Centshuu, who sat comfortably like he owned the place, fingers interlocked and a proud smirk on his face, said with all boldness "We've found our biggest score ever"
Bell, who didn't fully understand what that meant but had an idea because she knew exactly what type of ventures Centshuu and the squad get into, furrowed her brows.
"Biggest score ever? What's that supposed to mean?" She asked.
"Well, let me correct myself. We haven't found our biggest score ever, but we're in the process of finding our biggest score ever. Yeah, that sounds about right" Centshuu said and Bell became even more confused.
She looked at Ripply and asked "What the hell is he talking about? Found, about to find, which one is it? Also, what is this biggest score he's proudly talking about?"
From her behavior whenever Centshuu says something that doesn't align well with her or her understanding, the way she looks to Ripply to clarify things or just to talk belittlingly of Centshuu or his decisions, it was clear that after all the years, she still hadn't fully approved of her friend, Ripply's, decision of stepping down for Centshuu to take leadership role of the team.
Both Centshuu and Ripply knew this fact because the brazen and extremely beautiful woman wasn't one to hide what she thought and by the looks on their faces, it was evident that they didn't appreciate it, especially because it was such an important decision.
Ripply's first response was a look of annoyance but when Bell persisted in looking at him for clarity, making it obvious that she didn't care if they felt disrespected or annoyed, Ripply smacked his tongue.
"Centshuu will explain everything in a moment, so be patient," Ripply said in his typical monotone voice, but there was an underlying message that if she had questions, they should be directed at Centshuu who was the person she was in a meeting with, not him.
"Well, he better hurry up then. I have important guests waiting on my return, so you two better be snappy with it" Bell said then looked at Centshuu and changed the orientation of how her legs were crossed.
"I'll be patient-ish, so go ahead"
Centshuu chuckled, thinking that no matter how long he'd been the leader of the squad or how much he'd tried to show his competence, the beautiful vixen still refused to fully acknowledge him. It stung, it really did, but he wasn't one to let things like that get to him.
He moved on.
Centshuu changed how he sat from a comfortable posture— which might have made him seem less serious— to sitting almost upright, but with a tiny forward lean which gave him a more imposing presence in the room.
'Oh, seems like he's gotten serious' Bell thought, matching what Ripply had in mind when he looked down at Centshuu.
"You asked about what this biggest score I mentioned is and you asked why the pug is with us, well then, here's the story that brought us to your establishment and more specifically, to you," Centshuu said and Bell's body twitched slightly, a sign that she had unconsciously prepared herself to listen to everything he had to say.
Observing this, Ripply closed his eyes and smirked proudly as just like with him all those years back, Centshuu's presence and way with words had allowed him to captivate the typically indifferent vixen.
With the way her guests throw themselves at her using gifts, promises and so much more, Bell had developed an apathetic persona to most things which made it hard for anything, most especially anyone, to capture her attention or interest.
Knowing this and seeing Centshuu being able to do the exact opposite at a hat's drop, made Ripply proud as it affirmed his decision all those years ago.
Centshuu started "A while back, we ran into a little… trouble, if that qualifies as the right word," he said but Bell interrupted.
"Trouble? You guys? Oh, I'm shocked" She said jokingly but when none of them laughed or smiled, she fixed her attitude
"Tough crowd. Anyway, go ahead"
Centshuu continued "We ran into a little trouble. One of our most expensive shipments was attacked and stolen en route. Unfortunately, the people we were supposed to deliver for are some really nasty motherfuckers. The type that will chop your hands off, throw you into the coliseum, and watch you get destroyed as entertainment for the masses" he said and Bell gritted her teeth.
"What in your right mind made you think it was a wise idea to do business with those types of fuckers? I thought you were wise, Centshuu. Ripply, I thought your job as his supposed right-hand man is to advise him and like you say "keep him balanced and make sure his head is in the right place.", so how did you allow such a stupid decision to slide?" Bell who seemed genuinely concerned for them or at least for Ripply as their relationship seems to go way back into the past, asked.
After staring at Ripply, who remained silent and non-reactive to her reproach for a few seconds, Bell smacked her tongue in frustration and then looked back at Centshuu.
Her concerned anger changed to an annoyed frown.
"I've had guys like those come around once or twice and my girls tell me what they talk about in private. They find and lure in promising guys like yourselves, offer them mouth-watering deals, and when they bite, as you idiots did, those bastards stab them in the back. I'm sure the attack on your shipment was orchestrated by them and their purpose for that is so obvious that even a snotty-nosed pug could tell. It's to get you chickens stuck as their lackeys for as long as possible because it reduces competition— and what's with those looks on your faces?" Bell said then saw the unfazed expressions that Centshuu and Ripply had.
"So you idiots know this already," Bell said and Centshuu shrugged.