At seven o'clock the next evening, Alexis walked into the bar. It was a cool night, and there was a fire roaring in the grate. Over by the dart board, Lupin was sitting in a comfortable chair with a piece of chalk in his hand, and Goemon was seated on the floor next to him, eyes closed. Lupin saw her and waved her over.

"Hey there, cutie!"

"Hello, Lupin. Hello, Goemon." She smiled at them both and set her satchel on the floor beside an empty chair. Lupin grinned in reply, but Goemon merely nodded his head. His eyes remained closed.

"What brings you here?" Lupin asked. He tossed the piece of chalk into the air with one hand and caught it deftly with the other.

Alexis put a hand up to her eyes and brushed away a few strands of her short black hair. "Oh, some gormless Yank challenged me to a game of darts yesterday afternoon," she said playfully.

From behind her came the smell of smoke, and a voice, heavy with sarcasm.

"Yeah, and that 'gormless Yank' is gonna wipe the floor with your British ass." Jigen set three tumblers on the side table next to Lupin's chair. "But I bought you a drink to soften the blow," he said, speaking around his cigarette.

"Oh there you are," she said, forcing an attitude of indifference. "I thought you might have reconsidered our date." Lupin looked up from his drink in surprise, and even Goemon cracked one eyelid. "But since you were brave enough to show up," Alexis said, as she took a glass from Jigen's hand, "I hope you won't have a problem losing to a woman."

It was a shallow cut, but it still hit home. Jigen pulled the cigarette from his mouth and curled his lip.

"You talk big, angel," Jigen said, taking a healthy swallow of his drink. "Maybe we should play for stakes."

"I'm game if you are," Alexis said. She took a sip of the bitter drink and smiled wickedly at him over the rim of her glass. Her gaze travelled down his body and came to rest somewhere around his groin. "How big is your..." -- she looked at his pocket -- "...wallet?" She raised her eyes to his and lifted one slender eyebrow.

Jigen finished his drink and tossed the glass onto the low table. "Big enough for you, baby." He fitted the smoke between his lips and pulled a wrinkled bill from his back pocket, dropping it on the table. "A hundred bucks sound good?"

"To start with, yes." Alexis set her drink on the table and reached into her own pocket. She pulled out a small plastic case and snapped it open. Sitting down, she nearly blended in with the upholstery; a shadow with a pale face. Alexis put the case on her lap and started to fit hard, black flights into her darts. She looked up to see Lupin and Jigen watching her.

"I always carry them with me when I travel," she said by way of explanation, "just in case I have the opportunity to humiliate some prat in a pub." She looked up at Jigen and smirked. "You know how it is, I'm sure."

"Yeah, yeah," he said, going to the dart board and selecting three darts for himself. "Look, either put up, or shut up."

Alexis laughed and slipped a crisp one hundred dollar bill from her dart case. "There." She handed it to Lupin, who took both bills and tucked them into the breast pocket of his jacket. "I'll even let you go first," she continued, hefting her darts and snapping the case closed. She placed it on the table and smiled mischievously at Jigen. "Or did you want your warm-up throws?"

Jigen stubbed out his wasted cigarette, then shrugged off his jacket, tossing it onto the chair she'd been sitting in. He pushed up the brim of his hat with the tip of his thumb and eyed her. "You're pretty cocky, aren't you?

"Not half as cocky as you, I'm sure." Alexis smirked and tossed her head, the ends of her hair brushing lightly against her cheek. From the corner of her eye, she could see Jigen blushing furiously. Lupin snickered, and she thought she heard Goemon snort softly. "301, then?" she asked. "Standard rules?"

"Yeah. Watch and learn, angel."

Lupin kept score for them. The first game opened quickly and ended not long after. Jigen strutted a little as he retrieved his darts. He'd rolled up his sleeves half-way through the game, and the muscles in his forearms flexed as he tugged the tiny missiles from the board.

"Ha! That's one for me," he said. He looked over his shoulder at Alexis and grinned. "Now what do you say, angel?"

Alexis smiled quietly at him. "Just getting a feel for how you play the game, Jigen," she said. She wagged a finger at him. "I have two more chances, you know."

"Bring it on, sister." Jigen lit a new cigarette as Lupin erased the numbers on the chalkboard and reset their scores. Goemon actually seemed to be taking an interest in the outcome of the game, for his eyes were only half-closed, and he was watching Alexis and Jigen intently.

Alexis stepped up and tossed her first dart, scoring a double and opening the game. Her next two shots were both triples. She smiled to herself and plucked her darts from the board as Lupin wrote down her score. Jigen stared.

"Beat that, smart-ass," she said lightly, and waved him towards the oche.

The second game was over even sooner than the first. Alexis had won by a wide margin, and there were four new cigarette butts in the ashtray. Jigen picked up her glass, still half-full. His eyes narrowed as he drank what was left in one swift gulp. Setting the glass on the table, he took a deep breath and wiped his forearm across his brow.

"Feeling a little tired, Jigen?" Alexis asked. "You can concede the game now, if you like. I won't hold it against you."

"Nah," he shot back. He took a wrinkled cigarette from his pocket and struck a match against his shoe. "I went easy on you that time, angel."

"Oh, how sweet of you!" she squealed in mock excitement. The genuine laugh that followed was deep and throaty. "Shall we finish this, then?"

Jigen nodded. "Mm-hm." He waited for Lupin to reset their scores, and stepped up to take his first throw.

Alexis was winning by perhaps a dozen points when Fujiko came in. She was dressed all in black, just like Alexis -- but where Alexis was wearing a modest sweater and slacks, Fujiko's low-cut jumpsuit was tight, shiny black leather. Lupin's eyes nearly fell out of their sockets as she came bounding towards them. Her enormous breasts jiggled with every step.

"Look, look!" Fujiko crowed. "Two invitations to the opening ceremonies! Each is good for two people."

"Great!" said Lupin, grabbing for her. "That means Jigen can come." He sighed with disappointment as Fujiko deftly avoided him. She shoved Jigen's jacket aside and threw herself down on the empty chair.

"Forget it, Lupin," Jigen snapped, throwing his darts in rapid succession. "I already told you, it ain't happenin'."

Alexis waited until he had collected his darts, then stepped up for her turn. "I'd take it," she said, "but I'm working that night."

The others all blinked in surprise, except for Goemon, who merely raised one eyebrow.

Lupin frowned. "You came to Naples to work?" he said.

Alexis laughed. "Mm-hm. And so did you, apparently." She took her turn, scoring two doubles and a triple. "You should really go to the party, Jigen," she said, as she pulled her darts from the board. "It will be a night to remember."

Jigen shook his head and lowered his hat further over his eyes. "No way," he said, crushing out his latest cigarette in the crowded ashtray. "I got enough memories of Fujiko already, and none of 'em are very pleasant." He glared at Fujiko out of the corner of his eye, and she stuck out her tongue at him. The darts flew from his hand with extra vehemence.

Lupin clucked his tongue. "What a thing to say," he said, fondling the cream-coloured envelopes. He slipped out both cards and looked them over. "And after Fujicakes went to all the trouble of getting us invitations. Forgeries?" he asked, looking across at Fujiko.

Fujiko shook her head. "No, I stole them," she said proudly.

"Of course you did," said Alexis. She flashed a smile at Fujiko, who giggled in reply.

"Why don't you take Goemon?" Jigen said. He snickered as he retrieved his darts.

Goemon closed his eyes again. "Don't involve me in this, Jigen," he said.

Alexis looked curiously at Lupin. "What am I missing?" she asked.

"Goemon doesn't do parties," Lupin replied. He laced his fingers together and placed them behind his head. "That's all right. I have a whole day to work on Jigen."

"No way, pal," Jigen said. He snorted. "I plan to get hammered tonight and sleep all day tomorrow."

Alexis laughed and threw her darts. "Sounds like a great holiday you have planned, Jigen."

He lit a fresh cigarette as she walked towards the board. "It's what I do best. Hey, Lupin; what's the score?"

Lupin sat up and blinked at them. "Uh.. I don't know?"

"What!?" Jigen roared.

Lupin blushed sheepishly. "Well, Fujiko arrived, and I ..."

Alexis slammed her palm against her forehead, and Jigen pushed back his hat and rolled his eyes. "So much for that," he said, grabbing his jacket. Fujiko leaned forward as he pulled it out from behind her back. He slipped it on, then reached into Lupin's pocket and plucked out the two hundreds.

"Did you notice that I was winning?" Alexis said, as she took one of the bills from Jigen's hand.

"It wouldn't have lasted," Jigen said, stuffing the other into his pocket. He drew on his cigarette and blew three perfect smoke rings into the still air.

Alexis reached out and drew a lightly-painted nail through all three rings, breaking them. "We'll have a re-match sometime," she said, smiling at him. She turned and picked up her shoulder bag. "I should get going. It's late, and I have a long day ahead of me." Lupin and Fujiko both stood up, and she hugged them warmly in turn. "What time are you heading out tomorrow?" she asked, adjusting the strap on her satchel.

"Six-thirty," Fujiko said. "We'll be leaving from here." Lupin nodded vigorously and Fujiko wrinkled her nose at his puppy-dog eagerness.

Alexis chuckled. "Well, wait for me, will you? I have something for you. I'll stop 'round at about six."

"Oo, a present!" Fujiko squealed with anticipation. "What is it? Is it shiny?"

Alexis laughed lightly. "Ah-ah," she said with mock seriousness, wagging her finger under Fujiko's nose. "If I told you, it would ruin the surprise." She smiled and turned to Jigen. "Good night," she said.

He nodded. Turning to extinguish his cigarette, he saw that Lupin was glaring at him. "Uh... I'll walk you out," Jigen said, taking her arm.

Alexis blinked in surprise. "You don't have to," she protested.

"Yeah, actually; I do." He looked pointedly at Lupin, who was gazing innocently at the ceiling.

Alexis stifled a laugh. "All right," she said, and allowed Jigen to guide her to the lobby. Her boots clicked on the inlaid marble floor as they headed for the exit. As they reached the revolving doors, Alexis turned to Jigen and placed one hand lightly on his arm.

"Thank you for the game, Jigen," she said, smiling up at him. "I had fun, even if Lupin DID manage to cock it up at the end."

Jigen ducked his head and chuckled. "Heh. Yeah, Fujiko has that effect on him," he said.

Alexis nodded. "I see that." She hesitated, and bit her lip nervously. "Please reconsider going to the gala, Jigen," she continued. "It really is a once-in-a-lifetime event." She idly fingered the buttons on his jacket cuff. "You don't have to fall in with Fujiko's plans to have a good time, right?"

Jigen lifted the brim of his hat with his thumb and looked thoughtfully at her. "Yeah," he said. "I'll think about it." Alexis nodded and took her hand from his arm. She turned to go, but he stopped her with his voice. "Hey." She looked over her shoulder. "You're pretty good," Jigen said. He blushed slightly. "At darts, I mean."

Her gentle smile from earlier that day returned, and Jigen felt his heart tighten in his chest. "Thank you, Jigen," she said softly. "Believe it or not, I think you would have won." She took a step closer to him. "You're in a class all by yourself." Touching her hand to his shoulder, she stood on her toes and brushed her lips lightly against his cheek. "Good night, Daisuke," she said, and vanished through the revolving doors, leaving a stunned and speechless Jigen behind.