“Wow, he really gave you a wallop.” Tanya muttered as she poked and prodded the dark bruise under her friend’s eye. She ceased her prying once Beverly gave a quiet whimper. “What a putz.” Beverly mumbled as she examined herself in the mirror. It was after hours at the Spiked Tiger, the crowd dispersing after the altercation. Daric had run off after Ike, hoping that the foolish cervine wouldn’t do anything rash. Beverly’s fellow dancers helped her up and cleaned her off, quickly putting a cloth with ice on the rapidly swelling mark under her eye. Beverly had cried silently while the girls tended to her, shocked that Isaac would do such an unforgivable thing. She had just finished cursing the elk yet again when a large figure appeared in the doorway of the dressing room. “Where is he?” The question was followed by a deep snarl as the large achromatic tiger barged into the room. He gently grabbed Beverly shoulders and turned her to face him. His eyes widened in anger and surprise and he turned to leave the room with a growl. “No! Yury, don’t! It’s my fault, I hit him first.” She grabbed Yury’s arm and attempted to pull him back to her vanity. “Now dun you go defendin’ than bon rein,” Evelyn scolded as she wagged a finger at the bruised leopard, “He had no right to lay a hand on you. He was actin’ bracque, like some couyon put under a gree gree! Someone needs-ta set him straight.*” “Evelyn, enough! Look no one’s going to go after Ike except me.” She gave everyone in the room the eye, making sure they knew she was serious. With that she grabbed her coat and left the room. “Them two are toxic for each otta.” Evelyn shook her head in disbelief. “Oh yah, It’s like riding a carousel with those two. Always up then down then back up again. Though I’ve gotta say I’ve never seen a fight quite like that one…” Tanya trailed off as she thought back to the frightening look in Ike’s eyes. “Well, there is nothing we can do now. Why don’t you ladies head home, Daric and I will finish cleaning up.” Yury gave the dancers a tired smile as they nodded and left. He followed them out of the dressing room and watched them leave. His pale violet eyes roamed around the cavernous room and he gave a long sigh. Of all the things he needed right now a bit rift between his employees wasn’t one of them. If Sapo got wind of this he’d try and use it to his advantage. ------------------------------------ “Just, don’t tell Ma okay, Soren.” A sullen looking Ike stared into his lukewarm coffee as he pleaded with the other presence in the room. “Don’t tell me what?” A short and frazzled looking elk waltzed into the room, pausing to take in the gloomy scene before her. “M-Ma!” Ike straightened up and gave his mother a nervous smile. “Ikki slugged a girl.” Soren offered up with a smug look on his face. “Ren!” Isaac barely had enough time to curse his brother before his mother descended on him. “Che schifo! How could you? A son of mine, strike a woman? Bischero! Bischero! Bischero!**” Every word was delivered with a harsh blow from the wooden spoon in her hand. “Ma, please! I didn’t mean to! Please!” Ike tried to shield himself from the flailing arms of his mother. He was saved only when his mother stopped at the sound of her other son howling with laughter. “And you! You little boccalone**! I didn’t raise no rat!” She turned her attention to Soren and dealt a few whacks. His laughter was replaced with shouts of pain. After she had thoroughly clobbered her sons she turned to Isaac. “Why? Why would you do such a thing?” She asked him, her voice filled with shock. “I taught you better than that!” Her voice broke as tears formed and threatened to spill over. With one final cuff across the head she left the room to compose herself. Ike turned to glare at his brother who was rubbing his shoulder. “Man, I told you that broad was trouble.” Soren grumbled as he returned Isaac’s glare full force. “Chiudi il culo.” Isaac flipped him the bird as he took a sip from the, now cold, coffee. “Don’t tell me to shut up, I’m serious! I told you from the moment I saw that dame that she would be the end of you. Leave it to you to go chasing after any skirt that looks your way.” He huffed as Ike waved him off, the blasé gesture only fueling his anger. “It’s not like that, Ren.” Ike made a vain attempt to convince his brother that his feelings for the ecdysiast were purely platonic. “Like hell, look Ike you know Uncle Sal’s had an eye on her, and now you say she’s gotten mixed up in the Russian mob. She’s bad news little bro, and I don’t want you to become collateral damage. Listen to me, if you value your life you’ll stay as far away from her as possible. You left the family because you didn’t want to end up in a body bag but if you don’t leave this floozy alone you’ll be six feet under.” Soren finished his spiel with a stern look. Isaac bristled at the insult launched at his friend and he crossed his arms. “She ain’t no floozy. Bev’s a high class gal-” “Oh yea? Then what’s she doing shedding her skin at a gin joint?” Soren interrupted with a sneer. “Look, she’s just some rich kid who hit some hard times. She’s really has no business dealing with the mafia, which is why this makes no sense.” Ike leaned back in his chair feeling the beginnings of a migraine prickling behind his eyes. Soren’s eyes softened and he clapped a hand on Ike’s shoulder. “Jeez, Ikki. You’ve got it bad. I’ve never seen you like this over some doll. She must be a good hit.” Soren threw his hands up in surrender as Ike rocketed from his seat poised to throw a punch. “I’m only joshin’ with ya, I don’t want no fistycuffs.” Soren’s teasing was interrupted when a sharp rap reached the pair's ears. Figuring it was one of their father’s ‘business associates’ they continued their horseplay in the kitchen. Mrs. Martinelli rushed to answer the door, her greeting cut short when she saw a curvy feline bundled up against the cold looking back at her. “Mrs. Martinelli? I’m Beverly Collins, I was wondering if Isaac was here?” Her voice was barely above a whisper and she shivered slightly. “Oh, yes of course! Ikki talks about you all the time! Come in darling, you must be cold. And please, call me Abri!” She ushered the leopard into the house and lead her to the living area. “Isaac, you have company!” She offered to take Beverly’s coat as they waited for Isaac. Ike slowly entered the room, followed closely by a curious Soren. Once he caught sight of Beverly he stopped cold, it was then that Mrs. Martinelli noticed the angry bruise under Beverly’s eye and realization dawned on her. She screeched as she smacked Isaac a few more times, she then turned to Beverly and took her face in her hands. “Please forgive the actions of my stupid son! I raised him better than this, he knows the proper way to treat women. I don’t understand why he would do such an unforgivable thing!” Beverly tried to console the borderline hysterical matriarch as she fussed over her. After Mrs. Martinelli had calmed down a bit she decided Beverly could do with a good meal and set off to make her some spaghetti, leaving the feline alone with the two brothers. Soren looked the dancer up and down before letting out a low whistle.
“Ike wasn’t kiddin’ when he said you were a knockout. I’m Soren.” He dodged the punch his brother threw his way and stepped forward to offer his hand. Beverly blushed as she took it, finding a familiarity in the strength and warmth she felt. “Ignore him, he’s adopted.” Ike joked as he took Beverly over to the couch and sat her down. Soren decided to take his leave and give the two some privacy. Ike took Beverly’s face in his hands, brushing a thumb against the darkening brusie. Beverly turned away and shrugged. “Ah, this is nothin’ you should see the other guy.” She gave a halfhearted smile as she wrung her hands in her lap. Beverly was never a fan of apologizing, finding it to be an awkward experience. She much preferred to just skip all the uncomfortableness and go back to the mended friendship. “Yury’s looking for you.” She muttered not sure how to approach the elephant in the room. “Great, he’ll take me for a ride for sure.” Isaac groaned. “Nah, I told him to go easy on you.” Beverly smiled at him wistfully, grateful for his sense of humor. “I don’t deserve it,” Ike reached for Beverly’s hand and she didn’t protest when he took it, “Bevs, I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have lost my temper.” “No, no I’m sorry Ike. I shouldn’t have accused you of murder without any proof.” Beverly looked away, ashamed at her actions. “Well, based on my track record you had every right to jump to that conclusion. I had no right to hit you, I was just so jazzed about the whole Russian mafia thing.” “If I had been thinking straight I would have remembered that there was no way you could have killed that fella, you were with me the night before and then at the club till it opened today.” She still couldn’t find the courage to look at Isaac. “Well you were in a tizzy just like I was. We acted like a couple of saps.” He chuckled as he thought about the scene they had caused a few hours earlier. “I’m so embarrassed at the way I acted. My goodness if my mother heard I had spit on someone she’d have a fit.” Beverly buried her face in her hands as she sighed. It was then that Mrs. Martinelli announced that she had finished the spaghetti and they should come into the kitchen to eat. As Isaac offered a hand to Beverly and lead her into the kitchen he knew they would be okay. ------------------------ Hehe okay I know I said that the Beverly/Ike alliance wouldn't be mended for a long time but who am I kidding? We all knew they couldn't be angry for long, they always kiss and make up! Also I realized if they sated angry at each other it would only complicate things for this next bit, our band of buddies need to stick together. Also we now know where Isaac gets his dramatic flair from. I would not want to encounter Mrs. Martinelli and her wooden spoon of death in a dark alley. *Rough Translation: "Now don't you go defending that good for nothing. He had no right to lay a hand on you. He was acting crazy, like a fool put under a spell." **Che schifo: How awful!/How disgusting, Bischero: Jerk, Boccalone: Big mouth Chiudi il culo is a very rude way of saying 'Shut up' Isaac's family calls him Ikki (pronounced Icky) because when he was younger he couldn't pronounce his name so he called himself 'Ikki'. Also for those of you nastehs out there, Ike was staying with Beverly the night before because she was afraid that she would be attacked again. Get your heads out of the gutter, they are just friends...