The Slups Completed A Night to Remember

[Silvertongue Songfox]

"I don't like to take advantage of other beasts." Silvertongue said flatly. "And if they want to take advantage of me, that's their choice."

He looked Falun in the eyes. "At the end of the day, they're the ones who have to sleep with the weight of their actions on their souls. Not me."

Silvertongue knew his words fell on deaf ears. He was saying it more to himself than to Falun. He could tell that the golden furred fox was trying to tempt him, and he needed to hold firm in his beliefs.

 

[Falun Furotazzi]

Falun shrugged at Silvertongue's adamant reply. "Suit yerself. Y' can lead a crab t' water bu' can't make it jump in, an' all 'at." He puffed on his cigar for a few seconds, considering Silvertongue carefully. "If'n ya 'ad yer way, wha' would ya do wiv' yerself? Wha's yer 'I've made it' momen' look like?"

 

[Silvertongue Songfox]

Silvertongue sighed, and he sat back in the chair. His brow furrowed. "You know... I've never thought of that. Like, if I had all the money I could ever want? Well... I'd make sure my friends are taken care of. Anything they need, I would pay for. Then, I'd buy a big house. Big enough that I could have a family of my own one day."

He leaned forward. "I'd still do street performances, of course. It would be nice to do it without having to subtly beg for money for once."

 

[Falun Furotazzi]

Falun nodded along with Silvertongue's narrative of his ambition, toying with the cigar in his paw, tilting it this way and that. "It's a good ambition," he allowed. "It's wha' my ol' man did fer th' Tazzis, back in th' day. 'E gave 'em a home, took care of 'em. 'E gave me a purpose, t' do the same fer a new Family." He shrugged as he added, "I ain' a villain, Silv. I see 'ow ya look at me, bu' jus' cause I chase th' dream rough-like don' mean ih' ain' th' same dream. I'd really like ta take care a' ya too, if ye'd let me."

The waiter and a colleague arrived with their meals, setting down the house salad, as well as a small dish of Alkamarian dressing and a bottle of oil and vinegar, in front of Silvertongue, followed by the white wine spritzer. Falun licked his lips as a plate of roast pheasant was set down before him, sprigs of parsley and oregano delicately framing it on a bed of thin lemon slices. "Excellent as always, Clive," he addressed the waiter as the latter topped up his wine.

He picked up his fork and knife and began to dig in, glancing across the table at Silvertongue's salad. "How is it?" he inquired, raising a piece of bird to his mouth.

 

[Silvertongue Songfox]

Silvertongue was admittedly impressed by the presentation of the salad. He took off his gloves, something Falun had rarely see him do before, and drizzled some of the oil and vinegar onto the lettuce and tomatoes. Taking his fork, he took a tentative bite of the salad, nodding in approval. "It's... good. Hold on." He took the bowl of dressing and spread it over the salad, before trying another bite. "The dressing really sells it. I haven't had a decent salad in ages."

Silvertongue pulled out an embroidered pawkerchief to wipe his lips.

"Falun, you say that you want to take care of me. Do you mean just financially, or do you want me as a romantic partner? You know, I've seen the way you look at me, as well."

 

[Falun Furotazzi]

It was hard to say exactly how Falun managed to draw on his cigar incorrectly; after all, the smoke was meant to be drawn into the lungs, and he was clearly well-practiced at it. Nonetheless, his eyes widened as Silvertongue asked the question, and he fell to coughing for a few moments, ash drifting from the lit end of the cigar and onto his gull. He thumped his chest twice, getting his breathing back in order before addressing the question.

"Well naw," he remarked, his voice still wheezing a bit, "I suppose 'at depends a bit on wha' ya want, naw don' ih'? I mean," he waved his cigar, "I seen ya wiv' Greeneye, an' I don' mean t' disparage, bu'... well, ih' don' seem like 'e treats ya righ', dozzit? 'E shouldn' be mockin' ya all th' time, draggin' ya int' 'is debts, takin' ya fer gran'ed. A real male takes care a' 'is lovers, sees 'em dressed well, wantin' fer nothin'." He smiled at Silvertongue as he remarked, "I think I can do 'at fer ya much be'er 'an 'e can. Ya deserve t' be pampered, adored, nah dragged through th' muck on accoun' a' one ungrateful rat."

 

[Silvertongue Songfox]

Silvertongue poked at the salad with his fork. His heart weighed heavily in his chest. It was true, things with Greeneye weren't the best. He still wanted to help him, though. Not to mention he was already seeing Swifttail, and now Falun advancing on him like this? Did the golden furred fox actually have feelings for him, or did he just want to tout him about like a prized salmon? Regardless, the ball was in Silvertongue's court. If Falun wanted to play, Silvertongue could easily play along.

"Well... it's quite difficult for me to feel 'pampered' when I am drowning in debt." He sighed. "I mean, I am well dressed, but I've only two other outfits besides this one, and one of them's for funerals. So really, I only have the one."

Silvertongue needed to pick his words carefully. "It really would be nice..." He leaned forward. "For all of my 'financial worries' to disappear..."

 

[Falun Furotazzi]

Falun made a show of considering that point. "I'll allow fer th' 'hardships yer under," he admitted, tapping some ash off his cigar. "Ain' easy, feelin' pressed. 'Course, I don' think jus' forgivin' Greenie's debt'll get 'im ta change. So, I'll tell ya what. I'll cut yer debt down ta seventy-five percen', an' cut ya free. Greenie will still owe 'is share in full, plus 'alf a' yer share, bu' I won' 'old ya responsible fer any 'f ih'. Ya can walk free a' 'im an' nah look back. 'At sound be'er t' ya?" His eyes watched Silvertongue closely for his reaction.

 

[Silvertongue Songfox]

Silvertongue sighed heavily, as if weighing his options. He would be essentially backstabbing Greeneye. In his heart, he knew that it was wrong. Deplorable, even. But he wanted nothing to do with these criminal lowlives, he couldn't stand another minute of their company. "That's awfully considerate of you. I suppose in return, I'll be your partner?" He asked flatly, deciding not to dance around the subject anymore than he already had.

 

[Falun Furotazzi]

Falun shrugged, making a show of it. "I mean, if ya feel moved by m' generosity," he allowed, "I certainly wouldn' mind ih'. After all, I take care of me men, Greeneye included, bes' when I'm feelin'... well-motivated. An' somethin' tells me Greeneye is gonna be workin' fer me fer a long time. Ya wanna see 'im enjoyin' 'is work, righ'? I can make sure 'e gets the plummest assignments, the leas' risk. Think on it."

 

[Silvertongue Songfox]

Silvertongue weighed his options. Being Falun's partner would also be betraying Swifttail, and if Falun ever found out... it wasn't worth the risk, but he still wanted to help Greeneye. The question was... how?

"How about this?" Silvertongue proposed. "I'll work full time for you. You'll get all my wages from busking, and I'll also chip in my salary from the Navy. I'm about to be a lieutenant, after all. In exchange, you'll forgive Greeneye's debt. If he chooses to work for you after the fact, that's his business. To be honest with you, I see no need for material wealth. I don't understand the allure of it. So I'll give my earnings to you, if you agree to keep Greeneye out of trouble."

Silvertongue leaned back, taking a deep sip of the spritzer to hide his face.

 

[Falun Furotazzi]

Falun couldn't keep the frown off his face as Silvertongue offered an alternative. It made good business sense; Greeneye would always be inclined toward self-destruction, a trait that Falun could capitalize upon, but Silvertongue was more self-controlled. Leveraging his future earnings made more sense from a business perspective. It made such good sense that Falun was struggling to find a reason to refuse it.

"Alrigh'," he said at last, holding up a pawfinger, "wiv' one modification. Anytime we go ou' t'gether, wha'e'er we spend, be 't on food, drinks, smokes, en'ertainmen', ye name ih', I'll coun' as a paymen' toward yer debt - t'nigh' included. So, we go ou' t'gether an' spen' fifty gilders, 'at's fifty gilders off. 'Ow's at sound?"

He looked at Silvertongue intently, trying to gauge his reaction. Falun was counting on Silvertongue to feel guilty about the implicit obligation in money being spent on him, and wanting to repay it in... other ways.

 

[Silvertongue Songfox]

Despite his best efforts to hide it, guilt did flash across his face, though Silvertongue quickly looked away. Damnit all...! Falun was smart. Of course, he was; he was a mob boss. "How did I get mixed up in this mess?!" Silvertongue thought to himself. He already knew where this conversation was going, but if he tried to play it off, he would still end up being in Falun's debt. "Surely there's... some way I can repay you?" Silvertongue feigned a concerned smile. He loathed the words as soon as they came out of his mouth. He was playing right into Falun's paw.

 

[Falun Furotazzi]

Falun couldn't keep the sly smile from crossing his face as Silvertongue said the words he'd been hoping to hear. He leaned back in his chair, steepling his pawfingers, his cigar resting between them while he crossed his legs under the table with the ankle over the knee. "Well now," he mused smoothly, "I suppose we coul' consider alternative forms a' repayment... Per'aps fer generously valued 'services ren'erd'. Wiv' such 'n arrangement, I'm sure we coul' see our way t' wiping ou' mos', per'aps e'en all a' yer debt."

The goal had never been to keep Silvertongue in debt; that would only make him resentful and uncooperative. No, what he needed to do was to acclimate Silvertongue to the idea of trading his body for personal gain or relief from his burdens. Greeneye would keep on getting himself into debt again and again, and Silvertongue, Falun was sure, would feel guilted into settling that debt again and again. The more he could degrade Silvertongue, the easier he would be to coerce and to bring further under Falun's control. A few months, Falun thought with satisfaction, maybe a year, and he'll be my obedient little pet. Of course Falun would grow bored with him eventually as he did with all his toys, but for now, he would enjoy the challenge.

 

[Silvertongue Songfox]

Silvertongue didn't say anything. He couldn't bring himself to reply. He didn't know what to say; he scoured his mind for some response, but it just came up blank. For Falun, that seemed to be enough of an answer for him. The rest of dinner came and went. Falun paid for the bill and dragged him along. They went to the opera, as promised. The opera house was striking, glamorous, resplendent, magnificent. The similies could go on, but Silvertongue couldn't bring himself to appreciate its beauty. Falun got them the best seats in the house, of course. Nothing but the best, he said, but the best only meant more debt that Silvertongue knew he needed to repay.

The play itself was an actual work of art, but Silvertongue couldn't focus on it. A two and a half hour extended musical, and each minute dragged painfully on. Falun's paw grasped his arm like a vice. Painfully tight, refusing to let go. It was as if he were no more than a possession, and what? Was Falun going to parade him around to his fellow crime bosses? Silvertongue was worried, not just about Swifttail, but Greeneye too. Greeneye was mad enough to challenge Swift to a duel; would he try the same thing with Falun? What about Kaii, Darr, and even little Finny?

Silvertongue's mind fixated on these worries for the entirety of the agonizing eternity that was The Siege of Alkamar. In any other scenario, he would have relished the chance to learn more of Vulpinsula's history, even a highly embellished version of it. When all was said and done, Falun dragged him away from the play and back to the hideout. More accurately, the bar, but to Silvertongue, it felt like a criminal hideaway. He couldn't even bring himself to look at anyone as he was taken away to Falun's personal quarters, for what was the beginning of a moral degeneration he was desperate to get away from.