[Jaykobell]

The town of Jawan rose with the morning sun. Fishermen, hard at work since before dawn, were slowly finishing up their setup for the day. The fish market was soon to be bustling with hungry businesspeople, cooks, and tourists alike. The stock had to be fresh, look good, look organized, look perfect.

And as the first sun rays started to shine across the fish market, clients slowly started to trickle in.

And as the customers started to flood the booths, one particular "customer" was also here.

[Jaykobell]

The young red panda stood away from the market, hidden in the shadows of a nearby alleyway. A small pigeon sat on his shoulder, his head leaning to the side.

As more and more people came in, the activity increased, the noise got higher... and the attention of the fishermen decreased. It was the perfect blend of circumstances that lead to the success of the prowling predator.

Suddenly, an opportunity. "Ya ready, lil' buddy?" the red panda asked his little feathery partner, who replied with a hearty and ready cooing sound.[/color][/b]

[Jaykobell]

He approached closer, stealthily, and then he put the little pigeon on the ground. "Do your thing, buddy."

At an unsuspecting booth, the pigeon worked his magic. Despite his appearance, the little bird was very intelligent, and he was part of this entire operation just as much as the red panda.

He came, his head tilted to the side still, one wing missing feathers, and he pecked, as best he could. Anyone unsuspecting would be touched by the poor little thing; more often than not, the people felt bad, the people got distracted.[/color][/b]

[Jaykobell]

And it was during those distractions that the red panda got in. Once he was positive that their victim was distracted, he could play his part in the scheme.

He slipped behind the booth, and with the owner distracted, he quickly nab a fat, juicy fish from the pile. And with the pigeon doing an excellent job, he took the chance to nab a second fish, too.

Noticing the red panda slipping away from the booth, the pigeon left his post and caught up. "We're gonna eat good, little buddy."

[Jaykobell]

They escaped from the bustling noise of the market. Perhaps it would have been better to steal more than just a pair of fish, but he knew not to be greedy. If anyone saw him — whether another fisherman or a customer — he could get caught. And then, it would be no fish for him, and potentially, getting the cops called on him.

It just wasn't worth it.

He found a quiet alleyway that was far enough from the market. He made sure to keep his little pigeon buddy close, and that pair of fish even closer. "Just gotta find a way to cook 'em, now..."

[zapdragon555]

Jigen Daisuke | Arsène Lupin III
^{[#0040BF] - [#BF0000]}

A rather odd couple—a weasel with an easy smile and a crane with eyes shrouded in messy black feathers and the brim of a hat, arrived with the flood of customers, even if they were supposed to have arrived early. But the boat to Jawan had been late, and while Jigen had grumbled over it, he couldn't deny that having a few extra days on the boat had been alright. Sometimes he thought about ditching this whole thief shindig and becoming a ship captain, or something like that. Of course, every time he thought about quitting, he'd get a call from Lupin about some new heist, effectively snatching him away from whatever airy fantasy he'd begun to sail down. It was just as well. He was built for this.

[zapdragon555]

But he wasn't exactly built for crowds. Jigen grimaced as he sniffed the air, sticking close to his partner as he dodged and weaved around bustling people. "Smells like fish. In a bad way," he muttered, feeling the need to clarify as Lupin opened his smug mouth, then closed it with an amused grin.

"Maybe after we find the shop that's holding that little device, I'll buy you some fresh grouper and we'll make a date of cooking it up," he mused airily, always thinking of ways to sweeten Jigen up. The crane could tell when a job wasn't going to be fun, easy, or rewarding. It always manifested in Lupin needling at him in the nicest ways. He simply grunted in response and tried to rubberneck over the crowd, stretching out his feathered neck as far as it would go, but the crowd was thick with all sizes of folks. That, and he had a permanent crick in his neck from a heist gone bad, years ago.

[zapdragon555]

"No good. Must not be on this street. You said it was a... pawn shop, right? Like, I know y'said 'prawn' shop once on the boat, as like, a cheeky joke, but now I'm startin' to worry you just misheard where the—"

Jigen cut off as he looked around, and couldn't seem to find Lupin. The weasel had a way of scurrying into crowds, but it didn't make for very good coordinated espionage. Not that they needed it, yet. No pawn shop in this neck of the woods, just fish shops. Smelly fish shops.

[zapdragon555]

Lupin was stuck on that grouper thing. He'd located a booth that looked to be selling some fresh ones, and happily began chatting up the owner... when suddenly, an injured pigeon walked up. Normally Lupin wouldn't pay it any mind, but... he had a soft spot for birds. Not in a weird way, there were bird-birds, and then there were person-birds. Like Jigen. Where was that guy... Lupin glanced over his shoulder, then down at the pigeon, smiling and crouching down. "Aw, man... looks like you won't be flying any time soon. Good thing you're in a town practically made of food, huh?" He rubbed a thumb at his furry chin, thinking as he tilted his head back. "Do pigeons eat fish?"

[zapdragon555]

Out the corner of his eye, he spotted it—a flash of bushy red tail, almost lost among the crowds of people milling about. Lupin felt a small grin alight on his face. He could sense things like these—could smell them, even under all that fish. Some sticky fingers were finding their mark, right under his nose. And Lupin decided, as the pigeon scurried off, that he was going to look around for something other than the device, after this. He bought three fish, just in case they managed to track down this fish thief. They would probably need an extra set of paws, for this.

[zapdragon555]

"Jigen!" Lupin cheered, holding up the paper-wrapped fish in his paws as he located the rather frazzled-looking crane. "Dinner, as promised!"

"Y'gave me a damn heart attack. You know how I feel about you slippin' away without warnin' before the job even starts," he muttered, swiveling his head over his shoulder. He still barely knew a thing about this heist of Lupin's. Safehouse first... and then plan. That was usually how it went. It kept Jigen from bailing early, which was infuriating, but effective. Still, the promise of grouper made his irritation soften. "What took y'so long anyway?"

[zapdragon555]

"Mmm. Saw a bird with only one workin' wing. Makes you feel grateful, doesn't it? For the little things."

"Like... a bird-bird, or like a..."

"Yeah, a bird-bird," Lupin stashed the two fish he was holding in each paw in the bag on his shoulder, which held the third. "More than that, though," he dropped his voice to a whisper. "Saw someone nabbing some fish on the down-low. We should grab 'em... see if they're interested in earning some bucks, or some more fish."

[zapdragon555]

Jigen's brow furrowed even further than it already naturally hooded his eyes. "I don't follow. We need a third? I coulda called Goemon."

"Tried him, he didn't answer. Probably still sore after our last venture." Lupin gestured to a rooftop that looked easily accessible by the fire escape on its side. He raised his brows and grinned. "Up there? I'll bet we can find the guy with a higher vantage point. He's got a tail as red as anything." Jigen angled his eyes to follow pointing, clawed finger, and sighed in resignation, nodding and waving for Lupin to follow him sneakily up the fire escape.

[zapdragon555]

Jigen felt much more at ease, up here, though the fire escape was a bit ungainly and clearly built for shorter, more mammal-y creatures with shorter necks. He kept having to duck beneath the stair above his head, each time they made a turn. But at last they reached the roof, and really, the bustling fish market looked a lot more impressive from up here. At least on this street, the crowd was so thick it resembled a school of fish itself, and Jigen watched with some half-smile on his face before Lupin's tail thumped the roof, drawing his attention.

[zapdragon555]

"There," Lupin whispered, pointing to an alleyway a few buildings over and across the street. Jigen squinted, and after some searching, was able to spy a flash of red slipping into the shadow of the alley. "Jigen, hold this. I'm gonna engage," Lupin tossed the bag of fish to his companion, who caught it with a sharp curse, nearly letting one fish flop out but catching it just in time.

"Lup, that's our friggin—dinner," he sighed, as Lupin was already halfway down the fire escape, swinging like a damn monkey. He sighed and, after a moment of thought, clamped the bag in his beak and fanned out his wings. It would be faster, this way—still wouldn't beat Lupin's slippery crowd-sneaking pace, but he'd arrive about the same time nonetheless.