Lillith led Gabriella back through the alleys of the Fourth District until they returned to that curious, intriguing little place where the girl worked. 

The neon sign above the entrance flickered, casting an eerie glow on the entrance. The two women pushed open the heavy, black door and entered the establishment.

Inside, the air was thick with the scent of incense, dimly illuminated by the lights that traced the edges of the room. The atmosphere buzzed with hushed conversations and the distant sound of music.

Lillith guided Gabriella through the maze of tables and patrons until they reached the back of the establishment, past the poles that tugged at Gabriella's eyes. 

There, behind a slightly elevated platform with a microphone stand, sat a formidable figure, a stout, elderly woman with a cascade of silver hair and a perpetual scowl etched onto her face.

Her eyes, sharp and piercing, surveyed the room with a scrutinizing gaze. As she saw Gabriella, that scowl deepened. 

"Who's this?" the old lady demanded, her voice carrying the weight of authority.

Lillith stepped forward, her tone laced with a hint of equal parts defiance and reverence.

"Gabriella, this is Mirabelle. Mira, this is Gabriella. She's new in town and looking for work. I thought maybe you could check and see if there's anyone who could use her talents." 

Mira raised an eyebrow, her gaze shifting to Gabriella.

"Talents? What talents are those?" 

Gabriella had been about to respond but the lady continued before she could. 

"Do you swallow?" 

Gabriella blinked. 

"I'm... sorry?" 

Mira looked up at her as if she was the one acting strange. 

"Do you swallow?" She asked again. "Do you take it up the ass? Do you-" 

"Um, Mira," Lillith stepped in, "not those kinds of talents." 

"No? Then, what the fuck is she here for?" 

"Ma'am," Gabriella took a step forward. "What Lillith is referring to is the fact that I am quite a bit stronger than the average person. Additionally, I possess abilities that might be useful for settling any altercations that might happen in the near or distant future." 

Gabriella spoke with an easy eloquence, but Mira still looked confused. 

"... You want her to be an enforcer?" Mira asked, looking at Lillith in disbelief. "Her? This cat right here?" 

"She's strong, Mira. Uhm, scan her if you want. You'll see." 

Mira rolled her eyes. 

Gabriella got the sense that she thought this was all some odd joke. But, thankfully, it was one she played along with for now. 

"Fine, fine. Here. Open your eyes wide and stare at this." 

Going through a drawer filled with indistinct pieces of metal, she eventually extracted some weird, cylindrical object. After tapping a button on its side, Gabriella did as she was asked and leaned down a little to look at the center of it. 

The object beeped twice.

"Huh?" Mira squinted down at it. "It malfunctioned. Shit, the damn thing must be busted. Hey," she threw the object at Gabriella. 

Her initial instinct was to catch it with Psychokinesis but she held back and simply snatched it out of the air with her hands. 

She didn't want the lady to panic. 

"Break that in half." 

"Why?" 

"W- What do you mean why? It's made of steel. If you can't break that then-" 

Casually, Gabriella did as she asked. 

One metallic object became two halves of what was previously whole.

Both Lillith and Mira pulled back, shocked. 

"As I said," Gabriella smirked. "I am rather powerful." 

"... Kid," Mira told her, "can you step outside for a second? I need to ask Lily over here a few questions." 

[Heh, kid?] 

"Sure." 

Gabriella walked out. Doing so, however, did not stop her from being able to listen in on the conversation due to her heightened senses. 

Mira's muffled voice behind the door said: 

"She's trouble." 

"I-I know that she looks a little weird, but-" 

"Lily, I know trouble when I see trouble, and I'm telling you. That woman is trouble." 

Lillith took a deep breath. Gabriella could feel her summoning the courage to stand her ground.

"Mira, please, just give her a chance. She's... different, but she's got skills. Plus, she saved me from this one creep the other night. I owe her."

Mira's expression remained stern, but Lillith's earnest plea seemed to soften her disposition ever so slightly.

"Saved you? What, did something happen with Jose?" 

"Yes," Lillith stated firmly. "He... He wanted more than he paid for. Gabriella stopped that shit in its tracks. We talked and she let me know she's kinda struggling. I want to do this much for her, at least." 

"..." Mira paused. Gabriella herself was intensely curious to hear her answer. "I... I don't know." 

"I promise, Mira," Lilith's voice softened further, "she'll be worth it. Just reach out. Someone might need a bit of muscle." 

"I didn't see a whole lot of muscle on her." 

"And yet, she can break steel in half. Appearances can be deceiving." 

"I've made a whole career of correctly judging appearances. But..." 

Mira sighed. 

"Fine, fine. Bring her in here. Let me take a look at her again."

Immediately, the door opened. 

Hopeful smile on her face, Lillith beckoned Gabriella to come in. She did just that. 

"Yes, ma'am?" Gabriella asked. She tried to be as respectful as possible. 

"..." Hanging her head, Mira finally said, "Fine, Lily. But if she causes any problems, you're gonna be out on the street. She's your girl, not mine." 

Relief washed over Lillith's face, and she offered Mira a grateful nod.

"Thank you, Mira. You won't regret this."

As Gabriella listened to their concluding exchange, she couldn't help but wonder what kind of commitment she had just gotten herself into.

That said, she did need to make money. 

And this was the beginning of that process. 

"Stay still," Mira said, holding up some badge.

Gabriella did as she was asked. Lights suddenly poured out from the badge, running up and down Gabriella's body. 

A prompt came up. 

Gabriella Deathwind

Looking For Occupation: Bodyguard

"Deathwind?" Mira asked with a chuckle. "What low-tier, trashy novel did you jump out of?" 

[Is my last name odd here?] 

"What was that just now?" 

"I put your name in an app for people looking for jobs, along with a picture of you. If anyone's interested, they'll call me and, uh... I guess I'll get Lily to reach out to ya." 

"I... see." 

She did remember to ask about one thing, though. 

"Oh, uhm, also... Ma'am," Gabriella added before Mira could walk away. "Do you happen to have a place where I can sleep? I do not have a home." 

"Good fucking grief, Lily." 

"Pleaaase?" Lillith put on the cutest, most pitiful pout Gabriella had ever seen. 

"You can stay in the back," Mira told her. "I'll show you. Come."

"YAY!" Lillith cheered. Mira shook her head. Gabriella smiled a little, looking at the red-head. 

[She sure is lively.] 

"By the way, here," Lillith told her, handing over some thin, square chip. 

"What is this?" 

"A hundred credits. A little bit of money. I figured you should have it since you helped me out." 

Gabriella's initial reaction was to reject the offer. She didn't like taking hand-outs. But, she knew she couldn't afford to do that. 

Literally. She had no resources, after all. 

"Thank you. I will pay you back as soon as I am able." 

Lillith gave her the sweetest smile. 

"No need." 

A short walk later, Gabriella followed Mira to a room that looked as though it belonged to a completely different building. 

A bedroom that looked as though no one had stepped foot inside it for years. 

"Dust the bed off and you can stay there. The drawers might still have some clothes in them, you gotta see if they fit. Now, listen," she said, her tone suddenly becoming more serious. "I don't know what's up with you but you got me feeling all types of foreboding, apprehension, perturbation, and whatever other fancy words for 'I got a bad feeling about this' that you can think of. Try not to fuck things up." 

"Understood." 

With that, Mira left her alone. 

[... I guess I have a place to stay, for now. Hopefully, I get a job offer soon.]