Sophie greeted her with an excited wait on the other side of the security doors at the airport. Her hair was tied up in a high ponytail, set off by a bright coloured bandanna wrapped around her head as a headband, high cut boots and retro looking blouse. She looked excited to see the teenager who, hitching her bag up on her shoulder with one hand and trailing her suitcase behind her, smiled and picked up her pace.
"Abby!" the grifter exclaimed, hugging the girl as she dropped her bags to say hello. "You look well."
Abby twirled on her feet with her hands out to her sides. She wore black court shoes, tights, a grey dress and her hair was flowing loosely around her shoulders.
"I learned from the best!" the teenager replied, grabbing her suitcase while Sophie picked up her satchel. Sophie had often lectured her about how clothes can make all the difference to how people treated her; travelling as an unaccompanied minor might cause people to ask unwanted questions (for them, questions were always unwanted) but the right clothes could easily cause people to look the other direction.
"And don't you forget it."
"So how's Nate?" Sophie asked as the pair walked outside into the London drizzle.
"Oh, I think that whole ordeal with Dubenich really did a number on him," Abby replied, laughing softly to herself.
"Oh?" There was concern in the grifter's voice.
"Good number," the teen elaborated quickly. "I think he's doing really, really well. So what did you have planned for us?" She asked, changing the topic quickly
"Well, Tara and I were actually-"
"Tara?" she moaned.
"What's wrong with Tara?" Sophie questioned in surprise, as she tried to hail down a cab.
"She doesn't like me," Abby confessed as three taxis pulled up to assist them. Sophie surveyed them for a second before deciding on the middle one.
"You've only met her once, how could you possibly know she doesn't like you?" She let out a laugh as the driver, without question, piled the bags into the trunk.
"Trust me Sophie, she doesn't like me." The driver opened the door and Sophie gestured the teenager in first.
"Yes, well, just hop in the cab sweetie."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"This view is amazing," Abby declared, standing out on the balcony staring at the Thames and Big Ben. Sophie walked by in the living room, hanging up the phone and joining the teenager in staring out into London.
"Mhm, it never gets old," she agreed, leaning down onto the railing. "You see there?" She pointed out to her right. "I grew up right over there."
"Really?" Abby stared out into the city curiously.
"Yup."
The history of all of the team was somewhat a mystery to Abigail, so she took the opportunity to pry. "You know, I don't know much about your childhood, or any of your childhoods really," pointed out softly.
"And for good reason Abigail, it doesn't do well to dredge up the past." There was a sombre moment of silence before Sophie spoke up again, perkier than before. "That was Tara on the phone, lucky for you, some hot shot called her up for goodness knows what so she won't be joining us."
"What a shame," she replied with sarcasm in her voice. Teasingly, Sophie shoved her arm lightly and Abby smiled.
"Anyway, would you like to go have some tea?" Sophie asked, pushing herself off the bannister and making her way into the flat.
"Fancy tea?" Abby replied curiously. She followed the grifter inside, grabbing her coat off the couch.
"Very fancy tea."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"So why don't you all like talking about your past? Isn't the general rule that it's meant to be, I dunno, cathartic?" They were sitting in a coffee shop (coffee shop, not diner, Sophie had made that fact clear) in the middle of London. There were jewellery shops and high end boutiques on every corner and heel cladded, Prada wearing women danced into every store. Sophie had been right; this was definitely fancy tea.
"It hurts to bring up the past sometimes Abigail," Sophie indulged her, sipping lightly on her tea. After the white porcelain cup had parted from her lips she toyed with it in her hand as her elbows rested on the table. "And it doesn't do well to dwell on things you can't change. You can only look forward."
Abby pondered what she had said for a moment. "Well that's quite poetic isn't it?"
"Yes," Sophie agreed. "Now, tell me Abigail, if you were to take down a corrupt Russian jewel dealer, how would you do it?"
"I'm sorry?" Abby choked, her eyes widening. Nervously, she glanced around her, checking to see if she'd drawn the attention of any of the other upper class aristocrats seated around them. Sophie, on the other hand, was perfectly calm, taking a sip of her tea as she smiled coyly
"Tara and I," Sophie began to elaborate, "We were meant to be doing a job but she pulled out."
"Job doing what?"
"This auctioneer's been selling off fake jewels on the black market, and has been getting in the way of a jeweller friend of mine. I told him I'd help him out." Sophie pulled her cup to her lips and sipped at it delicately, holding the saucer below it in her other hand.
"So we need to what? Get him arrested?" Abby whispered harshly.
"Something like that," Sophie agreed. "We need to find some jewels that can pass as Crown Jewels."
"Crown Jewels? Like of England?"
"Don't be silly, Crown Jewels of Russia." With that moderate bombshell she gestured out the window. "So, what's your plan?"
"What's my plan?" She clanged the cup down with such force that the tea spilt a little bit onto the saucer.
"Yes, your plan," Sophie confirmed as though there was nothing to it.
"My plan? To get some jewels? Sophie are you insane?" Her voice raised slightly, attracting the attention of some of the surrounding patrons.
Sophie placed her saucer down elegantly, ignoring the stares of the high class aristocrats sitting around them. "Well, it's not that out there. A girl has to start somewhere."
Abby looked down at her cup and muttered in disbelief, mostly to herself. "Did I miss something? Step into an alternate reality or a weird TV show?"
"No," Sophie smiled. "But with all you've been involved these last few months, I just think you need to be equipped."
"Equipped? Like learning how to steal jewels?"
"Equipped like understanding how our lives work and being prepared to deal with it," she replied sincerely "And besides," Sophie continued, seeing the sombre, somewhat anxious look on Abby's face. "Who else am I meant to teach? Who else is going to be my legacy?"
"Well, things are going well between you and Nate aren't they?" She hinted, letting out a smile. Sophie had set herself up for that one, so the teen took the moment to spy for Nate. Unfortunately, a begrudging look from the grifter was all the reply she got.
"Anyway," she declared, clearly changing the subject. "How would you get the jewels?"
Abby slumped back in her chair, stared out the window and bit her lip as she pondered the issue. Sophie waited patiently and began once again to sip at her tea.
"Well you can't steal them," she decided thinking out loud. Sophie smiled at her to continue. "Because any auctioneer worth his salt is gonna know if some jewels like that stolen, and then if they turn up on his desk, he's gonna get suspicious that we're selling him the stolen jewels."
"So then?" the grifter prompted, setting down her cup and pouring herself some more tea from the teapot.
"Well, either grab some out of storage, or buy them, but then how do you get a payout? I mean, I know that's not exactly our mandate but it doesn't exactly help losing money." Abby paused, waiting for Sophie to finish up the thought. She did not and only continued to sip at her tea while staring Abby in the eye. The teenager sighed and continued to think. She was drawing a blank until she remembered something Parker had said to her back when they were running the job on the Mako, and Abby and the thief were sourcing down computers.
"Do we have all of our mark's card and bank details?" she asked slyly.
"Of course we do."
Abby flicked her eyes out to the elegant shops and shoppers out the window. "Would you like to do some shopping?"
Sophie, for one last time, sat down her teacup and hooked her bag over her shoulder. "Abigail Spencer, if I ever say no to that question, shoot me."
Sooo, don't know what happened with the formatting first time around, but (hopefully) it's all fixed now!
Thanks to dsnygal for pointing that out!
xx A Lyrical Dreamer