bakerstreet | "...but keeping you all alive is a much bigger challenge."

LET'S HEIST

You've got your crew - or maybe you don't.
Maybe you were just picked up off the street,
or maybe you've been planning this for years.
But now, the streets of the city are yours,
and there's only one thing to do;

Go big or go home.

1; THE PLAN
Prepwork. Plotting. Who're you going to hit? Who's going to do what?
Figure out what you're going to do and how you're going to do it,
just keep in mind that the world rarely goes along with your careful planning.

2; THE SETUP
Get the vehicles. Get the people. Get everything in place, and get
as ready as you can possibly be. Now isn't the time to let things
go wrong...not that it's going to stop them from doing so.
2B; THE SHOPPING MONTAGE
Time to dress up like firemen!

3; THE BEGINNING (OF THE END)
Three, two, one - get your mask, get your gun, get your adrenaline
up and pumping because there's no stopping it now.

4. THE GETAWAY
You've got the goods, but can you get away from the cops? Oh, look.
They've even brought in a helicopter team - lucky you. No matter how
many you shoot, there'll always be more coming, unless you can
give them the slip...
4B; THE COLLAPSE
It's all going down, boys, you're not going to make it.
Ready to go out in a blaze of glory?
Or did you forget to restock the sticky bombs?

5. THE AFTERMATH
Did you manage to escape? Lucky you, you're part of an extremely
rare club that pays as much homage to luck as it does skill. Now,
what're you doing with the prize?...perhaps using it to invest in
your next heist?

6. THE OTHER SIDE
Are you a cop instead of a heister? Good luck.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Lawliet speaks up just when Near thinks he's gotten away. Just when the sirens have begun to fade, just when Near thinks the place he's chosen to take cover in is secure, just when Near shifts to get on the move again.

"Hmm, not bad. It's a shame about the auxiliary pressure sensors. They were cleverly disguised. Or was it that you knew they were there, but couldn't replicate the exact weight of the diamond?"

He's sitting on top of a low brick wall that he definitely wasn't on a moment ago, in a suit made of tough but flexible, easy-to-move-in material, with an artfully loose tie. His attitude, though, suggests he was on it all the while; he's leaning back easily, a leg dangling carelessly over the near side, propped up on one arm, his palm flat on the brick.

The fading of the sirens is actually almost disappointing. And here he'd thought he might get a good chase out of his misstep. Oh, well. He's not exactly going to go out of his way to make one happen now.

He shifts a little, drawing out of little corner -- it's a nice advantage, really, being so small -- but then stiffens for a second at the voice. Wait, why hadn't he noticed any approach? He'd been watching everywhere he could, hadn't he? Shit.

But he relaxes a bit when he glances over his shoulder to the source of the voice, just as his brain makes the connection that it's familiar. Oh. Okay. This shouldn't be anything to worry about. It could be a lot worse. (Could have been Mello, who Near isn't sure he wants to see at all, but even if he did, this would be a disastrous time. What with Mello's line of work, and all.)

"Getting the weight right was pretty tricky. Thought I had it, but . . ." A casual shrug, an incline of his head back at the museum. "Well, you saw the result, obviously."

"You had better be careful. Plans that call for such precise calculation may not be the best approach for you." It isn't that Near doesn't have an eye for detail. They all do, at Wammy's House. It's just that Near has never been quite as meticulous as the rest, showing a talent for altering his plans on the fly rather than carefully considering every detail.

"Still -- on the whole, it was executed very well. You showed remarkable initiative, and you responded quickly and effectively when it began to go wrong." The compliment is delivered evenly and coolly. If Near had been less careless and his getaway had been cleaner, Lawliet would have been more openly complimentary, but the young man has a long way to go.

"Eh, live and learn."

He could be more careful if he wanted. It's hardly like he doesn't know that he dresses too visibly for his jobs, making clean escapes harder if something goes wrong. Or that things are more likely to go wrong if he doesn't plan out every little detail in advance. But god, that would be so boring that he would fall asleep during the planning stages anyway.

Why even do all this if you're not going to have any fun? He doesn't know how the others could stand it.

"Still, I guess I should keep feedback from the best in mind." Said casually, like he says pretty much everything. He's got no problem admitting he isn't on Lawliet's level yet, if he'll ever get there. "And fun as a chase would be, I can't have stuff like this happen every time."

Succeeding with the handicaps he's put on himself would be great. He does have some pride as a thief, after all, despite his tendency to revel in danger and uncertainty. If he's always tripping alarms, it means he's a fuck-up and that's just not right.

Lawliet's flattered by that -- genuinely. He likes to be admired, likes people knowing how good he is, maybe a little too much. Lawliet's self-worth has always been influenced a little too strongly by the opinions of the people around him, and the praise softens him.

"If you're really interested in a chase," Lawliet says slowly, mischief creeping into his voice, "...I suppose it wouldn't be too much trouble to race you back."

And Near means it sincerely; he's not in the habit of uttering false praise. Lawliet is the example the all aspire to at Wammy's House, and he's never seen anything to suggest he isn't worthy of the words.

He cracks a grin at that statement. He can't help it, and doesn't see why he would want to. The very thought of racing against the best of all of them perks him right out of any lingering disappointment he might have still felt at the incompetence of the cops, gets his blood going again just like an initial break-in.

"It might be interesting."

There isn't any maybe about it. The grin gives that much away and he knows it.

"Look sharp," Lawliet says -- a sporting warning, to keep things fair -- and then he's on his feet and leaping up, catching the bottom of a fire escape in one hand and swinging himself up onto it. He's off like a rocket, headed for the rooftop. Running on the ground, in this part of town, would attract too much attention, so the roofs it is.

They're criminals, sure, but that hardly means that everything they do needs to be dishonest. People like to say that there's no honour among thieves, but at Wammy's House, that doesn't hold true.

"Always." A quick, cheery response to the warning.

And then he's off, following the route up the fire escape. Running about on the ground really would be pretty stupid right now. The game would end before it even really started. He's started from behind, and his shorter legs will hinder him in a straight run, but Near can turn on a dime and makes up a bit of ground at every corner during the ascent. Still behind by the time they make it to the roof, but not by much.

"...but keeping you all alive is a much bigger challenge."

4, gonna break in this journal woooo

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