The Slam Shuffle Gang

Balance and Ruin

 

 

The summer was already beginning to slip into fall, and Seulgi supposed she shouldn’t have been so surprised to wake up to the sounds of a heavy rain pattering on the deck above. As she let herself linger in her hammock, she wondered if her parents ever received her short message. She wondered if her dad had finished threshing the gysahl greens. She wondered if they needed help shifting things around down in the cellar to prepare for the coming winter. She wondered if they knew about her brother, and if they had received any news about Doma.

She swung her legs carefully over the side of the hammock and slid out, making her way over towards Boko. The large chocobo gave a faint “kweh” when she hugged his face to her chest as he roosted.

“It’s raining, but do you want to get some fresh air?” Seulgi asked him. There wasn’t much exercise to be had on their small cutter, but she had been doing her best to try to walk him around the deck a few times per day.

The trapdoor opened as Seulgi was walking Boko back towards the stairs, and she saw a very wet Yeri poke her head in. “Seulgi, good you’re up. We’re here,” she said. She glanced at Boko and seemed to think for a moment. “Yeah, actually you should bring him along. Zozo is… kind of a place where you want to keep your valuables with you.”

Seulgi paused. She had thought to leave Boko safely on the ship, since Joy’s ankle had finally mended, but perhaps her naivety was at play again. She thought she had heard it said that Zozo was a bit of a rough neighborhood, but after spending all this time with Yeri, and meeting Hyelin, she had pushed those negative thoughts aside. They may be smugglers, but she knew their hearts were in the right place.  

Yeri could sense her apprehension and gave her a wink. “Just keep your swordarm free, hmm? It’s not called the Den of Thieves for nothing!”

“It’s too bad the weather isn’t cooperating,” Seulgi said, referring to the drizzle. She may have been able to spend a day on shore back in Albrook, but the rest of the Returners hadn’t so much as stepped foot on dry land since the Veldt, and for it to be raining on the first day that they made landfall was a little disheartening.

“Oh, no,” Yeri said, shaking her head with a faint grin.

“It’s always raining in Zozo.”

+++

 

After mooring their ship in the derelict port, the five girls and Boko made their way down the main thoroughfare of Zozo, and Seulgi quickly realized that every story she had ever heard about the place was true. The rain pulled the soot and smoke from the air and drenched the tall, empty buildings in the grime, and the dark, overcast sky gave the cityscape a washed out, monochromatic appearance. The narrow alleys that branched off from the main street were overrun with refuse: broken glass where panes had fallen from weathered windows and shattered against the cobblestone; rusted pipes that had broken away from their fastenings against the brick buildings; the carcasses of dead rats and other vermin, strewn here and there amongst upended trashcans and torn bags of rubbish. Everywhere the girls looked, the city seemed almost a caricature of itself in such a state of disuse and disrepair.

But Seulgi’s eyes were drawn to the various figures she saw huddled squatting in the shadows, their wanton grins and bloodshot eyes following their party as they passed. She was sure she saw the glint of steel in the diffuse overcast light.

“Stay close,” Joy whispered to her. “There’s no law or order in a place like this,” she warned.

“No law, but there’s definitely an order,” Hyelin corrected with a low murmur. She walked ahead of the rest with her hand tucked in the sash around her waist, clutching something.

Yeri grinned. “I hope you mean the Slam Shuffle Gang’s still on top,” she intoned.

“The Slam Shuffle-” Seulgi heard Irene breathe in shock on the other side of Boko.

Hyelin peered back at her through the gap in her mask. “Do you really think the boss would have it any other way?”

Boko clicked his beak, snapping at Seulgi’s drenched hat in agitation as they continued through the dreary city.

“Easy,” Irene and Seulgi both said at the same time. Their eyes met briefly, but Irene stepped ahead to walk with Joy, leaving Seulgi and the chocobo to trail behind.

“You’re not nervous about walking right into the Slam Shuffle Gang’s territory?” Irene asked the queen darkly. “You know they don’t just smuggle cargo.” A young, beautiful queen could fetch quite a price from the right buyer.

“Hey!” Hyelin protested. “I heard that! Those days are way behind us, right Yeri?”

Yeri didn’t answer.

“I’m not worried,” Joy said placatingly. “What could they possibly do to me that the Empire wasn’t already planning on doing?”

That didn’t put Irene at ease in the least. “They’re likely playing to the highest bidder… and I don’t like our odds.”

“We’re just here to get some information. It’ll be a transaction just like anything else,” Joy tried to reason with her. “Once they tell us where the captain is, we’ll be on our merry way.”

Irene settled a hand on her sabre’s hilt anyway, as Hyelin finally led them to the entrance of a rundown factory.

Zozo had always been a free city, but once it was also a bustling port, as active as Albrook. Perhaps even moreso, as it was next to the affluent city of Jidoor, with all of its bored residents eager to find investments for their money. The advancements of steam and compression technology had seen the trading hub thrive like many others around the world, but the investing merchants had taken advantage of the lawlessness of Zozo and corruption ate at the city from the inside out.

Honest, and mostly honest, tradesmen had pulled out one by one until all that was left was the opportunistic underbelly of the economy: Zozo’s organized crime rings. Irene still couldn’t believe everyone else was convinced that they were somehow safer here than on the Southern Continent.

“We’re home~!” Hyelin said as she shoved aside one of the large metal doors. It squealed on its rusted runners as it slowly gave way with the ninja’s repeated effort.

Seulgi stepped up to help her and together they got the door open, but the interior of the factory seemed to be in the same state of disuse as its outside had indicated. Stripped down machines aligned in rows with rotting conveyor belts linking them were all that greeted the group. No lights, no people. Hyelin and Yeri didn’t seem deterred, however, as they calmly walked inside, leaving the rest to follow along apprehensively.

This is the hideout of the notorious Slam Shuffle Gang?” Joy muttered, her blase attitude plain for the rest to see.

“The basement is a little more impressive,” Hyelin promised. “But I don’t think they’ll let an outsider like you see it.”

Joy just rolled her eyes and flipped her wet hair back over her shoulder.

It was nice to be out of the rain, at least, though the faint sound of the pattering on the tin roof high above their heads did nothing to lessen the eerie feeling of the dark, empty building.

The two smugglers led them across the vacant factory floor to the overseer’s office where Seulgi could see lights shining inside. Hyelin gave a series of knocks, and after a pause, they could hear the sound of several latches being undone.

And the simple office door opened to reveal two unfriendly figures at the far end of the room: one was a girl with long, green hair hefting a wrench, while the other was girl with dirty blonde hair, seated at an old wooden desk with a tiny, white dog sitting in her lap. It began yipping and struggling in its owner’s arms at the sight of the new arrivals.

“Interceptor!” the woman at the desk chided the little dog. “So you’re finally back, Shadow-”

She paused, seeing that Hyelin wasn’t alone.

“Who are they?” the green-haired girl asked, twisting the large wrench in her gloved hands.

Hyelin encouraged the Returners to file in, first Joy, then Irene, and lastly Yeri while Seulgi elected to stay outside of the small office with Boko.

“Yeri?” the girl at the desk asked, squinting at the other blonde.

Yeri gave a shy wave. “H-hey guys. Long time no see.”

“Yeri!” the green-haired girl cried and set her wrench on the desk so she could pull Yeri into a hug.

“Oh- hi, Hani.”

Hani squeezed her and shook her back and forth. “Where have you been?”

“Oh, you know… around,” Yeri said vaguely, muffled against Hani’s clothing.

“How’s-?”

“Where’s the boss?” Yeri interrupted with a forced grin, pulling away to look around the room.

The girl at the desk was eyeing Irene. “I don’t know, why don’t you ask her?” she suggested loftily.

“The boss went to negotiate with the Empire,” Hani explained. “We heard about Albrook’s closed port after you had already left,” she added to Hyelin apologetically.

“We can’t do business like this,” the girl at the desk grumbled. “The Empire’s shutting down every market under their control to foreign traders. They have no idea how much we moved, even for their own soldiers.” She sat up suddenly and waved a finger at Irene while the tiny Interceptor beginning to growl. “You go back there and tell Gestahl he can take his permits and shove them right up his-”

“Elly, calm down,” Yeri admonished as she turned suddenly and shut the door to the office, leaving Seulgi out in the creepy factory alone with Boko.

“Yeah, she’s why they’re closing the ports,” Hyelin added, unexpectedly coming to Irene’s defense. “They’re hunting her down. She’s got a bounty and everything.”

“The Empire wants her dead or alive.”

Elly, the woman at the desk, sat back and rubbed Interceptor’s ears contemplatively. “I guess they’re taking your slight at Doma pretty seriously,” she said after a moment.

Yeri shifted her weight uncomfortably. ‘Slight’ was a gross misrepresentation of what had happened. “They’re calling it treason.”

“What was I supposed to do?” Irene spat suddenly. She was tired of everyone talking about her like she wasn’t standing right there. “They poisoned everyone! Everyone! Even after I had explicitly ordered them to withdraw!” She slammed her fist against the wall in frustration, causing a piece of plaster to flake from the ceiling and shatter against the floor in a cloud of dust.

She forced herself to stop grinding her teeth and unclench her fist. Tension was dangerous, a weakness.

“Closing every port in the Empire to traders without permits seems like an extreme response, though,” Elly muttered, still a little skeptical.

“They’re afraid of her,” Joy said with a small smile at Irene, but the ex-general wasn’t ready to return it.

“Of what she knows?” Hyelin asked. A defected general would be a formidable enemy indeed for any military.

Joy shook her head. “Of what she can do,” the queen clarified.

But before she could explain anymore, there was a loud scratching sound at the office door.

Hani hefted her wrench warily as she stalked over.

“Wait,” Yeri said. “It’s probably just Seulgi.”

“There’s another one of you?” Elly asked.

Yeri cracked the door open and confirmed it was Seulgi before swinging it open wide. “Yeah she’s out there with Boko.”

“Boko?”

“He’s a good boy,” Joy said with an affectionate smile towards the door.

Elly pinched the bridge of her nose. “Whoever he is, just come in already.”

“I don’t think you-” Hyelin began.

Elly held up a hand to her. “Whatever they’re after, I just want to get it over with, so hurry up.”

Yeri and Hyelin shrugged at Seulgi, so the rancher carefully guided Boko into the room.

THAT’S A CHOCOBO!!!” Elly shouted.

“I tried to tell you!”

“He’s so cute!”

“Kweh?!”

Interceptor was struggling to get out of Elly’s arms to sniff this new animal. “Will someone please explain what’s going on?” Elly groaned as she sunk back into her chair.

“S-sorry,” Seulgi apologized as she was unceremoniously pushed out of the way by Boko as he strutted over to Irene. He softly clicked his beak at her and she reached up and flattened the fluffy feathers on his head absently.

“I think he was scared of the noise,” Seulgi continued, eyeing the pieces of shattered plaster on the floor.

There was a brief moment of silence and Seulgi looked around at the group. “So did you ask them?”

Elly twitched an eyebrow, her gaze shifting to Yeri. “Ask us what?”

Yeri sighed, but Hyelin answered instead. “Do you know where Captain Moonbyul is?”

There was a groan from Hani, and Elly turned to face her. “I don’t want to hear that from you.”

“You’re only one step up from a lecherous old man yourself!” Hyelin added, pointing a finger accusingly at the green-haired girl.

“Oh yeah?” Hani challenged, tossing her wrench onto the desk with a loud clank. “I’ll show you a lecherous old man…!” she cried as she advanced on Hyelin with her hands outstretched to choke the ninja.

“Children!” Elly called. “Hands up!”

And the Returners were surprised to see Hani retreat back to her former position, and she, Hyelin and even Yeri suddenly put their hands up in the air.

“Good. Now let the adults talk,” Elly said calmly. She turned back to Joy, who seemed to be the only composed person in their group.

“Why do you need to find her?” Elly asked.

“We need a ride,” Joy said with a faint smirk.

Elly’s skeptical expression returned. “A ride? From her?” When Joy shrugged, Elly added, “Good luck with that.”

“We just thought you guys might know where she is,” Yeri said as she slowly lowered her hands.

Elly was silent for a moment, but her eyes revealed little about what she might have been thinking. Eventually, she said, “She’s been laying low for a while, since the Empire has been so aggressive lately.”

Irene dared Elly to look at her, but Elly was a little more tactful than that.

“But it’s Moonbyul. How long could she possibly stand to keep out of trouble?” Hyelin asked hopefully.

“Not long,” Elly admitted as she reached into the pocket of her coat and pulled out an envelope.

“It’s like some kind of bizarre fate that you guys are looking for her,” she continued. “Because she just sent us these, hoping we’d want to go with her.”

She tossed the envelope on the table, and Joy warily reached out to retrieve it.

“... What are they?” the queen asked as she slowly opened the envelope.

Yeri tried to peer over the taller girl’s shoulder. “Are those… tickets to the opera?”

The opera? Seulgi wondered, eyes wide. She had this impression that this Captain Moonbyul was a bit of a bohemian rapscallion like Yeri and Hyelin, but perhaps she was wrong.

“How did she get these?” Yeri asked. “These are box seats!”

Elly raised an eyebrow at the other blonde. “Are you really asking me that?” And Yeri supposed that was fair. Someone like Moonbyul had a lot of strings she could pull, even if the people on the other end of the line would never admit to such a connection.

“Wait there’s something else in here,” Joy muttered as she pulled out a card. “You are cordially invited to the wedding of-”

CAPTAIN MOON BYULI AND PRIMA DONNA JUNG YERIN?!” Yeri shrieked, still reading over Joy’s shoulder.

Joy winced and Elly leaned forward in her seat as if attempting to get a look at the invitation. “She’s going to pull some sort of stunt at the Opera House, so we decided it’d be best if we weren’t there. If you want to find her, that might be your best bet.”

Joy glowered at the tickets and card. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea after all.

“You make it sound like the prima donna might not be a willing participant in the wedding,” Irene said in her matter-of-fact tone.

Elly shrugged. “Who knows, really, but Moonbyul does have a bit of a… reputation.” Hyelin snorted and rolled her eyes.

Irene was well aware of that reputation; everyone who knew the name ‘Moonbyul’ was. That’s what made the idea of the captain settling down rather suspicious.

“You mean like, she’s going to kidnap her?” Seulgi asked from near the door.

Elly spread her hands. “You’re welcome to go find out… for a price.”

Joy immediately tossed the envelope back on the table. “We can’t afford opera tickets,” she said simply. Joy had plenty of disposable income, given her station, but this was an expense she wasn’t sure there was room for in their budget.

Elly sat back in her seat and scooped up the tiny Interceptor. “I didn’t say money, did I?” she asked the white ball of fluff.

“... Then what?” Joy asked warily.

She set Interceptor back down in her lap and eyed Joy levelly. “South Figaro is one of the only free ports left, and we have a lot of shipments backed up thanks to the Empire,” she hinted.

Joy stared at her for a long moment, deliberating.

“We’re just asking you to look the other way,” Elly persuaded.

Just cargo?” Joy asked in a low voice.

Elly held her gaze. “I can’t promise that.”

“Then forget it,” Joy said with a sigh as she broke eye contact.

“It’s not what you think, queeny,” Elly called over as Joy began to turn away. “It’s not trafficking.”

“They’re refugees.”

Joy paused.

“Who’s paying for their passage?”

“I don’t ask questions. I just deliver.”

“It’s pro bono,” Hani broke in.

Elly pursed her lips and glared at her. “Hey, we have a brand to protect. If it gets out that we’re ferrying people around for free, we’ll lose our status as the ‘bad guys’.”

Joy gave her a wry smile and scooped up the envelope. “Fine, it’s a deal. Bring as many of them to South Figaro as you get. I’ll give you a letter for the governor and explain everything.”

Elly reached out a hand to Hani and she gave her a high five.

“Looks like the Slam Shuffle Gang is back in business!”

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ThisIsHaro
I messed up this chapter a bit structurally but more will come soon so I'm trying not to kick myself about it too much

Comments

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born10966 #1
Chapter 30: Oh gosh. Wendy entered the Esper world.
I think the elders had a hidden purpose. Thanks for the update Author Nim
railtracer08
357 streak #2
Chapter 30: Yay update! Happy new year! Everyone's (Eunji<3) together again too. Time to go rescue Wendy? 😶‍🌫️

(I finished FF12 lol. The battle system took a while to get used to but after setting up the right gambits it was fine.)
Oct_13_wen_03 35 streak #3
Chapter 30: Happy new year author nim 🤍, can't wait for more 🤍
KaiserKawaii #4
Chapter 30: Author! Happy New Year!
railtracer08
357 streak #5
Chapter 29: Finally caught up! And i gotta agree, it does feel like im watching the actual game lol (so much so that i finally got around around to starting ff12 cause i was in a ff mood 😂)
I wonder what's Moonbyul's story tho, and if it has something to do with our yet to be seen moo girls 👀 assuming they'll ever show up lol
P.s. Seulgi's too precious for this world
railtracer08
357 streak #6
Chapter 19: Joy + chainsaw is a combo i never knew i needed lmao 🤣
railtracer08
357 streak #7
Chapter 11: Girl, you got it baaaaad 😏
Oct_13_wen_03 35 streak #8
update please author nim
Eris78
#9
Chapter 29: Thank you for coming back!
eunxiaoxlove #10
Chapter 29: Aaaaahhh I missed this