[Open] Time to Steal From an Evil Queen

[schrodingers_joker]

Characters: Ren Amamiya [Robin Hood] and you!
Campaign: Break
Format: Either one, I'll match you
Open
Summary: After recovering from his poisoning and careful planning, he breaks into Adachi's (The Evil Queen from Snow White) place to pull a heist in revenge.



Once the culprit had been found out and caught, and the cure was made to everyone that had been poisoned, it seemed like things were done. That things would resume to normalcy.

But not for Ren.

No, revenge was on Ren's mind. Yes Adachi was caught, but that didn't satisfy him at all. Especially since Adachi's essence is the Evil Queen from Snow White. And his essence screamed to steal from him. Though he didn't need his essence to want to get back at the horrible adult for what he did to him and others.

Plus this time it would be for a good cause and not because of impulse like with Junpei.

So it took some time for Ren to both find Adachi's place and to spend a couple nights quietly planning out the heist. Figuring out the best route, gathering all the tools needed, and even getting clothes for the mission. While having a team would have been nice, he would have to go solo for this.

As much as he would have loved to go as Joker, he doesn't know how to sew clothes and he's not even sure he could completely recreate the outfit. At most he could remake the mask. So instead, he's going with a slightly more practical approach.

Tonight, Ren is out wearing dark clothes, a mask and some head covering to hide his hair. It's a bit silly, but at least it's not completely boring.

After he tightens his gloves, he makes his way to the castle. He climbs up a nearby tree and makes his way to a window that he can climb into. He jumps in and gets inside with no issues. He quickly looks around, and makes sure to try to keep his footsteps quiet, as he goes from room to room, grabbing any gold or anything useful he can.

He's not aware that he's not the only one inside the castle....

Comments

[policedefective]

"Idiot," a voice echoes from somewhere, clearly Akechi's. He'd been doing his own reconnaissance work before spotting a faint flourish of black against a tree and window, slowly sighing and bidding his time before sitting outside that very tree himself, looking into the scene.

"Who are you even trying to fool?"

[schrodingers_joker]

While Ren heard Akechi calling him idiot, he's too far away to respond even if he wanted to. Besides, he's currently focused on his mission. The same kind of focus he has going through a palace in the Metaverse.

Akechi would have to either go after him or wait until Ren comes back outside once he's grabbed what he wanted.

[policedefective]

Whips of darkness envelope him as Akechi dons the costume of the Shadow and jumps into the castle, feeling a little nostalgic about going into mind palaces.

It's what he expected for someone who had the essence of an evil queen; fancy, possible magical, overly decadent.

Unlike Ren, he's not hiding that he's here at all. What's the point, after all? No one's home and there's no shadows.

Oh and he's not stealing anything. Yet.

[schrodingers_joker]

Ren has so far grabbed anything that looked valuable. He's been trying to see if there any gold coins or money he could give out to some poor folks later.

He finds a locked box and starts taking out a lockpick to force it open when he senses something there. He knows better than to try to get their attention.

He looks around to see if he can them. He may have to scram if it's a cop.

[policedefective]

Sorry, but he's going to have a little bit of fun. There's a voice - Ren's voice speaking back at him from what sounds like the locked boxed itself. Maybe to distract as Akechi finds a more proper hiding spot.

"Hey are you going to open me or not?!"

[schrodingers_joker]

That almost makes Ren drop the box, especially since that was his own voice. Either he's still hasn't fully recovered from the poison and he should notify the doctors of the side-effect, or there's some kind of enchantment on the box.

Either way, distraction is a success.

"...Maybe I really should ask Narukami-san to take a dip in his hot springs."

He opens the box with the lockpick, and finds a single coin. He drops the used lockpick in the box and picks up the coin. He pockets it and places the box down.

[policedefective]

All this simply makes Akechi realize how much more he needs to beef up his own security, should Ren try to ransack his place as well.

Still this experiment is a success. He enjoys it very much, truth be told.

"That won't save you from your actions here today. Hahahahahaha!"

Ahh woops, well, he couldn't help himself, as much as he tried not to.

[schrodingers_joker]

Akechi would need it considering Ren's quirk makes him compelled to steal from anyone rich, especially royalty. Though in this case, he didn't need his quirk to act up to steal from Adachi. This was mainly revenge.

Okay that laugh just makes it not scary. He makes a deadpan face.

"...Seriously? Evil laughter? How uncreative can you be?"

He's clearly been around Futaba too long at this point.

[policedefective]

He appears, finally breaking from the shadows with a flourish, cape moving behind him.

"Ahh...it seems I may have given myself out." He gave his rival a shrug. "Perhaps a side effect from being in this costume. You have to admit I did manage to trick you, didn't I? You should have seen your face when the box spoke to you."

[schrodingers_joker]

Ren relaxes once he sees Akechi.

"Maybe but it won't happen again now I've seen what you can do." It'll be harder for Akechi to trick him next time.

He adjusts his gloves. "So, are you here because you were investigating, or were you looking to get back at Adachi too?"

He's not surprised that Akechi went back to the detective act. Maybe he'll become a real one here, and earn the title of the 'Second Detective Prince'.

[policedefective]

"I wouldn't be so sure about that," he replies with his usual confidence. If anything, he was stubbornly persistent.

"I don't have a personal reason to get back at him, no. Merely curious if he had other modus operandi I could look into."

Ahh Ren, it's like you almost care.

[schrodingers_joker]

Typical.

"I've been told that Adachi had a persona and he used it to shove his victims into a TV into some world called the TV World. I don't know much details about that world itself. I assume it's not that much different than the Metaverse."

He should ask Yu about it more some time.

[policedefective]

"I am aware of the Inaba serial killer case. It was all over the news a few years ago due to how the bodies were found. However, the fact that Adachi has a Persona does shed some light on the whole mystery."

The TV world. That sounds funny, truth be told. He pokes around to where Ren was looking with renewed interest.

"What are you planning to do with your ill-gotten gains?"

[smolders]

No, Ren is definitely not alone...but not in the sense that he would expect.

After everything went down with Adachi, Eugene had tried very hard to remove the mirror that was attached to the castle, but alas, it was to no avail. Fortunately he had long determined he doesn't need to stay within the castle or within close proximity to that mirror and has been living elsewhere. However, despite the distance, he is still connected to the place and he gets an odd feeling that something is going on. It's even stranger when a nearby mirror reflects not his own face but strange movements within the castle.

Now, he really doesn't care what happens in there, but he's rather curious as to who would try to—no, he knows full well who would bother breaking into a giant castle. If it's not some investigation team, it's a thief. While he has no plans on stopping it, he is bored enough to watch and see how it goes...and maybe mess with them a bit.

So while Ren is passing through the rooms, he may begin to notice a strange pattern. Specifically, "paintings" of the same guy from the waist up in various different poses. That's right, Eugene is "following" and posing as a painting in each room that has a mirror, even the hallways. Should Ren decide to look closer, he may notice that the backdrop is a reflection of the room.

[schrodingers_joker]

Good thing that Ren had no plans of taking any mirrors. Most would be too big and too much of a hassle to steal anyway. Plus he would need a team to steal anything huge. And hand mirrors don't hold any interest either.

At first the 'paintings' didn't catch his attention but then he noticed the pattern and soon enough, he stops at a 'painting' and takes a closer look. Sure enough, the backdrop matches the room.

While one could argue maybe it was because the person in the painting posed in the same room, it felt rather off. He's suddenly reminded of Madarame's palace and how they had to go into actual giant paintings and navigate through in order to get to where the treasure was.

Ren starts to move a hand towards the 'painting' to try to touch it with a gloved hand.

[smolders]

The image of Eugene continues to remain perfectly still, and when Ren touches the surface...!



It's still solid glass.

[schrodingers_joker]

Huh. So obviously it's not the kind of painting to jump into. But something still isn't right with it. Just what could it be?

He steps back, moving his hand away and he stares at it more, trying to figure out just what is up with it. His hand tilts slightly as he thinks. If it's not something to jump into, then why is the background the same as the surroundings.

"Hmm..."

Might be time to mess with Ren more.

[smolders]

Indeed, as fun as it has been just following the thief around, now that the lad has grown suspicious it's about time he reveals himself. But of course he won't do it so easily. Instead there will be a slight gleam in his eyes before the image of Eugene suddenly disappears and there is an odd, creepy laughter around the room as Ren is left facing his own reflection.

[schrodingers_joker]

That makes Ren nearly jump before forcing himself to calm down. Okay that's official, it's a mirror. But that also means that man he just saw was someone using their essence.

While his first thought it was the same trick from earlier, but he's pretty sure Akechi can't do that. Thinking on it, since Adachi is the Evil Queen from Snow White, this meant this guy is...

"Let me guess, your essence is the Magic Mirror, right? Are you here to guard Adachi's place while he isn't here?"

He supposed if one didn't know Adachi's history, he could kinda see how one might get loyal to him. Though he would think the whole poisoning thing would shake that loyalty.

[smolders]

"Aw, figured it out already?" The disembodied voice echoes a bit, but it's said in good humor before Eugene reappears in the mirror again with a grin.

"But you're only partially correct. I indeed have the Magic Mirror as my essence, but I have nothing to do with that Adachi guy." Eugene even makes a disgruntled face at saying the man's name. "Not even the original mirror liked the queen, so that makes it easier for me to distance myself. But even so, I have some connection to this place, so I kind of sensed? You entering and came by to see who it is."

And at this point, Eugene is just giving him a bit of a judging look.

"You really chose that outfit to rob a castle, huh."

[schrodingers_joker]

Ren feels some relief from that. He would hate to have to fight this guy on his own. Especially if he was forced to use his own essence.

"Good. The guy is serious bad news. He killed a couple people back home and was eventually caught and thrown in jail, but apparently he's from before that point."

Time travel can be a real pain.

He shrugs at the last part, not caring about the judgmental look. He's used to that and glares and other negative reactions to him. "He doesn't deserve the more flashy look. I save that for the really big targets. And this is better for stealth."

[smolders]

"That detective guy—Dojima? Filled me in a bit. Even before that I could that guy is not someone I'd want to be around with. Which makes my current Essence association unfortunate, but I can move freely so it works out." A dismissive wave of his hand.

"But back on your outfit—I mean, I get it, black is classic, using stealth to hide in the shadows to get in and out—nothing wrong with that. But it's so... Basic. Would have been better if you disguised as a castle servant or even one of the guards instead." He smirks as he adds, "Now that takes true skill and performance."

[schrodingers_joker]

Ren already knew about Dojima being here and being involved with the case, so he isn't surprised about that.

What does surprise him is the mention of servants. "There's servants here? I hadn't noticed any leave the castle the couple times I looked at it from outside."

This is exactly why he doesn't do this alone. Man he really wishes his team were here. Especially Makoto seeing as she was the team's strategist.

"As for guards, I figured I could just avoid them."

He was aware of the guards which is why he had to find a blind spot to get in.

[smolders]

Eugene just gives a small "tsk" and wags his finger.

"Avoiding the guards is not bad, but you clearly still need to do your research. Lucky for you there aren't too many around and I question their loyalty to the guy. But even if it's just for a quick hit, every good thief needs to do at least that much."

One would think Eugene should be dissuading the guy, but he just can't help show off a bit.

[schrodingers_joker]

"In my defense, this is my first time solo. I usually work with a team."

Still, he's thankful that Eugene seems to be helping him and clearly has experience. He's also glad that the guards' loyalty is questionable so even if he gets caught, they might just look the other way.