Run: 2026-02-20-01KHY7SR6M96CR4ZXBHGQR62M9

“Okay, Bill, walk me through it again. Slowly. Like you’re explaining it to a golden retriever.” Molly tapped a pen against a meticulously drawn floorplan of ‘Billy Bob’s Birthday Blast’ – a children’s entertainment centre. It featured bouncy castles, a ball pit, and a frankly alarming amount of glitter. Bill sighed, running a hand through his already dishevelled hair. “We go in disguised as…party entertainers. I’m ‘Captain Calico’, the pirate. You’re ‘Princess Penelope’, dispenser of temporary tattoos.” “Captain Calico?” Molly raised an eyebrow. “Seriously? Couldn’t you have gone with, I don’t know, ‘The Shadow’ or ‘Mysterious Mr. Midnight’?” “Look, the costume rental place was having a deal. Pirate was buy-one-get-one-half-off. Princess was extra. Plus, I look surprisingly good in an eye patch.” “You look like you lost a fight with an especially aggressive seagull.” “Details, Molly, details! The point is, we blend. We entertain. While I’m distracting little Timmy with a rousing sea shanty, you’re making a beeline for the gift table.” “And then what? Just…stuff everything into oversized princess pouches?” “No! We’ve got the modified gift bags. They look like regular birthday bags but have reinforced bottoms and…dimensional pockets. I got them from a magic supply store. The guy didn’t ask questions, which was good.” “A magic supply store? Really?” “Don’t judge my sources, Molly. It’s a surprisingly useful place. Anyway, we fill the bags, then we ‘magically’ make the presents disappear during the cake cutting. The chaos will mask our exit.” “‘Magically’? You’re going with ‘magically’?” “What? It’s child-appropriate! We can’t just yell, ‘Prepare to be robbed, tiny humans!’” “Point taken. But what about security?” “The greatest security of all: parental complacency. They’ll be too busy taking pictures and preventing sugar crashes to notice a subtle shift in gift inventory.” “You’re counting on the sugar rush being a distraction?” “It’s a key component, yes. And the bouncy castle. Maximum distraction. Think of it as a tactical buffer.” “Tactical buffer. You’ve really thought this through, haven't you?” “I have. I've spent a week observing this place. They play the ‘Baby Shark’ song approximately seventeen times an hour. It breaks the spirit.” “Sounds…horrific. But effective cover, I suppose. What's the contingency plan if little Timmy decides he wants a treasure map instead of a sea shanty?” Bill groaned. “Don’t even joke about that. I’m terrible at drawing treasure maps. Contingency plan is…improvise. More shanties. Threaten to make him walk the plank. I’m adaptable!” “Just…try not to get glitter on the eye patch, okay? It ruins the effect.” “I’ll do my best. Now, let’s review the escape route. It involves a strategic deployment of bubbles…”