Riding with Alfred

[runningred]

{from here}

Jay glances across to the monitor on the bench. "We have the garage to ourselves."

He turns back to Alfred. "So how... hot did riding get you?"

Comments

[morethanprops]

"Oh, I'm enjoying myself, just use the crowd. You're the one who saw the blueprints. We keep it quiet as we can and maybe set off a diversion or two along the way,"

Moist watches him work with his phone, its fascinating.

[runningred]

"Well, thanks to the toys our careless friends were carrying, I can pretty much take the target now. Willing to cause a big enough distraction?"

There's a turning of heads towards the door. Whoever just came in has everyone interested.

[morethanprops]

He looks over the set up and smiles,

"Oh yes, I think its time for a brawl. Lots of egos here that only need a few pushes."

[runningred]

"Do you have someone in particular in mind?" Jay asks, getting his gear in order.

The new arrival is an older gentleman of high rank with very, very beautiful dark haired woman on his arm. Jay hasn't seen them, too busy getting exploring the picks in the set Alfred lifted.

[morethanprops]

"A few, watch and learn,"

His mask and cape are tucked behind the statue and Moist ends up with a tray of canapes. Then he begins to whisper, rumors of sex behind curtains and in bedrooms, said in a voice that knows, oh it knows.

He's copying how the Emcee speaks with his bored knowledge of all the perversions and soon men and women are yelling and pleading and wondering.

[runningred]

Jay uses the distraction it inch closer to the showcase, watching the swirls and ripples move across the crowd. He loses the mask and folds the cape, ready to throw it over the showcase in the inevitable mess to give him at least a little cover to work. He focuses on his task, letting Alfred do his thing.

[morethanprops]

Groups are starting to form and then Moist leans into the ear of the kind of man Jay was masquerading as and says, "Who's name was asked for in the dark?"

Then it truly starts as his temper is let loose and Moist shifts among the crowd, prodding to keep all the attention far from the showcase. Passions and tempers are high and security tries their best but they're outmatched by the rich who do extreme sports to find some thrill.

[runningred]

The beautiful lady strolls over to Alfred, ignoring the bustle of agitated crowd to rest a hand on his arm. Her voice is soft and dark, almost purring. "Very impressive. But now isn't the time. Tell Jason not to bother. It's a fake anyway."

She turns and walks away, letting the crowd envelop her.

Jay however is starting his run on the case.

[morethanprops]

Moist raises an eyebrow at her and watches her then says into his ear,

"Is she trustworthy? She says its a fake?"

[runningred]

Jay looks up and his eyes widen. "Oh shit. Yeah, we're out. Dump everything and leave. I'll meet you outside." He doesn't sound happy. Not at all.

[morethanprops]

"Move fast,"

His tray is dumped and Moist makes his way through the crowd, slow as if he's going for a smoke and ends up leaning against a door a few houses down and watching.

[runningred]

Jay takes longer. Not much longer but longer. He lingers in the doorway a moment, looking over his shoulder but it's clear he can't get the attention of the person he's looking for.

He bounces down the stairs and meets him, nodding for them to walk. He's brooding. Loudly.

[morethanprops]

"Let's go have a drink and you can explain,"

On their way over, Moist had noticed a bar that looked useful and pulls them in ordering two whiskeys before settling into a dark booth.

[runningred]

Jay drinks the first one in a single mouthful and then orders another before joining Alfred. "What did she say to you?"

[morethanprops]

He shifts his voice to imitate hers before taking a long drink, "Very impressive. But now isn't the time. Tell Jason not to bother. It's a fake anyway."

[runningred]

"Don't." Jay growls, sipping the second drink. "Please don't do her voice. I'm gunna fucking kill Sasha. If she knew the Cat was in play..."

[morethanprops]

Moist eyes him and sips his drink, "I won't. Who's the Cat?"

[runningred]

"Catwoman is the most talented thief in the business. She's a living legend they all aspire to be, or beat."

He looks down at his glass. "She was also my first love. And today, I assumed she thought I was dead." The ramifications of the fact she knows he isn't are vast and terrifying.

[morethanprops]

"Should we be running?" That's usually the best answer for when being found out.

[runningred]

He shakes his head slowly. "She won't sell me out. Ans if she said it as casually as you repeated, I wasn't a surprise to her. Which means others may know. We safe here but my plans to go home just got a whole lot more complicated."

He downs the rest of the drink. "No, I think we go back to Sasha, tell her the bad news and waste the rest of the night with a particularly pretty young man."

[morethanprops]

"Complications are never useful, but that's a good plan. You don't have to go anywhere you don't want to,"

There are always doors and roads.

[runningred]

"Can't keep running my whole life." Jay muses, slinging his jacket over his shoulder and untying his bowtie, letting it hang around his neck. He still manages to look like a disheveled princeling on a night out.

As they step out onto the street, his head whips around at the sound of gunfire and screams from back the way they came.

[morethanprops]

"It works for me," Moist keeps himself neater only loosening his tie then curses in Uberwaldian at the sounds, "Stay hidden. They have nothing to connect us."

[runningred]

Jay's shoulders tighten ans he strains like a dog in a leash. All instinct and training has him wanting to run towards the gunfire. "The other crews, one of them must have been heavies." Sel will be well gone before anything went down but still he feels the responsibility to do something because he can.

But Alfred is right, he should be walking away.

[morethanprops]

"If you run that way, make it look like you're a guest but I'm staying out of it. I avoid violence,"

But he knows Jay doesn't and he won't hold him back.