Molly and Bill huddled in the shadows on the other side of the freshly trimmed hedge as they watched the children scream with delight as they hacked into their homemade air-powered pumpkin pie cannons. They had chosen the perfect cover, the 5th birthday party for twins Felix and Binx, even if they didn't exactly know why children would prefer a party themed after the peer pressure-ridden tween obsessed-with-spicy-food horror movie, the popular streaming series "Big Lake" over the more kid-friendly "Shimmer Lake", even though it was the second spinoff of the "Big Lake" franchise. "Bill, if we try, this will end badly." Molly whispered. "Why can't everything be about those stupid hills?" Bill grumbled. "This is also the birthday party for the gnomes I ate for breakfast!" He added dramatically. "Really?" Molly questioned. "Should we be talking about a remnant of an earlier heist like that? Why can't we be a heist team? That's what we're supposed to be!" "I don't know. I guess you're missing the spiced cinnamon sparkle pancakes I had this morning." Bill grinned. Molly groaned and turned back to watching the party from the bushes. "Molly are you not mad that the Captain in the latest Big Lake\* is a woman?" Molly's eyebrows shot up. "Nope, why should I care?" she shrugged. "Because it's a new development!" Bill exclaimed. "No less than my brother's puppet started a sentence with 'She says'! Real progress!" Molly chuckled awkwardly. "Are you a real fan, Bill?" He looked flustered. "Shh don't remind me!" "We have to turn this party upside down, Molly!" He continued, determined. "We have to steal all the presents!" But Molly was thinking of something entirely different, her eyes flicking between the grotto Big Lake fans had built for the original movie's villain and the rows of brightly wrapped boxes. She groaned. "Alright we hatch a plan to rob the 'Big Lake' birthday party, Bill, I'm still in." They nodded to each other and readied themselves to infiltrate their next heist destination. The precise movements of both were a well-practiced dance, their involvement came from the pool of villains that had stretched their talent and met upon nothing but mischievous events and shared schemes, for all Billy and Molly could agree was that even as adversaries in their lives, their adversaries were often ... "Okay and now what?" Molly asked, scanning the party space. "We detoxify," Bill whispered. "If we want to steal presents under the surveillance of the "Big Lake" fans, we have to hide our faces!" He reached into his bag and pulled out hats, distributing them to each other, adding quirky themed scarves, "Footprints" caps and even grey feathery feathers to set out the fun surprise. Molly looked quizzically at the attributes in front of her. "Feathers?" "They are all from the Owl rescue center, I reconnected with the owner after my last feather theft went wrong, this time we're donating them. I promise." Bill added. "Now, the plan- we go and collect the stacks of presents, tying each to our arms and heads, and jump through the canopy of the cotton candy mountain!" Molly rolled her eyes, "Alright. Could you warn me if that's too dramatic for a heist?" "Oh, it's the best part, just wait." Together they circled the cake and eco-friendly little plastic toys, stealthily maneuvering among the excited children, then jumped out into the brightly lit night to the cries of awe and the backlash of parents laughing as they watched two pedestrians jumping through the air with a mountain of brand new toys in their possession. As the rescuer of the feathered owls, they left the owners with no evidence, and without personal incident, they returned to their underground hideout, where they took a final look at the day's bounty before packing it away in secret storage. "Wow that was save the birds and the gorillas at the zoo and smash the marble tower, all in a single night!" Bill exclaimed, eyes on stars. Molly just chuckled. "Well, that's another feather for the cap." "And if you ever want to do this again, my door's always open. There's a room reserved for you, it's all Velvet Brooks themed as a tribute to the queen of Serial Killers." Molly shook her head in amusement. "Sure thing, Bill. Serial killer themed room, got it." Just as she said, they heard the whole floor vibrating. The security alarm was on. But as they quietly strategized an escape, Molly secretly whispered, "And if I had a chicken in the freezer, I'd say I might be down. Cluck around." Bill squinted, forgetting about the alarm and the serious situation for a moment. "Cluck around? What does that even mean?" Molly shrugged, "It doesn't mean anything, just some word I made up. But I don't have any chickens in my freezer, so I guess we have to worry about the alarm right now!"