Molly leaned against the brick wall, her neon-pink Converse scuffed from a night of questionable decisions. Bill hunched on a nearby bench, his glasses slipping down his nose as he studied the party invitations scattered before him. "How exactly are we supposed to break in?" Molly asked, her voice low and sardonic. "Just walk up and demand the gift pile at knifepoint?" Bill glanced up, his eyes behind the glasses rimmed with anxiety. "No, no, it's not like that. Here." He passed her a crumpled flyer. "They've got a magician. He's giving a show." Molly squinted at the flyer, the words "L'il Larry's Laser Fantastic Magic Show!" dancing before her bloodshot eyes. She sniffed, then handed it back. "So?" "So, he creates a distraction. Right at the peak of the present-giving ceremony. We slip in, grab the loot, and get out." Molly snorted. "Presents spelled with a 'z'? Who the hell is this guy?" Bill ignored her. "And it says here they have a 'Laser Fortune Ball!' You know, for the kids. It shoots lasers at balls and changes directions at the snap of the wrist! I bet if we time it right, we can use the chaos to make our escape." Their eyes met, the dim streetlight casting a flickering glow on Molly's smirk. "Alright, Larry's got a deal." Worn jeans under a mint-green bomber jacket, Molly blended seamlessly with the urban palette as they approached the party. Bill clutched a flour-dusted cake box, his getup an amalgamation of yesterday's bakery gig and today's larceny. They slipped between the gathering throngs of relatives andubitans, parents and clowns, skirting the bleary-eyed magician L'il Larry, his neon veneers gleaming like a Cheshire cat's grin. As the raucous party attendees followed the box-shooting mishaps of the Laser Fortune Ball, the conductor's voice crackled through the speakers: "And now…the gift-giving ceremony!" The room fell silent as the children shuffled onto the makeshift stage, clutching gift-wrapped blocks and teddy bears. Molly and Bill crept closer, noses wedged between a flailing toddler and a sweating, sweating clown as the children began their monotone chants of 'Thank you, Uncle Tim! Thank you, Aunt Sarah!' "Go," Bill whispered, and Molly sprang into action, darting toward the lumpy, Chanel-perfumed pile of presents. Among giddy cries of 'Open mine next!' and 'I got a dinosaur!', she rummaged, tossing gift after gift onto a pile. Bill followed suit, unceremoniously ripping through wrapping paper, discarding torn bits and out-of-place socks. Their hands hindered by huge red bows and too many ribbons, they struggled to carry their newfound loot. The magician L'il Larry, clad in a dazzling white suit, spun a dizzying circle, arms outstretched like a telephone pole-toting bird. His lasers, unpredictable as manic dogs, ricocheted through the hall. Laughter bubbled up from the audience, and the partygoers chatted loudly, enthralled by spectacle and sensory overload. An electrifying atmosphere hummed around them. The irregular strains of 'Happy Birthday' drifted through the cacophony as they filled their pockets with loot. Jewelry, cash, a half-eaten Barbie doll—Molly flung it all into a purple laundry basket chained to her wrist. Their bags bulging with the spoils, Molly smirked sideways at Bill. "Bloody well foolproof." "Yeah," Bill agreed, his pale face macabre in the strobe-lit darkness. "Here's to L'il Larry's Laser Fantastic Magic Show. The perfect cover." As the children, the party, and the present-strewn room melded into noiseless chaos, they slipped into the night, enveloped by the urban din of Brubaker Street.hausted, they settled on the bench. Their pockets jingling, they watched the znajiggle of dancing lights fade from the windows above. "What's next?" Molly asked, her voice still brimming with energy. Bill grinned beneath his artsy brown beard, the thief's perpetual question hanging in the air: "Only heists and hilarity from here on out," he declared, clapping her on the shoulder. Molly couldn't help but laugh, a thousand sugar-rush children echoing in her mind as the magic show faded to starlight.