd like to know if she should expect them to come knocking on the Coven's door.

[color=DE198A]“No. I don't know anything about what happened that night.”[/color]

“Well…” Natalie awkwardly laughed as she looked to the side…. Then faced Tayla head on and said, “She went to V-V-V, asked a bunch of creepy questions about one of the girls, tried to kidnap someone, got into a fight with [i]another[/i] magical organization under our watch, which eventually dragged the Wolfpack in…” 

Natalie laughed again. “... Long story short, it ended with the feds killing Judas Bennet.”

“One of our [i]biggest[/i] clients,” Luis seethed. 

“Thankfully… [i]Dean Walker,[/i]” Natalie started, “Has taken over the operations, buuuuut… its clear your little Coven is a little-” Natalie finger quoted, “-[i]chaotic element[/i] that needs to be observed so we can prevent any more little dominos like that.”

Tayla’s eyes widened. She was hit with one too many revelations at once. First that Judas fucking Bennet is dead! “He's dead?!” She didn't care, but she's surprised. She's spent 8 years of her life with the Wolfpack. She didn't think that would ever be possible, even though he was done in by the Feds. And the second is that Dean is the new leader and that's Wolfpack is under the Dollhouse. Or is at least a client. Whatever being a client for them means. 

She leaned forward, elbows on her thighs rubbing her forehead. She's got a headache and maybe a slight dizzy spell. This was a lot. Too much. Way too. 

“Fucking fuck,” she mumbled. She closed her eyes and took her time thinking about what to say next. She knew what she wanted now. If the Dollhouse and Wolfpack are connected, then she could be found by Dean and that can't happen. 

[color=DE198A]“If I do this for you, be your spy, tell you whatever you want me to, can you guarantee that Dean [i]never[/i] finds me.”[/color] She counted off on her fingers. [color=DE198A]“He doesn't know I'm back in the Coven. He doesn't know I'm connected to the Dollhouse at all. And he sure as hell stays away from my family. I need things to stay the way they've been for the past 2 years. To him I'm a ghost. I existed and now I'm gone.”[/color]

If he finds her, he'll find Siwan. He'll ask questions, and even if she convinces him that she doesn't know who the father is he'll drag her back into the life she put behind her. She'd never going back to being his woman, his plaything, his whore. She's done. 

Natalie smiled.

“Of course we can!” She started, “But, even if he does find you… let us know.”

The two of them chuckled, before Natalie said,

“We’ll take care of him, and [i]gently[/i] inform him that you’re our employee and we go to [i]great[/i] lengths to ensure their safety,” Natalie started, “He’s a smart cookie, he knows better than to mess with us. So that’ll be the beginning and [i]end[/i] of it.”

Tayla didn't believe for a second that Dean wouldn't bide his time. He's patient like that. This isn't a permanent job. Once Coven business was done, then she would be free. Or would she. 

“No. And even when I did, you'd think I'd be hiding from him if it did me any good in the first place?” Never mind she was drugged out of her mind most of the time, so she couldn't even bother to put in the effort to use it. She didn't know what he could do, but she's sure it's a lot more deadly than her silly little illusions. 

[color=DE198A]“Dean can't know I'm working for you at all. It's one of the conditions I listed. I don't care what you have to do to make sure he's never in my heels, but telling him you know me is out of the question. What happens when spying on the Coven ends? After Father Wolf is found, we're all going our separate ways. Maybe two or three will stay friends, but the Coven won't be forever. It was never supposed to be. You tell Dean I'm working for you, he'll wait until the deal is done. That's who he is. You'll never find a more patient motherfucker. Keep him distracted, run interference, something, but don't tell him about me.”[/color]

“That implies that we won’t have a use for you after this is done, Ms. Choi,” Luis stated. “You’ll be one of us long as you want to be… If you want to be done with us afterward, then…” 

Luis shrugged.

“... Don’t worry,” a third voice said in the conversation; it was Shayton. Stepping out of the shadows wearing a baby-blue suit, black dress shoes, and a cane. “I’ll make sure that, if Dean catches a whiff of your scent, I’ll throw him off [i]myself[/i]…”

Tayla knew that voice. She had to clasp her hands together to keep them from shaking. She's not seen or heard a member of the Wolfpack in years. None of them messed with her, because of Dean but still. She wanted to avoid all of them.

He walked over and placed the cane in the center of his body, with both of his hands on the cane. “He trusts me, likes me, and if you don’t want to see him… you won’t.” 

“See?” Luis laughed, “Our best man has your back! You have nothing to worry about.”

For Shayton to be a part of this was weird. Yet the more she thought about it, the more it made sense. Shayton was the least problematic from what she remembered. He didn't fuck with drugs, alcohol, and sex like the rest of them did. Not to the worst extent, anyway. 

[color=DE198A]“You gotta be kidding me.”[/color] She didn't trust anyone from the Wolfpack, but she felt she could trust Shayton with this much. It seemed in his character and she didn't think the Dollhouse would work with anyone that didn't have discretion and knew how to keep their word. 

[color=DE198A]“Fine. Let's do it then. Shayton keeps him off my back and I'll spy for the Coven. Is there a contract or something I need to sign?”[/color]

“Yes, but is there [i]anything[/i] you need to help with this mission?” Luis asked, “Guns? Magic? Et cetera, et cetera… We’ll give it to you.”

[color=DE198A]“Magic,”[/color] she said right away. [color=DE198A]“Nothing that'll curse me or take over my body.”[/color][/color] A gun wouldn't do get any good. She knew how to shoot, Dean taught her, but she couldn't didn't have a license. Last thing she needed was a reason for cops or the ATF to investigate her. Magic was more subtle. 

“Hmmmm….” Luis rubbed his chin. “I know just the thing: Shayton!”

Shayton perked up.

“Could you go grab [i]the headphones?[/i]”

Shayton nodded his head as he disappeared in a burst of speed so fast that the only sign that he was there was a mighty wind. Then, Shayton returned, holding a particular [url=https://i.imgur.com/s1J5u5G.jpg]pair of pink headphones[url], and he handed them to Luis. Whom turned to Tayla, and presented them to her.

“Presenting… [i]That[/i] Melody,” Luis started, “It’s a little invention made by a genius named Lyric Brown… unfortunately, she was killed by the Nazis who took it from her.”

“... And we took it from [i]them![/i]” Natalie said.


“Now, this artifact will allow you to read all the thoughts around you passively,” Luis started, “You can focus on one place or person to tune out all the other thoughts, but while you have them on you [i]will[/i] hear everyone’s thoughts.”

“Perfect for a spy!” Natalie chuckled.

“... Would you like to try them on?” Luis presented them to Tayla.

It took her a minute to understand what they meant by Nazis. That group full of skin heads. Not actual WWII Nazis. She'd forgotten about them after they disappeared. She's sure it was more complicated than that, but too many pills made her memory a mess. 

She was sure she didn't want to know anyone's thoughts, whether passive or rifling through them, but they weren't wrong about them being perfect for a spy. She'll always know when someone is lying through their teeth if they have the truth at the forefront of their mind. 

She took the headphones. They looked pretty fucking cool. She put them on and instantly regretted it. Every thought seemingly in the whole club entered her head at once. 

[i]‘Booze…’ ‘Drug works…’ ‘Fucking wet…’ ‘Morning sickness…’[/i] She took the headphones off. Her head ached. 

[color=DE198A]“How the fuck am I supposed to do anything with this? It's so…much. I'm sure I caught several thoughts about dick.”[/color] She didn't want to know anything about anyone's dick.

“Well, hearing weird ass thoughts is a part of the telepathy package, sweetie,” Natalie laughed.

“Just focus on us… tune out everything else, think of it as background noise, and concentrate…” Luis raised a finger as he gave Tayla instructions. “We have other artifacts… but I think this is [i]so[/i] you.” He chuckled.

Tayla nodded, taking a deep breathe. “Don't think anything weird. Swear to God I'll clock you with my shoe,” she said before putting the headphones back on. Once again all thoughts rushed her like a storm, but she concentrated on just the three in front of her. She did her best to tune out everyone else. It was hard with the extra loud thoughts wanting her attention, but she found her focus like how she keeps an ear out for Siwan when she has her back turned. 

[i]You should clock Luis with the shoe anyway.[/i] Natalie thought, giggling to herself.

[i]... Natalie is telling you to hit me with a shoe, isn’t she?[/i] Luis thought.

But, there was something that Shayton thought that may have stuck out to Tayla.

[i]Watch your back. They [b]will[/b] have eyes on you.[/i]

Tayla burst out laughing, hurrying to take the headphones off cause it broke her concentration. [color=DE198A]“Yes, she's telling me to clock you anyway.”[/color] She didn't let on that Shayton sent her a warning. Didn't even look at him to let him know she heard. She expected them to keep watch on her. They wouldn't bring her in and have no oversight. That didn't make sense. She did learn a lot about how much they knew about her already. What they don't know, she's not offering.

Luis laughed. 

“It seems I know you too well!” He joked, gently punching Natalie on the arm, who laughed as well. Shayton just stood there… stoic as always.

However, Luis clapped his hands together as he said,

“Now, you just want a contract to sign?”

[color=DE198A]“Yes. One with all my conditions and your conditions stated. Unless you trust my word and I can trust yours.”[/color] She didn't trust them, but she didn't have a choice but to give a little. 

“Come now,” Luis chuckled. “Lying and being underhanded is bad for business… but as you wish.”

He's right. It is bad for business, but powerful people found loopholes all the time. 

He turned towards Natalie and said, 

“Make up a contract for a lady!” 

“As you wish…” Natalie sarcastically said as she rolled her eyes. “But, like, is she gonna [i]sue[/i] us or something?” She chuckled as she walked off.

A few moments later, Natalie returned with a contract with all the terms and conditions listed… and she put it on the table in front of Tayla with a pen.

“Take all the time you need reading it,” Natalie said, “There should be [i]zero[/i] ambiguity on what we want, right?”

She couldn't sue, but she already had one person on her list. She could add others. She quickly slid the headphones on and concentrated on the group, trying to sus out of they did anything tricky with the paper. Invisible ink, a spell, something she wouldn't notice right away or ever until some fucked shit happened. 

There was nothing of note and it was utterly and entirely legit… well, legit as a criminal organization could get.

She knew it wasn't fool proof. That they could be distracting their own thoughts away from the subject, but it's all she got. She took them off, then read through the contract. Everything they talked about, Dean never finding out about her connection to the Dollhouse, keeping him off her tail, and him never seeing her to the best of their abilities was on it. Her keeping mum about their existence, about being their spy, and making sure the Coven and the Feds never knew anything at all dealing with them. She signed and dated the contract, before having it over for them to do the same. 

[color=DE198A]“Are we exchanging numbers or something? How do you want me to report on what I've learned?”[/color]

“You remember that little lady that handed you the letter?” Luis asked, “All communications between us will be done via writing and through her. She’ll come find you once a week.”

“Now we want to know [i]EVERYTHING[/i] you see,” Natalie explained, “What your Coven sisters do, say, etc, etc.”

“But, we will give you our number only to be used in the event of an emergency.”

[color=DE198A]“Okay. That’s doable.”[/color] Her trying to remember everything will be hard. Oxy fucked up her memory. She’ll have to keep notes on her phone and write it all down when she gets home. She used to be good with note taking in high school. It feels like she’ll be going back to that.

[color=DE198A]“Anything else?”[/color] She still had enough time to change out of this outfit and back into her work clothes, before her father’s ready to pick her up and head home.

“One last thing…” Luis said as he walked over to Tayla and extended a hand. 

“... [i]Welcome to Dollhouse.[/i]”