Sweat dripped down my brow as I stared down the City Striplon Steak cooked to perfection set before me as it steamed its aromatics upwards and into my nostrils. Enma proceeded to baste the steak with an au jus sauce simmered with wine and a slight hint of herbed butter, drizzling the delicious liquid bronze over the steak and the collard greens - both of which were impeccably plated. My drooling mouth threatened to become a waterfall.
Enma put away the saucepan and smiled at me, "Please. Eat."
Beside me, my Block's forewoman, Bijou Koseki, was already digging into her steak. She, despite her rough and rocky attitude, ate with ladylike manners and grace that I never would have expected from her. Enma sat down and followed suit, eating with the same high-class etiquette.
Paired with the Irys jazz record playing on the record player, the Aruranian wine served in proper wine glasses and the smoke rising up from an ashtray holding Enma's cigar, I could have deluded myself that I was back in The City, sitting at the private tables of The Nephilim Club on a Monday night.
I licked my lips and steeled my resolve, but my traitorous stomach grumbled again. I winced, picked up my utensils and started to eat.
It tasted incredibly good… but I couldn't help but think of blood.
I kept eating.
Enma smiled and watched me from across the table.
"So, what do you think?" Enma asked, picking up her lit cigar from the ashtray, "It's medium rare. Just like you like it."
"It beats the prison food." I answered honestly.
"Understatement of the century." Bijou piped up.
Enma laughed.
"But this is prison food, dear Kronii." Enma corrected, puffing on her cigar, "Prison can be as comfortable or as uncomfortable as you make it, you see." She set down her cigar and picked up her wine glass, "But the meal you're having now is a privilege for those who have good heads on their shoulders - and people who can provide value. Heh. Value to me, of course."
I gulped down my morsel of steak and looked Enma straight in the eyes.
"How the hell did you end up here, Enma?" I asked her directly, "After what you did in The City, you were gonna get the electric chair!"
"Hey…!" Bijou lashed at me. She promptly wielded her steak knife and furrowed her brow. She held it up so high I could see my reflection on the oil-smeared blade.
I gulped.
"Now, now, Biboo." Enma shook her head, "Kronii and I have a history. That's just the way she is. Don't get too excited."
Bijou heaved a sigh and continued to eat. Meanwhile, I heaved a sigh of relief. Enma, meanwhile, sipped her wine and recounted her tale.
"You're right. I was put into death row for using a Pekolander mania-inducing chemical weapon on citizens of The Nation. That's what they wrote on the papers." Enma swirled the wine in her glass and smirked, "But here's the thing, Kronii. I have connections who… see the value in the kind of work that I can do on their behalf. I pulled some of their strings to get me out of Death Row - then I called in some favors to take me out of Maximum Security." She sipped her wine again, adding, "Death sentence became life in prison. Then life in prison became twenty years."
"When the hell did that happen!?" I frowned, "It wasn't on the news!"
"But it was." Enma wagged her finger, "My death sentence was on the front pages. My… acquitals and commutations were between the funnies and the obituaries - pages nobody reads."
"Still, you're in Fort Whiskey." I argued, "Medium Security Prison ain't not exactly freedom."
"Hah. I could have bought my freedom." Enma sneered, "I have enough money and influence to chip away at my twenty year sentence… but I'm quite happy here in Fort Whiskey, as you can tell." She glanced at Bijou and asked, "What is it that you young'uns say nowadays?"
"Medium is premium." Bijou answered.
Enma laughed again and finished her wine.
"What's freedom compared to power, my dear?" Enma asked, setting down her wine glass, "Here, in Fort Whiskey, I am a valuable asset."
"How so?" I asked.
"Well, for one, I've turned one of Uncle Yagoo's money sinks - our Nation's prison system - into a profitable business." Enma smiled slyly at me, "The Winningson Police Department, and the City of Winningson are gonna be indebted to me - what with Mayor Yukoku being up for reelection and all. The National Revenue Service loves me too!"
"I noticed." I scoffed, "That's where this whole Mine-Craft duty came from, yeah?"
"Correct." Enma nodded, "But that's not all, my dear. Here at Fort Whiskey, I've become a key resource for… let's say… people who need stuff done to people. People in The Nation's capital have a lot of skeletons in their closet." She looked straight into my eyes and mused, "Everyone here at Fort Whiskey is either my accomplice… or my target. Which one will you be, perhaps? I haven't decided yet."
I paused and sank in my seat.
"So that's why stone-face is here sitting with me?" I asked, "So you don't have to get your hands dirty?"
"Hey!" Bijou frowned.
"I can neither confirm nor deny." Enma spoke calmly. Then, she pointed at me, "But I can promise you this, Kronii. Render your services to me, and I can make your wish come true."
"What do you mean by that - making my wish come true?" I clarified.
"I could have you transferred to Block C, to start." Enma explained cheerfully, "The inmates here are loyal to me, and no harm would come to you. I've been looking for a forewoman for this Block after all. Biboo's already busy whipping your Block into submission."
"You'd have to call me senpai though ." Bijou added, pointing to her purple bandana "I'm Miss Enma's head forewoman."
"Yes you are, Biboo." Enma doted on the rocky girl. Then, she turned back to me, "Biboo has her own suite here in Block C. Smaller than mine, but way better than yours. Prove yourself to me, and you'll earn a suite of your own!"
"Your suite would also be smaller than mine." Bijou huffed.
"But I need more space than you." I teased.
"Why you…!" Bijou hissed.
"But… I can also offer you something else that you might want." Enma cut her steak, forked her slice and pointed it at me, "I can offer you your freedom."
"My freedom…" I shook my head in disbelief, "But what's the catch?"
"You'd still be working for me - as one of my agents outside Fort Whiskey." Enma answered cheerfully, munching on her steak, "You'd be my liaison with people I deal with outside these walls." She wiped her lips with a napkin and smiled, "And I deal with many, many people. Believe me."
"Even the Vanguard Syndicate?" I asked.
"Only if they're willing to pay my price. Some of the four boys do. Some of the four boys don't." Enma teased, "Though… they're not the only ones in need of my 'services'. Those young'uns you called your Ouro Crime Family once upon a time asked for my help too."
I gritted my teeth and pushed the rest of my steak away, "They did…!?"
"They wanted you dead. 'Your' gangsters." Enma revealed, "But I talked them - and the judge - down to eight years in prison for armed robbery and assault. Aren't I nice? I'm really good at... renegotiating death sentences, huh?"
I blinked and lowered my head.
"So, you got them in contact with Vanguard." I deduced.
"I didn't." Enma shrugged feigning innocence, "My agents did."
I frowned and faced my old boss.
"Did Mumei want me gone too?" I asked.
"I'm not at liberty to disclose detailed information." Enma replied, joining her hands together like a praying mantis.
"Damn it!" I clicked my tongue.
"But I will tell you this." Enma started, tapping her utensils on the table, "You have many enemies outside these walls, Kronii. The Vanguard Syndicate is incredibly strong in Winningson. They have the habit of taking greedy upstarts looking for shortcuts like the Ouro Crime Family under their umbrella and clipping their wings." She laid her hand over her heart and smiled cooly, "You have a better chance of surviving - and thriving - here with me in Fort Whiskey."
"I've already talked with Miss Enma, Kronii Ouro." Bijou spoke proudly, sparkling like a gemstone, "The two of us will be Capos - and Miss Enma will be our Queenpin. Not a bad deal if you ask me - especially if you're spending eight years on this rock."
I started to fidget. I felt Enma's and Bijou's eyes fixed on me. I couldn't look back at either of them.
"Ever since I met you all those years ago, Kronii, you wanted to be rich." Enma beamed, "Well, here's your chance to be rich. And you'll be swiping money from Uncle Yagoo again, just like the good ole' days."
My heart thumped nervously against my chest. A myriad of different voices started arguing in my head - and the doubts and fears were winning.
"How do I know I can trust you?" I demanded, looking Enma straight in the eyes, "I know you. You talk big game - but you have trouble seeing things through. Can you really offer me all of this? Do you really have that much power?"
Enma looked at me. Then, she laughed.
"I don't. But the people who owe me everything do." Enma called my dare cheerfully, "Count the number of chairs at this table, Kronii. There's somebody else that I'd like you to meet - and she should be coming by fairly soon."
True enough, I counted four chairs to three people. Right on cue, there was a knock on the door.
"Ah. She's here." Enma smiled. She turned to the door and hollered, "Come in!"
The door opened. Then, a strangely familiar figure sauntered in, but I couldn't quite remember her.
This figure wore a formal Winningson Police Department dress uniform, complete with medals pinned to her breast and a peaked cap. She had long black hair with blue highlights that ran all the way down her back and two ebony horns on her head - one longer than the other - that held her cap snugly in place. In her hands, she cradled a small, pastel green box that I had seen many times in the past.
It was a take out box from the Mother Nature Cafe in The City. Fauna Ceres' bakery.
The figure's dark red eyes turned to me.
"Kronii Ouro, the pirate. It's been eight years." The figure spoke with a beautiful, albeit prickly voice, "Destiny has a way of drawing circles, doesn't it?"
I raised my brow and asked, "Who are you again?"
"Nerissa Ravencroft." The figure answered. She set down her takeout box and took off her peaked cap, letting her hair shimmer in the lights of Enma's room, "I was once the Captain of the S.S. Winningson - the merchant marine ship that you stole from. That robbery cost me my job."
"And now, she's the Warden of the Fort Whiskey Medium Security Prison." Enma grinned, "I gave her this job when I was still Chief of Police in The City - gave her full endorsements. Now, she's one of my faithful servants."
"Nori-chan!" Bijou piped up, her gemlike eyes shimmering. She stood up from her seat and her stone-faced, stoic demeanor shattered like a crumbling sculpture.
"Good evening, Biboo." Nerissa smiled, "I brought cake for four."
"Wheee~!" Bijou cheered, hugging Nerissa tightly.
Seeing a hardened criminal embracing a prison warden was a surreal sight, but I had to realize something important. Both Nerissa and Bijou were in Enma's pocket. It didn't matter if they were cops or robbers, Enma owned them.
And now… Enma wants to own me too.
Bijou happily took Warden Nerissa's coat for her and put it on a coat hanger for her. Enma, meanwhile, served more steak to the newcomer. All the while, Enma brought Nerissa up to speed on everything we'd talked about thus far.
"And that about sums up our discussions, Nori dear." Enma summarized.
"I see." Nerissa finished her meal and wiped her mouth with ladylike grace, just like Bijou. Then, she turned to me and insisted, "I am prepared to offer you the preferential treatment that Chief… I mean, Miss Enma has promised you. I am also prepared to facilitate your early release." She gulped down her glass of wine in one go and looked at me squarely, "Whichever of these paths you decide to choose, you can expect my full support."
"But she's gonna get a smaller room than me, right?" Bijou chimed.
"Of course, Biboo~" Nerissa doted the rocky girl with a smile.
Bijou grinned and then stuck her tongue out at me. Damn, cheeky kid!
I, on the other hand, sat stunned.
"But what if I refused?" I asked Warden Nerissa frankly.
Nerissa tightened the tie of her uniform and spoke frankly as well, "Then I cannot guarantee your safety in Fort Whiskey."
"And you wouldn't last very long." Bijou added, smirking at me, "Let's just say that it wasn't an accident that you were put into Block B."
"Also, please make your decision before you leave here tonight, Kronii." Enma warned, "You're a decisive woman, so I need a decisive answer. So, now, choose."
Choose? Choose between a leash or a noose? It wasn't much of a choice, was it?
I took a deep breath and stilled my heart as much as I could.
"I have one request, Warden Ravencroft." I asked, turning to her, "There's something that I'd like to ask."
Nerissa turned to Enma. My old boss picked up her cigar and nodded.
"Ask away." Nerissa spoke.
"Mumei Nanashi. Is she a prisoner here at Fort Whiskey?" I asked.
"No." Nerissa answered quickly.
She's not here…? But then… there's something else I've got to ask.
"Is there a warrant of arrest for Mumei Nanashi?" I asked again.
"That's two questions, Miss Ouro." Nerissa furrowed her brow, "You're pushing your luck."
"Answer her, Nori. In full." Enma puffed her cigar leisurely, "This is important. I want her to make an informed decision."
Nerissa poured herself a glass of wine, drank some of it and then answered me.
"There is an outstanding warrant of arrest against a Ms. Mumei Nanashi. She is still at-large and has not been arrested by Winningson PD." Nerissa revealed bluntly,.
"Mumei's still out there…" I laid my hand on my heart, "Then that means she's…"
"She's Public Enemy Number One." Nerissa snapped, "Winningson PD is using all their resources to go after her. It won't be long before she's arrested too."
"Or killed by the Vanguard Syndicate." Bijou snickered.
"Mumei's much tougher than you guys think." I argued, "She was a Queenpin ruling from the toughest streets of The City. She's not going down without a fight!"
Enma smirked.
"So, does this mean that we won't be working together?" Enma asked knowingly.
"Yeah. I don't want anything to do with you, Enma. Not after the shit you pulled off in The City." I spoke firmly, "If Mumei's out there taking her chances, then I'm gonna take my chances in here too."
"For eight years?" Enma asked.
"For as long as I have to." I barked back, "I'm Mumei's Queenpin. I can't give up before she does! Mumei and I are gonna have our revenge on the Vanguard Syndicate, even if it's the last thing we do!"
"Well spoken." Enma grinned, "Misguided, but well spoken."
"But Chief…!" Nerissa and Bijou argued.
"Kronii Ouro is a decisive woman. She's already sealed her own fate." Enma didn't flinch in the slightest, "If she wants to roll the dice, then let her. Farewell, Kronii Ouro. Sleep with one eye open from now on."
With that, I stood up from my seat and stormed out of Enma's room. I felt the angry glares of Bijou and Nerissa flying like knives against my back, but I didn't turn around. I slammed the door behind me, wiped my mouth with the back of my hand and never looked back.
…
Still inside Enma's special prison suite, Enma, forewoman Bijou and warden Nerissa sat at the dining table stunned.
"We were so close to getting her, chief!" Bijou protested, "Why'd you let her ask that question about the owl?"
"She would have been a half-assed lackey if she took the bait without knowing." Enma answered, pouring herself another glass of wine, "I don't deal in half-assed things, Biboo, and neither do you."
"But of course." Bijou sighed, wolfing down the rest of her steak.
Nerissa folded her arms and looked at Kronii's plate, "What a waste of talent." She then turned to Bijou and asked, "So, when do you plan to make your move?"
"As soon as possible." Bijou reached for the box of cake and opened it, "I've already made arrangements. It'll be an easy hit. Too easy. Can you give Block B Mine-Craft duty again tomorrow, Nori-chan?"
"Don't leave a mess." Nerissa cautioned her, "I don't want Fort Whiskey on the news."
"I won't." Bijou smirked, "The rain will wash the stones clean."
Then, Bijou stabbed the cake with her fork.
…
I got back to Block B just minutes after curfew. The guards on duty were just about ready to scold me until I told them I came from Block C. The moment I said that, they stopped pestering me and let me through without question.
I marched briskly through the Block B halls towards my cell accompanied by one of the guards. I had a lot of things on my mind after that meeting with Enma. I still wasn't sure about who I could trust in this damn prison, but Botan has - so far - been a reasonable cellmate.
I wanted to talk with her and tell her everything I knew. Perhaps, she and I could even work something out: I scratch her back and she'll scratch mine and all that. There is some honor among thieves and I hoped and prayed to Mother Sora that I could trust the lioness.
However, when I got to my cell, it as empty.
"Uh… excuse me." I talked to the guard who accompanied me, "Where's my cellmate?"
"Botan Shishiro?" The guard hummed, "She got transferred to Block C a while ago. Warden's orders."
Warden's orders.
Yeah right.
Those were Ennma's orders. She's already tightening the noose.
I stepped into my now empty cell and watched the guard close the cell doors shut. Then, lightning flashed outside my barred windows.
A storm was coming.
...
I didn't like my chances.
…
Queenpins 2: The Big Brass Ballad of Kronii Ouro
No Deal
…
To Be Continued
