The place smelled of old metal, cheap alcohol, and stale smoke. An ideal spot to close deals that shouldn’t exist.
Cuphead was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed and a sharp gaze. He didn’t speak. He never did when the money wasn’t on the table yet. Mugman, on the other hand, remained seated with his back straight, hands clasped, and attentive to every word of the man in front of them.
—Two targets —said the client, sliding a thick envelope onto the table— Two clean payments.
The envelope didn’t tremble. Neither did Mugman’s hands when he opened it. Bills neatly arranged. Enough advance to accept without questions.
Cuphead barely lifted his gaze.
—¿Who are we taking care of now?— he finally said with an expectant smile.
The man slipped his hand under the table and pulled out two documents showing photographs of two different people
The first showed a man in a suit with a nervous expression, and eyes that always looked over his shoulder. Mugman recognized him immediately: a local politician, who does shady business and has enemies everywhere.
The second photo was different.
A poorly lit stage, but striking and large, with red lights in the background. A blurred figure in motion, wide smile, arms open as if the whole world belonged to him.
—Bendy —said the client— is a singer at the bar "Red Lights" Before, he worked with an important star in the city, but now... —he made a vague and annoyed gesture— he’s drawing too much attention.
Cuphead took the photo without asking for permission. He observed it a few seconds longer than necessary.
—¿A singer? —Mugman asked— doesn’t seem like the kind of problem that warrants this.
—We don’t get paid to give explanations —the man replied seriously— we get paid to make them disappear off the map.
There was silence in the room.
But then, a bang on the table broke it, accompanied by a laugh.
—We’ll take the job. Each of us will kill one of these people separately —said Cuphead with complete naturalness.
Mugman looked at him immediately, unable to believe what he had just heard.
—¿What?
And before he could say anything else, Cuphead answered for him.
—You take the politician —he said, observing the photographs in more detail— and I’ll take care of the singer.
Mugman hesitated immediately.
—But, we always work together.
—And we always end up covering each other’s backs more than necessary —Cuphead replied— This time it’s not needed. These are simple jobs.
Mugman frowned with distrust.
—I don’t like your idea...
Cuphead smiled arrogantly.
—¡Trust me Mugsy, it’s a piece of cake!, the faster we finish this job, the better it’ll be for us.
Hearing all that, the client smiled satisfied.
—Before the third week is up —he said, standing up— I want them dead.
When the man left, Mugman stayed silent. Cuphead was already putting the photo of "Bendy" into his coat pocket, without even taking the document.
—Cuphead —he finally said with some concern— Don’t start with this.
—¿With what? — he said, confused.
—With choosing without thinking about the consequences —he said somewhat annoyed, carefully looking at the documents of his victims— ¿what if that singer has bodyguards or something?
Cuphead shrugged, unfazed by that possibility.
—Like you said, he’s just a singer, Mugman. If he were someone very famous or important in society, ¿do you think he’d be working in a bar instead of a high end concert?. ¿How bad could he be?.
Mugman frowned, not believing what he was hearing from his brother
—Bad enough to be on that man’s blacklist, since they’re usually dangerous people or high-class individuals who cause problems in his business.
Cuphead mocked the comment and, reluctantly, took the singer’s document.
—You win —he said, handing the document to his brother— I’ll be careful and less flashy, but don’t blame me if I take longer than expected.
Mugman looked at him with "a bit" more confidence
—Let’s hope so...
That same night, both brothers discussed the details of the two targets. Mugman read the documents out loud while Cuphead listened carefully, since he didn’t know how to read.
And once they planned everything, they agreed to meet at the same point in two weeks, although one of them joked about taking a week off, since he would finish the job in less than a week.
—Remember Cuphead, be careful and...
—Don’t draw too much attention, I have it very clear as if I hadn’t heard it more than 100 times since we started this business—he said with a teasing smile
—I’d stop saying it if you weren’t so careless— he said somewhat disconcerted.
—Gasp ¿And when have I been like that?. You offend me, ¿you know? —he said with a dramatic gesture while placing a hand on his chest.
—Always, idiot —he said with a frown.
Cuphead mocked even more.
—But admit it saved our asses more than once —he said with a smile while patting his brother on the back.
Mugman let out a small, but hesitant laugh.
—You wish I’d thank you for that— he said nothing more while looking away from his brother.
Once separated, Cuphead proceeded to head to the bar without detours.
At first glance it looked like a small and flashy bar, nothing compared to other bars that did draw attention from far away. But when he entered, he didn’t expect it to be any different.
The bar was full of people laughing and chatting with each other, with the distant sound of glasses clinking, while the music played loudly in the background.
Cuphead, without further ado, proceeded to sit at a cocktail table in the back, where the shadows were thicker. From there he had a direct and clear view of the stage.
21:00 : Time when Bendy’s performance begins
He fixed his gaze on his wristwatch.
20:45
Too early for his taste.
He ordered a drink so as not to draw attention from the people near his table.
He expected nothing more than the presence of that singer.
But, for some reason, he was bothered by the unexpected number of people who were gathering near the stage. Since, they blocked his view a lot.
So, to stop dwelling on the crowd, he started thinking about the information he had previously heard about that singer.
He frowned.
Of course, he had been someone close to a popular star in the city.
Dandy.
For some reason, that name gave him chills for a second.
He never got to see him in person, since for a long time he hadn’t appeared in interviews or in important programs alongside other stars in the city. However, he had heard many clients say that he was someone very demanding and to be feared, as he hid terrible deeds that not even the press dared to mention.
He also heard that he was now moving into the health services sector, but...
He couldn’t care less at that moment.
For now, he had to focus on the main objective.
Suddenly a melody began to play, and immediately applause and whistles erupted.
The red and striking curtain that covered the stage lifted delicately.
THERE HE WAS....
Bendy appeared under the stage lights as if he didn’t care who was watching him. He didn’t walk; he simply smiled at the audience that welcomed him with applause and shouts.
He remained still for a few seconds, until the melody began to play with a different rhythm.
Then he started to move in an elegant and wonderful way. He danced even as he took the microphone, as if the music lived inside him before it even played.
