I made my choice. There was no going back.

My jackal tail tried curling in on itself. Both black-furred ears pointed directly to the floor, but I kept myself brave--for my family, for my wife, and especially for dear Liah. Despite my bravery, both knees trembled as I walked up the staircase, closely followed by a bored-looking canine and a tiger that led me towards an office. It overlooked the loud warehouse floor, which scurried with either machinery, some plain-skinned humans, or ani-coded mammals like us. Not a single one of them glanced up to watch me approach the locked door, then stand half-terrified as the tiger rapped his knuckles on the foggy glass.

"Boss, you got a visitor," he spoke up, just loud enough for it to echo over the ambience. 

He waited only for a moment. Then, an audible click could be heard, and the tiger held the door open while roughly ushering me inside. I did my best not to gasp out loud.

When I was told to visit the Twilight Deliverance building, I'd been surprised at the stylish yet minimalist interior of the shipping company's front lobby. It extended all the way to the receptionist's desk and into conference rooms. It greatly contrasted with the backrooms office of the shipping company's owner. I found myself in an office with beautiful furniture, a light fixture resembling a kaleidoscope, and decorative paintings on the wall that looked older than Twilight City. Possibly older than mankind's time spent in the Lyra System, let alone Persephone herself. 

Before turning to the sleek desk and the imposing feline sitting behind it though, my eyes were drawn to a statue standing in the corner of the room. It was a young human male holding a large staff with two wings and snakes coiled around it. The statue wasn't ancient, but the design certainly was, likely coming from the home world's ancient past.

"Do you like what you see, Mr. Scott?"

I jerked my head back to the feline behind the desk, instantly nodding my head. He was an ani-coded mammal slightly older than me, a hybrid of snow leopard and tiger that blended together along his fur. From the news clips and the occasional street-level rumors, Bowie Tremaine happened to be third-generation ani-coded. Meaning that his legs were digitigrade instead of plantigrade like a normal human being's, having been born that way as opposed to genetic alterations. He also (allegedly) committed enough murders to be sent to all nine circles of Hell twice over.

"Y-Yes, Mr. T-Tremaine, sir!" I stammered, then cleared my throat. Over and over, I mentally told my nerves to keep it together. "T-Thank you for s-seeing me, sir."

He motioned a paw towards the chair across from him. "Come. Sit."

I did just that. My heart pounded through the entire ordeal, even as I sat down and felt the presence of two of his men standing behind me. Meanwhile, the boss looked like he was examining me.

I didn't like being there. Truth be told, I didn't even want to be forced to go to one of Twilight City's most notorious crime lords. The upcoming bills and Liah's life hung in the balance however, and if I had to make a choice between Tremaine and the Autumnknell families...well, Mr. Tremaine felt like the lesser of two evils to make a deal with. 

I sat down across from his desk. My paws gripped both knees, waiting for something to happen, for someone to speak first when Mr. Tremaine suddenly leaned forward.

"Do you like it?" he asked, and before I could answer, he explained, "It's a gift from a friend of mine in United Macedonia, on Earth. He says it isn't ancient, but that it used to belong in an exclusive collection. The name of the god is Hermes. He was considered the pantheon's personal messenger, responsible for wealth, commerce, and assisting travelers reach the ends of their journeys. He also often assists heroes at the ends of their ropes when they're most desperate for something to reach their goals. Fitting, don't you agree?"

I didn't know what to say, simply nodding. 

He raised an eyebrow, the sighed in amusement before returning to his fixed smile. "Do you require anything to drink, Mr. Scott?" he asked. "Or may I call you Garett instead?"

"Just some water, please," I answered. "And yes, you can call me...by my name, M-Mr. Tremaine."

"Bowie," he insisted. "Mr. Tremaine was my father, bless him."

He extended an arm behind him to place a water bottle on the sleek desk. I meekly reached for it after waiting for Bowie to give me a slight nod. I drank two heavy gulps without realizing it. As I did so, he placed a device on his desk and unfolded it. My ears caught a faint static noise that disappeared like a low, almost musical hum.

"Now then..." He leaned back in his large chair and kept staring at me with those intense blue eyes. "What brings you to my place of business?"

I cleared my throat. Then, I told the crime lord my life's story, about how my family and I grew up on Gliese prior to the True Humanity revolution. My parents had seen the signs ahead of time and smartly moved us to Persephone not long before the rebellion grew out of control and the Pax Terra government back in Sol lost all hope in maintaining control of the planet. We lost most of our wealth but kept just enough to live comfortably within Twilight City. I got myself ani-coded into a jackal in order to work in the sweltering Solaris District part-time while attending culinary school, hoping to become a high-end chef. Then, I got married and had two beautiful daughters before settling on simply owning a regular restaurant.

"What changed?" Bowie asked. 

"My baby daughter, Liah...She needs a new heart, but she..." I struggled not to cry. "She won't live on enough to even get to the top of the list. Florette and I have already drained most of our savings to make sure she's in a hospital within the Old Colony Dome, but it's not enough. The bills keep piling up for the restaurant, our home, and we soon won't be able to keep Liah in her hospital room. At best, we've got until the end of the year before..."

I slammed my muzzle shut, already feeling my shoulders collapse.

"We need a heart for Liah," I finally confessed. "B-Bowie, can you...p-please...?"

He silently mulled it over. His ears flickered in different directions, as if they themselves were considering which way to go with my plea.

"Why didn't you come to me first?" he asked. "Why wait this long for you to lose so much money?" He answered his own question before I could, "It's because you fear me."

"Not at all, Bowie!" I tried to say. 

"It's fine that you're scared of me," he said with a paw raised in the air. "I understand where you're coming from: a law-abiding citizen who believes hard work is an incredibly strong virtue. It can pull you out of poverty or destroy any obstacles in your path. But not every obstacle can be overcome by simply keeping your nose clean to the ground. But if you truly believed in that, you wouldn't have decided to come here, would you?"

I shook my muzzle. Once again, the feline hybrid quietly thought it over for what felt like minutes, when it likely only lasted several more seconds. "You own a restaurant, correct?"

"Not for long," I answered with a defeated shrug. 

"How is your cooking?" he asked, and I did a double-take at the hybrid mobster. "Well?"

"It's really good!" I replied without the stammering. "I've been trained for four years at the Old Colony Culinary Arts College, have experience in different styles of kitchens, and have great reviews from both critics and customers alike. I-I've even spent an internship shadowing as an assistant cook at the Aliferous restaurant--"

"Now that sounds promising." Bowie Tremaine smiled for the first time. "Garett, how would you like for me to propose something to you?" I gulped, but held my tongue, waiting for the good or bad news to drop. "Across the street from the building is a closed down diner my men used to frequent on breaks. It was never that good to begin with, and the city officials rightfully shut it down recently. However, as you can imagine, that's left us with only a few options in eating on the premises."

I blinked hard, not believing my ears.

"We can provide you with whatever your daughter requires," he proposed, "if you would help me and my men out by reopening a new restaurant at the location. There will be some rules you'll need to follow, and especially when it comes to...certain finances that come in and out of your till each evening, but you'll be given all the freedom you want and a daughter that will live." He held out a paw. "Shall we discuss this further at Aliferous? I happen to be acquainted with the owner, and you can tell me more about the specifics of Liah's condition while we discuss what to call your new operation."

A smile spread across my muzzle. I numbly, happily, shook his paw without thinking.

So much for being a law-abiding citizen.