When the two had finally reached Rajan's palace, Sly knocked on the large, wooden door, a slot for a pair of eyes sliding open. "Yes?"
"Hello, we're here for the ball." Sly greeted.
"Do you have a tuxedo, sir?" The man behind the door asked.
"Of course, I'm here to dance."
"And the lady?" He directed his attention over to Rai.
"I'm here for the main event dance." Rai answered, having removed her mask as not to give herself away. "I'm supposed to be the main dancer for the showing, outfit and all."
"Then come on in!" The slot then closed as the door opened, the two stepping in through the large entryway.
Suddenly though, before the two could get very far, they were surrounded by people that apparently worked at the palace, beginning to pull both Sly and Rai in opposite directions. For a brief moment, Rai got ready to reach out for Sly, only to quickly retract her hand as she allowed the hairdressers to take her away, but not before sending Sly one last glance. I don't have time to be getting sentimental, I've got a job to do. Rai told herself. All I've gotta do is keep Rajan's eyes on me, but this is only my practice run, so I shouldn't stress too much.
"Excuse me, but do you have your costume for the main event showing?" One of the hairdressers then asked.
"Oh, uh, yeah." She replied, pulling her outfit out from her bag. "It's right here."
"Then feel free to get all dolled up for the master!" One of the girls giggled.
"Yeah, sure..." Rai begrudgingly agreed.
"Just don't take too long, because you'll be going on soon." Another said.
Rai quickly waved her off. "Yes, I know, I'll be ready shortly." She said, the hairdressers bowing before exiting the room they had practically dragged Rai into.
Once she was finally alone, the fox let out a low sigh, clenching her fists in her lap. Just calm down, Rai... It's only a dance, so keep your nerve and don't go losing your grip. You can do this...I hope.
Rai stared at herself in the mirror as she was dressed in her ebony outfit. It consisted of black, laced pants that were a bit flared at the bottom; a back, laced sash tied around her waist; a solid black halter top, her entire midsection exposed; and silver bangles around her wrists. Rai quickly searched around the vanity until she managed to spot a solid black colored cloth. Grabbing the cloth from the vanity, Rai hastily tied the fabric around her head to cover her nose and mouth, only showing her eyes as the cloth wasn't made of a see-through material. Once she deemed herself as ready, the fox was then led to where the other dancers were being held, who were dressed in either red or blue costumes. When Rai was in position before this show got underway, she quickly stretched her arms and legs before running her fingers through her hair, ruffling it a bit to give it a semi-messed up look. It was then though that Rai heard Sly and Bentley in her earpiece on the other end of the line.
"Your disguise is working perfectly, Sly; no one will recognize you in that outfit. Now during the heist you'll have to distract Carmelita, but first, you need to impress her because, as I mentioned before, she's very picky with her dance partners."
Sly fixed his bow tie as he spoke, making sure his slicked back hair was still in position. "Alright, I think I know just the girl for the job."
Rai peered around the nearby corner, spotting Sly as he approached the dance floor, and if she was being honest, he did look pretty damn good in a tuxedo, not that she would ever tell him that. Aside from checking out that sly raccoon in a tux, Rai let eyes scan around the room, only to abruptly tense up when her eyes settled on one person in particular. Seated in his throne chair, looking rather bored as he was waiting for the show to start while impatiently tapping his claws against the arm rest, was the Indian tiger, Rajan. Rai quickly turned away, pressing her back against the wall as she covered her mouth with one hand, the other settling on her stomach. Images of her and that tiger flashed in her mind, the fox quickly trying to shake her head in an attempt to regain her focus, but she just couldn't stop her body from trembling, gripping her churning stomach.
"I feel sick..." She mumbled breathlessly.
"Hey, Rai, what's the matter?" Came Sly's voice on the other line.
"My nerves, they're shot to hell. I'm not sure if I can hold out like this, Sly..."
"Well, what's going on? Why do you feel so sick all of a sudden?"
"Do you really need to ask?"
Sly paused for a moment before sighing. "No, I get it, but look, all you have to do is distract Rajan, nothing more."
"I know, but... God, what if he finds out it's me? I know he's never seen my face, but..."
"Is your face covered now?"
"Well, yeah, but what does—"
"If your face is covered, then you should be alright. Now, just calm down and take a deep breath."
Rai gave a shaky nod, closing her eyes as she drew in a big breath before slowly exhaling, her nerves seeming to be settling down now.
"Better?" Sly asked.
"No, not really, but I don't have much of a choice right now, so..." Rai closed her eyes again, giving a sharp exhale. "Let's just hurry and get this over with, because the sooner, the better."
"Okay, but just breathe, alright? Everything will be fine, just do go losing your nerve yet."
Rai gave another shaky nod. "Alright, I'll...I'll do My best."
"Thatta girl. Alright, now it's time to get this party started." He said, going over to the one and only purple leopard. "Constable Neyla, you're looking lovely this evening." Sly greeted her.
"I'm sorry, do I know you?" Neyla asked, confused.
"I used to chase after you back in Paris."
"Paris?" Neyla amused for a moment before the realization suddenly hit her. "...Sly Cooper!? You don't happen to be turning yourself in; Old Ironsides would fall out of her dress." She joked.
"As good as that sounds, how about a dance first?"
"Enchanté." Neyla smirked as she took Sly's hand.
Suddenly, the double doors in front of Rai swung open and fog filled the entranceway, causing her to flinch slightly at the suddenness of it. She just closed her eyes and took a deep breath to calm herself down again, and once she had exhaled, the music began, Rai's eyes snapping open as she twirled out to the center of the dance floor, striking a quick pose. In that small moment when Rai had paused, Sly's eyes nearly popped out of his head at the sight of the fox and just how alluring she looked, even from afar, but for the time being, he had to focus on Neyla first. As for Rai, every move she made was executed perfected, from her hips to her arms, everything. With each move she made, the crowd just kept staring, cheering her on with excitement and anticipation. But then she caught his gaze.
Rajan.
His razor sharp claws were tapping on the arm of his throne chair again, seeming to grow more and more impatient as the seconds ticked on by. Drawing in a short breath, Rai began to dance over to the Indian tiger as he purred in delight. Her hips swayed back and forth, moving in perfect harmony with her arms. But suddenly, as Rai was in the middle of her dance, she could hear Sly on the other line, indicating he had paused with Neyla held in a dip.
"Are you just using me to get at Old Ironsides?" She asked.
"I am...do you mind?"
"Not at all." She replied nonchalantly before Sly lifted Neyla back up, giving her a quick twirl.
Meanwhile, once Rai was dancing before Rajan, began to tease the tiger, caressing his arms and chest in a seductive manner to try and entice him more. However, just as the song was coming to an end, Rai got ready to pull away, grazing Rajan's chin with her fingertips as she did so, until he abruptly grabbed the fox by the hips, causing Rai to gasp as she was planted right in Rajan's lap. Meanwhile, on Sly's end, he just barely managed to catch a glimpse of all this play out, causing him to frown for a moment, only to quickly shake it off as not to alarm Neyla.
"You're quite an experienced dancer, Ms. Ruby." Rajan purred.
"Ruby?" Rai questioned in confusion, trying to pitch her voice a bit.
"Because your fur is a lovely shade of red, much like a ruby, my dear." He replied, running his fingers through Rai's hair, which caused her to tense up slightly.
"Well, many thanks, my lord, as my fur is naturally this color."
"Yes, indeed, but if I may point out, you do seem to dance exceptionally well compared to the other performers here. Although, I feel as if I may have seen you before? Perhaps I am overthinking this..."
It was then that Rai tensed up again, panic beginning to set in. Come on, Rai, just calm down and don't go losing your cool. Play it off and just act normal; don't let him see your fear.
Rai then cleared her throat a bit. "Well, as I am a dancer, so perhaps that could be why I may look somewhat familiar, my lord. Or maybe there are others with fur my color as well." She suggested.
"Yes, but you seem to be more experienced than the dancers here is what I'm saying, I just can't seem to figure out why though..."
"Perhaps that is because I have been dancing like this for quite some time, my lord." Rai replied.
Come on, please let me go, just please let me go... Rai silently prayed.
"I see... Well then, I do hope to see you again, Ms. Ruby." Rajan smirked, kissing the back of her hand.
"Oh, I am fairly certain you will, my lord." Rai said before Rajan finally allowed her off his lap, the fox quickly dancing off back to the center of the dance floor.
That was a little too close for comfort... She sighed in relief.
Once the song had come to an end, Rai quickly did a cartwheel into the center, twirling before going down in the splits as she ended with her left arm bent over her head and her right straight up into the air. Sly on the other hand, when his song came to an end, he ended with Neyla in a dip, smirking down at the Indian leopard, who returned his sly grin. Everyone cheered for the two as Sly helped Neyla back up onto her feet just as Rai got to her feet and head back through the double doors she had come from that slammed shut behind her. As Rai was heading back to the dressing room though, she could hear the conversation between Sly and Neyla on the other end of her earpiece.
"Thank you, that was lovely." Neyla said a bit sheepishly.
"Thank you, Constable Neyla. After all, it takes two to tango."
"Yes, and three is always a crowd." Neyla said with a grin just as Carmelita was approaching the two.
"Neyla, your friend here is quite the accomplished dancer." She commented.
"I tried to make him look good."
"Please, Neyla, his skills far surpass you."
Rai was almost taken back by Carmelita's rude comment. Geez, bitch much? She thought to herself. I mean seriously, you can't just say that to someone. That woman really is something else...
"Perhaps you and I could share a dance later, Miss...?" Sly started, pretending not to know her name.
"Miss Fox... Carmelita Fox, and...I accept."
Once Rai had gotten back to the dressing room, she hastily changed back into her thief outfit before someone would come barging in unannounced. When she had finished changing, the fox stuffed the dancer's costume into her bag, considering she was more than likely going to need it later. After placing her mask over her face, Rai let out a shaky breath as she gripped onto her arm, rubbing it lightly out of nervousness.
That was too close... Rajan could've figured out it was me if he wasn't such a simpleton... I have to do everything I can to make sure he doesn't find out it's me under that cloth, otherwise I'm screwed. ...This really isn't going to be an easy feat to accomplish...
Rai exhaled sharply, taking her hand away from her arm as she ran it through her hair, gripping a small chunk of it, only to release it a moment later as her it fell back into place as she got ready to make her leave. However, just before she could leap out of the nearby window, someone called out to her.
"Leaving so soon, Scarlet Rose, or would you prefer your real name?" A woman asked.
"Ugh...?!" Rai gasped, quickly whipping around to see who the voice belonged to. However, upon doing so, Rai's eyes only narrowed when she found the ebony feline, Kisara Bombay herself leaned against the doorframe of the dressing room, a hand placed on her hip. "Oh joy, if it isn't the one and only Wicked Witch of the West come to curse me into oblivion." Rai said sarcastically. "What do you want?"
"Oh, come on now, don't be like that, hun."
"I'll be however I please, Bom-bitch, and neither you nor anyone else is going to tell me otherwise." Rai hissed. "Now leave me alone. You've caused me enough problems as it is..."
Kisara chuckled a bit. "I just came to chat, that's all. I'm not here to rat you out or anything, despite the opening to do so."
Rai rolled her eyes. "You never come to see me just to talk, Kisara, you always wanna try and convince to do something for you, so why should I expect this time to be any different? Besides, I'm not really in a mood to "chat" with you anyway."
Kisara shrugged. "Think what you will, but I am telling the truth this time."
Rai rolled her eyes, turning to face the cat as she folded her arms. "Then I suggest you talk now before I decide to change my mind."
Kisara let out a soft chuckle, pushing off the door frame as she walked closer to the fox. "So, I hear you're hanging out with Cooper now. That true?"
"I really don't see how that's any concern of yours." Rai replied.
"It was just a question, that's all." Kisara defended.
Rai, once again, rolled her eyes. "We had a common interest – the Clockwerk Parts and the Klaww Gang. I had information on the Klaww Gang and he had info on the parts, so I humored him and decided to tag along. Well, that, and he kinda wouldn't take me back to Paris, so here I am in Monaco."
"I see. Although, I was quite surprised when I saw you dancing out there in your cute little outfit." Kisara teased.
Rai frowned. "I only did it so I could make sure Rajan keeps his eyes away from those wings for when we decide to "borrow," per sé, those parts from him. I'm not doing this because I want to, so don't get it twisted."
"Oh? Well, it looked to me like you were having fun out there, up until Rajan pulled you into his lap, that is."
Rai visibly tensed up. "Don't remind me."
"I even think I saw a bit of jealousy coming from Sly as well when that scene played out." Kisara commented, catching Rai's attention.
This caused the fox to perk up a bit, turning her gaze back to Kisara. "Wait, Sly actually watched me?"
"For brief moments, yes, but only because he was preoccupied with Neyla, as I'm sure you noticed. Though, I'm fairly certain that had he not been dancing with her, his eyes would've been glued to you the whole time." The cat smirked.
Rai almost smiled at the thought. He...he actually wanted to watch me dance...
"I also saw Carmelita eyeing you too." Kisara spoke up again. "Old Ironsides is still a bit shaken up from when you held your blade to her throat by the way, so well done on that front. Although, try not to kill her off just yet, alright? I mean, she is fun to mess around with."
Rai scoffed a bit. "It's as I told Sly, I have no reason to kill her, so that annoying cop can live another day, even if she does piss me off from time to time. Besides, I have more important things to worry about, like getting the Clockwerk Parts back."
"True. However, before you decide to scurry off, I do have a small tip for you – it's about your hair." Kisara commented. "You should really fix it in some way or Rajan might eventually find out who it really is hiding behind that cloth."
This apparently set Rai off, causing her to growl. "I wouldn't have to hide my face if it weren't for you!" She snapped.
Kisara held her hands up, still grinning. "I'm just trying to help you, no need to get so violent."
Rai just growled again, gritting her teeth together. "Go to hell..." She hissed.
"Well, in any case, I do highly suggest maybe putting a clip or something in your hair, but I would advise doing something because it looks to me like you're a bit shaken up over what happened out there, unless I'm wrong?"
"It was your fault to begin with! I wouldn't be having these damn fears if it wasn't for you and you know that, Kisara!" Rai hissed. "I'm like this all because of you!"
"Hey, I'm just making a statement, so feel free to take my advice or not, but I would recommend doing something, unless you like getting found out."
Rai just turned away from Kisara, letting out a short growl this time. "I don't need advice from a lying backstabber like you, so just stay outta my way." She hissed before leaping out of the window, heading back to the Safe House.
It's her fault I'm in this mess... It's because of Talia that I have to hide my face, as if I didn't already have enough of a reason before she came along and ruined everything... Rai just let out an irritated sigh, continuing on to the hideout.
Once the fox had finally arrived back at the Safe House, she was set on heading to her room for a moment of peace, but suddenly jumped when Sly appeared in front of her, gripping onto her arms. When Rai lifted her gaze, she was a bit confused when she saw a worried expression etched on Sly's face. "Sly? Is...is something wrong?" Rai asked.
"I should really be asking you that right now." He replied, sighing. "I saw what happened in the ballroom, what Rajan did... Are you alright?"
Rai gave a small nod. "Yeah, I'll be fine." She said.
Sly, however, didn't seem convinced. "Are you sure?"
"I'm fine, really." She replied. "Come on, it...it was no big deal. I'll be alright..." Rai tried to brush it off.
"I know, but—"
"I'll be fine. I just...need a minute to get my head back on straight again." Rai replied, brushing past Sly, until he grabbed onto her wrist.
"Have you already forgotten what we talked about?" He asked.
Rai paused, suddenly recalling the memory of just before the two had left the hotel to head for the ballroom, sighing. "No, but...it's not that easy for me to just up and trust people, not anymore. You of all people should know what that's like, Sly... I just..." Rai paused again, exhaling sharply. "I just need a little time, please..."
Sly stared at Rai for a moment before exhaling through his nose, releasing her wrist. "Alright, I understand."
"Thank you..." Was the last thing Rai said before she head for her room, closing the door behind herself.
Trust him? That isn't exactly the easiest thing in the world to do, especially considering the shit I've had to endure... Trust just wasn't something I could do after everything Kisara and the Klaww Gang had done to me... Honestly, I don't know how I'll ever trust again given all my past mistakes... Rai begrudgingly thought to herself.