Ok so here's chapter 2 finally, as usual I won't even start on number 3 until I get two reviews, and if you don't like these kinds of stories then don't read as I'm sure you'd prefer to spend your time reading something else rather than scold me for something previous readers requested me to continue.

As usual I don't own any of the sly cooper characters,

"so then I fired him, that will teach that servant not to bring me my tea 4 minutes late" mike chuckled poshly and forcefully making me groan wanting another glass of wine. Three HOURS he's been talking non-stop about himself and his stupid fortune, honestly I'm surprised someone didn't steal from him just to kill his ego.

I looked round the large ballroom to find quiet ways of escaping this torture, the room was large, as big as a stadium, but was also dark, large blue velvet curtains covered the walls, with a large chandelier providing the only light in the room, along with the wall lights in the shape of lilies of course there was a buffet table at the other end of the room from the door and the dance floor of polished wood, and dining tables with purple sheets covering them lining that, but it seemed the quickest escape for me, was to hang by the buffet table til the guards leave the back door and slip out quickly, Although, the way mike was going I was tempted to just leg it right now, 'ugh if I have to hear one more I fired my servant for a stupid reason story, I am going to kill someone'. "Tia?" I heard someone call my name, the voice was young yet mature, with a slight Spanish accent, I smiled knowing who that was and turned round to see someone who might make coming here worthwhile.

The girl I saw was a young girl around 14 or so, with dark purple hair in a bun and blue eyes looking at me from a bird masquerade mask, her dress was simple, a long one Victorian dress that was red in colour with a white trim, I knew this girl well as due to my mother's visits to her family she has become as close as family to me. "Hello Mai" I smiled to her and proceeded to hug her. She hugged me back gently before grabbing my wrist pulling me to one side away from mike; thankfully he was too engrossed in himself to even notice me say hi to her. "Thanks Mai, I was about ready to kill him" I joked making her laugh, she knew that I wasn't that skilled at killing, her being a trained killer herself but that another story, "it's alright Tia, my own date wasn't much fun either, no spine in that guy I can tell ya" she pointed behind herself to what looked to be a traumatised 15 year old shaking with wide eyes and pale skin, looked like Mai had gotten him spooked with her way of joking.

I chuckled and shook my head a little "still haven't found the right one huh Mai?" I asked her as she sighed looking a bit annoyed and disappointed, she pouted before saying something in Spanish; all I got from it was that all the guys she meets are wimps. We proceeded to go to the buffet table to get something to drink, I had a red wine whilst as usual she had coffee, "still a coffee addict too huh?" I asked making her hiss like a cat at me making me laugh, the thing was, Mai could see through my emotionless mask, far better than anyone else, so there was no point hiding round her so I was always myself with her. "How's Yvaine?" she asked making my mood and face fall

"She's finished some kind of ray gun last week…. I don't know what it does cos she carries the blueprints on her all the time, and you know how hard it is to get something from her without her knowing" I explained, sure I can get info and blueprints of the guards and scientists around the labs but with her it's impossible. Mai nodded seeming to understand, after this entire ball is really an unveiling of that same ray gun, and if I knew my mother, it will not be one for good. We kept talking for an hour, just her and me as the others knew better to disturb us, cos of the one woman that we were connected to, Yvaine Jade, the dark woman.

We were catching up when I asked about the new position she was in, making her sigh, you see Mai had become a teacher in a college somewhere, but I heard that she had gotten some decent friends besides me and my gang for once she sighed a bit before speaking "it's alright, though I've been having to constantly discipline this one girl who has it in her head that she's the only authority that matters, I'm serious she's always on her phone in class and never does her work,"

"I'm sure you'll whip her into shape" I laughed with her on that fact, if anyone can get someone to get to work it was Mai, we kept talking touching on her friends a bit before I saw my mother walk up onto a stage in front of a covered lump, the lump itself was massive three times the size of a human, and four times as wide, Yvaine herself was surrounded by military trained guards, the elites of her personal army.

I sat down with Mai at a table knowing what this was, but before we sat I felt my arm be grabbed by a guard as both Mai and I were herded to the stage 'typical, she wants us on stage too…' I mentally groaned, I hated this kind of stuff, not to mention that Mike was on stage looking proud which meant I had to stand next to him during the whole thing like we were a couple, putting my emotionless act on again I walked on stage with Mai standing on both sides of Yvaine though I had to fight from punching Mike when he put his arm around my waist 'what a creep' I clutched my hands as they were hidden in the fabric of my dress that he was now stepping on so I could just walk away,

Standing still I decided to listen to my mother's speech on how this world is just too small for progress and is thinking too safe for her liking, talking about other dimensions and worlds beyond our sight, whatever that meant, mom sure liked being dramatic as well as cynical. I turned my head slowly hearing the fabric move from the lump behind me seeing a large ray gun being revealed earning the awe of the crowd and I also saw some fear in their eyes, don't blame them, this is Yvaine their listening to, the same woman that cause a city wide firewall and destroyed half of it cos she was bored. Put it this way, that massive lake the size of four football fields on the east side of the city wasn't there 18 years ago, apparently through all her speeches misdirection's and illusions, I could tell that this ray was designed to speed a controlled field of molecules fast enough to make a small rip in the dimensional wall of this world and another random one, stabilising it into a portal to that world,

The bad thing? It hasn't been tested on a live human yet. Which is why it is here for; Mother wanted an audience and possible back up test subjects on the ray gun. She had finished her speech leaving the stage and in turn the room to go to a control centre, mainly so she isn't there if it goes horribly wrong, not really caring that much for anyone else, I was about to leave when I remembered something. Mike was still on my dress, and was once again talking about himself, 'can he get anymore vain?' I thought to myself as I noticed he was admiring himself in a nearby mirror I looked to Mai for help but saw she was having a problem of her own, the guy she came with had gotten over his shock and was insulting her and confronting her in a bad way, I knew Mai was not going to deal with this well and winced seeing her slap him so hard he fell into the nearby wall and stormed out of the room 'so much for my way of having fun in this place' after a while I just got fed up and pulled my dress out from under his foot making him trip and fall into a punch bowl on a table by the stage, making a couple of people laugh and in turn making me smirk under my mask so no one saw, they all knew me in that room as a girl with no feelings, none knew why.

As Mike glared at me from his now pink hair I turned round heading for the opposite table as I was getting a little hungry, plus the lighting was dimming meaning it was time for the test as I heard the machine whining as it came to life, buzzing could be heard as the main body of the ray began spinning picking up speed as it went any lights still on were flickering on and off.

Seeing that got worried, it usually meant a power surge was occurring, probably cos of the machine but it could also mean that the ray might become dangerous to the whole city not just to the people in this room of the equinox dragon complex. This was becoming more disturbing for me as the machine started to spark around its nozzle that was pointing at the dance floor, I just hoped it would just shut down, as there were young kids belonging to some of the richest people in town who were too protective or too proud to let a babysitter take care of them for the night. The people of course were either high in status or were the ones funding the project, most of which were proud lines, I watched the ray warm up as Mike sat down still annoyed at me but didn't show it as he was too proud and felt I wasn't worth yelling at.

I was about to leave to go to the washroom to sneak out of the building, when I saw something from the corner of my eye, it was a dog, a young visla pup by the look of it, and a little girl chasing after it, dressed in a high quality dress meaning she was a daughter of the funders and the pup was most likely hers, but she wasn't calling out to it scared it was more like she was playing, looking to be about 6 years old I wasn't surprised if she didn't realise that it was dangerous that they were running in the guns path, her parents I could hear calling out to her to come back and forget the pup.

If I had any sense at the time I would've let her parents deal with it as their daughter ignored them to get her dog, being really rich they could get away with bringing a dog in here I guess , but, my father taught me to care for the young ones be it mine or the children of others, so without thinking or taking into account my situation I ran over and picked up the dog quickly giving it to the girl facing away from the gun, and the fact it was preparing to fire. "Here you go little one" I spoke handing the pup to her whilst stroking its head, the girl hugged her pup and giggled looking up to me

"thank you miss" she chirped sweetly making me smile slightly and kneel down to her

"your welcome little one, now go on, your parents are worried and you shouldn't be over here right now ok?" I told her, she nodded a bit looking a bit worried that she was in trouble and ran back to her parents as I stood up.

I was about to turn round to head to the washroom when I saw the transfixed and terrified eyes of the crowd fixed on me, I was a bit confused to why they were staring, before mentally slapping myself realising where I was. The next thing I know everything went cold and white.

Ok there's chapter 2, sorry sly's not in this yet, he will be soon though and I apologise if the grammars not that good, but I've been really stressed out lately and with my chaos theory manga in the works some of my stories may be delayed.

Hope you enjoyed this instalment