Disclaimer: I don't own any Sly Cooper characters; they belong to Sucker Punch Productions.
Claimer: I own all of my original characters.
This chapter is still in the flashback section but in a chapter or two it'll switch back to chapter one and things will be on a roll from there. And I know it's a bit short, but I'm working on making it longer. So, please read and review and let me know what you think and/or any opinions. Thanks(:
Chapter 4: Thieving in the Spotlight
I gave a huff as I tried to shift my disguise into a comfortable position. I was a person who was used to wearing jeans and t-shirts, not traditional Japanese performance garments. For once, I was actually against doing a plan this risky. In order to get the next to last key that I needed, I would have to break it out of its locked down case. Normally, that would be a simple enough plan, if it wasn't in the middle of a crowded room, filled with all types of Japanese officials, including the emperor. To make it even more challenging, my brother had the ingenious plan of trying to swipe the key while performing for the emperor and his guests. Since it was the emperors' birthday party, he decided to invite over a thousand people and have various forms of entertainment. For the party plans, the traditional Japanese dancing would be performed first, followed by more modern things. My sister and I along, along with a few of out cousins we had persuaded to help us, would be the entire dancing troop for the traditional dancing. I had no problem stealing the key, I did feel somewhat guilty knowing this would ruin the old goat's birthday. I had nothing against the guy, I just wanted the key.
After I had finally gotten situated in my robes, I followed my sister and cousins to behind the stage. Being non-natives, we had our faces almost completely covered in makeup to ensure we wouldn't be recognized. I was thankful my hair was a deep black and not a deep cobalt color like my sisters' and with that being said, we had to scramble to find a suitable wig for her to wear in order for this job to run smoothly. I also couldn't deny that I was extremely worried about this job. It would have to be executed quickly, without fumbling, and without being caught. The stage crew handed each of us an umbrella before we were ushered behind the curtain. Our umbrellas would be out main cover. There would be three breaks in the performance. I would unlock the case during the first pause and during the second one I would take the key and hid it within my robes. The third and last pause would be when the performance was over and we could make our escape.
"This had better work." I mumbled softly to my sister as we got ready for the curtain to rise. Our backs were pressed against each other while equal numbers of the others were to our fronts. All fourteen of us opened our umbrellas and made them face the audience so it hid our bodies. The purpose of the dance as to tell some kind of story without actors so if each umbrella was placed in a certain way, an image would be depicted with the highly detailed pictures on the front; in this case a dragon. They were large enough so that if we crouched, we would be completely shielded by the props. I could pick the lock once the audience started clapping and the stagehands my brother had paid off would ensure no one behind the stage would see me steal the key. The key wasn't the only artifact within the area. Various pots and swords that were highly prized were also on display along with a few keys of unknown importance. I took a deep breath when I heard the curtain rise and the spotlights fell over us. The music started, the curtain rose, and I silently hoped this would all end well.
The purpose of the dragon umbrella was to make it look realistic as possible by using the pieces in time with another and use those as much as possible instead of showing our faces, which was perfectly fine with me. We moved in the domino effect, swaying to the left of the stage before spinning the umbrellas over our heads so the 'dragon' could turn and head right. We moved in various directions for a good five minutes until we backed up into the middle of the stage and stood still. The music stopped and the clapping started. Charlotte held my umbrella in place while I dashed to the key case, still covered by the shadow of the props. I quickly pulled my lock picking tools from my robes and jimmied the lock open. I kept the door closed and slid back into position when the music started again. I realized I would have to be quicker on the next pause or we would be caught.
Like the first part, we moved in a domino effect only it was more complicated. We would have to move even faster as the story of the scaled beast got more intense. The backdrops were changing as the story continued and the lights dimmed. The half of the dragon I played, the lower half, stayed still for a moment and I had a brief chance to look out into the crowd. I mentally groaned when I saw that the emperor was sitting dead in the middle of the front row and watching the traditional show intently. Getting out of here unnoticed would definitely be a challenge. We were set into movement again and this whole charade was almost over. We got ready for the final part by swinging the umbrellas over our head and stopped in the middle of the stage, the entire dance was finally over. I darted to the case and threw the door opened. I then heard the emperor as for the dancers to show their faces and I knew there was no time to hide the key in my robes. I groaned at the thought but knew it was the only choice. I held the key tight in my teeth and tried to make my mouth look as normal as possible. I shuttered as I though about who or what could have possibly come into contact with what I was now clutching in my mouth.
I got back to my place just in time to lower my umbrella. We were asked to bow before we were permitted to leave for the night. We did what we were told and did the stereotypical Japanese bow. We exited to the left of the stage and that's when the dreaded sounds filled my ears. The guards had noticed the key was gone almost immediately and we took off. They knew it had to be one of us and my sister and I didn't take a chance by sticking around. It was hard to run in the robes but we still made good ground. I held the key even tighter in my teeth and silently hoped I didn't swallow it while we made out escape. We were both heavily pursued by palace guards and running as fast as possible. I was relieved when I saw my brother pull up with my car, which was finally fixed, so we could get in and away. Charlotte got in the front while I jumped in the back. He stepped on the gas and quickly got away from the guards who chased us on foot.
I realized I still held the key in my mouth after we were out of the heat. I spat the key into my open palm and cringed at the metallic taste that remained in my mouth. I looked at the medium sized, bronze, jewel incrusted item and realized how close I was to reaching my goal. After I swiped the twin key from the remains of the Mayan temples in Peru, this all could end.
"Please tell me you got the key, Ramona." Sitka said from the drivers' seat.
"Trust me, I've got it." I placed it in my bag that was sitting in the floor and slumped in the seat. We would pack tonight and get on a plane to Peru in the morning. With as much doubt I had that this would actually work, I was please with the outcome. We were caught but for once no one was hurt and we got what we came for. But no matter how well this could have gone out, I'm not coming back to Japan for a long time.