Vulpe
Vulpe settled back on her heels and checked over her equipment as she waited for Gambit to show up. Finally, something to do. She eyed the building in front of her, already going over the plans she had memorised. While she was quite willing to accede to Gambit's authority as a Master Thief, she had some ideas of her own. She looked up as she sensed someone approach. "Ciao, Gambit."
Gambit
"Greetings, cheri," Gambit replied.
He closed the distance between them.
Vulpe
Vulpe nibbled her lip thoughtfully as she slipped her thermal sensors on. "So, what's da plan? I'm bowing to your obvious experience." She flashed him a grin. "Your padre told you what we're going in for?"
Gambit
"Yep," Gambit replied. "T'irty-one really big canvases! No' ta mention heavy."
He grinned.
"Da van's parked over dere. Now, just our luck, dey're all in da middle of da museum. Abou' da same spot da security centre is, no less. I'd say our best bet to disable security is through da air vents."
Vulpe
"I'm smaller then you are. And crawling through vents is what I'm used to." Vulpe stretched slightly, warming herself up. "What I always do for my Poppa when he takes me out on jobs. So. Do ya want me to go in and disable? Oh, and do they have a guard? I haven't seen anyone moving but they could still be on the opposite side."
Gambit
"Two, actually, but da two on tonight are rather... lazy. Dey're havin' a smoko," Gambit smirked. "You'll smell dem comin' before dey can cause yo' any trouble. Dat's why I picked this night and shift."
He pulled out a paper, on it a map.
"Now, dese are the air vents..." he went on to say what he thought might be the best route. "Unless, o' course, yo'have anodder suggestion?"
Vulpe
"The route I'dve picked myself." Vulpe nodded. "Thank Dios for lazy guards. They make de whole thing so much easier." She memorized the route Gambit had pointed out and got to her feet. "I'll call you in when I disable the system, si?"
Gambit
"Si," Gambit agreed. "I'll be in da van. Good luck, not that I t'ink yo' need it."
He headed over to the van.
Vulpe
Vulpe grinned and with a smooth motion was soon up against the wall. Another quick series of nioseless movement and she was inside. She started to crawl through the vents, mentally counting off the spaces in the sides of the vents as she made her way to the control center. She waited for sounds of anyone below her, then she slid out the cover of the vent and then put an electronic shorter on the roof. She pressed a button, and in three seconds, every camera in the room was dead. She lowered herself silently to the floor and padded over to the controlboard of the security system. Soon, it was completely down. She got out her walkie talkie and depressed the button. "I'm done," she informed Gambit.
Gambit
"Good," Gambit replied.
He parked the van closer, picked the lock on the door and stepped inside. He lightly made his way to the room where Vulpe was waiting.
"Good work cheri," he told her, then charged some of the paintings with kinetic energy and had them follow him back to the van.
Vulpe
Vulpe smiled with pride. She got some of the smaller paintings down off the walls, wrapping them up for safe movement, then starting towards the door. She followed Gambit to the van and waited for him to put the paintings he was transporting away before putting the ones she carried in the van.
Gambit
Gambit went back for a second trip. Before long, all thirty-one paintings were safely packed away in the back of the van. Gambit got into the drivers seat and waited for Vulpe.
Vulpe
Vulpe locked the front door, then flipped back up into the vent. She removed the electronic blocker and then slid the ventcover back into place. She wriggled backwards through the vents until she reached the outside. With a flick of her hair and her tail, she loped over to the truck and slid into the passenger seat. "So, what's up next? M'sieur LeBeau have a fence planned, or a special pick up point for da paintings?" She took off the night vision goggles and folded them up to put them away.
Gambit
"Both, as a matter o' fact," Gambit replied.
He turned on the engine and started driving.
"Smooth work back dere," he observed. "Yo' pa must be realy proud o' yo'."
Vulpe
"Si. He wants me to take over from him when he retires." Vulpe grinned. "Not that that will happen any time soon. Madre is onto him though. She wants him to relax. Actually, my padre's plan to have me take over afterwards is part of the reaon Vindichi decided it would be so much better if I wasn't there anymore. Pffft. He was a useless thief. And a stupid one. Getting rid of the boss's daughter is *not* the way to become the boss."
Gambit
"I bet dere's nothin' left ta say o' him no more," Gambit mused.
About half an hour later, they pulled up at a bridge. There was another van waiting for them.
Vulpe
Vulpe looked at Gambit. "Do we help them move, or do ya want me to cover your back?"
Gambit
"Cover my back if yo' don' mind," Gambit replied.
He got out of the van and greeted them as arranged.
"Yo' have da money as arranged?"
One of them gave him a suitcase, which he opened. Gambit inspected the money carefully.
"Where's da rest o' it?" Gambit demanded.
"That is it," one of the men smirked.
"I t'ink no'," Gambit replied. "Yo' not getting any o' da paintings until yo' pay in full. As arranged."
Vulpe
Vulpe carefully edged around the corner of the truck's door. She propped the barrel of her gun on the side mirror and whisteled. "Yo, americanos! Let's see the money for th' job like we're meant to!" One of the guys turned to look at her sleek black clad figure and openly leered at her. Her lip curled. "You lucky I can't reach you from here to slap your face, bastardo."
"You let a little girl do your speaking for you?" He sneered at Gambit. Vulpe rolled her eyes and slipped a hand to her back. She flung the thin knife at his feet. The man looked down in shock as the slim metal vibrated between his two boots.
"This 'girl' is a Thief in her own right, idiot. You ain't getting the paintings till we see the money. We can always find another buyer. Money is money, but paintings are something else." The click as she let the safety off her gun was rather loud in the night quiet. "I don' think they be serious, Gambit."
Gambit
"I don' t'ink dey be serious either, cheri," Gambit replied drolly. "I t'ink we take our business elsewhere."
The two men looked at each other and Gambit picked up the suitcase.
"And I t'ink we take dis anyway, fo' our trouble."
Vulpe
"Advice, americanos, don't screw around with da Thieves Guild," Vulpe called out mockingly. "This is an easy lesson for ya." Her senstive ears caught a flicker of movement behind her and Vulpe jumped to the ceiling of the truck before throwing a knife at the person who had crept up behind her. "Ya might want to call an ambulance for ya friend there," she told them. "He looks like he gonna need it."
"You little bitch!"
"What clued ya in? The tail? Bite me, bastardo." Vulpe's nose twitched as the man on the ground moaned. She leapt back down to the ground lightly, still covering the two men with Gambit. "Shall we go, Gambit? I can't wait to see what your padre has to say about this. I think he gonna be a bit annoyed." She knelt down and retrieved her knife from the man's rib, jerking it free of the bone it had stuck in. The man yelped with pain. "Weak." She shook her head in scornful disgust.
Gambit
"Yes, let's," Gambit replied, getting into the van.
"Yo don't think we're just going to let you leave, do you," one asked, as they pulled out their own guns. "We've our own spotter."
Gambit reached into his pocket - the men reacted strongly, and then laughed when he pull out a handful of cards. Gambit smiled, then flung the cards at them.
"Let's go cheri," Gambit said as the cards exploded, reving the engine.
Vulpe
Vulpe hopped agilely into the van, ducking her head as a bullet whizzed over it and laughing wildly. She slammed the door shut, another bullet ricochetting off into the darkness from the hinge. "Aww, I don't think they like us, Gambit. Now, I wonder why?" Her eyes gleamed with amusement.
Gambit
Gambit laughed as he sped down the street.
"Dey'd like us even less if dey knew dat we had no intention o' selling ta dem," he chuckled. "Let's just say dat di was a case o' an eye fo' an eye."
Vulpe
"Oh, sounds fun. Actually, this is fun." Vulpe grinned madly, fangs shining in the reflected greenish light from the dashboard. "I missed this. I think there's just something about outsmarting other people that calls to me."
Gambit
Gambit grinned.
"I agree," he replied. "And now... back to base."
Vulpe
"Si. I think I got blood on my boots." Vulpe sighed. "I really like these boots. And I lost a knife. Ah well. Tale è vita." She shrugged philosophically.
Gambit
Gambit and Vulpe soon arrived and dropped off the paintings.
"Here's yo' share," Gambit replied. "Get the rest when dey're sold. G'night Vulpe. Good work."
Vulpe
Vulpe grinned, and waved goodbye as she swaggered inside her room, flicking through the wad of notes Gambit had handed to her. Not bad. Not bad at all.