The Heist! [Historical]

“This is a stupid idea” A young woman wearing an elegant black dress hissed as she was accompanied by a similarly well-dressed young man. “This is an excellent idea and we’re all gonna be set for life. Besides, you wouldn’t have come along if you didn’t think it would work.” He straightened his tie with the trademarked smile as he took the raven-haired youth by the arm to hurry her along. It earned him an annoyed but defeated sigh as she hurried along toward the festivities.

A grand gala, hosted by the ‘Grand Regent’, a self-inflated title for a horrible old man. Though his grip over both sides of the island was practically absolute, such was his influence. An envoy of the World Government backed by some of the less scrupulous contingents of the Navy. The entirety of the port that stretched the whole bay had been set aside for the day. As festive as it was, Suzume couldn’t help but feel out of place. Tatsuo finally slowed down, if only to admire the scenery. “You know we’ll be able to afford a place over here once this is over.” Though she tugged her arm free while they continued on down the street.

“Sure, you get comfy here. I’m leaving. That’s the whole point.” Suzume crossed her arms, scanning the crowd to make sure the locals hadn’t noticed them somehow. The people on this side seemed to have a second sense at sniffing out the poor, even when they were supposed to be here. “You can’t change things from over here, or over there. Better to just go.” She had made her mind up, and Tatsuo seemed to realize that trying to convince her now was going to put them both off their game. “Look, we’ll talk about it after. We just have to get into that party, look, Saya got these from the printers.”

As the boy proudly showed off the forged invitations, handing one off to Suzume to inspect. “Lady Kimura… really?” She rolled her eyes, only to take a second glance. “They spelled ‘Regent’ wrong.” The girl looked concerned, if only for a second before her façade was broken. Tatsuo looked devastated, and then betrayed. It wasn’t like Suzume to joke around, at least not in a situation like this. “Yeah yeah, real funny! Why don’t you leave the comedy to me.” Satisfied with her vengeance, Suzume seemed to perk up. “So, what are we even here for?” She had been left in the dark, and they were moments from heading into the oversized manor.

“It’s a surprise! Trust me.” He motioned his head toward the tall gates, prompting her to tidy up and start playing her part. They had come this far, and it wasn’t like the guards were going to look that carefully. Suzume settled herself, settling beside Tatsuo while he took the lead, invitations in his free hand. The pair mingle into crowd approaching, most getting turned away at the door. No way to back out now though, Suzume just hoped this was really going to be worth it..

Suzume tried to refine her steps, looking to everyone around in an attempt to mimic them. These were the elite after all, the richest and most powerful people on the island. Surely, they’d be able to tell she didn’t belong. Tatsuo had no such reservation, calmly leading her through the crowd toward the marines stationed at the gates to check invitations. Ever step closer seemed to be a step towards an unfortunate end to their little journey. The girl’s heart was racing as her companion made some off the cuff remark as he handed over the little fabricated square of paper that everything hinged on.

“Checks out, enjoy your evening.” The man gave a curt nod, and they were waved on through. Suzume was shocked, if only for a second before they were moving again. From the fine stone paving to an opulent carpet as they crossed the grand entrance. The hall itself was extravagant enough, golden chandeliers lit the area up from above with braziers helping warm up the enormous space. It was filled with the wealthiest of the Island, or dignitaries from foreign lands. Picking food from endless spreads while the servants dutifully carried out drinks and lighter portions or desserts to the guests.

Suzume found herself disgusted at the waste, so much food when the other side of the island was starving. So, they moved through the crowd, avoiding any real mingling to maintain their cover. At least that was the plan, until they strayed a little too close to the centre of the hall. An orchestra played their gilded instruments with enchanting tunes for the casual dance proceeded to the melody. Elegant ladies and their partners drifting across the floor. While Tatsuo was more interested in figuring out how to get into the manor itself, Suzume seemed to be drawn closer to the music. Where she was spotted by the grand regent himself, seemingly appearing at her side. “I don’t believe we’ve met before, have we?” He was an older man, a retired Captain from the navy, with his years clearly catching on. The girl froze of course, they had intended to avoid the Regent completely. In the moment that Tatsuo had left her side, Suzume found herself in a bit of a bind. Her alias was ‘Kimura’, she remembered that much, though not the first name. “Suzume Kimura, sir. A pleasure to meet you.” His stern gaze scrutinized the girl, almost enough to bring some uncertainty to her voice, seemingly looking her over while considering the name. She was certain that they'd been discovered, though when she looked for Tatsuo he was gone.

“Kimura? Traveling with the Moriyama clan I assume, and interesting choice of attire.” Suzume was baffled, none of the names were familiar, but it seemed like the lie had worked. She considered the words quickly, perhaps this clan was foreign and had their own distinctive style of dress. Easy enough to cover. “I just had to take something home, and what better time to wear it. Don’t you agree?” He seemed to ponder this for a moment. “Of course, well, enjoy the party.” He gave the girl a final glance, making Suzume uncertain she had really escaped notice as an intruder, then he took his leave. She then felt a tug at her arm, turning with the expectation of one of the guards ready to drag her out only to see Tatsuo.

“Can’t leave you alone for a second! Didn’t get caught did you?” He hurried her away from the music toward the edges of the festivities. “No, I think he believed me.” She let out a sigh of relief as they moved away from all that light and sound to a side room. Beyond was just a plain hall, but it seemed like they were the only two around. “Well doesn’t really matter, because I found a set of keys!” He triumphantly held up the steel ring and assortment of keys. “Found?” She raised an eyebrow and reached for the keys, only for the boy to snatch them away. “Found!" he restated, as if it made it any more true, "Anyway, looks like all the guards are on party duty. So this is going to be even easier than I thought.” Suzume frowned, finally shedding the ridiculous dress shoes that she casually discarded, retrieving a more comfortable set from a discrete bag that hung over her shoulder. “Well, what are we here for then? You still haven’t told me” She pulled on her new footwear and await her answer.

“Word is the Regent just got a top priority delivery from the world government. Had a fancy box, as well as a big pile of cash. So it’s gotta be worth something. Once we’ve got everything we can carry, we’ve got an escape route to the docks, we can get on a ship and just lay low for a while.” He passed her a roughly drawn map on a faded floor plan for the Regent’s manor. “The vault is a few floors down.” He had walked on a little, only to stop at the stair-well about midway down the hall, wasting no time in taking the lead downwards, bounding down the stone steps leaving Suzume to follow along a few steps behind. She always seemed a few steps behind him, but eventually accepted that she would never be able to decipher his schemes.

The pair traversed the lower levels swiftly, quiet as shadows, slipping through security gates and vaulting through unlocked windows. There was little to no resistance to be found, with so many important people in one place, this would be the perfect time for any would be assassin to strike. So, they were free to look through the rooms as they went. The guest bedrooms for the guests were the best finds of course, plenty of stray coin and jewellery to steal. Suzume even spotted a rather nice dress hanging as if waiting for it’s owner. Finer than the one she was wearing even, probably some master tailor from some foreign land. It looked delicate and light, but somehow felt sturdy when she lifted it from the hanger.

“Hey, that’d look great on you.” Tatsuo winked, giving Suzume a push toward the walk-in dresser attached to the room. “We’ve got time, go on. Might as well get a souvenir we can keep.” The boy chuckled, rummaging through the other wardrobes to find himself a little something. Suzume huffed, but gingerly stepped away to shed the hastily found ‘finery’ to put on this new attire. It was perhaps a little too short in the front, reaching well above the knee, but thankfully tapered on the back the flutter gracefully behind her as she walked, with the crimson inner material adding a touch of colour to the otherwise black fabric.

“See, told you it would be great!” Tatsuo looked smug, particularly because of his new suit and ridiculous top hat. Suzume was quick to knock it off his head to make it very clear it wasn’t coming along. “Well, we’re almost there. Lets get going.” He nods, before stopping her to place a nice gold necklace over her neck. "There is every birthday for the rest of your life covered I think" Tatsuo decided to leave before his teasing earned him violence, moving out of the room and down further. Two more floors until the reached the bottom level, quite deep in the mountainside, carved from hardy bedrock to make for a very strong but difficult to work material.

The antechamber was large, designed to be guarded by a small contingent of men, with a small barracks set to the side. With a central metal door, heavy enough to require a mechanism to open. One that Suzume had been studying. “Alright, cover the door.” She pulled a pair of picking tools, forged of gem-steel, showing a dark colouring with occasional shimmering gems embedded into the metal itself. Making them practically unbreakable.

She got to work on the mechanism, kneeling to better see what she was doing. With a few heavy clicks, and a sudden turn from the tools, the door lurched to life. Sliding away into the wall itself to reveal the vault. Rows upon rows of stacked gold ingots, with bags containing stray smaller ingots yet to be processed to the standard size. Weapons and armour displayed across the walls, powerful old artifacts and curios. “Easy! Lets have a lot” Tatsuo went right to work, overeagerly lifting a sack of gold only to stumble at the weight. “Huh, well maybe we will have to go for less gold., Whatever, where iiis.” He wasn’t able to finish, as Suzume was already at work on another lock.

This one contained an ornate box, inlaid with precious metals that was stored behind some reinforced glass and a bolted shut door. “There it is! That’ll be the devil fruit for sure.” The boy left Suzume to work, instead browsing the collection of weapons before him. Like a kid in a candy shop, he was very happy to have his choice. Pocketing one of the less gaudy pistols to stow in his jacket, as well as a gem steel cutlass. “This has to be worth a fortune… There’s two!” He took the twin of his first blade.

“Fine blades indeed. You've got a good eye young man” A new voice spoke, with an odd accent but clearly an older man. Tatsuo turned back with one of the sabres, still in it’s sheath. “Calm down, no need to fight.” A well dressed man strode into the vault, looking around with a neutral expression. Suzume stopped, eyeing the stranger. Feeling every nerve in her body scream for her to run, or fight… No way to trust him. “Who are you! What are you doing here.” Tatsuo took charge, realizing his mistake as he attached his new weapons to his belt to draw one, looking at least a little threatening now. The man crossed his arms, looking lazily over the two street rats before him. “My name is Kosuke Moriyama.” He just chuckled, unable to keep up the grim façade, with a warm smile showing on his face. “The world government owe me a debt, and I was of the understanding that they had an artifact of great value stored here… However, your friend there seems to have claimed it first." Tatsuo looked to Suzume, who was clutching the sturdy wooden box against her body.

Suzume was frozen, staring at the man before her. He wore an almost military style uniform. Finely crafted, expensive. With four katana style blades, two pairs for his preferred method of combat. Despite the friendly smile, he carried battle scars including a missing eye that was covered with a plain black patch. There was just something about this man that she couldn’t stand, a rage of sorts. Unprompted, but there was a connection there. It wasn’t even that she had been given the name of some clan attached to this one. But she shook it from her mind, focusing on the real world. She didn’t release her grip in the slightest.

“Please, I don’t mean either of you harm.” He raised his hands, leaving them well away from those blades at his sides. “Fine… Why aren’t you stopping us?” Tatsuo circled the room, holding his sword out in defiance until he was standing in front of Suzume. It was one of the things she admired most about Tatsuo, the care he showed for his friends over himself. She had never been as brave, she would rather just run. “Because I don’t see a need to. You haven’t stolen from me, and I have no love for anyone here.” He just turned, uncaring of the armed boy behind him.

“I’ll be sure to send the Kimura family your regards ‘Suzume’. You two have fun now.” He just shook his head, as if he had caught a pair of children stealing from the cupboard. Tatsuo was shaken, if only because of how strange the whole interaction had been. He just laughed in the end, relieved as he fell back against the wall. Sending a rack of weapons flying and tripping some form of alarm. A low drone that echoed from the area before them. Bound to draw attention, if they weren’t getting surrounded already. “We have to go. Grab what you can!” He hurried her along, snatching a sizable sack before bounding for the exit.

Suzume tripped over a fallen blade, similar in style to the strange man from earlier. If a bit shorter, and clearly made on the island here if the glittering metal was anything to go by. She quickly gathered it up to secure at her hip before hoisting her own bag of loose coins and other valuables. Heavy though it was, it did little to slow her frantic pace out.

No guards yet, a good sign, but the alarms were droning still. Tatsuo motioned towards their exit and they were off. The stairs were difficult to run up with all this extra weight, but the pair struggled through to the very top, exiting to a balcony to bound onto the rooftop just below. After catching their footing on the slippery roof tiles, Tatsuo sighed. “Alright, we follow siding and go down, we can get to the wall and then we’re off to the docks. I’ve got the perfect ship!” He gave her that confident nod before the yelling could be heard. Glass smashing as marines poured out from the building. Finally catching their thieves.

“Go!” Tatsuo gave a stunned Suzume a nudge to get her moving, the pair clambering over the stone edge of the roof while leaping down. The first sounds of gunfire rang out, their terrifying roars blasting metal that shattered off stone and tile as they ran. The first volley proving ineffective, and the second too. They had cleared the first few buildings by the time shots from the ground and walls started. With the more agile marines following across the rooftops. The end of their run could be seen, both escapees breathing hard with the effort. “Almost there! Come on!” Tatsuo called out, skidding to a stop just before the final jump, turning as he revealed the pistol with his only shot.

Suzume didn’t stop, too focused on running that she could only look back as she sailed through the air. Tatsuo smiled at her, if only for a moment that she wanted to stretch out forever. It faded in slow motion, his body jerked around to adjust his aim toward Suzume, adjusting just slightly as he fired the shot. She practically felt it fly past her to perforate the marine that was primed to hit her with his own firearm. The hit sending his aim off enough to graze the girl’s arm painfully. In that split second, and with her failure to jump safely, Tatsuo was struck. In the chaos, she could barely register where, focused only on her friend’s blood bursting from the wound. “TATSUO!”

Tatsuo fell, and Suzume could focus on nothing else. Not the gunfire, or the yelling and screaming from the bystanders at the gunfight going on so close to the party. There wasn’t any music anymore, or the happy maelstrom of voices. Just violence and death. He vanished from view, falling far enough to kill anyone only to be swarmed by the marines.

Everything rushed back at once, another man grabbed for her arm, only for Suzume to evade and leap back into her planned route. Relying on instinct to guide her as her mind descended into panic. She could barely remember her run to the street, managing to trip over the rain slick cobbled street before scrambling into an alley. The wound on her arm had only started burning, bleeding lightly thanks to the near miss. She ignored it though, unsuccessfully repressing her sobs as she moved through the backstreets through the tightly packed housing to reach the docks.

She forced the tears away when she felt the final few pursuers had lost her trail. They had lost her it seemed, and news didn’t travel that fast. Her lonely trek through the docks was short, finding a moment to slip past the crew and other passengers being sent aboard. One that Suzume scaled and stowed away on, taking an isolated spot in cargo. With a hastily put together cover, Suzume made herself a covered little corner to finally release her loot. The bag spilling it’s golden contents across the floorboards, while she carefully placed the carved wooden box. Only able to drag her eyes away when she tugged the stolen necklace to turn the centre gem in her hand, examining the light blue crystal.

In the silence, she sat against the wall and drew her knees to her chest. Dragging over a sheet from an unfurled bolt of fabric across her shoulders. Contemplating the material goods she had in the place of a dear friend. A piece of her heart that had been taken far too soon. Suzume’s breathing slowed, becoming heavy and stressed as she tried to calm the welling sorrow. Eventually defaulting to the peace of sleep as the ship drifted from the bay and off towards the sea.