Midnight in Paris

It was christmas night and the streets of Paris were brightly lit with incandescent golden lights and brilliant fire works. The street of Champs Ellyses, the most bustling avenue in the city, was rife with all kinds of small stores selling handicrafts, christmas cakes, hot wine, gems and all kinds of trinkets.

People were bustling around, checking out the stalls, or simply taking in the sites. This particular street was a famous tourist attraction, leading straight into the pearly white Arc de Triomphe, that formed the large circular center of the entire city of Paris.

A handsome couple were walking on the Champs Ellyses street, taking in the sites. They were speaking to each other in English, and a single glance could explain that they were tourists. Behind them, a shifty looking man with a briefcase was walking quickly when he suddenly tumbled and fell onto the couple.

He quickly apologized in French and began to move, but the man who held his wife from falling suddenly yelled in English.

"Thief! Someone stop him!" The American yelled out.

The street was crowded and the shifty man with the briefcase raised an eye in shock and dismay, further proving the American's point. The crowd immediately surrounded the shifty man, not allowing him passage.

At that moment, young heroic looking boy suddenly swiftly tackled the man and put him to the ground. The boy, who looked to barely be eighteen, had unkempt brown hair, and a fairly slender frame, but his tackle showed that he was quite strong. His face displayed a kind of heroism that one would rarely expect in the disillusioned youth of today.

"I caught him." The boy replied to the Americans in English. "What did he steal?"

The American was suddenly dumbfounded and checked his back pocket, finding his wallet still intact and with him. He looked at his wife, who was the same as well.

Suddenly both of them realized that nothing was stolen from them! The shifty man suddenly yelled, asking to be let go! The heroic boy was shocked at the turn of events and quickly jumped away.

The shifty man snorted in anger, looking at the American couple with heavy suspicion, before rapidly walking away with his briefcase. The crowd dispersed and the brave boy began patting the folds on his tuxedo and the dust on his pant kneecaps from the previous tackle.

He looked at the American couple with disdain and walked away. The couple was embarrassed and furious. They had panicked suddenly and called a passerby a thief. They quietly walked away from the area.

The heroic young man walked into an adjoining avenue, before entering a hotel and checking into his room. Suddenly his heroic aura disappeared and his face curled up in a smile. He took out a velvet pouch that was tied together by a thin golden chain, from his pocket.

He opened the pouch and unloaded what appeared to be around a 1000 polished diamonds of the size that could be embedded into the ring.

"Thanks to that stupid duo of tourists, I could quickly loot that diamond deliverer. It was too easy." The young boy laughed.

In actuality, the young boy had been casually walking beside the shifty looking man, who was a delivery person for a diamond merchant. Diamond transport is usually a risky business and the merchants often have to use disguised deliveries to transport their product.

The young boy began moving ever so slightly towards the shifty man on the street, yet he was walking straight. This was a well practiced move from the boy. The shifty man who was already suspicious because he was carrying an expensive package suddenly felt disoriented by the illusion of someone walking into himself, stumbled and collided into the American couple. The young boy then took advantage of the situation by trying to appear heroic and stealing the man's package.

Having verified the contents, the young boy called a number from his disposable phone. "I have your product." He said calmly.

"Very good." A reply came from the other side. "You can head to the Moulin Rouge and transfer the product to my contact there. Red haired guy with an anime tattoo on his right shoulder. Sort of bulky, goes by the name Pirate Ace."

The young boy had an inexplicable expression. What kind of contact was this? He shook his head and made his way to the Moulin Rouge.

He found the building glazed with red neon lights and a faux windmill attached to the structure and entered the cabaret, finding himself at the bar.

"Get me a cheap glass of beer." The young boy calmly said.

The bartender was cleaning the bar table with a cloth, when he paused and looked at the young boy. "We don't serve underage customers alcohol."

"Bruh... I'm above age. Just give me my drink." The young boy snorted as he calmly sat on the bar stool, taking a look around the cabaret. He eventually found the contact laughing wildly as he sat with two girls around him, drinking alcohol.

The bartender looked suspicious, but he eventually poured a glass of cheap beer for the customer. The young boy swung the glass and downed the entire mug, took out a 10 euro note and slammed it onto the table with a smile.

"Actually, I'm just seventeen." He laughed at the bartender.

"You..!" The bartender got angry. Serving underage customers could lead to him losing his job. The young boy ignored the bartender and walked towards the contact "Pirate Ace". When Pirate Ace saw the young boy, his smile collapsed and he immediately lost his drunken stupor and became sober.

Without any intimation, he nodded at the young boy and the two went to a private area behind the main stage.

"Are you the 'Silver Thief'?" Pirate Ace asked.

The young boy nodded. "And you are the anime fan?" He asked back, but before Pirate Ace could respond, Silver Thief quickly took out the velvet pouch and handed it to the man.

He immediately called the boss and confirmed that the transfer had been made and left the cabaret, disappearing into the christmas crowd.