Answering the Unknown

[Dawn]

Two stories high, boarded up windows, condemned signs littering the fence surrounded and cluttered the building Dante needed to enter. Surveying the lot for the last five hours hadn't been fun, but that didn't dissuade the rottweiler in the least bit. She was focused, determined, and hopefully destined to fulfill her dream. 

So here she was on a mission. Well, on a mission to find out if she could get a mission. Rumor around the parks were that the Mancini's had a job out for prospective new members. Dante had responded to the rumor by going to the supposed meeting grounds only to find a hidden note with the next location. The letter had only been dug up three times before her, so her chances seemed to increase by the minute. Once there she met an old, rather blind, bull mastiff male who told her the final location. Of course she had to jump through hoops, answering a barrage of questions literally. 

//Maybe he was judging my character to see if I'm worthy of the Mancini's Family?\\

Dante shook her head, snorting out a tiny chuckle. //Well I know I'm not, he could have just asked! But...\\ She looked at the warehouse with a deep longing. //If I can accomplish this... I will be that much closer to meeting 'Him'\\ 

A sneeze erupted through the sleek black body, bringing the fae back to now. She looked for a way in and found it after trotting around the area twice. Twice mostly to see if there were emergency exits or guards. The only entrances she found were a hole in a side door that seemed to be boarded up, a broken window on the second floor connected by a tree, and busted wall. Dante was small , by rottie standards at least, so she slipped in through the busted wall with ease. Her fur brushed lightly against it, giving her coat a huge dusting.

It was dark. Dangerously so. The only smells detectable were fading quickly. A few cats scattered as her shadow came over them, hissing and yowling as they went. //So much for stealthing in undetected... Oh great, noisy and filthy... perfect first impression.\\

After scanning the empty building's layout and feeling secure enough, she sat down, waiting.

[Leonardo]

There are some of us that think of the dark as more than just a type of element. To many of us, it is a part of who we are. It is an ally, a friend, a mother or father. It is the shepherd that watches over our respective herd. It is the camouflage that shields the skilled hunter as he or she moves in for their kill. Whoever the dark masters is sure to fall from it. But those of us who master the dark can use it as a weapon.

It was a foul, dank building, void of light and filled with the most unpleasant, moist odor. It was a haven to rats, and of course the presence of rats brought their natural predators. Thus this was a domain of those who prey on the weak. Those who bend the lesser beings to their own will. But even amongst predators there is an alpha, and as the lesser predators took a hasty retreat, one remained.

Francesco.

The great tom was perched above, glaring down on the young fool who decided to enter, to take the bait. He had been looking for someone like her. Naive, precious. Someone who would never be suspected as a meddler....he had turned away dog after dog, thug after thug. Because all of them lacked something in particular.

The will to do whatever it takes to be respected, to belong. No matter what the cost.

He walked through the dark, silently padding through the rafters, remaining out of site. It wasn't difficult for him. He had mastered the dark. It was unclear if the other cats were running from him or the dog that had just entered. He refrained from eye contact, casting his blood curdling gaze in other directions in order to mask his identity. Yes...he could see pain in her very gait. Was this a means of redemption? Hmm...After evaluating her for a little while longer, he spoke, using the echo of the walls to remain eerily anonymous as he hung lazily in the rafters.

"...Who are you...and why do you think yous 'ere?"

[Dawn]

The voice reverberated around her, sending a shiver down her spin causing Dante to jump a little, but did her best to hide it. She felt like she failed already, not being able to detect anyone other than the cats who dispersed and the vermin who didn't bother to. The she-dog stood, addressing the darkness.

"My name is Dante. I heard the Mancini's Family was looking for someone for a job." 

Mahogany eyes darted around, looking for the source of the voice. His accent perplexed her, like all the others she had met in this city. Despite being born not too far away, she had no true accent. Her mother had taught her to speak correctly, well as best as a rottie in a prison can. She decided to focus straight ahead, adjusting herself so she was sitting 'military straight'. Pert ears, straight muzzle, back at its full length....she would answer the call.

Her voice boomed with confidence as she responded to the ghost in the warehouse, "I've come to accept the job, if I may." She stood up, stiff yet keeping herself flexible enough to move if need be. To the darkness she added, "I am ready and willing to prove myself to the Mancinis. Put me to the test, and I'll show you."

//Anything for a chance to meet 'Him'...\\ While in thought she blushed slightly, thinking of her hero. She snapped herself out of it, keeping to the possible job at hand. //Focus Dante...focus...do NOT blow this.\\ Her attention was once more fully on the hidden beast in the vast space of the building.

[Leonardo]

Francesco laughed. The strange noise bounced all throughout the building, reinforcing itself as it rang off the metal boxes and window panes. He shifted positions, heading farther towards the east, and found another comfortable spot to laze about. He finished his chuckle and spoke again:

"My my...ain't you eagah? A propah lil' soljah. Dante...ain't dat a boy's name? You don't look like a boy..." he jeered, "Listen, kid, theah's one t'ing you need to unda'stand. Da Mancini Family is awlways lookin' fuh people to do jobs. You ah not 'ere to prove ya wort' t'dem. Yous 'ere to prove ya wort' to me. Mold dat in ya 'ead. Dis is an' independent mission. If you get caught, an' da fuist t'ing you blurt out is 'I work for da Mancinis', you can cause prollems for da family, fuh ya'self, and most importantly, me. If an' when you complete da mission, I might make a recommendation to da family 'ead. Maybe. Dat's what dis is about, along with a hefty reward.

"Now, you could walk right out there and die. Why do you seem so ready to sell yourself to a cause you know so little about? Why do the Mancinis interest you?"

[Dawn]

The laughter, if you could call it that, reverberated off the walls and into the sensitive ears of the rottweiler female. The surprising volume of the sound sent little jolts through her, forcing her to resist the urge to wince. Dante kept her mouth tight when the voice mocked her name. It didn't matter what this male thought, she would be what he said. A good 'Soljah'. His jests would be her motivation, her strength.

Dante started to walk herself round the room, not looking up or into the darkness anywhere. She wouldn't search for her employer, just give him a good look at her body. How slim her frame was, how delicate yet firm her gait was. After making two rounds she halted herself in the middle once more, sitting and staring straight forward, "I would never rat out anyone. I know you have no cause to believe me, and this may sound strange...but I just wish to meet Leonardo Ricardo Mancini. He has been an inspiration to me since I..." Her muzzle locked itself shut, fangs grinding upon fangs.

//A hero is too ridiculous to say...but I don't want to seem sketchy, like a snitch or something...Just tell the bastard, what does it matter if even Mr.Mancini hears about it? He will know my dedication then.\\

With a soft sigh, calming herself, Dante's voice regained confidence to resume, "Sir, my past isn't worth mention just yet. When I succeeded with this mission, ask me anything you wish. Please, just tell me the details of my job. I doubt you wish to be here with the rabble such as myself." She perked her ears, knowing more jokes were undoubtedly heading her way. She would take it, she would take on the world for her goals.

[Leonardo]

Ah, no nonsense, huh? She didn't seem to be willing to entertain him any longer. That was fine. It was a good trait. People who allowed themselves to be toyed with didn't do very well in this line of business. He decided it was time to give her the job, and he shifted his position in the room before he spoke again.

"Are you familiah...wit da System? It's a shitty paht of town about 2 or t'ree miles from 'ere. It's full of cutthroats an' losahs, liahs an' cheats. An' currently, it's run by one of da biggest bastards in da 'ole neighbor'ood, Crowley. He trades an deals food an' meat through da system of tradin' posts, which distribute it throughout dat paht of town. But theah's only one bastard bigga dan Crowley, an' dat's me. He took somethin' from me, an' if I can't 'ave it, no one can."

A bag dropped from the roof, hitting the ground with a thud. It was full of a grainy, brown material. The big brown cat that had been paid to hold it scurried down and ran out of the warehouse, relieved that his work was done.

"It's rat poison," Frankie explained. "It's a chemical blood thinnah. Don't get any in ya mouth, an' if ya do, spit it out an' drink lots wawta. Ground up into tiny flakes, rat poison is neahly impossible to detect from the perspective of an everyday dawg. Cat's too. Mixed in wit meat an' scraps, it makes da puyrfect sabotage....a biological weapon of da ages. I want you to take dat bag an' place it unda da wheel of a cah. Let da cah back ovah it, breakin up da blocks into tiny flakes. Den 'ead to da System an' poison every trade post wit a sufficient amount of poison. It takes much less den you t'ink to do da job. Less den an' ounce an' a dawg would be dead in less den 24 howahs. Spread it with respect to servin' ratios. DO NOT act suspicious. DO NOT get cawt. Dis ain't an' easy task, but it damn sure ain't 'ard. All yous gotta do is be smaht. Posts ah guarded neahly awl da time. Do research, find out da lulls in da security schedule, an' 'it it den. You might even pretend to be a customah. Jus' make sure you 'it awl da joints at roughly da same time, otha'wise dey may catch on. If you get cawt, yous on ya own. Dis can't be tied back to me, or whoeva. Everythin' rests on ya shouldas. Dis mission 'as da potential to ruin Crowley's name an' business in da area fuh a really long time to come. A lot of people are gonna die as a result of ya actions. Don't be one of dem. Can you 'andle dis? Any questions?"

[Dawn]

//The System? Does he mean that shitty old building?\\

Dante was only half familiar with the System. A run down place recently taken over by the mutt known as Crowley. His name, family, and reputation were new but he was the same as all the others. Dogs who wanted what Sir Mancini had, a kingdom of their own.  Most are weak willed muscle heads, too stupid to realize when they were being played. Short lived mutts. It didn't phase the largest family when a new one attempted to come up. Don Dogs would come and go, but Leonardo Manici would surely never leave.

A small-scaled bag dropped from almost nowhere, landing a mere three feet from the canine. The shadowy voice instructed Dante to take this bag and have it crushed, blocks to dust, and sprinkle the death it carries about the enemies supplies. //Poison? Well...this is a mob family. I have heard of silent violence before...such underhanded business. Disgusting...but it would put me one step closer to Him. I must do this...\\

The fae trotted to the parcel, picking up the very top in her teeth and avoiding getting anything wet with saliva. She nodded her head to the darkness in acknowledgement and turned to leave. No words would be needed, she hoped. Any questions she would have about her mission would be answered as she went. If she pulled this off it wouldn't matter if she didn't know how to get in or how to sprinkle poison on anything without ingesting some.