Akuma turned to me, “What the hell, Horus, you runnin’ dings now?”

I squared my shoulders to him and looked at Akuma straight in his eyes, directly challenging him.

“Last time I checked, you got your ass kicked fair and square,” he said to me again.

Everyone, except Anna, took a step back, expecting a fight. After the events from yesterday I wasn’t ready for a fight. For now, I had to play it cool. His neck muscles and veins started to twitch. I needed him to think he still had an edge over me without seeming too weak.

“Uhh, yeah, you are still the Boss Kitty,” I said turning away.

I started to walk off. It was a like saying that I was not scared of him.

“Yo, Horus!” Akuma called back to me. I turned around to face him, “We need to sell more stuff.”

He paused to see if anyone was nodding their heads in support. “So we can pay our taxes early next quarter.”

I nodded in agreement, “Red, jus’ drop da cookin’ ingredients off at my place.”

I suggested since he worked as an apprentice task mage with access to supplies I needed. Red looked at Akuma for confirmation.

Akuma puffed up, “You gotta problem problem wit da last batch?”

“Uh, yeah it kinda tasted like old leathery dragon. If you want da customers laying eggs or breathin’ fire everywhere, I suggest I cook dis next batch.” I said with a slight laugh in my voice.

“Ohhhh, burn!” Anna called out.

Pakito, who had a crush on my sister, made a squatting motion, like he was laying an egg. At that people everyone was laughing, except Akuma who turned bright shade of red.

I looked at him, “Hit those retro-rockets, I’m jus’ yankin’ your chain, we still cool bro?

He gave me a fist bump, “Yeah, we cool, brah.”

I started back towards my apartment, with Anna in tow. Pakito waved to her.

“Ahhh, Anna has a new boo,” Abby teased back.

Anna turned around and gave her a dirty look. That lit Abby’s already short fuse. She took a swing at Anna, who turned her shoulders missing the attack.

Abby’s fist lightly grazed Anna’s jacket.

Anna pulled her hand out of her pockets and extended her index and middle fingers ready to counter the next attack. I stepped in front of them before it could escalate any further.

“Not here,” I muttered to Anna.

She nodded and backed off.

I briefly contemplated cooking breakfast again, but thought better of it. I wasn’t in the mood to be interrupted again.

I turned to everyone and threw my hands up, “Who’s up for breakfast for breakfast at Fat Cats?”

Abby mumbled, “I’m outta here. You commin’ Lee?”

He nodded and followed her. I didn’t blame her for not coming, after all she worked there.

So Angel Eyes, Henna, Anna, Tucco, Pakito (must to Anna’s distress), the twins Goldie and Blondie (who Henna despised for whatever reason) and Akuma followed me to Fat Cats.

Even with half the crew sponging off a free breakfast it only set me back 40 G-Notes. Akuma was sipping on his coffee (mixed with catnip infused rum), when he watch. He tapped it twice.

“By the Ancestors!” he could hard contain his excitement.

“You wanna tell us what’s gonna on or jus’ tell everyone at Fat Cats?” he quietly said to Akuma.

“Red,” Akuma said more quietly this time tapping his watch. “Got 5kgs of supplies.”

The table grew silent.

“It’s gotta be a trap, how da hell did Red get 5-keys of crap?” Anna asked.

Henna sniped back, “Anna, you gotta see a conspiracy in everythin’, don’t cha? You should except that Red ran into som’ good luck.”

I jumped to my sister’s defense, “If sumptin’ too good to be true, it usually is.”

Henna hit me in the chest with the back of her hand to get my attention, “Oh, you takin’ her side, now?”

“I’m takin’ da I don’t wanna end up in jail or a reeducation camp side of it.” I replied. "Or sent to some shitty colonial world."

Anna sat up proudly grinning because I defended her position.

“Fine if you are gonna like scarred kittens still suckin’ on your mama’s tit, Angel Eyes take Tucco and the twerp (still annoyed from Pakito’s comment from earlier) an’ make sure this crap is legit,” Akuma quietly ordered.

Angel Eyes nodded as he finished off his eggs.

“Why you gotta send me?? I got crap stuff to do,” Tucco complained.

Before Akuma could say something and Tucco caused more drama I replied, “Cause big shot (point to Pakito) there needs some on the ground experience. Besides you need the exercise.”

The gang started to snicker.

Tucco stood up, “You sayin’ I’m fat?”

I smiled back at him, “I’m sayin’ you’re so fat that when you talked in front of the TV-Crystal I missed three episodes.”

Tucco, who couldn’t resist a put-down challenge, replied back “Well you so stoopid yo dumb-ass could starve to death if locked inside a grocery store.”

Blonde laughed so hard she spat her coffee all over Henna. Henna slugged her in the face, blooding her nose. After 10 minutes of ripping into each other Tucco and I called it quits after running out of material.