Oil and Water | Arcane | Silco | Sevika

The Hound of the Underground

     Mayve can't get a word in before Vander completely disappears from the bar. She looks down to Powder who still stares at the stuffed bunny rabbit.

     "Powder..." Mayve leans forward on her elbows. "Do you know what's going on?"

     The girl doesn't speak initially. She rubs the soft yet matted fur of the rabbit, the sensation keeping her calm. Sadness overwhelms her senses. She can trust Mayve.

     "Honey, is there something you aren't telling me?"

     Powder sits up, slowly turning to Mayve. She holds the bunny in her hands for support. "Violet told me she was going to Benzo's to turn herself in."

     There has never been a moment in Mayve's life where she would have thought one of her children would be sent away. The pit of her stomach grows nauseous by the second. She moves to stand, but remembers Vander's words. He's got it covered. Violet and Vander will walk back through that door before bedtime. They have to.

Mayve sits at the counter, anxiously tapping her finger against the wood. Ten minutes pass, then twenty, then thirty. Still, Vander and Violet haven't returned. Something is wrong.

"Powder, stay here." Mayve kisses her daughter on the head. "I'm going to go find them. I'll be right back."

Powder stands from her chair. "I want to come with you."

"No." Mayve shakes her head, grabbing onto Powder's slim shoulders. "It's not safe."

Powder doesn't accept this answer. "But I'm ready!"

"It doesn't matter if you're ready." Mayve will never put her daughter in harm's way. "If something has happened to them, you'll be the only one I have left. I can't lose you."

Powder reluctantly sits back up at the bar, holding the rabbit close to her chest.

Mayve leaves the bar, speedily walking towards Benzo's. The streets are quiet, too quiet. As she approaches the shop, her vision picks up the slew of bodies lying on the ground. Blood pools around them in dark puddles. Some of that blood is spattered on the window behind them. The bodies are all enforcers, except for one. Mayve would not have recognized him if it weren't for his distinctive facial hair. Benzo's body is nearly ripped to pieces. She gasps, covering her mouth with her hands. Tears flood her eyes, blurring her vision. From what she can see, two colorful splotches walk towards her. She rubs her eyes.

"Kids?" Mayve extends her arms. They run into them. Ekko and Violet hug her for dear life, fearful of the bodies near their feet. "Where is Vander?"

Ekko looks up to her, pain and tears in his eyes. "They took him."

"Who?" It can't be the enforcers. They're right here.

Ekko shakes his head. "I followed them to the old cannary next to the docks."

The cannary is where Mayve will go. She steps through the broken door of Benzo's, scanning the shelves for something she can use. She pulls down a set of five knives, concealing them all over her person.

"Go back to The Last Drop. Stay with Powder." Mayve kisses them both on their heads. "I'll be back soon."

With caution, Mayve heads over to the cannary. As the building nears, she can hear the steady clang of metal hitting metal. She ignores the front door, opting for the one on the side instead. It is unguarded and dark. Two men, speaking about something relatively jovial, enter the room. Mayve attacks them both, subduing them to unconsciousness. She steps through the door, seeing that the adjacent room is equally as dark as the previous one.