What? This has gone too far.

"Mirah, you can't be serious. I can't just walk into the Hero's Association."

"I could get you a visitor's pass. Then you'll come with me inside and we can-"

"No," interrupted Dray.

"Hm?'

"No, I'm not gonna intentionally walk into the lion's den."

"I'm not giving you a choice, Dray-"

"Well, I can always just run. Hell, do you realize where you are right now? I could've brought you anywhere I wanted and you wouldn't bat an eye with how reckless you're being. The only reason we even got this far is because I want to help. How can you guarantee that the information we're looking for is in the district building anyway?"

Amirah seemed taken aback by Dray's words. He could almost see the cogs working in her mind as she thought about Dray's declaration.

"I...I can't. But, I can't just leave you alone either."

"So what, you're going to keep me hostage? Make a choice already. Do you want to arrest me or not? Either way, Skelter is still out there and might not even be the guy you're looking for," pushed Dray. He was unsure of what Amirah was thinking at this point. Her method of doing things is too straightforward. She seemed too deep in the act. After her stunt with Lilian, he wasn't sure if Amirah was really acting in the right mind. What he definitely knew was that he couldn't continue on like this. His team needed to know his status at the very least.

"What will it be Mirah?" further interrogated Dray.

"Dray..."

"I've given you a lot as it is," Dray said, taking a step back.

"I know. Is that it then? Will you just go?"

Dray stopped and thought. Did he want to run? He saved Amirah for a reason, of course, he didn't want his wife to die in front of him. But was he hopeful enough to wish for more? Considering how lenient he's being, the answer came to him quite easily.

"I...I don't want to do that. But that's not really up to me, isn't it?"

Dray knew from when they first started dating that Amirah was in a disadvantageous position. To suddenly find out that their partner is a wanted criminal would do a number on anyone. Let alone a professional hero. But Dray always told himself that he was different. He was just a thief. His business could be easily hidden away and forgotten. Then, when the time came for him to really enact his plan, to get the revenge he desired in the way he wanted to, they would just disappear. He had the money, the connections, the resources. He and his partner could just take whatever they needed and bounced. Wiped their slates clean. But now, he hit a significant road stop. Not only was his partner a hero, but one who apparently hated his guts. Whether because of the crimes he committed or his constant evasion of her he couldn't really tell anymore.

"Dray, look...I'm taking a risk now. No, it would be more right to say I was always at risk. But look I'm just..." Amirah looked away with clenched fists.

I recognize this side of Mirah at least. She's frustrated about the whole thing. I...I could use this.

Dray shook away the hesitation he felt at trying to sway his wife a certain way after mostly going along with her during their relationship. He had to make a move now before the whole exchange got rough. Dray slowly approached Amirah and gently grabbed one of her hands. She relaxed them and opened her fists as Dray slid his hand over one of hers. She didn't pull away nor did she grip back either. The uncertainty was perfect but Dray felt a tinge of sadness that she didn't reciprocate after doing so many times before.

"There's...this coffee shop nearby. It's a well-put-together place with a lot of rep. Perfect for people that are...uh...new to the business. Nobody causes trouble there. Let's just sit down...and talk."

Dray gulped, waiting with bated breath for a reaction. After a while, Amirah sighed.

"Alright. Lead me there I guess," said Amirah, evidently still a bit unsure about the matter. Dray beamed up at her, making it as obvious as he could through his cloth mask.

"Don't worry. This place won't disappoint." He then slowly tugged Amirah as he led them towards the said coffee shop. At some point during this journey, Amirah made an attempt to reciprocate the hold Dray had on her but stopped just shy as they reached their destination too soon. From the outside, the coffee shop looked like quite the modern one. It was painted bright white and brown with bright lighting all around. A sign with big white letters that spelled out "GoSip" was on the outside, slightly askew. It had the overall aesthetic of a modern coffee shop with posters of past events and awards earned by the place dotting the walls inside. However, there didn't seem to be any tables or chairs within the establishment. Only two red curtains with a man dressed in a tuxedo in a booth next to them. A calm and well-equipped kitchen was in full view as the employees slowly prepared various different types of coffee to perfection. Dray peeked back at Amirah and noticed her observing the place, her shoulders losing tension with each passing moment.

Dray opened the door and stepped inside. He walked up to the man in the booth while using his free hand to pull out a card from his back pocket. It was a simple plastic card with the 'GoSip' logo on it. The man nodded. Dray raised up two fingers. The man nodded yet again, this time parting the curtains.

"Please head into room 5, sir. A server will come to you shortly."

"Of course. Thank you." Dray shoved the card into his back pocket and looked back at Amirah. She stared back at him in mild confusion a bit of the tension coming back to her. Going to another secret area is still a bit difficult huh? I understand. Dray slowly nodded before gently leading the way, trying not to make Amirah any more suspicious. They headed past the curtains and found themselves in a long corridor that was lined with doors that opened to individual cubicles. However, since the doors had no sort of window or opening, it could be quite distressing to someone coming in for the first time.

They eventually reached their room as indicated by a brown door with the number 5 etched on the outside. They stepped inside as Amirah took it in. The room was small and decorated with two small couches on either side with a long table in between. There was a nice Persian rug on the ground and good ventilation with the room constantly being air-conditioned. A nice flower pot at the center of the table containing lavender accentuated the cozy atmosphere.

"So this is the room. Please take a seat." Dray quickly relaxed on one of the couches while Amirah slowly sat opposite Dray. She was still nervously looking around the place, checking corners and the ceiling. Dray picked up the only menu left on the table and read through the drinks available.

"You usually just take a latte right Mirah?"

"Dra- Should you be using our real names?" Amirah asked in a distressed whisper.

"Oh, no need to worry. The place here has no cameras and no surveillance. Any information learned accidentally by the staff will lead to compensation on our end. They wouldn't want any bad reviews of course. But...if that troubles you, I can use a different name."

"Uhm...no just...just call me...how you usually do."

A knock came on the door. Amirah's head snapped to the door, the fierce eyes of Talon transitioning to her face. No...this is still Mirah. Those are Mirah's eyes. Get that through your skull, Dray. Dray hurriedly raised his hands up.

"W-wait, Mirah. That's just the server. Relax. I'll open the door." Amirah looked back at Dray before cautiously settling back into her seat. Dray slowly stood up, softening his look while keeping her eyes on Amirah. He opened the door and spoke his order to the server.

"One uhm...'Carrier Pigeon' and one plain latte," ordered Dray in a softer voice.

The server nodded dutifully before slipping away. Dray closed the door and returned his distressed guest.

" 'Carrier pigeon' ?"

"They have weird names for things here. Don't worry, it's not actually a carrier pigeon," clarified Dray with a soft laugh.

"Right..."

A few silent moments passed before Dray clears his throat and removes his cloth mask. "So...can I start?" Amirah looked back up to Dray. She removed her own mask and took a deep breath, nodding her head. Dray leaned forward.

"Okay...I think we're going about things too quickly. The person we're up against is....big. Someone that's quite feared even among all the villains. He contacted me before and never had I felt so powerless. He is not someone we should take lightly. We need to slow down and get our bearings. Combine our expertise."

"...What could you need from me? We're basically in two different worlds here."

"Look, there's info that you know that I don't while there's info that I have access to that you don't. As much as I am very up-to-date with current affairs, you have more history you can look into. What with the Hero Association being so thorough and everything? And besides, as much as I try, your raw power is unmatched. I can't get rid of this on my own and neither can you but if we work together with all my resources and yours-"

Amirah leaned back on her couch, crossing her arms. "What do you stand to gain from this Dray? Just trying to expand your empire?" she spat out.

"Hey, I could say the same for you. People die all the time. Crimes like this happen all the time. What's with the violence? The carelessness? As I said, I could've brought you anywhere and fed you with anything and you would probably still just go with it. What is this, just you trying to rise the ranks? Trying to be the best or some other nonsense? What exactly is the matter-"

Amirah leaned back forward, sapping a hand on the desk. "What's the matter? Dray, 6 people died. I can't just ignore that."

"I get it, but don't you have a lot on your plate as it is? Why this? Please Mirah just...I don't like seeing you like this. Please just, tell me. Why?"

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

"Why? Dray...when...I found out about your identity when we moved, I was...shocked. I didn't know what to do. I thought...I thought I could ignore it. You're a thief but it's not...inexcusable. I could still try to get you to stop. I could bring it down on you nicely. Maybe just ease into it. Hell, maybe I could help you even, you are my husband after all. But then 5 people died, Dray."

Amirah leaned back but kept her eyes glued to the ground. Dray tried his best to keep his composure.

"And I...I thought you were responsible. Or at the very least, you were involved. I...guess I'm just frustrated okay? I desperately wanted it to be your fault because if it wasn't...those deaths are on me. Because in my selfishness...I still wanted you with me. I want to make up for that. To right this wrong and get back at Omnipresence or Skelter or whoever this is but..."

Amirah's eyes met Dray's. Dray took a deep breath before formulating his response.

"Well, I said what I said. You need to slow down. We're going at this too headstrong. We need to take a step back and properly analyze the leads that we have. For that...I suggest we continue working together. I'm...sure we can come to some sort of agreement."

"Agreement...okay. Can I start this one?"

"Go ahead."

"I want you to stop stealing. Stop going around and shocking people half to death before stealing whatever you so choose."

Dray sucked in air through his teeth. Here we go...

"I can't do that."

"Why not?"

"I can't run a villain organization that is built on stealing without stealing! That- how am I supposed to pay my employees?"

"How do you know your employees will even continue to work with you? What if they just take your money and bail?" Amirah fired out.

"Hey, I am the only stable source of income a lot of these crooks I hire. My money buys their loyalty. As long as I have money, I can have them do whatever I want. Not like they know who I am or anything. They can't give anything to the Hero Association as you've probably found out before." Dray fired back. "And besides, how am I supposed to help you find this guy without money? I need money to pay grunts, my generals, my R&D department and not to mention my info brokers. Lilian will be asking for a lot more by the way."

Amirah groaned and ran her fingers through her already messy wig.

"Well- just- steal from a really rich guy I guess. Steal from big shadow companies or those tax evasion people. And don't put others' jobs at risk. Do you know how many people you got fired from their job because of you?"

Dray raised her hands up in surrender. "Okay, I admit that that is my fault. However, those heists are way more difficult. I need to consider my gains and losses here. I need to expand, Mirah. I need to be better at this so I can do more."

"Do what, Dray? It always seemed like that with Technus. You want to do more but what is it?"

Dray gulped. Should I tell her? It would be...just a bit too soon.

"I...you know. Maybe get my own island one day."

"Huh?"

"Yeah. My own island. Live the rest of my life in comfort."

Amirah's doubt was so visible through her eyebrows that Dray was worried her skull would cave in.

"...Right. So...you always...planned to run away?"

"..Yes. But I always planned to take you with me."

Amirah let out a soft, sad laugh.

"...You know I can't do that Dray. As much as I would've liked the idea."

"...I know."

The room fell silent after that. Only the vibrations of the air-conditioning hummed in the air between them. Dray spoke up before the silence between them felt even more painful.

"Look...I'll compromise like this. Fine. I won't just steal in abundance anymore. I'll...only steal from some shady corporations with too much money on their hands anyway. I'll make sure to do these heists more methodically so as to not implicate anyone. I won't kill anyone. I won't take so much money that a company goes bankrupt and now several jobs are lost. Is that..good?"

"You have to tell me when you do these heists."

"...and I'll tell you when I do these heists, provided you don't try and stop me."

Amirah clicked her tongue before slowly nodding her head.

"I'm not done though. I have some stipulations for you too," Dray announced.

Amirah raised an eyebrow.

"You are not allowed to interfere in my plans as long as I follow your guidelines for them. When I tell you about these heists, you have to tell me the heroes that are on patrol so that I can avoid them. And...you have to wake me up and tell me when you're leaving for patrol."

"...is the last part necessary?"

"I've wanted you to do that since you were 'jogging' so I thought I might as well say it here. That brings me to my next...difficult question. Mirah...are we...what are we right now? I mean, you were willing to ignore it before right? Can't you just-"

Amirah shook her head. "I admit...as Technus, I never really quite knew about the things you were up to. I could only hear from word of mouth and the occasional times you surfaced. I...I'm just not sure. Especially since we're involved in something, much bigger than anything before. I'm...I'm going to take a page out of your book. Let's take it slow. It's still not too late to stop all this stealing nonsense, y'know?"

Dray sighed, unable to look into Amirah's hopeful eyes.

"Maybe one day." Dray closed his eyes and took another deep breath before holding out his hand. "Well, after all that, do we have a deal?"

Amirah looked over at Dray's bruised and bandaged hand and gently grabbed it.

"Deal."

Before Dray could pull his hand away, Amirah pulled out her other hand and cupped Dray's hand. Dray looked up to Amirah who was still staring at his hand with a surprisingly timid face. Much to his surprise, she suddenly brought his hand up and gently kissed the back of it.

"I'm sorry, Dray. You saved me before this and I...I just got too lost in my own head. I'm sorry." Amirah raised his hand up and kissed it again, this time holding it for a longer period of time. Dray felt conflicted. As much as he felt elated that this was even happening, it felt different. It felt so much more distant than usual. It just felt so...sad. With his free hand, Dray slowly reached forward and rested a palm on Amirah's cheek. She was slightly taller than him so these types of affectionate gestures were much easier for her. But when he needed to, Dray was always there to try. Amirah nuzzled into his hand, her face still showing one of anguish. They stared at each other, their heads filled with uncertainty for the future.

It was at that point that another knock came at the door.

The two of them quickly separated, the shock and embarrassment from, at least thinking, that their moment got exposed sending a bright blush to both their faces. It was more obvious for Amirah though. She cleared her throat loudly.

"It's the coffee. You should probably get that," she suggested.

"Ah...yeah." Dray composed himself before answering the door. He accepted the tray and placed it on the table. On one side was a plain latte in a simple black mug. On the other, it was a tall mug with a chocolatey liquid inside and an unusually large saucer cup. The design on the mug had wings on its side.

"That's...the 'Carrier Pigeon'?"

"Yeap. It's like, hot chocolate, basically. It's just, much sweeter than usual." Dray offered the cup to Amirah but she shook her head. He took a sip from the mug before moving the cup and saucer closer to the edge of the table for easier access. Amirah didn't bat an eye to this action of course. Why would she? Dray slowly inched the saucer closer and close to the edge before he could feel the prize underneath it. A small burner phone. He slowly untaped it from the bottom and slipped it into the sleeve of his hoodie. After a few comfortable moments of the two of them drinking their respective drinks, Dray stood up.

"I need to head to the toilet real quick. Don't worry, I'll be back." Amirah eyed him suspiciously. "Okay look, my phone, work phone, and wallet," stated Dray, placing said items on the table. Amirah eventually relented, giving him the go-ahead. Dray walked out of the room and quickly went to pass the red curtains again, showing the burner phone to the man at the front. The man smiled and nodded, directing him to an empty cubicle which Dray quickly went into. He turned the phone on and called Emi.

"Technus, I am inclined to believe this is you?" the irritated voice spoke on the other end.

"Yes, Emi, it's me."

"Where have you been? It's almost-"

"Yes, yes, it's been a few days, whatever. Look, I just need to check in. How is the organization doing?"

"Oh? Your little business is doing fine if not a little shaken up by the mass murderer you angered. Seriously, what were you thinking Dray? Blood Witch is unconscious again but luckily Fillian returned back quickly with her in tow. He told me you wanted to save Talon. And she got the weapon apparently."

"Would you rather I dealt with that guy proper? You know how it ends for people who get too involved."

"Okay, fine. Then please explain this massive expense from Lilian that just came in. Oh and a little comment from her that stated 'Technus should get a haircut'? Where are you now by the way?"

"Uh...GoSip."

"Ah great! Another gigantic expense. You better have some sort of explanation for this."

"I do, okay. Trust me, I do but just not now. Not tonight at least. In the meantime, I need you to tell Maxie to do something."

"Oh great, another big expense-"

"Just- Tell Maxie to look around for anything to do with Skelter. Okay? Anything. Tell him to run at any sight of trouble or if his contacts take even a second too long to get back to him."

"Haah...going after Skelter now huh...fine. You owe me an explanation and a whole lot more after this." And with that Dray ended the call. He snapped the phone in half and hid it underneath the table for the servers to clean up later. Dray quickly started his dash back to Amirah.

I hope she's not too suspicious.

~~~

Amirah stared into her mug as she waited for Dray to return. Dray's words that night reverberated in her mind.

He's right. I don't what came over me. I can't believe I used my own husband like some tool. I need to stop doing this. Stop rushing into things all reckless. It worked so many times before but now...I've bitten off more than I could chew. I need to be better than this.

She gripped her mug tighter as her incompetence started to feel like a much heavier weight than usual.

...I hope Dray accepted my apology at least.

A light flush came to her cheeks as she thought about her actions. It's been a few days since they've touched each other, what with her life suddenly being turned completely upside down. She felt like she did what she needed to do but...it still felt off. It didn't feel like she was touching the Dray she knew, even if his body was the same. When Dray touched her cheek it certainly felt like the same hand but a completely different warmth. One that she had to get used to. One that she wanted to get used to. She wanted the old Dray back. The sweet, dorky, and shy Dray she fell in love with.

But...hope's not lost. That Dray is still here. I just...I suppose who I need to try and love is not Dray, but Technus. If things go well, maybe I could draw him back. Stop him from doing all this.

Maybe I could actually get him a real job.

Amirah chuckled at the thought of the almighty and powerful Technus working a 9 to 5

Yeah...maybe I can do that. But first, Omnipresence.

Dray came bursting through the door, beads of sweat on his forehead.

"Uh...Dray? Are you feeling alright?"

"Uh...k-kinda, the sweetness just...got to me a little."

"O...kay..."

"Well, I think we're done here. Shall...shall we go home?"

Amirah stared into Dray's eyes. The agitation of the past few days had not completely dissipated. It's hard to completely trust someone who is not only a criminal but has lied to you about it for several years. But somehow, whether out of naivety or just her love for her husband, she felt compelled to try. Maybe Dray would forgive her own lies too.

"Sure. Let's go home."