Ok-ada

"Yeah, just two plates of pancakes... Extra syrup." Rebecca tiredly asks the waitress in Tom's Diner.

"And you?" the woman asks, turning to Ori, "Some eggs, bacon, and an Irish coffee." he waves her off.

"Ain't it a little early to be drinking...?" Rebecca questions as she leans heavily on the table before her.

"Need something to kick me in the ass, we've got work to do and you wrung me dry all night." he retorts, "Think we should've ordered something for Sasha?"

She shrugs with a smug grin, "I'll ask for a small plate of milk. So, what're we gonna be doing? We're not gonna try kidnap the 'Queen' are we?"

He shakes his head, but before he can reply a beep rings out, a call coming in from an anonymous number... Funny, he'd just avoided an assassination and he was getting contacted by a stranger. He sends a meaningful loo kat Rebecca and answers the call.

"Yo, who's this?" he asks, leaning back into his booth chair.

"Greetings. I am Wakako Okada, I'm sure you've heard of me?" an old, rasping female voice states with certainty.

He crooks a brow, trying to wring his mind for information, "Ah, the Fixer working in Japantown..."

"That is correct. Lesser known is my position of authority amongst a certain faction you have recently antagonised, Mr Zombie." she drawls.

"Dunno what you're talking about...?" he instantly reacts with the rehearsed response.

"Do not play coy with me, boy. I am well aware of your identity, as for how? I would rather withhold such information until the time calls for it."

He scowls, "So you're the one who sent the assassins then? Trying to get me back for what I did to that slave shop? You upset about your drugs getting confiscated?" he half questions, half taunts as his tone becomes heated."

"Hmph, I do not know of these 'assassins' that you speak of, but there is a high likelihood they came from my faction, or at least, a part of it." she trails off ominously.

"What do you mean 'a part of it'?" he questions, she said she was in a position of authority among the Tyger Claws so shouldn't she know who targeted him? If the Claws were even responsible.

The woman chuckles lowly over the call, "Outsiders do not know this, but the Tyger Claws are currently going through a... Identity crisis. A civil war you might call it, formed around its very foundations-"

"Why are you telling me this... Why did you even call me?" Ori interjects, having enough of this annoying granny's voice.

"Because, Mr Zombie, I believe we could help one another. The building you helped uncover belonged to our opposition. Had you not done so, we would have acted, with some more... Grace, of course." she states, hubris clear in her tone.

"Why don't you explain to me why you're in a 'civil war' in the first place. What sets you apart from the guys I attacked?" he asks, incredibly suspicious about all of this. There was a high chance that this was just a ploy to pull him out into the open for an ambush. After all, he'd heard nothing about infighting within the Tyger Claws.

Wakako hums in thought for a moment, "For one, enslavement is certainly not something permissible. Which I suspect is appealing to you?"

"Right, and the doll houses? What about those?" he asks with furrowed brows. Doll houses were some of the most lucrative businesses the Tyger Claws owned, the workers were implanted with doll chips, and most weren't allowed to 'quit'...

"They will continue their operation, without the subjugation of employees of course. There are no small number of people willing to work in such an industry without chains binding them." she explains.

"And the Glitter?"

"Continued production. You cannot expect us to throw away such a lucrative trade. It is the unfortunate reality here, if we don't provide the drugs people buy, then someone else will."

As much as Ori wanted to dispute that, he couldn't. If he were in their shoes he'd continue selling the drug, especially since the people who were already dependent on it wouldn't go cold turkey just because the Tyger Claws stop. No, they'd go somewhere else, get crappier, probably more dangerous alternatives.

"That all sounds great, but I have a hard time believing anything that comes outta your mouth. Why don't you tell me what you want from me so we can move on with our lives?" Ori states.

"Very well. I wish to hire you for some jobs in Japantown. Particularly against groups of rogue Tyger Claws that have decided they know better than their leaders. The young, stupid, and violent need to be quelled before they can infect the rest of the gang."

"I refuse. That all?" Ori curtly says.

Caught off guard by the abrupt rejection, Wakako pauses, "Perhaps you misheard me-"

"No. I just don't want to work with you." Ori cuts her off.

"Do you not want revenge for what happened to your dear sister?" she asks, bringing a scowl to his face.

"Yeah, maybe I should start with you, since you're so familiar with it."

She snorts, "Dispense with the threats, boy. You would die before you stepped into the same District as me."

"Oh yeah? You wanna bet?"

"I will leave you with my offer, call this number if you have a change of mind. I do believe we could benefit each other, but you must lose the childishness first."

*Beep*

Sighing, Ori looks back up, finding Sasha sitting next to Rebecca, eating his food and drinking his Irish coffee...

"Who was it?" Rebecca asks with a mouthful of pancakes.

"Some Tyger Claw bitch called Wakako Okaka, a Fixer apparently." he answers, grabbing his half-drunk coffee back and ordering some more food.

"Hm? I think I know her. One of the most respected Fixers around, you didn't piss her off did you?" Sasha asks.

"Err...."