He’s mocking her. Taunting her. Playing on her stuttered hesitance with only the intentions of humouring her– Or really, making her feel inadequate. Stupid for making up such a horrendous, fantasy-esque lie. Princess Aoko and the Asshole Phantom Thief. A LARP that she knew she didn’t want to be a part of, because he only mocked her with every word spoken.
She tried to keep her cool, watching the door be flung open and yet not really budging. If she moved closer to block him at the door, he could make it around her to get the window. He was a magician– It was a shock he hadn’t just passed her already.
Oh wait– No it wasn’t. He was staying because he knows she hates him. What a joke.
❝ But dear bard– If the dragons have been hungry and chasing you for some time now… Wouldn’t they know your obvious escape through a window? Wouldn’t they be prepared? I’m sure there are a few dragons already out there, ready to capture you as soon as your wings take flight. It’s best if you just stay here! Before you get eaten! You can’t perform anymore if you’re swallowed up whole, right? ❞
The only option she had was to play along, seeing as she threw herself into this mess. She almost wanted the ground to swallow herself whole she was that embarrassed– But knowing she could help capture the bane of her existence by staying, that’s what kept her going.
A gloved finger waved back and forth in the air, a small, silent disagreement as Kid allowed his eyes to close. (Guard still up, switching his focus between listening down the hallway and back in the room.)
“Ah, but ojou-san, even the hungriest dragons couldn’t prepare for every possible route their prey could take. If they tried, there wouldn’t be enough of them to take their target down. And I can’t perform if I’m kept to one room, either, lovely and accommodating as the audience I have here is. Far better to fly through fire than stay in this castle.”
…No sounds yet. Either Nakamouri-keibu took a different route, or expected him to be somewhere else… So many different routes he could go with this situation. At best… well, Aoko wouldn’t have been here, but escaping from here had been the plan tonight instead of from the roof. It hadn’t been a joke to say there were too many routes to try to prepare for on the police (and Snake’s) end, it was up to him to choose which one to take. Even now, trying to plan a new route in his head, it seemed more and more like the safest ideas involved knocking Aoko out before escaping…
Princess– … Of course he was trying to butter her up. That’s what Kaito KID did. Played as a gentleman for his “audience” and his “fans”. Disgusting. Gross. Fake. Like a cliché performer who goes so over-the-top, everyone claps along sarcastically just so he’ll get off the stage.
Aoko just wanted him gone.
❝ Isn’t that more of a reason to stay? You wouldn’t want to be eaten up by the dragons! Then how will you be able to do your performances?❞
Trying to play along– Trying to delay his escape as much as she could so her father could barge through the door and catch him red-handed white-gloved. Then there’d be two victories that night. Her father would succeed in catching the infamous thief, and Aoko would finally have her father back.
Hopefully. Provided another international thief with KID’s talents flukes didn’t appear out of no where to capture his intrigue again.
Taking careful steps towards him, she prepared herself to tackle the thief if need be. Anything to keep him in this room for just a little longer–
“Those dragons have been hungry and chasing for some time now. If I didn’t go out every time they were here, there wouldn’t be any performances either way.”
The door swung open, even as he kept a careful eye on the titled ‘princess’ in the room. More of a knight than Hakuba, really, with how she handled people like him, but it fit nonetheless. And considering he was fully aware of the hate Aoko carried for his own current title… Kid knew well the concern and casual fantasy chat came more from wanting to stall him than anything.
And though he could, the thief didn’t take leave quite yet.
“If you’re so worried about my possibilities of being eaten, however, the window would make a better exit for me to out-fly them.”
This was the first time they had let Aoko stay in the building after giving her Dad his dinner for the night. Well– They’d forgotten to escort her out. With no obligation or force to leave, she took it as a “Explore if you want” gesture, knowing full well that she wouldn’t get in the way of the police when the criminal came in to collect his ‘prize’.
What she didn’t expect, however, was to be in the same room he had decided to escape from. And with his full costume on– He couldn’t deny who he was. The unfortunate display of white was his own fault, really.
Backing up against the window so he couldn’t use it as an escape path, she watched as he attempted to go out the door he came in–
❝ Th-There is a dragon outside this door! And if we go out, it will eat us!❞
She shouts quickly, inwardly cringing as she realises how stupid that was. She was just trying to keep him in the room so the police could capture him once they flooded the building to find him.
Seeing Aoko here certainly had been a suprise. Sure, he’d known she brought her father a bentou, but she did normally leave afterward… Well, except that one time she managed to get a uniform, but to more casually be here during a heist? Of course he’s tried to back out the room.
The outburst did manage to make his hand hesitate over the knob, the sheer ridiculousness causing him to pause. Even if the statement alone he might believe (hey, magic and robots, why not a dragon, really), he’d been the last to come in. So the pause didn’t last more than a second before the thief snorted and took hold of the door.
“Dragons, I’d think, ojou-san. And while they certainly want to eat, I’m afraid it’s only one of us they’re interested in. They don’t take to well to thieves, but princesses, they have no reason to harm. I think I’ll risk it all the same.”
❝ H-hey! I didn’t need your help! I looked cute either way! And… I don’t know, you like wearing disguises. Who knows what you could be doing. ❞
“We needed mature and pretty, not cute.” Doesn’t seem to be disagreeing with her on her actual statement, though. “Besides, if I disguised as you, I’d get found out immediately.”
“Wha- I said dress you, not dress as you, ahoko. Like those times we went to a bar and when we had that ski competition. Why would you jump to me wearing your clothes?” Aside from heists, because of course he’s not going to bring up using her face for those. Ever. Or face the wrath of deadly cleaning supplies to the face, at best.
Moonlight Archive 