Things were finally settling down for Oichi. This was good for the gang and Oichi’s repour with them. Those who had doubted her before were now becoming more loyal and started looking to her as a savior to their interests. With most of the downtown area under the Taiga family’s control, there were no true rivals for them to worry about nearby. Some of her more reckless lieutenants had come to her recommending a swift and immediate strike upon some of the outlying families and syndicates. After all, if the Tigress of New Mercia could bring several districts under her control in a few weeks, she could easily sweep the other districts right? But to their surprise, Oichi declined and simply said they would wait.

No one else saw what Oichi saw when she looked out her window at the city around her. She saw the risks. She saw the dangers present that waited for her and her organization. Too much could fall apart in a single reckless move. She’d seen what became of her father, and that had been a true lesson that Oichi would take to heart as she planned her next move.

*knock knock*

“The door is open.” Oichi called back. She was standing by the den, wearing a bathrobe. She was getting ready for a bath, but had paused to watch the birds playing by the pool. Why had they distracted her so? Why did the pleasantries of a spring day elate her like this? It made little sense, and she had often questioned the value of these distractions…but that did not prevent her from indulging in them. Her father had said to her that she had the eyes of a child; constantly darting to the next pleasant thing that caught her eye. Oichi had never seen this as a negative thing, for children often see that which adults are blind to. What is negative is when the child chases the pleasant sight without looking to see the danger it could present. So here she stood, watching a flock of birds tweeting and playing by her pool, barely paying mind to the presence of her subordinate, Marcus.

“Miss Taiga?” He asked.

“What can I do for you?” She asked.

“Is now a bad time? You didn’t come to ‘the office’ today.”

“I’m fine, Marcus. I’ve just been doing a lot of thinking lately about the organizations current standing.”

“I have too, which is why I’m here.” Marcus explained, walking towards her. “There’s a cartel presence just beyond our district that is willing to broker peace terms. They are even willing to establish a supply line with us.”

“What do they call themselves?”

“The Machetazo.” Marcus answered.

“Is that Spanish?” Oichi asked.

“It roughly translates to a strike from a machete or a large machete.” Marcus answered. “They don’t have the numbers here to pose a real threat…but I said I’d approach you first. If you’d like, we could wipe them out and set up our own supply lines. Our current cartel partners might feel hurt if we start working with rival groups.”

“No, it’s fine.” Oichi answered. “Broker a deal with them. If they want to offer a supply line, we can take it.”

“Really? That’s…agreeable of you.” Marcus muttered darkly.

“Does something bother you?” Oichi growled.

“Nothing, I just…I wonder if something is going on. You aren’t showing the same fiery aggression you showed when you first began this war. I thought your goal was to rule the criminal underworld…but you’ve been stagnant for a while now.” Oichi didn’t answer at first and just turned her back on Marcus, walking away from the glass doors and towards her table. “Is it about the cop?”

“He has nothing to do with this.”

“I’d say he might. Ever since you two started dating it’s-”

“Choose your next words carefully, Marcus.” Oichi whispered, silencing Marcus in a moment.

“Sorry…but I’m speaking my mind.”

“I’m not being idle.” Oichi answered. “But much like you should think carefully before speaking, I must think carefully before moving. We have won many victories lately…but it is moving fast, and I can’t afford to overplay my hand.”

“What are you afraid will happen?” Marcus asked. “We’ve got strength now! We’re better now than we’ve ever been.”

“Deru kugi wa utareru.” Oichi replied.

“I’m sorry?”

“It is a saying my father would say…it means ‘The nail that sticks out is the one that is hammered down.’ Our position and our success will not go unnoticed, and there are plenty of ways in which we can be hammered down. I will not let the hard work I’ve put in go to waste.”

“Fine, then what are we to do? Just wait for something to happen?”

“The best hunters miss their targets because they shoot too soon or leave their hiding place before prey arrives. Patience is the virtue of all hunters…so we shall be patient. Something will happen, and we shall pounce when the opportunity arrives. Besides, I figured we could all do with a bit of complacency.”

“I suppose…even so…”

“Look, I’m tired and need a bath. If there’s nothing else…”

“Well no there’s one more thing. You got a call this morning from a Mr. Isaac Young.”

“Who’s that?” She asked.

“Well…he’s the Democratic runner for mayor of New Mercia.” At this, Oichi froze. She spun around to look at Marcus, a look of surprise in her eye.

“What did he want?”

“He wants to talk to you…says he has a proposition.” Marcus answered. “He sounded urgent though, so I figured it best to come to you directly. He, like the rest of New Mercia, has no idea who you are, so I figured it wise not to let a politician see the head of the Taiga clan’s face just yet.”

“A wise decision.” Oichi answered.

“I imagine you’ll stay away?” Marcus asked. “I doubt getting involved in politics is a good idea for us.”

“Politics is often an unfortunate tool of the criminal empire.” Oichi corrected. “I will call him tomorrow morning.”

“You’ll what!?” Marcus asked. “But it could be a trap or something else!”

“I’m almost certain it is…” Oichi grinned. “But…perhaps this is the chance for the nail to cut the hammer from the workman’s hands.”

“Ma’am?”

“Just go home, Marcus. I have some things to consider…and I’m already getting…what do you call them? The sensation on the skin when one is scared or excited? Chicken lumps?”

“Goosebumps, ma’am.”

“Yes! Goosebumps. I am very excited for tomorrow. Goodnight, Marcus.”

When the next day came along, the Taiga family was pleased to see Oichi arrive and take her office seat like the conquering champion that they saw her as. Marcus was waiting inside, smiling. She wore her standard suit and coat over her shoulders. She leaned back in her chair and sighed.

“Call the mayor elect.” She growled darkly.

“Are you…sure you want to?” Marcus asked.

“Yes. Do it.” Oichi replied. With a defeated groan, Marcus dialed up the phone and stepped back. It rang a few times before finally a voice answered.

“Hello?” The voice answered. It was voice belonging to a man in his 40’s…but with a snide slickness to it that couldn’t be ignored. Oichi began formulating a mental image of what this individual likely looked like.

“Mr. Young, I am the head of the Taiga syndicate. I understand you have a proposition?” Oichi answered.

“Yes! Yes, thank you for returning my call. One moment, let me step outside.” Oichi leaned back and listened to the sound of movement and shuffling as Isaac Young moved to a new location to have a more private area for a private conversation.

“Are you still there?”

“Yes. What’s your proposition?”

“I’m sure you heard from your friend that I am running for office in a few months.” Young answered.

“I heard.”

“Well, I’m not sure if you have seen the polls of my campaign, but frankly…it’s not going too great. My opposition has a higher chance of winning, but only by a few-”

“Would you mind getting to the point?” Oichi growled. “I don’t care for politics.”

“…Oh…yes I see. Well simply put, I want to take advantage of your popularity. You’ve earned a very good repour with the local populace, and I’d like to pay you to support my campaign.”

“We’re not campaigners.” Oichi replied. “We’re a criminal syndicate…how do you expect us to help you with your campaign?”

“Of course! Simply put, I’d like for you to possibly open up some of your owned properties to me. Perhaps I could have rallies outside of your gymnasium? Maybe offer finances to the cause? I’m sure you’ve got the money to spare.”

“And what do we stand to gain, Young?” Oichi asked. “Money has little interest to me, so what do I get?”

“Well…I’m sure we can come to some agreement. Would you perhaps-”

“I need to think on the proposition you’ve shown me and consider what our organization stands to gain.” Oichi replied, cutting off Youngs feeble attempts to entice her.

“Oh certainly! I assure you that this will be an advantageous arrangement for you.. I’ll give you some-”

“That’s enough, Mr. Young.” Oichi interrupted again, cutting off Young’s speech. “You seem to be under the impression that you hold the cards in this situation…that we need you and not the other way around. I will call you when I’ve made my decision on this. You will hear from me then and only then.”

“I…you can’t…”

“Have I made myself clear, Mr. Young?”

“…Yes, you have.”

“Have a good morning.” Oichi then pressed the hang up button and leaned back, letting out a long sigh. “Now we wait a while…”

“So what do you think?” Marcus asked. “Do you really plan to work with this guy and help his campaign?”

“It could be advantageous…he’d make a fine puppet.”

“Puppet?”

“He does not strike me as a very intelligent or righteous man. After all, he is making deals with criminal organizations to bolster himself. I am certain he is not a very genuine person.” Oichi explained.

“If that’s the case, then we shouldn’t trust him.”

“You shouldn’t trust anyone, as a general rule.” Oichi giggled. “But no, we can’t trust him…but he could be useful. If we help him reach office, he’ll owe us…and having the mayor in our pocket could be very helpful to us as we expand our empire.”

“But you just admitted he’s a two-faced fool. He can’t be trusted.”

“Of course he can’t.” Oichi smirked. “I fully expect him to have a plan to backstab us.”

“Then…why help him at all?”

“Because we can still make use of it. He won’t dare try to turn the police on us…not when the entire community has our support over the police. Who else can he get to deal with us?”

“…Another gang?” Marcus offered.

“Exactly.” Oichi answered with a smile. “All we have to do is play his game and wait for him to hire in another syndicate to deal with us. Their arrival will put us on the defensive…but also as the victimized party…and everyone rallies around a victim.”

“…You want him to attack you! You just want to use this chance to expand territory!?” Marcus gasped, realizing her end goal.

“If I’m wrong and he isn’t going to betray us, we have the advantage of a foolish puppet at our disposal in office. If I’m write and he plans to betray us by turning a rival gang against us, then we can use that as our means to expand ourselves and remove a potential enemy.” Oichi answered, leaning across her desk to grab her mug of tea. Marcus leaned against the wall of her office, soaking in the intentions of his boss.

“This is risky, boss.”

“I know it is.” She answered. “You were right the other day, Marcus…we gain nothing by being idle. Maybe it’s time to play a little risky. We have to jump on this opportunity while we can.”

“Then call him back…say you’re willing to agree to the deal.”

“No. We’ll call him later. We can’t let him believe he has any power here. He needs us. Not the other way around. Let’s let him stew around a bit…he might even be desperate enough to call us back, if we let him wring his hands long enough.” Oichi laughed.

“I’m not sure how much I like us playing politics.” Marcus admitted, placing his hands in his pockets as Oichi sipped her tea.

“Marcus, you surprise me.” Oichi laughed.

“Ma’am?”

“We run an organization that backstabs, steals, cheats, and benefits off of underhanded tactics and meticulous planning.” Oichi sneered. “How much closer to playing politics can we get?”