Olde, a quiet little city near the popular tourist attraction known the world over as the Ancient Forest. Many people from across the continent, and even from other parts of the world, would visit each year in the hopes of finding an elusive mystery inside the home of the primordial wood.

In the town proper, however, people lived in a way that was no different than any other place in the world. Men, women, and demons woke up in the morning and went to work. Children went to school, and law enforcement made certain that everyone remained secure and played nice.

Of course, not all of the children of Olde would choose to play well with others. Reina snorted loudly then spoke in an imperious tone, "When we get there, act like you don't know me."

"Does anyone really ever know anyone else?" asked Scott, lightly.

Reina groaned loudly and started to walk at a faster pace in the hopes of leaving him behind. The entire situation was ridiculous from her point of view. Why would Grandpa bail on her school career day at the last minute? More to the point how was the criminal a good substitute?

 "You know, the whole 'Don't act like you know me' thing only works if you can actually pretend that you don't know me," said Scott. He moved swiftly to match her steps. "I'm coming to your career day as your attendee to discuss my career..."

"What career?" snapped Reina. "You're not even a trainer!"

"Currently, I'm a groundskeeper," said Scott. He offered her a sly grin that further infuriated the girl.

"Sweeping the walking path, and taking out the trash is not a career!" she said heatedly.

"How very elitist of you. Janitors the world over no doubt feel ten percent worse about themselves now that you've admitted it," countered Scott acerbically.

"You criminal!" she cried.

"Blue collar bigot," replied Scott without missing a beat. Today had already proven to be quite enjoyable. Not only was he given the chance to go into town, he could also mercilessly taunt Reina. It was nice to be alive, and sort of free. Either way, it beat the prison cell or taking out the trash.

Reina squawked a little at his come back, but did not get the chance to counter. As they neared her school, two young girls called out to her in the distance. After a brief glance toward Scott that promised death and dismemberment if he so much as spoke a word, she rushed off to meet her acquaintances.

The newcomers, a blond girl with pig tails who wore glasses, and a red headed girl with short cropped hair and freckles, immediately began chatting happily with Reina. They did occasionally look up at Scott while talking, however.

"No, he's not! He's just some homeless guy my Grandpa dragged home," said Reina irately.

"He's homeless?" asked the blond girl. She adjusted her glasses and gave Scott a better look. "Looks a little clean and well-fed to be homeless."

"He does the grounds keeping work around the shrine in exchange for food and a place to sleep," said Reina.

"Sometimes, when it's raining, she even lets me sleep on the porch," admitted Scott candidly.

"Whoa..." said the red headed girl, "She makes you sleep outside?"

"I do not!" cried Reina excitedly. "He obviously sleeps inside."

"Cuz he's your boyfriend?" asked the blond girl with a grin.

Scott nodded his head casually while offering a cheeky smile. Reina's left eye twitched spastically while her entire body tensed up. "This criminal is not my boyfriend!"

"She's right," said Scott.

Reina looked at him, an expression of slight relief on her face. Scott immediately offered her a sly grin, however, and she braced herself for what was obviously about to come.

He turned that smile on the girls and said, "I mean. I'm a boy. I'm her friend..."

He took a breath and sighed languidly before continuing, "Yes I do live with her, and she does cook for me daily..."

They started to giggle a little as Reina began to hyperventilate slightly. Scott, however, merely winked in an exaggerated manner and continued, "She even had me come represent her at an event meant for important family members, but we're totally not together."

Reina's acquaintances made slight snickering noises as she began to turn bright red. "You... Oh..."

"Aww, honey..." said Scott, before biting his lower lip in a strangely cute manner, "I've said too much... I know how emotional you get when we speak of our passionate love for each other."

Tears came to her eyes even as she narrowed them and growled out, "You just wait till I get you home..."

"Woo!" cried the blond girl. "Someone's gonna get it good, huh?"

"What?" asked Reina, puzzled by the girl's response.

"He better stay hydrated," agreed the red head.

Reina's face paled briefly then she started flailing her hands around rapidly while trying to get the attention of the other girls. "No! It's not... We're not... I'm not! No!"

"Didn't she say he was a criminal, though?" asked the red head to the blond.

"Yeah, guess she likes bad boys," replied the blond.

"I hate you so much," said Reina to Scott while shaking like a leaf in a windstorm.

"Baby, isn't it a little public to start that up?" asked Scott before acquiring a supposedly embarrassed expression.

"Oooh, baby, huh...." asked the blond girl.

Reina began to rapidly breathe in and out. Not long after, she marched over to Scott and gripped him by the shoulders. "Why? Just why?"

Scott looked down at her, a slightly confused expression evidencing his supposed thoughts. "Mistress? You don't have your whip, or high-heels, with you. How can you punish me properly?"

"Oh, wow! It's like that, huh?" asked the red head.

"No..." growled Reina. "This—" she said while making a noise of disgust, "—we're going home!"

She scowled hatefully at Scott for a moment before grabbing him by the arm and dragging him away a little. The blond girl called out, "You know the cameras already caught you as being here by now, right?"

Reina stopped walking then growled angrily at the injustice of it all. Briefly she gave Scott a stink-eye then dragged him in the opposite direction. He could have easily broken her grip, but at the moment he was having far too much fun and the events of the day promised to be entertaining.

What proved even more entertaining was the events that unfolded a moment later. As they entered the gates of Reina's high school, a familiar voice called out to Scott.

He turned to look for verification then grinned, "Hey, if it isn't Officer Blue."

The blue haired enforcer gazed at Scott coolly, "Are you staying out of trouble?"

"Will you arrest me if I don't?" he asked her casually.

"Yes," she said without hesitation. However, instead of further answering his question, she asked another one of her own. "Are you his chaperone?"

"Uh... I guess," said Reina, intimidated by the piercing gaze of the enforcer.

Officer Blue glanced back over to Scott. "You have behaved, recently..."

Scott smiled at her. "You know, if you want me to try your cookies again you don't have to make small talk. You can just offer me a few."

She snorted in a strangely professional manner. "Don't assume that I care for your opinion on such things. I simply had extra cookies, and you were a captive audience."

"Reina's boyfriend must really be a criminal if an enforcer is speaking to him..." said the blond girl thoughtfully.

Reina muttered, "He's not my boyfriend." Officer Blue glanced at Reina and the girl grew quiet and docile. One simply did not speak around an enforcer unless it was absolutely necessary.

The officer stared into Scott's eyes with a penetrating gaze. After a moment, Scott looked away a little but quickly recovered and acquired a sorrowful expression. "Well, that's disappointing. I liked your cookies..." said Scott, "Though, I never did get the milk that I wanted..."

Officer Blue gazed coolly at him once more, and Scott quickly took up the challenge. This time he was the one to offer a penetrating gaze. After a moment she looked away slightly and said, "I suppose I might have a few cookies that I could drop off at some point, but I would never offer milk to a convict..."

"What if I just picked it up on my own?" asked Scott.

"I would arrest you," she admittedly openly.

"Maybe I'd like that..." said Scott, a wry smile on his lips.

"You would go to jail for milk?" she asked with another professional snort.

"Maybe some things are worth the risk..." said Scott casually.

She locked eyes with Scott briefly. Various thoughts whirled inside her head. How dare he flirt with the law in such a manner? She should arrest him on the spot. There was bound to a good reason to put him in jail. He was a criminal after all.

A tense moment passed as the clearly forgotten girls each looked from Scott to the enforcer and back again. It was the most bizarre interaction any of them had seen between an enforcer and a citizen. Eventually, both Scott and Officer Blue simultaneously looked away from each other slightly. The strange staring contest was a tie in that moment.

The officer, realizing the strangeness of the moment spoke up before anyone could reply. "Are you girls not students at this school? You should go inside immediately, or be deemed tardy."

"Crap, she's right!" cried the red head.

Officer Blue watched as Scott and the girls went inside the building. Not long after, she looked down at her chest. She wore body armor that hid her feminine architecture to some degree, but he had seen her in a standard uniform quite often during his incarceration. "I should keep an eye on that convict. He might try something..."