Neo fidgeted on her chair as Roman fussed around behind her. She flipped up her whiteboard.

Pull any harder?

"Look, little-miss-impatience, you can't put your hair up without some resistance."

You could let me do it myself.

"Fine. Fine. So the lady wants to do it her way then," exclaimed Roman, exasperatedly. He backed away, hands in the air and then slumped onto the mouth-eaten sofa. Neo rolled her eyes as he lit another cigar. She stuck out her tongue and efficiently sorted her hair into two large bunches, one either side of her head. Her partner looked her up and down and then nodded appreciatively.
"You've got the child look down. You've got the ragged look down. Could ya maybe look a little more pathetic?"
Neo pulled a puppy dog face, scuffing her bare feet against the floor.
"Perfect. Magnifique. Even I feel sorry for you!" applauded Roman, standing up and dropping the butt of his cigar on the floor. Neo watched as he ground it into the carpet.

Cinder's going to have a hissy fit about that.

She held up her whiteboard matter-of-factly. Roman shrugged. "We were never here. We were being good little lackeys and picking up her groceries in town."
Neo sighed and reached for her parasol.
"Wait a minute you," interrupted Roman, grabbing her wrist as she reached for it. "Orphaned children tend to not have dangerous weapons disguised as accessories. If you walk into town with that it will ruin the whole façade."
Neo pouted and batted her eyelashes.
"No means no. And cut the puppy dog eyes. Save it for the street doll face." Roman picked up his own weapon and raised it so that it was horizontal to his face. He flipped the view finder up and squinted down it. Then he mimed firing. Satisfied with his cane's performance, he lowered it back down. Then he turned to Neo. "So, here's the plan Ice Cream. You are going to wander into town and sit yourself in the busiest place, looking pathetic. Because the festival's coming up, there will be cops on every corner. Specifically the dust stores. I will slip through the crowds, like the master criminal I am, and 'purchase' all Cinder's required items. I'll meet you in the alleyway behind the cinema. Then, we head back here and leave no trace of our ever being in Vale. Understand?"
Neo gave him a wide grin and double thumbs up.
"Ready to go then?" asked Roman, offering the crook of his elbow for her to take. Neo nodded and linked her arm with his. Taking one last look around the room, the couple walked out of the door.

"Ok Neo, I'll meet you right here, understand?" explained Roman, gesturing to the alley which stretched out behind him. Neo held up a finger, indicating him to wait a minute. He complied, leaning on his cane as she rummaged in her pockets. Finally she pulled out a whiteboard.

Really Roman? An alleyway? You give the morally challenged a bad name. But ok. I'll meet you here.

Then she rubbed it clean and scrawled a new slogan.

faMily + hom DesTr Yed by GRIMM. coNtribooShuns acsepTed

"A work of art, my little money maker," approved her partner. Neo grinned and tucked the board back into her pocket. She stood on her tiptoes and kissed him on the mouth, before darting back into the main city. "Right," said Roman, after she had disappeared from view. He rummaged in his pocket for Cinder's list. After reading it for a moment, he pulled a pen from his pocket and started crossing things off. "Can't go there," he muttered, drawing a neat line through the dust shop. "What does she need from there anyway that she can't steal herself? Definatly can't go there. The rest should be easy." He tucked both pen and paper back into his jacket. Then he stubbed out the cigar he had been smoking and set off deeper into the alleyway.

"Alright…" said Roman, ticking off the final item on the list. "Cabbage. Why does she need cabbage anyway?" He tossed the green vegetable up and down in one hand. Then he tossed it into a drawstring bag and slung it over his shoulder. He crumpled the list into a ball and tossed that over his shoulder as well. "So far so good. As long as the police don't suddenly burst out of the fire escape…" he paused and looked up at the fire escape in question. Satisfied that he wasn't going to be the recipient of a sudden arrest, he continued back to the designated meeting place. When he arrived there Neo, who had already changed and had her disguise bundled beneath her arm, was leaning against the wall, flipping a coin.
"How did it go Ice Cream?" he asked, bending down as she kissed him on the cheek.

Good. Good profit, although I had to leave slightly early when two officers tried to escort me to an orphanage.

Roman laughed and sat down beside her. "Can I see your earnings?" he asked, peering at the bag she was holding. Neo whisked it away from him and quickly changed the message on her whiteboard.

Nosy. That's for me to know and you to find out if I'm feeling generous.

Roman rolled his eyes and tried to grab the bag. Neo slapped his wrist and tucked the bag away into the bundle of clothes. "Aw come on Neo! You know you love me really!"
Neo stuck her tongue out and pulled his hat down over his eyes. "That's not what you were thinking last night," he muttered, as he struggled with the brim of the hat. Neo had apparently heard that last comment and thwacked him in the shins with her parasol again. "Where did you get that from?" Roman exclaimed, diverting his attention from his hat to his shins. "I thought I told you to leave it at home!"
Neo shrugged and sat back down next to him.

You took so long that I had time to go back and get it. I saw your red-hooded friend in town so I reckoned that we may receive some trouble from her.

"It's not like she's going to be lurking in alleyways Neo!" laughed Roman, patting her patronizingly on the head. "Don't be so paranoid. I'm here to look after you." Neo's expression turned from disgruntlement to shock and she started waving her arms wildly. Roman sighed. "Neo, I told you. No more charades. I am not in the mood." Neo paused and punched his shoulder and pointed past him further down the alleyway. Rubbing his shoulder ruefully, Roman turned to look where she was pointing. His eyes widened and he let out a yelp as Neo pulled him down behind the crate which they were sitting on. She pressed her hand over his mouth, craning her head up to see the advancing adversary.