Roland getting lost was barely news for the chasseurs. Since we're talking about a man who couldn't locate himself in the catacombs, it wasn't shocking that he'd fail to find his way around Paris.

Vanitas voted for Roland's freedom: he shouldn't be confined to the chasseurs, there was nothing wrong with spending a night with a beautiful woman he could have met during his exploration. That way Roland could have had a fruitful night, and Vanitas could have stayed underground where it's cozy and warm.

But no, he was being dragged into playing finding Roland.

Poor Georges and Maria, they have been going through a list of possible places Roland would be interested in based on Olivier's information. However, the blonde man was spotted in none of them so far.

"He'll probably show up sooner or later." Vanitas grumbled, following casually behind Olivier instead of worrying about the missing person. "I mean, it's not like he'd be kidnapped by vampires or something."

"It's not his wellbeing I'm concerned for." Searching furiously for his long-time friend, Olivier's headache started to kick in thinking of all the things Roland could have possibly cooked up during his disappearance. "God knows what he's up to. I don't even want to -"

"Olivier! Vanitas!" A familiar voice called to them, causing them to halt in their tracks. When they turned their head in that direction, Roland was right there waving energetically at them, a flurry cat sitting on his lap. He was sharing a table with a lady with wavy black hair and a young man in waiter uniform, apparently enjoying a good cup of coffee and slices of cake.

"Hear me out, the two of you! While I was having a walk in the park, this cat jumped on me all of a sudden." Roland recounted happily, stroking its fur lovingly. It didn't seem pleased, cringing away from his touch. "Since he's wearing a ribbon, I figured he isn't a stray so I followed him here."

Contrary to Roland's cheerfulness, Olivier was getting more irritated as he continued his tale. It turned out Astolfo was right after all, the paladin of Jasper was simply caught up in something trivial, in this case tending to a lost cat.

"And this is?" Olivier contained his anger considering the presence of a lady. He gestured to his new friends, waiting for proper introduction.

"Noé and Dominique. Dominique is in Paris for vacations; Noé is the owner of this cutie, Murr, who sneaked out while he was at work!" Roland tried to pat Murr again and it jumped from him to Dominique, who gladly cuddled it. "He treated me to dessert and we lost track of time talking about our hometown."

"Oh, by the way, they are my colleagues, Olivier and Vanitas." Seeing their mortified faces, Roland quickly added.

"Your whole unit is out there looking for you. At least try to act apologetic, would you?" Defeated, Olivier turned to speak to Noé and Dominique, who were still staring at them with wide eyes. "I hope he's not too much of a trouble."

"Um, not at all." Noé, the one with a darker skin tone making a contrast with his white hair, replied awkwardly. His purple eyes refused to meet Olivier's, glancing at his companion, some sort of silent conversation passing through them.

"If anything, we should be the ones apologising." Dominique mustered a polite smile.

Vanitas raised an eyebrow at their uneasiness. If they were friendly enough to invite Roland, a complete stranger, for coffee and share childhood memories with him, why would they suddenly turn timid meeting Roland's acquaintances? Olivier, though angry, didn't bring Hauteclaire with him nor did he wear his armoured gloves; Vanitas' weapons remained strapped to his belt but were barely intimidating. Was it their first time encountering chasseurs? The woman named Dominique did look like nobility, her fine tailcoat and jewels showcasing her social status. He was certain he had seen her somewhere, even her name rang a bell but he has yet to grasp that part from his memories.

"You're not from around here?" Vanitas asked, testing her reserve. "With that accent, I would have thought you'd grown up in Paris."

"Is that so?" She turned her golden eyes on Vanitas, hostility visible in them. It was her gaze that gave her identity away as Vanitas recalled where exactly did he know her from.

"Or did you? Just not in this Paris." His research on Jeanne and Altus politics were more than useful after all. "Dominique de Sade, daughter of the ruling house of Altus."

Roland stood, shielding Noé behind him. Vanitas rolled his eyes, suppressing the urge to slap his captain.

"Come on! Isn't it obvious he's from the other side, too?"

The new paladin regarded Noé with a horrified expression, astonished by Vanitas' suggestion.

"It can't be. He got along so well with the master, the regulars spoke highly of him." At this point, Vanitas couldn't decide which is more ridiculous: Roland failing to recognise two vampires before his eyes or him denying the fact that Noé was one.

He couldn't blame him for neither, though, since vampires could easily pass as humans unless they used their powers, and in Roland's eyes they were all savages, an impression he must have gotten from years of dealing with criminals. Likewise, he couldn't blame Noé and Dominique for not knowing Roland was a paladin as he wasn't wearing his uniform.

"Take a seat, Roland. You're making a scene." Olivier warned, more at ease than Vanitas would give credit for.

"I have no intention to harm anyone!" Noé clarified immediately, his gaze drifting to Roland who no longer smiled at his new friend. "I'm here for the investigation of a certain case, and Domi simply came to pay me a visit."

"Why are you working in a restaurant?" Roland questioned, not convinced by his story. "Is it to deceive the owner and the customers so you can eat them all?"

"No!" Vanitas chuckled at their conversation, earning himself a glare from Olivier. "It was… well, I wanted to earn a saving in case of a rainy day. I haven't travelled alone before, you see."

Roland looked at Noé as if he just declared a plan to slaughter the town.

"Are you really a vampire?"

Vanitas burst into laughter and was, again, smacked by his former in-charge. Dominique seemed to approve that, smug written all over her face as she watched Vanitas caress his head painedly.

"Pardon this brat." Olivier cleared his throat, his tone diplomatic after learning about Dominique. "We're not here on orders. Rest assured we will not do you harm as long as things remain civil."

"Glad to hear that." Dominique replied with equal manners, living up to her position.

"What are you investigating?" Vanitas demanded, returning to what Noé had said earlier. All eyes fell on him then, not expecting him to make anything but jokes on the matter.

"Abduction of vampires. It's making headlines even in Altus."