"Especially considering a got a few as well," He said, producing around a dozen coins in his hand, dropping them in the hat with satisfying 'plunks' in the pile. They would count them when they got back, which outta keep Emmaline busy while Neil set up the place for his surprise for her. Glancing up at the sky, the weather was growing less overcast, a swift sunrise of red appeared on the horizon, showing it was mid afternoon.  

As the crew of the barge suddenly began to shout with alarm hundreds of meters away, Neil and Emmaline made their way slowly back to the island, Neil trying to keep both the images of Emmaline's chest and the gold next to it out of his mind for at least a bit longer... 

Two hours later, the sun began to dip behind the spires of the palace, the two moons of the world idle in the ever darkening sky. Having used a few coins to buy the best vodka he could find, Neil had set up the tower to prepare. Ham, cheese, wheat bread, vodka, water, and even a few grapes and berries had been procured by the entrepreneurial thief, giving Emmaline ample time to count the coins over and over and over again and sip the last of the spirits from the other night. The guns had gone silent an hour ago, but that did little to clear the river. Strangely the skiffs and longboats still swayed in the surf and flowing water, though Nuln patrols had started sailing out there, Neil having heard from a fishwife they were searching the boats for a culprit of what was supposedly a gold theft, not that they knew anything about that. Now as the sun began to truly disappear, Neil brought Emmaline to the top of the tower, pushing a couch audibly toward the opening of the balcony, the wooden pegs screeching across the floor as he did so. He looked like an unkempt waiter moving all the food and drinks on one tray, setting them down on the table with an impressive balance. Finally satisfied, he plopped down on the couch and patted the cushion next to him, the girl thief sitting down and both of them began to pluck bits of the food off the table and drink a bit of the alcohol. After a few minutes, Neil grabbed a piece of fabric he had procured and began ripping it into four pieces. 

"So what's this surprise you have for me...?" Emmaline asked, even as Neil pushed a piece of balled up fabric into her ears, and then into his own ears. "[sub]Neil, are you listening? What are you doing?[/sub]" 

Without warning, a bomb detonated. 

No, it only seemed that way. A sudden cascade of incandescent colors radiated across their vision. Missiles of fire shot up before them not forty paces away, emitting more booms, rapidly erupting like the bang at the beginning of creation, popping and roaring. There were moments where they could feel the wind from the explosions, multi-colored sparks hitting the balcony. With their ears stuffed, they didn't receive any hearing damage. But it was loud and intense, brightening the low-lit room with every firework launched. Neil looked engrossed, popping grapes into his mouth. Before them, the gold glinted with the myriad of detonations reflecting off their shining bodies. It seemed to last forever; a few times teasing them with a long pause before an even larger explosion of colors, before the largest launch occurred. One firework exploded into the likeness of a golden hammer, just as another became a roaring red dragon, and still the last was a great eagle of flame, dissipating moments later as golden specks fell into the river for all to see. 

Neil beamed, looking to Emmaline to see if she enjoyed it as much as he. He pulled a bit of fabric from her closest ear. "How'd you like it?"