It certainly wasn’t Christmas Eve, so when there arose such a clatter, Richard Moreau knew it wasn’t Santa Claus. Not unless St. Nick took to the Jagermeister and was plotting a visit early... or late? Either way, Richard wasn’t going to spend time debating whether Christ Kringle was early or late because the slightly intoxicated candy shop owner knew it was a burglar. There was no doubt about that. Who else would be sneaking into his condo at such a late hour?

Not that he could fault the thief for picking his condo as opposed to the many others in the complex. Richard was hardly a subtle person and lived lavishly, and he did nothing to hide his lifestyle from the prying eyes of the public. No doubt someone out there got jealous and instead of sitting at home and moping about someone else’s success, he or she decided to be proactive. And, as strange as it might have sounded, Richard could respect that. To an extent.

While Richard admire a man or woman that rose above self pity and take what they wanted, he did not condone petty theft, and he certainly did not approve of someone taking his belongings. ’I give my fair share to charity and taxes... no need to be so greedy.’

Or foolish. He was robbing a condo that was not only armed with security cameras, a man who not only excelled at fencing but was a Negaverse agent, but a large and formidable looking Irish wolfhound. Though correct he was on the “large” part, formidable was not have been the word to describe Baldwin, especially given how he practically cowered under the sheets next to him. The whimper that came from the great dog’s muzzle didn’t encourage much confidence in Richard, and he whispered harshly to his dog. “What, what are you waiting for? Go down there and do your job!”

But Baldwin, the great and mighty, didn’t budge, looking up at Richard with large, pitiful brown eyes, and his whimpers only increased when the burglar made his way deeper into his home. He sounded like he was in the living room now, and that only made Richard give an annoyed sigh, before pulling himself out of his bed. Again, he whispered to Baldwin, feeling that he needed to give the dog a fair warning before he up and transformed. “Fine. Hide, Baldwin. There’s bacon under the bed.”

That immediately caused the dog’s ears to perk and the dog, as big as he was, scurried under the bed, giving Richard the opportunity he needed to snap his fingers and initiate the transformation into Buddingtonite. No, he didn’t -need- to snap his fingers, but it was just something he felt was necessary, to help calm his nerves when the rush of energy passed through him. Whoever this criminal was, they picked the wrong condo to steal from, and as admirable as it was that he or she managed to sneak past his security system, he was going to give the intruder quite the scare. Pressing a hand to the starseed in his pocket, to make sure that it was still there and secure, he made his way down the stairs, as lightly as possible- it was almost as though he wasn't drunk at all, or at least, that’s how it felt to glide down the stairs and land perfectly on his two feet.

His stealth needed some work, however, and the moment his feet hit the ground, he heard a jump from the kitchen, and without thinking, Buddingtonite charged forward, not aiming to kill the burglar but teach him or her a lesson that they’d never forget. “No one robs -my- condo!”

That was his only warning before he lashed out, but the cane that intercepted his blow stopped him dead in his tracks, and the kick to his abdomen sent the lieutenant flying back. He recognized that weapon, mere seconds before he could sense her aura, and he began to drift into unconsciousness, but not before Captain Mica made a noise that was a mix between a laugh and a sneer. “Really? Just grabbing a midnight snack... there’s no hope for you.”

What else could Buddingtonite do but sigh, deciding that the floor of his kitchen was the best place to sleep for now. It would figure... that he’d forget about his new, unwelcomed roommate. He spat, as he drifted back to sleep. “Don’t like you... at all...”

(Word Count: 749)