The Auction Heist

Zoe decided to use her form-shifting armor to entertain herself in a way different. She turned into a companion, by inputting spirit and astral codes to give it artificial sentience.

However, she didn't get the entertainment she wanted when the empress was created. The muddy thing inherited all of her traits, none of which was entertaining in the least.

"What."The empress looked at Zoe blankly, the boredom and laziness oozing from her voice sounded even more apparent than it had in Zoe's voice.

Even the way she looked up at Zoe, coupled with her black color and sculpturesque appearance made her look as if she was glaring at Zoe.

It had to be noted that Zoe never had a good relationship with the empress as she was a miniature version of herself. Two Zoe(s) can't get along.

"What do you think?"Zoe said with raised brows, glaring at the little mud that shared semblance with her and was standing on her palm.

"Oh... you should have made your request, I can't hear you if you don't speak you know."The empress lazy timbre seemed to grow heavier and seemed sleepy as she shook her head and yawned.

Zoe's eyebrows twitched on seeing how the empress behaved In front of her but she really can't blame the empress as that was how she designed her.

To be proud as an empress, and most importantly to clothe her in a battle suit any time she needs it as an assistant because that's essentially what The Empress was—a battle suit with sentience.

The empress lowered her head and leaped then burst out into muddy fluid that splattered all over Zoe's face and body.

The muddy fluid moved all over her body, compressing the baggy top she wore, forming a skintight one-piece suit, but the empress wasn't done yet.

The muddy fluid formed layers over layers of clothing over the skintight suit, making it seem to be underwear, forming an absurdity of a gown.

Now it looked like The Empress had impersonated Zoe.

Loki looked with interest. It was the gown of an empress but which empress would wear such an extravagant dress, It was like different types of dresses were compiled to become one.

Not to mention the overload of pieces of jewelry of various forms all over her, she looked like an empress but exaggerated. Loki shook his head with a scowl, if the empress gown should have colors, then the absurdity of it will have been greater.

"Heh," Kitty sneered and continued with what she was doing.

Even Zoe was angered by the absurdity that was put on her by The Empress.

"Empress, what's this?"She asked in her way of expressing embarrassment.

"What you designed me to do..."The empress's face showed on the surface of the gown as she spoke.

"Change it. We're not playing empress now."Zoe said as silently as possible but it turned out that she really can't escape the senses of kitty who burst into mocking laughter.

"Ah, do it yourself."The Empress wearily said and her face vanished from the surface of the empress gown.

"You need to be fixed after this..."Zoe grumbled as she released her spiritual energy into the gown and changed its form into that of a midnight black skintight battle suit with a cuirass, spaulders, vambraces, and greaves, all in the right places, one with the suit and even forming boots with high foamy soles—all in black.

'She has weird tastes.'Loki thought in wonder.

But Zoe wasn't done, she formed a hat that covered her head and neck and a vest over the armor. It was obvious that she used Tianah as a reference to shape The Empress.

On the Left sleeve of the battlesuit was an inscription; "The Empress". The battlesuit won't let her pride be trampled on, either she becomes an empress gown, or inscribe her name on the form she was bent into.

She will express her existence one way or the other.

On the flip side was kitty who was still struggling to wear her suit. She wasn't gifted a pliable battlesuit by Conan but was given a manual one Instead. Due to unknown reasons.

She grunted in displeasure as she undid all the buckles and straps, she unzipped it and entered the one-piece suit to put it on from her legs upward.

The suit seemed to be larger than her size, but after she zipped up the zip line which extends to the turtle neck collar from her waist, the suit seemed to shrink and clung tightly to her shape.

She then proceeded to fasten the vambraces, and the spaulders across her chest and on her biceps, all of which were part of the one-piece.

She put on her high dark-blue boots and fastened the laces. And let the sleeve of the trouser part of the one-piece cover it.

Finally, to top it off, she wore a long ankle-length vest over the one-piece battle suit, her hand went behind her head and she began plaiting her silky blue hair into a single braid.

Zoe looked at kitty from chest to bottom and felt the urge to comment "Now... You look like a man."

Kitty's blue eyes widened into a glare, but Zoe's blank face refused to express the smugness she felt on the inside.

All this ceremony for just an adventure to the first floor...

Guttural sounds sounded from a side, which made the rivals avert their suffocating gazes from each other and look at Loki, who was suited up already, just that his battlesuit is super tight, revealing his lean but muscular shape and had faint red patterns, with no armor designs whatsoever.

His shoulders were trembling and his mouth was opened, his eyes closed and his head thrown backward. He was laughing, discreetly but not anymore.

"Are you laughing!?"Kitty exploded, her glare on Loki was menacing so much that he straightened up and stiffened immediately. Either because he didn't want to offend her or because he was afraid of her, no one knows.

She had to restrain her energy from leaking out too much lest the room blows up since it wasn't built to house people like them, to begin with.

"No, he's mourning on your behalf."Zoe's blank but sarcastic tone hit kitty hard. She turned towards her with a red face full of rage but all of a sudden, a blue ripple passed over her temple and she returned to her normal composure to the disappointment of Zoe.

"It'll be great if you stop getting your hopes up, you can never hurt me emotionally. Well, you can the day 'He' starts to 'Love' you."Kitty said as if all her earlier reactions were just an illusion which it was.

Only the two of them knew why the reason behind their rivalry. And that is why they would try to hurt each other either emotionally or physically, given the chance.

All her reaction to what Zoe said was just fake. A trick to get Zoe's hopes up then smashing it right after.

Zoe's face showed a hue of pink, her eyebrows furrowed and her jaw clenched. The bangle on her wrist shook a little, ready to transform into the scary cane.

The floorboards cracked a little, from the pressure they both exuded, even though they restrained, they couldn't stop their intents from leaking out.

Kitty also got ready to face her assault head-on. Her fingers elongated into claws and so did her canines into fangs. A tensive atmosphere descended in the room until a sound of throat clearing disturbed their visual communication.

Their heads turned to look at Loki in sync who in turn gestured to them: [Don't insult yourselves with your imperfections, you're both perfect and imperfect in your ways, that's how the balance is...]

"Are you done?"Kitty asked, and started walking out impatiently. Her mood was so sour that she felt like killing someone.

Loki signaled her to stop and gestured to the both of them [Stop fighting and accept each other's differences.] Even though he was saying this, his face expressed no tiny bit of concern, but unlike Zoe's blank face, his was cold and empty.

"No way!"The girls chorused and in contrast to what they said, they went towards the door together as if they planned it before and walked out.

Loki quickly followed, not wanting to be left behind again.

They descended the stairs in no time and reached the first floor which had few people left inside. But from what could be heard, it seems some people were asking to enter through the door at the right side of the counter.

They hid and peeked from a sharp corner of the stairs, nearest to the first floor. They saw a family of four masked and wealthy people, standing in front of two armored mercenaries that were guarding the door to the right of the counter and asking to gain access to the Auction but not before signing on the attendance board.

After signing, the family was given a token and was allowed to go in.

"It's an anonymous gathering, to reduce security risks."Kitty instantly deduced seeing the interaction.

"What for?"Zoe asked, totally clueless as to why people will gather anonymously in a place. "...Is it a ballroom?"She asked a random question.

"Auctioning, it's situated here where it's inconspicuous, Only a select few will know that this place even exists. Probably to reduce robbery risks."Kitty answered seriously and looked at Zoe "You still have more money with you right? I might see something interesting to buy with them."

Zoe rolled her eyes in annoyance, Kitty's saying such shameless words seriously even further irked her. "No... Money's all finished."Zoe deadpanned and decided to be stingy.

Kitty however shrugged "I guess, I'll go for plan B then..."

Loki and Zoe looked at Kitty's serious expression and pondered on what she just said. 'Plan b?' Wondering if she had already planned this before they even came and how many pans she had exactly.

"Wear these masks..."She gave wooden masks with fox ears and eyeholes to Zoe and Loki, who put them on without question. They didn't trust kitty but felt that it was the right thing to do since they'll have to blend in with the people so as not to look suspicious.

It was an anonymous gathering, after all, anyone is free, as long as you are wealthy enough to be the highest bidder.

Kitty on the other hand brought her right palm to the front of her lips. She detached a strand of her hair with her left hand and put it on her palm, cutting it into two and making finger gestures to it like she was writing on it.

She blew the strands which became pure hypnotic spiritual energy strands and they floated over to the men guarding the door to the Auction Hall and penetrated their heads or suffice to say, their minds.

Hypnotic blue light clouded their vision and they acted to the will of kitty, who came out of her hiding spot without waiting for the others, who regardless followed behind her without questioning despite having questions popping up in their minds.

The hypnotized guards nodded at kitty as soon as she came to view and opened the door for her, but first, she made sure to tell Zoe to change the form-shifting armor to a gown that blends right in and asked Loki stealthily inspect the suspicious ones in the Auction Hall.

Who knows, something interesting might happen. She had the hunch, thanks to the mischievous intents that cane from a side of the dimly lit auction hall.