Emerging from the stairwell was a blood-spattered Viktor and a rather vicious-looking Freckle. Horatio stood at the side, especially nervous, as the two came back into the establishment. And up on the stage, since it had worked so surprisingly well the last time they needed a distraction, Mitzi was softly crooning, trying her very best to keep all the patrons' heads swiveled in her direction.

Once again, the task at hand was to make the stairs presentable again. Fortunately, in the previous weeks, Mitzi had had the foresight to go out and buy a big stack of cheap towels for this specific purpose, and they were sitting in the corner behind the counter, right by the front. And the various cleaning supplies that had worked to mask it all were still sitting in the tunnel, not too far from where Mordecai was sitting.

So, while Freckle, Viktor, Ivy, and Horatio started to dart around to clean up the scene, Rocky and Quackenbush arrived at Mordecai's side. He was sitting there looking rather drained. His arm was propped up, resting his elbow on his knee, having tucked his foot in closer to him. And while he sat alone against the wall, the fur on his arm matted down by blood, and his suit keeping him warm with the blood soaked into it, and a small pool of blood around him, he stared vacantly off into space.

Dr. Quackenbush kneeled down at Mordecai's side. On the other side, Rocky sat down against the wall, holding Mordecai. Quackenbush spoke up, "Hello, my name is Leo Quackenbush, although I assume you already know that." He started to get his tools and various instruments prepared.

"Yes," Mordecai responded, staring at Rocky.

"And can you tell me your name?"

Mordecai looked back to Leo. "Mordecai."

"Good. Do you know what happened to you and where you are?"

"I was shot in the arm. This is the Lackadaisy. You know this already, yes?"

"Yes, but it doesn't hurt to check that you're all with us." Leo dried his hands off on a small towel from his own supply. Neither Rocky nor Mordecai had seen what he had put on his hands. Leo looked up at the lights. "Here, come this way some, if you can. A little bit more light would be advantageous."

With a bit of help from Rocky, Mordecai shuffled along the wall under one of the overhead lights. Mordecai leaned against the cool stone of the wall with a grunt, after exerting himself, despite his injury. Dr. Quackenbush lightly held up Mordecai's left arm with one hand, and closely examined it with the other. "You were only shot once, yes?"

"Yes."

"Alright then. It looks like there's a clear entrance and exit wound. Although, it seems to have struck a vein, and perhaps a nerve. I'd wager that that's the basilic and the… brachial cutaneous. I don't have any money to put down, though." Dr. Quackenbush pulled back.

"Oh, do you need me to— to go get Miss M.?" Rocky asked.

Dr. Quackenbush looked at Rocky's concerned countenance then back to the somewhat woozy Mordecai. "I think… I can make an exception on upfront payment just this once." Leo started rummaging about through his materials. Looking back up for a second, "But don't let your boss think that that'll happen again."

"Of course," Rocky nodded.

"Well anyway, I'll have to administer a bit of anesthesia to patch your arm up." He pulled out a small bottle in one hand, with his other holding a sort of surgical needle.

Mordecai shuddered. "Rocky, would you stay?"

Rocky looked at the hapless casualty, seeing in him an unrevealed aversion to such an austere or draconian medical response. Seeing how Mordecai acted when Rocky had been grazed by bullets, he truly didn't know that Mordecai had any sort of fear of such things. After Mordecai had been patched up, and when he was in at least alright spirits, Rocky would ask about it.

Rocky nodded, smiling thinly, "Of course, Mordecai. I'll make sure you're alright."

Mordecai looked into Rocky's cerulean eyes for just a hesitant moment. Then, taking a deep breath, he turned back and said, "Go ahead, then."

He looked away as Leo brought the needle towards him, and tried to keep from tensing up as he felt the prick and the pinch of the needle breaking his skin. Mordecai leaned against Rocky as the pain in his arm slowly subsided, and his thoughts and perception of the dark hall around him became blearier and less comprehensible.

Dragging the Marigolds' bodies into the tunnel was Viktor and Freckle. Their first trip into the tunnel was uneventful, but the second time, they both independently noticed Mordecai's head leaning on Rocky's shoulder. Rocky didn't notice. Freckle lingered for a short moment, staring and thinking. Viktor seemed to not care and grunted as he continued to haul the cadaver to its temporary resting place. Horatio and Ivy also noticed the two, as they were busy getting the cleaning supplies and disposing of bloodied towels. Collectively, it seemed that they decided not to bother asking Rocky to help them with the cleanup.

Rocky looked away as Dr. Quackenbush attended to the bullet wound with his tools. It wasn't particularly gory or bloody, but it was uncomfortable to see, and even more uncomfortable to think about. But, even as Quackenbush started to wrap up, he elected not to leave Mordecai— not yet, at least.

He wasn't exactly sure how much time had passed when Mitzi came by. Surely, long enough for the entire crime scene in the stairs to be made prim and proper again, as well as long enough for Quackenbush to fix Mordecai's bullet wound; indeed, the anesthetics were starting to wear off, and Mordecai was slowly but surely becoming lucid again.

"Well, if you're over here, then I assume that everything went well in the garage?" Mitzi wondered.

"There was nobody there," Rocky nearly whispered.

Mitzi saw Rocky turn his eyes back to Mordecai, staring at his peaceful countenance. "...All of the patrons are gone, so you can leave if you want."

"No, I think I'd rather not. Not yet."

Mitzi sat down against the wall beside Rocky. Rocky turned over to look at her as she sat, then followed Mitzi's gaze back to Mordecai. "You know, it was pretty obvious that you had feelings for him."

"Yeah," he sighed, "I think I've learned that at this point."

"But as long as you're confident that this isn't a ploy for him to escape, then—"

"What are you talking about?" He's been shooting at his own team for weeks now!" Rocky quietly shouted.

"I know, but I just need to be at least a little tentative about the things th—"

"What more evidence do you need that he's not trying anything?" Rocky swallowed, "That he's not a bad guy?"

"Rocky, I'm not saying that. Really, I think that what y'all have is wonderful. Love is hard to keep alive in this job." Mitzi was silent for a moment. She cleared her throat. "It's just the business perspective that I need to think from sometimes. I don't like doin' it, but it's my job now."

"It's okay. I'm sorry."

"You don't have to be sorry about anything. Take advantage of this relationship when Mordecai recovers." Rocky nodded slightly. "And, on a different note, maybe talk to him about Viktor. I heard that him and Viktor sort of worked some things out, but I think somethin' like this might upset him some. So, just… discuss that with him. I don't want another fight I have to stop, especially when I know you guys can sort it out peacefully."

"Okay."

The two were silent for a prolonged moment. "Mordecai could be a great asset to the team." Rocky turned to her. "I don't know what y'all were thinkin' about what he would do after all of this, but know that I'm open to hiring him again, if he wants."

"...I'll let him know."

"Alright." Mitzi started to stand, "In a strange way, you two are made for each other. You keep each other in check."

Rocky took a moment to nod with understanding.

"And," Mitzi added, "You don't have to put him back in the storeroom tonight. I trust y'all enough."

"I'm sure he'll be glad to hear that."

"As long as he doesn't try to kill me or get back to Asa, he can do whatever he wants, alright?"

"Alright."

"Now," she sighed, "you can stay here if you want to— and I don't blame you if you do— but I have to go take care of that mess by the garage with the others now."

"Sorry about that."

"Don't be sorry about that. The fact that y'all took care of all of them and only got shot once? Just know that I'm very impressed. I think he's a good influence on you." She pointed at Mordecai.

"I've yet to figure that out."

Mitzi chuckled. "Good luck, then."