We can all blame ReadingChick and my roommate for any attention that this receives that ought to be placed into Matchstick, Torch or Why is it So Dark in Here? Not that I think anyone will particularly mind.

I don't own anything except for Cap'n Petey's Pizza Aye-Land, and even then, my roommate co-owns it.

Argent might have had an actual name to her peers once. She imagines there was a 'G' in it somewhere, maybe a 'D' as well. But, when she started acting in Middle School, she had taken the name "Argent" in the play's program, because she had accurately reflected the role to a T. And a mirror was silver after all, but the name Silver was associated too much with the internet. So she went Latin. She was Argent.

Yes, even with another day on the job at "Cap'n Petey's Pizza Aye-land," her name was proudly displayed as "Lady Cap'n Argent." And she was hating every second of it. But despite the vats of greasy seafood and terrible nametags, the job paid quite well. Actually, maybe it was because of the disgusting food stuffs and humiliating identifiers that the employees were paid so well.

Two men, one wearing jeans and a T-shirt and the other in tight, form-fitting black, approached the podium and, tonelessly, Argent launched into the typical, "Cap'n Petey's" welcome.

"Ahoy, welcome to Captain Petey's, home of the world's briniest shrimp. How may me help you? Ye'll never get me buried booty." On the inside, Argent cringed at the mutilation of grammar and enunciation that the typical greeting contained. If these had been little kids, she would have genuinely and enthusiastically delivered the lines, maybe with an, "Arr!" at the end to truly sell the act. However, these were college-aged men on her nine o'clock shift and they received the lines in a deadpan.

"I remember the last waitress delivering that in a believable pirate accent, don't you?"

"I was nine. I don't remember much."

"It was your birthday though."

"Shall I s-" Argent stopped herself from speaking like a human being and reverted back to pirate lingo, albeit deadpanned. "Aye, I will be showin' you two t' your seats now."

"You didn't ask us if we wanted kids' menus…" The T-shirted man's lips turned up at the antics of his companion.

Argent stared incredulously at the two. "Do you want kids menus?"

For a moment, the two men looked at each other as if this was a life or death decision. Then, they turned back to Argent and, in what had to be a planned unison, nodded enthusiastically and said, "Yes."

It wasn't until almost two hours later, after Argent had gone back to clear the table and get her tip, when she discovered that they had played all of the games provided on the paper menus, engaged in random tic-tac-toe battles, drawn rather chaotic pictures on the backs of the menus and had stolen the crayons as well.

The situation irked her. It really did. But she figured nothing would be done because she would never see either of these men again.

Until one week later, at the start of the new semester, a new student had come in with another boy behind him. Argent had swiveled around and, sure enough, the two men from "Cap'n Petey's" (a place that she had, thankfully, quit in favor of a work-study job on campus) were just settling in.

Her temper- a draconic beast that usually slept all day- suddenly flared up. Not only had she had to replace the crayons they had stolen, but this flagrant disregard for attendance and the disruption of the other students was just crazy. Certainly, she might be thinking a bit unreasonably, but she didn't blame herself in the slightest. No, she blamed them, with the taller one's mock-salute to her and the shorter one's twirling finger, signaling her to stop watching them.

At the end of class, the two had picked up their things and left before Argent even had the chance to approach them. Not that it stopped her. Instead, it provided a quick chase. However, it was when she got into the sunlight and stood, blinking, that she realized she had nothing truly legitimate to hold against either of them. So they were five minutes late to class. She had even done that. Alright, so they had stolen a five pack of crayons that had cost her maybe $1.25 out of her paycheck. Was she really going to be that petty over it?

No. No, she was not. Argent spun on her heel and made her way to class, understanding that there had been no real conflict here, but still feeling as if she had lost.

For a good month, Argent was perfectly capable of ignoring the brothers (She had learned through Shelke that they were, indeed, half siblings) whenever they happened to be within her time zone. That is to say, more or less constantly. She had learned that they were on good acquaintance with Shelke, an underclassman who wasn't completely inept, and that she shared Professor Dakine with them twice a week.

In fact, it was Professor Dakine that had led her to the next conflict. Argent had been proceeding from Drama Club to ask him a question when she heard the mellifluous voice of Weiss and the lighter tones of Nero coming from the ajar office door. Cautiously, Argent peered in.

"-completely legal, sir," Weiss was saying. Argent's face twisted into a scowl. Whenever someone had to justify the legality of their actions, it never led to anything good.

"Besides, it's for our Psychology class," Nero explained.

"Human behavioral studies. And, as you can see, we've cleared it with our other professor. All we require is your signature and we can perform this test tomorrow." There was a rustling of paperwork followed by the pensive rumble of Argent's professor mulling the idea, whatever it was, over.

"Fine. If Leibo has cleared it."

Argent could almost hear Weiss' grin. "Thank you, sir." Weiss walked out of the office, flanked by Nero. Weiss looked at Argent with an expression of either surprise or amusement. " 'Lo,."

"Hello."

"Lady Captain Argent." Weiss gave her a mock-salute. Nero followed after him, giving Argent a genuine wave.

Argent was at a loss for words for a few moments but then, completely forgetting her initial reason for visiting Professor Dakine, she followed after them. "Stop."

Weiss turned around, looking maddeningly casual. "What is it?"

She caught up with them. Yes, what, indeed? "The crayons."

"The crayons?"

"The ones you took from Captain Petey's. You two did purloin them, did you not?"

"Will you make us walk the plank?" A grin slid across Weiss' face.

"Don't mock me," she gritted out.

"Nero, go on ahead, okay? I'll meet you at the car." Nero nodded and, giving a final nod to Argent, walked off to the parking lot. "So sorry. Were they any trouble for you?"

"No," she admitted. "However, my concern lies with the principle of the offense. You do not go around stealing from dining establishments."

"True." Weiss nodded. "Alright, how about this? Help us with a little project we're doing in Azul's geology course tomorrow, and we'll return the crayons with a full signed apology letter."

Argent stared at him. "You are not serious."

"I'm quite serious. Deal?" He put out his hand to shake on it.

At first, she eyed his hand as if he had something dangerous concealed in his palm. Then she shook it. "Fine."

TBC