Sharing the Skies - Beyblade Burst Fanfic

Chapter 2

Third Person's POV

The full, exposed moon reflected a dim light onto the quiet streets. Not a sound was heard, except for a lone cricket chirping forlornly. Even if there were insomniacs still awake at this point, none of them would've noticed a shadow leaping from roof to roof, slipping from alley to alley.

As skillfully as a cat, Auguste landed onto an empty, tiny parking lot. Ahead was a shady cafe-restaurant with a lifeless "OPEN" neon sign. He walked lightly toward the door. The window to his left had a hanging sign, which read in cursive, "Sorry, we're closed."

Auguste gave the door a gentle knock with his gloved hand. From inside, the voice of a storekeeper grumbled, "What are you doing here? It's super late at night!"

With a bright chuckle unlike that of his composed, soft-spoken self, Auguste replied calmly, "But I'm just in time, mon ami."

After a brief pause, the door opened, and the restaurant owner stepped out with a knowing smile. "Come in, Count Nightfell," he greeted Auguste as he ushered him inside.

At the entrance, a luxurious vermillion rug welcomed the young man's boots. As the door closed behind Auguste, the closed cafe was only illuminated by stripes of moonlight seeping from the windows' blinds, and an occasional lamp sitting on the cafe's round tables.

Seated together at one particular table were three other shady figures, dressed alike to him. Recognizing them as acquaintances, Auguste gave a courteous bow towards them. "Bonsoir, everyone." he greeted with a smug grin.

"Bonsoir," the rest of them replied in turn. The man who welcomed "Count Nightfell" inside the cafe respectfully left them to their business and began to prepare some drinks.

One figure at Nightfell's left adjusted his feather hat to shield his sharp, violet eyes from the twilight. He had short, pale white hair, and his mouth was hidden with a dark purple handkerchief. The figure at Nightfell's right may have made his heart jump a little bit: a young woman with a fancy masquerade mask, curly fair hair, and a stylish hat with lavender flowers where the feather would've been.

The last figure at the table had short blonde hair that spiked up at the corners. His mask and feather hat were the same as Nightfell's, but what distinguished him from the rest of the group was a tiny badge on his suit--a golden, upside down triangle. It was the Bey symbol, but changed around to look more like a diamond. The trademark for the Phantom Thieves of Beys.

Nightfell greeted each of them respectively. "Knight Albus, Countess Cygnus, Head Dusk. Nice to see you all."

The owner came back with a tray of teacups and handed one to each of the thieves present. Then, he poured tea into each cup using a teapot.

In calm delight, Head Dusk thanked the owner and sipped slowly from his cup. "It's just the way I like it," he beamed.

"Head Dusk," Knight Albus began in a low, uninterested voice, staring at his tea's steaming contents, "Do you think he is coming?"

Just then, a loud knock was heard from the door. The thieves looked over tensely, but Dusk sighed and went over to open the door. Despite this risky move, nobody dared question their leader.

From the entrance came a slightly younger thief. His bronze hair, hanging down from the right side of his face, seemed a bit unfitting with the sophisticated style of the phantom thieves. His keen look may have also suggested a more informal and savage personality, but at the moment it looked languid and drowsy.

"Late again? It's five past midnight. You know the rules, Apprentice Cancer," Dusk lightly scolded.

"Sorry, not used to the whole staying-up-all-night thing," the apprentice mumbled as if he had just woken up.