Thieves and Magicians

Chapter 6

She arrived at Xavier's place half an hour later. She walked up to his porch and knocked on the door. No answer. She knocked again, harder and louder this time. Perhaps he's out. Surely he's not still asleep, right? It's almost noon. She knocked one more time. Silence. With a sigh, she turned around and stepped down the porch. As her feet touched the rocky road she heard a door open behind her. "Lizzie?" She halted and turned to face Xavier, leaning against the doorframe, still wearing pyjamas whilst his hair was done into a messy low ponytail.

"Nice to see you. What-" he yawned mid-sentence, " -brings you here at this early hour?" Lizzie started laughing. "Early? My guy, it's almost noon." "Okay, and...your point is?" Xavier made a questioning gesture with his hand. Lizzie let out a theatrical groan which made Xavier laugh. When the laughter died out he invited her inside.

"What can I offer you? Something to drink? Some snacks?" Xavier asked after he'd gone and changed out of his pyjamas while having an intense battle against his hair with a hairbrush. "Some black tea would be much appreciated." "Black tea it is." He boiled them both some tea water.

After the tea was served he sat down on the sofa next to Lizzie and once again queried about the reason for her visit. "You're not here to silence me for good, are you?" he asked and raised an eyebrow, now starting to regret ever inviting her inside. "No, no, nothing like that. I have an...offering for you." She waited for a response. Xavier sat up upright upon hearing that. "Go on," he replied in an anticipating tone. She smiled and reached for her bag.

"What are those?" Xavier's gaze darted between Lizzie and the photos she was laying on the coffee table. "Potential targets. The owners are all wealthy as hell - they must be keeping some of their valuable items in the house." The question was how well they hid them. Xavier picked up the photos one by one to investigate them closer. "Most likely. The exterior is already very fancy, I doubt the interior's gonna be inferior." He placed the photos back on the table. As he placed the last photo, something dawned upon him, his expression bewildered.

"Wait, why are you telling me all this?" Lizzie pointed at the photos. "According to the info I've gotten from my loyal and reliable songbirds, I would only have around two to three hours of alone time in those mansions, possibly even less. Within two or three hours I could comb through a medium or large-sized apartment. Taking certain other details into account, for a mansion this size, I alone would need around four hours of privacy to justify going in there." "You alone?" Xavier was pretty sure he knew where this was going and he wasn't sure how to feel about that. Lizzie nodded and continued: "Yes, alone, unless I get to be inside undisturbed for about four hours, the risk is far greater than the possible reward. However, if there were two of us, I believe two hours might be enough time to accurately compensate for the risk." Lizzie made a quick pause, took a few deep breaths and looked directly into his eyes. "So, Xavier, I'm asking you to be my partner in crime. Do those three heists with me and I'll be your assistant for another three months. What do you say?"

There was a solid minute of silence while Xavier was thinking of an appropriate response. "Before saying anything, could you tell me more about the specifics of the offer? What exactly do you need me to do? And what would happen if I refused?" "Your part is rather simple - go into the house with me, help me get as many valuables as possible and get out without handcuffs around our wrists or otherwise drawing unnecessary attention. Once we're back you'll get your half of the loose change immediately. I'll deal with other valuables myself and give you your part after I'm done." Lizzie made a short pause, Xavier still looking at her, now with an anxious look. "If you refuse then I'll just get my bearings and leave. You needn't worry, I don't wish you harm." Xavier nodded understandingly, now notably calmer.

"And if we get caught? Then what's the plan?" "We'll convince the cops I coerced you into working with me, so they'll drop the charges against you. You have nothing to fear." "And what about you?" Lizzie sighed. "I'll most likely be sent to prison for at least a couple of years. It's okay, though, at the very least I don't have to worry about ending up on the streets if that happens. Or perhaps I'll manage to run away. Either way, this isn't your concern." Xavier let out a deep sigh. He wasn't particularly fond of the idea of Lizzie ending up in jail. "You're gonna go through with the heists no matter what I say, correct?" He asked after a while. "Most certainly," lied the thief.

Xavier let out another sigh. "Fine," he said finally. "Fine, what?" Lizzie sounded confused, she couldn't believe that it meant she actually convinced him. "I'll be your partner in crime if you're willing to be my assistant." Lizzie's eyes widened and her eyebrows shot up. "For real?" "For real." Xavier nodded while his lips curved into a sweet smile. "Thank you. May I hug you?" "Of course." Xavier put his arms out as Lizzie leaned closer and wrapped hers tightly around him. He put his arms around her and rested his head on her shoulder. The embrace went on for quite some time, neither of them wanting to let go of the comfort the hug brought them. When they finally pulled away from each other Lizzie reached for her notebook and asked: "Shall we start planning?" Xavier stood up from the couch and grabbed his notebook from the shelf as well. "We shall."

The next four weeks became quite hectic - not only did they have another show coming up, but they also had a heist to plan. Lizzie told Xavier everything she could think of that he should know and even prepared pop quizzes. Xavier was an excellent student and passed with flying colours. Soon enough practice time was over and the time came to put it to the test.

"Are you ready for tomorrow?" Lizzie asked Xavier while she was going through her bag. "Not really, but it's fine. Are you gonna spend the night here?" "Seems like the best course of action, so if you don't mind, then yes." "Not at all. Should I get the mattress or do you wanna share the bed - it's more comfortable. It's not the widest, but it fits two people just fine." Lizzie gave it some thought as she swiftly changed into pyjamas. "Sure, why not." Xavier nodded and went to change the sheets on the bed. He also got her a blanket and a pillow and changed into his pyjamas while Lizzie brushed her teeth in the bathroom. Once done with her routine she freed the bathroom, brought her bag to the bedroom and laid down on the right side of the bed.

"Did you set the alarm already?" Xavier asked when he returned from the bathroom. "Yeah, at 7 - this should leave us plenty of time to get ready." Xavier groaned and turned the light off. "Don't worry, I'll wake you up if you manage to sleep through the alarm." "That's a more likely scenario than you might imagine," he admitted and laid down next to Lizzie. They wished each other good night and tried getting some shut-eye. Lizzie fell asleep pretty quickly, Xavier however - not used to going to bed this early and anxious to top it off - was tossing and turning for a solid hour and a half.

Lizzie, being the early bird she was, woke up about twenty minutes before the alarm. Since she was the first one awake she made them both some breakfast. Xavier got up a little past seven. They wished one another good morning and Lizzie told him she had already made breakfast. He thanked her profusely and roamed to the kitchen, still not fully awake.

Once they'd both eaten their fill, it was time to get ready. Lizzie locked herself in the bathroom and Xavier in the bedroom. To fit in, they'd had to dress elegantly and slightly fancy. Lizzie had brought cocktail pants, a nice white top, a leather jacket and a long black wig. After about ten minutes, she was happy with the look.

She opened the door and flew out, making a dramatic gesture with her hands. "Tadaa, I'm ready to blend in with the elite and rob them blind." Xavier, who had gotten ready a couple of minutes earlier and was waiting on the couch, glanced at Lizzie. "And go on a catwalk, you look great." Xavier turned away in an attempt to hide the blush on his face. "Thanks, you don't look too bad either." Lizzie laughed and went to get her bag. Xavier was wearing a light blue flannel, dark jeans and a dark brown wig. "Are you ready to go?" Lizzie asked when she'd made sure all necessary things were inside the bag. Xavier sighed. "No, but I don't think I ever will be so let's just get going." "That's the spirit!"