Re: The City: Sasha, Jude, Oliver
It was a good disappearing act, with steps familiarized through blueprints long before Oliver arrived at the house on this night. Up the stairs, and up again, to the right, and the gold handle twisted, an eager hostage in his hand. The bathroom was one of those cavernous marble things larger than most inner-city apartments. The lightning was overzealous, and his profile looked harsh when Oliver passed by the mirror like a ghost with faberge shoulders pushed back proud, but his face tilted down to his shoes. Up, onto the edge of a claw footed tub, and straining, he unlatched the skylight above. Then out, skinny bird arms doing their all to pull the boy up through the ceiling, out onto the roof where the night wind blew sharper, higher up. Slipping over shingles, in neat dress shoes that were all wrong for the occasion of thievery(but perfectly fine for the occasion of party), Oliver skied down one of the roof's valleys onto an eave, and then over the side. He landed rather unceremoniously on the next level's terrace, in an oversized terracotta pot frothing over with exotic ferns that were somehow surviving the winter.
The balcony doors were unlocked to the library, as only a madman would try to climb up some marble columns to reach the balcony, but Oliver had discovered that climbing down was much easier. After that, it was a classic trick. One couldn't just take a painting, especially when that painting was on prominent and proud display, newly purchased. But one could replace a painting and go unnoticed for a much healthier amount of time. All one needed was some adhesive, a box cutter, and two minutes alone with the original.
When Oliver came back down the stairs a few minutes later, his cheeks were flushed and his hair was a little messy, but at least he wasn't dripping in champagne. The stolen work? Cut canvas was rolled like a cigar, secure in the calf of his dress slacks.
"Oh no, your dress," he said with mock sincerity toward Sasha before pivoting on a very proud toe and directing a hushed tone to Jude. "Might we mourn it in the car? We really should be going..."