<span style="font-style: italic">-knock knock knock-</span><br/><br/>"I know you're in there, Luce! Wake up!"<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">-knock knock knock knock-</span><br/><br/>It wasn't particularly cold, but Eva still shivered and bounced nervously on the balls of her feet as she looked around at the dimly lit streets and rundown buildings. This was not a part of Black City to be in at night... But at least she wasn't alone. The tall figure of Lux, tail darkened for the moment, was a constant presence at her side, and she was grateful for it. Come what may, a wild group of Scraggy or Trubbish, or just a regular old human mugger, Lux would be able to protect her... Still, she'd feel a lot safer inside the house. After one more careful glance around, she turned back to the door.<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">-KNOCK KNOCK KNO-</span>"Oh!"<br/><br/>A mess of curly red hair greeted Eva as the door suddenly opened, accompanied by dark and exasperated muttering. The hair looked first at the woman outside her door, then at the yellow Pokémon beside the woman, and sighed. After a moment, it stepped back, allowing the pair to enter. "This better be goddamn important, Doc... Do you know what -yawn-... what time it is?" It wasn't<span style="font-style: italic">that</span>late, really, but Lucy was a nurse, and she had to be up a few hours before dawn each morning, so it might as well have been 3 a.m. Eva didn't apologize, or even try to look like she cared; she just stormed in and began to pace around the sparse living room, taking deep breaths. Lux frowned at her, and looked over at Luce with an exasperated expression, while the latter closed and re-locked the door.<br/><br/>"I don't suppose<span style="font-style: italic">you</span>can tell me what's got her like this, Lux?" Lucy asked, but the Ampharos simply shook her head sadly. "Alright, I guess there's nothing for it, then... Eva, you want some coffee?" But her friend wasn't listening, and Lucy just sighed again, and made some for herself and Lux while Eva tried to calm down. Finally, she seemed to manage it. She accepted a cup of coffee, sipped it a few times, put it down, picked it back up, put it down again, and eventually laced her fingers together so they'd stop moving around so much. "Look, Doc, I can see you're in a bad way," Lucy said. "Can't you just tell me what the problem is?"<br/><br/>"I..." Eva started, but she didn't seem to have it worked out in her head yet. She took one more deep breath, and looked up, more steady than she had been since they arrived. "I'm in deep water, Lucy, and the Basculin are starting to notice. -deep breath- I did something...<span style="font-style: italic">unwise</span>last year, near the end of the war... I can't say much more, but suffice to say, the consequences are beginning to catch up to me. I don't have enough money to get home to Blackthorn, and they wouldn't let me back in if I did, AND I wouldn't want to put the Clan in danger... I just don't have anywhere else to turn."<br/><br/>Lucy tried her best reassuring smile, and said "You know I'm here for you, Eva. What can I do to help?", but suddenly Eva looked away, as if ashamed with what she was about to ask. A little harsher now, Lucy said "Come on, spit it out, I can handle it." Still unable to look Lucy in the eyes, Eva said quietly "You know your cousin, Roger? The one who, well, you know..." The younger girl just stared at her.<br/><br/>"I... I need to talk to his old boss." Curls bobbing, Lucy shook her head in disbelief. "Rudolf Dawson," she said. "The murdering, no-good bastard who got my cousin killed over a few illegal Pokémon? Him?! What in God's name could you need from a scumbag mob boss, Eva? Especially<span style="font-style: italic">that</span>one?!"<br/><br/>"I know, I know it's not a good idea, but it's all I can do! I need protection, I need someone with powerful connections in Castelia, and Dawson's the only one I'd be able to track down! You... you can tell me places Roger used to hang around..." She looked desperately up at Lucy, who stared furiously back. "Can't you?"<br/><br/>"Oh, damn it all, Eva! Are you really in that much trouble? So much you need to talk to the head of a<span style="font-style: italic">mob family</span>?" Deathly serious, all the older woman could say was, "Yes."<br/><br/>Fifteen minutes later, a dark-haired woman and a tall Ampharos left the little brownstone house, made their way back onto a major street, and hailed a cab. In the woman's satchel was a folded list of bars, casinos and a single "Authentic Kalosian Bakery", and at the top of the list:<span style="font-style: italic">The Sleeping Houndoom</span>.<br/><br/><div style="text-align: center;">****</div>