Of Phantoms and Thieves

Throwing the Roses

As the Phantom Thieves came upon the entrance of the theater, they each noticed that there were no guards. The place was silent, the lights were out, and not a single flicker of movement could be sensed within the palace walls. The building was holding its breath, waiting for the thieves to stumble upon a trap and release its pent-up rage.

"This looks eerie..." Futaba muttered.

They stood in the pounding rain, none of them knowing what exactly they should do. Out of the darkness, there came a low, rumbling noise, a sound like thunder reaching their ears. It didn't come from the sky to surround them like thunder usually would. This time, it came from the right side of the palace, the sound of large objects crashing to the ground now becoming recognizable as it echoed throughout the space once again.

"That sound..." Haru breathed. "It's almost like large crates falling..."

The teens ran towards the sound, careful to be light on their feet as to not be heard. They peeked around the corner of the building to find Shadows carrying large boxes toward some sort of garage built into the theater.

"I'm still worried," one of them said. "What if that girl wasn't alone?"

"Even if she was with others, I doubt they've found her," another laughed.

"This is what Mako-chan mentioned to me..." Haru breathed. "Large trucks unloading crates, containing props..."

"Where would they be unloaded to?" Ann asked. "Do you think this could lead to backstage?"

"That would be reasonable," Morgana agreed. "Should we try to sneak in this way?"

"It would be faster if we're right. Does everyone agree?"

"There is a lot of distortion up ahead," Futaba stated. "If we go, we must be prepared to face anything that might get in our way."

"I think the risk is worth it," Morgana said.

"Alright, let's do this," Haru whispered.

The Phantom Thieves sneaked out from their cover, wary of the Shadows that stood so close by. They hid behind the crates as they advanced toward the open garage. In little time at all, they had made it safely inside the palace, finding wooden walls and floors. The ground sloped downward until reaching a cement wall at the far back.

"We must be in a special area," Morgana told them. "The lobby and areas where people commonly walk through are lined with gold."

"Yeah, I've noticed that," Ann replied. "But there doesn't seem to be any doors leading anywhere."

"Up there," Yusuke spoke up, pointing.

Nearly hidden above the cement wall were what appeared to be catwalks. Dim lights could barely be seen from where the thieves stood.

"Catwalks. That must be the stage on the other side."

"Nice, Inari," Futaba exclaimed before frowning.

"Yeah... how are we going to get up there?" Ann questioned.

"There must be a door somewhere, the props need a way to get to the stage," Haru murmured.

"Let's look around," Morgana suggested.

The thieves split up, searching the walls and floor for some sort of passage. After minutes of looking, they found nothing that was out of the ordinary.

"Man, there really isn't a way in there...?" Futaba pondered aloud.

"It doesn't look like it," Morgana sighed. "Should we go back outside and find another way in...?"