She does NOT

"Sorry, Warren." Scarlet sighs, frowning. "I...I just can't do that right now. Not after Montana..."

"I understand," you tell her. "Just, uh, keep me posted if you change your mind or if you hear something, would you?"

Scarlet nods. "I can promise you that much. Just... you know, don't expect me to do a whole lot here. I'm still in a state of recovery."

You shoot a hand out. "Scarlet. I really understand. I didn't want you to strain yourself for me here. What happened back in Montana wasn't right. Take your time and take care of yourself, yeah? Spring is right around the corner. Get all that gloom outta' your system."

"Warren, you're pretty decent."

You internally scoffed. You weren't, but you weren't going to tell her anything otherwise. With Scarlet throwing her hat back into the ring as another possible contractor in the area, you weren't going to tarnish your own reputation just to let her know there's something you are hiding as well. From not just the other Red Ties but also the entire Japanese government now. You could be tortured to **** if something crude happened to Sachio and Kenji. You rubbed your neck and told her that you'll be leaving now.

You retire to your room, your suit still on and your mind still busy. You started to wish you never took this gig. Your mind felt like it was slowly liquidating the longer you lingered on Sachio. You closed your eyes and exhaled. Deadwood was starting to turn white again as the snow began to come down a little harder. Every blink lasted a little longer than the last until you finally fell asleep. Eventually, you woke up to the sound of your door being knocked. You stirred slightly and then woke up in the darkness of your room. It was nighttime now.

Knock knock. Knock knock. Knock knock.

"McKinley..." You muttered, stumbling from your chair. "I'm coming. I’m coming..."

You unlocked the door and opened it, to be not greeted with McKinley. It was Mikka instead, who looked to be cheerful and pleased. He handed you the cash that he owed you and then some more. He adjusted his glasses and then brushed back his balding scalp. "The money I owe you and the rest of the Red Ties. Good job with saving the others. By the way, I heard the full story! Very brave of you!" Mikka stepped in a little closer and then lowered his voice. "I guess I shouldn't be surprised since you're helping me now."

You fingered through the cash. You were making some really good money now. All of your guilt was suddenly buried. Business like this was good, even if it was bad. Though, your questions still remained in a stacked order. "Mind if I ask some questions before we dive any closer?"

Mikka steps into your room, nodding. "Of course. Let's just come in here and chat first. Don't want any...one with open ears to hear."

"I wouldn't want that either." Your voice lowered too before you locked the door behind him. When you looked behind yourself, you saw that he had already helped himself to one of the chairs in the room. Without turning back to you, he rolled his wrist and asked you what you wanted to know. You cleared your throat, unloading your belt from the Glock and magazines. "What'd you do with Sachio last night?"

You thought about telling him about last night when you had found Sachio stumbling through the city alone and cleared out of her mind. All he did was shrug. "Zuprik and I fucked her as soon as Kenji passed out. It was pretty easy to convince her to undress once I told her I was going to show her how Kenji likes it."

"Oh," is all you could manage, unsure what to follow up with.

"I took the first couple tries, breaking her in before letting Zuprik go at it. We didn't cum inside of her, don't worry - can't get her pregnant while on duty." Mikka reclined further into his chair. "She was a virgin for sure, so hopefully, no one dives in and finds out she's been doing the dirty with her guards."

He laughed slightly before continuing. "I'd like to teach her how to suck a cock. Maybe take more than a single dick at a time."

Your eyes drifted. You weren't sure how to respond to that either. You looked at your gun and then the money. You were in pretty deep now. You couldn't reserve out of this without going down too. "So, what's next for us?"

Mikka stretched. "Glad we can talk work now. I know that there are a few others that'd pay to smash a Jap. Good money too, yeah? I'll give you a fair cut, of course, get you what you need. I'll just need to get her a little more...addicted to some of the stuff I'm stocked with."

You sighed. "You're into **** too? Aren't you nervous about getting caught by your own guys?"

He shook his head. "A little bit. Honestly speaking, though, I think we're so far from the HQ that our captains won't look at the internal problems that much, especially regulars like myself. It's better to think your soldiers are the best and not investigate anything than to dig every rumor and gossiping tail to see whether or not it's true. It's nearly winter, and we're out of the Imperial’s Japanese eyes. For now, at least... I bet Sachio would go for thousands on the **** market? Woof!"

"Alright, calm down, Mikka." You sat beside him and ran your hand through your scalp. "I need to know what else you have in mind."

Mikka leaned in, looking at you. "I'd like to get in with a few more times before selling her off to the other boys."

"Dangerous shit, Mikka. I thought this was just going to be between the three of us."

"Well..." Mikka fished inside of his pocket and tossed you a thick roll of new print ‘20s. "You like that? That’s another grand right there. An advanced fee if you can get her to go out with just you and me."

You held onto the money. It felt dirty...You wanted it, though. You're already this far, and you've done nothing to stop yourself so far, so why start now? "I'll see what I can conjure up, Mikka."

...

...

In the morning, you get ready for work again. It's easier the third time. You start a routine but linger in your room longer, so you don't run into anyone in the lobby getting breakfast. You'll just grab whatever leftovers there are and a cup of coffee. However, McKinley arrives and hands you a black coat this time - the weather has worsened overnight... You make it to the theater and watch the girls dance as Kenji watches. He seemed more...fixated on the room around this time, though. He knows something is wrong.

"Good morning, Kenji." You sit beside him, almost 6 feet apart. He grunts.

"We had transfers this morning. Some of the older guards just rotated out with some newbies." He crosses his arms as he looks around. He doesn't like the new guys...And to make matters worse, they might be Mikka's new clients.

"Are they regulars?" You ask.

Kenji sighs. "A mixed batch. We must've lost more getting to Deadwood. Lots of new contractors..." Suddenly, he leans in. "We've lost a lot getting this far. Fuck."

You fix your gaze on Kenji for a few moments and then adjust your gaze back onto the stage. "Life of a soldier of fortune, Kenji. Don't get trapped with the faces you work with."

Kenji looks at the stage too. "I've got someone else to worry about now. Don't worry about me."

The day drags on with more bitter exchanges and dreadful conversations. You'll have to distance yourself from Kenji.

It would be best not to trap yourself in a situation where you want to help him. You are, after all, against him. If he finds out what you did, he'll kill you without a second thought. If you need to defend yourself, you'll need to know it's either you or him. Since it's another short day, you retire back to the hotel pretty early. However, before you leave, you find Akiko. She seems a little...standoff-ish this time, however. "You looked pretty good up there today."

"Um. Thanks." She manages.

"Same thing in the morning for everyone?"

"I guess." She replies.

"Well, I won't keep you long. Have a good night." Realizing that you weren't going to get anywhere with her today, you decide just to give up before this can get too awkward.

"Yes. Have a good night, Visser."

All considering, the day felt kind of backward, despite your best effort to get into the groove of finding a routine to attach yourself to. Again, you find yourself dropping into a chair in your room and watching the outside. You do this until it's time to eat. Dinner was simple and kind of lackluster, but you know better than to complain. Few dancers are enjoying your food, but you know that most of them have better meals prepared and brought to them while they are in their rooms.

You see McKinley and Sasha eating and talking. You think about bothering them, though you remember that they are married and probably want some distance. You see Kenji, but he seems distracted with his thoughts. You then see Mikka and Zuprik, but you notice they are talking to several other men before you can sit down with them. They have pretty serious expressions on, and you don't feel like getting involved in anything work-related right now, so you find a table and eat alone, gathering your thoughts together. Now wasn't ideal, but the more time you put into plans, the better...

When night rolls around, you are in your room, wide awake and comfortable in your chair. Your Glock is field stripped and in pieces in front of you with the manual sprawled out beside it. Tinkering with your gear was always a good way to clear your mind. You were just in the middle of a break when someone knocks on your door. "Mikka..." you figured. You stepped away from the table and opened the door, not to see your guess again.

"Akiko?" You say, opening the door wider. "What are you doing here?"

"I have some questions!" She yelled.

You stammered and then stepped out, but she remained firm where she was. "No! Not out here. Inside your room. Now!"

Akiko seated herself at the foot of your bed, pressing her knees together as she kept to herself. You stuffed your hands in your pockets and asked what she wanted to talk about. It seemed serious, and being her guard; you needed to know what the matter was. She looked up and scrunched her face together. "I'm worried about Sachio. She hasn't been herself lately."

Oh, great...

"I couldn't find Kenji anywhere today, and I missed him when we closed out. You're friends with him, aren't you? Can you please talk to Sachio and find out what's wrong with her? I think it's family-related...Kenji should be able to help since..." She paused, debating whether or not to continue from there. "They are just both close friends. He'll know what to tell her."

This might be a good time to get Mikka involved, too... He might have some **** to lace her with while she's depressed. You shook your head and sighed. Now isn't the time to think like that...Was it? You knew it was, tactically speaking, but morally...?