Work Text:
Asugi was glad that he was given access to this bakery's oven. He knew a few tricks on how to light a flame, so as long as he cleaned up after himself, he had free reign to make whatever he wanted. He even had some money to hand over to them if he used their bread for his cake.
Humming to himself, he looked inside of the oven. The cake was rising beautifully, and it looked to be almost done. He wandered over to his frosting, mixing it up a little more to make sure it didn't congeal together. He adjusted how it sat on the countertop, moving on to the washing station. He dipped his hands in, getting the flakes off.
There were still some flakes on the table. Meh, that was probably from the bakery's normal hours.
He turned around at the sound of the door opening. He had his mouth open to greet who he had assumed was the female owner of the shop he had gotten permission from, only to pause in his tracks at what he saw instead.
He saw a girl. She had dark skin and long pink hair tied up into pigtails. She was dressed light, almost like she was ready to bolt at any moment. She had a serious look on her face.
She opened her mouth.
"Can it wait for a moment? My cake's almost done." Asugi interrupted.
The girl groaned, but she did shut the door completely and lean on the doorframe. She crossed her arms. With the space given, Asugi wandered back over to his baking cake. With a few motions, it was placed onto the center table. He wandered over to his frosting bowl, lifting it up and bringing it over to his cake.
The girl sighed.
"Sorry, you came to me with business on a day where I'm making cake!" Asugi started to slowly pour the frosting over the cake, not even caring that it would go onto the countertop. "Almost done, though."
"... Guess I shoulda expected that." The girl finally spoke. "Whatever."
After Asugi finally had poured enough of his frosting, he tossed the bowl to the side. It clattered loudly in the sink. He wandered over to come face to face with the girl again. "Alright, I'm listening. I know you're not here for the cake."
The girl gave the cake a stare that Asugi could almost mistake for wanting. But she shook her head, pigtails flying, and focused back on him. "I heard about the ninja of Nohr. One of my bandmates reccomended you when it came to scouting— They said you come here often."
Asugi frowned. "How did they know? I don't usually go around wearing stuff like my ninja self."
"You saved them once." A slight smile. "A purple-haired ninja who mysteriously showed up and severed the ties to a despicable man they had been under... They knew it was you."
He wasn't sure whether to be proud of himself or not. "Uh... that's good, I think." Asugi leaned back onto the table, looking at the girl. "What's in it for me?"
"A cut of the rewards." She smiled, eyes shining. "I'm not here just to steal and keep. No, I'm after something much greater— spreading around what the nobility has done to people like my group. What the truly corrupt have done." She curled up her hands, and Asugi swore he heard the sound of ice cracking. "So, what you'll get is a cut of what we steal. Help keep us alive."
"Sounds optimistic." Asugi narrowed his eyes. The weight of his cards in his chest pocket felt heavy in that moment. But he promised to trust his own instincts. "What makes you so sure you'll be able to do this? I've heard tales, you know. Of people trying the same thing and getting caught. What makes someone like you able to pull it off better?"
"That's where you come in." She huffed. "Take preparations. Know the path in and out. Strike before they even know what happened. Sounds easy enough, right?"
"Sounds risky for me. But at least you're honest." Asugi hummed. "How will you know who to strike? Not every noble is responsible for the choking of people in Nohr."
To his surprise, she nodded. "I know." A smile. "I have my methods of determining things. You're a scout on a field. I have some... information." The thief girl tilted her head. "Sounds like a good partnership, no?"
That information was only something he would know after he agreed, wouldn't it? If she wanted to tell him, she would tell him closer to the time of the job. "What's your name? I want to know the name of my employer before risking myself on a limb like this."
She held a hand out. "Nina. 'Tis a pleasure to work with you."
Asugi held his hand out, grisping it in hers. "Asugi."
To his shock, the moment he made contact he felt like his hand was frozen. He jumped back at the sudden spike of cold. "WHOA! What was that?!"
Nina laughed. "I just run cold. I'll see you tomorrow night, at the countryside lake. Bring a slice of cake if you can."
With that, she turned around and left. Asugi watched her as she went. He glanced back at his cake, then down to his hand. Some ice crystals had formed where the two had made contact.
... Huh. There was something up here. He wandered over to his cake, brushing off some of the frosting from the countertop. As he took a slice of the cake to shove into his face, he thought. There was something to that, he knew it. He just didn't have enough time before the meeting time to check his hunches properly.
Guess he'd have to keep an ear out... There were only so many places for a new thief to hide.