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"So, let me get this straight. You found a way in."
"Mhm."
"Through the women's toilets."
"Mhm."
"And there's no other alternative?"
"Not that I could find. Unless you can figure something out, we need to find you a new set of clothes."
Everyday robbery. Heists at night, rent in the morning. The same cycle the pair had been following for years. The young man with the barely-aware father and the girl keeping him afloat.
This latest scheme involved, as usual, sneaking. Specifically, a loose roof tile in the washroom of a somewhat ostentatious mansion which, if dropped through at the right time, would allow the two to leave the room as if they had entered it naturally. This tile wasn't loose in the men's room, however. There was a party due that evening, plenty of distractions and pockets to pick. The boy knew how the other people they knew would feel about having to dress as a woman, even for a job. If they knew, he would have to fight his way back into any kind of decent standing. As it was, he was barely above the rats they liked to throw stones at. The thought didn't cause him as much trepidation as it maybe should.
Sparkling skirts and silky tops, curls falling over soft collarbones and delicately painted nails tapping a glass on a warm starry evening. Parties were always a treat. The two were never invited, of course, but they went anyways. Sophie had on the knee length pantsuit she nicked from the last house, woven in the style of a local trend in ruby and green and brown, loose enough that it very nearly passed as a skirt from a distance. A couple of knockoff jewels from the scam the boy had tried (and failed) to run. She was perfect. He was…
"Is this really all you have?"
"I don't wear dresses."
"You're impossible." He held up the only thing that he could wear for this job. It was a piece from when Sophie was younger, smaller. He was very nearly the same size now as she was then, thin and short. A pale orange dress with childish ruffles and slightly puffed sleeves, suitable for a girl-child several years younger. It would have to do, though.
"Sophie, ow-"
"Stop moving."
"You're going to break something!"
"The only thing broken here," she grunted while trying to fasten the delicate old buttons "Will be you, if you don't, hold, still." The last button slid into place as he took shallow breaths, afraid to rip any seams or snap any fastenings.
"There. Do we still have those shoes?"
"The bad ones?"
"Yeah." She rooted around the box where they kept all of their shiny things, and he sent an offended glare to her back.
"Why are you making me wear the bad shoes? You wear the bad shoes!"
"I can't wear the bad shoes. They won't go with my outfit."
"Since when did you care about that?!"
"They'll know we're imposters if our clothes are bad. The only reason I'm dressing up at all is because I know for a fact that they don't have anything big to steal."
"Oh yeah," He grimaced "We did do that, didn't we."
"Yeah." Walking over to him, Sophie hung a shining silver band around his neck, just under his throat. Studs of orange glass in his ears, and silver bangles on his wrists. She set his hair in curls more feminine than usual and placed a thin hairclip on one temple. As he stepped into the 'bad shoes' (called as such because they were technically taken off a dead woman), something stopped. Something in his mind stopped whirring, looking into the cheap and cracked mirror. The two of them had padded him out enough to look the part, and even before Sophie put the small amount of makeup they owned on him, he saw something.
In the quick glance behind him in the mirror, he saw that Sophie saw it too.
They brought two sheets to lay down on while crawling through the ceiling. Sophie led the way, shuffling through to where she knew the loose tile would be. There wasn't much dust, with the building being made to provide ventilation in the face of the heat of the region, but it was enough that it would be noticeable.
"Here." Sophie stopped and pressed her ear to the tile. She waited until the sounds of women chatting stopped drifting up, and then lifted the tile. One more quick glance to make sure the room was empty, and she dropped down quiet as a cat. The boy, slightly less graceful, ended up having to be caught by Sophie. She gently deposited him on the ground and they took another check in the mirror to make sure they were presentable. As they were checking though, the door opened back up to reveal an older woman. She did a double take, then gave them a delighted smile.
"Oh, I don't believe I've seen you two yet! It's quite rare to see young ladies here on their own, are your parents here?" She looked between them, clearly expecting one of them to answer. Sophie looked at her friend, who usually did the talking. He started. Clearing his throat, he gave the woman a winning smile.
"Oh yes, our families are just visiting some friends and ended up here." He shrugged and laughed. "It's a nice place, is it yours?"
"You're too sweet," She adjusted her skirt, an older fashion but still stylish. "I could never throw a party like this, I'm a bit beyond my years here." She shook her head and the boy giggled.
"I'm sure your parties were the envy of everyone." He took Sophie's elbow and gave the woman a small wave. "We should probably go find our parents before they get worried, though."
"Of course, dear. You two have fun now!" She gave him an affectionate squeeze on the shoulder as the two of them passed her. Sophie waited until the door shut, then turned to her friend.
"You're a natural at this."
"At what?"
"Associating with the ladies."
The evening passed on. Hidden pockets being filled with small gems and watches, two young stomachs being filled with freely offered food. As the night came to a close without event, beyond them having to reject a couple drunken propositions, they used the crowd to make their escape. Warm night air caressed their skin and stars shone overhead.
"Wow, Soph, this was better than I thought it would be!" They had both changed back into nightclothes (Sophie's nightclothes, specifically), and had their haul spread on the table in front of them.
"What was?"
"The stuff! What did you think I was talking about?"
"Nevermind." She turned a necklace over in her hand, "This should get us by for a little bit, combined with the last one."
"Should we hide some of it? So he doesn't use it?"
"Probably. Use the second spot."
"That's what I was thinking."
Silence stretched on between them as the gems shimmered under the candlelight. He toyed with a small blue gem, not looking at Sophie. She sighed and moved her chair closer to him.
"You didn't change into your own clothes."
"Yours… looked comfy?"
"Don't be stupid."
"I've never once been stupid in my life, thank you." He huffed and sat up straighter. She leaned back in her seat and looked at him, dead in the eyes.
"You know you can keep doing that, right? This'll be enough to get you something to wear."
"I don't think…" His voice wavered as her unrelenting gaze looked through everything he tried to hide.
"Don't think what?" She leaned forwards in her chair and gripped her friend's knee hard, almost painfully, and lowered her voice to a whisper. "I saw how you looked at yourself. I don't know the last time I saw you that happy." Her eyes widened as he began to cry.
"We'll be starting again from the bottom if I do this."
"We've done it before."
"I don't want to do that to you, everything is so hard all the time and you don't deserve that."
"You think I deserve to see my only friend moping all the time because they couldn't commit to not being a wuss?" Her bluntness, though it took some getting used to at first, was a rock to stabilise on. They sat again in silence as thoughts of the future passed through his head. Heists, again. Hunger, again. But it would be different. The piece stopped. It had been turning haphazardly for many years. The one piece that just wouldn't fit right. While a temple could be used to aid in transformation-
"I don't know if we'll be able to use any of the churches without someone finding out about everything." Sophie had her chin in one hand and looked lost in thought.
"You're talking to the best makeshift magician this side of Old City. I'll make something work." She dried her eyes and stood up, putting the loot back into the bags. Sophie stood up too, and pulled her into an all-encompassing bear hug.
"I love you."
"I love you too."
"Have any names in mind?"
"Not yet. How do you think Dad will react?" She sniffled, "He'll probably just think he forgot something."
"Forget about him. We'll find something to call you that has nothing to do with him."
"Bethany is a ridiculous name."
"I want a B-name!"
"Pick one that isn't bad."
"Well what's your idea?" The desert sun beat down on the girls where they sat on a rooftop, overlooking the people. Not scouting, not today. It was just a day for relaxing. Well, it was supposed to be for relaxing until they got into a debate over what constitutes a 'good' name. This ended up leading to a full argument over how common a name she should choose, how memorable it would be, and a whole host of other issues.
Sophie slowly rapped her knuckles against the rough brick of the edge of the wall.
"I don't know. Belinda, maybe." A few moments passed as she considered.
"Oh. I do like that."