. : HELLACIOUS : .

The Catch

The week after, the ladies of the Divine Nine took Kash fishing at the Terwilliger River as a sort of initiation.

Kash didn't expect to catch much, merely happy to be included. They borrowed a pair of Eddie's bright orange galoshes, and the five of them waded to the shore with their lines in hand. Fleur collected colorful rocks and smoothed glass from the bank, shoveling them into her bucket.

"Don't go too far, okay, honey?" Daisy called back.

The little girl nodded, marveling at the frogs hopping through the ripples. Crawfish, disturbed from their nesting, broke through the reeds and swam around Kash's boots in synchronized streams.

"So, Kash, what's your story?" Carla cast her line and casually glanced at the D'Jinn. "How'd you wind up in Black Avenue? Immigration? Family? Work?"

The D'Jinn watched their lure bob on the water. "Didn't have much of a choice. I guess you could call it work."

"Aw, don't tell me you're one of those schmucks who hates their job. What's the point of a nine-to-five if you're just slaving away for the man?"

"It's a... specialty." Kash winced. "No one else can do what I do, how I do it."

"You must get paid big money then," Eddie chuckled. "Not an artist's salary like me and Monique."

"Lucky you." The large woman smirked.

Kash didn't bother correcting them.

Not even pennies...

"Speaking of luck, there's a new casino or something opening up on High Street. Folks at town hall have been making a big stink about it."

"Yeah, the Post wanted me to write a piece on it but as a rule I don't dirty my hands with Russian mobsters."

"I heard they're transporting workers from the Choctaw tribes to staff the place."

Monique shook her head, reeling in a docile bass. "Damn shame, as if they haven't ruined those people enough."

"At least they're getting honest work." Eddie supplied.

"Yeah, if you call working in a white man's world for less than minimum wage honest."

"Well, they're not going to solve their problems waiting back at the reservation, are they?"

The sisters cut each other with disbelieving glares before resolutely staring out into the river once more.

For loving sisters they argue often...

It was Carla who broke the tense silence first. "You'd think living with Roonie would make you two more fun but if anything it's wedged the sticks ever deeper up your asses, ladies."

The Boulware sisters huffed in unison and ignored the jab. Kash felt a wriggling on their line but once they pulled it up the fish had already shagged and left.

"I may take a visit to the casino once it opens." Daisy hummed.

"Who you gonna leave Fleur with? Cause I'm sure as hell going with if you take on a blackjack table."

"Probably with Malcolm, since he's so good with Fleur. She really looks up to him, you know? Calls him Malvin and everything since she has that lisp." Daisy was constantly aware of her adventuresome daughter. "I think they understand each other on a deeper level. They grasp loss very well."

Kash felt several pairs of curious eyes on them and they waded deeper into the water.

Psh, why would I care?