Drunken chatter and ughter filled the air as they approached the Last Drop, one of the rare times such sound could be heard in the Uy is heard most often here. Looks could be deceiving- while Orion could tell merts and residents were scattered among the crowd, any true Uy resident khis pce housed respectable and honorable criminals. A stark trast pared to Silco's version wheook over, Orion thought to himself.

  The humming of Jukebox music could be heard as they he door. Orion was damed, regardless, to enter into the hound's ir. Vi, in parison, was hesitating. She screwed up, and Vander would want answers.

  "Not a word, let me talk." She warns, scoffing at his bemused demeanor before pushing inside.

  "She's in trouuuble." He teased silently, wisely keeping it to himself though, fearing he'd ruin the progress made.

  Following Vi, Orion was immediately struck with the familiar feeling anyone could get from walking outside into a loud, bustling bar. Sensory overload, followed by crity, the outside mirrored with more chaotiergy. People were throwing their nightmares of the Uy to the wind to lose themselves in drinks, socializing, and in some cases, discreet business. The Last Drop was known for that too.

  Orion hadn't realized Vi pulled her hood up, her shoulders slightly hunched, as she tried to make herself less noticeable. Yet bar patrons made way after sparing her a gnce, parting a path. Low chuckles and murmured ents drifted from a few before they reached the bar.

  Vander, hound of the Uy, impossible not to noti his iic leather outfit and wide build. He noticed the duo entering, and finished up with some patrons before they reached the bar. The timing was like clockwork- he slung the bar cloth over his shoulder and pnted both hands on the ter in front of Vi, his "ready to hear it" expression on.

  Vi slid onto a stool, shifting unfortably under his intimidating presence. She saw his sharp eyes moving from her brow to Orion, then back to her. When it returned, she instinctively hunched her shoulders and gnced away, an unscious admission of guilt. Vander didn't speak, he let her body nguage do the talking.

  "I delivered the package to Benzo..." She hoarsely let out, still not making eye tad he gruffly responds with a tone expeg trouble. "And?"

  Her eyes darted briefly at Orion, stuttering as raw emotioered her voice, "I-I went to Jerichos for some seafood and got into a fight. It...It wasn't my fault! Right?"

  Unbelievable, she was dragging him into this. Her momentary plea for backup toward Orion was met with his deadpan stare.

  "Yeah." He replied ftly. For a moment, she didn't care that Vander was there. Her hands opened in exasperation and her face asking "Really, that's it?!" Too te to double down, she tenses and gnces back at Vander.

  Vander sighs, "Right. So that's how you got that mark?" A slight nod given toward her brow.

  "No..." She muttered, her tone defensive. "We took a shortcut through the alley. It was that kid from st week- he brought friends. They were bigger. I still took them down though!" Vi excimed triumphantly, trying to shift the tone befiving Orion a slight nod of aowledgment, "He helped."

  "Oh? That's good." Vander said evenly. "But I assume that's not why he's here. Right?"

  "No..." Her momentum crumbles once more. "The fight in the market destroyed his meal... I agreed to help. Out of pity!" She smirked, she couldn't help but sneak in the jab at Orion. He resisted the urge to roll his eyes, deg the timing wasn't good.

  "That's good that you want to fix your wrongs," Vander began with approval, quickly shifting to a disciplinary tone. "But you 't keep doing this, Vi. Do you wao keep ing up after you?"

  "No..." Vander quickly followed up on her meek respoh a firm but gentle voice, "So be careful. And I suppose I have you to apologize and thank, Mr...?" His eyes scrutinized Orion's outfit as he expects a response, one eyebrow arches.

  "Orion." Orion responds promptly, though the formal address caught him off guard. "Was it aowledgement beyond Vi's words?" He thought to himself, trying to dis a meaning, if any.

  Vander nodded silently, his sharp eyes log onto Orion, searg for a dent in his calm posure, probing for any cra it. Strarong sileretched before his gaze returo Vi. She had been straightening up, her eyes darting curiously betweewo of them.

  "Take him around back, I'll cook something up. You will take him with you on this job."

  "What? Why?!" Vi protested, crossing her arms.

  Vander leaned forward, hands firmly ba the ter. "Because someone o keep an eye on you. You'll still be in charge- sider him... mmm... backup."

  Vi opened her mouth tue but quickly shut it, frustration evident on her face as she rose huffing. "Fine..." She threw a sharp gnce back at Orion and motioned him to follow, her displeasure showing again.

  Orion maintained his calm demeanor, Vander was still behaving like a hound. Watg, , and waiting, as Orion stepped up after Vi.

  "Don't cause trouble, you hear?" A gruff warning followed with a sidelong gnce. Vander unslung the cloth from his shoulder as he returo other patrons who were watg like it was eai.

  "Yes sir." Orion replied firmly. He definitely wasn't going to. After all, how could he? He was about to meet the creerhaps see Powder!