"Is this how it goes? You fall in love, and nothing seems truly scary anymore, and life is one big possibility?" ― Jenny Han
Arthur
Daydreaming about the last hours, Arthur played with the coin Paul gave him shortly before the explosion and looked at the wooden seal of the Sanada family, that laid in front of him on the small glass table. The Commissioner had given one of this pentagonal redwood plates with the gold and black sigil of his clan to each remaining member of operation Foxcatcher. With it, they could command every police officer in town and request backup in the case of an emergency or at least that was what the Commissioner had told them. Along with this piece of authority, every team received a newly developed communication device, that worked just on encrypted frequencies and was usable all over town. Arthur had never seen such a device, but the test showed that it worked better than expected.
Together with the Commissioner, they decided that they would treat, from this moment on, the whole operation as an undercover mission, in which they would try to stay as far away from the police of Izumo as possible to create no apparent connection. They could use the help of the local police but just in an absolute emergency situation.
After an exclusive lunch with the Commissioner, all of them went their separate ways. The Gernach siblings began their surveillance of Simon Bennett, who still had work to do with the Chief of the police but even he should leave the town this evening. Time would tell if the old lion had really other intentions than leading agents in a mission of the ICOU.
Camila, Arthur, and Jiro, searched for a Cafe in the downtown area and there were not too few coffee shops, Cafe and some interesting looking bakeries, but the most crucial part was missing. They needed a place to make long-distance calls, something that could be done just in unique shops that provided such a service. Arthur did his best to find a place which looked like a decent cafe, in which he could invite Camila and also Jiro, but in the end, they picked a small arcade that offered a decent canned coffee out of a vending machine and cards to make long-distance calls to other towns.
Here at the glass front of the Arcade, where a lot of mammals passed by, Camila and Arthur sat on a table for three in a calmer area of the arcade, between mammals in their teenage years who just finished their school day. Together they watched how Jiro waited in line to buy a telephone card for Arthur. It was still strange for the two agents to see the young fox no longer in his police uniform but in jeans, shirt and a blue jacket.
"That must be by far the worst first date you ever had," Arthur said and took a sip from his coffee, which was way too sweet for his taste but better this, than anything else from the vending machine that was probably even sweeter. He leaned back in his chair, put the seal back into his inner suit pocket and looked at Camila, who held her coffee can with both of her paws. When Arthur said this, he pressed the heavy silver coin in frustration until he felt a slight pain from his paw.
"Actually...no. There was this one guy, Fernando was his name, who invited me for dancing. I told him I wasn't good at it, but he claimed that every Senorita can dance and if not he would teach me. The males down in South Mammelia can flatter you to hell and back, I tell you. So I went with him to a dance night, and when I say dance night, I mean tango, samba, merengue, and all that jazz. Anyhow, I prepared myself as best as I could. Took some dance lessons with my brother, picked a short yellow dress and even put a yellow flower at my ear. When he picked me up, he said I look stunning," Camila said and looked bitter at the can in her paws. There was this feeling of a sting in Arthur's stomach when he listened to Camila's story, but he also could feel how it bugged him when she talked about other male mammals, even so, it was in the past.
"I bet you looked wonderful...not that you don't look wonderful right now…I mean...sorry I'm not good at giving compliments," Arthur replied and looked slightly embarrassed at his own can. It was exactly this answer put a smile on Camila's face. She reached out for Arthur's wrist and laid her left paw on it, "Do you know why I like you so much, Arthur?"
"Honestly? I have no idea," Arthur replied. With droopy grey ears, he looked over to her.
"When you say something you really mean it. Like the story about the orchids. But a male from Catacas? For most of them, the are compliments like breathing, they do it so much that it barely counts. That's also an important lecture, which a female mammal in South Mammelia has to learn...and sometimes they have to learn that the hard way," Camila said and pulled her paw back.
"So...you?"
There was again a bitter smile on her face when she proceeded, "Sweet words are like honey, it tastes great at first, but the longer you eat, the more you stick to it and the more it hurts when you try to come free...I think in the end I learned to prefer the truth, no matter how painful it may be."
"What happened?"
"Well, we did our first dances, and so far everything was fine. When the band played a slow dance, we had finally time to talk with each other. He was of course very nice to me, well at least until he asked me if there is someone else in my life. Honest how I am, I said yes, and he looked dazzled at me as if I slapped him on the muzzle. When I told him that I have a three-year-old daughter, he parted suddenly from me and took a step back. I was totally confused when he looked at me with this disgusted gaze. The moment I stepped closer and wanted to go back into the dancing position, he held me back. I asked him what's wrong but recognized that the music had stopped. I looked around me and saw that the eyes of every mammal in the hall was on him and me. Without any sympathy, he looked at me and asked what for a mother leaves her child and husband alone, while she's dancing here with him.
He didn't know that I was a single mother, trying to bring up a child...but he also didn't care. His opinion was set in stone, and so was the opinion of everyone else there. I was the bad guy in this story. So I left, and that was the one and the only date I had after Valeria was born," Camila explained to Arthur and looked as if she wanted to say something else but was unsure if she should really do it. This story was years old, but Arthur could still feel how anger crept in his mood. He knew how it felt to be outcasted by those he swore to protect. It was one of the worst feelings a police officer or agent could have.
"It was the first time where I…, " Camila stopped speaking, and Arthur saw how she clenched her paws tightly together, "No...no...I can't say that. I don't want that him to think bad about me…" She thought to herself.
But Arthur already knew, what she wanted to say and so he finished her thought, "You doubted yourself and your daily work. You asked yourself, for whom do I do this? Are they worth to be protecting? Because in the end, they will never accept what I am or want... you're not alone with those thoughts, Camila. I had those too, and I think most mammals in our profession know them and they're nothing bad, and they show that we're just mammals," Arthur said and looked into eyes that slowly filled with tears.
For a second fear rose in him, about the thought that he made her cry, but when she took his head into her paws, he felt that it were tears of relief and maybe even joy. Arthur felt in this short moment something like a bond between him and Camila, and he knew that he needed her to feel complete.
What followed was a kiss. One which Arthur at first wanted to break off because he knew that this wasn't the right place and time, but as soon as their lips met, he knew he had lost. He gave in and waited till Camila would end it, but she didn't. Slowly, Arthur raised his paw and caressed Camila's cheek.
'What are you doing there! You should stop it, not continue...but on the other paw she smells and tastes so good…,' Arthur's inner dialogue was continuing, and it needed all his self-control again to part from her. Now, where he knew that Camila liked him, it was a thousand times harder.
"I'm sorry that I'm again the one who ruins everything…, " Arthur began. Camila snapped out of her little high state and recognized that a group of vixen in school uniforms was staring at them.
"Dios mio… No...no. You're right, Arthur. I lost control. I'm sorry."
"Please don't be sorry. I liked it...and you gave the vixen over there one hell of a show but I think the other wolves didn't like so much," Arthur said smiling and nodded to the group of vixens and the wolf couple which walked straight out of the Arcade. Most of them realized that they were seen and it was time for them to walk loud giggling back into the arcade with all its games and attractions. With a shaking head, Camila sat beside Arthur and giggled jolly at him.
"Dios mio, Arthur. I act like a female in her early twenties."
"I have nothing against a little bit of passion, " Arthur replied and licked over his lips to get the last bit of her taste, "In fact, I liked it."
"I'm sure you did," Camila replied with a grin.
"But please tell me, Camila. Why the tears?"
"Oh...don't worry. Those were tears of joy...It was just so relieving to know, that there is somebody who understands me and doesn't say that it is wrong that I think like that or that I'm a bad agent because of my thoughts. It...it feels good to have someone like you around, with you I feel no longer so alone with my work and feelings," Camila said, smiling at Arthur.
'No longer so alone...yeah, that's how it feels. I know I have John and Marie, watching out for me, "but this here is different,' Arthur thought and kept his eyes some seconds longer on the black feline who had turned her head to Jiro and his spot in the row.
The last mammal in front of Jiro paid, and It was finally his turn to buy the card Arthur needed to make the call. Both agents waited with anticipation that the fox was returning, when Camila asked, "Just for my interest, whom do you contact in Zootopia and even more interesting what will he do?"
Grinning like the devil, Arthur began to explain, "I'll contact my partner in the ZBI. His name is John. He's also the one I mentioned this morning, the one who's for me like a brother. However, John will contact someone in the Zootopia underworld who owns us a favor, and that one will then again contact someone here in the city of Izumo, who will hopefully help us."
"You can't tell me the name of the organization?"
"I could...But I don't want to. Speaking out the name could already cause a little uprising, and as much as I know, they've their ears everywhere," Arthur said and gazed at the suspicious looking Camila. Soothing, he bowed towards her and laid his paw on her, "Believe me, you'll be the first who will know whom I contact. I Promise."
Obviously satisfied with that answer, Camila sat back and replied, "I told you that I trust you, mi amor. Whenever you think it's time to tell me, I'm ready. I know that we sometimes have to keep secrets to ourselves. That's our job."
"Thank you."
A smile flashed once more over the muzzle of the feline and the canine before their eyes went back to the returning Jiro, who seemed to be in a great mood.
"What's wrong, Jiro? You look as if you have won something," Arthur said and chuckled a little bit about his own joke.
"Almost, I got a coupon for a bathhouse visit. Fifty percent off! That's great! Oh and that one is for you, Arthur," Jiro handed Arthur something like a pure white credit card.
"Okay, how long can I talk with that thing? 3000 Sen is not a little amount for calling to the other side of the world," Arthur replied jokingly and stood with the card in his paws up.
"Sumimasen, Arthur. Unfortunately, you can call just thirty minutes with it but I can give back the card, and you can receive the remaining amount of money," Jiro replied and sat down beside Camila. As soon as the fox sat down, he began to clean his glasses.
"Tse, almost forty bucks at home. Whatever...You two can think about something we want to do afterward. It will take a while until they reply and I think it'll be best we appear like tourists, don't so don't forget that. " Arthur said and stood up. Camila raised two of her fingers to a little salute and replied, "Si Senor."
Jiro, who didn't seem to get the joke, bowed deep and shouted loud, "Hai!"
Arthur sighed and turned smiling to Jiro, "Keep an eye on her, Jiro. Ms. Sanchez seems to be cocky today."
"Hai," Jiro replied dazzled but remained silent as if he didn't understand what Arthur meant with that. Finally, with the card in his paws, Arthur walked over to the rows of telephones. He chose one from where he could watch his two companions and where Camila saw him. It was strange to see Jiro without his police uniform.
He and Camila began to talk about the plans for today. Arthur called the number he could recite in his sleep. It took a while before it connected to Zootopia which was on the other side of the world.
"Come on, I know it's late but please take the damn call, John," Arthur whispered to himself, while he stared at the phone and then at his watch that still had the old Zootopia time.
'Dammit, it's 1 AM at home...I know John has just a light sleep...he should hear it.
Someone picked up the call, and the first thing he heard was a loud yawn, followed by John's sleepy voice, "Yeah...I have no idea who's calling to this ungodly hour...but have you any idea which time it is?"
"Almost one in the morning, buddy," Arthur said with a glance to the watch on his left wrist.
"Arthur?"
Arthur's friend John, who was also his partner at the ZBI, was obviously confused to receive a call from him this late at night.
"I hope I didn't disturb you and Marie during...I don't know, anything important," Arthur said and grinned a little bit. From the other side came just the sound of short and sleepy laughter.
"Funny...you know we're married, right? If I remember correctly, then you were there. You even stood beside us. So like normal mammals around this time, we were sleeping. Snuggling is planned for tomorrow evening," John replied, and both mammals chuckled for a moment.
"What's wrong, Arthur? You're two days away and already missed my voice?"
Arthur could already imagine, how John stood in his kitchen and leaned against his fridge, the phone in his right paw, staring out of the window and watching over the mostly dark Zootopia. Maybe here and there would shine a light.
"I have to ask for a favor."
"In the middle of the night...Wait...What happened," John asked and changed in the fraction of a second from joking buddy to the ZBI agent he was. It was one of the reasons that Arthur usually liked about his best friend, but he hadn't minded talking another minute or two to his best buddy and not the tough agent he also was.
"I can't give you too much information about the current situation here in Izumo because you're no member of the ICOU…," Arthur began, but John interrupted him hard, "Cut the crap, Arthur! You know that this official talk will not work on me. What's going on over there?"
Arthur suddenly had to make a decision, he knew what would happen if Marie knew about the current situation. She would set heaven and hell in motion and take the next plane to Izumo.
"Alright, alright, you would get the information sooner or later through the news... but promise me, John. Don't tell, Marie?" Arthur asked and knew it was now on John to fight his own little fight. It took some seconds and a deep sigh from the other end of the phone before John had made up his mind.
"Fine...even so, I don't like it to lie to her... we both know what happens if she finds out. Now speak to me. Are you okay?"
"Yes, I am...more or less, but that's not the point right now...Okay, listen and stay calm...We lost an agent."
"What!?"
"I told you to stay calm, goddammit! Do you want to wake her?"
"NO!...no. I'm sorry...but how could this happen? They have the best of the best, and now even you're a part of them. Are you fighting against the whole Yakuza of the eastern city-states or maybe another big crime syndicate in town? What's going on? Who is your enemy?"
'The enemy...I have no idea who's friend or foe right now. Well, at least I'm sure about one mammal,' Arthur thought and looked up to Camila, who was right now studying a map of the town together with Jiro, who pointed out some interesting places.
"No...our target is only one mammal. A fox."
"A...fox? That's it?"
'No, that wasn't all, but I better keep for myself that I suspect the former leader of our group to work together with Kawasemi. If he knew that, even Arthur had no idea what John would do then.
For the moment, John was speechless, and that was something that rarely happened. The only other time Arthur could remember was when Marie asked him to marry her. It was maybe something unusual for normal mammals to do, but not for the two of them. For Arthur, they were like two of a kind, they were made to be together.
"Who did you lose?"
"John, please. Is that really important?"
"Tell me who...or I wake her, and you'll make the rest of the conversation with Marie. And by the three goddesses, we both know how this will end!"
Arthur ground his teeth about this demand but he had to accept this, or the outcome would be way worse.
"Paul, the mammal who died, was Paul Duncan. He died during an explosion of a car bomb. I was there...but I'm fine. The problem is, we have no more leads, no real suspect and only some clues and on top of this no connection to the Izumo underworld. To solve this thing, I have to meet some bad guys, and I think you know what that means."
"Yeah...you want from me that I contact the Red Panda and ask for a favor, right?"
"Right."
"Ugh...Give me five minutes to think about all of this."
Arthur heard how John laid the phone down on the kitchen table and how he opened the door to his balcony. His friend would smoke a cigarette, something he would definitely regret as soon as Marie was awake, and then come back to tell him that he knew what he had to do. Those were John's five minutes in which he made his decisions, and neither Marie nor Arthur were able to force him out of this. It also didn't matter which decision he made, he would pursue just this one thing when John had once made up his mind.
This time, it took John five and a half minute until he returned to the phone, which was longer than usual. But the situation was anything but typical. When he spoke, the worries in John's voice were undeniable.
"I will contact him and ask for the favor...and I'll also try to keep my mouth shut as long as I can in front of Marie. But you and I know that she will understand that something strange is going on...and when she understands what...Well, you know what happens then."
"Yes, I know, but you have to understand, John. I don't want you two in Izumo. Not her and not you. It's too dangerous at the moment."
"Believe me, I understand that...but you know, you're like the brother she, and I never had. She would do anything for you...and so would I, buddy."
"Thanks, John."
"And...Arthur?"
"Yes?"
"Don't do anything reckless...Promise me that. We need you."
Arthur wanted to say so many things he felt or had on his mind. He had no idea how this whole case would turn out, this could also be the last time he could speak to his best friend. But he couldn't. It was as if something was closing up his throat and allowing him not to speak freely. When he raised his gaze up to the table and saw that Camila was smiling at him, he had the sudden urge to tell his best friend about her. It was maybe the most stupid thing he could do right now, but he just wanted to talk with somebody about her. He wanted to tell anybody what he felt. He wanted to share what he just found for himself.
"I...I will try my best, John...ehm...," Arthur answered and waited for a short while before John continued, "Okay, Arthur. What do you want to tell me? I know that 'ehm' just too well. There's still something on your mind. Am I right?"
Arthur heard his friend but could just continued to look at Camila, who watched him from the table where he sat not long ago. Her head rested slightly tilted on her folded paws, which were supported by her arms. A seductive smile was on her muzzle while she looked directly into Arthur's eyes.
"Arthur?"
'Dammit wolf, you forget yourself every time you look at her…,' Arthur thought with a grin but kept the eye contact with her.
"Do you remember, when you said to me once, that one day I'll find my Marie…my better half."
"Yeah?"
"I think I found her."
"*cough* What?" John asked confused and was so surprised by the answer that he swallowed badly, "Really?! *cough* Who is she and how is she? What's her name? And is she from Izumo? Maybe a pretty female wolf in a Kimono? Come on tell me, Arthur!"
Curiosity, John's second significant weakness after his overthinking. He loved news and gossip, especially about mammals he knew. Arthur sighed before he answered.
"Not even close, John. She's a fellow agent, and right now it's too soon to say anything definitive...but...I really like her. I'm almost tempted to use the other L-word…, " Arthur said and looked dreamy at Camila, who suddenly turned her gaze embarrassed to the side, all while she was still talking with Jiro. The fox looked confused but continued in the end to study the map in front of him.
"Wow, the big L-word and that from someone who's just known as Mr. Freeze to all the ladies in the Bureau," John said and began to chuckle. It was one of his addictive chuckles, in which Arthur joined in immediately, "Yeah, I know... it's a stupid name the female agents of the ZBI gave me, but it seems like Camila could melt some of the ice."
A short silence followed before John asked, "Wait...do you mean Camila Sanchez? She's the one you're into?"
"Yeah, pretty much."
"Wow, I mean you know Marie and me. We will always stay behind you...but expect to get a lot of headwinds. You know mammals are idiots, especially when it comes to things like different species."
"I know, I know...but, you also know that I have never chosen the easy way, " Arthur said while a burst of bellowing laughter came from the other side of the phone, "Yeah... that's true. And Arthur?"
"Yes, John?"
"Marie woke up. I've got to go back to bed, so I have to keep it short...You'll do me a favor now, Arthur."
Chuckling about the reversed roles, Arthur replied smiling, "Whatever you want, John."
"Be careful and keep an eye out for your sweetheart and yourself. I want to meet the female that managed to steal Arthur Lynch's heart...and I bet Marie will as well."
"Will do, buddy. And now back to your wife or I get trouble when I come back home."
"Tse, you'll get into trouble if you want or not. See you later, big guy," John said, and Arthur could hear how his partner slowly hung up the phone. A deep sigh escaped his muzzle before he hung up himself and wanted to take back the white card. A small digital screen showed him that he had talked sixteen minutes with John and that there were still fourteen minutes left on the card.
'Maybe someone else can make good use of this,' Arthur thought, took the cart and walked directly back to his two companions. Jiro was still studying the map and smiled up to Arthur when he approached the table, Camila however, pretended to watch a nearby couple at a nearby table.
"You two had fun?"
"Oh yes. Camila told me that she learned during a lot of observations in her past how to read lips, " Jiro said and marked several locations on the map with a pen. Smirking, Arthur turned to Camila and understood now why she acted like this when he spoke with John about her.
"Oh did she? Well, Miss Sanchez, could you get any information from the private conversation, that I had with my friend?"
"Maybe," Camila answered. Unexpected for Jiro and Arthur, Camila stood up from her place and tried to walk past Arthur, but he blocked her way with his stretched out arm. He looked directly into her brown eyes and waited that she spoke, "I want to go to the restrooms. If that's okay?"
"Absolutely okay," Arthur replied still smiling and laid the card for the long distance calls into the palm of her black paw. Confused, Camila looked at him and waited for an answer, "For what do I need that?"
Arthur took a quick look at his watch before he answered, "Right now, it's almost 7 PM in Catacas. The perfect time to say 'Buenas Noches' to little kittens before they go to bed, don't you think?"
The gaze that Arthur saw from her was like the one before the phone call, where both of them waited for Jiro and Camila lost control over the things she wanted to do. And if Arthur was right, then she was fighting right now with herself, but this time she could keep it together. Happy about the unexpected gesture, Camila answered, "Si, it's a perfect time doing this and gracias, Arthur. I will properly repay you."
On her way around him, she took his tail into her paw and stroked carefully along the fur. It was a gesture just between the two of them, and Arthur had to take a deep breath not to follow her instantly, but the message was clear for him.
Slowly relaxing, he sat down beside Jiro and looked at the map. It seemed they had discussed and marked multiple locations they could visit. Some of them looked even for a cultural snob like Arthur quite interesting.
Camila sat at the same phone on which Arthur sat not even minutes ago, and it was also no secret when she had finally the chance to talk to her daughter. Camila's whole face lit up, and she laughed whenever her daughter said something to her. Somehow, it made Arthur happy to see her like this. And just for a moment, he imagined how it would be to be a father and to take care of a child. The thought alone scared him but the thing that scared him, even more, was the fact that this could soon be his reality. But was he really ready for something like that? Arthur didn't know and pushed the thought and everything that was connected with it into the back of his mind.
"You are a good mammal, Arthur, "Jiro said, while he looked up from the map and pushed his glasses back up to his eyes from where they have slipped down his muzzle.
"Oh….Am I," Arthur replied chuckling.
"You could have got your money back, but instead you gave a mother the opportunity to talk to her daughter."
"That was just fourteen bucks...it's...it's not worth mentioning," Arthur replied and leaned back on his chair, watching Camila talking to her daughter. He couldn't hear her, but she looked more than happy, smiling like this.
"But you still did it."
"Mmh…," A low growl escaped his muzzle before he tried to concentrate back on Camila but something else was distracting him this time. He felt that the communication device he received from the Commissioner was vibrating in his jacket. Eagerly, he took it out and held it to his ear, "Yes, Lynch here?"
"Bennett left the Police Headquarter and is now back at his hotel. We have good and bad news about it."
"What's the good thing?"
"The good thing is, that he is in the same hotel me and my brother used...Kannst du bitte auf die Straße schauen? Danke Frank! (Can you please watch the road? Thanks, Frank!), "Otto shouted and Arthur, who almost expecting such a reaction, held the communication device some inches away from his ear.
"Okay...and what's the bad thing?"
"The bad thing is, that he extended his stay for two more days. We drive right now through town to blur our traces and will return in some minutes to the hotel which stands opposite of Bennetts. There we will take a room, from where we can observe him. His apartment is already wired... I tell you, Arthur, the more I think about this whole thing, the more I understand what's going on here," Otto replied, and he sounded as if he was utterly in his element.
"What do you mean?"
"Maybe it was no coincidence that Paul died first...You see, Bennett hated Paul and vice versa, but none of them would admit that openly. Especially after the events in Catacas...you know what happened there?"
"More or less, yes. Paul told me about it."
"Good, good. That saves time. Anyhow, that whole thing was a massive failure for Bennett and someone accused him of risking easily the lives of those he commanded. It didn't looked good for him and He was almost out of the ICOU but could persuade a committee, which should decide about his future. What should I say, if the damned lion can two things it's fighting for himself and talking. Anyhow, he managed to stay and now we're here. With a stolen list of ICOU agents which is worth millions and a leading agent who has massive debts and a lot of anger against the institution he build up together with others."
Interested about this new development, Arthur straighten in his seat, "He has what?"
"Massive debts. Or how my Papa liked to call it, einen Arsch Voll Schulden," Otto stopped to laugh for a moment about his own joke. Instead of listening to Otto, a new wave of thoughts rushed through Arthur's mind, all leading to one conclusion, he needed more information.
"What? How's that?"
"You know, our good guy, Simon Bennett, has a massive problem with gambling. Everyone in the ICOU knows that, but nobody seems to care. But the same thing killed his marriage. Twenty years he was married to this lioness who worked as a professor in Oxford. Twenty years. No one knows what happened and from one to the other day, they went their separate ways. Until now I thought each their own but now…," Otto explained, and the line went silent for some seconds before Arthur pushed the button to talk.
"Otto, you said earlier that it's no surprise that Paul died first, why?"
"Oh verdammt...Kacke! That damned traitor," Otto shouted and Arthur had to hold the phone away from his ear.
"What? What happened," Arthur was confused and looked at Jiro who listened to the whole conversation but also just shrugged, "Otto, explain what's going on here! Please."
"I have a theory…"
"Okay, what for a theory?"
"Okay, this could sound crazy! Kawasemi, I think he was nothing but a red herring or scapegoat for Bennett. We were his aim...and this from the very beginning. He wants us and the damn money!"
"What are you talking about? God dammit explain yourself, Otto," Arthur felt how anger was rising in him and that the feeling he had about this situation became worse with every passing second Otto was talking.
"He's after us. He wants us and not just the money. He wants the agents who initiated the committee to kick him out of the ICOU and then take the money to have a fantastic retirement without sorrow. This fucking scumbag," Otto growled on the other side of the communication device.
"Okay, if I remember the rules correctly, then you need three mammals to initiate such a committee. If Paul was one of the three, who were the other two?"
"My dad was one of them. Tse, until now I thought he died under mysterious circumstances, but now I'm no longer so sure...I have to open that case again. If it really was Bennett...this damned piece of shit!"
"Otto concentrate! Who was the last mammal who supported the committee?"
'Please give me a name, any name but not her. Any god damn agent but not her...please by the love of the three goddesses,' Arthur prayed for the first time in ages that he was wrong and that this was all a big misunderstanding, but it didn't seem like it.
During this whole conversation, Arthur didn't even recognize that he stood up and that a worried Jiro stood beside him, listening to every word Otto was saying. It was their luck that there was nobody around who could eavesdrop on them.
"You are no idiot, Arthur. So, I think you know the answer to that question already...Listen, after all what I told you...this is just my theory and with that a possibility, nothing more," Otto replied, and Arthur's gaze went instantly to the still laughing Camila.
'No, no, no...not her. Anyone but not her! Dammit. Come down, Arthur. It doesn't matter what Bennett wants to do, you will protect her no matter what happens,' Arthur yelled and shouted internally, but on the outside, he just sat back on his chair and waited for Otto to speak again.
"...Listen, we enter the underground parking lot soon. I will contact you later, okay?"
"Fine...until later and don't do anything reckless," Arthur answered and received just a piece of last advice, "Alright, just a little advice from a fellow agent on the same death mission. Tell her or tell her not. It's your decision but I know I wouldn't lie to Camila Sanchez or hold back any kind of information, this kitten has some dangerous claws. Just my experience."
"Understood."
His answer was just transmitted and the line went dead. For a whole minute, Arthur stared at the communication device in his paw and thought about all the new information, he just got, but saw that Camila was returning. He looked determined at Jiro and said, "No word, what happened here in the last minutes to Camila. Do you understand me?"
"Yes, Arthur, but shouldn't we…," Jiro began but was loudly interrupted by Arthur, "NO! You will not tell her! This is a command, and you will follow it. Understood?"
Jiro didn't move, he just stared at his feet and waited.
"Do you understand, Jiro?"
"...Yes, Sir," Jiro replied reluctant and Arthur finished the conversation with a piece of advice from his side, "Good. Back to normal. Just pretend as if everything is okay, sometimes that's the best we can do."
"Hai."
And so, Arthur did his best to respond to the smiling Camila with an equally happy smile, but he had no idea if he succeeded or not. Right now, other things filled his mind than to pretend to be happy.
'I knew this morning, that I would break my vow to her sooner or later but that it would be the same day...You're a goddamn failure, Arthur Lynch.'
"Everything alright in Catacas," Arthur asked and received the answer immediately from Camelia in the shape of a bright smile, "Perfecto! Mi gatita will sleep like an angel tonight."
"Did I missed anything," Camila asked after none of the two said anything to her.
"Otto informed me that Bennett expanded his stay here in Izumo for two more days and that the Gernach brothers will take a hotel opposite to his and start the observation, " Arthur replied and waited for her reaction, but for then she seemed to take it all just in and nodded to Arthur's information.
"In other words, until now everything is going according to what we already thought, Verdad(Korrekt)?"
"More or less, yes," Arthur replied.
"Good, now there we have nothing else to do than to wait...Jiro and I made a little list with places we can visit here in Izumo. Interested?"
They began their trip in an old wooden temple in the north which was built mainly for one of the three goddesses. Her name was long forgotten, but she came, according to the legend, from the east and maybe even from this town. No one knew for sure, not even her species was known to mammals nowadays.
Jiro had a hard time to translate every sign or piece of information Camila stumbled upon. No matter what she saw, she tried to absorb as much information about this part of the world as possible. Whereas Arthur already knew that he would just remember bits and pieces of this trip, but that was because he was always on high alert and searching for the shape or shadow of a lion in the dense crowd of mammals, sometimes behind them and sometimes watching them from far away. But no matter how often he checked his surroundings, there was no shadow. There was just his imagination that drifted slowly into a light paranoia and some mammals which bumped into him, but which was no wonder in the dense crowd.
After the temple, the three of them went on to Ibuya, one of the major districts of Izumo. Arthur even contacted Otto and made sure that Bennett was still in his Hotel room. He was and that helped Arthur at least a little bit to calm his nerves.
Camila was obviously overwhelmed by the massive amount of things, gadgets and different food that you could buy here. Especially new electronic devices that Arthur had never seen before could be purchased all over the district in various stores. But no matter how interested Camila was in any of the things, she never bought anything, not even when they stumbled upon a clothing store for female mammals, in which she looked at a bunch of bright yellow items.
Arthur felt how she tried to hold herself back to not buy any of these things. He knew that even as an agent, the money you earned in South Mammelia could not be compared to this part of the world, North Mammelia or Midland, where everything was way more expensive. He was sure that Camila was too proud to accept anything from him, but Arthur wanted to share what he had with her, even if he had to use some tricks. For lunch, he invited Jiro and Camila to be his guest, and it happened just what he thought – she was against it. But persuasion and the fact that Jiro also accepted the invitation led to the circumstances that Camila gave in.
Together they spend two great hours at the restaurant, in which they have not just tested the local cuisine but also the dessert in which Camila had a particular interest. Interested and even slightly amused about her dedication for the sweet dishes, Arthur watched the feline who sat in front of him eating one of the desserts after another. In the end, Camila seemed quite pleased with the sweets that this part of the world provided her and thanked especially Arthur for the kind invitation.
But even after shopping, some local culture and an extensive restaurant visit, there was no news about Bennett or Arthur's contact to the local underworld. It was 7 PM when they stood in front of Jiro's home and thought of a way they could pass the time.
"What now, " Arthur asked from the passenger seat of the car and added slightly joking, "It's a little bit soon to go to bed. Don't you think?"
Jiro nodded approving, but Camila gave Arthur just a secret smile, that he didn't know how to interpret. In the end, it was Jiro, who searched for something in the pocket of his jacket and pulled out a small piece of paper, "We still have the coupon for a visit in the hot springs. This one is just some minutes of walking away from here, and it's Friday so most of the mammals in this town will be in the temple for the weekly blessing."
"Do male and female mammals share the same bathing area," Arthur asked grinning.
"W-what? N-no...they are separated through a massive wall. Why?"
Amused, Arthur saw that Camila was grinning behind him the outside mirror of the car, "Oh, nevermind. Just a question. So, what's so special about your bathhouses here in Izumo?"
"Oh yes, the specialty! We will visit an onsen bathhouse! The water they use is warmed through its volcanic origin and is also known for its curative effects. It's said that female mammals who visit the bath are feeling and looking afterward at least ten years younger!"
"Then we should definitely go. It's been a while since I felt like a twenty-five-year-old cat," Camila said and got out of the car. Arthur, who sat in front of her, followed immediately and replied, "I think you made a mistake and meant an eighteen-year-old cat, right?"
"Mr. Lynch? I thought you have problems with giving compliments," Camila said, while she leaned smiling on the roof of the car and looked at Arthur, who did the same, "It depends."
"Oh, on what?"
"On the mammal...and if she gives me a good possibility to respond."
"Is that so? Well, I will keep this in mind," Camila replied smiling and turned to Jiro who stood at the door of his property and waited for the two. Arthur took a last look at Jiro's old wooden house and thought that it wasn't a bad thing to live here and followed the two his gaze on Camila's back, 'Well, if you have the right companion.'
The bathhouse turned out to be of the traditional style of the local area. A large wooden house with dark grey roof tiles on top. The place was run by an old badger lady in a light blue kimono, who seemed to be half blind but still capable to demand some respect. When Arthur stepped into the entrance hall without bowing before her and wishing her a good day, he got the backside of a fan on his snout for his disrespecting behavior. Camila and Jiro tried their best to hide their grin and bowed even deeper in front of the old lady.
After a short apology to her, Arthur was allowed to enter the building but the badger reminded him that she would keep an eye on this unfriendly guy. She finally changed her attitude towards him a bit after he paid for all three and giving her a tip for his insolence. Grinning, the old badger wished them a good time and sat back behind a small table in the entrance area, where she drunk tea and waited for more customers.
They parted in front of the changing rooms. Arthur checked the last time the situation of the second team, but Otto made clear that Bennett hadn't move and that he was still in the hotel. Right then, the old lion visited the restaurant. They somehow even managed to access the hotel security cameras, which made the observation even easier for them.
"Whatever he's up to, it will not happen tonight. Have you already received a message from your contact?"
"No...but I will inform you as soon as I know something."
"Good. We're ready if something happens."
Arthur ended the call and undressed. He felt strangely uneasy with the current development, there was still nothing to do and so he just followed Jiro into the open. The young fox had taken off his glasses and walked into the bath part of the onsen only with a towel around his hips.
A slight smell of sulfur was the first thing that came to Arthur's mind when he stepped out of the building and beside Jiro. The whole area around the steaming bath was made out of dark basalt rocks, a stone that saved the warmth of the hot water over a long time and worked as a natural heating system for the floor. But the best thing of all was that they had the whole place just for themselves. There was no other male mammal to be seen.
"I hope the water is just as good as it seems," Arthur said and looked at the steaming, yellowish liquid. He heard stories about this hot springs and their effects on the body of a mammal but also on how relaxing it was to stay for a while in one.
"It's even better," Jiro replied.
Both mammals laid their towels on a nearby wooden bench and walked into the warm water. And Jiro was right, the warmth that surrounded Arthur was incomparable to anything he tried until now to relax. For the first time and just for some seconds, he forgot the things he was here for, Kawasemi, Bennett and all the other problems that generally flooded his mind were gone.
To their left was a large fence made from bamboo, which separated the male side of the bathhouse from the female side. For a moment, Arthur asked himself if Camila was alone over there. His question should be soon answered when he tried to peek through a small gap in the bamboo fence, and all he saw was a brown eye that peeked back at him. Startled he took a step back in the water.
"Arthur! I never thought you are a little voyeur," Camila asked through the fence and smiled. Caught, he felt at first ashamed about himself but got the feeling that it was more mocking than anything else, "Well...you got me. How is the water on the other side?"
"Perfecto! Jiro, this was a fantastic idea," Camila said. She spread her arms over the black stone and laid her head back, facing away from the fence. Jiro and Arthur followed her example turned their gazes away from the fence and towards the setting sun.
"Any news?"
"No, Bennett is having dinner right now. The two even hacked the CCTV of Bennett's hotel to keep a closer eye on him," Arthur said and recognized that he felt slightly dozy from the warm water. Camila laughed about his last words and replied, "Well, you can say what you want about the two, but when they do a job, they do it right."
"Seems so."
The three were almost for an hour in the warm water, until Arthur and Jiro heard that Camila began to swim, "That's it for me. I will take a shower and met you two in the entrance area. Okay?"
"Alright...and? Do you feel ten years younger?"
"Mmh...more like fifteen but maybe you can judge later by yourself," Camila replied and left the bath slowly. The sound of a slowly swimming mammal who enjoyed the heat of the bath was undeniable. When Arthur looked over to Jiro, he saw that the young fox was nervously playing with his paws and tried to avoid the wolf's gaze.
"Okay, what's wrong Jiro? I can see that you want to say something or am I wrong."
"Ehm...well...you and Camila...you two. Are you together?"
Shocked about these words, Arthur turned with wide eyes to his left and tried to play the innocent, "What? How do you come to this conclusion…"
"I-I saw how you two kissed in the Arcade, while I got the telephone card for you...Not that you think I have anything against you two...it is just...this is an old town with an old mindset and even older rules. And mammals could be upset...about you...and her."
"Oh…," Arthur didn't know what to say at first and scratched embarrassed at his neck, but thought it would be best to acknowledge the courage Jiro had to talk with him about this, "Well...Thanks for the open words, Jiro. Ehm...If you saw this, then it makes no sense in hiding it. We...we don't really know what we are. But what I can say is that we like each other and whatever there is between us...it feels just damn good and I want to spend every waking moment with her...but I also know that this is not the best time to start a relationship. There's still the thing with Paul in my mind, and I bet even more in Camila's."
"I...I understand. All I want to say is that you should be careful. This town can be very...stubborn, and the laws that rule over this town are old, and so is the mindscape of a lot of mammals here. What I want to say is...please be careful."
"Don't worry, when the time comes I'll protect her…," Arthur was shocked when he saw the expression of anger in Jiro's face and especially his emerald green eyes, "No! You...you don't understand you can't always protect everyone!"
"Wowowo, okay. Calm down, Jiro."
"I...I'm sorry. I shouldn't…, " Jiro began and turned away, but Arthur laid his paw on the fox's shoulder. Jiro turned back.
"Hey, what's wrong buddy? Listen, if you want to tell me something. I'm all ears."
Arthur saw that the young fox was fighting with himself and if he should talk to Arthur. In the end, he did. Jiro leaned against the basalt stone and spoke, "I haven't always lived in this house. My parents and siblings lived once in a building with two other families, but we were more like one big family. Everyone was helping each other, but our mothers were clearly the leader of the whole pack. Anyhow, there was this one girl...I liked her very much, and we spent every day together. We were giving each other nicknames that only we used. I had read her every night passages from a book before she went to bed and she was always there when I felt down."
"That sounds...very nice," Arthur replied, but he could feel that this wasn't the whole story.
"One night, a fire broke out in our building complex. I tried everything to reach her, but my mother found me and brought me out of the house. She demanded of me that I had to think of my own family first. But how could I? She was part of my family. But...I...I couldn't save her because I had to obey my mother...," Jiro said and made a little break before he continued, "Mother and I, have never spoken a word again and probably never will."
"Is that the reason why you became a police officer? To help others," Arthur asked and saw how the young fox nodded.
"I'll do my best to keep her and myself out of danger, okay? But we're still agents we have to do our job, and that is to take care of Kawasemi and Bennett."
"Don't worry, I understand that, Arthur," Jiro replied and cleaned his nose with the back of his paw.
"Okay."
It was slowly getting dark, when Arthur felt that it was finally time to leave, "I think we should go, or Camila will be mad at us. I guess that's something nobody of us wants, right buddy."
"Yeah," Jiro replied and chuckled.
Dark clouds wandered slowly from the ocean in the east over ot the town. Every now and then lighting broke through the darkness and enlightened the land around the place of the impact. Not long and the rain would follow. Jiro explained in the living room and after another cup of the Rum that there existed at least fifty words for rain. Arthur believed it, and now he stood just in his boxers in front of the window of Jiro's office and waited for Camila, while he watched how a thunderstorm was coming over the whole city.
He still thought about the story that Jiro had told him earlier when two warm paws wrapped from behind him around his upper body. Camila laid her head on Arthur's shoulder and watched with him how the rain began to drum against the window.
"I like rain," She said.
"Really? Why?"
"Everything is clean when the rain is gone...and the smell of course."
Arthur laughed a little bit and felt how Camila nuzzled her snout into his neck. He had to discover that Camila wasn't the only one who liked this. With his paw, he directed her muzzle to his own. And where at first just small kisses where exchanged, raised the intensity of the two until Arthur's and Camila's tongue embraced each other without any remaining restraint.
What followed was pure love that was shared between two lonely mammals, who were alone for too long. But even after their passion for each other cooled down, could none of the two
For another five minutes, both predators staid intertwined and panting for another while in a position, where no one wanted to move. Just Camila had by now started to lick over the fur in Arthur's neck. Giggling, she asked, "I'm sorry, it's something I do after such rare occasions...I hope you have nothing against it?"
"Oh, no it feels good...please go on," Arthur said smiling, and with every lick she made, a small giggle escaped her muzzle, "I feel almost like a young feline again, who did it for the first time but with the difference that it was a thousand times better."
Exhausted from the day and his intimate time with Camila, Arthur laid back down on his mattress, and the black panther followed him immediately. Even now, she didn't want to be separated from him, not even for some seconds, "Well, that was fantastic."
"I agree," Arthur replied and began to search in his suit jacket, that laid beside his futon. Interested by his doing, Camila opened her eyes and watched what he was doing. When pulled out a cigarette flashed a grin over her face, "That is such a cliche, Arthur."
"I know, but it's also an obsession," Arthur said and inhaled the grey smoke. Without a second thought she took the cigarette from his lips and passed it over to Camila, "I guess we share?"
The smile on her face told him everything he needed to know. She took the cigarette from him and inhaled herself. For a while, the two laid just on their futons, which Camila had moved directly beside one another, and passed the cigarette between them until Arthur took the last puff from it.
His left paw which was still under Camila's body pulled the naked feline back to him. Giggling, she laid now face to face with him and even when sleep was almost there, one question was still on his mind that became louder and louder with every minute.
"Hey...I know this could ruin the atmosphere but can I ask you a question?"
"Mi amor, you can ask me anything," Camila whispered back to him, while she laid her head on his chest.
"Last night, you said something to me, that I didn't understand."
"Oh...well, I was drunk, so maybe it was just nonsense."
"No, I don't think so. You said, 'Where were you six years ago?' but I had no more time to ask because you were fast asleep not just three seconds later."
"Oh," Camila replied and snuggled herself even deeper in Arthur's fur, "That was a difficult time for me, and I guessed I wished myself someone like you at my side, but there was no one. Anyhow, six years ago my Mama died. It was cancer, and we couldn't do anything but wait, pray and watch how she became weaker and weaker with every day. And when finally the day came, I was the only one there. My brother and father were stuck in traffic, unable to make it in time," Camila said and was getting quieter and quieter. Arthur already hated himself for asking this question.
"You don't have to…," Arthur began, but Camila ended the sentence, "No, but I want to. You see, after she was gone, I was devastated and went into town to drink. I just wanted to forget what happened, but you know that I'm not good with alcohol...I drunk...and met someone. A black Panther like me and everything I can remember is just seconds from that night, that's all. I awoke the next day naked in a cheap hotel room. He left no information about him. No number, no name – nothing. I knew I had made a terrible mistake, but even I couldn't find him. Even today I don't know who he was."
Camila took a deep breath for the last part of her story and spoke, "Six weeks later during an ICOU mission in Midland, I got all the symptoms. Mood swings, morning sickness...all that jazz. Paul knew immediately what was going but we finished the mission, and he said he knew what has to be done. I was screaming at him and threw the pregnancy test at first into the trash but used it as soon as Paul left my room. My head was empty, and I just cried when I read the result. But...It was as if Paul knew what would happen with me. He waited outside the door, to come back and comforted me when his help was needed. At first, I didn't know what to do. I never wanted to be a mother...I dedicated my life to fight crime in my hometown, to make the world a better place but not to raise children. Paul talked to me, he was the first one who knew about it, and I couldn't help myself but ask him to become the godfather of my daughter. When she was finally there and laid for the first time in my arms, I had to think back to the day my mother died, and I knew exactly which name I would give her."
"You named her after your mother, right?"
"Si. Valeria Sanchez, right after my mother. I don't know...maybe it is strange, but it almost felt like fate that one life ended and in a certain way another one began on that day."
What followed was just silence, and for a while, Arthur thought that Camila had fallen asleep. He almost wanted to draw the blanket over them, when she raised her voice again.
"Arthur?"
"Yes?"
"Would you come with me to Catacas? I want you to meet Valeria...And, I know this is probably too early and just a stupid idea...but...but…"
"It would be my pleasure… and besides I have so many unused holidays...why not?"
Overwhelmed by this answer, Camila swung around and sat on Arthur's stomach, took his head into her paws and gave him a passionate kiss. After their lips parted, Arthur could see how happy she looked.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you," She whispered over and over to him, but just when she wanted to place another kiss on the grinning Arthur, the phone rang in the dark of Jiro's little office. Both exchanged just a glance and a node to clear the situation. Camila swung off from Arthur and towards her gun, that laid on the chair beside their futon. Arthur, however, moved towards the phone and picked it up.
"Yes?"
"Good evening, Mr. Lynch," A female voice spoke on the other side of the phone. She sounded jolly and in the best mood to have a phone call almost at midnight, "I hope, I didn't interrupt your little love play with Ms. Sanchez? But to me, it sounded as if your two are done...at least for now."
Instinctively, Arthur cupped the telephone to mute it and turned to Camila, "Search in our cloth from today for any strange objects. I think we've been bugged."
Camila nodded and began directly to search for any suspicious objects in her and his clothing.
"Who speaks there?"
A chuckle sounded out of the telephone, "Mr. Lynch, I think you know exactly who I am."
Camila stood, not even a minute later, besides Arthur and opened her paw. In it laid two silver microphones. As big as coins and just a little bit thicker. Arthur remembered immediately the mammals, who run into him in the near of the temple and he had an idea when he was bugged. He held the handset between Camila and himself so that both could listen to the conversation.
"I'm sorry, Ma'am. I still have no idea how to call you."
Another chuckle came from the phone before the female mammal answered, "You two, lovebirds, can call me Void."