Prologue
Nothing shakes up your perspective in life, and the rest of your body of course, like a bloodied nose. It's where the theoretical wishful thinking meets the hard, bony fist of reality. You gain bruises and insights in equal measure - at least if you learn your lesson and live to fight another day. I've had my fair share of those insightful bruises, but the one I got at Dicey Odds was a realization as clear as day.
Bloop was bad news. Much worse than I thought.
When we rode back in Bloop's car to the cannery with our 'spoils' from the bookmakers' office, the Shrimps hailed me and Kiara as big damn heroes. We were bona fide, hard boiled gangsters in their eyes now. They knew we could take punches and throw them just as well. Gura herself came out to meet us at the parking lot. She was all smiles, beaming with pride like the summer child that she was.
Did she know about her Lieutenant's darker streak?
I doubt it.
I've seen the faces of many criminals in my time with the force. Give me enough time and I can read anyone like a book. Someone who could smile as warmly as Gura did couldn't be in the same boat as that chain smoking devil shark. She wasn't someone who took delight in despair like Bloop did.
That warm summer smile came from Gura's heart and I know it.
I had to save her previous smile from Bloop.
Thankfully, my chance to do just that would come sooner than I thought.
…
It was already sunset by the time the fanfare of the hero's for Ame and Kiara welcome tapered off in the cannery. The two bruised but unbowed ladies were on their way to clock out for the day. Just as they were about to reach the Bundy clock, however, their petite boss ambushed them.
"Shaaak~!" Gura hissed playfully.
" Scheisse~! " Kiara squawked, cursing in German. It was so loud that the squawk scared Ame more than Gura's ambush!
"Holy crap…" Ame held onto her chest, "You're gonna give us a heart attack, chief!"
"Ehehehe~" Gura snickered devilishly, "The two of you are true blue gangsters now. I knew you could take it~!"
Ame and Kiara composed themselves and greeted their boss properly with sharp salutes. Gura paused for a moment. Then, she returned the gesture.
"So, how can we help you, chief?" Ame asked.
Kiara nodded, facing Gura with a polite, albeit flustered smile.
"It's Friday." Gura started cheerfully, "Do you two have any plans tonight?"
Ame and Kiara turned to each other, then to the Bundy clock beside them. It was already way past the end of Subaru's Watch Commander shift, so they weren't going to be calling Dispatch anytime soon. So, the two of them shook their heads.
"Excellent!" Gura beamed. She joined her hands together and spoke with rising excitement, "You see, every Friday, Bloop and I book the greatest pizzeria in town for the gang. I'd love to have you guys join us! You'll be our guests of honor for the night!"
Kiara tilted her head. She considered Gura's offer, but Ame could tell that she wasn't convinced. Staying late in the heart of Shrimps gang territory was a dangerous proposition for undercover detectives like them, after all. That, and the prospect of spending any more time with Bloop didn't sit well with Kiara at all.
Ame, on the other hand, was much more motivated. The senior detective looked into the Queenpin's sparkling, expecting eyes and smiled back at her.
"We'd be happy to join you, chief!" Ame replied gamely. She turned to her partner and quipped, "Pizza sounds pretty good right now, doesn't it, Erika?"
Kiara was surprised, but she mustered a small nod of agreement.
"That's the spirit!" Gura grinned. Her shark's tail wagged happily behind her back and she spoke, "It's Bartholomew Tubb's Pizzeria, or B. Tubb's, at the corner of Ocean and Tempus Drive. They've got a huge sign - can't miss it!"
"Ocean and Tempus. Got it, chief!" Ame confirmed.
"Don't be late!" Gura urged them with a cute wink. She promptly excused herself and bid her new henchwomen farewell.
Once Gura was out of earshot, Kiara leaned over to Ame and whispered with concern, "Are you sure that's a good idea?"
"It's for the best." Ame whispered back, "This is our chance to really get close to Gura. The sooner we can put ourselves between Bloop and Gura, the better off we'll be."
Kiara heaved a sigh.
"I trust you, Ame." Kiara spoke cautiously, "I hope you have a plan in mind."
"Bits and pieces, but I'll be winging it this time." Ame admitted, "Will you help me out here, partner?"
Kiara managed to wear a smile, "Helping you out is my job. And seeing you this motivated is a breath of fresh air!" She snagged the car keys from Ame's coat pocket and spun the keyring on her finger, "I'll drive. Let's hatch something up on our way to the pizzeria."
"Thanks, Kiara." Ame smiled back.
The two undercover detectives bumped fists and clocked out together.
…
Later that evening, as the street lights started flickering on throughout Ocean Street, Ame and Kiara arrived at B. Tubb's pizzeria. The two of them took their time getting there to discuss their battle plan, so the parking lot and the streets were already filled with the cars of the Shrimps gang. Even though they had to park a little far from the place, they could feel the energy coming from the little pizzeria from a mile away.
The fragrance of wood oven-baked pizza and the colorful sound of a live band filled the air. Through the windows, they saw the myriad of Shrimps gang members singing, cheering, eating, smoking and drinking. They even saw a man with many arms putting on a show, tossing the dough of six pizzas in the air all at once like some sort of circus performer - all while doing some sort of comedy skit.
The crowd inside seemed to be cheering the many-armed man on too.
"MAG! MAG! MAG! MAG!" They cried, "MAG! MAG! MAG! MAG!"
The many-armed man made a weird, questionable noise and then tossed up the six pizzas into the air. Then, with incredible skill, he managed to catch them all! The crowd cheered and burst with applause.
"I can see why Gura would like this place." Kiara commented with a chuckle.
Despite this lively atmosphere, however, Ame and Kiara saw Gura standing on the sidewalk outside the pizzeria all alone. She had a concerned look on her face and she was watching the road longingly. All the while, her shark's tail drooped down to the pavement.
Was Gura waiting for them?
Ame and Kiara approached the storefront and Gura turned towards them. Her worried expression suddenly turned into one of frustration.
"Where were you two!?" Gura pouted, "I thought the two of you'd turned into finks and flaked!"
"Oh, Erika and I just had to catch a bit of shut-eye." Ame made her excuse, pointing to the bandages that she and Kiara still wore, "We're still not a hundred percent, after all, chief!"
Gura leaned towards Ame, testing her henchwoman's resolve. Then, the Queenpin smiled.
"Eh, what's important is that you're here now!" Gura's cheerfulness came back in full force, "C'mon inside! The party already started without you!"
She took Ame and Kiara by the hand and led them into the lively pizzeria. Even though the pizzeria was crowded, the Shrimps made way for Gura and her henchwomen. Gangsters cleared out one of the corner tables and let Gura take over it with their blessing. The many-armed man who put on a show earlier even started serving their table, setting plates of freshly-baked pizza and all sorts of delicious-looking Italian fare. At the same time, one of the man's hands offered Ame and Kiara sticks of 'Vesper' brand cigarettes, but the undercover detectives politely refused.
While Ame and Kiara were settling into their seats, they noticed a bit of a commotion in the pizzeria's crowd of Shrimps. The massive figure of Bloop barged through the hall. He was headed towards the table to sit by Gura's side, just as Ame expected.
However, the two detectives were prepared for this.
Right on cue, Ame approached the many-armed man and whispered something into his ear. The many-armed man nodded and Ame returned to her seat.
"TUBBNATION!" The man declared with the enthusiasm and timbre of the announcer at a prize boxing match towards the crowd of Shrimps, "It seems we have a drink-off challenge on our hands!"
Whispers started spreading throughout the crowd. Even the determined Bloop stopped in his tracks when he heard the declaration.
"A drink-off challenge!?" Bloop huffed at the many-armed man. He pounded his chest and shouted with a booming voice, "I'm the champion of this joint! Who dares challenge me!?"
The crowd of Shrimps fell quiet. Even Gura tensed up from the deafening silence.
"Ack! Everyone here knows that Bloop can drink an ocean!" Gura whispered to Ame and Kiara beneath her breath, "Does somebody have a death wish!? Who would do such a thing!?"
"Someone who can probably set that ocean on fire." Ame winked at Gura.
"Fire?" Gura gulped, "Don't tell me…!"
Before Gura could protest, Kiara stood up from her seat and raised her hand. The Shrimps in the pizzeria all gasped.
"Are you sure about this, little missy?" Bloop asked with a gruff, patronizing growl, "You can still back out now and save face."
Kiara, however, stood her ground and marched towards Bloop without fear. She passed by the bar, grabbed two large pint glasses and set them on the counter between herself and the large shark man.
The many-armed man took the glasses and filled them both up with beer on tap. Then, Bloop and Kiara took the pints and started chugging. The pizzeria erupted with loud cheers!
"Holy cow, look at them go!" Gura gasped.
Bloop drank beer like a thirsty machine but Kiara was never far behind from her foe. The two of them went through pint after pint after pint but still kept on going - so much so that the many-armed man almost had trouble keeping up with the competitors. All the while, the live band started playing their Swing standards to hype up the crowd. Ame and Gura, on the other hand, held onto their seats.
Then, after a fierce blitz of chugging, a woozy, red-faced Bloop raised up his hands and surrendered!
The many-armed man raised up Kiara's hand and cried, "WE HAVE A NEW CHAMPION, TUBBNATION! IT'S THE NEW KID ON THE BLOCK! ERIKAAAAAAAAAA!"
…
The crowd of Shrimps cheered wildly again! Kiara hiccuped a bit, but she raised up her empty glass to the crowd with tipsy vigor. Bloop, on the other hand, excused himself to go to the bathroom. Once Bloop was gone, Kiara started dancing to the big band Swing, showing off her incredible footwork and moves. Before long, the pizzeria had turned into a dance hall centered around the victorious 'Erika'!
Gura watched the fired up crowd with great awe. Then, she scratched the back of her head with embarrassment.
"Your friend Erika's one hell of an extrovert, ain't she?" Gura noted, watching Kiara working the crowd almost effortlessly, "She's the life of the party!" Then she paused and whispered beneath her breath, "I'm almost jealous that she can just go all out like that - no holds barred! Free as a bird!"
While Gura spoke, her feet started tapping to the tune of the band. Her shark's tail even started wagging idly behind her.
"Well, you're free right now too, chief." Ame replied. She wore a warm smile for Gura and offered her hand, "Care to dance with me?"
"D-dance…!?" Gura suddenly tensed up and panicked, "L-like what Erika is doing?"
"Nah, we'll go at our own pace." Ame reassured, "I'm an introvert too, so I'm glad Erika has everyone's attention! It'll be just you and me."
Gura fell silent. Then she glanced up at Ame and asked, "You won't laugh at my bad dancing?"
"As long as you don't laugh at mine!" Ame laughed.
A smile finally formed on Gura's lips. Then, she wholeheartedly accepted, "I'm in your care, Amelon!"
With that, Gura took Ame by the hand and let the bruised blond henchwoman take the lead. Together, Ame and Gura danced their awkward little dance. Their rhythm was off by a little bit from the band and the crowd, but they didn't care. They just laughed and carried on, lost in their own little world in the heart of the pizzeria-turned-dance-hall.
The night carried on and the tempo of the band slowed. Slowly but surely, Gura inched closer and closer to 'Amelon'. Without the restrictive supervision of Bloop or the responsibilities of being the Queenpin of the Shrimps, Gura got a taste of the freedom that she longed for.
It was a moment that Gawr Gura would treasure forever.
…
Queenpins
Panic! At The Pizzeria
…
To Be Continued