[h3][u]Game Points[/u][/h3]
[@Lady Seraphina], [@Shu], [@Blizz]

[i]Congratulations! 

Phantasm won the battle!
[indent] +10 noterity points earned.[/indent]
Scarlet Shadow escaped the museum!
[indent] +10 noterity points earned.[/indent]
Ellie rescued the doctor!
[indent] +10 noterity points earned.[/indent]

These points have been applied to your stats. Keep taking action to earn more points![/i]

[hr]

[u][url=https://g.page/artinstitutechi?share]The Museum of Historical Sciences, a few blocks away from The Art Institute[/url][/u]
[i]Loop, Tenebrae[/i]
[@Shu]

Chronos watched with interest as Scarlet Shadow made a classic ninja getaway, disappearing through the thick smoke. He could only assume she made it clear to the other end of the hall; the guards were quiet. No sound of a fight. In her clever escape, though, she managed to unintentionally change his game plan. Wandering through a choke-cloud of smoke with guns and nightsticks sounded fun, but Chronos knew he had a better advantage if they could see him.

As the smoke cleared, the five guardsmen poured into the room, scanning their flashlights over the dimly lit walls. The vault, mockingly open and empty, was the only sight that greeted them.

"Clear." said one guard.

"Fan out. Whatever sorry soul did this better be hiding." said another.

They inched into the room, their guns up and flashlights slowly playing over the corners of the room. Just as they were about to uncover the one hiding spot in the room, two hands pulled on the back edge of the safe, and Chronos launched himself in a handspring over it. He landed neatly on the other side, guards spinning in confusion as he dashed out of the storage room.

"Hey! You there, stop!"

Chronos paid them no heed, bounding down the hall. One left, then two, feet barely holding traction against the carpet. He could see the stairs up ahead, and was almost in the clear when the pound of polished boots and flashlights in his face stopped him in his tracks. Guards poured in from the two levels of stairs, marking him in plain sight. And behind him, the guards from the storage room had caught up. Pinned from the back and the front, along a narrow hall, the guards had to smirk as they trained their sights on the lone runaway. At least they would have one crook to put in the pound by the end of the night.

"Raise your hands nice and slow, buddy." said the one from behind Chronos.

Chronos's mouth pulled into a firm line as he concentrated on the staircase, placing his hands on his head. The guards stood shoulder-to-shoulder at the stairs; slipping through them would need to be properly [I]timed[/i]. His heart pounded in his chest, hair raised on his arms as he heard the boots approaching from behind him. The metallic release of someone prepping a pair of handcuffs. Footsteps approaching closer from all sides. But just as a hand grabbed his wrist, Chronos vanished, displaced air rushing through the hall. The guard grabbed nothing but air, staring at the empty space before cursing.

Outside the museum, a few minutes later and half a block down from the erected police perimeter, a hand pushed up a sewer grate. Chronos crawled out of the sewer shaft, choking and dizzy. The bottom half of his Knights uniform was caked in sewage, and he had a hand pressed against his nose. His eyes squinted down in the streetlight, checking the red liquid dribbling from his face. Yep, he had overdone it again tonight. Boss would not be pleased.

A black jeep rolled up beside him, and two masked men in suits stepped out, one opening the door while the other shoved Chronos into the backseat. The engine roared to life as the jeep speed down the dark streets and into the night.

[hr]

[u][url=https://goo.gl/maps/FpH6B4XGad6hC8ic6]Love Street[/url][/u]
[i]Lincoln Park, Tenebrae[/i]
[@Lady Seraphina]

The air felt cold and abrasive as Arc stepped into the night, brushing off the last of the foam from his bare arms. Phantasm took the win with relish, and she knew it hurt his pride to see her get the better of him. It took all his effort to stop himself from doing anything that he'd certainly regret explaining to the boss later. If this was the way to win Phantasm over, he could manage a broken ego and charred skin for the night.

The lights of a black Audi flickered to life down the street, and he pulled out his phone as he approached.

"Hey, can you—what? No, I don't have her... What do you mean, not good enough? I—listen, listen. I'll explain everything when I'm back. But I need one of the white coats to come by—... Chronos too, huh? Okay... Okay, I'm en route."

He pocketed the phone and slipped into the backseat of the car, his driver ready at the wheel. She was dressed similar to him, colours woven into her mask and wild red hair framing her face. She adjusted the rearview mirror to get a better look at him.

"Wow, she beat you up good," she said.

He held her gaze crossly before looking away. "Just drive."

She shrugged, lights turning off as she put the car into gear. The night grew a degree colder, and rain began to hit the window, droplets displacing the colours of the street flying by. She flicked on the wipers, her eyes glancing over to her quiet passenger. He had his head in his hands, bearing the touch despite the burns along his fingers. She had seen him like this before, just once. 

"What happened?" She asked flatly.

Arc spoke plainly, a hint of dread in his voice. "We lost her. And it's my fault."

"Hey, you don't know that."

"I do. I implemented the principle too late, and I messed up the entire strategy."

"So?" she said, a cheeky smile on her face. "There you go making people's decisions for them again. Sir, trust me, she'll come around."

Arc closed his eyes, pausing.

She continued, "Boss already contacted me. He's not angry, you know."

Arc's head tilted up, tension leaving his face. He leaned back into his seat. "Fine. I'll keep the lookouts stationed at Cloud Gate," he said finally, "and perhaps there will be good news for boss after all."

"Very good, Sir."

[hr]

[u][url=https://images.app.goo.gl/dzzHEAbCYikde8cc7]Ace Chemicals[/url][/u]
[i]Loop, Tenebrae[/i]
[@Shu]

ACE Chemicals. The noxious fumes of the place made any normal person stay far away from it. Lucky for Scarlet Shadow, production was closed for the day, and any lingering smell was caught in the rain that began to wet the dusty concrete. The culminating dark clouds made for a fitting atmosphere as the lights over the rooftop's service elevator flickered on, and after a few moments, the door slid open.

Stepping out from the elevator were three men, the first two obscenely tall and muscled under their suits and embossed masks. The last, though not as tall, had strong stature and held himself straight. He had shiny brown hair, wisping in bangs along his forehead, and a pressed lab coat over a dress shirt and slacks. When he saw Scarlet Shadow, he smiled.

"Good evening. " His voice was rich and deep. "My apologies for the change of plans. King Astra had some unexpected business and put me in charge of receiving you."

His eyes gazed over the master thief, and his head tilted. "Though, it would seem I need to apologize on his behalf. The King has upset you. From what I was told, you've had a long night."

He took a few steps closer, the two suited men beside him popping open large umbrellas. One was placed over the scientist, the other a bit ahead, meant for Scarlet Shadow to take shelter from the rain.

The scientist presented a large briefcase, gesturing for her to take it. "This is for you. As promised, it contains the diadem. Please feel free to check it."

Of course, it wasn't just the diadem in the briefcase. There was also a thick blue envelope containing blueprints and floorplans for an underwater laboratory, schematics of a strange device and a flip phone.

The scientist's eyes watched her carefully. "Of course, it would be dishonest of me to say I didn't have another reason for you coming here. I understand the King has made you a job offer. I wanted to answer as many questions as possible so you feel comfortable in accepting. What I can answer right away is, although we don't have a fixed date, we will give the go-ahead on this job soon. And when it's completed, payment will be wired to a bank account of your choice."

The quiet hush of rain made it sound like what he was asking for was easy. In fact, he knew this next heist would be incredibly difficult. He was willing to negotiate and answer any questions necessary for Scarlet Shadow to take the job. The details could be hashed out at a later date, indoors and out of the rain. Preferably with a fresh pot of coffee, and preferably with the King.