Board Thread:Role Plays/@comment-26130256-20150806184438/@comment-26130256-20150912213728

Uriel would have facepalmed if his hand still wasn't covered in tiny spikes. "No, but I kinda can see why you thought that.  It was me.  That was the 'nice cushy position of authority' I told you about.  Now, if I'm right, your little partner was an inside man.  He got a job as a blackjack dealer, if you can imagine that."

"After a few weeks of work, he figured out all the important bits of the security system, and made all of the little tweaks that the Harlequins used to get inside.  Just leaving a door unlocked here, a security keycard there, maybe taking some pictures of the blueprints, simple stuff by itself.  Then when the time was right, he gave a signal to his buddies, they all masked up, and made off with a fortune.  But that's still not all of why I am here.  Let's just say that the money was nowhere near the most valuable thing in that vault that was taken."

From a rooftop three blocks away, Azulius peered through a pair of binoculars at the moonlit yard of the warehouse. Twenty-three thugs, all well-armed, kept a sort of watch along all the major avenues of entry. And the phantom that had nearly killed him, along with a blast from his past, inside holding Shani hostage.

"Tell me, Brick," he asked the sniper next to him. "How bad of an idea is this?" With a friend of Azulius's in danger, not to mention a potential Blackbriar plot afoot, easily half of the family's people and guns were now in a perimeter around the target. Even Trigo himself was en route, though it would be a few minutes before he arrived. Sadly, midnight was fast approaching.

"Ya want the truth?" Brick asked, his tail curling as he thought. "This may be the stupidest idea I've ever seen.  And working with Boss Trigo, that's saying a lot."

"Your confidence is heartwarming.  Any better ideas are welcome."

"Confidence reflects leadership.  And I didn't say I had any better ideas, just that this one sucks."

"Fine," Azulius gave the sniper back his binoculars. I've got my scroll broadcasting and a bug in my belt buckle. If I give the signal, or you lose contact for more than five minutes, unleash hell. I'll stall as well as I can until Trigo arrives first.

"Got it, boss.  But be careful." Brick's tone became surprisingly sincere. "I was there when Rosa died.  I don't even want to know what Don Ochre would do if he lost you too."

"If we're lucky," Azulius threw on his trench coat and walked to the stairs, "We'll never have to find out." At ground level, the Blackbriar thugs spotted him easily, but he held up his hands in surrender. He had never felt more naked, but Roaring Moxie and all her ammo were in his rocket locker on another rooftop, waiting to be shot to him in case a fight broke out.

"Gentlemen, I have an appointment with your boss."