"Officer, I'm holding it for someone, honest!"

Why was it not surprising that excuse didn't work? The several times it had ever been used before it never worked, so why would it now? If one really wanted to stay out of custody they would probably do a better job of evading arrest, or at the very least come up with a more plausible excuse. Instead of even attempting to keep out of this situation, Katsu had willingly given himself over to authorities, doing little other than offering that lame excuse beforehand. As was the case he now found himself in the back of a cruiser, the stench of oil burning filling his nostrils as the automobile chugged along the road. The officers who had made the arrest certainly looked pleased with themselves, having apprehended the boy who was responsible for 10 thefts just this week. They were little jobs really, and he'd not stolen from the same place more than once; repeat thefts were bound to lead to a mishap as he'd found over the years. This particular heist of his had been a simple one, just a routine pickpocketing that yielded a few dozen yuan and a ring, hardly anything worth getting busted for.

Katsu hadn't gotten arrested for some measly pocket change, and certainly not for a worn down ring with a missing gem. His mark was a little more elusive than that, and only accessible if one could get close enough to an officer. What he was after was not anything that would hold any real value, unless you sold it on a black market. What he was after was a badge, in particular one of the officers' badges. Criminals paid handsomely for these as one could use it to fool locals, gaining access to otherwise restricted areas or even sneaking into a police compound to spring one of your fellow crooks. In the slight struggle prior to his arrest he had managed to grab said item out of one of their pockets and now had it tucked away in the pocket of his pants, tucked away as he'd been sat down in the back of the car. Sooner or later the buffoons were bound to notice that he'd stolen something of theirs which meant he'd have to get away before then; escaping custody was something he'd done a few times, but it was a little trickier when in a moving vehicle. Glancing out the window he watched as the buildings raced by, laying his head back on the seat and letting out a sigh. Shame he had no way to get in contact with his crew, he would have to figure this out on his own then. 

What would the best way of escaping a moving vehicle be? Jumping out whilst in motion was dangerous, he couldn't really do that while his hands were bound either. First thing's first then, he would have to focus on freeing his hands up before he could try any sort of escape. Glancing between the officers to make certain they were busy he stretched out his hands, managing to get one finger up against the chain that connected the cuffs. Inhaling silently through his nose Katsu then formed a small flame, letting it lick away at the metal gradually as he tried to hide the fire itself behind his back. From where he sat there was the audible sound of the fire flickering and the smell of burning metal, but to his luck the glass pane between himself and the officers should negate both of those. As the fire worked away at the chains he could feel its grip loosening, but he dared not try to break them for worry they might see him do it; once the fire had eaten through the metal entirely he felt his arms relax considerably, but again he kept them from moving too much, not wanting to draw attention to himself. Now, how was he to get out of the car?

To be a successful thief you needed two things: skill and luck. Knowing how to do the trade played a massive part in your success of course, and made the difference between the wealthy thieves and the failures. Had he any real concern for monetary gain Katsu would fall in the former, but he couldn't care less for it himself. The thrill of theft in of itself was all he desired, and every job both big and small delivered that thrill. Luck wouldn't get you by on your own, but occasionally even the best of thieves needed it to get by now and again. Some got it only rarely while others had it quite often, and fortunately for Katsu he fell into the latter in that regard. The opening he needed was just up ahead in the form of a traffic light changing to red, bringing the traffic and the cruiser to a gradual halt. The door would be locked, but that was no issue for him; burn the lock, kick the door open and run into an alleyway, that was the game plan. Sending one more glance in the way of the officers he met one of their gazes, a sly smirk forming across his lips. Something must have clicked in the guy's head that instant because he quickly opened his door to get out, but his reaction would come far too late. Freeing his hands from behind himself Katsu blasted the lock with a burst of blame, easily melting the metal and eating through to the exterior of the car. With one quick kick he then forced the door open, managing to hit and knock over the officer that had gotten out before scrambling out himself. By the time the other officer had gotten out of the car and helped his partner the thief was long gone, the faint sound of his laughing carrying out of the adjacent alleyway.

Katsu stopped running after he had gotten a few blocks away, ducking into an empty storehouse and pausing to make sure he hadn't been followed. After a few tense moments of silence he broke into a grin, wiping his forehead and letting out a sigh as he withdrew his mark from his pocket. "Hehe... Alfonso is going to be really happy with this..." he mumbled, tossing the badge up and catching it again. Alfonso was his connection to the black market, a man who knew how to ship otherwise illegal items with ease and bring in the most profit. Due to his own disregard for money the fence took half of each share, with the rest being distributed amongst his group. Gods know how much a badge would bring in exactly, but Katsu wagered it would be something fairly decent. Poking his head out of the storehouse he looked down the street before pocketing his haul, folding his hands then behind his head as he began a leisurely stroll back to his hideout. No doubt the authorities were going to be looking for him any moment, but they could be heard a mile away so it wasn't as though he was too worried about them. Nah, he was home free already despite being in the middle of the city, and soon he'd be back home bragging about his latest outing.