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The Luck of Thieves

By Green

Thassius squirmed in the chair, teeth clenched, sweat soaking into his fur, whimpering and struggling with all his might to resist the torture being inflicted on him. The fox's body trembled, his naked feet tapped endlessly on the floor, and his hands were starting to chafe against the expertly-tied bindings that trapped his hands behind the chair, tied through the bars on the seatback in order to keep them still. Glancing over to his right and dreading what he would see, Thassius unconsciously moaned in dismay when he saw that the hourglass, sitting atop a small, modest display stand, was only about halfway emptied. Seven gods, how could time be moving so slowly? A soft giggle came from directly in front of him, and drew his attention back to the giggling vixen facing him with a gentle smile, comfortably sat in a similar chair, no more than three feet away. "What's the matter, Thass?" she asked, a playful tone to her voice, "Having trouble hanging on? Come on, where are the witty one-liners and jabs? Where's that sexy confidence that this would be a breeze? You've gotten so quiet, and your ears are so flat, my love." Thassius swallowed another whimper and frowned at the other fox, who sat on her chair considerably less naked than him, though she looked considerably more comfortable. "S-screw you, Vena," he managed to say, though he only got another giggle in return. "Maybe later, dear," she said, "first I plan to win this bet." He tried to look away, but almost as if he was helpless to resist, Thassius found his eyes drifting down from his lover's to wander her body, his mouth bone dry as he watched the vixen, whose hands were quite free, and had been using them to good effort, opening her blouse and lifting her skirt to put on a lewd display and further her goals. Though normally the sight filled him with joy, right now Thassius was crushed to see his vulpine love fondling her soft, pert breasts with one hand and gently fingering herself with the other. Clearly watching his face, Venara spread her legs slightly wider as his gaze drifted down, lingering on the sight of the other fox's slender fingers pushing between her lips and into the pink wetness within. But though they lingered, this was not the end of the gaze, as Thassius found himself following his lover's legs all the way down to that which was giving him such trouble. Venara's chair was so close to his own because her feet were up off the floor and in his lap. As the tod stared, dismayed, his bride ran the soles of her feet up and down along the shaft of his almost painfully erect penis, her toes teasing along the sensitive flesh underneath his bare crown. As if to mock him, his prick involuntarily throbbed against Vena's feet, drooling pre-come into the fur on her toes. "Mmmmm, looks like it won't be long now," she teased, "Oh dear, and you were so confident, you almost doubled the time, remember?" He wanted to spit out something horribly offensive, put on a show of bravado, anything to wipe that smile off her face... but she was right. He was fighting with everything he had, but he could feel his orgasm approaching like an inevitable storm. "B-bitch..." he moaned, "You m-must be - aaah - must be using some k-kind of magic..." Vena smiled and looked to Thassius' left, where, sitting on a simple stool rather than the pedestal the hourglass was sitting on, was a queer little device of no obvious purpose, currently glowing a soft auburn colour. Their contacts had informed them that the thing projected an anti-magic field, and that that colour of glow indicated that it was working properly but not detecting anything. Venara smiled again and shrugged casually. "Oh, I'm good, love, but I'm not that good. I guess it must just be beginner's luck..." The chuckle that followed didn't much help sell her modesty. The foxes fell silent, perhaps sensing that the moment was almost upon them, and sure enough, barely a minute and a half later, Thassius stiffened in his seat, arching his back with a strangled cry as his last defences fell before the beautiful vixen's onslaught. "Nnngh... no... no... Noooooooo!!!" he cried, helplessly, as his orgasm finally overwhelmed him. As Venara giggled in sheer delight, Thassius' prick throbbed and throbbed between her feet; her lover's seed had always gone for viscosity, rather than distance, so instead of erupting into the air as he ejaculated, the tod's thick, gooey come began to run down his shaft, quickly coating and covering her toes, which continued to tickle at the head of his twitching cock while the fox attached to it groaned in pleasure and defeat. When the tod was completely spent, he sagged down in the chair with a sigh, still trembling. He was already completely flushed from climax, but if he could have blushed, he would have, as his lover began to applaud. "What a show you've put on for me!" she laughed, "I didn't realize you were so backed up, Thass." He looked up and gave her a withering look, but bowed his head in at least semi-heartfelt respect. "Alright, alright, you win, Vena," he conceded, "Well done. I should have known better than to bet against my sister."

Thassius and Venara were, despite the intimate nature of their relationship, twin brother and sister, street orphans whose mother had hung around only long enough to give them their first names before disappearing from their lives without a trace. The foxes had essentially raised each other, quickly growing into a life of thievery, becoming each others' best friend and staunchest defender. Despite their closeness, however, and the allies they'd made among the other lowlifes in the city of Wellworth, the two of them had lead a life of abject poverty, always worrying about going hungry, about being caught and punished horribly by the city guard, if they weren't killed by rival thieves or bandits first, and of course winter brought with it the threat of freezing to death. So finally, sick of the street life, Thassius had concocted a daring (some would use the word 'suicidal') plan that would turn their fortunes around for good. After the two of them had acquired some cold weather gear, some of it simply stolen, other parts bought legitimately because of their importance, the twins had headed out in the middle of winter and snuck into a dragon's lair, intending to make off with some of its hoard while it slept. To this day, they weren't entirely sure why, but it was then and there, as they tiptoed through the cavern trying not to wake the sleeping beast, that both of them realized their long-held but unconscious attraction to each other. At first they had fought their urges, ashamed of the way they felt for their only family, but eventually, as their lust for each other began to approach the love that already existed, the foxes had thrown caution to the wind, making love in the shadow of the beast and fighting to keep the noise down. They found, when they left, that their new feelings for each other had not abated, and so the twins had used their newly-acquired wealth to start a new life for themselves in the city of New Parsonus, a new life in which the lovers put on the public personae of husband and wife, not brother and sister, and lived in comfortable wealth in the kind of stately home they'd always dreamed of having when they were pups. As the vulpine thieves simply didn't know their family name, they invented one - 'Wyrmvault' - to honour the extremely unique place they'd come to understand their true feelings for each other.

On this particular day, Thassius and Venara had been planning a job, for while they no longer needed to steal to feed and clothe themselves, they hadn't entirely given up the thieving way, now merely choosing to steal for fun and excitement instead of for basic survival. Or, of course, if they thought the mark really deserved it. The conversation the playful twins had been having as they poured over the plans for their target building, a keep on the edge of the city, had somehow come to a popular rumour that the Ascanthans, a desert-dwelling people, liked to pleasure their lovers with their feet the way the locals round these parts often did with their hands. Thassius had dismissed the rumours, saying that aside from the occasional pervert who liked feet a bit more than was healthy, no one would enjoy such a treatment enough to get off to it, which had lead to the bet; Thassius would sit on the chair, naked and bound, and Venara would have fifteen minutes to make him come using only her freshly-washed feet, a task she had gleefully succeeded in, much to her brother's embarrassment.

As the tod trembled, breathing hard, his lover beamed at him. "Well, Thass," Vena said, practically giggling, "I won, fair and square! So you get to -" Thassius looked up with a grimace, interrupting his sister. "Yeah, yeah, I know," he pouted, "A deal's a deal. Man, I am really not looking forward to this..." The vixen pulled her feet away from the tod's lap, lowering them into the small tub of water she'd placed by her own chair for this very reason. As she cleaned her brother's seed out of her fur, she put on a thoughtful expression. "Well, if you don't want to do that, we could always try this 'role reversal' thing I've been hearing about," she teased, "It involves me putting on a fascinating leather harness with a dildo in the middle that's been enchanted with a tremor spell, and then I bend you over the bed and -" Looking appropriately chagrined, Thassius lowered both of his ears and shook his head. "No, no, uh, that'll be fine, I would n-never go back on a bet," he said, worriedly. As Venara, feet clean and dripping water, stood up to go free his hands, her mate sighed. "After all the time I've spent trying to get under your tail," he muttered, "It'd be just my luck for you to fuck my ass first." Since their relationship had grown even closer, Thassius had been somewhat fixated on the idea of having anal sex with his sister, as it was something neither of them had ever done, and he now regretted that the two of them hadn't gotten to share their first times in the more conventional sense. Venara, though, didn't share his sentimentality, at least not enough to let him have his way with her rump, and had stonewalled his efforts to talk her into it thus far. Vena just chuckled now, deftly untying her brother's bindings with a dexterity that hinted at her career. Thassius had always had the edge when it came to picking locks, but Venara was no slouch either.

As his hands came free, the tod resisted the urge to rub his wrists, and nodded his thanks to his lover, who began to walk towards their master bedroom, exaggerating the motion of her hips as she went. "Now get yourself cleaned up and come along, dear," she said, pleasantly, "Tonight's a big night, and we need to get rea- Oh!" Venara let out a gasp of surprise as her twin roughly, though not painfully, grabbed her by the waist and the shoulder, dipping her backwards in a manner not entirely unlike the way young men often dip their lovers for a kiss. Instead of giving her a quick kiss and pushing her back up to her feet, though, Thassius had braced one of his naked legs forward and underneath her, gently pulling her in to rest her shapely butt against his thigh, one hand crossing her back and holding her far shoulder, to keep her stabilized. "Th-Thassius?" she asked, reaching out to take hold of her brother, not looking afraid (not that she could ever be afraid of the man she loved the most), merely surprised. He looked down at her with a casual smile and winked, using his free hand to caress his lover's cheek before trailing his fingers through her fur, down her body. "Shhh, relax, sis," he whispered, pressing his hand against her heated mound, "Okay, it wasn't my best come, and maybe I was fighting it the whole way, but I still want us to be even, so you just hold on and let Thassius take care of you..." She opened her mouth to say something, to question her brother or protest this surprising action, perhaps, but all that came out was a soft moan as the tod's fingers parted his sister's labia and pressed between them, into the slick tightness within. "Oh, Thassius..." she sighed, clenching down on his fingers even as her own tightened their grip on his arms, "Green god, that feels good..." He chuckled softly, teasing along her inner walls and feeling the muscles twitch with her need, raising a thumb to rub along his twin's sensitive clitoris. "Of course it does," he breathed, "I love you, Venara." He left it at that, as elaboration was unnecessary.

Though his fingers continued to tease and rub at his lover's privates, Thassius stared only into the vixen's exquisite silver eyes, a significant rarity that they shared, the only two people they'd ever met who had that beautiful trait, something they'd always thought of as bringing them closer. Venara's mouth opened in a silent 'O' as she shuddered in her brother's arms, and Thassius' smile widened as he began to finger his twin with gusto, rubbing her stiff clit mercilessly and probing her hot depths with his nimble fingers. "S-Seven Sentinels..." the vixen whimpered, her tight love tunnel involuntarily squeezing down "I - I think you're better at this than I am..." Thassius laughed softly, and bent his head down, closer to hers. "Shhhhh, love, just close your eyes and focus on the pleasure..." he breathed, barely audible, before pressing his lips against his sister's. The tod had to admit he enjoyed how hungry Venara's kiss was, pushing her tongue into his mouth boldly, aggressively, moving her hands to the back of his neck and head to get better leverage, moaning into their kiss as she ran her fingers through her lover's hair; she'd no doubt have been rolling her hips against Thassius' hand if she weren't leaned so far back that she relied on her brother to keep her standing. They stayed that way for a few minutes, brother and sister kissing with an urgency that had nothing to do with keeping a schedule. Vena's inner thighs glistened as her arousal seeped down from her sopping pussy, her knees visibly trembling as her body approached the release she so desperately needed, the release that was now so very close... As if he could read her mind, Thassius suddenly increased his efforts, his energetic fingering now making lewd noises into the silence of the room, Venara whimpering and shivering as he brought her closer and closer to the point of no return, until finally, she could stand it no longer, the vixen's eyes flying open as she arched her back and stiffened in her lover's arms, letting out a long, loud moan into the kiss with her twin as her orgasm exploded inside her, her vagina going into spasms, squeezing and clenching against her brother's fingers, her clitoris throbbing so hard it almost hurt, and her heart beating so fast she almost feared it might burst from her chest.

When Vena went limp in his embrace, her arms still around his shoulders, Thassius allowed her lips to fall away from his, and he gently kissed his sister on the forehead, whispering encouragement to her about how much he loved her, how much he enjoyed watching her come, and how much they were going to enjoy reading the news once their latest heist was complete. When the vixen had regained her composure, he helped her to her feet, keeping his hand on her shoulder as she took a few unsteady steps, eyes still glazed over with pleasure. She giggled, shaking her head, and looked back at her lover. "Gods above, Thassius," she said, playfully, "I'm starting to wonder if you've been drugging my food so you can practice on me in my sleep... Griever knows, you'd never be stupid enough to practice on someone else." The tod laughed at that as he licked at his fingers, which were, like the rest of his hand, soaked with his sister's desire. "I've never seen anyone shoot a crossbow more accurately than you, love," he said, truthfully, "You really think I'd be crazy enough to cheat on an expert markswoman?" As she regained her composure, Venara looked down and took stock of herself. Her thighs were drenched in juices, and the skirt she'd been wearing - the only thing she'd been wearing below the waist, to better tease her brother during their little game - had large patches of dampness on it as well. She snickered and shook her head, glancing up at her brother. "You know, you're lucky that this isn't the outfit I was going to wear to the party tonight," she said, "and that I was going to take a bath anyway. And no," she added, as Thassius opened his mouth with hope in his eyes, "You can't join me, or we'll be fooling around until well after the party's over and we've missed our opportunity. Now let's get ready, if we hurry we can go over the plan one more time before we leave." Acceding to her wishes, Thassius bowed respectfully as his lover turned and left for one of their new estate's bathrooms, though he did nothing to hide the fact that as he did so, his eyes locked on the curve of her shapely buttocks, just visible from this angle. And as Vena left, tail swishing playfully behind her, he was already thinking about how they were going to celebrate after the mission... and then laughed to himself when he realized he was at half-mast again.

A few hours later, Thassius and Venara sat in a small, comfortable coach, carrying them through the streets of New Parsonus at a somewhat sedate pace. Brother and sister held hands, resisting the urge to ravish each other in the privacy of their carriage, though that wasn't especially difficult, given the elaborate nature of their outfits. "Ugh, I hate this thing," Vena muttered, shifting and adjusting the dress she was wearing, "It's so tight it's hard to breathe, and I can't even see my feet." Her lover gave her a sympathetic look and patted her on the thigh. "There, there, my love," he said, "It's worth it for the surprise you've got tucked away in there." She looked up and grinned at that. "Granted," she said, "Now let's run this down one more time, shall we?" Thassius nodded and looked away, his eyes unfocused as the details of the plan ran through his mind. "Okay... the target is Baron J. Norton, one of the ten richest men in the city, top fifty in this part of Rilodell," he said, tapping his booted foot on the floor of the cabin, a habit he exhibited before big jobs. "The Black Baron," Venara added, scowling, "Warden of the New Parsonus prison, likes to torture his inmates because the law doesn't care what happens to them behind bars as long as they don't end up dead or permanently maimed. The bastard." Thassius wasn't smiling either, nodding grimly. "Right. Has a 'soft spot' for thieves, for whatever reason, puts them through a special kind of hell," he grumbled, shaking his head, "Ah, Mickey, the poor son of a bitch, he was never the same again. I heard he went legit, sweeps the floors in a potion shop." Venara's eyes widened, a look of shock bordering on horror crossing her face. "No! Not Mickey the Hook!" she exclaimed, "No one could snag a purse like that fuzzy little dwarf." The tod nodded, a look of sad regret in his silver eyes. "I'm afraid so, that's what my contact said anyway," he said, quietly, "Almost made me reconsider keeping tabs on our old gang... Er, anyway, the Baron was recently given an award by the city council for effective management, of all bloody things, got to attend a feast with the King even, and because that wasn't enough to stroke his ego, Norton's holding a party of his own, open invitation to all the nobility of New Parsonus. Which is where we come in." Nodding, smiling a predatory grin, Venara kneaded her hands together eagerly. "He only got that award because the council doesn't know about the bits that do go against the laws, like torturing art thieves for the locations of their secret stashes and then keeping the best paintings for himself," she said, "So we take the bastard up on his generous offer of hospitality, and take advantage of the gigantic distraction the party creates to make off with the warden's prized collection!" Thassius grinned, gently stroking his lover's cheek with the backs of his fingers. "When thieves get past his personal security, he'll be enraged and humiliated. Revenge for all those friends he's hurt and a great big pay-off, it's like this job was custom made for us," he chuckled, "So let's see, first we mingle for a little while, maybe have some nice hors d'oeuvres, and then we quietly make our exit. Then, we get our equipment ready, and I -" Suddenly there was a knock on the door to the carriage, and after a moment, the door opened and their driver, a quiet, heavily moustachioed human named Clint, peeked inside. "Begging your pardons, sir, madam," he said, lifting his hat and sounding genuinely apologetic, "But we've arrived at our destination."

Nodding to their driver, Thassius stood and helped his sister stand up. As she stepped out of the coach, she turned to the man with a soft grin. "Clint, we've told you before," she said, "you don't need to be so formal with us." Wrinkling his nose as if adjusting his moustache, Clint subtly indicated to the side with a nod of his head. "Excepting, as I recall, madam, when there are 'stuffed shirts' around," he noted, closing the door behind Thassius. A glance around revealed that they were hardly the only ones arriving to the shindig right now, with several other coaches dropping off other couples who positively dripped wealth. Thassius turned his back to the milling nobles and lowered his voice as he addressed their driver, who was one of the only people employed at their house, truth be told, as the twins were uncomfortable with the idea of someone dedicating themselves to serving them. "Now, Clint," he murmured, "You remember what we told you to do, right?" Nodding, the human climbed back atop the carriage and smiled to his employers. "Indeed, sir. Now, do try and enjoy yourselves tonight." With that, he spurred the feral horses lashed to the carriage onwards, and headed down a quiet side street. The foxes exchanged a glance and grinned. They'd hired Clint at least as much for his ability to keep his mouth shut as for his driving ability. So far, he'd given them no reason to doubt his punctuality, either, but just in case, all they'd told him is where he needed to be and when. Turning back towards the front entry of the Baron's abode, a massive, imposing keep, both twins briefly felt extremely out of their element. Their discomfort with their outfits didn't help.

A thief normally wears light, fairly form-fitting clothing, in order to minimize motion and sound, as well as the odds of getting snagged on something unexpectedly. However, in order to blend in better with the other nobles of New Parsonus, the vulpines were wearing elaborately over-designed outfits that they'd been assured were the height of fashion. Thassius was wearing a long, dark blue jacket with a magically-preserved green rose sticking out of an upper pocket, a symbol to honour the Green God, associated with love and life. A brown vest with golden woven patterns running down the edges covered his visible upper body and the bland black shirt underneath, splitting as it reached the red cloth belt wrapped around his waist; he found it awkward, especially the way the end just hung down loose, but the tailor had insisted on it. He now noticed that at least half the men here were wearing similar belts, regardless of their outfits. He'd gotten off easily, though, as Venara was trapped inside a frilly dress the colour of the sky on a clear summer day, billowing down to almost completely hide her legs from view - though if one paid very close attention, they might notice that the vixen wore flat-bottomed boots, not the fancy high-heeled affairs worn by most of the other ladies present. At the moment, she was struggling with the poofy sleeves that really only contained her shoulders, leaving her arms bare, along with just enough fur to tantalize, showing a hint of cleavage before chastely disappearing beneath a silken blouse that hid all details - or even implied details - from prying eyes. Drawing attention away from breasts even as pert and soft as Vena's, though, was the necklace she was wearing, diamonds and sapphires on a chain leading down to a large gemstone that appeared to be different colours depending on how it caught the light and what angle one viewed it from. The twins had found it deep in the dragon's lair, and while there were many made in its image, they were the only ones who realized that it was the real 'Genesse's Rainbow', a necklace steeped in history that bordered on legend. They certainly looked the part of worthy guests, alright; none of the nobles around them were paying them much attention. There weren't even any glances of racist scorn, as none of the aristocrats who still believed their social rank should only be for humans would be attending this get-together in the first place, given that the Baron was a panther-kin himself. So, taking a deep breath, Thassius offered his hand to his lover, and together, they walked up to the wrought-iron gates that protected the keep, which were wide open on this night in anticipation of the guests.

Thassius was surprised when the imposing guards at the front gate just waved them through, apparently assuming anyone with the money to buy a getup that fancy qualified for a spot on the guest list. As he walked into the keep's entryway, he briefly wondered to himself what, exactly, was the difference between a keep and a castle. He also reflected on how very strange it felt just walking in the front door of a place he planned to rob. How times change. A small sign indicating an open door just down the hall (the tod would have bet money all of the other doors were locked) lead them to the room serving as the coat check for the duration of this little get-together, and Thassius handed over his jacket, pocketing the slip of paper he received without looking at it, and gazing longingly at the forest of outerwear - and presumably, the minor valuables contained therein - in the adjoining room, but the guard leaning against the wall inside, who was so big and ugly he had to be a half-orc, dissuaded him from trying anything at the moment. As if he could feel the thief's eyes on him, the guard looked over at him, then somehow managed to frown even more at the sight of the short scabbard now revealed on Thassius' belt; it was much nicer than the simple leather one he'd worn for years, but sticking out of it was the same dagger, with a large ruby adorning the end of the grip, that he'd had since the day he took it from the still-warm hands of a lowlife who'd wanted to add an eight-year-old Venara to the menu at his brothel. Even as a child, Thassius had been extremely dangerous. Though the half-orc hadn't actually said anything, he quietly assured the man that it was purely ornamental, a sign of his station. In addition to being absolutely ruthless when it came to defending his sister (just as she was when returning the favour), Thass was an excellent liar. As the foxes left the room and continued on their way, Thassius held up his free hand, then caught himself, realizing he'd been about to communicate with his sister using a series of elaborate hand gestures they'd invented long ago, allowing them to carry on full conversations in the field while remaining perfectly silent, which wasn't exactly a necessity here, especially if they weren't going to talk about the job. "You know," he said, quietly, "It might be a bit much, but you do look beautiful in that dress. I think you should let your hair down more often." Venara looked over at him with a smirk, giving her head a little flick to make her hair sway. "Oh, you think so, do you?" she asked, playfully, "Well, seeing that look on your face almost makes it worth putting on this ridiculous get-up. You look pretty dashing yourself, you know. Like a charming rogue who sweeps girls off their feet." He smiled, and gave her hand a squeeze; as he was holding his sister's left hand, he let his fingers drift to the wedding ring on her third finger. They hadn't had an actual ceremony, given their true relation, but as they were living the life of a married couple, they saw no reason not to wear the traditional rings as a symbol of their feelings, at least when they weren't on the job. As Thassius rolled the ring around her finger, Vena looked into his eyes, and while they didn't say anything, their smiles spoke volumes.

After a few moments of indulging themselves and gazing adoringly at each other, the vixen nodded down the hallway, where the other guests were all headed, and they went with the flow. This path, laid with a plush, navy blue carpet, took a sharp corner towards the end, leading to the middle of a grand ballroom, its every surface polished to a shine or given a fresh coat of paint, their entrance directly across from an elaborate staircase leading to the upper floors, from which the Baron no doubt intended to make some manner of dramatic entrance. Thassius wondered if that corner had been intentional, so that guests entering by this path wouldn't be able to see the splendor of the room until they were practically inside it. An even greater number of nobles in a huge variety of outfits hobnobbed around the place, and as they walked in, some of the people in the cluster around the twins laughed charmingly, moving to greet friends (or at least political allies they pretended to enjoy the company of) they'd recognized. Apparently inspired by this, Venara let go of her brother's hand and stepped over to an older human in a military dress uniform, who'd been speaking to a profoundly bored-looking gorilla about the same age in a suit that looked about a size too small for him. Interrupting their conversation, Vena chuckled kindly, reaching up as she slowed down and briefly brushing her fingertips across the man's cheek, surprising him. "Colonel!" she said, warmly, "It's good to see you! How long has it been?" The surprise vanished from his face, to be replaced with a carefully composed friendly smile. "Oh, too long, my dear," he said, without a hint of confusion, "Much too long indeed." As Venara kept moving, she chuckled again, as though he'd said something witty and charming, and turned around, picking up the pace just enough to catch up to her brother without actually looking like she was hurrying. Thassius had always admired the way Venara could blend into any social setting and make it look effortless. The instant she'd turned her back, the smile had vanished from the old soldier's face, and his brow wrinkled in confusion as he turned to his companion for help, but the gorilla merely cocked an eyebrow and adjusted his monocle, still looking after the vixen. As he watched the men, Thass briefly made eye contact with the human, but he merely nodded in the manner of a distant acquaintance and turned back the other way, placing his hand on the small of his lover's back as they kept walking.

After they'd completed a circuit of the room, the foxes found themselves off to the side, standing next to one of many treat-laden tables bracketing the ballroom, choosing one with less popular foreign foods on it. Given that on a couple of occasions over the years (mostly when they were children and their thieving skills weren't as finely-honed as they were these days), the twins had resorted to eating garbage, they weren't especially picky eaters. Snacking on something that tasted vaguely of fish, Thass glanced at his lover. "So, what do you think?" he asked, quietly, "Think we can handle it?" As he spoke, his free hand, held down at his side, began to dance, silently adding something he didn't want overheard. There are a lot more guards than I was expecting, and from the looks of them, you'd think Norton just put a bunch of mercenaries in fancy coats. Chewing thoughtfully on a be-spiced piece of bread, Vena nodded, her hand replying before she'd even swallowed. This would be one of the bigger jobs we'd done, I guess. If you're having second thoughts, brother, we don't have to do this. Looking down at the tidbit in his hand, Thassius took a deep breath, letting it out as a sigh. He certainly wasn't stupid, and wouldn't insist on going through with a job out of professional pride; it wouldn't be the first time they'd bailed on a robbery. And yet... He looked up and smirked. We're never gonna get a better chance than this to smack that stupid smile off of that bastard's face. I think it's worth the risk. He was trying to think of a confident witticism to add to that when triumphant music began playing across the hall. As conversations fell silent across the ballroom, all eyes instinctively turned to the top of the staircase. There he stood, Baron J. Norton, resplendent in what appeared to be the most expensive outfit in the room, almost all of it jet black, to match his perfectly sleek pelt, with the shirt under his long evening coat as white as snow for contrast, and yellow buttons that the thieves assumed, even from this distance, were real gold. While everyone in the room save the twins burst into applause, Thassius idly realized he didn't actually know what the J stood for, as everyone simply referred to the man by his title. He grabbed a pair of wine goblets off the tray of a passing servant, suspecting very strongly that he and his sister would both need a drink if the jailor intended to make a speech, and nobles so often did...

Sure enough, after waving politely to the crowds beneath him with the hand that wasn't around the waist of a much younger woman, a deer-kin who looked deliriously happy to be seen with such an affluent man, the Baron stepped forward and addressed the crowd. "Thank you, thank you," he said, relatively softly, before raising his voice, "Ladies and gentlemen, I welcome you to my home to share in the happiness my accomplishment brings me." The unusually tall panther gestured to the side, where a nervous-looking servant stepped forward with a small golden statuette on a velvet pillow. Without acknowledging the man, the Baron took the sculpture, holding it up as the hireling scampered away. "I was presented with this prestigious award by the council wisely created by our benevolent ruler, his majesty King Byrne, to see to it that our fair city of New Parsonus continues to run smoothly and efficiently, that his majesty may direct his attention to the whole of his kingdom." The Baron briefly paused to examine the statuette, allowing his audience a moment to absorb that. "While I do not work directly with the constabulary of our good city, I am no less dedicated to the justice they uphold," he said, sounding absolutely sincere, "And in my time overseeing the New Parsonus Penitentiary, I have seen to it that the dregs of our society, the vermin who would prey upon innocent, upstanding citizens such as yourselves, are given the treatment they deserve, that upon their release - if indeed the magistrate determines they deserve a release date - they are discouraged from taking up that dark path ever again." As Thassius put a hand on his wife's shoulder, having seen her clenching her free hand up so hard it trembled, Norton smiled benevolently as the crowd politely applauded again, with someone calling out 'Good show!', which earned equally polite laughter. As the Baron passed the award to a servant who may or may not have been the same man who brought it to him, Thassius hadn't been paying close enough attention, he slowly began to descend the stairs with his beaming companion, continuing to speak. "So! My good fortune is your good fortune, my friends," he said, pleasantly, "For the remainder of the night, eat, drink, and enjoy yourselves. My servants will be giving guided tours of certain portions of my estate, and the band will be taking requests to the right of the ballroom. Speaking of which - boys?" He looked expectantly to the side of the room, and a small orchestra in crisp uniforms began playing light-hearted, though dignified music. As couples began to dance on a central dance floor and those who felt like staying out discreetly headed to the tables, Baron Norton and his trophy doe descended the staircase and began to mingle.

Sniffing derisively, Thassius finished what was left in his goblet and left it on the table, uncaring what any observing aristocrats might think. "Well, that was something," he muttered, "Come on, love, let's get out of here. We've got work to do." As he took a step towards one of the side doors in the room, Venara gently placed a hand on his chest, and he stopped. "No, wait..." she said, eyes locked on the Baron, "Let's try something unorthodox..." Instantly, Thass tensed up, narrowing his eyes slightly. He hated it when she did this. The last time Vena had tried something unorthodox, they had both ended up covered in dragon semen. Still, he trusted her above all others, so he followed her lead as she guided him across the floor to where the Black Baron was surrounded by, for lack of a better word, adoring fans, currently laughing at some joke or other he'd just dropped. The deer remained glued to his side, holding one of his muscular arms, nuzzling her cheek against his bicep through his coat and looking enraptured by his every word. "Well," he was saying, "to make a long story short, he ended up very well acquainted with the inside of an isolation cell. Wasn't much in the mood for jokes after that!" The nobles around him all laughed again, an avian woman to the side hiding her beak behind a wing demurely as she chuckled. This time, the panther joined them, shaking his head and laughing at his own joke, closing his eyes for a private chuckle. When he opened his eyes again, to Thassius' surprise, the warden's head immediately swivelled towards them, his gaze instantly locking on the vulpine newcomers. For a split-second, the Baron's eyes displayed the cold, calculating stare of a predator, before visibly relaxing into the same casual gaze he'd just been giving to his audience, who followed his lead a few seconds later, looking curiously at the twins. Thassius forced a neutral expression on his face, uncomfortable with so many people focusing on him. He knew Venara would be just as discomforted as he, as thieves were known for living a life in the shadows; if someone was focusing on you, you were doing something wrong. Her tail hung straight down behind her, instead of floating back and forth, but other than this one tell, she seemed totally at ease. The Baron smiled, showing off his fangs, surprisingly sharp for a nobleman's, and Thassius noted that a predatory grin was much more disconcerting when coming from a predator as powerful as a panther. He'd thought of Norton as a coward who used his personal wealth to harm others for his amusement, but he was definitely getting the impression in person that the man himself was not one to be trifled with...

"Well then, I've not seen you at any of my previous soirees," he said, pleasantly enough, "and I never forget a face. Comes in handy in my line of work. So then, who might you be?" The vixen stepped forward, a smile on her face that looked absolutely forced to Thassius' careful eye, but would probably fool people who didn't know her extremely well. "Greetings, your Lordship," she said, impressing her brother with the genuineness of her tone, "I'm Venara Wyrmvault, and this is my husband Thassius." After the slightest hesitation, she added "It's a pleasure to meet you." She extended her hand, which was taken into one of the nobleman's big paws, as he bent slightly, bringing it to his lips and briefly kissing the back of her hand. "I assure you, Mrs. Wyrmvault," he said, chuffing happily, "the pleasure is all mine." The deer at the Baron's side didn't look especially pleased by this, but Thassius found himself unable to muster much jealousy, as the erratic twitching of his sister's tail, coupled with the way she'd bunched up a fistful of her dress with the hand still at her side, told him that her skin was crawling. He stepped forward himself, subtly pressing his side against hers, to reassure her with physical contact, and pulled the warden's focus away from her. "A wonderful home you've got here, ah, your Lordship," he said, wondering briefly where his lover had picked up how, exactly, you address a Baron, "Certainly puts our little estate into perspective, eh, Vena?" Thassius was caught off-guard when some of the nobles around him responded with the same polite laughter they'd been giving the Baron. He didn't think he'd ever get a comfortable understanding of the way upper-class socializing worked. Meanwhile, Venara, reaching down and giving his hand a squeeze of thanks, composed herself and spoke up again. "Oh yes, when we were first coming into the city, I thought this was one of His Majesty's summer homes," she lied, "and it's so warm and cozy in here, I had no idea a place could feel so, so homey with solid stone walls." Thassius gave her hand a somewhat sharper squeeze, warning her that she was pouring it on a little thick. The Baron, who'd been drinking from a fancy goblet of his own, merely nodded, though, and smiled that unnerving grin again. "Mmmm, you're too kind," he said, his eyes dropping down slightly, "I say, my dear, is that a Genesse's Rainbow? I haven't seen one in years, but I must say, that's the most well-made replica I've ever seen, it even changes colour." Given that the Rainbow was a world-famous treasure, they couldn't exactly make it public that it was real, so the foxes just smiled, exchanging a glance. "Oh yes, it's lovely, isn't it?" said Venara, taking the centerpiece in her hand, "I believe there's a pigmentation spell cast on this one. Well, either that, or it's actually made of a star fragment." The collected nobles chuckled again, but the twins were laughing for a different reason from the others. "We found it in the den of a collector," added Thassius, "He was practically giving it away, probably didn't know what he had." He decided to leave out the part where they'd gotten the 'collector' off in his sleep in order to get away with the necklace.

As Venara released the necklace, Thassius cleared his throat and forced a smile towards their host. "Well, we're not here to talk about our petty trinkets. This is your party," he said, nodding politely, "I'm sure a fine, upstanding panther such as yourself has far better jewels than what we have to offer." The perfectly calm smile on the Baron's face faltered just a little, just for a moment, and one of his evenly combed eyebrows raised slightly. Suddenly, all of the other nobles were busy being very interested in various objects that were far away. "Ah, Mr. Wyrmvault, I'm sure you misspoke, as 'panther' is an inaccurate term that applies to many_black felines," Norton said, sounding completely un-offended, "I am a _jaguar, with heritage stretching all the way back to the first jungle colonies." He chuckled and looked down at his deer companion, who beamed back, snuggling against him. "I believe my earliest recorded ancestor was some kind of tribal king, actually..." Lowering his ears a little, Thassius winced slightly. He didn't care much about insulting the man, truth be told, but he did care about slip-ups that might cause this particular vulpine couple to stick in their target's memory. "Oh! I - I'm sorry, your Lordship," he said, "I meant no disrespect! We -" The warden held up a hand and shook his head calmly. "It's alright, my good man. No harm done," he said, "A simple mistake, and I've had far more intentional slurs thrown my way by those who did not appreciate an ani-man such as myself rising in the ranks of the city's nobility." He wordlessly exchanged his goblet, now empty, for another from the tray of a passing servant, and after taking a sip, turned to smile at the foxes again and gestured to the building around them. "Well, if you've never been to one of my events before," he said, jovially, "why don't you go join one of the tours, I'm always happy to show off." The other nobles chuckled at that, and one man adjusted his monocle and added 'Quite', but Thassius couldn't help but wonder if Norton was only pretending to be kidding. Putting his arm around his lover, the tod nodded and gave out one last smile. "Yes, that sounds like ah, a fantastic idea, don't you think, love?" he asked, pleading with his sister to let them get the hell out of here using only his eyes. She gave him a look of sympathy and nodded. "Alright, I think we'll take you up on that, your Lordship," she said, smirking genuinely, "I've heard you have quite a few collections that I'm interested in getting a look at."

They politely bid farewell to the Baron and his hangers-on and turned to walk away. Thassius had to force himself to walk at the same sedate pace they'd used when walking towards them. It didn't matter how polite the man was, knowing how he treated people from the social circles the twins were more used to navigating made Thass' skin crawl in his presence. Now that they were facing away, Venara let her ears droop and scowled. He couldn't really blame her for fuming, she was the one whose hand got kissed. "What a creep! I don't know if I believed anything he said," she muttered, so quietly that even right next to her, Thassius had to lean slightly in her direction to hear it. "Gods above, I'm glad we're married, at least publically," she added, "I can't even imagine how I would have reacted if that slime had tried to flirt with me. And don't tell me he wouldn't do that with that star-eyed girl on his arm, I'd bet you fifty dirals that he doesn't know her last name, and a hundred that he won't even remember her a week from now." Personally, Thassius thought that was a little harsh, though he couldn't honestly say he'd take that bet. Very carefully avoiding that conversation, he glanced around and sighed. "So where are these tours supposed to be at, anyway?" he asked, starting to feel the pressure of the caper getting to him. Part of the problem with their new thieving lifestyle was that the stakes tended to be dramatically higher, the jobs more difficult. Breaking into someone's house while they were on vacation so you could sleep in their bed and eat their food was entertaining, almost sporting. This particular heist, with his particular job, this was rather stressful. As if she could feel his worry, Venara suddenly took his hand in both of hers, and when he looked over at her, she smiled warmly and squeezed his hand. He couldn't help but feel a little bit better at the sight of the love shining in those silver eyes, so similar to his own. Thassius resisted the sudden urge to make out with his sister like a pair of horny teenagers in front of dozens of noblemen. Not that anyone knew they were related, mind you, it's just that making out is not something that's done at parties this high-class. Getting a grip on himself, the tod followed the wordless nod Vena gave, indicating the far side of the room. "Maybe we should start," she added, "with that big group of people over there." "Ah," he said, smirking despite himself, "Good idea."

Quietly walking up to the assembly of wealthy New Parsonians, Thassius and Venara tried to look inconspicuous, something they were better at in crowds of dirty lowlifes than in groups of nobles, each wearing an outfit fancier than the last. At the front of the group, a very tall lop-earred rabbit wearing the same outfit as the other servants they'd seen was addressing the masses. "Ladies and gentlemen, his Lordship the Baron Norton would like me to thank you on his behalf for taking an interest in his home, and express his flattery. This is the first time he's offering such tours, after his previous, ah, gathering saw several of his guests expressing interest in the keep." Here, Thassius picked up on the early retraction of the word 'party' in favor of something more befitting of the noble home they stood within. "Now, uh, if you would be so kind as to follow me, we'll begin the tour with the conservatory, where his Lordship has on occasion hosted performances by some of the finest musicians in Rilodell." The lapine servant, clearly very nervous about giving instructions to people so high above his own social status, gestured pleasantly to one of the room's many exits, and the crowd began to filter through it. As they walked along, their guide, who belatedly introduced himself as Ronnik, would indicate bits of the hallway and talk about the architectural style being inspired by a far-off monarch, or mention the history of a particular vase on a pedestal, which to Thassius' uncultured eyes, just looked like 'a wall' or 'a vase' respectively. He actually paused by one such vase, scrutinizing it with the same careful focus he'd on occasion given to courtyards being patrolled by guards, or dark rooms that may be trapped, but despite his efforts, couldn't discern any notable differences between it and the kind of vase one might buy at a commoner's pottery store, aside from perhaps the design on it being more finely detailed. He felt a soft touch on his back, Venara telling him he was lingering too long, and moved to rejoin the group, not wanting to stand out in anyone's memory.

In truth, while he was mostly being bored by the details of this excursion, a glance over at Vena revealed exactly what he was expecting to see. Wherever the tour took them, whether it was the conservatory, the grand library, or even a brief peek down the hallway that lead to the personal quarters (Ronnik emphasized how of course they wouldn't be looking into the Baron's private chambers, and the nobles all chuckled as though even mentioning that was amusing), Venara's eyes were constantly on the move, taking in details that most of the guests barely paid attention to. Details like a pair of glass doors that lead to a balcony, perhaps a possible escape route, or a blind corner in a hallway, preferably one that wasn't terribly well lit, or the exact placement of the guards who were patrolling the halls, and who looked no friendlier than the half-orc from the coatroom. Normally, Thassius would be no less observant, but on this particular night, his task was very different from hers, and what he needed, he already had; thanks to a set of blueprints they'd 'borrowed' from the city archives, Thassius had gotten a very good sense of the layout of the keep's hallways and rooms. He was surprised to note, however, that Venara had apparently done some studying of her own; more than anything else, she took in the details of the paintings they passed. Ronnik, showing either a level of education that indicated he hoped to rise up to approach the guests' social standing, or that he was excellent at memorizing details, was able to give a history of the most notable pieces that they passed, but Venara would murmur to her husband the origins of all of the works that they saw on their wanderings. She was able to identify, in most cases, not only the name, the artist, and the year, but also the thief known for nabbing it before falling prey to the legal system, and the Black Baron's less-than-legal methods of interrogation for his own purposes. At one point she stopped and grinned at a canvas the group had moved past, depicting a battle scene set in front of a raging river. A group of barbarians with nastily spiked axes faced off against a number of paladins in shining armour, no doubt much cleaner than it had actually been during the conflict. "Oooh, The Battle of St. Heron by Eliouett of Fong," she whispered, "Nobody knew that one was even missing, much less stolen and recovered by Norton's goons. I guess the Sultan of Ascantha was embarrassed about it." Thass couldn't help but smile, it was fun to see the vixen playing art expert, even more so when she revealed her motivations by casually pondering the prices on such pieces. You know, she subtly signed at one point, It might be fun to just send them all anonymously to an art museum, give the Baron's name as the return address. Raise all kinds of awkward questions for his Lordship. It is difficult to recreate emphasis and tone in a silent language, but out of necessity from the way they normally communicated, the twins had involved their other body parts in this code long ago, and the tilt of her ear told Thassius that her use of the title 'his Lordship' was dripping with sarcasm.

Eventually, the tour had come to an end, conveniently returning the nobles to the ballroom, and Ronnik bid them adieu to go and collect another batch of wealthy socialites to guide through the keep. As the group dissolved and spread back amongst the crowd of nobles, the foxes found a relatively isolated corner to discuss their next move. "Well," sighed Thassius, "I suppose it's time we find ourselves some privacy and get ready..." Vena smiled gently, and leaned in to kiss him on the cheek, taking his hands in hers. Despite himself, the tod briefly tensed up, still not entirely secure with publically displaying the true nature of his relationship with his sister, even though no one in town knew they were related. "That does seem prudent, my love," she said, "But it would be a shame if we got all dressed up and came to such a lavish party, and then didn't spend any time dancing, don't you think?" He couldn't help but smile back, giving her hands a squeeze and winking. "Oh yes, dear, it would practically be a tragedy," he said, chuckling. Walking arm in arm, grinning deviously at each other (something their race was terribly good at), the foxes headed to the floor just as the band switched to a slower song, with a human woman joining them to add vocals to the mix, singing about the kind of warm, tender love that inspires the more romantic of tales and legends. When they found a good spot, the twins held each other close, one pair of hands holding each other firmly, the other pair gently resting on their partner's back. For the first time all night, the discomfort of their outfits, the pressures of the upcoming job, and the judging eyes of the noblemen seemed to fade away, and for a few brief minutes, the lovers genuinely enjoyed themselves. They slowly made their way around the dance floor, intently focused on each other, their necks bent down and their foreheads touching, a sign of great affection and trust among canines and vulpines. They were close enough that every breath brought with it their lover's scent, and gazing as they were into each others' eyes, Thassius and Venara could hardly be blamed for lingering a bit, enjoying this warm, close moment before they had to make with the danger and excitement. After a few minutes, Venara moved her head to the side, nuzzling against her brother's cheek. "I love you, Thassius," she whispered, perhaps feeling sentimental from the music, "You be careful, okay? You're all I've got..." Nuzzling back, he gave her a gentle smile. Only the crowd of nosy aristocrats around them kept him from upgrading that nuzzle to a deep, amorous kiss. "What about the townhouse full of treasures plundered from a dragon's cave," he replied, "or bought with the gold leftover from, ah, that job down by the docks?" Vena wasn't amused, and pouted adorably at him. "I'm serious, don't you take any crazy risks, you hear me?" she said, poking him in the chest. "Hey, it'll be fine," Thassius assured her, moving his hand up to stroke her long, flowing red hair, "Really. I'm more worried about you, honestly. I love you too, after all, and it's a long way down..." She grinned back at him, shrugging. "Well then," she said, after a moment, "how about we leave the worrying about each other to each other, and focus on the job, hmm?" The tod chuckled softly, said that he thought that was a fantastic idea, and quickly licked his sister's nose, appearances be damned.

A few minutes later, brother and sister reluctantly left the dance floor and surreptitiously joined the same tour they'd just taken, being sure to linger at the back to avoid making eye contact with Ronnik. This time, though, they parted ways almost immediately; as the group funnelled past a door, Thassius casually flicked his wrist, and a tool spun out of his silk sleeve, a tool he jammed into the lock on the door, unlocking it with a simple twist as though it were the key. It was the latest thing in thievery, and to be honest, he hadn't yet quite figured out how it worked, but it was undeniably handy. Relaxing his wrist muscles, retracting the tool, he continued the motion by twisting the doorknob and slipping inside with his partner in crime. A couple of nobles glanced back at the sound, but all they caught sight of was the door closing gently, but firmly, so they wrote it off as someone else's problem, whatever it was, and immediately forgot about it. Inside the room, which was a relatively small set of guest quarters, currently laid out with extremely bare-bones furniture like a dresser, an undecorated bed, and a couple of chairs. No doubt when it was in use, it would be furnished extensively to suit the tastes of whoever the Baron would deign to host. Thassius immediately locked the door behind them and began to unbutton his vest, while Venara grabbed an innocent-looking ribbon on the side of her dress and gave it a firm tug, loosening the tight bands that held it in place, and easing the pressure on her ribcage. As she sighed happily, Thassius shrugged his vest off and went to work on his shirt. As he opened the buttons, another layer of clothing underneath was revealed, and as he discarded his shirt, he gave a stretch, now wearing a sleeveless chestpiece of faded brown leather, giving his chest protection while allowing his hands and arms their full range of movement. When Venara's dress puddled to the floor beneath her, she was revealed to be wearing a very similar outfit, along with a matching pair of leather trousers, which went nicely with the sensible boots she'd had on under the dress all night. "Ohh, seven gods, that's a relief," she muttered, arching her back, getting the stiffness out of her muscles. Stepping out of her dress, she dragged it over to the bed and sat down, where she flipped up the skirt, to reveal a number of strangely shaped wooden objects sewn into special pockets along the inside of the dress, lined with cotton to keep them from making noise if they bumped into each other. Thassius was just about ready, slipping his boots back on after taking them off to get his fancy trousers off, and taking the belt from those pants and slinging it on his new outfit, to make sure the dagger was close at hand. "You feeling alright, Vena?" he asked, quietly, watching her tearing open the pockets and quickly, efficiently assemble an object out of the wooden bits inside her dress. "I tell you, sister," he murmured, without waiting for a response, "I think I'm almost more nervous than I was before we robbed the dragon." After a moment's thought, he reiterated; "Almost." "I can understand that," she replied, still focused on her craft, "There was just the one dragon, after all, and he was hibernating. Here, any guard, any servant, hell, if any of the guests see us they'll start screaming bloody murder and it could all come down on our heads." She retrieved a length of cord from the waistband of her dress and began to work it into her creation as her brother leaned against the wall. "That's what the plan's for, love, that's what the plan's for," he said, "You ready?" Looking up, Venara grinned as she slung the newly-completed crossbow over her shoulder, attached to a sling she'd had wrapped around her waist under the dress. Unlike Thassius' outfit, her pants had several long, thin pockets ringing her upper thighs, pockets with the shafts of crossbow bolts sticking out. "Oh yes," she said, brimming with self-confidence, "I just hope I don't actually have to use any of these. Now, we just need to take care of the leftovers..."

Getting up, she gathered the remains of her dress - most of it, really - and brought it over to a metal trash bin, where Thassius had already shoved his vest and slacks. As she pushed the dress inside, she shook her head and sighed. "I still think it looks ridiculous, but it feels like such a shame to waste such an expensive outfit." Vena said, almost regretfully, "I think that was the most expensive thing I'd ever bought at the time. Ah well..." From the very small pouch on her belt, she retrieved a shimmering red stone, an enchanted charm used frequently by dragons during the cold seasons. Pointing it at the trash bin, she whispered a command word. "Oh well, there'll be other outfits. Su'kooz." A thin line of flame jumped from the charm to the fabric in the trash, quickly forming a funeral pyre for their ostentatious clothes. Thassius quickly carried the burning can to the middle of the room, where there was nothing flammable within reach; it wouldn't do at all to set the furniture on fire and bring the whole city running when the keep threatened to go up in flames. The lovers watched the flames for a few moments, and then Thassius gave his sister a sly look. "...Hey Vena," he said, "We're not getting paid by the hour, they're not looking for us yet, and there's a bed right there. You wanna, you know, fool around before we get going?" The vixen whimpered quietly, her ears lowering, her thighs unconsciously rubbing together. "Yes..." she said, grimly, "Oh, gods above, you have no idea how much I want it, that dance got me all..." she cleared her throat, blushing. "Well. In any case, we really shouldn't," she said, now genuinely regretful, "We need to focus on the job, and that won't be easy if we're still in afterglow. Besides, I really don't like the idea of creeping around the keep with your cream leaking out of me, getting embarrassed just thinking about it." Thassius nodded as if he'd expected that answer, but a mournful glance towards the bed suggested he'd hoped he was wrong. "...I'll tell you what, though," she said, after a moment, "Since you're putting your ass on the line, it's only fair to offer you mine." He looked confused for a moment, unsure what she meant, and then his eyes widened slightly. "Wait - you mean..." he started, almost afraid if he said it out loud it would jinx it. Vena chuckled and wiggled her tush at him, raising her tail provocatively. "When we get back to the house after this," she said, warmly, looking over her shoulder with a sly smile, "I'm gonna reward you for going along with this plan by letting you take me under the tail, just like you've been asking for." He blushed at how aroused he felt just from the words. "Th-thank you, Vena," he stuttered, grinning at his own embarrassment, "that's, uh, that's a wonderful incentive." She giggled and stepped away to tighten the bindings on her boots, and he cleared his throat and tried to shake away the lingering arousal, lest he have to take on this job at half-mast. "Alright then," he said, "In that case... best of luck, sister. Let's show the jailor what justice is really like, shall we?" He pulled a pair of gloves out of a pocket and slipped them on, and then flipped up a hood that had been hanging down his back, effectively hiding his face. At the same time, Vena was adjusting her outfit in a similar way. She nodded, and clearly put an effort into looking unworried and composed. "Yes, dear brother, let's." Standing up, she walked over to the window and pushed it open, throwing a leg over the sill and confirming visually that there was a small ledge running along this wall before she looked back at her brother, who was unlocking the room's door. There was so much they could say to each other, but the twins knew each other well enough that they really didn't need to. Besides, they were trying to put on a brave, professional face, so the thieves who had adopted the name Wyrmvault simply nodded to each other, and slipped out of the room by opposite exits.

A short time later, Thassius had stowed himself inside what appeared to be a closet full of cleaning supplies, for the convenience of the servants presumably. The door was open just enough to let him look out into the hallway, and the lamps weren't lit, so no light would give him away. He was watching two of the guards patrolling past. "I heard someone smelled smoke in the other wing," said one, a large and rough looking wolf-kin, "found a garbage can full of embers in one of the guest rooms." His companion, an equally dangerous looking human, shrugged, clearly bored. "Eh, you know these rich folk, always tryin' to hide their secrets," he muttered, "Makes me wish I was back in the old bandit clan. Sure, Thorne was a right bastard, but at least he was straight with you. If the powers that be want to stick a knife in my heart, I'd rather go with the boss who'd tell you about it first." The wolf chuckled quietly. "I hear that. Still, 's a mite better than a life sentence," he said, "at least with Norton, the food's better!" As the two thugs laughed amongst themselves and their words faded into vague noise, Thassius shook his head. That explained so much about the many toughs in suits around the keep. The Baron would have to be pretty confident in his own abilities to use prisoners as security during a high-class party. On the other hand, it also tipped the fox off to adjust his expectations slightly; taking on a group of former bandits rather than private security guards would require a slightly different approach. Not more difficult, just different. Once their voices had faded completely, he slipped out of the room and crept down the hallway in the direction they'd been coming from, being sure to listen intently for the sound of voices. For reasons that had always escaped Thassius, bandits were incredibly talkative on the job, and finding a pair of thugs having a full-blown conversation on patrol was strangely common. This was good for the thief, as he was likely to hear guards long before he could see them - or more importantly, before they could see him. In this way, he crept to an ornate door, and peeking through the keyhole, he confirmed it lead to the top landing in the ballroom, where Baron Norton had made his dramatic entrance. He didn't need to get into the room, and indeed, the crowd would no doubt spot him before he got anywhere useful. No, he just needed to be here because if the gadget Venara had given him worked, he would be able to hear it from here. He retrieved the stone from a leg pouch and handled it for a few moments while he psyched himself up for it. He couldn't help it, he just wasn't as comfortable with magic as she was. She'd had a fling with a student at the mage tower back in Wellworth, and so had picked up a little bit of knowledge as the apprentice would talk about his day. She'd insisted this would work, but he wasn't yet convinced. Sighing and shaking his head, he held up the stone and whispered the command word she'd made him memorize. "Meh'krem!"

Across the keep, a small box inscribed with a rune received a signal from the stone in Thassius' hand. That box happened to be in the coat pocket of the jacket Thassius had left in the well-protected coatroom. And the instant it received that signal, a magical spell woven into that rune caused the box to burst, creating a sudden, massive release of flames that spread out and ignited the entire collection of coats, jackets, and wraps, singeing the walls and threatening the guard and the servant behind the counter with heat and smoke. Thassius couldn't see anything outside of the top floor landing, but he had a pretty good image in his head of what that looked like, aided greatly by the massive FOOSH that split the air and interrupted a traditional ballad of affection. This, in turn, was followed by the sound of shouting, anxious voices, as guards and servants worked to put out the fire before the inferno spread to the wooden beams and threatened the stability of the keep. Almost immediately, the pampered guests began to realize that they were in close proximity to something dangerous, even if they were safely down the corridor from it, and began to panic. Screams and shouts began to sound out, and Thassius couldn't help but shake his head and grin. He hadn't panicked like that when he'd been right in the middle of a burning building (though his sister had been almost hysterical with worry for him when they met up afterwards). Vena had assured him that no one would actually be hurt; she'd even thought to have the enchanter put a detection spell on the device, ensuring that the fireball wouldn't trigger if there was actually someone in the room, hanging or retrieving a jacket. Putting the stone away again, he turned and hurried back the way he came, unlocking and ducking into the first room he came upon. He closed the door, crouched down, and waited in the dark, eyes closed. Then it came; the sound of angry, confused bandit bodyguards charging down the hall, having heard of the emergency in the main hall. It sounded like there were a lot of them, and Thassius expected that every guard in the keep was being pulled over to that side of the estate, which was, after all, the point to his little act of arson. As he waited for their voices to become indistinct, he sighed quietly, mildly regretting incinerating the other nobles' coats. It wasn't like they couldn't afford new ones, but he suddenly wondered if anyone had left anything of sentimental value in their jacket. He forced the worry out of his mind... he'd never had worries like that when he and Venara did these jobs for their own survival. Besides, there was nothing to be done about it now, and he had a job to do. Ducking back out of the room, the thief ran down the hallway, no longer moving slow to stay quiet, openly running towards the now unguarded end of the keep to take advantage of the convenient distraction he'd created. Before long, he'd returned to the door to the private quarters, and his tool didn't take any longer to get the door open than it had on the much less ornate guestroom. Heading inside, barely noting the much fancier decorations on this hallway, he hurried to the door that lead to Baron Norton's private bedroom, already grinning.

Soon enough, Thassius found himself poking into drawers and peeking behind furniture, looking for something that looked important to Norton. It didn't even have to be expensive, they just wanted this part to piss him off. Pulling out one of the drawers under the bed, he discovered a strange object that was mostly cylindrical in shape. He picked it up to get a better look at it, and suddenly the lines that coiled around the thing began to glow with an inner orange light, which Thass vaguely remembered his sister telling him indicated that the spell was associated with the earth element. He didn't see how that would be useful, mind you, but then it's strange what trivia pops into one's mind at inappropriate times. He had about a split second to wonder if he'd just been cursed when the cylinder began to shake in his hands, shivering like a living creature who'd been out in the cold. As the pieces fit together in his mind, a look of horror came over his features. "Gah!" he gasped, dropping it unceremoniously back into the drawer as he muttered to himself, "Trickster's laugh, it's that same damned charm Vena was talking about!" Shaking his hand like he'd just been burned, Thassius suddenly found himself desperate to wash his hands, even though he'd been wearing gloves. He really didn't want to know what this device was doing here, so he slammed the drawer shut and focused intently on his continued search. Before long, he stepped into the adjoining bathroom and saw just the thing to get the job done. It figured that Norton would put the stupid award he'd been given in his bathroom, so that he could see it and feed his ego every single morning. Walking up, he tried to figure out what exactly the abstract shape of the trophy was supposed to represent, then gave up, as this thing was made of gold, so they'd just have melted it down anyway. He snatched the thing off its special little shelf and made to leave, hopefully putting the Baron's bedroom, and the unpleasant things that had happened there, behind him. Thassius was just slipping out the door, taking a moment to feel like a badass for how well this was going so far, when things caught up with him, as if the universe had detected his smugness and wanted to punish him. "Oi! Who in all the hells are you?!" The voice came from down the hall, and Thassius was surprised and annoyed to see a single guard who had apparently stayed behind after the mass exodus of security. According to Venara, that charm should have sustained the fire for longer than this without actually letting it grow, so this guy must have either ignored the call for help or somehow been so oblivious that he didn't notice the fireball, or all his brethren abandoning this end of the keep. Swearing under his breath, he bolted, not bothering to even close the door behind him now that the jig was up. This was unexpected, of course, but he knew he could handle it. "Sorry!" he called back over his shoulder, cheerily, "Gotta get going, your mother won't wait all night!" As the pursuing guard angrily cursed at him, Thassius kept running, trying not to laugh. This was going to be exciting.

The fox took the corner as wide as possible, using a trick the twins had learned from watching the guardsmen chase other thieves. Just as he was about to run headlong into the wall, he leapt up and kicked off of it, redirecting his momentum and taking off at full speed, putting some distance between himself and the guard, who'd slowed down at the turn. He didn't quite lose the man, though, and when Thassius ran past an inner stairwell just as a couple other guardsmen wearing soot-stained uniforms were reaching the top, it didn't exactly take an explanation for the newcomers to work things out. Keeping up the sass, the tod turned to the thugs and tossed out a sarcastic salute as he ran past. He grinned wider than ever as he heard one of the goons yell at the others for just standing there and watching, and soon he had even more angry men after him. Thassius deliberately took a turn down a hallway that came to a dead end, and really put on the strain running as fast as he could to give the thugs time to appreciate the situation. Really playing it up, he skidded to a halt at the last second, head darting back and forth as if looking for a door he'd missed. Then he spun around, back to the wall and head bent down; with his hood, all they'd be able to see was his smirking mouth, and not, say, the extremely rare colour of his eyes. "Awww, is that it?" panted one of the guards, trying to sound less tired than he obviously was. In his defence, bandits don't usually chase down runners. They leave them for their brethren surrounding their target to take out as they flee. But the thief still allowed himself to be amused by the wheezing. As the men approached menacingly, most of them drew large, fancy knives, no doubt selected by their boss more for how they complimented the decor than for their martial ability, not that Thassius underestimated their threat. Just as one of the men made a lunge to grab him, the tod threw a small pellet at the ground beneath his feet, which exploded into a large black cloud, and Thass took off back down the hallway, right past the confused, coughing mess of guards. He'd gotten that from an odd little apothecary who insisted that it was a popular tool for infiltration in a far-off kingdom somewhere. When the smoke began to clear, the guards cursed their vulpine foe, and started back down the hallway, one of them telling one of his friends to go find the other guards and try and lock the place down before their quarry could escape. When they were gone, Thassius popped out from the very first door he'd come to; he'd correctly guessed they wouldn't even check the rooms, assuming he hadn't had enough time to pick a lock and hide himself. He really did like this new tool.

Taking the chance that they'd be smart enough to not just go back the way they came, he did exactly that, hurrying through the halls until he'd returned to the most ornate door. This time, going completely contrary to common sense, he kicked the door open and burst out onto the top landing, still carrying the Baron's special award. A large number of nobles had left, but some remained, huddling off to the side, being reassured by guardsmen as the band played soothing music. Making those guardsmen's job harder, now, was the hooded figure who burst out from the doors on the top floor as if in a bizarre parody of the Baron's entrance earlier. He skidded up to the guardrail and tried to look surprised. "Whoops!" he cried, loudly, "Looks like I made a wrong turn..." As if on cue, some of the thugs that had been pursuing him earlier followed him through the door, and, creatively, pointed to their prey and yelled 'Get him!'. Thassius just laughed and, putting a foot up on the guardrail, launched himself into the air and onto the fine crystalline chandelier hanging from the ceiling above the vacant dance floor, laughing as he swung through the air on the decoration, crystals clattering noisily, before leaping off and grabbing hold of a decorated curtain that went all the way up to the ceiling, smoothly sliding down to the floor as the chandelier continued to sway drunkenly behind him. "'Scuze me, ladies and gents!" Thassius said, ducking past a couple of guards, "But it looks like I've overstayed my welcome!" Sure enough, the Baron, who was still with his remaining guests, lowered his ears in rage, eyes narrowing as he pointed at the fox and openly snarled. "What are you waiting for, you numbskulls?!" he bellowed to the goons around him, "He's got my award! Means to make an ass out of me! Arrest him!" Moving towards the shocked nobles, he grabbed onto one woman's wrist as he closed in, spinning her around behind him, where she bumped into a guard, who reflexively embraced her, and earned a slap when his low-class 'reflexes' involved moving a calloused hand to her shapely rear. "Shame we couldn't dance longer," Thassius called to the blushing woman, "I love this song!" Thassius' stride was thrown off for just a second as he suddenly felt a deep, icy fear that his lover might have seen him, then remembered that there was no way Venara was anywhere near here right now. Bowing slightly, he turned and booked through the crowd, coming up to a door with no handle, meant to be opened frequently by people with their hands full. Turning his shoulder without slowing down, he pushed straight through. Okay, he thought to himself, So I've probably got every guard in the keep after me, but things could still be worse! As he ran through the manor's kitchen, dodging out of the way of dismayed and confused cooks and servants, he tried to think of how exactly things could be worse, and all he could come up with was that Norton could have turned out to be a liche in disguise, or his guards could have all been dragons.

Pushing such thoughts out of his head to focus on the moment, Thassius couldn't help but feel a little relieved; the servant entrance to the kitchen was just ahead, nothing now stood between himself and the cool, embracing shadow outside, into which he could disappear nearly effortlessly, except a door he could see was ajar, no doubt left that way by a servant who'd made too many trips back and forth this night. As he hurried up to the door, he reached up to tug his hood down a little lower, make sure it wasn't jarred loose by the sudden stop, then raised his shoulder again, barging straight through the door into the dark outside - only to instantly come under the harshest illumination; the servant's exit was surrounded by armed guardsmen, and one of them seemed to be carrying an especially powerful light charm. It looked like the guards had been forward-thinking enough to predict the use of this unguarded side door as his exit. Well, crap. He threw up an arm, as much to shield their view of his face as to try and block out that light. "Halt!" called one of them, unnecessarily. At least two of them seemed to have longbows drawn and aimed at him, and none of them looked to be in the merciful mood. Thassius had only brought the one smoke pellet, and he doubted he could get back through the door behind him before an arrow pierced him. There was only one thing to do. Swallowing, he got down on his knees and carefully placed the award on the ground (though he put it on its side as one final, impotent protest), then drew his knife and hurriedly tossed that aside as well, before putting his hands on his head. He knew it wouldn't make what was about to happen hurt much less, but at least he'd survive.

Sure enough, amidst self-important snickers and arrogant jokes about being disappointed, the guards armed with swords all sheathed their weapons before they approached, cracking their knuckles and rolling up their sleeves. The others remained behind, bows still drawn, in case the thief had any funny ideas about fighting back. When they threw him to the ground and the beating began, Thassius curled up into a ball, protecting his face with his forearms and his guts with his knees. He couldn't do much about the rest of him, though, so he just tensed up and waited out the punches and kicks the best he could. He was no master of withstanding pain, though, and it seemed to go on for ages. He'd started wondering if they were just going to beat him to death when a loud voice called them off. "Alright! Alright! If you kill him, we won't get any information out of him!" came the voice of the Baron, right on schedule, "Honestly, it's so hard to find good security these days..." The guards backed off, and the jaguar planted a foot on Thassius' shoulder, rolling him over onto his back. When no blows came, the fox dared to look out, just in time to see Norton stoop down low and pick up his award, grimacing at the sight of the dirt now caked to one side. "I'll take that, thank you very much..." he muttered in the thief's direction. There was a bit more, but Thassius missed it, as he had spied something in the distance, behind the grumbling nobleman. One of the windows on the side of the keep, behind and beyond all the guards present, who were entirely focused on their quarry. And good thing, too, as Venara stood right by that window, frozen in place, a painting still in her hands, in the middle of being lifted from the wall. Thassius forced his face to remain neutral, lest someone realize he was looking at something important in that direction. Venara's face was also stiff, unreadable, as she stared down at her brother lying sprawled in the dirt. The Baron pulled the tod's attention back away from the window, away from his lover, as he suddenly grabbed hold of the thief's hood, yanking it down and exposing the fox's whole head to the harsh light. For a moment, Thassius was blinded, though he could hear his enemy chuckling to himself. And when his eyes adjusted, the Baron was already talking again, with a deep, growling menace in his voice that made his already-predatory grin look almost demonic. "Well, well, well, isn't this a surprise?" he said, cocking an eyebrow. He obviously recognized the man he'd spoken to just earlier, so Thassius was surprised when Norton left it at that, instead of immediately announcing to everyone within earshot who their thief was. Instead, he stood up straight again, glancing down at the award and shaking his head. "You know, you gave my men a rather impressive runaround. If it were anyone else's home, I might be impressed, perhaps even entertained," the Baron said, eyes locked on the fox. "But I've got a soft spot for vermin like you, my boy, and I own the prison system in this city. I barely understand the mindset, honestly. Sure, you get lucky, pull off a great heist or two, but then what?" The jaguar shook his head, and the smile slipped off his face, to be replaced with pure, open resentment. "I've learned over the years that no matter how good they are at what they do, sooner or later, the luck of thieves eventually fails them. And it looks like your luck just ran out." With that, the Baron suddenly lifted a foot and lashed out with it, kicking the thief in the face as hard as he could, and Thassius knew only a moment of pain, and then the quiet black oblivion of unconsciousness.