Her shivering fingers didn't stop Soleil from sinking her nails into the fabric of her dress and watching the stranger for a while longer. Whoever he was, he knew more than he should. He had chosen his words carefully, and it had sounded as if he wanted to watch a little longer.

In thought, she pressed her lips together harder. This stranger could be just as much of a danger as Hisoka. She had kept silent last time and perhaps this time was a sign she should choose more wisely. Telling Chrollo was the best option. But she didn't know who the stranger was and Chrollo already had enough on his plate. So she pulled out her mobile phone and glanced at the screen. There were no flashy icons and when she opened the messenger, no new message popped up. Sometimes contact was lonely.

Quick as a flash, she selected the chat she was sure belonged to Illumi and recorded a curt message. "Hey. I know you're probably busy right now, which is why I don't want to bother you for long. I just wanted to know ... can you find out who I'm looking for from a description?"

It didn't take long to send it off and while Soleil turned to make her way back, Illumi's reply arrived. She had it read to her, as she did with everything else.

"No problem." He sounded light-hearted, almost as if he were treating himself to a holiday in another city. Still, she refrained from calling.

"Then I have something for you," she recorded. "It concerns a man who is probably almost as tall as you are. He has blond hair that looks a bit tangled and yet somehow perfectly trimmed. He has brown eyes. He was wearing a white suit with silver stripes and if I had to describe his manner ... he could be related to Hisoka. Not in terms of charm, but the rest. It's like he wants to play a game... No matter the cost, I need to know who he is. I have the feeling I have seen him somewhere before but ... I'm way to tired for this..."

She didn't have to tell Illumi how she knew Hisoka's character. If the two of them were really in on something, then he had already caught wind of it. And indeed, Illumi didn't address it in his next message.

"You don't have to pay me for something that isn't work. Everybody knows about Pariston Hill. At least every hunter."

She had heard of hunters. Heroes who lived their own adventures and knew how to fight. They were something special.

Without further ado, she dismissed the thought. Hunters didn't matter – Pariston Hill, however, did. A man she had already seen once or twice in the news and who, in real life, looked different from what was seen on the screen. This was the first time she had the chance to see him up close and even though Archihilles had already taken his face once, the difference was noticeable. In all the ways she had seen him before, his eyes had been full of life. There was no danger in his voice or posture. In the news, he was just a normal guy, working like a pretty good salesman in politics.

"Could this guy cause problems?" inquired Soleil, her gaze fixed on the display.

"Probably," the electronic voice of her mobile answered a little later.

Illumi had to know. He was an assassin, and as such, knew the significant people among everything that roamed the streets. That meant Pariston Hill was an enemy and there was nothing she could do. Still, Soleil only slowly brought herself to open a chat with Chrollo and type in the message. She was only adding to his burden instead of being of any use.

Yet not even Chrollo's reply, which her mobile phone stoically read out, promised improvement. He only suggested her not to worry. Almost as if Pariston wasn't a danger. As if they were safe.

Lips drawn into a thin line, Soleil tucked the phone back into the garter. There was nothing she could do. Absolutely nothing. If she had had any special power, perhaps a black belt in some martial art, she could have done something. But as it was, she was nothing more than an accessory. Compared to the others, she was nothing but ballast. Shalnark was good at gathering information, Kalluto was a Zoldyck and, therefore, probably an assassin. Chrollo was smarter than the rest and even Machi had something about him that held danger.

With heavy steps, Soleil dragged herself back to the hotel, returning to the warmth that embraced her kindly without banishing the chill. Instead, the goosebumps persisted until she stopped in front of the lift to the top. The dress on her body suddenly looked out of place. She no longer needed to look good, nor did she need to attract attention. All it needed was comfort and for that, it needed comfortable clothes, which she didn't have.

So she turned on her heel. A three-star hotel always had a small boutique where one could find clothes. It was standard and even if she had never seen it herself, her clients at the club had always agreed.

Passing the reception, she pushed her way through the entrance area and let her eyes wander. Most of the signs she found led to small resting places. There was a café, a tiny bakery, and right next to it, she spotted the display for clothes.

Choosing from the packed interior, she quickly settled on a fluffy green jumper and a black pleated skirt that just reached her knees. Combined with dark green tights and a set of simple black sneakers she spotted under a pile of trousers, it made the perfect outfit to lock herself in her room and let the day pass.

She changed in the shop.

Only then did she set her sights on the lift one more time. No one bothered to stop her on the way up. No one cared to take a second look. The clothes brought her actual comfort and people lived their lives. Only her mobile phone, which had found a place in a pocket of her skirt, distracted her once more. Someone had sent her a message, a few short sentences, which she let read out as she found herself alone in the fourth-floor corridor.

"For our date, I would like to go at seven o'clock tomorrow night. Wear something light."

She didn't have to think to know it was Chrollo and although his time sounded classy and suspiciously like dinner, she was all the more grateful she didn't have to dress up. Light clothing meant elegant yet comfortable. A mix of something she would feel good in and still look nice.

Once in the hotel room, it was the bed that attracted her. She let herself fall into the sheets, certain that no one searched for her in those seconds. No one was watching her, and no one was planning to catch her off guard with strange words. There was no Hisoka in this room, no Pariston, and no obligations.

Still, a few breaths later, she fumbled her phone out of her pocket and opened the chat under Chrollo. She hadn't been a good friend until now. Neither had she been able to invite Illumi to her place, nor had she written to him in that time. He had no plan about friendship and she neglected every fibre of this tender plant she had created. So she sent a voice message that might take her mind off things.

"Sorry, I couldn't spare a moment earlier, and thank you for your help. I think I've been followed," she continued. "But I'm safe now and I think it's time we got to know each other better."

"For our friendship?" Illumi's reply was also a voicemail, simplifying her circumstances but still making her grin. They were both glued to their phones, but a call was out of the question. It was as if they had secretly agreed to only use chat.

"Right," Soleil replied slowly. "So tell me something about you that I don't already know. Like your age, your hobbies, what music you like, what you like to eat, things like that."

It was a while before Illumi's voice took over the silence in the room again. "Does it benefit you to know all these things?"

"No," she returned. "But it makes me feel like we've grown closer and I know you a little better."

"If that's the case. Illumi Zoldyck. Twenty-four years old. Hobbies are irrelevant to an assassin. I don't listen to music. I think I've taken a liking to Bun Bao lately."

Soleil's brows lifted at the stiff reply. "You don't have any hobbies? Then what do you do with your free time?"

"I gather information or sleep."

"You sleep? All the time?"

"Mostly."

His answers sounded so carefree that he seemed alien. Simultaneously, he acted as if his behaviour was normal and maybe in the assassin world, it was. Soleil didn't know. The only thing she knew was that Illumi was interesting in his own unique way.

"Okay, I think I can accept that. But ... you don't listen to music? Yet there are so many great songs!"

"Music adds nothing to my tasks," Illumi replied. "I can dance to it if I have to, but I see no reason to listen to music apart from that."

"You're a philistine." The sigh was heavy on her lips. "I bet you just haven't found the perfect song yet. The right music harmonises with you and makes a lot of things easier. It can also help you sleep better. You should try it out."

"Do you have suggestions?"

Illumi didn't look like someone who would find pleasure in metal or folk music. Musing, Soleil rolled over to the other side. All the songs she knew had their own charm, and a few of them seemed fitting. Still, she only brought the suggestions slowly over her lips. "If you like it dreamy, maybe Yesterday by The Reetles or Piano Man and Vienna by Jilly Boel." Her gaze turned to the ceiling. "Or maybe you can do something with Black Hole Sun by Gardensound. It's hard to recommend something when I don't even know what direction it should go in."

"I'll find out. What's your favourite song?"

It was probably the first counter-question he asked, and it brought a smile to Soleil's lips as she sat up. That Illumi was showing interest was a good sign.

"Rhapsody by King," she then replied. "I fall in love with this song all the time."

"Hmm... Is it a well-known song?"

His question made the smile on Soleil's features a little wider. He didn't know, and yet he seemed to try hard to let this friendship get to him. It made writing with him enjoyable and turned every answer he gave her into something she looked forward to. She responded to all his questions, telling him more and more about herself as Illumi slowly let himself be lured out of his caution. Most of her questions he satisfied immediately. For a few, he took more time.

With Illumi, time passed faster. The day whizzed by and as the late afternoon almost scratched the evening, Soleil finally put the phone aside. A glance out the window reminded her of those early evenings when she had been given a later shift at the club, and when the sun had cradled her a little in its arms. It had been peace that had been needed between doorways back then.

In those seconds, it seemed little different. Her thoughts attached themselves to mere imaginings, to breaths of facing Illumi and feeling a little safer. Hidden behind that was the memory of how she had woken up on the armchair, protected from greedy stares with a blanket, though no one but Illumi had been there. Her thoughts traced the scene, imagining what it would have been like if he had taken her in his arms for a moment to reassure her she had been saved.

Instantly, Soleil sat up.

The tightness in her throat and the heaviness in her chest couldn't be contained as she swallowed and banished the idea. Thinking of any man other than Chrollo was wrong. It wasn't what she wanted and the warmth her imagination had left for her shattered. Meanwhile, Soleil took a breath.

There had never been security in her life. Probably that was exactly what she was looking for. Warmth and safety she had needed then in the sight of her abduction. Illumi had been there, but he had held neither comfort nor warmth.

Slowly she closed her eyes, putting herself back in that place, on the armchair, covered with a piece of cloth. But this time she replaced Illumi. The assassin's stare changed to Chrollo's endless eyes. His arms wrapped tightly around her body, bringing her closer than the first dance she had had with him. Heat settled on her, made her heart pound. Something that had been missing with Illumi, making the fear of thinking the wrong thoughts fade.

It was Chrollo who had captured her heart. Illumi was nothing more than a friend and Hisoka a one-time thing she had used out of desperation. No one aroused the same feeling in her as Chrollo. His friendly smiles, which were mostly more fake than honest, combined with the endless depth of his eyes – he kept endless secrets and finding out more about him sounded like the most exciting task she had ever been given. The questions towards him were no less endless than those for Illumi. She didn't know where Chrollo had been born, nor what had driven him to form a mafia.

How important were these people to him?

What was his goal?

He didn't seem like a man who was actively seeking romance, and yet he didn't seem like someone who would chase it off if it revealed itself to him. A date would be the first step to answering all these questions. It would be her hope.

Sighing, Soleil let herself fall backwards into the pillows. Fatigue still lurked in her bones and stiff limbs ached from the cold she had faced. Keeping her eyes closed only made the blackness behind her lids much more present. It invited her to stay a while longer. Long enough to recover before she went on the date she longed for.

The thought made her drift off. After spending the evening together with Chrollo, she would have to go home. She wasn't part of the troupe and had no business standing in the way when she had no talents to speak of, anyway. Her path would once again separate her from Chrollo. And the gentle throbbing in her chest would accompany her far beyond – straight into dreamless blackness.