Prologue
Ahe...
Ahehehe...
Ahehehehe~!
...
Amelia H. Watson emerged from the curtains of Fauna's ear-cleaning booth smiling from ear to ear. She was happy. Too happy. So happy that her hard-boiled detective persona couldn't string together two dark thoughts about corruption, decay or jaywalking for her monologue. Instead, Ame was giggling and smiling and was projecting sunshine and rainbows that made even the sunny Kiara cringe.
Where's my dark and brooding Ame-senpai!? What did you do to her!?
When Fauna emerged from the ear-cleaning booth, the rookie Phoenix detective confronted her. She was still disguised as the English-less Erika, however, so she let her troubled expression speak for her.
"Ara~ your friend is fine. Miss Amelon hasn't been pampered for a long time, you see." Fauna explained, "I'm very good at taking the load off of people's shoulders, after all!"
Kiara hovered around Ame and searched for any signs of foul play or injuries - anything short of an actual lobotomy.
"I'm fiiiine~!" Ame reassured, speaking with a pleasant voice that Kiara never thought she would hear from, "Fauna's pretty good!"
Maybe a little too good if Ame-senpai's like that!
While Ame was still walking on sunshine, Fauna led her back to the bar, promising to serve her another helping of iced lychee lemonade with strawberry jelly. Ame graciously accepted the offer without a second thought!
Kiara trembled. She didn't know if she should arrest Fauna right then and there. However, when Ame let Fauna lead her away, the senior detective suddenly gave Kiara a sharp thumbs up - reassuring her that she was actually fine.
Senpai...! You really are a method actress, huh?
Fauna sat the mellowed out Ame down and promptly returned to Kiara.
"It's your turn, Erika." Fauna smiled, "Don't worry. I'll make your experience as enjoyable as I can~!" She politely gave 'Erika' a curtsy, "That is Mother Nature's promise!"
Left without a choice, Kiara followed Fauna into the booth and had her ears cleaned.
To her surprise, it was an incredibly delightful experience.
By the time Kiara was finished with her session, she felt quite relieved. She was even quite impressed by Fauna's service.
Maybe it won't hurt to visit this cafe during my time off. Maybe Ame-senpai and Ina-senpai might want to tag along?
Pleased as Kiara was, however, she and Ame still had a job to do. The two plainclothes detectives walked out of the Mother Nature cafe bearing the two paper packages that Fauna handed to them: the package from Calliope Mori, and the same package that Gawr Gura gave them in the first place!
That was their 'payment' for the special lemonade and the ear-cleaning sessions, Fauna explained with her sweet voice. Fauna saw Kiara and Ame on their way out and bowed to the two of them.
"Thank you for your patronage!" Fauna exclaimed, "Please make sure that Miss Irys gets her packages - and I hope that the two of you can visit again soon!"
Kiara and Ame nodded to the owner-slash-maid and sauntered back to their car a block and a half away. Ame kept up her ditzy, sunny act until Fauna was well out of earshot. Then, Ame's Noire personality came roaring back to the surface.
"We live in a city of lies." Ame started, sharpening her gaze while she adjusted her fedora, "What's one more liar to the pile?"
"You're finally back~!" Kiara welcomed her brooding senpai happily.
"I'm home." Ame smirked.
Even though Ame was back to normal, the senior detective did look a little bit less stressed out. Moreover, she started to respect her rookie partner more and more. Because of this, when they reached the car, Ame lobbed the keys over to Kiara.
"W-wait a second. You're gonna let ME drive?" Kiara was surprised. She nearly fumbled the catch and asked, "W-where to?"
"City PD HQ. One strange package delivery from one gang is bad enough, but two packages isn't something we can risk." Ame spoke in her usual businesslike voice, "I need to go over our notes and the things you found out while you snooped around. I'll be racking my brains for this one. There's a lot to wrap our heads around, after all." She scoffed, "If we're gonna ask for Ina's help, she'll expect us to pull our weight."
"That makes sense." Kiara hummed.
"So, try not to get us killed." Ame paused and then wore a small smile, "Partner."
"You got it, Ame-senpai~!" Kiara gave Ame a happy salute. Then, she paused, "Wait a sec... did you finally call me 'Partner'!?"
Ame chuckled playfully, "I wonder."
Still, this was enough to make Kiara giddy. She started the car and Ame hopped into the passenger's seat. The two of them then made their way back to headquarters, talking about the case the whole way there.
...
Ame and Kiara drove into the underground parking lot of City PD HQ late in the afternoon. They took the stairs and climbed it all the way up to the Forensics Department. On their way up, a lot of the patrol officers - the Uniforms - scoffed when Ame and Kiara passed by. The officers made fun of them and called them Chief Enma's sacrificial lambs.
"Don't mind them." Ame shrugged and buried her hands in her pockets, "Stay in City PD a while and you'll get used to it."
"But they're being mean!" Kiara argued, "Can't we bring this up to HR?"
"Trust me, I've already tried." Ame groaned, "They'll just laugh at you even harder."
"That's terrible..."
Despite Ame's reassurance, Kiara wanted to charge at the jeering Uniforms and give them a piece of her mind. However, it was at this time when another patrol officer happened by.
"OMAE~!!" The newcomer, a female police officer with short black hair, screamed at the jeering Uniforms, "You boys and girls have easy jobs patrolling Central. Detectives Watson and her new partner are doing jobs you don't WANT to do!"
Kiara paused. She watched the officer confront her peers and give them a stern talking to right there and then in the stairwell. It was quite a spectacle!
Once the officer said her piece, the jeering Uniforms scattered and went about their own business. Grumbling all the way home, of course.
The officer heaved a sigh, put hands on her hips and turned around to Ame and Kiara with a bright grin.
"Are the two of you alright?" The officer asked.
"Much better now that you're here, Subaru." Ame smiled warmly.
"I'm glad I can help!" Subaru beamed back. She then went over to Kiara and extended her hand, "I don't believe we've had the chance to meet. I'm Subaru Oozora!"
"Detective Kiara Takanashi." Kiara shook Subaru's hand, "Nice to meet you, Officer Oozora."
"Just 'Subaru' is fine~!" Subaru smiled at Kiara, "We're here to 'Serve and Protect', you see. That includes our fellow police officers."
"Hehe~ I like your policy." Kiara agreed wholeheartedly.
"I'm the daytime Watch Commander here at Central." Subaru continued proudly, "I also help out in Technical Services when they're shorthanded - which is all the time, it seems."
"Subaru here is one of the few bright spots of City PD, Kiara." Ame explained, patting Subaru's shoulder fondly, "Do good by her and the City and she'll have your back!"
Subaru gave the two detectives a peace sign and excused herself. However, before Subaru could go downstairs, Ame called out to her.
"Actually, Subaru, it's useful that you happened by." Ame started, "There's actually something we needed your help with - as someone from Technical Services."
Subaru tilted her head curiously. Then, she noticed the packages that Ame and Kiara were carrying.
All of a sudden, Subaru's expression became serious. Her eyes widened.
Then, she berated Ame at the top of her lungs.
"OMAEEEEEEEEE!!!"
...
In a few short minutes, Ame and Kiara found themselves in Ina's office on the Forensics Department floor. Ina was there, of course, but she wasn't in her perennial half-asleep daze. After all, ten paces away from them, Officer Oozora was wearing a full-on hazmat suit and was handling the two packages.
"I swear, Ame, if you blow up my office... it's coming out of your paycheck." Ina grumbled with seething anger.
"What if we all die from the explosion?" Ame asked morbidly.
"Then Kiara, Subaru and I will haunt you in the freaking afterlife!" Ina erupted like a volcano.
"E-eehhh!? Afterlife!?" Kiara was troubled, "I'm a Phoenix... but I haven't really tested my coming-back-to-life abilities!"
All of a sudden, a muffled 'SHH!' reached their ears. Subaru shushed the three noisy ladies. Ame, Kiara and Ina promptly shut themselves up and let the armored officer do her work.
Subaru used a long cutting tool and carefully opened the two packages. All the while, Ame, Kiara and Ina watched her with equal parts fear and curiosity.
Slowly but surely, Subaru opened the packages one by one.
Moments later, Subaru set down her cutting tool and gave a thumbs up.
"Both packages open. All clear."
With that, Ame, Kiara and Ina carefully walked over to the open packages. There, they found what appeared to be actual care packages. Calli's package had a fancy-looking tea set and a choice collection of Swingwell brand imported teas. Gura's package, meanwhile, had tin cans of Lemon Shark brand fruit salad and a can of peeled lychees.
Ina and Subaru slowly craned their heads towards Ame and Kiara. Their eyes were burning with furious flame. The two detectives, on the other hand, laughed uncomfortably.
They had a lot of explaining to do.
...
Queenpins
Squawk Box
...
To Be Continued