The Great Mouse Detective: the Shadow Games

The Great Mouse Detective: The Shadow Games

Chapter Fifteen
Ophelia stood on the stage of Ratigan's tavern and she was singing and dancing to a upbeated love song as Ratigan watched from his personal balcony.
It's been two months since Ratigan stopped his quest and two weeks since his friend from Central America have arrived and upset the bliss they had together. And Ratigan was once again filled with jealousy because the Cannibal Bat had instantly took an interest in Ophelia as soon as he meet her and to make matters worse he had force Ratigan into revealing his skill in Tango too soon when he had planned to reveal it to her when they were alone.
"I must say, that corset and ruffled feathers certainly shows off her....charms." his bane said as he sat down next to him.
Ratigan looked at the Spanish Cannibal bat and said." Yes, she was wearing that outfit when she first performed here and when I first met her."
Goth raised his wine glass to Ophelia." Too bad I didn't come sooner. I would have love to have a chance for trying my charm on her."
Ratigan glared at him." You do realize I'm in a relationship with her."
"As long as she doesn't have a wedding ring on her finger, then she still free to be purse until she does." Goth said with a mischievous grin on his lips.
The current song ended and the band started to play a slower beat. Ophelia stepped up to the edge of the stage and swayed to the beat of the song.

The night is bitter,
The stars have lost their glitter,
The winds grow colder
And suddenly you're older,
And all because of the man that got away.
No more his eager call,
The writing's on the wall,
The dreams you dreamed have all
Gone astray.

Ophelia walked down the steps that leads off the stage and into the customers floor as she singed and grabbed her feathers as she moved them side to side. She felt eyes on her and turned her head to see that Goth and Ratigan were watching her with startled looks on their faces. She just smiled as she continued to sing.

The man that won you
Has gone off and undone you.
That great beginning
Has seen the final inning.
Don't know what happened.

Ophelia spotted Fidget sitting at a table and moved her way towards him, causing the tiny bat to look at her with wide eyes. She singed as she stopped before him and reached out to remove his hat, Ophelia leaned over and kissed his forehead, causing the tiny bat to blush and shyly smile up at her. She ruffled his hair before she set the hat back on his head.

It's all a crazy game!
No more that all-time thrill,
For you've been through the mill,
And never a new love will
Be the same.

The band started to pic up as Ophelia singed as she stopped behind a young couple and placed her hand on the back of their chair. Then she raised her arm up, cutting off the beat completely. She singed without the band. Ophelia immediately spotted her close friend, Dominique D’Artagnan, sitting alone in a booth and inclined her head at her which her friend returned with one of her own.

Good riddance, good-bye!
Ev'ry trick of his you're on to.
But, fools will be fools,
And where's he gone to?
The road gets rougher,
It's lonelier and tougher.
With hope you burn up,
Tomorrow he may turn up.

Then she thrust her hand down, and the band started to play the lively beat again as Ophelia walked towards the bar where Ratigan, Goth and Ratigan's goons were sitting at. She held out her arms and two of the goons hurried over and placed her on top of the bar's counter. Ophelia started to walk down the counter as she singed with all her tiny might.

There's just no letup the live-long night and day!
Ever since this world began
There is nothing sadder than
A one-man woman looking for
The man that got away,
The man that got away.

Goth was looking at Ophelia with a surprised look on his face as is Ratigan because he never knew that she could hit such notes, she could easy put any Opera singer to shame with her breath control and lungs.
Ophelia came to stand before them as she hit a long note, causing the customers to cheer and clap. When she reached the end of the counter, the same goons hurried over and helped her down. Ophelia was singing as she reached the stairs and walked up them.
At the last verse, Ophelia turned around as she singed and when the song ended, so did the band and the curtain dropped to its original place, almost like it was hiding her from her adoring fans.
Everyone shoot up to their feet and started to clap and whistle, Ophelia pushed aside the curtains and bowed to them before closing them once again.
Goth looked at Ratigan and smiled at him with all the charm and arrogance of a Spanish man." Oh, yeah. I cannot wait for when Ophelia is all mine."