"Please, take it. It's the least we can do!" The man insisted. The woman beside him on his arm nodded emphatically.

"You haven't realized how much you've helped us!" She added. "We are forever in your debt."

"Ah um, I really didn't do much-" Raven started.

"Please!" The man shoved the heavy purse into her arms. He smiled warmly at Raven. "We already have everything we could ever want." He looked back at the woman beside him. "Ready?"

She nodded, tears in her eyes. "Yes, let's go."

Raven sighed again for the hundredth time. She poked the velvet purse with her finger and leaned her head against partition. What was she supposed to do with this? She didn't need money nor did she want money.

There was a soft knock on the partition in front of her and she flinched. There was a pause. "Hey, you okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine." Raven said quickly.

There was another pause. "Okay." He said slowly. "Sorry."

Raven glanced at the front partition of the desk and cleared her throat. "No, I'm sorry. I'll- just leave."

"You don't have to." The man sounded almost panicked.

"I'm not concentrating, so-" Raven pushed the chair back quietly so it wouldn't bother the other readers in the library.

There was a louder clatter as the man pushed back his chair as well. "Wait if I interrupted-"

"You didn't." Raven clipped the purse to her belt, careful not to look up at the man's face. Because if she did, she'd be more distracted than she already was. She silently cursed her weakness for blue eyes and pushed her chair back under the desk.

In the corner of her eye, she saw him lean on the partition; his muscled forearms draping over the wood. She could feel his heavy gaze as he studied her. She fidgeted and finally dragged her eyes to meet his. His brows were set, his chiseled jaw tight. He looked like he was trying to gauge what she was thinking.

There was another lengthy moment. The one they shared almost every time they met in the library, which was every Thursday like clockwork. It was like he was on the teetering edge of saying something other than 'your welcome' whenever he helped her get a book from a shelf that was much too high for her.

Today was overwhelming enough since he actually asked after her well-being. But it looked like he was on the edge of asking something else. He seemed to struggle for second then he came to a look of finality. His crystal blue eyes looking more defeated than ever. "Just...be safe." He ducked his head and scratched the back of his neck, his blue eyes pointedly looking away from hers.

Raven felt the flush to her cheeks that she was forbidding to surface and she bowed quickly. "Yes, always."

"That was it?" Terra made a face. "Boring!"

"I think it was rather sweet of him." Kori patted Raven on the shoulder. "It means he's getting over his shyness!"

"For someone who's such a hunk, he sure is suspiciously shy. I say he's super sketchy." Terra took a swig of her sake. "Maybe he's like part of the mafia or something."

Raven looked up sharply. "Not him."

"Yeah?" Terra grinned. "How would you know?"

Raven huffed. She didn't know. 'Mr. Mystery Hunk Hotness' as Terra has dubbed him, never made a move on her and she never got the sense that she was in danger while she was with him. She prided herself of being a good people reader and she respected people's privacy. Everyone has a past, some much darker than others. And it wasn't her right to pry in some stranger's habits. He was just a quiet man who enjoyed going to the library just as much as she did. She went there to get away from society, and maybe he needed that to.

She shook her head to clear it. "Enough. I still need advice about what to do with the money."

Terra grunted. "How much was it again?"

"Eight hundred dollars."

Terra began coughing. "No shit?"

"Why not go on a shopping spree or something? I saw some really cute kimonos down the street!" Kori offered.

Raven gave her a deadpanned look and adjusted her favorite black vest with a hood. "You know kimonos and I do not mix." She ran her hands down her black tights and adjusted a buckle on her black boots.

Kori prattled on. "I've never seen you in one! I bet you'd look adorable!"

"No thank you."

"I know!" Terra slammed her fist onto the table, making other people in the bar jump. "You haven't bought me a wedding present right?"

Raven squirmed. It was only 3 weeks away. She had helped Kori pick out some lingerie for Terra several months ago. And the three of them were close, just not that close. "Erm well-"

Terra leaned forward, her eyes twinkling. "I know just what I want."

Raven squirmed. "It better be something attainable. And nothing illegal." she emphasized.

"Relax Raven, it's only somewhat illegal." Terra grinned as Raven's jaw dropped slightly. "But it'll be the easiest thing in the world."

"Somewhat illegal my ass." Raven pulled her hood further over her head, even though it was already straining from being pulled so close around her face. "Terra better remember this for the rest of her life."

She bumped into someone to her left and mumbled some apologies. The red lantern lights paved the streets in an eerie glow. Women half dressed with breasts somewhat legally exposed called out to the gentlemen in the streets, cooing that there were empty beds still left this late into the night. Raven quickly weaved in and out of alleyways, trying to keep her head down as some women called out to her.

"Do men brothels actually exist here in Japan?" Raven crinkled her nose as she passed by some garbage that probably housed condoms and lubricates. "And what makes her think I can find a funny escort that doesn't have STDs?" She backtracked when she heard loud moaning from two figures 20 feet from her. She snorted and trudged aimlessly hoping that around the next corner she'd see a men brothel...whatever that looked like.

She ended back on the main street. At least this side was much quieter than the main square. However, it just made it that much discomforting. These buildings were grand and made of marble with large columns, and there was no one outside advertising the shops. If she hadn't seen the red lanterns outside the doorstops Raven would've thought she accidentally left the district. She cautiously looked up and down the empty street.

Someone tapped her on the shoulder. "Excuse me." Raven flinched and twirled around to face a tall slender man with white hair and a monocle. "Hello." He grinned.

Taking several steps back, Raven's hands turned into fists. There was no one behind her a second ago. "What do you want?" She growled.

His pale blue eyes studied her. "The question is what do you want in a place like this?"

Raven's eyes flitted from the buildings back to him. "Are you... advertising for one of your shops?"

"Yes." The man said simply. "I own a tea shop."

"A tea shop?" Raven said slowly. Here in the red light district?

"Odd I know." The man chuckled. "Would you like to give it a try?"

Raven shook her head quickly. "No thanks-" She stopped and looked up at the older man suspiciously. If she did somehow make it to the male brothel section maybe it was their way of advertising under the table? Or this man could be trying to kidnap her. But she was certain she could get out of that kind of situation. He waited patiently, a grin on his face. "Actually, what kind of tea?"

His wolfish grin grew wider. "All kinds."

"Like?" Raven prodded.

He cleared his throat. "Some examples would be green morocco mint tea, jasmine needle white tea, chai oolong, and early grey cacao tea. "

"Those are real teas." Raven raised her eyebrows.

"Quite." The man chuckled. "Like I said, I own a tea shop." He pointed behind Raven.

Raven narrowed her eyes and followed where he was a pointing. There was a golden sign, with the lettering inking in black."Tearraria?"

The man sighed. "Not my choice; I assure you." He walked past her and motioned forward. "Shall we?" Noticing her hesitation, he smiled again and went to the doorstep. "Nothing will happen unless you want it to." He said lightly. He opened the door and stuck his head inside. "There are no monsters here." He looked out into the street where she stood.

Biting her lip, Raven weighed her options. She was 70% sure this was a men's brothel. But she had yet to see any men around.

"This offer closes in 5... 4..." The man taunted with a bored expression on his face.

"Alright, alright." Raven quickly walked up to the doorstep. She dropped her voice. "If you lay a hand on me, I'll kill you."

His eyes shot up to his hairline and he started to laugh. "Good, good." Raven stepped inside the door. "Looks like I've caught a good one then."

"What-"

The man quickly shoved her inside and slammed the door shut.

And Raven could only see black.