Note: Team Crafted POV is coming up in the next chapter :)

Sjin's POV

"What are we gonna do, Sips?" I ask quietly when Tia has disappeared down the alleyway. "I have no idea Sjin" he sighs, before turning round and walking back to the church. Glancing round fearfully, still suspecting an ambush, I jog after him.

"Where are we going?" I ask when he walks straight past the church. "Minty's. I need a drink" he sighs, glancing at me with a wink. My eyes lit up. I loved going to Minty's, she was my favourite barmaid. She was beautiful, with long curly blonde hair, bright emerald green eyes and-

"Oh, don't start daydreaming, we're almost there now" Sips groans. I grin sheepishly. "Sorry boss, can't help it" I sigh. Not many people knew that Sips and I weren't actually partners-I just hung round with him when he needed someone to throw themselves in front of a bullet if it came. 

Unfortunately, he had picked me for that job tonight. Thankfully, Tia never shot me, which was surprising-she still hadn't forgiven me for what I did to her arm. 

My thoughts dropped when the Captive Creeper arrived into my view. For a pub that was on a lonely little avenue like this right next to the Crooked Caber, Rav's place, it did surprisingly well.

The blinding flashing lights of the sign made me wince a little as we enter. The song C418-Stal was on when we entered, the slow jazz music making me feel a bit calmer. The bar wasn't busy, since it was midnight, but there were a few customers in there-the bad types, like blaze rod dealers. Across from them all, right in the corner, was a man, who I knew very well. His short brown hair, brown oak eyes and red jumper made him instantly recognizable, but I didn't feel like talking to him today. Even though I used to work for him.

Sips nudges me with an impatient sigh, then I spot Minty in a pretty brown dress using a towel to wipe the sideboard. She looks up as we come closer and she smiles when she sees me. "Sips, Sjin. The usual?" she asks. "Please" I grin, sitting on the seat precariously. "So. You boys gotten into any more trouble?" she asks, passing us our drinks and resting her head on her hands, looking up at me expectantly. 

In moments like these, Sips was silent. He was like a wingman for me, if I returned the favour. I'd never seen Sips like anyone, though. He just wasn't the type. Sips knew I liked Minty, so he always let me do the talking.

"Oh, a bit" I chuckle, sipping my glass delicately. "Too right." a voice says from beside me. 

"Lewis" I say, glancing at the man in the red jumper. "You've pissed Duncan off for not getting his stuff on time, the Dog Father has a bone to pick with you and that detective guy Rythian hates you. Possibly the three most dangerous people in the town are mad at you. Yes, you are in some trouble" Lewis sighs.

"Drink?" Minty asks, smile gone from her face. "Gin and tonic, please" he nods. I glare at the man sat next to me as soon as Minty had turned her back. "What business is it of yours?" I scowl. "Oh, everyone knows." he says simply, as if it was obvious. Minty passes him his drink and Lewis smiles warmly, thanking her. The man could be serious and cold if he wanted to, but only on rare occasions. He didn't seem the type to be a criminal at all. Neither did his partner, Simon. Both were close to Duncan, and that should make them my enemy and us his. But it was hard to dislike the two of them.

"You were lucky to get away alive when you confronted Tia" he says after a while. "You think we can't handle a girl?" I scoff. He chuckles. "I'm not talking about her, she's not threat. She talks big, but she isn't. No, the Dog Father was in the alleyway around the corner" he smirks and I glare at him. So he did know about our...deal with the Dog Father.

"How do you know all of this?" Sips asks, his tone suspicious. Did we have spies in our camp?

"He told me" Lewis smiles. I sigh-Lewis and Ridgedog weren't exactly...friends. But they were acquaintances. In the sense that Ridgedog could bare to be in the same room with him for more than 10 minutes without throwing him out.

"So what, you've been asking him for information on us? In return for what? What do you get out of it?" Sips snaps, sliding off his chair and stepping forward to confront him. Minty looks up worriedly, then glances at me like I was supposed to do something. 

"We didn't ask for it, he just told us." Lewis shrugs, taking a small sip of his drink. Sips shakes his head furiously at him, getting into his face. "You're a liar, Xephos" Sips hisses, using his old name. Lewis stiffens, glaring at him. Sips had never told me, but he had some history with Lewis and Simon that I didn't know. 

"Call me what you will, Sips, but that won't change the fact that I possibly have an alliance with the strongest man in town." he snickers, looking away, an unusually dark gleam in his eye.

"You sure about that?" I snap, getting annoyed at his nerve. When I had worked with him, I thought he was a kind and honest man. Now, I knew different. "Oh, quite sure" he smiles, before downing his gin and tonic in a few large loud gulps. Sighing heavily and slamming the drink on the table, he smiles warmly at Minty. "Tah, Minty" he yawns, taking out a few pound coins out of his pocket. "It's only 2 pound Lewis" Minty says, glancing down at the three coins in Lewis' hand. "A tip" he replies, winking and dropping them on the table. "Evening, gentlemen" he smiles, before leaving out the door, pulling his red jumper tighter around him.

"That guys nerve never ends" Sips sighs, sliding back onto his chair. "He acts like he's all tough, but he's nothing. Like Tia. Honestly, these people think they can stand up to us just because they have a strong alliance. We'll show them, right Sips?" I say fiercely, showing off just a little because Minty was listening in. He grins at me, a rare sight on the usual scowl expression that was permanently on his face. "Aw yeah Sjin, that's what I'm talking about!" he laughs, and we clink our glasses together, taking gulps of the liquid down.

 Simon's POV

"Where the bloody hell is he?" I mutter to myself, breathing out heavily through my nose. Rubbing my arms roughly to get what friction I can out of them, I glance left and right. Lewis was in the pub again, drowning out his sorrows over his missing Lomadia. She was in jail after being caught, for the first time in her knowledge, and no amount of bribing to the jury or the police would get her out. 

"Simon, you should of just gone without me" his voice sighs from right beside me, and I jump. "Bloody hell, you bugger! You could of told me when to come, been standing here for hours!" I complain, beginning to walk beside my companion. "You arrived two minutes ago. Honestly, you exaggerate everything" Lewis sighs, and we walk in silence for a while.

"Lewis..." I start. "Yes, friend?" he asks smoothly, glancing at me with those big brown eyes. "This...this needs to stop." I sigh. "What does?" he frowns, and I sigh again, face palming. "Drinking! We will get Lomadia back, it just takes time, and your in there wasting your time getting drunk when you should be trying to figure a way out to get her back!" I say crossly.

"That indeed, my dwarf friend!" a loud, cheerful voice interrupts our conversation. I groan, turning round to see that idiotic grin on that idiotic idiot's face.

"Ridge, I've tried! I've tried everything to get her back!" Lewis groans, looking round to see the stupid smarmy ass behind us. "You should of come to me first" he smirks, shaking his head. "Oh, shut up, we can do this without your help" I snap. He looks surprised, but that damn smirk doesn't drop from his face.

"As you wish" he grins, beginning to turn. "Please, Ridge" Lewis whispers, stepping forward slightly. I glance worriedly at my partner-he was trying to make a deal with HIM?

"Stop by my office tomorrow noon, if you wish. I'll see what I can do-for a price, of course" he chuckles, turning round to grin at us before disappearing down an alleyway.

I waited for a moment before turning to confront Lewis.

"Are you seriously considering dealing with HIM? Do you know what he does to those who waste his time? He kills them!" I snap. Lewis just sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose with his fingers. "Simon, it's the only way we'll get Lo back." he pleads, blinking at me with wide, innocent eyes. I scowl-it was too much of a risk to deal with the Dog Father just to get Hannah back. But it was a risk Lewis was willing to take and, besides, he couldn't spend the rest of his life drinking in the pub, could he?

"What do you think his price is?" I ask as we begin to walk again. Our home was not far from here, a factory we ran ourselves. 

"Not sure. But whatever it is, it'll be heavy. Ridge doesn't do cheap" Lewis sighs. 

"Well, he is...sort of your friend, I suppose. Maybe he'll give you a half price discount?" I suggest hopefully. He just scoffs, sneering down at me.

"I hardly know the man, we just see each other around and occasionally chat. He is in no way my friend" he laughs quietly. 

I smile with a relieved sigh. "I guess I should count my lucky stars you aren't. Who would want to be his friend, anyway?"

Lewis shrugs, but then stops. His eyes, which were dull from his times in the pub, suddenly lit up, sparkling with a sudden excitement. "What? What is it?" I ask, watching him suspiciously.

"Duncan's partner. Tia. Ridge has a soft spot for her-we can give him her!" Lewis grins, glancing down at me. 

"What, you think you can march in there and ask her to come with us to be kidnapped by the Dog Father? And you think she's going to let us? Nevermind Duncan, she'll skin us!" I protest, shaking my head. Honestly, he was such an idiot sometimes. Then again, his gin had probably gone to his head. 

"And why do you think I'll let you have my partner?" Duncan's voice echoes in the night and I turn, almost sheepishly.

"Duncan..." Lewis starts-Duncan was our friend, our ally. If we lost him...

"Yeah, yeah, your little Lomadia has gone missing. So you want to trade my partner for yours? And what's all this about Ridge liking her?" he snaps. His white lab coat drifts in the darkness (he never takes it off, I wasn't sure why) and he glares between us fiercely.

"Duncan, it's..." Lewis starts before cutting off. I remember him telling me no one was supposed to know that Tia and Ridge were already acquainted. God knows why-she hated him, just like the rest of us. But being seen as the Dog Father's friend would make her a big target-so I could understand why she kept it a secret, especially from Duncan who had feelings for her.

Well, this was awkward. 

"No, you know what? Let's go ask her, shall we?" he snaps, gesturing violently in the air for us to follow him as he storms off. I glance at Lewis worriedly, before following our friend back into the darkness.