Sly Cooper And The Amnesiac Tag-Along - Chapter 4
The last couple of weeks spent in England were fun for the four adults. Much to everyone's surprise, Dougie found she could act as a tour guide for certain parts of London, recognising some of the streets and remembering little snippets of trivia for the boys to listen to. She couldn't explain why she suddenly had this influx of information materialise in her brain but shrugged it off as mere memory recovery. While Sly and Murray nodded politely, Bentley was transfixed on every word she said, hastily scribbling everything down in the little notepad he carried with him.
They all particularly enjoyed exploring Westminster, especially when the 'lads' noticed Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament.
"Big Ben is commonly mistaken for the name of the clock tower," Dougie had said, "when it's actually the name of the bell itself." Bentley nodded in interest, while Murray wandered to a nearby hotdog stand, leaving the two alone to talk.
"So, what do you think of this place?" she asked, parking herself onto a nearby bench. Following her lead, Bentley sat down beside her.
"I think it's fascinating," he replied, pushing his glasses up his nose. The pair sat quietly, watching the traffic move sluggishly past them. While the sun was out, she couldn't help but notice how grey the sky looked. It was the pollution, no doubt. She wrinkled her nose at the thought as searched her jacket for her pack of cigarettes. She had discovered a crumpled pack in there on the drive down from Wales, where they had stopped off at a service station. As she placed one between her lips and was prepared to light it, Bentley had chased her out of the van, frantically waving his arms and yelling, "Out! Out! You are not smoking in here!" Laughing, Dougie had complied, and stepped outside to smoke.
She fumbled in her jacket for the new pack she had bought after reigniting her love of smoking and pulled out a cigarette. She placed it between her lips before pocketing the packet and retrieving her disposable lighter. For a split second, she looked at the turtle sat to her left to gauge his reaction to her smoking. He didn't seem to mind when it was outside, much to her relief. She didn't want to be chased halfway across London just to have a cigarette. His gaze was elsewhere, looking out at the River Thames, and she felt a small smile play on her lips. I definitely like him, she thought as she lit her cigarette and inhaled, savouring the burning sensation in her lungs.
Dougie thought the turtle was cute. He was exceptionally smart, often explaining things to Dougie whenever she asked about them. He was a fantastic teacher and she had slowly pieced together a rudimentary knowledge of hacking and RC piloting. She was also surprised to discover he was researching into demolitions. And he was super nerdy, which Dougie found endearing. Yep, she definitely had a type: brilliant nerd. Except this Brainiac possessed an air of confidence many others lacked, clearly putting a lot of faith in his abilities, which pulled her in, hook, line, and sinker. She wondered if he felt the same about her. Probably not, she thought.
"Fascinating in what way?" she asked as she held the burning cigarette between her fingers.
"London is one of those places you see a lot," he replied, looking up at Dougie. "It's always on TV and in films, and to be here in person is quite spectacular."
"I'll say." Dougie took another drag before speaking again. "Then again, I did grow up here. At least, I'm pretty sure I did."
Bentley offered a small smile. "We could look at some public records while we're here. We could find out where you're from and who your parents are," he suggested, pushing his glasses up his nose again. He couldn't imagine what it would be like to lose his memory, but he concluded that it would be quite unnerving - terrifying, even. He felt bad that he and the others had spent the last two weeks goofing off in London instead of helping the rabbit out. However, he had noticed that Dougie didn't seem to mind in the slightest, instead getting engaged with what the guys were doing.
"Nah," she replied dismissively, "I feel like I don't want to know everything yet." Dougie felt it would be best to leave it until this was all over. She didn't want to be a distraction to what was clearly an important task for the Cooper Gang. But once the Thievius Raccoonus was restored, then what? She would pack up, say goodbye, and leave? No thank you, she thought grumpily. She really didn't want to leave this little crew. Maybe if she was helpful enough during their quest, they might let her stay...
Hm... now there's an idea.
"Besides," she continued, "for all you guys know, I could have been a cop before." The colour drained from Bentley's face and he tensed apprehensively. He hadn't considered that. Dougie gave a small chuckle. "I'm kidding!" she said, grinning. "But I like hanging out with you guys. Whatever I did before definitely can't beat this."
She trailed off as Murray wandered back towards them, munching his hotdog as he walked along. "This is so good!" he said between bites.
"You really were hungry, huh?" Dougie asked, dropping her cigarette, and crushing it underfoot. Murray nodded in response, not pausing to breathe. "Say, where did Sly go?" she pondered, scanning her surroundings. She couldn't recall when she last saw him (maybe thirty, forty minutes ago?), as if he had decided to slink off on his own.
A suave voice spoke from behind her. "Right here."
"Bloody hell!" Dougie yelped, jumping out of her skin, and launching out of her seat. "Don't sneak up on me like that!" She scowled at him, folding her arms in annoyance.
The raccoon chuckled while he apologised, and the rabbit's softened expression suggested that she forgave him. He sat down on the bench beside Bentley, squishing turtle and rabbit up close. The pair looked at each other, accidentally making eye contact which lingered for a split second too long, like in the van, again. Feeling her face burning, her eyes snapped away from Bentley's, hoping no one else had noticed her reaction. She didn't dare look up to check out of fear of the others noticing her blushing, instead awkwardly staring at her feet until she felt the heat subside from her face.
"So, I had an idea," Sly spoke up, with the suspicious-looking smirk he always had whenever he had a plan.
Bentley felt a knot of dread tighten in his stomach upon noticing that smirk and felt he should ask anyway. "What is it this time?" he asked with a heavy sigh, his shoulders sagging.
"Two words: Buckingham Palace."
"You're insane!" Dougie yelped, her head snapping from her shoes to the raccoon. "You honestly don't think you can pull that off, do you?"
"Not alone," he said modestly. "But with the help from you guys, absolutely. Waddaya say?"
Dougie felt her mouth hang open in disbelief. He looked down at the turtle who was shaking her head, and asked him, "Bentley, is this normal behaviour?"
"For him it is," Bentley replied weakly. "And let me guess, you disappeared to scope the place out?"
"Yeah," Sly replied proudly, a smile of joy flickering on his lips.
"Well, I'm impressed he made it two weeks without swiping anything," Dougie admitted, tugging on her lip ring. "I guess this little excursion can't hurt." She stood up and turned to face Sly. "Alright Cooper, I'm in."
"Nice!" he chirped, his small smile blossoming into a fully-fledged grin.
Bentley sighed loudly. "I guess someone has to create a plan and stop you two from doing this the reckless way. I'm in."
Both raccoon and rabbit cheered, giving each other a high-five. The raucous celebration attracted the attention of Murray, who had been way too engrossed in his food throughout the entire exchange and hadn't heard a single word.
"What are we cheering for?" he asked curiously.
"We've got a little heist to pull off," Dougie replied, carefully ensuring her voice had dropped to a low whisper. After all, they didn't want anyone to overhear them and spoil their fun before it had even begun. "You in?"
He nodded enthusiastically, his face breaking into a huge grin. "Of course I'm in!"
"Alright" the devious raccoon said with a slight chuckle. "Let's go."
Bentley couldn't believe this was Sly's escape plan: having Murray, Bentley, and Dougie distract the palace guards by acting like common tourists. Based on some of his ideas and tactics, the raccoon behaved as if he wanted to get arrested! For now, Bentley had to shove his disbelief and protest to one side and concentrate at the job at hand.
Murray and Dougie tentatively approached the one guard who was standing outside the gate. There were no other guards in sight. The pelican guard's eye contact remained, endlessly staring straight ahead. The pair stood on either side, posing, while Bentley poised his disposable camera, the only thing they could find at such short notice, and snapped a few shots. In between each shot, he wound the film, subtly watching Sly scamper across the rooftop of Buckingham Palace. He had a large sack slung over his shoulder, which was altering his balance as he ran.
Once Bentley was satisfied that Sly was in the clear, he summoned for the rabbit and the hippo to follow. As the trio walked down the pavement, they all felt an uncontrollable grin grow on their faces, which developed into raucous laughter. They had done it! Dougie took a pace ahead of the men, spun on her heel, and held up both of her hands, gesturing for a high-five from each. They complied, before laughing even harder.
With Dougie walking backwards, and neither Murray nor Bentley paying attention to where they were walking, they didn't see the police officer approaching. They also didn't expect Dougie to back straight into him.
"I'm sorry!" she squeaked, feeling the Labrador's eyes burn into hers as she recovered her balance.
"You should watch where you're walking around here," he reprimanded. "It's busy."
Dougie didn't know what to do other than nod. Bentley apologised on her behalf, allowing the police officer to register his accent.
"You're American?" he asked, warmth slowly entering his voice. "Where are you guys from?"
Bentley and Murray stated where they came from. Dougie didn't dare speak, which the dog noticed.
"And you, Miss?" he pressed.
Without hesitation, Dougie spoke, surprising the thieves. "Noo Yawk." Out of nowhere, the abrasive twang to her London accent had been fully and completely replaced by a convincing Queens accent.
"That's neat," the cop replied, nodding his head. "Enjoy your holiday." And with that, he walked past them, continuing his rounds.
"You have a good day!" Dougie called after him with a little wave, the Queens accent still intact. As she lowered her upright arm, she noticed Bentley and Murray staring at her, jaws open in disbelief. She switched back to her native accent. "What?" she asked defensively.
"Where did that come from?" Bentley asked, unable to comprehend what he heard.
"Shut up, I panicked," she replied abruptly, a scowl growing on her face.
"You misunderstand me," he continued. "That accent was flawless."
The scowl softened. "For real?"
"Yes."
A bashful smile crept on the face on the flattered rabbit, her cheeks flushing a subtle shade of pink. After a tiny, nervous chuckle, Dougie said, "Thanks Bentley."
"Don't mention it," he replied, smiling back, mentally noting how she reacted to the compliment. From what the turtle could tell, she seemed to have a thing for him, which he took as a complement. As far as Bentley was aware, no one had previously shown any interest in him. This change was quite refreshing.
As they turned into a small alley way, they found the thief with the large sack slung over his shoulder.
"What took you so long?" Sly asked, nudging the brim of his cap upwards in a confident manner.
"I bumped into a police officer," Dougie confessed, brushing a lock of curly hair out of her face.
"She does an impressive Queens accent," Bentley praised, looking up at the rabbit and beaming. She responded by waving away the compliment with a hand while feeling her face burn up.
"It was a really good accent," Murray followed up. "You should have been there, Sly."
"Thanks, big guy," Dougie said with a large, uncontrollable grin plastered across her face.
"Accents, huh?" Sly said. "That could come in handy."
"Accent," she quickly corrected. "As in, one. Don't get the wrong idea Sly, I'm not multi-talented."
As the gang drove across the United States en route to Utah, Dougie was sat in the back of the van, reading a paperback novel she had purchased while back in France. Naturally, the book was in French and Bentley was surprised to see how quickly she was ploughing through the novel. Finally, he decided to speak up.
"So, Dougie, you speak French?" he highlighted nervously.
She looked up from her book. "I guess I do," she replied as-a-matter-of-factly. "I don't know how, but I can just understand it with no difficulty."
"So, you're fluent in French?"
"Seems that way."
"Impressive."
"Is it?"
"Bilingualism is, yes."
"Neat." And with that, she returned to reading.
The downplaying of compliments rubbed Bentley the wrong way however, and in a brief movement of bravery, he decided to challenge this. "You know, you don't have to be so nonchalant about it, Dougie. It's an impressive skill that not everyone possesses, and I was simply saying that I find it impressive," Bentley said, clearly disgruntled. He shoved his glasses back up his nose as they had been slipping down his face during his animated rant.
"Look mate," Dougie replied wearily, closing her book, and tossing it to one side. "I've recently been finding that I can do various things, yet I don't know where I learned them. It's stressful enough not knowing a thing about myself, and being asked where I learned every little skill is driving me kind of crazy, alright?"
Bentley pursed his lips. Guiltily, he apologised. Dougie said she was sorry too and that she shouldn't have snapped at him.
"Are we cool?" the rabbit asked, offering an outstretched hand.
"Of course," he replied with a small smile, taking the hand. The pair shook, yet neither of them wanted to release the handshake. It was when Bentley reluctantly released Dougie's hand that he felt a small flutter in his chest. A small, fleeting thought crossed his mind.
I like her.
He then suddenly realised what this meant for the gang. A love interest, an individual that potentially tears friends apart, a distraction.
Drat.
Welp, it's been a while since I've updated this. I've been pretty busy with a lot of stuff recently, so I'm glad I've finally got something published after so long. As per usual, let me know what you think! So far we're at 2 favourites and 3 alerts which is super neat. Those individuals know who they are - thank you!
Until next time,
~TWRSB
