Kev led Warlock and the others through the gardens next. He lit a cigarette as he walked and pointed out some of the different small paths.
"Fang says they have bonfires out here in the wintertime," he mentioned.
Warlock skip-walked on the grass, his hand running lightly through the leaves of the different plants they passed. He was gazing out at the treeline with a relaxed, almost childlike expression, his toothy grin fixed on the distant trees. "Fire is fun!" he declared.
Kev did his best to think of something quickly, but the otter's constant unhinged answers and behavior kept throwing him off. "Yeah, bonfires are fun," Kev said. "I just hope our head chef doesn't hold a grudge against marshmallows for some reason."
"Why worry what a servant thinks, Mr. Kev?" Warlock said, slowing his pace to pluck a beetle off a leaf. He held it up and examined it as they walked. "If you want a treat, you should have one."
Kev grinned, thinking about how well a direct demand to Reepia would go down. His shins quaked in their boots, knowing her steel-toed boots were always just around the corner from the VIP table every night. "Our Head Chef is very conscious of Fang's diet," Kev said, watching Warlock casually toss the beetle over his shoulder. "I don't know the full extent of his meal plans yet. I wouldn't want to tempt him with a treat he couldn't have."
Warlock stopped at a small, moss-covered birdbath fountain on the garden path. He dipped his fingers in the cool water. "I do not enjoy teasing either, Mr. Kev. It is quite cruel." The otter looked back towards his bodyguard. "Isn't that right, Bruno? I don't tease you, do I?"
The big brown bear shook his head, agreeing with his... boss?
"But other than that," Kev said, pushing forward with the tour, "the outside is just open to the guests. Oftentimes they'll come out to smoke or just to get some fresh air. It does get quite warm in there in the summertime with the fires going."
Warlock's nose twitched, and he sniffed the air. "It smells as if the outdoors are truly great." He followed his nose towards the edge of the path. "The servants may be able to cleanse the indoors with bleach and ammonia, but that would kill these beautiful plants, so some scents... linger."
Kev winced a bit and confirmed, "Some guests do get excited. Full moons are popular, I think."
"That would make sense," the gangster otter said, sniffing the air again.
Kev really hoped the otter was not enjoying the smell of last night's guests' outdoor escapades, but he was just standing there, sniffing the side of the path with his eyes closed.
"If you need a moment, I can take another loop..." Kev said, and then immediately wished he could take back his stupid words. His stomach dropped with dread for a good two seconds before Warlock opened his eyes and asked, "Is it alright if I pick these flowers?"
Kev wandered over. Warlock was standing by a large, lush begonia bush. Its leaves were a deep, glossy green, almost black in the shade, and it was covered in huge, vibrant yellow blossoms. The petals were thick and waxy, overlapping in a dense, beautiful profusion of color.
Kev looked around and said, "I'm sure taking one wouldn't be an issue. Just choose carefully."
Warlock's fingers flickered up and down, like he was typing on an invisible keyboard as he looked around the flowerbush. Despite his fidgeting, when he did reach for one, his movements were quite controlled and deliberate. He used one of his sharpened finger-claws to neatly snip a single, perfect yellow blossom from its stem.
Warlock then walked to Bruno and, standing on his tiptoes, reached up to gently tuck the yellow flower into the bear's black vest pocket, just above his heart.
"It looks... nice," Kev ventured, as they began walking back to the club.
"Flowers have all sorts of meanings," Warlock said. "And that variety had a pleasant scent. It will make it easier for me to know he is nearby."
Kev glanced over. Was the otter trying to teach him a trick of the trade, scent-marking his bodyguard? Too bad Kev's nose wasn't sensitive enough to keep up with the theory. "I'm confident with Talon here," he said. "Even if I can't see him, he can probably see me."
"Well, he is impressive," Warlock said. "And how long did you say you've had him? Less than two weeks?"
"Yeah, just over a week," Kev nodded.
"And how did you 'train' him?" Warlock asked, his voice emphasizing that the word "train" held a lot of meanings.
"I, uh... just introduced him to some of the staff. He came pre-trained, I guess."
"Well, whoever they were did a fine job," Warlock said. "I've had secondhand security before, but I've found cultivating your own does make a difference in the quality of service."
Kev glanced back at Bruno and was unable to stop himself from asking, "What did you do before Mr. Warlock hired you?"
Warlock giggled. "He was a foreman for a large contracting outfit. But you didn't enjoy that, did you, Bruno? No, you didn't. Too many decisions."
Kev let the conversation die again as he showed the group through the side door and into the private billiards room. He checked his watch and saw it was already nearly five.
Kev gestured around the comfortable room. "And this concludes the tour. This is my private pool room, so you two can feel free to relax in here if you wish to have some privacy before the rest of the club opens up. I'm not sure if either of you two really enjoy darts or pool."
Warlock looked around the room and pulled a few books off the shelf, inspecting the titles. "I'm not much for either. You wouldn't happen to have chess, would you?"
"You know, I hadn't even thought of board games," Kev said. "That's a great idea. I'm going to ask about that. But for now, I can only offer what you see before you."
Warlock took a seat in one of the armchairs and popped one of the books open. "Please. And maybe that one where the block tower falls apart. That one is fun too."
Kev laughed. "Alright, that is a fun one too." He glanced at Talon before heading to the door. "When you two decide to leave for the bar, please make sure to lock this door behind you. I'll see you in an hour or two."
"Ta-ta, dear," Warlock said. He smiled and waved, his stare following Kev until the human clicked the door shut.
Kev let out an audible sigh of relief finally as he stood back up straight. He felt accomplished for giving the Mafioso a tour of the club. He thought his answers to the questions were passable and that Warlock had seemed to enjoy what he saw. Kev was pleasantly surprised that the otter had appreciated the pool and outdoor space so much.
"Mr. Warlock and Mr. Bruno," Talon said, "have a strange relationship."
"It's different," Kev said, "but if it works for them, whatever... they're family now, right?"
"I work for Mr. Fang," Talon shrugged.
"Yeah, I'm team Fang too."
"What?"
"Nothing," Kev said. "Let's just get ready for the night. I don't want to be rocking the 'grunge' look for dinner with the real head of the Mafia, so I'm gonna head up to my room."
Talon nodded. "I saw you looked 'grunge' this morning, but I forgot to say something, with sister's antics."
Kev raised an eyebrow. "Forgot to say something?"
"Sorry," Talon said, looking down. "I shouldn't have let you go out to breakfast like that... grunge." He shuddered.
"Grunge isn't a bad thing, Talon. It's just a word that sounds bad." Kev put a hand to his face.
"Ha," Talon said as he headed towards the elevator. "It was a joke."
The elevator doors closed, and Kev just stood there, dumbfounded. Talon had gotten him so good.
He yelped when the door behind him suddenly opened. "Oh, Mr. Kev, you're still here! Wonderful!"
Kev turned to see Warlock leaning on the doorframe. The otter continued, "I couldn't help but overhear that there are... living quarters on the second floor?"
Kev had wanted Talon to relax a bit, but he felt very vulnerable now that he was alone with the otter and the bear. "Yes," he said. "There are."
"Oh, really?" Warlock stepped out of the room. "Is it okay if our little tour continues, Mr. Kev? Knowing there are personal living spaces here is such a fortuitous revelation. I would be shirking my duties if I did not inspect at least one. And I hope you know," Warlock leaned in, his voice a low, persuasive purr, "I wouldn't ask unless it was important to the brotherhood."
Damn, Kev thought. He just trapped me into showing him my room. How the hell could he say no now? "Important to the brotherhood" was too big of a risk for Kev to ignore.
He nodded reluctantly. "You can come up and take a quick look, but I really do need to get ready for work."
"Oh, wonderful!" Warlock pointed down the east wing hallway. "Lead the way, Mr. Kev."
Kev closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He really, really didn't want to show off his bedroom to the second-in-command of the Mafia on some open-house style tour.