Chapter 8: Bad Faith

November finally crossed into December. The days grew ever shorter and the air ever colder. Curiously though, the first snowfall still hadn't arrived.

The weather was barely an afterthought for Elsa, who continued to spend every free moment pursuing every Avenue available to her. For sanity's sake, Elsa had to consider working up to asking Red more questions about her past as progress, otherwise it would appear as though she was going nowhere.

Elsa threw herself back on her chair, having hit yet another dead end. There didn't seem to be a single clue out there as to the true nature of the treasures of Albernon. It wasn't hard to find volumes of texts written by physicists, chemists, historians and all manner of academics discussing observations and possibilities regarding the nature of the gems and how they came to be. In the end, they all had the exact same problem: none of them held answers she was looking for. Most of the definite observations were rudimentary facts Elsa could have figured out on her own. None of them gave any of the answers she wanted so badly. With what she saw, Elsa might have known more about this than anyone else in the world.

Except, perhaps, for the White Hand. It was their plan to call on some kind of possibly supernatural being, only for all the participants to be pulled to their almost certain doom. The one who spoke to her in that warehouse was not among them. Had he known there was a chance the ritual would fail and kill the participants? Or more specifically, everyone except her? It wasn't as though she could go and ask.

The only other possibility was to try and visit the site of the ritual itself and search for clues. However, remembering the way back was nigh impossible. Not only was it nestled in the mountains, it was extremely dark when she was there, and all Elsa wanted to do at the time was get as far away as possible. The chance she could simply trek aimlessly through the mountains and find the location was close to nil. Elsa drummed the desk with her fingers. Her job had relied on her believing in the impossible in the past, but this occasion was truly exceptional.

Elsa heard the front door opening, along with heavily rustling.

"I'm back!" Red called out from the other room. Elsa gave a relieved sigh. That was probably the one consolation of the past week. Red promised that if she was going to live there, she wasn't going to be dead weight. Elsa quietly wondered how long the ex-thief would be able to keep her promise, but so far Elsa's life was that much easier for it. She peeled herself from her cheap desk chair and opened the door.

"Need a hand?" Elsa asked, as Red struggled to get the set of bags on the kitchen top.

"Nope, I'm good." Red hoisted the last bag up. "Sorry I took so long, it wasn't easy to find everything on the list. You'd think Earl Grey would be easier to find."

"I was starting to wonder if you were coming back at all," Elsa replied, who in truth was far too involved in her fruitless research to even keep track of time.

"Oh come on, Elsa!" Red took a couple of steps closer, frowning slightly. "Don't you trust me yet?

Elsa sighed. "I'm sorry, but it's going to take longer than a week for more to trust you completely. Have I not put enough faith in you already?"

Red bit her lip. "Yeah, I guess. Sorry. It's just- do you trust me or not?"

Elsa shook her head. "I can't be certain just yet. Your history is against you for the most part, and your intentions can only count for so much." She looked away briefly. Was she coming across as too cold. "Look, don't take it too personally. I'm still not making much progress."

Red suddenly perked up. "You know what I think? You're working too hard. You need to get out of here, cut loose a little. What do you say?"

"What I need is a new lead. I can't let the trail go cold again. Not after I've come this far." Red didn't say anything. It was clear now that Elsa had no choice but to put her foot down. They couldn't avoid the issue forever. "Do you want to help me crack this case or not?"

Red couldn't seem to face her for a moment or two. "Well, yeah, but- it's just you've barely left your room in days. Is this really so important that you can't do anything else at all?"

Elsa fumed. "Important? I wouldn't have spent the last two years chasing every lead I could find on this if it wasn't essential. You're the one who isn't giving this the respect it deserves. I thought you of all people would know the threat these people pose."

Red returned her glare briefly, before huffing and turning to one of the bags. "Fine. Forget I said anything."

Elsa quietly sighed. Perhaps she was being a bit unfair. She was spending more and more time in front of her screen than ever before. She hadn't looked in the mirror today, but she suspected than she would not like what she saw. Elsa could rant all she liked about how long she had been on this, but she could hardly make Red understand the reality of it.

Perhaps a compromise was in order. Something that at the very least would get things moving forward. "Fine. We can do one thing today. Then I want to hear some more about you. Deal?" Before she could wonder if such a concession was a good idea, Red had already jumped Elsa and landed her arms around her.

"Oh, thank you, Elsa! Don't worry, I promise you won't regret this." That remained to be seen.

Elsa lifted her arms. "Alright, alright. Could you please let go of me now?" Apparently, she needed a couple of additional seconds. "Well, if we are going through with this, where do you want to go?"

"Oh, I don't mind. As long as we're out together for a while." Elsa pinched her nose. That was pretty much the exact answer she was hoping not to get. If Red was going to suggest something like this, wouldn't it make more sense for her to put just a little bit of forethought into it first? This was the same woman who had executed a series of high values heists, wasn't it?

"Well, we could just take a walk like the last time, see where it leads us." Not exactly the most creative of suggestions, and it certainly showed on Red's face. But this not Elsa's area of expertise by any means.

"Come on, Elsa. There's got to be a little imagination in that head of yours. Besides, have you noticed how cold it is now? I'm not spending any longer outside than I have to." It was the most peculiar thing. Elsa had barely noticed the cold, if at all. Sure, she hadn't gone outside that many times in the past week, but the weather wasn't exactly on the forefront of her mind.

Still, if Red didn't want to stay outside too long, it wouldn't be right to force the issue. Elsa still had no idea what she might want to do instead. How long since she last "went out"? Let alone with company? Those were questions Elsa preferred not to answer. "Well, I suppose we could go get coffee." Red gently shook her head. They'd technically done that already. "Or, we could just get something to eat instead, then."

"Great, where do you want to go?" Red asked.

Elsa stalled. The past two years of almost constant focus on her work and a mostly shoestring budget had left her rather unfamiliar with the restaurant scene. Wasn't there anything else? "Well, that was just an idea. We could-, well we could always-" She was already out of ideas. Though it certainly didn't help that anything outdoors was effectively off limits. "Well, we could always go see a movie, if there's nothing else." How utterly cliché. Would Red even consider such a thing?

Yes. Yes she would. It seemed that this was far easier than she expected. Though at the same time it was also far more time-consuming. She had spent most of the day in front of a screen, and now she was going to sit in front of a much larger one. Well, as long it would advance the investigation.

Not an hour after Elsa offhandedly mentioned the idea, they arrived at the box office and were standing in line. After a brief debate, they managed to agree to see "Trial of the Dragon," some sort of martial arts film with a reasonable amount of critical acclaim. By all accounts, the reviews were true. Elsa couldn't fault the pacing or the story, and the choreography was impressive. What was more surprising to her was how adamantly Red insisted on radio silence the moment they entered. Apparently the laws of possession were at most an inconvenience until recently, and yet theatre etiquette was sacrosanct. If Red wanted to demonstrated she was starting over, this was perhaps a bit much.

Not wanting to remain outside, the pair found their way into a shopping center, settling on a bench in the middle of the walkway. It was louder than Elsa might have liked, with a few people getting their Christmas shopping done, but not so loud that they couldn't hold a conversation.

For a moment, they sat there in an awkward silence. Finally, Elsa spoke. "So."

"So," Red shot back, completely deadpan. For a moment, the silence resumed. Then Red's face suddenly lit up. "Wasn't that amazing? I mean, I've seen all of Hui Leng's movie's, but that's gotta be the third- no, maybe second?" She counted on her fingers. "Oh who am I kidding, that was the best one. Those kicks were so fast, I couldn't even see them. Okay okay, what was your favourite part?"

Elsa let out a heavy sigh. Well, if nothing else she was learning more about her compatriot than she had in the past week. Might as well humour her. "Well, I suppose the climax would be the most exciting. I was impressed with the way that he managed to deconstruct the motives of his nemesis before the fight started. Mr Oda was so unflappable before that point."

"Oh." Red blushed slightly. "I liked the part where he punched him in the face more, myself. Though what you said was a lot better."

Elsa gave a thoughtful look. "Don't let your reasons for enjoying it feel any less valid than mine. As long as you took something away from the experience. Personally, I found the inner struggle of the protagonist more interesting." Red gave her a confused look. "I couldn't help but notice that Hui Leng was fighting more out of a sense of personal obligation than any genuine desire."

"But, but he kept saying that he was honoring his family," Red responded, now looking away.

"Why would he need to say that so many times? I believe he was telling himself that more than he was telling anybody else. He didn't have much to really gain from his struggle."

"Wait, how did you-" Red suddenly elbowed Elsa, getting a scowl for a trouble. "Ohhhh, this is your detective's eye thing kicking in. Do you ever switch off?"

That question cut deeper than Elsa might have first thought. She had never once doubted the path she was taking, but was that really such a good thing? She-

Elsa suddenly cocked her head. There was movement from the corner of her eye. Was someone watching her and Red? "Hey, is everything okay?" Red asked.

Was it? Of course, now the suspicious area gained her full attention, there was nothing suspicious to be found. One part of her told her it was nothing and she should let the thing go. Her detective instinct wouldn't let it be that simple. Following up on it though would probably yield her very little. "No, it's nothing. Now, let's get back to business." Elsa whipped out a notebook and pulled it to the page that was bookmarked. "Would you like to tell me some more about your history?"

"What, already? I was enjoying our little chat." Elsa needed but a hint of a glare to get Red to concede. "Alright, alright. Okay, so I never knew any real parents, so I had to grow up in-"

"You've already talked about that," Elsa cut in, reviewing the notes she had.

"Oh, I did?" Red suddenly looked up towards the glass ceiling, trying her hardest to feign ignorance. "So where did I leave off the last time?"

"You seemed to have more and more trouble with authority, so you decided to leave your home. Permanently." Elsa half-recited, now at the end of what she had written.

"Right, right. That part. I'm not exactly proud of that, you know. It's so stupid, but the place felt like a prison. Like everyone else was pummeling me, while the adults held me down and made it easy for them. I decided that there really was no reason for me to stay there any longer." She gave shadow of a scowl. "Of course, I only felt clever for about a day."

Elsa jotted down what she heard, before adding a couple of notes of her own. She never understood the rebelliousness of youth. She had spent most of her formative years in front of a book or gaining experience at the police station. It sounded like Red took a few trips of her own as well, albeit for entirely different reasons. "I'm guessing you didn't have any kind of real plan. How old were you, anyway?"

Red shrugged. "I don't remember. Thirteen, fourteen? But yeah, I didn't really have much of a plan. I just thought I'd do what I had always done. Wait until nobody was looking, then take what they didn't really need." Red let out a long sigh. Elsa simply continued writing, before giving Red her usual, inscrutable expression. "It was rough. Like, really rough. I'm sure I spent more nights in the cold than not. I got shouted at and roughed up more times than I remember. But I survived. Sometimes I took what I thought people wouldn't miss. Out of their pockets, on the shelves, anything that wasn't nailed down. Other times I'd take whatever I could. You probably think I'm pretty terrible, right?"

Elsa abruptly halted her pen. "I think you were rash. Reckless, even. But never terrible. You were probably at the point where you couldn't go back to your old home, even if you wanted. I can't say I know what it's like to have to choose between crime, or going cold and hungry. I do know what it's like to feel alone." Elsa looked upwards. "As though everyone claims to care, but never enough to actually do anything." Where did that come from? Elsa had barely even thought the words as they came out, and yet now they might put Red's might at ease, if even a little

Sure enough, Red cracked a smile. "Well, I wasn't alone forever. There was someone else. Someone like me. Hell, she was trying to steal from me of all people. No way was I going to let that happen. Or I thought so, anyway. Punched the air right out of me, she did." Red clutched her stomach. "I think it was then that she realised she was robbing the only girl around more desperate than she was. So, she told me she was sorry, even though it really didn't sound like it, and one thing lead to another and we kinda started working together."

Elsa froze. Now where had that happened before? "So, could you describe this- other girl for me?"

"Amber," Red cut in. "That was her name. Oh, where do I start? She was the kinda girl you just had to look at. Wild, blonde hair, totally ripped, and she didn't give a damn what anyone thought of her. Well, except me." Another sigh, though Elsa detected a hint of longing on this one. "Turns out, her appearance came in quite handy. Wherever she went, she was sure to cause a scene. And a scene was just something I could use quite well. Once I'd taken anything that I could in the excitement, she'd back off and we'd split whatever I could grab. It was great."

"Was?" Elsa picked up on that one word in particular. Clearly something had happened to sour the relationship. Perhaps, the White Hand?

Red sighed, shaking her head. "Well yeah. Amber and I had a good thing going. Sure, we were forced to move around every so often, but most nights we weren't cold, or starving. Given how my first few weeks were, that was a big deal. It soon became clear that this wasn't enough for her. Amber wanted to do more than simple mark and grabs." Red suddenly scowled. "I told her, things were fine just the way they were, but she wouldn't have any of it. She said we should get more people, plan bigger jobs, make bigger heists. It felt like she thought the world owed us. In a way, I understood, but I couldn't bring myself to hurt people, or take things people needed."

Elsa stopped writing for split second. This was strange. There were some pieces that fit Red working with the White Hand, and others that didn't. Red seemed unambitious in her crime, which would make treasures like the Scarlet Star seem insane. Except, it seemed more pacifistic than anything else. Red's primary concern appeared to be avoiding taking something if it meant someone else would suffer instead. "So I take it you were unable to resolve this difference in opinion."

"In the end, we went our separate ways. It wasn't long after that that they came in contact with me. You know." Red bit her lip.

Elsa nodded. That was one thing at least they seemed to be on the same page on. "And you accepted their offer right away?"

"Hey!" Red snapped. Elsa jumped. Perhaps that wasn't the best way to phrase that question. "Look, I was kind of on my last leg at the time, okay? It seemed too good to be true even if they did help me out of a tough spot. And it's not like they just let me go on those heists, okay? I had to take all these physicals, practice runs, learn about all their crazy tech. Apparently they chose me out of a lot of applicants. Though, now that I think about it, I never did meet anyone else who was applying."

Once again, some pieces were falling into place, while others all over the place. Had they simply chosen Red to the exclusion of all other possible candidates? The skills were there: light hands, team working, and the advanced technology didn't appear to phase her much. The aptitude wasn't lacking either. Red seemed to be a thief, through and through. Though she didn't seem to feel much guilt taking what wasn't hers, she objected to causing meaningful harm to others. Perhaps Elsa was overthinking it. She was expecting something- exceptional. Perhaps there simply wasn't anything. Why was that so hard for her to accept?

"Elsa, is something wrong?" Red seemed to catch Elsa lost in thought again. This was so much easier when it was just her. Now she couldn't analyse anything without a quizzical look pointed her way.

"Nothing important. So I take it once you were selected, so to speak, you were tasked with obtaining all ten of the treasures?" She was interested in hearing the stories behind each heist, but Elsa fully expected Red to start holding out on her again at any moment.

"Well, it wasn't just me. We had a few other people show up to plan the heist, find blueprints, peel away the layers of security. But yeah, it was always me who actually went in there and made the grab. Then we laid low, and moved on when we were ready." Red shook her head. "It was actually kind of fun, now that I think about it. I was kind of sad to think it would end after a while. Though, for different reasons."

"Yes, of course." Elsa still never actually told Red what the White Hand told her they intended to do. Then again, she wasn't entirely sure what it was herself. Perhaps that was the worst part. Every attempt to fathom what happened that night raised more questions than it answered.

"You know, there's something that's been bugging me." Red suddenly asked. Elsa quietly sighed. Somehow, she didn't think this was some profound observation that she somehow missed. Those weren't known to come about very often. Nonetheless, Elsa nodded, giving her silent approval. "It's just, you never told me why you're so obsessed with this. You only seem to care about catching these people. I think I deserve to know why."

Elsa very slowly flipped her notebook shut. "Who says I'm obsessed? I'm doing this because it's important. Because it needs to be done."

Red gave Elsa a glare of poison she didn't think the young woman to be capable. "Look, Elsa. I'm not some genius super-detective like you. And yes, I was tricked by them. I'm not stupid, though. And I'm not blind, either. So far, all the White Hand has done is steal things. The police decided this isn't worth investigating, but you spend all day locked in your room trying to figure this out. The fact that we're here now means that you haven't found anything else to help you move forward. Is it really so hard for you to just tell me what's going on?"

Elsa groaned. Where to even start? "While I do not doubt you have some level of intelligence, the fact remains that you couldn't possibly function in normal society without resorting to crime. Do not forget, you still have a place to call home because of me."

Red recoiled. Perhaps that was a bit much. "Because you need me, remember?"

"I might need you," Elsa corrected. "While it's true that you're linked to my case, you've yet to give me any shred of decisive information. To answer your claim that the White Hand doesn't appear dangerous, that in itself is extremely suspicious. Somehow, they've come into technology that goes far beyond what's conventionally available, and all they've done is steal some gemstones. If they wanted to profit, why not clean out the exhibits. Why not steal more liquid assets, or even national secrets? They must have some kind of end game, embedded in their actions somewhere. That's why I'm spending so long on this. I have to find out what their plan is, before they carry it out." An almost inevitable silence followed, as neither of them could bear to look at each other. Elsa shouldn't have raised her voice, she knew that. At the same time, Red couldn't know. Not yet. She just couldn't be trusted.

"Should- should we go now?" Red finally offered.

Elsa nodded. "Perhaps that would be best." A shame, it had started out as a fairly pleasant outing.

As the next few days passed, they returned to their usual selves, though things felt much icier than before. At least before, Elsa gave Red a "thank you" when she finished some task for her, even if it was rather half-hearted. Now, Red had barely so much as a single word out of her since their little interview went sour.

What did she done wrong? She was interested in Elsa's interest, that was all. Red of all people, knew that you wouldn't make it as a thief without a keen awareness, and she could tell that Elsa's reasons must be personal. There was no other way that she would get so angry when Red brought it up.

All she needed to do was find out. How, though? Elsa's lips were sealed. No matter how long she waited, she knew trying to bring it up again would end the same way. Then, there were those rather nasty things Elsa said about her. Why would she say those things? While there was a certain amount of truth to it, it felt though it was said to be hurtful. Besides, she was trying to change for the better. She had been a thief all her life. That didn't go away in just a couple of weeks.

It wasn't like Elsa to snap at her like that. At any other time Red had known her, Elsa was a true detective, staying calm and thoughtful. The moment Red tried to play a more active role in the investigation, that all changed. It was as though Elsa was suddenly out to discredit her. She would just have to prove that she was up to the task of helping Elsa out. First, she would need to figure out why Elsa was so obsessed with this case.

There was only one problem. The only way to do that would be to break her agreement with Elsa. To break the one golden rule. Red would have to sneak into Elsa's room. It would be a dicey plan, as Red wasn't sure what to expect. She only went inside one time, and it had been too dark to make out more than basic shapes. Since then, Elsa never allowed her inside, even when she was around. That must have meant she was hiding something.

The chance to carry out her plan came a lot sooner than she expected. Four days after their rather ill-fated conversation, Red thought she would try her hand at cleaning the bathroom. If anything made it clear why she was so averse to honest work, it was this. There must have been a thousand little nooks and crannies in that one-person bathroom, and in each of them was some kind of muck built up into it.

Just as Red thought she reached a turning point, there was a loud buzz, and everything went dark. The lights went out. She could still hear whirring from the kitchen, so it wasn't a power problem. More likely the lights had blown. As Red searched for replacements, Elsa came out, apparently to investigate.

"Don't worry, this has happened before. Not sure we have any spares left, though." Red quietly gave a sigh of relief. That wasn't exactly what she was hoping Elsa would break the silence with, but it was good to hear her back to her usual self, in a manner of speaking.

Red rummaged through the back of the cupboard, but there were only a few small bulbs there, nothing up to the task. "Doesn't look like it. I can run to the store now, if you like." There was perhaps half an hour of daylight left, and any excuse to delay her cleaning would be nice.

"No, I'll do it this time," Elsa replied.

Red shuffled uncomfortably. For just a moment, she glanced at the door to Elsa's room. "Are you sure? You still have work to do. I can find the right sizes, no problem."

Elsa waved a hand. "It's fine, I need some air, anyway. You can hold things down here, right?"

First, there was a flash of annoyance in Red, then a plan. This was her chance. "Yeah, sure. I can't really get much done without the lights."

"Don't worry. I'm not going to ask the impossible of you." Red was confused. That almost sounded- friendly? Before she could conjure any kind of reply however, Elsa was already walking through the door. "I shouldn't be too long."

Even though she knew she didn't have much time, Red just stood there, nerves fraying. This was her perfect chance. She'd made the offer in earnest, but the way things turned out couldn't be better. Elsa would have no reason to suspect she wanted to be alone. She could be in an out before Elsa even reached the store. That said, there was no real plan. One mistake could ruin everything.

No. She pressed on. She needed to show Elsa. Show she was more than just a criminal turned witness, even if she wasn't an Elsa's level. She put on a pair of gloves and found a small flashlight. With that, she edged closer to the door.

The door offered no resistance to being opened, as it only locked from the inside. Red edged the door open inch by inch, slipping through once there was enough room. So far, so good. She left the door ajar, no point in closing it now. Light on. She scanned around. What was she looking for? Something personal. Some clue to her past. Red saw the laptop. No, probably password protected. Way too easy to leave something that gave her actions away. Elsa managed to power through a memory wiping drug, she'd probably notice if the cursor moved since she left it.

There weren't a lot of other options. Double bed, dresser, closet, nothing jumped out. The desk was focused entirely on work. There. Bedside table. Had to be something. One way to find out. Red crept closer. Her nerves tingled. If she left anything out of place, she'd be screwed. If she left anything behind, she'd be screwed. If Elsa came back early for any reason, she'd be screwed.

Red took a deep breath. It was never like this during the heists. Then, there was a clear plan, and an arsenal of gadgets for if anything went wrong. Here, there was neither. Heck, she didn't even have a clear target. Even so, she pressed on. Elsa wouldn't give up at this point.

Top drawer. Mostly paperwork. Client files. Numbers, numbers, numbers. Nothing about her time as a police detective. No good.

Second drawer. This was more promising. There were some more personal effects. Some barely used make-up. Some jewelery, surprisingly expensive looking. Why was this even here? The Elsa Red knew was almost all function, no form. Maybe it wasn't always like that. The thing was even more shocking. A photograph. It was Elsa, standing next to a young man, probably about the same age, with neat blonde hair and a small yet firm build. Elsa had the closest thing to a real smile Red ever remembered.

Red scrambled in her head to figure this out. Who was this man. Elsa never mentioned any siblings when talking about her early life. Red never even heard about anything the time after Elsa's career started. Could this man really be-? Red peeked at the back of the photo, and found what she needed, but didn't want to know. A message.

"Elsa, thanks for the mountain trip. Let me know if anything else needs cracking. XxX."

Red froze. Things started to snap into focus. So this man an Elsa were seeing each other? There could be no other explanation. Since Elsa never talked about him, it was clear something happened. Was it the White Hand? Did they do something to him? That wasn't just a simple break up. As much as Red wanted to know more, she doubted she would find anything that might tell her anything else. She checked the bottom draw anyway.

She was wrong. Dead wrong. In the bottom draw was her toolkit. Her thief's gadget belt. It was all here. Elsa chose to keep this. Why? Was she hoping to use something to help her search? Surely she must have known how risky that would be. Red put it out of her head. Elsa was nothing if not careful. Though it wasn't like she could ask.

Red somehow raised more questions than she answered. Was this was being a detective was like? No wonder even Elsa was having so much trouble. With Red feeling her luck running thin, she crept out of the room and tried to close the door. The door stuck fast, and nerves started to get the better of her. After a bit of resistance, the door finally closed. Time to sit down and act like nothing ever happened. She turned on the TV, not to watch or even to try and distract herself. Act natural. That was all she could do, now.

It was the best part of an hour until Elsa returned. Red tried her best to mute her reaction to her arrival.

Nothing happened here. Nothing at all. Just held the fort.

Red said nothing as Elsa laid out what she picked up, instead choosing to get to work. Time passed, and it did seem that she was none the wiser. There was no sign that anything was wrong. Yet, Red could not escape the pit she felt in her stomach. For once, it was not just the fear of getting caught that gave her pause. She broke her promise to Elsa. The tiny price of staying with her all this time. Besides the information she wanted. Red was fairly sure that she told Elsa basically everything anyway.

No one ever needed to know. That was all she need tell herself.

The next morning broke, with Red feeling though things were going to return back to normal. The lights were working again, Elsa would go back to focusing on her work, and she'd go back to waiting for Elsa to ask her some more questions. That was, if there were any left. However, that was far from how it played out.

Not long after noon, Elsa emerged from her room and sat down next to Red. The rarity alone set Red on alert.

She pulled something out of her pocket. "Do you know what this is?"

Red scrunched her face. "Uh, it's a pencil? Or, two pieces of a pencil by the looks of it. Is this some kind of clue to the case."

"To the case? Not exactly. To you? Perhaps." Now, Red was curious. "You see, it may seem unimportant, but it plays a very important role. This was placed in the frame of the door to my room." Red felt the pit in her stomach return at an alarming speed. "If you don't open and close the door the correct way, the door will squeeze the pencil, which results in it breaking. Of course, anyone aware of its presence, such as myself, knows the correct way to operate the door. Anyone that does not, however, will inevitably break it. Do you see where I'm going with this?" Elsa gave Red an intense glare. "I take it by the pale shade your face is going that you do."

Red was doing everything she could not to jump out the window. "Look, let's not jump to any conclusions here."

"I never jump to conclusions. I'm a detective. You should know that." Elsa calmly placed the pieces of the pencil on the table. "I may not have interacted with you much over the past few days, but almost every time I did, I saw you eyeing my door. The moment I confront you with implicating evidence, you fly into a panic. Instead of directly denying it, you try and dance around it by attacking the evidence. I don't think anything more needs to be said."

"Please, you have to understand-" Red started.

"Understand? I thought you understood. I didn't ask you for much. It was difficult enough trusting you knowing what you've done before this. You told me you were going to change. That you wanted to change. Yet here you are, thinking you're above my rules. What am I supposed to say to that?"

Red could think of nothing. Nothing but how stupid her whole plan was to begin with.

Elsa motioned towards the exit. "I want you to go. Take some money, and leave. Come back this evening when I've decided what we're going to do."

She didn't need to be told twice. Red was out of there in less than a minute. She couldn't bear to walk too far away however, so she sat on a bench in view of the apartment block, cold be damned.

Stupid, stupid, stupid.

That was all she could think to herself. Every time her crimes worked, it was because she had a plan. A real plan. One that wasn't her own. What was she supposed to do. Let Elsa continue her mood forever? Let Elsa shut her out for the entire case? Just wait until Elsa decided Red was no longer needed and kick her out?

She buried her head in her hands. No matter how she tried to explain it, she really shouldn't have done it. There must have been better ways to prove that she could be a help to the case. Now, she probably just got herself evicted a whole lot faster. All she could do is beg for Elsa's forgiveness. That, and swear to herself that it really was the last time.

Something caught her eye. A van that was pulling up. Something seemed off about it. She was almost certain she hadn't seen it before, but it seemed familiar. The shade of black. How smooth the edges were. The rims. Why was she so sure she'd seen it before? The side door opened and someone came out. Several someones.

Red instinctively jumped behind the bench. It was Rex. She'd recognise his face anywhere. He was backed up by a couple of other men. Forget being found out by Elsa, if they discovered she was here, it was over.

She peered through the slats. Hands shaking. Heart beating out of her chest. Breaths loud and heavy. She could run. She could so easily run. No, that would just draw attention to herself. Did they see her? If they know she was here? If they already did, there was probably no hope in her trying to evade them. That thought was comforting.

She saw the three of them, wearing the same black get-up as ever. One of them appeared to be lugging a large case on wheels. Rex was talking to the others, but there was no way of telling what they were saying. They hadn't once so much looked in her direction, and they simply walked past, as though it was just another day. Red took a deep breath, and closed her eyes for a second. Then the three of them entered the apartment block.

Elsa.

Fuck.

It was right there in front of her. They came here today for Elsa, not her. Red was so wrapped up in her own problems she hadn't even realised. With what she'd seen, there was little doubt that they could force the front door open if Elsa didn't open it herself. She had to warn Elsa. How though? She never bought a mobile phone, and they were no pay phones around, nor did she have any change to use it. There was almost no way that Elsa would hear if she shouted from where she was. Worst of all, none of that mattered because there was no way Elsa would listen to her right now.

All Red could do was sit behind the bench in total silence, and wait for the men to come out. She had no weapons and no real training. There was no doubt they would instantly recognise her, and do what they failed to the first time. Sure enough, the men emerged with faces of stone, heading back the way they came. They were carrying the same case as before, only this time it seemed a lot louder than before. Somehow, Red realised what it meant.

Elsa was in there. They had come to take her. Alive. That thought alone terrified her far more than what would happen to Red if she was discovered. Red couldn't stop them. Not alone. There was nobody else around, and who would believe her anyway? If they made it back to the van, Elsa's fate was sealed, no question. Nonetheless, Red could only watch.

Watch, and follow quietly behind. It looked like she couldn't even make a promise to herself any more.

A/N: So, yeah. I'm back. Only took about 5 months, almost to the day. I know how heartbroken everyone was when this never updated, and I'm sorry. Hopefully I can get back to writing more regularly. It also turns out my beta reader has some other commitments since I was writing full tilt, and it may have affected the quality of this chapter.

Buckle your seat belts, Elsanners, shit's about to go down. It's not gonna be pretty.