The last thing you want to do when encountering a suspicious, possibly dangerous person is to anger them.

The thought passed through Varian's mind in seconds as he stood back, eyes wide and set upon the shady-looking man holding the side of his face. Varian didn't think he'd hit him *that* hard, but the redness of the man's cheek was bold, angry and unmistakable. The man's expression was blank, his eyes cold as he looked down at the book in the young alchemist's hand.

'I'm so sorry!' Varian blurted, slipping his book back into his bag. 'I didn't mean to hit you, I-'

'Shut it. I'm running out of time.' The shady man hissed. 'That symbol. Are you in league with her?'

Varian followed the man's gaze to the bag. Stitched upon its front was the symbol of a small white circle with a pair of fiery red wings. What was he talking about? Was Rafina involved with him? Wariness filling him, his grip on the bag strap tightened as he tilted his chin upward.

'I know the owner, yes.' Varian stared straight into the shady man's dark eyes, squaring his shoulders and puffing out his chest despite the tremble in his voice. The shady man lifted a brow.

'Even if you didn't, she could hunt ya down anyway.'

His voice held a tone of begrudging/reluctant respect. Varian felt himself falter slightly. He crossed his arms. 'Uh, so, how do *you* know her?'

'The same way the others know her,' the shady man answered simply. 'Except I'm one of the select few who know her true identity.' He glanced at Varian out of the corner of his eye before letting out a harsh laugh. 'And looks like you do too. I can't believe corruption exists in the righteous Corona. And in the town leader's own son!'

Varian's lips curved downwards. True identity? Corruption? His stomach did a flip as his brow furrowed. The shady man let out one final heave of laughter before he drew a roll of paper out from his raggedy sleeve. He quickly thrust it into Varian's hands.

'Pass it on, will ya?' The shady man grinned. 'I wonder how she'd manage to loop you in?'

Varian felt his throat tighten as the stranger towered over him. A sharp, dark look shone in his eyes as he scrutinized the alchemist. Memorising. Before any more can be said, a loud, 'Hey, you!' snapped both from the tense moment, the shady man immediately darting towards an alleyway. The owner of the voice, a royal guard, finally pushed himself out of the crowd, doubling over.

Varian found himself quickly stuffing the roll of paper into his bag as the guard collected his bearings and approached him. As per usual, he looked upon the young alchemist with wariness as he spoke. 'What did that guy talk to you about?'

'Nothing really. He was asking for directions.'

'To where?'

'The, uh, royal palace?' Varian winced internally for the hitch in his voice. The guard's eyes shot wide open with alarm.

'The royal palace?! It's bad enough those three thieves are on the loose…!' He paused. 'But… We could see the palace from here.'

'Yeah, stupid, amiright?' Chuckling nervously, Varian waved his hand about. 'But! I managed to draw him away from the palace by giving him the wrong directions! You saw where he took off, right?'

The guard nodded slowly. 'Right…'

Varian grinned. 'Welp! Now that that's over and done with, I can go now, right?'

'I suppose so…'

'Great!' Letting out another bout of forced laughter, Varian quickly turned on his heel and set into taking quick strides. He couldn't help but scan his surroundings for the shady man before setting down the road towards Old Corona. Left alone in silence once more, his thoughts drifted towards his peculiar interaction with the stranger.

Varian wasn't one to quickly make assumptions on others considering his own experiences, however, that man definitely spelled trouble. The fact that there apparently were three criminals on the loose at the same time did nothing to quell the unease that sat on his shoulders. Not only that, but the implication of his words sounded just as troubling.

He could only come to one conclusion.

Pausing in his stride, Varian drew his hand up and over his mouth. A gesture that's become all too common amongst many since four years ago.

'Rafina…' His voice came out low, wondering if he could send out a strong, telepathic message to the girl in question. 'Please don't do anything stupid.'

'Don't worry I'm not gonna do anything stupid.' Rafina assured Prometheus, patting his side. The old donkey rolled his eyes and grunted in response, a clear display of pure and *incredibly* insulting lack of faith. Rafina let out a mock huff of offense, before she straightened, her eyes set upon the tavern before her.

'And what's this? It looks like the finish line! Do you hear that? The crowd is cheering for Prometheus!'

'Yeah, you can do it, Keydonk!' Shorty slurred, pumping his fist in support. Attila and Big Nose clap and cheer from beside him, watching the old donkey gradually make his way towards them, their minstrel friend on his back.

Hands cupped around her mouth to mimic a speaking trumpet, Rafina continued, 'Prometheus appreciates your cheering, folks! It seems that he's starting to speed up once more!'

'Prometheus! Prometheus! Prometheus!'

'And with the chanting of the crowd, Prometheus, the legendary donkey, crosses the finish line!' Rafina finished, Shorty, Attila and Big Nose whooping as the donkey stopped just in front of the pub door, a tired but proud smile on his muzzle. 'This calls for a victory stunt, eh Promy?' She stood up on the donkey's uneven back. 'Here I come, triple cartwheels-'

Fortunately, Attila lifted Rafina off of the donkey and onto solid ground.

As Big Nose fed Prometheus an apple, Rafina handed Attila their package.

'Thanks again, Rafina.' Attila patted her head gently, careful not to mess it up.

'No prob. Glad to see that you're purchasing instead of robbing. What's the special occasion?'

'Nothing much.' Attila shrugged. 'Just decided we'll do a little something for tomorrow. Lost Princess's birthday and all that. Plus, the lanterns are quite pretty.'

Rafina's eyes brightened. 'I'm holding you to your word!' She exclaimed as Attila held open the door for her. 'You guys aren't gonna regret it!'

'I hope not.' Big Nose piped up. 'It took a lot of effort to convince everyone.' He gestured towards the legally-bought package of wine. Rafina let out a small chortle, feeling her heart warm a little.

The Snuggly Duckling was as loud and lively as ever, full with big and brutish men, drinking and yapping merrily away. Rafina ran and leapt onto the bar top before yelling at the top of her lungs, 'How is everyone today?'

The thugs responded with a cacophony of "good"s and "murderous"s as well as slammed tavern mugs and overturned tables. Rafina nodded in satisfaction at their enthusiasm. To any outsider, it would have been a bizarre sight of a small, young girl seemingly at ease despite being surrounded by the dreadful criminals twice her size. Because of this, Rafina kept their friendship a secret. Mostly.

To her, the Snuggly Duckling is a tavern that accommodated criminals who have committed many horrendous crimes in their youth, all who have grown weary over the years and resorted to petty crimes to live a life as peaceful as they can. Although she had not not done anything as horrible as some of the pub thugs, she could understand the desire for a life of peace where you can chase your dreams.

Rafina settled herself upon a bar stool as the thugs returned to what they were doing before her arrival. She leaned upon the counter, listening as Hook Hand recounted his misadventures from his youth to Greno and Vladimir. '-and so I high-tailed outta there with the bejeweled egg tucked safely away in my bag.'

'Yeah? Where is it now?'

'Dunno. After bumping into some snivelly wimp of a thief, it was gone.' Hook Hand let out a sigh of frustration at the memory. 'Slippery as an eel, he was!'

Rafina smiled, sliding into the group closer. 'Speaking of thievery, have you got any news on-'

'No.' Came Hook Hand's quick, curt reply. Rafina rose a brow.

'What? I didn't even finish my sentence!'

'It's obvious that you're talking about that Rider guy with the funny nose.'

'Wh- n- it's really not that obvious.'

'You've been asking about him ever since Bruiser told you about the robberies that he pulled close to Corona.' Hook Hand gave her the side-eye. 'What? You part of his adoring entourage?'

Rafina waved her hand dismissively, lips curled softly into a wistful smile. 'Hah, no. It's just... nothing important. I just figured that it's been a while since he's come here. I thought that after so many years, he'd swing by at least once.'

Rafina trailed off, her eyes softening into a distant look. Hook Hand took notice of her odd habit. He let out a silent huff of air through his nose and turned to make conversation with someone else.

Rafina had this habit of spacing out, the exact triggers of this behavior they don't quite know. But whenever it happens, her countenance would become blank, her eyes holding some sort of sadness beneath her unfocused look. The people around her would often be silent during these brief periods, allowing her to recollect herself. They didn't know if this was a cause for concern, or another quirk of the daydreaming minstrel.

'By the way, Greno,' Rafina finally spoke up. 'Can I please have some brunch? Woke up in a tree again and was scolded by the Captain.'

'At least you didn't wake up in prison.' Hook Hand snorted. Rafina let out a short chuckle, hand slipping into her pockets and closing around thin air. Startled, she patted herself down. Greno shot her a sympathetic look.

'You know, you don't always have to pay for your meals here.'

'Nonsense! I can support myself!' Rafina huffed, patting herself down once more. 'Maybe I dropped it somewhere.'

'More like you got pick-pocketed.' Greno snickered, taking his hand out from behind his back, revealing a purple pouch. 'Seriously, you let your guard down around us too easy. We're still thugs you know?'

'Yeah, thugs who comfort wayward eleven year olds and sing ballads about following your dreams.' Rafina chuckled, snatching her purse from his grasp before Greno can even pull his hand away. 'I trust you guys.' Looking down at her purse, she missed the small smiles that her companions gave her. 'Okay, now about brunch-'

BAM!

The doors slammed open behind her, light streaming in from the doorway. Two long shadows were cast upon her, accompanied by a loud, overly-eager voice, one that made her breath hitch.

'Garcon, your finest table, please!'