Title: thick as thieves
Rating: G
Fandom: Code Realize
Relationship: Cardia Beckford/Arsene Lupin
Wordcount: 454
Short summary: Life is never boring together with Lupin, that's for sure.
“Get back here!” An angry roar echoes through the halls of the mansion. “You know that you are just committing crimes!”
“Yes, but I took care of your problem so what’s the complaint?”
“Lupin!”
Lupin’s laughing face fading into the smoke while Leonhardt and his soldiers look around in confusion is a common sight in certain types of mansions owned by certain types of people. Even if every such mansion is unique and every such stolen treasure is unique, the same scenario plays over and over. Cardia, as accomplice to the great gentleman thief, has had many firsthand experiences, enough to wonder if there are just an endless number of rich scoundrels or if they regenerate their supply constantly. Well, it does mean that their work is never over and that she gets more chances to hone her skills. She doesn’t want the notoriety, though. Even if Leonhardt knows her well, her name isn’t known among the populace or even among the soldiers. Partially because Lupin is an attention hog, and partially because she wants to stay anonymous. She’s probably better known as Lupin’s wife, though only to those who have taken enough personal interest in the gentleman thief to look up his personal relationships.
Cardia understands and sympathizes with Leonhardt, because technically as an enforcer of the law one cannot condone any theft, even if it is beneficial to the nation. At the same time, if the government really wanted to throw Lupin into prison, there are already enough eye-witness accounts to mark Lupin “guilty” of theft a thousand times overs and Leonhardt knows where Lupin stays in London. So she doesn’t really sympathize with Leonhardt too much. What Leonhardt and Lupin have going between them is a game of pride; Leonhardt insists on catching Lupin in the act and Lupin always laughs while he shows off his skills in subterfuge to rub it into Leonhardt’s face.
“Cardia, prepare to jump!”
“Got it!”
And, well, Cardia also enjoys this game of keeping up with her husband. She’ll escape out top story windows, jump from rooftop to rooftop, run around narrow alleyways and hidden corners. Perhaps she fell in love with him not just because of how kind and supportive he has always been but because of all the thrills he brings into her life. Maybe if she were a normal girl, she would be more concerned about how she is technically committing “crimes” almost monthly, but…
“3, 2, 1, go!”
When she leaps out at the same time as Lupin, hand in hand, there is just no comparable feeling. Because even in the most thrilling of times there is one unchangeable fact now. She is not alone; she will never be lonely again.