When she reached her home in the lower class area of the city, Freya removed her prize and her gloves from her pocket, being careful of fingerprints. She dumped the silver and ruby necklace into her hand, and held it up to the light. Yes, this was the one; the necklace that was to be added to the local museum later this month. The only thing that would be placed behind glass now was made of glass itself. Freya relished her victory. Wouldn't Corvus be happy. She walked down the street to Corvus' mansion, where the members of his agency—the Kingdom—would hold meetings and train.

All of them had gathered in the meeting room of his mansion, waiting for him to tell them what their next mission would be, along with revealing her prize to everyone. The four of them sat in a semi-circle in front of his desk, where he would soon appear. Freya sat on the left end, followed by Naja, Inia, and Vulpes. Naja was a sweet looking woman, who was much more deadly than one would first guess. She could get anyone to let down their defenses, and was excellent when it came to breaking in silently. She had a true passion for weapons and violence, and an explosive temper that had led to numerous charges of physical assault. She had flaming red hair, pale skin and green eyes.

Inia was a sweeter soul, who had less of the hidden persona that many of them held. She was kind and often used in situations where a job required patience and intelligence. Not that the rest of them weren't smart, but she was above the average. Unlike the rest of them, she hadn't joined the group to escape her reality, but rather because she wanted to do something that would give her a challenge. She had light brown hair with pastel pink streaks, mocha skin, and brown eyes.

Vulpes was sly and cunning who's intelligence rivaled only Inia. She was a master of disguises and sneaking around undetected, much like Freya herself. She was one of the newest members, and was known to jump from agency to agency in search of the best deal. She was even rumored to have been an assassin for hire for a couple of years, though she played off the allegations with ease. She had sharp features that stood out starkly against her very pale skin. Eyes of green could practically be seen in the dark and black hair allowed her to blend into the cover of darkness quite easily. She always wore bold makeup and crimson lipstick which only augmented her features.

Freya sat in her chair, waiting for Corvus to enter the room. She couldn't wait to watch him show the crew what she had brought him. The crew would be so impressed. Finally, she would leave her mark on the crew, not just in her work. The door opened, and Corvus walked in. Corvus, who was her boss and dear family friend, got to keep the prizes that she and her teammates stole, but would pay them a very pretty penny in return. He had calculating brown eyes and dark brown hair that was almost feather-like, which was what gave him his alias, and a trimmed beard. Unlike the rest of Freya's comrades, who stuck to flexible and breathable fabric for their uniforms, Corvus always wore a three-piece black suit.

"Crew," he began. He had a voice with booming capabilities, yet today he spoke relatively softly. "As you might already know, our dear Lupine has just brought us a new prize from the Ambermore mansion. Care to explain?"

Freya got up from her seat and walked forward to stand beside Corvus. She examined the looks on Naja, Inia, and Vulpes' faces, waiting for the chance when she could catch the off-guard. Finally they would see her potential as more than a diversion.

"This necklace," she pulled her prize out of her pocket. "Is the famed Duchess's Ruby necklace from the Ambermore mansion, stolen by yours truly. This necklace is rumored to be worth twelve million dollars and once belonged to the Duchess of Spain. Thank you."

She sat back down and waited for Corvus to reveal the rest of the plan for the necklace and for her next mission. Maybe she would be breaking into the museum next, or exposing SeaWorld; the possibilities were endless. Instead, Corvus didn't speak more on the subject.

"You are dismissed," he said. "Lupine, Naja; stay here."

Inia and Vulpes left the room, leaving just the three of them.

"Lupine," Corvus said. "While you did retrieve the Duchess's Ruby, you also revealed your alias. Do you understand how that might jeopardize our position? Giving away your alias might allow them to trace you back to us. It endangers the entire crew, do you understand?"

"Yes Corvus," she said, bowing her head. She never knew how Corvus learned of the nitty-gritty of their operations, but that was the least of her concerns at the moment. "I understand Corvus. I apologize, Corvus."

"Your next mission," her head shot up. Really? After everything I've done wrong? "You will return to the Ambermore mansion, where you will practice keeping your cover and your alias. Naja will be the only one who touches your next prize. For now, you will be keeping cover, and I will inform you when your prize is on the premises. Is that clear?"

"Yes Corvus," they said at the same time, though Freya was noticeably somber.

"You leave tomorrow," Corvus told them. "Here are your files." He handed them file folders with information on the aliases. "You are dismissed."

---

Freya didn't want to return to the Ambermore mansion, for fear of seeing Victoria. She didn't want to try and come up with a lie to explain her odd behaviour at the party or her remark about her name. She just wished that Victoria was out on another one of her fancy and expensive vacations, though she figured that there was a slim chance of that. Victoria had begun taking a more active role in her parents' company, which meant more time at home. Great.

Freya studied up on her alias file whenever she had the chance. She wanted to make sure that she knew exactly how she was supposed to act so that she could throw Victoria off her scent immediately; which would be hard since Victoria was known to be quite smart. Freya hoped that Victoria had forgotten about their encounter earlier that day, though she honestly doubted it.

Freya and Naja walked to the back steps of the Ambermore mansion, and Naja knocked softly. Freya had been given additional instructions by Corvus to not touch anything that she explicitly permitted to touch for fear of her leaving fingerprints. Until she wore gloves, Freya was going to have a very hard time working at the estate. When you're given a job as a maid, you're expected to clean up, and by extension, touch objects throughout the house. Not to mention the fact that she would have to open doors in order to even move around the place.

A woman—who must have been another servant judging by her lacy apron—opened the door for them, and called down the hall for Mr. Ambermore. After a moment, he walked through to the door and greeted the two women. His eyes flashed with recognition quickly when he looked at Freya, but she knew that she would be able to convince him otherwise rather quickly.

"Welcome my dear," Mr. Ambermore said. "You must be our new maids, yes?"

"Correct, Mr. Ambermore," Naja said. "I am Helen, and this is partner Élaine." she gestured to Freya.

Freya bowed her head, causing her newly dyed brown and bob-cut hair to sway slightly. She wanted Mr. Ambermore to view the so-called Élaine as submissive, as it was also part of her cover. Naja too bowed her head for a moment, but it was just that; a moment. Helen was supposed to be assertive to Élaine and was hired to be head of staff. Élaine however was hired to be a simple and humble maid. Mr. Ambermore stepped back from the door, and the maid from earlier did the same.

"Do come in," he said. "I'll give you a tour."

They followed Mr. Ambermore inside, and the other maid closed the door behind them. The back doorway was just as Freya remembered it; small, cramped, and dark. She was surprised that Mr. Ambermore had even come down this hallway to greet them. He must have really been waiting for them. They were first taken through to the kitchens, since Freya would be tasked with bringing meals to the family while they worked.

"I hear that you're French," Mr. Ambermore said to Freya as they walked.

This Élaine was supposed to have a very distinct and heavy french accent, since she was supposed to be a native of Paris, and not be very good at speaking English. This would play to her advantage if Victoria recognized her, since she would be able to act like she didn't know what she was asking her.

"That is correct," she said, saying that as if it began with the letter "z". "I am from Paris." she was also careful to leave the "s" sound off the end of Paris.

"Is it nice?" he asked her. "I've never been. I am trying to convince my dear daughter Victoria to visit."

"Very," she said, rolling her "r". "It is—how you say?—magnifique."

They continued their tour through the dining room, sitting room, offices, and bedrooms—the last two being only to the location, but not entering—before they were brought to the servant's quarters, where they would be sleeping during their time there. It was just as Freya had remembered it; large communal room to sleep in, large on-suite, and one large walk-in-closet to keep everyone's uniforms. It was certainly nicer than her other covers, though it seemed a little over-the-top for servants.

"We would love to take you on Ms..." Mr. Ambermore said.

"Scott," was Naja's response.

"Yes," Mr. Ambermore replied. "Ms. Scott and Ms..."

"Cartier," Freya responded. Just like that, Freya was in. The mission had officially begun. 

Are you guys liking these banners?

~Alleyt