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Venom: Beautiful Killers. Continuing Part 21.

Tivoli is fixated on the handsome jaguar and holds on to his arm gently as they walk away from the lobby. While she gets lost in his touch, Paraná tells her about her upcoming mark; he finally tells her his name--Giorgios "Jay" Moros. He tells her where he lives and the possible times in which to act. Unfortunately, the barely realize that they are no longer in the safe confines of the building. They have just made the mistake of leaving through the front door and run into a young couple exiting a jeep. Paraná was so deep into the process of laying out his plan to off Mr. Moros that when he sees the couple, he freezes.

The ocelot stops too, quickly looking back and forth, first at her handler, then at the couple. They are looking right at each other. Afraid that they might have just heard him plotting a murder, she tugs on his shirt, trying to get his attention. Nervous, he bends down towards her. "What?"

She stands on her toes and grabs his shoulders. Before he could react, she presses her mouth to his, leaving it there for a few seconds. The smooch clearly looks contrived, but the human couple is most likely not thinking that as much as they are marveling at the animals in front of them. Once Tivoli lets him go, she smiles from ear and looks at him. She bounces up and down giddily. "We've finally got our loan! Now let's go get that new car!" Then, she looks at the couple. "Those guys in there are really good," she says, pointing at the building. "You two should consider yourselves lucky." Holding Paraná's hand, she quickly leads him to his car.

As the humans make their way toward the loan office, the student enters the passenger side of the teacher's car. She is looking rather proud of herself. Paraná, on the other hand, heaves a sigh of relief and puts his hands on the steering wheel. Realizing that the situation could have been much worse, he starts laughing.

The ocelot giggles again as she uses the rearview mirror to fix her hair. "That was close, wasn't it? How did I do?"

"Honestly? You sounded like a bad TV commercial."

"You think they bought it?"

"I hope so. I mean, this car is already new, so I'm not sure if they were really fooled. But thank you...for trying to help."

"You're welcome."

He starts the ignition. "You know you kissed me just now?"

"I did." She giggles as they pull away from the parking lot. Whether or not the couple they passed got any hints does not matter to them. As the jaguar drives them away in his sports car, he is not only driving his apprentice to a bright future, but he is also driving away from trouble.

As the human couple closes in on the building, Hoeness and Pamila are still jawing at one another, in front of Ravi, Inverness, and St. Croix. Save for the wolf, the room is supposed to be empty by now. After exposing Pamila's punishment to the others, the German Shepherd stands back and basks in looks of surprise that she is getting. St. Croix seems the most shocked. "That's Tobias' job, isn't it?" he asks.

Hoeness shakes his head with enthusiasm. "Nope, not just him now. Ted told me last night. For the next thirty days, she'll be cleaning everything--the offices, the cafeteria, the locker room, the restrooms; she'll be cleaning up after us, doing everything Tobias does. She has to do that instead of hunting. It's an order from the chief herself. She either does that or she's gone. I knew they wouldn't let you get away for long."

Inverness nods. "Of course they wouldn't. You just can't bomb a restaurant full of people and expect to keep on going as normal."

"No, that's not what she's being punished for. The chief's having her do that because she went batshit on Colin the day after."

Ravi laughs. "She did what?!"

"That's why we have the new carpet. She made him bleed."

The tiger looks down, rubbing the carpet with his left shoe. "I was wondering why we had to have a new one. Thirty days, huh?" He shakes his head. "That's a lot of money gone."

St. Croix carefully, caringly approaches the fox. "Is this true, Pam?"

She looks up and blows a raspberry before looking at the wolf's face. The look of concern he shows is unexpected, but welcome. She nods calmly. "So now you all know. Why don't you send a memo announcing my demotion and give a copy to everybody? Better still, why don't we make T-shirts? That'll really drive the point home, won't it?"

"I'm so sorry."

"Don't apologize," Hoeness says. "You didn't kill all those people and risk all our well-being. You also didn't hurt your boss. She did. She doesn't deserve your compassion."

"Keep poking the bear, Hoe-boy." She moves closer to the dog. "My fists are hungry for another face to feed on."

"You know, I've always thought you belonged on your knees. I just didn't think it would be to clean toilets."

St. Croix steps in between them. "Be quiet."

"You on her side, church boy?"

The wolf whispers, "I said shut up." He grabs Hoeness' left shoulder, calming him down. The look on his face indicates that someone else is either listening in or coming in. Sure enough, a pair of voices can be heard by the front door. "All right, everybody out."

Ravi and Inverness see a couple of figures standing by the class door and run past everyone to the hallway. Hoeness straightens his shirt and sneers at Pamila. "Same time tomorrow, maid."

She watches as he scampers to the hall, then shakes her head wearily. It feels as if the German Shepherd got the win today. With the knowledge of her new task lasting as long as it will, she does not have the usual fire she is known for. She slowly starts to walk away.

St. Croix tries to put a comforting arm around the fox. "Are you okay?"

She surprises him by pushing him away. "Please...don't do that right now. I don't want to slug you by accident. Don't worry about me." She tugs at her skirt and starts to walk into the hall. "Besides, you're needed elsewhere." She slinks out of sight, just in time for the front door to open. The couple who passed Paraná and Tivoli step in; the female gasps at the size of the room.

The fox watches from the hallway as St. Croix greets the humans, then turns back and starts to meander through. She looks around slowly, as if inspecting the place. She passes the restrooms and the three offices. She is about to pass by the conference room when the VIVAN CROSS door in front of her opens. Miranda exits, happily saying goodbye to the chief before closing the door behind her. She stares at the bubbly human for a bit before attempting to pass her.

"You're Pamila, aren't you?" Miranda says, almost yelling.

The fox shakes her head. "Nope, just a figment of your imagination. Just ignore me, okay? I don't feel like--"

"It is you. I'm glad to see you again." She grabs the fox's unwilling right hand and strongly shakes it. "You know, I haven't been able to get any of the girls to see me or attend my sessions. The boys are always keen, but the girls don't give me the time of day. Why is that?"

Pamila shrugs, feigning interest. "I'd say it's because you look like what you look like. If I was attracted to legs as long as yours, and attracted to an outfit that left nothing to the imagination...and if I had an aching dick with blue balls, I'd definitely see you every day. Now excuse me."

Miranda holds on to the angry fox's hand. "No, I don't think that's it. The guys swear by my service. They all rave about how I help them adjust to lives as killers. They like my coping and relaxation exercises and they're each refreshed the next day. You girls could benefit. Why don't all of you come by tomorrow morning after the meeting? Even better, have a private session with me. Maybe then, we can finally discuss why you and the Borzoi can't get along. I'd say it's finally time to bury the hatchet, don't you?"

"Zesty isn't with us anymore."

The psychiatrist gasps and covers her mouth with her free hand. "Oh, no. What happened?"

"She was fired. Now let me go before I get angry at you."

Startled, Miranda obeys. "Well...what happened?"

"According to what Camille told me last week, that slut went too far during a mission and got knocked up. Apparently, you can't do this job if you've got a bun in the oven. " Pamila chuckles angrily. "For once, I agree with the bosses. And before you ask, Mariana's gone too."

"My God. Fired as well?"

"Nope. She left out of some misguided sense of...loyalty. But if you ask me, I think that she was nothing but a wimpy tagalong who couldn't bear the thought of being without her friend. Hmm...I've always figured her to be a dyke. I say good riddance to both of them."

"Now wait, Pamila. Can't we just--"

"Don't follow me." She points up at the tall woman's face as she backs her way into the cafeteria. There, she turns around and starts to head for the back door. Inside, Stefano is lecturing a few of the workers on a couple of potential hunts in Florida. Ravi and Hoeness have stopped by to listen in.

Camille is also there, though she is more interested in the apple she is eating than in the speech. She takes a glance to her right and sees Pamila about to open the door. She runs to her friend and taps her on the back. "Hi there," she whispers.

The fox nods. "Right back at ya. Sorry, I don't feel like staying."

"What's wrong? Don't go yet. I haven't seen you in a few days; you were still babysitting Damien. I got a new mission; it's my first in a few days. Let's get breakfast, then we can compare our hunts."

"Yeah, about that...I've got something to tell you, but not here. I'll wait by your car until you're ready." She tries to coax a smile.

"Okay. I gotta make a little restroom stop. I'll see you in a few minutes."

"Nice hat." Pamila gives up on smiling and turns away, opening the door in a huff. The sun shines in her face as she exits. She shields her eyes for a split second, but gathers herself quickly and decides to leave as sturdily as she came in. Her hands stay rigid at her sides and her eyes look straight ahead. To her, image is everything, and before she is forced on her knees cleaning after others, she will boldly walk away from the building.

As soon as she enters the parking lot, she sees a black bicycle parked by the building. It is not locked in place, but leaning against the large garbage bin that occupies a couple of parking spaces. "Tobias," she says. For some reason, she stops moving and just stares at the bike. Her hands clench and her patented angry face returns. Her breath quickens and increases in volume. Whatever calm she had before has clearly vanished.

Suddenly, she covers her face in her hands, pressing them as hard as she can. She is muffling a scream. She screams once, breathes in, and screams again. The second is a little louder than the first, but is just as muffled. There is nobody around to hear as her frustrations explode into her hands. The second scream lasts longer and has emphasis; she is now digging her nails into her forehead. (It is not hard enough to penetrate the skin, but it looks scary enough.)

Tobias arrives, coming from behind the garbage bin. As the small cigarette butt in his left hand shows, he has just finished enjoying a smoke and is about to enter the cafeteria. Upon seeing Pamila, he slows down. She still has her hands on her face, but she is not screaming anymore. She is taking deep breaths and slowly releasing the pressure on her forehead. Going near her right now seems like a bad idea. Nevertheless, the young boy steps gingerly and tries to pass by unnoticed. His sneaking steps take him slowly toward the building's back door.

Now seemingly calm, Pamila starts to slowly uncover her face. Her breathing has returned to normal and her ears are once again fully upright. She lowers her hands until her eyes are visible. Her face remains still, but her eyes dart back and forth. She parts her hands until her mouth is free, but she keeps them on her cheeks. She takes a step forward, then suddenly stops. Something seems wrong as her face turns angry again. She takes a deep breath and quickly turns around. "Boo!"

A shocked Tobias falls backwards, hitting his head against the door. His composure completely scattered, he tries to stand, then falls again. Now, the angry fox is approaching, wearing a face she normally saves for hunting marks. She grabs the boy's collar and sticks her snout against his nose. "Don't ever do that again!"

"D-do what?! I didn't do anything!"

She breathes angrily at him and bares her teeth. She hates being snuck upon, but the possibility of working under the boy, a janitor, is the reason she looks about to kill him. She continues to hold on to him, unaware of the furries inside the cafeteria who are watching the entire ordeal. It starts with one, Stefano, who was standing against the window when he heard Pamila yell. Seconds later, everyone in the cafeteria is trying to find a free spot to watch.

The fox opens her mouth to speak when a voice from inside says, "Hey, don't kill him! Remember, he's your partner!" A smattering of laughter follows. Now, even more people know what she is going to have to do for the next month. As the furries inside share that fact, she hangs her head in exasperation and slowly starts to loosen her grip.

For his part, Tobias smartly watches Pamila's right hand; the one not grabbing him; the one that he probably knows has injured someone already. He has his feet spread and his arms loose. He is ready to defend himself in case anything happens, though he would probably lose no matter how prepared he was. His breathing is deceptively calm; he is trying to show bravery in front of the onlookers, but deep down, he is scared to death.

Pamila quickly glances at the crowd in front of her and hisses. Then she notices her friend, Camille, shaking her head. The cat is struck with a look of disbelief; she has just found out too. In no time, the fox releases Tobias, turns her head, and quickly walks away from the building. Her anger does not diminish, but she quickly curbs anymore rash actions. After all, the boys are watching.

Tobias quickly enters the cafeteria just as Stefano ends his meeting and tells everyone to disperse. Eight of them, including Camille, leave the room. Everyone heads to their cars except for the cat, who immediately goes to console the still-fuming fox. Ravi, Inverness, and Hoeness remain inside, watching the goings-on in the parking lot. The only one showing concern for the females is the Scottish Terrier. The other two just laugh.

"You know," Ravi says, "if I didn't know better, I'd say you've just saved that boys' life."

Hoeness scoffs. "Don't get me wrong. I would have loved to see her cut up that little brat, but that would deprive us of seeing that bitch humbled and humiliated to within an inch of her life. Now wouldn't you want to see that? She's finally gets to experience life below the rest of us."

The tiger laughs. "Nope. That's not going to happen."

"You don't think so?"

"She'd never allow it! She's too proud to let the people in charge have the upper hand. I think she's gone for sure...probably after today."

"I'd think she'd do it to prove us wrong. She's that stubborn."

Through the pane glass window, they can see Camille and Pamila standing next to the cat's car, talking to each other. No matter how many times she puts a gentle hand on her friend's shoulder, she cannot seem to soothe the fox's anger. Eventually, the rest of the parking lot clears except for them.

Inverness looks at the two sadly and shakes his head. "That's pathetic."

Hoeness is still smiling. "What is?"

"First Zesty, then Mariana, and now Pamila. This is getting serious."

"Stop bellyaching. You don't like Pamila either."

"That's not the point. The place is running out of women, and we didn't have many to begin with. In case you didn't notice, I happen to like women."

"Hmm...is this about all the women, or just one particular one? Maybe a fair-faced, white dog with a sickeningly sweet personality? A girl who preferred her own fate to your lame attempts at sexual advances?" He watches on as Inverness angrily turns away from him. "Come on, man. She's refused you at every turn. You still can't be holding a candle for her."

"For your information, she said yes and we were about to go out on a date. This was right before she was...." Inverness sighs reflectively as his anger slowly ebbs.

"What do you want me to do? Say I'm sorry? Well I'm not."

"You won't be happy until every female are gone, will you? You think they're all bad for us? You think they don't deserve to work here?"

Hoeness approaches the terrier boldly. "Listen. You, me, and the tiger over there are among the best of an elite group. Now, the women are okay, but none of them, not one, can match any of us at what we do. If one exists, then I'll gladly cede my position. Until then, we're the best. You want a recent, sad example of what I'm saying? The newest hire currently with Paraná...I finally got a real, good look at her. Did you see how small she is? How pudgy she is? Most marks we get are easily a foot taller than she is. Could she handle a job? Can she even kill a fly? Does she even have a chance?"

Tobias appears, carrying the suddenly ubiquitous mop and bucket. He puts them down and heads for the sink, about to wash the empty coffeepot.

Meanwhile, Hoeness continues. "There are none of the girls who are at our level. Zesty came the closest, but that's only because she lured the marks in with her good looks. She didn't need stealth, she didn't need speed, she didn't need strength. In other words, she didn't actually hunt. She didn't put in the hard work. She also had Mariana helping her much of the time, so she hardly did much her own. They don't have the strength we do, physically or emotionally. We also can't get pregnant. Count that as a bonus." He gives Inverness a fist bump on his shoulder. "Is it any wonder we're 'running out of women'?"

Ravi nods. "As much as I'd like them to stay, they just cannot keep doing this kind of work on a consistent basis. Now, I like Camille, very much so, and we were together for a time. The constraints of the job broke us up. You and Mariana would have ended up the same way; you both were never going to work out. It's best just to let her go."

Hoeness chuckles as he spots Tobias. "Besides, you weren't the only one going after the Maltese. Isn't that right, boy?" He puts his hands in his pockets and moves closer to the young man, though he is still talking to Inverness. "A couple of months after she started working, she started to cozy up to the janitor here. They'd talk every night after work, then sneak off somewhere in her car. I'm afraid he beat you to the punch."

Tobias ignores him as he continues to rinse the coffeepot. He hears every word and it is starting to affect him; he presses his lips together.

"Well, this didn't last either. You don't have to pine for anyone in here. There are plenty of women outside of work that you can get with, and relationships with them will still be tested anyway. Our business is just too important; there's just no room for romance."

The boy clears his throat. "Then how do you explain Shiloh and Winter?"

Hoeness raises his eyebrows. Inverness' eyes widen. Ravi chuckles. It was like they had never heard him speak before. It was such a surprise that the terrier sits down on the nearest chair. As he and the tiger look on, the German shepherd closes in on Tobias. "Well, what do you know? It talks." His wicked smile returns; he stands behind the boy and folds his arms. "I thought you were tired of us razzing you all the time. That was because every time you talk, you sound like a little bitch. You were more approachable when you kept quiet." He turns to Ravi, who nods in approval. Inverness remains still.

Tobias cuts off the water in the faucet and just stands there, looking straight ahead at the cabinets above him. He avoids looking at the dog, wishing he would just go away. His right hand grips the coffeepot tightly.

Hoeness does not let up. "The first time you came here, I was with the others; I said you didn't belong here and said as much to Ted. But you know what? I've changed my mind. You do belong here. You belong here doing what you're doing now--cleaning up after the rest of us. I know you're only gonna be here for a few months, but you do this so well, you should consider doing this full time. In fact, I'm gonna ask the chief if I can take you home. You keep my house clean, and in return, I'll give you some fighting lessons...and make you a real man. What do you say?"

While Hoeness laughs, Tobias closes his eyes and exhales. Despite the ire he must be feeling inside, he looks totally relaxed. Seconds later, he opens his eyes and turns to face the dog.

Hoeness turns from the boy and looks at Inverness. "Cheer up, Scottie. You'll find another girl--one who's actually worthy of you." Before he could face him again, Tobias launches his right hand at his face and smashes the clean coffeepot right into his muzzle. Completely unprepared, he falls backwards; his back slams into the refrigerator.

Ravi and Inverness stand quickly. The tiger runs to his fallen comrade while Tobias backs away; his mouth opens in surprise, not because of how he laid out is adversary, but because of the big crack on the coffeepot. He places it in the sink and leaves with the mop and bucket.

Hoeness, somewhat debilitated, starts to slide to the floor. Ravi grabs his left arm to help him on his feet. He yells the dog's name and gently slaps his face. Inverness stands behind Ravi and watches everything.

The German Shepherd quickly blinks. "What the hell happened?"

Breathing heavily, Ravi shakes his head in relief. "The boy knocked you down. Hell, he about took your head off."

"He did what?" He looks at the terrier angrily. "What did he do?!"

Surprisingly, Inverness smiles and leans toward Hoeness. "See what happens when you call me Scottie?" He laughs and leaves through the back door.

Ravi pulls his friend up from the floor. His gracious act is not returned in kind; Hoeness pushes him away and tries to stand under his own power. In an attempt to clear out the cobwebs, he covers his face in his hands and rubs his eyes. He winces in pain as he tries to inspect his nose.

"Don't touch that," the tiger says. "You'll only make it worse. Are you all right?"

The dog doubles over and puts his hands on his knees. He is struggling to inhale through his nose; his painful attempt causes him to grunt and sneeze.

"Are you okay, Hoeness?"

"Oh, sure." He spits and straightens himself. "Never better. I've had bloody noses before."

"That's more than a broken nose. You just spat up blood."

"I'm gonna kill that kid. I'm gonna do it right now."

"Don't forget, he's Crevecoeur's nephew. It wouldn't do well to lay a hand on him. Believe me, I'd join you otherwise." Ravi worryingly tries to put a hand around his friend's shoulder. "I don't have any hunts today; let me take you to a hospital."

"Forget it. I've got one in a couple of hours; I've got to look like an Akita before eleven...." He doubles over once again. "You know what? You're right. Forget about the kid." He coughs and stretches; he has to breathe in through his mouth. "Besides, his victory will be short-lived anyway. He still has to clean our shit at the end of the day."

Ravi follows Hoeness closely as they leave the cafeteria and enter the hall. The dog is trying really hard to walk normally as possible without letting on that he is hurt. He walks deliberately and, despite obvious, debilitating pain, makes it to the locker room. Loiola is waiting patiently by the doorway, oblivious to the dog's discomfort. (Whatever makeup he applies on Hoeness now could make his injuries worse.)

As the boys disappear into the locker room, the door to the conference room opens and a sad, emotionally mild red panda steps out. Mieri walks a couple of feet out the door and just stands there looking around. Her posture is droopy, indicating either a lack of confidence or willing submission. She looks like the just got a bit of bad news. Behind her, Joseph Luisi and Colin Besser step out and enter their offices. Ted follows, closing the door behind him. As he turns, he sees Mieri going toward the lobby and quickly grabs her left shoulder. "Where are you going?"

She gasps as he drags her back and turns to him confusedly. There is something clearly wrong with her.

"You go out the back door, remember? Just like the other furries who don't actually work here."

Mieri sighs and blushes. Her face shows a slight frown. She is either angry at him or herself. Either way, she takes a couple of deep breaths and follows his orders. She puts her hands behind her back and slowly starts on her way to the cafeteria.

"Are you sure you're all right? Why don't you just tell me why you're so sore? Why has it taken you a month to report from your last hunt? What happened to you? Is it something I can help you with?"

"I've already told you...I'm just fine. And again, I'm sorry I interrupted the meeting. I was afraid to wait until closing hours. I'll be back tomorrow morning for my pay."

"Not one little clue?"

"Sir, please...I'm just happy to be back."

"Does 'happy' mean gloomy back in Japan?"

Mieri stops in her tracks and is getting tired of this line of questioning. She puts the palm of her left hand on her forehead and rubs it as if she has a headache. More likely, she is pretending to have one. "Don't do that."

"You're hiding something. If it's something to do with a hunt you had, or something in this building, then I need to know. If it's a female-specific problem, then I'll have you see the chief, but we don't keep secrets from each other in here."

She hangs her head and nods. "Sorry. I've forgotten. Look, I am in a bit of a bad mood. Could I...tell you in the morning?"

Looking at his watch, Ted pretty much concedes the upper hand. "You might as well. I'm late enough as it is. See you tomorrow." He gives a stern look to the panda before heading to the lobby. His normal strongman attitude makes him look bitter towards her and diminishes her further. She turns for the cafeteria; as she hears the sounds of Ted greeting potential customers, she starts to seethe. Her breathing quickens and her eyes shrink in anger. It now appears that the discussion she and Ted had in the conference room was more like an argument.

A door behind her opens and Miranda steps forth, drawn out by the sounds of laughter in the lobby. She shakes her head and is about to head back in the 'psych room' when she sees the angry guest. "Wait a minute; I know that tail anywhere. Mieri, my gal. Come talk to me."

In response, she lifts her head up and rolls her eyes. She does not even turn to look at the willing psychiatrist. "I have nothing to say."

Feeling imminent rejection coming at her, Miranda proceeds anyway. "Oh, come on. Not even a friendly greeting? I haven't seen you in over a month. You and the rest of the girls; only the boys have bothered to greet me."

"Then go talk to them." Mieri runs to the cafeteria before the conversation can even get started.

Miranda watches the panda's tail turn the corner and sighs with exasperation. "Welcome home, Dr. Foster. The boys still love you and the girls still hate you. I wonder why."