THE MOMENT
Tama sat patiently in the abandoned warehouse as the suited goons milled around her looking busy. The rope bit into her wrist more than she would have liked, but she didn't mind too much. She knew she wouldn't be bound for long. As if cued by her thoughts, the tall, lean mob boss turned around and faced her with a sinister smirk.
"I told you not to come back," he said as he took a step closer to her. Tama couldn't help but smirk to herself as she gave a smart-ass answer in her head.
"It's my first time, Zero-brain," she mused idly as the mob boss reached her. "Now wes are going to have to choreographically explain in song why it was a bad idea. Hit it boys...," Loud brass filled the room as the mob boss posed and took a breath.
"Your decision to show was flawed...," he began to sing. Tama wasn't willing to sit through it and rolled her eyes.
"Skip it," she said. The mob boss' voice returned to its normal tone and he grinned.
"..so you see. You're going to regret coming back here," he smacked the flat side of a hammer against his hand. Tama was glad to discover the advice to skip the song worked, and she hoped that meant the rest of the tips that Dirge gave her would help.
"Got any last words?" the boss asked. The rope fell from her wrists setting her free. Tama knew it was her turn to sing; but, she wasn't in the mood. She was there for specific reasons and singing wasn't one of them. She'd been putting off the quest until Dirge pointed out that she didn't have to sing exactly; she just needed to complete the script.
"That's why I'm back,' she said without actually giving an answer. But the mob boss stopped hitting the hammer against his hand and his eyes seemed on the verge of tears.
"I had no idea..," he said. He set the hammer down on a cluttered table, then motioned for Tama to follow him. He led her out into a narrow hall and through it. "I'm with you," he said as they turned a corner and found another narrow hall. "But, I'm only halfway up the totem pole. You need to convince my boss and his boss, then maybe you'll have enough backup to take on the final boss." They reached a closed door and the mob boss stopped.
"If you want this to work out, you need to make an impression from the beginning," he said. "I'll kick the door in, then you go in blazing, got it?" he asked. Tama nodded.
"Sure," she said. The mob boss started snapping his fingers in a steady rhythm.
"Got it?' he kept snapping and Tama nodded. She did have the beat, but she didn't plan on using it. "Okay, on four," he said. He snapped and counted the next few at the same time.
"One," snap. "Two," step forward and snap. "Three!" he put all his weight and shoved open the door with his foot and Tama walked into the room on four.
"I can't do it without you," Tama spoke the words her song needed to contain.
"Sheee caaaan't do it withouuuuutt youuuuuuu," the first boss came in and backed her up.
The boss behind the desk was shorter and rounder than the first one she encountered. But, he sat up with eager eyes at Tama's flat sentence.
"That voice... amazing...," he said. "And, that's a noble goal if ever I heard one. You've got me convinced. You have to meet my boss," he said. He stood from his desk and walked past Tama to exit the room. "C'mon," he waved her along.
Tama and the first boss exited the room and Tama closed the door behind them. But, instead of following them forward, she stopped and turned back towards the door. Unlike the advice the first boss gave her, she really didn't need more than two backups to take on the final one. And, according to Dirge, she actually only needed two bosses for the final one to get the drops she was looking for.
"Hey, coming along, or what?" the second boss asked. "Time is money," he said. Tama shook her head.
"What's in here?" she asked about the door they just exited. The second boss chuckled.
"That's my office," he said. Tama nodded, but didn't move. She spent a few minutes trying to walk to the next encounter in her mind to try and time the distance. Finally, she felt enough time had passed and she pointed at the door again.
"What's in here?" she asked. Both bosses shook their heads at her.
"You're not ready yet," they said.
"That means I am," Tama grinned and turned the knob to enter the room. The first time she was in there, it looked like a standard make-shift office in an abandoned warehouse. The desk was covered in piles of messy papers while the walls consisted of paint peeling in several colorful layers. But, this time it was an elegant office that was on par with the front desk of a 5-star hotel. A short, and very round man looked over the desk at Tama with a grimace.
"You can't stop my song," Tama said.
"CAAAAAN'T STOPPP!" Boss A sang.
"HEEEER SONNG!" Boss B sang. Tama rolled her eyes and was glad she only had two backups. The final boss laughed and stood from his desk. Sinister piano music filled the air.
"So you think-," he began to sing.
"Skip it," Tama said. The ambient music changed instantly to something upbeat and cheerful.
"That's why you lost," Tama said.
"ThAAAAT's WhYYYY," Boss A sang.
"Sheeeee's the BEEEEEEST," Boss B sang.
"Thaaaaaat's whyy......," The final boss sang with a sad tone. "...I lost."