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[After they finish negotiations and everything is signed Cifera puts her copy of the contract into her bag.]

Well then Mr Moriarty I feel like celebrating our well negotiated contract. Do you drink? Because there is this dive bar I have been curious about and hitting the town with my new lawyer sounds hilarious. Plus I don’t know why but you really remind me of a friend of mine that I went to college with.

Hm, that's a good question, actually.

[ Does he drink? It's not as if he really had the opportunity to indulge while in Purgatory or Hell, considering... well, you know. He wasn't exactly summoned there to throw a party.

Funny how little personal details like this can slip through the cracks, when one isn't human. After a few moments of deep contemplation, however, he brightens. ]

Well, I certainly don't want to disappoint my client's wishes.

If that means going out for a drink, then go out for a drink we shall!

[ He tilts his head to one side slightly, inevitably curious when she compares him to someone she knew from college. ]

Oho? And what was this friend of yours like?

[ Smart? Talented? Successful? Handsome? ]

[Cifera chuckles a bit.]

Well my friend is, and was, a bit of a trickster and for lack of a better term jester. Though he definitely seems to have leaned into it more since college. You have the same mirthful vibes.

[She was trying to find the right words to convey that she means this as a compliment. But it turns out it can definitely be tricky trying to say someone reminds you of Sampo in a positive way.]

Him and I used to get into so much trouble back then. Honestly will probably start getting into trouble again.

[She throws an arm around Moriarty and starts walking with him through the door.]

Now then Mr Lawyer lets go see how you hold your liquor.

Jester???

[ Not the most... flattering of descriptions, and certainly not how Moriarty would prefer to come across. He'd thought for sure he was giving off more of a "youthful genius with a silver tongue" kind of vibe, or at least that's what he was going for.

The unexpected reality check briefly flummoxes him, meaning it's all too easy for Cifera to hook her arm around his shoulders and sweep him out the door. ]

Well—um. Of course I'll have your back, should any trouble arise.

Legally speaking.

[Cifera cackles as she leads him down the street]

I definitely appreciate the thought, though if me and Pierrot get in trouble that neither of us can talk our way out of I will be surprised. Actually I would be surprised if you don't also run into him at some point. If you caught my attention you definitely caught Sampo's.

[She stops them outside the door of an absolutely seedy looking corner pub.]

Now lets see what kind of trouble we can get into Lawyer-Man.

[ Wait, Sampo? That's who she was talking about?

Well, it's no insult to be compared to that charming fellow, so his brief concern over his self-image immediately evaporates. Ego Singularity: Foundation Restored. ]

Certainly. Allow me to get the door for you, my dear client.

[ The gentlemanly flourish is undeniably overkill for a seedy establishment like this, but he performs with ritual with a playful self-awareness—as if inviting her, the audience, in on the joke. ]

[Cifera gives him a bow and heads inside. She finds a corner booth with a nice view of the bar and sits down, leaving room for Moriarty. She gestures for the waitress and orders a double whiskey neat.]

So Mory you will find that venues like this are the best for finding, and spreading information. Now for a drink are you more of a sweet or bitter person.

[ Moriarty follows her lead, allowing her to choose where they'll sit for the duration of their visit. When she settles on a corner booth near the back of the bar, he slides into the seat across from her. He prefers facing his companion, even if that may necessitate leaning in across the table later, should they need to converse quietly. ]

Oho? I'll keep that in mind.

[ He's amused, frankly, to be the one receiving guidance on this sort of thing. Even though this version of Moriarty has no personal experience running a criminal empire (yet?), his future self excelled at gathering and spreading information. It's a skill that comes to him rather naturally, so although this particular Moriarty might still be green, her advice strikes him as rather obvious. ]

Hmm... I'll go sweet. Life's bitter enough already, don't you think?

[ OKAY NOW HE'S JUST TRYING TO SOUND COOL, CAN YOU BE ANY MORE CRINGE YOU INFANT CRIME LORD ]

[Cifera almost chokes on her drink. She clears her throat before ordering a daiquiri for Moriarty.]

So Mory what ended up bringing you to Kaisou. I know the only reason I am in this delightful town of ours is because I decided to try and prove myself. Which I would like to think is going pretty well. So I am curious what caused a scrappy young lawyer to move here.

[ He has no objections, mostly because he has no idea what a daiquiri is. ]

Funny thing, that. The truth is: I have absolutely no idea.

I've been told I'm far from the only case of this sort of thing happening in Kaisou, but I was called here from another world.

Directly, I mean.

[She stops mid sip at this revelation.]

Ya know other worlds existing is new information to me but also not surprising after everything I have experienced in just the time since I moved here. After getting kidnapped by a cosmic turkey nothing surprises me anymore. Also I didn’t used to have these adorable ears and charming tail until I moved here.

Oh, sorry. Based on how the oddities of this city were explained to me, I assumed all of this must be common knowledge by this point.

[ A pause. ]

Cosmic turkey?

[Cifera slams her drink with an exhausted sigh before explaining]

Yeah basically one of the first things that happened to me after getting exposed to the weirdest of this city is getting kidnapped by Tom Turkey. A spirit of thanksgiving I think. We were basically forced to participate in thanksgiving “traditions”. Including one where a secret of ours gets announced over dinner.

[ Moriarty will be sipping his daiquiri while she explains. ]

That sounds dreadful, frankly.

Secrets are secret for a reason. I'd hate to have one of mine outed like that.

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Action; sometime in early December

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