What Crooks Love

For Your Eyes Only

An introspective bartender, a desperate beauty, and a question that has no answer.

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She emerged from the rain and the fog, an angelic presence dressed in pink, her divine beauty heavily contrasting the filth all around as she gracefully made her way towards the counter.

The alluring sound of her heels clicking against the marble tiles alerted the bartender to her arrival, a sound he had learned to recognize from miles away, her step pattern forever embedded within his very conscience. Though his back was turned, the barman was able to make out her reflection in the glass he was thoroughly cleaning. Her long hair was slightly wet due to the rain but maintained its shape. Her trench coat evoked strong memories of old and her pretty pink dress made her stand out like a sore thumb amongst the mob of drunkards desperate to drown their sorrows in the sweet comfort of cheap liquor.

Her elegance removed the trench coat before taking a seat on one of the many empty bar stools, her pair of brown orbs staring a hole into the man's back. She was about to speak when some man whose breath reeked of alcohol placed his thick arm around her neck.

"Hey gorgeous! What's a nice gal like you doin' in a shithole like this? What do you say you and I go som- YOUCH!"

Without as much as bothering to glance at the hopeless drunk trying to seduce her, the woman pinched his hand, forcing him to pull it away from her body with a loud cry. The woman's voice was confident and assertive, the man's much larger size failing to intimidate her in the slightest. "Get lost creep."

After the pain partially subsided, the man made his intentions transparent as he grabbed the woman's arm, his face betraying he was enraged. "That's no way to treat a man bitch! Maybe I oughta teach you some manners!"

Before the drunk had time to harass the brunette, a cocktail glass was launched at his face, breaking into pieces upon hitting his large forehead and sending the intoxicated man crashing on the floor where he would lay for the remainder of the night.

The bartender shook his head disapprovingly, turning around to face the woman and offering her a bright smile. "Tsktsktsk, what a brute! But then again, you sure have a knack for attracting bad apples, don't you Fujicakes?"

Fujiko did not seem amused, squinting her eyes and crossing her arms as she scanned the bartender from top to bottom. "That's rich coming from you, don't you think?"

Lupin let out a barely audible laugh before turning his back on Fujiko once more, this time reaching for some green bottle from the bar. "You know thieves, hypocrisy is second nature to us! You look stunning by the way, though I'm sure you already know that."

"You don't. That bowtie makes you look like a geek."

Lupin put on a faux sad voice, adjusting his bowtie as he placed the bottle on the counter. "And here I thought I was onto something... you know I've always been a tie guy, but a dress code is a dress code."

Fujiko refused to play Lupin's game, her gaze downcast as she allowed the uncomfortable silence that had filled the air to settle, a silence louder than the soft jazz playing in the background and the drunken murmurs of those around them. Lupin filled a rocks glass with ice before pouring a generous amount of the green liquid in, before grabbing a second bottle. "That green ring any bells?"

Fujiko sighed heavily, resting her cheek on the palm of her hand. "Yes, Lupin. Trust me, I know my cocktails better than you."

Lupin immediately grabbed the opportunity to tease Fujiko, grinning as he poured a small amount of the cheap Malibu at his disposal into the glass. "You always have been a master of all things cock related!"