Queenpins 2: The Big Brass Ballad of Kronii Ouro

The Kingpins of the Vanguard Syndicate

Mumei and I approached the rendezvous point sometime around noon, just as the civies of Winningson were coming home from their nine-to-fives.

We stopped at a red light in a busy intersection, like the law-abiding citizens that we were supposed to be. Throngs of people of all stripes walked to and fro on the crosswalk in front of us: corporate drones from the financial district, drugstore and grocery clerks, tourists in strange clothes and Winningson PD cops on the beat. Every flavor of city-slicker passed us by, yes, but hardly anyone gave us a second glance, let alone turned our way.

I wanted to sneer at them.

OH! I wanted to honk my horn, roll down my windows and shout out at the top of my lungs, 'DON'T YOU KNOW WHO WE ARE!?'

Mother Sora knows that Mumei would have shouted along with me.

Though, the thing is... these civies probably wouldn't have an answer to that question. To them, we were probably just two more faces in the capital city making ends meet.

The sad part was, they wouldn't exactly be wrong. My face wasn't exactly printed on the newspapers - or on the front pages of the Daily Rattler anymore.

In Winningson, Mumei and I were nobodies at best - washed up mobsters at worst. Spend a year out of the limelight and this is what you get.

You see, my friends, ever since the HALU incident in The City, things haven't been easy for me and Moom.

Starting anew in a brand new place, even if it was just about nine train stations away, wasn't easy. Aside from the handful of folks who followed us from The City and the even fewer originals - the ladies and gents who helped me cash in my 'peace dividends' from Uncle Yagoo's merchant marine freighters - my Ouro Crime Family was barely smaller than Gawr Gura's shoe size.

Probably.

I don't know Gura's shoe size.

Sure. We had a cute little redberry smuggling racket in the outskirts of town, but that was peanuts in this town - the freaking CAPITAL of the nation. The beating HEART of Uncle Yagoo.

But that's gonna change today, I told Mumei.

Today, we were going to make it into the big leagues of Winningson.

"Today," I told Mumei, "We're gonna be RICH."

"Oh, Kronii." Mumei cooed, laying her hand over mine set on the gearstick, "You haven't changed since the day I met you."

"Should I change, Moom?" I asked, glancing sidelong towards her.

Mumei paused for a while, rubbing her chin.

My jaw dropped. Did she really have to think that long!?

Then, Mumei chuckled mischievously and shook her head with a smile, "Nah. I like you the way you are."

I smiled back at her, "Is that so?"

Then, the light turned green.

...

We carried on to the rendezvous point: some unremarkable alleyway across the street from the Kovalskia National Bank branch, far away from the prying yet uncaring eyes of the residents of Winningson. There, the half-dozen crew that made up my burgeoning Crime Family, my Kronies, were waiting for us.

The Kronies rushed over to our car and stood in attention, ready to wait on us hand and foot. I shut off the engine and my Kronies opened the door for me and Mumei. One of the Kronies offered me a cigar. Another Kronie snipped the cigar tip with a guillotine. A third Kronii then struck a match and lit the cigar for me.