Smoothly, and I find Scarlet finally.

The rest of the session drags on, a blur of music and mistakes. Your background and experience let you not focus on Akiko the whole time she’s on stage, but you find it a little more difficult not to focus on Mikka and Zuprik. They look busy, but you occasionally catch them staring at Sachio and a few of the other less-mature dancers on stage.

Kenji’s blank expression is impossible to read. He’s as still as a statue and keeps to himself for the rest of the time inside. It’s not until all the dancers drift out that he speaks to you, but it’s only to say he’ll meet up again tomorrow morning.

Outside, the weather isn’t much better, but it isn’t any worse either. Your boots crunch on the snow, and your attention is reeled back to finding Scarlet, the girl who owes you a favor. You felt a little guilty for dragging her into this situation, but in the list of trusted names, she was only second to Kenji, not that there were very many people on that list to begin with.

You searched the hotel for a little bit, but when that came up empty-handed, you decided to try The Tree Tip, Deadwood’s dive, a rough echo of places like Tiny’s long left behind. You go there, the memories of Akiko teasing the backrooms of your mind as it shamelessly recalls the night before.

When you’re inside, you spot Scarlet at the counter drinking alone, nursing her wounds in isolation, and with ample drinks. There’s a bottle at the counter, and the glass she’s holding is already empty.

After sitting down, her dark blue eyes drift to yours slowly. She smirks and leans into the counter, her eyes fixing on yours. “There’s someone I haven’t seen in a while,” her tone is unslurred, which tells you one or two things. She handles her drink well, or isn’t that drunk at all.

“You owe me a favor,” you say, cutting right past the small talk.

Scarlet’s eyes narrowed with annoyance as her smirk vanished. After a moment, it returns, just more ****. “I forgot you’re the serious type. Couldn’t even help us leave Tiny’s without getting paid,” she scoffs and inhales through her nose. “Well, I suppose it’s better to work this favor out while we’re still together. What’s eating you?”

“Mind doing some watchdog jobs for me?” You ask.

“Watchdog job?” Scarlet snorts a little, the drink becoming visible for a moment. She tilts her head to one side and leans into the counter. “Who’s the dog?”

You lower your voice. “Mikka and Zuprik. Just a simple watch and tell, that’s all.”

“It’s never that simple when you’re working against other hired guns,” Scarlet says, sobering up in a blink. “What’s this about? Causing trouble?”

“Preventing it,” you say. “I think.”

Scarlet reflects for a moment, her eyes going to the glass as she sets it down on the scarred wood. Her blonde hair catches the bar’s dim lamps, making it look like worn steel. Her blue eyes stay hard as she looks back at you. “Preventing it,” she echoes the line like she’s tasting it for a lie.

“Mikka and Zuprik are dogs,” you swallow and lean in slightly, glancing at the room and the bartender, no one’s watching, but you still keep the conversation to a low volume as you start to spill. “I’ll spare you the finer details, Scarlet. No need to get you any more involved than this.”

“Well,” Scarlet sniffs and clears her throat. “You might as well tell me if we’re this far into it.”

You shake your head. Her brows bend. “Spill it.”

After another breath of hesitation, you exhale. It might not be so bad to tell Scarlet about Akiko and Sachio, the other dancers who might be involved. Your secret emerges, and you unravel everything for Scarlet to unpack and fester over.

Scarlet leans into the counter again, taking the straight from the bottle. “So, Kenji’s invested in this, too, huh?”

“Yeah,” you thought she was about to say more, but she doesn’t. Apparently, Kenji’s background is as blurry as everyone else’s. However, how she hung onto his name suggests she might know more than she’s letting on.

“Are you involved in this because of that other girl? Akiko?” Scarlet eyes, her lips, and her left eye twitch slightly as the aftertaste of her drink rides her taste buds.

Your poker face remains strong, but you wonder how obvious it’s been between you and Akiko. “I need someone who can watch over them, and you’re the best bet right now.”

Scarlet rolls her eyes. “I ended my contract with the RTE, so I have a lot of free time on my hands now.”

You didn’t need to ask why.

“I’ll keep an eye on them. I’ve been known to be nosy in my past,” Scarlet smirks at her comment, but doesn’t elaborate. “I won’t promise the results you want, but I can promise I’ll do what I can.”

Scarlet stares at the bottle—tempted, but not reaching. “I owe that much after you got me out of that hellhole. I’ll even lie if I get caught.”

“You probably don’t need to be told this, but keep all of this to yourself. The only other person who knows is Kenji.”

“Kenji,” Scarlet mutters, almost a laugh. Her eyes go soft, and then she blinks to make her gaze hard again. “I’ll start tonight, but let me have my time at Tree Tip, alright? I’ll sober up and start doing my end of the favor.”