"So, Roe, tell me how you guys make money to afford such a nice place? It seems like being a pickpocket is a promising career choice."
Yue approached Roe, who was sitting in the living room, cleaning the school backpack he usually used for disguises. Yue carried a tray with homemade pound cake and steaming hot tea, which made Roe's eyes sparkle. He was about to snatch a bite, but Yue pushed him away.
"Let's make a transaction just like moral individuals would. You give me information, and I'll pay you with this treat. The value of your information determines how much of this treat you'll get."
Roe stared at Yue intensely. For the past few days, Yue had been persistently approaching him and Josh, wanting to know about their work. While the three of them chose to remain silent, not wanting to involve Yue.
Don't ask why Yue didn't approach Ian. They were like two poles of a magnet, repelling each other. Roe suspected that it was Ian's plan all along to keep Yue away, and it worked.
Ian caught the pleasant aroma wafting from his room and walked out. A headset clung to his ears as he hummed, seemingly oblivious to the two of them sitting in his path.
Yue squinted, keeping her tray out of Ian's reach. She didn't want to be caught off guard. But wait, why was Ian heading straight to the kitchen?
"What mess are you making now, you foolish woman! Why are you still leaving the oven on? Are you stupid to let it burn, thinking you can freeload off our gas bill?!" Ian shouted, hands on his hips in the kitchen.
Yue was stunned. Did she really forget to turn off the oven? How careless!
"S-Sorry! I forgot!" Yue ran towards the oven, which was built-in to the stove.
Yue bent down to check the oven temperature and the indicator light. 'Hmm? It's off,' she even pressed her finger against the warm oven door. Suddenly, she realized her own foolishness.
"Hey!" she shouted, standing up from her seat.
Both men were no longer in the living room, and Yue's pound cake was gone too.
"You deceitful tricksters!!!" she shouted as loudly as she could.
Meanwhile, in the bigger room, Ian and Roe high-fived each other for successfully fooling Yue. It was a lesson for Yue not to underestimate these master pickpockets.
"Do you know where Josh is?" Ian asked Roe.
"Probably the usual... By the way, has Bartwin called you to play again?"
Ian shook his head. Lately, he had been thinking about the same thing. He couldn't just ask Bartwin whenever he wanted. His role was to wait for the moments when they needed him, and it was frustrating.
"Let's just go out and find some targets." Ian stood up and nodded at Roe.
"Yass!! Are you going to dress like that?"
"Yeah, so Yue won't suspect anything."
"I see. Let's go! My body is starting to feel stiff." Roe stood up and stretched his joints, loosening them up.
"Wait a moment." Ian walked towards the nightstand, took out a body cologne from there, and sprayed a little on himself. He then tossed a perfume with a different scent toward Roe, who caught it swiftly.
"Why? We don't smell like a sewer anymore, right?"
"Just so people won't think we're together. They would be suspicious if our scents were identical and they knew we were working together."
"Oh..." Roe nodded, impressed as always by Ian's thinking.
Unbeknownst to them, the human nose often disregards scents that it frequently smells. But someone observant would know if two people were together just by the scent emanating from them. Because when we live with someone, our smells tend to become similar due to sharing the same living space and touching the same objects.
Ian eliminated the probability of people connecting the two of them. It would disrupt their modus operandi.
***
"Do you know what happens to three people who fall into a deep hole? What do you think they can do to get out of there?" Ian had asked Roe and Josh in the early days of their adventure.
"Climb on top of each other?" Roe answered, but Ian shook his head.
"The hole is very deep, even with the height of three men, they still can't reach the surface."
"Hmm... Shout for help?"
"Roe, this is just an analogy. Those three people are us. Who do you think would help us if all three of us were in trouble together? You know, even with our combined efforts, we couldn't get out of that sewer pipe. Would people help us just because we ask?"
Roe shook his head, while Josh remained still, patiently waiting for what Ian would say next. He knew that Ian was about to deliver another one of his lectures.
"Well, in the first place, we shouldn't have fallen into the hole together. There should have been at least one person who survived to find a way out. To search for a rope, or a ladder, or anything that could save their friend at the bottom."
"Oh, I see... That makes sense." Roe nodded along, but Ian felt frustrated that Roe couldn't grasp the meaning behind the analogy.
"What I actually mean, Roe... If someday I'm in danger, don't rush to help me! Because you might end up plunging into my troubles as well. Wait patiently and think of an escape route. Okay? And vice versa, if you ever get caught, wait for me patiently. I will save you."
"Oh... Now I understand."
"When we work, we don't know each other! There should be no interaction whatsoever. Especially now, with CCTV everywhere."
"Got it, boss!" Roe replied with a salute.
"Okay, I agree," Josh responded.
***
Now, Ian and Roe agreed that Ian would go first. Ian, standing at 174 cm tall with his mixed Asian features, walked with a confident stride. One hand was tucked in his pants pocket, and he wore a short-sleeved black shirt and his favorite skinny jeans.
Click!
He opened the door, his peripheral vision searching for Yue, who turned out to be cleaning up the remnants of her baking in the kitchen. Without saying goodbye, he calmly walked out of the door.
Yue pretended not to care and continued her activities. "Next time, I'll put laxatives in the food so you know the taste! Ridiculous!" Yue grumbled, the sound of clattering coming from the sink as she roughly scrubbed the baking tray.
Ian was still standing at the outside door, listening to Yue's rant. He smiled mischievously.
After waiting for 20 minutes as agreed, Roe followed Ian. He looked around in front of the door, searching for her presence, but she was nowhere to be found. It was quiet, and Yue's sleeping bag was neatly rolled up.
"Did she go shopping for groceries? Well, then it's easier to escape that way," Roe thought. So Roe left as well. Whistling, he walked away from the flat, along the main road toward the bustling shopping center in the city center.
Unbeknownst to him, someone had been tailing him since the thrift store. And that mysterious person observed his behavior meticulously, like an eagle stalking its prey.
When Roe boarded the tram, the man followed and stood at the very back. Roe didn't suspect anything and continued with his original plan.
Getting off the tram, Roe walked towards the mall and cross paths with Ian, who was waiting for him at a crepe vendor's cart. They passed each other without greeting or showing any sign of recognizing each other.
Ian engrossed in eating his crepe, saw Roe coming and quickly realized that Roe was being followed.
'Oh no! I need to find a way to alert Roe so he won't take any action!' Ian panicked.
He could guess who was tailing Roe, even though the person was dressed like a homeless person. But from the cigarette he smoked, Ian knew that cigarette brand could only be obtained from a shop near the police station.
'Why? Why is that person following Roe? I also left the same house, damn it! It's not the time to think about motives. I need to figure out a way to let him know not to take any action yet!'
As he stood there, feeling anxious, he spotted his guardian angel. The woman who had been disrupting their lives in the past few days came carrying a basket of vegetables walks toward the shopping mall.
Ian approached Yue, who looked surprised to see him there.
"Hey..." She hesitated to greet him and then shouted, "Hey!" as Ian intentionally bumped into her shoulder. The basket she was carrying fell and the tomatoes she bought rolled away. Ian quickly stooped down and apologized.
Yue also chased after the rolling tomatoes. When Ian handed her a tomato that he managed to catch, he whispered something, softly but loud enough for Yue to hear.
"Okay..." Yue replied, understanding Ian's instructions, and continued walking into the shopping mall.
Ian followed Yue from a distance to see if Yue could save Roe. If she fails, he will have to intervene reluctantly.
Ian took the escalator to the second floor to have a broader view of what was happening below.
He saw Yue running towards Roe and pretending to fall near him, dramatically asking for help.
Roe, recognizing the woman who fell, was surprised, but Yue's gaze, which seemed unfamiliar, immediately alerted Roe that Yue was trying to convey something.
"Oh no! How careless I am! Hey, can you help me pick up my tomatoes that fell over there?" Yue pleaded.
"Of course," Roe replied. He chased after the rolling tomatoes, narrowly avoiding stepping on them, and successfully saved the tomato. "Here..." he said.
"Thank you..." Yue gave a wide smile and silently mouthed to Roe, "Abort the mission, someone's following you."
"You're welcome," Roe replied, then left Yue and turned towards a shoe store.
Ian smiled with joy at Yue's success. They were safe.
"Hmm... A new member? Not bad... Where did you find her?" someone greeted Ian from beside him.
"Damn it..." Ian cursed, recognizing the voice.
Detective Chester.