Well, this is the reason I've been slacking on updates. Originally, I had planned for this to be a one-shot, but after I started it, it kept growing. And growing. Finally I decided to break into chapters, resulting in the first of I don't know how many. Also, I had this really fancy font for the invitation, but the site wouldn't let me use it. Anyway, on with the show!
The Thieves Ball
Chapter 1
By Deltathewolf
"All ye of various capacities, young and old, good and bad, tall and short, big and tiny, are cordially invited to The Thieves Ball, a one night celebration for those on the so called "wrong side of the law". Bring your friends, family, and perhaps someone to enjoy the night with? And though it is generally looked down upon, those on the "right side of the law" are welcomed to attend as well, provided they do not attempt to make any arrests on the other patrons. So come! Enjoy yourselves at the wondrous annual Thieves Ball!"
This was the inscription on the on the white invitation loosely held in the hand of the notorious master thief, Sly Cooper. The pretty calligraphy was bordered by swirling decoration and smelled faintly of roses. All three members of the Cooper Gang held an invitation, the envelopes delivered by a very cheery courier boy. Much too cheery for four in the morning, in the opinion of Bentley, who got up to answer the door.
This had been the twelfth time the invitations had arrived; the first appearing many years ago after they had managed to successfully steal a somewhat pricy painting from the mansion of a rather greedy and ruthless mobster; and each time they had turned it down, deciding not to go. However, with recent events in consideration, i.e. the defeat of clockwork, and the discovery and recovery of the Cooper vault, all members were considering a chance to let loose and do something different.
"You know, I always wonder how the guy who arranges this always knows where we are." Sly said aloud.
"Well, we have always been staying at this exact safehouse every time it comes around." Bentley theorized.
Sly thought about it.
"Yeah, that's probably it."
Usually, the reasons they didn't go were because Murray wasn't into this sort of thing, Bentley would rather spend his time working on some contraption, and Sly wanted to go, but the other two would convince him otherwise.
Now however, Murray was interested, especially since the arrival of his new tiger lady friend a few months ago, and Bentley had Penelope to take his mind off of his machines and more on other things.
This of course, left Sly without a date, and he had an idea of who he could ask.
Carmelita Montoya Fox slammed the door to her office with enough force to send the few hanging frames on the walls crashing down. Another one of the egotistical pigs that called themselves "officers" had the gall to ask her out, and then when he turned him down, he tried to put *the moves* on her and attempted to place his hand on a very inappropriate place. Needless to say, he was going to have trouble walking the next day….or when he woke up. Still fuming, she plopped down at her desk, and tried to relieve some of her frustration by doing paperwork in a rather aggressive manner.
It didn't work.
After the day had finally ended, Inspector Fox arrived at the large penthouse she called home when she was not somewhere around the world, chasing after a certain raccoon and his cohorts.
Shivering, she pulled her jacket tighter around her, and raced over to the thermostat, turning it up. It was late fall, and the first signs of winter were beginning to show themselves. Going towards the fridge, she dropped her mail on the table, and then proceeded to heat up some leftovers in the microwave. After it was sufficiently warm, she pulled a seat out and plopped down, taking a fork to the steaming mass of what appeared to be three day old Chinese. Sorting through the mail, she threw all the ads and other useless papers in the trash.
Suddenly she shot up, knocking her chair over. For on the last envelope, held by several strips of tape, was the calling card of none other than Sly Cooper.
Shaking her head to get out of her stupor, she pulled out her pocket knife and slashed the top open, pulling out a very frilly, and very pretty invitation. That also smelled oddly of roses.
"What the-?"
She simply gaped as she read it.
After reading it, she put it down and slowly, a plan formed in her head.
Oh, I'm gonna get for sure this time, Ringtail.
The days passed quickly, and the night of the ball arrived. Bentley, dressed in a white silk shirt, covered by a blazer and a matching pair trousers with a bow tie, all varying shades of green, rolled down the ramp next to the stair case in their hideout, and came to a stop at the foot to await his date for the night. A few minutes later, Penelope, her long blond hair done in an elegant French braid, a far cry from its usual rugged appearance after a long day of mechanic work, stepped down the stair case, modest one-and-a-half inch heels clacking on the hard wood floor. She giggled as Bentley's jaw all but dropped as he saw her appearance.
"Like what you see?"
Her tease drew him out of his trance, and managed to reply;
"Very."
Murray appeared from a door on the first floor, dressed in a simple black tuxedo with a dark pink bowtie and cummerbund. It had taken a while, but the gang finally managed to find a tailor willing to make a suit for the large framed hippo.
"I'm going to go and pick up Sasha now." He said, referring to his new found love. "Are you sure you're going to be okay?
"Relax Murray; driving a Mercedes is easier than driving the van. For one thing, it's automatic."
Murray chuckled and he walked out the door, calling over his shoulder.
"Alright then, I'll see you guys at the party."
"See you Murray." Bentley and Penelope said in perfect unison.
After the door had shut, Sly came down the stairs, dressed in a navy blue tuxedo, his ringed tail coming out between the coattails. Adjusting the lighter blue bowtie, he addressed the remaining two people in the room, soft-soled wingtip shoes nary making a sound.
"Was that Murray? By the way, I still find that creepy."
"What's creepy?" Bentley and Penelope replied, again in perfect harmony.
"Stop that. Now."
A round of chuckles was had at Sly's expense, and eventually Sly joined in with them.
Sly chuckled a little longer, before stopping and clapping his hands together suddenly.
"Well then, shall we get going?"
"Yes, lets." Penelope replied, taking Bentley's offered arm.
And so the trio made their way to the Mercedes Limo they had rented, just for this occasion. (Subtlety is just not there thing)
Carmelita had a plan, and she was putting it into action. The Ball was set for tonight, and if she wanted to bust Cooper, she had to run everything on a time table. Loading her trusty shock pistol, she made sure it was running correctly before holstering it. Starting her BMW convertible, she tore down the Parisian streets.
She slowed as she neared were the party was to be taken place. The address was on the outer borders of the city limits, just around the next bend. When she turned the corner, her jaw dropped.
For in front of her eyes was the old O'Grady mansion, left to rot years ago after the last of the family died from old age.
She simply thought it was abandoned but the roaring fanfare that was taking place in front told a different story. Chauffeurs were taking cars around to the back garage, while criminals and thieves were walking up the steps to the entrance of what appeared to be an old rundown mansion.
"That's the Night Fox!" she exclaimed as a dark black fox dressed in a similarly coloured tuxedo, matching the description of a prominent German born cat burglar, responsible for some high profile cases including the theft of a very expensive ring from a display case in the Schmuck museum (It's a museum in Germany that specializes in jewelry.), walking arm in arm with a pretty vixen up the steps of the mansion.
"This is so obvious! How did the police not know that a bunch of thieves and criminals were holding a party in Paris every year?"
Trying to remain inconspicuous, she drove past the mansion at the same speed until she rounded a corner, and then parked. Pulling out the radio, she attempted to call the local police station.
"Station, this is Inspector Fox, Interpol. Requesting backup."
*Krsshssshhsshhshs*
"I repeat, request backup. Can you hear me Station?"
*Krshshsssshshshhshshhh*
"Perfect."
Somewhere in the basement of the mansion, a computer recorded in its history log:
UNKNOWN RADIO FREQUENCY DETECTED.
SIGNAL JAMMED.
ANOMALY RESOLVED.
Getting out of the car, she checked her old trusty shock pistol, and made sure to lock her door. This was a seedier part of the city after all.
Moving quietly but swiftly, the inspector went the long way around, heading for the woods that made up the backyard of the mansion.
"Ouch. Darn these woo- OW!"
After a few minutes of traversing the woods, which were much thicker than they appeared, Inspector Fox sat atop a tree branch on the border of mansion's property, overlooking the open garden in the back. Light from inside the mansion poured out into the impressive looking collection of shrubbery, giving light to the guests that had taken to the cool outdoors.
Carmelita noticed how nice the back looked compared to the front. Someone had obviously been taking care of the old manor, in such a way that it would not look so on the outside.
Spying a vine ridden lattice on the side of the building, she dropped down from her perch and carefully made her way around the somewhat crowded garden, hiding behind hedges and bushes, until she arrived at the peeling ivory lattice. Tugging on it, she saw it creak, but it seemed sturdy enough, so she began climbing.
After a few feet up, she noticed the lattice began to sag. A lot.
Cringing, eyes closed, she braced for it to snap. Sagging lower and lower, she waited for it to break and fall.
And waited.
And waited.
Opening her eyes, she realized she had stopped sagging. Looking at her feet, she saw the vines had held the lattice together.
Sighing in relief, she climbed the rest of the way up to the second story, where an open window was waiting for her. Dragging herself inside, Inspector Fox found herself in an empty bedroom, the only light coming from underneath the door. Cracking it open, she peeked outside to find an empty hall and exited, silently closing the door behind her.
The hallway was deserted, and the only sounds came from far beyond the walls. As quietly as she could, she walked down the carpet laden hall towards a door at the end. As she got closer, certain sounds became louder, until she was at the door and she could make out a multitude of voices behind it.
She began to crack the door open again, trying to get a peek before making a decision , but this time the door was thrown open by a passing body, and Carmelita was forced out into the fairly busy hall.
This hall was considerably more ornate than the previous one she had been, as evidence by the large chandeliers that hung at set intervals from the ceiling. It also contained a large number of well dressed guests and servers, one of which was lying on the floor, his silver tray of wine spilt alongside him after his collision with a slightly opened door.
Picking himself up, he dusted himself and retrieved his silver platter and wine glasses (none if which had shattered, thank goodness), before bowing slightly at Carmelita, giving a quiet apology for his carelessness and walked off to refill his glasses before Carmelita could say anything.
Getting a few stares from some of the others in the hall, she walked away trying to look inconspicuous, a hard thing to do when she was dressed in her usual work attire, blue pants, boots, halter top, brown jacket, and shock pistol at her hip. After getting away from their questioning eyes, Carmelita found herself at a crossroads in the hall. People were still there, but they took surprisingly little notice of her. Trying to figure out where to go, it dawned on her that she had almost no plan. She had rushed into the situation without thinking what she was going to do when she got there. Before she could mentally slap herself for her rookie mistake, a voice rang out above the crowd.
"Mademoiselle Fox!"
Carmelita turned around to see a portly German Sheppard making his way toward her.
"Mademoiselle Fox, you are late! I was told you would be here a half hour ago!"
The male was round in the middle, well dressed in a classic butler uniform, black in contrast to the white of the servers, and when he spoke; a slight French accent was present.
Carmelita beat down the panic that had risen when she heard her name called out long enough to understand what he had said.
"Yo-you were expecting me?"
"Of course! Monsieur James made special invitation just for you!"
"Monsieur who?" Carmelita said, racking her brains for anyone she knew by that name.
"Monsieur James, your date for tonight!"
That stunned her.
"Ah, but you can meet him dressed like that! Sarah!" He shouted, clapping his hands twice.
A young Fennec girl came up dressed in a server's uniform, gloved hands behind her back.
"Yes Monsieur?" her voice light but not to high pitched.
"Take Miss Fox and get her properly suited for tonight."
"Yes Monsieur. Come with me please."
And with that, she grabbed Carmelita's wrist and took her with her before the confusion could clear.
"Wait, where are you taking me?"
"To the guest room to get your dress."
"My dress?"
"Yes, Monsieur James was kind enough to bring a dress for you to wear. He said he knew you would come unprepared."
"Who is this James person your all talking about?"
"Here we are. Your dress is on the bed. Call me when you are done and I will help you with your hair."
Ignoring her question, the Fennec girl smiled and held the door open for her.
Carmelita walked inside into the soft light coming from several lamps in the room. The door closed behind her, leaving the room a light orange color.
On the bed was indeed a lavender dress. Picking it up, she felt the smooth silk fabric slide through her hands.
She decided that maybe playing along may be the best way to get the answers she's looking for.
That, and the dress was quite nice….
Putting the dress on, she looked at herself in the mirror. The fabric hugged her curves in a flattering manner; the dress flowing down to her ankles, a slit coming up to her thigh so as to not hamper movement. Coming up it covered everything until ending in a keyhole neckline, arms left bare. Turning around to look at her behind, she found it come up around her mid-back. A pair of matching inch high heels were left beside the dress and put on in place of her boots. A small hand bag was also left and Carmelita was surprised to find that her shock pistol fit perfectly in it.
Looking in the mirror she noticed something on the dresser.
Sitting on a velvet pillow and highlighted by a single lamp was a black collar. A single clip matched the one she was wearing right now, holding up her Interpol badge.
Picking it up, she felt the stained leather, a near perfect match to her own. Unhooking her own collar, she removed the badge and placed the collar on the pillow. Clipping her badge to the new collar, she placed it around her neck, clipped it, and looked at it's reflection in the mirror.
The black matched the lavender dress perfectly, accentuating her slender neck, making it appear fragile yet toned at the same time.
All together Carmelita looked absolutely stunning. Even the humble Inspector had to admit that to herself. Whoever this James person was knew their stuff.
A knock at the door broke her out of her revere.
"Mademoiselle Fox? Are you ready?"
"Yes Sarah." Carmelita said, remembering the girl's name.
The door opened and Sarah walked in with another girl behind in tow, a rabbit.
The rabbit hurriedly collected Carmelita's work clothes from the room and exited with a quick bow.
"Miss Jade will launder your clothes and they will be ready for you upon your leave. Now, as for your hair. Sit please."
Grabbing her by the shoulders, the Fennec sat Carmelita in front of the vanity dresser with a surprising amount of strength for her short stature, common among all Fennecs, and then proceeded to open several drawers, revealing a number of hair supplies.
Picking up several choice items, Sarah looked at Carmelita's reflection in the mirror, and the inspector shuddered when she saw a near malicious glint in the Fennec's eye's….
A few short minutes later, Carmelita was led out of the room in a daze, her azure hair done up beautifully around her ears, a far cry from the crude pony tail held together by a strip of gauze tape.
Sarah closed the door behind them and continued to lead her towards the main hall. The hallway was strangely devoid of people, and once they got close enough to the grand ballroom, it was apparent why.
Everyone had gathered around the large marble tiled floor, the vaulted ceiling high above their heads, a large chandelier hanging in the very center above the dance floor, several smaller chandeliers surrounding it.
Upon reaching the edge of the room, Sarah stopped and let go of Carmelita.
"Here is where I take my leave mademoiselle. Now go, monsieur James is waiting for you."
Sarah stood in a polite stance, and when Carmelita did not move she forced her onward with a slight shove in the back.
Surprisingly, the crowed seemed to part for her until she could see the dance floor. Standing in the center sporting a dark blue tuxedo, black cummerbund, bowtie, and mask, his hair for once laying flat and combed; was none other than Sly Cooper.
It finally hit her like a truck, sending her flying back years ago to her first undercover assignment…