The argument lasted far too long.
Bella stood with her arms crossed, staring at Vario like she was deciding whether exile was still legal. Vario, for his part, looked like a man already planning his escape route through the freezer.
"I told you," Bella said, pacing. "My daggers do not simply vanish."
"And I told you," Vario replied, sweating, "I did not touch them this time."
Nyx leaned on the counter. "To be fair, 'this time' is doing a lot of work in that sentence."
Garruk sighed. "Can we just retrace everything calmly?"
Bella stopped pacing. "Fine."
She took a breath, straightened her uniform, and instinctively slid her hand into her pocket.
Metal clinked.
The store went silent.
Bella froze.
Slowly, very slowly, she pulled her hand out.
Three daggers slid into view.
In perfect condition.
In her pocket.
No one spoke.
Vario blinked. Once. Twice. "...."
Nyx tilted her head. "Oh."
Garruk covered his mouth, shoulders shaking.
Yuwen paused mid-bite. "Interesting."
Bella stared at the daggers. Then at her pocket. Then back at the daggers.
"…They were," she said quietly, "in my pocket."
Vario's jaw dropped. "IN YOUR POCKET?"
Bella did not answer.
Vario pointed dramatically. "I WAS ABOUT TO BE EXECUTED FOR POCKET DAGGERS."
Nyx burst out laughing. "Pocket daggers! That's a new one."
Garruk laughed openly now. "You accused him for ten minutes."
Bella slowly put the daggers back where they had been the entire time.
"…No one," she said, voice perfectly calm, "is allowed to speak of this."
Vario grinned. "Too late."
Nyx was already wheezing. "I can't believe it. The great mystery. Solved by pockets."
Bella turned away, face burning. "Shift's not over."
Vario followed her, smug. "So… I'm innocent?"
Bella stopped, glanced back once, and said flatly, "Don't push your luck."
But Vario could already tell.
This one?
He was never letting it go.