Story: One Foxy Dame

When last we saw Lady Valentine, she had her own little heist in mind. For which, she had acquired a particular item at auction. She was certain that adorable private eye knew more than he seemed. He'd almost have to. Honestly now, cutting a deal with her like that of his own volition? It wouldn't take much to twist that around, the poor boy was so obviously out of his league.

Ah, but it doesn't matter. On this dark cloudy night where the shadows themselves seem to rear up, like predators preparing to eat a man whole, she had to stand above it all. And so she was. Quite literally standing above it all. On this rooftop, opposite her target, holding - of all things - an enchanted candelabra.

Not exactly the most elegant way to pick a lock, but under the circumstances it was by far the safest. Watching the sky, she twisted and turned the silver decoration until the light bounced off the moonlight and onto her target. A rather large lock on a door in the alley below. With precision, with care, with delicacy - Clip, clop! Off the lock comes, clattering to the pavement with nary a fuss.

Oh, but she was sure someone inside was standing guard. They had probably noticed already. Lady Valentine daintily stepped off the rooftop and unfurled her umbrella, letting it carry her to the pavement below. A wry smile on her face as she considered what came next. While it was merely a gut feeling that the charming, adorable and naive detective knew more than she let on, the cold hard facts were telling her that this man, this Mister LaBlanc, definitely knew a few things that she wanted to know a bit more about.

She landed delicately on the pavement below. It was as if she'd stepped off a step, rather than from the top of a tall building. From there, she raised her fist as if to knock on the door - but then she chuckled instead and simply went inside.

"Hold it!" said some wannabe tough guy holding a firearm. Lady Valentine tsked, shook her head, and raised her umbrella. The bullets bounced off and were, how to say it, returned to sender. 

"America and its love of firearms," she shook her head. She simply didn't get it. Such an obsession would only keep them back from their full potential. How could they not see it? 

Oh well. It didn't take her too long to identify the main office. Honestly, she'd been expecting more arcane measures to keep her at bay. It was almost refreshing having to stroll through more mundane defenses.

As to the office itself - no sign of anyone inside. Very well then. Let's see, let's see. What sort of paperwork do you have in here? Perhaps someone under your employ is hiding something? Perhaps even the fox herself? She playfully looked through the desk, twirling her umbrella in her other hand, just in case - 

"You want a meeting, doll, you make an appointment like everyone else."

Just in case someone came along with a firearm. She quirked an eyebrow at seeing the large man, in his ill fitting suit come out of his hidey hole.

"A secret passage?" she mused. "My, my. However did you manage that?"

"Last I checked, I was the one with the gun," LaBlanc said. "To whom should I mail my regards?"

Down to business, was he? Very well then. He did not seem to have any magic on his person. The gun was perfectly ordinary as well. She had nothing to fear from him. As such, she simply smiled, tilted her head, and said "Send them elsewhere, for I shall not need them." Which caused him to grunt like the neanderthal he was, pull the trigger, and his bullets bounced off the umbrella just like the others. Now, hopefully he survived so that she could - 

A strong hand grabbed the umbrella handle and hauled it away, tossing it across the room. In the next moment, another strong hand had grabbed her by the throat, it being so massive that it easily wrapped around to the point the fingers were touching the thumb. She was suddenly, violently, pulled up into the air, off her feet, with an irate mob boss staring at her.

There are very few people who would find such a scenario desirable. Lady Valentine was not suicidal, and hence she did not count among them.

"You probably think you is a wise chick, huh?" LaBlanc said, pushing his gun to her forehead. "I gotta respect your guts, if not your brains. Coming into my office? Snooping around my stuff? You gotta be real stupid to think you could get away with something like that! Who you working for? Huh? Or are you one of them lone wolf types, gets an idea over their own head?"

Overwhelmed by brute force! How shameful! He was a lot stronger than she expected. Supernaturally so...? No, this was well within the boundary of human ability. It was merely combined with a level of ruthlessness that even Lady Valentine hadn't quite reached. Yes, ruthless. Completely without mercy. Pragmatic criminal, with tendrils across the city! She had clearly underestimated him. Thought she understood the limits of his potential. Now she could see that she had a few more things to learn, here.

Still, she had an ace up her sleeve as well. Her actual speciality was transformation magic. While she couldn't cast anything on him fast enough to matter before the gun went off and put a bullet through her skull - oh what an ignoble end - casting it on herself was a whole other matter.

To that end, she took a gamble and transformed into a mouse, then skittered down to the ground where she was able to run away before he could catch her. Oh, he shot his gun. Made some holes in his floor for his trouble. However, she was canny enough to not run in a straight line in case he got the bright idea to, for example, try stamping her with his enormous feet, or shooting her with the gun. The feet were honestly a bigger issue.

From there, it was a trivial matter for her to escape the building. Hrm? What's that? Why not use transformation magic to break in? And appear in his office naked to investigate his documents? Why, anyone across the multiverse thinking such things ought to be ashamed of themselves. Only when she was back at her temporary accommodations did she feel safe again, able to dress like a human again.

"Very well then, Mister Mob Boss," she mused. "I think that I shall need to call in that favour much sooner than I had anticipated."

Oh, Mister Romeo, you would be quite the useful tool to use here... Now. Let's set about tracking him down, shall we?