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Angelite had a problem.

With the limited number of contacts she had in the Negaverse, she hadn't the faintest clue on who to approach with the crystals she'd been given for the task she'd created. Up until now, everything had been planned down to the last dot of the i, the last cross of the t. Laurelite had come through for them with her aid, but Angelite now needed to find someone - anyone - to help her refine the precious, irreplaceable stones.

After careful consideration, they'd been left with one, singular option. She hadn't wanted to potentially destroy the crystals by meddling with them herself, but Obsidian had informed her that he knew a source. A source... of sorts, at least.

And that's how the older Lieutenant found herself in the dark, grungy alleyway adjacent to f** Yu's Chinese Restaurant. The smell of grease lingering in the air was already sending her stomach rolling... was she really going to do this?

Yes.

Yes she was.




When Red had asked him for a favor, it was difficult for Bob to say no. However, when the favor was requested - to deal with one of Red's underlings - the excitement had waned dramatically for the Mauvian.

Dealing with underlings meant there was work underlying this request. And Bob didn't do work.

Which is why he'd conned his best friend into joining him on this undesired meeting.

He heard the scrape of heel against pavement and glanced up from his eating. "Just in time to spoil dinner."

The grumble was under his breath, but loud enough for his furry companion to hear. Bob released his hold on the chow mein carton, letting it tip over and spill onto the top of the dumpster's lid where the two sat. The uniformed Lieutenant was approaching cautiously, clearly having her own second thoughts about seeking out two felines for her problem.

"You gonna take your time, Angelface? I'd prefer to get this over with sooner rather than later."



What a delightful creature.

"Bob. Good evening."

She'd recalled the large orange cat from the impromptu meeting at Chuck E Cheese's, the large feline gnawing on pizza before making an untimely departure. Angelite also recognized the other cat from the party as well, but hadn't expected to see him in the alleyway. Surprise, surprise. "And you must be... Tiberius?"

Oh, how she wished she went into the technology field. Or, at the very least, made close friends with someone who excelled in all things technological. The last thing, the last thing she ever thought she'd be doing would be addressing cats for help. So of course, icing on the cake, the only talking cats she'd ever met were sarcastic little assholes.

"Angelite." Her lips pursed as arms crossed over her chest. She had a degree. She had her BSN. She'd been on route to getting her Masters - and now she was in an alley, talking to a pair of grease stained cats. "Obsidian said you could help me."

Man, how she wished so badly that she could teleport the three of them into a more respectable meeting place.

"I have a plan that requires some crystals that I've received from the Queen herself, but I need them modified. Can you do it?"



Tibs' tone hadn't gone unnoticed, but Bob was more curious as to the Lieutenant's request. She'd clearly stooped to a level that was unbecoming to her, but for what reason?

His left ear twitched as he listened to her inquiry. Crystals? From Queen Laurelite?

Well, well, well.

"I dunno, it depends." He side-eyed his friend, grinning slyly. "What do you think, Tibs? Do you think we can help our poor little friend out?"

Angelite, a few yards away, rolled her eyes.

They wanted the crystals.

Well of course they would - if they were going to adjust them, they'd need to inspect them first, right? Even with this knowledge, Angelite remained uneasy about the whole affair. Would they break one? Or steal one? How could she trust either of them with the job?

She couldn't...and that was the terrifying part.

Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out the crystal quartet and ever-so-gently rested them in front of the Mauvians. The orange one rose from where he was sprawled, sitting up with piqued interest as the powerful crystals glowed in front of them.

As one paw moved out, Angelite could feel herself suck in a breath. They wouldn't try to... try to bat these, would they? Could cats be gentle with fragile objects, as opposed to trying to knock them off the countertops?

She finally exhaled as the cat gingerly plucked a single crystal up, examining it in front of his face for a few moments before sitting it back down with the others.




Unlike his buddy, Bob was not as enthusiastic about finding jobs to do in the Negaverse, so it delighted him once Tiberius appeared to take interest in the task that Angelite had for them. True, tinkering with crystals was child's play and easy enough, but work was still work at the end of the day and without decent payment in return, what was the point in exerting so much energy for something that didn't benefit them in the end?

Payment - that was right!

"You know we're not taking on charity cases right now, Angelface. We expect payment for our services."

She looked about ready to take the crystals and bolt, but after a brief hesitation, took the bait. "What do you want?"

"Credit, for one thing." He mused softly, pushing the crystals over towards his buddy to allow him his own inspection of them. "And pizza. With a six pac---no, a keg. We want a keg party of our own."

His tail thwacked the side of the dumpster and he nudged the other Mauvian. "Think of anything else you want, Tibby?"

She stared at both of them blankly, waiting for the punch line to whatever joke they were trying to execute. As Tiberius went into detail over needing the keg tapped, she realized that both Mauvians were serious in their request. They wanted a beer and pizza party. No energy, no star seeds, no cash.

Pinching the bridge of her nose, she thought over her options. Well...their demands weren't impossible to see through and if it got her what she wanted...

"I need them done soon. I'll meet you over at the Sleep Easy on Madison. Saturday night." Was she really saying this? "Your motel room key and requests will be inside for you, once I get the crystals back."

Her heels spun and the Lieutenant took her leave from the dirty alleyway. How on Earth she was supposed to hold a civilized meet-up there was beyond her - she hadn't realized that cats were such dirty animals.

Pausing, she turned once she'd reached the alleyway entrance.

"I need them in pendant format, if you two are able to maximize the gathering abilities on those crystals."

And with that, she was gone.



A motel room!

Bob was proud of Tibs - this was why they were best friends. Who could ask for a better companion with similar mindset and goals? No one, that's who.

He watched the Lieutenant belligerently agree to their terms and with a little bit of effort, the cat stood up and did a backflip, causing the crystals to disappear into the small pocket of Negaspace that he'd claimed for himself. Couldn't let these precious puppies go to waste - not when there was a thrilling Saturday night on the line for 'em.

As the agent took her leave, he finally descended from his perch, glancing back at his friend.

"Well, buddy, looks like we've got a few nights to work on this. Want to get it out of the way?"