Prologue

Why do good things have to come to an end?

Having lunch with Calli at the Gladiator Diner was a once in a lifetime experience. I truly believe that. And, it wasn't just because she and I sipped straws from the same milkshakes like they do on the paperback book covers!

It was special because I got the chance to see the true Calliope Mori with my own eyes for an hour. It wasn't far from how she acted as the Queenpin of the Deadbeats, but there were subtle yet significant changes that I could see: a twinkle in her eye, a radiant smile and a hearty laugh that stirred my heart.

I was lucky to see it with my own eyes. I was happy, of course.

When Calli and I stepped out of the Gladiator Diner and bid Axel farewell, she put on her Queenpin mask once more and got down to business. That subtle transition wasn't lost on me.

It reminded me that I saw the true Calli as 'Hinotori', not as Kiara Takanashi. Knowing this, I started to dread what would happen when my own mask would ultimately come undone.

When it does…

I don't want to think about it for now.

Calli and I got back into her pickup truck and continued our job meeting community leaders into the afternoon.

-Signed, Kiara Takanashi

It was already late afternoon when Kiara got to return to the Swingwell compound. She and Calli had gotten so lost in their work that they nearly lost track of the time. Kiara thanked Calli for her time and said goodbye.

"See you tomorrow, Calli!" Kiara bid the Queenpin farewell.

"See ya, Hinotori!" Calli grinned, "But, hey - if ever you and Pudding want to work the evening shift too, Swingwell's doors are open for you guys!"

Kiara could tell by the look in Calli's eyes - she would have wanted 'Hinotori' to stay. Knowing this stung Kiara ever so slightly.

"Ehehe~ we'll think about it." Kiara lied.

She knew that there weren't enough hours in a day to reliably live two completely different lives, let alone three.

On that somber note, Calli excused herself and disappeared into her office. Kiara heaved a sigh and headed in the opposite direction, following the flock of day shift workers on their way to clock out. Just as Kiara was about to punch out, she saw the crestfallen figure of Ame slouched on a bench beside the Bundy clock. The senior detective's face crumpled with frustration and she looked like her soul had been sucked out of her.

Kiara broke from the crowd and rushed to Ame's side. Ame noticed Kiara approaching and sat upright.

"Afternoon." Ame said, intentionally leaving out the 'good'.

"Afternoon to you too." Kiara replied, playing along with Ame's frustrated game. She sat beside Ame and asked, "Death-sensei?"

Ame nodded, barely showing any signs of life.

"Thank you for your service." Kiara whispered cheekily.

Ame scoffed. A small smile formed on her lips and she faced Kiara, "As long as it was worth it."

"It was." Kiara confirmed. She pointed to the door, "Wanna get out of here?"

Ame nodded again, this time with a little more vigor.

And so, Ame and Kiara clocked out and made their way out of the Swingwell compound. Kiara took the wheel that time and let Ame vent about the time she had to spend with Death-sensei.

According to Ame, Death-sensei didn't lift a finger or say anything useful during their meetings with their set of community leaders. Every time that Ame piqued the interest of the leaders, Death-sensei would butt in by 'accident' and derail the conversation. He excused himself often to make calls on the telephone too, torpedoing any momentum that Ame may have had before.

Kiara frowned.

She remembered how Calli told her about how happy she was to have someone with a can-do attitude in the diplomacy side of things for once. Hearing Ame's story made her feel sorry for Ame and for Calli. Having to put up with someone like that would have chipped away at anyone's optimism.

"I did what I could to glean information out of Death-sensei, but the man's a stubborn, tight-lipped rock." Ame folded her arms and gave her final assessment, "He's suspicions of the two of us as it is, so we'll have to play it by ear with the Deadbeats." Ame's eyes turned towards Kiara, "Unless, of course, you have a more interesting story to tell than mine."

A smile broke out on Kiara's face.

"I'll take that as a yes." Ame chuckled, "Tell me all about it, Kiara!"

And so, Kiara proceeded to tell Ame about her eventful afternoon. She even let Ame go through her little notepad, revealing her unfiltered thoughts to her partner. Kiara's story brought life back into Ame's tired face. It even managed to make Ame laugh a little.

Once Kiara told her tale, Ame rubbed her chin. She flipped through the last pages of Kiara's notepad and smiled.

"Looks like we're in the same boat, Kiara." Ame started cryptically.

"What are you talking about?" Kiara asked innocently, "We're partners aren't we? Neither of us wants this war to happen."

"I know - but that's not what I'm talking about." Ame shook her head and laid her hand over her heart and clarified, "I'm talking about this ."

Kiara saw Ame's gesture and blushed. She nearly ran a red light and brought the car through a rough patch of pavement on Industrial Way. Fortunately, the reinforced suspension of their convertible smoothed things through exceptionally well.

Unfortunately for Kiara, the Phoenix was blushing and fretting behind the wheel.

"You've liked her ever since you saw her." Ame deduced with a smirk, "Calliope Mori, that is."

Kiara combed her hair with her hand and avoided Ame's inquisitive gaze, "I'm not that obvious, am I?"

"Well…" Ame started. She showed Kiara's notepad still in her hands, "You're practically an open book to me right now."

Kiara snagged the notepad from Ame's hands and pocketed it. She pouted at her partner, but Ame just laughed. After that exchange, however, Kiara's eyes suddenly sparkled.

"Wait a minute - if you say we're in the same boat…" Kiara started, "Then that means…"

Ame adjusted her round glasses and smiled.

"You can put two and two together." Ame teased.

"Oh come on!" Kiara jabbed her partner.

Ame laughed again. Then, she finally told Kiara about what happened between her and Gawr Gura at Strawberry Cove. It was a short, summarized account, but Kiara could feel the emotion in Ame's tone. Every now and then, Kiara felt like Ame seemed like a different person while she talked about Gura.

Now, she understood what her Ina-senpai meant when she said that she saw the 'old Ame'.

"Gura puts more trust in Bloop than Calli does for Death-sensei, so I'll still have to work on that." Ame explained, "But I think I've gotten close enough to get her to listen to reason."

The senior detective paused. Then, she heaved a sigh.

"What I'm afraid is what happens when the truth inevitably comes out." Ame admitted, "These lies we've built up will eventually come undone. No matter how smoothly this mission goes for us, someone's going to get hurt." She sank back into her seat and watched the red traffic light with displeasure, "We have to be ready for what happens when that time comes."

Kiara nodded.

"The best we can do now is to wrap things up as quickly and as neatly as we possibly can." Kiara proposed, "We'll just have to see where the dice falls and pick up the pieces when it's done."

"I guess that's true." Ame scratched her head and heaved a sigh, "Do you have any ideas how we can do that, though?"

Kiara tapped on her steering wheel pensively. Her eyes then found a billboard for one of the Dicey Odds branches nearby.

"We might need a little help bringing the two Queenpins together. Maybe we can get some more info about Mumei Nanashi too." Kiara started. She pointed to that billboard and smiled, "I think it's time we pay our little rat friend hiding in Central a visit. Don't you think so?"

Ame smirked, "Agreed."

Once Ame said this, the traffic light turned green. Kiara shifted gears and carried on driving towards the Central district.

Not far from the intersection where Ame and Kiara were stopped, a pair of honey brown eyes watched them through the window of a small cafe. Those eyes watched how the convertible of the two undercover detectives cruised through the rough patches of Industrial Way with relative ease. A wicked smile formed on her lips and the two owl feathers in her hair seemed to stand in attention.

While the owl-girl was lost in her thoughts, a waiter sauntered over and asked for her order.

"Coffee please." The owl-girl replied slyly, "The more caffeine, the better."

Queenpins

On The Same Page

To Be Continued