Queenpins

Squawk Box

Prologue

Ahe...

Ahehehe...

Ahehehehe~!

...

Amelia H. Watson emerged from the curtains of Fauna's ear-cleaning booth smiling from ear to ear. She was happy. Too happy. So happy that her hard-boiled detective persona couldn't string together two dark thoughts about corruption, decay or jaywalking for her monologue. Instead, Ame was giggling and smiling and was projecting sunshine and rainbows that made even the sunny Kiara cringe.

Where's my dark and brooding Ame-senpai!? What did you do to her!?

When Fauna emerged from the ear-cleaning booth, the rookie Phoenix detective confronted her. She was still disguised as the English-less Erika, however, so she let her troubled expression speak for her.

"Ara~ your friend is fine. Miss Amelon hasn't been pampered for a long time, you see." Fauna explained, "I'm very good at taking the load off of people's shoulders, after all!"

Kiara hovered around Ame and searched for any signs of foul play or injuries - anything short of an actual lobotomy.

"I'm fiiiine~!" Ame reassured, speaking with a pleasant voice that Kiara never thought she would hear from, "Fauna's pretty good!"

Maybe a little too good if Ame-senpai's like that!

While Ame was still walking on sunshine, Fauna led her back to the bar, promising to serve her another helping of iced lychee lemonade with strawberry jelly. Ame graciously accepted the offer without a second thought!

Kiara trembled. She didn't know if she should arrest Fauna right then and there. However, when Ame let Fauna lead her away, the senior detective suddenly gave Kiara a sharp thumbs up - reassuring her that she was actually fine.

Senpai...! You really are a method actress, huh?

Fauna sat the mellowed out Ame down and promptly returned to Kiara.

"It's your turn, Erika." Fauna smiled, "Don't worry. I'll make your experience as enjoyable as I can~!" She politely gave 'Erika' a curtsy, "That is Mother Nature's promise!"

Left without a choice, Kiara followed Fauna into the booth and had her ears cleaned.

To her surprise, it was an incredibly delightful experience.

By the time Kiara was finished with her session, she felt quite relieved. She was even quite impressed by Fauna's service.

Maybe it won't hurt to visit this cafe during my time off. Maybe Ame-senpai and Ina-senpai might want to tag along?

Pleased as Kiara was, however, she and Ame still had a job to do. The two plainclothes detectives walked out of the Mother Nature cafe bearing the two paper packages that Fauna handed to them: the package from Calliope Mori, and the same package that Gawr Gura gave them in the first place!

That was their 'payment' for the special lemonade and the ear-cleaning sessions, Fauna explained with her sweet voice. Fauna saw Kiara and Ame on their way out and bowed to the two of them.

"Thank you for your patronage!" Fauna exclaimed, "Please make sure that Miss Irys gets her packages - and I hope that the two of you can visit again soon!"

Kiara and Ame nodded to the owner-slash-maid and sauntered back to their car a block and a half away. Ame kept up her ditzy, sunny act until Fauna was well out of earshot. Then, Ame's Noire personality came roaring back to the surface.