The night was a deep, smoky purple, the kind that makes you want to hit the floor and never get up. Molly slipped on her sleek black leather jacket, the one with the built-in earpieces and reinforced seams, and tugged it down over her head. Bill, looming behind her, grinned at his reflection in the mirror of the rental van. "Alright, kid, you sure you're ready for this?" he asked, eyeing her with a mix of excitement and wariness. Molly flashed him a thumbs-up, her ponytail bouncing behind her like a furry flag. She was a pixie, with a mop of curly brown hair and a mischievous spark in her eye. "You've got this, Bill," she said, tucking a small device into her jacket pocket. "Just make sure to keep an eye on the cake table. We don't want any icing stains on our faces." Bill chuckled and held up his hands in surrender. "I'll try my best, but my stomach's got other plans. All this anticipation is making me hungry." Molly snorted. "You're going to get us caught because you're too busy thinking about the snacks?" Bill shrugged, his eyes crinkling at the corners. "Hey, a good thief's gotta keep his priorities straight. I'm a little bit Robin Hood, a little bit glutton." The music from the children's party drifted through the vents, a cacophonous mix of "Who Let the Dogs Out" and "The Chicken Dance." The scent of sugar and cotton candy clung to the air, making Molly's stomach growl in sympathy with Bill's. "Okay, so what's the plan?" she asked, trying to focus on the task at hand. Bill gave her a sweep of the van's interior, as if the occupants of the next car over could be listening in. "Alright, so the party's at the community center on Spruce Street. We've got cameras, motion sensors, the works. But we've also got a clear window of exactly 20 minutes, when the kids are distracted by the Pin the Tail on the Donkey game." Molly's eyes sparkled. "I love that game. Who's the target?" Bill grinned up at her. "That would be the presents under the tree. And by 'the tree,' I mean the sparkly monstrosity they call a 'birthday present' display. We're talking Barbie dolls, Pokémon cards, and enough glitter to blind a blind person." Molly shuddered, but her hands were already at work, tapping the last few pre-plans against the side panel. "Right, so here's the thing –" The rest of her words were drowned out by the sound of a car horn, followed by the blaring music of a kid shrieking "I'm number 42!" Bill groaned and turned to make eye contact with Molly. "Shh. Someone's having a meltdown. We can't risk it." Molly hushed, her eyes flicking toward the vent, and for a moment, the two of them were lost in the anticipation of the heist to come.