Mob Sorcery 5 - Ch2

“Have it?” Vince repeated. “As in, you’re buying me a condo as my bonus for the heist?”

He felt the urge to clean out his ears. Fire magic wouldn’t help much with that, unless he wanted to incinerate everything between his ears. Would Alessia find it weird if he asked her to use her water magic to help so that he was certain he’d heard her correctly?

Fia shot him a concerned look and squeezed his thigh. His expression had obviously shifted without him realizing it.

“I would consider this an investment,” Alessia said, before hesitating. “It’s arguably a bonus, but a necessary one if I want to keep you in my employ. You’re easily the most valuable asset the Lionetti Family has at hand, Vince, and you’re at great risk. Houou has infiltrated your apartment, your every action is being scryed, and I can’t even let you return home for fear of being assassinated.

Something about Alessia’s words irked him. He realized she was dancing between the ice queen persona she used during negotiating and her attachment to him. If anything, that frustrated him more.

“An asset?” he asked, eyes narrowed. “I thought we were partners.”

Alessia blinked and her tail froze in place. A soft hiss escaped Fia, who pressed her fingers against the bridge of her nose.

“You are,” she said hurriedly, before straightening up and schooling her expression. A flicker of panic had filled her eyes. “That’s not what I meant, Vince. You should know that.”

“I do.” He tried to force himself to relax and leaned backward.

His arms automatically came up and crossed themselves over his chest. He realized a few seconds later how defensive that looked, but not before Alessia’s eyes flicked between his face and arms.

Without speaking a word, Alessia rose and strode over to the windows.

Vince had long gotten used to the sight of Albion and the harbor from Alessia’s office. More often than not, he saw the lights of the city twinkle at night, or even in the soft twilight of dawn or dusk. It lacked the same appeal during the day, even with the beautiful harbor in the distance and the city skyline surrounding it.

He was also used to Alessia standing beside the windows whenever she was being thoughtful or otherwise wanted to hide her expression. When had she learned this reaction and who from?

To Vince, it remained a form of power play. She could stand up and walk away from the conversation, all while reminding him of the sort of wealth she controlled. Most people couldn’t do this, because they didn’t own entire skyscrapers and penthouses with multistory windows good for brooding in front of.

Alessia had responded to his own unconscious gesture with a very deliberate one of her own. This discussion had taken a turn for the worse.

“Alessia, I don’t own an apartment, but I know how much one is worth,” he said, trying to regain control of the conversation. “Prices in Aulfair are eye-watering. Even the shitbox I live in is worth too damn much.”

“That’s not a condo,” Fia said. “Unless you want to buy an entire apartment complex.”

“It’d be nicer if it was a condo,” Alessia said. “The land is worth more than the complex from what I understand. If the cartel is ever dealt with or calms down, the developer will probably knock it down the next day.”

“I’ll thank Gaby for keeping my rent cheap,” Vince said.

Both women shot him a dark look. Praising the captain of a rival gang had not been a winning move.

He rolled his eyes in response. “My point is that this ‘bonus’ dwarfs everything you’ve offered me until now. Even if Mei hadn’t turned on us, I would have received less.”

Vince’s knowledge of house prices in Aulfair started at “too expensive,” but he was damn certain that a three bedroom condo or townhouse in the inner city would easily cost half a million. Houou wasn’t building skyscraper after skyscraper out of a sense of charity, and huge stretches of the inner city were decades old, like much of Albion.

And given the response of both women to his brief mention of Gaby, he suspected Alessia didn’t want him living in cartel territory. Given the Lionettis lacked the influence they once had, he sincerely wondered where she wanted him to live.

“Like I said, this is an investment.” Alessia didn’t look back at him. “The mafia is a business, Vince. I want you as a partner, but I also need you alive and safe. Ordinarily, paying independent enforcers so much would be out of the question. The return would never be there. But you’ve proven your worth and—”

“My worth?” he asked. “I’ve done my job, Alessia. What you’ve paid me to do, even when the contract has been heavily in your favor or paid far less than the work should, because you expected me to fail.”

She turned and stared at him in shock. Anger shined in her eyes. “I never expected you to fail!”

“You explicitly refused to pay me the rate of a full squad of enforcers for the same reason Mei gave to Nina in the sushi restaurant weeks ago.” He pointed at her, and the billionaire glared at his finger. “You’d already paid for failures twice, and I wasn’t your only option.”

“That’s not—”

“Can both of you stop?” Fia snapped.

His girlfriend’s hand came down hard on his shoulder, and he hid a wince. Fia grimaced and rubbed some feeling back into his arm. No doubt she’d forgotten how easily he bruised from her strength.

But her stern expression remained in place. She stepped between Alessia and Vince and leaned against the edge of Alessia’s massive desk. Her rust-blonde tail shifted slowly against the wood.

“I’m stepping in as consigliere,” Fia said, voice low and full of warning. “I’m also stepping in because both of you are being overly emotional, and I have a better sense of why than I suspect either of you do.”

Vince kept his expression unchanged, but unfolded his arms. Getting angry at Fia wouldn’t help matters.

“First, Vince. Alessia is absolutely right that you need to move somewhere new,” Fia said. “And it needs to have better security. That needs to be a term of any new contract. Too many people might try to take you out or use you against us. Either make the move yourself, or we’ll do it for you.”

Harsh, but he forced himself to calm down. “Got it.”

She turned to face Alessia now, who narrowed her eyes at her subordinate.

“Alessia, if you want to offer Vince an absurd amount of money, it needs to be tied to a new contract,” Fia said.

Vince’s eyes nearly popped out of his skull. Wasn’t Fia on his side?

Alessia raised an eyebrow, her black tail dead still. “I believe Vince is deserving of a bonus given how the heist played out.”

“Sure, but we already have a cash amount he lost thanks to Mei. You’re doing everyone a disservice by one-upping that,” Fia said. “Especially if you want to run the mafia as a business. Vince is our associate, even if he’s an independent in name. But you haven’t offered me a house.”

The guilty look from Alessia spoke volumes. She ran a hand through her hair, pushing locks over one ear while looking down.

“The bigger problem is that there’s nothing stopping Vince from walking away if you give him a house as a bonus,” Fia added. She shot Vince a warning look, telling him silently to stay quiet. “I guarantee Quintus Hierum, or even the Inaba Twins, will be trying to poach him. Possibly more players. As consigliere, I have to say it’s foolish to throw away so much negotiating leverage.”

Vince held his tongue.

On the face of it, Fia was stabbing him in the back. But he felt better for it.

Fia wanted the mafia to fight to keep him, instead of throwing him treats for being a good boy.

Alessia bit her lip. Seconds passed in silence.

“Thank you for your advice, consigliere,” Alessia told Fia.

Eventually, her eyes met Vince’s. They stared at each other.

Alessia rubbed the bridge of her nose. “I assume you aren’t interested in my marriage offer?”

“Which one?” he asked.

She stared at him, slowly reddening. “I only made one, Vince.”

“Uh huh.”

Spluttering noises escaped the mafia don and she dashed to her desk, grabbed the first thing she could, and threw it at him. It turned out to be a leather folder of some sort. He caught it and resisted the urge to open it.

“Don’t dodge my tantrum,” Alessia spat, still flushed and tail flailing behind her like a tornado. “If you’re going to flirt like that, you should…” Her eyes widened and she slapped a hand over her face.

Then she reached for a coffee cup she hadn’t brought with her, only to realize it was still on the dining table. A strangled noise escaped her.

Alessia swiftly retreated to the kitchenette. The door slammed behind her.

Vince stared at the closed door in confusion.

“Well, that was bound to happen eventually,” Fia said. “I kind of wish I wasn’t here.”

“Uh, why? You helped me out of a bind,” he said, torn between staring at the door and looking at Fia.

Which caused him to miss the approach of his girlfriend. She smacked him lightly upside the head.

“You’re being a dope,” she said. “Don’t pretend you’re blind to what happened. But…” Fia looked at the kitchenette and grimaced. “Let’s head to the capo bar.”

“At this time?” he asked.

“Alessia’s staffed it all day while we’re in lockdown. They’re running it as a café until the usual opening time. This will also let her cool down and sort out the contract.”

She grabbed his arm and yanked him out of his seat without another word. Vince took control of his own motor skills, then followed Fia out the front doors. Looking back inside, he spotted Alessia peeking out of the kitchenette. He gave her a friendly wave and she vanished.

Lucia’s eyebrows shot up at the sight. “Uh, what the hell happened?”

“Sexual tension,” Fia said drily. “Is Ally still busy?”

“Yeah. Making some progress, but she said her ritual will probably take a bit. It’s a passive one where Nina has to sit in the circle for an hour. I want to send her to the capo bar as soon as I can, though. She’s adorable, but I’m antsy right now.” The tip of Lucia’s tail wiggled for effect.

“Then go let Alessia lean on your shoulder and bitch. I get the feeling she’s more honest with you.”

Lucia looked at Vince and narrowed her eyes. An evil grin appeared. “Ohhhh. Gotcha. Silly girl.”

Vince and Fia entered the elevator in relative silence and took it down to the capo bar. When he’d first come here, the lack of signage and confusing layout caused him to get lost. He could probably navigate to the bar with his eyes closed now.

Frosted glass lined the walls of the bar as they approached the entrance, which yielded to reveal a place that could pass as a speakeasy if it were a little more old school. A crystal backsplash emanated a golden glow behind a pair of wolfgirl bartenders, and countless bottles of liquor tempted patrons. The L-shaped bar separated the space into a lounge, with dark couches and booths, and another with tables and chairs.

Perhaps for the first time ever, Vince saw more people seated at the tables than the couches. A handful of enforcers, only two of which he recognized as capos, relaxed with cups of coffee. One had a plate of scrambled eggs.

“They do food here?” Vince asked, bemused.

Every pair of wolf ears in the bar shot up at once, forcing him to hold his ground as nearly ten attractive wolfgirls sized him up. Most clicked their tongues when they saw Fia next to him.

As if to make a point, his girlfriend wrapped her arm around his and dragged him to the counter.

“Working mornings now, Liz?” Fia asked.

One of the bartenders smiled at them and tottered over. “I’m one of the few bartenders with actual barista training. Did a year in a café downtown before I got a way better offer to bartend on the waterfront.”

“Tips,” Vince drawled.

Liz’s smile became lopsided. “Pretty much. Hours are worse, but the pay before tips was basically the same. And the waterfront has some huge spenders. Sometimes I wonder if demons have infinite vaults of cash with the way they spend. Although it nets less all up than I get here.” She shrugged. “Anyway, what can I get you?”

“I still want to know where the food is coming from,” he asked.

“Oh.” Liz tilted her head to the side.

Fia rolled her eyes. “There’s a kitchen behind the bar, V. We rarely use it except for events, but it’s there.”

He followed her gaze and saw a hallway winding behind the back of the bar. Presumably it led somewhere.

“Anyway, just two coffees,” Fia said.

“Uh, I’ve had more than my share of caffeine this morning,” Vince said. “I’ll be bouncing off walls at this rate.”

“I’ll make yours with decaf,” Liz chirped.

Getting decaf appeared to be a sin, based on the face Fia made. She led him to a booth despite his crimes against coffee.

“You realize they’ll still hear us,” he said, inclining his head toward the other wolfgirls.

Fia gave him a look before casting an anti-eavesdropping ward around the booth.

Once settled in opposite each other, Vince shifted uncomfortably. Should he wait for their drinks?

“Pola must be rubbing off on you,” Fia said. “You’re squirming way too damn much.”

“It would help if I knew what just happened,” he said.

Her gaze turned unreadable. Fia leaned back and crossed her arms, red eyes searching his.

“That doesn’t help,” he said.

She rolled her eyes. “It wasn’t intended to. What if I told you that things would be a lot simpler if you had bent Alessia over her desk and fucked her? You made things very complicated by becoming a prickly prideful pear.”

“Alliteration. Cute.”

Her finger pressed against his nose and she smirked at him. “I’m always cute. You, on the other hand, need to sort your shit out with Alessia.”

He opened his mouth to protest, but spotted Liz on the way.

The wolfgirl bartender-turned-waitress approached with a tray. A pair of coffee cups balanced on it, along with a plate of elongated cookies studded with nuts.

“Coffee for you,” Liz said as she placed a dark brew in front of Fia. “And decaf for you.” A noticeably less dark coffee was plopped before Vince. “Plus some traditional cantucci made using a recipe from one of the chef’s nonnas.”

Fia cracked a smile at that. “I half expected you to say the chef brought these from home. They look better than those from a tin.”

Liz smiled in return, then beat a retreat. Meanwhile, Fia dunked a cookie into her coffee and gave it a noisy bite. She nodded in appreciation.

“I’m not sure decaf will give you the same effect.” She glared at Vince’s desecration of coffee. “But good cantucci are to die for. My nonna makes them with amaretto, but I think these are just really buttery with a touch of lemon.”

“Amaretto?” He raised an eyebrow. “Almond liqueur with an almond cookie?”

“Don’t knock it until you try it.”

Booze usually made everything better, and he did love the Godfather cocktail. He followed Fia’s lead and dipped one of the cookies in his coffee to soften it. Fortunately, it turned out to be relatively soft compared to the teeth-breaking Italian cookies he’d once eaten out of a tin years ago. It tasted buttery, sweet, and very nutty, and the coffee accented it nicely.

Damn Italians knew how to make everything better. He’d have to try to get Nina to bake these to go with their coffee.

Thinking of that brought him back to his present problem, and he grimaced. Fia caught his expression.

“Right, your problem,” Fia said with a sigh. “I can guess what it is. You’ve pushed Alessia before, negotiated hard, and done some absurdly difficult jobs for us. Out of nowhere she’s offering you a house, and you don’t think you’ve earned it.”

Vince winced. “That’s… basically it. Some of the annoyance is the way Alessia acts, but I know she’s interested in me. I won’t lie. I’m interested as well, but…”

“But…?” Fia refused to put words in his mouth.

She sipped her coffee while she waited for him to find his own words.

“But part of me worries that this is another way for Alessia to manipulate me,” he admitted, refusing to meet Fia’s eyes.

An explosive breath left the wolfgirl’s mouth. “Well, damn. Can’t say Alessia hasn’t reaped what she sowed, though.”

“You’re not angry at me?” he asked.

“Alessia chose to use money as a way to manipulate you into marrying Pola, and then started flirting with you to try to keep you on side. I think you’re being stubborn, but I’m also your girlfriend, so I know why you’re upset.”

He dunked a cookie and nibbled on it thoughtfully. Fia copied him, albeit with a more chipmunk-like motion. He glowered at her.

“I’m allowed to tease you,” she said. “Anyway, you’re not just pissy because you think Alessia might be manipulating you. It’s because you’re worried you haven’t earned it, right?”

This time it was his turn to let out an explosive sigh. “Basically. I’ve gotten a better measure of what independents earn for crazy jobs lately. The attack on Lionetti Tower paid something like a quarter mil to everyone except Juliet. Mei was willing to pay three hundred grand for the heist, if she was to be believed. Nina’s biggest jobs might have run for more, including the one she’d walked away from.”

Fia scratched her head, messing up her rust-blonde hair. “I’m not sure how much I have to say to that. Most people would just take the money and run. Like winning the lottery, you deserve a good turn. Alessia’s rich. She talks a good game about running the mafia like a business, but if a billionaire offers you a house, why say no?”

Vince lacked a good answer.

Like she’d said, he was being stubborn. Nina might slap him upside the head. A small part of him screamed at him.

And another woman certainly voiced her opinion.

“Given her reaction to some mild flirting, I feel you’re wasting the opportunity to claim more than a house,” Daji purred in his mind.

Vince had a parasite along for the ride. A permanent one after the events of the recent heist.

A soul egg sat heavily in his jacket pocket, covered in iridescent jewels and adorned with a crown. It contained the ancient fox spirit, Daji, of Chinese mythological fame. She’d assisted him for months now, and he’d relied on her power to remain alive. The more he used her, the more he bonded with her. Literally and figuratively.

According to the Inaba twins of Houou, Daji had formed a magical bond with him. Even if the soul egg was taken from him, Daji would remain with him. She could speak with him and provide him with magic even when he didn’t touch her prison.

For now, she remained invisible. He wasn’t sure if that was a choice of hers or if she lacked the power to manifest as a mental apparition using this new link. She refused to answer.

“Stop thinking about me and think about the sexy billionaire wolfgirl who should be sucking your cock,” Daji said, impatience leaking into her voice. “All this talk of being too prideful to accept a small abode is pointless when you can fuck her senseless and claim all she owns.”

Fia frowned, as if noticing Vince was distracted. He raised a hand and grimaced.

Then I definitely wouldn’t have earned it, he responded to Daji in his thoughts.

“You will have earned it by virtue of winning her heart and body.” The fox huffed in his ear, and warm breath blew over it. “But have it your way. Play with concepts of merit and to deserve things, but recall that society is inherently unfair. Alessia was born into her wealth. She earned nothing. To require her to dole out morsels of her inherited billions according to absurd justifications is to deny yourself a chance at ascension.”

To ascend like you did when you married into power and wealth? he asked.

“So you do understand.” Daji laughed, and her tone was both dark and mocking. “Play your game, Vince. But know that you face a world where the odds are stacked against you. I can offer you a chance to level the playing field against immortals and ancient lineages that claim dominion over everything bar your soul. When you’ve assuaged your pride, I’ll be here to help you take the real steps.”

Vince couldn’t keep his annoyance off his face. Daji’s snicker suggested she didn’t care how much she annoyed him.

“You were talking with her, weren’t you?” Fia asked. “Daji.”

He nodded. “She… thinks I’m being childish for refusing Alessia’s offer.”

“No, I think you’re being a dumb human. And it’s not about the offer,” Daji corrected.

He ignored her.

“I already said I think you’re being stubborn,” Fia said. “I tried to help because I care about you, and I want you and Alessia to stop dancing around each other like this. Either fuck, or talk it out, or do something. But I think you need to sort out your feelings now. Going back to your apartment isn’t an option. I doubt the ‘rules’ will apply right now. Mei might try to kill you. If the rest of Houou finds out you have the egg, what might they do?”

“I know what they’ll do,” he said drily.

“Exactly. Which is why I made it clear you need a new home, or no contract.” She leaned forward and stared at him. “I don’t seriously think you’ll work for someone else. Not after everything we’ve gone through. But I think you’ll be stupid to turn down Alessia’s offer. Just…” She rubbed her head. “Fuck, I don’t know. Talk to Nina. She definitely went through this shit at some point.”

“Fair. And sorry.”

“I’ve been a dumbass as well, V.” She smiled at him. “You fucked me on Alessia’s desk when I was being a big whiner. If we did everything perfectly the first time, without ever doubting ourselves, I wouldn’t have a damn job advising Alessia. Fuck, can you imagine a perfect Pola?”

Vince tried. He gave up quickly, and Fia broke out in giggles.

The door to the bar opened and several familiar faces trooped in. Nina, Ally, and Nicki wandered in. The line of stitches around Nina’s right arm had vanished, replaced by a thin red scar.

Both Nina and Nicki pushed the smaller fox inside. Ally’s four red tails wiggled nervously as her head swiveled around at almost impossible angles and speeds. She looked like an actual fox worried about predators.

Then Ally saw Vince and her face lit up. The tips of her tails danced behind her.

“Speak of the devil,” Fia said. “We should give Ally a warm welcome. But maybe talk with Nina first.”

They both rose and approached the newcomers. Liz chatted with Nicki at the bar, while Nina kept Ally from darting off.

“You have your own café in here,” Ally chirped at Fia.

“It’s more of a bar,” Fia said. “But we’re using it as a café for now. Why don’t we see if we can convince the girls to make you some green tea while Vince talks with Nina?”

The fox tilted her head in confusion, before her eyes widened. She smiled and nodded. “Um, we’ll talk later, Vince.”

“Of course,” he said.

Nina pulled him against her with her good arm and he found himself cushioned against her tits. Intentionally, of course. She rested her head atop his for a few seconds without saying a word.

The smirks of the other wolfgirls got to him, so he poked Nina in the side. “Let’s go to the booth. There’s an anti-eavesdropping ward there.”

“Baby,” she said.

Fia winked at them as they passed the bar. Maybe they’d get some coffees without asking.

Unlike before, Nina settled in next to him. He’d finished his decaf, but plenty of the almond cookies remained. She munched on one, ignoring how hard they were.

“How’s the arm?” he asked. “Lucia said you’d be stuck in a ritual for a whole hour.”

“That’s what we thought. But Ally cut it short,” Nina said. “My arm’s attached under its own power now. Doesn’t need the magic in the stitches to stay together. I’ll still need to take the pills to make the scar go away, though. Ally might be able to fix that, but I don’t want her to waste more catalysts and hours of her time for something superficial.”

Vince reached around and tried to press his fingers against the scar. Nina batted him away.

“Shoo,” she said, glowering at him. “Play with my tits or something with your grabby hands, but leave my arm alone.”

If it were any other day, he’d tease her. But things had gone too poorly and he needed to ask her advice.

So he merely leaned against her. Nina responded by wrapping her good arm around him and holding him close. They sat together in silence for a good minute or two. Fia brought them both coffee.

“Decaf for Vince again,” Fia said, voice almost like pure acid. “Figured you might want actual coffee, Nina.”

“Thanks.” Nina winked at the wolfgirl.

Once they sipped their caffeine and fake-caffeine, Nina heaved a sigh. She leaned away from him.

“Uh, I do need to talk, but I don’t think it’s that bad,” he said.

“I can guess it’s work related.” She shrugged. “Lay it on me.”

“Alessia’s going to cover what Mei promised to pay us as our bonus for the heist as well as any reasonable expenses we incurred,” he said. “Uh, so long as you don’t try to buy a whole new outfit to match your old one.”

Nina snickered. “Damn. And here I was going to go out and buy a whole new enforcer outfit. Guess I’ll have to get the arm sewn back on. That it?”

He shook his head. “She… needs us to move.”

“Figures. The apartment is compromised as hell. I was going to suggest the same thing. Knowing that the place was laced with fox wards creeped me the fuck out.” The lioness’s ears quivered. “You sound less happy about that.”

“Alessia… offered to buy us a new place.”

Nina frowned. Abruptly, she stood up and switched to the opposite side of the booth. She leaned back and crossed one leg over the other, coffee cup in one hand. Her huge side made her look imposing—or would have if Vince didn’t appreciate the clear view of her cleavage and crotch, even if she was clothed.

“I’m trying to be serious, Vince. Don’t perv on me,” she said while glaring at him. “This is a ‘you’ problem, I can tell. Because ice queen billionaire sure as hell didn’t offer me a new home. She offered you a home.”

He winced. “Yeah, that’s probably right. I didn’t test it.”

To be fair, he was too busy picking a fight with Alessia to find out for sure.

Okay, maybe that wasn’t fair.

“I spoke with Fia about it,” he said. “I’m not sure if Alessia is making the offer because she wants to genuinely reward me, or because she wants to fuck me.”

“Oh, so you do know she wants your cock. I was wondering.”

He snorted. “Does everyone know?”

“When even Ally thinks she’s your girlfriend, you bet your ass everyone knows Alessia is into you. The only reason you’re not fucking her is that she’s prissy and you’re prickly.” Nina raised an eyebrow. “This is an extension of that.”

He nodded. “Have you ever worried you didn’t deserve what you were being paid?”

“All the time. It’s called imposter syndrome. I doubt you’re seriously feeling that, given you just went toe-to-toe with an eight-tail fox and are being flirted with by clan guardians.”

“Maybe. Maybe not.” Vince rubbed his cheek. “It’s still more money than she’s offered before. How—”

Nina held up a hand. “Let’s cut the bullshit. You’re punching at my peak, Vince. Maybe above it. I got two seven-figure offers. Jobs you sold your soul for. I never finished one. You know what happened to the Lionetti job, but I never took the other offer. Sure, Alessia wants you to give her a bundle of puppies. But if you want to answer the whole self-worth question, the only way is to go hunting.”

“Hunting?” He narrowed his eyes. “You’re not talking about the Lionettis, are you?”

“No.” Nina met his gaze. “You’ve got no less than three other conglomerates interested in you—Immanuel, Houou, and the cartel. Maybe you don’t really want to work for them over Alessia. Maybe you’re scared about what you’ll find. But you’ve spent your whole damn career as an enforcer working for one employer until another makes you a slightly better offer. You’re getting spooked at the idea of being taken seriously. Want to know if you’re hot shit? Ask the other conglomerates what they’ll pay to have you on tap.”

In other words, Vince needed to ask the conglomerates what they’d offer him if he went corporate.

- - - - -

Commentary: Sorry for the unannounced delay. I've been on the fence about the start of Mob 5 and spun my wheels more than I probably should have. The break was good for me, but I'm keen to hear opinions on the opening to make sure I'm on the right track.

As a side note, I actually baked some of the cantucci mentioned here last night and there's even a picture on Discord. They're surprisingly easy to make, given I don't bake at all and they came out really well. I recommend making them, especially as they mostly use ingredients you should have on hand if you do any cooking at all (flour, eggs, sugar, baking powder, and optional butter and flavorings - you just need to buy some raw almonds).