Rowena slowly paced back and forth in Garmond's shop. She had got there half an hour earlier to find that Garmond was still piddling in his shop, even though it was after closing time. He told her that The Watchman had told him of his intension to use his establishment again that night, and had waited up for him. Garmond was now sitting on his stool behind the counter, watching her pace back and forth.
"He'll be here lady, do not worry," he reassured her quietly.
"I can't help but worry, especially after what happened last night." She continued to pace on in silence until there was a soft knock on the door a little while later. Rowena flew to the door, quickly unlatching and opening it for The Phantom who slid inside the instant after she opened it.
"We have a problem," The Phantom said in a low voice, the first time he'd allowed anyone but Rowena to hear his voice. "The investigators have asked Loki to concoct a plan to catch us. I am told by my informant that it will be ready by tomorrow."
"What are we going to do?" Rowena asked with a slight quaver in her voice. Prince Loki was known for his schemes, though in the past they were usually to make some cruel mischief on someone.
"You need to change the way you go about your business," Garmond suggested.
"Exactly," The Phantom agreed as he began to pace back and forth as Rowena had only a moment before. "I have a daring plan, but it will involve many more people, therefore putting us at a much higher risk as well as the people who help us."
"What do you have in mind?" Garamond asked, thoroughly interested.
"A league of Watchmen. One person will be assigned to copy the requests at dusk, a task which will be rotated among the members in order to avoid suspicion. The other members will gather at a designated location, such as here, and the requests will be parceled out. Then, just after dark and while there's still plenty of people going about, these people will quietly deliver the items while still blending in with the rest of the crowd. They place the items on the doorstep, knock, and then quickly slip away."
"Sounds like a good plan to me," Rowena remarked. "The only difficult part will be finding trustworthy people."
"That will be you and Garmond's task for tomorrow. I think it wise that I do not make an appearance at all tomorrow. You all will be on your own." Rowena gulped. "But let me make one thing very clear," The Phantom continued. "Delivering the items is not of paramount importance. Not getting caught is. Make it clear to the volunteers that they shouldn't take to great a risk to deliver the items. Safety is the most important thing here, the poor can do without the requested items for one day or two. Prioritize if you need to."
"Understood sir," Garamond assured him, taking on a tone of importance and authority. The Phantom Watchman clasped him on the shoulder. "Good man. All my hopes and faith rest on your shoulders. And yours too, my little partner," The Phantom said, turning to Rowena and laying a hand on her shoulder also as he did so. The Phantom heaved a sigh and reached into his bag and tossed his list of the night's items on the counter. "Alright Watchmen, let's get started."
Sif, Volstagg, and Thor made their way down to the prisons the next afternoon to see if Loki was ready with his plan. They found him sitting in his chair starring off into space with a thoughtful expression on his face.
"Do you have a diabolical plan ready brother?" Thor asked him with a smile.
Loki rolled his eyes before replying, "I'm not sure I'd call it diabolical, but I do have a plan that I think will work, but your going to need a lot of manpower."
"I'm willing to do whatever it takes,"
"Alright, I'm ready," Volstagg said from behind Thor. He and Sif turned, wondering what he was talking about, to see him with a graphite stick and a book of notes in his hands. "I don't want to miss or forget anything," he explained. Loki gave him an amused smile before he leaned forward to rest his elbows on his knees.
"Here's the plan," he started. "The problem you all had last time was that you were so startled by the apparition, that this Phantom Watchman person and his compatriot got away cleanly. However, I assume he still delivered the goods that were requested that same night. Am I correct?"
"Yes, you are," Sif affirmed.
"Excellent. Therefore, I think you should follow a similar plan as you did the other night and try to contact him at The Wall. Since you've tried that before, you'll know better what to expect and be better prepared. If he still doesn't talk to you peaceable, you'll have men stationed at the various houses that your beggar friend has told you he frequents. This may be unexpected to him, and they may have a higher chance of catching him. Plus, if he is using magic to elude you, having to use magic at every house to escape the guards will be very taxing on him. And the more weary he becomes, the easier it will be for you to catch him."
"Sounds like a fairly sound plan," Volstagg commented as he finished making his notes.
"Indeed," Thor agreed. "Thank you Loki, we will inform you of your plan's success or failure tomorrow." Loki only gave them a curt nod as they left to prepare for the night.