Half the names on the list had already been crossed off and even more had been labeled as ‘questionable’. Jay sat cross legged on the dorm bed as she read through the possible ladies to bring into the fold. Six had past the first test, though half of them needed more training before she would ever consider them to be on their own. But six wasn’t enough. No, not enough at all.

Chewing on the end of her pen, Jay flipped the page of her notebook going back to the list of girls at Romeno who she had lured into slipping up and sharing rather interesting ideas about themselves.

None of them cut it. Sure their secrets could be beneficial but not for what they were looking for.

“I give up.” Jay groaned, throwing the list to the side and flopping back onto the mattress as she looked up at the sterile white ceiling. “We need fresh meat and in this damn weather…” Jay groaned as she rolled her head to the side to look out the window at the snow storm that had stirred up in the night. “Means we are on a stand still until this blasted thing passes or slows down.” Her words were timed as another gust of wind threatened to snap the tree outside. Classes had been called for the day but they still had the chores to do. Not that Jay did any.

“For pete’s sake....” leaping up again, she ruffled her hair up in frustration. “GAH! I’m so bored! I don’t even want to trip or screw...the very idea seem...blah” She added with a hand flip.
---
Conor had had the presence of mind to get his own chores sorted by a couple of guys who owed him favors - like hell he was going to out there and freeze his bollocks off in the snow. Technically he wasn’t allowed in the girl’s dorm either - but he’d come to pop in and talk business with Jay when the storm had really picked up - and he doubted any of the teachers were going to wander out into the snow and freeze half-to-death themselves. He watched the raging storm outside and shook his head.

“It’s right s**t weather, aye,” Conor wasn’t even trying to hide his accent, it was too much effort when he was with Jaybird, he ran a hand through his mop of hair, brushing the bangs out of his eyes as he watched her flop around in boredom and frustration. Her last statement caused him to raise a brow.

“Don’t even want to screw, eh? You sure you’re not coming down with a bug?” He joked with a sly smile. “It’s about all this weather is good for.” He said with a slight shrug.

He felt her on the trip part though - drugs had swiftly lost their allure once they’d started hitting the Starseeds. He looked out the window and let out a puff of air.

“Well it don’t look like it’s letting up anytime soon - I take it the rest of the list doesn’t look none to promising?” He asked, not really curious as much as wanting to know if he had another long weekend in his future.
---
Jay stuck her tongue out at him as she pulled her legs back indian style. “Haha. Very funny. Sometimes even I want a break. But you are right. Since I refuse to read any of those boring history books, it is about all this weather is good for.”

Raising her brow at his question for the list, Jay slid off her bed and crossed to the window. Leaning against the frame, she crossed her arms under her chest, clearly debating her answer.

“The usual suspects have been picked clean. The rest aren't worth a damn or the effort…” eyes gazed back, casting a quick glance at his groin before rolling her eyes. “Okay, worth MY effort to be clear. I'm not wasting my time on someone bound to scat at the first sign of trouble. They come on, they are mine.” the last word dangled dangerously in the air. That smile on her face was the one she wore quite often as Piypite: dangerous but daring you all the same. A viper luring in her prey.

“Which means…” she turned to face him again, her face going back to a normal one, “it may be time to make a move again in other territory. “
---
Conor really enjoyed her dangerous smile. It was both a lie and brutally honest at the same time. That smile usually came before Piy decided if someone lived or died - and Conor watched her for a long moment, nodding at her words as he turned his gaze out to the rising storm.

“It is definitely time to expand. We’ve got a lot of product sitting around - but no territory to move it in - at least no territory that isn’t monitored by the Wardens day and night. It’s hard to get product moved if my dealers keep turning up dead - and I KNOW it’s the Wardens because they keep ending up dead with no obvious wounds.” He growled darkly as he stared outside.

“I’m down to maybe two runners and they won’t move anything in the usual places - too many killings.” He huffed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “So if you’ve got territory you want - lemme know - I’m ready to move and I’ve got some gents that’ll do the legwork if need be.”
---
“Those twats make such a mess of things. All this s**t about making the world a better place. Bah! Just making my...our world that much ******** harder.” Her hands waved into the air with the noise, a true shift in her annoyance. Their wardens made everything ten times more difficult than it needed to be. Just because she had been shot didn't mean she needed a babysitter…

“You already knew I was marked in that area. Only one to walk away alive after an all out manslaughter. No one wanted a death angel in their bed.” and that had made her shift. Besides, the power boost and partnership had changed many things. Jay had to adapt and learn. How else was she supposed to get by? Follow the rules?

Laughable.

Jay let a silence fall between them for a breath. She could hear others in the hall laughing...gossiping about some worthless drama or reality tv show. The fools. Blind to the real power before them.

Blind to…

“Con...how hard do you think it would be to break into a market on the completely opposite end of the spectrum.”
---
“You mean like - high end? Rich college kids and the like?” Conor had to think about that, tapping at his chin for a few moments. It wasn’t something he was unfamiliar with, though before he’d just been the middle man. Taking the step to being the head of things had been… more difficult than he’d expected to be if he was going to be totally honest. Not that he’d tell Jay that. She was right though - she wasn’t going to be able to get them in any doors in the shitholes, that had gone out the door when anyone she’d looked sweet at had fallen over dead, and even his own boys were saying the place was as good as cursed ground. But the Wardens couldn’t be EVERYWHERE - and he was sure with the proper amount of discretion.

“If you can get my boys in the door - or hell - even me to one of those high dress parties - I could probably move some stuff around to the right crowd, but we’d have to find out who they were first - and provide cheaper than their usual dealers… Which I can do, since I get my goods for free.”

Well not - FREE - persay, it cost the dealers their lives to give it to them, but that was a price he was more than willing to pay.

“Getting in is the hardest part - from what I’ve seen they’re usually pretty good about not snitching - and when they DO get caught it’s rehab, not jail… and they’re usually back again. And the money’s not bad either - just gotta deal with them be entitled little cunts. But that’s neither here nor there.”
---
“It's all about stroking things. Mostly egos but sometimes others.” Jay commented, looking physically back towards at the ceiling but her mind was working taking her gaze far away. “Most like to be told how amazing they are. The rest…” she left that with a smile.

“Realize I've only dealt with college kids mostly. Frat boys really but daddy has money too. The more advance prey sees jail bait a mile away.” Damn legal adult bull s**t. “but their kids are easy targets. Rebellious after all.”

“I can get you into a frat party no problem. You can look the part. Your boys...eh…” Jay gave him a half wave of the hand.

“That is unless you want to go balls deep and hit up big money. Not all those fancy pants are as clean as their cars after all.”
---
“There’s good money to be made in the frat circle, at least here in the states from what I’ve seen - and heard.” She was right though, his boys were… Hardly college material - he could clean up, he could strut and look the part of the fresh-faced freshman… Her other idea though…”

“Look, the more money we make, the nicer the penthouse we get when we get the ******** out - so I’m game for going for broke if there’s even a remote as hell chance of getting even a sniff of that kind of money.”

“I’m not saying it’s all or nothing - or we can’t get our foot in the door with a few frats and then work our way up… but…” He shrugged. “I’m just thinking the better off we are when this is all said and done, the prettier we get to sit when we’re making our own way.”

He’d never work a day in his life - not really - not the way Mathias and Imara were wanting them to work - ******** that, and ******** them.

“You tell me the best route to go - and I’ll get us there - doesn’t matter what I have to do.” He said with a grin. “We’re partners after all.”

Which was a close to a confession of affection as EITHER of them were going to give or get.
---
“6 one way, half dozen another.” Jay offered with a shrug as she returned to her position on the bed, her eyes turned towards the floor as she processed several items. “We fit personally into the frats as our age gives us great easy to access them. Where as the bigger targets mean we have to alter our strategies.”

“Blackmail and sex won't do much when they can pay off cops. I don't think we could get out of mass murder of a police station.”

Jay waved a hand with dismissal. “But they always need people to work for their parties.”
---
“Fair, fair… So it’s work with them or take care of their kids’ needs at parties… Either way, if we’re discreet about it then it’s win-win and everyone walks away happy.” The problem was that not everybody COULD be discreet. People got stupid when they got drunk, or high, or whatever the hell else they felt like being that night. That’s what made parties dangerous. The danger made it more fun in that respect. You had to be one step ahead of anyone who was going to try and screw you.

“I think, we play this smart - and start with frats and work our way up the chain. Get into sonny-boy’s back pocket so when his dear ole’ da runs him through the circuit he’s got something in his pocket to keep him occupied, or a cute thing on his arm that he knows is gonna make the night worthwhile later… Then he tells his friends, who tells his divorced da where the good stuff is and then…” He snapped his fingers. “We’re in.”

It was a longer route, sure, but it was safer - and the Wardens wouldn’t be able to mess with it as much if they kept things mostly above board on some fronts… Provided the wardens even found out.
---
“Conor, baby.” Jay cocked her head to the side and she felt a sly smile appear on her face. “If I didn’t know you well enough, I would have been looking at you like you were daft. That is one of the most round about ways to go down a straight line I have ever heard. And it’s brilliant.”

Pushing off the bed, she walked over to the male and placed a hand on his face. “Now go get saved. We are sneaking out tonight. I know of a snow themed frat party going on and I need you looking like a spoiled rich boy.”
---
“Word of mouth works more than busting in and stirring the pot on our own, Jaybird.” Conor said with a small grin at her comment. “We make ‘friends’ who like us, and trust us to be there for them if they need things. Once we earn their trust and loyalty, it’s just a matter of time before they’re willing to do half the work for us.”

At her next statement he grinned. “Oh that’s easy enough.” He said, turning his head to give her hand a playful n** as he moved a hand down to goose her rear hard before working his way to his feet. “Once I get cleaned up, people will think I stepped out of some Headboy’s nightmare.”
---
“Just stay out of the private boys schools.” Jay smirked, pulling back before her could get a good hold of her. “Need the girls drooling, not thinking you are into the other boys.”

Heading over to her bed, she knelt down and pulled out a storage box, popping it open to reveal her stash of...well...a man’s wet dream attire. “I’ll meet you at the normal place around 8pm? Don’t be late. It’s freezing out there and fishnets aren’t warm at all.”
---
Conor chuckled, bouncing on the balls of his feet and nodding. “Right, be a shame for that sweet tush of yours to get frostbitten.”

He made his way out of the room to go and sharpen up, leaving Jay to prepare in her own way.