GOING BOSTAL
1. The Games People Play (part a)
The Bishoujo-a-Go-Go video parlour in Port Bostal's busy pleasure district wasn't the sort of place one would generally expect to find real girls. In fact, most of its services were designed to substitute for actual female companionship, with a range of adult DVDs showcasing a healthy selection of Japanese AV idols, a wide variety of bishoujo games featuring pretty young women of all shapes and sizes, and private booths, rentable by the hour, in which to absorb and savour the entertainment on offer.
And so, when the two teenaged slave girls walked in the door, Hefty Hugh had to rub at his eyes momentarily to make sure he wasn't hallucinating.
No, they were real enough, all right, even if Hugh's vision wasn't what it used to be. One taller, one slightly younger and shorter. Both with flowing brown hair and slender figures that were displayed to full effect by their skimpy leather vests and equally skimpy leather miniskirts. They could practically have walked off the screens of one of the parlour's bishoujo games. In fact...
"...still can't believe you woke me up this early just to go play games," an approaching voice grumbled from outside as the two slave girls looked around the video parlour's interior, wide-eyed.
"Would you rather hit the video parlours at night, then, when they're packed with unwashed otaku pigging out, leering at Anna and Kana, and taking all the best games?" another voice asked, evenly.
"Well, no," the first voice said, as the door was shoved open and the two speakers appeared in the doorway, silhouetted by the bright morning sunlight outside. "But waking me up before noon on what's supposed to be a vacation is cruel and unusual punishment."
The pair were familiar to Hugh – after all, they'd spent a considerable amount of time and money here on their last stopover in Port Bostal. The shorter, dark-haired one was called Darkling: a siscon to warm the cockles of even Hefty Hugh's shallow heart. And his taller companion was Wolfson: a grade-A lolicon whose appetite for bishoujo games and AV idols was near insatiable.
Just the kind of patrons Hugh liked to see.
"Wolf-san! Dark-san!" he greeted them, cheerfully, as they stepped inside, pushing the door closed behind them. "I trust your paths have remained smooth since last we met?"
Wolfson just smiled wryly. "That's a big ask in our line of work, you know."
"Tell me about it," Darkling muttered.
"I see you have company today," Hugh said, waving an expansive arm to indicate the two slave girls, who were over at the bishoujo games rack now, poking idly through the selection. "Are they rentals, or did you borrow them from their owners for the day?"
"Well," Wolfson allowed, "that's one area in which we've done pretty well over the last few weeks. You see—"
"Oukami-sama cut our old master's neck wide open!" one of the slave girls burst out, excitedly. "You should have seen it! Then we went to this really ugly fortress where that icky woman tried to have sex with Oukami-sama, but he sent her packing. And Yuta-san had me and Kana-chan chained up in his basement, but then Oukami-sama and Kurai-sama came and handed his skinny butt to him!" She slid her arm through Wolfson's and clung to his side adoringly. "Oukami-sama's so cool, and he's so good at making me feel good! Just this morning we—"
"Ahem!" Wolfson broke in, pinching the girl's bottom so she squealed and glared up at him indignantly. "That'll do, Chiisai-chan."
"Oh." She looked up at him, her eyes turning somewhat forlorn. "Hai, Oukami-sama..."
"This is Anna," Wolfson said, indicating the girl still clinging like a limpet to his arm. "And that's..." He turned around, looking for the other girl, who was standing a few paces back behind Darkling, her eyes lowered deferentially.
"Kana," the girl mumbled, not raising her eyes. "How do you do."
"Kana?" Hugh asked, his brain just starting to make a connection. "Kana Todo?"
"Well, um... that's just my stage name," Kana said, somewhat reluctantly.
"I'm honoured," Hugh said, bowing slightly. "The Kana Todo, here in my humble video parlour."
"Um, please..." Kana protested, her cheeks going faintly pink. "It's not a big deal, really."
"I see." Shaking off his preoccupation, Hugh turned back to Wolfson and Darkling. "So, what can I do for my two favourite custo—"
"I was in a bishoujo game too!" Anna chirped, letting go of her master's arm and tossing her hair sideways. She brought one hand to the back of her head and thrust the other one out to the side, striking a pose that was pure cheesecake. "We did photos and ero scenes and swimsuit shots and I even got to sing in the theme song! Master Sardul and his men always liked it when I— mmmph..."
"That's enough, Chiisai-chan," Wolfson said, drawing her close and adjusting the position of his hand over her mouth.
Hugh looked at the girl, perplexed. "I'm sorry, but I don't remember your face. What was your name again?"
"Anna!" the girl protested, her voice rather muffled by Wolfson's palm. "Anna Waka— mmmm?" Her voice trailed away into a quiet sigh as Wolfson's other hand slipped under her vest. Judging by the movements underneath the leather, Wolfson was doing something rather distracting to her, and it was obviously having the desired effect.
As Anna's slight frame went limp in Wolfson's arms, her small breasts pushing tautly against her vest, Hugh had to reach down surreptitiously to adjust the crotch of his dressing gown. Anna's head lolled back, and her mouth slipped open to reveal even white teeth and a small pink tongue, as she melted under her master's ministrations, squirming and rubbing her slender thighs together.
"Mmmm," she moaned, softly. "Oukami-sama..."
"So, um... we thought we'd stop in and hire a couple of booths, for old times' sake," Darkling said, stepping forward around Wolfson and Anna. "Lambult knows these two could do with some privacy. Any progress on those special requests we made last time?"
"Indeed!" Hugh beamed, slipping out from behind the counter and leading Darkling over to the adult DVD section. "I have procured numerous titles featuring Mihiro!"
"I see," Darkling said, sounding somewhat unimpressed as Hugh picked out a handful of Mihiro DVDs from the shelves. "What about my request?"
"Sorry, but no," Hugh said, regretfully. "There is no translated version of Kimi ga Nozomu Eien currently on the market."
"Figures," Darkling said, under his breath.
"I'm sorry, Dark-san," Hugh said. "The market is skewed rather significantly away from story-based titles, after all."
"Yeah, I know." Darkling sighed, and turned to Kana. "Kana?"
"H–hai, Kurai-sama?" the girl asked.
"Why don't you pick something out for us to play?"
Kana blinked, her violet eyes widening. "Me?"
"Yes, go on," Darkling encouraged her. "Wolfson and Anna obviously have more than enough to keep them occupied for a couple of hours. For Lambult's sake, get a room already!" he snapped at the two of them. Anna now had her arms wrapped around Wolfson's neck and was thoroughly enjoying the deep kiss they were sharing, judging by her soft whimpering sighs.
"Kurai-sama... I really don't know much about these types of games," Kana confessed, her voice low and reluctant. "I think it'd be best if you chose one."
"Oh, go on," Darkling said, watching Wolfson and Anna almost wistfully. "Find something that we can enjoy together."
"All... all right." Tucking one of her small forelock braids behind her ear, Kana started flipping through the game boxes.
"Wolf-san?" Hugh asked, moving back to the counter with the Mihiro DVDs. "Will you be wanting to rent all of these titles?"
"Just... just one will do," Wolfson said, a bit distractedly. He fumbled in his purse without looking and slapped two shillings on the counter.
"I... see," Hugh said, feeling his eyes narrow just a bit.
"Um... Kurai-sama?" Kana asked, reaching out to tug hesitantly at Darkling's black sleeve.
Darkling blinked. "Hmm? Oh. Yes, Kana?"
"I... I've found a game I think you might like," Kana said, hesitantly. She turned around and handed her selection to him. Darkling looked down at the box, his brow furrowing.
"Heart de Roommate Mah-Jongg," he read, dully. "'Play with all your favourite characters from the popular bishoujo game – including Marutan, Asumin, Moe-Moe and Toshibo – in this family-friendly game that mah-jongg enthusiasts of all ages will love!'"
"Is it... is this okay?" Kana asked, biting her lip as she looked worriedly at her master's flat expression. "I... I can pick something else if you—"
"No," Darkling said, quietly. "No, this is fine."
"No, really," Kana said, anxiously, putting her hand on his arm. "Oniichan, please. I can pick something bett—"
"I said it's fine, Kana, really," he said. He brought the box over to the counter and handed it to Hugh. "We'll take this one, thanks."
"An excellent choice, Dark-san," Hugh said, nodding approvingly, though inwardly he was wondering if he'd misjudged the man. That was Kana Todo standing there. Kana Todo, and Darkling was going to play a mah-jongg game with her? What was wrong with him?
A few minutes later, when Wolfson and Darkling were ensconced in separate booths with their companions, Hugh went back to the counter and pressed the button near the cash box, insistently. After a while, Hugh's worthless nephew Bob came stumbling down from his living quarters on the top floor, roughly combing his sleep-tousled hair with his fingers in an effort to get it to stay down.
"Whassit, Unc?" he asked, grouchily.
"There's two customers in Booths 4 and 5," Hugh said, in an undertone. "I want you to follow them when they leave. Find out where they're staying."
Bob blinked slowly. "You want me to follow... customers?"
"And their slave girls," Hugh said, significantly.
"Huh." Bob looked unimpressed. "Can't believe you woke me up for somethin' like this... I'll be back down in a bit. I still gotta feed my pets." And with that, he started stumbling back up the stairs.
"They'll be in there a while yet," Hugh called after him. "But don't fall asleep again!"
"I heard ya!" Bob snapped, crankily.
Hugh sat back down on the stool behind the counter, grinning to himself.
It didn't take the muffled cries and creaking noises through the allegedly soundproofed walls to let Darkling know that Wolfson and Anna had gotten up to more than just game playing over the two hours in their private booth. There was also the relaxed, tranquil expression on Wolfson's face when they emerged – one that Darkling only used to see after his friend had spent several hours meditating on slender Japanese AV idols. Then there was Anna's extra sparkle, an endorphin-spurred surge of additional energy and enthusiasm.
For his part, Darkling had had a pretty lousy time of it. Mah-jongg wasn't his game under the best of conditions, and after two hours of consistently losing not only to Kana, but also to Toshibo, he wasn't exactly in the best of moods. Computer-controlled or not, it seemed as if that damn cat could read Darkling's mind.
It might not have been so bad if he could have chosen someone more aesthetically appealing, like Asumi, to fill the player roster, but Marumu, as the game's host, was always there by default, and Kana had a soft spot for cats. And if anything, that actually benefited Kana, because Toshibo kept throwing away tiles that Kana needed to complete her sets. Sometimes it seemed to Darkling as if the whole female species was out to get him – and not in a good way, either.
All things considered, it was a welcome relief to be out of the video parlour and back on the Port Bostal streets. The breeze, blowing in from the east, had a fresh salty tang to it that was invigorating after the somewhat stale atmosphere of the gaming booth. It was close to noon, and the sun beamed down dazzlingly from overhead, flooding the streets with warmth as the four travellers headed down one of the main thoroughfares that led to the centre of town.
Yep, everything's just fine and dandy in Port Bostal today, Darkling told himself, a little dryly, glancing over at Anna as she chattered away happily at her master's side, crunching into an apple that Hefty Hugh had given her before they left. Probably old stock that he hadn't been able to move – otaku weren't known for their healthy diets.
Kana, for her part, was walking behind Darkling, a few paces back and slightly to one side, as was her habit. She didn't say much to him and rarely, if ever, volunteered her opinion on anything.
While Anna's incessant need to comment or remark on everything – even the things that didn't need commenting or remarking upon – was almost ridiculously annoying, Wolfson didn't seem to mind it. And at those times when Anna's mouth ran away with her, Wolfson had ways of silencing her – whether verbally, with a quietly rebuking 'Chiisai-chan'; indirectly, by letting his hands distract her; or directly, by bending down to cover her lips with his. Discipline could be rewarding even to the discipliner, it seemed. Darkling sometimes found himself wishing that Kana would be more rebellious.
As it was, though, she was all too obliging. She listened to his requests politely, and generally obeyed without question. She performed mundane chores and duties for him uncomplainingly. And, as he'd initially requested of her after becoming her master, she indulged him by calling him 'Kurai-sama' in public, and 'oniichan' in more intimate moments.
Intimate moments. Darkling snorted. When have Kana and I had any intimate moments?
He paused as a recollection drifted to the front of his mind to give the lie to his dismissive thoughts. There had been moments. Few and far between, admittedly, but real enough, nonetheless. But why hadn't those moments merged together to create something continuous and persistent? Why were they all solitary incidents, isolated in time?
Why was Kana staring at him?
"Oniichan?" she asked, looking up at him worriedly as he slowly came back to reality. "Oniichan, what's wrong? Why have you stopped?"
"I'm hungry, Kurai-sama!" Anna shouted at him, from where she and Wolfson were standing, perhaps twenty yards away. "Come on!"
"Are... are you all right, oniichan?" Kana asked, anxiously. "Is there anything I can do?"
"No." Darkling blinked, shaking his head roughly to clear it. "No, I'm fine."
She hesitated momentarily, biting her lower lip. "O... oniichan, please, you know that if there's anything you ever want from me—"
"I know," he said, smiling at her gently. And he almost reached up to touch her cheek. He almost leaned forward to kiss her lips. He almost did a lot of things.
In the end, though, what he did do was start walking again, following Wolfson and Anna down the crowded Port Bostal street. And then there was the moment where things clicked almost palpably back into place as Kana fell into step behind him. A few paces back, and slightly to one side.
That was the way it was meant to be.
Next: Hidden talents