Gin Mills and the Goods

NFWMB

"You seen Teddy?"
Beatrix, halfway through finishing her makeup, looks up at Dot in the doorway.
"No." She says. "I thought you were with him."
"Nah, I ain't seen him since this morning. He gone out?"
She catches the look on Beatrix's face.
"What?"
"You didn't hear, huh?"
Dot stares.
"Hear what?"
"Boss offered Tedros and Hester the chance to leave the club. For good. Hester wouldn't hear of it, obviously, but Tedros… didn't really say a lot of anythin', about it."
Dot's eyes widen.
"You think he's quit?"
Beatrix turns uncomfortably back to the mirror.
"Well, I dunno. His stuff is all still in his dressing room, so maybe he's just… gone to see his mother. Or somethin'."
It wasn't like he needed chaperoning or anything. He could go where he liked, when he liked. It was just as likely he'd gone somewhere else, to avoid the club during performances. Beatrix knows full well that he doesn't like to be around the stage and the performers at the moment, because it reminds him of what he's missing. He hasn't said it, but she can tell. Maybe he's gone to see Yara, or Nicola. Could be anything.
And yet, she can't forget the look on his face when she'd dropped him off at his dressing room. It had only been for a moment, as she'd turned to wave, but she'd seen an unusual coolness there, almost a detachment, as if he'd just woken up from a long, confusing dream. It reminded her of the look that Agatha assumed when she was weighing up something.
Or someone.
But she'd assumed she'd see him to ask about it later. The news that he was gone was not reassuring.
She looks up, wondering whether to mention any of this to Dot--
And, to her surprise, finds Dot's mouth wobbling.
Dot usually took Hester and Anadil's barbs, put up with the worst jobs and shouldered unnecessary blame extremely well-- she might be a lot more open and free with her emotions than the other two, but Beatrix doesn't think she'd ever seen her close to tears-- not publicly. 
"Teddy can't leave!" Splutters Dot. "What am I supposed to do without Teddy?"
"What'd you mean? You've got Hester and Anadil, ain't you?"
"He's my best friend!" Wails Dot. "Hester and Anadil are horrible to me all the time. Ignore me. They're out on some date or somethin' right now." She wipes her nose on her suit jacket sleeve. "Teddy is always real nice to me. If he leaves, I'll just be stuck with them all over again, and there won't even be Agatha to talk to, cause she ain't here! You think she'll come back if Teddy ain't here?"
Beatrix bites her cheek. Dot's right; Agatha has only been around regularly since Tedros joined Avalon. If he leaves, she doesn't doubt that their boss will retreat again, and she's beginning to enjoy her being a more constant presence.
"Well." She says. "He might not be leavin'. Let's not jump to any conclusions."
Dot squints doubtfully.
"Yeah." She says. "Still got a bad feelin' about it, though."
----
"Password?"
"Ace card." Murmurs the blonde flapper, leaning against the back wall of the market.
"You're expected, Mr Pendragon." Says someone inside, and the panel beside him slides open.
The flapper disappears inside, red dress snapping in his wake, and makes his painful way down the stairs.
In the seconds before the panel snaps shut again, light from the opening illuminates the fox emblem carved into the stone.
-----
"So you're sure he ain't at Gavaldon?" Presses Sophie.
"Sure." Says Nicola, shucking off her coat. "He ain't been by for a week or so. Usually comes on the way to his mother's. Yara was gonna come over to see him, 'cause she said she was concerned or somethin'. He not here?"
"Beatrix says no one's seen him since that call." Says Sophie, trying to look as collected as possible. "Maybe he went to his mother's?"
"What's with Tedros?" Hort saunters in, dressed for the show. "It important?"
"Have you seen him?" Demands Nicola.
Hort blinks.
"I thought everyone saw him go and get in a cab a few hours ago."
Sophie and Nicola turn to stare at each other. Then back at Hort.
"What?" Says Hort.
"Where did he go?" Barks Sophie.
Hort stares.
"Damn, bearcat, what's the big deal? He was wearin' a suit, had a bag. Told me he was goin' to his father's funeral. Didn't you know?"
Sophie opens her mouth to say something, relieved--
And notices the look on Nicola's face.
"He lied." Says Nicola darkly. "His father's funeral isn't until next week."
There's a tense pause.
Hort frowns.
"He hasn't gone to find Agatha or somethin', has he--?"
"Shit." Snarls Sophie, and nearly flattens Hort on her way out.
----
Rhian gazes up at the flapper stood over their table, chuckling. Behind him, he senses Japeth tense. He opens his palm on the tabletop. Not yet.
"I can't believe it. You crazy bastard. You actually came. Didn't think you'd even realised the offer was there, let alone that you'd renounce Agatha and come to us."
"I know how I deserve to be treated." Says Tedros blankly.
"Good." Says Rhian brightly. "Si' down, won't you?"
Tedros does. Rhian notices the wince as he has to bend his knees to slide into the booth.
"Sorry about your leg, by the way." He says, as casually as he can. "You know I was aimin' for Agatha, but I ain't got as good aim as her. It healed alright, yeah?"
"It'll be fine in the long run." Says Tedros, accepting a glass of gin from a waiter. "Sorry about your arm."
"It's all Jake, my friend." Dismisses Rhian. "Just a graze. Besides, that whole fight was hardly your fault. Hester has always been too eager with a pistol. And imagine what Agatha would have done if you hadn't shot at me."
Tedros nods slowly, gazing out at the club. On the stage, several dancers are floundering their way through a routine. Rhian grimaces.
"First thing you can do is help those poor bastards. No clue what they're doin'. It's lucky our drink is so good, really."
"I'll go and talk to them, if you like." Says Tedros, hauling himself up.
"Be my guest." Says Rhian. "They need to fix… well, pretty much everythin'."
Tedros gazes at the dancers. Rhian thinks he looks a little sad.
Good. He could work with negative emotions.
"Yeah." Tedros says. "We'll start with changin' the tune."
He disappears into the crowd without another word, heels clicking unevenly as he limps.
"He was right there!" Snarls Japeth, the second he's gone. "Could'a put a bullet in his skull the second he sat down! You kept talkin'!"
"He'll be back in a minute." Says Rhian, lighting a new cigarette.
"I don't like it." Snaps Japeth.
"Like what?"
"He's all weird. Ain't like he was before."
Rhian shrugs.
"Poor baby thinks he's had his heart broken. Tryin' to act like he don't care, ain't he?"
----
Sophie has called Agatha three times before she picks up.
"What?"
"You're ignoring me!" Sophie lashes.
"Because I know whatever it is, it probably ain't important."
"Teddy is missing, you bastard!" Barks Sophie. There's a pause.
"Missin'?" Crackles Agatha's voice. "Not--"
"No, not Rhian! He went of his own accord! Up and left after you last called. Put on a suit, lied to Hort about where he was goin', got a cab and disappeared! We think--"
"You think he's come to find me, don't you?" Interrupts Agatha sharply. 
"What else could he be doing?"
"Goin' to his mothers?"
"No, Dot went over. Hasn't been there since yesterday mornin'."
"Watchin' Yara at Gavaldon?"
"No, Nicola's here, Yara's already performed."
"Hospital checkup?"
"No, no, no! He's out in the city somewhere, Aggie, and--"
The door slams open.
"Sophie, the lock to Agatha's office has been picked." Says Beatrix.
"Is everything still there?"
"Far as we can tell."
"What about the list of safe houses?"
"Still there."
"He could have memorised them or copied them." Murmurs Sophie.
"What's going on?" Barks Agatha.
"Someone got into your office. Has to have been him, lock was picked and the rest of us have keys. No one's sure why. Didn't take anything, as far as we can tell. Which safe house are you at?"
"I'm not, I'm at my house in Chicago."
Sophie worries her lower lip.
"Does he know that?"
"He doesn't know anythin', as far as I can tell."
Sophie groans.
"You don't know that he followed me." Says Agatha firmly. "He's probably still in the city."
"But where?"
----
Tedros does return, as Rhian had predicted. Not ten minutes later, he's back, limping across the dance floor and ignoring the stares he receives. The dancers file off the stage, muttering and casting glances over at them. Probably the first time they've ever been told they're shit, Rhian thinks sourly. He ought to pay more attention to what actually happens inside the clubs.
"I've told them some stuff." Tedros says. "Given them some advice. I'll work with them in the next few weeks."
Rhian smiles, knowing full well Tedros won't see the next morning, let alone the next few weeks.
"Thank you."
Tedros doesn't make a response. Rhian presses on, trying to get at him;
"By the way, there's no way Agatha could know you're here, is there?"
"No." Says Tedros. "I ain't seen her since I was in hospital. She's left the city. Refused to talk to me or Hester when she called. I left the club without anyone noticin'."
Rhian sneers.
"Of course. Run away, the second somethin' goes wrong, in her usual disappearin' act. Pathetic."
Tedros's mouth tightens. Rhian recognises the sign of anger as one inherited from Arthur and shrugs sympathetically, aiming to play on it.
"Good on you for realisin' Agatha and the rest of em weren't all that before it was too late, I say."
"Yeah." Says Tedros. He leans back, becoming a little more animated. "I don't like to be underestimated."
"No one does, brother." Agrees Rhian. "But now you know who you can trust."
"Sure do." Tedros toys with his glass. Rhian is surprised he's accepted a drink at all, but it's good. If he can get him to have one, he'll have others, and if he drinks enough, he'll be less and less aware as the night goes on…
He notices how tense Japeth is. Right. Maybe they ought to just get on with this.
He clears his throat.
"Say, whaddya think to goin' up to my office for a while? Don't worry, I got a new window put in. Good as new."
He stands up, and Japeth follows, brushing past Tedros. But Tedros remains where he is, staring at his drink, eyes slightly narrowed. Rhian might need to give him more sympathy. How tiresome.
"Hey," he says. "I know it ain't been easy. But it's all different now. You're gonna make a fresh start. Do somethin' new."
"We." Says Tedros.
"Huh?"
"You shoulda said we're gonna make a fresh start."
Japeth clenches his jaw, impatient, but Rhian smiles.
"Yeah, you're right. We're a team now. Come on, we'll go and talk business. Ain't no one here gonna treat you badly, not now."
"No?"
"No." Rhian's patience is starting to fray--
"Alright." Tedros stands up.
"Took his damn time." Mutters Japeth. Rhian ignores him, and gestures to the door.
"Shall we--?"
Tedros holds up a hand.
"Gotta tell you somethin' first."
-----
Agatha has made seven calls and gotten nowhere.
"Where have you gone..." She growls, flipping furiously through the phone book, looking for someone, anyone, who might be sheltering a disillusioned flapper boy. Her other clubs have all said they hadn't seen him, and it wasn't as if he'd have gone to another club, run by someone who wasn't Agatha--
Wait.
Sophie had mentioned that Beatrix said he'd seemed upset when they told him of her suggestion that they leave. It had just been practical. It was safer. And it was safer for her to leave, too. She'd put him in danger just by being around him. So, to her mind, it was best to try and keep her distance.
She'd left the hospital, changed, and fled the city, heart breaking. Now he'd disappeared, with a bag,, a suit and a cab, and he wasn't at any of Agatha's clubs.
He'd been upset she'd not wanted to talk to him.
Rhian had talked to him, and she'd never found out what he'd said.
Rhian.
Not run by Agatha.
A club not run by Agatha.
Oh, Agatha.
You fool.
"Foxwood." Says Agatha hoarsely to her dark office. "Fuck."
She lunges for the phone.
----
"We get it." Says Japeth impatiently. "You don't like bein' played for a fool, or manipulated, or whatever. Agatha was stupid to do what she did. Come on, let's go--"
Tedros shrugs, still rooted to the spot.
"You're right. Lady A was a fool. You two ain't the same though, are you?"
"Wouldn't like to think so." says Rhian roughly. He doesn't know where this is going.
"No." Says Tedros. "Setting Kei Nakamura up as a respectable rich man's son and sending him to the police to try and get Gavaldon raided was very clever of you."
Rhian stares. How does he know what they'd done? He'd been at that dinner, but there was no way he could know Kei had gone to rat them out. The police, and Kei himself, were the only ones who knew that.
"Though, I feel like one of you should have gone instead." Muses Tedros. "Pendragon is a surname that carries a lot of weight within the law enforcement, see."
"Yeah, it… does." Says Rhian slowly. "Look--"
Tedros interrupts him.
"So, yeah, she was stupid. But she's not the only one, brother. She's not the only one at all."
Japeth and Rhian glance at each other.
"The hell are you playin' at?" Demands Japeth. "Tryna confuse us--?"
"Yeah. It's real nasty when people outmanoeuvre you, ain't it?"
From behind his back, Tedros pulls a pistol.
The handles are silver, inlaid with tiny rubies. A ridiculous indulgence, but instantly notorious, so Rhian had allowed Japeth to do it.
Japeth.
It was Japeth's.
Japeth's hand flies to his empty pocket, shock painting his pale face. Rhian groans internally. It must have been when he'd brushed past Tedros. Tedros had taken it.
"And it ain't nice when they try and betray you." Says Tedros.
Slowly, behind him, a man stands up. Rhian sees the light glint off his badge, watches the people at his table scramble and turn to run--
And he understands.
Behind him, the hidden door crashes to the groun, knocked off its hinges. Someone screams, and the bar erupts into chaos. More people pour into the bar. Not just people. People in uniform. All together. Armed.
Police.
"You gave me the idea." Says Tedros loudly, as plain clothes police officers stand up all around the bar, and their colleagues, the new arrivals, chase after the fleeing patrons. "Raidin' your rivals main club. That Gavaldon stunt was very nearly perfect. Unfortunately, it wasn't good enough. Your club ain't half as well organised as Nicola's, is it?"
Rhian notices the emphasis on the name that isn't Agatha's, digging in the fact that Gavaldon isn't her main club. He notices the bartenders frozen at the bar, bottles on full display. People halfway through buying new drinks.
Shit.
Shit, shit, shit.
He's got them.
Tedros has got them.
Not Agatha. Not Lady A, with her plans and schemes and ever-calculating brain. Tedros. Nothing more than a shiny mark with a convenient family tie for them to exploit.
His painted on flapper face had become a mask which he could hide behind.
He'd learned more than she'd thought. Than they'd all thought.
"She put you up to this." Snarls Japeth.
"I told the truth when I said I ain't seen her. I came here on my own, on my fucked up leg." Says Tedros coolly. He turns to Rhian. "I think you put it best, didn't you? An eye for an eye."
Rhian closes his eyes briefly. He had heard him say that, then. He'd not thought he had. Agatha had, though. Maybe she'd repeated it to him.
Tedros cocks the gun. Looks at Rhian.
"You really thought I'd believe that you wanted to help me? That you were aimin' for anyone but me? Moll for a brother. That's how it worked, in your head. An eye for an eye. But I thought of a better trade. My leg, and my dancin', and my peace of mind… for your empire. I like that one much better."
Rhian opens his mouth, but nothing comes out. Japeth is shaking with fury, but his hands are empty and there's police officers at every turn.
Tedros smiles.
"What was it you said? I feel sorry for you, truth be told."
Rhian whirls frantically to stare at the carnage around him.
People are running, shoving and crying, screaming. Rhian swears he sees Kei disappearing backstage, and makes to shout for him, until he hears Japeth howl in fury. He turns, intending to make for his brother and get out--
Tedros seizes him by the chin and leans forward so they're nose to nose, and whispers;
"No one fucks with my baby, Rhian. And no one, ever, fucks with me."
And with that, he shoves him backwards, casting Rhian into the waiting, gleeful arms of Castor and Pollux, and the knowledge that he has been outsmarted for the first-- and last-- time in his life.
----
The sunrise matches Tedros's dress.
He's been here for hours now, as everything is searched. The performances at Avalon will be long over.
He stands and looks at the bloody reappearance of the day, comparing it to the scarlet of his skirts. Around him, the police officers chatter excitedly, watching as the cars holding Rhian, Japeth, Kei, and the majority of their associates drive away. It's the biggest bust they've ever made, he should think. Of course they're excited.
Apparently, they remember about him, and immediately decide he should go home. Apparently they don't want-- or need-- anything else from him. Thank you for his valuable information. He goes to retrieve his bag from Uma, and they offer to drive him home. He agrees, but they can drop him… nearby. He'll walk the rest of the way home. For his leg exercises, you know? They seem concerned, but he's still got Japeth's pistol, and after that display in the club, it's clear he's pretty good at looking after himself, so they let him go. Just outside of Avalon.
He's so tired, now. Both mentally and physically. His leg burns, and it had taken a long time for his heart to stop pounding. The second he'd seen that pistol in Japeth's jacket, he knew he'd been right to be suspicious. Somehow, his guess at the password had been right, his bluffs had paid off. Lady A had given him the missing piece; she'd told him about Rhian's arrogance and ego. He'd just used it.
Shaking with exhaustion, he takes the performer's entrance into the club and leans against the cold stone for a minute, trying to collect his thoughts.
He had to return looking the same as he had in Foxwood.
No one fucks with him. Right. Right.
He opens the door and limps into the club.
----
Hort is at the back of the crowd who watches Tedros come back, but he's the tallest, given most of them are flappers. So, he has a perfect view as Tedros limps towards Sophie and Nicola, sat shocked at their table, supervising the arrival of the new shipment.
He's back in his flapper outfit for the first time since he was shot; a scarlet fringe dress, black gloves, stockings, and furs that Hort has never seen before, diamonds on his headdress and bracelets. He's carrying a pistol, studded with rubies, and he holds it up to show Sophie and Nicola.
Hort doesn't understand, but the two of them clearly do, from the look on their faces.
"Is that…" Nicola begins, but Sophie cuts her off.
"Yes. Japeth's." She looks up at Tedros. "How… wait, did you find this?"
"I took it from him." Says Tedros simply.
Hort blinks, confused.
"You… went to Foxwood?" Splutters Nicola.
Tedros frowns a little.
"Not sure went to is the right word."
"Then what--"
The door slams open and Hester marches through, Anadil on her heels.
"Can someone explain to me," She booms. "Why I just saw Rhian and Japeth Pendragon being bundled into the back of a police car? Am I hallucinatin'? Is it a stunt?"
Her eyes fall upon Tedros's hands, and her eyes widen.
"That's--"
"You can tell your boss, from me, she ain't got anythin' to worry about from them anymore. I've seen to that." Says Tedros. "Seein' as she don't want to talk to me, apparently."
He tosses the pistol onto the table.
"It's the one he shot her with, I presume. She can do what she wants with it. Look after it, won't you?"
And, with that, he turns on his heel and limps off towards the performer's corridor, head held high, uneven gait clattering and dragging on the polished floorboards in the rhythm of a new, much more dangerous, dance.