p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" align="CENTER"span style="font-size: medium;"emChapter XV : Play time/em/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"The announcement of Fabio Conti's arrest was a world mediatic bomb./span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"Interpol had doubts about the man for a long time, but didn't have any clues or else to arrest him. The Vipers certainly knew how to hide their traffic easily... But one day, reports and documents appeared on the Italian police and Interpol's desks, with a strange fox symbol at the bottom. Documents,proofs of associations with wanted forgers, and mostly, photos and recordings of intimate discussions about lewd business. Everything was packed into a simple box, with only the Vixen's symbol on each document./span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"However, the police were seriously doubting the whereabouts of the thief. She was supposed to be the most famous robber in the entire world, and she helped to arrest a man she could have worked with. This was the strangest part of this whole affair, and thanks to this, Vixen earned a pretty good reputation in the common's minds./span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-size: medium;"span style="font-style: normal;"span style="font-weight: normal;"Cheers !"/span/span/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"Noise of glasses being crashed together echoed in the room, with joyful cries./span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"The Reunion Room in Caimeen hadn't been this lively in years. It was the middle of the night, the day after Conti's arrest. Numerous newspapers were spread on the tables, on which were written the same headlines : "World's known thief arrests Italian trafficker"./span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"The majority of the people inside, mostly Silver's former partners and current coworkers, were already drunk and singing about Emmy's glory. She hadn't had a better welcome then the one she got, the moment she laid a foot on Caimeen dormitories./span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"Crushed between a drunken Shawn's arms, she struggled to just breathe between her laughs. She slipped out of his embrace, grabbed her glass she had put on the table, and lifted it to join them in their euphoria. Edlijah was here as well, just right next to her, but still in a better shape than most of the ones around. He was gently playing with the wine in his glass Shawn gently bought for them, watching it swaying and siping from it sometimes. Feeling overwhelmed by the shouting voices of his companions and the strong smell of alcohol that emerged in the room, Elijah made his way out of the room, finding a balcony far enough for him to ease his mind. It's not that he disliked parties, but sometimes it could be too noisy for him./span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"Leaning over the railing, he looked at the night view of the forest surrounding him. It was calm, calmer than inside, where he could still hear his comrades singing and laughing in a faint noise. The sound of owls and wind between the leaves was better in his ears than anything else at the moment, so he just closed his eyes to enjoy this moment./span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-size: medium;"span style="font-style: normal;"span style="font-weight: normal;"Seeking peace as well ?"/span/span/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"Elijah turned around : Emmy was at the door, smiling, with a couple of glasses held in her fingers, and a bottle of champagne in the other hand. She lifted it while walking to him. "I may have found something interesting we both prefer for times like this."/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-size: medium;"span style="font-style: normal;"span style="font-weight: normal;"Ah, that sure is highly appreciated. Thanks." He said, taking a glass from her hand while she let the other on the edge of the railing. She opened the bottle and quickly poured the liquid. The sound of two glasses colliding gently was the only noise around them, before they sipped their drinks./span/span/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-size: medium;"span style="font-style: normal;"span style="font-weight: normal;"This party is for you. Why did you leave ?" Elijah said after a moment./span/span/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"Emmy finished her drink in a single trait. She could handle alcohol way better than him. "A party with big drunk guys can be quite difficult to handle. And I was wondering where you could be."/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-size: medium;"span style="font-style: normal;"span style="font-weight: normal;"Well, I guess I wanted some time alone." he put a finger on the side of his head, frowning. "They're going to break my mind if they keep on singing like this. There's one guy that'll fly from the window before the Sun rises."/span/span/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"Emmy laughed. "Hey, don't kill anyone, please, it's a cheery night."/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-size: medium;"span style="font-style: normal;"span style="font-weight: normal;"I know it is."/span/span/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"A comfortable silence set itself between them, both enjoying each other's company. Caimeen's view on the forest was something Emmy had missed a lot : she remembered the late nights she spent with Elijah, enjoying the fresh air as they jumped and glided on the trees when they were young kids. Now that they were both grown-ups, this forest has begun to look like something more than just a playground. It was their childhood playground, and now it was their hideout away from civilization./span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"Emmy leaned over the balcony, her wild curls falling on her shoulders, swaying in the fresh breeze. Elijah noticed the reflection of the Moon in her dark eyes, making them shine. If only he had imagined they'd still be together after this long... For an unknown reason, he almost expected her to go away after a moment, forgetting them, and him, in the process./span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"Emmy noticed his stare on her. "What's wrong ? Do I have something in my hair ?" she said./span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"Elijah blinked. "Ah, sorry. I was lost in my thoughts."/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;""What were you thinking about ?"/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"He put his hand on the top of her head, shuffling her hair with a smile. "About how lucky I was to have you by my side."/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;""Hey, stop messing my hair ! " She whined, grabbing his hand with both her own. Yet, she returned her smile. "But I'm happy to have you too."/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"They were now facing each other, Elijah's hand in Emmy's. She played with his fingers for a moment before speaking./span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;""And actually, I wanted to thank you. For being with me and supporting me."/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"Elijah frowned. "Well, you don't need to. I'm here to help you after all, that's my job."/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;""No, you don't understand." Emmy looked at him in the eyes, locking hers with his. Brown and blue, dark and light. Quite the opposite, and yet so complementary. "I couldn't have got this far without you. If you hadn't been there when my father died, I didn't know what I would've done. And even now, if you weren't with me, I would never have been able to reach and catch Conti. So... Thank you."/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"Elijah smiled warmly at her. He put his other hand on her face, pulling away a strip of her hair behind her ear. "And I don't plan on leaving you. That'd be a shame, right ?" He laughed. "My job is to help you reach your goals. As long as you succeed, I don't care about fame or anything."/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"Emmy shook her head, his hand leaving her head. He frowned. "What ?"/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;""Don't talk as if you weren't important." She looked at him in the eyes again. This time, he could see determination./span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"She put a hand on her pockets, still under Elijah's curious eyes. She pulled out a small box. "Here, this is for you."/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"He grabbed the box she handed him while eyeing her. The soft blue ribbon that hugged the cyan box fell between his fingers as he opened the box. His eyes grew wide, surprise all over his features./span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"Inside the box was a mask, similar to Vixen's, but with blue colours. The same nose and forehead, dark blue, and black mouth and cheeks. The two holes for the eyes were in the same mischievous shape. Elijah carefully took it with a trembling hand./span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;""I asked Shawn if he could make one for you." Emmy said after a moment, smiling gently at him. He noticed she had her own in her hand. She lifted it so both their masks were next to each other. Seeing he wasn't going to say anything, she continued :/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;""You're more than a helper for me, Elijah. You're my brother, my best friend, my partner in crime..." she laughed. "I don't want you to feel like my shadow, as my ancestors did with their comrades."/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;""B-But... I can't accept that-"/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;""Why not ?"/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;""Because this mask belongs to your family !" He exclaimed./span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"Emmy clapped her tongue, shaking her head. "That was the ancient Foxes' traditions. I wanna create others."/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"She pointed to the forest and the Reunion room. "See those things ? They all belonged to my family, and my family alone, for ages. All of the people in there had worked for my father for so long, without asking anything in return, they just stood in his shadow. I don't like that."/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"She put her free hand on his chest. "As I said, I wouldn't have gone this far without you. I couldn't be Vixen without you. You're part of this character. My vision of Vixen is you and me."/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;""Emmy..."/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"She smiled. "Yeah, so... What I basically try to say is, well. Will you join the Vixen's group with me ? You can take another surname if you don't like this one of course, but I'd be really glad if you accepted it."/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"Elijah was at loss of words. The mask was so soft, and yet so soft between his trembling fingers. His heartbeat was resonating in his ears. Tears were threatening to fall from his eyes, but his pride prevented him from letting them fall./span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"He never thought about being Vixen's shadow at any time : he always was willing to help Emmy, and never planned to ask for something in return. He just wanted to see her happy./span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"His grip around the blue mask tightened as he lowered his head, biting his lower lip. He wasn't asking for recognition at all, so why did he feel so overjoyed ? Was it because she considers him as a partner, or because she called him 'brother' and gave him this mask ?/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;""Hey, are you alright ?" Emmy asked after a moment, putting a hand on his own./span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"Elijah took a deep breath, slowly looking back at her. She spotted a single tear running down his cheek. "Oh gosh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you-"/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;""Thank you."/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"Emmy blinked a few times. He was facing her with a big bright smile, his ocean blue eyes shining under the Moonlight./span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;""For what ? The mask ?"/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;""For considering me as your brother."/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"Emmy smiled warmly at him. She put her hands on his shoulders. "Of course I do, silly."/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"Elijah pulled her into his embrace, hugging her close to him. The far sounds of the party inside the Reunion room were lost between the wind in the trees, swaying around them./span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"They pulled away far enough so they could look at each other. She beamed at him, and pulled her mask on her face. He laughed at her goofy smile and did the same with his own. It felt so weird for him to wear something like that, but seeing Emmy's smile widening when she looked at him, he knew he should have worn one sooner./span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;""So, Fox ?" She said./span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;""Wolf."/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;""Hu ?"/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;""Fox is your name. I'll borrow a cousin's name from now on."/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"Emmy's laugh sounded like music in his ears. "Hehe, I'm glad I've created a new family of thieves then. But hey, don't even think of stealing our pride ! Fox will still be the best."/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"He grabbed her cheeks with one hand, sticking his tongue out. She whined as he pinched her. "Pfah. We'll see that." Elijah said, kissing her forehead./span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"She smiled and giggled. She freed herself from his grip and removed the mask from her face. "Anyway, I must tell you something else. I'm gonna enjoy Caimeen for a little longer, and then I'll leave for a few days."/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;""Why ? When ?" Elijah said, pulling the mask away./span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;""I'd say, in two days. I have business to do."/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"br /span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"A few days went by./span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"Inspector Grosky had been questioned about the whereabouts of Vixen by Interpol's forces after Conti's arrest. Alas, Scotland Yard couldn't help them in any way. What was bothering them both was more why she gave them the man than the trafficker himself./span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"The two professors were informed about Fabio Conti, a wealthy italian man that built his fortune on art traffic and possibly much more. And Hershel felt like this whole affair would be more complicated that he expected. Grosky asked for their help, and they both agreed./span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;""So, let me summarize it all. We know that Vixen is the heir of an ancient thief line that disappeared fifteen years ago and reappeared with her a few weeks ago, with the heist of Froenborg. She seemed to be interested in the Azran, but strangely, she focused on Fabio Conti, a shady art trafficker that she handed to the police." Desmond said mechanically, looking at his notes. He sighed. "We can't do much with these."/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"Grosky nodded. "Unfortunately that's all we have. But I must remind you we haven't found the stolen artifacts nor the Azran blade yet. She isn't the international hero newspapers talk about."/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;""Of course." Desmond said. Eyeing his brother, he noticed his brother seemed lost in thoughts. "Something wrong, Hershel ?"/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"Hershel blinked a few times, startled. "Ah. I apologize. What did you say ?"/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;""Is something the matter ? You look quite concerned."/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;""I was just thinking..." Hershel put his hand under his chin. "...About what you said a few days back."/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;""The perfume ?"/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;""Yes. Can you describe it again ?"/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"Desmond shrugged. "I don't see why not. It feels... oddly familiar. I may have encountered this in a shop. I don't think Vixen is stupid enough to wear perfume during her heists."/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"Grosky nodded. The professor Layton told him about this potential clue, but he still needed more details. "Is there something else you remember ?"/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;""It smelled like... vanilla." Desmond answered, frowning. "But much more like the smell of a body soap, combined with a milky scent."/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;""This can be any kind of soaps available out there." the inspector sighed. "I don't know if we can find something with it."/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;""Hm."/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;""Well, fellows." Grosky said after a short silence. He slapped the desk he was sitting in front of, making both the professors jump. "I think it's about time you return to the University, Layton." Hershel nodded, and stood up."And if I may ask, professor Sycamore, I'd gladly ask for your help to search into the Fox's archives."/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;""That would be a pleasure."/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"Hershel tipped his hat to the two men, before leaving./span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"Desmond spent the rest of the day at the police station. The inspector Grosky helped him as much as he could, but spending days dusting old books and studying ancient affairs was clearly not his cup of tea. When his boss called him, he took the opportunity to leave the archives to get some fresh air./span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"The professor Sycamore didn't mind working alone. He had done it multiple times before, and was used to it. Actually, it felt better to work like this for him. Alone with his thoughts and his investigations. But after a few minutes, Grosky came back from upstairs and asked him to join him in his office. Intrigued, Desmond followed. Not that he found anything interesting in these old books.../span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"When he entered the inspector's office, he noticed another man was already there, with Chief Inspector Carmichael. He was quite tall and slim and was wearing a black tuxedo. He looked like those special agents in cheap movies./span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"When he turned around, he noticed he had sunglasses hanging from the collar of his white shirt. His short hair was perfectly combed, darker than his costume. His green eyes pierced Desmond's red ones./span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;""Ah, you must be the professor Sycamore, yes ?" The man said with a subtle Irish accent, offering his hand. "It's an absolute honour to meet you. My name is Finlay Payne, Inspector at Interpol."/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"Desmond shook his hand. "It's my pleasure. I assume you're here to discuss the Vixen's case, am I correct ?"/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;""You certainly are. Interpol sent me to help Scotland Yard's force, since Vixen appeared in London recently."/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;""Wasn't she in Italia a few days ago ?" Grosky said./span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;""She was. My colleagues were also sent there. Anyway, I'm looking forward to work with you, professor. I've heard so much about you."/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"Desmond smiled. "I'd be glad to."/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;""Now, let's get started, shall we ?" Payne said, smiling./span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"br /br /span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"Night had settled in London's streets. The professor closed the door of his home, the keys clinking against the doorknob as he pulled it out. The house was dark and calm, so he assumed Desmond hadn't arrived yet from Scotland Yard. /span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"Putting his jacket away, he headed to his office. The clock indicated 8pm the last time he glanced at it at his office, so it must be around eight and a half now. Good time to prepare dinner, but he first needed to get his trunk into his home office./span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"Hershel climbed the stairs, turning on the lights. The floor of his home wasn't big. There were just three rooms : his bedroom, his office next door and another bedroom Desmond was currently using. All the doors were closed, without any light to be seen. The professor walked into his office, which was plunged into darkness, and carefully made his way to his desk, managing to not trip over a pile of documents or books. He put his trunk near his desk, opened the window to let fresh air in, and began to walk out out the room when-/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"span style="color: #000000;"span style="text-decoration: none;"span style="font-style: normal;"span style="background: transparent;""It's been a while, /span/span/span/spanspan style="color: #000000;"span style="text-decoration: none;"emspan style="background: transparent;"professor Layton/span/em/span/spanspan style="color: #000000;"span style="text-decoration: none;"span style="font-style: normal;"span style="background: transparent;"."/span/span/span/span/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"Hershel froze. This voice-/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"He turned around to his window, just in front of his office. A thin shadow was there, hanging upside down, a long scarf swirling in the night wind. The shadow slowly got a hand on the window, gripping the edge, and in a swift move, she sat on it. She crossed her legs./span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;""Vixen…!" He gasped./span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"He couldn't see her face in the dark but he could swear she was smiling just by the way she giggled. "Are you surprised to see me ?" She chanted, always with this high pitched voice. /span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;""I- I wasn't expecting anyone tonight, especially you-"/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;""I sure hope you're delighted to see me, hu ?" /span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"She stretched her hand to the desk where a small lamp was, and lighted the room. The professor could finally look correctly at her : she was wearing the same outfit, an orange hoodie with fox's ears and black pants. Her mask and scarf covered her entire face as he expected, and he noticed something that looked like… a sheath on her back ?/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;""May I ask what you're doing here ?" He asked. He dared not to move, afraid it would make her run away. /span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;""To give you this."/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"Vixen grabbed the sword behind her, and pulled it out. /span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;""This blade-!"/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;""I don't need it anymore, so I return it to you." She said, inspecting the blade./span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"She spent hours cleaning it after her meeting with Conti. The blade was shining under the streetlights just like in Rome. She handed it to the professor. He frowned./span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;""Then why did you steal it in the first place ?"/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"She shrugged. "I needed it. Here, take it before I change my mind."/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"Hershel carefully approached her, as took the blade with precaution. It really was the Azra' blade stolen at Scotland Yard days ago./span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;""May I ask why you needed this blade ?" He said./span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;""Certainly, a smart guy like you likes to keep himself informed, don't you ?" Vixen giggled. "Conti's arrest was only possible thanks to this blade. And his arrest was everything I wanted, so I return it. Can you please hand it to the inspector for me ? I left a little gift for him too."/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"The professor lifted the blade on its sheath, and saw a little fox card attached on it. He eyed her suspiciously : she was still sitting on the edge of his window, right in front of his desk, her hands on her thighs. Her white scarf was gently moving behind her by the breeze. /span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;""Do you want anything else ?" Hershel asked, putting the blade away./span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;""Why, am I bothering you ?" She said, a smile in her voice./span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;""I'm indeed wondering why a wanted thief is waiting at my window."/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;""Well, I have nothing important to do right now. And…"/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"She leapt from the window, earning a yelp from the professor as she landed in front of his desk without any sound. She put her gloved hands behind her back./span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;""Don't act as if you wanna call the cops. You would've done it already." She took a step in his direction./span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"Hershel's mind was running. One of the most wanted thieves was currently in front of him, inside his house! He should call the police, and at least try to block any wait out so she couldn't escape, and yet- His body strangely refused to move, perhaps too amazed by the grace of the woman in front of him. She was casually standing in front of him, her hands now on his desk as she sat gently on it. It was a shame that he couldn't see anything under this scarf and mask./span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"Maybe it was the occasion to get information from her, especially about what happened in Rome. The professor tried his best to stand straight in front of her, gripping his hat with a serious face./span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;""I'd rather talk to you about what happened in Rome, if you don't mind-"/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;""Oh, news goes fast around there ! What did you learn ?" Vixen answered, amused./span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"There was something in her voice that sounded odd. Odd and familiar. /span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;""Well, a thief arresting a trafficker is certainly rather impressive. Would you mind telling me more ?" Hershel said. It might be a little too bold from him, but from what he saw, Vixen liked it this in the direct way./span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"The thief giggled as she took a step forward. He took a step back. " What a curious man you are… Don't you think it'd be funnier if you find it by yourself ?"/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"His grip on the blade tightened when she took another step. "Certainly-"/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;""Even if I won't make it easy, i'll be honoured if an esteemed professor like you tries to discover who I really am."/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"span style="color: #000000;"span style="text-decoration: none;"span style="font-style: normal;"span style="background: transparent;"She was now standing right in front of him, leaving him no escape. His back was against the wall next to the door, the night breeze making the curtains on the opened window move gently. Even with the lights, he had trouble staying focused on anything but the woman before him. /span/span/span/spanspan style="color: #000000;"span style="text-decoration: none;"emspan style="background: transparent;"What am I thinking ?/span/em/span/spanspan style="color: #000000;"span style="text-decoration: none;"span style="background: transparent;" /span/span/span/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;""Aaah, professor. I gave you a splendid blade as a friendship gift, and you look like a lost baby deer in front of me. Could you at least relax ?" She purred under her scarf. She placed her hand on the tip of his hat. /span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"Hershel flinched at the contact. She had such small, slim hands. "Please, miss-"/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;""Oh, please. Call me Vix."/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;""...This is highly inappropriate-"/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"Before he could finish his sentence, Vixen's hand fell on his torso, pushing him against the wall, leaving a very flustered professor gasping for air. He could feel her warm hand against him as she leaned gently against him./span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"span style="color: #000000;"span style="text-decoration: none;"span style="font-style: normal;"span style="background: transparent;"" /span/span/span/spanspan style="color: #000000;"span style="text-decoration: none;"emspan style="background: transparent;"'Inappropriate'/span/em/span/span span style="color: #000000;"span style="text-decoration: none;"span style="font-style: normal;"span style="background: transparent;"? We're the only ones around, professor, ya know ? Nobody could see us, there's no need to worry about this. And…" her had moved upwards until the tip of her fingers brushed his chin. "... Can't a girl enjoy herself after all ?"/span/span/span/span/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"span style="color: #000000;"span style="text-decoration: none;"span style="font-style: normal;"span style="background: transparent;"She was close, /span/span/span/spanspan style="color: #000000;"span style="text-decoration: none;"emspan style="background: transparent;"too/span/em/span/span span style="color: #000000;"span style="text-decoration: none;"span style="font-style: normal;"span style="background: transparent;"close. The professor thought about pushing her away, but it wouldn't be the best way to handle this situation. He was still a gentleman, even if the lady in front of him wasn't acting like one./span/span/span/span/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"So, here they were, pushed against the other, Vixen tracing his face with her fingers while he stood there, not moving at all./span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"Vixen's finger ended on Hershel's lower lip. "I sure hope you're a better kisser than your brother." She breathed, her face close to his./span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"The professor found himself completely paralyzed. It was aq if his spirit had left his body, as if he could just watch what was happening without doing anything. Everything had happened too fast for him to react properly. Now he was just blocked against Vixen, her body crushed against his, her hand on his neck, her other lowering her scarf-/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"And then it hit him./span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"Her perfume. /span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"The smell Desmond had described : a faint touch of vanilla, probably Monoï, mixed with something as creamy as coconut milk. The smell was intoxicating. His body, which couldn't move seconds before, began to tremble. He knew this smell, but couldn't remember from where, or who. /span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"But he needed more./span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"His hand gripped her wrist. She took a sharp breath between her pink lips. His eyes were locked on her mask, probably where her eyes were. /span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"He needed more of this perfume. Gentleman rules could be damned if he couldn't smell it again./span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"Vixen lifted her hand a little more, a playful smile on her lips as she drew closed to him. His own were trembling. /span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"span style="color: #000000;"span style="text-decoration: none;"span style="font-style: normal;"span style="background: transparent;"He was feeling her body against him. She was so small, so /span/span/span/spanspan style="color: #000000;"span style="text-decoration: none;"emspan style="background: transparent;"attractive/span/em/span/spanspan style="color: #000000;"span style="text-decoration: none;"span style="font-style: normal;"span style="background: transparent;"./span/span/span/span/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"Their lips were inches away. /span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"Hershel's heartbeats were resonating into his ears./span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"Her lips were grazing his. He closed his eyes./span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"And suddenly, the house door slammed shut and Desmond's voice echoed in the room. "Hershel, I'm home !"/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"The voice of his brother made his spirit come back into his body. Startled, he backed away from Vixen with a few steps on the side. She adjusted her scarf on her face, giggling./span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;""Looks like this ends our little meeting, professor."/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;""No, wait-!" Hershel exclaimed. He tried to reach her, but she leaped on the edge of the window. Squatted over it, she turned his head to him./span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;""Oh, don't worry. We'll meet again soon enough. Until then..."/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"She saluted him with two fingers on the side of her head, before jumping off. Desmond opened the office's door when her scarf followed her path./span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"He frowned, looking for his brother. He found him behind the opened door, flustered and out of breath./span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;""...Did I miss something ?"/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"Hershel slowly nodded./span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"The Azran blade was lying on the floor because of his encounter with Vixen, its sheath shining under the light./span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"The announcement of Fabio Conti's arrest was a world mediatic bomb./span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"Interpol had doubts about the man for a long time, but didn't have any clues or else to arrest him. The Vipers certainly knew how to hide their traffic easily... But one day, reports and documents appeared on the Italian police and Interpol's desks, with a strange fox symbol at the bottom. Documents,proofs of associations with wanted forgers, and mostly, photos and recordings of intimate discussions about lewd business. Everything was packed into a simple box, with only the Vixen's symbol on each document./span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"However, the police were seriously doubting the whereabouts of the thief. She was supposed to be the most famous robber in the entire world, and she helped to arrest a man she could have worked with. This was the strangest part of this whole affair, and thanks to this, Vixen earned a pretty good reputation in the common's minds./span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-size: medium;"span style="font-style: normal;"span style="font-weight: normal;"Cheers !"/span/span/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"Noise of glasses being crashed together echoed in the room, with joyful cries./span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"The Reunion Room in Caimeen hadn't been this lively in years. It was the middle of the night, the day after Conti's arrest. Numerous newspapers were spread on the tables, on which were written the same headlines : "World's known thief arrests Italian trafficker"./span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"The majority of the people inside, mostly Silver's former partners and current coworkers, were already drunk and singing about Emmy's glory. She hadn't had a better welcome then the one she got, the moment she laid a foot on Caimeen dormitories./span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"Crushed between a drunken Shawn's arms, she struggled to just breathe between her laughs. She slipped out of his embrace, grabbed her glass she had put on the table, and lifted it to join them in their euphoria. Edlijah was here as well, just right next to her, but still in a better shape than most of the ones around. He was gently playing with the wine in his glass Shawn gently bought for them, watching it swaying and siping from it sometimes. Feeling overwhelmed by the shouting voices of his companions and the strong smell of alcohol that emerged in the room, Elijah made his way out of the room, finding a balcony far enough for him to ease his mind. It's not that he disliked parties, but sometimes it could be too noisy for him./span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"Leaning over the railing, he looked at the night view of the forest surrounding him. It was calm, calmer than inside, where he could still hear his comrades singing and laughing in a faint noise. The sound of owls and wind between the leaves was better in his ears than anything else at the moment, so he just closed his eyes to enjoy this moment./span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-size: medium;"span style="font-style: normal;"span style="font-weight: normal;"Seeking peace as well ?"/span/span/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"Elijah turned around : Emmy was at the door, smiling, with a couple of glasses held in her fingers, and a bottle of champagne in the other hand. She lifted it while walking to him. "I may have found something interesting we both prefer for times like this."/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-size: medium;"span style="font-style: normal;"span style="font-weight: normal;"Ah, that sure is highly appreciated. Thanks." He said, taking a glass from her hand while she let the other on the edge of the railing. She opened the bottle and quickly poured the liquid. The sound of two glasses colliding gently was the only noise around them, before they sipped their drinks./span/span/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-size: medium;"span style="font-style: normal;"span style="font-weight: normal;"This party is for you. Why did you leave ?" Elijah said after a moment./span/span/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"Emmy finished her drink in a single trait. She could handle alcohol way better than him. "A party with big drunk guys can be quite difficult to handle. And I was wondering where you could be."/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-size: medium;"span style="font-style: normal;"span style="font-weight: normal;"Well, I guess I wanted some time alone." he put a finger on the side of his head, frowning. "They're going to break my mind if they keep on singing like this. There's one guy that'll fly from the window before the Sun rises."/span/span/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"Emmy laughed. "Hey, don't kill anyone, please, it's a cheery night."/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-size: medium;"span style="font-style: normal;"span style="font-weight: normal;"I know it is."/span/span/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"A comfortable silence set itself between them, both enjoying each other's company. Caimeen's view on the forest was something Emmy had missed a lot : she remembered the late nights she spent with Elijah, enjoying the fresh air as they jumped and glided on the trees when they were young kids. Now that they were both grown-ups, this forest has begun to look like something more than just a playground. It was their childhood playground, and now it was their hideout away from civilization./span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"Emmy leaned over the balcony, her wild curls falling on her shoulders, swaying in the fresh breeze. Elijah noticed the reflection of the Moon in her dark eyes, making them shine. If only he had imagined they'd still be together after this long... For an unknown reason, he almost expected her to go away after a moment, forgetting them, and him, in the process./span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"Emmy noticed his stare on her. "What's wrong ? Do I have something in my hair ?" she said./span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"Elijah blinked. "Ah, sorry. I was lost in my thoughts."/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;""What were you thinking about ?"/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"He put his hand on the top of her head, shuffling her hair with a smile. "About how lucky I was to have you by my side."/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;""Hey, stop messing my hair ! " She whined, grabbing his hand with both her own. Yet, she returned her smile. "But I'm happy to have you too."/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"They were now facing each other, Elijah's hand in Emmy's. She played with his fingers for a moment before speaking./span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;""And actually, I wanted to thank you. For being with me and supporting me."/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"Elijah frowned. "Well, you don't need to. I'm here to help you after all, that's my job."/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;""No, you don't understand." Emmy looked at him in the eyes, locking hers with his. Brown and blue, dark and light. Quite the opposite, and yet so complementary. "I couldn't have got this far without you. If you hadn't been there when my father died, I didn't know what I would've done. And even now, if you weren't with me, I would never have been able to reach and catch Conti. So... Thank you."/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"Elijah smiled warmly at her. He put his other hand on her face, pulling away a strip of her hair behind her ear. "And I don't plan on leaving you. That'd be a shame, right ?" He laughed. "My job is to help you reach your goals. As long as you succeed, I don't care about fame or anything."/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"Emmy shook her head, his hand leaving her head. He frowned. "What ?"/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;""Don't talk as if you weren't important." She looked at him in the eyes again. This time, he could see determination./span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"She put a hand on her pockets, still under Elijah's curious eyes. She pulled out a small box. "Here, this is for you."/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"He grabbed the box she handed him while eyeing her. The soft blue ribbon that hugged the cyan box fell between his fingers as he opened the box. His eyes grew wide, surprise all over his features./span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"Inside the box was a mask, similar to Vixen's, but with blue colours. The same nose and forehead, dark blue, and black mouth and cheeks. The two holes for the eyes were in the same mischievous shape. Elijah carefully took it with a trembling hand./span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;""I asked Shawn if he could make one for you." Emmy said after a moment, smiling gently at him. He noticed she had her own in her hand. She lifted it so both their masks were next to each other. Seeing he wasn't going to say anything, she continued :/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;""You're more than a helper for me, Elijah. You're my brother, my best friend, my partner in crime..." she laughed. "I don't want you to feel like my shadow, as my ancestors did with their comrades."/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;""B-But... I can't accept that-"/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;""Why not ?"/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;""Because this mask belongs to your family !" He exclaimed./span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"Emmy clapped her tongue, shaking her head. "That was the ancient Foxes' traditions. I wanna create others."/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"She pointed to the forest and the Reunion room. "See those things ? They all belonged to my family, and my family alone, for ages. All of the people in there had worked for my father for so long, without asking anything in return, they just stood in his shadow. I don't like that."/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"She put her free hand on his chest. "As I said, I wouldn't have gone this far without you. I couldn't be Vixen without you. You're part of this character. My vision of Vixen is you and me."/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;""Emmy..."/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"She smiled. "Yeah, so... What I basically try to say is, well. Will you join the Vixen's group with me ? You can take another surname if you don't like this one of course, but I'd be really glad if you accepted it."/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"Elijah was at loss of words. The mask was so soft, and yet so soft between his trembling fingers. His heartbeat was resonating in his ears. Tears were threatening to fall from his eyes, but his pride prevented him from letting them fall./span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"He never thought about being Vixen's shadow at any time : he always was willing to help Emmy, and never planned to ask for something in return. He just wanted to see her happy./span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"His grip around the blue mask tightened as he lowered his head, biting his lower lip. He wasn't asking for recognition at all, so why did he feel so overjoyed ? Was it because she considers him as a partner, or because she called him 'brother' and gave him this mask ?/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;""Hey, are you alright ?" Emmy asked after a moment, putting a hand on his own./span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"Elijah took a deep breath, slowly looking back at her. She spotted a single tear running down his cheek. "Oh gosh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you-"/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;""Thank you."/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"Emmy blinked a few times. He was facing her with a big bright smile, his ocean blue eyes shining under the Moonlight./span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;""For what ? The mask ?"/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;""For considering me as your brother."/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"Emmy smiled warmly at him. She put her hands on his shoulders. "Of course I do, silly."/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"Elijah pulled her into his embrace, hugging her close to him. The far sounds of the party inside the Reunion room were lost between the wind in the trees, swaying around them./span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"They pulled away far enough so they could look at each other. She beamed at him, and pulled her mask on her face. He laughed at her goofy smile and did the same with his own. It felt so weird for him to wear something like that, but seeing Emmy's smile widening when she looked at him, he knew he should have worn one sooner./span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;""So, Fox ?" She said./span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;""Wolf."/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;""Hu ?"/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;""Fox is your name. I'll borrow a cousin's name from now on."/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"Emmy's laugh sounded like music in his ears. "Hehe, I'm glad I've created a new family of thieves then. But hey, don't even think of stealing our pride ! Fox will still be the best."/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"He grabbed her cheeks with one hand, sticking his tongue out. She whined as he pinched her. "Pfah. We'll see that." Elijah said, kissing her forehead./span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"She smiled and giggled. She freed herself from his grip and removed the mask from her face. "Anyway, I must tell you something else. I'm gonna enjoy Caimeen for a little longer, and then I'll leave for a few days."/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;""Why ? When ?" Elijah said, pulling the mask away./span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;""I'd say, in two days. I have business to do."/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"br /span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"A few days went by./span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"Inspector Grosky had been questioned about the whereabouts of Vixen by Interpol's forces after Conti's arrest. Alas, Scotland Yard couldn't help them in any way. What was bothering them both was more why she gave them the man than the trafficker himself./span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"The two professors were informed about Fabio Conti, a wealthy italian man that built his fortune on art traffic and possibly much more. And Hershel felt like this whole affair would be more complicated that he expected. Grosky asked for their help, and they both agreed./span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;""So, let me summarize it all. We know that Vixen is the heir of an ancient thief line that disappeared fifteen years ago and reappeared with her a few weeks ago, with the heist of Froenborg. She seemed to be interested in the Azran, but strangely, she focused on Fabio Conti, a shady art trafficker that she handed to the police." Desmond said mechanically, looking at his notes. He sighed. "We can't do much with these."/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"Grosky nodded. "Unfortunately that's all we have. But I must remind you we haven't found the stolen artifacts nor the Azran blade yet. She isn't the international hero newspapers talk about."/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;""Of course." Desmond said. Eyeing his brother, he noticed his brother seemed lost in thoughts. "Something wrong, Hershel ?"/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"Hershel blinked a few times, startled. "Ah. I apologize. What did you say ?"/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;""Is something the matter ? You look quite concerned."/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;""I was just thinking..." Hershel put his hand under his chin. "...About what you said a few days back."/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;""The perfume ?"/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;""Yes. Can you describe it again ?"/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"Desmond shrugged. "I don't see why not. It feels... oddly familiar. I may have encountered this in a shop. I don't think Vixen is stupid enough to wear perfume during her heists."/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"Grosky nodded. The professor Layton told him about this potential clue, but he still needed more details. "Is there something else you remember ?"/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;""It smelled like... vanilla." Desmond answered, frowning. "But much more like the smell of a body soap, combined with a milky scent."/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;""This can be any kind of soaps available out there." the inspector sighed. "I don't know if we can find something with it."/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;""Hm."/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;""Well, fellows." Grosky said after a short silence. He slapped the desk he was sitting in front of, making both the professors jump. "I think it's about time you return to the University, Layton." Hershel nodded, and stood up."And if I may ask, professor Sycamore, I'd gladly ask for your help to search into the Fox's archives."/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;""That would be a pleasure."/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"Hershel tipped his hat to the two men, before leaving./span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"Desmond spent the rest of the day at the police station. The inspector Grosky helped him as much as he could, but spending days dusting old books and studying ancient affairs was clearly not his cup of tea. When his boss called him, he took the opportunity to leave the archives to get some fresh air./span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"The professor Sycamore didn't mind working alone. He had done it multiple times before, and was used to it. Actually, it felt better to work like this for him. Alone with his thoughts and his investigations. But after a few minutes, Grosky came back from upstairs and asked him to join him in his office. Intrigued, Desmond followed. Not that he found anything interesting in these old books.../span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"When he entered the inspector's office, he noticed another man was already there, with Chief Inspector Carmichael. He was quite tall and slim and was wearing a black tuxedo. He looked like those special agents in cheap movies./span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"When he turned around, he noticed he had sunglasses hanging from the collar of his white shirt. His short hair was perfectly combed, darker than his costume. His green eyes pierced Desmond's red ones./span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;""Ah, you must be the professor Sycamore, yes ?" The man said with a subtle Irish accent, offering his hand. "It's an absolute honour to meet you. My name is Finlay Payne, Inspector at Interpol."/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"Desmond shook his hand. "It's my pleasure. I assume you're here to discuss the Vixen's case, am I correct ?"/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;""You certainly are. Interpol sent me to help Scotland Yard's force, since Vixen appeared in London recently."/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;""Wasn't she in Italia a few days ago ?" Grosky said./span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;""She was. My colleagues were also sent there. Anyway, I'm looking forward to work with you, professor. I've heard so much about you."/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"Desmond smiled. "I'd be glad to."/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;""Now, let's get started, shall we ?" Payne said, smiling./span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"br /br /span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"Night had settled in London's streets. The professor closed the door of his home, the keys clinking against the doorknob as he pulled it out. The house was dark and calm, so he assumed Desmond hadn't arrived yet from Scotland Yard. /span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"Putting his jacket away, he headed to his office. The clock indicated 8pm the last time he glanced at it at his office, so it must be around eight and a half now. Good time to prepare dinner, but he first needed to get his trunk into his home office./span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"Hershel climbed the stairs, turning on the lights. The floor of his home wasn't big. There were just three rooms : his bedroom, his office next door and another bedroom Desmond was currently using. All the doors were closed, without any light to be seen. The professor walked into his office, which was plunged into darkness, and carefully made his way to his desk, managing to not trip over a pile of documents or books. He put his trunk near his desk, opened the window to let fresh air in, and began to walk out out the room when-/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"span style="color: #000000;"span style="text-decoration: none;"span style="font-style: normal;"span style="background: transparent;""It's been a while, /span/span/span/spanspan style="color: #000000;"span style="text-decoration: none;"emspan style="background: transparent;"professor Layton/span/em/span/spanspan style="color: #000000;"span style="text-decoration: none;"span style="font-style: normal;"span style="background: transparent;"."/span/span/span/span/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"Hershel froze. This voice-/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"He turned around to his window, just in front of his office. A thin shadow was there, hanging upside down, a long scarf swirling in the night wind. The shadow slowly got a hand on the window, gripping the edge, and in a swift move, she sat on it. She crossed her legs./span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;""Vixen…!" He gasped./span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"He couldn't see her face in the dark but he could swear she was smiling just by the way she giggled. "Are you surprised to see me ?" She chanted, always with this high pitched voice. /span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;""I- I wasn't expecting anyone tonight, especially you-"/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;""I sure hope you're delighted to see me, hu ?" /span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"She stretched her hand to the desk where a small lamp was, and lighted the room. The professor could finally look correctly at her : she was wearing the same outfit, an orange hoodie with fox's ears and black pants. Her mask and scarf covered her entire face as he expected, and he noticed something that looked like… a sheath on her back ?/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;""May I ask what you're doing here ?" He asked. He dared not to move, afraid it would make her run away. /span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;""To give you this."/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"Vixen grabbed the sword behind her, and pulled it out. /span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;""This blade-!"/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;""I don't need it anymore, so I return it to you." She said, inspecting the blade./span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"She spent hours cleaning it after her meeting with Conti. The blade was shining under the streetlights just like in Rome. She handed it to the professor. He frowned./span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;""Then why did you steal it in the first place ?"/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"She shrugged. "I needed it. Here, take it before I change my mind."/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"Hershel carefully approached her, as took the blade with precaution. It really was the Azra' blade stolen at Scotland Yard days ago./span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;""May I ask why you needed this blade ?" He said./span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;""Certainly, a smart guy like you likes to keep himself informed, don't you ?" Vixen giggled. "Conti's arrest was only possible thanks to this blade. And his arrest was everything I wanted, so I return it. Can you please hand it to the inspector for me ? I left a little gift for him too."/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"The professor lifted the blade on its sheath, and saw a little fox card attached on it. He eyed her suspiciously : she was still sitting on the edge of his window, right in front of his desk, her hands on her thighs. Her white scarf was gently moving behind her by the breeze. /span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;""Do you want anything else ?" Hershel asked, putting the blade away./span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;""Why, am I bothering you ?" She said, a smile in her voice./span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;""I'm indeed wondering why a wanted thief is waiting at my window."/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;""Well, I have nothing important to do right now. And…"/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"She leapt from the window, earning a yelp from the professor as she landed in front of his desk without any sound. She put her gloved hands behind her back./span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;""Don't act as if you wanna call the cops. You would've done it already." She took a step in his direction./span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"Hershel's mind was running. One of the most wanted thieves was currently in front of him, inside his house! He should call the police, and at least try to block any wait out so she couldn't escape, and yet- His body strangely refused to move, perhaps too amazed by the grace of the woman in front of him. She was casually standing in front of him, her hands now on his desk as she sat gently on it. It was a shame that he couldn't see anything under this scarf and mask./span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"Maybe it was the occasion to get information from her, especially about what happened in Rome. The professor tried his best to stand straight in front of her, gripping his hat with a serious face./span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;""I'd rather talk to you about what happened in Rome, if you don't mind-"/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;""Oh, news goes fast around there ! What did you learn ?" Vixen answered, amused./span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"There was something in her voice that sounded odd. Odd and familiar. /span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;""Well, a thief arresting a trafficker is certainly rather impressive. Would you mind telling me more ?" Hershel said. It might be a little too bold from him, but from what he saw, Vixen liked it this in the direct way./span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"The thief giggled as she took a step forward. He took a step back. " What a curious man you are… Don't you think it'd be funnier if you find it by yourself ?"/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"His grip on the blade tightened when she took another step. "Certainly-"/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;""Even if I won't make it easy, i'll be honoured if an esteemed professor like you tries to discover who I really am."/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"span style="color: #000000;"span style="text-decoration: none;"span style="font-style: normal;"span style="background: transparent;"She was now standing right in front of him, leaving him no escape. His back was against the wall next to the door, the night breeze making the curtains on the opened window move gently. Even with the lights, he had trouble staying focused on anything but the woman before him. /span/span/span/spanspan style="color: #000000;"span style="text-decoration: none;"emspan style="background: transparent;"What am I thinking ?/span/em/span/spanspan style="color: #000000;"span style="text-decoration: none;"span style="background: transparent;" /span/span/span/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;""Aaah, professor. I gave you a splendid blade as a friendship gift, and you look like a lost baby deer in front of me. Could you at least relax ?" She purred under her scarf. She placed her hand on the tip of his hat. /span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"Hershel flinched at the contact. She had such small, slim hands. "Please, miss-"/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;""Oh, please. Call me Vix."/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;""...This is highly inappropriate-"/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"Before he could finish his sentence, Vixen's hand fell on his torso, pushing him against the wall, leaving a very flustered professor gasping for air. He could feel her warm hand against him as she leaned gently against him./span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"span style="color: #000000;"span style="text-decoration: none;"span style="font-style: normal;"span style="background: transparent;"" /span/span/span/spanspan style="color: #000000;"span style="text-decoration: none;"emspan style="background: transparent;"'Inappropriate'/span/em/span/span span style="color: #000000;"span style="text-decoration: none;"span style="font-style: normal;"span style="background: transparent;"? We're the only ones around, professor, ya know ? Nobody could see us, there's no need to worry about this. And…" her had moved upwards until the tip of her fingers brushed his chin. "... Can't a girl enjoy herself after all ?"/span/span/span/span/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"span style="color: #000000;"span style="text-decoration: none;"span style="font-style: normal;"span style="background: transparent;"She was close, /span/span/span/spanspan style="color: #000000;"span style="text-decoration: none;"emspan style="background: transparent;"too/span/em/span/span span style="color: #000000;"span style="text-decoration: none;"span style="font-style: normal;"span style="background: transparent;"close. The professor thought about pushing her away, but it wouldn't be the best way to handle this situation. He was still a gentleman, even if the lady in front of him wasn't acting like one./span/span/span/span/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"So, here they were, pushed against the other, Vixen tracing his face with her fingers while he stood there, not moving at all./span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"Vixen's finger ended on Hershel's lower lip. "I sure hope you're a better kisser than your brother." She breathed, her face close to his./span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"The professor found himself completely paralyzed. It was aq if his spirit had left his body, as if he could just watch what was happening without doing anything. Everything had happened too fast for him to react properly. Now he was just blocked against Vixen, her body crushed against his, her hand on his neck, her other lowering her scarf-/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"And then it hit him./span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"Her perfume. /span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"The smell Desmond had described : a faint touch of vanilla, probably Monoï, mixed with something as creamy as coconut milk. The smell was intoxicating. His body, which couldn't move seconds before, began to tremble. He knew this smell, but couldn't remember from where, or who. /span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"But he needed more./span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"His hand gripped her wrist. She took a sharp breath between her pink lips. His eyes were locked on her mask, probably where her eyes were. /span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"He needed more of this perfume. Gentleman rules could be damned if he couldn't smell it again./span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"Vixen lifted her hand a little more, a playful smile on her lips as she drew closed to him. His own were trembling. /span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"span style="color: #000000;"span style="text-decoration: none;"span style="font-style: normal;"span style="background: transparent;"He was feeling her body against him. She was so small, so /span/span/span/spanspan style="color: #000000;"span style="text-decoration: none;"emspan style="background: transparent;"attractive/span/em/span/spanspan style="color: #000000;"span style="text-decoration: none;"span style="font-style: normal;"span style="background: transparent;"./span/span/span/span/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"Their lips were inches away. /span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"Hershel's heartbeats were resonating into his ears./span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"Her lips were grazing his. He closed his eyes./span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"And suddenly, the house door slammed shut and Desmond's voice echoed in the room. "Hershel, I'm home !"/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"The voice of his brother made his spirit come back into his body. Startled, he backed away from Vixen with a few steps on the side. She adjusted her scarf on her face, giggling./span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;""Looks like this ends our little meeting, professor."/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;""No, wait-!" Hershel exclaimed. He tried to reach her, but she leaped on the edge of the window. Squatted over it, she turned his head to him./span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;""Oh, don't worry. We'll meet again soon enough. Until then..."/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"She saluted him with two fingers on the side of her head, before jumping off. Desmond opened the office's door when her scarf followed her path./span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"He frowned, looking for his brother. He found him behind the opened door, flustered and out of breath./span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;""...Did I miss something ?"/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"Hershel slowly nodded./span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-size: medium;"The Azran blade was lying on the floor because of his encounter with Vixen, its sheath shining under the light./span/p