WHO: Shen Qingqiu and Ardyn Izunia.
WHERE: The Izunia Residence (that sounds so fancy).
WHEN: Before the party.
WHAT: Two villains making a cake and quest start for a redemption arc for Ardyn!
WARNINGS: Spoilers to Scum Villain and FFXV, I suppose!

[ Well, this is a fucking thing that I know about a person.

When he thinks back to how Ardyn looks, he didn't think that he seemed like a BOSS character. If anything, he probably is a mid-tier boss like Prince Berkut. Which means a redemption arc is still possible! It wouldn't be possible in the world that Ardyn came from due to the fact that no one really cares if a mid-tier villain redeems themselves or not. And that's usually because those characters are pretty one-dimensional.

But there is also something else he hadn't thought of at the time. Ardyn may come from a time period before all that shit happened. If that's the case, well, that makes this redemption shit even easier! In short, he has given himself quite the pep-talk about how he is going to ensure that Ardyn is pulled from the ranks of villain.

What better way to do that than have him make a cake for someone else? He covers his face with both hands and wants to sit down on the front step of the house. It really can't be that easy. But with the power of God and all my trope-knowledge, I will save you! Breathing in deep, he stands up and brushes off his robes (adjusting how he looks to appear as elegant as possible) before knocking. ]