Open~ This girl has had a very strange education....

[drops_acid]

Who: Cardia and Open
What: Cardia making a rare trip to the near shore. Someone bother her please.
When: July 5th, evening into late night
Where: Near shore, a small shopping district
Warnings: Um... minor lawbreaking?

Early evening-

[Cardia rarely ventures to the near shore. Too crowded, too risky. But she's been feeling a little restless lately and figures that one little trip won't hurt anything. She does opt to go with her other outfit for this(she really only has the two.) and has adorned it with a very pretty necklace.

In the evening, she can be found wandering the streets of a shopping district, not so much browsing the wares as watching the crowds. In times like these, she likes to wonder what being a normal girl would be like. What kinds of things do they do? How do they interact with people? What is it like to be able to wear whatever clothes you want? It may seem dull, but to her it's interesting.

And she's found something else of interest on this trip. She's looking with an expression that's somewhere between awe and cautious excitement into the window of an ice cream shop. Ice cream is something she's familiar with. But without special tableware she really can't eat it. But there have been a few advancements in ice cream science since 1860. Like the cone. And about a zillion new flavors. But the important thing is that eating an ice cream cone doesn't require a spoon at all. Feel free to bug her for ice cream or while she's people watching.]


Late that night-

[Since she's already out and about, maybe she can use this chance to practice a few of the lessons from back home. After all, Lupin told her even the greatest thieves will get rusty without practice. Which is why she's now sneaking around that same shopping district after hours. She's stealthy enough that only sharp eyed people are likely to notice. If anyone decides to follow her, Cardia is testing herself on how quickly and quietly she can pick the locks.

She's a lot better at it than her appearance would suggest. Then again, she had a very good teacher. She's got no intent to take anything, just opening the doors to see how long it takes and then shutting them again.]

Comments

One day I'll throw a different muse at her... but /Late that night

[lostinshadows]

[Lavi may or may not have tagged along with her during her venture out onto the Near Shore, but it hardly escapes his attention once he realizes what it is she's doing.

He feels some amusement, actually timing her with his phone after darkening the screen a bit.]

[drops_acid]

[She's crouched low and focused on the task until.... click.]

Got it.

[A quiet whisper marks her success. It took her just under two minutes. Lupin would scold her because really that is far too long, but Cardia is just pleased she got it open.]

[lostinshadows]

Just under two minutes.

[Lavi tucks his phone away into a pocket.]

Which one are you aiming for next?

[drops_acid]

Two? My teacher would be disappointed.

[She lets out a little sigh, but honestly she's still pleased with the result.

Cardia shuts and re-locks the door before she considers his question. There's a pet store next door, but animals are likely to make noise. And who knew if any of them might be loose in there? She turns to look across the street.]

Hmm... maybe the book store over there?

[lostinshadows]

All you have to do is hone your skills again. Not using it often has a way of losing its edge.

[He looks over at the book store, looking contemplative.

Lavi blinks.]

Mm, sounds like a good idea.

Late that night...

[priforprince]

[ ....Cardia will discover, upon testing the lock on an electronics store, that the door swings open, already unlocked. The security system looks to have been disabled, too.

Seems she wasn't the first person to target this particular establishment on this fine evening. And there's shadows moving within. ]

Re: Late that night...

[drops_acid]

[Cardia hadn't intended to actually enter any of the stores she was breaking into, but curiosity gets the better of her and she creeps into the store quietly.

She remembers to move slowly and carefully, keeping low to the ground and with an eye for potential exits. She's not sure what she expects to find, but inches closer and closer to the movement in the shadows.]

[priforprince]

[ Cardia's foot may brush something lying on the ground as she passes the service desk. If she looks down, she'll see it's a business card adorned with red lily flowers and graceful black text. (Since it's just lying here, though, no one appears to have taken it seriously.)

"Tonight," it reads, "I shall steal away the power to supervise all. A grandiose soiree begins."

The closer she gets to the movement, the more she'll see there's only one intruder. They're in a cape, and a plumed hat, and are hunched over a rack of various wires and cameras... ]

[drops_acid]

[Ah... a calling card. She kneels down very carefully and picks it up. But why would a phantom thief target this place? The power to supervise all....

What could they possibly be keeping here?

Now that she's seen the card, the sight of the intruder is more or less what she expected. The question now is what does she do? Slip out the back and let this person get on with their heist? Question them? Offer assistance?

After a moment, she decides on a direct approach. She stands up for her hiding place and calls out softly.]


Pardon me?

i thought at first about not doing the speech but SCREW IT, THERE ARE STANDARDS

[priforprince]

[ A soft inhalation as the figure slips something into their cloak and straightens up. Then, they wrap that cloak further around themselves. ] When the wings that soar in the sky unfurl....Appearing from the darkness, a single casablanca lily.

[ Turning, the figure executes a low bow. When they draws their hand out of their cape again, they are, in fact, holding a bright red lily, which they offer to their audience with a low bow. ] My name is Phantom Thief Genius!

[ That hooded, masked head lifts. Piercing green eyes peer out from beneath the mask, shining with what might be curiosity and might be amusement. ] What an unexpected spot this is for a rendezvous.

well i guess someone ha to choose it so ice cream 8U

[kokuyoyo]

....Have you never seen ice cream before...

[Oh look who it is, wearing a thick knit tan pom beanie in the god damn summertime. Chikusa was just going to get some things from the Near Shore, but to see someone with such blatant focus on such a trivial kind of thing...]

[drops_acid]

Hmm? Oh...

[She's a little embarrassed. She must've looked so silly just staring like that. Cardia shakes her head.]

No, it's not that. I've just never heard of serving it in these, um.... cones? You can eat them, can't you? It's such a clever idea.

[kokuyoyo]

I guess…. There’s a lot of way to serve ice cream now. Cones, or bowls made of the same thing… Or instead bread, or on sticks…

[He shrugs, glancing through the window. Idly, he wonders if that’s what Axel will want as the summer heats up. Didn’t Roxas say something about a certain flavor of ice cream once…?]

[drops_acid]

On sticks? It doesn't fall off?

[It sounds really messy.]

[kokuyoyo]

It's made a certain way.... So not until it starts to melt.

Nite

[moonlitknight]

[ From behind: ]

What are you doing.

[drops_acid]

Oh!

[She gives a small gasp and twists around quickly to face him, clutching the lock pick tightly. Cardia had been so focused on the lock that she didn't notice anyone approaching and he startled her.

Mentally berating herself for the mistake, she goes with honesty. No point in lying now.]

I was... practicing....

[moonlitknight]

....

[ He's been stalking the local thieving idiot - Chikusa - for a month now and everytime that moron picked a lock it was for one thing. ]

Stealing.

[ Cardia. He is disappointed in you. ]

[drops_acid]

[A small shake of her head.]

That isn't true.

[Cardia is simply correcting him. She's not in the least bit defensive or insulted. His assumption is the natural one.]

[moonlitknight]

Then, what.

[ Because right now, it's looks pretty damn true from where he's standing. ]

ice cream!

[likethelight]

[ Did someone say Victorians being enthralled with newfangled sweets? Why yes. I believe someone did. Which would be why there's a boy with white hair and a strange sort of scar (tattoo? it almost looks like an upside-down pentagram) on his face opening the shop door to exit with two cones piled to somewhat incredible heights balanced neatly twixt his fingers in one hand.

With a quiet sort of merriment, really. And a yellow sort of... orb-like bird? creation? magical-mechanical thing??? trailing behind him just over one shoulder. ]

♪ [ And how did he, a resident of The Far Shore, get their attention enough to get two ice cream cones and presumably pay for them...? Don't ask.

But he stops and blinks a little at exiting and seeing Cardia standing there at the window with such an expression. Mostly too because of the sense he has that she... ah.

She's like him, isn't she? As in not like everyone else on the street. And yet— ]

Ah, miss...? [ Allen loves sweets too, but she seems especially enthralled yet isn't going inside... ]

Are you alright?

[drops_acid]

Ah!

[Pulled out of her ice cream reverie, Cardia turns and instinctively takes a step away from the boy. Her eyes flick a little nervously from him to the little metal... bird? She's not sure what that is.]

I'm...fine.

[Maybe just a little embarrassed at being caught staring in wonder at a dessert. She tries not to look too sheepish as she offers an explanation.]

A little distracted, I suppose. I've never seen one of those before.

[She nods to ice cream cones in his hand.]

[likethelight]

[ Did he startle her? He pauses with a slightly apologetic expression. He didn't mean to...

But his eyes follow to where she nods, flicking to the cones and then back to her. Allen Walker, the British boy who was once astonished to find out about (and become a bit enamored with) scones and what they taste like at far past the age anyone from his country generally should, but... ]

Eh? [ A curious blink. ]

Do you mean ice cream?

[ this is a travesty, who hasn't seen ice cream before ]

[drops_acid]

Oh, no.

[She shakes her head.]

I've had ice cream. I meant those... cones?

[She's pretty sure that's what they're called.]

They didn't have those where I came from.

1/2

[likethelight]

[ Oh!

Well, to that, actually... He flashes a sheepish sort of smile, scratching at his cheek for a moment with a white-gloved finger. Yes, the cones still artfully balanced between the fingers of his other hand, as deftly as one might wear rings. One orange and one a pale green with darker flecks in it. ]

Ah, to be honest, I haven't either...