((Rped live with Shifting Sands (Kate). Thanks for the play.))

Kate waited at the Museum, back in Robbie?s kitchen. She figured this was the best spot because it was where he disappeared before and what if the door only led to one specific spot? Trans-dimensional travel could be a real bitch. Up on the counter, a rhythmic dull thud punctuated the silence as her heels banged softly against the cabinet doors below her. She leaned against the upper cabinets, thumbs tapping and swiping across her phone screen at a rapid pace. Lips moved in a silent mutter, brows knit together as she reviewed the different news feeds to which she subscribed.

Enrapt as she was, Kate didn?t notice the crack start to form in midair. Troy barked and she looked up, seeing the door open right out of nothing. Her text message was finished off before stowing her phone in the bag that sat next to her, hiding the coffee maker. ?Sweet baby Traveler, you took your sweet time,? she groused, eyes widened in faux exasperation. ?Hey, Dog!? her voice sounding excited just to see his tail wag harder. It was almost cute.

She made no move to remove herself from her countertop perch, waiting for Robbie to come closer. ?So, what did Doll have to say? You already met with her, right??

His hand was on the doorknob that had seemed to come from nowhere. The warmer, wetter air of New Orleans along with city brine flooded forward, overpowering what would have been that all too recognizable cinnamon. The air paused and Robert's eyes held her. Kate tore into the air with her voice, her strange exclamation causing a smile to break.

"I suppose I did." He took a step in, his hand staying on the knob of the door as if concerned that it might close shut behind him. Would they be stalled, kept in Rhy'Din, if the door shut? The logistics for how the keys worked was unclear. The science of how he got there was only as deep as having felt that one of the keys was appropriate.

"She wants something." He didn't say "of course" but it was implied in his tone.

There was certainly an aroma to the humid gust of air that wafted through the invisible door that straddled two worlds. It billowed and puffed around Robert's form, oozing warily into the foreign space of the Underworld Museum. Wrinkling her nose, Kate slid to the floor. Since Robert didn't want to take his hand off the door, Kate would get moving. His concern remained unspoken. She got it. Shouldering the heavy bag off the counter, Kate moved to stand directly in front of Robert, hands on her hips.

"Well, duh. No shit. What does she want and what's she willing to trade for it? Or did she want to pay in sexual favors?" Kate made a face, not even wanting to imagine that horror show. "I'm not jealous, but I would judge you." One arm was thrust toward the door, just over Robert's shoulder. "Well, what are we waiting for? After you, m'lady."

Kate slid off the counter and his eyes moved away from her, checking behind him. When he turned his head to look back in her direction she was already standing before him. Her mouth had a way of hitting the air with the sort of confidence teenagers usually had.

"No," he said to her inquiry about sexual favors, though he had felt Doll's initial attempts had that undertone. That hope that something as easy as sex could get her the unattainable. He cleared his throat, "My predecessor and her did not agree. She wants what she had, what was, to be reinstated." Kate's hand met the door over his shoulder. Her sarcasm urged him on, he turned away from the door and stepped back into New Orleans, not looking back at her until he was certain she had also cleared the threshold.

His right hand hung in a slight hook-shape, palm up, towards her. The wordless offer to carry her bag hung in the air as he continued, "I told her if she could free Roach of the contract without killing her that I would."

Kate's eyes narrowed in thought, working that over in her mind for any holes, prioritizing her questions, finding ways to manipulate the situation if necessary. Robert stepped through the door in front of her, Dog bringing up the rear. As Kate stepped over the invisible threshold, she took the opportunity to appreciate a handful of Robert's ass with a firm squeeze. "What exactly did she have, how is she restrained now? I thought that Roach had to die in order to be released from the contract? That's what you told me. You want Doll to bring her back, as well? Does she have that kind of power?"

Robert turned around to face her and held his hand in a curious shape. She didn't owe him any money so that couldn't be it. Dark brows knit together, looking from the offered hand to his face. "Uh, what are you asking for?" The pilot wasn't used to chivalry. Independence and self-sufficiency were points of pride for her, they were the hallmarks of her brazen confidence. Even if she couldn't handle something, Kate would never let it show.

Whatever his reaction to the squeeze, she wouldn't see it right off. It was no doubt a furrow of his brows followed by a scowl which turned into a suppressed smile towards the end.

"Your bag." At times they were aliens communicating. Look, Robert, smiling, it's what people do when they're happy. Here, Kate, I'm offering to do something nice. Sometimes people help each other. Neither language was particularly foreign except to one another. Sensing she may question his motives, being that she dealt with the questionable in her profession, he cleared his throat, "to carry it for you. You are my guest." His hands lowered a few inches but the gesture was otherwise unchanged. Troy helped by barking at her as though his urging might have been because the two people were standing with blank stares and clearly no dog treats.

Kate would have enjoyed that scowl and tried to inspire another, all the while laughing merrily. It was one of the reasons this Odd Couple worked together because Robert had the patience for her antics.

Kate stared at Robert another moment, lips twitching but she didn't allow the smile. Toby barked at them, drawing her gaze and though she fought it, the smile widened slightly. "Well, if Dog thinks I should trust you, I guess you can't be all bad." Battling with her self-sufficiency was her love of being pampered so there was no hesitation in handing it over. "A guest. And here I thought we were friends," giving him a look of faux reprisal. Kate hooked their elbows together, waiting for him to lead them wherever they were going.

Kate was working the situation over. He waited for it, knowing that she was doing tactical math while creating her next crass comeback. She didn't like earnest replies, something about them made her so uncomfortable that she had a perpetual smirk. It reminded him of the masks in the shop, how she had them both slide them on and roam the streets of New Orleans. She had been comfortable wearing one. Masks were comfortable and seemed on rare occasion to slip.

"Most of the time guests are friends." Though they were both aware of the fallacy of that statement. Her bag weighed down his hand and then was swung over his left shoulder, causing him to lean forward from its weight. Her hand wrapped his elbow and as if on cue he began walking.

Troy was pleased, he trotted ahead through the tourists as if it were him that lead the way. Robert leaned as if to say something in her ear but it was a light kiss, tapping the crest of her cheek before he spoke, "I thought it best to have Doll labor on my little issue instead of focus too much on you. She was rather disappointed that you would be back and didn't do a great job of hiding it."

The thing that most people didn't realize was that, much of the time, Kate's answers were in earnest, albeit cavalier. That was her general attitude toward the drama that swept up others: relationships, other peoples' relationships, bitching about work, crying over something. There was no patience or bandwidth for that with Kate, she had her eye on the prize at all times. That is to say, she was building an empire and even though she couldn't take it with her when she quit this world, she could at least take all the money.

Masks were near and dear to Kate's heart for reasons unknown to anyone else. She would be back to that shop to stock up on the under-used accessory.

Toby trotted ahead of them, seemingly in a good mood though Kate didn't know much about dogs or their moods. Pets weren't part of her lifestyle except for sea monkeys, of course. She had a whole colony of them aboard the Wind.

Tilting her cheek up for the kiss, Kate turned immediately afterward to fix Robbie with an arch look, a smile hovering at the corners of her mouth. "Count Robula, are you trying to protect me?" A wide grin bloomed, nudging at him with her shoulder. "That's sweet and all but don't you worry your pretty little head about it. I can handle Doll and whatever she can throw at me. Now, don't think I didn't notice how you haven't answered any of my questions about her, yet."

For some reason the smile she had after he kissed her was unexpected. Kate was, more often than not, one to soak up his affection and not spur it. Perhaps he expected her to be dismissive about it, to roll her eyes or shrug. She hadn't, Kate had always seemed to smile after he kissed her cheek like some silent bet had been won.

Knew you'd kiss me, her smile seemed to say. It embarrassed him but not so much that he didn't keep doing it.

"Until you are a god, a little bit of caution is healthy. Doll has been known to have a few tricks." With her recirculating her query from before, he shrugged, "In some part, I am uncertain and will have to find out all the details. What I know about Doll is that she can control and influence people as though they are Dolls. It is said that she is in her third body-- that would be an interesting means to help Roach." He imagined her being slipped into any number of bodies. His smile was half a cringe. He kept walking, Troy leading the way towards the Mansion of Hades that existed down the end of one street that would twist and transport.


As long as Kate was unpredictable, she was happy with whatever result tipped Robert off his normal track. It wasn't that she was against displays of affection, she often gave them in her own unique language. It was the idea that it could turn into more, that she might put down roots and settle in a solid relationship, that she fought against. It just wasn't coded into her DNA. As long as Robbie could keep that in the forefront of his mind, Kate would be affectionate as she wanted.

A bark of laughter followed his warning. "Does that mean you're doubting my status as a god? I'm disappointed in you, Robbie. I'll have to show you how wrong you are." Smirking, she leaned close, putting lips just next to his ear as they walked. "I'll have you worship me in bed tonight."

Kate broke away before he could follow that with another peck. "Baby, I got tricks you never even heard of before. I've faced a dozen Dolls and I've lived to tell the tale. Also, for the record, I've had way more bodies than her. But how does she control people? What's her method?"

Kate adored the fact that Robert now lived above a nightclub. The faint sound of music upstairs, a thrum that reverberated through the frame of the mansion, gave it a life that made the house seem like its own entity. A sentient thing that allowed all of them inside it - forgiving but not always benevolent. It didn't bother Kate as much as she might have thought. In fact, she kinda liked it. Warforged and cybs were one thing but this place had a warm energy to it that drew her in.

Keenly aware of all the lackeys and lobbyists watching them covertly, her chin tipped up and she wore a wide smile. Heels clacked on the metal staircase, hips rocking back and forth in front of Robbie. Presumably, that was why he wanted her to go first, right? Might as well give him a good show. "An old friend? I didn't know you had any," twisting to flash him a teasing smile over her shoulder. "Semi-casual, huh? I'm definitely going to change clothes and so are you. You're Hades, now, let's work on your image." She prattled all the way up to the room, swinging open the door like she owned the place.

"Tell me more about your friend?" Kate asked as she started fiddling with her belts, shedding them with ease to drop them in a pile on the chaise. "Where are we going to meet him? Does it have a bar? Also, what's your favorite color?" By this time, she was wandering into the large dressing room that sprawled opposite the bathroom. Surely, a place like this would just magically have stuff in Robbie's size, right? That was her expectation. Come on, House, don't let her down.


He lived atop a very strange nightclub and it took a special sort of person to appreciate that, him, and the situation. His eyes followed her and he found, for some strange reason, that he enjoyed how much she embraced the moment. Kate was spectacular at improv and nothing, in the course of all they had experienced, ever seemed to be a surprise to her. He was sure at key points that there were surprises and that she squirreled them away, deep beneath her skin. This wasn't an issue he wanted to dig up and expose, he rather liked the flawless, fluid mask she wore when issues came to her. In another life, perhaps, she would have made for a beautiful matriarch. Unflappable and laughing though... if anyone knew, Robert knew, that there was always a moment of disparity and tears.

"His name is Gus and... he's a neurotic little demon I think..." Robert said, watching her drop belts and wear new ones. He looked away because in that moment, for whatever reason, it felt somewhat awkward to watch the Kate-Belt-Fashion-Show. He moved to the French window, propping the side of a bent leg against the iron rail as he lit of a cigarette. It'd been a long minute since he had one of those.

"I think he's betrayed me but," the minor rise and fall of his shoulders came as he looked back at her, "he's a fearful, little creature. A human could probably end him in a bar fight if he wasn' careful. I think... he has some information about what's happened and with a little bit of pressure," he clarified, tapping the ash of his cigarette out the window as he watched her, "he'll talk. Too much and he might cry." The latter was said more as a warning to Kate in the hopes she wouldn't bombard Gus and send him off useless tears.

Kate never put on new belts, just removed those that she'd been wearing before sauntering into the dressing room. It didn't take much for Robbie's voice to carry in there while she looked through the available options. Nothing was catching her fancy so she took a step back from the shirts hanging in their neat rows, squeezed her eyes shut tight and muttered something under her breath. She held that position for thirty full seconds before one eye peeked open. She thought some of them were different colors and when she shuffled through them again, a delighted smile lit her features.

"So this is recon with a frienemy. Sensitive little land mine, got it." A thought occurred to her and she laughed to herself. "A crying demon and a Demon of Crying, figures you two would be friends." Rolling her eyes, she pulled out a particular shirt and set it on a nearby bench before attacking the pants and jackets. It wasn't until Robbie finished his cigarette (and somehow, Kate knew the exact moment even though a wall separated them) that she called out to him. "Hey, get your tight little ass in here, I've got something for you to try on."


"Greens and greys are okay, I guess," it was a late vote on his favorite color. He tapped his cigarette even though it didn't need it, out the window. His spine was nearly propped up against the frame of the window as he watched her. She was sexy, and he suspected that she knew it and was used to the feeling of men yielding to whatever she said. Robert would have liked to boast that he was better than them, but he found the difference between what he envisioned and what he was to be divided only by a vision of pride.

"Presumably." He wasn't going to call Gus a frienemy, even if the evidence was thick and all signs pointed to yes. The man hadn't ratted himself out as being such and maybe, just maybe, he had a worthwhile explanation when it came to Menace and what went down with the contract. Gus' work had always gone to the highest bidder, or at least the bidder that wouldn't beat the crap out of him.

"Be nice. I am allowing you to play dress up with me." Perhaps the faux college professor did need an update, but the reverent tip of Kate's head towards him was, on occasion, necessary to keep him compliant. She said she had something and he sighed, flicking the white cylinder cigarette to the ground beneath before he got to his feet. He crossed over to her, one hand catching her by the hip as he looked at what she'd concocted.

Well, she lucked out on something with the green shirt, anyway, but her goal had really been to bring out his eyes. The ensemble wasn't anything too crazy, certainly not in the vein of her own style, but her eye was keen for what people liked and what might suit them. In short, she was a hell of a stylist. "I don't see it as dress up, I see it as making sure you look good to properly cow your subordinates. No one respects a rumpled towel, they want Egyptian cotton. It's not about playing up to expectations, it's about projecting confidence and power. That is half the battle with keeping a position like this." It wasn't that she thought that Robert was too dim to see it for himself or know how it worked but it obviously wasn't much of a priority on his list.

She was serious in her desire to make sure he held his position because the only way to get him to relinquish his position was by killing him and it seemed like there were plenty of opportunists around here. Turning toward him, she started to undo the buttons of his shirt with a professional attitude. "Come on, just try it out and see how you like it. I think it's going to grow on you faster than you think." It was basically what he was already wearing but tailored. "Meanwhile, this place is fucking amaze-balls! Do you know you this closet gives you what you ask for? How fucking tight is that? I mean, I'm considering offing you myself just to get this place in the will." The words were harmless, softened with a teasing smile as she pushed his shirt from his shoulders, letting it pool on the ground. Then he was handed the green shirt while she worked on his pants.

"So specifically what information are you hoping to squeeze out of the little lemon?"

There was still the soft breath of his cigarette smoke on him as she undid the buttons of his shirt. He watched her, curiously, because she was so focused. Her fingers were deft and made quick work of every button, down to his belt buckle. Her hands felt away, the shirt became an old puddle of cloth behind is ankles as she brought something fresher, sharper, around to him. He lifted a hand, his arms going into one sleeve and then the other. He didn't wait for her fingers to behave as lightning-- his hands were already at the lowest fixture, fitting the button through the slot.

"To confirm my suspicions, first," his tone was pragmatic as he watched her, In one moment there was a smile but it disappeared under the weight of concentration. Kate was keeping so many pieces moving, active, that his attention was divided from her and to the clothes and moving, to following her commands without being distracted by the way he tended to daydream.

"Secondly," his right hand at his left wrist, fixing the button at the cuff into place as he spoke, "To let him know who I am and what has happened. He will run his mouth and I want to see who shows up first after he has. I want to dismantle every part of Menace that remains."

See? The clothes were already rubbing off on him. Kate made a purring sound as she pushed his pants down, encouraging him to step out of the fabric while he buttoned his shirt. Jeans were handed to him - a comfortable and relaxed fit that still showed off his butt. Then she turned to some shallow drawers and rubbed her hands together. "Alright, House, Mama wants some watches to match. What have you got for me?" Again, her eyes squeezed shut for a few seconds, like wishing on a star. One of the drawers was pulled open and she beamed at the selection in front of her. With an appraising glance back to Robert, Kate decided to keep it simple with a brown band and bronzed face.

"I like this side of you, Robbie. Watching you destroy your enemies is sexy." Manicured brows bounced at him while she held out the watch for him to put on. After that, it was the boots and leather jacket because she wanted to see the whole picture now, not wait until they were walking out the door. Kate herded him over to the stand-up mirror, angling it so he could see himself. She stood directly behind him, hands on his hips, peering around one arm. "Damn, Robbie, you look hot. For real. You look like you're ready to kick ass and take names. This will intimidate the lemon all by itself, before you even open your mouth." Two handfuls of his butt were squeezed firmly. It was a brief touch and then her hands rose to his hair, stepping on front of him to run fingers through his curls, eyes squinting critically. "Maybe...maybe a trim but it's good for now. I think tomorrow I'll trim your hair."


Jeans? Really? He gripped the pair and then looked at her. Clearly, he had something to say about them. Jeans were just so... so... casual? He wasn't entirely sure when the last time he wore them was. He turned them in his hands, stepping through one leg and then the other as she plucked a watch out of an offered drawer, "You realize this means I get to play dress up with you one night." He voiced it like it might be a threat, though he wasn't expecting to see her shudder with fear.

"It's the same side that's always been, I just don't have your knack for flare." The waist of his pants fixed into place and his shirt done up, he was fighting off the whispers in his mind that told him he'd done it wrong. They were loud and unsettling whispers which died back at Kate's admission that he was hot. His gaze chided her for being too playful, though he was unable to completely contain the smile the developed after what she'd said. He was finger combing his hair back when she moved in, taking a moment to grip his behind. He reached back to ease her, but she had moved already, inspecting his hair He felt like a prize dog she had fed, fucked, groomed and was ready to put on show.

"My hair is fine," he impressed, reaching to catch one of her hands by the wrist and tug her back in close to him, "What's your favorite color?"


Robert had clearly said this was semi-casual. Jeans meant he was comfortable with the new mantle of power, that he wasn't going to be a tyrant, would be able to relate to the people. The leather jacket and accessories dressed it up. Just go with it, Robbie, stop complaining. There was nothing playful about her claim that he was attractive, that had been genuine. The squeeze to his ass proved it. A grin split her mouth at the 'threat'. "Oh yeah? What do you think I should be wearing?" She wondered if he would have an eye for something she liked, or if it would be tailored to his fantasies.

"Few do have my knack for flair," not even trying for modesty. For the record, Kate had never fed Robbie. Domesticity wasn't her bag, she ordered out or ate from vending machines, couldn't even boil water without it going horribly awry. "I agree that your hair is fine. For now," a mischievous gleam lighting up the grey of her eyes. "My favorite color? I would have thought it obvious, by now. Black, of course. I mean, I like all the other colors just fine but mostly to serve as accents. Why do you ask?"

"Have you thought about what you want to do? Continue working or resign?" It might be a small slice of sane in an otherwise crazy position, or maybe it could be a weakness and a drag on his time. Distractions could be dangerous. ?I know you liked it, said it fit you, but do you think you could handle both?"

"The museum feels important to me, I don't think it's time yet for me to resign. There's no suitable replacement for me yet, anyhow." Robert knew a thing or two about situations being dangerous. A person always did prevail until that day that they didn't. She asked if he could handle both and he smiled in a somber way which said it wasn't likely, but that a conversation alone would not determine it.

Of course she was having a good time! Kate genuinely enjoyed the challenge of playing politics in a foreign court. She liked the game, building a power base and watching everyone scramble to fit themselves inside of it. Consider her the Anne Boleyn of NOLA. Without all the beheading stuff.

"Well, sure, you can deal with it but I'll probably have more fun." A wide grin flashed at him as he stood up, then she laughed, wrinkling her nose. "Are you high? I'm not wearing any shoes and haven't added the finishing touches, yet. I'll be a few more minutes, then we can get going." Standing next to him, both hands settled lightly on the proffered arm, using it as leverage to stretch and place a peck against his mouth. "You just stand there and look pretty."

"I didn't realize so much preparation remained. Shoes should take only a few seconds, surely." His voice was heavy as if to chide her except that his tone never quite said that that was what he was doing. She wrapped her arm around his, anyway, and his smile appeared in approval. A kiss, a fleeting press of warmth to his mouth and then he sighed, "I'm not good at that. Isn't that your job? To be the beautiful one?"

"Maybe your shoes take a few seconds once you fish them out of the dumpster you found 'em in." A twist of her neck had her glancing back with a puckish smirk before she disappeared into the bathroom, a long belt trailing from her fingers. A snort was heard through the open doorway. "Baby, if I could get paid to look this good, don't you think I'd be doing it somewhere? You know I'm allergic to an honest day's wage." There was a pause and then she poked her head out the door. "You don't wanna pay me for that, by any chance, do you?" Brows bounced up and down twice, then she pulled herself back into the bathroom. It was, in fact, ten minutes later when she stepped out. At the edge of the bed, Kate fished around in her bag and pulled out her heels, slipping them on with one hand resting on the post for balance. "Okay, locked and loaded. You ready?"

Dumpster shoes and a twist of her lips. He felt like she was fishing for his frown and she got it, along with a nonchalant look out the window. He wondered what space Troy had carved for himself in the mansion, if Mr. Keys spoiled him. Kate spoke of honest wages and then she stuck her head out from the bathroom.

He wasn't going to answer her, though, just give her a pointed look that said she wasn't being subtle enough by goading him in that way. She went to finish getting ready and he went to check his cell phone. Doll.

Text Robert: Hey I think I have an idea, When can we meet up?

Text to Doll: Tomorrow for lunch. I have something right now.

Text to Robert: Coming alone?

He looked at the bathroom door and then back down at his cell phone screen.

Text to Doll: Probably not.

He pocketed his cell phone as she emerged from the bathroom and gave her a small smile. It was a soundless compliment, one matched by his gaze that brushed from her bare feet to her profile. Watching her get ready made him wonder if she ever valued what it felt like to be beautiful as opposed to enjoying what being beautiful got her.

Locked and loaded. Robert stepped by the doorway and slipped into his assigned boots before he offered her the crook of his arm, "Now that we're both acceptable... let's eat."

She took his arm as she always did, linked at the elbows. Even though she kept stride with him, Kate still strutted as if she were on a runway, chin up with supreme confidence. "What sort of entertainment do you want for your coronation? Do you get gifts for that? I'mma make it a thing, anyway. Might as well get free stuff when you can. Relaxed black tie...oh, with masks! Can we do masks?" she asked Robert with an eager smile. "You wouldn't mind that, would you? Lots of champagne, finger foods and music. I'll make sure it's good."

"What's the name of the scared little lemon we're meeting, again? Has Doll told you anything more about what to do about Roach?" Even if her lips weren't moving, the thoughts of the star pilot were always traveling at warp speed.

Entertainment. What sort of... entertainment did he want. Robert hadn't thought about what entertained him, at least not in those terms. He thought about what he would enjoy or how he might opt to pass the time. The way she said it made him think of Roman senators cheering on gladiators. What would entertain him?

"A play," after he said it, he realized just what production, exactly, he wanted to see, "Hamilton." The reviews on it had been staggering, the sort that made him wonder if any show could live up to the hype. He was assured that it would. Robert didn't really have an interest in seeing any of the classics-- he had seen them all already, performed both well and poorly.

"Masks are fine. I'm sure New Orleans can accommodate that." There might have been a gentle hint of amusement somewhere in the back of his voice though he didn't smile when he said it. She said it would be good and he didn't argue, he simply nodded to most of her suggestions. They passed Troy going down the stairs and the mutt took it upon himself to follow them.

"Gus. I know him from when I was working in New York years ago." She asked about Doll and he shook his head no, muttering, "I don't expect her to have any success, it's likely a task that will just keep her busy." Robert might have underestimated just how much voodoo had to do with the living and the dead.

Manicured brows shot up to hear he wanted a play ? his choice made her smile. For a split second, she?d expected some stuffy thing in Latin with chanting and ringing bells. With her free hand, she snap-pointed at him. ?Classy. I like it. Really sets a tone, yanno? I?ll make sure I look extra good for you, and that you look extra good.? Already she was thinking of possible jackets, the right cut for the event and his frame. Definitely a high collar. ?You can pick out your mask,? turning her face to gift him with a sunny smile. How magnanimous. ?But I request a dark color and please let me know what it is so I can plan accordingly.? Oh wait, no! She just had a great idea. ?No, no, change of plan. It needs to be black and silver. We?ll stop back at that mask shop.?

?Do I get to ask him questions about when you two lived in New York?? Kate was supposed to be on good behavior with the lemon but her curiosity was a formidable thing. Couldn?t always be tamed.

?So it?s busy work, huh? Do you really want to get Roach out of her contract or not?? Kate steeled herself for the transition from Hades Mansion to the city proper, free hand curling around his forearm to help steady herself. They stepped directly into the crowded sidewalk where Kate bounced off Robert?s side before she righted herself.

The smile she gave him, as it turned out, was exactly that. Magnanimous. It was so much so that she might have noticed the imperceptible falter of his own smile in return. She'd caught him off guard and he was trying his best not to show it. Black and silver. That meant that any punch of color would have to come separately. He smiled broadly, in a way that was almost regrettable. She'd unexpectedly amused him and he was trying not to show it.

"You want to ask him that?" He blinked at her, not having thought that she would be interested enough to press. A gold mine of information would have been Remmy. That was an infinitely awkward situation, but also one that didn't have to happen. Remmy appeared every few years or so and sooner or later she would feel too old, too past her prime, to attempt to wedge her foot back in his life that way. They continued down the street, not five blocks from where Gus was seated at a table, sweating. Worrying. Trying not to develop an ulcer.

She bounced to his side and it caused his arm to wrap around her, his fingers curled at the jut of her hip. "What would you ask him? You could just as easily ask me."

The tension in the room increased in the span of a heartbeat, all eyes turning upon them. The building itself (maybe even the whole city) held its breath while Robert sliced thin pieces from the opposition. Kate was a beaming mama, proud of him for finally flexing some muscle. However, she had to bite her cheek from barking at the little lemon. Barbs were ready to puncture his puffed up excuses but she couldn't let them fly today, this was Robbie's show and she could respect that.

Since he was handling his shit, Kate took a moment to bask in the power radiating from the man next to her. A slow smile spread across her lips, genuine as it was dangerous, pale eyes glittering while surveying the minions Robert could call to hand. As usual, there was more to the purty demon than met the eye - it was one of the things Kate enjoyed most about him.

Only partly was the next move a show to keep up her ditzy charade. Hands slid around his bicep nearest to her and she leaned in close, purring against the small dip below his ear. "Let him know, show him what you can do," the words breathed softly enough to keep them private, unheard by Gus or anyone else.


"It wasn't that you were a lesser threat." Gus was trying, but he had never done very well at this. He?d envisioned how he might die a million times over, but he never imagined it would be at Robert?s hand. Maybe a Nephilim would pinch him, or some higher demon. Maybe he sold the wrong bit of info.

Kate's purr in Robert?s ear was like a thick, cold meade dripping into his brain. He felt her words usher along the soft music of his heartbeat. The saxophone on the street had paused for their moment. The hot-mouth feeling of New Orleans held its breath. Robert lifted one hand to urge Gus to try to quit stammering, to quit complaining.

"Shhh," the wave of his fingers came around, closing into a fist as he stared at Gus. "There's nothing for you to worry about, not anymore."

At first, the other demon showed partial relief. The tension wrapped up in his frame had started to go slack until a realization wound him tight. One of Gus' hands gripped the roll of silverware on the table while the other desperately went to his throat. From between his lips, pieces of grain materialized from nothing, pouring out of his mouth until he was choking on slippery seeds. They fell from the gaping hole framed by his teeth, hitting the plate on the table in an erratic, musical way.


Oh, how Kate delighted in the display. Her grip on his arm tightened, anticipation mounting until Robbie's fist closed and Gus started to choke. It was like a Force choke but so much better because there wasn't just his airway being constricted, he was being filled from the inside out by...small pebbles? Cherry pits? Something that made a funny pelting sound against the plate (rain on a tin roof). It fit the atmosphere, the air coiling tighter and tighter around them. Kate's heart quickened as did her breath, teeth capturing her lower lip even as she grinned.

It wasn't that she was bloodthirsty (not today, anyway) but she did love to be on the winning side. The powerful side. The side that was kicking ass at the top of the food chain. It put her in mind of a pet project that was bubbling away in the back of her mind and she made some mental notes about it while watching the scene.

It was the second hottest thing Robbie had ever done in front of her.


Gus writhed, finding his last breath on the floor of the restaurant while Kate enjoyed every second of it. His face was on the cold tiles and he reached, desperately clawing for relief but only finding every face of New Orleans watching him passively. Robert thought he would have felt... guilt, or something heavier, but nothing came. There wasn't even the joyous tide of righteous indignation, which might have being the sort of pious spark to make him smile. It was as if what he had done had to happen, that it needed to happen, and that the blood flow of the world could continue on now that Gus was not some minor clot.

"Don't worry, darlin'," the waitress smiled with her too-white teeth, "we'll take care of the spill." The rest of the world returned to its business as if nothing had happened during Gus? final grain-strain breaths on the floor. Maybe it even continued in a slightly better mood because of what happened. Tourists were seated in tables and music began to peel through the streets. The intense weight of the air never had changed.

He breathed and leaned back, swallowing. It seemed seconds later that all the evidence of what had happened was gone. He might have even doubted it if not for a few grain seeds that had slipped the waitress' attention on their table. That and the empty seat that had belonged to Gus. Robert took in a breath, the hand of the arm furthest from her moving to wrap around the one that she had about his bicep, "Hungry?"


She wondered if he'd stop at the last second, let the lemon live as an act of mercy or just because he was uncomfortable killing someone in cold blood while surrounded by strangers. However, the strangers were under Robert's thrall (the city's thrall) - there was no outcry, no horror, only that heavy silence that waited expectantly for Gus to die.

Once he did, the world snapped back to life around them. The cosmic order was set to rights or whatever while Kate observed, fascinated. Even a little envious. God, the ways she could abuse that sort of power...it made her a little giddy. Her smile only brightened when the waitress took care of the clean up. Damn the Traveler, but this was the life!

Robert's warm hand over the top of hers drew her attention, not even trying to hide her child-like joy at what just occurred. "Hungry?" she repeated, stuttering into a laugh. Pushing from her chair, Kate spun on the ball of one foot, lifting the other to straddle his lap and wind her arms around his shoulders. "Shit, Robbie, I am so turned on right now. It's not food that I'm hungry for, but maybe after."


His jaw turned to an angle as he watched her rise and spin, claiming the gap between him and the table as her own. Her thighs pressed on the outside of his and he watched her, near glowing with anticipation. Was it for him, or for what he could be? It didn't matter, not really. Kate had seemed fond of him as a pastime when he was an intriguing museum curator. Now, in his lap, he was more than aware of her approval of the changes being made.

What he didn't anticipate was how much he would enjoy her excitement and the way she fit against him. He craned his neck to catch her throat, his mouth working all the way to where the cloth of her shirt blocked him. Robert had certain tells that Kate was sure to know by now. It was all in the details: the finger-snap of cinnamon in the air that hinted she had him on the hook, that suddenly he wanted her as much as she playfully implied.


Robbie incited more purring, the vibration heavy against his lips when they were plied to her throat. She felt a nip of teeth, his hands tightening on her thighs until fingertips dug into the leather. "Mmmmm, someone smells like cookies. Or are you just happy to see me?" With a hand on his shoulder, Kate pushed him back an inch as she pulled away, leaning to put some small space between them. "Meet me in the bathroom in a minute? Or you want to just do it on the table?" A wide grin flashed teeth. "I don't mind either way, but you already know that."


"The bathroom." He said it as she put his back into the prop of his chair. He didn't fight the assertion of space. Robert had, from the very beginning, been a little taken with delayed gratification. His grip on her thighs eased, but only enough so that his hands could slide towards her knee caps, the arch of his palms fitting over them.

The choice he made was affected by the crowd, but not by any notions of him being prudish. They had announced in tidbits their intimacy to the world, but in many ways, he still believed it was their own. The idea that it would belong to the world to be exploited and on sold videos seemed inevitable, but in that current moment, he still believed that the details belonged to the two of them.


Public, private - either way, Kate was going to enjoy herself because that's what it was really about.

The goodbye was exactly as he expected it to be. Doll was relying less on her charisma and more on the hope that she could control and deliver the goods. Every piece of information, every ability to make it more Hers than His, was her goal. Robert wondered how it was that so many beings were drawn into these power games. Perhaps he had been wise to go unnoticed, reading in his corner?

There wasn't any going back to that. Not now, anyway. The smell of sex and Kate, of blood and the moans that had crawled up the walls and teased his arm, gave a verbal jab and walked past. He turned in her direction. What could he say to that sort of compliment? The only thing that came to mind immediately: "I need a cigarette."

Moving past Robert, Kate headed for the beaded jacket that caught her eye. Grey washed denim distressed in all the best places, princess detailing at the shoulder, and metal skull buttons at the cuffs. Yup, this was coming home with her. After grabbing her size and folding it over her shoulder, Kate ambled toward Robert.

"A cigarette, huh? Stress from Doll or still basking in the afterglow?" she asked with a smirk. His ass got a hi-five before she headed for the door. "I better let that cashier back in before she calls the cops. Can you put a whammy on her to forget about us or not care we were here, or something?" Kate glanced curiously over her shoulder at Robert, fingers curled around the handle. Once he caught up to her, Kate unlocked the door and pulled it open. Passing over the threshold, she was engulfed in the damp air once more, still not accustomed to it.

"So what do you wanna do next?"

"Doll isn't a stress." Calling her that elevated her too high for Robert's comfort, even if he was the one warning Kate not to get too cocky about it all. Was it addiction or afterglow, then, fueling the memory of his habit? Robert revealed himself with a small smile, glancing away just as her hand landed on his ass in a playful smack.

"I don't know... " He guessed at what she meant by whammy and thought it over before he continued "No one in this city seems keen on giving me trouble. Let's find out." By the time he had finished speaking, what remained of his smile was gone and he adopted his more commonly held somber expression. Stepping outside, the cashier smiled at them nervously and then hurried past into her shop, eager to hold her silence.

The air of New Orleans was more than an oppressive humidity. It surprised him at first and then settled in like a memory, reminding him of the streets he had known intimately while curling his body around a bottle in a cardboard box. What did he want to do next? His dark eyebrows rose as he combed through his immediate thoughts. His hand dug into the jacket's pocket, but, having never worn it before, there was no lighter and pack of cigarettes waiting for him. He turned into one of the little corner shops and snagged cigarettes and a lighter. He could have just walked out with them, like Kate, but he still felt the impulse to throw a few bills on the counter. When he stepped out he was lighting up, taking a draw and then speaking. "What about this coronation? What needs to be done for that?"

Snorting, Kate grinned. "On that, you and I agree." Doll wanted to be the Sword of Damocles but she was more like a thorn in the paw. Much grander in her own mind than anyone else's. Outside, the streetlamps flickered on, marking the borders between day and night. This city was old and, whatever chaos might happen within its borders, the powers here had Rules. When those Rules were broken, blood spilled and bones gleamed.

"No one in this city except me seems keen on giving you any trouble." Refusing to be part of the crowd, Kate smirked and followed him toward the convenience store, watching his ass in those jeans. How could she get him to wear those more often? Eyes narrowed speculatively while she pulled out her phone. Of course she snapped a pic but then she was on to business while Robbie helped himself to cigarettes.

"Hm?" Kate glanced up and slid her phone into a pocket. "Well, I know you hate making decisions, but a lot of that depends on you. Of course, I'll be happy to make these decisions for you," offering a bright, eager smile. "You said you wanted a play, we can arrange that. Food? Atmosphere? You still open to making this a masquerade?" As she spoke, Kate started guiding him down the street with her elbow in his. Their next destination was already in mind.

"But has it all been booked, been handled?" Had the check boxes next to all the desirable events been checked? Kate didn't look worried, but he suspected that had she ever fallen short of the mark that she would have shrugged it off or been so playful that she'd have to be forgiven. "Outside of what I wanted, the rest of it can all be decided by you." Robert didn't need to micromanage the details to assert his authority. He wasn't destined to be a great leader on his own, it was through the details that rats crept in and pushed their own agendas and it was through the details that he would let them. Leaders, good leaders, needed to care more than he did.

His saving grace was that Kate had come into the picture. He wasn't entirely aware of her objectification of him as he got the cigarettes and if he had known? He likely would have thought it was some sort of elaborate joke. The only question she asked him that he was ready to answer was about the masquerade, "Yes, I want the masquerade." His cigarette was tugged from his mouth. She had an idea in mind and drew both of their bodies towards it. His eyes were hunting, searching for some clue to what directed their steps. "I don't eat much, but I like Italian." He felt the need to be clear. "Traditional Italian." American pizza was not Italian as far as he was concerned. Robert was born in Italy, old Italy, and the idea of having dishes that he'd known and first been comfortable with was appealing. Perhaps he was getting too sentimental.

Perhaps all of that was a bit offensive, to reject the Cajun cuisine the city birthed and was known for.

The spark of her idea and the vigor of her stride was appealing enough. The crook of his elbow gave hers an affectionate squeeze. He wondered if the Morse code message of 'I like you' had been telegraphed.

"Has it been handled?" Kate turned her face toward him with a small frown - the mere notion was a tad insulting. However, Robert had a habit of underestimating her and she liked to use that to her advantage when she could. The frown eased a second after it appeared, shrugging off her indignation. "It has, don't you worry your tight little ass about it. Me and Keys and whoever the fuck Troy is, we got it all handled." She couldn't help cracking a smile, shooting him a sly sideways glance.

They would have both agreed about her being his saving grace. "Good, I like masks and you like food. We are both happy with these plans." Her smirk became a grin as they moved, weaving through the tourists and pedestrians.

An ice cream stand up ahead caught Kate's eye. She steered them toward it without trying to hide her intent. "I think something cool on my tongue will hit the spot, yeah?" A winsome smile and bat of her lashes later, Kate had a double chocolate chip cone in her hand, dragging her tongue around the base to save her hand from drips. "Do you really think Doll is going to come through on this? I know you're just trying to keep her occupied but what if she delivers? Are you going to give her what she wants?"

"With the coronation well under way and Gus handled, all that is left for me to do is speak with that woman outside of town once Doll delivers the details." It was a funny way of saying he was free, that there was nothing desperately calling him to do something. It was a way of saying that she had the reins if she wanted them.

When she said 'whoever the fuck Troy is' he found that smiling seemed to be unavoidable. That wasn't the most comfortable situation. Robert didn't like it when expressions crept on him and became inevitable. He didn't like it when a reaction just happened as opposed to being selected. One hand swiped at his mouth as if to literally wipe his smile away.

They approached the ice cream stand and his choice ended up being strawberry. It tasted better than he thought. Strawberry was a difficult flavor because it was easily overpowered and the synthetic versions of it were a far cry from the real thing. The ice cream cart had done well, though. He tasted the sweet-sour tones mingled with the cream. Sometimes the flavors took turns but he was, always, aware of the strawberry.

"I don't see why not. Wouldn't it be dangerous to be known for not fulfilling my contracts?" His eyes made an honest search of hers. While one hand held his ice cream cone the other moved forward, two fingers hooking into the front pocket of her pants.

"Am I along for the ride or are you flying this mission solo?" That analogy triggered a memory while she lapped at her ice cream. It softened quickly in the thick air but Kate was diligent about keeping her hand clean. More than comfortable holding the reins (it was her preference, after all), at least she had a knack for steering them toward something that was normally beneficial to the both of them.

He and strawberry were well paired, both acquired tastes that didn't appeal to the masses. "Depends on the message you want to send." She met his questing gaze, brow puckered slightly. "If you're ruthless now, Doll will be made an example of and everyone will have to wonder what else they didn't see coming. If you're ruthless later, it could be judged differently but they'll most likely underestimate you or try to take advantage of you until that point. Which do you prefer?"

"You seem to be along for the ride. Beyond that, I don't see you missing an opportunity to truly irk her." It hadn't been that long ago that Robert was accused, by a friend, of just observing. Of always being a wallflower and not an active participant. Life changed and now, instead of never lifting the reins, he periodically reached for them.

An ice cream cone and a cigarette couldn't be managed in tandem. The cigarette was lost before he thought to simply unhook those two fingers from her pant's front pocket. "If I'm ruthless now... all she's really done is irritate you and ask me to fix something she suspects is a wrong. I suppose damaging her at this point would make me blindly ruthless." There was the slow rise and fall of hs shoulders, a lick of the sweating side of his ice cream. "And the only issue with that is that I'm not. Am I misjudging the situation? Why is it I should be so ruthless?"

With the Nephilim and Gus, it had been easy. Their actions had directly speared him. Doll's greatest crimes summed up to disliking Kate and wanting what she had once had. Robert had a difficult time blaming her for wanting any of that. Kate, being the more politically minded, was likely seeing some aspect of it all that he did not.

"He was a little bit like Mr. Keys. He was black, maybe somewhere in his thirties and he said... " Robert's features tightened a bit as he tried to recall it more clearly. The moment had been strange, turned upside down on its head. What had he called himself? It wasn't Troy. The name was unusual and lurked somewhere on verge of his recollection. Perhaps at midnight he would wake up, startled, and blurt the name out.

At the mention of seeing if Troy could help her with that simple, little humidity problem, he shook his head, glancing at a pair of birds in the next exhibit. One of them was grooming itself, its large white wing stretched out like an angel's as its beak cut through its feathers. She asked about him living here and there was a nod. "Yes, about ten years ago. It's how I met Roach. I was busy being a drunk and living on the streets."

He didn't feel the urge to omit the details, his experience of New Orleans could be easily packaged into a cardboard box that kept out the rain.

The gates of the zoo behind him, he felt something at the back of his neck ease. She turned to face him and his pace came to a stop, waiting for what she had to say. After speaking it he expected her to tease him, not kiss him. Her hands caught his coat and pulled him like gravity back into her. His fingers moved, catching her at the lower waist, feeling the hard line of the top hem of her pants. The motion of her lips was slow and purposeful, holding onto him without trying to. Her body pressed close, his hands had to slide to the outside of her hips when she was so near.

He squeezed her hips before she pulled back and he watched her lick her lips and refocus on the witch. He strolled behind Kate patiently, hearing the sound of Troy barking once before trotting up from behind, hanging off to Robert's right with an enthusiastic tail wag. He looked from the dog to Kate, her statement on the creature a fresh impression in his mind.

Just like that the world began turning in on itself, becoming something else while stones rearranged and the air shifted. They were deposited at the beginning of a driveway to the mansion with Mr. Keys at the door and a strange, El Dio de Los Muertos party that wouldn't end. Troy cut ahead of them and sat at Mr. Keys' feet, looking up at him with expectant, dark eyes. Mr. Keys grinned, stooped down and produced a bone from the pocket of his vest.

"Let's find our witch." They'd have to change and he needed to put the screws to Doll about where she was. Once they stepped up to the porch he looked from the dog to Mr. Keys, who smiled at them appeasingly and then opened the front door.

"Welcome back, Sir.."

"Mr. Keys."

"Yes, Sir?"

"Will you send for Doll?" They needed to have a little chat.

She had certainly had her share of bad luck that was comparable to living on the streets as a drunk so there was no judgment for the bald truth. There were no ghosts to haunt their time together.

As usual, the shift created by the portal to the mansion had her unsteady for a few, wobbling on her heels before composing herself and muttering under her breath. Stupid sloppy portal, I?ve been through smoother transitions out of the Nexus.

Toby trotted past her to head up to the deck, greeting Mr. Keys in an awfully familiar manner. Kate had a suspicion that Mr. Keys and Dog were perhaps more closely linked than she realized. Eyes and ears all over the city, how better to do it than as a creature whose presence was ignored, taken for granted? Thought to be dumb? Was the man giving a shadow of himself a treat? Pale eyes narrowed as she tried to figure it out on her own.

"Oh, and Keys? Please make sure she waits in the smallest, crappiest room appropriate." A winning smile for the major domo and then she disappeared inside the house. Kate went straight up to Robbie's room without waiting for him because if she didn't get these leather pants off immediately, she was going to melt into a disgusting pool of sweat and beauty products.

Kate didn't have to look behind her to know Robert's reaction. His muffled amusement was conveyed by the lifting of his eyebrows and the ghost of a smile. Mr. Keys never asked Robert if he should comply with Kate's wishes, he only turned his eyes on him and smiled vacantly until he nodded. Yes. The smallest, crappiest room.

He imagined Mr. Keys building that room out of nothing. A small, crappy room, suited only for the purpose of housing Doll while she waited.

Kate was three steps ahead of him. Troy was sniffing along the floor of the main area, following the edges of the large, red carpeted room. It opened up like a courtyard, the second floor facing inward over a railing. Robert watched Troy as he climbed the metal spiral staircase to the second floor. A pair of double doors were closed as a party raged. Robert wondered, briefly, if he would only find a stereo in that room instead of a crowd. No, it wouldn't have been a stereo, but the old sort of record players with a trumpet growing out of it like a flower to amplify the sound. That would have been the sort of object to sit in a room like that.

His journey ended in the master bedroom. Like Kate, he had to peel out of his clothes, shedding them like a snake to take a moment for a cold, brisk shower and intermittent kisses. At times he was feeling too caught up, too willing to be enamored of her and not realistic. Did he always have to be realistic?

After the shower and drying off, he stood at the closet, regarding it like some malevolent abyss. At the point he seemed willing to give up or grab his curator uniform, there was a ring at the nightstand. He stretch to grab the heavy hand piece of the rotary phone.

"Sir," purred Mr. Keys. "There is a Doll in the Etiquette Study awaiting you."

"Be there shortly." The old phone had a satisfying weight to it when he dropped the handle and the call shut off. There was even a ring to it, as if announcing that yes, he had indeed ended the call.

If rooms could be built from nothing, Kate wanted in on that. So many possibilities for secret passageways.

Up in the bedroom, the leather pants were flung to the floor and her shirt soon followed, a trail of crumbs left in her wake in case Robert wondered where she went. He must not have been far behind because after a few minutes, he barged into her shower. Kate tried to be haughty and toss him out but he managed to convince her otherwise.

After, Kate loitered in the bathroom to fuss with her hair but was distracted by the ringing phone. Sauntering into the bedroom, she saw Robbie stretched across the bed, holding the phone to one ear. Smirking, Kate pulled the waist of his underwear down to leave a bite mark on one cheek. Then she slapped it for good measure before allowing the elastic to snap back into place.

"What are you wearing to talk with her?" Standing in the walk-in closet, fingers tripped down the row of hanging sleeves, a butterfly touch that left fabric swaying. Pursing her lips, Kate closed her eyes to ask the closet to provide what she envisioned.

They spent a lot of time persuading one another. He was not entirely sure how it was that their worlds met or made sense, just that when the time they spent together became too long they slipped out of their clothes and into one another. And Kate? She reveled in the power and attention, the swagger in her stride having grown more pronounced.

Climbing up from the bed he moved behind her, kissing the column of her neck as her eyes shut and the closet spiraled through the abyss to meet her needs. "I didn't think it would matter. Maybe the clothes I wore when I came to this city." Something stuffy and old and yet still very much him. Even in the modern attire she had fixed to him, Robert had a way of making things look aged and tired.

"Are you high?" she asked indignantly even before opening her eyes. Turning to face him, she smirked. "No no no, Robby-cakes. Leave it to me, you'll look like everything she wants but can't have. Trust me, I know how to turn these screws." Glancing over her shoulder at the clothes, she moved to grab a pair of dark grey slacks from a hanger. "Ditch the man-panties and put these on." A steely blue shirt was handed over next, then a leather belt, and a watch. "Don't button it all the way, roll up the sleeves." This command given while she knelt on the floor, carefully choosing a pair of shoes. "You're going to go in first and I'll join you after a few minutes."

"Why would I do that? I don't have the idea that she wants me." There was some truth to that. Doll's wet dreams didn't' consist of pale demons with dour attitudes. What they did consist of, though, were men that got her what she wanted, which Robert was.

"No underwear?" The look he gave her was bizarre. His hands were holstered at her hips just up until the point that she moved to grab his pants. He was trying to piece together the game plan and just what it was she was calculating. One hand held the hanger while the other trailed down the length of the pant leg.

A question loomed, "And if she offers me a favor?" He was, of course, implying that Doll would use sex as persuasion. It was unclear if his question was innocently asking her what to do, or if it was a cheaply veiled attempt to see what it was Kate hoped he would do.

"Well, I didn't mean literally." Kate chuckled, lips twisted in a wry expression. "I meant that you will represent everything she wants but can't have. Power. Besides, where's the trust?" She pretended a hurt look but it fell flat. "Maybe she does want you, who wouldn't? You're easy on the eyes. But I don't feel like that's her angle. If she did try to get in your pants, I think it would be to strike at me." No offense to Robbie's manly pride or anything but Kate called it like she saw it.

There was no need to share that the lack of underwear was purely Kate's preference and had nothing to do with the carefully deliberate tableau she was trying to present. "Nope, no man-panties. It gives you street cred and no lines!" Taking a step back, she waited to see if he would comply. Arms crossed beneath her breasts, one hip cocked. "Offers you a favor? Like, tries to crawl under the desk and give you a bj? Or, like, pick up your drycleaning?" Lips became an uneven plane, one side skewed higher than the other. The graceful line of her collarbone was defined with a small shrug. "That is purely your choice, sweet cheeks. But it will be your loss if this is your way of showing me the door."

There was a certain difficulty to denying a nude woman with demands. She struck her pose and made a show of insisting, which was enough for him to hook his thumbs under the elastic and tear it down to his ankles. First, the pants went to the bed and then the "man panties" had to go.

"The door?" He tilted his head to the side while buttoning up his shirt, "I thought you had an open door policy? Or is this a situation that applies because it's Doll and not other women?" Before the conversation became too much of a metaphor, too much of something else, he queried, "Are we exclusive?" He had not strayed from her, then again, there was hardly time enough to sleep between the sex and adventures with her. Was that incidental or on purpose? He assumed Kate wanted freedom, to do whatever she liked with whomever she liked with little, if any, need to confess her activities with him.

Robert did not, or had ever, asked about them up to that point.

"Yes, a watch. I know, you don't really need to keep the time but it's an accessory that adds to the overall image: control, power. You are the king of your domain and you wear that confidence naturally. It sounds weird but trust me, it helps."

Dubious glances aside, Kate did watch as he walked out the door, his tight little ass working. Still a nice view.

Eight minutes later, she headed down the stairs, looking for Mr Keys. The major domo was alarmingly present at her elbow as soon as she reached the bottom step but rather than question it, Kate tried to appreciate his efficiency. "Hey there, where's this room with Robert and Doll?"

If Mr Keys thought it should be a private affair, he said nothing, only smiled widely to show off his white teeth and pointed her in the direction of the gallery hall. "Second door on left, madam." With a nod, Kate took off. Without a word, Kate closed the door and sauntered slowly to Robbie. She sat on the arm of his chair and draped an arm along the back of it, directing her gaze to Doll. Let the staring begin.

Before her entry, there had been some conversation. Robert was at his post behind the desk she hoped would be there. It was old and it was French, like most of the city, offering a narrow perch for Kate to slip onto. It was just enough that someone five pounds greater than her would have been uncomfortable.

Doll was already half sitting on the desk, one sweet dark thigh crossed over the other as she leaned over and spoke to him. Sex had gotten her plenty, so much in fact, that it was a card she couldn't help but play. The world was not kind to her. The new Hades was already sated, and even if he hadn't been, he was not as thirsty as the men that came before him. Sex could not be a commodity that would get her what she wanted, but it was in her habit to try.

Doll liked to put on the appearance of being too-well adjusted. With Kate's entrance, she grew rigid and slid off the desk, cocking one eyebrow at her.

"You were saying?" Robert leaned back, his hazel eyes judging the moon-shape of Doll's face.

She smiled, or rather, moved her lips in such a way that it should have been a smile, "I said, I could show you now, if you want."

A smirk played at the corners of her mouth as she watched Doll turn sour and slide herself off the desk. Kate didn't even look to see if it had been working on Robbie - didn't have to. One knee crossed over the other, sliding her shoe against Robbie's shin.

"Oooh, are we getting to the show and tell portion of the evening? I'd love to see what you've got." After having been in the dirty south for only a few days, it seemed she'd perfected the southern style of Nice Nasty, speaking with a smile on her face.

Doll stiffened but tried to compose herself and focus only on Hades. "Other side of town, just west of the city cemetery. With the pyramid."

"Now is fine," Robert said, patting Kate's knee to indicate he was getting up.

She rose and stepped around the desk, heading for the door to hold it open for the other two. "After you, gracious guide." A smile so sweet it was bound to inspire diabetes plagued Doll as she breezed past Kate. Of course, Toby appeared out of nowhere and trotted alongside Kate as the trio headed out of the house.

Mr. Keys was at the door, holding it open for them. This hadn't been what Doll expected, not entirely, and it showed in how some of her fluid motions became jerky with suppressed agitation. They climbed into her car that was parked out front. It was an old Volkswagen bug, sky blue with rust curling up at some of the corners of the metal panels like barnacles climbing a pier.

The car coughed before rumbling forward. Robert opted to take the back seat with Kate while Troy sat, a bold, hairy dog statue beside Doll. His fur looked as though it were made of wild, black wires, and his face was suddenly serious as he stared at Doll when she put the car into gear and drove.

Kate and Robbie were a little squished in the close quarters of the back seat but she didn't mind. It looked like she was nuzzling his ear but really, she was whispering to him about other things: wanting to see the cemetery pyramid, wanting to get a drink when they got back, anything else that happened to cross her mind. Hopefully, it looked like a lovely conspiracy.

The car swerved suddenly and Kate frowned, hitting her fist against the front seat, right behind Doll's head. "By the fucking Traveler, do you know how to drive? Because I can take over."

Doll's eyes narrowed in the rear view mirror. "That wasn't me," she ground out. "Pay attention."

"I think you should pay attention to the damn road."

Toby barked and everyone fell quiet again. In ten more minutes, they passed the fifth cemetery Kate had seen out the windows but it appeared to be the one because they hooked a right and pulled to a stop across the street from a squat house that didn't appear too different from its neighbors. Not what Kate expected from some bad ass witch. "You think this is legit?" she whispered to Robbie after they got out of the car.

The difference between being nuzzled and whispers finding the way into his brain seemed like a fine line these days. Still, it provoked a smile from him when the wind of her mouth moved against the perimeter of his ear. There were items she spoke of that were on topic-- others weren't, but he liked that there was more to the present than what was sitting in the driver's seat.

The world lurched and he felt dizzy for a moment. More dizzy than he should have, more unnerved and slightly car sick from the encounter. His shoulder bumped up against the side of the door and then his eyes shot to Kate, who barked her disapproval.

For a moment, he wondered about Troy. One of his black paws was on the dash in front of him as if he was warning Doll about something. She looked at him, seriously, the way a woman looks at a man and not a pet.

"Sometimes," he said, looking at the home and then sliding over the leather seats and climbed to his feet, "the best place to be is where someone isn't looking." For a moment he thought of the library back in Olympia, of how intense and unexpected it was to have a force like Mahis just show up. Sometimes power lurked in unexpected places.

Hades linked his hand with hers. Troy trotted up to the door and barked at it, once, before looking back to Doll, Robert, and Kate. As Doll walked she seemed to grow... more confident. No, it wasn't confidence. She was smug, the way someone who's bad at bluffing gets smug but thinks they?re hiding it.

Even without the heady scent of cinnamon filling her senses, Robbie smelled pretty good and she didn't mind being so close. Hand holding was weird but she allowed it because she didn't want to show him up in public. They could talk about it later.

One brow arched for Doll's sudden swagger. Straightening her spine, Kate kept a close eye on that one, waiting for the clumsy punch line. No faith that Doll could pull off anything stealthy, not with the oily pride oozing from every corpse-pale pore. "I like to be where everyone is looking," muttered wryly, nudging him with an elbow.

Inside was not what Kate expected, not for a witch living across the street from a cemetery, reputed to have some sort of hold over Death itself. This place looked? bland. No, bright. Brightly bland. Neutral tones nearly put Kate to sleep. A tranquilizer filled the air in the form of soft classical music and if she could have died by doily, it would be in this place. The owner fit right in - dark brown ringlets surrounded a round face that seemed unnatural without a smile. Green eyes were warm, pale caramel-colored skin flawless, and there were a few cats skulking around. They were the only things Kate acknowledged in the room.

"Doll," the woman said in a sunny tone, moving to hug the Doll Queen. "Are these your friends you told me about?" looking to Robert and Kate.
It seemed the witch was not as uninviting as they were lead to believe. Doll managed her flawless smile, though, arching one of her black eyebrows up in a coy greeting with the woman. They hugged, briefly, their shoulders bumping together and then gently breaking away.

Robert was focused on the witch, the details of everything around him stored for later, though all of it gave him the sensation that something painful could happen. It was the same revelation he had when he realized that people with strong beliefs could rationalize and justify anything, even if it was beyond all sense. Did the witch fall on that spectrum, or had Doll simply exaggerated aspects of her to put him and Kate off?

"Yes." Doll's mocha hand spread through the air, her nails clicking off one another once as she did so. It sounded like a snap without ever actually being one.

Robert swallowed, feeling the weight of his watch before he stuck his hand out, palm up, to receive the witch's, "I'm Robert and this is Kate."

It was always a little creepy when people that dabbled in life and death were super chipper. For that reason alone, Kate respected her, but it wasn't enough to counter the demerits for being an acquaintance of Doll's. Not completely. "Hey," she said with a smile before disengaging from the trio and wandering around the room. She poked, she lifted, she investigated each thing her hands touched as if she could absorb its meaning and context through osmosis.

"I'm Josie Robicheaux, it's nice to meet you. Would y'all like some sweet tea? I just made a fresh pitcher." Without waiting for a response, she bustled into the kitchen while Kate encountered a tortoise shell cat that was staring at her relentlessly from its perch. Pausing in her perusal, grey eyes narrowed at the cat, who narrowed its eyes back. Dropping to one knee to put her on the cat's level, the star pilot engaged in a fierce staring contest.

"Josie and I go way back," bragged Doll. It was a way to further ingratiate herself, make it seem as though Josie's ,participation depending purely upon Doll's good will. "Sweet girl but you don't want to cross her." A sharp smile was pointed right at Robert.