Dayn grimaced at the gaudy statue of himself. Nearly four times his size, him posing with his hands on his hips and chest out, his face set in a stern scowl. Impossibly shiny. Impossible to ignore.

If only he’d known it would be this… tacky. He liked the role of hero he’d taken on himself. It felt right to do good for the people and the city. But all these added extravagant titbits… Well, it just didn’t feel just.

There were only a few people on the square. On a cloudy Tuesday afternoon, the biting Autumn-turning-into-Winter wind, Dayn himself had had some difficulties to convince himself to get some air. The darker seasons always got to him. No sun to draw strenght from, no warmth to lounge in, to feel content in the warm summer breeze. The damn statue just made his mood worse. It felt like a jab at his somber winter self for not living up to his own myth. Dayn, the Strong, Protector of Aggar.

“Well well well…”

Dayn’s shoulders tensed. He recognized the voice immediately, even though the last timehe heard it was over six months before,

“It looks even more terrible than I had imagined it would.”
“You don’t have to tell me twice,” Dayn mumblrd and turned to face Violet. She wore a hat, a scarf and sunglasses, but if you knew her, there was no way to mistake who stood next to him. ‘Knew her’ Dayn scoffed at himself. A conversation in an interrogation room six months ago.

“I thought you’d be out of town longer,” he said.

Violet chuckled. “For all the dirt in this city,”she lowered her glasses and looked at him pointedly. Dayn couldn’t supress the grin spreading over his face, “I do like it. It’s my home after all.” She reached in her bag and fished out a waterbottle. In her maroon knit sweater and leather gloves she looked perfectly comfortable in the cold. The word ‘giddy’ entered Dayn’s mind “I do have to say, I thought you’d be more morally indignant at seeing me.” She took a sip, “more ruthlessly pursuing.”

Dayn blinked. The thought of arresting her had entered his mind; but it had been half hearted and gone within a second. More a knee jerk reaction than his actual will. He blamed it on the damn cold. But other than that…. Dayn couldn’t help but feel some kind off kinship between them. He knew he wouldn’t be able to keep turning a blind eye, though. After all, she was still a thief.

“Consider it a welcome home present.” He half smiled, “That, andI’m not really dressed to pursue right now.”

Violet chuckled.
“We’ll meet again, hero. Now that we’ve crossed paths, I finally find you interesting.” She turned to leave.

“Wait…,” Dayn called and she looked up at him intently, “How did you do it?” No picked locks, no bribed guards… suddenly she’d just been gone from the courthouse.
Violet smirked.
“Figure it out.” And with that she walked off. Dayn didn’t look back to watch her go. For some reason, it felt like cheating.

Figure it out.
As if Dayn hadn’t tried.

Although,now that the challenge was issued personally, it definitely felt like his interest in the mystery had gotten a bit of a jumpstart once again.