Two-Third of the Party
Tommy arrived in front of his first home in Vice City soaking wet. Rain had come again to Vice City, a routine of the weather that had stuck for sometimes after the bridges were open and the hurricane warning lifted. The hawaiian-shirt clad man took shelter in the lobby of the Ocean View Hotel, he took a seat in the lobby's restaurant. A waitress served Tommy a cup a coffee and threw a towel with it, he said his thanks and flush caffeine into his system, while keeping his eyes on the waitress as she left his table.
Although the drink was finished, the rain didn't. He paid the waitress for the coffee along with tip, in return she gave a car key. The businessman returned outside, making beeline for the yellow and white Oceanic that regularly parked in front of the hotel. With a twist of the ignition key, the aging engine beneath the hood came to life. Tommy never knew who owned the car, but when in need the key always available from the waitress working at Ocean View Hotel.
The blue shirt entrepreneur made his way to the multi-level parking garage. In the middle of the journey, his phone rang, "Tommy here."
From the other side was Avery, "Tommy my boy where are you?" the real estate mogul asked. "I'm in front of your lawn and ya ain't here to greet me."
"Sorry ," he apologized to the elderly gentleman, "There were some business I have to attend to."
Avery replied, "Understandable son, say when you gon' come home and talk 'bout yer investment ?"
"I'm on my way back as we speak," Tommy told Avery.
"A'right, see ya soon."
A beep signaled the end of the call. Tommy made a turn into the parking garage, he maneuvered through the ramps and parked next to the battered Admiral sedan. Leaving the vehicle, Tommy didn't heard anything beside the wind and traffic, looking to the spot where Kent and his four legged passengers were, the businessman found the space vacant. "Shit," Tommy cursed, he had told them to hide if anyone spotted them, how effective their hiding was being questioned. Not in a place where they were meant someone did came.
Having little intention to stay in the parking garage any longer, he sound the klaxon of the Oceanic. The horn echoed through out garage, and sure enough, it fell on the intended ears. The rainbow hued mane mare and the informant appeared behind a pickup, while the pink one popped out of a trash can, still rapidly hopping up and down with white around her muzzle.
Tommy pointed into the car. "Better do what that man said," Kent Paul told the cyan pony beside him.
"He didn't say anything," Rainbow pointed out.
Kent faced the Rainbow with his buzzed expression, shrugged and walked into the car along with Pinkie. Rainbow Dash soon followed. Seeing Vercetti with his face at the moment, Kent decided to sit in the back along with the ponies, the moment he released the cap for the Scotch, it was snatch Rainbow, who put her mouth on top of the bottle's neck and chug the golden liquid.
*** *** ***
The aging automobile's tire screech as it made a sharp turn into the premises of Starfish Island's largest mansion. The whole journey was a miracle, as they traverse through Vice City, Pinkie had bounced all over the car, appearing out of impossible places. It was a hair raising thirty-minutes drive, but with Scotch on board, they survived the ordeal. Pulling in front of the massive staircase to his estate, the entrepreneur in blue parked behind a black limo, Avery's black limo.
There was a momentary silence in the car with the, exception of Pinkie Pie, still rocking the car with her bouncing. Tommy looked at the slightly buzzed and half-way drunk passenger at the back of the car, he kept his eye at the two silently, one that told them he wanted to speak. Somehow, Rainbow got hold of Pinkie's tail.
Tommy commanded, "Stay in the car."
Rainbow raised a hoof to object, but her voice was muted when Kent plugged it with the bottle of Scotch as he nod. Tommy left Kent Paul, Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash at each other company. "What did you do that for ?!" Rainbow raised her voice. Kent put a finger on her muzzle and hushed her, "Ye don't want tha' go up against that man," Kent warned her.
Too stubborn and pride still irritated she yelled, "Oh yeah we'll see about that !"
She flared her wing, as she was about to fly out of the window, Kent grabbed her by the tail. "Let me go !" she cried, and Kent kept pulling. As the Scotsman and Pegasus struggle against each other, cocaine induced Pinkie asked Kent, "What're we playing now ?!"
"Uh...uhm...tug o' war," said Kent.
"Oooohhh classic, count me in !" she joined in the fray and pulled Rainbow Dash in.
Tommy hiked the steps into his house, as he about to enter the door, Avery's student, Donald Love. Shakily he greeted Tommy and told where his mentor was waiting, "He's waiting in the lounge Mr. Vercetti."
"Thank you," he slip a couple of Benjamins into his pocket, "buy yourself something nice, don't worry I'll tell Avery I sent you away."
"T-thanks Mr. Vercetti but.. Mr. Carrington told me..."
Tommy told him, "I can't have you eavesdropping on our discussion, now scram."
He watch Donald leave from the top of the stairs, and relieved he was too focus looking back at him and not the Oceanic he passed by. As he set foot on the marble floor, Ken Rosenberg the lawyer hastily step down the stair and approached the man in blue Hawaiian shirt. "Tommy we got a problem," Ken told Tommy.
Tommy turned to face the man in pink suit, "What kind of problem ?"
"The thing in your office," he broke the news, "It's awake."
"What is it doing right now ?" Tommy asked.
"It's staring at the security screens last time I check ," Ken told him.
"You get Vincent and look after it," Tommy instructed, "Avery is waiting for me I gotta go."
"Tommy, I'm your lawyer for god sake !" Ken groused, "Not a some animal caretaker, I have no experience on these kind of things."
"Yes you do, these things talk, you're good at talking now go !"
"How the hell do you know that thing talk ?!" Ken questioned him.
Indignant with the questions Tommy hissed, "There are two others in the car I brought in just know and they're with Paul, If you wanna practice talking horse go ask them !"
Tommy left Ken to greet his business associate Avery Carrington. Ken was left standing in front of the stairs mesmerized by what Tommy had told. "They...talk..." with task assigned to him, Tommy's lawyer set to locate the only person within the mansion who knew about their current situation beside his client and himself.
As Tommy approaches Avery said, "Ah' see you sent ma'h student away this is a practically a learning opportunity."
"I don't want anyone to know about this," Tommy told him, "Besides this is not as safe as your limo."
"Hell son, this place a damn fortress," Avery exclaimed.
Tommy told him a plausible situation, "A Fortress it maybe, but I don't know if Diaz's operations were being 'observed' "
Avery went silent for a moment. He considered Tommy as a fellow businessman, and one investor that doesn't just show up in a board meeting once a year. He also knew about Tommy's business', this was obtained through financial background check, as same as every investor that funded his real estate business. The elder property mogul realized his investor in blue had to be careful, and had the right reason to be so, no one owned a mansion this big with profit from a printing company operating less than a year.
*** *** ***
Ken Rosenberg ran down the massive steps of Vercetti Estate, heading towards the Oceanic parked on the drive way. He brought Vincenzo along in trying to talk to similar creatures to the one in Tommy's office. When Ken told the henchman in blue, he dismissed his boss' lawyer had lost it, but Ken told him that his boss was the one who said that horses talk. He didn't want to think his boss was crazy, so he followed the man in pink suit.
"You sure boss said that thing can talk ?" Vincent inquired.
"No," Ken answered, "But the others."
His eyes went wide in surprise and disbelief, "There's more ?"
"I don't want to belief that but he said he brought them in himself," Ken informed him.
Arriving in front of the aging automobile, both men saw two heads resting on each other, one Ken recognized as Kent Paul, frequent patron of The Malibu Club, the other was a rainbow maned, blue pony that had one wing on Kent's left shoulder. A closer look revealed an empty Scotch bottle on the seat. Suddenly a pink figure pressed itself against the window.
Pinkie greeted, "Hi !"
Both men jumped in surprise and the goon in blue made a cross with his fingers, "Mio dio !"
"Myname'spinkiepiewhat'syoursareyouKentsfriendsdoyoulikepartiessorryitalkedfrominsidethisboxbutTommytoldmetowaitandnotgetout"
As the blabbering continued, both men looked at one another making eye contact, avoiding contact with the fast talking pink pony inside the car. Ken halted the intention to try and talk to the pony, and started forming a plan to put a lid on the pink muzzle in front of him. His lawyer mind went blank and no plan was formed. "Any idea how are we going to keep that...away from Avery ?" he asked.
The sound of shoes tapping down on the steps reached their ears, both Ken and Vincent cursed silently at the untimely arrival. Both quickly decide to enter the Oceanic. Vincent at the drivers seat, he quickly ignite the fuel within the aging combustion chamber and put the car in reverse, dodging detection of the property mogul. Staying put short of the exit still grabbed the attention of Avery who glanced at them in the distance, but quickly went back to Tommy.
Both lawyer and hired gunman sighed in relieve. "Oooohhhh I like your suit," commented Pinkie on Ken's attire.
"Before I leave," Avery opened his limo's trunk, "As a token of our relationship...."
The elderly Texan stopped talking as the stench of strong liquor tickled his nostrils. The case where the whiskey had been stowed was leaking liquid. Avery hoped it was the champagne he carried along, but after dipping his finger into the pooling liquid and a lick he confirmed it was whiskey. "What in Sam's hell ?!" cursed the stetson wearing entrepreneur.
From the trunk out came Applejack, one that reeked of whiskey, wobbly and ultimately drunk.
Drunkenly she slurred, "D-d-daddy is that you?"