https://youtu.be/FWxT2NKw9go

It took a little while, but Inigo was eventually the one to break the silence permeating the air - some people had stuck around to watch for a bit, but by now, they had departed. As Inigo looked down at the red-haired, green-eyed gunner, he cleared his throat. "So, uh...thanks for the help, I guess."

"No problem!" Rifle Smurf saluted, a bright grin on her face.

"Right. See you around." Inigo turned around, waving as he began to walk away, and at this point, Rifle Smurf pouted at him, her hands on her hips. She was not losing him again.

"Hold on a second! Don't go just yet!" she said, and at once he raised an eyebrow, turning his head around to look at her, unamused.

"What do you want with me?"

"I just...want to talk to you." she replied, sighing. "I've got questions."

"Then just say that." Inigo narrowed his eyes. "What was the point of that 'test', anyway?"

"I'll explain that later!" Rifle Smurf said. "For now, just follow me! I'll take you somewhere we can talk."

She approached him, standing in front of him with her hands on her hips. "C'mon, whaddaya say? I've got beef with Libera, you've got beef with Libera! Let's discuss that a little more!"

Inigo wouldn't call what he had 'beef', per se. He just had to avoid them, but he wouldn't mind getting to know what Rifle Smurf's issue was, too. He was a curious guy, after all, and having a combat-capable ally would probably be good in the long run. So he shrugged and nodded, crossing his arms. "Lead the way, Rifle Smurf."

"I have a name, you know!" she pouted in protest. "It's Azurine, and don't you forget it!"

"Nice name. I'm Inigo." Inigo said, putting his hands in his pockets. "Now, where are we going?"

"To a lovely little diner just a few minutes from here." Azurine grinned at him, skipping along the pavement and humming to herself. Inigo shrugged, following her at his own, slightly slower pace as he wondered just what was up with this strange little woman.

.........

And within minutes, the two of them arrived, walking through the door of a moderately-sized, two-storey cuboidal building with transparent glass windows exposing the inside to onlookers. It was mainly black on the outside, with gold letters reading, "BLACKSTAR" embossed on the outside. The smell of grease filled Inigo's nostrils as he walked inside, looking around to see multiple booths around the place, with benches covered in black leather and waxed wooden tables, with the people sitting at them and the waiters and waitresses serving them holding various forms of fried food - burgers and chips, and other things along those lines.

"Welcome to Blackstar Diner, the best dining establishment in all of Furvus!" Azurine grinned as she walked in, Inigo in tow. "My uncle owns this place, you know!"

"If all this was just a ruse to get customers, I'm leaving."

"No, of course not! I just thought this'd be a good place to talk!" Azurine clarified, raising her arms as she shook her head panickedly at the stoic Inigo. "Around here, people aren't gonna stick their nose in your business! It's good for private discussions!"

Inigo nodded slowly as Azurine looked around, finding an empty booth by a corner in the back. She quickly tugged on Inigo's sleeve before leading him to said booth, waving to the red-haired man behind the counter. In due time, they were both seated, facing one another, with their default expressions on full display - Inigo with his apathetic, tired scowl, and Azurine with her doll-like smile.

"So," Inigo was once again the first to speak up. "About you shooting me."

Recognising right away that he wasn't going to let that go, Azurine opted to simply get that out of the way quickly. "Put shortly, I wanted to evaluate your fighting abilities. And what better way to do that than with a fight?"

"And you said that I passed." Inigo continued. "So, what did you need to test me for? Have we met or something?"

"Not that I recall..." Azurine mused, shaking her head. "I just thought you'd be helpful. I'm trying to fight against Libera, and my friend pointed me in your direction!"

"Someone as nuts as you has a friend, huh?" he raised an eyebrow in response, tapping his foot on the ground. "Somewhere in the world, there's a great fire going on, and it happened because you two got bored."

"Hey, that's not true! He's the normal one!" Azurine protested. "And Silas has been a great help, thank you very much, so I won't let you mock him!"

"It's really not that deep." Inigo sighed, looking back on her words and raising an eyebrow. "Wait, Silas? The one at the Hole?"

"That's the one!" Azurine exclaimed. "And he told me everything I needed to know about you!"

"And...how much did he tell you?"

"Just your name, appearance, and the fact that Libera is after you." Azurine said, her voice growing a little quieter. "What's up with that, by the way?"

Inigo couldn't help but think about how Silas knew about that, but remembering that he was on good terms with Makoto reminded him that he probably had his ways of finding out. He shrugged at that. "Who knows? I'm just doing my thing, and next thing I know, they've given me a weird nickname and are trying to capture me." he said, considering his last interaction with Makoto. "I can't claim to know what the Mikado wants with me, but I can't assume it's anything good."

"So, what I'm hearing here is, you have a reason to want them gone?"

"It'd sure be convenient, but I don't necessarily want them gone." Inigo shook his head. "I just want answers. Though, I suppose it couldn't hurt to fight them in the meantime..."

"Great! I'm sorry about the rough first impression! I really meant no harm!" Azurine put her hands together. "So, how about it? Wanna cooperate? We could find your answers and teach them a lesson!"

"Sounds like a plan." Inigo nodded, watching as Azurine extended a fist towards him with a confident little smile on her face.

"Then it's settled!" she grinned. "Welcome to the Spectrums, Inigo!"

"Excuse me?"

"The Spectrums! You know how there's a lot of crime in these parts, right?" she said, beginning to explain while Inigo eyed her warily. "Someone's gotta keep the peace around here! So, why not the three of us?"

"What, like cops?" Inigo's eyebrow shot up.

"No, silly, like vigilantes!" Azurine corrected him, and he simply nodded. "See people in danger, we swoop in and save the day, and everyone's happy! Sounds great, right?"

It certainly sounded like something he could do between looking for answers. Perhaps it'd make a good form of stress relief, too - and gods above, did he need something like that. Meeting her fist with his own, he nodded. "Sure, I'm in, I guess."

"Awesome!" Azurine beamed, leaning back in her seat. "Welcome aboard! I'm sure you'll be an excellent addition to our team!"

"Yeah, I'm kinda awesome." Inigo deadpanned, stretching his arms. "So, what's the first order of business, Smurfette?"

Azurine narrowed her eyes at that, crossing her arms. "First order: Stop giving me stupid nicknames!" she commanded. "My name is Azurine! Don't forget that!"

Inigo, who hadn't forgotten, but had rather intentionally chosen to ignore it, simply nodded. "Right. My bad."

"All is forgiven." Azurine grinned, changing her mood in an instant before closing her eyes in deep thought. "Now, as your leader...I don't have any orders for you. You can go and live out the rest of your day, but I expect you back here at eight!"

Inigo looked up at the clock across the room, seeing it was almost 1:30 in the afternoon. Nodding at that, he stood up. "Then I guess I'm taking my leave."

"Oh, before you go, let's trade contacts!"

Inigo looked back at her, shoving his hands in his pockets as he made a slightly awkward face in response. "I...don't have a phone."

"What?" Azurine stared at him, dumbfounded. "Everyone has a phone!"

"Not me." Inigo shrugged, looking at her. "Will that be a problem?"

"...no, not at all!" Azurine smiled after a brief silence. "Just don't forget the time, alright?"

"Sure." he replied, waving at her. "See you later, then."

"Bye!"

At that, he walked away from her and out of the diner, while she stayed seated for now. Both satisfied at how the interaction went, they decided to leave things there. At least until eight o'clock.

.........

https://youtu.be/QtiMsKehlNI

To Galileo, it was pretty funny to traverse the ruddy streets of Ruben. Seeing the looks of suspicion on people's faces as he walked by, observing the paranoid atmosphere that he had sown. The question on everyone's minds was the same as every day - "Could that be one of them?"

And the best part was, he wasn't even the only one under scrutiny! It was the perfect cover-up. Let everyone suspect one another, kill off any rats who catch on to his trail, and use them for his business. It was foolproof, really. He still had to look into how that one rat from last week managed to pinpoint him exactly, but it wasn't an urgent matter at all.

He smiled to himself, walking out of the residential area and past a few shops, when all of a sudden, he felt his phone vibrating in his pocket. Sighing, he pulled it out, seeing the word "Boss" on the screen, and his smile left his face as he answered, putting his phone to his ear. "Hello."

"Good afternoon, Galileo." the deep contralto of Kotoba spoke. "Where are you right now?"

"Ruben. I'm just walking."

"Then you're free." Kotoba said, and Galileo rolled his eyes while he knew she couldn't see him. "Good. I have an update for you."

"You always do, oh gracious Mikado." he sighed, keeping his eyes on the road ahead.

"I'll thank you not to get snarky with me, Grant." Kotoba warned, and Galileo gritted his teeth in annoyance, while her own frustration faded. "Now, then, I'm sure by now, you've heard of the Red Joker."

Grant groaned, narrowing his orange eyes. "The one you sent the girl to catch?"

"Indeed. He is strong enough that simple grunts fall easily before him. With Coyote's report, however, it is clear that he is not infallible, however." Kotoba explained. "I believe that you would be excellent for this mission. How are things in Ruben?"

"Just as secretive as ever. Tensions are at an all-time high." Grant commented, nodding slowly. "We've had a rat or two, though. It's a good thing I always set glue traps."

He chuckled proudly at his own genius while Kotoba remained silent for a few seconds, before letting out an audible sigh. "All good, then." she said, continuing as normal. "If he or his allies enter your town, I want you to monitor them."

Grant raised an eyebrow. "I beg your pardon?" he balked. "I've never even met the man, and you expect me to monitor his little friends, too?"

"There's a chance he's been through your town before." Kotoba commented. "But I digress. If anyone seems suspicious-"

"Then I'll get rid of them. On it." Grant frowned, sighing. "Will that be all?"

"Yes, that will be all." Kotoba replied. "Do not forget to report anything important to me. If you don't give this your all...you may find it a lot more difficult to avenge her."

Grant's grip on his phone tightened in rage, but before he could say anything in response, Kotoba hung up. Putting his phone away, he stopped moving, calming himself down as he quickly straightened his tie.

"That damn woman...what does she know?" he grumbled under his breath, before shaking his head. "Tch, I'll show her one of these days..."

And perhaps one of these days, he would. But for now, he continued walking, setting a mental reminder to get his men to increase the surveillance around Ruben.

.........

https://youtu.be/SlUYv-CUoOo

"So, how'd you find him?"

Sitting at a booth in the Blackstar Diner was Silas and Azurine, deep in conversation as they had been for the past few minutes. Silas asked the question in honest curiosity, but when she heard it, Azurine looked at him with an uncertain look on her face.

"Eh...I dunno." she shrugged. "He seems cooperative enough, but he's a bit of a pill..."

"I think he's alright." Silas replied. "But I have known him a bit longer. It's not always gonna be love at first bullet."

"Yeah. We're definitely gonna keep him around, that's for sure!" Azurine beamed brightly, before quickly shifting to an angry pout. "That is, unless he keeps running late like this!"

"It's really not that bad..." Silas chuckled quietly.

"Yes it is! A good Spectrum should always be on time, don't you think?"

No later than those last words leaving her lips, the doors of the Diner swung open, and Azurine and Silas turned their heads to find a panting, sweating Inigo step inside, approaching them with a half-assed wave, a tired look on his face. "Hey..."

"Inigo, you're late!" Azurine exclaimed, visibly worried. "What happened?"

"It's two past eight, fuck off." he sighed, sitting down next to Silas. "I was fighting a bunch of criminals, but then Libera came along and helped them. Barely made it out."

"That's rough, buddy." Silas nodded calmly in response. "At least you're alive, though. Libera can be tough, so we've gotta be conservative about this."

"Conservative?" Inigo and Azurine asked in unison, only for the former to instantly regret it once he saw a wide grin forming on the tall barista's face.

"Of course!" Silas said. "How else are we gonna own the Libs?"

Hearing that, Azurine audibly snickered while Inigo rolled his eyes. Silas took in these reactions with a proud smile before sitting up straight. "Nice to have you on board, Inigo."

"The pleasure is all yours."

"Now, then, you two." Silas continued, ignoring Inigo's sass. "We need to work out tomorrow's agenda."

"What's there to sort out? Just beat up a bunch of bad guys, right?"

"There are only so many of us, right? But there's plenty of towns out there!" Azurine pointed out. "So, we patrol one or two towns a day! We need to decide which ones!"

"Absolutely right." Silas nodded slowly. "Unfortunately, I only get weekends off, so for tomorrow, I'm not gonna be available until seven - including the time I spend at the gym. Thus, it'll just be you two."

"Sounds good enough." Inigo said, looking down at Azurine. "You cool with that, Bluey?"

Azurine glared at him, but sighed and nodded slowly. "Yeah, I guess." she muttered. "Meet me in the Hole by eight, sharp!"

"Lovely." Inigo said. "Where are we going from there?"

"Hmm...let's go look around Furvus first." Azurine openly contemplated, putting her hand on her chin. "That shouldn't take too long, so once that's done, we should have time to head over to Caerulus!"

"Big city, that." Inigo nodded slowly. "Which means lots of crime. That should take up most of our day."

"Sure should. Just don't forget to back out if you think things are getting overwhelming." Silas chuckled, crossing his arms and watching as Azurine picked up a notebook and pen that were on her side. She flicked it open to a blank page and began writing. "Until then, I guess you're free, though."

Inigo rose to his feet, stretching his arms and beginning to exit the booth. "Then I'll see you tomorrow."

"Hold on, you can't leave yet!" Azurine shook her head, using her pen as a bookmark while shutting the book, putting her hands in her pockets. "I have something to give you!"

He raised an eyebrow, and Silas also looked a little confused, but Azurine didn't waste any time in pulling her hand out and presenting what was in it - a phone, with a lilac protective case. As he stared at it, Azurine grinned, holding it out towards him. "Ta-da!"

"...uh, what?"

"It's a phone!" Azurine said, as if that weren't the obvious part. "You said you didn't have one, so I went and got you one!"

"If you didn't have one, then I guess it's all good." Silas mused. "Since we're gonna be a team, we should be able to update each other at all times, right?"

"I'm, uh, flattered, but did you have to go out of your way?" Inigo murmured, taking the phone and examining its dimensions closely. "Phones aren't cheap."

"Oh, it was nothing. My uncle had some spares, so I just had to ask!" Azurine exclaimed, and Inigo put his new phone in his pocket. It wasn't anything high-end, but he was sure it'd suit his purposes. "I've already put mine and Silas' contacts on it, so there's no need to worry about that."

"Thanks, then." Inigo said, before turning away and towards the exit. "So...see you tomorrow?"

"Yeah." Silas offered a thumbs-up and a nod. "Good night, sleep tight, and don't let the bedbugs bite!"

"Bye, Inigo!" Azurine exclaimed as he slowly walked away. "Don't forget, the Hole at eight o'clock!"

"I won't." Inigo yawned, waving back at them very briefly before he walked out through the diner's doors. What a strange turn of events this was, he thought. But perhaps things would turn out well.