Week 1: The Next Day

"And just where exactly did you run off to?"

Was it really surprising that the first thing Roman saw when he arrived back at the shop was an annoyed fairy? Granted, he had left the pocket-sized annoyance with the brat-sized annoyance, and half expected to see her drowning herself in whatever the fairy equivalent of cheap alcohol was. Instead, she was simply floating by the shop counter, glaring at him with narrowed eyes the moment he entered the building.

"Oh, you know how it is in this economy. Working late to make some money on the side and all that." The criminal saw no point in answering her properly, of course, and merely shrugged off her question, making his way to his little room instead.

At least, that's what he would've done if it wasn't for the fact that the floating nightlight tried to block his way.

"Need I remind you of your contract details, Mr. Torchwick?" And again, the fairy was in lecture mode. Sure, she might've been imposing to a kid like Recette, but there was honestly nothing less threatening than something the size of your Scroll yapping at you.

Which brought the criminal's mind back on track, really.

There was something he needed to check, and he needed to grab his Scroll to do that. Unfortunately, the device was currently under 'custody' of his fairy overseer, one of the many annoying points that had wormed its way into the silly contract that had been forced upon him. You know, the contract that the travel-sized secretary was currently yapping about.

"I know, I know. Stand around doing nothing while you teach the brat how to sell things. I love the involvement on my part, you know? Really hands-on with the decision making process." Ah, banter. The only thing that makes this pointless job worthwhile. It was almost as entertaining as yelling at hired hands, really.

"If you have a problem with our arrangements, you are free to voice them. However, that does not give you free reign to act independently."

And surprising no one, Tear was not quite as appreciative of Roman's sarcasm as his previous co-workers. Or perhaps it would be more accurate to say that she was? Not his problem, really. Instead, the thief drew back, as if in shock his expression a bit too exaggerated as he brought a gloved hand up to his face in mock surprise.

Kind of like Neo, now that he thought about it. Then he stopped, because he did not want to think about the sort of troubles she'd be getting into without his supervision.

"You don't say! Well, in that case, I'd better take full advantage of your offer. For starters, I'd like to recommend a change in your attire. You're not exactly dressed for success, as it were. Should I recommend a tailor? Or a toy-maker, for clothing more your size?"

He could tell that Tear was not amused as the little fairy glared back at him, appreciating neither his words nor his dismissive smile. So, the only appropriate course of action for the Criminal to take it one step further.

"But on a more serious note, I did file one of those reports that your company's so insistent about. Didn't you see it in your office?... Unless I placed it somewhere out of your reach." Ah, height jokes. Far safer when the target wasn't capable of skewering you with a parasol.

Still, no crime is perfect without a hint of incredulous truth. And, true to his words, he did fill out a report for the fairy to read. His penmanship was nothing if not immaculate, and Roman had enough class to pull off that classic pen-and-ink flair that his higher-end marks enjoyed. He was refined, after all, which also meant that he wrote out the report to his standards.

There was the slight issue that it was also written completely in traditional Mistrali script, but it wasn't his fault that the people of this world didn't know how to read something so simple. Even if the words themselves amounted to a few derisive insults that he had cobbled together in one of his many hours of boredom.

"You know what I mean, Roman."

Surprising no one, the little fairy wasn't too appreciative of Roman's antics. Still, the thief himself was in no mood for Thumbelina's interrogation, as he had far more important things to worry about. And important things to confirm.

"I do indeed. So, how about we make a deal? You give me my Scroll, and I'll tell you everything I did tonight, complete with collateral damage reports. I'll even write it in something you can comprehend."

"Or I could just report your insubordination, and the Terme Finance company will simply take possession of all the assets you submitted as collateral."

Roman couldn't help but give a wry chuckle at that description. That was certainly an interesting way to describe his stolen property, after all, even if the entire exchange had technically occurred under a legal pretense. Not that it mattered to Torchwick; after all, he now knew why the security of Terme Finance was so powerful, which meant he also knew how to get back at them.

So, he simply didn't care.

"Oh, that's fine. A few burned bridges with a business or two is something I'm familiar with. Sure, it'll be a shame to lose out on contacts, but it's no big deal." This time, the smile that the suited criminal gave was not forced. Instead of a false gesture with painted emotion, the thief went out of his way to be completely genuine. "... For me."

A completely genuine smirk, one that told the fairy that Roman knew something he shouldn't.

The fairy paused, unable to formulate her next response. Really, the sight of her fumbling was entertaining in its own right as Roman watched her, the little sprite's face shifting from suspicion to doubt, before quickly flashing to worry for one brief moment. It was subtle, but it most certainly was there, and that was all the confirmation the criminal needed.

She was hiding something. At the very least, Roman knew this this entire debt collection gimmick was a farce. How much he knew didn't matter, so long as the fairy didn't find out. All he had to do was keep up his same snarky style, bringing in just a few undertones of knowing something. That in itself would certainly be enough to infuriate his tiny companion, and would provide him with something to hold against the fairy, should the need arise.

"But don't worry your tiny little head about that. We're just talking about Terme's involvements with me, after all. We're not talking about anything that has to do with the brat, and we're not talking about anything that has to do with you."

Roman gave a knowing smile before plucking the fairy up by her wing, setting her down on the countertop in a dismissive gesture. He forced himself to remain nonchalant as he stepped into the backroom, trying to ignore the expression of doubt and confusion that slowly began forming on the fairy's face.

Well, today was certainly productive. Hopefully, tomorrow would be entertaining as well.

"G'morning Roman!"

Whatever thoughts and dreams that were going through the sleeping rogue's mind was immediately replaced by an ear-piercing voice. Though, to his credit, Roman Torchwick was experienced enough to recover form the sudden bout of noise, his brain kicking in right in time to process a single thought. Sure, that thought was a simple a question that wondered why the floor was approaching at a rapid rate, but it was still something.

Thump!

"Aah! S-sorry! I didn't mean to startle you! I can help! J-just, here, and-"

And Recette's voice continued rambling onward, frantic and panicked as she tried to help the thief up. Unfortunately, her methods of assistance were limited to tugging at his sleeves, so Roman quickly rose to his feet, letting out a tired sigh as he brushed her off. At least she didn't damage the fabric.

"I'm fine." The thief suppressed the irritation in his voice. Instead, he waved off her worries, bringing a hand up to his forehead in an attempt to stave off his morning migraine. "Just go brush up, brat. Otherwise, Tinkerbell will yell at you, and I'll have to sit through her nagging for half an hour."

"Okaaay!" And just like that, she was off.

Honestly, this entire routine would take some getting used to.

Just yesterday, she was sleeping in until noon, completely wasting daylight as she absently chewed on her pillow. But today? No, today she was the model shopkeeper, waking up at 6 in the morning. Not that that was a bad thing, but it was one thing to wake up early, and it was another thing entirely to have some diabetic sugar-obsessed brat thundering in as a makeshift alarm clock.

Rather than complain, he decided to just go with it. He'd have to get up eventually, and perhaps today he would be able to convince the annoying fairy to let him act on his own. He had a lead now, especially after the Dungeon lecture he got from the Adventurer's guild. When he first entered this world, he obviously had no clue how it worked, but the presence of those Power Gems or whatever certainly filled in the blanks.

Torchwick's thoughts fell to the company that had put him on this silly contract. Honestly, it was worst than his arrangement with Cinder. At least he could understand half her threats.

Instead, Torchwick was left completely ignorant during the little bout he had with that company's personal army. The entire fight threw common sense out the window, and everything from their operatives and machines, to their stupid weapons themselves were an unexpected threat. His dust didn't work for obvious reasons, so he was left with his martial prowess, and while he did stall for a period of time, he was eventually overpowered.

Seriously, when a basic security mook manages to survive a slash across his throat without even a scratch, you know something's wrong. And now that Roman understood the reasons behind it, he'd just have to take advantage of the situation himself.

Once he was ready, of course.

One hour later, Roman was at the shop floor, wearing a completely new suit. Unfortunately, he still lacked Melodic Cudgel, so he had the embossed sheathe of his knife fastened to his side instead.

And to no surprise, the little fairy was in the middle of lecturing Recette once more. This time, it was some discussion about how... she could act however she wanted to? He only caught the last bit of it.

"...Simply pick something. We will deal with what comes."

Yeah, great planning there, Tooth Fairy. Why not let the little kid-in-debt decide how to best approach her new business venture? Surprising no one, it seemed that Recette was paralyzed with indecision, and it wasn't until they noticed Roman's presence that it changed. Both the fairy and the child immediately focused their attention on Roman as he entered the room, the loud creak of the door signaling his arrival proper.

Roman only needed one look at Recette's face to tell him that she wanted his opinion on whatever it was they were doing. More surprisingly, however, was the look of mild irritation that had settled on the fairy's face. Rather than any expression of worry, Tear simply glared at the man, her tiny arms crossed in some gesture of defiance as she floated beside Recette.

Huh. So his little barb wasn't as effective as he thought it was. Explains why he never got his Scroll in the end... but it wasn't that big of a deal. He'll just content himself with glaring back at the floating child's toy. Or ignoring her entirely. Yeah, that'd probably work out bet-

"Oh, Roman! There you are! With this, we can figure out where to go!" Of course, Recette remained ignorant to the little cold war between thief and fairy, choosing to completely tear down the atmosphere as she frantically waved at the criminal.

To most people, that energy might've been infectious. However, it had the opposite effect on Roman, and he found himself letting out a tired sigh as he turned to Tear, already dropping what facade he had tried to build up. It was far too early for this. "... Do I even want to know?"

"Tear was just telling me to pick a thing!" the girl's voice chimed up, answering Roman's question the worst way possible as her voice echoed throughout the entire shop.

"... I was merely explaining to Recette that, now that she has a grasp on the business practices, she can choose how to proceed." The fairy brought a hand up to her glasses, pushing them up as she tried to compose herself. "I myself recommend we procure additional items to sell in the shop."

"Well then, why don't we head to the adventurer's guild? Hire some poor schmucks to get a bunch items for us." Roman gestured to the door as he brought up this suggestion, an innocent look on his face.

"And just how do you know abo-"

"What's an adventurer's guild?" Before Tear could question Torchwick's sudden suggestion, as well as his actual knowledge of these things, a certain little girl spoke up. Recette stared up at Roman, her brunette eyes wide with fascination as she listened expectantly.

"I'm sure Tear would love to tell you on our way there."

With those words, Roman silenced any protests from their fairy friend.

"Yayifications!"

"...Merde."

Roman smiled at himself, completely content with the way things had turned out. The fairy would be stuck dealing with the brat, which meant less questions directed his way. At the same time, the adventurer's guild itself was probably the best way for Roman expand his powerbase, and to gain enough influence to get some good old-fashioned revenge on that stupid company that had stolen his stuff.

Best of all, he wouldn't have to spend the day cooped up inside this joke of a store. Sure, the kid's talent was one thing, but there was absolutely no way he'd be caught dead operating a store with a stupid name like 'Recettear (and Roman too)'.

It was with a smile that the rogue opened the door, stepping outside to greet the day.

"Wait... Torchwick? What are you doing here?!"

...God damnit.