//------------------------------// // Family // Story: Dressed to Steal // by Tatsurou //------------------------------// As Clockwerk collapsed, Sly was able to snag the last bit of the Thievius Raccoonus from him, finally having collected the entire tome and restoring the family legacy. He and Coco settled on the edge of a metal bridge jutting out over the caldera of the volcano, watching as the pieces of his body fell into the magma. It wasn't long before Bentley, Murray, and Carmelita caught up to them there. "That's him dealt with," Carmelita observed calmly as Coco hopped off Sly's shoulder, heading to join Bentley and Murray in the van. "Indeed it is," Sly agreed. "And...my father avenged. And his legacy recovered." He lifted the completed tome with a soft smile, caressing the leather cover, his fingertips running over the gold engravings. Carmelita sighed softly, then lifted her stun cannon. "And now I have to pursue you again," she stated firmly, handcuffs held in her free hand. "If I let you go without trying to catch you..." "I know, I know," Sly agreed. "Besides, being chased my whole life by a lady as pretty as you? I'm hardly one to complain." Carmelita chuckled softly. "Really not an appropriate time for flirting," she chided gently. Sly found himself smirking. He'd noticed Carmelita tended to shift her mindset completely for whatever she was doing. She was either all business, all motherly, or...well, that was a pleasant memory for another time. "How about that ten second head start you promised?" Carmelita smirked. "Starts now. 10..." As the countdown went down, Sly slowly sauntered up to Carmelita, a flirtatious grin on his face. Carmelita grew more confused as he approached, her count becoming less firm and more concerned, her stun cannon lifted slightly. And then at "one", Sly lunged in, locking lips with Carmelita for a deep, passionate kiss. Her entire body relaxed as she stared in stupefaction as he pulled away. He'd never taken the lead in showing affection before. "S-Sly..." she stammered out. Sly grinned widely. "Zero," he whispered as he leapt over her, bouncing from a nearby rock pinnacle straight into the van before it drove off. Carmelita blinked in surprise, then turned to go, only to find her gun hand pulled up short. Turning, she saw she was now cuffed to the bridge. She knew, even with the keys in her pocket, Sly and the others would be long gone by the time she could get on the trail. "I'll get you for that, Ringtail..." she growled irritably under her breath. To her relief, the key actually was still in her pocket... While I was glad we'd successfully restored the family tome - not the least of which because it meant I finally got to have dessert again - I didn't really like Dad doing that to Mom on the way out. Mom didn't like it much either. As such, when she did catch up with us unofficially, she told Dad in no uncertain terms that he was to find a qualified therapist for us all to see for 'family counseling'. This was not to say we were a broken or damaged family, just that we had our problems, and Mom wanted them dealt with before we became broken or damaged because of them. As it turned out, Dad happened to know of one, a therapist who made his services available specifically to the criminal element and those connected to it, so their mental issues couldn't be used against them. The only requirement to see him was to respect his rules...and share no specifics. (1) The short, stocky, white weasel straightened his glasses on his nose as he stared at those gathered in his office...well, his office for this particular line of work, anyway. He had others, but that was neither here nor there. "Hello everyone," he stated softly. "I can't say I'm entirely pleased that this session includes a suit, however good she looks in it." He stared at Carmelita flatly. "That's my Mommy!" Coco piped up happily. "I'm Coco! What's your name?" "I have many," the weasel responded bluntly. "But for this, you can call me Mozzie(2). Now, I've done family counseling before, and I've found in these situations, the truest answers come from the children. So, Coco, tell me about your father." "He steals things!" Coco explained happily. Recognizing this was a little too close to the line of specifics, Sly spoke up to make it more vague. "What she means is that I'm a...recovery specialist. When people have things they shouldn't, I...relieve them of those things, whether valuables or information." "I see," Mozzie allowed, pushing his glasses up his nose again as he took notes. Not that he was unaware of the Cooper reputation, but how his patients presented themselves often revealed new insights. "And your mother, Coco?" he continued. "She yells and shoots at Daddy when he works!" she responded immediately with a wide grin. Carmelita frowned, not really liking that painting of her relationship with Sly. She decided to try and put a positive spin on it. "What she means is...I'm his handler," she offered finally. "He has a tendency to...do his own thing on mission, and it takes a mix of positive and negative reinforcement to make him behave. He...rather enjoys being chased, so that works for both." Mozzie hid his amusement. As suits went, this one didn't seem to be so bad...and not just because she was very easy on the eyes and dressed to enhance that. "And your Uncles?" he asked Coco, gesturing to Bentley and Murray. "Uncle Bentley hacks, and Uncle Murray beats people up and drives really fast!" Coco replied happily, beginning to enjoy watching her family squirm to cover her bluntness. "She means I'm a data recovery specialist," Bentley explained quickly. "And I'm a bouncer, and I drive our van," Murray added. Mozzie nodded. "Coco, I can't help but notice your family is...rather mixed. Now, there's nothing wrong with this, but given your own differences I must ask...are you adopted?" Coco sighed sadly, not liking these particular memories. "Mommy and Daddy picked me up when an evil overlord tried using me to power a gate to my homeworld." Mozzie blinked, and turned to stare at Sly and Carmelita. This particular explanation was just so far outside his concept of reality he didn't know how to react. Sly sighed softly. "She was kidnapped..." "And her home was...gone," Carmelita concluded, gently pulling Coco into a motherly hug. "Oh. I'm...sorry," Mozzie apologized. Noticing Sly immediately going to Carmelita's side to join in hugging Coco, he idly rubbed his chin. They do seem to make a good couple, and I have seen these sorts of things work... "I have to ask...are you two married?" Carmelita's head jerked up. "What? No!" she snapped out emphatically. "No!" Sly confirmed, sounding very intense. Mozzie blinked in surprise. Equal intensity refusal on both, but different emotional drives. Curious. Well, I do need to see why... "Children do grow best in single unit households. For Coco's sake, I would suggest-" "I can't be held responsible if you finish that sentence, and I didn't come equipped for capture," Carmelita interrupted. "-we put a pin in this topic for now," Mozzie concluded nervously. This was going to take a while... (1) Thanks to Philosophysics for this scene idea and dialogue base. Comment found here. (2) Bonus points for anyone who recognizes the TV show I drew inspiration for this character from.