Olivia milled about the kitchen, getting ready for the swarm of rats to descend the staircase. Mornings in the Norwich household were stressful for the eldest sister, as it had fallen on her to prepare the meals for the family, and having enough to go around for twenty rats was never easy. So began her early morning routine, pans of eggs on the stove and jugs of juice on the countertop, baking sheets of bread in the oven to save time on making toast. It was a daunting task, but one the twenty year old had been valiantly taking on for some time, and had become adjusted to.

"Well. I don't like 'er," another voice spoke up.

Olivia turned to look at her mother, a wry grin on her face. "You don't like anyone, mum."

Charlotte narrowed her eyes, pointing at Olivia. "Listen 'ere, that Muri is up to somethin'."

"I should say so, she thinks Alfie's got a whip at the big leagues." Olivia agreed, her focus only half on the conversation while she worked to get food ready before the others awoke. It wasn't uncommon for Charlotte to come down early and get a cup of coffee, although she rarely helped with the actual cooking. In a noisy house like the Norwich's, quiet moments were rare, and the oldest females of the family relished their few opportunities to have a talk amongst themselves.

Charlotte snorted, sipping her coffee. "I think she's got more 'n that in mind. Tryin' t' steal Alfie away, gettin' him all worked up about fancy contracts an' big 'ouses, like he's gonna be a movie star. I don't like it."

"Well, I don't think she's tryin' t' steal anything," Olivia replied, ears perking up as the sounds of the first of her younger siblings waking up echoed through the old ceiling. "I just 'ope she's not too nipped when it doesn't come down that way."

Charlotte looked down into her mug, grousing. "I 'ope she don't get Alfie's spirits too 'igh."

Slowly, the first floor of the Norwich household began to fill up with the residents from upstairs. The smell of cooked eggs and cheese had roused them, and in no time nearly the whole family was packed into the kitchen. Tiny rat hands reached up toward their sister to get their share of the meal, while the older siblings helped themselves, all making sure that no one was left wanting. Some sat in the kitchen at the small table, while several took their dishes into the living room to watch television while they ate, arguing over which of the few channels to put on. Olivia immediately set about cleaning up as the family finished, recruiting fourteen year old Natalie to help collect empty plates from those in the next room. It was a job Natalie enjoyed, it made her feel like one of the grown-ups, and she happily instructed her younger brothers and sisters to finish their meals so the ADULT rats could clean up after them.

"'urry up, Steph, I don't have time t' wait while you nibble!"

Nicky snorted at her. "Oh piss off, Nattie, y' ain't even the one doin' the cleanin'!"

Natalie turned in a huff, not dignifying her brother's comment with a response, although she did "accidentally" step on his tail as she walked past, eliciting a pained squeak from Nicky.

A knock at the door caught several of the young rats' attentions, but none of them actually got up to answer it, figuring someone else would eventually do it. That someone turned out to be Terrence, weaving his way through the rats strewn about the dirty floor to get to the door they were all pointedly ignoring.

"Oi, you lazy squits, if y' not gonna get th' damn door at least make a path!" he grunted, still aching and partway hung over from last night's performance. Fucking Rat Bastards concerts were always an event, for those on the stage as well as in the audience, and if he hadn't smelled the eggs cooking he just as happily would have slept in. Olivia's eggs were one of his favorite hangover cures, although with the din of the house, it wasn't working as well as he'd hoped.

Expecting the visitor to be one of the locals, Terrence tossed the door open without much thought. "Yeh, what is it?"

To his surprise, the rat in front of him was not one from the Alley, but a smartly dressed black rat who looked just as surprised to see him as he did to see her. They stood there a moment, her freshly cleaned pantsuit in start contrast to his dirty jeans hanging loose on his hips and no shirt at all.

Murina Beaubonique coughed into her fist. "Ah, hello there. Is... Alphonse home?"

Terrence turned to look back into the house a moment, as if he needed to check. Alphonse wasn't exactly the kind of rat whose presence was under question. "Er, no. No he ain't."

"I see. Do you know when he'll be back?"

Alphonse's younger brother ran a hand through his hair, noticeably less greasy than the rats Muri had encountered the day before. "Eh... not really. Y'... wanna come in?" Terrence invited, opening the door wider. He seemed unsure about inviting the American inside when her reason for visiting wasn't home, but it made more sense than sending her away and telling her to try again later. For her part, Murina wasn't entirely disappointed to find that her client was absent. Given that half of her task for the weekend visit was to get to know the family Norwich, having a moment away from Alphonse would make it easier to get to know the others.

Murina nodded. "I would, thank you."

The half-dressed Alley rat stepped to the side to make a space for their surprise guest, his brain slowly putting the pieces together. "You must be Muri, then?"

"Mm-hm," she responded, patting the heads of young rats, or occasionally pushing them away from her bags, as she entered. As the rays from outside shone in through the windows, Murina was struck by the realization that there were no electric lights to be seen. She turned toward her door-rat. "And if I remember right, that would make you... Terrence?"

The shirtless rodent was genuinely surprised that Murina would know who he was before meeting him, and let out a soft laugh, amused by the idea that his brother would have been talking about him. "Aye, it would," he affirmed, closing the door behind Murina. "C'n I get you anything? Don't got much, but there's coffee, and... eh..."

"Coffee would be lovely, thank you."

"Decided to come back, did we?" another voice rang out.

Murina put on her best smile. She had sworn to herself prior to leaving that morning that she would go out of her way to be polite, and not rub anyone's fur the wrong way. "Yes, I'm sorry for my abrupt departure yesterday, Ms Norwich, but as I said I had a lot of work to do. There's a lot that goes into getting someone like your son into the FBA."

Charlotte eyed her skeptically, "And just what's 'at supposed t' mean?"

Terrence rolled his eyes and led Murina past toward the kitchen. "She didn't mean nuthin' buy it, mum." As soon as they were out of earshot, he leaned in towards Muri, whispering conspiratorially. "Don't mind 'er, she don't like no one comes in 'ere."

The two rats got a fresh cup apiece, Terrence drinking his in the hopes of staving off the headache and dry mouth and Murina mostly out of politeness. Muri's nose wrinkled at the smell of it. Even before she tasted the brew she knew it would be one of the worst cups she'd ever had, but she drank it all the same, albeit slowly. It tasted as though the grounds had been sitting in a cellar for years. For the first time, Murina found herself wondering about the food that came into the Alley. They clearly weren't growing and raising it themselves, which meant it had to come from outside the Alley. She wondered about the kinds of businesses willing to work with the rats, and whether or not they ever got their paws on fresh produce. From the taste of the coffee in her mouth, she guessed not.

Terrence hopped up on the counter, and Murina sat herself on an available chair, looking over the rat in front of her while a few of the younger ones traveled in and out of the kitchen. From what Alfie had told her, Terrence was barely a year younger than him, but there seemed to be a lifetime between them. He wasn't as tall, few scars littered his body, and he didn't carry himself with that same aggressive swagger that typified his older brother. The way his shoulders rolled forward and he leaned on his knees, his big feet swinging gently, Terrence seemed almost childlike.

"So," Murina began. "Alphonse tells me you're in a band."

Terrence laughed, nodding and taking a large sip from his mug, unaffected by the taste. "Drummer f' the Fucking Rat Bastards," he announced, bare chest puffing out proudly. "Not one o' the riggy brothas, mind, but I been at th' throne f' the last four years."

Murina tilted her head. "What happened to the old drummer?"

While Terrence told the story of Nathaniel Buckley's untimely death, Murina listened less to the details of the story itself and more to how Terrence described it. He had a great passion for the band, going to great lengths to impress upon Muri the effect on the local music scene the Bastards had while frequently making a point of explaining away their less palatable qualities. When pressed about the violence they advocated, not to mention the violence they clearly inspired, Terrence instantly deflected the topic to solidarity, to community. Muri was unsettled by his refusal to at least distance himself from the assaults and vandalism, as well as his dismissive attitude toward the notion that he was implicitly supporting it by playing in the band. He told her that what he truly cared about was the music, but the fact that his musical endeavors were channeled into something so hateful left a sour taste in Murina's mouth.

Midway through their discussion, they were interrupted by a young girl rat with tears in her eyes, clutching a small stuffed animal.

"Terryyyyy!" she wailed at him.

The older rat slipped off the counter and squatted nimbly in front of her, inviting her in closer. "Oi, Josie, what's wrong?"

The young rat sniffled, holding the animal up toward him. "St... Stephan..."

Terrence sighed. "Okay, okay," he said, taking the doll from Josie. It was clearly an old toy, one that had seen its better days many years ago and had needed several repairs. Murina wasn't even sure what it was supposed to be, aside from having legs, arms, and a face. Giving his younger sister a kiss on the top of the head and reassuring her he would take care of it, Terrence got back up on the counter and held the doll, shaking his head. The small girl scurried back to the living room, where the sounds of angry young voices clashed together, a fight amongst them breaking out that Terrence let his siblings settle for themselves.

"'At Stephan, like 'e just wants to see 'is sister cry sometimes."

Murina was curious. "What happened?"

He shrugged, turning his hand to show the damage done. The doll's eyes had been plucked off, the strings frayed from where the buttons were fastened on. "Popped 'er eyes again. Runnin' out o' buttons to put on, gonna 'afta talk t' Marv," Terrence said with a shake of his head, sounding as though this was far from the first occurrance.

"Oh? You sew?"

Terrence let out a dry chuckle, bobbing his head modestly. "I c'n stitch things on things," he conceded, understating his abilities. "Been doin' what I can t' keep Missy 'ere in one piece with Stephan tryin' t' tear 'er t' bits."

Murina grinned, nodding. "Not a bad talent to have. Between that and the band, I'm sure you have a hard time keeping the girls off of you."

Terrence laughed, and Murina noticed his ears going a shade pink. "Eh, yeah. Y' could say that."

The more they talked, the more Murina grew a liking for Terrence, even despite his associates. He was far less self-aggrandizing, and at least some semblance of proof that the Alley rats were more than the media reports of beatings and fires had made them out to be. She didn't doubt the veracity of such stories, but it was encouraging to find there to be more beneath the surface. In many ways, the visit was a reassurance to herself that she hadn't taken on an impossible task, the product of a hateful environment. As tense as some moments had been, thus far she was feeling optimistic that her initial concerns were incorrect.

A grin on his face, Terrence eyed Murina. "Y' found th' place okay, 'en? Din't get no trouble? 'eard y' ran into Vinny an' his boys yesterday."

Murina shook her head. "No, nothing so terrible today," she admitted, playfully. "Still getting a few stares as I walk through, but not as many as before."

The Norwich rat nodded his head. "Y'know y' not the first t' come by this way since 'at mousie."

"I'm not?"

Terrence took a mouthful of his coffee, wiping at his whiskers. "Neh. Since 'e scribbled 'is li'l article we been gettin' the odd nonnie come scuttlin' through 'ere tryin' to get a story about us, an' most o' them don't come back a second time. Er, not 'at you're a nonnie, miss," he quickly added, as if apologizing for implying that a fellow rat were such a vile creature as a 'nonnie', "But... y' know what I'm sayin'."

His use of specist slang stung Murina, and so she decided to change topics. "Yes, well, where exactly did Alphonse go? I wouldn't have expected him to be gone so early."

"Heh, it's funny, innit? Since 'at li'l squeaka came by 'ere, an' even more afta you 'ad 'im out across th' pond, Alfie's been at the park every mornin', practicin'."

The information genuinely surprised Murina. "Practicing?"

Terrence nodded. "Aye, 'e goes out an' shoots all by 'isself first thing, says he wants t' get out there 'fore the others get there. 'E ain't always up so early, but 'at's where 'e goes. I'm surprised y' didn't see 'im on y' way up."

For a moment, Murina didn't know what to think about this. After his conduct during his trip stateside, she was under the impression he wasn't taking the FBA as seriously as she wanted him to, but to find out that he'd been practicing daily? It was true, she hadn't seen him at the court during her trip to the Norwich house, but then she hadn't taken the long way this time. While the park served as a sort of central hub for the Alley, Murina's sense of direction was enough that having been there once was enough to locate it the second time swiftly. As with so many things in her life, Murina was about efficiency, not sightseeing.

"Do you think he's still there?"

"If 'e ain't I'd fashion y' run into 'im on y' way, eh?"

Placing her not-nearly-empty mug on the table, Murina smiled at Terrence. "I suppose, but I'd hate to interrupt him while he's busy. If you don't mind, though, I'd like to talk with some of the rest of the family."

Terrence waved his hand toward the open doorway, silently giving Murina the go-ahead to explore the house and have a chat with the others. So Murina Beaubonique did just that. Stepping out into the main living area, she still felt vaguely "on display" as the rats on the floor scooted out of her way. She wondered if that was to make room for her or because they didn't want to get too close themselves. The haphazardly placed throw rugs protected her feet from the bare wooden floor, although it hardly felt much cleaner. Her round ears picked up the sounds of movement upstairs, but for the time being felt it best to stay on the first floor.

Murina was just about to perch down on the floor amongst the youngest when an awful clatter sounded from the basement she didn't realize the house had. She whipped around just in time to see another member of the house burst out from a door in the kitchen, growling and going over to the sink to wash off his hands and face. He was a slender rat, certainly less built than Alfie, and less broad still than Terrence. Instead, he had a wiry strength to him, his torn up white shirt covered in dirt and grease from whatever he had been doing.

"Y' right there, Pip?" Terrence asked, snickering.

"Toss off," Phillip said angrily, spitting water back into the sink. "That fuckin' boiler won't 'old a light and I've done every twaddlin' thing I c'n think of. If 'is keeps up we're gonna 'ave t' look at skippin' out before winter. Can't 'ave us freezin' our bollocks off tryin' t' get a fuckin' wash, no-"

He stopped, noticing the guest for the first time, and turned to look at Terrence.

"...who's 'is, then?" he said flatly, nodding toward the visitor, as if asking about a new table.

Terry laughed. "Pip, 'is is Murina Beaubonique. Remember, Alfie been talkin' about 'er the last month? FBA, basketball, sports? Games of athletic competition?" " He mimed shooting a basket, speaking slowly and clearly patronizing Phillip. Sensing his brother's annoyance, Terrence turned his attention to Muri. "Murina, this is Phillip. Y' won't see much of 'im, 'e spends most of 'is time downstairs tinkerin'."

Phillip snorted. "You mean I spend my time makin' sure this cursed 'ouse keeps trottin' along." He shook his head and pulled a rag out from his back pocket to dry his face off, then opened up the refrigerator to get a beer. Leaning against the door after he closed it, Phillip eyed Murina for a few moments, absent-mindedly swirling the contents of bottle. It left Murina feeling quite on the spot.

"So, Alfie tells us y' gonna whisk 'im away to the States, eh?" Phillip asked, sounding less than thrilled with the idea.

Murina let out a small laugh, realizing she'd be answering that question every time she met someone new. "In a manner of speaking, yes."

He nodded. "Think y' can get 'im a bit o' coin?"

Muri bobbed her head side to side. "I... will certainly do everything in my power to do that, although ultimately it comes down to Alfie himself."

Phillip let out a whoop of a laugh, "Well 'en, we're proper fucked then, ain't we!" He took a draw from his bottle, then pointed it at Muri, his expression turning serious. "An' you. I 'unno what got you wantin' to come 'ere and pluck up Alfie, but... I 'ope y' realize what it means t' us."

Murina was impressed. "I didn't realize you were so supportive of your brother's basketball career."

"I don't give a tailtip on a Tuesday about 'im bein' some snackbox model," Phillip said sharply, cutting off Muri's amusement. "But if it's all glass about 'im goin' off and gettin' a contract... I've 'eard it's in the millions, eh?"

"League minimum is one million for one year, yes, and I'm confident Alphonse can fetch more than that," Murina confirmed.

Phillip took in a breath, nodding thoughtfully. He wasn't making eye contact with Muri at this point, just looking at his beer. "Every day I go 'round this fuckin' Alley, fixin' pipes an' ovens with tools 'at are fallin' apart themselves. Little bit o' that FBA money'd go a long way to gettin' some proper 'ardware. Maybe get me a car I can drive for a day without havin' to spend two days workin' on it after." He finished up his brew and tossed it in the rusty trashcan beside the kitchen counter.

"Well 'en, suppose I oughta should take anotha snap at th' boiler." Phillip leaned toward the living room, shouting over the noise. "Oi! Sammy! Up on y' tips, I need a paw downstairs, eh?" One of a pair of twins, the same one who'd been trying rummage through Murina's bag the day before, immediately hopped up and scurried over toward his brother, and the two of them went down into the basement.

Before he went down the stairs, though, Phillip turned toward Murina. "Oh, an' by the bully, Muri. We do get th' papers an' rags out this way, an' the telly works. I know what they're sayin' about Alfie, an' about the Alley."

Murina tensed up, not liking Phillip's tone. "Oh?"

"Yeh. So do us a favor an' let some o' ya friends know that Alfie ain't a bogeyman, he's just a rat tryin' to do right for his nest like th' rest of us. If 'e does make it big, might be nice t' sit an' watch a game with the li'l ones wit'out them askin' why everyone's callin 'im a monster." With that, and without waiting for a response, he vanished into the dark cellar.

The black rat was conflicted about Phillip. The way he spoke had Muri feeling as though he was looking down his nose at her, and he was oddly dismissive about Alphonse himself when it came to talking about his potential career. Yet, it was clear his priorities were with the Alley and his family. Not the Biter Boys or the Resistance, not some high-minded goal of supremacy, just keeping his kind alive. He was pragmatic, not idealistic, which helped explain his demeanor. His parting statement echoed in Murina's mind as well. It was true, in the time since the original Rozich article, others had researched into Toxteth and dug up its dirty history, penning articles about Rat Alley and its denizens. Even with the information on Alphonse being as sparse as it was, the tabloids were happy to fill in the blanks as they saw fit, and talking heads on FSPN questioned whether or not a "vermin" from the slums of England had a place in professional sports.

Furthermore, Alphonse's visit had only fueled the fire. The ruckus he'd caused across Boston in only two days had given the press, especially on the internet, a month of material. There were cell phone pictures and videos of Alfie at Harvaardwak University threatening the student players, and the employees of the businesses he'd terrorized had no problem embellishing how awful he'd been once the cameras were pointed their way, safe in the knowledge that the target of their ire was a few thousand miles away. For the first time, Murina realized that she too had somehow assumed that the American reports never made their way into the Alley, and felt guilty for it.

Murina turned back toward Terrence, only to discover he'd gone, and so she traveled back into the living room. One thing that struck her was that the younger rats seemed not to notice the ruckus that went on around, under, and over them. Every little bump and squeak Murina heard instantly caught her attention, but then she was used to a quiet life in a single apartment, working in an office with herself and one employee. The Norwiches were surrounded by cacophany at all times, and she supposed it was no surprise that their young ears had long since learned to tune out anything that wasn't happening right in front of them.

The sound of Charlotte's voice caught Murina's attention, paired up with the sounds of heavy footsteps coming down the stairwell. When she emerged, the eldest Norwich was holding a young rat, the triplet to the two she'd seen a moment ago. Holding the young rat was clearly difficult for her, his arms looped around her shoulders loosely, making it appear that Charlotte had to do the majority of the work to keep him up. Furthermore, the boy was nude from the waist down, which seemed not to bother anyone in the room, although it certainly surprised Muri.

"Liv?" Charlotte called into the room, exasperated. "C'n you get th' linens upstairs? Simon 'ad anotha spill."

Olivia, who had been on one of the couches nursing her own pup, sighed. "Can it wait, mum? I only just sat down wit' Robert 'ere."

"Oh of course it can wait, if y' don't mind anotha set o' sheets stained," the older female snorted, hoisting Simon up on her hip again.

It was only a brief argument, which ended with Olivia sighing and putting Robert down on the couch beside her. The small rat immediately let his mother know his displeasure in having his meal interrupted, crying and reaching up toward Olivia. She stroked his head and told him that she would only be gone a moment, which did little to quiet the pup's wailing, and quickly went upstairs to clean up after the mess Charlotte had discovered. The others ignored the miserable little Robert, all except Natalie, who picked up the hollering boy and rocked him until he quieted down again. She chided her siblings for not being more concerned about their little brother, although her words fell on deaf, rounded ears.

Murina sat on the couch, pulling out her oPad, tapping away on it. Unsurprisingly, there was no wireless network in the Norwich home, but there was just enough of a cell signal to get a connection, and so Muri began to do some mobile work. She watched the young rats squabbling while the older ones tried to ignore them and watch television, Charlotte sitting Simon on the edge of the kitchen sink to wash him off (a sight which made Murina's nose wrinkle). She began to take notes, tapping away on the screen and opening the audio recorder to capture bits of conversations to replay later, stifling a laugh as two of the girls argued over which TV idols they were going to marry and the boys insisted they would never get married at all.

In many ways, the Alley really was in a different time period. Current conveniences like the internet or cell phones were nonexistent, there were no major retail stores or chain restaurants. Phillip may have been right that they could read the papers and see TV shows, but that was just a way for them to view the modern world, not live in it. Every time they saw a commercial for a new gadget or a movie coming out, it wasn't something they could go out and get for themselves. She wondered what it must be like to have a window into the outside world but no access to it, and if the younger of them even realized that the things they saw were real and not Hollywood make-believe.

Holding the tablet up to snap a few pictures, Murina was interrupted by Stephan climbing up onto the couch and staring at the device.

"Oi!" he squeaked. "Whuzzat 'en?"

Murina paused, unsure quite how to explain an advanced piece of technology in terms a boy who'd never even seen a cell phone would understand. "Well... it's something I use for work," she told him, slowly. "I can write down notes, send them to friends, and even watch television. I was just using it to take a few pictures. Would you like to see?"

Stephan nodded, eyes fixated on the gadget, and so Murina opened up the app, pressing on the screen to activate its front-facing camera. Instantly the two rats were looking at themselves, and when Stephan realized it, his eyes grew wide.

"Tha's me!!" he said, immediately waving his arms to get the others' attention. Murina got the sinking feeling she would be demonstrating her device for the whole house.

Sure enough, the American rat was surrounded, or rather the gadget in her paws was. The television was ignored as the younger members of the Norwich clan gathered to watch as Murina showed what were, to her, basic and unexciting functions of her tablet. Trying to explain the internet would have been futile, so Murina opted for simple applications such as note taking, the sketchpad, and the camera. It was the last one that really caught the young rats' eyes, as most of them had never had their picture taken. They took delight in posing in front of the lens, making faces and looking at the results. Monica in particular preened herself for her pictures, treating them like glamour shots, while Nicholas and Stephan did their best to sabotage them from behind her.

Looking through the gallery, Murina felt a pair of eyes aside from those directly in front of her, and turned to see a familiar face peeping up over the arm of the couch.

Smiling, Murina gave a gentle wave toward the area in front of her. "Would you like your picture taken, Colin?"

Colin's eyes flitted from rat to rat, as if looking for some kind of guidance. His younger brother was just as happy to let him stay off to the side, making wild gestures to get another of himself, while Natalie took Colin's paw and gently encouraged him to come over with the others. After a moment's pause, Colin allowed himself to be led out from his makeshift hiding place, standing awkwardly with his eyes fixated on the oPad. His older sister waved and shushed at the others not to interrupt, allowing Murina to press the shutter button and take a single picture of him before he scurried back into the kitchen with his mother and Olivia.

A moment later, the two older Norwich women joined the fray, with Olivia in particular wanting whole family photos and asking if there were a way for her to give them copies. Suddenly, a pounding on the door rang out, followed quickly by an "oi, open up!" that announced to the family that Alphonse was home. She hadn't thought about it before, but Murina found it odd that the door was always locked. The house was never empty, as far as she'd gathered, and the Alley was almost solely rat, so what were they concerned about, she wondered?

Before she had much time to mull over the question, Alfie burst in, a ball tucked under his arm and looking especially worn out. He snickered and threw a hard chest pass at Nicky, nearly knocking the younger rat back a step from the force of it, making his usual round of hellos and leg hugs with his siblings. It was a curious ritual, as though it happened every time Alphonse came home. For his part, the large rat was just as glad to see his brothers and sisters as they were to see him, and carefully wove his way through the crowd toward the kitchen.

"Oi, easy on ol' Alfie, ya nippas, I need a pint. Any o' brekkist still le..." his eyes finally raised up enough to discover that there was one rat in his house who wasn't quite like the others. For a split second, he looked surprised to see her there, like he'd been hoping she would return but didn't believe she would, then his expression quickly changed to that same cocksure swagger Murina had grown used to.

"Muri!" he said, arms spread wide. "An' 'ere I thought you'd flapped back off to th' States. Sorry I wasn't 'ere t' greet ya, was just down the park," he explained, walking past her into the kitchen to get the aforementioned pint. His mohawk was up, which normally would be of no surprise, but that Alphonse would have bothered to do so before going out for an early morning shoot didn't go past his agent unnoticed.

"I heard," Murina said, her arms crossed and an amused smile on her face. "Terrence tells me you've been practicing daily since you got back."

"Izzat what 'e said?" Alphonse responded, glass audibly clinking around in the refrigerator as he grabbed himself a drink. "An' here I thought y' knew by now I ain't got no need f' practice."

Murina chortled at her client. "Well then what WERE you doing down at the park at such an early hour?" she asked.

Standing up straight again, Alphonse smirked. In the time apart, Murina had nearly forgotten what an impressive physical specimen he was, doubly so given the conditions in which he lived. "Jus' makin' sure I'm still gonna be top pick come ya draft."

He nodded, inviting Murina to walk upstairs with him. She followed, curious to see where the Norwich rats slept. It came as no surprise that it was no better on the second floor than the first. There were no beds, per se, but rather the two bedrooms had a few mattresses on their floors that served the purpose. Murina sat down on a folding chair near the door beside a small table, while Alfie dropped heavily onto one of the "beds", drinking from his beer bottle. He looked at Murina a moment, expression serious.

"'Ope ya found a nice 'ole t' get y' suppa last night," he said, sounding less than genuine about it.

Murina cleared her throat. "I did, yes. It's a shame you couldn't join me."

He shook his head, tipping his beer back into his muzzle again. "No it ain't an' you know it."

She did know it, of course. The previous night's meal had been entirely spoiled by the Toxteth crowd learning who Murina's client was, and it was certainly a good thing she hadn't been able to convince Alphonse to come with her. Things might have turned out far worse if that cat had actually seen an Alley rat instead of just delivering idle threats. He certainly had seemed drunk enough to act upon a few of his claims. Murina kept quiet about the details of her evening, though, deciding that it would do no good to describe her experience. Clearly, he was already aware of the outside residents' attitude toward him and his kind. Instead, she told him how she'd spent her morning and early afternoon, small stories interspersed with Alphonse's loud laughter and commentary.

"Well 'en," he said, tossing his bottle out the open window. "Duzzat mean we c'n expect y' f' dinna tonight, eh? Told ya, Liv's a wiz at the hotplate."

She chuckled quietly. "Yes, Alfie. I believe I'll be staying," she agreed, quickly clarifying, "But just for dinner."

Alphonse was immediately up on his feet, clapping his big hands. "Fan-fucking-tastic! I'll let 'er know t' make an extra plate. Picked a whoppa of a night, too, luv."

"Oh?"

Alfie nodded, leaning out the door and calling down the stairs. "Yeh, 'cause Liv's makin' pibbies tonight, in't she?" he asked loudly, causing an immediate ruckus from the younger rats.

"...pibbies?" Murina asked, confused. Alfie, meanwhile, had made his way downstairs already, leaving her wondering what in the world she was going to be served. The black rat in the designer glasses and smart pantsuit followed her client, having a sneaking suspicion her day was going to turn into an even longer evening.