"There are times when you wonder what to do next, you're a man of honour, you have a code, somewhere to rest your head for a while. Maybe that is what we all hope to achieve at the end of the day, we all have something that gives us that reason. The moment where we know what to do with our skills, I thought I was good as a hired gun, only I more so stumbled into something else at the time.

My name is Gallus, I worked with some of the different people in the underworld. They were mostly pickpockets, people who decided to dirty their hands with mud and jewels from the deceased. I decided that it was good money, it made me a lot of friends and maybe it caused me to gain some infamy, I was known by many names, one of them was 'Negotiator.'

I was good at making deals, some of those deals turned out for the best, some of them for the worst.  This one job, well it didn't exactly warm me to my core. Still, it brought me a much-needed connection to the other side of this life. 

They often didn't come to speak with the lowlifes, only I agreed to work a job that changed my clientele to that of a better paying provider. I became an associate and it all started because I decided to relieve the Los Angeles National Art Gallery of some precious cargo."

"You want me to what? That kind of thing, it takes some smarts, it takes some balls and it takes one hell of a payday. I can only assume that I would be looking at the same thing with you, I won't allow this shit to get the better of me. I want to be sure that I can get out of this alive, with the cash."

Gallus Desidenius was many things, a thief, a breaker of hearts and perhaps the luckiest bastard alive. Then again, being from Scotland was supposed to have its benefits...of course...people always confused him for an Irishman, maybe because he could change accents at the drop of a hat. He was just bastardly in that manner. 

"Gallus, sometimes I wonder if you're truly just a thief. This job has many parts to it and we made sure that the correct people were put on this job, you'll be getting this done and you will be getting the pay."

The thief raises his eyebrow, he wondered if this fucking idiot thought he was just that stupid. Obviously it was something along those lines, he decided to keep his mind occupied, knowing that this was going to be something different. 

"Oh no, Advance, Mercer. We're working together with Karliah. We're making money here, so you're in or you're out. I'm not having you holding a knife to my back, is that understood?"

Gallus worked a lot with Mercer Frey, the man was a good fence but other than that, he didn't trust him to work with him. Even when the two had gotten the Diamond from Saint Luisa of Las Vegas, that type of shit nearly had him killed. Something that he was sure Mercer wanted, all to secure the money that would soon be rolling in. 

A sharp hiss of a laugh escaped Mercer before he sobered up, making it seem like he often enjoyed these talks with Gallus. The man had made for an interesting associate, nobody else would have taken up this job but it seemed that he loved danger and here it was in the form of Gallus. 

"Hm, fine, get Karliah over here and we can begin with the debriefing. What I want and how many pieces will get you in the good books of my associates."

Gallus scoffed, he stood from his seat, heading over to the phone that sat on the bar. He looked over at a few of Mercer's associates, they were often called the Frey Gang or Crew, to him, they were just another bunch of fuckers on the stepping stone to 'The Big One.'

"Karliah, I'm in Hollywood....we got a job from Mercer, I know he's a dick but it pays. Come on down, I need you."

Karliah emptied the contents of her purse on her dining room table. Wallets, watches, bracelets, rings. A small vase that she'd lifted from the dining table of the restaurant she'd eaten in that morning. The votive candle holder that matched it. A pair of dice from a casino. A shot glass from the same. An ashtray, also from the casino- she didn't smoke, but it was a pretty little cut glass number that she could plunk her rings into as she did the dishes in her kitchen.

The entire bungalow home in Los Angeles was filled with paraphernalia such as this. If it wasn't stolen, it was gotten under false pretenses. Even the home itself had been sold to her for a fraction of the original selling price. Karliah had been practicing her forgery skills, and really hadn't anticipated it to work since it was a rushed job, but who looks at anything other than signatures when finalizing a contract?

The phone rang, and her toes curled reflexively in the carpeting beneath her feet. She hated telephones and the bad news that they always brought. Slowly, she made her way across the room to answer it.

"Hello."

"Karliah, I'm in Hollywood....we got a job from Mercer, I know he's a dick but it pays. Come on down, I need you."

She sighed, and after a pause, replied in the affirmative and got an address. A bar. How lovely. If she never heard anyone try to call beer 'mead' again she'd die a happy woman. 

*

The place was a dive, of course. Cheap booze, sticky floors, and a bouncer on the door that was half asleep and never felt his wallet being removed. Karliah used a dollar to buy herself coffee, then continued down the long, mostly-empty bar to the men at the end of it. 

"Gallus," she smiled, placing a warm kiss on his cheek. "Mercer," she muttered as she turned, her eyes narrowing in immediate suspicion. "What's the job?"

"Karliah took you long enough, get held up with more than one job this time around?"

Mercer inquired, Los Angeles was something of a different playground compared to the city of sin. Now looking at the two of them, he could see they hardly trusted him and a smirk twitched at his lips, many people guessed that he coveted the playground that was LA for himself. The businesses and marks that were just there, Gallus didn't take that chance, he was an idiot to him in some ways. 

"She's here Mercer, that's all that matters. Tell her about the art gallery, considering that this is supposed to pay some good cash as you said."

A commanding tone, telling Mercer to stop with the questioning and get on with the job. Unlike the others, Gallus and his own crew of thieves did not agree with what Mercer was trying to do, he wished to monitor all the thieves. Take little cuts here and there, like he was some kind of master of thieves, that didn't work with them. 

"Hehe...calm down Gallus, have some more of the mead, alright? I'm trying to make sure that we all have a nice comfy time."

Mercer and Comfy never went together, something that Gallus knew already. He raised an eyebrow, deciding to prod the man to go further and see where that would get him. 

"Fine...it's the historical Roman art gallery Downtown, the buyer wants five pieces of artefacts, paying two million apiece. I was going to give this to Vex but since this is your backyard I wanted to give this to you, everything is sorted and we should be good with this...we'll have everything sorted."

Gallus wondered if that was it, he knew the thief before him and there had to be something to it, something more. Maybe he was giving the man too much but he decided to not question it. 

"When is our deadline?"

Mercer smirked, leaning forward as he gripped his tankard with a hearty grip. 

"Tonight. The buyer wants it done fast, quick and easy. You think you can handle that, Gallus?"

The Scotsman traded a look with Karliah, she would be there to assist. She had the skills, it would be appreciated and so he turned back facing  Mercer and nodded, trying to ignore the growing sense of worry in the pit of his stomach.

Grinding her teeth at the word 'mead' Karliah's ruffled feathers soon settled again when Mercer gave the details. 

Well, some details. A general what, and where. Karliah had strolled through the museum a couple of times, and she knew what minor pieces would be going home with her after it was all said and done.

Now, she turned to look at Gallus. He didn't look particularly convinced. Karliah draped her arm around his waist and spoke.

"As long as your buyer hasn't chosen anything too large or heavy, we'll be fine. Some of the sculptures or the relief works would require a small army, and equipment we don't possess. If they want paintings, jewelry, small busts, then it won't be a problem at all," she said, already taking a mental inventory of what they'd need. She had lockpicking skills. Gallus could easily neutralize any guards. Karliah had fashioned her own glass cutting tool recently- this would be a great opportunity to put it to use. 

"We should get going. We're going to need a vehicle," Karliah said, pulling Gallus gently towards the door with her. They could have stayed and done the planning there in relative privacy, but she wanted away from Mercer as soon as possible. In the off chance this was some sort of set-up, he didn't need to know any of their details.

"Enjoy your BEER," she called over her shoulder, not bothering to turn and watch his face as she said it. This was 1930's America, he needed to get with the times before someone beat the stuffing out of him just for being an annoyance.

Outside, the day was pleasant and warm. Karliah had taken a taxi to get here.

"How did you get here? Did you drive? Oh, did you buy a car?" Karliah asked brightly. Stealing a car was on her to-do list, but she needed to learn how to drive one first.

"'Tis called mead, dear."

He watched her face, that reaction was something that he could never truly get enough of. He swiped an arm around her waist, bringing her flush against him for a moment. 

"Yes, Beer. I know, some of us are stuck in the past where men used ravens and women were supposed to be at home with focuses on cooking and running the household. Of course, I see differently to those who would still cling onto those ways."

He flushed, wondering where he got the sudden desire to explain himself. He shrugged, knowing that it was simply his way or oddities as he had taken to calling them. 

"I drove....didn't you know? I've recently fallen in love with something called the 'Iron-Horse', I believe they truly call it a motorcycle. Still, it gets me by."

Gallus motioned towards it, noticing a few people standing by it, seemingly admiring it. He watched them for a while, deciding to walk ahead, knowing that Karliah would follow as she always did, ever so faithful. 

"I do not trust that man, he's up to something. Been trying to kill me since that diamond heist, I think he may just wish to do so with this next job. Either way, we prepare for anything and everything. I know exactly where we can get some supplies, my love."

Mercer Frey was plenty of things but truly someone who offered high paying work like this one? That was not in his description, from what he knew of the man. 

"Just...be careful with this job, come on, we've got some things to collect."

Riding on the back of the 'iron horse' was quite freeing, like a ride in a fancy convertible, but with more inherent danger involved. Karliah gripped onto Gallus tightly, her hair whipping in the breeze as they coursed down and through the downtown streets. A few stops were made, but soon they were at the bungalow. Gallus paused at the dining table to look down upon the 'treasures' she'd most recently acquired, his eyebrow lifting in time with the hand that lifted her parmesan and red pepper flake containers that she'd taken from the pizza joint in Nevada.

"Pizza place in Vegas," she grinned. "They had avocado on the pizza. And figs!" She said, carefully pushing the test of the baubles to the side so that they could sit, plan, sketch the museum's layout, or whatever Gallus needed a flat surface for. With a blush and a clearing of her throat, she sat down and gestured for him to do the same.

"I know the interior of the museum fairly well. The art is divided up by medium, rather than era. Paintings here," she said, placing her stolen shotglass on one part of the table, then one of the die a little further away from it, "...and the sculptures, here. The jewelry is in glass cases over here," she said, using the little ceramic vase as a marker. 

"They don't seem to change out the exhibits, or move anything around. Sometimes there's special, limited-time exhibits over here," she said, this time using the votive candle holder as another marker. 

"Two guards on the front door. We may get lucky there, I believe it's only one at night. Your 'iron horse' is going to be loud, and we can't carry six pieces of art on it, unless we're talking tiny things. Any ideas there?" 

"Huh the bigger artefacts can wait, we'd need a truck, to be fair, I'd rather take the jewellery and a few rolls of the paintings. Make sure that we can get some bang for our buck with this fuck."

He was leaned over the couch, his lips next to her ear and his eyes continuously narrowing on the sketch before him. The planning was superb, Gallus knew that this job was from Mercer, still, it didn't mean he couldn't give it the best possible outcome. Plus...maybe he could work something out with a few of his people. 

"The guards...you know my style, dear. I don't fight, nor kill if I have too. If they can be subdued by other means, then I will. Otherwise, we could have something good here. Maybe I can work with this, even if it is from Mercer fuckin' Frey of all people."

The Scotsman scoffed, deciding to keep himself occupied with the plans in his head as he knew which way to take the goods. He could easily get a truck but in such short notice, he knew that it was going to be different, something that did little to excite him.  

"We get a truck, we have to risk that it's heard. Something that is to be expected with our line of work. I say we take the paintings and jewels first. Anything else is just a bonus to us, something that we could easily use to bring ourselves some nice profit, what do you say to that dear?"

A concentrating look settled on the Scotsman face, his eyes narrowed for a moment. His eyes darting to Karliah's for a moment, wondering what she was thinking of what he was wanting with this...he always did, she was something of a compass, to keep him centred.

Karliah stood and began to pace back and forth. It was what she did when her brain kicked into high gear- all legs and gesturing hands.

"Okay. Okay. Try this on for size? Tonight we ride in, park a block away. Fast job here, in and out. We grab whatever we can carry in knapsacks without causing damage to it. I have a little chloroform left over from that time when we-" She cut off that thought, biting her lip instead. It had been a fun night.

"There's enough for one average-sized man, so hopefully I'm right about one guard. You know as well as I do that that stuff doesn't last long. Ten, fifteen minutes? But that's okay. That's okay, because here's where the fun comes in. After we've grabbed the goods and the guy comes around, we make a point of talking around him, if he's smart he'll continue to play dead, right? So we talk. We talk about how next week, we're  going to hit another museum here in town. Give a general time, day. The guy will likely give up the info to authorities to save his job, and his pride. But then," she said, pacing faster, "... we go back to the same museum with the truck, maybe a small team, day after tomorrow. Clean them out. They'll never see it coming. Nor will Mercer. He gets what we say he gets from the second take- or none at all- and he never gets a chance to double-cross us because he doesn't even know we're going back!" 

She was downright excited now, her color high. She loved taking things that weren't hers, but she loved outsmarting people even more. Especially men like Mercer.

Tilting his head to the side, he watched her with some fascination. The plan was one well thought out and knew that it thought of everything, of course, they had to get the things together and it was going to be a different thing actually doing all of this.

"Never doubt Mercer lass, the man knows a lot of things that nobody else even knows. Still, if you think that this could be our best plan/chance and give us the best result possible then we should go with it. I'd rather make money than stare up at Mercer as he holds me at gunpoint."

Noticing how she was downright excited, he knew that he wasn't going to mention anything in regards to the guards and how they might be on Mercer's payroll. Considering that this job came out of nowhere, this was bullshit and something that took his anger to new levels. 

"Just be on the lookout lass, this job, it could be a bit different. It's from Mercer of all people and you know why I don't like him, that one job with him has me thinking of his plans for the future."

He shuddered, the shiver that rocked his body made him feel like he could have been in a frozen wasteland. Gallus looked over at her, simply smiling for a moment, he would deal with it, for both of them. 

"Tell me when you're ready darling, I need to go freshen up....feel so dirty."

Gallus walked off, bowing his head as he walked into the bathroom, sighing to himself as he looked at his reflection in the mirror. 

Karliah was ready and waiting on the couch when he came back out. She'd changed into an all-black ensemble, leggings and a knit sweater. Her hair was tucked up into a twist, and there was a backpack next to her feet on the floor, one presumably stuffed with cutting tools, gloves, picking tools, rags, and chloroform. All of these things would be quickly abandoned for more space if the stolen artwork needed it. 

"Finger sandwiches there in the kitchen if you need something in your stomach. I also made tea," she said, standing and moving towards him. She placed a hand on his arm and left it there.

"You have every right to be suspicious. Let's not let the nerves settle in though. It never ends well when they do. In fact, don't even look at it as a job from Mercer Frey. Look at it as a game we've engaged in with him. And we're going to win this one," she smiled gently, her hand squeezing his arm. 

"Whatever you need to gather, say, or do, now's the time. It's getting dark out and the museum is already closed for the day. We need to be going soon."

Gallus came out wearing a beige jumper and dark jeans, opting for some hiking boots. Along with a black knit cap and some gloves, a large black duffel bag was slung over his shoulder as he looked at her for a second. Wondering if he was that hungry but he knew he wasn't, plus he was sure that Delvin had delivered the truck as promised, thank fuck for that.

"I'm good, I'll cook something when we get back and enjoy the spoils of our caper."

A smirk tugged at his lips before he simply wrapped an arm around her waist, he knew that this was different, he could see that she was the one trying to calm his nerves. He enjoyed that and was sure that he would wish to enjoy this moment further, only the job awaited and so the shiny jewels would need to be collected. 

"I know...Mercer is someone that covets what we have and that is leadership. Let's just get this over with and we can finally be done with him, I want to move forward with other plans...concerning Black-Briar Me- Beer."

Gallus chanced a look at her, knowing what he wanted to say but anything else could wait. He knew what he could say after this was done, he tilted his head, kissing her deep and with such passion that he knew he wanted to stay and begin what was just starting. 

"Stay safe and may the night guide you, my love."

With that, the master thief took her hand and began walking out, the many outcomes playing out in his head as he knew that this was something that could lead him to the big one.

This time, the ride was much cooler. Karliah's face was numb by the time the motorcycle pulled up behind the parked truck and Gallus drove it directly up the ramp and into the bed, stopping its forward motion immediately with brakes and his booted feet. 

"Neat trick," Karliah huffed out as she climbed down. It had taken everything in her to keep from screaming on the way up. Two men she didn't immediately recognize helped her down- it looked like they were going after the big stuff tonight, after all. Shrugging, she slung her backpack higher on her shoulders and waited while the rest collected theirs, and the truck's driver settled back in the driver's seat, cap pulled low as if he was a sleeping delivery driver. 

The plan was simple enough. Karliah would pick the locks, Gallus and the two others would see to the guard or guards, and then the four would seperate- men going for the larger pieces, Karliah cutting her way into glass cases and snatching the jewelry, statuettes, and smaller baubles. At 11:10pm, the truck's driver would pull up into the service alley behind the museum, the team would load it as fast as possible, and then they'd head towards the abandoned warehouse that Mercer didn't yet know about. He was expecting them to show up at his rented storage facility. 

"All set?" She asked now, pulling on her gloves with a happy smile in the darkness.

"Yeah, we're ready. Make sure you're alert gentlemen, alright, let's get rich boys."

The master thief he was, walked away, knowing that this was it, the moment where history was made for him. Whether it be little or large, he knew that it would get them by and help them in the future. 

Gallus picked the lock, deciding that this could be made a little fun as he tweaked it a little before entering inside and noticing the few guards. One standing by a breakroom door, two more patrolling by the doors and one just doing a simple patrol up and down the southern hallway. He sighed, this had given him a good view but four guards!? That was not expected. 

He sighed, nothing in the world of being a thief was expected. You had to roll with what you got and this was one of those moments, he looked behind him, expecting to see Karliah but knew now that she had taken a different route. 

"Gaius, Titus, take the guards, DO NOT kill them. Knock them out, lock them up, I'll go handle the guard by the breakroom door. It seems the southern guard won't be making any routes here. So, go on. I'll meet you guys at the paintings. Stay safe."

Gallus handled the guard with ease before smirking down at the man, he wondered for a second if this should be the man they used to fool the coppers. He knew they had time, he sighed, deciding not to think on it right now and get on with the job.

Karliah shrugged for the second time that hour and put away her lockpicking tools. Four guards, though? Something was very much 'off', here. Everyone had dispersed, so she paced silently to the jewelry cases. Once there, she placed down her pack and squatted next to it to retrieve her custom-made glasscutting tool. As she was down there, she heard a jaunty whistle. 

Gallus didn't whistle, ever. The other two surely wouldn't be so daft as to make their presence known in such a way. Karliah peeked up over the edge of the case, and through the glass of it, she saw that the fourth guard had looped around and come her way on his patrol. Karliah ducked down once more and rustled around in her backpack. Thank God she'd not ditched the vial of chloroform for space. 

Grabbing a rag and unscrewing the cap, she dumped the contents onto it, then ran in a crouch until she was right behind the guard who'd just passed by. At the last second, she leapt up onto his back and smashed the rag over his mouth and nose. The guard flailed and spun, but Karliah hung on until he dropped to his knees, then sagged onto his side on the polished linoleum floor. 

Fifteen minutes, tops. That's all she'd have before he woke and it was all over. Karliah straightened and jogged back to the cases, grabbed her tool, and began cutting, not bothering to try and be silent anymore in her haste to get through the glass. Once a circle was cut and popped out, she reached inside and grabbed every single thing her hand fell upon, shoved it into her pack, then jogged to the second case in the room and repeated the process. Honestly, she didn't know what she was grabbing, or what it was worth. She was in too much of a hurry now. 

Third case. She was almost finished pilfering it when the guard of the floor groaned and stirred. Karliah grasped onto the last pieces, one of which was a statuette, and ran towards the rear of the museum, and the back door there that opened onto the alley. When she opened it, she saw the truck and driver there, waiting. There was shadowed movement behind it as two men slid a statue into the truck's bed, but Karliah knew Gallus' form anywhere, perhaps even moreso in darkness, and neither of the men were him. 

Where was he? Karliah turned and looked back inside the museum's dark recesses.

"Come on. Come on. Don't make me come get you," Karliah breathed.

Six rolled-up paintings later, placed in his duffel bag and Gallus knew that something was up, the guard that he had knocked out was stirring and he had heard some things coming from all around, Gaius and Titus had gone about their business but Gallus needed something. He had found it, a priceless ruby gem. He needed that and he would get it, a matter of lockpicking and so it was there, ahead of him. 

He moved like a cat, being careful to not alert anyone else before he picked the lock and slowly opened the casing. Being extra careful, he placed it inside a black silk bag. Gallus breathed a sigh of relief, turning and making his way out. He noticed some odd things, still, he did not question it and decided to move about his business. 

Gallus carefully strolled out through the backdoor, knowing that this could have been anything, he wished to be a little more than just cautious. The master thief sighed, deciding to lean against the wall for a moment before clearing his throat pointedly. He always made it clear that if a fellow caser was taking their time, you were meant to be able to make a getaway. 

Standing by the door, that was not exactly in his mind, able to get away in time. 

"Karliah, what am I going to do with you, hm? You always seem so worried, you need not do that. I've gotten the pieces on my end...now we go meet Mercer and clear things up, we made a good take and we can go back for more, just like we planned."

Gallus narrowed his eyes, knowing that the meeting with Mercer was going to be something filled with intensity. The man had lied, that was what stuck out to the both of them, again. 

Slipping an arm around her waist, he walked them both towards the 'Iron-Horse' preparing for what was to come next.