<div align="center"><strong>-= Ferret in the back room of “The Best Little Hot  House in Town” – Negotiating with Sasha =-</strong></div><br/>Ferret was no stranger to the art of negotiating, manipulating, nor hunting. Some may even say that Ferret re-wrote the book on all three subjects, plus a few others not mentioned. She took great pride in being “Queen Bitch,” a title worked hard to earn, having scratched and clawed her way to the top of Persephone’s criminal food chain, in a manner of speaking. Though Ferret no longer needed to directly involve herself in the hunt, she was a skilled veteran who kept her talents well honed in the event she may need, simply desire, to go on the prowl once again, expanding her territories beyond even Persephone’s orbit.<br/><br/>Her keen eyes were ever diligent, discreetly monitoring Sasha’s every move from her periphery. Casually setting the shears down as Sasha pushed from the workbench, Ferret busied herself, delicately handling the snapdragons. Tenderly, she manipulated the fragile leaves to bend to her will, shaping them to fulfill the image in her mind’s eye.<br/><br/><strong>“Boys, me and Ferret’s gonna need a few minutes of girl talk.” </strong><br/><br/>Pretending not hear Sasha, she idly picked up a water bottle, carefully misting the arrangement she was shaping before her. The subtle shift of her eyes towards Damek was enough that the man understood without words being exchanged, and he silently lumbered from the room behind Sasha’s “boys.” With the room empty of men now, Ferret once again leaned back in her chair, slowly swiveling it around to face the younger woman that remind Ferret so much of herself at that age. Lacing her fingers together, she delicately folded her hands in her lap, crossing her slender legs as she stared intently at Sasha. The woman had balls, she couldn’t deny her that. Her expression remained as unreadable as a stone wall. Ferret remained silent, listening closely as Sasha began on her monologue.<br/><br/><strong>“My beautiful she tou...you and I both know you’ve plenty of grovelers more’n willing to lick the shine onto your boots.  If witless, lily-livered “respect” is what you were truly looking for, I know for a fact you wouldn’t have been looking for me.”</strong><br/><br/>At this, Ferret’s eyebrows arched upwards ever so slightly and her chin lifted an almost imperceptible amount. It was true, she had more than enough “yes men” in her pockets, and being such a good judge of character as she was, she had recognized early on that Sasha would never be anyone’s “yes man”… or “yes woman,” as it were.<br/><br/>She almost smirked when Sasha gripped the arms of the chair where she sat and leaned down to her. Ferret was not sly, but she wasn’t averse to a woman’s touch either. She adored beauty in all of it’s many forms, and beauty was one thing, among others, that Sasha had in abundance. Never one to miss an opportunity, Ferret was happy to enjoy the view offered to her so freely. She let her cold, blue eyes drift down to drink in the lovely sight of Sasha’s breasts, inhaling slowly and letting the scent of Jasmine fill her nostrils, forever tying that smell to the image of Sasha’s lovely cleavage. Ferret was a pro, not about to be lured in by pretty packaging and crafty words. Still, she never passed up on something that was free.<br/><br/>Feeling Sasha’s breath on her cheek, Ferret allowed a soft smile as the younger woman’s words danced upon her skin. Unlacing her fingers, she gently let her soft, well manicured fingers dance merrily over Sasha’s hands before covering them complete with her own. She leaned towards Sasha the slightest bit, giving the impression that she was falling under Sasha’s spell.<br/><br/><strong>“And no way around it, bao bei - you call Griff about a job - you get me. So here I am, just like you planned; no need to play coy with me. I think we both understand each other quite well. So, let’s not waste any more of our time playing games; how’s about you and I get down to it, hmm?”</strong><br/><br/>Ferret finally smiled as Sasha stood straight once more, a soft and knowing smile the touched her eyes, though she remained silent. Those eyes followed Sasha’s hand as she reached inside her jacket, she watched with curious intent as the younger woman withdrew a folded piece of paper. Shifting her gaze back to Sasha’s eyes, she listened on, having not spoken a word since Sasha began some minutes ago. It was a tactic she employed regularly, though Sasha wasn’t tipping her hand so readily as most of Ferret’s other… “prey.”<br/><br/><strong>“Word is, certain information is getting fed to the Guild, who for some reason are more’n willing to share that information with the Alliance. The names on this paper? Let’s just say I’d suggest you refrain from drinking tea with them any time in the near future.”</strong><br/><br/>One of the skills Ferret possessed that set her apart from the competition was knowing every possible angle of attack before her adversary did and have a planned strategy of attack and counter attack ready to execute at a moment’s notice. She had seen where Sasha was going with her “girls sticking together” and “Badger wins” approach. This, however, Ferret did not see coming, and she sat up straight in her chair, her eyes fixed curiously on the piece of paper in Sasha’s hand before locking onto Sasha’s once more.<br/><br/><strong>“A little present from me to you. Or a peace offering. Hell, you can even say I gave it to you out of respect. Now...about that job...”</strong><br/><br/>Realizing that she had tilted her hand, Ferret relaxed again, reclining back in her chair and feigning disinterest. But she knew it was too late for that. Sasha was good. Very good. Reaching out slowly, she took the paper from Sasha’s hand and tucked it safely inside her blouse. Reaching for a small ledger on the far end of the workbench, Ferret thumbed through a few pages. Reaching the one she had wanted, she ripped the paper from the ledger and held her outstretched hand towards Sasha, offering her the job details in writing.<br/><br/>“There you are Miss Dearing. You’ll find all the details there. I would suggest not waiting too long before you get underway. Abernathy’s not a very patient man, and tends to jump to conclusions and over react rather easily.” Glancing at her watch she turned to her workbench once more and set to work again. “Run along now, bao bei. I think we’ve played long enough, don’t you? Besides, I have other… appointments scheduled. You’re not the only pretty flower I like to play with, ya know?” Waiting until Sasha was nearly through the door, she called out to her one last time. “Sasha, darling..” She flashed a provocative smile at the woman, pausing for a moment as she turned to face Ferret. “Nicely played, my dear. Nicely played. You ever find yourself without a captain or a ship, you come see me, understand?” Then, without another word she turned to her flowers and was absorbed in her work once more.<br/>