Welcome to Gaia! ::

LuLu noticed the bandit’s head turn towards her slightly. The rabbit flinched and hid behind her guardian. She hoped that this person wasn’t having second thoughts about letting them leave.

The time seemed to drag on as a silence fell on the group. Both humans seemed to be sizing each other up. Ebony was fighting whether to believe his story or not. On the other hand, Josh was fighting to keep his cool and make sure that the bandit was fooled. The two looked at each other and pondered their next move quietly. When Ebony spoke up Josh continued his underhanded plotting for a bit longer.

He resumed his convincing smile and smoothly executed the lines he had rehearsed in his head, “I will tell all I know about the trap… In return, I get a picture.” The boy pulled a cell phone out from his pocket. He aimed it at them. The device emitted a dull light around them as the screen came to life. He could finally make out soft, obscured features of the bandit. Of course, they was in black, slinky spandex. Josh chuckled to himself. Were all bandits supposed to wear that? Maybe it was a dress code of sorts.

Due to the lingering darkness, he could just make out their blurry form on its screen. He cursed mentally. This meant the picture would be mediocre at best. The tiny camera on his cell phone had no way of comparing to his actual camera… Well, then again, now that his actual camera was a pile of scraps this was his only option.

The picture that he would take would probably be enough for him to get a small scrap of money. Luckily for the Shadow Bandit, it would probably not be enough to get her caught. “Just a small exchange. I get a little money… and you get an easier night.”

Josh’s smile was growing smugger by the second. It seemed as though he has actually managed to fool the bandit. His gaze was affixed on them; however, he found their goggle enclosed eyes were wandering somewhere else. LuLu. The boy’s expression went flat. His phone snapped close and he barked at the thief, “Let me talk with my partner.”

Josh tugged LuLu along and pulled her to the side. He cloaked his voice in a whisper and peered over to make sure that their shadowed observer remained in the dark during their conversation. He breathed deeply and pondered if the rabbit frei could handle this. She was tricky, yes, but was she able to steal? Josh huffed. They had come this far. He was not turning back. He would just lecture her that stealing was bad or something like that later. “LuLu… I need you to get something for me. It is a really, really fun toy. It is shiny…. It looks like a gem. You think you can get it?”

LuLu heard many words coming from Josh’s lipped but her mind clung to a few choice ones. Really fun toy. Her fuzzy ears perked as her face scrunched in thought. He wanted her to get it? It generally wasn’t her style to get a toy herself. She would much prefer if Josh got it for her. Her rosy lips pulled into a pout as she avoided Josh’s pleading stare. She piped up gently, “I get it but I keep it.”

Her guardian smiled cheerily. “I think I can work something out.” Heck, they had already broken into the place. Getting the gems and a cut of the money seemed like only another tiny inconvenience. They both returned in front of the Shadow Bandit. Of course, LuLu was partially hidden behind Josh. He spoke for her, “She will get it, but we will get a cut of the profit… and the picture.”

Josh felt that sinking feeling in his stomach once more. Was the bandit going to side with them or make another ridiculous request? He was not sure. Soon his questions were answered by one silver lined statement.

“Fine. Let's get going.”

The boy loved it when a plan fell into place. He took Lulu’s hand and began to stride after the thief. Of course, now he tried to remain a bit more silent than before. They were actually evading someone rather than having to find someone. The last thing Josh wanted was a criminal record. He turned to his ward and placed a finger vertically across his lips. The girl knew what this sign meant. She was no idiot. Josh had just instituted ‘silent time’. The rabbit frei’s lips were now sealed.

LuLu gave one last puff of protest before she piped down for good. She did not like this person and she did not trust where they were taking them. The only good thing about this whole situation was the fact she was going to get a toy at the end of it. Her thoughts glazed over dreamily as she tagged along behind her guardian. She wondered if… Maybe the toy lit up, too! She felt herself growing eager to get this new plaything. She floated a bit faster behind Josh.

Josh watch as the bandit went through the delicate process of unlocking the vault. Of course, it was delicate… not fast. He was mesmerized by the flickering lights and periodic beeping that her gadgets issued. It was almost as if he was in some kind of sci-fi movie. Josh was about to relax when his thief partner spoke up to him. The boy almost outwardly gulped as they made the request. So, he was going to be on look out. How hard could that be?

‘Thunk’

A sound erupted from the hall entrance across the room from them. It was followed by mild cursing then a small snap that triggered a burst of illumination. Josh was frozen in place as he noticed a flickering light coming closer from down the all. It was obviously a flashlight, one that was probably accompanied by a guard.

Josh quietly elbowed the bandit who was behind him. The boy was not too conscious of the force he put behind the jabbing motion, his goal was to grab the shadow bandit’s attention and direct it to the hall. He prayed that they had a plan for this. Otherwise, he was three seconds away from hauling butt and hiding under a table with LuLu.

Speaking of the rabbit frei, she was perfectly oblivious to their situation. The girl’s thoughts were lost on toys and shinies. LuLu could care less about the imminent doom that lurked only ten feet away from them. Her only thoughts were reserved for how she would go about getting her next play thing.

Josh’s attention was split between the two doorways. His gaze was being tugged from one to the other in a constant battle. The boy’s eyes would focus on the mechanism in the key slot with bated breath. Then his eyes would trail over to the hall entrance and the steadily growing light. Every time the light shown red, the boy’s heart sank deeper and deeper in his chest. Every time, the beam of light grew more intense his stomach knotted.

This was it. They were really about to get caught.

Josh was pulling LuLu closer in preparation for when the guard would enter the room. He knew they would be running soon. He was just unsure of which direction.

Then all too suddenly the pathway he would follow was all too clear. With a small clank the door behind him opened and he was yanked into the dark void beyond it along with LuLu. Josh’s mouth was then covered completely by a gloved hand. It was not like he was about to talk or anything. He would dare make a peep with them so close to being caught. He only worried about his charges reaction to being abruptly manhandled.

LuLu’s nails dug deeply into Ebony’s hand. She did not enjoy this feeling. This hand around her face. It was the sensation of being caught. LuLu had not been worried about the guard. This bandit. They were what worried her.

LuLu was relieved when the ‘death grip’ was removed from her face. As the pressure was lifted she also felt some of her tenseness leave with it. The rabbit frei fluffed up and turned to glare at the thief. However, she was met with something unexpected. She was shocked to hear an unexpected word from the thief. Sorry. LuLu’s expression broke into a soft smile, “Forgiven.” Even the most brutish people could be sincere after all. The thief had taken a step to working her way onto the female ravean’s good side.

Ebony flipped a switch and illuminated the room in a crisp light. LuLu’s attention now shifted to a new object. In total, six curious little trinkets surrounded the room. They sparkled in various hues ranging from purple to red, LuLu’s favorite color. Josh had mentioned gem-like toys. Was this it? LuLu floated closer to investigate.

On the other hand, Josh was still recovering from having his eyes blown out by the fluorescent lighting. He stumbled slightly behind Ebony and spoke softly. He was still shaky over the fact that guards where actually lurking around here somewhere. “It is fine… Jackpot?” The boy started the question before vision came back into focus. When he was able to see again, he was met with a splendid sight. Numerous jewels were lining the room. They even seemed to be on display as if offering themselves up to the trio. Now he understood the meaning of ‘jackpot’.

LuLu was a mere four inches from her desired destination. Her hand was hovering just above the red jewel she had her eyes on. The rabbit frei was about to snag the gem when the thief swooped down and pilfered her shiny baubles. Blasphemy! The thief had just lost any respect the raevan had harbored for her. A deep scowl spread across her face as she gave an aggravated squeak at Ebony, “Mine!” She pointed at the jewels.

The sirens gave LuLu a bit of a start; however, she had her mind set on a goal and they were her toys.

Josh became frantic when the alarms went off. Since when was this place actually being guarded?! He looked around for any plausible escape rout. His eyes flicked in every direction plausible. His search was fruitless though. They were in a solid, windowless box that was devoid of any possible escape. They were trapped in here. The boy looked up in some sort of plea to the heavens. Then, he was struck with an idea. He turned to the bandit and questioned, “The air vents?” He had seen it in B-rated action movies. Maybe it could work for them too?

Josh took notice of LuLu’s brooding, hissy fit looming over the horizon. He just hoped it could be held off until they made it outside.