Your Warmth

A Racoon and an Old Friend

"Irene! It's been too long! Look at you!" Poe and I met up at a nearby cafe. I insisted that the others leave us alone, but Fyodor doesn't trust anyone alone with me except for Nikolai and Sigma, and that's a massive stretch. So, Fyodor is currently sitting across the street at a park, and Nikolai and Sigma are out sightseeing. Nikolai really wanted to watch as well, but Fyodor said it would look more suspicious, especially since he refused to wear normal clothes. I feel bad for Sigma though, he has a hard time hanging out with Nikolai for long periods of time.

"Yeah, it's been a long time. It's good to see you again," I smile, "And uh... you do know there's a racoon on your shoulder, right?"

"Oh yes! This is Karl! He's my best friend!" Poe always loved animals. I honestly should've known he would've had some weird animal as a pet.

"Well he's very cute. Is he friendly?" I ask as we sit down. I made sure we got an outdoor seat. Well, Fyodor did.

"Oh he's very friendly! He's very naughty though. He loves getting into trash. He also has a bad habit of biting me..." Karl crawls over to me. He makes his way onto my lap and lays there. I have no clue how he managed to tame a racoon, and frankly I'm too scared to ask.

"Well, how have things been for you? I heard that you were part of an American gifted organization."

"Oh? The Guild, yes. I was their architect and a sniper. I haven't had any contact with the members since we disbanded, though" he starts, "What about you! I have no idea what you do."

"Oh, well, I worked with some government business for a bit."

"That must be why you knew about the Guild! Ah, well, I suppose since it's government related I shouldn't ask too much." he quiets down. He's still as expressive as I remember him, "ah, what about your parents?"

Crap. Why did he have to ask about them? Although this could be a good lead-in to ask him about The Book. "They died several years ago. Someone broke into our house and murdered them. Luckily, I was able to escape."

"I'm so sorry to hear that. I know that you didn't necessarily get along well with them, but I can still imagine that was difficult for you." his excitement fades.

"They were still my parents," I look down. Karl is resting peacefully on my lap. I start to gently pet him, "and so, the police came, I was taken in, and eventually got my way into a government position."

"I'll be honest I'd never have guessed that's the job you would go for." he smiles slightly, "You're rather creative. Honestly, I'd kind of hoped that you would be an author, and we could've shared ideas." He bashfully looks to the side.

"Me? An author? I guess I never thought about that. Ah, but then it sounds like you still write?"

"Of course I do!" He perks back up, "in fact, I have a buddy who I write mystery novels for all the time! He's the world's greatest detective. No matter how well I write them, he solves them almost instantly!"

"Is that so? Well, he really does sound like an amazing detective." I smile. I'm glad that he managed to have a friend. He seemed rather shy (well, he still does) when we were younger.

"Yep! His name is Edagawa Ranpo. He's with the Armed Detective Agency in Yokohama!" He has a connection to the Detective Agency?

"Oh? Is that so?" This isn't something I expected. It's certainly a useful piece of information. Though, it is rather bizarre that a member of the guild managed to become welcome with the Detective Agency.

"Yes! He's quite incredible." he seems to admire Ranpo quite a bit. However, I'm glad that he has a friend. I was worried.

"Say, sorry to switch topics so suddenly, but remember the Book?" I shift a bit. He certainly knows as well as I do what that book actually is now.