not even a thief's honor

It would be a stretch to imagine Rhys was thinking anything witty on his heists. Sure, he had plenty of quips for the kind police officers that came to watch his show, but his train of thought tended to be all oh shit, oh shit, oh shit, oh shit, oh shi-- you get the idea. Add in a lot of exclamation points and you're all set.

As soon as he had the decoy artifact stuffed in his bag, while upside down, his brain was an anxious blur and his impulses were warm and alluring. He unwrapped his legs from the chandelier, letting himself go in open air, spun, and landed right on the head of a cop, using it as a platform for a boost. Just barely managing to grab and scramble up some railing and onto a balcony. He knew the layout of this house already, it was in his instincts, even if his head certainly wasn't processing that in the moment. It never quite did. This was all panic, excitement, and live performance. Oh shit.

Once he was full speed around a corner, he skidded to a stop and snuck back in the opposite direction. It would be expected for him to be really running without stopping, seeing they thought he had what they came for. He didn't. His sister did. He was just goose chase bait today, and truly, that was a special skill of his. He breathed and laughed shakily in a dark corner, hearing muffled footsteps trying to cut his path off, fading away.

Right, that'd thinned out the numbers. He could take the other path now. Down the stairs and into an alley, through the servants entrance to this place. Heart pounding in his chest like a jackhammer, Rhys swerved and bounced through the hall, down those steps, servant space flashing by, and was bursting into the alleyway like a snap of his fingers. He cast his gaze around, but whether anyone was here to pursue him or not, he needed to get running again, and it'd be residential area navigation time. It was like an obstacle course, but with more risk of getting shot, which automatically meant it was the best obstacle course.

"MCPD, don't move!"

"Oh! Whoops!" Rhys squeaked. That was a very strong invitation to do the exact opposite. He bolted, only looking over his shoulder to peer at the cop after him. Just one, a pretty Indian man. Perfect. He didn't mind, not in the slightest, when the board was more even like this. He was all too ready to continue leading officers in circles! He had energy and cheeky attitude for days.

He gave the cop a salute and a wink, then flipped over a tall fence, laughing. "Catch me if you can, dollface!" This was when the fun started. He could hear homeowners going about their daily lives squawking in protest as he bounded through their backyards, sprung over their trashcans and pets. The dogs were going nuts, barking like mad.

For one house, he scrambled onto the roof, using their cable satellite as a handhold, and dove straight into a pool in the next property over. Would he be followed, even like this? Please say yes. He climbed up the pool slide soon after, finding his way even with the slippery surface.

He pulled himself to the next, chain link fence, standing up on the top of it and walking along it like a cat. He climbed through a teenager's window and got their bed soggy with chlorinated water. Nabbed their ipod, turned on some pop music, and shoved it in his pocket. You needed background tunes for this kind of activity.

From there, out that room, slid down the railing of some stairs, burst through a party, stole and gulped down a martini before throwing the glass behind him, out the house's front door and onto the main street again. At the edges of the city, now.

He climbed up the fire escape of a nearby apartment building, ready for some roof-only travel, and looked back to see if the cop was still with him. If he was, consider Rhys thoroughly impressed. He'd have to offer his sincere congratulations. Wasn't over yet, though.

Rhys laughed and clapped in delight. "Still on your feet! My my, officer, you must really be a fan, chasing after me like that! Want something of yours autographed? My name's already on that priceless jewelry I stole-- why don't you have that?" He tapped his lip thoughtfully, then, reached into his bag, grabbing the decoy necklace and waving it in the air, watching it glint and glitter. It was a pretty, pretty counterfeit, and he was very proud of it. "Oh, right, that's why! So, why don't you come take it from me already?"

He didn't mind being hammy at all. The only thing he cared about was being entertaining, not only to others but to himself. Dancing away once they started moving again, Rhys blew a kiss, and ran his ass off without looking back, leaping and dodging where he had to. "And fuck you, huh? You'll really have to catch me first! Having your hands on me is a damn gift!" He ditched the ipod he'd grabbed before, chucking it down to the streets. His next laugh was more of a cackle. "Visual on Arkewright, visual on Arkewright! Which Arkeright? No spoilers, but that one's important, remember it for our quiz show!" Taunting the police was up there in his top favorite hobbies list.

He yelped at the sound of the gun going off, automatically jumping a bit, though he hadn't been fired at yet. Oh, this was certainly dramatic! Rhys loved it, lived for it! He let a loud cheer out into the night, then swerved, twirling and pressing his magic forward in a tumble of force, bursting into a hotel from the roof entryway. Child's play, in terms of challenging security. He recklessly took the stairs down two or four steps at a time, and ducked into a third floor hallway, sneaking in one of the rooms there. He wanted the change out of his damp catsuit.