Matchstick & Blaze ((Felix, open))

[Cross]

Joaquin moved silently through the black of night, his fur blending in with his surroundings, making him no more visible than the shadow of a cloud. He was returning to the agreed-upon rendezvous point to wait for Felix. That cat was a piece of work, alright. Who had ever heard of a wildcat who sold shoes? Joaquin struck a match against his teeth as he arrived. Apparently Mossflower housed stranger creatures than he'd once thought.

But tonight was going to be glorious. He would get to burn an entire household of mice in one fell swoop. It would probably satisfy his mad desire for weeks. Of course, he wouldn't say no if another opportunity came up directly after this one, but at least he would be as antsy come the following days.

Holding the lit match with his teeth, he fished out a small pipe from his thick trench coat. Lighting it with the flame from the match, he shook the tiny blaze out and discarded it, puffing a few times on the pipe. Leaning against a boulder, he kept his sharp eyes peeled for the cat. The smoke from his pipe drifted up into the night air, more visible than usual due to the cooler temperatures of fall. Joaquin wondered where Felix was. Off selling shoes, perhaps?

[.:Fawn:.]

Holding the lit match with his teeth, he fished out a small pipe from his thick trench coat. Lighting it with the flame from the match, he shook the tiny blaze out and discarded it, puffing a few times on the pipe. Leaning against a boulder, he kept his sharp eyes peeled for the cat. The smoke from his pipe drifted up into the night air, more visible than usual due to the cooler temperatures of fall. Joaquin wondered where Felix was. Off selling shoes, perhaps?

"Pssst, Blaze!"

There was a faint 'thud' as four paws landed perfectly upon the ground just behind him, a black shape having leapped down from the trees. It was the sudden appearance of Felix Ferroux, expert thief and frightened of no one! The totally black clothing the feline had covered himself with -- his bushy orange tail strapped to his back beneath his clothing -- made it difficult to pinpoint him in the dark, his tufted ears and those luminous eyes of his the only thing to distinguish him from the darkness itself.
"Ready to go? Here, you'll need this, Blaze." Felix's tone wasn't his usual quiet, harmless one; now it was filled with determination and a smoothless no one had thought him capable of. The hunt was afoot, that much was obvious, the thick-pawed cat grinning against the black mask covering him. Pulling something off his person, Felix handed a slightly mishapen haversack to the pipe-smoking fox.
It was filled with moss to cut back on the noise of their soon-to-be-stolen goods clanking against each other as the pair would make their daring escape. "You have everything you need? We can't stop on the way there, and we can't afford any errors." The feline sounded somewhat breathless, obviously eager to get started; this was the one time Felix could stop worrying about what his wife will think, or whether or not he'll sell any shoes today...
This was the one time he got to do what he loved, and there was absolutely nothing that could ruin this for him.

[Cross]

"Pssst, Blaze!"

Joaquin grinned, turning to the cat who'd just landed beside him. It was hard to see the black-clad feline in the dark, but he was able to pick out those luminescent eyes. Snuffing out his pipe with one thumb, the fox stuffed it back into his coat, pushing himself off the boulder.

"Ready to go? Here, you'll need this, Blaze."

The fox took the moss-filled bag, impressed with the feline's knowledge of thievery. He obviously knew what he was doing. Vaguely, Joaquin wondered if Felix would ever call himself anything besides his old stage name. Probably not. Ah, well, it was nice to hear it again after all these years. He found a place for the bag within the confines of his coat.

"You have everything you need? We can't stop on the way there, and we can't afford any errors."

The fox double-checked the knives strapped to his wrists. Flicking his paws once, he nodded in satisfaction as the blades slid easily down into his padded palms. Replacing the knives, he felt glad he'd left his cutlass back in the woods. It was in a safe place, and it wouldn't get in his way. The knives were all he needed.

He then made sure he had his matches, tinder and flint, and lantern oil. It was amazing how much one could fit into the pockets of a trench coat. He finally turned back to Felix and whispered back, "I yam ready. Lead way, gato."

[.:Fawn:.]

He then made sure he had his matches, tinder and flint, and lantern oil. It was amazing how much one could fit into the pockets of a trench coat. He finally turned back to Felix and whispered back, "I yam ready. Lead way, gato."

Nodding in the dark, Felix beckoned for the fox to follow after him closely, a streak of orange ear-tips Blaze's only guiding light, so to speak. However, it was fortunate for both of them that their target was not very far away at all; breathing lightly, the long-legged feline slowed once he reached the base of a hill, sheltered in the thick patch of woodlands there. He hailed Joaquin to stop, his luminous eyes turning upon a wooden guardpost situated at the top of the hill. "Can you knock him out? Set fire to it if you can, it'll distract the guards on the other side of the hill." Once they were up on the hill, Felix and Joaquin would be able to see exactly why attempting this heist by yourself was near impossible.

"Don't start a fire right away, I want to check something before you do, so just...take care of the guard."
Felix wasn't the violent type, and besides, if the guard was a mouse, his allergies would pick up again. The cat sniffed in annoyance. Man was that a pain in the tail to deal with! Well, Felix could always argue the case that even if he DIDN'T have an allergy to mice hair, he probably wouldn't have dared to attack the guard anyway.
Talk about a scaredy cat.

[Cross]

"Can you knock him out? Set fire to it if you can, it'll distract the guards on the other side of the hill."

Joaquin nodded, flicking one wrist so his knife would be in his paw, at the ready. As he crouched beside Felix, he scanned the guard post, looking for the telltale signs of movement to guesstimate how many guards might be around. He saw the one Felix indicated quite clearly, but there were no doubt more nearby.

"Don't start a fire right away, I want to check something before you do, so just...take care of the guard."

With another nod, the fox parted ways from the cat. Silently, he made his way up to the guard post, sticking to the shadows. There was a big, burly brute of a mouse standing to attention, sort of. He seemed to be drifting off a little. Joaquin grinned, coming up behind the mouse swifter than the wind. His blade entered the beast's skull from behind, and he fell without a sound.

Joaquin knelt beside the dead body, still smiling as he dug out his box of matches once more. Striking one against his teeth, he dropped it onto the mouse as casually as if he was pouring water into a cup. Blowing gently on the steadily-growing fire, he got out his canteen and poured some stream water on the grass around the mouse, just so the fire wouldn't spread too far just yet. That done, he retreated to the shadows once more, awaiting more guards to show up.

[.:Fawn:.]

Joaquin knelt beside the dead body, still smiling as he dug out his box of matches once more. Striking one against his teeth, he dropped it onto the mouse as casually as if he was pouring water into a cup. Blowing gently on the steadily-growing fire, he got out his canteen and poured some stream water on the grass around the mouse, just so the fire wouldn't spread too far just yet. That done, he retreated to the shadows once more, awaiting more guards to show up.

The cat thief was nothing more than a whisper on the breeze, his ears quivering in the calm night air as he surveyed the estate of the feudal lord, taking note of the placement of the guards. I'll have Blaze build a fire near the main gate, then I'll climb down the chimney and let him in the back way. Though he took a few minutes to regard the possibility of the fireplace being lit at the bottom of said chimney, but if there was a fire, there'd be smoke, and the feline's keen eyes detected no smoke anywhere at all.
Well, he smelled it nearby, but Felix had an idea that it was Blaze's handiwork, not the feudal lord warming his footpaws by a nice warm fire. Turning away to reappear near the fire-loving vulpine, Felix caught his arm by his sleeve, making an 'okay' symbol with his paw to show that he was a friend. "Set this guard tower on fire, Joaquin and then get an even bigger one outside of the main gate, I'm going to sneak into the manor through the chimney and let you in the back way. Understood?" Hearing a noise nearby, Felix ducked into a shadowy corner, just as a repugnant smell hit his nostrils. Oh Gods, was that the smell of burning flesh?

Felix suppressed a yell of horror, having discovered the burning body of the mouse guard -- at the same time as the second guard that had shown up to relieve him. The cat closed his eyes. This job might be a bit tougher than he thought it was going to be, only because his partner was a bit on the SICK SIDE!

[Cross]

Turning away to reappear near the fire-loving vulpine, Felix caught his arm by his sleeve, making an 'okay' symbol with his paw to show that he was a friend. "Set this guard tower on fire, Joaquin and then get an even bigger one outside of the main gate, I'm going to sneak into the manor through the chimney and let you in the back way. Understood?"

Joaquin simply nodded again, trying to calm his racing heartbeat. When Felix had grabbed his sleeve, the fox had been ready to drive his blade into the cat's heart. Relax, you're high on excitement, right now, he thought, taking a few deep breaths once Felix scampered away. Alright, time to get to work.

He took out a container of lantern oil and began splashing it generously on the lower parts of the guard post. He moved swiftly around the back, watching closely for the guards rushing past the wooden outpost to the first flaming body. Yes, yes, that way. Go that way, little mice. I have a big surprise for you. Don't turn around until I say so!

The fox held five matches per paw, and he struck all ten simultaneously against the rough wood of the guard post. He then dropped them, one by one, in evenly-spaced intervals around the building, moving quickly so as not to be seen by the returning guards. He then raced off, headed towards the main gate. I hope you liked your surprise! And I hope some of you got to enjoy it at . . . closer quarters.

Stifling a laugh of mad glee, Joaquin reached into his coat for another container of oil, stopping a few yards short of the second outpost. Six guards, three on either side of the gate, stood watch, and only a pawful of them were dozing off. This would make things more difficult. Alert guards would be ready for him, and he only had two knives. Cursing mentally, Joaquin crept a little closer to the outpost, his container and at least three matches at the ready should he have to set fire and run.

Suddenly, there were only five guards, and a cold, steel blade at his throat. "Awful late for a stroll, fox," a deep voice growled. Joaquin did not even stoop to answer the mouse. With all the grace and agility of the circus performer he still was, Joaquin twisted himself out of the mouse's grip and slammed his knife into the beast's eyes. The body crumpled without a sound.

Five minutes later, guards were rushing to the massive bonfire that had become of their main outpost. And a dark, shadowy figure was racing along the walls, bloody knives held tightly in his paws as his golden eyes flashed with insane joy. He made it to the rear of the manor, awaiting the arrival of his partner.

[.:Fawn:.]

Trying so hard to forget what he had just saw, Felix's throat lurched painfully as he forced back the urge to retch. Oh Gods, why did I have to see such a horrible thing? Seeing that mouse laying there, burning like a piece of firewood had got the young, innocent cat's mind in a whirl. What if he'd had a family? What if he'd been forced to work for the feudal lord in order to feed his family? What if his wife and kids were sitting at home right now, wondering when he was coming home? This caused a lump to well up in the youngster's throat, so he stopped, took a few breaths, and tried to clear his mind.
Catching sight of the nearest wall, he raced to the top of it as only a cat could, easily making the leap down where he then proceeded to climb up the side of a ivy-covered trellis, Felix's heart beating wildly with the thrill of doing what he did best. Locking in on the chimney, he turned to look out across the landscape until he saw smoke billowing up from what had once been the guard's tower -- hell, he could even seen the guards running over to put it out. Alright, Joaquin was useful, even if his methods were extremely unorthodox. Well he said one mouse a week, and there's enough mice here to last him three months! Perhaps his fire-loving friend could be convinced to not burn woodlanders for a little while after this? Eh, he'd think about that later.

Felix slid into the mouth of the smokestack with ease, pleased to see no orange glow beneath him, and after bracing two paws on eiher side of the smokestack's inner walls, down the cat slid, landing without so much as a sound on a pile of blackened logs. His eyes lit up. He'd landed in the feudal lord's bedroom! And of course, there wasn't a guard to be found! Turning his large, luminous eyes upon the fat mouse snoring loudly in his bed, Felix almost snorted with laughter. The fat mouse slept with his rings on! What if he had to scratch his nose? Some of those rings were so big they looked like they'd do some damage if he accidentally hit himself in the eye. I'll just rid you of such dangerous jewelry, your lordship.
In the darkness, Felix grinned, his heart pitter-patting against his ribcage as he loomed over the sleeping mouse, gently, ever so gently robbing him off his rings.

~*~

With the distraction Joaquin had made, Felix had had little trouble exiting the feudal lord's bedroom - but not after he'd practically stripped the place bare. He'd taken the curtains made of expensive silks, gold and silver candle holders, more jewelry, and a handsome little pipe that he was pretty sure the fuedal lord never even used. (it had been placed pretty high up over the mantle, so Felix doubted he could even reach it. )
I think I'll give it to Blaze, he was smoking a pipe earlier, he might like it. Setting it inside his bag, Felix crept out into the hallway, instinctively pulled towards the door. Slipping into the kitchen, the cat nearly had a heart attack when he noticed an old squirrelwife sitting there, drinking a glass of water. She looked exhausted, and definitely some sort of hired help by the feudal lord. Felix felt sorry for her. He may have a tyrannical wife, but at least it wasn't as bad as the fat mouse snoozing in his bed like some oversized dibbun. Waiting with baited breath, Felix watched the squirrel sigh, drain her glass and then head off to the servant's quarters. Suddenly, he had an idea. Darting out of the shadows, Felix removed something from his bag and handed it to the startled servant, her eyes wide.
It was six of the gold and silver candle holders Felix had nicked from the fuedal lord's stuffy, overly decorated bedroom. It was likely that just one of those candle holders was worth more than six years of her pay.
Stunned, the squirrel stared at him -- or what she thought was him, unable to grasp the situation at hand.
"Take them, give some to the other servants -- you don't need to worry about your master. His lordship will no longer hold dominion over you."
With the sound of a guard shouting outside, the squirrelwife nodded to Felix, having the good sense not to ask questions and instead do as she was told, ducking into the servants' quarters as Felix moved past her to reach the back door. Undoing the several latches and locks (the fuedal lord was a paranoid sort) on the back door, Felix stepped back as it swung open, Joaquin standing there with all bloody knives and insane grin in attendance.
"I'll show you where the feudal lord is, but first let's loot the parlor room and then check for a safe. He keeps all of his money locked away in there." Said Felix breathlessly, hoping the squirrelwife would tell the other servants to stay the heck away until he and Blaze had completely disappeared. He didn't want Joaquin bumping into any truly innocent creatures. He wasn't entirely sure the dark-furred fox could tell the difference in the dark...

[Cross]

"I'll show you where the feudal lord is, but first let's loot the parlor room and then check for a safe. He keeps all of his money locked away in there."

Joaquin followed Felix, tucking his knives away and getting out the moss-filled bag from his coat. There were lots of pretty things in the parlor. He found many gold candlesticks, a myriad of silver figurines sitting about, and he even snagged the silk curtains as Felix had done in the bedroom. And then, quite by accident, as he was checking to see if the lovely rug would be to heavy to take along, he discovered a hidden panel set in the floor.

Clicking his tongue to get Felix's attention, the black fox knelt down and shoved the rug back aways, his paws tracing the outline of the panel. It was slightly sunken into the floor, and that meant whatever was hidden beneath it was further under the boards, and not right below it, like he'd hoped. The panel was maybe three feet wide, and Joaquin found hinges at the far end and a secure lock at the other end.

Joaquin got out his strong knives and simply began sawing the wood around the lock until he had cut the panel door completely away. He had to be careful, in case the treasure beneath the panel was actually closer to the surface than he thought. He then used the flat of his knife to lift the door up, and his insane grin returned when he saw the familiar outline of a safe in the darkness. Oh, this was just too easy.

Laying the panel door back quietly, he dropped halfway into the opening, landing on the safe itself and taking out a pawful of matches. Taking hold of the safe's lock, he struck the matches and held them beneath the metal for awhile. The lock was made of a softer metal, it seemed, than steel or iron. How stupid was this feudal lord? After a few moments of waving the matches against the lock, Joaquin gave a satisfied flick of his tail when it finally broke from the heat.

He balanced on the lip of the safe as he opened the metal door. The piles of gold within practically glowed in the darkness. It was like a beautiful golden fire! The fox immediately began grabbing big pawfuls of the shiny metal, handing some to Felix and taking some for himself. "How much time we hav', gato?" he asked in a low whisper, trying to curb his growing euphoria.

[.:Fawn:.]

He balanced on the lip of the safe as he opened the metal door. The piles of gold within practically glowed in the darkness. It was like a beautiful golden fire! The fox immediately began grabbing big pawfuls of the shiny metal, handing some to Felix and taking some for himself. "How much time we hav', gato?" he asked in a low whisper, trying to curb his growing euphoria.

For a moment, Felix had thought Blaze had set the inside of the fault on fire -- but no, it was only the wondrous glow of heaps upon heaps of gold! Silly me. The cat was extremely lucky his paws were so big and thick-furred, it made the scooping up of treasure that much easier. Shoveling it into his fur-lined bag, he flicked an ear in the fox's direction as he spoke.
How much time? Uhhh...
Pausing in his looting, the cat closed his eyes, concentrating on his sense of hearing. Sounded like...4...no 5 guards were making their way through the front of the manor. It would only be a matter of time before the guards began returning through the back way as well. Looks like they were going to have to get through an open window.
"Blaze," he spoke, tone slightly urgent, "Do you think you could set the lord's bedroom on fire, then somehow block the door so the guards can't get in? That would keep the guards busy while we make our escape." Even as he spoke the tom-cat was running through possible exit strategies, one of which involved climbing back up the chimney -- which would prove difficult considering how much gold they were carrying.
"...wait just one moment," sliding out of the parlor room like a ghost, Felix made his way back to the kitchen. Opening the door of the servants' quarters, the cat called in swiftly. "If anyone still remains here, they will be caught up in the fires. Gather your things quickly and leave through the side exit, while there is still time."
The sudden intake of breath and the rustling of creatures indicated that they had heard him, and the squirrelwife reappeared in front of him, eyes wide.
"What has 'appened to 'is Lordship, Master Rumcroft?"

He smiled in the darkness.
"You need not be concerned with that, ma'am, just take your friends and leave as quickly as you can."

"Thank you," said the squirrelwife, and Felix felt a warmth grow in his chest like fire, the cat's heart lightening as he sneaked back to the room he'd left Blaze in. "Alright, let's start at the front of the manor and burn everything to the ground." For the first time that night, Felix grinned, but it wasn't his normal kind of grin; the cat, high on his own good deeds, had become a somewhat dangerous fellow, fancying himself an outlaw for this one glorious night of fire and gold.

They had to work quickly, there wasn't much time left.

[Cross]

"Blaze," he spoke, tone slightly urgent, "Do you think you could set the lord's bedroom on fire, then somehow block the door so the guards can't get in? That would keep the guards busy while we make our escape."

Joaquin grinned, his pearly white teeth glittering in the moonlit room. He gave a nod of assent and dashed off for the master bedroom. It wasn't until Felix and he parted ways that he realized . . . he didn't exactly know where the master bedroom was. He turned down a corridor and noticed some extremely elaborate doors. He opened one of them just a crack and found a fat, sleeping mouse sprawled on a massive bed.

The fox's grin widened. Bingo! He darted around the room like a restless shadow. Pouring oil here, gathering some wood materials over here. Finally, he was ready with the matches. "Buenas noches, mouse," he hissed, dropping the rest of his lit matches on the oil-soaked floor.

A heavy hall table made the perfect barricade. He grinned to himself as he saw flames begin to lick against the doors. Sprinting back to the parlor, he saw Felix just returning. The cat looked like he was enjoying this as much as Joaquin.

"Alright, let's start at the front of the manor and burn everything to the ground."

Music to my ears, Joaquin thought. He pulled out another canteen of oil and another box of matches, grinning at the cat. "Let us go," he murmured excitedly.

[.:Fawn:.]

The burning of the fat mouse's manor took shorter than Felix had anticipated, but he could confirm the absence of the servants by doubling back to the kitchen and checking their quarters for themselves. They seemed to have all fled off into the woodlands, probably -- hopefully -- for Redwall Abbey. I hope they haven't encountered any guards.
Judging by the unholy screaming coming from the feudal lord's bedroom, it seemed as though the mouse had finally...er...woken up, and the frantic pounding and shouting signalled the rest of the mouse's guards desperately trying to reach him.
"Let's get out of here!" Hissed Felix, and he signaled for Joaquin to follow him, readjusting the heavy, treasure-laden haversack across his back. They encountered no other guards on their way to the back door, save for one -- which Felix, high on adrenaline, surprisingly knocked unconscious by swinging his bag into the side of the big squirrel's face, before he scampered off into the woodlands like a bat out of hell.

Felix did not stop moving until he could no longer see the smoke coming from the torched manor, and by then they had made it all the way to St. Ninian's. Panting now, Felix set the heavy sack of treasure down, resting on a very large boulder. Wiping his forehead with the back of his paw, Felix's eyes darted to Joaquin's. "Not bad for our first run, eh Joaquin?"

[Cross]

"Not bad for our first run, eh Joaquin?"

The fox laughed, nodding in agreement. Adrenaline still pumped through his veins. The glorious sight of the flames devouring the mansion played over and over again behind his eyes. Not bad? Best night he'd had in years! "Si, gato," he chuckled. "Joo pick good target."

Taking out his bag of supplies, he opened it up a little, just to see the glittering gold again. Oh, it was spectacular to see that much in one place! And it was all his! Well, depending on their agreement. He'd been able to burn enough mice to last him for weeks! He may not be able to keep all of his gold, but that depended upon how much Felix got, too.

Speaking of their agreement . . . "Joo want I teach joo my tongue, yes?" Joaquin asked after a moment.

[.:Fawn:.]

Felix had a hard time hiding his excitement. Had they really just done that? They were like rogue thieves from story books! The dashing Marquis Roldán Morales da Firenze, robber of the rich, giver of the poor, with his albeit unorthodox but equally as charismatic partner, Joaquin "Blaze" de la Cruz! Together they were unstoppable! They were dangerous! They were...

They were RICH!

Never before had Felix been able to bring home a sack FULL of expensive items and several armfuls of gold, he simply hadn't had enough time between when he broke in and when the guards caught sight of him. But with Joaquin as a distraction... The feline grinned, almost forgetting to breathe. The possibilities were endless.

Speaking of their agreement . . . "Joo want I teach joo my tongue, yes?" Joaquin asked after a moment.

Immediately brightening at the fox's words, Felix nodded. "Yes, that'd be wonderful, Blaze -- Oh, you can keep whatever's in your bag. If you put your paws on it, it's yours." The cat's kindness seemingly knew no bounds, that much was obvious. It wasn't just about being nice though, it was a general rule among thieves -- if you touched it first, it was yours. It didn't matter if the other guy had been eying it all night, if he hadn't gotten to it first, it wasn't his.
Rubbing his sore shoulder (that sack got heavy after a while, especially while you were making your grand escape), Felix's bright orange ears (complete with fluffy orange tufts) pricked forward with intrigue.
"What will you teach me first?"