Duplicitious Dealings {Eddsworld Fanfic}

- Chapter One -

Tuesday, October 5th. 10:58 PM

The night was cold and dreary as the sound of heavy footsteps echoed through the streets. "Stop!" A voice shouted as the shadowed figure ran off, making a swift getaway as a sharp turn into a nearby alleyway whose wall held a hole proved a quick way for the figure to get the upper hand at keeping a distance from the officer. Looking from left to right, the figure searched for any further police; seeing none, they proceeded down the empty road at a rapid pace. Desperate for a place to hide until the search would hopefully die down, the shadowed individual took refuge in an open garage. As convenient as it were, the shadowed individual knew that staying here for longer than the bare minimum necessity could prove to be a major mistake. With that knowledge held in mind, taking shelter within a tool filled cabinet appeared to be the most effective hiding spot; regardless of the discomfort that would arise.

Just moments later, the blaring sound of sirens alongside bright flashing lights raced down the street; passing by the unlit homes. This was the moment that the shadowed individual felt they could finally have a moment of rest, for the passing of the sirens and lights showed that their choice of a hiding location had worked. Cautiously, the figure peered out of the cabinet, attempting to determine whether it was safe to leave the cupboard or if they should wait a while longer. By the looks of it, now seemed to be the ideal time to make their getaway. The figure slowly and carefully crept out of the cabinet, being as silent as they could manage with exiting the garage. Making their way down the dimly lit road, their mind was plagued by countless thoughts. 'What ifs...' were the main culprit that plagued their mind, alongside what some would perceive as a sense of guilt. 'Now is not the time for such thoughts.', the individual tried to convince themselves as to not allow such potentially detrimental distractions of thoughts cloud their mind and prevent a smooth getaway.

Keeping with a steady pace with their getaway, the individual used the shadows to their advantage towards escaping yet again with a haul worth half a million. As their dreadful thoughts slowly began to leave their mind in a relatively decent state of peace, they neared where their accomplice awaited their arrival. A sigh of relief was all that could escape the shadowed individual once they made it safely to the location of their arrival. "Madam Aerona, these heists are starting to become hazardous. We can't keep affording these sorts of risks." they spoke, their voice full of concern with hints of anxiety. "If we keep this up, we're practically just asking to get arrested at this point." The shadowed individual stressed their worries, fearful that each heist they pull may only be luring them towards their demise. Madam Aerona merely rolled her silvery gray eyes, resting a hand on the other's shoulder. "You worry far too much. Just look how far we've already made it without getting caught. Besides, we've not even made a dent in our list. We've got this under control." She assured the other, although the shadowed individual's worry still remained.

Hearing what Madam Aerona had said, the individual couldn't bring themselves to let their gaze meet Madam Aerona's kind yet stern eyes. Part of them knew that Madam Aerona had a point. That they couldn't allow themselves to worry so much about their heists; yet at the same time, how could one not worry over such possibly life altering things? All it would take is a single slip up and then the remainder of their lives would be spent behind bars, rotting away in a cell. The shadowed figure didn't want their life to fall to ruin like that. Becoming lost in thought, the figure's mind began to dread what the next heist may end up being like. What brought them out of their worried dazed out state of mind was the sound of Madam Aerona snapping her fingers in front of the figures' face. "Hey. Pay attention when I'm speaking to you." Madam Aerona spoke, her tone sharp; almost sharp enough to pierce through flesh.

Before the individual could even bring themselves to speak, a second voice chimed in alongside Madam Aerona's voice. The second individual was a tall, dark haired male who nearly always kept some form of a grin on his face. It was offputting, really. For those he worked alongside of, he never spoke his real name. Instead, he opted to be merely known as The Twisted Trickster, or Trickster for short. Trickster's gaze fell upon the individual as he spoke. "You're not already planning to back out of these heists, are you? I mean sure, you've got a point about this whole thing being a huge risk, but nothing in life comes for free." Trickster would straighten his posture a bit, walking over and patting the individual on the back, a sly smirk on his face. "Besides, while you were out there I even took the time to come up with a nickname for you, buddy. So, as of this latest heist, me and Madam Aerona want to properly welcome you to the team, Mr. Duplicity."

The shadowed individual was a little caught off guard by the nickname. Duplicity? That usually meant along the lines of being a traitor. He's not a traitor...is he? After a moment of hesitation, Mr. Duplicity would nod. "Thanks..." was all he could mutter under his breath as he handed over the stolen jewelry to Trickster and Madam Aerona. "Just... Take care of these. I think I'm going to head home for the night." Trickster nodded as Madam Aerona partially glared with a small huff, having expected Mr. Duplicity to stick around at least until the following evening. With a small sigh, Madam Aerona permitted Mr. Duplicity to return to his home, watching as he slipped back into the shadowy depths.