The Actions That Follow Chapter 9

—CHAPTER 9—

	It was eleven in the morning on Friday, but the couple had yet to stir.
	Eventually though, Ashi was the first to wake up; she got up from the bed, the movement of the double bed causing Jack to unwillingly awaken. He was on his side, and opened his eyes just enough to catch Ashi standing up from the bed, half-naked, and reaching up and out in a stretch. Immediately at attention, Jack quickly shut his eyes again, now sober enough to be embarrassed seeing her with little clothing.
	Once he heard the bathroom door across from his room shut, he cracked one eye to make a final check; the coast was clear, so he sat up from the bed and ran his hands down his face. Ashi’s butt may have woken him up, but he was still groggy and a little hungover. Jack tossed the covers aside and hopped off his bed, making the right out of his room towards the main area of his apartment.
	The hallway from the bath and bedrooms lead straight to the front door, a main aisle between the living room and the kitchen. But what mainly separated the two rooms was a counter that wrapped around the corner, boxing off the kitchen, but not connecting to the perimeter walls of the apartment. The kitchen table was there in the corner of the barrier. A medium-sized television set was against the same wall as the front door, sitting across from the couch and coffee table. The main source of lighting in the apartment was a ceiling lamp, connected to the light switch right next to the front door; there was also a standing lamp in the corner of the room, which Jack hardly ever used since it had to be turned on manually. The only two windows were at the end of the hall and in Jack’s bedroom.
	He stepped into the kitchen and picked up the coffee pot from the stove, putting it under the sink and turning on the faucet. Jack then got the coffee can out of the cabinet and placed it on the counter, propping himself against the sink while waiting for the coffee pot to fill.
	Jack closed his eyes for a moment, and suddenly the sound of the running water put him in a meditative state. He stood there with his eyes closed, listening to the water flow into the pot with a subtle echo; he was suddenly sitting under a waterfall, in a lotus position. He exhaled deeply, feeling extremely relaxed in the memory.
	Until suddenly, a pair of lithe arms wrapped around his torso, followed by a soft yawn; “Good morning,” she purred, but Jack was far too distracted by the sensation of Ashi’s breasts pressing against his bare back. When he didn’t respond, Ashi spoke again, “…Jack?”
	He finally forced himself to speak, “U-Uh good m-morning, Ashi! Did you s-sleep well?” Ashi leaned her head on Jack’s back as she spoke, “Not gonna lie, I could’ve laid in that bed all day. But I wouldn’t want to waste the whole day sleeping in.” Then she stopped, her head shifted, and Jack felt her palms lay themselves flat against his abdomen. “Jack, you’re shaking. Are you cold? Go put some clothes on!” she ordered, letting him out of her embrace; Jack scurried away into his room as Ashi watched him go.
	Ashi then noticed the coffee pot overflowing in the sink, so she picked up from where Jack left off. Leveling off the water in the pot, she put the coffee grounds in the percolator and placed it on the lit stove. Then she sat at the kitchen table with her legs crossed, her eyes wandering around the apartment, waiting for the coffee to perk. She finally decided to take out mugs and utensils from the cabinets in Jack’s kitchen, in preparation for their caffeinated beverage. She easily found the mugs in one of the top cabinets, but the first draw she opened didn’t have the utensils.
	Instead, Ashi found a necklace of a samurai sword, on top of a small stack of colorful drawings. Curious, she picked them up and sifted through them; there was a white-robed figure with black hair in a top knot, and a strong chin, wielding a sword akin to the charm on the necklace. The more she looked at the noble figure, the more she thought it looked like Jack—or at least, what she imagined Jack would look like if he shaved and still wore a top knot. Like in that dream she had! Ashi kept looking through the various drawings, and came upon a black demon-looking figure with a green face and a goatee and eyebrows made of fire. It looked vaguely familiar, but why?
	As she flipped through the pages, Jack came out from his room in a white tee, grey sweatpants and slippers. “Didn’t you say you wanted to look through circulars today? After breakfast, we can…” He stopped when he noticed what she was holding. Ashi looked up to see Jack staring at her, suddenly realizing how nosy she was being, and shoved the drawings back in the drawer. “Jack! I was just looking for, um… utensils! But I opened the wrong drawer, and I just happened to stumble upon these…” Jack’s blank stare turned into a slight smirk, amused at her embarrassed explaining, and she sighed; “…I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to snoop.”
	Jack snickered, “You don’t need to apologize, you didn’t see anything you’re not supposed to. Those drawings… I just can’t stand to look at them anymore.” Ashi raised an eyebrow, picking up the drawings again. “Why? They’re not bad; they’re actually pretty good. When did you draw them?” Jack started leaning against the kitchen cabinets, with his arms crossed; “Around the time we knew each other, actually. Eight or nine, I think.”
	Jack turned to look away from her with a serious look, so Ashi moved to be in his line of sight again. She had a sympathetic expression, “And? Jack, what’s wrong with them?” The genuine concern she showed made his furrowed brow raise, and he sighed as his arms dropped to his side, resting on the counter.
	“They remind me of the person… I failed to be.” Jack picked up the necklace sitting in the drawer. Ashi raised an eyebrow in confusion, “…An artist?” she asked innocently. Jack smirked, “No, a Samurai…” Now Ashi was even more confused.
	“I know, it sounds silly. But my Father always taught me to live by a code of honor; to always rely on the power of righteousness. I grew up on those ideals, and I wore this to remind myself that there is always hope that good will prevail,” he clutched the sword charm tightly, “But, I’ve learned that that’s not always the case. This world does not care about injustice, it remains apathetic to the suffering of innocents. I’ve tried to fight it, to be a hero, yet the suffering continues. There is no purpose, no hope. I just feel… lost.”
	Jack’s gaze was fixed firmly on the floor. This had clearly been troubling him for a long time, and a simple “I’m sorry,” just wouldn’t cut it. He was lost, what could Ashi say that would possibly fix that? Lost. She mused on the word, and was suddenly hit by inspiration in the form of a memory of her own.
	She looked at him with a serious expression, “Jack, can I tell you a story?” He looked up with slight confusion, “Um, sure.” Ashi began: “When I had just turned thirteen, my Father enrolled me and my sisters into this ritzy boarding school on the West Coast. Winterwood Academy; it was way up in the mountains, the only thing around it was trees and wilderness, pretty secluded. Anyway, they would have monthly hikes out into the woods, but they were pretty strict about it; you had to stay with the group at all times and never stray from the path. I always went because I loved going out into nature, but I wasn’t very good at following directions. The first time I went on the hike, I wandered too far from the group and got myself lost. The woods were nice and all, but not when you have no idea where you are and your school prison was the only civilization for miles. I was terrified, stumbling through the forest, trying to find my way back to the group. Eventually, I came to an opening in the brush. I thought I was back at the school, but I had actually stumbled upon a waterfall flowing into a rocky stream. It was so beautiful that I had completely forgotten how lost and afraid I was. I sat there on the rocks, and listened to the sound of the rushing water; and it was such a sunny, perfect day. I stayed there for I don’t even know how long, feeling so relaxed; but eventually, the group I was with came to the clearing. They’d been looking for me, and I got in so much trouble that day for straying so far,” she laughed as she remembered, but Jack’s blank stare brought her back.
	“Um, what I’m trying to say with this is: I was lost, but I ended up finding something I didn’t know I needed.” Ashi picked Jack’s hands from their resting place on the counter, and held them as she spoke, “In the end, it helped me find my way again…” he looked down at his hands in hers, and then at her smile. He was still holding the sword charm, which was now interlocked in his and Ashi’s fingers. They stood, holding hands and smiling at each other, until the sound of the coffee about to turn to mud ripped their attention away.
	The coffee was ruined, but their growling stomachs were now apparent. Instead, they got dressed and headed out of the apartment to get breakfast, grabbing the latest classifieds out of Jack’s mail as they left. After arriving at Brewshido, they bought their meals and sat at “their” table. Jack helped her look through the classifieds, circling ads she showed interest in; it was decided that on Monday, she would start calling the numbers, and hopefully begin working again.
	Then the conversation shifted back to Jack’s fantasy persona. Ashi was curious about the adventures of “Samurai Jack”, so he gave her the rundown. Intrigued by the premise, Ashi asked if Jack ever came up with an ending. He shook his head, saying he had never thought of one. After all, “the Samurai” had lost his way; apparently, the demon had destroyed all of the time portals out there, rendering the Samurai’s quest pointless.
	After they left their new favorite coffee shop, they decided to go for a ride; they drove around the New North End for a while, at one point coming to a stoplight at a three-way intersection. Jack caught sight of the empty building at the end of the intersecting street, with a big lease sign on the window. The building looked like it used to be some sort of business, but there was no way of knowing what it was; the inside had been completely stripped, only a big empty space beyond the window. The second story was an apartment, so whoever once ran the business must’ve also lived above it.
	Ashi noticed Jack staring at the building for sale, but instead of addressing it, she quietly took out her phone and snapped a picture of the for-sale sign in the window, which had a phone number listed for potential buyers. Then she mused to Jack, “That looks like a really nice place to run a business.” Jack snapped out of his focus on the building, and spoke up as the light turned green, “Yes, it does.”
	The rest of the afternoon was uneventful. They ended up at North Beach, took a walk on the boardwalk, and had a late lunch at one of the various food stands. Once the sun set, Jack dropped Ashi at her apartment; she wanted to shower and put on fresh clothes before they went out with Scotsman that night, and Jack went back to his place to do the same.
	They were both ready around a quarter to nine, so Jack called his friend to make sure he was still going. Scotsman was offended that Jack would even suggest he wouldn’t be going out, and with that affirmation, Jack left to pick up Ashi and then they headed to Da Samoorai’s Pad.
	Grabbing on of the round tables Jack and Scotsman were sitting at last week, they sat down with their first round of drinks (courtesy of Sam, the bartender) and waited for Scotsman to arrive. Not even five minutes after they got settled did he come barging in, shouting for Sam to pour him a drink; he was never shy about collecting Sam’s complimentary first drink. He took the drink Sam poured him, and joined Jack and Ashi at the table.
	“Well, if it ain’t the newlyweds! You two look like yer goin’ on a few years now!” The couple now realized how close they were sitting to one another and awkwardly moved apart, both flustered. Jack gathered himself, and finally greeted his good friend, “Hello, Scotsman! It’s good to see you again. This is Ashi, my…” he froze in uncertainty until Ashi looked him in the eyes, and he knew what to say, “Girlfriend.” Ashi smiled at him.
	Scotsman reached across the table to shake Ashi’s hand, drawing her gaze away from Jack. “It’s a pleasure to meet ya, Ashi! You can call me Scotsman!” She returned the handshake, painful as it was, and replied, “Nice to meet you!”
	Scotsman took a swig of his drink, then spoke, “So, I wanted to thank the two’a you fer catchin’ on to those wily thieves last night! That was the biggest bust we’ve had since ya left, Jack!” Jack smiled at the implied compliment, “I’m just glad I was able to recover my bike, it would’ve been a real pain if I had lost my ride.”
	“So, what happens to the hipsters now?” Ashi asked. “They go to jail, but not before they tell us everything ‘bout how they developed their operation; they had a pretty complex system goin’ on in that warehouse’a theirs, ain’t no way it was all them. Someone was funding them from behind the curtain, an’ I’ll betcha I know who it was…” Scotsman shot a look to Jack as he said that, and the latter had the same idea, finishing the thought for his friend, “AKu…”
	There it is again, Ashi thought. Once again, her Father was being name dropped as the cause of a seemingly unrelated situation; what the hell did he have to do with a bunch of pilfering hipsters? So, she inquired their reasoning.
	“Wait, what does AKu have to do with this? I don’t see how that’s relevant.” After taking a sip, Jack answered, “It may sound unbelievable, but AKu indirectly funds criminal organizations of all kinds, no matter how petty. It’s all part of his scheme to get involved in politics; the more problems there are in the world, the more ammunition he has for his platform. And he has all the money and influence he needs to cover his tracks.”
	“Which also means he can snuff out any law enforcement agencies that get too close to his underhanded operations, like me and Jack were always doin’!” Scotsman interjected angrily, obviously peeved about his neutered position of power.
	“That’s why I quit the force, we got a new commissioner at our precinct who was himself being funded by AKu, to keep cops like us from getting involved in anything that would interfere with his ‘business’.” Jack took another big sip from his drink as Scotsman chimed in again, “That two-timin' arseface even came to our precinct on more than one occasion, to personally ‘congratulate’ us on our hard work in busting his criminal scum, can ye believe that? I was ready to sock him right in that cheeky grin’a his, but Jack here was a little nicer about it somehow.” Jack shook his head, “Believe me, it took everything I had not to lose my temper with that fiend, after everything he’s done…”
	Ashi was sitting there, sipping nervously as the two men continued to rag on her Father’s actions. She always thought he was up to something shady, but she would never have dreamed he was responsible for the epidemic of crime going on in Burlington, and everywhere else perhaps. She was hard pressed to believe what they were saying, but she knew Jack would never lie about something like that, and assumed Scotsman was honest as well.
	And now she was once again worried about her affiliation with AKu; if they hated the man so much, there’s a good chance they’d bash his children, too… wait, did they even know he had children? With morbid curiosity, Ashi spoke up, “You know, I h-hear AKu’s got kids…”
	Jack and Scotsman turned to her as though she had three heads; granted, her comment was somewhat out of left field. But she relaxed when Scotsman addressed what she said, “No kidding! I can only imagine what those tykes are like. Probably a bunch of spoiled brats, completely oblivious to dear ole’ Dad’s shenanigans, so long as it don’t interfere with their lives’a luxury!”
	Ashi was a little offended at first, but he wasn’t wrong. She herself wasn’t like that, but his description fit her sisters pretty well, and six out of seven made her into an outlier. “Hey, let’s not blame the children for the sins of the Father; whatever AKu’s kids are like, we must remember that they are individuals who are responsible for their own lives. They have a right to their own reputations,” Jack asserted his opinion, and hearing how he (unknowingly) felt about her was reassuring to Ashi.
	Scotsman scoffed, “It don’t matter what his kids are like, AKu don’t know nothing about what it means to be a Father!” Right again, Ashi thought. “Without a proper upbringin’, you’ll never end up with a daughter like me Flora!”
	He took out his plaid wallet, and pulled a handful of pictures out from the fold, handing them to Ashi. “Take a look at me precious bonnie lass, she’s me pride and joy!” She shuffled through the photos, one of which was of Flora, posed very professionally against a colored backdrop; most likely a school photo. The second one was of Scotsman carrying Flora on his shoulders, wearing a yellow and green jersey and holding up an impressive trophy; it was obviously a celebratory photo of some sporting event his daughter was involved in. The last photo was of Scotsman, hand-in-hand with a very large, somewhat homely woman; “Is this your wife?” Ashi asked, and Scotsman nodded proudly. “Aye, the most beautiful dainty damsel that ever graced this world with her majestic presence! She’s an angel with the most soothing, melodic voice you’ll ever hear; not even the singing of birds can compare to the glorious sound of her golden pipes!”
	“Oh, is she classically trained? She looks like an opera singer,” Ashi joked, thinking it was clever, but it didn’t take how she thought it would. Scotsman raised an eyebrow, “…What d’ya mean by that?” Jack’s eyes widened, as he knew where this was going. He turned to Ashi, carefully watching her response; still wearing a pleasant smile, she had no idea what she was dealing with.
	“I… was just making a joke. I mean, opera singers are obviously good at singing, but the stereotype is that they tend to be, you know…large.” Ashi’s confidence in her statement faded as the words left her lips. Realizing she had walked into a semantic trap, she did her best to make her phrasing digestible.
	But Scotsman’s interrogating look turned into a surprised expression, “Ohhh, so ya weren’t just calling me wife fat, ye were insultin’ her lovely voice, too? Now, that’s just uncalled for, lass,” Scotsman sat back in his chair with disapproval, his arms crossed.
	Ashi shook her head, “No, no! I wasn’t trying to offend, but I’m sorry it came off like that. Look, let’s just drop the subject.” She took a swig, and Scotsman nodded, “Don’t worry, Ashi, I completely understand what’s goin’ on here.” Now she raised her eyebrow, “Oh yeah?”
	“Of course! You obviously feel threatened by me talking about me beautiful wife, what with Jack sittin’ right there! I always try to avoid talkin’ about her around him, just to prevent him from fallin’ head over heels for my love muffin!” Jack exhaled, feeling the situation start to deescalate.
	But then Scotsman continued; “I mean it’s not every day a girl’s gotta compete with the perfect woman. Especially ones who lack the manners of a lady! You must be terrified that me wife’s beauty’ll whisk yer boyfriend away; you’ve only been seein’ him a week, but he’s known me wife fer at least three years! Ye gotta lot to live up to, Lass!”
	Scotsman held his stomach in laughter, as Ashi scowled at him. “Although, it’s not MY fault the guy who’s always talking big can’t take a joke himself. Your beloved wife must have the patience of a saint to deal with your constant blustering!” Scotsman was now taken aback, “Wha… Jack, how could you pick such a rude lass to be yer lady? Surely ye can do better!”
	“Scotsman, don’t…” before Jack could continue, Ashi brought her fist down on the table, “Hey! What are you talking to him for? If you have something to say, say it to ME!” Again, Jack interjected, “Ashi, please!” and again he was ignored. “My pleasure!” Scotsman slowly leaned over the table as he replied, “Yer. RUDE.” He was in Ashi’s face when he said that, standing over the table.
	Ashi got up to match him, “I guess that makes two of us, huh?”
	“Aye, are ye gonna do somethin’ bout that?”
	“You wouldn’t like it if I did.”
	Jack pleaded with his friends, “Please, can we all just take it easy?”
	“Ooooh, I’m shakin’ in me boots! I ain’t afraid’a no twiggy thing, yer outta yer weight class!”
	“Underestimating me is a mistake, care to find out how wrong you are?
	They were face-to-face now, “I thought ye’d never ask…”
	Suddenly, Jack wedged himself between the two, pushing them apart. “Enough! The two of you need to relax! There is absolutely no need for violence, stop acting like children!”
	The two opponents stood there like they were fighting on the playground and the teacher had just yelled at them. Finally, Scotsman piped up; “Aye, Jack’s right. What kind’a people would we be to solve our dispute with a lowly barfight?” Ashi nodded, “Yes, that kind of solution is not appropriate. There are much more sensible ways to settle this.”
	“Very good, I’m glad you two have come to your senses,” said Jack, relieved. But then Scotsman declared, “In that case, let’s settle this with an ole’ fashioned drinking contest!”
	“Yes, that’s a much better… wait, I didn’t mean…” but Jack had already lost their attention again. “Unless yer afraid to be humiliated!” Scotsman boasted.
	Ashi scoffed, “Oh, I wouldn’t worry about me. You might want to keep a garbage bin on hand for when you finally vomit, though,” but Scotsman merely laughed it off. “Yer outta yer league, missy! Ain’t no way yer goin’ to outdrink a Scot, we’re renowned for our drinking habits!”
	Ashi looked at him skeptically, “Isn’t that an Irish thing?”
	“Now yer really askin’ fer it!”
	Suddenly, Sam ran up to the table, “Aye, man! Did I hear somethin’ bout a drink-off over here?” Jack attempted to say no, but Sam had already assumed yes, “HEY, Y’ALL! WE BOUT TO HAVE A DRINK OFF UP IN HERE! LET’S MAKE THIS OFFICIAL!”
	The rest of the bar assisted in moving the tables around, setting it up so that Ashi and Scotsman were across from each other on a long rectangular table. Sam placed a large pitcher of beer in front of both of them, “Alright, first challenger to throw up, pass out, or otherwise give up, loses. On the count of three…”
	Jack sat on the sidelines, holding face in his palm.

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	“Ashi. Ashi, wake up.”
	Ashi groaned as Jack shook her awake. She was sprawled out on her stomach in her bed, with messy hair and a thin strand of saliva coming off the pillow from her mouth, which she quickly wiped away. Jack was sitting at the edge of the bed, wearing the typical tee shirt and jeans he wore for work. It was quarter to nine, Jack at work at nine thirty.
	“How are you feeling?” asked Jack, as she peeled herself from the bed and rubbed her eyes. “I feel like I got hit by a truck… what happened?” Jack stroked his chin as he recounted the night’s events: “Well, we went to the bar with Scotsman, and the two of you got into a confrontation that culminated in a drinking contest.”
	Ashi looked at him through one eye, her left hand still covering the other one, “Okay… I remember all of that, what about after that?” Jack started smiling, “Well, the two of you were about six pitchers in…”

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	“Wassa matter, lassss… ye look a lil’ woooooozy. Maybe… ye should throw in the towel… before ye go past the point’a noo returnnn,” Scotsman slurred at Ashi, who was supporting herself on the pitcher she had just finished.
	“Awww, is the biiig baaad Scot-sman losing steam? Well I’m JUST getting warmed up, pal!” she hiccupped mid-sentence. Jack was sitting in between the two competitors, his elbows on the table supporting his chin, looking quite bored.
	Sam brought over another couple of pitchers and placed them on the table. Scotsman picked his up sloppily, spilling a good amount; “So what… ye can put away a few pintsss, doesn’ make ye tough, lass. Ye wouldn’ last a day on the force, doin’ what I do fer a livin’!” Ashi scoffed, “Puh-leeeze! I could do your job FIVE TIMES better than yooou can!”
	“That so? Well, why don’t ye proove it? Join me tomorrow on duty, an’ show me ye got the mettle!” Scotsman challenged, slamming his finished pitcher down. Ashi had just finished hers, “You’re…SO. ON. Unless you’re afraaid of being outshined by a guuuurl, tough guy!” she slurred.
	Scotsman then slapped the table in front of Jack, who had started nodding off at this point; “JACK! I need ye… to do me a favor…”

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	“…and then he asked me to call him this morning to remind him to pick you up once he got on duty. So, here I am.” Ashi stared blankly at Jack. She didn’t remember any part of what he recounted after the drinking contest started, but apparently, she had agreed to spend an entire day riding around in a police cruiser… with Scotsman.
	Ashi groaned, falling back onto the pillow, “Do I haaave tooo?” Jack moved closer to her on the bed, “Well, no. But it would mean a lot to me if you gave my good friend another chance. And who knows, you might enjoy it more than you think you will.” He looked at her affectionately, and she couldn’t find it in her to say no to that face.
	“… Okay, I’ll do it. If only to stick it to that walking stereotype.” Ashi held up a fist in determination, then she kissed Jack’s cheek, “I need to brush my teeth.”
	She got up from bed and went to the bathroom, quickly completing her morning routine while Jack finished his coffee. As he left for work, Ashi kissed him goodbye and then finished getting dressed; she wore a black hooded sweatshirt over dark grey sweatpants with running sneakers. She wanted to wear something easy to move in, and she also didn’t care what she looked like in front of Scotsman.
	Once Ashi was dressed and ready, she sat on the stoop of her apartment to wait. About ten minutes later, a police cruiser pulled up in front of her, and she walked over to it and got in the passenger side. “Scotsman.”
	“Ashi,” both of them stared straight ahead as they addressed each other.
	“How did he get you to go through with it?” she asked blankly,
	“We made a bet… I paid in advance,” Scotsman muttered, not fully awake, “Let’s just get this over with…”

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	Grabbing his apron off the rack, Jack tied it around his back, adjusted his nametag, and walked out onto the sales floor.
	He was in a pretty good mood, considering his best friend and his girlfriend were now obligated to spend the day in close proximity to each other. Jack hoped that Ashi would warm up to Scotsman by the end of the day, understanding that his personality requires some getting used to; but he was also a very genuine person, as was Ashi, which is why Jack expected them to eventually come to terms with each other. And he knew Ashi would be able to handle anything Scotsman could throw at her.
	Saturday at Sheriff Mart meant scanning merchandise to see how many units were needed for the next delivery. As Jack made his way through the aisles, a couple things seemed off today. First, his manager and fellow employees were nowhere to be found; they weren’t in the employee area of the store, the only place left for them to be was the door with the keypad in the back of the aisles. Jack had been working there for over a year, yet he was never given access to that door. It must just be the manager’s office, but why would everyone else be in there, too?
	The second thing he noticed was a distinctive smell that wafted through the store. The place having some sort of odor wasn’t unusual, but it was normally relegated to one part of the store; this smell was everywhere, and Jack couldn’t put his finger on it.
	Jack thought he should go look into these oddities, but just then he noticed the lack of cashiers at the registers, and a small line of customers beginning to form. Looks like the investigation would have to wait.

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	Ashi was about to pull her hair out.
	Without a word, Scotsman drove them to a block in the old North End, where a shady little smoke shop resided. They were parked across the street from the shop, the perfect spot for a stakeout; Scotsman sat there with binoculars, staring at the establishment, as Ashi was left to twiddle her thumbs. There they sat for over an hour, watching all kinds of people walk in and out of the smoke shop, and Scotsman was silent and still in his surveillance.
	Ashi finally broke the silence, “You wanna tell me what the hell we’re waiting for? We’ve been sitting here all day so far, and literally nothing has happened! If you want to bust these people, then bust them already!”
	Scotsman finally broke his gaze on the store, turning to Ashi, “Listen, don’ tell ME how to do MY job! There’s been a new strain’a meth goin’ around town, and I got a lead that points right to this place. Ye think I don’ want te march in there and cuff the bastards? A’ course I do, but ye can’t just barge into a place cause ye got suspicions; ye gotta do some reconnaissance first, then once ye got yer proof, THEN you can crack some heads!” He went back to watching the store, “It’s aaaall about patience, lass.”
	Ashi furrowed her brow, then opened the passenger door and got out of the car. It took Scotsman a second to realize that she wasn’t seated next to him, but was actually walking across the street to the very store he was staking out. He shouted in a whisper to her, “ASHI, GET BACK OVER HERE RIGHT NOW BEFORE YE BLOW EVERYTHING.”
	But she kept walking, and into the store she went. Scotsman swore to himself and got out of the car, running over to the store window to see what she would do. Ashi went up to the counter, where a pale, gangling man with bad teeth stood behind. There were various smoking tools and accessories lining the wall behind him, and the hinged counter separated it from the rest of the store.
	He spoke in a Southern drawl, “Can I help you?” Ashi smiled politely, casually holding her hands in her pockets. “Good morning, sir! I was wondering what particular products you sold in this establishment?” The man gave her a skeptical look, “What d’ya mean, what’cha see is what I got; tobacco and tobacco accessories. Take it or leave it!” he barked.
	Ashi chuckled, “I’m afraid you misunderstand me, I’m looking for something a little more… potent, if you catch my drift,” she spoke discreetly, leaning over the counter, and the clerk seemed to finally catch on. “Weeell, I may have jus’ the thing yer lookin’ for, little lady”, he reached behind under the counter, disappearing for a moment, before emerging with a tiny bag full of what looked like white powder.
	“Fresh batch, jus’ came in this mornin’. How about a sample?” he handed her the dime bag. She held her chin theatrically, looking at it like a discerning customer, “Hmm, no thank you. This is exactly what I’m looking for…” she turned to Scotsman as she spoke, waving the drugs at him with a smug look on her face.
	“W-What!?” Suddenly, he barged into the store, not realizing he was not in civilian clothes like she was, “Oh sure, ye can just waltz in an’ get a dime just cause yer not in uniform! Well what if ye were actually an officer of the law, THEN what would ye do?” Ashi shrugged, “I’d probably just go undercover, which I don’t know why you didn’t do in the first place.”
	“Undercover!? Wow, why didn’t I think’a that? Ye sure are a bright one, lass!” Scotsman mocked, “A course I thought’a that, ye ninny! But I been on the force for years now, ye think a single criminal in this city couldn’t pick me out of a crown regardless’a what I’m wearin’? I’m a distinctive man!”
	The clerk was taken off guard by the sudden intrusion, but now he understood what was going on; “Wait a minute, yer wit’ him!?” He reached below the counter again, this time for a pistol taped underneath. Right as he pulled it out, Ashi brought the hinged counter over his hand, slamming it and the firearm down. She followed up by grabbing the clerk’s head and slamming that against the counter as well, and he fell back against the wall of merchandise.
	Scotsman came around behind the counter and picked up the clerk by his collar with one hand, taking the dime bag from Ashi and holding it up with the other. “Now listen here, ye drawling punk! Yer gonna tell us where ye got this from, and then maybe yer face won’t be rearranged!” He hissed at Scotsman, “I ain’t afraid’a you, pig! Y’all goody-goody po-lice officers ain’t allowed to get rowdy!”
	Scotsman smirked, “Aye, but SHE ain’t an officer…” gesturing to Ashi behind him, who was staring daggers at the clerk while cracking her knuckles. The crook gulped nervously, still feeling the pain of his face against the hardwood countertop. “A-Alright, alright! I’ll tell you everything! But I swear, I’m just a distributor, they don’t tell me where it’s made! I can give you the name of my supplier though, see what you can figure from there!” he nervously pulled a small slip of paper with an address.
	Scotsman grabbed the paper and examined it before looking back at the clerk, pulling him close to his face one last time, “Stick to selling tobacco, and ye won’t be seeing us again…” and released the man’s shirt as he got up. Ashi was confused, “Wait, we’re not going to arrest him? Did you forget that he tried to pull a gun on us!” but Scotsman shook his head, “It’s complicated. If I arrest this creep, then the whole investigation needs to be stopped so I can fill out a week’s worth’a time-consumin’ paperwork. Not to mention, my boss’ll be on my case for acting on a lead without being assigned to it. By the time I get back into it, all the leads’ll have gone cold. Crooks like him are a dime’a dozen, but this is a one-shot deal; we’re not making any arrests until we find the source’a this!” he pointed to the dime bag in his hand.
	Ashi was shocked at how absurd the whole system sounded, “Wow, you guys weren’t kidding about how screwed up your job had become. I can see why Jack got sick of it.” Scotsman nodded solemnly, “Aye, we lost a good cop to this blasted system. Things just haven’t been the same fer me without Jack. He was the best partner I ever worked with, by far; fer three years we ran this city, criminals didn’ stand a chance!” Ashi smiled, thinking about her boyfriend; she wondered how work was going for him.
	“But enough reminiscin’, we got a lead to follow! Come on, partner!” Scotsman hollered, running off to his cruiser, and Ashi readily followed.

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	Something was definitely up.
	Jack was four hours into his shift, but his manager hadn’t said a word to him. Usually by now, he would get at least one incoherent, rambling comment about his work ethic, but it never came. The Sheriff just went in and out of his “office” all day, grabbing innocuous items off the shelves and bringing them back with him into the locked door.
	He was running out of things to do in the store, there weren’t even enough customers for him to be on register consistently. He tried knocking on the office door a couple times, but he either got no answer or “DONYUBEKNOKINONTHISDOWENYUSUPPOSTBEOUTHERWERKINNDELPINCUSTMERSYUGITBACOUTDERANLEEVMEBE!” so he stopped trying. The smell from earlier was also stronger near the office door.
	Soon after, he was finishing up with a customer at the register when he saw red and blue lights flashing outside; the customer he was helping walked out the front doors, as two familiar faces walked in past him.
	Jack called out, walking out from behind the register towards them. “Scotsman? Ashi? What are you both doing here?” As they explained, they had been following clues to the source of a new strain of crystal meth that had been going around, and it led them to Jack’s place of work. “That would definitely explain the smell,” he thought, then gestured to his companions, “Here, follow me.”
	He led them to the locked office door, and knocked a couple times; “Sir, it’s me again. Someone is here who wishes to speak to you, it sounds very important!” They heard the door unlock, and crack open slightly to reveal the Sheriff peeking through. Scotsman stood there in the doorway and greeted, “Afternoon!” prompting the Sheriff to gasp and quickly shut the door, locking it again.
	Scotsman mused, “It ain’t exactly an admission’a guilt, but it’ll do fer me!” and prepped to break down the door. Stepping back and pausing, he brought his foot up to deliver a swift and solid kick to the door, which swung open and hit against the wall.
	The trio carefully stepped into the office to find it completely empty, aside from the tacky alligator themed knick-knacks that decorated the room. “Wha- Where’d he go!?” Scotsman quickly looked back and forth, befuddled by the suspect’s disappearance. Meanwhile, Jack and Ashi started examining the room, looking for some sort secret entrance; they finally found it when Ashi moved the lower jaw of an alligator head mounted on the left wall, and the wall next to it opened up to a hidden staircase. Scotsman stepped in first, pulling out his gun and turning to the others, “Alright, you two. This could get hairy, stay behind me!”
	The three of them quietly and carefully stepped down the winding stairs, anticipating and eventful encounter. Finally, they came to a large steel door at the bottom of the stairs. They opened it to find a large room, full of machinery and equipment for meth-making; all of the chemicals and materials were there on the tables, and there were hazmat suits and ventilation masks hanging on the wall. But most pressing was the small group of armed men waiting in the corner, with the Sheriff at the helm, “DERDOSLAWPEEPLARYUGITYERGUNSOUTANPUHOLESINDERFACESANALLOVERDERBODIESLIKEDATDERSWISSCHEESYUHEARME!” and the group began to open fire.
	The three pseudo-cops dove behind one of the machines, and Scotsman swore, “This don’t look good, we’re hopelessly outnumbered AND outgunned. We’re gonna have to use the old wits…” he turned to see his cohorts had already dispersed, attempting to get the jump on their assailants. “Oh, for the love of- CAN BOTH’A YE STOP DOIN’ THAT!?”
	The gang of shooters had dispersed as well, patrolling the maze-like walkways between the large machines. One by one, Jack and Ashi ambushed each of them, while Scotsman kept their attention with a firefight. Finally, it only the Sheriff was left standing. He carefully stepped around the corner, waiting to me taken from behind. He came around the bend to find Scotsman at one end, coming his way; he turned around, only for Jack to be there with a stolen gun, blocking his path. The two closed in on him, and he stood there with his gun, switching back and forth between the two targets. Suddenly, Ashi tackled him from atop the machine he was up against, forcing him onto his back. Scotsman tossed her his handcuffs, and she used them to subdue the fake lawman.
	Later that day, the rest of the police force was there to examine the scene, and collect all the subdued criminals. Jack was being interviewed by a different officer, having been in close proximity to the illicit operation for some time. Meanwhile, Ashi and Scotsman sat on the sidewalk and talked.
	“Ye know, I had ye pegged all wrong, Ashi. I thought ye were just some uppity lass that bit off more than ye could chew, but ye got a lot’a guts! I was really impressed by yer performance today!” Scotsman commended, and Ashi rubbed her neck humbly, “Well, it wasn’t all me; your muscle definitely helped me get along. I’m not very intimidating, after all.”
	“Don’ be modest, lass! Ye had that smoke shop clerk shakin’ in his boots! Yer actions speak fer themselves, and they scream how tough ye are!” Ashi laughed out of flattery, “Why, ye remind me’a when Jack first joined me on patrol, he was a natural, just like ye! In fact, I’d be more than happy to get ye a place in the force; ye can be my official partner, if yer interested!”
	She looked at him in surprise, and sat there in contemplation for a moment, until she saw Jack over by the other officers. “Thank you for the offer, but… while I enjoyed myself out there today, I should focus on other things for the time being.”
	Scotsman saw where her gaze was fixed, “Ye really like him, don’tcha?” She looked at him, practically glowing, “Yes. He’s… amazing. I’ve never met a guy like him; he’s so polite and respectful, and he actually listens to me. And, you know, the beard threw me off at first, but now I think it’s kind of sexy actually. And his eyes… he gets this intense look sometimes that’s just so…” he cut her off, “Alright, I heard enough. Yer as bad as him! It’s a wonder ye got any teeth left between the two’a ya!” She gave him an inquisitive look, to which Scotsman replied with a smile, “He spoke’a ye the same way, safe to say he knows how ye feel, lass!” And the glow was back.
	Just then, Jack walked over to see them chatting amicably, “It’s nice to see the two of you getting along finally, even if you did lose me my job in the process.” They both laughed at that, and Scotsman got up to pat his friend on the back, “Aye, take good care’a this one, Jack! She’s a keeper!” he said with a wink, and Jack met Ashi’s eyes lovingly.
	“Now, since the three’a us are free, how ‘bout we go get somethin’ fer dinner? My treat!” Scotsman bellowed. “That sounds lovely,” Ashi said as she stood up, and Scotsman put an arm over her shoulder as well.
	And so, Jack and Ashi followed behind Scotsman as they drove to Scotsman’s restaurant of choice, not yet concerned about the food that was about to be thrust upon them.

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	After a bizarre meal, Jack drove Ashi back to her apartment since she had mentioned it had been a long day.
	She hopped off the bike, and turned to kiss Jack goodbye. “Goodnight,” he whispered as she pulled away from the kiss. She looked back at him as she walked up the stoop, “See ya later, Samurai!” she winked. Jack recoiled slightly, flustered, and drove off as Ashi giggled.
	Once she was back in her apartment, she dropped her purse on the table and walked into her room, plopping down on her bed and stretching out comfortably. Ashi lay there, staring up at the ceiling for a good minute before she thought of something.
She slowly got off her bed and walked to her desk, pulling out a fresh sheet of paper and a pencil. Turning on the desk lamp, she tapped the pencil against her forehead as she pondered where to begin.
	Finally, she put the pencil to the paper and made a few lines that would become the torso, then put a small circle above it where the head would be.

—END CHAPTER 9—

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