The weather was welcoming that afternoon. Sunny, a temperature of 82-degrees with the perfect wind, just enough to keep the city streets cool for the crowds wearing shorts and sundresses. The weekend held promise of time away from work. A chance for the busy population to enjoy the mecca they called home. To have lunch with family and friends, go on adventures and make plans for the coming night. The smell of fresh food and flowers blooming helped minimize the exhaust from passing cars and tempted passer-byes to wander into the fragrant shops to tempt them out of some of their hard-earned money.

The summer weekend smells didn’t appear to have any effects on Ireland, as she reached the surface street from the subway station. She was never the type to scowl or look angry, and that held true today. However, there was something else about her, that if you looked close-enough, seemed off. She walked down the street, eyeing restaurants and hotel bars, evaluating them for a split second before dismissing them. Ireland was 30 minutes into her undefined search when her eyes took notice of a sign, The Baby Falkyn, a nightclub. She had been there a couple of times to check on someone but found herself surprised to be standing in front of it now.

Being a nightclub it meant it wasn’t open, which meant it was free of patrons. The corner of her mouth turned upwards into a subtle smirk. She took a seat on a nearby bench and pulled out her phone. In the course of 5-minutes, she had exchanged a series of texts. Soon she heard the door to the nightclub open and a head pop out. “Mi Salvador,” voiced the man in the doorway as Ireland turned towards him. She smiled brightly, moving to the door. When close enough the young man, 32-year old Matias, enveloped her in a hug as if she were family.

Surprised Ireland let out a small giggle as she hugged him back, “You always give the best hugs. I hope you don’t keep track of the number of guests who fall in love with you over the course of a night.” She teased him.

“A gentleman never tells,” he replied with a wink. “Please come on it,” waving her to come in as he held the door open.

“Are you sure? I don’t want to get you in trouble with the boss,” she knew Matias had worked hard for the bartending job he had here.

He shook his head, “For mi Salvador, I’ll risk it. Besides we always need guinea pigs to try new drinks on.” He leaned in closer to whisper in her ear, “Besides I already asked the lead bartender. So if the boss lady yells at someone it should be him. Of course, I did mention you were a great tipper.”

Ireland chuckled again. She asked if she could sit in the back corner. Matius didn’t understand why, but he knew Ireland had her secrets. So he gave a nod with the promise to bring a drink over shortly. “Muchas gracias,” thanking him sincerely as she let herself sink into the booth. She was in an anti-social brooding mood. The kind that needed liberal amounts of alcohol. Ireland wasn’t someone who liked drinking at home, though not wanting to deal with a crowd of people she had to get creative in situations like this. That was typically when she would call in a favor with one of her many clients (both past/present). She did her best not to call in those favors often. Former clients like Matias though, they didn’t seem to mind, always thankful for the help she had provided him in the past.

It was peaceful in the Nightclub when Ireland had entered. Since it was supposed to be closed, the only sound came from the workers, the slight grunts from the cleaners who were pushing mops, some cleaners with wet cloth cleaning the tables. Fortunately, the Booth Ireland had chosen to sit at was one of those that was cleaned, or at least had never been sat in for a long time thus didn’t need to be cleaned. The Mixologists were hard at work, glasses clinking as the empty bottles were taken down to be refilled with filled ones. A worker suddenly tossed up a small piece of meat, which was swiftly snatched from mid-air by something very fast.

Whatever it was, soon revealed itself to be a peregrine falcon that landed where it could eat the meat in peace as a Worker brought it some water. It was left alone, the Employee's barely even acknowledged the creature as if it was a normal occurrence that a Peregrine Falcon as in there.

Lied sat in her office going over the latest Financial report when she glanced over, noticing her pet flying out through the only way it was able to. At night, the way would be closed and secure leaving no sound going on, so during the day where there wasn’t loud music, she allowed her pet to fly and get its exercise. She was about to turn her head back when she noticed someone else there that wasn’t an Employee. When she asked, she was told that the woman was called Mi Salvador, and she’s apparently a big tipper. Lied liked big tippers as much as VIP guests so she chose not to mind her presence being there, though she began to grow concerned about Torgue’s presence disturbing her.

Lied didn’t want anything to affect big tippers or VIPs moods, so she walked down, and whistled as she lifted her covered hand.

Torgue grabbed the meat, and flew off towards its owner, and landed expertly on the covering as it received love in the form of petting. It soon returned to where its nest was, in Lied's office.

Ireland just took a moment to close her eyes. The noises from people cleaning, bottles clanking, hushed conversations and the occasional laughter were disarming. There was a comfort in the noises that come with routine activities that Ireland found relaxing. Routine for others allowed her to sink into the background. No one had customer service on their mind. When her drinking glass became empty a new drink appeared a few minutes later, without a word being said. It was blissfully peaceful.

She had been staring into her drink. Using the small black straw to move the ice cubes around in the blue liquid when something dark and swift immediately caught her attention. Ireland looked up to where she had seen the blur, not that it was there anymore. Thankfully the human movement of the person who fed the bird was far easier to catch. She was surprised to see a falcon indoors. True the birds were commonly seen nesting in the upper half of the numerous tall buildings in the city, but it was surprising that one seemed to be so tame.

Half chuckling to herself if anyone was mistaken enough to group a feedable falcon in the same category as the numerous pigeons that were more than comfortable invading your personal space for some of the pizza crust you still had. The two birds were far from being the same.

Content to watch the falcon, temporarily distracted from the thoughts that plagued her, she was a bit disappointed when a woman appeared just to take the bird away. It didn’t take much effort to identify her as the boss. She had to admit that having a falcon so near did lend itself to ensuring the club functioned smoothly. It took a special kind of person to handle owning a wild pet. She just hoped, for the pet’s sake, that the woman was good at it. Ireland had come across far too many smuggled and misused exotics to take the subject as a form of amusement.

Without the falcon to look at Ireland turned her attention towards the bar. She watched the bartender’s interactions for a while. Routine came in again as the skilled mixologists reached for ingredients that muscle memory told them were there. Hands handled bottles, ice, tumblers and fruit with skilled efficiency. She saw grace and beauty in their efficiency.

She exhaled, trying to relax tense muscles in her shoulders, as her hand fidgeted with her cell phone. She raised the phone into view, her elbow resting on the table as she eyed the locked screen. For a moment the screen came to life, the notice of an unread text appeared at the top before the screen went dark again. Her mouth twisted to the side in contemplation.

Should she read the text now before she had too many drinks?

Or should she wait for a few more drinks and confront the message then?

Either option came with its ups and downs. At the moment though … nope. She turned the phone face down and set it on the table. Taking up her drink in the other hand and quickly downing it. Nope, she wasn’t ready to face it yet.

She didn’t seem afraid of her Falcon, which pleased the feral mutant. If she was afraid then there would be a chance for the Nightclub to get a bad review and people would stop coming. Still, Lied decided she should check up on her just in case. She moved towards the booth while allowing her eyes to take in the sights from this level. Until finally, she was there, at the booth where she spotted Ireland. She made sure her shades were on so that her eyes were covered.

“Hello there, I wanted to apologize, in case my daughter disturbed you,” she told her and allowed herself to smile. She knew any other would be surprised to hear her refer to the Peregrin Falcon as her daughter.

She looked towards the bar, and nodded to the tender silently, indicating that she wanted a drink before she moved to sit across from her. She moved her covered hand onto the table moving her other hand over it. The covering made it seem like her hand was actually injured, which might not be possible since Torgue had landed on it.

“Normally I’d say we’re closed until the evening, but I have been hearing that you’re a big tipper, which means that similar to VIPs you're special to us here,” she told her as a Waitress brought Lied her drink, which she sipped gently, before noting the downward faced phone on the table.

Lied soon turned her attention back to the woman before her.

As Lied approached the table Matias was just leaving, having delivered a new drink for Ireland. The Latin bartender gave his boss a nod of respect, pausing to allow her to pass him before he returned to the bar. Pausing yet again for the waitress who was quick to tend to their boss. As handsome and charming as Matias was, his coworkers knew he was a sweet-hearted guy. The kind of guy that reserved his Sundays for church and family, and really appreciated the job he had.

Ireland wrapped her hand around her new drink, which was a clouded pink this time. She looked up as Matias left, surprised to see his boss approaching. Ireland was caught off guard by the women’s comment. A rush of thoughts and emotions ran through her mind as her light eyes stared at the women longer than they should. For a moment her protective barriers went up, worried about who this woman was and what exactly she knew. Tempted to pull her phone closer in a protective manner. Though she managed to resist, knowing it could be seen as a ‘tell’. If Ireland were to lay claim to any one ability over the other, it would be her unwavering poker face. An ability that was ironclad 51 out of the 52 weeks in a year. Unfortunately for her, she was currently at the core of her vulnerable week, which meant her real feelings leaked out now and then.

She watched Lied sit down across from her. Glancing down to her hands she noticed the gloves. Instantly her thoughts shifted from worry to the falcon, smiling as she realized that was the daughter being mentioned. “I didn’t find her disturbing at all, but a welcome distraction,” she assured the owner.

Ireland chuckled slightly after hearing about herself being a big tipper, “I suppose there’s no such thing as a secret in a club. Especially when I’m the only non-employee here.” She gave Lied a playful smirk before her attention shifted to her drink for a moment. The ice shifted against the glass as Ireland moved the drink ever so slightly. “Thank you for letting me stay a while. I was someone in need of a strong drink without the crowds, in a desperate way,” taking a moment to show her appreciation for bending the rules. Pausing a moment before adding, “I can assure you this won’t become a habit.”

Lied nodded her head to the Bartender that she passed by. Ever since he had been employed at her Nightclub she has heard nothing but good things about him. She was a little iffy about letting someone that went to a church to work for her, an actual mutant, but she decided to go with it. Of course, she hid her hand that was totally not normal, and her eyes were hidden by her shades. Now that she thought about it, if he hadn’t worked for her, she supposed she wouldn’t have been able to meet Mi Salvador.

Lied’s lips curled up into a smile when she was told that Torgue wasn’t found to be disturbing but was a welcome distraction. She was glad to hear this a great deal because it meant that things will be fine for her club. Lied grinned at her words and nodded her head, “Yes indeed, I mean I am a big tipper myself, but I own the place," she said to her, her eyes moved towards the movement as the glass was moved, and in reaction, the ice shifted. Her eyes behind the shades moved back to Ireland when she began speaking again.

Lied found herself a somewhat kindred spirit when she finished her words. She nodded in understanding. “I can understand that feeling a great deal, I didn’t like crowds when I was younger and, even now, I still don’t. When this place is active I tend to stay up in my loft office coming out only when someone has caught my interest, or at first sight of a very important friend,” she said to her. She nodded silently. “I admit, I don’t really like it too much when non-employees come in with you being a special case. I am willing to make an exception this time, so the next time, I’ll let you call, and you can use the other entrance, alright?" She asked, realizing she didn’t have her number.

Ireland casually took a couple sips of her drink. Tasting a mix of rum, pineapple, grenadine, lemon-lime soda and something else … ~Coconut vodka maybe?~ she asked herself as her tongue tried to dissect what she was given as she listened to Lied. The offer to come again, with notice and the allowance to use the side entrance honestly surprised her. Which showed with her raised brows, it wasn’t a feeling she was trying to hide. “That’s very generous of you…” her words trailing as she realized that she lacked the woman’s name.

“My apologies,” extending her left hand for a formal greeting, “Ireland Chase.” Slipping her right hand into her small purse to grab a business card and set it on the table where Lied could reach it. “I own Chase & Sawyer Imports,” which the business card listed as having locations in Washington DC and Dublin.

“I’m curious. If you are someone who dislikes crowds, what was your inspiration behind opening a nightclub? You two seem to be an odd pairing,” she asked the woman owner-to-owner. Her curiosity was genuine. Understanding the motives behind business decisions was important for someone like her, who spent a lot of her time bartering with others to get the wares she was after.

Lied sipped her own drink, letting the taste touch her own tongue as she drank her drink. The waitress likely gave her own favorite drink, which was apple cider. With no chance of alcohol, that would be crazy, giving a feral an alcoholic drink, at least she thought so, there could be ferals who drank it. She didn’t know, either way, she enjoyed her drink and after, the woman, she soon learned was Ireland Chase spoke to her. She soon made her generous offer, which surprised her. She allowed her lips to curl up to a smile.

Ireland introduced herself, and fortunately, she didn’t use her right hand to offer a shake, that would be awkward, because her right hand’s difference would be noticed. Her left hand shook her hand. “Lied Nova. I, of course, own and manage this place,” she said indicating the Nightclub they were inhabiting. Lied chuckled. “Well, I’d seen all these scenes growing up on TV, showing Nightclubs like this, it seemed to be interesting, then I found Torgue, and I just knew I had a name for my club. Nightclubs seemed like somewhere I could have fun,” she said, though silently within her mind she said, "And where I can get training on self-control."

Ireland smiled as Lied introduced herself, “Lied is a unique name. German origin if my memory is accurate, is that a family name?” Ireland asked casually, before tucking a loose curl behind her ear. Passing down a family name wasn’t very common practice these days, she often spent her idle time debating the pros and cons of traditions the new generations had a habit of leaving in the past.

Starting a business because it had been seen on TV…one would think such an answer was rare, but that wasn’t the case these days. A surprisingly large portion of businesses were now created off the same inspiration. “Many people have tried to pair fun with a successful business, not all of these were successful. Unlike yourself, I’ve heard stories of how long the lines get on Friday and Saturday nights to get in. You’re clearly doing many things right,” praising the business owner for a job well done.

Lied nodded her head. “Indeed when I was born, my, uh, father was from there, so he wanted to name his child with a German heritage. Nova was actually a name I chose for myself to use as a last name, ” she said, adding, “When I was younger, I learned a lot of people had one, so I thought I should get one too. I did like the word Nova.”

Lied smiled, a genuine smile this time as the other business owner praised her. She knew there were long lines, she had seen these lines for herself, and that’s when she knew she was doing good with herself. All she had to do was to keep that up and she’ll be doing good with herself. “I have seen these lines myself a few times, ” she told her, thinking about how that was a big sign of her success. “Would you like to tell me a bit more about yourself, and maybe a bit about your own business that you own?’ she asked her.