https://youtu.be/k1S0xxTwueQ

The night fell, and the sun rose, as was the usual way of things. Inigo had spent the night actively hunting down bandits this time, when he would usually wait for them to attack him. He'd beat them up, take their things, and pawn them off before finally retiring to his usual inn in Arc Town.

Tonight, his sleep was marginally less restless than usual. He'd been mostly relaxed, after all. Though he couldn't fight off the nightmares and the strange dark thoughts, he was learning to simply bear with them. He had something to look forward to, after all. Just by thinking about that, his mind was put at relative ease.

And now, morning came, and he was awoken by the unfamiliar lo-fi tunes of his alarm at the crack of seven o'clock. Getting out of bed after allowing the song to play for a little while, he stretched his limbs before going to shower and get changed. Today, he wore a grey shirt under a lavender jacket with a hood, and a pair of ash-grey slacks, topped off with a pair of sneakers. He hummed to himself as he walked out, deciding to move around the town a little with the forty minutes he had before the meeting with Azurine.

So, once he left the inn, he immediately hydro-springed to the top, miscalculating the jump ever so slightly and needing to cling to the roof and climb. He stood on top, doing a few more stretches, before looking down at the city. It was a cloudy day today - the sky was practically white above the grey city, with very few people walking across the streets, exiting the houses and dressed for whatever jobs they had. The town was waking up.

Hopefully, this meant it wouldn't react too strongly to the sight of him running and jumping all over the place. It was nice to just let loose every now and then. Also, knowing the most efficient way from Point A to Point B in this town was good in case Makoto came along. But mostly, it was fun.

As he ran across the buildings, he looked to the ground before, wondering if he could get in some early work, but nobody looked like a bandit to him. Still, it didn't stop him from observing, just in case he saw someone he didn't like. Soon enough, he saw one such person, walking by a loosely-populated area hallmarked by a rainbow-scaled cathedral.

https://youtu.be/xWkyyCcyfCI

This person - a woman - looked familiar to him, and he narrowed his eyes as he gazed upon her slender frame. Her pink eyes, her long blonde hair trailing down her back, her sleeveless red shirt, matching shorts and black tights. He liked to think he had a decent grasp on her fashion sense, and this seemed in line with it. Maybe he'd pay her a visit. She seemed to be on her own. She was talking on the phone right now, however, so he'd have to wait his turn.

Scarlett seemed focused on the road ahead, her expression even more smiley than it was the last few times he'd seen it. Then again, he'd only met her twice, so what did he know?

"...got it, I'll get that delivered to you ASAP!...Of course, I'd never disappoint you!...Yeah, I know, don't let a word of this get out. I'm not Coyote, you know!...Alright, gotcha. See you later, Galileo!"

What a strange-sounding conversation. But most things seemed odd when one only had half of them. Inigo didn't hear all of it, but he heard enough to get a general gist, and wondered what was being delivered here. And who this 'Galileo' was, too. Probably a higher-up in Libera. As she tucked her phone into her pocket, she looked around, noticing Inigo standing on the rooftop. Their eyes met, and before he could decide whether to surprise-attack or run away, she smiled brightly at him, giving him a friendly wave.

He raised an eyebrow, jumping down from his building and landing in front of her, facing her directly. He had time to spare, after all, and he'd been spotted, so why not? She certainly didn't seem to mind his decision, as when she looked at him, he sensed genuine interest in her eyes. As she held her hands behind her back, she kept watching him ever so closely.

"We meet again, Inigo."

"Haven't you heard?" Inigo said, pocketing his hands with a neutral expression, studying her movements. "I go by Red Joker now, apparently."

"Haha, yeah..." Scarlett giggled nervously. "How's that been for you, anyway?"

"Like shit, I guess." Inigo shrugged. "It's been non-stop pursuit ever since you tipped off your guys about me."

"...sorry about that, by the way." Scarlett twiddled her fingers together, averting eye contact. "I wouldn't have done that, but I had orders to follow!"

"From your Mikado, right?" Inigo raised an eyebrow, trying to determine what she wanted to accomplish from this apologetic display. As she nodded, he moved one hand to his hip. "What's the end-goal here? Why me? And why the nickname?"

"I wish I could tell you, but even if the boss wanted to fill me in on the specifics, I'm pretty sure I'd lose an ear if I went around spilling info like that." Scarlett frowned. "You'll have to get the answer from someone else. And, uh, I dunno about the nickname, but...it sounds cool, right?"

"Eh." Inigo shrugged again. If nothing else, he could at least appreciate the irony of it.

"Yeah, I guess it's a matter of opinion." Scarlett conceded, sighing slightly. "So...what are you up to?"

Inigo furrowed his brow in curiosity, looking around to make absolutely sure that there were no Libera members waiting in the wings. To his surprise, nobody nearby seemed to be paying attention to their discussion. Everyone seemed to be minding their own business. And that was the most confusing part of all.

"...why do you care?"

"Oh, uh, I suppose it's not really my place to ask, but...I guess I was curious! You're not a total stranger to me, so I thought it'd be a good idea." Scarlett spoke quickly and almost nervously, trying to make eye contact with him but never bringing herself to hold it for too long. "I mean, you were standing on a building just now. What was up with that?"

"...I'm sure you've heard of parkour." Inigo said calmly, quickly snatching her interest. "Basically, that."

"Oh, really?" she asked, all wide-eyed and curious. "You didn't seem the type at all! The more you know, right?"

"Sure." Inigo shrugged, figuring she didn't quite have the right to talk about not judging books by their covers.

"But I guess someone in your position would need the exercise." Scarlett smiled a little, and Inigo found her assessment to be spot on. If nothing else, he definitely needed the speed training.

"I could say the same to you." he commented, gesturing towards her. "But then again, I'm sure you already knew that. You do look pretty fit..."

"Thanks! I try my hardest." Scarlett giggled, her cheeks dusted a light pink as she lightly fanned her face. "I've got a friend who goes to the gym, but I'm not really all about that. I prefer to dance."

"Interesting." Though not exactly unexpected, he thought. There was just a certain vibe to her. "Why dancing, though?"

"Well, why not?" Scarlett beamed brightly. "Keeps me fit, doesn't it? Plus, I like being able to put on a show for anyone watching. I could even give you one, if you'd like."

Accentuating her words with a playful wink that left Inigo confused, she laughed a little, staring at him and seemingly waiting for a response. So, shaking his head, he gave her one.

"Nah. I'm good."

"If you insist. I'm keeping the offer open, though." Scarlett shrugged.

"Are you any good at it, though?" Inigo questioned, saying the first thing on his mind. Hearing that, she raised an eyebrow, crossing her arms.

"Of course I am! I've been doing it since I was a kid, you know!" she huffed, evidently quite proud of her skills. "I've mastered the art of conveying feelings through movement, thank you very much!"

"Right, sorry." Inigo raised his arms defensively. "I don't doubt your skills, really. You look like someone who dances a lot."

Scarlett smiled a little more, and Inigo put his hands in his pockets, examining her once more just to confirm that her nonthreatening demeanour wasn't an act. "So...why aren't you trying to capture me right now?"

"Oh, uh, that..." Scarlett stammered a little. "I...guess I don't really feel like it?"

"Why not?"

"I...don't know." Scarlett shrugged, after a moment of pondering. "I mean, I guess you seem pretty chill. Plus, I still don't know why the Mikado wants you so badly..."

"Yeah, well, your guess is as good as mine." Inigo sighed, scratching the side of his head. "Still, it's weird. I could be some serial killer or great thief. Someone bad enough that your Mikado wanting me gone could be a genuine service to the continent. Don't you think this is a pretty risky gamble?"

"I'm willing to take it. You don't seem too bad." Scarlett shrugged. "Plus, it's not like I'm hindering my team, right?"

Inigo stared at her, utterly astounded at her response, and slowly rubbed his right temple. "...unbelievable. First Coyote, and now you." he said. "Is everyone in Libera like this?"

"Well, not everyone." Scarlett chuckled, shaking her head. "If it's any consolation, Galileo wouldn't hesitate to make a barbecue out of you!"

"Thrilling." Inigo deadpanned. "Speaking of Galileo, didn't you have something to deliver to him?"

"Right, I did!" Scarlett exclaimed, having allowed that to slip her mind. She cleared her throat, nodding quickly. "I must've gotten distracted!"

"Evidently." Inigo crossed his arms. "I won't hold you back any longer. Do your thing."

"Right, right!" Scarlett took a small, quick bow. "I'll talk to you later, Inigo!"

"Wouldn't count on it." Inigo said, watching as she waved at him and began sprinting off. He himself returned the wave, albeit much less enthusiastically, and pulled out his phone to look at the time. Glad he wasn't running late, he put it back away and decided to continue his walk. He had a small amount of time to kill, so he spent it walking around - on ground level, this time - and pondering on what had been discussed.

.........

https://youtu.be/pqeh_YcdQbE

The sands of time fell slowly, but soon enough, eight o'clock came. Inigo, who had been keeping an eye on the time, made sure not to come late - not even by a minute or two, lest Azurine make a stink about it. So, he arrived on the dot, and there he saw a most usual scene. With people sitting at the benches, the smell of coffee and desserts wafting through the air, and Silas getting on Vitamin Girl's nerves, it was just a normal day, indeed.

Scanning across the room, he spotted the short redhead sitting at a high leather stool by the wall, looking around without a care in the world. He approached her, tapping her on the shoulder and watching as she jumped in surprise, turning around to face him with an annoyed pout that quickly became a smile upon seeing who the assailant was.

"Oh! Morning, Inigo!" she chirped, watching as he moved to the seat next to hers and sat down. "Have a nice sleep?"

"It was fine." Inigo replied calmly, resting his arm on the table and turning to face her. "Looked around the town, but I didn't find any criminals."

"That's okay. There's plenty of them in Caerulus." Azurine said, as if trying to reassure him.

"I'm sure there are." he agreed. "But Furvus comes first, since it's on the way."

"Right." Azurine nodded, slowly beginning to get off her stool. "For now, let's order breakfast!"

Inigo, nonverbally agreeing, got off his stool, and the duo joined the back of the queue, waiting for their turn to come while they discussed things like the weather, crime, and how to convert binary to denary and vice versa - against Inigo's will, that last one was. When their turn came up, they ordered, and just when Inigo thought Azurine couldn't get any more peculiar, he bore witness to her ordering a black coffee with her egg crumpet. Truly, something only the most insane of individuals could have ordered. He'd have to be careful around this one. As he ordered his apple iced tea with a croissant, he moved back to his seat and waited for his order to be ready.

Shortly after, Azurine came along, laughing breathlessly and clutching her sides. He looked down at her, concerned, but she didn't pay him any notice as she returned to her seat, taking a deep breath as she slumped over the table, sighing. "Ah...'leaf me alone'..." she giggled.

"It wasn't that funny."

"Oh, come on! You've gotta admit, that was a clever pun, right?"

"No."

Azurine sighed, grinning happily as she looked over to him. "Well, there's no accounting for taste, I guess."

"Can't disagree there." Inigo said, glancing back down at her as he watched her remember the joke again and break into a fit of giggling. At least Silas had fans, right? "Are you sure you're twenty?"

"As sure as the sky is blue!" Azurine protested, glaring at him. "I even have official ID to prove it!"

"...sure." Inigo raised an eyebrow, not sure whether to buy it but also not bothering to refute it. Deciding not to stew on this for too long, he cleared his throat, sitting up. "So...about Libera..."

"Hmm? What about them?" she asked, switching back to her usual, doll-like smile. Inigo watched her for a bit, thinking about how utterly strange this woman was, but shook his head, choosing to get on with it.

"I've already explained my business, but what's your beef with them? Coyote didn't seem to know you..." Inigo said, musing on this as he put a hand on his chin. "Have they hurt you somehow, or are you just doing this because they're assholes?"

"Because they suck." Azurine crossed her arms. "They've done a lot of evil things, and if nobody's gonna step up, why shouldn't we?"

"How noble. But what is evil, anyway?" Inigo shrugged, shaking his head. "But, really, what do you get out of opposing them? Do you get to keep their stuff? Is your uncle paying you for every one you defeat?"

"No, nothing like that!" she shook her head quickly and vehemently. "I just like feeling like I'm cleaning things up a little, you know? Like I'm making Erdeland a better place!"

"...makes sense, I guess." Inigo slowly nodded. "Does that mean I can take their stuff, then?"

"Don't you see how weird it is asking for permission to take someone else's belongings?" Azurine narrowed her eyes. "If you really need to, and you manage to snag their stuff before they can teleport away, then go ahead!"

"Noted." Inigo hummed a little. "Any other rules I need to memorise while I'm here?"

"Well, just two, really." Azurine shrugged. "First, don't kill anyone! If you kill them, you'll be just as bad as them!"

"...no, I fucking won't." Inigo furrowed his brow, crossing his arms. "But don't worry, I won't kill them. Not my style."

"As long as you can promise me that much." Azurine sighed. "And the second rule is simple: if you see a man dressed in all black breaking Rule 1, put a stop to him!"

"...okay, I'll bite." Inigo narrowed his eyes, wondering who this strangely specific individual she referred to even was. "What if he's wearing white?"

"Out of the question! He always wears black!" Azurine insisted. "And he has black hair, and black magic, and he even only eats black food!"

"Who is this guy?" Inigo asked, increasingly confused at her words. "You seem to know him quite well..."

"His name is Iago, and he's technically on our side, but he's going about it the wrong way."

"'Iago', huh? What, is his dad called Macbeth?"

"Benjamin, actually."

"Okay, then." Inigo raised an eyebrow, clearing his throat. "Why does he want them dead, anyway?"

"You'll have to ask him." Azurine frowned, sighing a little. "We can usually talk him down if we try, at least..."

Inigo nodded slowly, listening closely until he heard a voice calling out, yelling, "Number 025! Is number 025 here?"

"Looks like my order's here."

That was him, indeed, as he verified by pulling his receipt out of his pocket, and there was the number on top of the paper. Slowly, he got up, heading towards the counter. More numbers were called out, and Azurine eventually got up, too. They went to collect their orders, ready to eat a much-desired breakfast.