Chapter 7: How to Draw Attention
Shocked to hear Leona's idea that Ruggie would switch it with his bare hands, everyone is worried about this situation.
Grim asks, "Wouldn't that be even easier to spot than magic?"
"Not for Ruggie. He's got sticky fingers and the skills to back it up," Leona points out.
He then says, "Besides, it's not like the queen's got the tiara stowed in her inside jacket pocket or somethin'. It's sitting right on her head, out in the open, just beggin' to be swiped."
"That makes this way harder, actually!" Ruggie says.
But Kalim understands, "Ooh, I get it! So that's why you wanted to bring Ruggie instead of Jack. Jack does tend to stand out in any crowd. Ha ha. I can't think of anyone better suited to this plan than Ruggie. I'm on board with your idea, Leona."
Aw, geez... Are you guys serious?" Ruggie asks in disbelief.
Leona scoffs, "Hmph. So, Ruggie. How many seconds do you need to switch one tiara for another?"
"Hm…" Ruggie thinks and says, "Accounting for the size of the tiara and the kind of surroundings we'll be in… I'd say about fifteen seconds."
"He says ten seconds," Leona says.
"You shaved five seconds off my estimate!" Ruggie cries out.
"Yeah, because I know you. You added some breathing room, didn't you?" Leona says.
Ruggie says in annoyance, "Tch. You got me. Either way, I'm gonna need the queen distracted the whole time for this to work at all."
"So you need ten seconds of full distraction," Jamil says, "How would one draw attention at a Fairy Gala safely, and without raising suspicion?"
"Well, this party is supposed to celebrate the arrival of spring, right?" Kalim says, "What better way to celebrate than with a parade? We could throw a big, fancy one that leaves the queen totally star-struck! We could wear dazzling costumes and bring music troupes!"
Ruggie replies, "Ah, the classic Kalim solution: throw money and bodies at problems to make them go away. Did you forget about our limited supply of fairy dust?"
"Actually... I think he might be onto something," Jamil says, "The Fairy Gala's centerpiece event is a fashion show, right?"
"Yup," Kalim replies, "Anything goes on the runway, apparently. Dancing, singing... It's all fair game as long as it celebrates spring! According to Sam, it's a really glitzy show. It sounds like a ton of fun!"
"That will be our angle," Briar says, realizing it herself, "Kalim, Leona, Jamil and I can draw the whole venue's attention at the fashion show. That we'll be certain that all the fairies will be focusing at a specific place."
"And while the queen's distracted, Ruggie, Grim, and Sereia will switch out her tiara," Jamil adds.
But Leona says, "Excuse me? You expect me to put myself on display for the entertainment of fairies?"
"You'd be surprised how long ten seconds can last. We'll need a full coordinated effort to buy time for and Sereia will be running support for Ruggie," Jamil says, "That leaves the four of us to do the show. You're free to say no, but I think you're the one with the most to lose if we don't succeed."
Leona scoffs with a glare, "Tch. The headmage just HAD to go and open his big mouth."
"I'll be counting on you guys. Our success is riding on you!" Ruggie says.
"Then we need to be sure our performance is a success when we get on stage." Briar says, "However, we don't exactly have any fashion show experience between us…"
But then Jamil says, "Don't worry about that part. I have an idea."
"Really? Who?" Sereia asks.
Soon, they hear footsteps.
"And here they are— Our secret weapons to ensure success!" Jamil says.
Soon, they hear one familiar voice, "Really? A fashion show, with THIS group? More like a potato parade."
And then another voice, "It's training time, pups."
"Great. Juuust great," Leona says, shocked.