Failure Is Angular. [Cassie Shayde]

[Adabella Gallings]

Adabella squirmed in her seat, an inpatient air about her. She was sitting in a rather...unpleasant tavern, having as kindly as possible declined any type of drink other than water, and placed herself at a table near the rear of the building. She scowled, tapping her claws against the table in an annoyed fashion. "Where is that woman?" She asked aloud to herself, sighing in discontent.

At the present she was waiting on her ally, so to speak. The girl was both a necessity of her life, and an annoyance. They were to meet here at 8:30, and what time was it now? Approaching a quarter after 9! The blasted thing, this was her idea in the first place!

The raccoon huffed, reaching next to her to check a small bag she had brought with her, placed at her feet. It contained the things she would need later tonight. When -if, rather- the fox arrived, she would need to change before they left. Even though she wasn't fond of the costume-like garb, it was better than getting her nicer clothes dirty.

Adabella turned in her seat, to face away from her table, and toward the rest of the tavern. She threw one leg over the other and let out a frustrated sigh.

When she got here, Cassie was getting one hell of a tongue lashing.

[Cassie Shayde]

The jobs were always Cassie's idea. Adabella didn't have the sheer wit and thought to plan them!

The two were partners by no more than old family ties and personal greed. Cassie was sly as her species went, and because of that, she could plan the elaborate schemes. And after three years, they had still never been found. However, Adabella's bottomless greed for wealth forced her to do the fox's bidding, but only on the clock. Otherwise, they seemed distant, their true bond only showing behind the mask. A mask Ady wore with a bruised ego, but she wore it all the same. But Cassie would quickly mask herself because she was living a lie - Cassie Shayde was no more. Her family had outcast her. She had been disowned, so she really had no last name. No family. No inheritance. No nobility. She had not willing become Zorra.

It was true; Cassie Shayde, the polite young fox-maiden with pretty features, was actually a terror named Zorra, a violent and cruel criminal. But nobody knew. Nobody knew that the duo of theives, Zorra and Glade, were Adabella and Cassie.

Cassie stood on the step of the tavern now, wondering why in the world Ady had chosen here. She smoothed her green skirts, the bag at her side not bulging, but not thin either. The fox was just as her race normally was - red fur with chocolate brown paws and ears. Her tail tip was white, and the start of her white chest and belly was visible above the neckline of her dress. Her face was slender and slightly heart shaped, and her fur brushed regally until it shined even in a dim light. Her sandals were a bit dirtied from the walk, but that didn't matter. she quietly pushed the door open, her dark green eyes searching for the raccoon.

Adabella wasn't hard to pick out in a crowd. She dressed like a princess, and was one of the very few of her kind to set foot in the region. Her brown fur stood out, her slightly rounded ears another marker. Cassie raised an eyebrow at her. Ady was never here early...

The note she'd given Cassie clearly had stated 9:30. She even had it in her dress pocket.

She slid down into a seat by the raccoon, stating in a quiet voice, "Ady."

[Adabella Gallings]

It was all ridiculous, really. Their entire existence as Zorra and Glade. They weren't meant to be here, like this. They were proper young ladies! Not this...this...trash they were turning themselves into. Masking themselves in darkness and stealing from people. This was dirty work! Honestly, they should just be able to hire someone to do this for them. But that would take a substantial cut of her profit... Bah! Rubbish; the entire situation!

The raccoon growled under her breath, digging her claws into the wooden table. It annoyed her to no extent, the fact that this was probably avoidable. They could have stayed how they were before. But no, they had to be idiots. They had to want more. She scoffed lightly at the thought. Cassie and her dreams. She couldn't handle an arranged marriage, no! She probably had silly little thoughts of marrying for love, or some nonsense like that. She couldn't take the reality of their lives. They were well off families; she couldn't possibly have expected to choose her partner!

But there was no point in crying over spilled milk. At this point the fact that they left home was practically trivial. There was no going back.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a quiet, familiar voice. She looked up at the fox, and in a sigh-like manner stated: "You're late."

[Cassie Shayde]

"Late?" The fox frowned heavily. She clicked her claws on the counter for a second, before rummaging through her dress pockets. "I assure you I am not." She delicately pulled a folded scrap of paper from her pocket, holding it between two gloved fingers. It was white - clearly, sparkling white, a fresh sheet. She unfolded it quickly, putting it between them.

9:30. Corsair's Tavern, was all it read. In not Cassie's script, but in the calligraphy penned by the raccoon the night before, whom refused to take up cape and mask nightly as Cassie so dearly loved to do. "Checkmate, love," she said quietly, making sure she was not heard by anyone but Adabella. 'Check' and 'checkmate', chess terms, had become a signature saying of Zorra; it was dangerous to voice them without being at a chess table. Their infamous-y grew steadily, but the idiots here were far too forgiving - they would here of a neighbor's bad fortune and not expect a thing. Maybe they had small children and had heard the rumors that Zorra dared not prey upon them. It was untrue, of course; the thief would steal from a starving baby mouse if it would help her.

Slowly, the vixen rose. "Come," she stated, her voice, high soprano, dulled. She took pleasure in nothing anymore except the fear of the race and the wicked pleasure of stealing from her prey. She would mask it just as the metal did her face when speaking to another, but she did not bother with Adabella. They were like siblings - they hated one another but a strong bond held them at the hip. She motioned quickly to a set of stairs. There was where the transformation would begin.

The vixen turned from the raccoon, striding to the complete other side of the bar, sadly frowning, a sweet expression. As soon as a barmaid - a mouse, actually - turned to her, she instantly wove her tale; she and Adabella were pilgrims from a far off land, having traveled far when their home was taken over by a vicious ruler that had killed the crowned family. They had been able to take nothing, they had little money and the clothes she wore were given to her by a sweet old woman they had met the day before. She also added that they were 'victims of the cruel men-folk of the land', and wept bitter tears at the thought. the mousemaid wept too, instantly pitying the plight of the fox and other creature she did not know the name of. The worker instantly offered them a bed for the night, and decided she would pay for it herself. She handed the vixen a key and her prayers.

It was all a lie, but it didn't matter. Zorra could steal hearts just as well.

---

"It's fine, dear. A good night's rest after so much terror will do us much good. We hope to find a nice place to settle here, but we are not sure. There are none of my friend's kind here; she will not be content." the vixen said a few minutes after, happy tears running down her face. She dared not see if Ady was playing the part of a beaten pilgrim very well - the mousemaid's eyes were still on her.

"Just let me know if you need anything, dear. I'll be downstairs for most of the night. I'll let you two rest now, Lord knows you need it," the barmaid said, trying not to weep with pity again. The door closed behind her, and Cassie held a finger to her lips, motioning them to be silent a second longer.

After a few moments had passed, she said, "And now, we go."