Aliquam: Tobias’ Gala – 2F Balcony overlooking the Main Hall

The jewels and pearls laced about the chandelier clinked together as it swung from side to side, the figure atop it looking down upon the blind and staggering crowd below. Long blonde hair fell about his shoulders, the man’s face obscured by a black mask adorned with blue gems. The man’s dark outfit was as crisp and smooth a uniform as those of the guests below, as regal and distinguished as any of Tobias’ invitees. He looked down upon them all, his face illuminated starkly from the two glowing sticks far below, and a smile creased the young man’s smooth, delicate features. The smile of success.

Joyous laughter roared from the man’s mouth, enough to throw all of the confused and hapless people below to turn their attention above, to the mysterious stranger who had caused such a great disturbance to the night’s affairs.



“Is everyone alright?” Estelle asked between gritted teeth, one eye gingerly opening a fraction at a time to become used to and accustomed to the new light. She still saw spots, as her hands wavered over Amy and Dylan’s shoulders, hoping that they and Dalia, Rose and Simon were all okay. Nobody looked hurt, although both Dylan and Amy had stumbled over and collapsed to the floor in their drunkenness.

She twisted and turned, craning her neck to look up at the strange man far above, and her face frowned further at the sight. Was this the man behind all of this? Who on Ddaear was he, and what did he want?

Her hands reached to her side, instinctively reaching for the hilt of her sword, to draw it ready for defence, but the clasping of thin air suddenly reminded her that neither she, nor any of her friends had brought their weapons with them, leaving them behind at Dalia’s home. After all, nobody had any reason to bring such dangerous tools to what should have been a peaceful gala…



“Who on Ddaear is that?” Rose vocalised what everyone else thought, and as if on cue, the man above began to shout.

“Good evening, ladies and gentlemen!” The blonde began to spoke, the chandelier swinging from side to side in its pendulum arc over and over. “Please, forgive me for the rude interruption! It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance!!”




Below, on the main dance hall’s floor, Biggs and Wedge simultaneously looked up as well. Wedge’s eyes narrowed, and his head turned to the side, as if the man above, distant as he was, seemed somewhat familiar to him. Biggs too shared the same expression.

“Hey, Biggs… doesn’t that guy look familiar…?”

“Hmm… I think you’re right, Wedge. I’m sure I’ve seen him before, but where…?”

And then in unison, both of the Artar Empire soldiers’ jaws dropped and their eyes widened in incredulous realisation of who the man was. Indeed, a lot came racing back to the bumbling duo, as the masked stranger’s arrival suddenly sparked the memory of why it was they had even travelled from the capital to Aliquam in the first place! Days ago they had been given orders from their commanders after receiving a strange note… from a renowned thief… a thief whom announced his intentions to rob and steal before committing the act… a thief whom had sent word that they would do the same to Aliquam’s Academy for the Arts… and that Biggs and Wedge’s duty was to notify the people here, in particular their commander in question’s children, Rose and Angél de Cevantés, honorary members of said academy! They had gotten distracted first by their festival, and then by Tobias’ gala, but now…!

“We… we need to catch him, Wedge!” Biggs shouted to his partner, and the stoutly man nodded. As everyone else continued to look up and stare, the two soldiers began racing for the stairs, trying their best to hopefully climb up and catch him before the man could get away.

For the thief had a terrible reputation. Despite always announcing his intentions to steal in advance… even revealing where, what and when such a bold display of thievery would take place… no matter what precautions or measures of security were taken, they had never been apprehended! Before, these announcements always came through letters, marked by a strange seal. This time, however, was the first time the thief would make such a bold entrance as this…!

The man laughed again, and grinned despite the two soldiers desperately racing up. He continued to speak, despite them or the crowd’s murmured gasps and in talking.

“Some of you may have heard of my legend!” The blonde man grinned. “I am the legendary thief, The Masked Phantom!!”



“What?!” Simon stepped back in disbelief. He was one of the few who had heard of the thief’s reputation before, and he automatically began fumbling for his camera, lifting it up to try and take whatever photos he could. Rose and Dalia looked to each other with grim expressions, whilst Estelle, Amy and Dylan simply looked confused.

“Who?” Estelle muttered.

“I have come today to announce to you all my next game! The next target of ambitions, and I grant you all the chance to try and stop me… if you can!” The Masked Phantom laughed. “Let us make this something exciting, shall we?”

“What?” Estelle blinked, her face completely blank. Why is it that she and her friends always met the biggest nutjobs?

“Tomorrow night… at our very own town of Aliquam’s most prestigious Academy for the Arts… I will pull off my greatest heist yet!” The Masked Phantom laughed again. “I will steal the Academy’s greatest, and most valuable work of Art imaginable! Come!” The thief laughed. “Come, try and stop me, if you can!”

Within the blink of an eye, he was suddenly gone, black and white feathers cascading down from the swinging chandelier above, his laughter the last remnants and trace of his existence.



Tobias, at the furthest end away from where the Masked Phantom was, one-step upon the stairs leading up to the next floor’s corridor, watched the audacious man and his disappearance with growing anger and venom.

His hand shattered the glass he held into fragments.

Aliquam: Tobias’ Gala

Aria reeled back with a short shriek as the room was engulfed in piercing bright light, sending the people inside stumbling and staggering. Judging by the sounds of panic outside the room, it seemed that the perpetrator had managed to blind the entire mansion. She pressed her palms against her eyes, trying to rub away the spots burned into her retinas only to bump into a screaming patron.

"Trixie?! Aria? You two okay?"

Somehow she managed to hear Syed’s voice over the pandemonium, and stumbled towards where she thought the mage was. “I’m fine,” she shouted over the ruckus of toppling chairs and people falling over themselves. She could swear she ended up stepping on someone accidentally, but eventually managed to find and regroup with Syed and Trixie.

By now her eyesight had started to return, and she peered blurrily at the broken pottery shards and other various broken furniture pieces scattered about the room. She didn’t quite want to imagine how much it would cost to replace and fix everything, wincing as something crunched underheel. She could make out Moira’s shape by the doorway and the three made their way out of the room, only to be faced with a very unexpected scene.

“I am the legendary thief, The Masked Phantom!!”

She stared up in surprise at the figure illuminated from below. So this was the infamous thief who had been appearing newspaper headlines? Normally Aria would be rather upset due to a night out being interrupted, but…

“He’s kinda cute,” she observed, blinking as he vanished with a flurry of feathers from the chandelier. She reached out, watching as a white feather drifted into her palm with a small grin. Knowing Estelle, they would be trying to darn hardest to get to the scene tomorrow to try to catch the thief and she was feeling very much excited. She gave Trixie a grin and a nudge.

“Looks like you got your supervillain after all, huh?”

Aliquam: Tobias' Gala - Dance Floor

The fact that someone in Ddaear thought it was a good idea to use sudden, blinding white light in a dark room phased Amy more than the fact that Tobias had just been robbed. Her drunkenness had kicked in severely since the Pride had departed from the generator, and even being on the floor didn't do anything to help her. Now everything was absolutely dizzying, with everything in the room spinning combined with recurring black splotches in her vision. She rubbed her hands around her gem and attempted to squeeze it, only for it to slip out of her fingers completely and land on the floor next to her. The light it emitted then went out.

Amy muttered a curse as she fumbled for it. Once back in her fingers, she took a deep but shaky breath as the gem glowed faintly. She couldn't think straight enough to murmur a coherent spell, but hopefully the jewel's regenerate properties would at least help soothe her eyesight.

Oh, right. A thief with a mask and a bunch of feathers falling from the ceiling. She remembered now what happened. Amy groaned. "He's asking for it all right..."

---

Aliquam: Tobias' Gala - Second Floor

Of course the first thing Trixie thought once the thief did his gig was that she needed her hands on those flashbangs. If they caught this guy, she sooo needed to take his gear for herself. With Syed guiding the prankster out of the room (as she just kinda stood there stunned from the light), she was able to catch a glimpse of him atop the chandelier. He was dressed as regally as everyone else there, and wore a mask too! Wow this guy was a real super villain if he was disguised like that. Even Aria looked dang excited to hunt after this guy.

Trixie pumped her fist in return. "I knew it, I totally knew it! I told you guys evil was afoot but everyone just laughed and I WAS RIGHT. 'cept now the bad guy's gone. So what do we do?" She twiddled her fingers. "I can't teleport fast enough to go after him..." She then shook her head and yanked on both Lucien and Syed, before letting go of their wrists and running for the stairs. "Come on, let's go catch up with the others!"

---

Angel too along with the other gamblers in the recreation room had watched the scene from afar as well. With his arms folded over the balcony, Angel leaned forward and rested his chin atop one of his arms. His eyebrows contorted in thought. Thankfully the lights below were enough to reveal the location of his sister (along with the other Pride members), and no one seemed to be hurt. He let out a deep sigh with a shrug before lowering the rest of his face into his arms. Damn robbery interrupted his game.

Tobias’ Gala
While Aria and Trixie reacted to the extragavant man with excitement and - in Aria's case - outright attraction, Syed's jaw simply dropped in dispair. Why the hell did this kind of thing follow them?! At least... at least they weren't drugged or had their drinks spiked or put into a gods damned dream machine. For once.

The sight of two Empire soldiers just made him feel worse. Oh gods no don't let them get involved. Please please please let them be a different regiment please.

Moira meanwhile put her hands on her hips, looking up to the now gently swaying chandelier with one eyebrow cocked up. "What a pompous git." What was the most valuable thing in the academy? Wait... wait it wasn't that sculpture guy's statue of those two beefy men was it?! He'd better not be robbing that glorious masterpiece! No! She clenched her fist, slamming it on the balcony railing. "If he does... I'm gonna punch that fucker!" she growled, which made no sense to anyone else around her.

Trixie pulled at Syed and Lucien's wrists before taking off down the stairs, which lead for the mage to look down to the ground floor. Sure enough, he easily spotted the others in the new light, what with Estelle's striking firey red locks and stunning ensemble. Yeah, perhaps regrouping would be a good idea. "Come on," he nodded, smiling towards the others. "Wait, hang on... there's probably a joke for this. Uh..."

"Oh get a fuckin' move on," Moira hooked an arm with Aria and began to lead her down the stairs, forcing Syed to follow whether he liked it or not. "Ey! Nobody fell on their face or ewt, right? What the fuck was all that about?!" she called out, waving to the others as she approached them.

"Well," Syed gave Estelle a lop-sided smile. They were Guilders after all. "Looks like we have to cancel any plans we had tomorrow, doesn't it?"

Aliquam: Tobias’ Gala

“Okay, I think my eyes are okay now!” The virtuoso blinked twice before a joyous laugh rang throughout the entire hall. The hazy and dotted outline of a person swinging with one of the large chandeliers filled his vision and he immediately glanced at the railing. Was that person the one he heard earlier? The virtuoso inspected the edge of the balcony and the nearest chandelier in disbelief. He was able to cross that distance in one jump!?

“I have come today to announce to you all my next game! The next target of ambitions, and I grant you all the chance to try and stop me… if you can!” The Masked Phantom laughed. “Let us make this something exciting, shall we?”

“… This is bad. Let’s go regroup with the others,” Lute gritted his teeth and nodded at the Xandra. The two Guilders made their way past the clamoring partygoers, past the livid Tobias, and, by chance, met their friends at the head of the stairs where they all ran down together. They reached the others when the masked man declared his target, and Estelle looked absolutely incredulous at what was happening.

The villain also seemed smug about his upcoming heist. Both Lute and Delilah thought that a good face and a silver tongue was a prerequisite for being a criminal so you could schmooze your way out of a tight spot, so that was probably why that guy up there was so confident. “Just because he’s hot doesn’t mean he could have his way,” Lute muttered, his eyes narrowing as the masked man disappeared. His familiar was of the opposite opinion.

But more importantly... Where did these feathers come from?

Laughter filled the room, followed by bold statements.

Whoever this crook was, he sounded very sure of himself. He talked about how he would pull a grand hesit and Xan pretty much gaped at the scene. They had to stop this criminal. She and Lute managed to weave their way through the throng of frantic guests, and they made their way down the stairs in an attempt to regroup with their friends on the first floor.

"Slow down, kid" Lucien stated as he and Syed were pretty much dragged down the stairs. His eyes were beginning to adjust to the darkness, but it was still pretty hard to see and people were panicking so much that it was hard not to slam into anyone. Eventually, Trixe let go and Lucien's eyes flitted towards an angry looking Estelle. Not long after, Lute and Xan rushed past him, regrouping with the rest of the pride.

The thief continued to talk about his next big attempt, even announcing the place he planned to rob.

The masked phantom. Lucien thought his title was kind of cool, but Xan couldn't help but think of him as the epitome of arrogant. His laughter echoed throughout the mansion before he disappeared, leaving feathers in his wake.

The summoner stared at his friends. "At least the authorities know where he'll strike next yeah?" He gave his friends a hesitant smile. "Plus, we can ambush him now and catch him before he strikes." He slammed a fist into his open palm, eyes gleaming with determination.

Aliquam: Tobias’ Gala

"At least the authorities know where he'll strike next yeah?" Lucien gave his friends a hesitant smile. "Plus, we can ambush him now and catch him before he strikes." He slammed a fist into his open palm, eyes gleaming with determination.

Estelle nodded back, but looking up again at the swaying chandelier, and the feathers that cascaded gently down to the floor, she couldn’t help but frown. She folded her arms over her chest, and sighed. Ambushing the thief was one thing. They knew where he’d strike, if what he said was true. But the Academy was a large place, and they had no real idea of knowing what it was he planned to steal. His words were cryptic as best, and that was it. Whoever this person was… if it was something they did often, and announced it as that… catching him might not be as easy as they’d have thought.

Her mind wandered back to Fenaru, to the time where they had to confront a pair of cat thieves plaguing the sleepy rural village. They managed to stop their antics, and recover the feline kittens they had stolen, but the thieves themselves managed to get away. That always bugged Estelle. This guy though… this ‘Masked Phantom’… she swore she’d catch him.



“Estelle. Everyone… are you alright?” To their side they saw Marcus approach, the suited man casually walking up to them with a reassuring smile, hoping to relax all of his friends. They nodded. Despite the boisterous events that had occurred, nobody seemed to be injured in any way, shape or form. The only injuries they had taken were those whom had drank a bit too much. The hangovers they’d receive in the morning would see to that. Other then that, there was one injury, and that was…

“Attention! May I have your attention, please!”



From the floor above, a familiar voice rung out as loud as possible. Craning their necks up to view it, the Pride and all of the other assorted guests saw the Gala’s host, Tobias, speaking down to them all. His expression was firm, and laced with agitation. From their vantage point they couldn’t see the blood trickling from his cut hand.

“I regret to announce that this party has reached its untimely end. As I’m sure you’re all aware, thanks to this masked cretin’s interruption… it would be impossible to continue things as they were. I’d like to thank you all for coming, and offer you my sincerest apologies for this… this mockery.” Tobias sneered. “But rest assured, I promise to make sure this arrogant brain addled fool is caught, and made to answer for his crimes. If you’ll all turn your attention to the exits, you’ll find my staff willing to escort you to my carriages, which will take you all back to your homes. My apologies again for everything that has happened tonight. I wish you all a safe trip home. Thank you.”

Tobias turned and walked away, to another loud bevy of chatter and discussion amongst the guests of Tobias’ party, even as they did slowly and laboriously begin to leave.

“That’s a good enough cue as anything…” Estelle looked to her friends, and shrugged. She then turned to Dylan, who despite his drunkenness, smiled with a giggling nod. Even though the matter of this thief, the Masked Phantom, was a serious matter indeed, he couldn’t help but be delighted at Tobias’ face, and how his precious party had been so utterly ruined.





“We’ll all go to my home,” Dylan smiled. “Obviously we don’t have enough beds and rooms for everyone, but I think we’ll be able to manage, somehow.”

"Or we could go to mine," Rose interjected. "Mine and Angel's home has plenty of room available for everyone here."

“Hmm. Tomorrow, I think we’ll have to have the school closed,” Dalia rose a finger to her pursed lips, deep in thought. “This will be extremely tricky. We have a lot of students living at the dorms on campus… so I and the rest of the faculty will have to see what we’ll do about them. Whether to evacuate them for the night, or make sure they don’t leave their rooms. This stranger said he was targeting the Academy’s ‘most valuable work of art’. I don’t know what that is, and I wouldn’t think it would involve the students and their dorms, but…”

“Don’t worry, Miss Dalia.” Rose smiled. “I'll deal with the students. I agree with you, in that I don’t think this thief will target the dorms. He has no reason to. If we make sure none of the students leave the dorms or their rooms, we should have nothing to worry about on their end.”

“There’s a lot to have to deal and react with…” Estelle frowned, nodding in understanding. “But we’ll help as best as we can, Dalia. That is, if we’re allowed?”

“Oh, but of course!” Dalia smiled. “I’m sure we’ll also have a lot of Empire soldiers patrolling the grounds tomorrow as well, but the more help we can get, the better! And I don’t think there’s anyone more qualified then Guilders, or my brother’s friends!”

“What about Tobias?” Marcus asked, looking over his shoulder to where the Patron had last been standing.

“If he needs any help, he’s welcome to ask for it. But you heard him. I think the best way to help him at the moment, is to quietly leave.” Answered Dalia.

“Yeah, I don’t think he needs our help.” Lute added with a grumble. Dylan laughed, one part thanks to the drink, another part thanks to his friends now beginning to see Tobias for the type of man he was. One with an exceptional ego.

“Well then,” Dalia turned to their nearest exit. “Shall we?”

Aliquam: Tobias’ Gala

Aria was glad for Moira's support as the descended down the staircase to join the others. Unsurprisingly the older woman was way more of a heavyweight than she was, and as of result much less wobbly.

"I can't tell if it's a coincidence that something always happens when we go out to eat," She shook her head with amusement as they finally reached the others, only for Tobias to start his announcement from the second floor. She blinked- had he passed them on the way up? Then again, there probably numerous ways to get to the second floor balcony.

"Mockery? Arrogant brain addled fool? He's not very creative with his insults." She huffed in disappointment, letting go of Moira's arm to lean on Lute for support instead. "Bet he's just jealous cus he's not as attractive as the thief fellow."

In the end, everyone agreed to take up Rose's offer of staying at her and Angel's place for the night. Aria was rather looking forward to kicking off her heels for the night; it would no doubt be a long day tomorrow trying to chase down a slippery thief and all.

The mansion was every bit as grand as she imagined- smaller than Tobias' but very impressive nonetheless. The Pride all trudged in, tired from all the excitement of the day to flop onto very soft and comfortable bed in the various guest rooms.

Aliquam: La Mansión de Cervántes

Upon entry to the aristocrat siblings' grand home, Angel was the first to hop off the carriage. A couple of guards stood taut by the luxurious, ivory gates, and they somehow managed to stiffen their backs even more when the Pride came into view. The lazy aristocrat gave a loud sigh. "They always have heart attacks whenever we have guests over... yeesh." After a brief chitchat the gates pulled open and Angel, in a faux-snooty fashion, motioned with his arms for the Pride to enter his home.

The entry was as grand as its exterior, rivaling Tobias' home in its splendor, though not its size. "So folks," Angel said as he walked in after everyone, hands behind his head. "Take the left hallway all the way through, and you'll find some doors with empty rooms and empty beds and..."

Amy shuffled forward into the living room and flopped atop the nearest sofa instead. She let out a deep but satisfied "Mmmmm..." as she bounced in the deliciously soft cushions. The cleric hadn't even fallen on the couch all the way; her calves and feet dangled right off the arm-rest. With a nervous giggle, Trixie rushed towards her and pushed the cleric further so her entire body would be on the couch. Looks like she was ready to call it a night already. Thankfully for the blond, Trixie had swiped Amy's heels last minute (after noticing Amy was barefoot on their way out), and she dropped them off by the door along with her own shoes the minute she walked inside. It wasn't so much her being polite as it was her feet cramping. Why did fancy shoes always hurt so much?

"Oh, thank you sooo much for letting us stay, Miss Rosy and Mister... ... uh..."

"Just ditch the Mister, toots. No need to be so polite around me."

Trixie shrugged her shoulders unevenly. That didn't help her at all! "Uhhh - thanks again!" She followed after the others making their way towards the room. Much like Amy, she didn't quite understand the severity of what was to happen (or what had just happened, at any rate), though for entirely different reasons. She sputtered out some random nonsense to whoever was in front of her. "So, so, lightsticks and flashbangs and feathers and masks and stuff. Man, maybe we can out-thief this thief and steal his gismos instead! Then we could use them against him! Wouldn't that be cool!? That'd teach him not to steal... right? If he got stoled from?" She shrugged again and kicked the air heroically. "We're gonna show this guy who's boss! Tomorrow! Yes!"

La Mansión de Cervántes
Syed straightened back up from similarly placing his shoes by the door, managing to avoid Moira flinging hers into the pile. His eyes were locked, transfixed on a portrait which hung in the entranceway. It depicted both Rose and Angel of course, along with a man in full a high-ranking military uniform. Ohhhhh crap.

"Is that your dad?" he asked aloud after a quick thank-you for allowing them to stay. He... he wasn't home, was he? The last thing he wanted was to be recognised - the resemblance between him and his own military family was very much there after all.

Amy soon pretty much passed out on one of the sofas in the living room. Syed pulled a bit of a face as he watched her pretty much sprawled, before his jaw set. Okay. Yeah. "We'll sleep in here too," he muttered to Moira. "I don't want to leave her on her own." While it was reasonable to assume that this place was safe, especially with it's military connection, they had been in far too many situations where... they weren't. In fancy manors like this one, when they had drunk too much like both Amy and Moira had... he really, really didn't want a repeat of the Los Paraisos fiasco.


Moira just yawned loudly, feeling increasingly uncomfortable with the continued grandeur Aliquam offered. She was too tired and too drunk to really care where she was sleeping right now. "Urgh, that guy was fuckin' full of himself," she grumbled in response to Trixie, her hands clenching into fists. She hated being messed with. Why did all these people keep doing it?! "About time he got knocked down a peg or two."

She then thought for a moment, and you could almost see the cogs slowly moving in her head. "Ain't the most important thing gonna be what he's gonna rob?" she asked very slowly, the effort quite plain in her voice. "I mean, he said the most expensive thing, right?"

She sighed, putting her arms behind her head. "It'll have to be somethin' he could carry, and he didn't look that strong. Unless he's a fuckin' mage on top of everything. Maybe a painting or something, that shit is worth tonnes if you got the right connections. I knew a guy who could flog them for rediculous money."

Syed gave her a particularly stern look. How she remained a guilder for as long as she did before she joined the Pride, he'll never know.

Aliquam: La Mansión de Cervántes

To be honest, Lute would’ve felt more at home in simpler surroundings, but it was generous of the de Cervántes siblings to have extended their offer. When the Pride was ushered into the grandiose living room, the virtuoso vigorously wiped his shoes on the doormat before taking a step on the smooth marble flooring. They were given directions on where to go- "Take the left hallway all the way through, and you'll find some doors with empty rooms and empty beds and..."- and Lute bowed at Rose and Angel. “Thank you for the hospitality!” He exclaimed as one of their members deigned to use the sofa as her bed. Syed and Moira would stay behind with Amy while Trixie accompanied him and the others to the hallway.

The youngster’s cheering reached Lute’s ears and he turned towards Trixie, a bright smile on his face. “That’s a cool plan, but let’s be extra careful tomorrow, okay? Supervillains always have a trump card or something… Like in that book where the hero defeated the bad guy and then the bad guy turned into an even badder guy!” The virtuoso shook his head in distaste. “Let’s just hope he’s not a dragon.”

Lute walked further down the hallway as the others went off on their own. “Hey, miss Xandra, can you, uh…” He transferred Aria’s weight onto Xandra and although the half-asleep illusionist might not appreciate that action, it was the proper thing to do. He opened a door near the end of the corridor and was greeted by the sight of a large, well-furnished bedroom. “Wow, it’s kind of… Way too big for one person. Who wants to share rooms? I can sleep on the floor. I like sleeping on floors,” Lute laughed nervously as he eyed the thick and very comfortable-looking rug near the fireplace. Let’s face it, his cot was practically a rug, so familiarity breeds affection? That or the huge canopy bed frightened him. The virtuoso thought that if he slept in that thing, he’d wake up all rich and snooty. Maybe with a wine glass in one hand.

It was very kind of the Cervantes siblings to offer them a place to stay. Xan thanked them then followed a bouncy Lucien into the mansion. It had been a long night and had ended on a rather unsettling note. Thieves were on the lose, and it would be up to them to put a stop to their shenanigans. As they entered the house, Amy pretty much crashed onto the sofa and Xan had to admit, the cleric had the right idea. Tomorrow was going to be a long day, and for those who had drank themselves out of their wits, it wouldn't be a pleasant morning.

Angel directed them towards the left hallway and she gave him a thankful nod.

"So, so, lightsticks and flashbangs and feathers and masks and stuff. Man, maybe we can out-thief this thief and steal his gismos instead!

Lucien popped up behind the prankster, a grin plastered to his face. "Hey, hey, that actually sounds like a good idea." The man cackled playfully, "plus, those gadgets of his seem pretty nifty, I wonder how he got it to rain feathers?" He gave Trixie's head a playful knock then walked down the hall. "Of course we'll show them, we're the Pride." He puffed up his chest then followed after Lute and a wobbly looking Aria.

"don't worry about Aria," Xan gave Lute a reassuring smile, "she's pretty much used to this, she'll live." the metallurgist recalled the various times her friend had wound up drunk. Aria was no Moira, but she was pretty much an expert at this thing too. "And please stop with the miss," she laughed a little, narrowing her eyes in mock irritation. "You're making me feel old." She steadied the wobbly Aria then made her way towards one of the doors. Lute was right, the room was really spacious. "Hey Pixie, do you want to join us? We can have a sleepover?" Xan smiled, "there's a lot of room."

She took a step inside to look around and Aria pretty much crashed into the bed like a log.

"Oi, Lute, if they're having a sleepover." Lucien turned to the Virtuoso, "we should have one too! I've got a lot of creepy tales underneath my sleeves." He tapped the man on the back, a devious looking grin spreading over his face. "I should tell you about the haunted spoon." And before Lute could say anything else, an chatty Lucien ushered him into the other room.

Aliquam: La Mansión de Cervántes
The Next Morning

“Oh, my aching head… why didn’t I learn my lesson…?”

Sitting upon one of the chairs resting by the lavish oaken table of the Cervantés family’s kitchen, Dylan nursed a cup of coffee in one hand, the other supporting his throbbing head as he leaned forwards and rested his weight on his elbow. He couldn’t remember how much he had drunk from the night before at Tobias’ party, but considering how terribly his head pulsed and throbbed, he could deduce that it was a lot indeed. One part of him chastised himself for the pain, the other was more concerned for what he could have done, and thankfully, from the looks of things, hadn’t. The last time he had woken up with a hangover as severe as this was at Los Paraisos, and what happened then was…

The matter artist grimaced again. As much as he enjoyed the wine, he had to put an end to it. Last night was the last night.

He sulkily sighed and almost collapsed onto the table. Why oh why did he leave his bed again…?



“Serves you right,” Called a gentler, feminine voice from Dylan’s side. He didn’t need to look to know that it was his sister Dalia, standing besides the kitchen table with one knife in hand, preparing lunch for her brother and his friends later in the day. Rose and Angel had all manner of staff ready to serve to them and their guests’ needs, including a cook for the breakfast, but Dalia wanted to take the extra effort to prepare their lunches herself. It was a simple case of sandwiches, but she thought it was more rewarding, and tastier, when made with such personal care.

“Make sure you don’t move too quickly or fast,” Dalia continued. “We don’t want you to be sick, again. You need to get yourself well rested up, Dylan. You have work tonight.”

“Don’t remind me…” Dylan moaned.

“Unless you think it’d be better to skip it, all things considering. The way you are now…”

“I’ll be fine by then, I promise. Just… talk a bit quieter?”

Dalia tuttered and shook her head from side to side. “Dylan, Dylan, Dylan. Little brother. Let this be a lesson for you.” The Priestess said with a smile. “Anyway, I need to leave and head for the Academy now, and speak with the Headmaster and other Priests and Priestesses. You and your friends can come arrive later, your lunch is all in the fridge. Let’s not forget that tonight we need to catch a thief.”

“Yes,” Dylan replied, covering his face with his hand again. “A bloody thief.”

Dalia walked past Dylan, and exited through the kitchen door to the stately garden outside. As her feet trudged upon the stone steps, towards a carriage and waiting driver ready to spirit Dalia to the Academy, she smiled and waved, bidding a farewell to Estelle as she went past.



Already up, Estelle was training, in her full outfit and gear (all brought from Dylan and Dalia’s home by Dalia earlier that morning), swinging her sword about in practiced strokes, again and again. Finishing her routine exercise, Estelle came to a stop, covered in and dripping with sweat. Picking up the towel lying by the ground next to a water bottle, she patted herself down, and waved goodbye to Dalia, the gates at the far end of the driveway creaking open to permit her exit.

Estelle turned, walking back to Rose and Angel’s mansion, intent on taking a shower and then enjoying some breakfast. Hopefully the others might be awake yet.

Tonight, she would do everything in her power to catch the Masked Phantom, no matter what.

Aliquam: La Mansión de Cervántes

“Meeeeurgh…”

The mornings after excessive drinking really were horrible- and it certainly didn’t help that Xan had rallied Trixie to poke her awake almost right after she had crashed to ask for embarrassing stories. In the end she had finally complied with one about Lulu to have them leave so she could sleep. Still, this hangover wasn’t half as bad as the one she had ended up with Los Paraisos, so she merely rolled off the bed, dragging her blankets with her.

The cocoon of blankets lay on the floor for a while before inching towards the bathroom like a very strange caterpillar. A while and a nice hot shower later, Aria emerged now feeling much better than before. She slowly made her way downstairs with her scarf wrapped around her head to block out the light, ignoring the fact that it made her look rather delicious. Following the scent of food to the kitchen, she plopped down on the table where Dylan was, looking just as, if not more miserable than she was.

She grumbled out a morning, pressing her cheek against the cold wood of the table and peering out at the kitchen doors through her scarf. Was it worth getting up for a cup of coffee? Perhaps she’ll just wait for Lulu to come downstairs so she can bully him into getting a cup for her, and maybe even some pancakes and bacon. Or even anyone else who wasn’t hungover like the two sitting at the table…

La Mansión de Cervántes
"Excuse me?"

A girl in a crisp black and white uniform turned towards the bound pair, before giving them a quick curtesy. "Hello sir. Have we ran out of towels?"

Syed looked confused for a moment, before he lifted a hand to his soggy hair. Both he - and Moira who stood somewhat disinterested next to him - had just finished showering themselves. After all Moira was as much an early riser as ever much to his dismay, and they had done their training already. "Oh! No. No, there were plenty, thank you. What I was wondering though was if you had any newspapers?"

"I believe we'll have a copy of today's paper in the kitchen."

"Ah..." Syed fiddled with his fingers, the dissapointment clear on his features. Even then, that was to be expected. It was a bit of a stretch. "I see. Thank you anyway," he smiled with a shrug. He turned to Moira, cocking his head down the corridor. "It was worth a shot, right?"

"Wait... did you want old papers?" The maid clasped her hands loosely by her waist, looking towards the pair curiously. "Is this for the Masked Phantom?" Upon recieving a nod in response, she bit her lip as she considered the options. "Our butler has a habit of collecting papers. I could ask him if he'll allow you to look through them?"

---

La Mansión de Cervántes - Library
Moira leaned back in her chair, munching on her cheese on toast as she went. The house had a decent sized library, it was just a shame she couldn't find any of her kind of book among the shelves. Why other people were so unwilling to leave adult material around when their children were involved, she didn't know. It never did Sonny any harm. Not to mention how Angel seemed like the kind of guy who had his own stash anyway.

Syed sat next to her at the table, pouring over the papers which sat in front of him. The butler actually had a fairly large collection, around 4 or 5 months worth of papers. Unfortunately they were arranged in date order so he was having to sift through the lot.

Still, if they could find out some more details about the previous thefts, that would help, right?

Aliquam: La Mansión de Cervántes

Lute woke up early as usual, although he might have done so a few hours earlier than his norm thanks to Lucien. The summoner had a far too grand time recounting the tales of that accursed utensil. “The haunted spoon… It creeps up on unsuspecting sleeping people… And stabs them in the eye!” Or something like that. In any case, the virtuoso donated the bed to Lucien and slept near the fireplace because the haunted spoon was, for some reason, scared of fire. Delilah, of course, had been outright skeptical of the story but it was better to be safe than missing an eye.

The next morning, Lute checked on Lucien to see if the haunted spoon had indeed visited the boy, but the summoner looked fine. “I guess angels were watching over him,” The young man yawned as he left the room and headed over to the kitchen. It was a habit of his that when he woke up he’d make breakfast for himself, but a cook was already there. Of course. So, Lute did the second best thing and volunteered to gather herbs from the garden.

“Good morning mi- Xandra,” He chirped at the metallurgist who had gotten up early as well. She laughed and left quickly, leaving Lute to wonder if he had anything on his face. When he returned to the kitchen with his basket of sage, Lute noticed that Dylan and Aria were already at the table. The chef moved in and arranged the breakfast on the table, so he decided to brew a cup of coffee for himself and the others.

“Morning!” The white-haired man said as he placed Aria’s cup near her face, then slid a saucer with four round white pills in between her and the matter artist. “Make sure to eat something before taking the meds.”

Pfft, the haunted spoon. The look on Lute's face had been absolutely priceless.

Lucien walked out of the bathroom, a towel slung over his shoulder. His roommate, Lute, had woken up far too early, and the summoner pretty much spent another hour or two in bed before finally making the decision to freshen up and head downstairs. Upon heading down, the smell of breakfast filled the room, and not only that, but the sight of a hungover Dylan and Aria, and a chirpy looking Lute. "Glad to see the haunted spoon didn't get you," he greeted with a soft snicker.

"Hey, hey, are you two okay?" He realized his mistake, muttered an apology, and lowered his voice as he did so.

Lucien made his way towards the kitchen and grabbed a plate of eggs, bacon, and orange juice. He then waved goodbye to his friends and wandered back into the living room. Amy, like Aria and Dylan wasn't exactly looking very chipper, though to be fair, she was usually serious. "Hey Amy," he plopped down onto one of the seats and began to take a bite out of his omelette. "This ish good," he gave her a thumbs up through mouthfuls, "oh and by the way, there's breakfast in the kitchen."

The summoner noticed how she didn't look too happy, so he decided to tell a joke. "Have you heard about the new broom?" There was a momentary pause. "It's sweeping the nation." He grew a little tense when he remembered how scary she could be. "Um, on second thought. I can go get you some food? It would be my pleasure."

---

Xan woke up bright and early and ran into Lute in the kitchen.

She had just finished a nice breakfast, and was about look around. The girl would have given him a quick greeting, but Aria's little tale came into mind and she couldn't help but laugh at the virtuoso. Last night, she had managed to bug Aria until her friend told them at least one drunken story. It didn't disappoint, and it ended up involving Lute and a couple of baby animals.

Armed with a cup of hot chocolate, she made her way upstairs and ended up in the library.

The girl made her way inside and noticed that Moira and Syed were there. "Good morning," Xan greeted with a smile before heading towards the duo. Syed was looking at a lot of newspapers while Moira looked a tad bored. The girl placed her cup on the table, pausing for a moment to peer at all the headlines. "Anything interesting on the news?" she asked before making her way towards one of the many shelves. She wasn't particularly interested in reading the morning away, but it would hopefully get her mind off their upcoming mission. Whoever the masked phantom was, he made stealing sound so easy.

They needed to put him behind bars, failure wasn't an option. "That guy in the mask yesterday, he made it sound like a piece of cake."

Aliquam: La Mansión de Cervántes - Library

The opening of the door to the library heralded a surprise from the two occupants, and a smile on the entrée, as he carefully walked into the large and spacious room, littered with rows upon rows of bookshelves filled with paperbacks and leather-bound hard covers of all shapes and sizes and subjects. Marcus smiled as he spotted the pair, and his grin grew even larger as he noticed the stack of newspapers to the side of Syed, and automatically understood what it was the electromage was up to. To the sides, peering through the stack of bookshelves was Xandra, and he shot a quick smile in her direction as well.

“Good morning, everyone,” Marcus greeted, walking towards the large and regal wooden table that had been polished to a mirror sheen, taking one of the many empty seats opposite Moira and Syed. As he settled down, he brought his cup of steaming hot coffee to his lips, and savoured the taste with relish, before lowering it down onto a mat, and relaxed in his chair. “It looks like you both had the same idea that I did, except you managed to beat me to it,” Marcus laughed. “Let me help.”

He reached for the stack of newspapers, giving a low whistle at the immaculate condition of them and lack of yellowing despite their age when reading the date at the top of the front cover, and settled it in front of him, opening it up to read through the entrees within. Fortunately for them all, the butler had brought the Artar Kingdom’s national newspaper, the Artar Gazette, as opposed to Aliquam’s local paper. Marcus severely doubted there would be any information of their mysterious, masked adversary within the local papers, and the national newspaper stood their best bet.

But it was with an unhopeful grimace that Marcus began shuffling through the pages. He always read an edition of the Artar Gazette each morning when possible, and could not recall any mentions of the Masked Phantom within them. Unless those reports happened over a year ago, he would have read it. It was always possible he might have missed an article if it was small, or he might have forgotten it, but one of the main reasons Marcus read through the papers was to take note of any possible dangerous incidents, in the chance that he and Estelle might encounter it.

"Any of you heard about “The Masked Phantom” before last night?” Marcus asked, taking another sip of his coffee.

"That guy in the mask yesterday, he made it sound like a piece of cake." Xandra commented with a frown.

“He was quite the… individual, wasn’t he?" Marcus stroked his chin. "I wonder what it is he intends to steal…?”

Aliquam: La Mansión de Cervántes - Second Floor Corridor

Rivulets of warm water cascaded down Estelle’s body, as she lifted her head up to soak in the gorgeous water and wash her hair. She could feel all the sweat and exhaustion from her morning’s training wash away from her, and almost feel herself in danger of drifting back to sleep, the shower being that heavenly. It had been a long, long time since she had a wash as good as this, and she needed to make sure she thanked Rose for it the next time she saw her.

A short time later, her shower having been completed, Estelle was fully dressed again, sans her familiar armour that the Cervantes siblings’ servants were being only too gracious to clean and polish for her, and she explored the Mansion’s massive corridors and rooms, trying to find a friendly face she recognised. This building was so large, so big, that it was easy for her to continually get lost in, despite the number of times she might have walked down this corridor. It took her almost twenty minutes just to find the washroom after her training.

As she walked throughout the mansion, her eyes running across the various avant garde furnishings and beautiful paintings adorning the Mansion’s splendid walls, her thoughts always remained on the strange masked man she had met the night before. The thief whom called himself the Masked Phantom. Wondering what he was he was planning on stealing, and just how it was that she and her friends would catch him. The way he seemed to effortlessly come and go at Tobias’ mansion, she had a feeling this wouldn’t be easy…

---

Aliquam: La Mansión de Cervántes - Kitchen

“Luuuute…” Dylan groaned, looking up from the comfortable perch of his arm to the overly fussy blonde man across the table, bent over halfway arched towards Aria, giving her a cup and number of pills to help combat her throbbing headache. “Give me some of thoseeee…” He reached over, taking two of the pills with one agonisingly stretched arm, and dragging it back towards his face. Lifting his head up again, the virtuoso and illusionist could see Dylan lift a finger over his lips, as he struggled to keep his eyes open at Lute.

“Also… you control sound, right?” Dylan moaned. “Turn it dooooown… all the way… down... ugh.”

His head flopped onto the kitchen table.

Once upon a time…

…there was a girl. A brave, brash little girl who dreamed of a big future in following in the steps of her mother and heroes. A little girl who wanted to grow up big and strong, to help and protect the weak and the needy. To become a Guilder, and save the lives of those who needed saving. To, for the first time ever, make some friends. She took on the sword of her hero and journeyed out wide eyed, to accomplish her dreams.

Once upon a time…

…there was a boy. A bright, hopeful boy that grew up in a harsh and bitter world. He had no dreams, for already his dreams had been decided for him. Despite the cruel reality of the boy’s world, he longed and yearned for something better, something kinder. He followed his heart, and for that he paid the price. He died, and was reborn. Saved by a little girl.

That was where their story first began. A year had since passed, and they had been on many exciting adventures since. They both started off small, working their way up to bigger, more exciting missions. From rescuing lost cats and chasing after boarigs, to fighting bandits and braving collapsing castles and mines.

They helped people. They helped each other. They had many wonderful adventures meeting new people and making new friends.

They had, unfortunately, lost some along the way too. One all important, inspirational man who meant the world to the little girl. The closest thing the little girl could call a father. It made her sad. Sad for a very long time.

But the sadness wasn’t forever, and the happiness returned. It returned thanks to a number of important friends she had made, friends who were there at her darkest hour and who were willing to stand by her no matter what.

---

• A tiny, brunette, helmet wearing prankster, adventurous and full of life, with a predisposition towards shooting things with her butt-pocket uzis and an insatiable love for cheese. She was the closest thing the little girl had to a younger sister.

• An older, blonde haired, buxom cleric, whose healing spells healed the little girl’s fatigue and pain whenever the little girl faced it. Which was very often indeed. Also the prankster’s begrudging ward, she was the closest thing the little girl had to an aunt.

• A loud, foul mouthed, larger then life red haired berserker, who stood true to her title in all facets of life. A powerful, inspiring figure who backed down from no fight and more often then not was the cause of them. She was the closest thing the little girl felt she had to a protector.

• A self doubting, but well meaning brown haired electricity mage, who showed more care for the safety and well-being of others then most would ever know. A man who harboured great doubts about his capabilities but who faced them and always did the right thing. The closest the little girl could call an uncle.

• A beautiful, mesmerising dancing songstress, whose clearheaded, rational manner of communication, care and grace towards others was the calming influence the little girl and everyone else needed. She was the closest the little girl had to an older sister.

• An equally spunky, adventurous blonde haired archer with an immense love for nature and all of the life it held. A girl who stood by her beliefs and always did what she thought was right, despite her lax in attention. A girl who always stood by her companions and friends’ side. She was the little girl’s first best friend.

• A flamboyant, utterly confusing and perplexing attention hog of a man who was once upon a time their enemy. A man who was an unassuming catalyst that ended up bringing everyone together. A man who cheered up the spirits of the little girl and her friends during their darkest moments. He was the closest the little girl had to a big brother.

• A blonde curled woman of respect and kindness, who always gave it her all to not only support the little girl but to support everyone who needed help. Who tirelessly and diligently gave up quite literally everything for that which she thought most precious. Who supported the little girl in ways both big and small. She was the closest the little girl had to a mentor.

• A beautiful, serene, blonde haired artist who could bring wonderful and fantastic creations to life, whose upbeat outlook and infectious determination to support others. Despite not knowing him for long, in time, he would grow to be the closest thing the little girl had to a younger brother.

• A strange violet haired animal summoner with an interest in the morbid and outrageous, ridiculous jokes and a love for soda, with a wild and weird interest in particular fashion. A man who could stare down death and laugh. He would grow to also be the little girl's older brother.

• A sharp and confident, beautiful woman with a penchant for drinking and the ability to create the impossible, possible. A woman with a perpetually cheerful attitude and cool exterior, an utterly dependable ally. She too, would grow to be the little girl's older sister.

• A diligent and hardworking brunette who always focused on her mission to a fault. A girl who was utterly loyal and dedicated to her friends, despite facing horrible adversity and hardship in her life. A girl who would never say never, and always fight to the end. She would grow to become one of the little girl's most trustworthy friends.

• A messy, unconfident blonde man lacking in self confidence and a tendency to collapse on his rear. A man who, despite looking crazy talking to his familiar sound spirit residing in his mind, could always be relied upon to support his friends and to strive to work his hardest. As the newest addition to the little girl's family, he would grow to be like her younger brother.

There were others the little girl had met along the way whom she would call her friends, although circumstances forced them to part for the time being. An enthusiastic marauder with a love of riding on trains and looking upon the bright side of life no matter how sad it got. A flirtatious rogue of a nekomimi whose smile could never be turned upside down. A man skilled with a glaive and justice, dspite struggling to understand the emotions of his peers. A young, athletic acrobatic woman with the ability to channel her energy into her fists to back up her sassy attitude. Even those whom had been at odds with the little girl at first, such as the proud and mighty earth warrior whose fists could break stone, or the drunk and lecherous ranger who rarely acted in the manner that befit his rank would earn the laughter and friendship of the little girl. Even a certain hoodie wearing hoverboarder with a nasty attitude streak towards others would have her friendship, provided he received a solid thump in the nose first.

---

The little girl had had a wonderful adventure so far, and made wonderful, priceless friends and memories in that time.

No, she had made more then just wonderful new friends.

She had made a family.

The best part was that whilst her adventure had lasted some time, it would still not yet end for a long, long time to come.





Opening Theme: Now~ Paramore

A
[Pachamac] [Bunanigans] [Taerinn] [Rexcalibur] [Dannyel] [Fox of Spades] [Crescendo] [Orpheus]
Production

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(Here's to the next 1000(+1700) posts, and the next 1000(+1700) after that!)