What Crooks Love

Reddy, Set, Go

A café on the outskirts of Tokyo. A mysterious redhead with a certain obsession. A promise that's not for Lupin to make.

-----------------SUMMARY-----------------

Lupin could really use some coffee.

From the moment he set foot in Japan, he immediately went about locating the next woman, completely and utterly ignoring the jet lag, in hindsight a less than wise decision. But once the thief's mind was set on something, no amount of weariness could possibly get in his way.

His search had led him outside of a relatively quiet cafe on the outskirts of Tokyo. "Gunman Cafe" was what the bright red sign wrote. The woman was still obsessed alright. Tracking her down was the easy part. After all, Lupin had a plethora of informers stationed around the world, several dozen in Tokyo alone. Wasting no further time, he swung the door open and took a seat at one of the many vacant tables.

It was a warm and pleasant afternoon, the sun still shining but the temperature a lot cooler than it was when he arrived in the morning. The cafe itself seemed to draw heavy inspiration from old school Hollywood. The name of the bar was displayed once again above the counter, this time in a neon pink sign. The interior was decorated with several license plates and road signs, while there were also a few posters of classic 50s and 60s movies, the majority of which Lupin had in fact seen. He preferred not to dwell on them for too long however, as they reminded him of that damned red hairing of a poster. That was a royal waste of time. Bright red leather chairs were standing in front of the tables while a jukebox was playing some thematically appropriate tunes. 'Damm, this joint is like Tarantino's wet dream,' he thought.

What completed the scenery was the woman currently serving the customers, the owner and sole employee of the shop. She looked straight out of a Western movie with her sleeveless red dress that made her look like a waitress in a saloon, coupled with her long brown boots that matched her eyes. A pair of discrete red earrings were hanging from her ears while her short wavy black hair was messy and mostly uncared for. She hadn't changed a bit.

The woman soon lazily approached Lupin and asked for his order without sparing a glance at him. "Welcome to Gunman Cafe, may I take your order?" Lupin was under the impression that she was trying to fake a Southern accent, but he chose to ignore it.

It was showtime. "Well I'm still a bit dizzy from my flight so I think I'll go for a double Espresso. That's what Jigen always drank whenever he had jet lag. But you would know, wouldn't you?"

At the sound of a specific word from that sentence the woman dropped her pen and block note as her mouth went wide open. She stared at the man in front of her, instantly recognizing him.

"Long time no see Reddy! You look as gorgeous as ev-"

His sentence was cut short as her palm swiftly connected with his cheek, leaving behind a handprint almost as red as her dress, her gaze betraying borderline murderous intent.

"Well, well if it ain't Daisuke's so-called best friend! Only a man like him would keep you as a friend after what you did to him, you scheming sack of shit!"

Deciding that his plan would be futile if he were to be murdered by the very angry lady across him, Lupin ignored the pain of the slap and nervously went about explaining himself. "Reddy baby, let's relax! There's no need for all this hostility. You know I'd never deliberately hurt your sweetheart."

It seemed like Lupin had underestimated the situation, as her face was now starting to match the seats. Lupin realized he was suddenly sweating profusely.

"Never deliberately hurt him? You replaced his gun with a rock while he was in the middle of a shootout, disassembled it, spread the parts all around the area and then forced me to leave him behind you leach! Had he been a second slower he would have died you-"