Ratigan hungered for a good theft, a grand heist that would leave the world in aghast and horrified, tripping over themselves to find the culprit but with no avail. In fact, that was why he specifically returned to merry ole England (he heard that Basil was abroad so thankfully, his nemesis would…
Morrigan stood at the end of the street, looking up at the Tower of London. The citizens of Wonderland were being disgustingly good lately, and Morrigan had begun to miss the insanity and thrill that accompanied evil. She wanted to do something bad. So she skipped out of Wonderland and found herself in London - a metropolis teeming with life, teeming with crime and oh! how she loved every second of it! She soaked up the atmosphere and practised her skills on a few unwitting tourists, and now she found herself looking at the biggest prize of them all. The Tower of London, home to the Crown Jewels.
Morrigan wasn’t an idiot. She knew that lifting the jewels would be almost impossible, but she wasn’t put off. She clung to that “almost”. Morrigan didn’t need a crown, nor did she particularly need jewels - she had both already. She simply wanted the thrill of doing something almost impossible, she wanted her heist to be in the newspapers, she wanted people to know about her without knowing it was her. She needed an accomplice. Someone who wanted this as bad as she. Someone who wanted some jewels.
Scanning the crowd gathered on the street, Morrigan noted a ratehr familiar face. He was some sort of big time criminal who’d been in all the newspapers a while ago, and had fallen to his death after a showdown with some do-gooder. Dead, eh? Well, this guy certainly looked alive to Morrigan, and he was looking at the top of the Tower with the same look of anticipation as she knew she had displayed. He was her guy. Pushing through the tourists, she stopped beside him, and made a show of examining her nails. “You’re the criminal who’s supposed to be dead, aren’t you?” she decided to go for the blunt route. If she was wrong, she could always deny it, or kill him. Either way worked for her. “I’m thinking of stealing the Crown Jewels” she continued, lowering her voice to ensure they weren’t overheard. “But I have no use them. I’m the Queen of Hearts, I already own plenty. You could have them, if you’re in”.
professor-ratigan-supreme-ruler
The criminal mastermind wasn’t sure if this Queen of Hearts was bold or downright stupid to announce to him that she was planning to steal the Crown Jewels too, even if she kept her voice down. They weren’t in the most public settings but still, these types of conversations were best handled in a private room, where no one could walk by and accidentally overhear some very sensitive, crucial details. Still, it was quite fortuitious that he came across someone else who wanted to steal the Crown Jewels but was all too willing to let him have them. She was the type who loved the thrill of theft and those people were fun to make crime with!
Perhaps it would be in my best interest to humor her and continue this conversation. I could use another ally in the criminal ring.
“I’m flattered that you know who I am,” Ratigan replied with a charming smile, doffing his hat to the Queen like a proper gentleman. “And this proposal you offer is very enticing. If we were to do this heist together, what do you gain out of it?”
Morrigan smiled indulgently. She could see the stranger wondering if she were mad, but she supposed she was in a way. All those years of living with the Wonderland folk would do that to any sane person. Her eyes gleamed at the thought of the Tower, the guards, the shining prize.
“I will get the thrill of the chase, the reward of knowing how much better I am than these pathetic specimens. That’s better than any physical prize, I think. I’d also get to watch the aftermath unfold and admire my work while shrouded in anonymity. I can’t think of anything better”.
She glanced around again, before placing her hand lightly on Ratigan’s elbow. “This isn’t really the place to discuss fine details though, is it? Would you like to join me in a more private setting?”
“Yes, yes, that would be most prudent,” concurred the criminal mastermind, glad they would be going somewhere more private to converse about the plan in further detail without the danger of being overheard. But Ratigan must admit, as little as he knew about this human, she was very regaling and cut from the same cloth he was. While he did covet the Crown Jewels, he also enjoyed the thrill of each scheme and job and watching the chaos he created fan out like wildfire. The power to create such an effect was simply intoxicating.
“And I know just the place,” he added, thinking about a small, hidden tavern where no names were asked and none of the residents knew about each other or cared to. It was one place the police never dared to enter. Most of the customers (and the owner himself) were carrying more than a simple pistol or revolver. There was one rumor that a sailor, a frequent customer, killed a man with a harpoon and no one batted an eyelash. Places like that were perfect to begin a deliciously nasty plot.
Morrigan bowed her head slightly. “As you wish” she murmured. She was well practised at this game, and did not let her glee show as she followed this…gentleman through the streets. She had done her research on Ratigan, and liked what she found. She felt that they were similar, both made of good stuff, both seeking power and control and mastering it with ease. She had been growing weary of Wonderland recently, and hoped this change on scenery and something fun to do would improve her mood.
She looked around her in mild distaste when they finally reached their destination. Although she was used to watering holes that weren’t exactly fans of health and safety, she couldn’t help but think to herself that this place made some of thjem seem like a palace. Still, she mused, at least she’d had her tetanus shots recently so she couldn’t catch anything too bad. She followed Ratigan to a small table near the back of the room and sat down with a grace people found it hard to believe she possessed. She managed to restrain herself from looking around too much - the folk at this bar didn’t seem the type to welcome eye contact.
