We're dead...honest

[Kingdoms of Cal]

[OOC: this thread is for ex-spies from all nations, but is of interest tinis and Cal the most, but if your nation has an ex-spy that can cook, they may well be employed]

She was walking though the less pleasant part of an east tinisian town, her white fur (fake) cloak wrapped tightly about her, she obviously felt the cold. The hood of the cloak covered her face, who or what she was was very difficult to tell.

She was muttering abuse in a foreign tong, it was clear she hated the cold. The local pimp made the worst decision of his life and tried to forcibly recruit the female.

"Hey baby you have one serious good ass on you" he shouted as he stepped in-front of her.
She brushed him aside.
"No bitch does that to me" he shouted.
"I'm not a bitch." came the softly spoken reply.
The pimp touched her on the shoulder, he had no chance to grab her before he found himself on his face. She only was using one hand, he squealed in pain as she pushed it a little.

She said coldly from under her hood "Your apology?"
"I don't apologize to no bitch, I know people" the pimp shouted.
There was silence from her just an even more agonising squeal from the Ursine pimp.
"Who are these people and where do they live?" came the very came voice.
"No bitc..." he replied before letting out a squeal.
The white cloaked female calmly took a cell phone from the Ursine. On of his 'Hoes' had a appeared. She threw it to her calmly saying "Call him an ambiance."
A minute passed and the tigress asked "What are his injuries?"
"Up to him, but a dislocated shoulder." was the reply along with a scream from the pimp.
"I won't speak"
"Make that two" she said calmly fallowed by a scream from the pimp.
"I won't...No not the legs....I will...." the Ursine screamed, his knee cap was visible and he was bleeding into the street.
"Any thing, any thing." the shouted.
"I think that is the list of his injuries, thank you"
The hooded individual listened to the names and addresses of all the local gangsters.

What was utterly scary was that at no point had the one in the white cloak shown the least concern or fear.

"If you wish a job out of this there is a place opening near hear that will give you a new start, you would be a part owner and well be reporting to someone better than him." The white cloaked female said kicking the pimp in the head as she left.

The tigress left but made a note to find out where was opening. Who ever they were they had powerful friends.

---
Later that night two people worked threw the local gangsters, they left notes saying boom inside all of their cars and photographs of the gangsters sleeping next to their beds and often photos of their wives and in some cases children/pups/cubs/etc sleeping with a blade in shot.

Who ever they were they were far nastier than the local crime gangs.

[Kingdoms of Cal]

Morning dawned, the pimp was in hospital, the doctors had noted that the injuries were very precise, almost surgically implemented. Who ever had done this to this individual knew exactly what they were doing. This had been passed on to the police, they were dealing with someone that knew exactly how to do these things.

Sainaitan, the tigress from the night before had figured out where this new business was. A place called the "New Dawn" a southern federation restaurant, she knocked on the door. A short desert vulpine answered, there were many other furs working, mostly carrying heavy equipment (cookers, fridges,etc).

"I have been told I can find a job here?" Sainaitan asked, her tail twitching.
"Yes" said the short vulpine then shouted something in a language that Sainaitan didn't understand (Calie).

Two females approached, one a leefen and the other a teerie, Sainaitan had never seen a teerie before. Sainaitan looked very confused, the teerie was very foreign to her, she had heard of them but never seen one in the flesh.

"Is it only you?" came the reply from the leefen, her tail twitched.
"The others are scared, we will be safe working for you here?" Sainaitan asked.
"Yeah, I doubt he'll be back" the leefen replied in her accented tinisian.
Sainaitan knew that accent, she put two and two together said to the sari like wearing leefen "That was you?"
"What was me?" came the reply.
"Yesterday, you...I'll call the others" Sainaitan said quietly.
Over the next few minutes there were a number of people arriving, all feline, that was what the pimp specialised in.
One brought together in the back room the leefen spoke.
"Right we don't do minimum wage here. You won't live on tips, they are totally at the desecration of the customer. Do a good job, great, they are yours, we don't keep an eye on that.

As to your previous profession, none of that in here, what you do out side is your business. This is not a family friendly restaurant, but we do not want a reputation for that.

Is that understood?"

There was nodding.

"Right above here there are three flats, I an the other owners are using one, you and the other employees are welcome to use the other two. The same rules apply, keep them clean or I will come down on you like a ton of bricks. Understood?"

There was more nodding.

"Look I don't want to be a bitch, but I want this place to work and you guys need a new start, I and Que got one so we feel we have to offer it to you, but don't bite the hand that feeds you and well between the staff you will own a third of this business.

So it is in your interest to make it work." The leefen said as she left.

It was a brain dead choice for the new staff, they had protection and a job. It wouldn't pay as well, but they saw little of the money they made. This was a good honest job and working with people that seemed to care about them...more importantly they were safe, the flat was the deal maker.

Sainaitan had been effectively selected as their spokesfur she approached the leefen who was directing people in the kitchen.

"When can we move in?"
The leefen smiled "Good choice" and threw Sainaitan a bunch of keys.
The, now, ex-prostitutes scattered to pick up there meagre possessions and move in above the restaurant.
The teerie said in Calie to the Leefen "You know he will never find you."
"I know, but this place is about new lives, we have given them one and Acinaie one. That should be enough..."
"You miss him terribly."
"Yes, but you must move on, it is time I made lives not took them."
"I is time I was honest" the teerie said "No more hiding for me, sixty years of being someone else. Who knows I might find my Amble, too old to have kids, but never too old to find that one..."
"Don't giveme the better to have loved and lost speech"
The teerie smiled "Naw they both suck."

[The Union of Tinis]

Detective Didul put down the report he was scanning when there was a knock on the door. "Come in."

A head popped around the door. Didul recognized the elk and smiled. "Hey Amble. Long time no see. What's going on?"

"Not a whole lot," he said as he entered the office. "Other than, of course, I'm officially on permeant unbalanced exceptioned leave."

The dragon at the desk tilted his head. "Really? That's pretty much the same as being force retired. May I ask what…"

Amble was already shaking his head. He took a seat across from his old friend. "I can only say at least that I have the option of having myself declared not actually dead and can retire officially if I like in a couple months if I so choose. Hell, as I'm on exceptioned leave they can't even call me back to active unless I give them the ok. So as it stands the only connection I have to TIPS is that I have a security clearance and can tell Krel to screw off if I want."

Of course Didul was quickly filling his head with more questions about what his friend had gotten up to. Amble had been a part of the Home Front Operations Department, just like himself. Only in rare instances were they ever aware of the super spy stuff that required not letting management types in on the deal.

"Sounds like you had some fun."

Amble grinned. "Not at first… but eventually yes I had a lot of fun." His smirk didn't seem to be going away.

"Heh, alright then. Now, mister Bond, what brings you to my quaint office today?"

Amble shrugged. "Mostly to let you know I exist still. Its been a couple years since we crossed paths. And since I plan to have my death be declared void, I figured catching up with people might be a good thing. Tis just easier to start with those that have clearance of some sort at this point. Even those that don't deserve it."

Didul rolled his eyes. "I hope you're talking about Teboec on that one, because my connection with the gas canisters was never proven." They both laughed. Didul and Amble had been friends since basic training. In addition to the basics of running around, climbing ropes, and shooting lots of guns, the TIPS version also included basic chemistry and biology lessons. Didul had been involved with a failed prank. Amble first learned about the exploding chemistry lab the day after Didul returned to their dorm with the fear of death in his eyes and no desire to talk. No one was caught but the punishment for the event had been placed as outright expulsion from TIPS and a permeant limit on security clearance in the event that person joined another branch. The running joke of course became questions about if Didul's friends should be telling him anything ever as he might not really have clearance to know where the bathroom is in building F.

"I see you got promoted while I was dead," Amble said after the chuckle.

"Yep, I'm now a secretaries secretary of observations or compilations or something. Short version, I'm a Lieutenant Colonel level paper pusher."

"Impressive. What sort of favors did you need to pull that one off?"

"Favors? Hah. I actually got this spot because everyone else tried to use favors to get it and after the election the shit hit the fan on such things."

Amble nodded. "So I heard. Krel's really shaking things up then?"

"Yeah, like big time. The guy's half crazy half savant or something. Know that saying about keeping your biggest adversaries close? I think there was a reason old Epshrine was ok with Krel working in The Tower. He's a weird combination of obsessive compulsive and personality savvy. I met him a couple times when he went through this division on the full TIPS review he did shortly after taking office. The guy didn't have any files or folders with him but knew everyone by name, first, auxiliary, middle, parentage, or last. The third day he asked Skyp if he had a cold. She didn't. He then asked why she had blown her nose as the tissues on the shelf behind her was one sheet fewer. And that's just the start of it. If anyone besides you and the crew from the academy know who got excited in that lab he probably does."

"I did meet him recently myself," Amble responded. "He was quiet."

"Yeah, he usually is. Until its time for him to speak. Then you find out he knows who is sleeping with who and that one of the two must immediately volunteer to switch divisions or both will be hitting retirement."

"Huh. I guess that's why I ended up in my predicament."

Didul nodded. Permeant unbalanced exceptioned leave, inanition to meaning that Amble could tell the powers that be that he couldn't be called back to service also meant that Amble was effectively unemployed for the time being. Unbalanced meaning of course that he was relegated to the lowest standard of living level in Tinis, the spot where people that refuse to work or who are really really bad at their job end up. Communal apartments are common. Food is healthy but in meager portions. No entertainment allowances other than very basic TV service if one has a TV and most of that is news or the weather channel.

Didul glanced down at the paper he had put aside when Amble entered. "So what you going to be doing while you finalize retirement?"

"Don't know if I'll retire actually. Probably will. But in the mean time, assuming I stop being quite so officially dead soon, I might try to work with my brother. He's on the council for a machinery near Skaro."

Didul crossed his arms. "You much of a machinist?"

"Not really. But I can apprentice for a while if I need to. Else I can be a numbers guy and at least be able to watch Tin-sports on the weekends."

"Hmm… well seems trouble in the mean time then. How long you supposed to be dead?"

Amble shrugged. "Don't know. Probably not long. The paper work just needs to clear I think with some agency outside of TIPS."

Didul smirked. "Would you like to work for me for a spell then?"

"Pardon? As I said, I'm on leave."

Didul shrugged. "So? Effectively you're not working for TIPS. So that means I can hired you as a citizen assistant. And you already have clearance of the basic level necessary. And I'll even have you not living with thirty scum bags either."

"I'm listening… but of course this might be seen as favoritism."

"So? I can argue that I'm making good use of limited resources. And that anyone else is being foolish for not offering you the same deal."

Amble leaned back. "Of course the question is what do you need a citizen assistant for?"

"Well, I got a report here from Wuada. Lovely town out in Gidria. The tap water is drinkable, they fly the flag proudly, the snows are melting, the locals enjoy basketball of all things, and a local pimp got torn up pretty bad. If you need an effective job for a couple days while your paper work goes through, I can hire you, send you out to make sure nothing funny is going on, and you'll be back to being alive by the time you get back."

Amble laughed. "You want me to see if a pimp is alright?"

"Not really. The guy claims he's innocent on the pimping front and that the person who attacked him was a foreign sounding ninja or something. It would be hilarious if ninjas had invaded Wuada. But as I'm supposed to make sure such reports are looked into I get people to look into them. So, can I get you to look into this? We already have a flat for visiting investigators there and can put you down for a five day spell. First day go to the hospital and talk to the guy. If he's not credible, live it up the next four days. Else let us know that there's ninjas all over Wuada and that we should probably watch out for that."

Amble shrugged. The previous three days living at the artist combine had been a little strange. Amble wasn't super conservative, but tended not to live a free love lifestyle in the least, unlike most of his new roommates seemed to. And it was a free trip to a city he'd never visited before.

----

Amble got off the train later that day. The sun had already passed behind the mountains to the west. He pulled his suitcase filled with what few belongings were not still in storage and headed to the apartment for wayward Home Front Operatives.

Once he arrived, he found the place much more to his liking. He had it all to himself for one. Second the view was not of a bus stop, but the valley where the city was squeezed into. A very small river ran down the cities length and was surrounded entirely by sidewalks and streets so as to see more a canal made by a meandering architect than a river. Amble slept well that night.

----

"Hi, I'm Agent Amble, and I'm here to take your statement for the Home Front Operations Department of the Tinis Intelligence Patrol Service."

"What?" said the pimp from beneath a suit of slings and join casts.

"I'm here to get your side of the story of what happened."

The pimp shook his head. "I already talked to the cops. Bother them antler boy."

"I'm here to track down your ninja, do you want my help or not?"

The dead beat groaned. "As I said, the cops got the info, now let me be alone."

Amble smiled. "Did the ninja rape you to and that's why you're afraid to tell me more? Because if you don't say any more that what I'm going to have to release in our official statement."

"What you getting at?"

"I'm getting at that you need to tell me what's up, or your king peacock act won't ever work again."

The pimp groaned. "What ever yo. So she was a bitch, real fine. She wasn't no ninja, but was wearing a white fur cloak. One of those synth things. Didn't get much more than her fine curves before she came up to me and grabbed me, forced me to the ground and started pulling my arms off. I was in a little bit of, you know, agony at that point so didn't see anything more. A nice lady thankfully called for help."

Amble nodded as he jotted things down. It all matched up pretty well with what the cops had. "And who was this nice lady?"

"Herf, how should I know. Never saw her before in my life."

Amble nodded. "Well, as she might be an accomplice of your attacker, and you know, might be intentionally trying to discredit your good name, it might be good if we talked to her. Might lead us to the lady who attacked you. You'd like us to put her behind bars right?"

"Yeah, yeah. That'd be great."

Amble's patience was wearing thin. "So. What did that other girl look like?"

----

"Well?" asked inspector Istun'Halfid.

"He gave me a better description of the other girl. Might be able to follow that one up," he said as he handed the notes over to the inspector. "Let me know what they find of course and I'll need those notes back." Amble hoped this would end soon.

"Huh, this sounds a little like someone we've picked up before. Not in a while though. Think her name was Sainaitan. We think she worked for this scum bag. We'll see if we can't track her down real quick for you. Oh, and before you run off. We got a complaint from Axniruzrobofex Mragtiphyistve."

"That's probably the most pretentious name I've ever heard," said Amble.

"You're telling me." The inspector continued, "But he reported the day after our friend here's little mishap of finding pictures of himself and several of his ladies sleeping left in one of his cars. That is, pictures of them sleeping in their beds the night before. But the pictures were in his car. Which he had to unlock. Mragtiphyistve's mentioned when he showed us the pictures that he's worried about foreign agents trying to steal his research. I don't know what he's into on that front, but it seems quite the odd coincidence that a pimp gets the beat down by someone with an accent, and this doctor gets what amounts to a threat that night. My folks are still looking into it though."

"That is pretty strange," Amble muses. "Do you really think there's a connection?"

"There's no evidence for one really. But my instincts suggest there might be so it would be something to consider."

"Thank you very much inspector. Let me know if you find that girl and get any information that might be of use."

inspector Istun'Halfid nodded. "And this is not meant as a slight, but if there is a foreign agent trying to steal this guy's research, will there be a full on agent coming in to work on this?"

Amble shrugged. "No slight taken. And probably. I'm very temporary here as is."

-----

[if it wasn't super obvious, Dr. Mragtiphyistve is indeed one of the criminals the pimp mentioned. The pimp doesn't know what the Dr. does beyond being someone whom contracts for lots of thefts and who indeed enjoys the ladies.]

[Kingdoms of Cal]

That afternoon the restaurant had an unwelcome visitor, or four, they barged in the Acinaie, the drewn, short by nature was hit off the wall. The mass of the felines who were dressed some what more modestly than usual as they were painting scattered. This left the teerie and the leefen to exit the kitchen hearing the disruption. The local felines had been goofing off a bit but neither of the foreigners really cared, the place wouldn't run till the kitchen was up to their standards.

The Equine was flanked by Cervine, they were all very large.

The Equine glared at them and shouted

"Those bitches are mine! If they are not making me money by eight tonight they will pay!"

The leefen replied "There are no canines here."

"I mean those whores."

"I think you will find they are my staff and I believe slavery is illegal here. Idiot, they are no one's"

One of the Cervine slapped the leefen, the teerie said quietly "what else do you want?"

"Them and half your money!"

"Will a cheque do? Who do i make it out to?"

"No but I will have what you have in your safe."

"OK"

Two of the gang brandished guns.

---

When they were gone Sainaitan said "They can't protect us can they" to Acinaie
Acinaie smiled then said quietly "Have you seen them recently?"
"But against his mob?"
"They have no idea what they are dealing with...trust me"

Sainaitan told the others not to worry as these people knew people.

---

The Equine received a call from the cell phone of one of his heavies "You might want to call this guy an ambulance he will have two dislocated shoulders and you might want them to have a Proctologist in attendance." the voice was disguised.

Three minutes later he got a second from another of his heavies cells "Call an ambulance and tell them to expect two dislocated shoulders and five dislocated fingers" this was a different disguised voice.

---
By seven o'clock the ER was full of the Equine's enforcers and the Equine's own home had been robbed, the expensive and up to date alarm system had not been tripped. His safe lay open. He was very, very scared who ever these people were knew exactly what they were doing.

No one had died yet, but who ever he was dealing with were more than capable of taking him and his family out.

---
The ER doctor was talking to a police officer "Well they have suffered nothing they won't recover from, but who ever did this did it in such a way that they would suffer the most pain. I have never seen fingers dislocated in such a precise manner so as to cause so much pain resetting them.

Our resident Proctololigist has managed to remove one of the loaded guns from one of the patients." the doctor was having trouble not smiling, it was about time someone did that to those gits, but continued.

"Who ever did this did it by skill not force, they knew exactly what they meant to do. I know these people and I have to say you have a vigilante on your hands.

Hell some of the calls came in before the injuries where caused. They knew what they planned on doing and told us. But I would be lieing if I said these scum didn't deserve it.

---
The Equine checked his pocket his cell was gone, who the heck could..would pick his pocket. He was called over the the hospital's reception desk. He was the only one of his mob not needing treatment.

"Yeah?"
"Call sir"
He took the phone violently.
"What?"
"I have a number that you might need soon if you or your friends, or anyone comes within five hundred meters of my friends now at the new dawn 633 3599, make a note of that." came the disguised voice.
"What"
"Get a note of that...633 3599."
"What."
He was hung up on.
His hand shook as he dialled the number.
"Tranin hospice, sorry we are not often called" came the reply when they picked up after a while.
"What kind of hospice are you?"
"Well as you have called us I would have thought you would have known."
"Lets just say I'm curious"
"We give palliative care to those in vegetative states and those with total paralysis"
He slammed the phone down and made plans to pack. He had heard enough, these people were not going to kill him, they would do worse. From what he could tell they could be very much worse.

He called up his competing mob lord to tell him the city was his only to be told the same. The crime gangs were exiting the city at speed, they didn't know what they were dealing with and didn't want to find out. Two hours it had taken who ever they were to shut down the largest gang, that was more than the TIPs had ever managed in a month. These people did not play by the rules, the brighter criminals saw the head mobsters flee and followed suit.

---
Back at the 'New Dawn' they were still decorating at eight, some of the staff were waiting to be picked up as the leefen and teerie returned. They smiled.

"I think our friends have encouraged you would be employers to look into new careers along way from here." The elderly teerie said as she passed.
"Yeah get out of that gear, we still have to finish the walls before the floor sanding lot get in. I'll do dinner."

[Kingdoms of Cal]

The local police had picked up that there was something odd about the "new dawn" restaurant. They had asked but could not prove anything odd about the place.

They tried but were met with a friendly staff that offered them a 10% discount. If this was what having a vigilante in the city was...it was not that bad.

This was likely to go right up the TIPs structure something new was happening. It was not just happening here it had spread. Then tinisian people were taking the law into their own hands to deal with that kind of people.

But who stood up to them first remained a mystery as no one in the new dawn could have done it surely. They must have have friends..but where..only anarchist could do this and who!...unless they tapped into something that lay in the tinisian nature.

[The Union of Tinis]

"Sainaitan?"

"Yes?"

"My name's Amble. Sorry for the disruption, but I'm assisting Inspector Istun'Halfid in an investigation regarding a, uh, former employer of yours. Don't worry, I want to make sure that your name is cleared. We don't think you had anything to do with his injuries. But we wish to verify his story regarding the assailant."

The tigress nodded. "I don't know how much help I can be."

"That's ok, I only have a few specific questions to help clarify things. If you don't know that is perfectly fine."

Again a meek nod.

Amble asked then, "Did the person who attacked him, did they use a knife or dagger to assault him?"

This was the testing question. To gauge the reliability of the witness mostly.

"No no no, I didn't see a knife. There was no knife," she looked a little concerned by the question. Amble wondered if she was aware of the difference between assault and assault with a deadly weapon. The latter had steeper penalties. But if not, it suggested that the tiger was probably paying enough attention to what she had seen to give a few details.

"Alright. Did the assailant have any sort of accent?" A different sort of testing question.

Sainaitan was much more hesitant. "I'm… I'm not sure. I could understand what they were saying. They weren't speaking no moon language if that is what you're asking. I, I was scared so, so I don't know."

"Did she remove her faux fur cloak before attacking him and asking for contact information on his friends?" This was the loaded question.

"No, she did… uh… not… uh…" Sainaitan looked lost for a moment. "I mean, I couldn't see her face or nothing."

Amble nodded. "Good good. So far this fits with what he saw. Did she ask about or mention a doctor Mragtiphyistve?"

She seemed lost in thought for a moment. "No, but the name is familiar." Her eyes widened a little. "But no, don't think she asked about that name, no."

"Did she ask anything about technology, plans, equipment, weapons, or anything like that?"

A very quick, "No."

Amble leaned back. It was time to use one of the advantages he had over the local cops. "Do you know exactly the penalties for lying to a member of the intelligence branch of this country?"

The lady seemed a little confused. "What do you mean?"

"Sorry for the slight ruse, but I am with the Home Watch branch of TIPS. I'm tracking an illegal arms trader. A foreigner who has been spotted in the area. We don't know where she came from or who she's working for. But she has been ruffling feathers with some of the local gangsters as a means to give some breathing room to her associate Dr. Mragtiphyistve. The gangsters had been hoping to use the poor doctor's connections and creations as a means to expand their reach into the neighboring cities. This woman has been involved in a number of assaults on suspected gang members in the last few days. She, or someone she's working for, is planning on working with this doctor to move a great deal of weaponry through this town.

"Now," he continued. "we are very close to nabbing her. The problem is that we fear we might not have an accurate description. I had hopped you would of completed your pimp's view of things for us so that we could be one hundred percent sure. He reported that she did use a knife and his knee wound suggests just that. He also reported her cloak falling off and her speaking in a foreign accent."

Amble's fabrication was nearly complete.

"He even told us after some bargaining that she did ask about the doctor and was keenly interested in if the pimp was involved in harassing him."

Amble smiled. Unlike the cops, he had certain leeway with making up total lies to try to get someone to crack. They just had to be plausible in some fashion. The cops would then be charged with reassuring her that they knew squat later. There was fear that Mragtiphyistve might be into something suspicious but there was no direct evidence. But the real trick of the technique was to pretend to have evidence refuting everything thus far answered in the interview to encourage the interviewee to spill the beans in some fashion.

Amble watched her head churn for a moment before asking, "You are free to fix your answers if you like. Alternatively, if you might know where we might be able to find this individual we can easily put you into protective custody. And if you like, we can even put you in one of our witness protection programs. The alternative to not doing either of course is a little more steep. If you're lucky, your lawyer can get you moved to a more southerly prison where its a tad bit warmer."

The tigress sank a bit. Amble sensed she was conflicted in some manner. Perhaps epically so.

"I… I don't…" She stammered. "Please sir, I don't want to go to prison."

"And you don't have to."

"But… she's no arms dealer, honest!"

Amble intentionally tilted his head to the side and squinted the raised eye a little. But was silent.

Once it was obvious this wouldn't be enough she opted to say something else. "I mean, she, uh, was just defending me. He's a liar for sure. Why are you trusting him? I mean, uh, umm…"

Amble had to press a little. She seemed intent on protecting this person. How far was that loyalty? Time for a little more fabrication. "You think we don't have other evidence? Unfortunately you're security clearance of none allows you to know much about what that is at this point. It will of course be released once we put a bullet through the head of this criminal."

The tigress frowned. Her look was that totally rejected by the world. She bowed her head.

"Please don't hurt her."

Amble leaned forward. "We don't want to hurt her. But we need to bring her in peacefully. If you can help us we can do that. If we can't then we might not have any other choice."

Sainaitan sighed. Very meekly she mewed, "I'll help you. Do know she helped us girls out. And, when you meet her you'll know she's no arms dealer. She's just a nice lady who told the pimps to get lost. And for once, they listened."

----

Not long after, Amble was having a sip of coffee. The inspector sat down across from him.

"She'll have one hell of a reality check when this is over," said Inspector Istun'Halfid.

"I hope you're folks are up to it," replied Amble. "I hate lying like that. We know almost squat other than this Sainaitan gal was there, and she's attached to this New Dawn place which has been very much out of the ordinary."

The inspector grinned. "Since those heavies going down, its been quiet around here. Other than you scaring that young lady half to death."

"Funny that right?" commented Amble. "Sounds like things are quiet in Llarn and August as well. Well, other than a wave of assaults followed by nothing."

The inspector seemed interested in changing the subject slightly. "You know, ever think about visiting this restaurant yourself?"

Amble shook his head. "Nope. Too dangerous. We don't know if this is some sort of foreign operation, but if it is, if they have any clue who I'm working for they'll either try to poison my food or change all their plans. Which since we know nothing of their plans, that could be either very good or very bad. I can't wager on it being very good yet."

Amble took another sip. "No, Sainaitan is our best bet at getting any info at this point. She knows nothing about this woman other than the brief description here." He poked at the paper on the table. Thinking about his reactions when he hear Sainaitan describe here caused him to pause. It was quite similar to her, but Sainaitan was also likely to be unreliable. "Or at least is unwilling to say anything useful about her background or origins."

The inspector did nothing but nod.

Amble sighed. "But we'll know more tonight."

Sainaitan had been instructed to inform the foreigner that she had run into her pimp again while walking near the hospital. But was quite able to fend him off due to his wheelchair bound state. But did over hear that a hired gun was going to be taking down the 'bitch who deserves to be beat'. Sainaitan was also to inform the mystery that the pimp offered to take her back if she came to Voy Dof Warehouse #2 that night, else she'd also be killed.

Amble realized of course that there were three ways this could go down. First being that Sainaitan either screwed up the story or gave away that she had talked to a TIPS agent. The second would be taking the bait. The third being that they figure out that the pimp was still in the hospital and come knocking. Amble had to ponder which one was most likely. Each had its dangers and pitfalls.

The biggest danger would be of course that Sainaitan told her new boss who she had talked to, and more importantly, what he looked like.

[Kingdoms of Cal]

Amble's plan did have a few flaws, as he didn't know what or who he was dealing with. Sainaitan was actually quite a good liar, but she was trying to lie to people who were by nature professional liars. She finished the story she had been told to tell them, and the leefen and teerie just looked at each other.

“Nice story, how about the truth?” The teerie asked.
Sainaitan's eyes widened and her tail dropped. “They said they were going to kill you and send me to prison” she said quietly.

“That's OK, you were worried for me and yourself. So who are they?” the leefen asked.

“The TIPS.” Sainaitan said barely audibly.

The Leefen and Teerie looked at each other and shrugged, they figured the TIPS would show and interest sooner or later.

“OK for one you have done nothing wrong, well as far as I know and I have not done anything that would justify the use of such cold blooded lethal force. Anyway if they were going to do that they would have already have done it, they were fishing” the Leefen replied. She thought for a second that was a very un-TIPS like tactic, but it was very much the kind of thing that the Alpha organisation did.

Sainaitan looked shocked “They were lieing?”

“Oh yeah, and the fact they were fishing suggests they have nothing, but spill tell us everything they asked you and what you told them.” the teerie replied, her large bushy tail twitched.

Sainaitan told them everything, except the name of the officer, neither of them were particularly interested in who the officer was, they were more interested in finding out what the TIPS wanted to know. Had they left some evidence, were they closing in, the apparent fishing suggested otherwise. The fact that Dr. Mragtiphyistve had been brought up piqued both of the ex-agents interest, why were they so interested in him? Before then neither of knew much about him, or cared, but now they were curious.

“No chance we'll even get close to his place, they will probably have security tighter than a ducks arse.” the teerie mused.

“Unless they think the risk is gone.” the leefen smiled.

“What your going to hand yourself in?” the teerie asked surprised.

“Me no, but they will get someone that fits the description and that should put them off their guard until the realise they have the wrong person.” the teerie smiled nodding at a puma who was helping to move some cushions.

“Hmmm, yeah I can do that, but we need an excuse for her to be disguised like you..”

They were talking in Calie and were interrupted by the small drewn who had been listening in “How about a come as a something else party?” she said.

“Good idea, but why would she be in that part of town?”

“I have a contact that runs an exclusive club in that part of town, fairly hush hush as they tend to cater for important people.”

“Would they want do something like that?”

“Oh it would be right up his street, his customers love that kind of thing. The shorted the notice the better, I'll suggest it to him and if we provide free food for the party, we have an excuse.”

“Well lets get on with it.” the teerie smiled.

The leefen was already beckoning the puma over.

“Yes?” the puma asked, she had what to an uneducated ear sounded almost like a leefen accent, but she was from no were near the place, in fact in her case it was a speech defect.

“I have a favour to ask, and I suspect it will be profitable to you Lantine” the leefen smiled.

Lantine smiled “shoot.”

The leefen outlined her plan for the teerie to work her magic to make her look like a leefen, specifically herself. Then to show up in the area of the warehouse and get herself lifted.

Lantine looked at the leefen “So how will me getting lifted be profitable?”

“Well you know your rights, you have been arrested for theft, fraud and a number of scams. They will take one look at your record.” the leefen smiled.

“How did you...Look I've turned over a new leaf ?”

“I know you have but they don't”

“Oh right, so?”

“Well they will know you won't be intimidated and offer you cash for information, feel free to be very pissed off. Like I set you up, the more pissed off the better, but don't make their life too easy as they will suspect something.”

“Oh right take them for as much as possible?”

“Would fit you history”

Hey if you can get them to pay you regularly for the info we provide you with.”

“But when they realise that I'm working for you won't they demand it back?”

“What the TIPS would have to admit to paying a shady source and it would not look good, especially as they don't have any other evidence of a crime. More likely they would brush the whole thing under the carpet....Oh yeah, point out the who false arrest thing.”

Lantine smiled “And the money I get?”

“Call it a tip.” the leefen smiled.

---

The Drewn shouted over “He thinks its a fabulous idea, several councillors and there wives will be there to, one isn't sure what to come as.”

“What is she” the Teerie shouted.

“A skunk.”

“Squirrel, brain dead choice, actually tell her to come here 'bout six and I'll work my magic and I'll do any other skunks as red squirrels”

The teerie smiled “I have an idea for a little insurance. I'll be a little.”

----
A hour later a 'red squirrel' nurse adjusted the pimps medication to include capstan enemas, she did so with her back to the CCTV but her apparent race was clear.

---

An hour after that the teerie was trimming a dying her tail with the pattern of a read panda. She managed to pull off the illusion well, she was very talented at this kind of thing. The leefen entered the room with a “Whoa!”

“I though you would go with a squirrel” she continued.

“Too easy anyway I figure there's going to be a few, figured I would go from something different. “

“And something that looks nothing like the CCTV footage they will have from the hospital?”

“Well that too.”

“God if they raid the party they will be looking for a red squirrel...How many skunks are you doing as squirrels?”

“Three, two are the wives of councillors.”

“Boy is this has Charlie Foxtrot written all over it for the TIPS if they do raid the place, they will lift the squirrels and probably not recognise their mates...you are doing them?.”

“Yeah, I figure by the time they have cleaned up that mess they will too shit scared to do anything for a while”

“Anyway what you planning of doing me as?”

“Another read panda, I have the extensions and the dye. Well that and I can't think of anything that I could pass you off as that looks less like you.”

---
Half an hour later two, what appeared to be red pandas were looking at each other, one was somewhat less convincing but passable if you didn't look too hard.

“You never cease to amaze me, do you want me to get Sainaitan?”

“Aye, I think I'll do her as a lion.”

“You mean lioness?”

“Naw, a bit of binding and a wig. They won't have a clue”

---
That evening a very odd group arrived with the food at the party, three looked to be leefen, a lioness was doing an rather good impersonation of a small tiger , a drewn was doing a fairly good impersonation of a flying fox and all sorts of other confusion was going on. The teerie has worked her magic, not just here but there were three very convincing squirrels en-route, one had been a little delayed by her mate.

Sainaitan had been stopped from going into the female toilet until she proved she was in-fact female. The teerie had to admit she was one of her better works.

The party moved into full swing, the dragons had tried their best, but had the slight handicap that nothing much looked like them or being similar enough that to non dragona eyes that they had trouble telling the difference.

----

Out side Lantine who looked the spitting image of the leefen decided to have a smoke and a bit of a walk, She walked towards Voy Dof Warehouse #2, she was wearing the leefen's white cloak. The bate was set, it was now just a matter of the TIPS taking it, the leefen and the teerie figured that they would move the minute they saw someone that fitted the description moving towards the warehouse. They both figured they were just desprit enough to try and worried about detection to move quickly. That and it would be unlikely the target would enter the ware house, rather lay in wait close by.