I was rather disappointed with the lack of attention the mortal (as in, non-CPU or main antagonist) characters received. So, I decided to remedy this by writing a story with little to no CPU presence! There will be no sightings of ASJ, very few of Neptune and Nepgear, none of Blanc, Rom, or Ram, only slightly more out of Noire and Uni, and just a little bit less out of Vert. I hope you enjoy!
It was a rather hot day in Leanbox, with many citizens taking shelter from the heat underneath the shade of the massive arch in the center of the nation. All along the side of the street, vendors sold lemonade and other refreshments to weary passerby, making considerable profit from this venture. Due to the heat of the day, most people opted to wear light clothing such as t-shirts and shorts, but one strange character wore official business attire in a grey trench coat and pants as well as a grey fedora that he occasionally took off for the sole purpose of flipping in his hand. He had a red tie that was firmly pocketed in his shirt, as well as black shoes that made a classical tapping sound when he walked. Altogether, his choice in apparel was somewhat strange given the weather, but most people who passed him by simply chocked it up to a business meeting or something of the sort.
He looked down at his watch and tapped the display twice. Unlike most people in the nation, he wore an analog watch, and a very gaudy one at that. The circular display was rimmed with gold, and the strap was entirely made out of the same material. He wore it one loop too loose, allowing him to shake his wrist and move the watch to wipe away any built-up sweat on his forearm. The hands were an elegant black and pointed to Roman numerals etched in the same shade of gold as the body of the watch, signaling that it was currently 4:57. From the position of the sun in the sky, he gathered that this figure was of the antemeridian variety, meaning that he would have to appear very soon to an important meeting.
Slowly, he stood up and began making his way towards the eastern end of the arch. This was a strange maneuver, as the only thing present at this area was a dark alley frequently used by gangs to smoke and graffiti. Despite this, he moved with a purpose, keeping his suitcase firmly at his side. Luckily for him, nobody had attempted to steal this suitcase, since it contained very important materials for his meeting. It was beginning to become something of a burden, though, as its weight was not unremarkable.
"Finally…here." He groaned to release his building frustration as he stopped at his destination. He was now positioned in an alleyway directly next to a door leading into the ground. This door was not very remarkable, being a simple, dull shade of brown and having rust almost everywhere except for the handle and some other places randomly scattered around the plate.
He opened the door and stepped down, closing it behind him as lightly as possible to mitigate sound. As soon as he entered, he was surrounded by about ten men dressed similarly to him, all toting guns, some automatic, some semi-automatic. There was a small period of silence before the one who had just entered began to speak.
"Good work, boys. If I had been a cop, he'd have hit the floor before he coulda blinked." He set his suitcase down.
Everyone else lowered their guns and walked over. One of them spoke, "So boss. Whatcha got in the case this time?"
The boss unlatched the case to reveal several bars of gold and even more rolls of 5,000 credit bills. "All this? 50 grand, all fresh outta the Leanbox bank vault. Poor fellas didn't see it comin' from a mile away!"
Everyone laughed at this. One of the goons lit a cigarette before he spoke, "Good thing you got here without gettin' caught. Local fuzz have been goin' crazy for us! Basically ever' day's a new headline on the Black Feathers."
The boss closed the case again and began to walk. The goons made space for him as he did so. "Well, that just shows that you boys are pullin' your weight 'round here."
They walked into a central room with many refrigerators, presumably for alcohol, and many safes to store their ill-gotten gains. On the far wall, there sat a TV screen with only the news channel, broadcasting about the robbery.
"Thank you, Austin. A cursory report shows that the Leanbox central bank has been robbed by the infamous Black Feathers. Losses are currently estimated at around 50,000 Credits with more information pending. What questions does this raise about the defense system here in Leanbox, at least the branch dedicated to bank security?"
The boss lit his own cigarette. "I'll tell ya what it says: it's utter shit." The room erupted into laughter. "No joke. I waltzed in and out with half of their gold and they didn't even yell my name!"
The report continued, this time with Austin speaking. "…while we shouldn't jump to conclusions this early, one thing remains clear—it is the responsibility of any and all Leanbox citizens to report any activity that can even be remotely linked to the Black Feathers, especially concerning their leader, who we have chosen to dub 'Raven' for now."
The boss took a slow huff from his cigarette. "Raven, huh? Can't lie…the name suits me. Raven…" He menacingly took another huff.
The door opened once again, and everyone rushed to their spots once more. When they saw it was another similarly dressed man, they were at ease.
Raven walked over to see who had just walked in. His face lit up when he saw who it was. "Ay, my top gun Lewis! What valuables did ya steal this time?"
Lewis happily set down one of his two suitcases and unlatched it. An ominous red glow emerged from within. "Just as you ordered, boss. 5 kilos of pure, concentrated Anti-Shares. Enough to knock out the goddesses with just one bullet!"
Raven joyfully patted him on the back. "I'll be damned. How'd ya do it? Not many places to get this stuff outside of…untrustworthy third parties."
Lewis closed the case. "I had to haul my ass off walkin' around all four nations just ta get this shit! I know ya said this was important, but I dunno if it was *this* important."
Raven assured him, "Don't you worry 'bout a thing, Lewis. Ya did good collecting this stuff at all." He handed off the case to a goon, who placed the contents into a safe and locked it securely. Raven continued, "Now, what's in tha second one? You got some hard liquor or sumpin?"
Lewis smiled. "Actually, boss, it's just that. Lookee here." He opened the case, and inside were many bottles of Leanbox's finest alcohol, as well as some miscellaneous drugs. Everyone lit up upon seeing this. "30 bottles of the tastiest booze you can imagine, and 10 hits of the hardest drugs this nation's got ta offer. Whaddya say?"
Raven paused for a moment. "I'd say that you did a damn fine job out there, boy! Go in that main room and take some hits wit' the rest of the boys!"
Everyone cheered as they retreated to the main foyer, eager to taste the contraband drinks. Raven lagged behind, watching the door to ensure no unwanted visitors emerged from it. Once he was satisfied that nobody could penetrate the door without them having ample time to react, he went to the main room to partake in the festivities.
Happy, Raven slumped into a chair and put his feet on a table. "Let's have some fun, boys!"
