The Innocence of Corruption {Gaby // Heist & Auto}

Heistia Theft

A
family gathering. For most people it means smiling relatives sitting
around a large table in the kitchen, making jokes, eating cookies.
The Theft family annual reunion is another matter. One day Heist
wondered what would happen if they were a normal family, just like
everyone else. She gave up on the thought after failing to imagine
the head of the family with a cookie in one hand and a glass full of
apple juice in the other one. The whole fantasy seemed ridiculous.

She
likes those meetings the way they are, anyway. Everyone gathers in a
beautifully decorated chamber to get their orders and plan the most
spectacular crimes. Heist has always thought that what they do is
completely and totally wrong. However, she can't stop feeling proud
of those people's genius. Another thing that makes those gatherings
special is the fact that everyone there knows who she is and what she
does on regular basis. She can allow herself to feel calm in these
walls. Knowing that no one in this room would ever blame her for all
the stealing gives Heist an incredibly pleasant opportunity to feel
relaxed.

When
the Leader appears in the doorway, silence falls over the room and
even she, the little pocket thief who hasn't made a single loud sound
during the past few days, tries to be even more quiet in his
presence. Heist almost stops breathing to listen to what he has to
say.

“All
of you are dismissed for rest today, except for Auto and Heist.”

She is
not dismissed. It can only mean one thing: there will be more
stealing. What if she will be given an honor to participate in
another robbery? The memory of her last big task and her illness
flashes in front of Heist's eyes, still fresh in the thin girl's
memory. She would never be able to tell if she can handle herself
next time. Hoping for an easy task, Heist looks at the Leader. Her
gaze is full of terror, but the little thief is trying to seem
relaxed and happy about being assigned a task.

After
hearing what she has to do, Heist is more surprised than scared at
first. Nodding silently in agreement, the girl is trying to figure
out what she is supposed to do. She is being paired up with the
Leader's daughter. That is both strange and inconvenient. Heist
always works better alone, but she doesn't dare to confront the
Leader, unlike the man's daughter who immediately refuses to serve as
a distraction. A glimpse of hope can be seen in Heist's eyes, but it
fades quickly as the Leader doesn't seem too excited about Auto's
attitude. After a small warning even the rebellious twin's resistance
is gone.

No
matter how concerned Heist is feeling about the task, she still has
to do it. There is no time to figure out why it is so strange. Her
inner clock is saying that she has very little time until noon...
They have very little time.
She must not forget about her new “distraction”. Why would she
need one anyway? There is no time to figure that out. Her hand finds
a small piece of coal in her pocket as she is heading outside after
all the little ones being dismissed. Heist knows that this tiny thing
can't affect her quest in any way, but it reminds her of home and she
needs all the confidence she can get. Working together with somebody
is difficult, mainly because she will have to discuss her every
movement with another girl.

Auto
approaches the little thief, appearing out
of thin air by her cousin's side, stating the obvious again –
twenty minutes until noon, no time. After Heist hears her cousin's
question about what she wants to go over, the tiny girl's brain
starts working like mad to figure out a plan. Heist has been
pickpocketing at that bakery for ages and she doesn't see why she
would need any distractions to help her. Was it just meant to be a
way to teach her a thing or two about teamwork? Anyway, she has to
think. In a matter of seconds Heist blurts out an answer:

“Seventeen
minutes and thirty nine seconds until we get to the bakery. Then you
come inside and pretend to look at the bread. I hide outside, then
Ms. Chlorina comes. You start a conversation with her (twenty seconds
of polite talk), I sneak into the bakery (seven seconds) and take the
money (four
seconds). After that, we both vanish and meet in an alleyway behind
the bakery. There is a huge
trash can there, so we can hide behind it if anyone sees us.”

Her
voice is quiet, but firm. Maybe she is being too bossy. Hoping
for any sign of approval, Heist stares at her cousin. Such plans
(sneak in, grab the cash,
sneak out) always work for
her, but what does Auto think about it? After
moment of hesitation, the tiny pocket thief speaks again:

“That
is the kind of plan I usually use, but we can do it your way if you
have any suggestions.”

That
is what the whole cooperation thing is about, after all. Hearing what
others have to say even if she may not need to listen to anybody.