Disclaimer: I (unfortunately) do not own Hetalia. All belongs to Hidekaz Himaruya.
A/N: This was originally a reader insert, but this site unfortunately doesn't allow that, so I put Nyo!Italy in the reader's role instead. I also have artwork for this story if you want to see it! ( art/The-Green-Grafter-715113278)
Warning: The following story contains ridiculous scenarios and outrageous stunts that no one should attempt in real life. Reader discretion is advised.
Cue kick*ss theme song! ( watch?v=v5iVxs1puv4) (Starts at 00:17)
Rome, Italy
Exhibition Hall of the Ancients
19:37
"Finalmente!" Ufficiale Lovino Vargas grinned in triumph. "We got you now, Graffatore Verde!" He crossed his arms at the female thief as one of the other officers took from her hands the artifact she'd been trying to make off with. His brother and fellow policeman, Feliciano, had both her arms firmly behind her back. And all the while, to Lovino's delight, her eyes behind her emerald green mask were wide as she realized she'd finally been bested. Or so it seemed.
"Spiacente, bella," Feliciano said with a sad frown. "But you should not have tried stealing the dagger." The thieving lady almost smiled at his apologetic manner. But that wasn't going to get her out of here with the golden dagger in her possession. With Feliciano restraining her, his brother smirking at her in victory, and the dozen other officers in the big room pointing their guns at her, it seemed that this was the end of her life as she knew it. She had to find a way out, and fast.
Lovino walked toward her until he was standing right in front of her, his amber brown eyes revealing his eagerness. "Ten robberies in five months," he smiled. "I have got to hand it to you, you are pretty crafty. But the only thing that is going to be pulled off tonight is that mask of yours."
The girl robber desperately hoped no one could hear how hard her heart was thumping. But she outran these two and the rest of the Italian police before. And before long, a light bulb flashed in her vision as she literally saw she could do it again. When Lovino's hands were halfway to her masked face, she silently apologized to his brother – yet also thanked him for forgetting to actually put handcuffs on her – before she proceeded to stomp on his foot and jab his side with her elbow in less than a second.
While he let out a pained cry of shock, the still masked lady swiftly took the case containing the dagger back in her hands. Ignoring Lovino's sudden shout, she just as quickly dove forward before taking one of the mini-disks on her belt and throwing it at the overhead light. And right as Lovino tore her mask off, the overhead light exploded in a near blinding flash before shrouding everyone in complete darkness.
With no time to wonder whether or not she'd been seen, the thief swiped up her mask and dashed past the officers before heading down a key hallway. "What the?!" Lovino gasped.
"W-where did the ragazza go?!" Feliciano said right after. Lovino shoved him out of his way and shouted even louder, "After her! Find her! Hurry!" Before he'd even finished talking, he, his brother, and his fellow officers took out their flashlights and split in different directions. But no one was more determined to find the lady thief than Lovino and Feliciano.
Meanwhile, said thief was running down the dimly lit hallway as fast as her legs could carry her, keeping her face down so the cameras couldn't see her. She could barely believe what had happened back there, but now wasn't the time to focus on it. What she should be focusing on was getting out of here before any of the officers, especially the two brothers, could see her. She wasn't sure she would be able to repeat her luck if given the chance.
Before too long, she reached a side window that she was sure would lead to her escape. But instead of just taking it, she first tied the broken string of her mask around her head as best and as fast as she could. With the same speed, she stuffed the case containing the dagger in her small backpack. Right then, as she put it back on, she heard the shouts of the officers and saw the beams of their flashlights from around the corner. Well, it was now or never.
After putting her back against the wall, she ran forward and broke through the window, the resounding crash echoing both inside and out. An alarm inside the hallway immediately started blaring as she soared outside and then tumbled onto the roof of an adjoining building. But she quickly regained her footing and started her escape. With the dagger once again in her possession, she put her freerunning skills to good use and quickly left her pursuers behind.
At the same time she was taking her leave, Feliciano and Lovino skidded to a halt at the broken window. The officers could only watch as the distance between them and their girl grew. With every second, Lovino could feel his face redden with frustration, but the final straw came when Feliciano groaned. "Ohhh! Not again!" Lovino grabbed his brother by the collar, forcing him to face his blazing eyes.
"Congratulations, you let her get away!" he growled through gritted teeth. "We were so close this time and you blew it!" Already Feliciano was starting to shake somewhat from his brother's fury.
"I am so so sorry, fratello!" he said in a rapid, frantic tone. "I am so sorry I forgot to cuff her! She was too strong for me and I am so sorry I blew it! I am!" That was when Lovino's grip on Feliciano's collar tightened.
"You forgot to cuff her?!" he demanded despite knowing the answer. "WHO DOES THAT?! What kind of idiotic ufficiale catches a thief and forgets to handcuff them?!" Feliciano shook even more.
"I really am sorry Lovino!" he replied with the same tone as before. "She was molto bella and seemed so so sorry for what she did! I felt bad for her and I didn't know what else to do! I was a sitting duck!"
"That I agree with!" Lovino continued to yell in his face. "And you listen to me, little brother! If she gets away one more time I am going to make you wish you never joined the force in the first place!"
"Sì!" Feliciano nodded eagerly. "Sì, Lovino! I will not let her get away again! I promise she will not make an idiota out of me the next time she shows up!" Only then did his brother let go of him.
"Make sure that she does not!" Lovino growled one more time before he turned toward the direction the thief went. He quickly spoke through his comms unit. "Secure the perimeter of every block within the next mile in all four directions. If anyone sees even a flash of green, I want to hear about it."
"Copy that," the officer on the other line replied. And for a moment, Lovino continued to look at the evening horizon the thief had somehow vanished into. He was always willing to be kind to women, but this one was very much trying his patience. Male or female, she was a criminal. And the second he got the chance, he was not going to hesitate to slap cuffs on her.
"Enjoy your freedom while you can, ladra," he said lowly, his eyes now narrow with determination, "because sooner or later, you will be trading that green fairy suit for something not so fine."
One month later…
Downtown Rome
13:11
Felicia Varano let out a soothed sigh as she felt the early summer breeze blow through her hair – or rather, her wig hair. Shortly after, she adjusted her glasses, which she didn't need to wear, before taking up her phone again and snapping more pictures. Anyone looking her way would most likely think of her as an innocent tourist, getting as much of Italy's beautiful capital as she could. She let a small smirk curve her lips as she thought of how fun it was keeping her real intentions secret.
But even though she was out in public, Felicia didn't feel completely safe. Even when in the throng of everyday crowds, there was always the risk of a cop, whether on or off duty, recognizing her. And the risk had only doubled a few weeks ago, after she barely missed being unmasked by a hair. She felt a bit of a shiver crawl up her skin at remembering how close she came to certain arrest.
So, ever since, she didn't go out as Felicia Varano. Instead, she let the world know her as Felicity Vann. She always had a couple fake IDs and disguises for occasions such as this. Though how long it would be until it was safe to be herself again, she couldn't guess. Perhaps the only consolation was that she got the centuries-old dagger back to its original owner, a man who inherited a collection of similar artifacts from his late father.
It wasn't easy being Rome's public enemy number one, or at least that was how she saw it. With her always successful heists and signature green costume, she'd been dubbed the Graffatore Verde, or Green Grafter. But Felicia wasn't a normal petty thief. She didn't steal for her own personal gain. She had taken it upon herself to return already stolen property, even if it may not have been as such by law enforcement.
For the last six months, she'd been a part of the PTI, or Phantom Thief International. She and several others like her around the globe were a part of this organization so secret that not even law enforcement knew of it. Since she was a full-blood Italian and knew Rome inside and out, this area was Felicia's line of jurisdiction. But given how she barely escaped during her last heist, she asked her superiors for time off, which was generously given.
Sooner or later though, she knew she would have to get back in the field. Just yesterday, in fact, she'd received a new assignment. A new curator of the House of Historical Jewels had just sold off a new piece, the emerald-studded Crown of Venus, to the museum. But her superiors found evidence that the one he sold was a fake, and he was keeping the real one stowed away somewhere in his house. Felicia's job was to switch the former with the latter.
She didn't know at first if she could do it, as she didn't want to possibly relive the night of her last mission. But she was then reminded of how she'd committed eleven successful robberies in a row, and in just six months. Pretty good for that short amount of time. And Felicia always got a sense of satisfaction knowing she helped someone in a way they never could for themselves. It may have been a month, but she was ready to get back in the ring.
In addition to scouting the place, she was also waiting to catch sight of the Vargas brothers, Lovino and Feliciano, as she was told they might meet near here today. Such a peculiar pair those two were. She remembered hacking into the police station's database before her first mission to see who she was up against, and was surprised to discover they were around her age. And ever since she first started, they out of all the force seemed the most determined to catch her. Well, at least Lovino seemed to be.
Just as she was thinking that, she decided to put on her phone's earbuds. In the eyes of everyone else, she was probably just listening to music. But these earbuds allowed her to pick up sounds and voices she might not have otherwise heard. And before too long, she started hearing some familiar voices.
"Come on, fratello!" It was Feliciano, judging by his pitch which was much higher than his brother's. "What is a better way to be taking your mind off a hectic day than with a bowl of pasta!"
"I have had enough of your insane pasta obsession Feliciano!" she heard Lovino snap back. While she let out a chuckle at his annoyed tone, Felicia also couldn't help but feel a little sorry for Feliciano. This wasn't the first time she'd heard Lovino be so needlessly rough with him.
"Besides, we are not just here to have fun," she then heard him say in a lower tone. "The capo asked us to scout out the place for a reason. So how about you actually focus on some work for once?!"
Just as she thought, and feared. In front of her was the site of what would be her latest caper. With the brothers on this case, it was going to prove all the more risky. "I am sorry, Lovino!" Feliciano suddenly said in a flustered tone. "How many times do I have to say it? I have been telling you every day for four straight weeks!"
"And you will be telling me every day until we finally catch her, do you hear me?!" Lovino snapped again. "If one of us fails, we all fail! So get that into that thick skull of yours will you?!" Felicia let out a sigh of pity. She didn't know if she could ever live with a hounding sibling like that. How could the two look so much alike and yet be so different?
She then looked over her shoulder, and briefly saw that they were about to cross a corner across the street from where she was. Deciding now was as good a time as any, and ignoring the nervous beat of her heart, Felicia put away her earbuds, quickly crossed the road, and started walking in the direction of the brothers. Just as she planned, she immediately ran into them and let out a gasp as if surprised.
"Oh, mi scusi, signorina!" Feliciano nervously apologized. "Mi dispiace molto!" Felicia then gave him a confused look that told him she couldn't understand him, even though, of course, she really could.
Feliciano fortunately seemed to get the message and blushed as he fished for words in English. "Um, what I mean is, I am sorry, miss! We did not mean to run into you!" Genuinely smiling at his oddly charming manner, Felicia couldn't help but chuckle.
"It's alright," she assured him in English. "I'll be fine. I should've watched where I was going anyway." And watch it she should. After all, these were the men who just about saw her real face.
She doubled her effort to hide her own nervousness when Lovino looked at her with an intrigued face. "Your accent," he said. "You are from the States, are you?" Felicia inwardly breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed as though those lessons in English and in the American accent were paying off.
"Yes," she nodded, trying to smile. "Yes, I am. I'm actually here on a college trip and thought I'd go on my own for a little while." At least, that was the story she had in mind from the beginning.
Feliciano's face lit up rather handsomely as he smiled. "Really?" he asked. "Well, welcome to Italia, signorina! What do you think of Roma so far? Molto bella, isn't it? Wait, did you understand that?"
Felicia chuckled again, more heartily this time. "I think I have an idea," she smiled. "Just about everything a tourist could ask for. I'm, Felicity, by the way." She bit her lip as she barely missed giving her real name.
"Ciao, Signorina Felicity!" the younger of the two brothers smiled more broadly. "My name is Feliciano, and this is my big brother, Lovino!" His smile proved to be contagious, as it lit up Felicia's face as well.
"Nice to meet you both," she nodded. "Even if it was through running into each other." She then looked at Lovino, whose face still wore that intrigued look, making her anxiety return.
"A pleasure, signorina," he said before crossing his arms and running his hand through his hair. It almost seemed like he was flustered too. "But I am sorry you had to come here in the middle of a crime wave."
Knowing full well what he was talking about, yet pretending not to, Felicia replied, "What do you mean? Oh, wait! Are you talking about that Graffatore Verde girl? I've been hearing about her a lot, actually."
"Unfortunately," Lovino added. "I hope you do not have any connections to any museum or whatnot, signorina. You might even want to think about guarding anything you consider valuable."
"Well, I don't have any rare jewels or paintings or anything like that," Felicia tried to keep her smile. "But thanks for the advice, I'll keep it in mind." Then, as if suddenly remembering something important, she gasped and added, "Oh man, I'd better get back to meet my friends!"
"Do you want us to take you there, Felicity?" Feliciano asked. "It is a big city and it is starting to get a little crowded." Felicia looked around briefly to see that he was right about seemingly more people than before milling about. But she obviously could not take him up on his offer. The longer she stayed, the more they were likely to recognize her.
"No, no," she shook her head. "Thank you very much, but I'm fine. Besides, I've got the magic of gps!" She then took out her phone and started typing in a fake address before turning around and waving at the brothers. "Nice meeting you both!"
"You too, signorina!" Feliciano smiled as he waved back. And as she hastily walked away – but not too much, hopefully – Felicia felt a slight pain in her chest. Had circumstances been different, she probably would have liked being friends with the two men. When they weren't chasing her they seemed like pretty decent guys to hang around with. But of course, that could never be. As long as they were cops and she was a thief, she couldn't let sentiment get in the way of her work.
With that thought in mind, she was relieved that they didn't seem to recognize her. She looked over her shoulder as she did earlier and caught sight of another young lady running into the two. But instead of talking to them as she did, she went on her way, as though busy with something. Perfect, she thought as she looked forward again and smiled slightly. Just as I hoped.
While Felicia continued walking away, the two brothers couldn't help but think about the oddly charming American girl. "Such a nice ragazza, wasn't she Lovino?" Feliciano asked.
"I suppose so," Lovino nodded in agreement. He then donned a thinking expression as he added, "I do not know though. Something about her seemed little bit familiar to me." After thinking on it for a moment, he shrugged his shoulders and put his hands in his pockets. Suddenly, his eyes went wide when he felt something he didn't remember having in one of them. Immediately after, he fished out what looked like a small card. And what was written on it in green made his eyes widen even more.
I will steal the Crown of Venus at 21:30 tonight. I look forward to seeing you two.
Yours truly,
Il Graffatore Verde
"What is it, fratello?" Feliciano asked. "How did you get that in your pocket?" How indeed. But that was when Lovino gasped as he remembered the two girls he and his brother just now ran into. Could it have been one of them who left this literal calling card? Was it possible that they actually just met the thief herself?
Lovino shook his head, as that wasn't the most important thing right now. "Idiota!" he snapped at Feliciano again. "It had to be one of those ragazze! Frick, it is too late to track them both down now! We have to get this down to the station and fast! This time we are going to be more prepared than she is!"
House of Historical Jewels
20:39
The following night, half a dozen police cars sat in front of the museum, their blue and red lights flashing in all directions against the black expanse above. Ever since Lovino and Feliciano brought the Graffatore's card to the chief, the force spent the remaining afternoon and the evening after preparing for the thief's arrival.
Out of all the officers though, Lovino worked the hardest. For the last hour he'd been patrolling every inch of the building. If the Green Grafter was going to be caught tonight, he didn't want to take any chances. "Everything is in place then?" he asked one of the officers at the front of the museum. "The area is contained?"
"Sì, it's surrounded," the officer replied with a salute. "All clear!" another officer near them called. Lovino smiled and nodded in satisfaction. Perhaps tonight really would be the night after all.
"At ease! But not too much ease!" he saluted the officers. Once they did the same, Lovino hurried up the stairs to take his spot next to his brother, giving him a look that said, "Don't blow it this time."
Feliciano shivered a little bit. But as soon as Lovino stood next to him, he couldn't help but voice his opinion. "It just does not make much sense at all," he thought out loud. "All of her last heists were committed two weeks apart at most. Why would she wait a whole month before going on another one?"
"Perhaps we scared her into hiding after we almost unmasked her," Lovino replied, still looking straight ahead, his arms crossed in concentration. "But who really knows what goes through a thief's mind when they're planning their next move?"
"Which is why I am so relieved to have you all here tonight," another voice added. The two brothers turned to see Signore De Luca, one of the museum's newest curators. He was a bit of a stocky fellow and seemed rather respectable. Lovino had no idea why the Graffatore would want to target such a decent seeming man. But that didn't matter. His job was to protect both the treasure and the museum's reputation.
"Signore De Luca," Lovino smiled respectfully. "We are happy to offer our services. I must say though I am sorry this had to happen so soon after you came here." The suited man smiled in return and nodded.
"Do not worry about that," he said, chuckling slightly. "I am just happy you are all here. I also would like to thank you for being willing to assign personal protection for me. Otherwise I do not think I could have shown up here tonight."
"Certo, Signore," Lovino replied. But there was still something curious on his mind. He didn't bring it up out of being polite, but for some reason there was something about the curator that made both his manner and voice sound somewhat nervous. Then again, if a thief was targeting a precious jewelry piece that he just sold to the House of Historical Jewels, he would probably have been a little nervous too.
"I suppose I should go wait inside then," the Signore said. "Let me know when you have caught her." Lovino nodded one more time before turning around to face the night landscape again, his brown eyes narrowed like a cat waiting for a mouse to come out of its hole.
At the same time the police were waiting for their thief, however, the Green Grafter had already set her sights on the one place they'd never expect: Signore De Luca's house. This time, her mask was securely in place and her identity safe. For now, anyway. She also intended to be extra careful tonight. There would be no relying on luck this time. This she knew as she looked through her night vision goggles at the otherwise normal-looking house.
Indeed, it almost puzzled Felicia. Then again, if she was hiding a priceless crown of emeralds, she wouldn't exactly want any part of her house to scream "hiding place." Still, she had to give credit for the intel provided for her by her superiors. Although there were two non-uniformed officers at both the front and back entrances, she also knew the house was rigged with an alarm system. And for that, she was prepared.
After sneaking across the street and toward the side of the house, Felicia smiled as she saw two windows for both floors. She knew the crown was hidden in his office, which was on the upper floor. But that wouldn't prove to be too much of a problem for her. Making what she hoped was as little noise as she could, Felicia swiftly made her way up a tree several feet away from the side of the building. After calculating the distance, she ran straight forward on a protruding limb and jumped.
After grabbing hold of the top of the window, she held on with one hand and foot and took out another one of her gadgets: an emp, or electromagnetic pulse generator. Once she pressed the right button, she smiled once more as she knew the device would short-circuit the alarm system, at least long enough for her to be in and out.
Once that was done with, Felicia put the device away and took out a lock-pick she'd chosen just for this occasion. She quickly reached in with it and turned both of the window's locks, allowing her silent access into the office room. Even then though, she knew she had to be quick. The effects of the emp on the security system would only last for a maximum of fifteen minutes.
As she expected, the room was completely dark, with only the moonlight to help her see at all. And she of course couldn't just turn on the lights lest the undercover cops see. Fortunately, she had a small light source on the side of her backpack. Bright enough for her to see, yet dim enough so as not to be seen for too far.
The problem now though was figuring out where the curator had hidden the crown. Not even her superiors knew where he'd hidden it. All they knew was that it was in his office. Nevermind that her time-limit had started the moment she pressed the emp button. Luckily though, fifteen minutes seemed just the right amount. Felicia knew enough about hiding places and their possibilities. And given how valuable the crown was, the curator would have been very careful in choosing a hiding spot.
But as the minutes ticked by, the harder it was trying to find it, and the more frustrated and anxious Felicia got. Even so, she forced herself to stay calm. A good thief had to be good at improvising as well as planning. Putting her thinking cap on, she thought of what she knew about the curator. From the information she had about him, he didn't seem to look like the type to commit fraud – or possibly murder, as she'd dealt with before. Either way, he would most likely choose a hiding place fitting to his personality.
And that was when her fingers settled on a barely protruding book in one of the book cases. With just a little push, Felicia thought she heard a small click on the side of the wall to her left. And just like that, her eyes settled on a portion of the wall sticking out in a square shape.
"Yes!" she hissed quietly. It was actually kind of perfect. She wouldn't have thought something so simple could be so clever. But she still had barely enough time left, so she got down on her knees and quickly opened the square door to see a vault of the same size on the other side.
There was a combination lock keeping the door closed. But not only did Felicia not have enough time to unlock it the old-fashioned way, she had a quicker and easier way. Taking out the same tool she used to get in, she was able to get the door open in less than a minute.
And there it was… The Crown of Venus. In the brightness of her light-source, she could see how exquisite the design was. It was a crown of shining, golden laurel leaves, probably the right size for her own head. And on each leaf were little emerald gems. Felicia knew the fake was good, but she couldn't help but wonder how the curator could've been able to replicate this artifact's beauty.
Once her eyes settled on the desk's electric clock though, she took in a sharp breath as she realized she had less than thirty seconds left. How could she have wasted so much time? Despite her self-scolding though, she hastily took the case containing the crown and stuffed it in her backpack before rushing toward the still open window.
And as soon as she started lifting it some more, Felicia jumped a little bit when she heard the system's siren blaring in her ears. Lovely! she thought as she rolled her eyes. Just lovely! "What was that?!" one of the undercover cops shouted. "Who's there?!" the other said. But as much as they would've liked her to, she wasn't going to freeze.
Gathering as much air as she could into her lungs, Felicia leaped from the window toward the grassy floor. After rolling forward to smooth out the landing and getting back on her feet again, she started running forward as fast as she could. And sure enough, not too long after she began her run, she heard the shouts of both cops as they spotted her. "Hey! Hey, hold up! Stop!"
But Felicia didn't stop or slacken one bit in her pace. Not even when she took one of her special mini-disks and threw it behind her their way before continuing her run. She didn't need to see it happen, but she could still hear the blast that erupted from the disk, which would make it release smoke thick enough to stop the cops in their tracks. She then heard the echos of their sudden coughing fits before she quickly lost them by going around another tree.
Felicia knew what would happen now. She knew she couldn't stop the officers from alerting the rest of the force at the museum. But that wasn't going to stop her from carrying out her mission. Fortunately, she wouldn't have to run too far, as her destination within the city was less than a mile away. Even so, she took in another deep breath, preparing her body for the hard sprint ahead.
The Vargas brothers both flinched at once as soon as they heard their names over their comms units. "Vargas!" they both shouted. "Lovino! Feliciano!" The two recognized those voices as the officers assigned to guard the residence of Signore De Luca. Lovino immediately began to wonder why they were calling in, but it didn't take him long to figure it out. No! he thought frantically. It cannot be!
"Sì, what is it?!" he asked desperately. For a minute, he didn't get anything from the men except for coughs. It was almost like the two were having an attack. "Quit gagging and tell me what is going on!" he demanded.
To both him and Feliciano, the men exclaimed, "The Graffatore Verde, Vargas! We saw her! She somehow bypassed the security system and snuck into Signore De Luca's house! She could be on her way to the museum as we speak!"
"WHAT?!" Lovino shouted a bit too loudly. He drew a quick breath, not wanting at all to believe what he was hearing. But if the thieving girl was on her way to the museum as they said, they didn't have much time. "Grazie! We'll do what we can! Arrivaderci!"
He then faced his brother, who looked just as alarmed as he if not more so, and said, "You, me, the roof, now!" And without waiting for Feliciano, he sprinted toward the front entrance, determined to get to the top before the Grafter did.
"Why would she do that?" Feliciano asked between huffs once they got inside. "I thought she was coming here tonight! Oh, the Signore is going to be so mad!" And as much as he didn't want to, Lovino had to agree with him.
"I do not know what in the crapola she is thinking!" he replied over his shoulder. "But I am going to find out!" He then grabbed hold of his brother's wrist, making Feliciano almost trip.
As he and Lovino continued on their way to the roof though, Feliciano couldn't help but notice the disturbed thoughts now floating in his mind. Something was not right. From what he'd come to know of the Graffatore Verde, this wasn't like her usual heists. There had to be something big going on at De Luca's house if she broke into it. Even so, he knew better than to voice his opinion in front of his brother, so he reluctantly kept silent.
Felicia did her best to ignore her body's objections to being pushed so hard so fast in one night. She couldn't recall another time she'd put so much effort in her freerunning during a mission. Even so, once she had made it to the rooftop of the nearest city building, she'd run nonstop for the next fifteen minutes. It was all she could do to ignore her pounding heartbeat, the stress in her lungs, and the sirens coming from every police car in the city as far as she was concerned.
But no matter what, now that she had the real Crown of Venus with her, she couldn't let anything stop her from completing this mission. Felicia was even more certain of this when she spotted the roof of the House of Historical Jewels.
She briefly spotted the red and blue light-show going on in the street below just beyond the front entrance. She couldn't make out much of what the cops were doing, but she had the feeling they were looking for their guest of honor. But she knew the building well by now. There was more than one way in, and more than one way to get to where the replica was being kept.
After calculating the distance, Felicia went to the other side of the rooftop and sprinted forward. As soon as there was no ground left for her, she took the great leap, and just barely grabbed hold of the edge of the museum roof. She tried not to groan as she hauled herself up. But she might as well have. As soon as she stood up, the door to the inside was kicked open. "HEY!"
Out came both of the Vargas brothers, their handguns pointed right at her. Instinctively, Felicia held her hands up slightly. She had been somewhat wary of facing them earlier, but now that they were seeing her again after a month, she didn't know what was going to happen between them. Would they recognize her? Had they learned enough about her to finally stop her?
"Hold it right there, Graffatore!" Lovino shouted. "I don't know what you were doing at Signore De Luca's house, but you made a big mistake coming here anyway!" As she grit her teeth until they ached, Felicia almost found herself agreeing with them, until her mind went another direction and began concocting a plan to get past them. She didn't want to use her taser disks, as she didn't have that many this time around. But that didn't mean she didn't have another weapon at her disposal.
"It's time you paid for making the polizia look like idioti, ladra!" Lovino snarled at her. Feliciano, on the other hand, even though he was holding his gun firmly, looked as sorry as he did the last time.
"Per favore, bella," he pleaded. "We do not have to do this the hard way." But by then, Felicia was already preparing herself. She didn't speak, since it would only increase the risk of them recognizing her, but it was quickly becoming clear to the two that she was not going to come quietly.
"Alright, Graffatore!" Lovino frowned at her. "You asked for it!" He and Feliciano then ran straight for her, ready to tackle her. But before either of them knew it, Lovino found himself being cut off at the knees, while Feliciano found himself being flipped through the air just a millisecond after. Both immediately felt the wind being knocked out of them, but Lovino was not done yet.
Right as the thief in green headed straight for the door, he scrambled to his feet and jumped at her, arms outstretched to grab her. But he was too late and fell back to the ground in a heap. His fury now as red hot as his face, he shouted into his comms unit, "The Graffatore! Get her you idiots!"
But Felicia was more than prepared by then. She swiftly took one of her taser disks and hurled it at the three officers coming up the stairs toward her. It instantly hit its mark and electrocuted one of the officers. While he fell onto the one behind him, the one in the very front reached out to grab Felicia. She fell backwards onto the stairway and proceeded to ride the bumpy way down the rest of the steps.
Ignoring several new sore spots on her body, she then headed toward the door to a maintenance room. After slamming it open and locking it behind her, she took a very brief breather and proceeded to look for a way of escape. And she spotted the way to the air venting system just underneath the ceiling.
Felicia scrambled on top of the table in the corner of the room and whipped out her lock-picking tool. The screws proved to be somewhat rusty, as she didn't have too much of a problem getting them out of the way. By then though, she was hearing fists pounding the door and voices demanding her to open it. Gritting her teeth again, she finally got the covering open, put away her tool, and hurried inside.
After slamming the covering behind her, she began to make her way through the dank and dark tunnel. It was only when the room left her vision that she heard the door to it getting kicked open, followed by officers storming in. "Shoot, lost her!" one of them shouted.
Felicia took another short breather in relief knowing she was inside the building and hidden, at least for the time being. Now all she had to do was find the location of the Crown of Venus replica. This pathway was just one of several she'd been considering, and not one she took very often given how predictable it seemed to her. But as she learned tonight, predictable could sometimes work in her favor.
Using only her feet so as not to make too much noise, Felicia continued through the network of vents throughout the building. Every time she heard a voice beneath her, she went forward very slowly until she was sure she was beyond them hearing her. Before long though, it started getting close to 21:30, the time when she claimed she was going to steal the Crown of Venus. And she desperately hoped her memory of the air-duct system was correct.
She eventually looked into a room that looked a lot like the one where the replica was originally stored. Gazing through the darkness, Felicia's eyes widened when she saw four policemen on guard, waiting for her. She knew then for sure that the replica couldn't be there. Either way, they wouldn't let her get that close to it without some kind of trap in place. Whatever possible danger awaited her though, she was ready to face it in order to complete her mission.
"What in the world was she doing at my house?! And how was she able to just bypass the alarm I set in place?!" Signore De Luca yelled into Feliciano's face, making a shiver travel up his spine. He and Lovino had split up, leaving him to face the Signore's spazz attack alone. And heaven knows he was not having a fun time with it.
"I-I do not know Signore!" Feliciano started talking in his fast, panicked tone. "She is a thief, and you know how smart and unpredictable thieves are! I am so sorry we did not see this coming! I won't ever let it happen again!"
That was when he heard a beeping noise in his comms unit. It took him a moment to remember what it was or where it was coming from, when he let out a surprised gasp. The Graffatore Verde had triggered the silent alarm set up in the air-duct system. And he just so happened to be near it.
"I am so sorry Signore!" he shook his head, still flustered. "Please forgive me, but I think I know where she is! I will get her for you, I promise!" And without waiting for a response, he darted for the doorway, and then ran as fast as he could down the hall toward where he remembered the alarm was.
Felicia smiled when she saw her prize right below her. It was dark, but from what she could see through her night vision goggles, the place, which oddly enough resembled a storage room, was empty. Completely void of any kind of traps, including lasers, something she was often able to pick up with her goggles if not her eyes. Something didn't feel right. She had the feeling that the moment she even attempted to swap the two crowns, policemen would come barging through the door.
But she didn't come here only to end up being a coward. Traps or no, it was now time to fulfill her mission's objective. After opening the vent covering as quietly as she could, she took a quiet breath and ignored the nervous pounding sensation in her chest before. Felicia then bit her lip, and dropped into the room as silently as a cat. Nothing happened. Maybe she really was safe.
But there was no more time for her to waste. After using her lock-pick to get the glass casing open, and marveling at how this fake could possibly pass as the Crown of Venus, she took off her backpack and pulled out the case containing said piece. She placed that one on top of the original container, the better to prove this was the real one, and her goal had been completed in barely a minute.
As Felicia started placing the fake into her backpack, she smiled at another mission accomplished. For a moment, it even seemed she was home-free. But her smile immediately fell when the door to the room was suddenly slammed open, and she gasped at the sight of Feliciano, his flashlight focused solely on her.
"Hey!" he shouted. But by then she'd already swiped up her barely closed backpack and shoved past him into the hall. "No, wait! Stop! Fermare!" She ignored his orders though and continued hurrying down the surprisingly empty hallway. She was almost expecting an officer to jump out of a room and catch her by surprise.
Still, she had to keep her focus on the one behind her. Feliciano may not have been as rough as his brother, but he was just as fast, if not more so. Whether or not it was because of this or the fact that she was now getting to be tired, Felicia found it surprisingly difficult to keep at least a couple feet away from the cop. She didn't know if she could go to the rooftop as an exit, since she'd entered that way, so she went for the next best thing. She headed for one of the windows.
But just before she could reach it, she let out a cry of shock as she was tackled from behind by Feliciano. He quickly put her hands behind her back and she heard him reach for his handcuffs. But Felicia had already decided she was not going to relive that night from a month ago. She yanked her right hand out of his hold and elbowed him in his upper arm. He cried out in pain, and before he knew it, he was lying on his back with the Graffatore Verde sitting on him.
Her eyes glared at him through her mask, and Feliciano quickly reverted back to panic mode. "No!" he exclaimed. "Please do not kill me! I am not ready to die! I want to meet the love of my life and have kids and all that stuff that makes life worth living, please!"
"Calm down!" she said through her teeth. "I'm not going to do anything to you. But I want you to do me a favor and get what I'm about to say to everyone on the force!" Feliciano forced his eyes to open, suddenly curious at what she did have to say. She took his silence as permission to continue.
"The crown I took is not real," she began with a low tone. "It's a fake! I left the real one in its place! Signore De Luca sold off a replica and was keeping the real one hidden away in his house! He's the real thief! Go have it examined for yourself if you don't believe me!"
Feliciano could barely believe what was happening. Here he was lying on the floor with a rather pretty female thief sitting on top of him, and she was telling him that another thief had been hiding under his nose. How was she capable of knowing and doing so much? Was she even human? "W-who are you?"
The masked girl managed a smirk, which somehow made her look even more pretty. "I'm just your everyday noble thief," she replied. "We're not all the same. Even thieves have a sense of honor." But she then frowned again and added, "If you aren't going to freely let me go though, I'm going to have to handcuff you myself."
Feliciano gasped. As much as he wanted to catch the Graffatore Verde before, the thought of being cuffed by her just proved too much. Taking advantage of his shock, she quickly stood up and went for the window again. In less than ten seconds, she had it unlocked and was climbing out of it, when Feliciano had the sudden urge to stop her. After turning onto his stomach, he gazed at her masked face with a look that told her to wait.
But she simply gave him that pretty smirk one more time before saying, "Buonanotte, Signore Vargas." And with that, she let go of the window pane and dropped out of his sight, leaving him still shaken up and borderline dumbfounded about what just happened. At that moment though, he heard running footsteps and he looked to see his red-faced brother, Signore De Luca, and a few other officers racing toward the scene.
"What happened!" Lovino demanded. "Where is she?! Don't you dare tell me you forgot to cuff her again!" Feliciano didn't know if being too surprised to do anything counted as forgetting, but he shook his head nonetheless.
"She just overpowered me!" he said as he then rose to his feet. "I didn't know what to do! She was just too good!" That was when his brother once again took him by the collar as he did that night a month ago and stared daggers at him.
But at the same time, Feliciano remembered what the Graffatore Verde wanted him to tell everybody. The real question was whether or not they would listen. "Wait! Wait!" he shouted. "She had something she wanted me to tell all of you!"
Lovino grit his teeth at him, but before long, his temper cooled – a little bit anyway – and he somewhat reluctantly let go of his brother's collar. "Va bene," he said in a matching tone, "spit it out before I get the urge to slug you in the you-know-what!"
After taking a hard swallow, and hoping what he was about to say was true, Feliciano began. "S-she said she did not steal the Crown of Venus, but a r-replica." His voice shook a little as he spoke, and out of the corner of his eye he started noticing how truly flustered Signore De Luca was getting. But he continued. "She said the real ladro has been with us the whole time."
"What are you talking about, little brother?" Lovino asked. "You have heard it from the other curators! That crown is too good to be a fake! Admit it, she was taking advantage of you so she could get away, stupido!"
Feliciano flew his hands up in an attempt to keep his brother's fury at a distance. "No, wait! I can prove she told me the truth! She said she got the real one from Signore De Luca's house! She left it in place of the fake!"
Lovino was about to say how ridiculous that was, when another officer came forward, holding the case containing what Feliciano now knew to be the genuine Crown of Venus. "He's right!" he exclaimed, his surprised voice matching the look on his face. "This one was left on top of the original casing!"
Everyone then looked at the now clearly nervous Signore De Luca, and before too long, he finally broke down and literally brought himself to his knees. "Va bene, I confess! I sold off a replica of the Crown of Venus instead of the actual piece! I committed fraud, I admit it! It was just too beautiful, I couldn't be parted from it!"
All of the officers, including Lovino and Feliciano, widened their eyes and let their mouths fall open at what was unfolding right before their eyes. But Feliciano had different reasons from the others. Before long, he actually started smiling, and even let out a small laugh before he finally exclaimed, "I knew it! I knew it! I knew something was not right! I knew the Graffatore Verde had a reason!"
That was when Lovino whipped around to face his brother again and asked in shock, "What?! What are you getting at, you scemo?! You had better make sense this second or I am taking away your pasta forever!"
Feliciano's eyes widened in fear as that proved to be more than enough motivation. "All I am saying is that I have been noticing that whenever the Graffatore Verde commits a robbery, she always has a reason! She even told that to me herself tonight! She may be a thief but she is not a dirty crook!"
"And you are just going to believe her?!" Lovino asked in shock once again. "Whether or not she had a reason, she is still a thief. Thieves by definition are dirty crooks! They're all the same in the end!"
But Feliciano didn't know if he could agree, even if he didn't dare say that to his brother. What no one in the hallway knew though was that they were closer to their lady thief than they'd been in a long time. Felicia was hanging onto the window just below the one she dropped out of. She knew she should've gotten away the moment she climbed out. But she couldn't resist hearing how things were going to turn out once she heard them talking.
And now that she'd heard it all for herself, she felt her face redden, but not in frustration. She also felt her heart pounding again, but not in an adrenaline fueled rush. Even if they were still on opposite sides of the law, Felicia couldn't help but appreciate what Feliciano had said. This was the first time she heard anyone, let alone a cop, actually sticking up for her, even if they didn't necessarily agree with what she did.
She suddenly remembered where she was though, and reminded herself that she still had to avoid the force and make a clean getaway. Even so, as she proceeded to make her way down the building, Felicia couldn't help but feel something more than the sense of satisfaction at yet another mission accomplished. She didn't know what it was exactly, but she liked it.
Feliciano stood alone in front of the House of Historical Jewels as he watched its newest curator, and first one-turned-fraud, being led in cuffs by Lovino and another officer to one of the waiting cars up ahead. As bad as he felt for Signore De Luca though, he couldn't help but smile for a bit, knowing that tonight wasn't a complete and total waste. The Crown of Venus was still safe and in the right place, all thanks to the Graffatore Verde.
Just as he was thinking that, Feliciano felt the phone in his pocket buzz as he received a new text. Curious to know who it could be from, especially at this hour, he took it out and punched in the password. And right there waiting for him was a text from a number that only read "Anonimo."
Thank you for believing in me.
GV
Once he read it, his smile only grew. He knew there would be no point in trying to trace the text, but he already knew very well who it was. She may have been still a thief, and he a cop, but it seemed like they had a newfound respect for each other, if not…something else…
With that thought in mind though, Feliciano couldn't help but recall his brief but memorable interaction with the lady herself. Now that he thought about it, something about her seemed familiar. Her manner, and the way she spoke, it almost felt as though he'd come across them before. Much like… Much like a certain young American girl he had the pleasure of running into earlier that day…
Cue kick*ss ending theme song! ( watch?v=0WQ4PO6_6No) (Starts at 0:23)
What'd you think? Let me know, and thanks for reading!