Much like everything else around the house, every morning was the same routine. Breakfast was made and then the dogs were fed and people got to work. There were several others working here, besides Ike, two maids and a few people who did some work for Mistress Jeanne, taking care of most of the house chores. As always the butler was placed at the very bottom of the food-chain which was extremely horrid most of the time. While everyone was enjoying breakfast he was cleaning up after them, and it should be noted that they didnâ€™t give a flying ratâ€™s ass if they made a mess, and keeping things tidy. Sometimes he would not be allowed to eat until everyone had left. Eventually he had learned to live with it but it certainly was not healthy to keep allowing them to push him around. A person could only be pushed so far.<br/><br/>â€œYouâ€¦â€ Jeanneâ€™s voice was calm when she called out to him. He didnâ€™t know why but she was in a particularly good mood today, which he assumed had something to do with the boy and his wolf that he had thrown in the kennels. â€œI want you to feed the dogs again. I need to go out for awhile, you know, usual business.â€ She smiled at him as she pulled out a clean cup from the cabinet and filled it with some wine. â€œTreat yourself.â€ He was skeptical when she held it out to him, he was unsure of her motives behind offering him such a thing or even if he should take it. It could be some kind of prank she was trying to pull for all he knew. But it didnâ€™t seem like it was, and he knew that she didnâ€™t do that kind of stuff to begin with.<br/><br/>After about a minute passed, with an unsteady hand, Ike had accepted the glass and took a whiff of it to see if there was any poison in it. When he took a sip, he didnâ€™t even smile, he just have a nod of approval and set it back on the counter and continued to go about his business. She didnâ€™t seem to like that and lingered for awhile but eventually huffed and stormed out of the room. For some reason, Ike had gotten a bit of enjoyment out of ruining whatever good mood she was in.<br/><br/>Once he finished cleaning the kitchen and a few other areas he grabbed some dog food and went out to the kennels.<br/><br/>Immediately the dogs all perked up at the sight of him and went to the edge of the cage to greet him with wagging tails. Ike has always loved the dogs. They took a liking to him since day one, and sometimes even protected him against Mistress Jeanne whenever she was pissed off at him and vice versa. When he opened the door to let them out into the fenced in yard they surrounded him and started licking him. Once they saw he had food they backed away and let him feed them. AJ, the oldest member of the small pack, who seemed to not be quite himself today, was his favorite out of the bunch. He was staying behind the group a little and he seemed to be wounded, causing a sinking feeling to plummet into the pit of his stomach. Jeanne was going to take the fact that AJ was hurt.<br/><br/>The old dog was still wagging his tail at him and ate his food happily but it did not calm him. She was going to be back any minute and see all of this blood. He was going to need to clean the kennelsâ€¦ Rushing over towards the shed he pulled out a bucket and turned on the hose. The dogs seemed to think he was playing a game with him while he was trying to fill the bucket, which only complicated things. The maids should be dealing with this instead of him. Useless idiots barely cared about their job and were only in it for money. Though the same could be said about him, he was at least productive, which could be why he was always stuck with the work.<br/><br/>He really hated being stuck with all the workâ€¦<br/><br/>--------------<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">Meanwhile</span><br/><br/>Tension was the most common atmosphere whenever she was working with some of her contacts. They were a surly bunch that got right down to business, never once digressing from the task at hand. Jeanne has heard stories about them and knew that they were very dangerous people, cunning and ruthless professionals at their jobs. But that was why she liked them. Getting their hands dirty was no problem for them at all; she has always admired people who were not afraid of anything. The law could not touch them. When she first got associated with them they intimidated her, now she felt like she was invincible, it was an amazing feeling that she would not give up for the world.<br/><br/>They offered her protection and in return she did a lot for them as well.<br/><br/>â€œSo youâ€™re telling me they attacked you?â€ Joshua, and older man, the leader, grunted as he blew smoke from his cigar and leaned against his seat.â€<br/><br/>â€œThatâ€™s correct.â€<br/><br/>â€œJeanne, my girl, you really know how to find trouble.â€<br/><br/>â€œI donâ€™t try, Josh, they show up out of nowhereâ€¦â€ She paused, her heart racing. Nervousness was not a common thing to see in her but the amount of tension was starting to get to her. She was hoping to leave as soon as she could; she never did like staying here longer than she needed. â€œAll I need is some information. Thatâ€™s not too much to ask is it?â€<br/><br/>Joshua leaned back in his chair and eyed Jeanne, brow arched, â€œYou know how business is around here. I canâ€™t just drop everything and tend to your commands.â€<br/><br/>â€œI have something that might pique your interest,â€ she cut him off.â€<br/><br/>â€œOh really?â€<br/><br/>â€œSome feral boy showed up on my doorstep the other day. There was something about him that seemed different, aside from being feralâ€¦â€ Jeanne briefly went over the events of the other night, explaining every detail carefully even if most of it was just repeated information. She even mentioned that Erikson fellow that she had killed and went a little more in depth with the men who had tried to kill her. At first Joshua didnâ€™t seem interested, and by the time she had finished she was convinced he was not all that impressed. He was a man who dealt with strange things so it wouldnâ€™t surprise her if he didnâ€™t show interest.<br/><br/>The only response he gave her was a â€œHmmmâ€¦â€ sound followed by silence. She held her breath and mentally kept her fingers crossed that he would help her. â€œAlright.â€ He said finally. â€œYou and I have been friends for a long time, so I canâ€™t turn you away. Bring the boy to me tomorrow.â€<br/><br/>Jeanne smiled, confirmed that she would, and thanked him for his time before taking her leave.