Shrug. "I have done more dangerous things than walk into a park and ask someone out."

"... This is true."

"I just have these big brother instincts, you know. Grrr, burn kill maim, my sister, grr. Anyway, go on?"

"So, um. I didn't mean to ask out a guy that turned out to be rich and then be taken to a ludicrously expensive restaurant that he paid for, buuuuut..."

"I had fun! It was fun, he was sweet. Very... he very obviously enjoyed making me smile. Lit up every time I smiled at him, it was adorable. Then, the conversational chemistry was kind of insane, it was so easy to talk to him. I - still don't know him very well, but I definitely like him."

"Aw."

"Yeah. So we're having another date next Landsday, and I will be suppressing the urge to lovingly doodle his name on perfectly innocent stationery."

"Should we find you guilty stationery that knows what it did?"

.... She cracks up.

"Being literal is my job, stop it."

"I decided that I wasn't going to be outdone, and was therefore going to outdo you in burglary. By stealing your thing."

"Uh huh."

"Mhmm," he says, cut off from anything more eloquent by a yawn.

"Okay to go to bed now?" she asks, softly.

"Yeah, probably. I will reassure myself with the fact that someone is telling me something going on in their lives, instead of getting into a mess, not talking about it, and then dumping it when the someone realizes it's too big for them."

"... Hate to be blunt, except not really, but are you sure you should be this guy's friend?"

Sigh. "No. I will probably punch him and tell him to fuck off this time."

"Before or after you solve his problem?"

... Rueful smile.

"Haven't decided. G'night."

"Night. Love you."

"Love you too," he yawns, and then shambles off to bed.

She stays to finish off her hot chocolate and clean the mugs so they won't be waiting for them in the morning, then also heads off to sleep.

One week later, at a rather boring social event, someone offhandedly mentions someone near their home that was executed for murder. This isn't in itself particularly noteworthy, people just get executed sometimes, except someone might perhaps notice the name.

Zeothe.

—there are multiple people by that name in the city, but—

He leaves. He checks the records. Yeah, it's him.

He checks for any mention of what happened to the sister.

Outstanding debts from her brother passed on to her. Looks like several different slimy people that probably had at least one grudge between them noticed, and figured this would be a good time to capitalize on it. They've tacked on extra fees and debts that are, frankly, bullshit, but would only really be cleared with any alacrity if someone had a proper lawyer -

- which she cannot, of course, afford.

She got pinned with one of the more reputable debts while the disreputable debts tied up her money. With nothing to pay with, the debt collector moved to have her sold to pay it off.