Soft-Boiled Mysteries
Author's Notes:
I'm poor! I own nothing! Don't sue me!
Well, now that we have that out of the way . . . Ummm . . . I hope you enjoy the show . . . (I'm just SO informative, ne?
Cat~
P.S.: These are gonna be short chapters. Gomen!
*****************************************
"It was a dark and stormy night . . ."
"Oh, please!" Tasuki turned from his rain-darkened view of the city streets below to regard his partner lounging in the office's only good chair.
"Hey! Shut up! This is my story and I'll tell it how I want." Nuriko shrugged and leaned back in his chair motioning politely for Tasuki to continue.
"Like I said it was a dark and stormy night in Chicago, 1925. Even the rats knew better than to stick it out in this freezing November downpour. All was quiet on the street and in the offices of Tasuki and Nuriko, private detectives" Nuriko snorted as Tasuki posed against the window frame in his dark brown slacks and loose, secondhand tie. His sleeves were rolled up to his elbows displaying a mark shaped like the kanji for "Yoku." He posed carefully on the ledge. The mortar tended to crumble beneath his fingers which only made leaning over the wet metal fire escape any farther a rather precarious proposition.
"It was quiet night. Dark and stormy. The kind of night better spent curled up with your girl, a cup a'joe, and better things on your mind then the cold and wet of the abandoned streets. But not all the quiet was peaceful. Not all the Peace was real. Somewhere out there was a secret waiting to be solved . . ." Tasuki paused.
"And?" Nuriko inquired.
"That's about it." There was a crash as Nuriko fell out of his chair. He climbed back to his feet and gave his partner a dirty look.
"That's IT? Nothing else? Nada? Zip? Zilch? I was hoping you'd at least come up with a job for us!"
"We just had a job!" Tasuki defended hunching his shoulders up and leaning against the window frame.
"We found some kid's lost kitten . . .!"
"Hey, that cat was hard to find!"
". . . And all we got for payment was a nickel and a handful of jellybeans!"
"Those were good jellybeans . . ."
"Tasuki, you idiot! We're broke! They're turning off the electric next week!."
"I know, I know . . . Just give me a chance to think . . ." Tasuki sat down on the sill and pouted. Nuriko rolled his eyes and went back to scanning the want ads spread out over the desk when the side door opened and a little boy walked in carrying a loaded tray.
"I brought you all some tea!" Chiriko announced as he slid the kitchenette's door closed with his foot. He slid the tray onto the corner of the desk Nuriko hastily cleared for him.
"Wow! We still have tea left?" Nuriko poked at the kettle.
"Actually, no. I've just been reusing the old leaves . . ." the boy replied cheerfully. Nuriko took a dubious look at the weak tea and then tentative a sip. Tasuki slurped his down without bothering to even look at what he was drinking.
"How's the job search going?" Chiriko asked taking his usual seat on the footstool in the corner.
"Not good. This idiot hasn't been any help . . ." Nuriko waved a negligent hand in Tasuki's direction.
"I'm working on it!" he barked back but the unmistakable squeak of the outer door opening forestalled any further argument.
"Was that the door?" Tasuki ventured after a stunned pause.
"It's rather unmistakable." Nuriko replied just as surprised.
"Bill collectors?" Tasuki guessed.
"Who else would actually come here? Chiriko! Go stall them while we sneak out." Nuriko pushed the little boy out the office door despite his protests.
"Do ya think they'll do anything to him?" Tasuki asked while levering the window open a bit more and grabbing his trench coat from Nuriko's outstretched hand.
"I don't think so . . . would they?" Nuriko glanced inquisitively at the door listening for the telltale sounds of a struggle. Tasuki shrugged and began fitting himself out the window and onto the fire escape when the door suddenly opened. Chiriko zipped in and slammed the door behind him pressing his back up against it. His face was drained of color and his knees shook.
"What is it, Chiriko?" Nuriko took a step toward the boy while Tasuki tried to decide between finishing his escape and making sure the kid was all right.
"It's a . . . She's . . ." Chiriko stammered.
"Spit it out, Chiriko!" Nuriko crossed the room and shook the boys shoulders a bit.
"She wants to hire a detective . . ." Tasuki promptly dropped the window on his own head and cursed quite creatively into the rain.
"Tasuki, I'm getting really tired of these dramatic pauses." Nuriko complained.
"Yeah, Yeah, give me a sec." Tasuki levered the window back up and climbed back inside. He was soaked through with rain. "Somebody get me a towel . . ." Nuriko tossed him the dishtowel from the tea tray and turned back to Chiriko.
"Now tell me exactly what she said."
"She . . . she said to tell you she was . . . um . . . 'a women of consequence' and that she had a job for a skilled detective."
"Heh! Did she say what she was doing here?" Tasuki griped from the good chair while rubbing vigorously at his flame colored hair.
"Oh hush, Tasuki! This could be a real job. Chiriko, bring this 'women of consequence' in and let's see what she has to say." Chiriko nodded and went out while Nuriko made his way across the office to the second best chair and sat carefully down trying not to tip the seat too far back.
"Do ya think it's for real?" Tasuki inquired tossing the much-abused towel back on the tray.
"I guess we're about to find out."
Yatta! First chapter done! Please feel free to let me know what you think. ^_^ Thanks for reading!
Cat~
The Inexplicably Euphoric
Author's Notes:
I'm poor! I own nothing! Don't sue me!
Well, now that we have that out of the way . . . Ummm . . . I hope you enjoy the show . . . (I'm just SO informative, ne?
Cat~
P.S.: These are gonna be short chapters. Gomen!
*****************************************
"It was a dark and stormy night . . ."
"Oh, please!" Tasuki turned from his rain-darkened view of the city streets below to regard his partner lounging in the office's only good chair.
"Hey! Shut up! This is my story and I'll tell it how I want." Nuriko shrugged and leaned back in his chair motioning politely for Tasuki to continue.
"Like I said it was a dark and stormy night in Chicago, 1925. Even the rats knew better than to stick it out in this freezing November downpour. All was quiet on the street and in the offices of Tasuki and Nuriko, private detectives" Nuriko snorted as Tasuki posed against the window frame in his dark brown slacks and loose, secondhand tie. His sleeves were rolled up to his elbows displaying a mark shaped like the kanji for "Yoku." He posed carefully on the ledge. The mortar tended to crumble beneath his fingers which only made leaning over the wet metal fire escape any farther a rather precarious proposition.
"It was quiet night. Dark and stormy. The kind of night better spent curled up with your girl, a cup a'joe, and better things on your mind then the cold and wet of the abandoned streets. But not all the quiet was peaceful. Not all the Peace was real. Somewhere out there was a secret waiting to be solved . . ." Tasuki paused.
"And?" Nuriko inquired.
"That's about it." There was a crash as Nuriko fell out of his chair. He climbed back to his feet and gave his partner a dirty look.
"That's IT? Nothing else? Nada? Zip? Zilch? I was hoping you'd at least come up with a job for us!"
"We just had a job!" Tasuki defended hunching his shoulders up and leaning against the window frame.
"We found some kid's lost kitten . . .!"
"Hey, that cat was hard to find!"
". . . And all we got for payment was a nickel and a handful of jellybeans!"
"Those were good jellybeans . . ."
"Tasuki, you idiot! We're broke! They're turning off the electric next week!."
"I know, I know . . . Just give me a chance to think . . ." Tasuki sat down on the sill and pouted. Nuriko rolled his eyes and went back to scanning the want ads spread out over the desk when the side door opened and a little boy walked in carrying a loaded tray.
"I brought you all some tea!" Chiriko announced as he slid the kitchenette's door closed with his foot. He slid the tray onto the corner of the desk Nuriko hastily cleared for him.
"Wow! We still have tea left?" Nuriko poked at the kettle.
"Actually, no. I've just been reusing the old leaves . . ." the boy replied cheerfully. Nuriko took a dubious look at the weak tea and then tentative a sip. Tasuki slurped his down without bothering to even look at what he was drinking.
"How's the job search going?" Chiriko asked taking his usual seat on the footstool in the corner.
"Not good. This idiot hasn't been any help . . ." Nuriko waved a negligent hand in Tasuki's direction.
"I'm working on it!" he barked back but the unmistakable squeak of the outer door opening forestalled any further argument.
"Was that the door?" Tasuki ventured after a stunned pause.
"It's rather unmistakable." Nuriko replied just as surprised.
"Bill collectors?" Tasuki guessed.
"Who else would actually come here? Chiriko! Go stall them while we sneak out." Nuriko pushed the little boy out the office door despite his protests.
"Do ya think they'll do anything to him?" Tasuki asked while levering the window open a bit more and grabbing his trench coat from Nuriko's outstretched hand.
"I don't think so . . . would they?" Nuriko glanced inquisitively at the door listening for the telltale sounds of a struggle. Tasuki shrugged and began fitting himself out the window and onto the fire escape when the door suddenly opened. Chiriko zipped in and slammed the door behind him pressing his back up against it. His face was drained of color and his knees shook.
"What is it, Chiriko?" Nuriko took a step toward the boy while Tasuki tried to decide between finishing his escape and making sure the kid was all right.
"It's a . . . She's . . ." Chiriko stammered.
"Spit it out, Chiriko!" Nuriko crossed the room and shook the boys shoulders a bit.
"She wants to hire a detective . . ." Tasuki promptly dropped the window on his own head and cursed quite creatively into the rain.
"Tasuki, I'm getting really tired of these dramatic pauses." Nuriko complained.
"Yeah, Yeah, give me a sec." Tasuki levered the window back up and climbed back inside. He was soaked through with rain. "Somebody get me a towel . . ." Nuriko tossed him the dishtowel from the tea tray and turned back to Chiriko.
"Now tell me exactly what she said."
"She . . . she said to tell you she was . . . um . . . 'a women of consequence' and that she had a job for a skilled detective."
"Heh! Did she say what she was doing here?" Tasuki griped from the good chair while rubbing vigorously at his flame colored hair.
"Oh hush, Tasuki! This could be a real job. Chiriko, bring this 'women of consequence' in and let's see what she has to say." Chiriko nodded and went out while Nuriko made his way across the office to the second best chair and sat carefully down trying not to tip the seat too far back.
"Do ya think it's for real?" Tasuki inquired tossing the much-abused towel back on the tray.
"I guess we're about to find out."
Yatta! First chapter done! Please feel free to let me know what you think. ^_^ Thanks for reading!
Cat~
The Inexplicably Euphoric