[b]Tuesday, Spring 2nd[/b]
[i]Forget-Me-Not Valley - Mitemi Inn[/i]

"Way to almost get us both caught!" Ryder turned on the Phantom. "What was that all about?"

"You should be thanking me," he chuckled as he flicked his hair. "They already checked this room once, so they won't be coming back here again. I'd say that this room is officially a safe place to spend the night." He crossed the room and reached underneath the bed to retrieve a package of bread he had stolen from the bar. With all of the commotion, Ryder hadn't even realized that the Phantom hid the stolen goods under the bed before Tim and Ruby had entered the room. "Care for a bite?" he teased Ryder, obviously having heard his stomach growling in the closet. A bit embarrassed, Ryder accepted the offer, and the Phantom tossed him the package.

"So," the Phantom continued, "I noticed that you were trying to break in to the Inn. I suppose I don't mind that there's another thief in Forget-Me-Not Valley, but [i]don't[/i] get in my way," he threatened. "Besides, your tactics are rather... sloppy. If I could have noticed you breaking into the building, anyone could have."

Ryder choked on his bread. "Excuse me?" he scoffed, completely ignoring the fact that the Phantom mistook him as another thief. "If my 'tactics' are so sloppy, how come you're the one who can't even break into a building without causing a commotion? They wouldn't have even noticed that I had came in if it weren't for you. But you, on the other hand, alerted both the residents of the Inn [i]and[/i] the owners of the bar of your presence! All in one night!"

The Phantom smiled. "What can I say? I like to put on a show. There's a certain grandeur to the element of crime, and that grandeur is lost if there is no one around to witness it." He pulled some booze from the bar out from beneath the bed. "Besides, I did manage to get away from those folks down at the bar, didn't I? As soon as I crossed in front of the Inn, I used the darkness of the night to my advantage and tucked into the shadows where they couldn't see me. I waited until they had passed me, and then slipped to the back of the building where I saw you awkwardly standing with one foot in the window." Ryder realize how foolish and vulnerable he must have looked just standing there watching the scene. If any one else had stirred during the commotion caused by the robbery, he could have easily been spotted from behind. Perhaps his tactics [i]were[/i] a bit sloppy.

Ryder scratched his head and took a bite of the bread the Phantom had given him. "Well, I guess that's why they call you the Phantom then. That [i]was[/i] you they were talking about, wasn't it?"

The Phantom laughed and pulled another package of bread out from beneath the bed. "That's right," he said self-confidently as he broke off a piece of the bread. "The name's Skye, known to the Valley as the 'Phantom Thief.' And you are?"

Ryder stiffened up a bit and puffed out his chest as he said, "They call me 'Ryder!' Known to everyone as... 'Ryder."

"Well how about this, Ryder," Skye wagered as he took a swig of the booze. "If you think that you're such a good thief, what say you to a little challenge? Tomorrow night at 10pm, meet me behind the cluster of trees leading up to the Mansion." He pointed out the window to an area down the road, so that Ryder had an idea of where Skye wanted to meet. "Each one of us will sneak in to one building in the Valley and retrieve one item. We'll rendezvous back behind the cluster of trees. Whoever can do it more quickly without being caught wins. What do you say?"

Ryder never really considered himself a thief before, but his blood was pumping at the thought of a challenge. He couldn't refuse. "You're on!"