Bill adjusted the novelty-sized monocle perched on his eye, peering at the layout of the bouncy castle with feigned seriousness. "The element of surprise is paramount, Molly. Paramount." "Right," Molly sighed, pushing a stray strand of pink hair out of her face, "because nothing says ‘stealth mission’ like two adults dressed as fairytale creatures." "We’ve been over this," Bill huffed, smoothing down the felt mane of his ridiculously oversized lion costume. "It’s about blending in. Becoming invisible." "Invisible to who? The five year olds who are going to be pelting us with juice boxes?" "Think bigger picture, Molly," Bill said with a dramatic flourish. "We’ll be ghosts, phantoms of the sugary snack table. They’ll be too busy mainlining E numbers to even notice us spiriting away their loot." A devious glint entered Molly’s eye. "You really think we can pull this off? The Great Birthday Heist of 2023?" "With my impeccable planning and your unmatched ability to rock a pair of fairy wings?" Bill puffed his chest. "Success is practically guaranteed." Molly snorted. "Guaranteed chaos maybe. Remember the Great Piñata Caper of 2021?" Bill winced. "We don't talk about the Great Piñata Caper.” "Alright, alright," Molly conceded, pulling a pair of glittery fairy wings from her backpack. “So what’s the plan, oh fearless leader?" "Operation Sugar Rush," Bill declared, pulling out a hand drawn map of the party venue. "Our target: the gift table. Time of infiltration: 3:00 pm, precisely when the birthday cake arrives and sugar-induced hysteria reaches peak levels." Molly scanned the map, tracing a finger across a suspiciously placed jump house. "And how exactly do we reach this ‘gift table’ undetected? It’s practically Fort Knox over there." Bill pointed to the inflatable structure. "The bouncy castle, my dear Molly, is our Trojan Horse." "You can't possibly be serious," Molly said, raising an eyebrow. "Do I look like a man who jokes about inflatable tactical maneuvers?" Bill scoffed. "We blend in with the throng of hyperactive toddlers, using their sugar-fueled chaos as cover. Then, we strike!" Molly bit back a smile. Leave it to Bill to turn a children's party into a military operation. "Okay, but if we get stuck in that thing, I'm blaming you." "Deal," Bill said, grinning. "Now, let's get this party started."