Dark Jungle, Eight

Dark Jungle,

Eight

With all the commotion subsided and the audience returning back to their ordinary day. All that was left were the two men still unconscious and laying in the street.
Lion-o noticed kneeling beside one of the men was a very small woman. She couldn't be more than 3 feet tall with short white hair, she was a mouse.

“Who's that,” he asked motioning to the lady.
"Why that's Row." Acknowledged Monrey, "she owns the rats nest."
"Good afternoon Row," yelled Monrey, waving her hand high above her head.
The mouse's head shot up and narrowed her eyes in their direction, "Monrey, are you here to pay your tab?"
"I don't have it at the moment," she answered walking closer. "But if you give me a little bit more time."
"More time," she interrupted Monrey. "That's all I ever hear."
Monrey smiled and laughed nervously hoping for a distraction.
"Oh," she said as one entered her mind. "Have you met Lion-o," she turned and motioned for him to come closer.
"He's hoping to talk with Siamera, he has a job for her."
Before he could talk the mouse cut him off.
"She has a job right here," she added going through the unconscious man's pockets.
"Yes I know," answered Monrey. "But with this little side job I might be able to pay you back."
"How is Siamera working a side job mean you can pay me back," Row questioned reasonably.
"I'll get a finder's fee of course," she smiled. "We'll talk about that later," she whispered towards Lion-o.
Row pulled out a handful of bills from the man's pants.
"Let's see," she began to thumb through them. "Thirty for the broken tables, another fifty for the plate glass window….hmm, only 20 left?" She folded the single bill and put it back in the man's pocket. "I'll get the rest from your friend."
Standing up Row looked intensely at Monrey and Lion-o, "I don't care what you do as long as I'm paid the money I'm owed."
She states firmly before turning to the other man and rummaging through his pockets just as she promised.

"Phew," Monrey sighed in relief. "I was worried Row would raise a stink about us asking for Siamera's help," the monkey explained. "But it seems we have luck on our side," she turns smiling at Lion-o.
"Are you saying Siamera works here?" Lion-o asked.
"I guess that's the way you can put it," Monrey figures. "Row keeps her around for security reasons."
"You mean she's a bouncer," Lion-o asked raising an eyebrow.
"Uhm,…..in a way yes," her answer sounded more like a question.
"She's very skilled when it comes to fighting and she uses that for odd jobs here and there," Monrey explained. "Just whenever she needs money, or a place to stay you see."
"So she's a drifter," he surmised.
"Don't you worry," Monrey added scrunching her nose. "She's a hundred percent reliable, enough with the talking," she grinned. "Let's go in and say hi."

She playfully grabbed Lion-o by the arm and pulled him towards the bar.
Willingly going along Lion-o began to feel peculiar, by the time they reached the stairs to the porch he felt week. Like waves of hot and cold racing over him, but as soon as it started it stopped….For a minute there he thought he was going to be sick.
The two entered the casino/saloon with Monrey still pulling on Lion-o. She stopped when they reached a long marble bar that wrapped around the corner of the room.
She quickly plopped up in one of the bar stools and waived for the bartenders attention.
Lion-o leaned up against the bar to regain his poise.
The interior of the building was in utter shambles, tables and chairs pushed about an overturned. A couple of men with outfits matching the bartenders were trying to straighten the room.

Only one table was still up right, at that table set Siamera with an old monkey and a young pup. Drawing the three's attention was a chess game, Lion-o had recognized the game immediately. Growing up he had seen his father and Jaga playing in the courtyard countless times.
When he was young his father attempted to teach him, but Lion-o with his lack of concentration could never fully grasp it.
It has to be an intense game of chess that must have been in progress before the fight, he thought.

"Looks like we'll have to wait," said Monrey after ordering a drink from the man behind the bar.
"We can't interrupt her when she's playing chess with Glor-Joe."
Lion-o watched as Siamera analyze the board with much attentiveness.
"Do they play chess a lot," he asked.
"Yes," she added sipping out of the thin straw from her freshly served drink. "Glor-Joe promised he'd teach her some kind of fighting technique thingy if she manages to beat him."
"Fighting technique," he questions. "That old man?"
"Don't let his looks fool you," she said swiveling around in the stool. "He's a grandmaster, but it's not like it matters."
"Why's that," Lion-o asked.
"Cause Siamera never wins," she answered, twirling the straw around in her drink.
And after a little time passed indeed Monrey was right. The old monkey moved his hand gracefully across the board placing his Bishop in a perfect checkmate. Siamera's shoulders slumped as the wise monkey setback in his chair with much satisfaction.
Siamera turns to the young pup to her left, "are you sure he didn't touch the board when I was fighting?"
The young boy nodded anxiously.

Siamera with a heavy sigh looked at the board and back at her opponent a number of times.
Finally, she grabbed the arms of her chair and rose up. She took one last look at the board before turning and walking away, with many one syllable words muttered under her breath.

"Aren't we lucky," Monrey smiled. "That didn't take long at all."
"Maybe its best if we give her a minu-," but before Lion-o could finish his sentence Monrey was already hollering across the room.
"Yoo-hoo," she called out waiting her hand above her head in the same manner when she greeted Row.
"Siamera, over here," she yelled motioning for her to join them.
Siamera looked over at the display of noise with a small twinge of annoyance on her face.
She walked over slowly with a not too pleased aura around her.
As she got closer Lion-o began to feel queasy again, this can't be nerves he thought.
"What is it monkey," she growled, spinning one of the stools around to sit.
With that kind of warm-welcome Lion-o began to worry about this alleged friendship Monrey spoke about before.
"Is that any way to talk to me," Monrey pouted. "Just cause you lost again doesn't mean you can take it out on me."
"What…do you...want," Siamera emphasized slowly.
"Oh nothing much, just here bringing you a job," Monrey snipped. "In my free time I might add."

Siamera tilted her head back and for the first time looked in Lion-o's direction.
"What kind of job," she asked strongly eyeing him from across Monrey.
He couldn't explain it but her gaze made him tense, it was more like an examination for weaknesses. Trying to not look her in the eyes was harder than he had thought, she had a magnetic stare…..leaving him feeling slightly vulnerable.
Monrey sensing Lion-o's discomfort jumped off of the barstool and into Siamera's line of vision.

"It's a really easy job," Monrey answered. "Real simple, he just needs information on the jungle."
Siamera's eyes shot back on Monrey, "Information on the jungle," she questioned leaning back in her chair. "Very interesting," she spoke softly, taking a moment to think.
"Well then tell me stranger," she said crossing her legs slowly "what do they call you?"
Before Monrey could answer for him, he responded.
"My name is Lion-o," he declared in a confident voice. "King of the Thundercats."
The inside of the room fell still, even the bartender paused as he wipe down the bar.
But Siamera didn't even miss a beat, "well if your waiting for me to curtsy," she smiled satirically. "You might want to take a seat."
"A King?!" Monrey gasped, "You didn't tell me that."
"Is it important," question Lion-o.
"Of course," she answers, "this changes how much I planned on charging you."
"Don't get any ideas monkey," Siamera related. "He's a king in name only. For you can't rule over a pile of rubble," she went on cynically. "And last I heard that's all that's left of Thundera."

Lion-o felt the blood rushed to his face, his outrage made him forget Monrey's earlier warning.
He was fully prepared to defend himself against her insult, but in opening his mouth nothing came out.
Suddenly he felt very flush and the room began to spend. The uneasy feelings from before returned threefold, noticeably swaying he looked about the room confused.

Monrey sensing something was up asked, "Are you all right?"
"I, I," he stammered rubbing his head. "I feel funny," he rock back once more before losing his balance and hitting the floor, he was out cold.
"Oh my," Monrey cried. "What happened to him," she kneeled beside him.
"Don't worry Monrey," Siamera assured. "You've seen this many times before."
Monrey puzzled looked up at her.
"He's just drunk." Siamera concluded……