Wednesday - Gambling Parlor - The Scoundrel's Den
It was loud. It was obscenely loud.
The clinging and pinging of electronic pachinko and slot machines. The raucous volume of drunken and excited beasts playing at the black jack and craps tables. The sounds of mixed gossip of guests. The frustration of losers throwing away all their earnings. The exuberance of confident beasts. The alluring and soothing melody playing over the intercom designed to placate guests.
An audio nightmare for a canid with sensitive ears if experienced all day, not to mention the fever dream's worth of vibrant green-blue lights flashing in her eyes. The pachinko and the slot machines were electronic, which meant computerized LED screens, all flashing randomly when in play. It was how they drew the eye in, like moths to flames. It was also murder on sensitive eyes after prolonged periods, especially if you didn't blink from time to time.
Fortunately, Priscilla had the remedy. For her ears, noise cancelling earbuds and a playlist of her favorite beats playing at peak volume, where it drowned out the background noise. The rhythm of the hi-hats bouncing, the sub-bass mixed in with the scratch. The melody of the frequent bell and the occasional snare. A wondrous beat that put her in such a euphoric zone as she slinked down cramp and crowded concourse, grooving while none of the obnoxious distractions mattered.
For her eyes she had a pair of stylish aviators, they made constant exposure to the LED tolerable, but also had an added function. They concealed her scouring gaze while she hunted. Indeed she was on the prowl right now.
Officially she was the proprietor and overseer of the Scoundrel's Den, an underground casino built near the Back-Alley Market or more accurately it the Futekigō Clan's modest attempt at one. As overseer her job officially meant she greeted guests, had special parties organized, screened her employees from entertainers to dealers, made announcements, made sure the count was right, balanced the finances, and just overall run a tight ship.
Officially.
Unofficially however, the Arctic-mix took it upon herself to ensure that there would be no funny business going on in her casino.
A hub for all adult carnivores, the Scoundrel's Den attracted all sorts of beasts to come and gamble away their hard earned riches for prizes of all kinds. Ranging from monetary to discounts on fine cuisine. Such incentives attracted a lot of willing customers to the Inarigumi's territory. That also meant it attracted the sort of beasts willing to cheat the system to win.
Casinos in general were designed with the house holding much of the advantage, the players were supposed to only have a small chance of winning. Of course, there are going to be those who don't particularly like those odds, which is honestly understandable, no one likes to constantly lose especially with money involved. So occasionally you'd attract cheaters, much like a stocked pantry will attract pests. And as the owner of said pantry it was in her best interest to make it hard for these pests to get away with stealing from it.
Resources such as CCTV and actual guards looking out for these crooks were at her disposal, but there was just nothing as exhilarating as actually hunting and catching them herself. Priscilla fancied herself a cunning hunter in her own right. So from time to time she would make her rounds on the floor personally, just to make her presence known and for the chance of catching the bastards in the act herself. You weren't going to outfox this fox, not in her own den at least.
After all 'The Den' was her 'baby' and her home.
It was her main business venture in the Back Alley Market, places like the Show Arena and Janco's gun store were merely supplementary side projects that bolstered her profits. The Den was her true means of a steady return. It had been entrusted to her by her aunt, Toni, the previous head of the Inarigumi. And it hadn't been given to her so lightly. The casino itself had originally been her late mother's idea, her lasting legacy, and one of the few things she had to remember her by. Priscilla sought to take care of it in her stead. It all came about after a violent schism that saw the Inarigumi leadership change from a male dominated hierarchy to the current sisterhood, Priscilla's mother had worked hard with her sister to expand their interest to more lucrative ones.
The original incarnation, run by a very volatile male Ezo red fox by the name of Reynold. A beast that saw himself as the king of the city's sex trade, a visionary who sought to control the Back Alley.
The reality however was he was just a two-bit piece of shit. Nothing but an abusive womanizer, who overworked his females and whose grand vision was as dim and shortsighted as a mole's. His empire was nothing more than a loose confederation of pimps, madams, escorts, and prostitutes working the streets of the Back-Alley Market. His underlings were mostly undisciplined and inexperienced males that beat their females.
It wasn't until Toni, a young red fox madam and top earner under his employ, concocted a plan to usurp his control completely. She conspired with the fed up stable of females and convinced them that they vastly outnumbered the males 3-to-1 and promised that there was much more that they could achieve under new leadership. A few weeks later with the help of an outside ally, a sympathetic client who happened to be an arms dealer, they gathered together as many weapons as they could afford in one night and finally ousted Reynold and his skulk of lowlifes, taking the reins of the gang for themselves.
Under Toni's leadership, she and her younger sister Sári patterned the new Inarigumi more closely with the other Back-Alley Market wildlife. They moved past simple prostitution, and branched out into other areas of the market. They bought and protected other properties like exotic dance clubs, love hotels, hostess restaurants, and clubs where they made the rules and they had control. Just a few of many ideas they had that allowed them to express themselves in a male dominated world. The grandest of their ideas was a large casino. A money pit where they would attract not only male beasts, but an even wider clientele base.
Their plan involved an abandoned high school campus left to rot once the city's gradual progression moved away from the current Back-Alley Market. They then repurposed the building for their own needs. A few years later it evolved from a small gambling den, to a more bustling respected casino/night club, a place where high class carnivores could come and spend their riches and partake in leisurely socializing. It also provided an excellent opportunity to uplift the downtrodden. Poor beasts within the area would be given steady occupation, a boon that would do wonders for the gang's relations in the market.
Sadly, Sári didn't live long enough to see such plans fully realized. She was taken in a turf war against the wolf led, Ōkamigumi once they began muscling in on their turf. After a lengthy conflict, the Inarigumi were left with their boss crippled and her young niece motherless. The Den soon fell out of favor as the Inarigumi's leadership under the new successor, a then 27 year-old red vixen named Ten, focused the gang's attention back towards more adult oriented ventures.
Once she had come of age and finally got enough pull to run her own clan, Priscilla's first project was to restore the Den back to its former glory. She practically had to rob and steal to get the place started up again, but in a few years time she had finally had the establishment turning a profit. Which was all the more reasons why she felt obligated to protect it herself. She'd worked hard for this, and no one was going to screw that up for her.
Her sharp eyes darted around relentlessly, just for the off chance she'd spot anything out of the ordinary. That was the thing about gambling. There was almost always some moron brazen enough to cheat, even more frequent, one sloppy enough to get caught. Like for example, this shifty looking Raccoon by the slot machines. He'd been sitting there for an hour at most seemingly playing the machines.
Seemingly.
Normally it was nothing out of the ordinary for a customer to get sucked in. It was one of the inherent draws of the machines, the ability to subconsciously entice an animal into playing till their pockets were empty. However in this guy's case, from her rounds she hadn't actually seen him play, rather he looked like he was playing.
For an unskilled eye, it'd be easy to be fooled by him merely pulling on the handle periodically and letting the demo mode play on it's own. However a keen eye would notice him not actually putting any currency in to start up a game. Then there was the fact that he kept looking around once the area became less crowded. Like that's not suspicious at all? Not only that he looked like he was on edge. Maybe someone put him up to it?
Honestly he'd get away with it if he weren't so damn obvious about it. She figured he was stalling, likely waiting for an ample opportunity to slip some device under the cabinet to manipulate and hack the machine. Priscilla was also betting he'd be a cocky sucker too, like once he slipped that device under there she bet that all of a sudden he'd come down with severe case of 'luck', getting payday after payday and if he did that, then he'd be an even bigger fool.
Amateurs usually forget that people notice patterns. The probability of a person winning on one of those machines is already low, multiple wins in short succession, astronomical. Which meant if he wanted to get away with a big payday, he'd have to pace his winnings, at the least a seasoned person would. Maybe a few days or even hours at the least. But that took a lot more patience than most like him usually show.
Honestly he'd be better off trying the blackjack or craps tables. Craps were the easiest , all one had to do was have a great sleight-of-hand technique and get good with loaded dice. Blackjack was typically a bit harder to spot and had a bigger reward. There's counting cards, subterfuge, or even having dealers in on the take. Of course it's not really easy to cheat, but it's just it would be much more covert and less obvious. The real way of spotting these cheats is paying attention to how the player bets and their success rate which is easier said than done.
The real good ones played it nice and slow with give and take, so it's not obvious. If they paced on these games they'd make considerably more than this raccoon would pacing the slots. The bad ones were the ones that were too greedy or the ones who didn't know when to quit. A month ago she had caught a panther cheating just like that, dumb bastards got too cocky and tried to make off with a fortune.
The player had an accomplice nearby positioned in the right spot to sneak a look at a dealer's hand right when they might lift it up to take a peak. Idiots that do that leave their cards exposed, which these jokers willingly took advantage of. They'd even come up with a system to relay some sort of signal to their buddy, giving them all the details. Their downfall was when a bat guest started complaining about loud clicking noises that no one else could hear. A short while later, Priscilla and her people caught on to the creeps right as they were about to make off with an egregious payout.
The panther and his buddy later that day found themselves tied up in a dark room with Loba, her resident muscle, and they got real acquainted with the wox's handiness with power tools. Nothing fatal of course, but one wouldn't say they left the Den able to cheat in the same way again. Typical Back-Alley justice.
This guy though, the raccoon, he didn't rate so high. Usually the small fries she'd let go with a simple scare before getting tossed out on their ass. No point being too brutal with fresh fish who didn't know whose ocean they were swimming in. At best a guy like this would rate a quick hit from a shock prod, a nice tour of the back room, a couple of lumps, then a boot to the behind. Again, nothing too brutal.
Now all she had to do was wait, the melody and tempo of her music seemingly increasing with her anticipation. Her hand hovered over the taser on her belt. She licked the edge of her fangs as she saw his hand begin reaching into his pocket. She tensed up, ready to pounce on her unwitting prey. Suddenly the theme of her hunt was broken by the ringing of her cell phone.
The raccoon was temporarily spared as she moved away to pick up. It wasn't unusual to get calls like this at work, it was a busy place and she'd be on call at any moment, but it still felt jarring to drop out of her mode like this.
She hoped it was important, hell a big part of her hoped it might San. Maybe he could be finally calling her for a change. The vixen would have really brightened if that were the case. She really wanted to talk more with him.
Ever since she had gotten him the phone, it had been a real fun adventure trying to get the poor guy to finally pick up the ropes. Just the other day she had spent hours trying to get him up to speed with texting and using the camera… well the selfie camera at least. He found that out the hard way. She still found herself chuckling at the bewildered snapshot he accidentally took of his face when he looked into the wrong end and the flash went off. She also wanted to get more than a limited conversation out of him as well. The last call with the llama had been rather short, and she could tell that he was a bit hesitant to speak for long periods. She had a sneaking suspicion it had something to with the little fuzzy leach he hung out with.
"Hello?" She asked, keying the side of her earpiece. That tiny bit of hope of him answering back made its way into her tone. She just wanted to hear his cool and soothing voice, however it wasn't meant to be this time. Instead she was met with a dry husky, emotionless drone coming from the other end. It was one of her girls, Ferro the Tibetan-mix, from the sounds of things.
"Onēsan," Their dry voice said, addressing her with her title. "It's Ferro. We got a situation."
"What's wrong?" Priscilla responded a tad bit disappointed, moving into the shadows out of earshot.
"You got guests." The monotone vixen reported. "They are looking for you."
"I don't recall having anything scheduled today, Ferro." Pris attested.
"They are the unexpected kind, Onēsan." Ferro clarified. "And they're parked right outside your office . "
"You're head of security and you didn't let me know before they arrived?" The arctic fox silently groaned, pinching the bridge of her snout. She cautiously took a step back from the shady raccoon, just as spotted him beginning to feel under the machine's chassis. He had already started. "Who are the rude arrivals?"
"It's Sutiretto clan, Onēsan."
That name gave her pause. Sutiretto . The Stiletto Girls as they liked to call themselves .
The modern Inarigumi was split into four factions. There was the Bijo clan, the original veterans headed by Priscilla's aunt Toni who operated brothels and love hotels, then the hostess restaurant oriented Kyaba clan, led by an idol-like fox named Kan, Priscilla's own clan the Futekigō, and then the largest and most influential, Sutiretto who operated gentlemen's clubs. They were led by Rin, Priscilla's former senpai, and worked directly under the gang's boss.
The Arctic-mix's fur on her neck become coarse, she found her heart going nuts just from the mere mention. The last encounter she had with Rin at her uncle's store was still an unpleasant thought, fresh on her mind and of course she imagined this was just another power move from the much larger clan to remind Priscilla and her 'misfits' of their low standing.
"Ferro, you should have especially told me as soon as they arrived.
" I just found out less than a minute ago, Priscilla-sama." The sand fox reasoned, raising her low voice. "I'm told they just popped up at the front door and one of the workers let them waltz on in."
The arctic fox growled, still eying the raccoon as he started actually playing for the first time. "That is still a serious breach."
"Yes, I know that, Pris." Ferro said. "I'm going to give the 'tod' who let them in a healthy mouthful as soon as I hang up." She heard a slight hint of annoyance in the sand fox's tone. "The numbskull just saw Inarigumi and assumed they were all a bunch of our girls. It'll definitely be a part of the security seminar at the next meeting." Ferro replied.
"So, how many?" Pris asked.
She heard the Tibetan-mix repeat the question second hand, likely to the employee in front of her.
"Three." Her gravely voice reported back. "He says three, but I only see two, there's the head, Rin, and a young black one wearing a rice hat. No clue where the third is. I'll be on the lookout."
"The bitch herself…" Priscilla growled under her breath at the mention of Rin. She almost had a migraine just thinking about seeing her lecherous 'sister' again so soon. Rin had always seemed to treat her like some sort of perverse toy rather than an equal, and it never really changed even after she left her fold and started leading her own clan. No respect for personal space whatsoever. Priscilla planned on decking her for sure if she tried to get grabby with her today. In fact she might get the shock prod if she wanted to test her.
"Alright, I'm headed that way." She stated. "Tell that worker he's going to be shitcanned the next time another slip up like this happens. Got it?"
"Oh he'll get the message, Onēsan." Ferro said, her tone loud enough to send a message.
Priscilla turned around, and covertly glanced at the raccoon, who had just scored another jackpot. She frowned and folded her arms. Dumbass.
"Also head over to the slot machines in Sector 4 while you are at it. You'll see a raccoon, male with brown fur. He's off by himself and he seems like he's having such a rough time with the machines. He seems so miserable, maybe you should give him some company ."
"Oh really?" Ferro said, a poor attempt to put empathy in voice. "Poor guy."
" Be extra charming ." Priscilla said. 'It's likely his first time."
"You got it." The stoic fox responded. "Me and the girls will show him a real good time."
As she approached her office, she heard a shrill pained shout near the slot machines, followed by a loud thud. Murmurs and gasps of concerned guests soon filled the air.
"He's just passed out!"
"Give him some air!"
She recognized one of her guards voices attempting to calm everyone down. "He's still breathing, we'll take it from here folks. No need for alarm. Just got too excited"
That was one thing that nearly made her feel better as she spotted Rin, with her black mascara painted across her eyes, waiting for her by her office, the former headmaster's office, just like Ferro said.
Nearly .
Her sultry rival was also accompanied by a young solid black fox wearing a rice hat. She was one of the newer girls, Ton, she believed her name was. They were both wearing the traditional cheongsam style cocktail dress with heels typical of their clan's dress aesthetic, similar to Priscilla's outfit though the snow fox's outfit was much more modest with her cleavage.
"Well I see you're actually dressed for the right occasion, Senpai." Priscilla joked as she approached.
"Prissy!" Rin chirped, beaming at the sight of the former snow queen. She must have seen Priscilla beginning to reach for her belt, because she stopped herself from taking more than a step from the wall. She merely flourished in front of her kouhai and gave the Arctic-mix a wide grin. "Now that's a proper look for a vixen of your stature." She said, issuing a light snicker as her eyes began lustfully to wander down, making Prisiclla feel sick.
"You actually look like you're not a part of the help this time." She underhandedly commented.
Priscilla removed her shades and glared at the red fox, revealing the the animosity in her eyes. "Spare me." She growled bitterly, suppressing her true anger to avoid causing a scene in front of the guest. "What business do you have here?"
"You'll see. Hehehe." Rin answered as she leaned over and opened the office door like a doorman. "Boss?" She called, addressing someone in the office. "She's here."
Boss .
A chill went down Priscilla's back as she processed the word. The whole area felt like it had frozen over as she stared inside the dimly lit room. A click and an orange flash revealed a much older rustic toned fox in her thirties sporting an eyepatch, waiting in the dark. The vixen chomped a cigarette holder between her teeth as she looked towards the door.
Instantly a jolt ran back up Priscilla's spine as she instantly recognized the fox: Ten, current Boss of the entire Inarigumi group. Reading her hesitation and shock, Rin lightly cackled in Priscilla's ear.
The black-banded fox sneered with a smug and content expression at the brown-furred Arctic's reaction. The Arctic-mix felt a violent knee jerk impulse to throttle the apparent snitch with her bare hands, but the boss' waiting gaze and mere presence beckoned her to swallow her feelings. Rin would have to wait.
"Priscilla. It's been some time." The boss spoke with a silky smooth voice that still commanded respect. "Come have a seat."
Priscilla felt cold as she froze in the doorway. She was being asked to enter and sit in her own office? The Arctic fox felt a growl come through her throat as she stared at the older fox sitting behind her desk.
"Gawking….really?" The one-eyed vixen asked, sounding a tad annoyed. " Time is money, I believe is a phrase you are familiar with is it not?"
"Yes, Boss." Priscilla said, lost in thought as she slowly stepped forward. Gathering herself, she resumed the poise and grace expected for someone of her station.
With her heels propped up relaxed on the desk, the red fox clacked them atop the desk three times in rapid succession. Her underlings received the message and closed the door behind them, though not before Rin left Priscilla one last giggle at her expense. Everything became almost completely silent as the door locked closed. She ensured her office was sound proof, so it felt as if they were teleported to a different reality.
Ten sat very comfortably in Priscilla's own chair with her feet propped up on her expensive desk made from vintage cherry wood.
"Sit." The elder fox ordered, proper and direct.
Priscilla obeyed with canine-like obedience, taking a seat. Her brush tail drooped through the back, only moving with a few short swipes.
Ten arched her patch covered brow as she looked more closely at the so-called Snow Queen .
"Take those things off." She ordered, jabbing her finger towards the still pulsing ear buds that Priscilla had clipped to her ears. She had been so taken by the Boss, she had forgotten her music all together.
"Oh. Yes Boss." The tall Arctic fox said, kowtowing to her immediate superior, hurriedly ripping them out and stuffing them down into her purse.
"Better." The red fox said, flashing a toothy grin. "Now, Priscilla-chan." She said. "I see your clan is doing rather well for itself. 'The Den' seems rather busy. Your monthly tribute actually exceeded the last return for once. And you are looking rather radiant in your brown coat this season."
Priscilla, gulped as she stared at the cyclops fox.
The red fox continued to compliment. "I know you likely disagree, but I've always preferred your summer patterns as opposed to your winter white. It really allows you to step out of your mother's shadow and shine on your own." She said, casually dropping a piece of the cigarette butt into the tray.
Priscilla forced a rather weak smile, and nodded silently as the Boss continued. She had a sinking feeling that Ten was leading her into a false sense of security before she ripped her over what she was really here for. Ten rarely if ever visited her group personally. At most she could see the Boss when she accompanied her aunt to meetings.
She knew this was all Rin's doing. The Arctic-mix just knew the darkened faced fox had a hand in this. A 'public humiliation via the Boss', that would just be just the sick kind of kink for that bitch. She'd love to see Priscilla reduced to some weeping mess, stripped of her position and kicked right back to the lower rungs of the group. It's just she never really figured Ten would go along with it. Not while her aunt held any sway. Ten was always the more level-headed of the two.
The red fox tilted her head at the brown furred fox. The older fox's singular eye stared at her, easily reading the turmoil on the halfbreed's face. "You seemed rather troubled Priscilla. Is something wrong?" She asked. "Perhaps you think it's about certain rumors I've heard?"
The brown furred fox took an even bigger gulp. Rumors? She thought. Of course there it was, rumors! It could be because she got caught with San or it could be the heist not going so smoothly. She was down a girl, with Raira still recovering. No matter what she was going to take charge of this situation. She'd be the one to tell the truth. She'd explain things exactly the way they were!
"Boss, I told Rin exactly what I was doing with that herbivore!" She spouted with fervor. "I regret nothing-" She shouted, jumping from her seat. Ten raised a finger, stopping the Futekigō head in her tracks.
"I…" As if a spell had been cast, Priscilla's words failed her. The older female flashed a slight confident grin and gestured for Pris to sit back down. The younger fox receded back into her chair feeling utterly ashamed, as if she had just been scolded. Her courage and fire vanished almost instantly.
The Inarigumi Boss swiveled around in the chair and stood up. "Priscilla… I know exactly what you were doing that night. I don't even have to believe Rin to know." She stretched out over the table and stared the brown Arctic-mix in the face. "It's all over your face. It's all soaked into your fur." She said, her singular blue eye focusing on her. "You were with a male that night. And you enjoyed a night of passion."
"I'm not sorr-" Priscilla started out fighting the wetness around her eyes.
"Don't be ashamed." Ten said rather calmly. "Crying is unnecessary."
"I…" The Arctic-mix took a deep breath. "Yes, I was having a rendezvous with a male. That is correct."
"A herbivore male?" Ten asked, trying to clarify. "Right?"
"You can smell that too?"
"No, that Rin told me." Ten plainly responded, without hesitation.
Priscilla growled low as she hunched in her chair. "Um...Yes…he's a herbivore." Her ears drooped low as the words left, her voice sounded defeated.
Ten leaned forward and rested her chin on her knuckles. She seemed to smile at the admission. "Oooh!" The older fox let out an uncharacteristically youthful squeal, before sitting back down.
She cleared her throat and toned it back, not as serious, but intrigued. "I mean that's wonderful news." She said, crossing her legs with a dry smile on her face. Her tone began to pick up with interest for gossip. "Did everything go well between you two?"
Priscilla cocked her head at the boss, her mouth slouched slightly, confused. It wasn't really the reaction she had been expecting. Maybe she really was toying with her?
"Um, yes?" The halfbreed answered. "We um, had a good date."
"Plan on seeing him again?" The cyclops fox asked, her tone like that of a mother conversing with her coming of age daughter. This candidness really threw the younger fox for a loop.
"Yes. Well we really haven't set up anything, but um… I plan on calling him sometime soon."
Ten and her had never been this close. Hell, her aunt never talked to her like this.
"Did you two actually get physical?"
"Boss? Why are you asking me this?" The brown furred fox tentatively asked, a tad bit flushed at the personal question.
It became apparent swiftly how shallow this motherly façade was however, Ten merely gave her a rather serious glance. "Answer the question." She demanded.
Priscilla smartened up and complied. "Yes, we um...Yes."
"How long have you been seeing him? Be truthful, Priscilla. This is important."
"We met at the beginning of the year. We've talked quite a bit between then, we just started getting serious recently." Priscilla answered cautiously.
Priscilla could swear she heard the Inarigumi boss mutter something that sounded like, "...just what we need."
"What type of male is he?" Ten asked.
"Nice and understanding. Confident when he wants to be."
"No, no, what species is he?" Ten closed her eyes and shook her head. "What type of herbivore? Cow? Sheep?"
"Oh, um...he's a llama?"
"Llama?" Ten muttered. "Attractive?" She asked.
Was she serious?
"Okay, why do you need to know all this?!" Priscilla exclaimed, having had enough as she stood up and slammed her hands on her desk. "Are you planning on stealing my boyfriend or something?!"
The Inarigumi boss found herself amused, cackling at the arctic-mix. "Hehehe. No. Lower your voice. It's nothing like that." The rex fox sighed, and shook her head. "Enough beating around the bush. I'm trying to see if the two of you fit a certain criteria."
"Certain criteria? The two of us?" Priscilla blinked as she stared at the Inarigumi lead. "Can...can I ask what exactly is going on now, Boss?" She nervously questioned.
"Just answer this last question. Is he afraid of you? "
"Not really, no." Priscilla answered. "Like I said he's confident."
"Good." The red fox's face twisted into a devilish grin. "I have a job that might be perfect for you and this male of yours."
"What do you want with him?" Priscilla asked, scowling defensive.
"I want the both of you." Ten clarified. "You both factor into this." The elder fox stood up and began to pace around the desk as Priscilla sat confused as to what that meant.
"As you know, our organization is heavily dependent on corporate supply lines to stock all of our holdings. We broker deals with all sorts of high class beasts within the Back-Alley Market and the city abroad." She explained.
"For months now, we have been trying to secure a beverage deal with a certain group, they produce some of the finest alcohol in the country, but each time we've been shut out of negotiations with them. They simply won't sell to us directly and force us to buy it at expensive rates. We suspect it's because they are an herbivore organization and they are very skittish dealing with carnivores, especially ones hailing from the Back-Alley market."
"So my plan is for you and your little herbivore to go and act as our envoy ."
"I'm not the best negotiator and he isn't some diplomat." Priscilla protested.
The red fox held her hands up to get her to slow down. "Hear me out. We've discovered that the owner is a bit of an eccentric that frequents some of those debaucherous masquerade parties; you know the type where everyone gets drunk and wears masks. It's the only place where they are willing to discuss business with any carnivores. Because of the rules."
"So you want me to take my boyfriend to a High Class Animal party?" Priscilla asked, skeptical.
"Is that really a problem?" Ten questioned, looking at the snow fox. "Don't tell me you've regressed into such a prude after striking out on your own. You should be used to environments like that."
"We're not High Class material!" The Arctic-mix stated, feeling a bit disgusted. "Especially him."
"Oh but you are Priscilla." Ten said, cupping the arctic fox's muzzle within her grasp. "You've grown into such an elegant female and you represent our grace and our customs well. I mean look at this place. Your mother would be so proud of you." She said, parading around Prisiclla's decorated office filled with expensive vases, statues, and hanging flower pots.
She stopped and paused in front of a very shiny and tantalizing crystalized skull resting on her mantlepiece before pointing towards the office window, dropping the blinds to reveal a busy concourse full of merry and excited guests. "Do you really think you don't qualify even with your heritage and this accomplishment? And him? He doesn't have to do anything but have fun. Honestly you'll be doing most of the talking anyway. He'll just be a symbol to hang on your arm and get our foot in the door with the client."
"This don't feel right," Priscilla said sourly, shaking her head.
"It's for the Inarigumi, Priscilla." Ten barked at her. "Surely you understand that?" The fox leader's dark mascara covered eye narrowed as she glared at the hesitant snow fox.
"It just doesn't feel right using my relationship with him for our gain, Boss!" Priscilla said.
"You should put our sisterhood before your personal feelings." Ten reminded her. "I was sure your aunt instilled that message in you the same way she had with me when I was your age."
Priscilla still looked dejected as it felt like she was weighed down by the truth of those words. She'd be a real hypocrite considering the way she treated her own subordinate's problems versus the needs of the clan. She didn't have to look much further than the odyssey she'd practically sent her pint-sized underling on. She herself had waylaid Lùn's grudge with San's small sandpaper counterpart all for profit.
Ten just shook her head and stood over the arctic fox. "Priscilla…I'm coming to you because this sounded like too good an opportunity to pass up. The way I see it I'm doing you a favor here." She said, nearly poking Priscilla on her snout. "When Rin first told me of what happened at the shooting range, I could have reacted much differently. I could have informed your aunt. But I didn't."
"I appreciate your generosity, Boss. I just don't get why you can't hire some herbivore escort off the street and send someone like Rin? She's more than capable of blending in at those kinds of parties!" She attested.
Ten hunched low to the sitting fox's level, and got nose to nose with Priscilla. "Because it wouldn't be real, and the client might see through it. You on the other hand wouldn't be deceiving anyone would you?" Ten stood back up and paced by the door. "If your relationship is genuine as you say, then you should have no problem convincing the buyer that we are trustworthy. All you need to do is go to the café every now and then, be charming, socialize with him on your arm, and find a way to negotiate with the client."
"You make it sound so simple," The arctic fox muttered.
" It is simple. " The red fox said with a hint of frustration, doubling back and dropping down to Priscilla's level. "It's simple and painless. You could treat it as a few fancy dates with your boy toy. At our expense as far as I am concerned, just as long as you remember the mission."
"Okay, I'll consider it, Boss." Priscilla answered. "That's all I can do right now. I would have to talk it out with him regardless."
The one-eyed red fox heaved a heavy sigh and rolled her eyes. "See to it that you do then. If you get us this beverage job Priscilla, I am willing to reward your clan very favorably. You have been long overdue for a boost to your roster. At least 6 more females. Who knows, your clan might even rival my own one day?"
Priscilla remained silent, as Ten headed towards the door. The loud uproar from the gaming floor harshly broke the intimate quiet, Priscilla's ears pricked uncomfortably.
"I'll give you a call in a week." Ten said as she closed the door behind her. "I expect you to be on board by then." Her entourage soon followed suit, Rin lagging behind to properly say goodbye.
"Byyyyyeeee Snowfur!" The black-banded red fox called out, sing-song with a giggle, waving while lustfully licking her lips at her.
Priscilla said nothing until the door clicked shut. All her built up tension exploded with a shrill rage, punching the air in front of her. After taking a few deep breaths, she temporarily calmed herself before removing herself from the lesser chair and taking her rightful place atop her executive throne, promptly readjusting the height back down. She just let it all stew within her mind as she felt as if she were melting into a puddle, staring aimlessly towards the door.
She covered her muzzle deep in thought and rubbed her snout. There were a number of rude things she really wanted to say to the Boss, but didn't. It was probably for the best, as this was really the best case scenario for her. No one was looking down on her, no one was chewing her out. Yet, she still felt crummy. It was actually ironic, she almost rather she got the disapproval she expected to get.
Just then she heard a faint vibration come from her purse. It was her cellphone. As the blue screen opened, her mood sunk even lower.
[Call from Cotton-Candy Boy (San) 4:00PM ]
"Of course he calls now." She said running her fingers over her scalp, before tapping the pick up icon.
"What's up Watame-kun?"