The loud noise of small stones banging against the window dragged Kayt out of her sleep before she climbed off her mattress, rubbing her eyes. Trying to not wake up Jay or Sven, she stepped to the window and opened it to stick her head out. Promptly, another small stone hit her on the forehead, directing her attention downwards. Two bevatigens stood there, looking up to her. The left one, though the smaller one by a wide margin, appeared to be the dominant one thanks to his more pronounced muscles, and the first time in ages she'd seen an albino. She couldn't even recall if she had seen another one in the wild before. His company, comparatively big, appeared more demure in nature, as if he was a butler.

"Excuse me, but your bell is broken", the albino. "Have you got some time?"

"Care to tell me why ah should?", Kayt said, sounding annoyed as she leaned her arms on the window frame. "Sun's barely out yet!"

"We'll explain if you let us upstairs", he told her. "Now then, yes or no?"

She looked down to them for a moment, verifying to herself that she isn't in danger of being interrogated or charged or whatever else would basically spell doom against her. The two didn't look like they belonged to any authority. Far too much spine for that. Other people didn't seem to be present, and even if some were hiding behind bushes, before they could alert their supposed friends, she could escape by other means. Well, what's there to lose, at the end?

"Fine. But this better be somethin' good."

"Excellent", the small one replied before turning to his fellow. "You heard her. Let's go in."

 

Once the two were in their apartment, Kayt lead them to the kitchen, sticking to her morning robe. “Now, who 'xactly are ya?”

"The name's Rush", the albino replied. "The slinky one's Piotr."
"Uh huh", Kayt muttered while she was preparing breakfast for herself, which consisted of slapping butter between two slices of bread and filling a glass with juice. "If yer need to drink somethin', all ah got is this", she continued, pointing at the carton. “'Less you wanna drink outta da tap.”

"Oh, no, thank you. We're fine", Rush told her, waving his hand before taking a closer look at the kitchen. "So this is the place where the infamous pickpocket is hiding?"

"Not mah fault people get der shit together the more often you screw 'em over", she explained before the three of them sat down around the table. "Now why're you here?"

"Well, you clearly have money problem", Piotr said, leaning over.

"What he said", Rush told her, amused by his friend's quick reaction. “And I think we got just the right job for you.”

"...yer not what ah I think y'are, right?", she said, immediately getting sour. "Look, ah told the last guys what ah'm gonna tell you: Mah body's not up for rent!"

Rush looked at her at first with confusion, but when he noticed, what she meant, he only chuckled. "Oh, I think we got a bit of a misunderstanding here... What we want is you to work with us, not for us."

"How 'bout ye speak in propah Bevish?", she asked him before taking a bite out of her piece of bread.

"Funny coming from someone with this think an accent, but if you wish”, Rush said, keeping his calm demeanor. "Have you heard of the Kopernikan Institute For Archeology?"

"O'course", she replied. "Mah territory's plastered with those posters fer some big 'sibition about watderahnow. So?"

"Well, the exhibition we're talking about displays, among other things, tools that were in the possession of the very first Supervisor", Rush explained while closing in on her a bit. “That's some valuable stuff if you didn't know yet. And our client is willing to pay a whole lot of corusts for them."

"...hah much?"

"We don't have a concrete number just yet, but I've been promised eight digits."

"Yer jokin'", Kayt said in disbelief. "So much for some rusty wrench?"

"That's rich people for you", Rush replied. "But the stuff's guarded accordingly, too. It takes good people to get in and out without trouble."

"…go on."

"Well, aside from you, we're looking into some talents to help us with our cause to make us enormously rich. Most of the positions are covered, but we still need somebody with good observation skills and swift fingers. Like you, for example."

"Sounds tuff."

"Oh, of course it is. For one, we can't exactly offer you an insurance in case something goes haywire and we got about ten minutes before the police would roll around. So yeah, there's easier jobs around."

"Then ah hope ah get a good slice from that pie", she replied. "Ah like Jay, but ah doubt he can handle takin' care of Sven all 'round the clock..."

"Nothing to worry about there", Rush replied. "When we get our money, you never have to steal anything ever again! Unless you're stupid enough to gamble it all away, of course."

"Pfff, gamblin'? Tha's worse robbery than ah've ever done!"

"So you're in?"

She thought about it for a moment, looking over into the bedroom where Sven and Jay were still sleeping and loudly snoring, before turning back and telling him: "Ye can count on me."

"Perfect! Just what I wanted to hear!", Rush replied, reaching out to her and waiting for a handshake. Kayt was about to comply, but as she was about to grab his hand, she stopped for a moment.

"What's wrong? Decided against it?", Rush asked her, his hand still out.

"One last question", she said, putting her hand back down. "Wha me, exactly?"

"Is that it?", Rush asked, surprised and glancing at Piotr for a moment, who didn't seem to know what to reply, either. "But sure, you shall have your answer... You haven't been caught by the police so far, correct?”

“The' got close, tho.”

“Doesn't matter. Fact is, to the police, you're slippier than an oiled eel, and some are even brazen enough to tell stories about people you stole from that didn't notice until days later. Now, need more details?"

She thought about it for a moment before shaking her head. "Nah, tha's all." She then grabbed Rush's hand, shaking it with a smile.

"Now better stay alert for any incoming news", Rush warned her. "We'll issue a meeting to talk about it all in detail, but until then, I'd urge you to do some research about the place yourself and not get caught. Or we have to share the cash with somebody else. Now then, Piotr", he said, knocking on his shoulder, "you got all that?"

"Yes, sir."

"We're off for today, then", Rush said as the two got up. "Some more important business to attend."

She nodded as the two vanished through the door frame and quietly left, but just as Kayt returned to the kitchen, Jay stood in the doorframe to their bedroom, looking disapprovingly.

"Yer wake awready?", Kayt asked him while taking her dish and putting it into the sink.

"And you're going on a heist?", Jay asked, raising his eyebrow. "Are you sure they weren't talking bollocks?"

"If so, ah didn't lose nothin' yet. If not... when yer leaving for classes?"

 

"Jay, I don't think ya geddit", she told him as they dressed up in their living room. "This's a once-a-lifetime chance! Fo' me, fo' Sven, even fo' you!"

"Yeah, sure, but I didn't think that things would turn around so quickly!"

"Din't ya tell me some hours ago that I gotta make a step forward?"

"I didn't consider you robbing a freaking exhibition!"

"This's the hand life dealt me, and not even tryin' would be retarded", she said as she stepped to the door frame. "Don't you think so?"

"Uh... I thought you just said you hated gambling", he asked in confusion. “Why are you comparing it to such, then?”

“Ye dun geddit, do ya?”, Kayt replied. “I dun play: life continues as it does. I do play: All our problems... poof!”

“That's just if we assume this heist goes well”, Joseff replied. “What if they catch you? Then we're all screwed! Even if they won't think of me as an accomplice, how the hell am I supposed to help your brother?”

“Look, ah think yer bein a bit too pessimistic bout that. And ye heard the guy: Not been caught once yet! If he's lookin' fer people of mah caliber, how high's da chance this'll go bad?”

“...guess there's no point trying to stop you”, Jay said, holding his forehead. "But what do you wanna do at the library anyways?", he asked.

"Studyin' blooprin's of da Institute, obvs", she replied as they walked down the stairs. "Gotta do mah homework, wouldn't ya say?"

"But that looks fishy, don't it?", he asked her. "Or do you think they just hand them out and don't at least ask some questions?"
"That's where you come into play”, Kayt told him. “You study architecture, right?", she replied and smiled.

"Well, yeah, but-"
"All ye gotta do is get me access to those and tell 'em you need 'em for an exam or somethan. You know more 'bout this than me, you'll come up with a thing."

“...you better treat me to something really good for this”, Jay answered, visibly nervous.

“Whatever ye want.”