Soul Streets

Service to the Family

"This is our main headquarters." Sherry said. "Charley has a seperate building where he and his men do their work, but this is the traditional base so they hold family meetings here."

Sherry had led me through the door in the lounge that Razor and Trent went through earlier. The door led to a hallway that had many different offices on either side that had men chattering into phones and looking over papers. They all looked like your regular everyday office junkies.

"Who are they?" I asked.

"Family members and contractees. Mostly they are either Neotha whose powers are better off spent in dealing with people, or they are lackies who we pay and keep secure."

"What are they doing?"

"Running the various businesses that the family owns. The Casadin family is invested in many companies around town and invests in many industries around the world. Our territory is mostly the city's northern block, a good amount of the harbor district, as well as some of the market district that surrounds this building. Humans work in the businesses, while we work them behind the scenes."

"Is this where I will work?" I asked.

"Depends. Out of all our departments, the offices and manpower sections have the most people and are typically for the leftovers of our main activities."

The thought of working for the criminal underworld made me shiver. But the entire back part of the building didn't have a single window, giving off a dark and forboding feeling that reminded me of the seriousness behind Trent's eyes. These people couldn't be crossed, his fate was in their hands.

"You said other sections...what all does the family do?" I asked through chattering teeth.

Sherry smiled, brightening the hallway. This women was some kind of siren, she had the smile to pull you in and the ferocity to keep hold of you.

"I'm glad you asked. This way."

Sherry led me down to the end of the hallway where the building opened up to a grand foyer, complete with marble floors, decorative glass, and large red banners of the family crest. The foyer split off three directions, the one opposite them had grand oak double doors that made me question just how big the building was that I had entered earlier, the other two doors were smaller and much less extravagant.

"That" Sherry said pointing to the big oak doors, "is the family meeting room. You will see it tonight at your joining ceremony, but we can't go in right now."

"Um, Sherry?" I said.

"Yes?"

"Why exactly does there have to be a 'ceremony', you keep saying it like its such a normal thing but aren't those kind of things typically a bit more...I don't know, festive? Why should there be such a thing for me, a random guy Trent and Razor ran into on the street?"

Sherry batted her eyes and thought about it for a moment, whatever she was about to say must have been something she didn't often consider.

"Because the family traditions dictate it to be so." She said finally while gazing up at one of the red banners. "The Casadin blood members are all god contractors, as well as regular Neotha. That means that the entire family is pretty much in service to a god, that's why we take loyalty so seriously since you can't betray god contracts. Tradition means a lot to the gods, and as such, tradition means a lot to the family. They are powerful...the gods are. Stronger than you can even imagine, that's why we don't make the ceremony into such a big deal, because we have to summon her."

"Her?" I asked, looking into Sherry's eyes that saw right through me and only saw the banner behind me. The Casadin seal of a gun crossed with a sword under a crown, emblazoned on the banner.

"The one who the seal symbolizes. The Matron to the entire family. One of the triple goddesses of the Morrighan, the Celtic war tribunal. Macha."