The Comfy Cartel

Corpse II

Corpse looked up at the corner flower shop on barrow. Toast and Lily had told him to meet them there a couple of days ago, as Corpse had finally made up his mind. Corpse walked in and looked around. It looked quite the ordinary flower shop. "Neat place." he muttered. "But why exactly here?" Corpse stopped at a card scanner that said Out For Break next to it. 

Corpse pulled the Cartel's business card out of his pocket and hesitated. "Should I swipe it?" Corpse thought. Corpse slid the card across the card swiper. 

"Too Fast, Try again." the screen on the card swiper read. Corpse tried again.

"Too Fast, Try again." the screen repeated. "Are you kidding me?" Corpse tried again, but slower.

"Bad Read, Try again." The screen stated. Corpse tried again.

"Too Fast, Try again." Corpse tried again.

"Too Slow, Try again." And again.

"Too Fast, Try again." 

"Bad Read, Try again."

Beep! Corpse sighed in relief as the card finally was accepted. Corpse heard a whoosh behind him, and swung his head around. A corridor had opened up behind him, with a door with a flower at the very end. 

Corpse walked down the hallway and looked at the door. "Is this it?" The door clicked open, and he heard a chuckle. "It's very nice to see you again, Corpse." The door opened to reveal a man with shades and a chiseled face. Toast smiled. "You've made the right decision." Toast bowed. "Welcome to the Cartel."

Corpse walked inside to see that he was in the main lobby a large circular building, with hundreds of agents walking about, with them occasionally glancing at Toast and nodding at him. Indoor balconies lined the inning of the building, which Corpse estimated was 5 stories high. The building was split into five sections, the North, South, East and West side, and the section in the middle.

"Woah!" Corpse exclaimed. "I never though an illegal mafia organization like this could have such fantastic architecture."

"We're not illegal." Toast smirked. "We're just a peaceful church." 

"Church?" Corpse asked. 

"Tax exemption." Toast shrugged. "Let's get to my office." Toast and Corpse boarded a private elevator, reserved for Capos and the Don. "My personal office is on the top floor, since the Capo's and the Don stay in the top floor, since we're the top dogs." Toast explained as Toast unlocked his office door.

Corpse nodded and sat down at a chair. "So Toast, I'm working under you?"

"Two things." Toast turned his head to Corpse. "First of all, don't call me Toast. Only Capo's or the Don calls me Toast. You call me Capo Toast. You gotta show some respect. Capiche?"

Corpse scratched his head. "I guess."

"Secondly, you're not working under me." Toast said. "You're working under someone who's under me. Here he comes now?" Toast said looking behind Corpse.

"Hi Corpse!" said a man with a green scarf. "It's Sykunno here! Nice to finally meet you." 

Corpse raised his eyebrow. Sykunno didn't really fit the persona of what a Comfy Cartel agent might look like. Sykunno looked too naive and nice.

"Any complaints?" Toast asked, as he saw Corpse looking at Sykunno oddly.

"No, no. He's fine." Corpse said quickly.

"Perfect!" Sykunno exclaimed. "Let's take you to Toast's division."

"Division?" Corpse asked as they took the public elevator down. "Was that not Toast's office?"

"That was Capo Toast's personal office, next to the Don's headquarters." Sykunno explained. "Each Capo gets their own division, and it's sort of symbolic you see. Capo Lily's division is in the North, since the North is the part of the building that faces the street and since she is in charge of Public Relations. Capo Poki's division is in the south, since it's the part of the building opposite from the street, since she's in charge of reconnaissance. Capo Toast's division is in the east side of the building for no particular reason but he is in charge of Territorial Expansion, and Capo Micheal's division is in the west side, which provides technological development and research.

"Anyway, here's my section in Capo Toast's division." Sykunno held the door open for Corpse. "It's kinda small, but as Capo Lily would say, that just makes it more comfy!"

An explosion of greenery met Corpse's eyes. Corpse hesitated, remembering what Toast had said to him before Sykunno came in. 

"Do you know why they call Sykunno 'The Gardener'?" Toast had said.

"Because.. he has a garden?" Corpse guessed. 

"Technically a garden." Toast corrected. "We call it his graveyard."

"Why?"

"Well, let's just say the fertilizer he uses is..." Toast trailed off. "Man-Made."

Corpse shuddered as he shook himself from that memory, and walked down the garden path, as he watched Sykunno admire his plants merrily before him.