JP - The Best Odds

“I’m trying to give us the best odds. I get that everyone in this room has a personal stake in it, but that also makes us dangerous. Not as much to Canestone as to ourselves. We bring in James, we bring in Cain, I let my team lead know and we go from there.” He offered, pulling out his cell phone to call Kimura.

Frisk quietly noted that the ones in the room who wanted James to come along conveniently had never had to see what he did to his victims in person before “changing his ways”. She thought it a good thing Gelf had not brought Evie.

“TL? I have a sitch,” Griffin said, taking his call to the porch.

Gelf stretched, feeling how awkward everything was. “So…”

Kiana closed the file on Canestone and handed it over to Gelf. “Where did this file come from?”

“It’s his MegaCorps file… it’s months out of date.” Piritta said. “He died and was brought back to life with his powers enhanced and a healing factor.”

Tzeitel paced agitatedly. She wanted to hit the gym. She did not want to be around James, or Kimura who was basically his enabler who tried psychoanalyzing her.

“Like saunas?” Piritta asked Gelf.

“Uh…well, Sorley, Kiana, and I were invited to stay here, so I guess everyone can go their own way?” Gelf suggested before looking at Piritta. “I do, but right now I just wanna get settled in.”

“Okay,” Griffin said, coming back in the house. “TL said we are go for James, Cain and a TK or two depending on if you believe in imaginary friends. Canestones with a mind–” He looked around the room, everyone appeared 18… ish, “fucker, so we’re bringing a couple of our own, lock the bitch down and make sure no one turns on their own. I don’t have a lead on Colt, so I don’t know if he wants to leave Colt junior or not, but that’s the word I got in return.”

“Joo.” Piritta nodded to Gelf, handing her the sauna schedule.

Tzeitel pulled out her phone and called Colt. She hoped he would come, she felt safer with him around, especially when James was around, but she also knew he was devoted to his son.

“So a fucker and a mind fucker.” Kiana muttered, scratching Whiskers under the chin. “Great.”

The water in Sorley’s bottle began swirling agitatedly again.

“That’s why we need the back up,” Griffin added.

“As if we aren’t facing enough rapists, we have to bring our own.” Tzeitel muttered under her breath as she waited for Colt to pick up.

Colt answered the phone as he laughed. “Look at you, Bao!” He said proudly. “Hello?”

“Hey Colt- what’s the little guy doing now?” Tzeitel asked, relaxing slightly at the sound of her oldest friend’s voice.

“He’s flapping his wings and it’s adorable.” Colt said with a chuckle. “What’s up?”

“We’re going after Canestone. Want to come?... James is going.” Tzeitel said nervously.

Colt went quiet for a moment. “Let me talk to Feng about it…” He said and put the phone on mute. “Feng?”

Tzeitel sighed. She hoped Colt would come, but she understood why he might say no. She fidgeted with her bottle of pollen.

Colt unmuted and cleared his throat. “I’m gonna dip out of this one, Tzeitel. I want to be here for my family.” He explained.

Tzeitel sighed. “I-I understand.” That damned stutter. “T-take care of the little guy.”

Tzeitel slipped out the door and headed for her cottage.