Chapter 189: Off to Make a Living!

Jasmine's heart raced as she arrived at the address sent to her phone by the unlisted number she knew belonged to her employer, Ethan. The scene before her was a mix of anxiety and uncertainty. People milled about, some already wearing masks, while others clutched various tools and weapons. The gravity of her decision to join their ranks weighed heavily on her as she realized there was no turning back. She was now a part of this life of crime, all for the sake of ensuring her children's future.

Amidst the nervous tension, a friendly young man in the group waved in Jasmine's direction. "Yo. Welcome, Pinky," he greeted, his voice welcoming. "Ready to take the plunge into the world of big bad criminals? You look a bit jittery, like fresh meat." He chuckled.

Jasmine, unimpressed by his antics and not wanting to make herself look weak, crossed her arms and retorted, "Boy, shut up. I'm old enough to be your mama. Don't mess with me." Undeterred, the young man flashed a confident smile. "Whoa, Pinky. I'm just trying to help you settle down. I doubt the boss is going to make us do anything too scary on our first night out. We all went through the same interview, right?" He glanced around at the group, receiving confirming nods. "So, we're good to go. I mean, our boss doesn't strike me as the type to even jaywalk," he added, his nonchalant shrug conveying his sense of assurance.

Curiosity spread among the group, and one of the recruits inquired, "And who are you, exactly?" "You can call me Ricky! Since we're all criminals, I figured it would be better not to use our real names," Ricky replied with a playful grin. "You, girl with the glasses, what's your alias?" His finger guns pointed toward a young woman with glasses, perched on the edge of her nose.

"Natalie," she replied, pushing her glasses up.

"Short and sweet, huh? Cute. Pinky, your turn," Ricky encouraged.

Jasmine corrected her name, saying, "Pinkie is fine… with an 'ie' and not a 'y.'" Ricky playfully whistled and teased, "Oooh, sexy," leaving Jasmine to roll her eyes. Turning his attention to a silent, imposing figure, he probed, "Tall, dark, and probably handsome, what about you?"

"Just call me Jake," he gruffly responded.

"The Big Bad Jakester! Cool with me. Hottie with the RBF, what about you?" Ricky grinned.

In a voice tinged with irritation, she replied, "Call me Butterfly," her arms crossed in defiance.

"Pretty name. I don't know if it matches your face, though," Ricky commented, earning a fierce glare from Butterfly. She tightened her brass-knuckled fists in response.

"Heh, nice one, Princess," A girl with piercings and purple hair chuckled. Butterfly glanced in her direction but chose not to engage. "You can refer to me as Queeny. With a 'y,'" she declared, casting a brief glance at Jasmine.

"M-M-My name is Tyler, but you can call me Ty, i-if you want…" a frail young man stammered.

"Ty, you do not seem like the type for organized crime, lil bro. What got you into this job, man?" Ricky asked, saying what everyone else was thinking.

"I-I need the money…" Ty replied, his eyes darting nervously around the room.

Ricky sighed in understanding, emphasizing, "Don't we all, man? This economy is messed up, yo. I can't even buy groceries without having to think about whether eating is worth not being able to pay my rent."

"Ain't that the truth…" Jasmine nodded.

"I just thought this would be interesting. It'd be way better than working some boring 9-to-5 job, working myself to death for the rest of my life. At least with this, I get some excitement, I get some damn good money, and I get to live my life the way I want. If this works out, I don't see myself ever working a normal job again," Queeny's eyes gleamed with enthusiasm as she gazed at her potential future, embodying the mix of joy, excitement, and newness that hung in the air.

As the group of would-be criminals got to know each other somewhat, Ethan eventually arrived in the room with a pistol in hand and a small white fox on his shoulder. Causing most of the new recruits to scream when he turned to them. "Oh, uh, sorry." He put the gun away in his inner pocket. "I was making sure no one sold us out and informed the police about the meet-up place. Like I said before, I'm still pretty new at this whole criminal stuff. Anyway, uh, are you guys ready for our first heist?" He put on a strained smile to no one's response. "Right. I get it. It's a big uh step for most people. Diving into this sort of stuff. It was for me and still is. But the money. It makes you more accepting of certain things…" He nervously chuckled.

"Anyway, this is Jinx. Don't mind her, she's just going to be our group's mascot. A good luck charm." He explained the fox. "Follow me and get all your stuff. And uh, please take off your masks for now. You'll have time to put them on when we are outside the place. We don't wanna attract any attention before we even get there." Ethan kindly asked.

Everyone did as he asked and followed him outside. They saw the huge white van crudely marked Krey At News on the side as a disguise. Ethan escorted them all inside, with most having to bunch up in the back next to one another. He started up the van, and they were off to their first heist as criminals.

______________________________________________ 

Ethan took a deep breath. He actually got his driving license to better help Poison out. It was a lot easier than he thought it would be. He was freaking out the entire time about the driving portion test, but they didn't really do anything but drive around. Ethan did have to answer some Test Your Knowledge type questions and perform some basic driving maneuvers, but all in all, nothing major unless you suck at being tested and don't study/practice for it.

It kind of made Ethan hate himself for never putting in the time actually to get a driver's license in high school. Only people without a driver's license will understand that having a driver's license is way more convenient for any citizen. In high school, you can drive anywhere you want without having to ask for your parents' permission or for them to drive you. You can meet up with friends without having to ask. You can go to places on your own at the drop of a hat if the mood fits. Dates, movies, hangouts, eating, fun, and pretty much anything. Especially working as well. Not having to rely on public transportation is a huge advantage when thinking about jobs.

Who knew doing things instead of procrastinating for most of your life was better for you than not? Ethan chuckled at the thought that was pretty much common sense. People should spend time every day or at least most of the week exercising, but how many people actually can do that? Not many. Why not, it's good for you. Because working out is hard and time-consuming, and a majority of people are lazy. Ethan is included in this despite working for Poison. If she ordered him to, he'd probably do it. But for now, he's fine with relying on the pistol she gave him. Given the choice between a pistol or working out every day for the rest of his life, Ethan will unhesitantly choose the pistol 100% of the time. 

While Ethan may be improving himself piece by piece, that doesn't mean, at his core, he still isn't the lazy disgusting piece of shit he was before meeting Poison. If Poison suddenly left his life, he was certain that he would go back to being the person he was. That empty, soulless husk of a leech only being kept alive by his mother's questionable but overflowing love for him. He wasn't delusional enough to think that just because Poison was changing his life for the better, he was changing in a positive manner. Ethan was still the same person he was a couple of months ago. It's just now he has drive. He has motivation. He has something pushing him to do better.

As he sat at the red light, Ethan began to caress Jinx's fluffy fur. His fingers moved with practiced precision, tracing the contours of her elegant foxy figure. It hadn't always been this harmonious between them. In the beginning, It took many painful bites before Ethan learned how Jinx liked to be pampered. She was a very particular daemon, with a distinct set of preferences that could change from day to day, like a spoiled princess.

As his fingers worked their magic, Jinx arched her back, her contented sighs intensifying. Ethan's touch seemed to hit all the right spots, and the once-mischievous gleam in Jinx's eyes now transformed into one of pure bliss. Her lush fox tail flicked in delight, brushing against Ethan's hand as if to allow him to continue.