SLY VOICE OVER
We were on top of the cliff when the black orb went to work. It was like watching a tornado in slow motion: everything around us got sucked in, starting with the tower and the remains of the dock, and then even things behind us, with the huge gated wall being slurped like a strand of spaghetti, hole included. Tsao was nowhere to be seen, but even Carmelita wasn't cursing that.
Henriette joined us on shore for a farewell. Now that this was taken care of, she was planning on continuing her own adventures. I wanted to warn her about Clockwerk, but Bentley stopped me. Not that it matters much: Henriette is the only Cooper who wrote about encountering him in the Thievious Raccoonus. Apparently her missing eye kept him from hypnotizing her properly.
She also thanked Carmelita for sushi. I'm not quite sure what's going on there, but hey, they seemed pleased.
When we got back to the present, Carmelita found Tsao tied up and unconscious in her office. Not that she was complaining: she had more than enough evidence, and her report about the mind-control gems, submitted along with one of the broken ones on Tsao's gloves, got her a medal. It joined the others in her closet.
Tsao went back behind bars. He's going to be seeing Dr. Foxworthy there until he's actually 'cured' now. I'm not sure there is a cure for all his problems, but if they want to try, who am I to argue? At least in there, he can't make anyone else's life a misery.
The guys and I kidnapped Carmelita from her office and went to Vegas. She wasn't keen to join us gambling, though there were no rules against Bentley's card counting formula; I guess she figured thieves cheat. But the two of us caught every show available... and when we didn't, we found some time to talk.
Knowing not all my relatives were thieves doesn't really change things... but this is adding new aspects to our relationships. She may not do it herself, but she seems more comfortable with me skirting the edges of the law. But stealing at all is still a problem.
And if the past has shown me anything, it's that I can't give it up.
END OF AREA 2
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Author's Notes: Posting this early because we've got a major snowstorm going on here. The plow hasn't been by in at least four hours and I noped out of work when I saw the state of the road, but I know there are power outages in the area and I'd rather have this up. (This place has gas heat, not electric, so that's not an issue). Since this *is* rather short, though, and I have quite a buffer, I may post the opening to Area 3 on Thursday (it's also short).
Thanks for all your lovely reviews.
-EikaPrime