ℳ𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘰.

⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀𝘋𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘦𝘵 .ᐟ 𝘐𝘵'𝘴 𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙚 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘭 .ᐟ

[ℳ𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘰. @Glamoichi]

—— THE ℳASTER THIEF 𝐿IVES ON! ✨️

[ℳ𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘰. @Glamoichi]

“.. With hands like those? Pffft! Maybe you can rip a paper or two!”

[⌞－Ꮩᴵᴸᴱ⌝ @RevenantReploid]

“Rip and tear.”

[ℳ𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘰. @Glamoichi]

— a laugh to distract from what she holds behind her.

[ℳ𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘰. @Glamoichi]

With the flash, Marino jumps away to a far-off corner. Best to keep her distance from the unknown!

Once the light clears, however, the shinobi takes a few steps forward, led by her blades. They point outwards, ready for a fight should Axl initiate, but instead..

“.. Do you —

[𝙏𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙜𝙚𝙧-𝙁𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙧 @PrototypeAxl]

YOUR SHENANIGANS YOU’RE UNDER ARREST AND YOU AXL A-ARE UNDER THIN ICE NO MORE-MORE MAVERICK HUNTING F-FOR THE MONT-

Axl dropped the voice and immediately changed back to his normal self as he held his belly and was just starting to laugh

“So-sorry could not keep that up!”

[ℳ𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘰. @Glamoichi]

— and reverts back into his original form. Once again, he's all smiles and laughs!
.. That means it's a good time to sweep the treasure, and so she does, slipping it behind her back as he uproars in laughter.

“Hahaha! You're jokes are so, hahaha, terrible!” She jests, forcing —

[ℳ𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘰. @Glamoichi]

@Alia_MMX — mischievously.

[ℳ𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘰. @Glamoichi]

@Alia_MMX — shinobi slinks behind a crumbling pillar, stolen treasure held close to her chest.

With steady breath, Marino pops her head out, watching Alia carefully from her hidden post.

“Curiosity killed the cat, y'know. Best not to go too far, now..” She whispers, smiling oh-so —

[ℳ𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘰. @Glamoichi]

@Alia_MMX — making some faint noise amidst her rummaging.

Not that the shinobi noticed. Her mind was beginning to slip elsewhere. Into the lap of luxury beneath the garbage, to be exact. ✨️

[ℳ𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘰. @Glamoichi]

@Alia_MMX With the navigator out of the way, Marino can finally pounce. She steps forth, towering over the burrowed treasure beneath.

“Hmhm, what do we have here?” Coos the thief, whispering as to not attract any nearby attention. Her hands, on the other hand, would not be as sneaky, —

[ℳ𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘰. @Glamoichi]

— getting out of here.” Marino remarks, a playful smile dancing on her features.

“I'm not going to do anything. Promise! X, on the other hand..” She laughs, turning her side to the hunter. “Well, he might. He wouldn't like you being out here during a mission, would he?”

[ℳ𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘰. @Glamoichi]

What was more painful? The thought of losing the treasure, or the puns Axl was making about it?

“Kill you? What do you take me for?” The thief grunts, withdrawing from the copycat before her. “I'm not interested in getting rid of you, Axl. I'm just interested in, well.. you —

[𝙏𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙜𝙚𝙧-𝙁𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙧 @PrototypeAxl]

“And now you have fallen for my trap, and you’re right in the open. Whatcha gonna do now huh?

Because I doubt you’re gonna kill me.”

[ℳ𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘰. @Glamoichi]

@Alia_MMX — finally decides to hightail it out of here.

Hopefully that time comes soon. Marino can already catch a glimpse of the treasure burrowed just a few feet away..!

[ℳ𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘰. @Glamoichi]

@Alia_MMX The thief scurries behind Alia, keeping watch of where her light may point next. Soon, Marino becomes the navigator's shadow, timing her breaths and movements with the investigator's.

They were one and the same. Two sides of the same coin. That much was true.. until Alia —

[ℳ𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘰. @Glamoichi]

— voice reverbating throughout the crumbling corridor.

“You're not exploding *anything*, okay? Put it down, nice and slow.”

.. So much for the promise that she'd keep her heists for the weekend. He'd better not snitch to X!

[ℳ𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘰. @Glamoichi]

—?!

Well, there goes the plan. Right before the Reploid sent the treasure blasting, Marino pounds on him! Beam Knives against his throat, legs around his waist. One wrong move, and it'd be night night.

“Do you even *know* what you're doing, Axl?!” The shinobi barks, her —

[𝙏𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙜𝙚𝙧-𝙁𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙧 @PrototypeAxl]

“Oh well.”

The Reploid stops taking out his blast launcher

“I can’t just leave this abandoned unstable place out here can I, who knowsssssss who can get lost in here. Guess I’ll have to tear it down.”

“In one……twoooooooo.”

He aims his Blast launcher at the ceiling

[ℳ𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘰. @Glamoichi]

@Alia_MMX — be hers!

So, when the navigator breaks onto the scene, the thief can't help but feel a little irked as she quickly sinks into the shadows of a far-off corner.

The loot she's entitled to will have to wait *just* a bit longer..

[ℳ𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘰. @Glamoichi]

@Alia_MMX Well, who else will love these abandoned valuables if not her?

Alia's assumptions were true as can be. Marino's hit the jackpot, scurrying around the abandoned headquarters to swipe anything she could get her grubby hands on. Files, chips, power-ups. They were all destined to —

[ℳ𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘰. @Glamoichi]

— quiet, keeping a safe distance from the Maverick Hunter's backside.

For good measure, the shinobi unsheathes her Beam Knives, ready for any possibility of a fight.
That, or a chance to swipe something off the explorer.

[ℳ𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘰. @Glamoichi]

.. Well, there goes her hope of an easy heist. At this point, she would have been better off swiping the treasure and going on her merry way.

Growing impatient, Marino drops down from the rocks above. She moves along the way, careful to remain in the shadows.

“C'mon, turn —

[𝙏𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙜𝙚𝙧-𝙁𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙧 @PrototypeAxl]

He started shining his gun flashlight all around the place hoping for something

“I got a weird feeling….HEY if anyone is out there go ahead and come out I don’t like people who watch me behind my back.”

[ℳ𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘰. @Glamoichi]

— around.. nothing here could be *that* interesting—?!”

Well, she was quite the catch! Why else would he be whipping that flashlight around now?

The second the light turns to her person, Marino slinks away, dashing behind Axl and aligning herself with his shadow. She keeps —