Fujiko Mine | Arsène Lupin III[
#43bcb4] [
#BF0000]
Lupin, quite preoccupied with a cheese danish, was not the first to notice the rather angry, angular pair of slacks and brimmed hat stomping towards him. And Fujiko, ever hyperaware, was quick to slip herself free of Lupin with a sheepish sort of smirk, dancing fingers up his arm with a wink.
"You've got business. I'll leave you to it."Jigen Daisuke | Goemon Ishikawa XIII[
#0040BF] [
#8b88c7]
"Hmp—?" Lupin mumbled through a mouthful as Fujiko slipped away, quick as a cat, and Lupin was promptly grabbed by the back of his collar and spun around to face a very angry bush of hair under a hat.
"Where the hell've y'been, asshole?!" Jigen barked, bristling Goemon slightly a few steps behind him, who raised an apologetic hand to a few startled patrons.
"Didn't answer my calls?! What—""Inside voice, cowboy," Goemon whispered, lightly thwacking the gunman on the hip with the sheath of his sword. Jigen griped a noise, but relented, releasing his grip on Lupin's lapels with a grimace.
"I figured y'were too wrapped up in that broad to give a damn. Or some other one. So we figured we'd go without ya."Lupin blinked owlishly, and swallowed the half-chewed danish in his mouth, a flicker of hurt in his eyes as he put on a wide smirk.
"C'mon, Jigen, you know I always give a damn about you.""Hah!" Jigen scoffed harshly and stamped over to the snack table, snatching a peppermint-covered pretzel stick and taking an angry bite out of it, letting the crunch soothe some of the violent rage in him.
"Tryina do a job without me, is what y'were doing. A suspicious as hell one. With her, of all people."Goemon's mouth twitched, and he leaned over Jigen's shoulder, lowering his voice.
"She's likely within earshot. You don't have to be quite so quick to insult—""It's because it never works, Goemon. You—you," he jammed the half-bitten pretzel at Lupin's face, startling his posture stiffer.
"You of all people should know that. You should've learned by now. Are y'some kinda masochi—don't answer that. God." Jigen crunched another bite of pretzel, grumbling out a soft, tired sound as Goemon's hand gently came down upon and squeezed his shoulder, the samurai's gaze leveling on Lupin's face.
"We received a letter—or... I received a letter. It had all of our names on it. Yours... Fujiko's, too. It's why we were desperate to get a hold of you. It smelled like a trap." He glanced down at the smaller, scruffier man, and smiled slightly, tilting his head at Lupin.
"He was worried.""Like hell I was," Jigen snarled, stuffing a Christmas cookie into his mouth before he could fully finish the pretzel. Lupin's bewildered gaze softened, and he moved to pick up a glass, filling it with punch and holding it out to Jigen as some sort of peace offering. Jigen stared at it with a frown and full cheeks, before swallowing.
"What's in it.""Dunno. It'll probably take your edge off, though," Lupin sneered, and Jigen bristled—only to startle quiet as Lupin tipped it towards his own lips, and took a long drink, then held it out to Jigen with a raised brow. Jigen stared at the slash of red lipstick on the thing, and... did take a moment to properly look at Lupin, his attire, his... admittedly handsome edge.
Well. If the thing was poisoned, they were both going down, then. That was how it worked. Jigen wouldn't have it any other way, so he tipped the glass towards himself and drank deeply of it, shuddering at the ultra-sweet taste.
"Dunno how anyone can stand this stuff. You think they got scotch?""Maybe upstairs," Lupin mused, with a wag of his brows that had Jigen and Goemon exchanging a glance. The samurai was the first to speak up, as Jigen foraged for one more thing to nibble on.
"It would be nice if you could fill us in, if you don't mind us muscling in. By which I mean... you won't mind. And you will tell us." Goemon's rather wan smirk bode few arguments, and Lupin, despite rather bereft of the idea that he wouldn't be completing a job with Fujiko on his own... was never opposed to some very well-skilled backup.