Molly tapped her chin, her eyes scanning the blueprint of the Frosted Funhouse, a giant, inflatable castle that served as the centerpiece of the year's biggest kiddie bash. Bill, her partner in crime and chronic scheming, leaned over her shoulder, his breath tickling her ear as he traced a finger along the escape route they'd devised. They had rehearsed this a thousand times before, but butterflies still swarmed in Molly's stomach. This was their biggest gig yet. "Okay, we go in disguised as clowns," Molly began, her voice a low murmur that matched the dim, yellow glow of the room. "Once inside, we'll split up. You head for the gift table, I'll deal with the magician." Bill snorted. "The magician, eh? That's original. And what do you do? Distract him with a better trick?" Molly rolled her eyes. "Hardy har. Look, the kids will be riveted by the magic show. That's our window. We can't risk them noticing us too much. You know how nosy kids can be." He nodded, his face serious now. "I get it. We're in and out before the cake even gets cut. We've planned this within an inch of its life. What could go wrong?" "I like your optimism. Let's hope the cake's not the only thing that's a piece of cake tonight," she replied, a sly smile playing on her lips. Bill chuckled, a deep, hearty sound that filled the small room. "I've always said, why break into banks when you can conquer the hearts of the nation's shortest folk, eh?" Molly grinned. "Just remember, no real magic tonight. Just sleight of hand and a quick getaway." Bill leaned back, a sly look in his eye. "You sure about that? I could pull a rabbit out of my hat, or at least I could pull off a great impression of someone doing it." "Save it for the party, Bill. We've got a fortune in unopened toys to snatch." He raised his hands in mock surrender. "Alright, alright, I'll leave the real tricks for the pros. But if you need me to suddenly develop lock-picking skills, I'm your guy." Molly laughed, a bright sound in the tension-filled room. "Safer to stick with the plan, partner. Lock-picking and magic shows don't mix well." Bill wiggled his eyebrows. "Who said anything about mixing? I'm just saying, a little variety never hurt anyone. Especially when that anyone has a plate full of cookies and is too busy gawking at balloons shaped like zebras to notice a couple of clowns making off with the loot." Molly shook her head, her smile not fading. "You and your dramatics. Just focus on being a good, silent thief. For once." Bill clapped a hand to his heart, mock offended. "Ouch, that stings. I'm hurt, truly hurt. But you know, you're not so bad yourself. Maybe we'll pull off this whole kidnapping of presents thing yet." Molly laughed again, the sound rich and warm. "Kidnapping presents. I like that. It makes us sound like villains from a children's book. Now let's not disappoint the little munchkins when we show up as the fearsome thieves that stole Christmas... or, you know, a birthday." She pointed at the blueprint, a line from their entry point to the stash of presents drawn in red. "Tonight, kiddos, your gifts belong to us." Bill nodded, his eyes following the red line. "And the best part is, they won't even suspect a thing. Just two more clowns in a sea of colors and laughter. Let's make this our biggest heist yet." Molly nodded, determination in her eyes. "It's time. Let's make some magic."