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Nyakuza Metro.
It was the perfect place for a little lying... a little cheating... a little stealing. A place of opportunity and risk, where you either win big, or lose hard. A place of bright lights and fast food, both of which hid a dark underbelly of crime and theft. A place run by a singular crime lord, who ruled the metro with an iron claw.
And Hat Kid hated this place.
Not that there weren't things she liked about it; she liked the bright neon lights that lined every building corner of the metro; she liked the different kinds of food she could eat from the carts around the place; she liked the different outfits she could buy from the vendors hidden in dark alleyways; she liked riding on top of the metro trains, letting the wind brush past her face; and she especially liked how the trains were pulled by giant, friendly metro kittens (she knew her friend, Bow Kid, would adore such a thing). There were plenty of good memories to be had in the metro.
However, there were far too many bad memories that far outweighed any positive things she could say about this place; nearly being run over by the metro cats numerous times, for instance; being forced to work for an underground cat gang against her will; having her Time Pieces being taken from her time and time again; being hunted down while trying to steal back her things, and nearly being killed after being cornered by their leader. Honestly, she shouldn't be alive right now, if it weren't for the authorities intervening.
Hat Kid had vowed never to come to this heckhole ever again, but as fate would have it, she found herself back in the streets of Nyakuza Metro. This time on official business—contractual obligation business.
“I need you to go back to the cat city and take care of some business for me, kid,” she remembered the Snatcher saying right as she returned from her ordeal. “Since I know you're not exactly welcome there anymore, I'm gonna go easy on you with this task.”
True to the specter's word, it would be easy (as easy as Death Wish contracts come, anyway). It wasn't to steal all of the Nyakuza's wealth, or to find one of his brand of Time Pieces in a certain amount of time while hordes of Nyakuza cats swarmed her. All Hat Kid had to do was find three of his hidden Snatcher coins, scattered across the city. She didn't have to worry about having them stolen from her, since the Snatcher assured her that only she'd be able to see or interact with them. So that's a plus.
The best place to start off her search would be the very heart of the Nyakuza Metro, as the hatted girl landed in the central hub area of Nyakuza operations. Brushing off the dust off of her original purple top hat and tunic (she had stuffed her cat jacket away, not wanting to see it), she readied herself for the search.
The streets seemed typical, with cats of all shapes and sizes going about their business, eating food, or chatting up a storm with each other. Last time she was here, all the streets were blocked off by walls of Nyakuza cats chomping at the bit for the bounty that was previously placed on her head for stealing back her Time Pieces. But now, everything was back to normal in Nyakuza Metro.
Hat Kid knew there may still be some cats who either harbored hard feelings towards her for her betrayal, or still wanted the bounty that was once on her head. While she did get the occasional odd and dirty look from some of the cats around the hub (particularly those who wore the signature white masks), most of the cats paid no attention to her, or greeted her as if nothing prior happened. She'd have to keep her guard up, regardless.
Where do I start looking for those coins? Hat Kid thought to herself. The Yellow Overpass? Pink Paw Station? Bluefin? Green Clean? They could be anywhere.
The hatted girl spun around in place, thinking of her next move. When she stopped, she laid her gaze upon a particular boutique:
LE FÉLIN, it read over the door.
Instantly, Hat Kid's mind was flooded with images of the past few days in Nyakuza Metro; all of which were centered around a tall, lean cat wearing a coat, and covered in scars and jewelry. For the briefest of moments, the girl was short of breath, her heart skipping a beat. Hat Kid immediately shook her head of the troubling images. There was no way in heck she'd ever go back to that place! Back to her. She was on official business, anyway.
Making up her mind, Hat Kid marched in the opposite direction of the store. No way she'd go back there! No way at all! No remaining issues to confront! None at all! Her march slowed to a crawl the more she thought about it. The girl glanced back at the store once more, feeling a sudden urge to go against her better judgment. It told—nay—compelled her to go back to the store and confront the crime lord one last time.
Hat Kid tried to spin around and walk away again, but found her feet had planted themselves into the ground; they weren't going anywhere except towards the jewelry store. What was going on? Was Hat Kid being controlled by some unseen force? Was the Snatcher playing a mean prank on her, or did she know, deep down, that she needed to confront her fears and resolve her issues with the gang leader she had worked for? If she didn't do it now, she'd never have another opportunity, and her nights would be assaulted by nightmares over and over again.
Sighing with resignation, Hat Kid began walking towards LE FÉLIN.
Her pace was slow and steady, perhaps in the vain attempt to delay this tug-of-war with her emotions and motivations; half of her screamed at her to run away and never look back, while the other half urged her to press forward. As she got closer to the store, Hat Kid noticed several cats wearing blue caps on their heads standing around just outside the store, with police tape lining the perimeter. Perhaps their sudden appearance earlier wasn't just a miraculous coincidence, she thought. Was the store under investigation? Who was on the store's payroll?
Passing through the police cats and tape unhindered, Hat Kid stopped just short of the door. This was it. If there was ever a time for her to step back from the point of no return, now would be the time, and no one but her would ever know. No one would judge her. The girl's heart raced, faster than she ever thought possible. It was do or die.
She took in a deep breath.
Then exhaled.
With trembling hands, Hat Kid opened the store door, and headed straight into the lions' den.
Walking into the store, it felt like forever since last she was there, but it remained exactly like she had remembered it. The walls were lined with glass display cases, showing off the expensive jewelry and necklaces within. New to the store, however, was a police cat, who seemed to be inspecting some of the jewelry on display. And behind the main counter stood the store owner...
The Empress.
Upon seeing the feared cat gang leader again, Hat Kid once again felt sheer terror and dread seeping back into her body. Her heart raced faster than before, her limbs felt like jelly, her breath felt short, her stomach twisting itself into knots, and sweat dripped from her forehead. This was a mistake, she thought. Her body begged her to turn back and flee, but there was no turning back now. Not from this.
To Hat Kid's surprise, however, the Empress didn't violently react to her presence. Heck, she didn't even seem to notice her coming in; she was too busy rearranging jewelry in her display case. What was she planning, Hat Kid thought. Her mind went into overdrive with all the possible scenarios that could happen. Would the Empress call upon a horde of Nyakuza cats to swarm her? Would the Empress pull a lever and make her drop down a trap door? Would the Empress merely lunge at her with claws drawn out? There was no telling what the Empress must have been planning.
Hat Kid barely made it half way across the room when the store owner finally acknowledged her existence:
“Welcome to Le Félin,” the Empress greeted, no trace of anger in her voice, “the Cat's Eye of the jewelry world. Here you will find many fine examples of this city's most exquisite diamond necklaces, rings, and other trinkets that might catch your fancy. We at Le Félin only select the best of the best when it comes to quality and craftsmanship—”
The gang leader continued speaking about her business, but the words fell past Hat Kid. She had noticed something was... off... with the Empress, with how she spoke. She spoke in a flat, monotone, almost robotic voice, as if she was reading off of a script. All the while, the tall cat's eyes darted between the child and the police cat standing off to the side. Was that the reason she was acting so strange? Was the police cat not on her payroll? Seemed like so long the police were here, the Empress couldn't have her revenge, Hat Kid thought.
And right on cue, the police cat ended his inspection and walked right out the store door. Suddenly, Hat Kid felt very alone. Alone with the murderous crime lord possibly out for blood. The gang leader immediately dropped the act:
“Walking right back into my claws,” the Empress said with a sneer, venom now dripping from her words. “Bold.”
A sudden sense of dread once again washed over Hat Kid, her suspicions about the Empress still being furious at her being confirmed. The Empress herself leaned forward on her counter, craning her neck as forward as possible, as well as flattening her ears and narrowing her eyes. This frightening display of hers, almost towering over the hatted girl, only made Hat Kid sweat even more, and even found herself shaking in her boots.
“Make no mistake, child,” the Empress continued, anger in her voice rising, “if these police officers weren't making a show of investigating things right now, you would not be leaving a second time. Thanks to your little stunt, the chief wants to... renegotiate our arrangement. He thinks sending a few of his kittens down here will pressure me. They won't find anything, of course, they're not that stupid. But it does mean I need to keep things orderly for a little while. No accidents happening to anyone, you know.” That was some relief to Hat Kid. So long as the authorities were around, the Empress wouldn't have her revenge. The crime leader, however, seemed to have read her mind, as she straightened herself back, flashing a sinister smile on her face.
“But don't worry, little girl,” she warned. “This will all blow over soon. If you're smart, you'll run.”
Good advice, Hat Kid thought to herself, as she spun around, nearly running towards the door in a panic. There. It was done. She had her little confrontation with the Empress. The cat made her empty threat, and now Hat Kid wouldn't have to deal with her or the Nyakuza Metro ever again! Now to find those coins! Hat Kid pushed the store door open when she stopped in her tracks.
...
No.
It wasn't going to end like this. Not this way.
All of a sudden, the fear and dread that filled Hat Kid's form started to change and shift inside of her. It transformed into something that she wasn't too familiar with. It boiled inside of her, threatening to seep out or erupt at any moment. Her free hand clenched itself into a fist, harder than she thought possible.
It wasn't going to end this way. It would end on her terms, not the Empress'.
Furrowing her brow, Hat Kid turned back around and marched towards her former employer. Her body shrieked at her to turn back now; this new drive was just going to get her killed. She didn't pay heed to that voice. She didn't care. Reaching the counter, the hatted girl hopped into the air, landing on top of the display case infront of the store owner, who did not flinch.
She was face to face with the Empress. Eye to eye. Well within striking distance of the cat's deadly claws. But she didn't care.
“Empress,” Hat Kid started, her voice uncharacteristically firm, “ever since I met you, I wanted to say some things to you. Ever since you forced me to work for you, I went through heck and back to retrieve my Time Pieces, only to have your cat enforcers take them from me.” She could feel her face becoming red and hot. She didn't care.
“And then,” she continued, her voice rising with anger, “you tried to kill me after I took back what belonged to me, even after you said it was OK to steal while in your metro! For so long, I've been dying to tell you what I thought of you!” The last few words came out as a scream to the Empress' face, but the cat did not react to Hat Kid's outburst. The hatted girl panted furiously, trying to collect herself before her former employer. “But now? There's only one thing I can say to you.”
Hat Kid took in a deep breath, then exhaled, expelling the anger built up inside of her.
“I'm sorry...” It came out little more than a whisper.
This finally got a reaction out of the Empress, who seemed... shocked by her former underling's apology. Hat Kid hung her head down low, avoiding her gaze.
“You're sorry?” the Empress nearly spat out, almost offended. “What could you possibly feel sorry for?” Hat Kid raised her head again, her eyes glistening with tears yet to fall.
“I'm sorry we couldn't be friends,” Hat Kid explained, meeting her gaze to the Empress' before looking away again. For what seemed like an eternity, both child and gang leader stood in their places, unsure on how to proceed.
“When I first came to this planet,” Hat Kid began, “I lost my Time Pieces, and I made it my mission to get them back. I met a whole bunch of cool and weird people who became my friends.” Hat Kid paused, fighting back tears. “But they turned on me after a Time Piece got involved. They wanted the power of rewinding time for themselves—called me selfish for not giving in to their demands. They even tried to kill me when I asked them to give the Time Pieces back.”
The Empress, listening to the child's tale, kept her mouth shut, wearing a steely expression on her face. Whatever she was feeling right now, her expression did not betray her emotions.
“When you got your hands on my Time Pieces,” Hat Kid continued, “I was afraid... afraid that you too would try and abuse their power, or try and sell them off. So I agreed to work for you. I hoped that by gaining your trust, you would realize that the Time Pieces are too dangerous in just anyone's hands. But it didn't work, and you wanted more of them, and I was afraid you would get rid of me when you got what you wanted.” The last admission made the Empress raise a brow in confusion.
“I don't regret taking back my Time Pieces,” Hat Kid admitted, tears starting to fall down her face, “but I do regret betraying you so badly. Betraying you... like how I was betrayed. Maybe in a different time, I would have been your best underling. Maybe we could have been the best of friends. I don't know. It doesn't matter now.” The hatted child reached into her tunic, pulling out a wad of green money that the Empress had given to her prior, then placed it on the counter before her. “Here. Take some of your money back. I don't need it.”
It was time for her to stop. If she continued, she'd look worse than she already was. Wiping the tears off of her face, Hat Kid hopped back down from the counter, readying herself to leave.
“I'm sorry we couldn't make this work,” Hat Kid apologized one final time, looking back at the Empress. The gang leader still wore her steely expression, though her drooped ears did suggest that maybe... just maybe, she was also filled with some form of regret for what transpired. And for the briefest of moments, she almost looked... sad.
“Just. Go.” the Empress ordered finally, pointing a clawed finger towards the door. “And don't come back.” When Hat Kid didn't react to the demand, the gang leader slammed her fist down on the counter, nearly breaking the glass. “GO!!” This finally made the girl jump from her spot, rushing out of the store without a second glance, and running past the police officers.
When she got to a safe distance from the jewelry store, Hat Kid stopped herself, catching her breath. That could have gone better, she thought, but she spoke her piece to the Empress. Suddenly, she felt like a great weight had been lifted from her shoulders. She felt... free. Free to now focus on what's important. Readying herself, Hat Kid set off to find the Snatcher's coins.
Nyakuza Metro.
It was the perfect place for a little lying... a little cheating... a little stealing. A place of opportunity and risk, where you either win big, or lose hard. A place of bright lights and fast food, both of which hid a dark underbelly of crime and theft. A place run by a singular crime lord, who ruled the metro with an iron claw.
And Hat Kid hated this place.