Work Text:
Jocelyn crept across the glass dome that capped off the tower. It was stained glass, in a design with lots of light blue and silver.
Down below she saw accountants and their customers, discussing bank statements and the like. She peered through the glass at a specific customer. It was Sterling. He was her roommate and best friend. He was also a brilliant investigator. What was he doing here?
Jocelyn was glad that the glass didn’t make much noise and she made her way across the dome. There she took the bag strapped to her back off and opened it, rustling through it until she pulled out blueprints. She had them memorized but it didn’t hurt to be sure.
After she had once again looked over her escape route she stuffed it back in the bag and put her black, snug gloves on. She also took out coils of rope and a hook. She trekked over to the square hatch on the roof and heaved it open. She recoiled as the hinges groaned and she sighed when she spotted the rust. Great. Half the building will have heard that squeak.
But she kept her composure and latched the hook onto the grooves and tied the rope to said hook.
She shook the rope a few times to make sure it was secure and then she took a deep breath and positioned her mask over her face and tied her hair back into a ponytail. Her mask was thin and breathable, and covered her face, except for the eyes. She had made sure she had full visibility.
Jocelyn allowed herself one final glance down to the area below. The hatch, which was intended as a fire escape, led down to the bank. Every bank had a transportation system that was far beyond her, and it funneled the currency to the capital once a week. She had timed it perfectly. It had the most money it could carry and would funnel out in exactly one hour. So she had one hour to steal everything inside and (fingers crossed) get out alive.
She gripped the rope tight and tossed it down. She slid down and landed as quietly as she could to the ground. There were no guards, as usual. Most people didn’t come to their jobs very much here, making this the easiest region to rob.
Reaching into her pocket she pulled out a blinking device and approached the Memoria Vessel.
It was shaped like a cylinder and was very big. It was filled with small vials. It was kind of like a terrarium. It was glass with intricate silver engravings. The glass was strong, so she couldn’t just break it. Besides, that would alert someone from the downstairs accounting area. She dug into her bag again and pulled out a glazier.
Jocelyn cut into the glass and pressed the small button on my blinking device. she tossed it in and counted five beeps. On the sixth beep it expanded for about half a second and took every vial with it. Then it shrunk back down a few centimeters larger.
She swiped it and put it back in her pocket. An alarm sounded.
She cursed and started sprinting to the large vent. She shoved it as hard as she could and scrambled in. She shut it behind her and crawled quickly, and got to the ladder going down. The vent served as the perfect escape.
Jocelyn climbed down further and further as she heard guards and police arriving at the Memoirs Vessel. She heard them searching and shouting and ignored them.
Sweat dripped down her back and she tried to breath through her mouth so she wouldn’t have to smell the musty, damp air. It was dark but she could faintly see the ladder.
When she got to the bottom she started sprinting for the grate in the dim tunnels.
She heaved the bottom of the grate out and hopped out, her feet landing with a splash in
the dirty water.
After a quick survey of the area Jocelyn determined that nobody was there. She started sprinting as hard as she could to the nearest building that was a decent length away from the bank. She distantly heard alarms and shouts but she ignored it and slipped into the nearest restroom. She pulled extra clothes out of her bag and changed into her basic blue T-shirt and white jean shorts. She also changed into her black high tops and pulled her hair into a ponytail. Transformation complete, she stepped out and saw a tram station nearby.
She quickly bought a ticket and headed inside. The tram was set to arrive just near her apartment complex.
Stepping off the tram Jocelyn spared a quick glance behind her. Her ponytail swished as she checked but no one was analyzing her or calling the police. She was currently in her home region, which was Emotion.
She inserted her brass keys into the small lock in the door and headed inside. She sighed and leaned her head against the wall. Mind racing, she took a few minutes to process. She had just robbed the memory bank. She had just robbed the memory bank. It still wasn’t sticking. Maybe the region had rubbed off on her.
After several deep breaths she headed into her room and tossed her bag in the closet and headed for the stove.
She was planning on having pasta and sausages for dinner, and ignoring what she had just done when her roommate clattered in. Sterling looked disheveled and in a panic, or at least as much as he could when he always looked like some gorgeous foreign prince, but also hopeful. His pale eyes glistened with adrenaline and his platinum blonde hair fell into them.Jocelyn frowned, it was quite an odd combination.
“Jocelyn! You will not believe what happened.” She frowned and glanced at him. “what?”
“While I was at the memory bank with my cousin, it was robbed!” she faked a shocked look. “What! Are you sure? I…. wow.” she paused when she realized he was grinning wide like he had woken up and realized it was his birthday. “Why are you so… happy?”
He bounded forward and she could have sworn his eyes were sparkling. “Becuase this is my big chance! I can finally improve my rank as investigator and maybe even get a raise if I can solve this. All I have to do is find one person and BOOM! Next thing you know the high priestess herself will be calling on me, asking me to help solve the next big mysteries. I'll be famous! And people will be whispering my name for generations.” he blushed when he realized he had been rambling but she just gave him a small smile. “Well that's good. The famous thing-not the robbing thing.”
His head bobbed and he looked so excited. “I'm so excited! Ok, I do actually have work to do, but I can already tell this is the mystery of the century!”
He headed off to his room. “It sure is.” Jocelyn muttered.
The next morning Jocelyn rose bright and early, nerves not letting her sleep much. When she left her room Sterling was already up and typing rapid-fire on his computer. He’s going to say it's me. He’s going to accuse me and I'll be in jail the rest of my life. But instead he just yawned. “Oh hey. G’morning Joss. What got you up so early?”
She froze in her tracks. “Oh y’know, just the whole robbing thing yesterday. I could hardly sleep.” She sat down next to him. “I mean, what if they come for the Motus vessel next?” Sterling barely paused before responding, “yeah i can’t stop thinking about that too. But don’t worry, I checked the schematics of the building and the guard rotations to ensure it was safe.”
That's when I got an idea. “Hey, could I see those? The architecture always looked interesting.” He nodded and I could see him send the schematics and schedule to me. “Yeah sure. Just let me know if you see any flaws with their system, or things that I could exploit to figure out who this lowlife is.¨ I nodded, unable to form words.
I got up from the couch and headed to my room to get ready. I had to get out of this apartment before I was choked alive by my conscience.
As i headed down the street i saw something that caught my eye. There was a stoutly man with a stubble and baseball cap. He was yelling at some lady about incorrect change. He was running a small stand with the newspapers. It wasn’t however, the man or the yelling that had grabbed my attention. It was the front page of the newspaper. It was talking about the heist, my heist. I approached and pulled out my card. “Oh hey.” he calmed down considerably. “Im Ronny.” he said in a raspy voice. I nodded. “Ok cool. So how much for a newspaper?” he picked up the newest issue. “Three bucks.” I've never swiped my card faster. I snatched the newspaper out of his hand and hurried off, reading quickly.
“Wha- updated security measures, changed guard rotations, caused the firing of 37 people? Where’s the actual heist?” I grumbled. The newspaper was probably doing what they did best. Trying to keep the public eye on what was not important as they were paid off from focusing on the big stuff, the things that keep people awake at night. “Abosutley ridiculous.” my head snapped up as i saw a lady standing there, also reading it. “This is what they make of what should have been my column!” she was in quite a huff. She was tall with olive skin and ashy hair. It was long and in a neat braid. Her eyes were hazel with a tint of green.
I came over. “Hey. frustrated with the newspaper too huh?” she nodded. “Of course! I mean, not only was this the story I was vying for yesterday and they gave it to Jared, but they don’t even mention the robbery. Like, c’mon. That's the reason we’re reading it right? And I would have gone way more in-depth.” she scowled at the paper and looked like she was ready to throw it in the bin. I nodded understandingly. “I know right. It's so upsetting. My cousin works there and I was super worried about her, but I didn't hear anything either." The lie had just built up on my tongue and tumbled out before I could think. All I knew was that I had to get to know this girl, even if I had to lie about how I knew about the heist. However, her eyes brightened. “Wow really? Maybe the news could ask them for a firsthand account? That would be amazing, and if I could do it they would definitely let me get another shot at this story, probably when there’s more development.” she blushed. “Oh sorry! I've been rambling. I do that a lot.” She stuck out her hand. “My name is June.” I grinned and took the offered hand. “You’re fine, I liked listening. Also, your eyes are absolutely gorgeous and my name is Jocelyn.”
She smiled. “Thats such a pretty name.” She paused before adding “oh! I've got to go to work, but maybe we could talk tomorrow? I always get the paper in the morning.” I nodded eagerly. “Yeah of course, have a good day.” she waved at me before she headed down the street.
I sighed happily, and couldn’t stop smiling for the rest of the day, even with my grievances about the memory column.
After a bit of walking around the park, because I need to clear my head and because I don’t know what to do and I don’t want to be around my roommate as much as possible. As I walk I see a small family, with two parents and two kids, the girl playing with a colorful toy when the boy steals it and runs off. I realized I relate to the little boy a little too much when the girl cries to the parents and they reprimand the boy. I sighed to myself. When I had started this I hadn't anticipated how alone I’d feel. I guess I'm way in over my head.