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Jimmy isn't expecting anyone, but he hears a child calling out, and he immediately assumes that it must be one of Tommy's friends, here to visit. Strange, Angela hadn't mentioned anything about that to him. Then again, he's not always in the loop when it comes to his son's social life.

So he opens the door, a little curiously. "Hello?"

"HELLO!" And the girl goes barreling into the house without waiting to be invited in. "Are you Jimmy? My cousin said we had to look for a Jimmy. This is Mayhem. He's a fierce fighting warrior cat! RARR!!"

She holds up the kitten that looks about as fierce as a sock. It blinks up at Jimmy and meeps.

"CEILIDH!"

"Uh, yeah, that's me. Are you here to see Tommy?"

Because why would a small child be here to see him, especially a small child with a tiny kitten? Still, he gives her an indulgent smile, because she -- and her cat -- are really very cute.

Kale finally catches up and leans against the doorway. "Ceilidh McCallum! What did I say about running off into other people's homes without being invited?" he snaps.

Trying to look guilty and apologetic but failing utterly, the girl says, "Not to?" The kitten squirms in her grasp meeeping.

"Good." To Jimmy he gives an apologetic look. "I'm sorry."

"Well, y'know, that's okay. We don't get a whole lotta visitors. I'm sure Tommy'll be glad to see another kid his own age. Tommy!"

At the summons, Tommy peers around the doorframe, looking somewhat nervous and shy.

"Ooooh..." the girl coos. She goes over to Tommy and holds out the kitten. "This is Mayhem. He's the most dangerous creature in the entire world. He can kill three men with one swipe of his claws."

The kitten meeps and waves a paw.

Tommy looks uncertainly at the kitten, then at the girl.

"He doesn't look... too dangerous," he says, very quietly, reaching out a hand and patting Mayhem on the head very gently.

Mayhem purrs and rubs his head into Tommy's hand.

"It's a disguise," she assures him in a stage whisper.

To Jimmy, Kale mutters, "Mayhem is as dumb as a rock and wouldn't know what to do with a live animal if his life depended on it."

Tommy brightens up a little when Mayhem starts purring, and he nods. "A disguise. So he's really strong?" he asks, obviously buying into the story wholeheartedly.

Jimmy hides a grin at Kale's explanation. "Yeah, well, that's probably good. Wouldn't want to have a cat that really could destroy the world, y'know?"

"Very strong. The strongestestest. He's the best kitten in the world." She says, ignoring the adults. "My cousin said I could use him as a weapon if I needed to protect myself since I can't use a knife yet. Do you want to hold him?"

And Kale sighs at the girl. "No. We wouldn't. That would be bad. Especially if she was in control of it."

"Okay."

Tommy reaches out for the kitten. It's certainly a very cute kitten, although he's a little careful with it, because if it can be used as a weapon, well, he doesn't want it turning around and clawing his eyes out, or whatever it is cats do.

"Tommy'll be careful with the cat. He's careful with most stuff. Y'know, just in case you were concerned."

Mayhem melts in Tommy's hands turning into a fluffy purring lump about as vicious as a pillow. Ceilidh beams at Tommy.

"I honestly don't think that anyone could treat something rougher than Ceilidh or her brother," he says. It's fondly said.

Tommy immediately sits down on the floor so that he can better stroke Mayhem. He likes this cat. Maybe he can keep it. Or maybe he can convince his daddy to get them a kitty. He'd like that. He's not sure his mommy or daddy would, though.

"Cute kid, though," he says, gesturing to Ceilidh.

Ceilidh sits down next to Tommy, crossing her legs to watch. Mayhem is probably the softest fuzziest thing you could think of. Just pure fluff. And very happy.

"Ceilidh? Yeah. She's my cousin. She wasn't supposed to come with me but she hid in the car and I didn't realize it until I was halfway down the coast."

Tommy is obviously delighted by the kitten, and has decided that while it may be a murderous warmachine, it's perfectly decent for playing with at the moment. He's rubbing its tummy, in fact, surprised that it hasn't bitten him yet.

"So were you comin' to see me, then?"

The only thing Mayhem bites is dinner... and silverware. People hands are neither of those. He's just gone completely limp and utterly the opposite of a war machine of dooooom. Ceilidh tickles his chin and he bats her fingers.

"Aye. Business I'm afraid."

"Yeah? What kinda business? Business we can discuss in front of the kids?"

Because despite his extremely dangerous job and general bad choices, he doesn't want Tommy to be affected by all of it. It's probably a hopeless wish, but he still has it. The kid deserves some form of innocence.

"Yeah. We can discuss it in front of the kids."

Not that it would make much difference in Ceilidh's case. She tries to get in on everything.

"Actually, I'm kinda glad there is a kid here to distract her."

"Yeah, me too. Tommy listens in too much to things that he shouldn't, but with a kid 'n a cat around, he's gonna be completely fascinated by that."

He shifts his weight from foot to foot, shrugging. "So. What kinda business?"

Kale shoves his hands into his pockets and rocks on his heels.

"A war buddy of my brother's mentioned you. Said that you could help my family with some stuff."

"Stuff, hmm? You're gonna have to be more specific than that. I got a lotta things goin'."

He assumes Kale means illegal stuff, but hey, who knows?

It's not illegal where his family is from! Which is half the problem.

From a pocket in his coat he pulls out a flask and offers it to Jimmy.

"Stuff."

He turns his back towards the kids, obscuring his swig from the flask from view. Tommy probably wouldn't notice, anyway, so wrapped up in the kitten as he is, but it's not worth taking a risk. Then he hands the flask back to Kale, nodding.

"That kinda stuff. I see."

It's good stuff. He can tell.

It's tucked away back into Kale's pocket.

"My family makes it back in Cork but with things here we've lost a good part of our market." He turns quickly to look at the kids.

"No, you can't give either of them a haircut!"

Ceilidh pouts but goes back to talking with Tommy.

Jimmy can't help but laugh at that reprimand, because of course that's what kids get up to as soon as there're no adults watching them.

"So you want to expand your market into the United States, is that what you're sayin'? Atlantic City'd be a good place to start."

"She and her mum visited the mayor of Cork last year. Mayor's wife had this little prize winning poodle yip dog thing. They were gone for five minutes... dog was shaved and covered in honey," Kale says with a bit of a sigh.

But onto more serious business he nods. "We were getting ready to but the War put a halt to that and when we finally got ourselves producing again..."

The unspoken is that you idiot Yanks went and passed Prohibition.

"Yeah, believe me, we ain't too happy about that, either."

The war or Prohibition. He's not a fan of either. At least the war's over and done with. Prohibition, they've still got to deal with somehow. Mostly by selling illegal alcohol.

"I can introduce you to some people who might consider distributin' it for you. I ain't the guy that runs those things, but I know the guy."

"That'd be perfectly fine. We just need to be pointed in the right direction and given introductions if need be." He grins a little.

"And possibly a babysitter."

"Well, y'know, I don't mind watchin' the kids, but they might want me at the meetin', too. Just to vouch for you. I could see if my wife'd watch 'em."

Kale chews on this mentally for a moment. "How is she with utter hellions? Ceilidh isn't the easiest child to keep a handle on. I can pay for any damages she causes."

"She's pretty good with kids in general. She could take 'em to the boardwalk. Let 'em gorge themselves on cotton candy and run wild on the beach until they exhaust themselves. That's what I do with Tommy, when I can't keep up with him."

"She's not allowed -" Before he can finish Ceilidh's attached herself to his leg.

"CAN I!? CAN I!? CAN I HAVE COTTON CANDY I PROMISE I WON'T TELL MUM YOU LET ME HAVE SOME AND I WON'T CLIMB UP THE FERRIS WHEEL THIS TIME AND I CAN GET TOMMY A MONKEY FROM THE BALL GAMES THERE'S A BALL GAME ISN'T THERE!?"

That is all said in one breath.

Jimmy eyes her skeptically. Angela's gonna kick his ass for this one, he just knows it, but the business deal is appealing, and it can't take that long, right?

"Well, that's up to Kale, I think. 'n up to my wife, if she takes you anywhere. But you gotta be good, 'cause you know what happens to little kids who ain't good, right?"

"Aunty Grace says that the monsters under the bed come and take them away to the forest to have their skin peeled off and hung off the branches. I tried to set up a net to capture one but it caught Uncle Rory instead and then mum yelled at me and it wasn't my fault that uncle Rory stepped in the net."

Kale is staring up at the ceiling as she says this.

"That's just ridiculous, kid. Y'know, there ain't any monsters under the bed -- well, there're only a couple, but the ones that are there're pretty nice. But when kids ain't good in Atlantic City, well, the kittens don't wanna play with them anymore. 'n they won't be their little weapons, either. I know you got a special connection with Mayhem over there..."

... who Tommy is now holding upside-down.

"... but if you're real bad, Mayhem'll defect to the enemy side, 'n you know how powerful he is. That'd be bad."

The girl, clutching to Kale's leg, gapes up at Jimmy in disbelief. For a second it looks like she's going to lunge and bite him on the leg but Kale catches her by the collar.

"Nuh-uh!" she says, but isn't certain completely.

Kittens are her great weakness.

Mayhem, meanwhile, is being as pliant as beanie-baby and doesn't seem to be doing anything horrible and vicious.

"Yeah huh," he says, very solemnly, "And that's why if you spend time with Angela and Tommy, you gotta be good. 'Cause the kittens're smart, 'n they know everythin' you do. So are you gonna be good for Angela while we go to our meeting?"

Now he just has to arrange a meeting, but compared to dealing with a terror of a child, that's downright easy.

To add to the bribery factor Kale says, "If you're really good, Nat'll make you some of his strawberry tarts when we get back to Ireland."

She chews her lip. "You promise? Promise on the crows that will eat your eyeballs if you're lying?"

Most things are easier to deal with than Ceilidh.

"Sure do. I wouldn't want any crows to be eatin' my eyeballs, after all. Wouldn't dare risk it."

"Okay." She holds out her hand to Jimmy to shake on it.

And he shakes her hand back, very solemnly. It seems they've reached a deal that works for both of them. This is probably a good thing.

Yes, it is.

"Go back to play with Tommy now, while the two of us finish up business, all right?" He pushes her back towards the kitten and kid.

"Her brother is just as bad. Sold her to the circus last year. He and his mum went to the museum of history today and I've got two dollars on him trying to steal one of the weapons."