"Are you sure they're ready for this?" Foxy eyed them skeptically as Tuan slipped a gun into his back pocket.

The group, plus Foxy and Raven, had gathered in a circle outside of the Crimson Court, ignoring the scrubby bushes poking into their sides while they reviewed their plan for the hundredth time that night. They crouched on one side of a long, angular bridge that connected them to the victorian-era mansion of The Blood Lilies.

Tuan had been to the mansion only once, in its early stages of construction. Back then, it'd been a beauty to behold with its mesmerizing dark red brickwork and stained glass windows who's colors danced like the Northern Lights at midnight. Now, Tuan could barely keep his mouth from dropping open in awe.

The architecture was a symphony of angles and curves, with spires that reached for the sky like skeletal fingers and pointed rooftops that were built high enough to be able to touch the blanket of night above. Statues of dancers pirouetted across ledges and corners, their sharp stone faces softened just enough to appear both majestic and graceful. And everywhere you turned, you'd see dozens of lilies. They snaked their way up beautiful red pillars and dripped down the stone fingers like water. Its beauty was undeniable, but so was the danger that lay within its walls. From the vivid windows, he could see flashes of people who held razor sharp spears. Guards.

He turned his attention back to Foxy, knowing he couldn't let himself get distracted. Her masked face turned to all of them, scanning them over one more time before she sent them into the mansion. He noticed her gaze rested a little too long on Sonora before turning back to whisper to Raven.

Sonora had been quiet ever since Foxy had talked to her the day before. To be honest, Tuan didn't give two shits about her well-being. But if she let her emotions get in the way of the mission, the entire thing might be ruined. They might end up dead on the front step of the mansion if they made even a tiny mistake. Plus, he didn't trust her enough to believe she wouldn't turn them in to The Blood Lilies.

"They may not be perfect, but they're as ready as they can be," Raven replied to Foxy's question, her voice steady.

"They better be," Foxy muttered before shooting them a sharp smile. "If they don't get what I want, I've got worse things planned for them than death."

Tuan felt Kester stiffen next to him but he slapped the boy's hand away when he reached to tug the strands of his hair. That nervous habit was seriously starting to piss him off. Kester gave him a deeply wounded look before turning to gawk at the mansion again.

"It's...almost unreal. I've never seen a building this big." Tuan raised an eyebrow at him and he immediately shut his mouth. They needed to get inside, get what Foxy wanted, and get the fuck out. They didn't have time to ogle stupidly at a building.

As if sensing this, Raven nodded, standing up to her full (and rather intimidating) height. "Okay, you guys should get to work. Foxy and I are going back. Remember: Don't screw this up or I'll dig you up from your graves and murder you myself."

"Is it too much to hope for a 'be careful'?" Flynn whined. Tuan glared at him, but inside, he felt a little thankful. Both him and Arabella hadn't spoken or complained once for the past hour, and considering their usual bickering, it had started to make him feel a little uneasy. Once in a while, they'd glance in Sonora's direction but quickly look away when they realized someone was watching.

This was exactly why he didn't work in teams. If one person isn't in their right mind, the whole mission is ruined.

Foxy fixed Flynn with a strained smile and said, "Just don't disappoint me, Turner."

"Alright, alright. No need to get all melodramatic." Flynn held up his hands in mock surrender.

Foxy scoffed and turned on her heel, disappearing into the shadows with Raven by her side. Now that they were alone, Tuan turned his attention to the mansion once more. It looked like a fortress, the kind that a group of idiots would try to break into only to end up behind bars. Yet they had to find a way in, retrieve the first piece of the crown, and make it out in one piece. Not exactly an easy feat.

Tuan turned to face the group, their faces painted black with the dark of night. Arabella was inspecting a small device that looked like a modified walkie-talkie, Sonora had her arms wrapped around herself, lost in thought, Kester was fidgeting as usual, and Flynn was leaning against a tree, looking entirely too relaxed for the situation.

"Alright, listen up," Tuan began. He needed to rally them, to remind them of the stakes and the danger they were in. "This is it, the real deal. We have one shot at this, and we can't afford any mistakes. We stick to our plan and stay in communication. If anything goes wrong, we regroup at the rendezvous point outside. Is that clear?"

"Who made you leader?" Flynn muttered, kicking a stray rock. It flew into the air before landing sharply on Tuan's foot.

He scoffed. "What, you want the job? You weren't even paying attention to the plan."

Flynn opened his mouth to respond, but Arabella cut him off with a scowl. "Will y'all shut up? I don't have time for this, we just have to finish the missions Foxy gives us and get the reward money. Then we won't have to see each other's faces ever again."

"Yeah, listen to your girlfriend Grumps."

Tuan rolled his eyes, but said nothing. Arabella was many things: stubborn, impulsive, stupid, but she was also right about this. There was no point in arguing now.

"Let's just focus on the task at hand," Tuan said, his voice firm. "We know our roles, we know the plan. Stick to it, stay alert, and communicate. We're professionals now, not a bunch of kids bickering on the playground."

Arabella nodded. Sonora glanced up at him, her eyes holding something that resembled determination, though it was muted. Kester gave a shaky smile, and Flynn simply pushed himself off the tree with a nonchalant shrug.

"Alright, let's move," Tuan said, leading the way across the bridge and towards the mansion. They paused on the outskirts of the territory. It was Sonora's turn now.

As she warily approached the grand entrance, Tuan couldn't help but feel a small surge of adrenaline. He watched as the guards saluted her while she gave them a charming little smile. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small earpiece, placing it carefully in his ear.

"Everyone has their earpieces in?" The group nodded before turning back to Sonora.

She'd paused at the entrance, staring up at the door that loomed in front of her. Sonora's gaze met his, and there was something in her eyes that he couldn't quite decipher. Was it fear? Regret? Whatever it was, he prayed she would get her shit together and just go inside.

To Tuan's relief, she finally pushed open the massive, ornate doors of the Crimson Court. A second later, she disappeared into the building. Arabella shifted impatiently and he held up a finger. Just a few more minutes

They waited for a beat.

Two beats.

Three.

The tension in the air grew with each passing second. It felt like an eternity had passed. Tuan's fingers tapped restlessly against his thigh as he kept his eyes fixed on the entrance of the mansion, waiting for any sign from Sonora. Her role wasn't a hard one to play, this should've been done in a matter of minutes. But nothing had come through the earpiece yet.

Flynn crossed his arms, his foot tapping in rhythm with Tuan's fingers. "What's taking her so long?"

Tuan shot him a warning look, but his own impatience was gnawing at him as well. He adjusted the earpiece, hoping for any sort of communication. The silence was unsettling, and he couldn't shake the feeling that something might have gone wrong.

Finally, just as his anxiety was about to reach its peak, a crackle came through the earpiece, followed by Sonora's voice, hushed and tense. "I'm inside. There are guards, more than we anticipated. Kester, darling, do you think you can get the security camera's up?"

"I can try." The boy reached into his satchel, pulling out a laptop. He opened it, the light illuminating his face as he worked. His fingers danced across the keyboard. About five minutes later, he shot Tuan a nervous grin. "It's a little blurry, but I've got it."

Tuan exhaled a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding. "How many guards and where are they positioned?"

"Um..." Kester paused, squinting. "Three guards near the main entrance, another three patrolling the hallway inside. I think there's two by the grand staircase leading upstairs. That's all I can see right now, I'll need to get closer to be able to access the rest of the cameras."

Tuan bit his lip. At least, they had some information now, which was better than nothing. But still, the situation was far from ideal. Eight guards was twice the number they had anticipated, and they couldn't afford to take any unnecessary risks.

Arabella let out an impatient sigh. "So, what's the plan now? We can't just waltz in there and start causing a commotion."

Tuan glanced around at the group, assessing their options. "We need to neutralize those guards without alerting the rest of the mansion. Flynn and I will take care of that."

"Neutralize? So we're gonna knock them out?" Flynn raised an eyebrow.

Tuan nodded. "Yes. We need to do it quietly. Once they're down, we can proceed with the rest of the plan."

"Sounds real fun." Arabella grinned, cracking her knuckles.

Tuan shot her a stern look. "Taking out guards isn't your job. You have to climb up to the balcony and help Sonora search for the keys."

"Fine, when do I go?" She sighed.

"As soon as Flynn and I reach the guards. There are a few ledges over there you can jump off of to get to the balcony, then it's just easy stuff from there." Tuan stood up, motioning for Flynn to do so too. Arabella followed a second later.

This was it. They just needed to take out those guards and the rest was up to the girls.

"Tuan?" He turned, only to catch sight of Kester still sitting. He stared up at him with pitiful green eyes, red hair plastered to his forehead with sweat. "I-I don't want to be left alone."

Tuan sighed, his resolve momentarily softened by Kester's pleading gaze. It reminded him exactly how young this kid was, and much smaller physically too. He wouldn't be able to take on guards by himself if they left him. But still. They couldn't afford to let fear or insecurity get in the way of their mission.

"You'll be fine," He snapped, his voice devoid of any sympathy. Flynn flinched and mumbled something about 'going easy on the kid'. Arabella gave Tuan a heated look as Kester wilted, not unlike a flower that had just been denied sunlight.

She crouched down to Kester's eye level, her voice low and reassuring as she whispered something in his ear. Carefully, she reached into her boot and pressed her knife into the palm of his hand.

"Hold onto this. Jus'in case," Arabella said, her tone surprisingly gentle. Tuan watched as Kester's grip tightened around the hilt of the knife, his knuckles turning white. The boy nodded, his wide eyes fixed on her face.

Tuan turned away, not wanting to witness any more of this interaction. He had to stay focused. The guards were his responsibility, and he needed to make sure they were taken care of without a hitch. He took a deep breath, feeling the adrenaline coursing through his veins. Motioning for Flynn to follow, they crouched in the bushes, watching and waiting for the guards to make a wrong move. Just one misstep.

And when they did, he pounced.