#bergen_county

Lily whispers , well, of CoURSE she does, to Connor "I do not think she wishes protection for herself."

"Of course, if you don't want in, we can't make you." He cautions, "But then we just protect ya from the outside instead of the inside. And that's less fun for you because you don't get to go on missions."

Connor looks honestly startled. "Oh, I didn't want to protect HER."

Blurting out the truth. "She joins up, she's the Rookie on all the tough missions!"

"Protection for yer family is just part of the package as a member of the Shadowpaw."

Her bright orange eyes bounce between Connor and Lily, smile fixed.

Softly "...what if I don't have any loot for dues?" The smile falters before she fixes it.

"Well, if you join the Syndicate, you're gonna need to watch over more than just one house with a cool upstairs window and four flavors of cookies.

"Oh," the sluagh nods "If the shadowpaw require my services as an eye out, well, you know my rates." Usually from Connor it's two hopeful wags and pleading puppy eyes, but that's not the point.

He ticks off fingers, "YOu gotta shake down all the best kitchens, and know who has good juice and who buys store bought. You gotta watch out for everyone, not just YOUR family, and even keep an eye on Mrs. McOld-and-Fuddy."

"And if the Shadowpaw calls, you answer."

"And if you can't pay your dues? Well, then you pay the price. Sometimes Lane needs her hair braided because she can't reach the back where it turns into mane. And sometimes I need something knocked off a top shelf. We don't HAVE any flyers yet."

"I put out fliers, but no one got the hint." Sad.

"tis true, I only CRAWL on walls"

"Friendly-neighborhood-spider-sluagh?"

She looks between Lily and Connor again, thinking.

"Hardly friendly," Lily clutches at her heart alarmed. If folks see her as friendly, why that's borderline gregarious, and then she'll suffer as revered Zara suffers and everyone will feel JUST a bit sorry for her.

"Uh-huh. When you're an old greybones, would you be a tuppence-lady?"

"I would in fact feed the birds, but only to watch to see which of the worms was a natural survivor," She defends her horrible wicked nature.

"There's... at home, in my park, Baba Yelena is there every tuesday for tuppences."

"And you HAFTA be nice to babushkas you know, because they can hex you."

"They sometimes have candy in their purses.

A pause, "Baba Yelena?" She tries to recall the reputation, then says "Yes, they are Hexcellent casters. It is known."

"Only robins really like worms. They're the worst spaghetti ever."

"My buddy Jack likes robins, they hop all over his garden when he's digging up worms."

"He's my right hoof man." Nod nod.

"Never met him." She nods.

"Never even heard of him!" Connor agrees.

"Would that I could say the same," Drily , then she says "If you have treated one of my kith's elders with proper respect and due dread, I fear we may yet be friends after all, Amity Honest Amy Cheryl," Lily lifts her chin, "For our living fosils are dear to us. "

"I'm a fossil! A dinosaur, even!"

"Nature can be cruel," Lily nods at this observation.

She pokes the pale nares that rest across her nose, resembling nothing so much as a pince-nez. "I think I'm a Pachyrhinosaurus."

"As is evolution," the sluagh adds even quieter now that she considers it, then speaks up in a slightly louder whisper "If you wish, and I do not do this for anyone, I can go to a shadowy bench in the park wearing very old clothes and acting like a little old lady, and throw sour dough as I ramble distractedly. Not too often, and to be fair, Connor does it better than I, but it might... help?"

Quick as a wink. "I'm fine."

"I know that one."

"Mmmh." She looks to Connor then says "I should go. But YOU know what to do."

In a cryptic almost sinister tone.

Connor sits crosslegged on the floor.

"I have aaaaaaall day. And night! It's Summer."

He seems content to wait.

"What about the streetlights?"

"There's no one waiting for me." Simply said.

A sad warble.

"I had a mum, she died. My dad went crazy. My sister moved out to live with her real family, and my Knight? She's still the best thing on two legs, except sometimes she uses four, but it's really six so maybe she's an insect? She has DUTY and can't stick around. So it's just me."

"Well, and the Shadowpaw. I gather'd 'em up."

"Now we're thick as thieves! Fat as pickpockets. Dense as bank robbers."

When they look again, Lily is gone!

Dun Dun DUNNAH

"It's better with a flock. Dogs flock, I know. I saw it on David Attenborough."

"I made a pack. And a pact." He nods.