ARTIST: demotif (Art is available on the 365daysofusuk tumblr)

AUTHOR: towerofart

August 1st, 2014 - Thieves at the Manor

"Welcome to the Vargas Manor, Mr Rogers."

Alfred nodded to the butler and continued inside the decadent house. Directly inside was a long hall. Paintings of the powerful men and women of the family lined the walls. Alfred glanced at a few as he walked. Too bad we can't come back later to grab one of those paintings. They'd be worth a fortune.

At the end of the hall and through a set of large doors was the main ballroom. The polite chatter of rich people before they've had enough wine filled the room with constant noise.

It took effort not to look for his accomplice. He should be here already, milling about in the crowd. Had he got in? They'd had some trouble getting his name on the roster. Maybe—

His thoughts were halted as a voice asked from his right, "And who might you be?"

"Oh, hello," he gracefully picked up one gloved hand of the lady standing next to him and kissing the knuckles, "My name is Steven Rogers. Who is the lovely lady that I have the privilege of talking to?"

The woman laughed at him before she answered. "Elizabeta. Elizabeta Hèderváry."

Throughout the party Alfred and Elizabeta talked. Occasionally they would drift off to other people, but she would always come back to chat.

As per usual at large rich people's parties, there was lots of wine and other alcohol. Though, if he ever were to take even a taste Arthur would have his head. They weren't supposed to be drunk on the job. Everyone else however, was showing clear signs of having sipped at quite a few of the drinks that the waiters were carrying around the room.

Soon it was edging up to time. Alfred had been able to loose Elizabeta a few minutes ago, and it was closing in on his cue. 12:20…12:21…12:22! Show time.

It wasn't difficult to slip out of the crowd unnoticed. He quietly exited to an empty hallway that had only been dimly lit. Not ten minutes later the door to the ballroom opened again, closing quietly. Someone walked up behind Alfred, glancing up at the statue that the American had taken to looking at.

"Very beautiful, but we can't snatch it."

Alfred smiled and turned to see the man behind him. Arthur Kirkland was dressed in a white shirt, black bowtie, and some very handsome tails. "I know, but that doesn't mean I can't admire the sculpture's skill, Mr Ford Prefect."

"Oh hush. It's a brilliant cover name."

"Dude? You could have gone with 'Bruce Wayne' and it would have been less obvious."

"Says the man who is using Steve Rodgers as a cover name."

"Aw, but that's different. I bet these people haven't even picked up a comic book."

Arthur rolled his eyes and kissed him, patting his cheek before starting to walk down the dark hallway. "Enough chit-chat; we don't have much time."

The two walked swiftly through the maze of corridors and rooms. A memorised map led them to their first destination: the maids' silverware closet.

It didn't take long for them to move on. They took a silver knife here, a spoon there, and made sure to make it all seem very random and hard to follow. The silverware was slipped in shoes or up sleeves within seconds and disappeared.

"Now the best stuff." Alfred adopted a stereotypical evil smirk and he held his hands together, wiggling the fingers.

"Stop it! Now is not the time to fool around." Arthur still smiled at his partner's antics before walking off toward their next target.

A couple more twists and turns later they were at the doors to the Mistress's Chambers. Until recently, no one had occupied the room in some time. However, recently a family friend of the Vargas family had moved in—thus the party that had covered their entrance—and there was now a lady of the house.

Alfred bent down and started picking the lock on one of the double doors. "You know, I met Hèderváry. She was rather nice…"

Arthur leaned against the other door into the room. "You need to stop getting attached to our targets'. It does you no good and makes you clumsy."

The two stayed silent until the click of the lock opening. Alfred smiled and noted, "New record," before he slipped inside.

They only had a few minutes before the guards would come around. The two thieves worked quickly and silently. Arthur went straight to the jewellery chest that sat on a vanity in one corner. Alfred focused on the furnishings of the room. A few candles, some golden nobs from the drawers, and a brush sitting on top of the large dresser were a couple among his pickings.

They exited the chambers as quickly as they had entered and started down the hallway again, heading toward the closest exit—a side door built for the maids' and butlers' use.

"Hey, what are you doing here?" called a gruff voice of one of the guards from behind them.

Apparently, they weren't as quick as they thought. The two knew they wouldn't be able to talk their way out of this one.

"Ready to run, love?" Arthur asked as they came to a servants' side door.

Alfred laughed, opening the door wide and ran outside. He called back to his partner running behind him, "Always."

And with that, they disappeared into the night, having lived to steal another day.