False Bait [log]
Who: Soren [inallhonesty], Daisuke, Dark [thecrimsonthief], Satoshi and Krad [iceartist]
Where: An art museum.
When: April 7th, late afternoon, then later at midnight.
Summary: Daisuke’s scoping the art museum for Dark’s appearance later that night, where he meets Soren - who’s convinced the artwork Dark has is eye on is fake. Later, Dark returns to the museum despite Soren’s doubts, but this steal is fated to be unsuccessful.
Soren didn't have an artistic eye; that was putting it mildly. Most art, to him, looked like swirling masses that could've easily been performed by an unruly three year old. (Indeed, he suspected most of the 'art' in this building had been.) It all looked much the same to him, and he simply couldn't fathom why people would pay so much when they could just buy cheap knock-offs. As with many things, Soren missed the point of art completely.
Which was why walking around an art museum was so incredibly dull. It was through a complicated -read: convoluted- series of events that he'd even ended up there. The museum was holding an exhibit of so-called ancient items, some of which were reportedly mystic vessels. They certainly didn't look mystic, not that Soren could tell from how far away he was. At times like this, he did kind of wish he were a little taller. It was inconvenient, and greatly hindered any attempt to shove through the crowd. Giving up, he'd since withdrawn to looking at the paintings, waiting for the crowds to go away.
Daisuke, on the other hand, was perhaps one of few Niwas who could actually appreciate art. Having gone the length and breadth of the building, only to find the room he was attempting to steal from later that day jam-packed, he had like Soren wandered off to look at the rest of the art so as not to look suspicious. To most of the family, art was just something there to steal, and Dark seemed to be no exception to this rule, his thoughts buzzing through Daisuke’s head like an annoying fly.
C’mon, Daisuke, I’m bored! Let’s just come back later, he complained. That crowd’s not going anywhere any time soon.
“Be quiet,” Daisuke replied aloud, and when he received a few odd looks from the people nearby, said hastily, “O-oh, not you, just talking to myself...”
"Then talk to yourself more quietly," Soren frowned irritably. For some inane pride-related reason, he'd felt compelled to at least try and figure out why people obsessed so much over art, and as such, had been intently studying an abstract piece for the past ten minutes. Just when he was beginning to have some small measure of success -Is it... a rabbit?-, Daisuke had so rudely interrupted his thoughts. (Really, Soren had probably just been looking for someone to snap at.) "Or better yet, seek counselling."
“Okay, okay, I’m sorry,” Daisuke replied, looking as though he was worried Soren was going to pick a fight about it (not that he was very intimidating; Daisuke was about as tall as him).
‘I’m sorry?’ He just insulted you! Dark said indignantly. You’re such a pushover.
It was your fault in the first place, Dark, Daisuke thought, but said aloud, “You don’t need to be so rude about it.”
Soren frowned at that, looking back to the painting and attempting to re-see the rabbit. Were those its ears... no, they were the feet. "You were the one rambling to himself like a delusional child," he responded, his tone flat and annoyed. "Next time you have something to say to yourself, keep it internal."
Daisuke couldn't muster the energy to argue (and Soren would probably win anyway) and simply sighed, following Soren's gaze to the painting - which in Daisuke's opinion, looked more like a cat than a rabbit. In an attempt to be friendly, he said conversationally, "I guess you like art, huh? Or are you just here to see all those 'magical items' everyone's talking about?"
"They're not magical," Soren responded, still preoccupied trying to find the ears again. Or at least, they hadn't looked magical from how much he'd seen before he was rudely shoved aside. "The runes carved on them are reproductions. If they were magical items, they'd self-destruct if anyone ever tried to use them. Whoever carved them was just reproducing what he saw." He could've easily gone into more detail, but he caught himself. Revealing mystical knowledge probably wasn't the best thing to do, and there was no better way to distract people than asking, "What about you?"
Daisuke looked more interested than any average schoolboy should be, so when Soren asked him the question he was caught rather off-guard. "Oh - er - I'm just looking around. I like art," Which was partially truthful, he reasoned. "But I wanted to see for myself if that magical artwork was real or not... I didn't realise it'd turn out so busy."
"Word must've spread," Soren had very little regard for the general public and their rudimentary interest. One could shove a brick in front of them, call it magical and they'd pay to see it. "They're counterfeits. But for the way these people act, they may as well be real." Frustrated with trying to re-find the ears, Soren turned away from the artwork, facing Daisuke fully. "The crowds will probably disperse soon. There's only so long people can stare at fake artefacts before they become bored."
Daisuke did a quick scan of the room, noting the location of the doors and security cameras before he looked back at Soren to reply. “How do you know they’re fake? Not many people know about stuff like that...”
"On close inspection, a child could tell," Soren responded flatly. "The lines waver. Whoever carved them was looking at a reference, and anyone charged with carving real items such as those would know what he was doing enough to not need a reference." Shaking his head, he conceded, "Clearly the museum staff didn't look very closely, or else they wouldn't have made it their pride display." He only half-caught Daisuke looking around the room, enough to make him idly wonder if the other boy was scoping the place, but not quite enough to warrant mentioning it.
Daisuke privately disagreed - they'd have to be a very intelligent child to realise. Even he wouldn't notice, but Dark, of course, would. "And those are the only pieces of art here that are supposed to be magical?" He questioned innocently, attempting to sound casual. Soren was a sharp one, and if Daisuke said the wrong thing, he'd quickly catch on to what Daisuke was really doing there.
"I assume so. There's nothing magical about that one," Soren gestured sideways to the 'rabbit'. On closer inspection, it seemed its owner had labelled it 'abstract landscape of New Sanctum Park', but it was most definitely a rabbit. Damned artists. "If the others were magical, people would probably be flocking around those, too." Although the people seemed to be slowly disappearing from the museum. The sun was beginning to set outside as night drew closer.
“Well, not many people can tell if something is magical or not, just like they can’t tell that those items are fake,” Daisuke shrugged, idly glancing to his watch. He still had plenty of time left to look around and go home to prepare for this evening. To sound more ignorant than he was, he added, “It’d be pretty cool if something here was magical.”
"I suppose it doesn't matter," Soren eventually concluded, frowning. It wasn't like he actually cared or anything, certainly not enough to stop it, but he did have a certain amount of idle curiousity over whether this boy was actually a thief casing the place. Most likely ill-fated. One would hope this building would be secure enough to prevent a child from stealing from it. "Even if they're not enchanted, the items here would be extremely valuable regardless. Although they're not mystical, they'd still date back to the same time the real ones were made."
"Stupid to make fakes so valuable, even if it is old... copies are like stealing somebody else's art and calling it your own," Daisuke said indignantly - even if he stole art, it wasn't for money or personal gain at all. If someone copied his own (rather pathetic) attempts at painting, he'd definitely be angry, at least. "Anyway, I think the crowd's starting to die down, so I'm going to look at those fakes..." he looked around to see that people were indeed leaving as it grew darker outside. "I'm Daisuke, by the way," he added brightly. "Cya around!"
"Soren," he replied flatly, seeing no need to look at the fakes just yet. If he wanted to look, he'd wait; this area was still too crowded for his liking. He walked away without even a wave, eventually concluding that Daisuke probably wasn't an art thief, and if he was, he was setting his sights more than a little high.
***
Later that night, a huge and expectant crowd was gathered around the entrance to the museum - a mixture of reporters, photographers, police, fans, or those just generally interested in getting a glimpse of the Phantom Thief in action. He was due to appear any minute, an air of tension and impatience about as the spotlights swept the sky, waiting for Dark’s winged silhouette to appear. They weren’t kept waiting long - uproar broke out as someone shouted, “There he is!” and the police sprung into action, the media meanwhile turning their cameras to the heavens as Dark circled the museum, vanishing once he had located his back route into the building.
“Thanks, Wiz,” Dark said, landing at a crouch and looking about warily. Seeing no police officers about, Wiz reverted back to his normal form with a quiet ‘kyuuu’, jumping into a pocket of Dark’s flowing black coat, and Dark strode in to find an empty corridor.
This is weird, Daisuke commented, but even though Dark agreed he continued on - he wasn’t about to turn back just because the police were stupid.
He's here. Satoshi thought as he spotted the familiar silhouette out of the corner of his eye. Immediately breaking away from the police forces that had gathered outside the museum, he shrugged the large hand off his slim shoulder without uttering a word. He knew what they were thinking, the police forces had not been informed of the switch that had taken place before the museum had opened that morning, it would have made Dark suspicious but because of this, they no doubt thought that he was going to screw it up again. Tch Dark… this time I will catch you. Without interference.
Cringing as he heard the familiar sadistic laughter in his head, he attempted to tune it out, his movements becoming more sluggish as he headed for the stairs, knowing exactly where Dark would be, it had all been in his note after all. "Why my Satoshi-sama, I do hate it when you think about me that way." Krad sneered, enjoying himself far too much. The blue-haired boy frowned, pausing on the stairs as he glanced around. "Be quiet. I have no use for you."
"We'll see." Was the answer and he could practically see Krad smiling down on him wickedly, just like he always did. Taking a moment to regain his composure and letting out a deep sigh, he continued up the stairs and immediately turned left to the room where the art piece was being exhibited. This time Dark, you wont get away! He smiled to himself, shoving his hand into his pocket.
“Too easy,” Dark muttered to himself as he entered through the double-doors minutes after Satoshi. He’d encountered no particularly difficult obstacles - like Satoshi was finally starting to give up... or he’d wanted Dark to arrive here on purpose.
Don’t get cocky, Dark, Daisuke warned. You remember what Soren said, right? This could easily be a trap.
Dark didn’t reply, because he had spotted Satoshi and tensed visibly - but his usual confident grin did not for a second leave his face. He stopped in his tracks, drawling, “Ah, commander, lovely to see you again.”
"He fell for it!" Krad remarked gleefully as he laughed, his excitement causing the younger boy to grimace, though he managed to hold his nerve. He looked tired and his body still ached from their last encounter but such things weren't important when Dark chose to make his hits so close together. I'll catch him this time. He thought. "My continuous presence must be getting problematic for you," Satoshi remarked as he folded his arms rather smugly and tilted his head up to meet Dark's gaze, "You won’t be able to get away from me this time, Dark. You could hand yourself over, but there is no amusement in that."
“There’s no amusement in not being able to get away from you, either,” Dark said, strolling over to the artwork he had intended on stealing with such a carefree air, Satoshi might as well have been invisible. He leaned forwards to inspect the art, nodded to himself and straightened up to face Satoshi with a wink. “Looks like these really were fake. I’m not naming names, but I think somebody’s starting to get desperate.”
Satoshi narrowed his eyes, whilst he had suspected that his adoptive father's plans wouldn't work, he hadn't counted on Dark identifying the artwork as a fake so quickly, it set him on edge but he concealed it well. "Tch, did you think we would let you steal anything else? You may have been on quite the crime spree lately, but it ends here." Producing the remote from his pocket, he pushed one of the buttons, thick metal shutters immediately coming down with a loud crash, covering the doorways and windows so they were trapped in the room. "I told you already Dark, I will capture you."
Dark let out a hollow laugh, looking about him with only mild concern at the shuttered doors and windows. "Hiwatari, Hiwatari..." he said slowly, his gaze refocusing on the blue-haired male.”You know you've trapped yourself in here as well as me, right? Not a very smart move," Whether that was simply a threat or Dark meant something else by that was not obvious.
"It serves its purpose just fine by preventing you from escaping," Satoshi remarked calmly. "Besides, I didn't want any outside interference; this is going to be between you and me." Pressing another button on the remote, he smiled smugly as red beams of light criss-crossed over the room. "I wouldn't touch those if I were you, I can assure you they're quite painful. The curator of this museum installed a new security system quite recently to keep the exhibits safe from your hands, he has allowed me to borrow the controls for a while and unlike you Dark, I know what the system is capable of." We're on even ground now and I want it to stay that way. No outside interference.
Grimacing as Krad laughed to himself, he tightened his grip on the remote. "If you say so, my Satoshi-sama."
Dark’s eyes hardened, but his face did not lose the smirk; he would not betray any weakness to Satoshi. For now he had no choice but to play at his own game. “Looks like that’s that,” Dark said, throwing up his hands with a mock defeated expression, but all the while looking around the room. There seemed to be no visible means to turn the lasers off or remove the shuttering - except the remote. “Nowhere to run away. You might as well arrest me.”
What are you saying? Daisuke demanded. You’re giving up already?
Shut up and let me think, Dark snapped in response, his mind bringing together what few options he had.
"He's giving up already? Aww such a shame, I was hoping to watch him squirm some more." Krad remarked with a mock pout as he observed the scene through his Tamer's eyes, not sounding too pleased with how things were working out.
"Quiet. I have no time to give to you." Satoshi answered sternly as he carefully navigated the beams, advancing on Dark. He's up to something. The Dark I know wouldn't give himself up so easily. He must be trying to buy himself some time to get out of this situation. It's a good job I'm prepared, but I'll play along for now. "It looks like you've tired yourself out after all," he remarked smugly "Getting a little ambitious weren't you? Making this many hits so soon after one another was bound to wear you out." He ducked beneath another red laser and grimaced, he wouldn't admit it but it had taken its toll on him as well.
"You're not all that energetic yourself," Dark made no move to run away, folding his arms relaxedly. This time his deep purple eyes never left Satoshi as he drew closer. His plan wasn't a very good one, and one Daisuke would probably object to or one that would otherwise go wrong, but it was mostly relying on Satoshi not outsmarting him. And if it didn't work... well, he'd think of something else. As long as that damn Krad didn't interfere. "What will you do once I'm behind bars, commander? What will you do with yourself?" he asked coolly, raising an eyebrow in question.
He's right, I'm not. Satoshi thought as he grit his teeth, not liking that Dark had picked up on his injuries, it lessened the edge he had over him. "My condition isn't important," he answered flatly before he jumped over another beam and lightly gripped his side with his hand as he strained an old injury. Narrowing his eyes in determination, he added "Why are you changing the subject?" Once I capture you, things can go back to normal.
“Oh, no reason,” Dark replied airily, his smirk widening as Satoshi gripped his side. Perhaps he had an advantage after all. As Satoshi drew closer, he unfolded his arms, his hands curling into fists, “I’m just interested. You've become that obsessed with capturing me; I thought you'd lose your purpose without me to play cat and mouse with.”
Go easy on him, he’s hurt, Daisuke said, clearly worried and realising what Dark was about to do.
It’s either him or you, Dark replied, and Daisuke fell silent. If I’m arrested, so are you, if you forgot.
"Unfortunately my life doesn't revolve solely around you," Satoshi answered confidently as he recovered. I shouldn't have gone after him again so soon, but with father putting his plan into motion like this, I had no choice. Hissing in pain as he took another step forward, he doubled over slightly. Damn! I thought I would have been fit enough to handle this! "Now lets get back to the task at hand," he produced a set of handcuffs, "Keep your hands where I can see them."
Like you’re the kind of guy to have hobbies, Dark amusedly thought, raising his hands as though to allow Satoshi to handcuff him. At the last moment he sprang forwards and grabbed both Satoshi’s arms in a vicelike grip. “Sorry, commander,” Dark said, although it felt like it was more Daisuke apologising than him, while Dark merely glared into those icy blue eyes. “I guess you’re not capturing me today after all.” With that he kneed him swiftly in the stomach and had snatched the remote in the blink of an eye, examining the various functions and buttons closely. Deactivating the shutters was the one he needed most - he could probably manage to avoid the lasers.
"AHH!" Staggering backwards and narrowly missing stepping through one of the beams he stumbled and fell, letting out another cry of pain as he landed on his back. Although his whole body felt like it weighed twice as much as it normally did, he forced himself to sit back up, trembling slightly from the amount of pain he was in and his own anger, gripping his chest tightly as he felt the familiar constricting pain. "No… not now." He muttered to himself, gritting his teeth as he clenched his eyes shut, his breathing was steadily becoming more laboured and he hardly looked in the condition to get back up again.
"Now now my Satoshi-sama, I'm afraid you've had your chance and you've been appalling company as of late, I need someone to play with." Krad remarked, smiling tauntingly as the youth struggled to hold him back. Not now… not now. I have to capture Dark! "Ahh…! S-stop." He muttered, unable to move as he fought to remain in control.
Is it Krad? Daisuke asked nervously, Dark keeping an eye on Satoshi from the corner of his eye as he continued to look for the right button.
Yeah, looks like it, Dark thought but with little or no concern. This is our cue to leave.
“Wiz!” he shouted, holding out his arm. In a shower of pure black feathers, Wiz appeared as the black creature that served as Dark’s wings and Dark opened the shutters. Tossing the remote at the fallen Satoshi’s feet and looking down upon him with disgust, he said, “I don’t feel like chatting today, Krad.”
A few beats of his powerful wings and he was airborne - he would have gone through the doors normally, but if Krad appeared it would be bad news indeed and there would be no time to mess about in the many corridors and hallways, trying to escape. He needed to get out with all haste and the large windows were the perfect exit. Within seconds he had smashed through and was away, vanishing into the night sky before anyone as much as noticed he had appeared from the building again.
"Stop resisting me or you know what will happen!" Krad yelled furiously as he found himself blocked, though his anger soon gave way to humour as he laughed sadistically. "Poor poor Satoshi-sama, you're tired." Smirking wickedly, he backed off "You'll have to rely on me sooner or later and right now I find it much more entertaining to watch you squirm. Perhaps in the future you'll learn not to speak to me with such hatred in your voice." He added with a mock pout, his amber eyes lighting up with glee as the youth heaved a sigh, collapsing weakly on the floor. "Remember, I can make things very difficult if you don't cooperate with me, I've been patient with you so far because you have a pretty face, but now I'm beginning to tire of it. Bare that in mind, my Satoshi-sama." He taunted viciously.
Groaning softly and grasping the remote, Satoshi switched off the crimson beams before pushing himself to his feet, staggering wearily over to the broken window and resting his hands on the ledge, his legs giving out beneath him and sending him crashing to the floor painfully. Panting softly, he rested his head against the cool wall. Please… just be quiet. He thought, not caring where he was as he drew up his legs and gave into his exhaustion.
Where: An art museum.
When: April 7th, late afternoon, then later at midnight.
Summary: Daisuke’s scoping the art museum for Dark’s appearance later that night, where he meets Soren - who’s convinced the artwork Dark has is eye on is fake. Later, Dark returns to the museum despite Soren’s doubts, but this steal is fated to be unsuccessful.
Soren didn't have an artistic eye; that was putting it mildly. Most art, to him, looked like swirling masses that could've easily been performed by an unruly three year old. (Indeed, he suspected most of the 'art' in this building had been.) It all looked much the same to him, and he simply couldn't fathom why people would pay so much when they could just buy cheap knock-offs. As with many things, Soren missed the point of art completely.
Which was why walking around an art museum was so incredibly dull. It was through a complicated -read: convoluted- series of events that he'd even ended up there. The museum was holding an exhibit of so-called ancient items, some of which were reportedly mystic vessels. They certainly didn't look mystic, not that Soren could tell from how far away he was. At times like this, he did kind of wish he were a little taller. It was inconvenient, and greatly hindered any attempt to shove through the crowd. Giving up, he'd since withdrawn to looking at the paintings, waiting for the crowds to go away.
Daisuke, on the other hand, was perhaps one of few Niwas who could actually appreciate art. Having gone the length and breadth of the building, only to find the room he was attempting to steal from later that day jam-packed, he had like Soren wandered off to look at the rest of the art so as not to look suspicious. To most of the family, art was just something there to steal, and Dark seemed to be no exception to this rule, his thoughts buzzing through Daisuke’s head like an annoying fly.
C’mon, Daisuke, I’m bored! Let’s just come back later, he complained. That crowd’s not going anywhere any time soon.
“Be quiet,” Daisuke replied aloud, and when he received a few odd looks from the people nearby, said hastily, “O-oh, not you, just talking to myself...”
"Then talk to yourself more quietly," Soren frowned irritably. For some inane pride-related reason, he'd felt compelled to at least try and figure out why people obsessed so much over art, and as such, had been intently studying an abstract piece for the past ten minutes. Just when he was beginning to have some small measure of success -Is it... a rabbit?-, Daisuke had so rudely interrupted his thoughts. (Really, Soren had probably just been looking for someone to snap at.) "Or better yet, seek counselling."
“Okay, okay, I’m sorry,” Daisuke replied, looking as though he was worried Soren was going to pick a fight about it (not that he was very intimidating; Daisuke was about as tall as him).
‘I’m sorry?’ He just insulted you! Dark said indignantly. You’re such a pushover.
It was your fault in the first place, Dark, Daisuke thought, but said aloud, “You don’t need to be so rude about it.”
Soren frowned at that, looking back to the painting and attempting to re-see the rabbit. Were those its ears... no, they were the feet. "You were the one rambling to himself like a delusional child," he responded, his tone flat and annoyed. "Next time you have something to say to yourself, keep it internal."
Daisuke couldn't muster the energy to argue (and Soren would probably win anyway) and simply sighed, following Soren's gaze to the painting - which in Daisuke's opinion, looked more like a cat than a rabbit. In an attempt to be friendly, he said conversationally, "I guess you like art, huh? Or are you just here to see all those 'magical items' everyone's talking about?"
"They're not magical," Soren responded, still preoccupied trying to find the ears again. Or at least, they hadn't looked magical from how much he'd seen before he was rudely shoved aside. "The runes carved on them are reproductions. If they were magical items, they'd self-destruct if anyone ever tried to use them. Whoever carved them was just reproducing what he saw." He could've easily gone into more detail, but he caught himself. Revealing mystical knowledge probably wasn't the best thing to do, and there was no better way to distract people than asking, "What about you?"
Daisuke looked more interested than any average schoolboy should be, so when Soren asked him the question he was caught rather off-guard. "Oh - er - I'm just looking around. I like art," Which was partially truthful, he reasoned. "But I wanted to see for myself if that magical artwork was real or not... I didn't realise it'd turn out so busy."
"Word must've spread," Soren had very little regard for the general public and their rudimentary interest. One could shove a brick in front of them, call it magical and they'd pay to see it. "They're counterfeits. But for the way these people act, they may as well be real." Frustrated with trying to re-find the ears, Soren turned away from the artwork, facing Daisuke fully. "The crowds will probably disperse soon. There's only so long people can stare at fake artefacts before they become bored."
Daisuke did a quick scan of the room, noting the location of the doors and security cameras before he looked back at Soren to reply. “How do you know they’re fake? Not many people know about stuff like that...”
"On close inspection, a child could tell," Soren responded flatly. "The lines waver. Whoever carved them was looking at a reference, and anyone charged with carving real items such as those would know what he was doing enough to not need a reference." Shaking his head, he conceded, "Clearly the museum staff didn't look very closely, or else they wouldn't have made it their pride display." He only half-caught Daisuke looking around the room, enough to make him idly wonder if the other boy was scoping the place, but not quite enough to warrant mentioning it.
Daisuke privately disagreed - they'd have to be a very intelligent child to realise. Even he wouldn't notice, but Dark, of course, would. "And those are the only pieces of art here that are supposed to be magical?" He questioned innocently, attempting to sound casual. Soren was a sharp one, and if Daisuke said the wrong thing, he'd quickly catch on to what Daisuke was really doing there.
"I assume so. There's nothing magical about that one," Soren gestured sideways to the 'rabbit'. On closer inspection, it seemed its owner had labelled it 'abstract landscape of New Sanctum Park', but it was most definitely a rabbit. Damned artists. "If the others were magical, people would probably be flocking around those, too." Although the people seemed to be slowly disappearing from the museum. The sun was beginning to set outside as night drew closer.
“Well, not many people can tell if something is magical or not, just like they can’t tell that those items are fake,” Daisuke shrugged, idly glancing to his watch. He still had plenty of time left to look around and go home to prepare for this evening. To sound more ignorant than he was, he added, “It’d be pretty cool if something here was magical.”
"I suppose it doesn't matter," Soren eventually concluded, frowning. It wasn't like he actually cared or anything, certainly not enough to stop it, but he did have a certain amount of idle curiousity over whether this boy was actually a thief casing the place. Most likely ill-fated. One would hope this building would be secure enough to prevent a child from stealing from it. "Even if they're not enchanted, the items here would be extremely valuable regardless. Although they're not mystical, they'd still date back to the same time the real ones were made."
"Stupid to make fakes so valuable, even if it is old... copies are like stealing somebody else's art and calling it your own," Daisuke said indignantly - even if he stole art, it wasn't for money or personal gain at all. If someone copied his own (rather pathetic) attempts at painting, he'd definitely be angry, at least. "Anyway, I think the crowd's starting to die down, so I'm going to look at those fakes..." he looked around to see that people were indeed leaving as it grew darker outside. "I'm Daisuke, by the way," he added brightly. "Cya around!"
"Soren," he replied flatly, seeing no need to look at the fakes just yet. If he wanted to look, he'd wait; this area was still too crowded for his liking. He walked away without even a wave, eventually concluding that Daisuke probably wasn't an art thief, and if he was, he was setting his sights more than a little high.
***
Later that night, a huge and expectant crowd was gathered around the entrance to the museum - a mixture of reporters, photographers, police, fans, or those just generally interested in getting a glimpse of the Phantom Thief in action. He was due to appear any minute, an air of tension and impatience about as the spotlights swept the sky, waiting for Dark’s winged silhouette to appear. They weren’t kept waiting long - uproar broke out as someone shouted, “There he is!” and the police sprung into action, the media meanwhile turning their cameras to the heavens as Dark circled the museum, vanishing once he had located his back route into the building.
“Thanks, Wiz,” Dark said, landing at a crouch and looking about warily. Seeing no police officers about, Wiz reverted back to his normal form with a quiet ‘kyuuu’, jumping into a pocket of Dark’s flowing black coat, and Dark strode in to find an empty corridor.
This is weird, Daisuke commented, but even though Dark agreed he continued on - he wasn’t about to turn back just because the police were stupid.
He's here. Satoshi thought as he spotted the familiar silhouette out of the corner of his eye. Immediately breaking away from the police forces that had gathered outside the museum, he shrugged the large hand off his slim shoulder without uttering a word. He knew what they were thinking, the police forces had not been informed of the switch that had taken place before the museum had opened that morning, it would have made Dark suspicious but because of this, they no doubt thought that he was going to screw it up again. Tch Dark… this time I will catch you. Without interference.
Cringing as he heard the familiar sadistic laughter in his head, he attempted to tune it out, his movements becoming more sluggish as he headed for the stairs, knowing exactly where Dark would be, it had all been in his note after all. "Why my Satoshi-sama, I do hate it when you think about me that way." Krad sneered, enjoying himself far too much. The blue-haired boy frowned, pausing on the stairs as he glanced around. "Be quiet. I have no use for you."
"We'll see." Was the answer and he could practically see Krad smiling down on him wickedly, just like he always did. Taking a moment to regain his composure and letting out a deep sigh, he continued up the stairs and immediately turned left to the room where the art piece was being exhibited. This time Dark, you wont get away! He smiled to himself, shoving his hand into his pocket.
“Too easy,” Dark muttered to himself as he entered through the double-doors minutes after Satoshi. He’d encountered no particularly difficult obstacles - like Satoshi was finally starting to give up... or he’d wanted Dark to arrive here on purpose.
Don’t get cocky, Dark, Daisuke warned. You remember what Soren said, right? This could easily be a trap.
Dark didn’t reply, because he had spotted Satoshi and tensed visibly - but his usual confident grin did not for a second leave his face. He stopped in his tracks, drawling, “Ah, commander, lovely to see you again.”
"He fell for it!" Krad remarked gleefully as he laughed, his excitement causing the younger boy to grimace, though he managed to hold his nerve. He looked tired and his body still ached from their last encounter but such things weren't important when Dark chose to make his hits so close together. I'll catch him this time. He thought. "My continuous presence must be getting problematic for you," Satoshi remarked as he folded his arms rather smugly and tilted his head up to meet Dark's gaze, "You won’t be able to get away from me this time, Dark. You could hand yourself over, but there is no amusement in that."
“There’s no amusement in not being able to get away from you, either,” Dark said, strolling over to the artwork he had intended on stealing with such a carefree air, Satoshi might as well have been invisible. He leaned forwards to inspect the art, nodded to himself and straightened up to face Satoshi with a wink. “Looks like these really were fake. I’m not naming names, but I think somebody’s starting to get desperate.”
Satoshi narrowed his eyes, whilst he had suspected that his adoptive father's plans wouldn't work, he hadn't counted on Dark identifying the artwork as a fake so quickly, it set him on edge but he concealed it well. "Tch, did you think we would let you steal anything else? You may have been on quite the crime spree lately, but it ends here." Producing the remote from his pocket, he pushed one of the buttons, thick metal shutters immediately coming down with a loud crash, covering the doorways and windows so they were trapped in the room. "I told you already Dark, I will capture you."
Dark let out a hollow laugh, looking about him with only mild concern at the shuttered doors and windows. "Hiwatari, Hiwatari..." he said slowly, his gaze refocusing on the blue-haired male.”You know you've trapped yourself in here as well as me, right? Not a very smart move," Whether that was simply a threat or Dark meant something else by that was not obvious.
"It serves its purpose just fine by preventing you from escaping," Satoshi remarked calmly. "Besides, I didn't want any outside interference; this is going to be between you and me." Pressing another button on the remote, he smiled smugly as red beams of light criss-crossed over the room. "I wouldn't touch those if I were you, I can assure you they're quite painful. The curator of this museum installed a new security system quite recently to keep the exhibits safe from your hands, he has allowed me to borrow the controls for a while and unlike you Dark, I know what the system is capable of." We're on even ground now and I want it to stay that way. No outside interference.
Grimacing as Krad laughed to himself, he tightened his grip on the remote. "If you say so, my Satoshi-sama."
Dark’s eyes hardened, but his face did not lose the smirk; he would not betray any weakness to Satoshi. For now he had no choice but to play at his own game. “Looks like that’s that,” Dark said, throwing up his hands with a mock defeated expression, but all the while looking around the room. There seemed to be no visible means to turn the lasers off or remove the shuttering - except the remote. “Nowhere to run away. You might as well arrest me.”
What are you saying? Daisuke demanded. You’re giving up already?
Shut up and let me think, Dark snapped in response, his mind bringing together what few options he had.
"He's giving up already? Aww such a shame, I was hoping to watch him squirm some more." Krad remarked with a mock pout as he observed the scene through his Tamer's eyes, not sounding too pleased with how things were working out.
"Quiet. I have no time to give to you." Satoshi answered sternly as he carefully navigated the beams, advancing on Dark. He's up to something. The Dark I know wouldn't give himself up so easily. He must be trying to buy himself some time to get out of this situation. It's a good job I'm prepared, but I'll play along for now. "It looks like you've tired yourself out after all," he remarked smugly "Getting a little ambitious weren't you? Making this many hits so soon after one another was bound to wear you out." He ducked beneath another red laser and grimaced, he wouldn't admit it but it had taken its toll on him as well.
"You're not all that energetic yourself," Dark made no move to run away, folding his arms relaxedly. This time his deep purple eyes never left Satoshi as he drew closer. His plan wasn't a very good one, and one Daisuke would probably object to or one that would otherwise go wrong, but it was mostly relying on Satoshi not outsmarting him. And if it didn't work... well, he'd think of something else. As long as that damn Krad didn't interfere. "What will you do once I'm behind bars, commander? What will you do with yourself?" he asked coolly, raising an eyebrow in question.
He's right, I'm not. Satoshi thought as he grit his teeth, not liking that Dark had picked up on his injuries, it lessened the edge he had over him. "My condition isn't important," he answered flatly before he jumped over another beam and lightly gripped his side with his hand as he strained an old injury. Narrowing his eyes in determination, he added "Why are you changing the subject?" Once I capture you, things can go back to normal.
“Oh, no reason,” Dark replied airily, his smirk widening as Satoshi gripped his side. Perhaps he had an advantage after all. As Satoshi drew closer, he unfolded his arms, his hands curling into fists, “I’m just interested. You've become that obsessed with capturing me; I thought you'd lose your purpose without me to play cat and mouse with.”
Go easy on him, he’s hurt, Daisuke said, clearly worried and realising what Dark was about to do.
It’s either him or you, Dark replied, and Daisuke fell silent. If I’m arrested, so are you, if you forgot.
"Unfortunately my life doesn't revolve solely around you," Satoshi answered confidently as he recovered. I shouldn't have gone after him again so soon, but with father putting his plan into motion like this, I had no choice. Hissing in pain as he took another step forward, he doubled over slightly. Damn! I thought I would have been fit enough to handle this! "Now lets get back to the task at hand," he produced a set of handcuffs, "Keep your hands where I can see them."
Like you’re the kind of guy to have hobbies, Dark amusedly thought, raising his hands as though to allow Satoshi to handcuff him. At the last moment he sprang forwards and grabbed both Satoshi’s arms in a vicelike grip. “Sorry, commander,” Dark said, although it felt like it was more Daisuke apologising than him, while Dark merely glared into those icy blue eyes. “I guess you’re not capturing me today after all.” With that he kneed him swiftly in the stomach and had snatched the remote in the blink of an eye, examining the various functions and buttons closely. Deactivating the shutters was the one he needed most - he could probably manage to avoid the lasers.
"AHH!" Staggering backwards and narrowly missing stepping through one of the beams he stumbled and fell, letting out another cry of pain as he landed on his back. Although his whole body felt like it weighed twice as much as it normally did, he forced himself to sit back up, trembling slightly from the amount of pain he was in and his own anger, gripping his chest tightly as he felt the familiar constricting pain. "No… not now." He muttered to himself, gritting his teeth as he clenched his eyes shut, his breathing was steadily becoming more laboured and he hardly looked in the condition to get back up again.
"Now now my Satoshi-sama, I'm afraid you've had your chance and you've been appalling company as of late, I need someone to play with." Krad remarked, smiling tauntingly as the youth struggled to hold him back. Not now… not now. I have to capture Dark! "Ahh…! S-stop." He muttered, unable to move as he fought to remain in control.
Is it Krad? Daisuke asked nervously, Dark keeping an eye on Satoshi from the corner of his eye as he continued to look for the right button.
Yeah, looks like it, Dark thought but with little or no concern. This is our cue to leave.
“Wiz!” he shouted, holding out his arm. In a shower of pure black feathers, Wiz appeared as the black creature that served as Dark’s wings and Dark opened the shutters. Tossing the remote at the fallen Satoshi’s feet and looking down upon him with disgust, he said, “I don’t feel like chatting today, Krad.”
A few beats of his powerful wings and he was airborne - he would have gone through the doors normally, but if Krad appeared it would be bad news indeed and there would be no time to mess about in the many corridors and hallways, trying to escape. He needed to get out with all haste and the large windows were the perfect exit. Within seconds he had smashed through and was away, vanishing into the night sky before anyone as much as noticed he had appeared from the building again.
"Stop resisting me or you know what will happen!" Krad yelled furiously as he found himself blocked, though his anger soon gave way to humour as he laughed sadistically. "Poor poor Satoshi-sama, you're tired." Smirking wickedly, he backed off "You'll have to rely on me sooner or later and right now I find it much more entertaining to watch you squirm. Perhaps in the future you'll learn not to speak to me with such hatred in your voice." He added with a mock pout, his amber eyes lighting up with glee as the youth heaved a sigh, collapsing weakly on the floor. "Remember, I can make things very difficult if you don't cooperate with me, I've been patient with you so far because you have a pretty face, but now I'm beginning to tire of it. Bare that in mind, my Satoshi-sama." He taunted viciously.
Groaning softly and grasping the remote, Satoshi switched off the crimson beams before pushing himself to his feet, staggering wearily over to the broken window and resting his hands on the ledge, his legs giving out beneath him and sending him crashing to the floor painfully. Panting softly, he rested his head against the cool wall. Please… just be quiet. He thought, not caring where he was as he drew up his legs and gave into his exhaustion.