Franz had three things on his mind that morning. First, he needed to be alert. Anyone of the young girls in town could be one of the invited debutantes. The earlier he knew, the more secure his plan could be, the less impulsive. Klaus would surely want to solve anything with a blow to the head, but Franz cared about the people of the town. They didn't say a single word to him but he knew their stories. Innocents that went about their days. People who were just trying to survive, people just like him.

That led to his second task. Remain hidden. After the incident with Jack, he wasn't going to risk facing him head-on. If Jack was keen on keeping his private life hidden, then Franz would keep it that way. He too was not pleased about the idea of having Jack reveal him to the town. So, he decided it was best to avoid him at all costs.

Third, Franz needed to remain as normal as he had the days before. Nothing was new, nothing had changed. There was a manhunt afoot, a manhunt that now involved him. He wasn't sure that the Auchtermuchty Yard would be watchful enough to find him a suspect, but he didn't want to be too careless. He was an accomplice.

His path that morning would be short and brief. He only needed to collect from small businesses at the edge of town. This, however, gave him a perfect chance to take back alleys that allowed him to watch the passersby without being noticed.

He walked along the humid cobblestone behind the pub, taking in the conversations that floated in the air.

"Good Morning, Mr Atkison, how is your wife..."

"The cows just don't produce the same as they used to..."

"Have you heard about the murders? I bet it's one of those pirates--"

Franz paused. Something was out of place. An echo in his steps where there shouldn't have been. He walked a little slower, hoping that whoever was following him wouldn't be alerted that he was well aware of their presence. There was an intersection ahead that led into the streets. He would catch a glimpse of his follower when he turned the corner. They weren't an average pedestrian, he concluded. They were taking calculated steps, enough that he could barely catch the sound of their heels on the path.

The corner came closer and he managed to slip behind the wall, but just before he did he glanced ever so slightly to his right.

It was a tall, thin man. His eyes were covered by spectacles, but the glass was tinted. He wore all black, or at least from what he could see since most of his body was covered by a dark ulster coat. He also wore a black top hat, he noticed. It was taller than most of the ones he had seen.

He crossed the busy street hurriedly, trying to lose the man in the crowd. But, by the time he turned around, the man in the top hat was gone. He looked around the crowd but was met with normal pedestrians. He rubbed his temple angrily.

This mission was beginning to make him paranoid, he was starting to see things that weren't there. He sighed continued to patrol the streets. So far, he hadn't heard any talk about the Ball, but he also knew that one minuscule stroll wouldn't tell him everything he needed to know. Perhaps he would have more luck the next morning.

Franz entered his home normally. He removed his coat and gave it to Clara and made his way to his office. This time, however, he knocked on his door twice. A shuffling of chairs and papers sounded from inside before the door opened slowly. Klaus peeked to see who had knocked on the door and when met with Franz's tired gaze, he relaxed and stepped out of the office calmly.

"How was it? Did you find someone?" He asked.

Franz shook his head and removed his gloves, "No, I'll look at the town records tomorrow. The officers will be out."

Klaus frowned. Franz noticed this and worried he was getting impatient. He needed to find that name, and fast. He reached past Klaus and shut the office door to which Klaus flinched, offended.

"I hope you didn't make a mess," Franz grumbled and shuffled to the kitchen.

He stepped inside, greeted by the humble smell of oxtail soup. He turned quickly, his brows raised in surprise.

"Oh!" Franz exclaimed, remembering his afternoon, "I saw someone strange today. He was a bit suspicious."

Klaus leaned over the wooden counter, "Royal guard?"

"No. I was not sure of his uniform's origin. I'm not sure it exists."

"What did he look like?" Klaus asked.

Franz furrowed his brow, folding his arms behind his back. "He was a tall fellow. Almost as tall as you, but he was in all black."

Klaus's breath was caught. He shifted his now worried eyes to look at Franz.

"Was he following you? Did he see you?" Klaus's voice was oddly tremulous.

Franz moved closer, "Yes, how did you know?"

Klaus bit his lip and ran a hand through his hair, "Was he wearing a top hat? Dark spectacles?"

Franz was starting to sweat, "Yes? What's the matter, Klaus? Do you know the man?"

Klaus threw a fist to the wall. A deep dent formed and Franz heard terrified footsteps rush downstairs. Clara caught her breath in the doorway.

"Forgive me! I was cleaning the windows upstairs!" She glanced around the room nervously and caught sight of Klaus.

His teeth were bared at the ground, eyes wide and furious.

"Toppies." He growled under his breath.

Franz inched forward, "T-toppies?"

Klaus huffed and paced between the two, flailing his arms like a madman, "Toppies! Oh, how do I explain this--to you two of all people? They--they're just bad. Understand? They caught up so quickly this round. It usually takes them a month. They must be advancing."

He pointed to his head and whipped around in Franz's direction, "Toppies, I call them, because of those ridiculously misshapen things on their heads."

Franz gaped at him. He was fuming like a steam train. He could see his veins bulging underneath his coat. He had never seen him so scattered, not even the night he had 2 guns pointed at his head. Whoever these "toppies" were, they had Klaus terrified. Franz picked at a loose string in his sleeve mindlessly.

Klaus dug his hands in his face and moaned, exasperated "That name. I need that name. Now. Or else..."

He released his hands and pointed to Franz, " I will find out my way."

Franz gulped, "Tomorrow, Klaus, I'm sure the town records have information on the Debutante."

Klaus shook his head and Clara tensed. Franz could see she was as tense as he was, terrified of his demeanour.

"No, " Klaus argued, "We need that name, now. Tonight, you're going to sneak into the records office. You said the carriage would arrive at the end of this week, correct?"

Franz stuttered, "Yes. I think so--sneak in tonight?"

Klaus popped his coat collar and rubbed his neck. He was planning something.

"Listen, Mr Schwarz," Klaus began, "There are stakes, stakes higher than whatever it is that has you running from this town. If those men catch wind of this plan, there will not be a second chance. I'll have to start over, and it's already taken me years for this opening. We need to hurry."

His phrasing was confusing. It was always confusing. He spoke in an omnipresent tone, Franz noticed, as if he was all-knowing and separate from the world. Franz wasn't sure if it was Klaus having a godly sense of self or if he was missing screws in his head. Either way, the tickets were legitimate, so he would do his best to help him with his fantastical schemes. Still, he did have one doubt he still needed to make sure of.

"If this is so important, why do you need me? You seem to know more about these 'stakes', don't you? So why do you need me?"

Klaus paused. He seemed to ponder his question. His shoulders relaxed and he loosened like a puppet released from its strings. Franz waited for him to respond.

Klaus shrugged, finally, and said, "If they catch you, I won't suffer the consequences."

The air went cold. The silence was deafening. There wasn't anything ominous about his statement, but the word "consequences" carried so much weight in Klaus's voice that Franz felt his throat constrict at the mere thought of what he could mean by that. Consequences? Like prison?

Or worse?

Klaus motioned to Clara, "Shouldn't you serve dinner?"

Clara shifted suddenly and scurried to the soup that was growing colder by the second. Franz stood still, watching them elapse by him. Meanwhile, a million scenarios for the consequences of his alliance with Klaus played in his mind. He flinched at one point and decided to retreat to his office to arrange his things for the break-in at midnight.