In the starting twilight hours of the night, the figures of four children can be seen walking alongside a huge wall that seemed to stretch on toward infinity. It's ornamented with large scales that curve and weave in an intricate pattern, taking on the shape of a dragon's body when viewed from a distance. Eventually, they reach a gigantic gate with the character of "Earth" carved deep into its stone surface.
The group of kids step out into the blend of sunlight and moonlight, showcasing a unique silhouette. Each one of their shadows matches a suit from a deck of playing cards.
"This better be the spot if you wanna be down with us!" said the nonbinary, red haired, polar bear with two large pigtails in the shape of a heart.
"Gotta be! Just look at it! It's HUGE!" said an overly excited, black bear girl with three afro puffs and a curved dress in the shape of a club.
"Hmmm…?" questioned the calm, grizzly bear boy with sharp clothes, red shades, and a tall, red mohawk in the shape of a diamond.
"Yeah, this is it. Don't worry about the gate. I can open it easy. Just watch." said a confident panda boy wearing a hoodie in the shape of a spade.
He steps up and puts his hands against the cold stone gate. With a bit of concentration, he closes his eyes and stretches out his fingers. As if releasing fireflies from a glass jar, a strange glow emits from his hands and slowly spreads its light along the surface of the gate door. The door shifts and sinks into the earth revealing a glowing portal. He turns to look at the polar bear with red pigtails while brushing his hair back and smirking slightly as if knowing they're impressed with his actions.
"See. Easy."
"Odd that you can just open the gate like that. I thought only dragons, rich people, and royalty could get in that way?"
The polar bear walks up to the boy in the hoodie, eyeing him from head to toe as if searching for something on him that could have opened that gate.
"So what's your deal? You some sort of spoiled rich kid that got bored of having everything handed to you? Or… maybe you're a part of the royal family and you're looking for something better to do than rule over us common folk?"
"Or… Maybe I'm actually a dragon disguised as a panda?" the hooded boy said in a sarcastic tone.
"OH! We got jokes huh?" the polar bear said with a peeved expression.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. He's a real comedian! Let's get moving and go inside! I wanna steal some cool Dragon 'ish and get our butts back to Scarves Hideout! Woo-hoo!" exclaimed the black bear bursting with high levels of excitement as she jumps through the portal.
"Mm-hmm." mumbled the grizzly bear as he followed after.
The panda and polar bear exchange looks, as if the two can tell that something is off or that they're both withholding information from each other.
"You know…" said the polar bear with a puzzling tone of voice. "This was easy for you. A little too easy if you ask me."
"What else do you want me to do? I can handle anything you throw at me."
"Really now? Well how about this. Once inside we're gonna steal something super rare and valuable. The most expensive thing there."
"WE?" he said in shock. "I don't do… WE?"
"Aww… Don't be like that." said with a flirtatious tone as they begin to walk up closer to the hooded boy. "We're a team now." Taking another step closer. "And I wanna see how you handle a heist." Now invading the hooded boy's personal space. Before he can take a step back, they rest their arm over his shoulder and pull him into a sideways hug. Their eyes intensely locked on to him. "I got my eye on you." said with a tone that's mixed somewhere between a flirt and a threat.
They both walk into the portal side by side. The polar bear with a gleeful look on their face, and the panda boy with a worrisome look on his. When they step out from the other side of the portal, they find themselves surrounded with all sorts of merchant shops under the glow of brightly lit lanterns, rare and expensive items advertised on massive banners, and lots of people of different species and a few tall, mysterious hooded figures walking around. Lots of buildings furnished with purple gemstones and gold fill the horizon. The area is completely walled off. The ceiling is covered with countless amounts of gemstones embedded in the rock that resemble a starry night's sky.
"Oh wow!" said the polar bear in complete amazement of the sight. "Is this really it? The Dragon Market?"
"Yep. Everything you can hope for and dream of. All right here for the taking."
"Awesome-sauce! Let's go over a few goals before we begin."
They both take a seat at a nearby bench and plot out their heist.
"Ok Spade. We need to do three things, so listen up."
"Alright Heart. I'm all ears."
"First, we need to figure out what exactly is the most valuable and expensive thing this place has to steal. Second, we need to steal it without getting caught and carry it on us without drawing too much attention. Lastly, we need to meet up with our friends, Club and Diamond. We can't leave this place until all four of us are together again. Got it?"
"Got it"
"Good. What's the play?"
Spade takes note of his surroundings and makes a brief mental map of the area. The Dragon Market is a crossroads with four exit portals at the ends of the Northern, Southern, Eastern, and Western roads. In the center where the roads cross is a large plaza with a tall statue of four dragons coiled around the outside of a tower. The heads are at ground level and the tails are raised to the ceiling as if the dragons were holding it up and keeping it from collapsing. Between the roads are merchant shops (stores, restaurants, you name it), and each one has a banner that shows the accepted currency for their wares, Blue Gems or Gold Gems.
"Alright. We go to the center tower and look down the roads. Each shop will have their prices on the signs so it'll be hard to miss the most expensive one in this place. We'll also be on the lookout for Club and Diamond as well. Once we see them and the most expensive shop, we make our move."
"Excellent. Perhaps you got what it takes to be a Red Scarf after all. Now let's get to work."
Heart and Spade walk towards the center tower. When viewed from up close it's grand presence is enough to make the tallest person in Avalice feel like a speck of dust. As if to say that the Dragons are the most powerful beings here and no other species could compare themselves to their might. A brutal reminder of who's in charge.
"Do you think that there are huge dragons like this in Avalice? I mean hiding somewhere?"
"Naw. It's just a tower that needs to be climbed."
The two kids begin to climb the tower when no one is looking. Spade has a hard time finding his grip, but Heart starts climbing with ease. Wearing a light weight ninja garb with gloves, boots, and a red sash wrapped around their waist. They're definitely dressed for this. Compared to Spade's hoodie, baggy pants, and sneakers, he's got no chance at out climbing Heart.
"Need a hand?" Heart says with a tease.
"Nope! I can climb this on my own. Just gotta get a good grip."
"Yeah… You need to get a grip alright. Haha"
"So now YOU got jokes?" Spade says in annoyance.
Once they reach the tails at the top of the dragon's tower, they look down each road. They see a bright gold, gaudy looking merchant tent with a huge banner that reads "1000 Gold Gems". The area is packed with a few hooded figures and lots of other species that were not cloaked, blasting loud music and bright lights in every direction. Club and Diamond were also there checking out the scene as if fate was calling them to go to that tent and complete all tasks in one go.
"Spade. I see the most expensive spot and our friends are down there too. Let's…"
"Hold it!" Spade says sharply. "Take a look at that dirty little cart down the southern road.
Heart leans over a bit to take a look. The dimly lit cart looks rundown and basic. The total opposite of the golden tent everyone is surrounding. A close look at the banner reveals the price of the items being sold there. "1 Rainbow Crystal."
"Huh? A rainbow crystal? You mean those crystals that break easily and make you feel invincible for a short time? I never saw that used as money before."
"Yeah. Odd isn't it? I bet that whatever they're selling must be extremely valuable."
"What makes you say that? Rainbow crystals grow in the wild. They're not rare."
"Maybe… But what could they have to offer that's more valuable than feeling invincible? And, who would know to carry a rainbow crystal into a place like this? I bet it's code for something else. Besides, carrying around something that breaks so easily to use as money…?"
"Yeah. Something's up. Why don't you go down there and take a closer look while I round up the others."
"Sounds like a plan."
"Oh! And if you see something pretty and shiny, take it. I would love to add something new to my Pool room."
"Pool room? I didn't know you were a swimmer, Heart."
"Huh? No no no. I play Pool. We have a Pool room back at the hideout."
"Oh, you mean Billiards?"
"Wrong! Pool and Billiards are totally different games. First of all, Pool tables have pockets and… You know what? Just go down there and get to stealing. "
The two make their way down from the top of the dragon's tower. Heart starts heading in the direction of the gaudy tent to meet up with the rest of the crew, while Spade goes solo and investigates the rundown cart with a curious choice for payment. The area surrounding the cart is dark and the only people around are two hooded figures. A merchant and a potential buyer. Spade sneaks up for a closer look, but all that's there are empty fish tanks. "Do they sell fish?" Spade wondered to himself under his breath.
"Do you have any left?" said the buyer with a very deep bass voice.
"We have been nearly sold out for quite some time sir." the merchant said with a deep contralto voice.
"Nearly? So there is one more then?"
"Yes sir. Our last stock."
"Show me."
It is well known that dragons have very deep voices and prefer not to be seen in public, even in highly segregated areas such as the Dragon Market. Even so, Spade couldn't shake the feeling that they would prefer not to be seen buying and selling whatever this cart has to offer.
"Here's the last one." said the merchant.
The merchant wipes the cart surface clean with a flick of her arm sleeve and gently places down a spherical object about the size of a snow globe. It sparked very intensely even though there was hardly any light in the area. The colors were flowing between a light blue and deep violet.
"It's like a mini Kingdom Stone." Spade said under breath. "If it was bigger, it could have easily been the real deal." The Kingdom Stone is an ancient artifact of immeasurable power. It's one of Spade's goals in life to steal it someday, but for now he'll have to settle for a much smaller variant.
"Allow me to take a closer look at it." said the bass voiced dragon as he pulls out a magnifying glass from within his robe.
"Sir. I must warn you that this particular one has some… flaws… that you may take issue with. But rest assured that we only carry quality…"
"BHAH!" the bass voiced dragon shouts. "YOU have the nerve to consider this abomination quality? Not only is it half of what you advertised, but it's defective too?"
The would-be buyer slams the product down with little care compared to the merchant's gentle handling as he swiftly turns away from the seller
"SIR PLEASE!" the merchant cried out. "I understand that this one is lacking quality and doesn't live up to the standard that would be expected of a dragon such as yourself. But I am desperate, so… I'll offer this one to you at no cost. Please accept my offer."
The bass voiced dragon takes one glance back towards the merchant and the orb.
"I wouldn't take that thing off your hands if you paid me. Do everyone a favor and get rid of it. It's useless."
The deal falls through and the merchant slouches over the make-shift counter of her cart. Staring deeply into the glow of the object in her hands as if something of true value was hidden inside it. "You're not useless." whispered the merchant with tears in her eyes. She begins to sink her head down and cry into her arms as the massive arm sleeves of her robe completely cover her face. The orb is still out in the open.
"Perfect. Now's my chance." said Spade while grinning from cheek to cheek. He carefully tip-toes up the front of the cart making as little noise as his sneakers will allow. He pulls his hood back and slowly peeks his head over the counter. His face is right in front of the orb and the crying merchant. Holding his breath, he reaches his hand over to grab the orb. As soon as his hand makes contact with the top of it, the merchant stops crying and places her hand over his. Realizing that she is holding someone's hand, she lifts up her head and looks right into Spade's eyes. The two are at a pause at first because this moment is a bit awkward, but Spade comes to his senses and blows a puff of air into the merchant's eyes as hard as he can and makes a run for it.
Back at the gaudy, golden tent, we find Heart, Club, and Diamond with a large, fancy robe they stole.
"Oh man, did you see all the great stuff they had back there?" squealed Club. "We gotta come back here and milk this place for all it's worth."
"Shhh" Diamond gestured.
"Yeah, We gotta keep a low profile. The last thing we wanna do is get caught stealing." Heart says to her crew.
"Aww come on. We're not dumb enough to get caught."
Just then, Spade runs up to the crew at top speed.
"We gotta go! We gotta go!"
"Huh?" Heart recoils in shock. "Spade! Don't tell me you got caught, cuz I ain't bailing you out!"
"Oh man! I gotta hide this thing!"
"What is that? Is that a little Kingdom Stone."
Spade pulls Heart's sash and puts the orb inside.
"Here! Take it!"
"Spade! What are you doing you… You creep!"
"Gimme that robe!"
"Hey!" Club shouted. "That's my loot!"
"AAAHHHHH!" A loud, horrifying scream of pure rage fills the Dragon Market. "YOU!" The merchant runs toward Spade at top speed. She moves fast. Faster than anyone Spade has encountered before.
"She's after me! Run for the West Gate!" commanded Spade to his crew.
Spade continues to run around in circles, narrowly dodging all of the angry merchant's attempts to catch the little thief.
"Ugh! What a complete idiot!" shouted an angry Heart. "We better leave now like he said."
"Yep"
"Mm-hmm"
The crew runs for the portal and jumps through it without looking back.
"You think he'll make it out ok, Heart?"
"Oh he better. He got us in like he said he would. And he did manage to swipe this pretty looking thing. Oh! It's shiny too? Perfect!"
"Yeah. We need him so we can go back for more booty." Club says while clapping her hands together and biting her lip.
"Arrr" Diamond grunted.
Back at the Dragon Market, the merchant stops mid chase and takes a moment to look around the crowd. Her eyes burned with rage.
"Give it back!" she shouts. "It's more important to me than anything else in the world!"
"Hey! You looking for me?" Spade shouts from the base of the dragon's tower. "Or maybe you're looking for this?" He says as he lifts a balled up, large, fancy robe.
The dragon merchant has reached her limit. Sparkles of light start to emit from her body, it's noticeable even from under the robe she's wearing. She starts to levitate off the ground as the lights violently swirl around her with increasing speed. She tucks her body in and unleashes a huge burst of energy that propels her whole body forward. WAAHHH-BAM! The loud, booming sound of her dragon boost fills the area as if it were thunder. In less than a second she was already at the dragon's tower and quickly closing in on Spade. At the last moment, Spade flash jumps out the way, leaving only a brief, greenly lit afterimage of himself sticking his tongue out at the dragon merchant.
SLAM! The dragon merchant boosts right into the tower with all her speed and strength. The tower begins to show fissures and cracks that slowly climb their way up to the top. Bits and chunks of ceiling start to fall with one such piece landing on top of the merchant, knocking her out cold.
"Stop right there!" shouted an unknown, deep bass voice from around the corner.
Spade makes a break for it and dashes over to the West Gate before anyone can catch up to him. Sure enough, his crew is waiting at the other end of the portal for him.
"What the heck is going on?" shouted Heart. "We could have all gotten caught because of you."
"Hey. These are the kinds of risks we gotta take for big rewards" explained Spade, as he tries to smooth talk his way out of deeper trouble with his crew.
"Uh huh, and what about the robe I took huh?" said Club as she clenches her fist.
"I uh… had to let it go. But uh… Look at what we left with. A little Kingdom Stone, right?"
Heart sighs as they slowly start to walk up to Spade, trying to keep their balance with an orb attached to their belly.
"This item may have some value to it, if we can sell it."
"Well… That merchant was about to close a big deal with it…" Spade said as he lies between his teeth. "And you saw how badly she wanted it back, so uh… yeah let's hold onto it."
"Alright then. Let's head back to HQ and report on this new uh… thing we stole."
"Great!" shouted Spade. "Ok. You can pass the ball back to me now."
"Uh… No! I'ma hold on to this." Heart says without even looking in Spade's direction. "If this thing is as valuable as you claim it to be, then you might try to run off with it."
"Come on. You can trust me Heart. Would I lie to you?" Spade looks at them with a huge smile on his face. The rest of the crew continue to walk on without humoring his question.
On the way back to the Scarves Hideout, the crew kept looking at Heart, smirking and hiding laughter behind covered mouths. They take notice and stop.
"And what exactly is so funny?" Heart demanded.
"Well it's just…" Spade speaks while holding in his laughter. "You look pregnant!"
"What?!" shouts Heart as they pull on their sash, a little bit of the orb catching a bit of the night sky and glowing. "Keep talking and I'ma personally jump you into the Red Scarves myself!"
Everyone, except for Heart, burst out into a laughing fit.
"Oh Heart, look at you. You're glowing! Haha-haaaa!" Club shouts between squeals.
Diamond makes a belly rubbing motion with his hands.
"Club! I'ma get you!" shouted Heart.
"Hey now! Don't get mad at me. Spade's the one who…" Club begins to laugh so hard that her laughter turns silent and she starts rolling on the ground.
"Club." Heart fails to hide a slight smile. "You better not say it!"
"Oh no! I got Heart pregnant! What have I done?! " Spade shouts.
"Alright! That's it!" Heart shouts while chasing after Spade. Diamond shakes his head while holding back a good laugh while Club is still on the ground rolling in silent laughter.
The jokes and playful jabs continue long into the night as Heart, Club, Diamond, and Spade make their way back to the hideout. Following the results of a successful first mission, they decide to form their own set under the Red Scarves and name themselves, The Suits.