"In the heart of the fray, side by side we stood. Silent oaths binding us deeper than words could. Eyes that shared stories of pain, hope and mirth; together we found purpose, gave each other worth. Moments once held close are now distant stars, fragments of a journey traced out by the scars. Whispers of a life, in grey I tread between the living and the dead. In my heart two worlds collide, between them I can't hide. But still I stand, despite the fray, I'll find my way." -World Collide, Divide

Oslo held the door open for Jane as they returned to his home, following close behind her and nearly getting bowled over by Belle as she leaped at the female thiren, "Jane!"

The mouse gave the woman a tight hug in return. "I'm glad you are safe, Manager."

"I'm gonna run upstairs real quick and checking on sleeping beauty." Oslo called, his foot landing on the first step when Ellen called back. "No need. He's in the kitchen."

Oslo paused and sighed. "I gave him enough sedative to knock out a small village. How is it that he's mobile?" He turned to face Ellen who had just come through the kitchen door. "And why did you let him go in the kitchen?"

The shark just grinned at him. "You try stopping him." She answered, leaning against the wall. Her eyes landed on Jane. "I've seen you around the store before. Jane, right?"

Oslo didn't wait to hear the rest of the conversation, stepping past the shark and into the kitchen. Lycaon sat at the table, a cup of tea in one hand, a tablet in the other. He looked up as his old friend stood at the other side of the table.

"My apologies for barging in—" He started to apologize, Oslo cut him off. "Lycaon, are you seriously talking to me like a butler right now?" He asked, eyebrow raised. "What are you even doing down here? You should be upstairs resting."

Lycaon bit his lip for a moment, a motion that didn't go unnoticed by the other canine.

"Before you sass me," Oslo started, taking a decidedly softer approach. "How are you feeling?"

There was a long pause before Lycaon sighed, laying the tablet on the table. "The worst I've felt in a very long time." He rubbed one hand on top of the other. A tick Oslo had come to recognize as the wolf being nervous. It was a sign he was vulnerable, a rare sight. Oslo turned to lock the kitchen door, sitting across from his friend. "What happened, Lycaon?" He asked, leaning forward. "And before you try to think of a classic Lycaon non-answer, I'm asking you as a long time friend and pack member."

He watched Lycaon's red eye stare into him for a moment before falling to the table. Oslo had used his secret weapon, calling upon an unspoken rule between the two of them to cut through Lycaon's usual way of finding the technically correct way to not explain things.

The truth was that the two of them went further back than most knew. They'd first met when Oslo was a pup on the military base. There because his parents had been assigned. They'd met when his parents had taken him into town for dinner one night. At the time, Lycaon was making a living as a pickpocket. A less than honest living than the adult version of himself.

They'd met when Lycaon had swiped the wallet of Oslo's Dad. The elder wolf found it more amusing than anything and the two younger wolves had become fast friends; and with wolf thirens being rare they decided they belonged to the same pack. They'd kept in touch even after Oslo had to relocate with his parents to Germany when they were reassigned. Such was the life of a military brat.

So years later when an adult Oslo needed of a change of scenery, New Eridu was at the top of his list.

Lycaon had been silent for a while. "I don't know." He finally answered, choosing to ignore the look of shock on his friend's face when he actually admitted to not knowing.

"Who attacked you?" Oslo pressed, "I know you know how to fight. You were pretty bad off when you crashed through my window last night. You were running on pure wolf thiren instinct."

Lycaon took a long, hard stare of the tea in his cup. After a beat or two he whispered in a voice so low that Oslo barely heard him. "Mockingbird."

Oslo sat back in his chair in surprise, tapping a clawed finger on the table. "Well, fuck…"

Lycaon couldn't help but chuckle at the wolf's exclamation.

"I was at the store today with a friend. We found some things but I was hoping you could fill in the gaps for me. If you're up for it." Oslo stated. "We think someone was abducted from the store when you were attacked. But if Mockingbird is who targeted you, what is their connection to the proxy twins?"

"I've been wondering that myself." Lycaon answered, sighing heavily. "His only issue is with me. I get why he would attack me, but to go to such lengths with the Managers? I haven't been able to fully understand it yet. I don't think he attacked them merely because Lady Belle was protecting me."

Oslo nodded in agreement. "Based on what I found at the scene, I'd agree. It looked planned. The fire was caused by some high explosive attached to a gas tank. It's crude, but not something you throw together in minutes. I need to know what happened, my friend. I want you to walk me through when you were attacked. As best you can."

Lycaon nodded, going over the night to the best of his memory. A newer client of his had requested something to watch late at night. They were looking for a particular movie that was extremely hard to find but Lycaon new he had seen it at the store. His hope had been to use the key he'd been given previously to go in and grab it for the client, leaving a note on the counter with the information.

Oslo stopped him. "You had a key?"

Lycaon nodded. "Yes. Lady Belle had given it to me a while back. She told me I could use it to get into the store whenever they were closed if I needed a video or somewhere to rest. If I took a video I was to leave a note on the counter so they could mark it in their inventory and place a charge to an account I had set up with them."

Satisfied with the answer, Oslo nodded for him to continue.

Next, Lycaon explained how he had gotten off the metro and had just stepped onto Sixth Street when he had been attacked. Whoever it was had gotten the drop on him and had used some kind of dart to inject muscle relaxers into him, causing him to be weaker than normal. He talked about how his attackers seemed to be corralling him towards the store and that every attempt to break free and go in a different direction was met with heavier resistance.

Eventually they had exhausted him and he collapsed in a heap on the ground in front of the store.

"I thought they were going to kill me right there." Lycaon said, closing his eyes. "Instead they surrounded me until he showed up. Mockingbird." Oslo watched as Lycaon's lips pulled back in a snarl. He reached out and placed a calming hand on Lycaon's arm.

"Do you remember anything after that? Overhear or see anything we might be able to make use of?"

Lycaon shook his head and sighed. "At that point I was kicked in the head. It took me a while to regain my faculties. Each time he attacked me. At one point I nearly passed out. I think I briefly recall him saying something about a truck, but I can't be sure. The next thing I knew he kicked me so hard I was thrown through the main entry."

Oslo took a moment to think over the story.

"You said they surrounded you and kept you there until Mockingbird arrived? So he wasn't there at first…" The wolf trailed off, deep in thought. He suddenly jumped up, "Your clothes!" He shouted, unlocking the kitchen door before making a run for the stairs. Lycaon watched through the swinging door as the others in the home looked from the stairs to him.

He felt his ears fall back a bit.

Oslo returned a moment later, the tattered remains of Lycaon's outfit in his clutches. He laid it out on the table. Leaning in and going over it inch by inch. Jane entered the kitchen and after giving a polite smile to Lycaon, she turned to Oslo, "What exactly are you doing?"

The wolf didn't answer at first, fingers tracing every inch of the finely tailored cloth. After a moment of awkward silence he plucked something off it with a claw, holding it up for everyone to see. "Since Mockingbird wasn't there when everything started he was coming from another location and he since was the one kicking you, I can only assume he'd transfer some kind of evidence to your clothes. It would've been in your fur, too, but I cleaned you up looking for wounds."

"Cool. What is it?" Ellen asked, squinting at the orange rock in the wolf's claw.

Belle was still processing the information. "Mockingbird?" She questioned, looking directly at Lycaon. She remember the time he had asked her for help saving a client of his from someone using that name to scam them. He'd seemed oddly knowledgeable about the real thing. Now she knew why.

Jane was the first one to solve the mystery. "That's red clay." She said confidently. "You don't find that in the city. That's only in the Outer Ring. Have you made any trips there recently?" She asked Lycaon who shook his head. "No, never."

Oslo thought over the new evidence, trying hard to figure it how it tied in. Though he was at a bit of a loss, he didn't know much about the Outer Ring. "What can you tell me about that place, Jane?"

"It's a bit like the wild west." She began. "Lots of undeveloped areas, but it's been growing. Right now thought it's mostly populated by biker gangs, a couple of factories, and things like that. It's where the city gets a large portion of it's oil from, too."

"Factories and oil?" Oslo echoed, still starring intently at the clay. "Sounds like the prime place to find trucks." Oslo said, turning his gaze back to Lycaon.

"There's also a lack of law enforcement out there," Jane added. "Making it the prime place for criminals to hide." She said, pulling out her phone and pressing a few buttons. Belle looked to Oslo. "Jane filled me in on what you found at the store. Do you think it's possible my brother was taken there?"

Oslo could only offer a shrug. "I'm not sure."

"Trafficking in people does happen, but even those in the Outer Ring find it largely distasteful." Jane answered, looking up from her phone. "That said, it's entirely possibly someone didn't know what they were transporting."

She held the phone up to hear ear as she pushed past the kitchen door. "Piper, it's Jane. We need to meet." She was heard saying, causing everyone else to look at each other.

Oslo thought better of it than to follow her. He knew she was protective of her contacts. The fact that they had all even heard a name was a surprising slip up.

"So, Mockingbird, eh?" Belle started, folding her arms as she glared daggers at Lycaon. Oslo couldn't help but a grin a bit as he watched the formidable thiren nearly wilt under the gaze. Either Lycaon truly respected Belle or she really was that scary. Or, Oslo surmised, both.

"I am very sorry, Lady Belle. I never intended for you to get wrapped up in all this. I will do everything I can to make it right." Lycaon replied, Attendant mode activated.

"Lycaon, stop." She scolded. "Stop talking to me like I'm a client. I'm you're friend."

Oslo could swear he saw Lycaon's tail tuck briefly. He opted to take pity on the other wolf, resting a large hand on Belle's shoulder, drawing her attention to him. "Easy, Belle. He's already beating himself up inside for everything that has happened. Me and you know none of this is his fault. It's just gonna take some time for him to recognize it himself."

He watched the woman open her mouth to say something, but instead she closed it with a sigh.

"They almost killed you, Lycaon." She said quietly, turning and wrapping her arms around the wolf's neck. Oslo grinned as he saw the butler stiffen before melting slightly when she rubbed behind one of his ears in a calming gesture. Lycaon looked at him and glared when he saw the raised eyebrow.

"Do you know how devastated I'd be if anything happened to you?" She continued, pulling back to look him in the eye. "I'm not asking for your permission to help. I'm helping. A lot of folks are, actually."

Lycaon let a smile grace his face, the first one he'd had in almost two days. There was a reason why him and Belle got along so well, the largest part of that being their loyalty to their friends. He should have known better than to try and apologize to her. It was an insult to their relationship.

"Thank you, La- Belle." He answered, finally giving in to her demands.

"Boss." Ellen broke in, holding out some items for him to take. Belle and Oslo both recognized it as a steel comb and fur care products. "I grabbed these for you when I went out yesterday. I figured you'd want them when you woke up."

Lycaon gratefully accepted the items, sharing a smile with the shark thiren before turning back to Oslo and Belle. "You said a lot of people were helping?"

Belle nodded. "Some of the folks from Belobog Industries, everyone from the Cunning Hares, even a couple of close friends form Public Security have taken vacation leave to help us off the books."

Lycaon couldn't help but grin a bit. Leave it to Belle to marshal so many resources. He wasn't blind to the fact that so many were involved because of the damage done to her, but he was grateful all the same. He also didn't bother to challenge their assistance, knowing that doing so would only anger Belle.

Everyone looked to the door as Jane re-entered the kitchen, tucking her phone away in the process. "I reached out to a friend of mine who works in the Outer Ring. I didn't expect to get such good information so fast but she told me she had been contracted by an anonymous party to pick up a large create near the Ballet Twins and deliver it to a warehouse in the Outer Ring. She also told me the warehouse in question is usually used by smugglers." Jane grinned widely. "And I think I found our Proxy connection."

All eyes were on her, and in her usual fashion she drew out the reveal.

"Manager, do you remember a few months ago how you were involved in saving people at the top of the Ballet Twins?" She asked, waiting for Belle to nod. She stayed silent for another moment before she saw the realization wash over her. "You're kidding." Belle said, her jaw hanging slightly.

Jane grinned. "It would seem there's a new player out in the Outer Ring. A short, heavy set, older man who is on the run from Public Security."

"Perlman." Belle confirmed. "He's working with Mockingbird?"

"I don't know for sure, but it's a bit too convenient for my liking." Jane said, resting her hands on her hips. "I'm going to meet with my contact out there in a day or two to see things for myself. I'll let you know what I find out." She said, nodding her goodbye and she moved for the door.

"Jane, wait!" Oslo stopped her. "These folks are beyond dangerous. You shouldn't be going out there alone. You're not immortal, you know."

Jane leaned in and gave the wolf a kiss on the cheek. "Then I'm really glad you just volunteered to come with me, Wolfy." She called over her shoulder as she sauntered out of the house. The wolf was glad for her dark fur making the blush easy to hide. Hearing a snicker from Ellen he turned towards the rest of the group. "Not a word." He hissed playfully, leaving the room.

Belle laughed softly before turning her attention back to Lycaon. "Do you think it's possible?"

"That Mockingbird is working with an escaped criminal?" Lycaon asked, "I guess it's possible. Mockingbird was always strong, but income was a challenge. If Perlman is funding him then it would explain why he came after you as well. Repayment for the funds."

"Well that's just great." Belle sighed, taking a seat at the table. "You're being targeted by an old friend who seriously wants you dead and I have a bounty on my head because I helped take down a criminal."

"Look on the bright side," Ellen offered, shrugging her shoulders. "At least now we know your brother probably isn't dead, just abducted." She said, watching as both sets of eyes landed on her with looks of disbelief. "What?" She asked, looking between them both.

Lycaon shook his head, Belle let out a chuckle.

There was a brief pause of silence before Ellen spoke again. "Hey, Boss. You know about the agency, right?" Her voice was quiet, sullen. Lycaon nodded slowly. "I do. I was reading over internal reports. We have lost so many already. Others are in hiding and hopefully safe."

"What do we do?"

Lycaon sighed heavily, the feeling of doubt and uncertainty creeping in again. He felt his mouth go dry and a pang in his chest. "Victoria Housekeeping, as of now, has been disbanded."