Free Web NovelChapter 491: Arc 6, Chapter 107: The Castigator
"Sorry sir, no weapons allowed," the neatly dressed doorman halted Ben from entering the rustic establishment before them.
The Friday nightlife was as buzzing as the crickets that chirped throughout the shrubbery. A seaside breeze drifted down the brick roads, that were lit in yellows which invited the moths to incur concussions.
Ben looked at the bracers he held in his arms, "D’you have some coat check I can leave this in?"
The doorman’s brows furrowed, "This isn’t South End sir," he uttered with a bit of dignified disdain. "Return when you’ve left your weapons at home."
"It’s getting late; best you go back to your hotel," Fumeko grabbed her sheath with the dagger and unclipped it from her belt. She tossed the sheathed blade to Ben, who caught it onto the pile.
"I could’ve done that before we came all the way out here," he complained. "Besides, what about you? You’re gonna go home alone?"
"I’ll manage I’m sure," she rolled her eyes and entered the establishment. ’Up the steps till the top.’ Fumeko avoided the dimly lit barroom and went straight for the stairs on the side.
The second floor had another bar, but instead of tables, there were games of billiards and darts being played. A choking smoke permeated the air, through which Fumeko continued up. Past a room used for storing, the fourth floor was the last.
She went past a thin wooden wall with glass panels and a windowed door, which she closed behind her. Ivy and heart-shaped leaves draped down the balcony from the roof.
Pink and purple blossoms were asleep for the night, but gave a light magical glow, while the breeze rustled against the building. Lamps were affixed to the sides, outlooking the balcony that was guarded by a rail and thin wooden posts.
The scent of tobacco lingered under the ceiling, originating from two ladies sat at the one table that overlooked the town below and towards the Fineas Sea.
With their previous conversation paused, Fumeko’s footsteps on the creaking wood was all the more clear on the private balcony. Diana Ward sat on the side more draped with ivy, with a long silver smoking pipe pinched between her fingers. fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm
Sat opposite her with the more plentiful view and a cigarette holder the same quarter-metre length as the smoking pipe, was Rosemary Cheshire, who took another pull of it and puffed it out towards the town side.
The lavishly-dressed Rose gave the brunette a smile, "Hello darling. What brings you to Cape Iris at this hour~?"
Fumeko took a seat facing the view, "You obviously."
"Hm. Am I in trouble?"
"No."
"And how did you find her?" Diana cocked her head to the side.
"Alicia," Fumeko darted her eyes across. ’Even though Rose’s in the fifth location we checked...’
Rose let out a chuckle and shook her head, "That reporter."
’Why are there three drinks, and why are they all drunk from?’ Fumeko’s eyes stayed on the sweating glasses of alcohol. "Do you know Alicia well?"
"I’d hope so. I’ve known that woman for so long now~ She isn’t a part of the company, but the girl’s been a consultant for so long she might as well be."
"If utility comes in the form of pestilence these days," Diana remarked with a purse of her lips.
Rose’s head lolled to one side, "Oh have a heart Di." She glanced back to Fumeko, "She was poking her nose in mobster dens till she got saved—I’d know. Then again, she mostly ever worked with... Well," she sighed.
Fumeko looked to the side while Rose took a long drag from her cigarette. The brunette cleared her throat, "Was I interrupting something?"
"Di and I were just talking-"
"No, you weren’t. You’re more than welcome to join," Diana took a smoke of her pipe and offered it over to Fumeko.
"Do I look like a smoker?" Fumeko gave it a half-lidded gaze.
Diana snubbed the short brunette and took a drag of her pipe. Her tail swayed in soft circles. "He certainly was," she muttered.
Fumeko scoffed out a breath, "Yeah sure, I believe you—the one who said there was no point attending his funeral."
Rose’s eyes trailed down to the red cocktail, "Didn’t know you lot met already. Interesting though~ You went to see him and Quinn today, didn’t you darling~?" a roguish smile curled up at Diana as she swished her glass.
"My business is my own Cheshire," she observed the blossoms and ivy.
"Don’t mind the hag, she does it on purpose," Rose said to the side and took a sip of her drink. Diana’s ear flickered. "But there’s no reason to pile up the lies now. I’ve seen him smoke before, but apparently it was a worse habit," she shrugged.
Fumeko glared. "I don’t care if he did or didn’t, I don’t want a smoke."
"Don’t think that’s what got him killed," Diana grinned.
"Diana..." Rose pronounced every syllable slowly.
"Why lie? Maybe you didn’t know your father as much as you think you did if you’re getting worked up over that fact. Poor thing," Diana’s ears folded, though her smile never went away as she looked directly at Fumeko. "Are you wrestling with that?"
’... ... ...’ Fumeko’s narrowed gaze continued staring daggers. ’...! I’ve played this game before—with someone better. I’m not gonna be riled up that easily—not anymore.’
The scowling expression faded as Fumeko sat back and eyed the fox-woman. "Maybe I am. It’s clear I knew one side of him. Then again, everyone has secrets to hide Ms Ward. I wonder how those scars came about-"
"The great fire," Diana rolled her eyes and looked at the townscape. Her ears bristled back up with a disappointed sigh leaving her lips in the form of tobacco smoke, "Tried to save my wife, but she’s dead and who knows if there was a chance, but I’m here and she’s not."
Fumeko stared... All she could muster was a lazy sigh? She evidently has had years to grieve, but the quick offhanded remark about the event was... The brunette shook out of it, "I wasn’t finished. I was gonna ask what you were talking about before I got here."
Rose gave the fox-lady a smile, "Beautiful night to forge relationships. Ones that can help a lot with current affairs~"
Diana put the smoking pipe to her lips, only to realize the smoke had gone out. She watched it for a moment, then turned to face Fumeko for the next few...
Her fox-like ears flickered and her brows jerked once as she looked back at the table and set her pipe down. She laid back against her chair and crossed one leg over the other, "Pinfree," she called out. She knocked the table with her pipe.
...
Climbing up the table was a small figure, about the size of a rat. In fact, it was a rat—quite a fluffy one at that. Its thick copper-brown fur was in curls, like the wool of a sheep and the hind legs were brown hooves that were silent.
Two ridged horns spiralled by its ears that were decorated by gold dust. It wore a little feathered cap, a dark brown tunic, a pair of dark pantaloons and a whitish sash between the two with a set of hanging pouches.
Its beady black eyes squinted at Fumeko, before twitching its whiskers. It scampered over to the porcelain pot and grabbed a pile of cut tobacco leaves, with which it placed next to Diana’s smoking pipe and cleared the dottle out of it first.
’A trained ramrat?’ "You tamed a ramrat to fill your pipe?" Fumeko raised a brow.
"Wasn’t hard," Diana replied.
The ramrat stuffed the new tobacco into the pipe, "Listen ’ere lass, I ain’t no beast ta be tamed." It, or she, spat on the refilled pipe and lit it up.
’... ... ...I don’t care enough.’ Fumeko shook her head.
"Fancy a nightcap?" Rose turned to the brunette.
"Brandy."
"Good taste," Diana replied then looked at her, companion? "Watch your tongue accursed rodent. You’re talking to the daughter of the late detective."
"And ha’ was I suppose’ ta know that?" the ramrat complained to Diana before she glanced over at the mentioned daughter. "Miss Namora then I take it. Sorry fer yer loss lass; he was a good man he was.
"Thank you..."
"Pinfree~ Three glasses of brandy. Won’t you be a doll?" Rose continued.
"Aye Ms Rose, I hear ya," the ramrat scurried off the table, onto Diana’s lap and across the floor to jump into a dumbwaiter, which she promptly pulled the pulleys on to go down the floors.
"Does it work here or is the bartender gonna scream?" Fumeko side-eyed.
"She’s mine," Diana replied. "This pub’s used to her. She got cursed, oh, decades ago. She doesn’t have much of her human memories anymore. I’m just putting some more of my cards on the table.
Rose can get into anywhere or anyone she wants to. I know why you must be here, so before continuing Rose and mine’s conversation, all I want to know, is what exactly you bring to said conversation."
’...’ Fumeko faced the table.
"Being the daughter of him isn’t going to cut it. You’ve been an adventurer, gallivanting around the woods and deserts across the lands from what I know," Diana looked down upon her.
Fumeko contemplated. ’What do I bring...?’
"Even that reporter has her credits to do what she does, and you? You’re fresh out of high school. You’ve been lucky enough to have an affinity to save your behind, but even Pinfree had one before she got turned into a ramrat," she probed further.
Rose quietly finished her drink.
’Great, even that rat can get a hold of her affinity and I... Fuck.’ Fumeko’s eyes darted around; her brows furrowed lower and lower.
"Well then? Speak up girl—cat got your throat?"
Fumeko leered at Diana, "Just because you and Rose have slept together, doesn’t mean you two are more qualified than me to be on this case or know what you’re planning."
Rose’s fingers clutched the neck of her cocktail glass so tightly that it nearly broke, while Diana’s tail came to a sudden stop—the hairs on her ears stood up.
"Figured as much. Even if you don’t like Mrs Aetherton, you can’t deny she’s more qualified than me, and yet you’re giving me a chance to work with you. What’s more, what you said Rose can do, Pinfree can probably do to, and you still chose to not work alone."
Rose cleared her throat, "I should clarify darling, we haven’t done anything like that for years now. It’s, mostly professional."
"I don’t care." ’Never mind everything else I’ve noticed about them.’
"Brilliant," Rose set her glass down. "As for Mona, I’m not sure what Di’s said, but I’ll put it a bit more eloquently maybe. She’s now at the top; even if she wasn’t, her expertise doesn’t fit well with what we need to do.
She’s much, much more useful after something happens, and that’s a compliment to her work~ But now that she’s the best detective in Burnetrout, there’ll be no doubt a target on her back."
"Not just from the cult mind you," Diana added with a puff of her pipe. "People like your reporter friend, syndicates and even the grand alderman herself will have their eyes on her."
’Considering what Lady Pinberry said to me, that might not be true...’
"And she’ll have a whole lot more work on her hands," Rose stated.
"Undoubtedly. Burnetrout might not want to accept the fact that Kazuo Namora was a much more effective man when he wasn’t known. Now look where it got him," Diana pitied.
"Regardless," Fumeko looked fiercely ahead. "If that’s what you think, then I’m more effective than all of you. I solved the Velatos Case. I helped in the time-travelling conspiracy in Hartamat. I aided in the Last Stand that severed the Trailon Regime out of the war.
I rooted out traitors and secrets in Tamara Palace, gathered crucial information about the serial murders in Dolpool, tracked down the cult all the way to South End and helped dispatch Beauregard in Belle-Ventrialis.
Barely anybody knows my name, they just know the last. Nobody knows what I look like, cause all my other friends sparkle and gladhand a hell of a lot more than me.
I’ll get this done, one way or another. So, if you don’t wanna help and let me in, that’s fine by me; it’s your loss," she declared, crystal-clear.
...
Diana sighed, "Kids these days; solve a few cases and it gets to their head. Alright fine, you’ve convinced me." The dumbwaiter squeaked back up with three glasses of brandy and a ramrat riding next to them.
With a surprising amount of strength, Pinfree lifted a glass in both paws and walked over to hand one to Fumeko, before returning to serve the other two, one at a time. Pinfree then climbed up the table, and leaned her head into the half-drunken glass of cider to slurp.
