Don vexed others, unintentionally. Pipi had claimed Don was a master at it. But it wasn't Don's fault he talked too much. Don grew up that way. When he fought in the pits, he had realized the best way to beat a larger opponent was by distracting them with words.

It worked sometimes.

But with Sky, she seemed annoyed with him before he had said a word. Don didn't know why that was. Maybe what his neighbors had said about him was true.

"Ya are an infuriating piece of shit, Don!" they had shouted countless times.

He didn't blame them, though. After he had lost confidence in his thievery skills, he became a repairman. Safe to say, it didn't last.

Don walked out of the kitchen and grabbed a chair. He pulled it close to Sky and straddled it. "Hey, there, Beautiful?" He smiled, revealing his teeth. Sky rolled her eyes, then looked away from him. "I don't know if anyone has ever told you this, but I'm single."

Sky turned to Don and grimaced with disgust.

"You might wonder how a man as handsome as me doesn't have a sweetheart?" Don chuckled. "Well, you see, being a Master Thief means you have to sacrifice love. And I..." I didn't do that. No woman wants to be with a useless thief. "Forget it."

Sky rolled her eyes again.

"She has said nothing?" Pipi asked after he had entered the room.

"No." Don turned to Pipi, who wore a white t-shirt and a button-less black leather jacket. Don disapproved of leather clothing. He believed it was ungentlemanly, so he stuck with suits and well-polished shoes. "You're meeting your Magic City friends again?" Don noticed the knickerbockers on Pipi. He only wore them when meeting his other friends.

"They're not Pipi's friends. They're his brothers," Pipi replied. He moved the blue goggles from his head and let them hang around his neck. The brothers he had referred to were The Outlawz. Pipi used to be a permanent member before the accident that cost him his left arm. Now he met up with them on missions that needed his expertise.

"Don't lose your right arm," Don said. He had hoped Pipi would cut ties with The Outlawz after what had happened. But Pipi was too stubborn. He clung to his old life like a parasite to a host. The only way he would stop if he died.

"If Pipi loses his right arm, he will make another one." Pipi picked up his cowboy hat from his desk and wore it. "try making her," he pointed to Sky, "talk. Someone must have sent her to steal the wings from us. We need to know who."

"Are you worried whoever it is, they'd try to steal them again?" Don asked. They had spoken to Doctor and told him they'd deliver the wings tomorrow. Right on schedule.

"Yes, and we can't let that happen."

"Yes, sir." Don saluted.

Pipi shook his head, then left the apartment.

Don was alone with Sky. They stayed quiet for a few minutes. Then, Don said, "I know why you aren't talking to me."

Sky raised a curious brow.

"It's because you like me."

She scoffed.

"Your laugh says no, but your scary eyes say I'm right." He placed his chin on the chair's top rail. "I know you're the servant who handed me the gray mask at the auction." How could such beautiful eyes carry so much anger? What happened to her? "Pipi believes someone hired you to follow me to the auction. But that's not true. There were many artifacts on display. When I was putting on a show outside, you could have snuck back inside and stolen one. But you didn't. I think you were after something else.

"I saw this one expensive knife in a glass case. It was from a different time. A long time ago. I wish I had stolen it. Do you know how much money I would have made? I could have bought an airship by now. Then I would have hired a beautiful pilot to take me back to Virtue City. Stella and I have a conversation to finish."

Don smiled, thinking about Stella. He wondered if she thought about him the way he did about her. Their conversation was electric. He had felt a spark between them. Though he didn't have money like the other men, he could give her what they couldn't; a handsome husband.

"Did I tell you Stella likes me? Even though she tried not showing it, I could tell." He nodded. "Yeah, she likes me. I don't want to brag or anything, but I'm the man of her dreams. I once dreamed I was in a boat in the middle of the ocean, and Stella came to me as a mermaid. We made jokes, laughed, and... just a cautionary tale, don't have sex in your dreams. Bad ide-"

"Shut up!" Sky shouted. Her nose flared. Her chest heaved. "Stella this. Stella that. Stella. Stella. Stella. Ya know what? To Hell with her! Ah am so glad of what ah..." She bit her lower lip.

Don leaned back, a hand on his chest. He didn't know what to say. Sky seemed to have a problem with Stella. But why? Stella was the purest person in the world. Why would anyone hate her? "Why are you so angry?"

"None of ya business." Sky scoffed.

"You're in my apartment, shouting like a demented rat. It is my business." He stood and pulled the chair closer to Sky. "Talk to me. I can help you. When I'm not Master Thief, I'm Master Helper. And Pipi is Master Bater." He smiled.

Sky sighed and shook her head. She didn't find his joke funny.

"Seriously, I can help you," Don said.

Sky remained silent. Tears fell down her cheeks, and she sniffled. Then, she looked at Don. "Really? Ya can help me?" she asked with an appealing tone.

"Yes, I am here for you."

"Lean in so ah could whisper it to ya. It hurts to say it out loud."

Don hesitated at first. But he saw how tight the ropes bounding her were, and he doubted she could harm him. For a moment, Don believed Sky. So, he leaned closer to her.

Sky smiled. Then in a quick motion, she headbutted him.

Don't fell to the floor. "Ouch!" He crawled away from her. He removed his hand away from his forehead and saw blood on his palm. More blood dribbled down his face. "Why did you do that?"

"Mind ya own business, White Hair."

Don got up and went to the kitchen sink. He washed his face, then opened the cupboard and took out a first aid kit. He took a bottle of ethanol and opened it. He poured the ethanol on a small piece of cotton, then rubbed his wound with it. He winced in discomfort. Then, he bandaged his head and returned to the living room.

"I underestimated you for a second, and you hurt me. I promise it won't happen again," he said.

Don had two sides: a clumsy and talkative one, and a serious side. The latter came out when the former failed. And with it, he could read someone by staring them. It allowed him to know what kind of person he was dealing with and what they had done in life. It gave him leverage over them. The aristocrats' books had taught him that.

"Pipi said you're a mercenary. And by looking at you, he was right. I was born and raised in the fighting pits, so I know a fighter when I see them. Now, I keep asking myself, what was a mercenary doing at the auction? Your kind has one job, and that's killing people. So, who were you hired to kill? It's hard to tell, seeing as many people with enemies were there. But if I ask around, I'll know for sure."

"Ask around, ah dare ya," Sky said. "Ya made a huge scene at the auction, White Hair. Ya and ah both know Lady Camilla has her guards looking for ya right now. Ya think ah haven't noticed how worried ya get every time ya hear one of ya neighbors open and close their doors? They are coming for ya; ya know it. Now, ya can either release me, so ah could kill ya and end ya misery. Or ya could wait here until ya caught and took to Virtue City to pay for ya crime. Either way, ya will die soon."

She's good. Don had never met someone as strong-minded as Sky. Whatever she was holding onto in her thoughts prevented him from breaking her down. He couldn't give up, he planned on doing whatever it took to find out more about her. "Yes, I'm scared they'll find and kill me. But you, you have guilt written on your face. You did something at the auction. And I will find out what it is before I die."

Sky smirked. "Do that, White Hair. But know one thing: Ah have marked ya. Death is coming for ya whether or not ya like it."