Rob X Punzel ~ Seventeen!

It was easy to see why Cutter had recommended the place, as even the simple, gleaming blades on display in the window called out to her each time she passed by. The thick, magic-imbued glass rebuffed her grasping hairs’ tentative attempts to take the shiny items, which somehow made both her and her hair even more eager to acquire one of them. Goldie had spent a week walking past the weapon shop tucked away in the artisan district before making her choice. 

Running a finger over the glass, she murmured, “Tomorrow. I'll be able to get one of you tomorrow. It's only a day away.”

The lowest price tag on the Masterwork weapons went to a finger-length dagger, which was still a whopping five hundred silver, or five gold coins. The price only went up from there, with the largest displayed tag being for an intensely magical sword that warped the air around it ever so slightly, sitting pretty at seven hundred gold coins. 

“A pair of battle scissors inscribed with magical sharpness shouldn't be too crazy, right?” Goldie had spent years gathering coins for the orphanage, and to a lesser extent for her own survival—as she didn’t need much to be comfortable—but the thought of dumping years’ worth of coins from pickpocketing into the hands of one artisan for one item? For herself? That was going to be a bitter pill to swallow.

Straightening her shoulders, she put a smile on her face and slowly walked through the artisan’s district, then into the citizen’s district, making sure to carefully brush past anyone who had jingling pockets. Even though she had the biggest job of her career planned for that night, there was no reason not to gather every coin possible, since each of the shiny discs would bring her dream purchase closer to reality. When she got to the end of the street, she waited patiently, looking back the way she had come.

When Goldie saw what she’d been waiting for, she closed her eyes and let out a soft murmur of disbelief. Dozens and dozens of coins were rolling toward her, or scooting along just barely above the ground. It took a while, as they remained on the edge of walls, turned to present only their thin side to the nearby people, remaining hidden in plain view. Even so, they came closer before finally converging on her location, where they silently swooped up and vanished into the depths of her hair. 

The coins just kept coming, so she continued to wait for a moment, lost in thought at how much she was still learning more with each application of her skills. “I think my hair is closing in on thirty feet long, if I were to have it all the way out… so, yeah… anything within forty feet of me can be grabbed, if it’s light enough. That’s not even close to how I thought the Minor Telekinesis modifier was going to work.”

After a few near misses with almost being caught pickpocketing, her hair had started simply levitating coins out of people's pockets, then having them drop to the ground. That way, even if some ultra-perceptive person saw it happen, there was no direct evidence or indication that Goldie was the one stealing. Taking coins off the ground wasn't illegal, after all. She wasn't sure how her hair controlled each individual coin. It could be that the magical hairs were a giant hive mind or simply that each hair was individually controlled at all times, making her hair immensely talented at multitasking.

Either way, it worked out extremely well for both of them.

“As per usual, thirty percent of the profits go into your choice of oils, conditioners, and cleaners,” Goldie muttered to the massive tangle of hair growing from her head. “Forty percent to the orphanage, usually, but… we've already doubled up on payment. That can be added to my thirty percent, so we can buy some proper weapons.” 

Her hair went still, releasing a smell like fresh plums. Goldie rolled her eyes and patted the tangled length. “I know you don't like when I cut you, but eventually we're going to have to blend in, understand? There's got to be a shop deeper in the city that sells magical hair care equipment, but they're never going to let us that deep into the district if I'm dragging a queen’s bridal train’s worth of hair behind me.”

She could tell that her hair didn't agree with her, but that was just too bad for it. Goldie continued on her route, eventually coming to the checkpoint between districts and moving around it. Walking for a bit until she found an alley with no occupants, the thief then stepped inside and directed her hair up. The braids unwound and crept up the side of the building, until they latched securely onto the roof. Jiggling slightly to let her know it was ready, her hair grasped onto both the side of the building and the roof as she began her ascent. 

“Way easier than using the usual ropes the guild leaves around the city.” Goldie pulled herself to the top, giving her hair a few moments to re-wind itself. “I'm starting to see how useful you can really be, hair. Maybe you have a good point about not staying short.”

A sweet scent burst from her hair, reminiscent of the first bite into a juicy peach—which Goldie had only smelled, not yet tasted. Traveling across the rooftops quickly brought her to the safe house, where she found her usual crew already assembled and impatiently awaiting her arrival. She swung in through the second story window, looking around for her brothers. Joss, Tauren, and Luca receded around a small table so badly damaged that someone in the slums had thrown it out—only for Tauren to jubilantly find it and bring it for their use.

He’d been so excited to contribute to their ‘decor’ that no one had the heart to tell him that the table was absolute garbage, covered with rot and mold on the underside. Instead, they had made it their planning table, making sure not to put any food or drink on it, no matter how much he tried to insist.

“Ah, there's our Goldie,” Chay called out with a hint of relief in his voice, making his presence known as he stepped out of the shadows in the corner of the room. “We were about to discuss canceling the job entirely if you didn't show up. Sit down, we've already got this mostly planned. Luca, you want to catch her up?”

“Yes.” The intense stare of the odd youth had shifted to a sharper, more intentional look as he grew older and gained additional skills from the system, not to mention experience in social situations. Now he was one of the best lookouts in the city, able to pick out any details out of place and accurately assess where ambushes would be sprung with a level of accuracy that had made others in the guild suspicious of him on more than one occasion. “Goldie. We’re hitting the fine fabrics store in the artisan district tonight-”

“She picked it out, Luca.” Joss called over good-naturedly. “You can probably skip that part.”

“-But I’ve already said it?” The intense stare of the socially awkward man shifted to Joss for a moment, before swinging around like directed lamplight to rest on Goldie. “No one’s done it before, because it does not seem like a good object for theft. However, our target is lace. It’s lightweight, extremely expensive, and always in demand.”

“It rips so easily,” Tauren grumbled out with a soft hum, shaking his head slightly, only for his eyes to go wide. He started blushing heavily as everyone turned to give him a look. “What? I spend my coin on presents for my lady friends, and sometimes I’m a little too enthusiastic about-”

Goldie stepped in quickly before the conversation could devolve. “I went past there just a little while ago to make sure nothing’s changed. As far as I can tell, the place is unguarded by any magical wards. Unlike almost every other shop in the artisan district, the glass is just… regular glass.”

“That's why we need to take everything we possibly can tonight.” Chay took over the conversation, tapping on the table and sending a few splinters flaking away. “They've never been robbed. No one’s ever busted in there and simply taken what they want, either. As soon as we do it, they're going to get their defenses in order. So… assume we're never going back. Clean the place out.”

They spent the next hour ironing out the finer details, such as how Tauren would take the lead if there were any people wandering around, using his size to convince anyone with curious eyes to look away. Luca would, of course, stay on lookout as the others put everything into the bags. Goldie was to let her hair grab everything that wasn't nailed down—she was in charge of an entire half of the store, while the others would work together to get the rest of it.

Now that the general plan had been sketched out, each of them grabbed their oversized bags and climbed a ladder out of the room and onto the roof as soon as the sun dropped behind the horizon. They ran along the rooftops, calling back and forth and having fun until they reached the boundary into the merchant district, switching to absolute silence and stealth when they got to the citizen’s district.

Once there, they only moved fast if they needed to jump between buildings, otherwise they kept low on the rooftops and did everything they could to keep from silhouetting themselves against the night sky. Goldie's hair spread out, covering their forms and making it look like there was a huge carpet slowly floating across the shingles—that is, if anyone somehow managed to see them. The glow her hair released had shifted to a strange, sickly light that almost matched the darkness of the evening, as if it were able to somehow emanate light that was actually black. 

Even she felt a slight churning in her stomach when she looked at it for too long, as it simply was simply too odd for her mind to wrap around.

Finally, Goldie coiled her hair into a long rope and sent it across the doubly wide no-man’s land next to the wall between the citizen and artisan’s district. This was one of the major hurdles for thieves, as without some form of system enhancement, they wouldn’t be able to make the jump from the already impressive houses to the top of the thick wall then over to the towering buildings filled with workshops and storefronts. 

For them, the wall was only inconvenient, not insurmountable. 

“There it is,” Goldie whispered as she nodded toward a small storefront attached to a huge loomery. Every building was designed in a unique way, with high-end materials and intricate patterns to better display the wealth and aptitude of whoever owned the structures. Their target was a shop which had long ropes set up in intricate patterns, spelling out the name of the shop in an artistic manner. “All the finished material is in the shop; the rest is production in the attached warehouse.”

“Go on then… let down your hair!” Chay’s whisper was hoarse from excitement, and she didn’t make him wait. They dropped onto the roof of the fine fabrics shop, and Goldie immediately allowed her hair to trail down the front of the building until it was completely covering the front door. She felt the ends of her golden strands moving, twisting through the mechanisms of the door, and patiently waiting as it adjusted what must’ve been an intensely intricate lock. 

A minute passed, then two, and her fellow thieves began to get antsy. 

“Calm down, even if it doesn't have magical protection, they're at least not foolish enough to put nothing between themselves and the outside world,” Goldie finally had to softly growl at the others. Just then, her hair jolted excitedly, and she felt a tickle on her arm. A glance down confirmed what she’d already suspected.

Epic-ranked lock unlocked. 1/1.

“One less requirement to complete,” Goldie whispered to herself as her lips curled in satisfaction. Turning to the others, she spoke just loud enough to be heard, “Door’s open! Let's go!”

Each of them took turns shimmying down her hair, remaining crouched in front of the door until Goldie herself simply jumped off the building, landing gently in a large puddle of piled curls. She reached out and did the honors of pushing the door open, and it swung without a hint of a squeak. Grinning at the others, she sketched an elaborate curtsy. “After you!”

Chay grinned and joined in, bowing to the others and gesturing to the door, “Shall we?”

“Let’s shall,” they softly murmured together as Luca stepped in, carefully examining the area for any noise makers or alarms.

With a quick jerk of his hand, he motioned the others in, and they swept into the space, grabbing everything they passed and stuffing it into their bags. In seconds, they were filling their bags with expensive fabrics: spider weave lace, bolts of fabric with shining threads arranged within, sheer silks, and the few finished pieces on display.

Goldie focused on lace. It lined the shelves: delicate, intricate crochets worth more than their weight in gold to the right buyer. Lace was highly sought after in the Brute Kingdom, where anything delicate and easily torn was regularly destroyed by the rough and tumble way of life. Perhaps especially because it was so easily damaged, it had become the ultimate status symbol—a way of showing everyone around the wearer that they were strong enough to fight off anyone who bothered them, without needing to be concerned about their delicate garments.

Holding wide the opening of her bag, Goldie simply waited patiently as lace flew through empty air, coiling itself up tightly before being deposited into the container. Minutes later, her bag was full to the brim, and she diverted the rest into the less than half-full bags of her crew. Chay let out a greedy chuckle as he pushed down hard on his bag, trying to squeeze all the air out so he could fit in even a little more silk. “Your hair is getting to be mighty useful, Goldie. Five years ago, you never would’ve believed it!”

Her lips twitched, but she didn't open her mouth. The fact was, Goldie had gotten used to not only this life but the benefits her hair brought her. Even so… it still stung to have her nose rubbed in those facts. Moments later, everyone's bag was full, and they piled out of the store. Most of them, at least.

Chay stayed in the shop, cramming more into his bag until it was to the point of bursting at the seams, until Luca snapped him out of his greed-induced stockpiling by calling in a harsh whisper, “Someone’s on the street!”

Goldie once again provided the means to get onto the rooftops. As she pulled herself up, the last to ascend, a resounding *crash* of shattering glass filled the street, followed by an ear-numbing wail as an alarm went off. The crew dropped flat, eyes wide with panic as they shot confused or accusatory glares at each other. Only after a few moments of no one running at them did they realize they weren't the ones who had generated the cacophony.

“What are you doing?” The shouted accusation rang out just as the alarm stopped sounding, and Goldie slithered closer to the edge and peeked over to see what was going on. 

Her eyes landed on two men in the street, the first of which was reaching through the shattered window of a jewelry store and grabbing the displayed gems. They were roughly deposited in a sack slung over his shoulder. Even as the other man shouted at him, the burglar didn't slow his casual scooping of handfuls of precious metals and minerals. 

The angry man was clearly either someone who worked at the jewelry store or the owner of it. After letting out a few more inflammatory comments, he reached into his bag and pulled out a dagger far too large to fit inside of it. Then he rushed at the man stealing his goods, blade held high.

He was met with a casual swat from the man robbing the store, which knocked the shopkeeper to the ground and sent him tumbling across the cobblestone—until he slammed into a wall. The only indication that the robber even noticed the attack was that he paused to pick up the glowing dagger and put that in his bag as well.

By now, dozens of people had come out onto the street to see what was going on. Goldie expected the man to run for it, but instead it seemed he’d been specifically waiting to finish up until enough of a crowd had assembled. He faced them with a broad smile on his face, waving his arms to quiet them down.

“Discount jewelry sale tomorrow at Edward’s Emporium of Everything!” the brute of a man called out. “Get the high-end jewelry you've been keeping your eye on for half the price you were expecting to pay! Don't miss out, the sale starts at noon!”

With that, he adjusted the bag on his shoulder and walked away from the scene as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened. Goldie watched him go, a deep frustration building in her gut as she compared the differences between the two heists that had just occurred.

She and her crew had spent weeks planning this, moving through the city like shadows to avoid detection, and had taken what they needed without harming anyone. In comparison, the man she assumed was Edward had simply punched his way through magical glass, possibly murdered the shopkeeper, and taken what he wanted as the people around clapped like trained bears because they would get cheap jewelry the next day.

“Yet if the guards saw the two of us standing next to each other, he would walk away like he just did, free and clear, while I would be executed.” 

The reality of the way of life in the Brute Kingdom had never been more glaringly apparent to her. As they rushed away from the scene of their crime, Goldie could only impotently fume about the injustice system of this city.