A Victorian Love Story

Chapter 6: Who's the real snake? (Part 1)

Inside the manor

Tony walked inside, the place was very dark. That snake must've been sleeping already. Walking down the long hallway, the pictures seemed to stare at the wolf, unsettling and strange just like the the house itself. Tony made his way up to the library, the fire was still lit. Sir Pentious sat on the right hand side stiff as a board and breathing heavily.

Tony's hands shook, his lips quivering. The wolf felt something was wrong, the room got cold, and he seemed to be frozen in place. He looked down at his feet and back up only to find Sir Pentious staring down at him. His face was emotionless. Now that feeling got a thousand times worse. The snake crooked his head to the side and spoke. "You know what you've done, you know your guilt." Tony's eyes darted around, the snake gripped Tony's shoulder and went for a bite on the neck.

Suddenly Tony woke up on the bench. The poor wolf was panting wildly, his hands still shaken from the dream. He got up and looked around, the street was empty. The sun was on the rise, a huge relief calmed the wolf down. He got up and walked up to the gate, getting inside the manor, Tony could here chatter coming from the room to his left. A few egg-bois were comforting the still worried snake drinking tea.

Tony stepped in and took off his jacket. "P-Penny I'm back, p-please don't be mad." Sir Pentious looked up and nearly dropped the tea cup. "Tony!" He sat his tea away and slithered quickly up to the nervous wolf and hugged him tightly. "I thought you gotten lost ssssomewhere or worse! Please don't do that again..I don't want to lose two friends ssso sssoon.." Tony gently hugged back and sighed. For now, his nerves were calmed. As for Pent, he clung to the wolf for the rest of the afternoon, even going as far as making sure he knew where Tony was at all times. By hiding a microchip in the fur of Tony's tail.

However, when evening struck, Tony got a call on the old rotary phone. Vox had a job in line for him and wanted to meet in person. Tony had to agree to it, it'd be unwise to say no. Later that evening, he dressed in a white T shirt and khakis. He thought it was stylish enough, before he went out however, Sir Pentious caught wind of his choice of clothing. "What are you doing going out dresssed like that?" Tony turned around and replied "Whats wrong with what I'm wearing?" Sir Pentious couldn't help but giggle. "I-It's nothing Tony, you look hehe you look like a condom with toothpaste!" He burst out laughing, Tony flipped the bird and crossed his arms. "Says you gramps, the 1700's died a long time ago" he snapped back. Pent bowed with his hat. "We'll see exactly how out of fashion I am ssssome time sssoon. Until then we must dresss you properly. Come here!"

Pent took Tony by the arm and rushed to his bedroom, He opened his huge closet filled with very identical suits. Pent took out a box on the bottom of the closet and sat it on the bed. "I haven't worn thisss in a long time, I think it'd be perfect for you!" He opened it and pulled it out. It was a black suit jacket, a button shirt that looked like some grandma's curtains, and a neon yellow pair of shades. The embarrassment from Tony was immeasurable. He knew Pent was going to force him to wear it, in front of Vox of all people.

With his face illuminating red, Tony made his way to the location chosen by Vox. He was definitely a bit late since he was on foot, that was no excuse for Vox. The man was impatient and quick to anger. Yet despite the wait the payoff in his eyes was comedic gold. As soon as he saw Tony, he bent over laughing, he was laughing so hard that he teared up. Tony on the other hand showed no humor at all. "Before we start Vox, I didn't chose to dress like this." Vox calmed down enough to speak "I c-can tell" he giggled. "I didn't know Sir Pentious was such a stylish man hahaha!" Tony rolled his eyes. "You said you had a job opportunity for me? Hopefully it has nothing to do with shopping with that damn snake."

Vox shook his head and cleared his throat. "I need you to give me intel on that damn snake. Recently he's become a serious threat in becoming an overlord. The last thing we need is that moron in control of turf. I in turn will pay you well. Trust me, this is more important than it may seem. What do ya say?" Vox held out his hand. Tony looked at the hand and back at the screen. "What's the catch? Odd jobs? Hitman? Death?" Vox was quick to answer. "No catch at all! Simple intel job so I can prevent that snake from damaging my business. Nothing more." Tony took his word and shook his hand. The limousine appeared again faster than last time. "Come with me, I think it's time you see the bigger operation now that you're in." Vox got inside the limo followed by Tony.

Sir Pentious looked at the location of the microchip and it seemed to be moving fast. Too fast for a person to run. The tracker had done its job, now Pent knew where Tony was at all times. In the limo, Vox poured two glasses of champagne for the two. "How long have you been down here?" Vox asked.  "Not very long, how about you? Certainly longer than a week I hope hehe." Vox grinned devilishly. "I've been here long enough to secure my control, I can do, buy, kill whenever I want. That's the beauty of monopolistic capitalism." Tony smiled a bit just to not look worried and the two drank the champagne.

Tony looked out the window, the deprived souls walking, robbing, and prostitution filled the streets of the inner city. Vox noticed the look on Tony's face, he too looked out the tinted window. "I remember when I first came here, the place was a mess, I built it up with my influence around the city. I changed the future of this city and turned it into a landmark in hell." Tony looked back at Vox and smiled. "If only people like you were in my town, maybe things would be different. I've only known people similar to these people. Muggers, dealers, sex offenders, and more. We didn't have much, we only lost more towards the end..." Tony looked down at his feet and sighed.

Vox looked over and pat the wolf on the head. "Forget the past, you're here now, I think there is great potential in you." He smiled almost like a proud father. Tony's tail wagged from the pats, his thoughts ran quietly through his mind. "Maybe he's right, better than dying on the street." Suddenly the car stopped, Vox opened the door and stepped outside. "Follow me, I have a gift for you." Intrigued, Tony got out quickly and stood in awe at the building in front of him. The huge skyscraper has a big V on the front, the front of the building had a fountain, expensive cars parked, and a statue of Vox himself. "This is my home, and your new office." Vox said in glee. Tony was just dumbfounded, never had a place so big catch his eyes so closely. "I-I'd be honored sir." Tony said.

(That's part one of Chapter 6! This is where things start to change for our two peeps! Hope you enjoyed it!)