An ever-nights work

Sophia sat in the one quiet corner of the singing mandrake, looking over the crowd. It was full of loud Bohemians, arguing about the merits of literary techniques, complaining about the stiffness of the upper classes and debating which year of mushroom wine was the best. It was all so extravagant and pointless. She preferred the medusas head-the patrons were more...real. There were fewer poseurs and certainly none of these pseudo-intellectuals. She absolutely detested people that put on airs. She may have been a writer herself once open a time, but wrote for the joy of it, she certainly never pretended that writing made her better than anyone else. She took a rueful sip of her mulled wine and realized slightly-she had to admit, they absolutely had better drink up here. It was pricier, but she certainly felt like she was getting what she paid for. She took another sip before pulling her pocket watch from a pocket in her dress. He should be arriving any minute now.

She was right. Only five minutes later she spotted a dark-skinned young man come striding into the bar. He was dressed in a pea-green three-piece suit and a chequered yellow shirt. He had on id gloves and his hair was shaved close to his skull. He had a confident, self-assured manner to him; an easy smile and the kind of cockiness that one usually only found in the young and wealthy. In his left hand, he gripped a cane of dark, polished wood with a brass handle that the erstwhile spy was willing to bet wouldn't cool if she left it at the bottom of the zee. She had been told by her sources that he frequented this place after a successful robbery. Amateur. Knowing better than to try and approach him straight off the bat, she sat back and watched him for several minutes. He moved with steady grace, each footstep measured and certain while at the same time seeming utterly effortless. It did not take much for Sophia to believe that this man was a cat burglar. Unfortunately, he was a cat burglar that had stolen from the wrong person. He had found his way to a table and was conversing animatedly with two other men. She noted that he kept his cane firmly gripped the entire time.

She took a final swig of her wine before rising, replacing her cold, calculating stare with a smooth, clever smile. She stepped lightly, weaving through the modest crowd before pulling up a chair from another table and sitting beside him. "Well hello handsome." She purred softly. "I saw you from across the room and just had to come and say hi. I do hope I'm not being forward." She leaned forward in her chair, making sure to display a tantalizing hint of cleavage in her dress. She graced him with a playful smile she had spent years perfecting before she had set foot in the Neath. It seemed to work.

"Not at all little bird." He almost hummed, looking her up and down briefly. "In fact, my friends and I have a great love of forward women." He assured her, gesturing to the two other men-a portly man in a cravat and a handsome, pale man with long, dark hair. They were both smiling conspiratorially at their friend. "Good God man, I know you're charming, but if you're going to start attracting fine young ladies like this simply by breathing, I think we just might have to end our acquaintance." The larger man laughed good naturedly. The Burglar spread his arms helplessly. "What can I say? I have simply been gifted with that implacable thing we call charm." He said in false modesty before turning to Sophia. "Now please my fine woman, what are you drinking?" The detective allowed her smile to widen with genuine pleasure. Clearly this particular thief had a weakness for the feminine form-she hadn't dared expect it to be this easy to get close to him. "I'll have whatever wine you think is best. I'm sure such an obviously well-to-do gentleman like yourself knows far more on the subject than I." She demurred, brushing a strand of brown hair behind her ear. She felt a hand on her thigh and her smile didn't move an inch. "Ah, good choice dear. I promise you won't be disappointed with my choice-I recently came into some money and I can't think of anything better to spend it on than a beautiful woman." He declared before attracting a waitress to take their order.