**************
As Klenia said, it only took a little folding to make Cérès fit inside the wheeled suitcase.
Inside the house, there was no one except Cérès and her servant... who was currently 'all tied up', as Klenia put it. Therefore, they walked freely in the building and went to the garage.
They chose to take Cérès' car to leave the estate and travel back to Olympus City, reasoning that it would attract less attention than a limo. No guard was there to stop them.
Cérès was truly only able to afford eight guards and a servant, and nothing else.
By the time Piper, Annabeth, and the auburn-haired servant they mugged were found by the other guards of the estate, the four friends had already crossed the border with their target.
Thorn and Hieron were waiting for them.
Cérès was delivered to the police. At the same time, on the radio, they heard that Zoë Eudokia, her bodyguard and her chauffeur had been found by the police.
“Flawless victory...” Klenia commented with a smile.
**************
Zoé happily greeted them when they came back. So did Clover and Posy, who were guarding her.
“So, is it done?” the latter asked.
“Yes. Good riddance!” Aster answered.
“What's your plan now?” Clover asked.
“Take care of ourselves. And of what's really important.” Mikani answered while ruffling Zoé's hair. “There's paperwork I need to do. Adoption papers.” The child was smiling brightly.
Clover and Posy exchanged a look. “I was almost hoping for a new adventure...” the former finally admitted.
Aster smiled. “Adventures are over. It's time for us to live normal lives, at last.”
“Well, as normal as the lives of former uniform stealers can be...” Shayna added.
“As for Shayna and I, we're going to take a vacation together before we organize the wedding.” Klenia announced.
“Training for the honeymoon?” Mikani slyly asked.
“Not in front of the kid!” Shayna exclaimed, her cheeks now bright red.
**************
Later...
**************
Mary looked inside the cupboard.
“I'm sorry to make you uncomfortable.”
The train attendant she had just mugged looked at her with pleading eyes. She was a light-skinned young woman of average height and build, with loose shoulder-long black hair, soft brown eyes, and a small nose. Currently, she was only wearing her light pink lingerie: a t-shirt bra and panties. Her wrists were bound with light grey tape. Her ankles were also taped. Finally, several strips of the same tape were gagging her. She wiggled her arms and legs a little.
Mary closed the door of the cupboard with her foot.
She was now dressed in a knee-long sleeveless waitress dress. The dress was red and green, and was complemented by a red and orange apron tied around the waist. Under the sleeveless dress, she was wearing a white shirt with the sleeves rolled up to the shoulders, and a bow tie made of black thin strings. On her head, there was a half-red half-green waitress hat. She was wearing white heels.
“These clothes are too tight for me but, nevermind...” she commented to herself.
Still, Mary couldn't help but smile.
The brown-haired woman couldn't believe her luck.
The mass jailbreak of Reka and her cronies left the prison administration in shambles. Several officials were fired overnight and, during a few days, surveillance became a lot laxer.
Mary took advantage of the situation and managed to escape by hiding in the dirty laundry.
It was... almost disgustingly easy.
Not that I'm complaining! The tide has finally turned, this time for the best!
Mary grabbed the food cart of the unlucky waitress. Now, she simply needed to play the part of a train attendant during a few hours. The time to cross the border between the Federation and Okéanis, as this train was heading to South Window.
While pushing the food cart, Mary exited the 'staff-only wagon' of the train and started to walk between the seats of the passengers. She gave polite smiles to the people, playing her part perfectly.
“Waitress, please! Can you come here?”
Mary paled.
She knew that voice.
No! It can't be!
On the seat in front of the brown-haired woman, Klenia was all smiles. Shayna was sitting at her left, cuddling up to her.
“What are you doing here?” Mary asked.
“Shayna and I are on a vacation. Our wedding will happen soon, and I wanted to train for our honeymoon.” the curvy woman answered.
Mary forced herself to smile. “Congratulations... I wish you lots of happiness!” She pretended to check her wristwatch. “Oh! But look at that! Time's flying, and I really must go back to work... So maybe another time...”
“You're not working here, Mary. You're supposed to still be in prison.” Klenia said without losing her smile.
Mary lowered her head. She couldn't believe her bad luck.
Why, Lady Luck? Why do you yank my chain like that?!
“So, what are we going to do?” she muttered. She had already given up.
“First, Shayna and I will accompany you to where the real waitress is stashed. You will give her back her clothes, and all the money you have on you as a compensation. And then... It will depend on wether you behave or not.”
“Come on! Can't you do me favor, from one uniform stealer to another?”
Klenia chuckled. “Sorry, but I'm retiring... At least for now. I want to devote more time to the most important person in my life.”
Shayna smiled at her future wife.
Why me? Mary thought to herself.
**************
“Debbie, here! Look at these two! This is the opportunity we're looking for!” Abigail whispered.
The two cocktail waitresses shared a family resemblance. They were twin sisters. Both had brown hair, tied into an armpit-long ponytail, and chestnut eyes. Their skin was lightly tanned. They were wearing black high-heels, black pants, white sleeveless shirts with black bowties and black glittery sleeveless waistcoats.
“Twins against twins.” Deborah commented. “The ultimate showdown of destiny...”
“Keep focused, Debbie!”
The cocktail waitresses were taking a break. They went away from the garden party, passed by several hedges and got around the main building of the village hall. They arrived in the backyard of the hall, an isolated part surrounded by bushes and trees. Nobody could see or hear them.
“Finally!” the first cocktail waitress said. “I need a smoke... Do you have a cigarette?”
Her sister held out a cigarette pack to her. “You could take your own with you when we work. It's the third time this week, sis...”
“I'll buy you another pack to make amends... Just give me one, please!”
Abigail and Deborah jumped in front of the women.
“Surprise ladies!”
“What the...?”
Abigail socked their first woman in the stomach.
The other cocktail waitress shouted in fear and surprise. A stomach punch from Abigail interrupted her scream.
She then grabbed the collars of the two women, who were bending in half, and knocked their heads together. The cocktail waitresses collapsed on the floor, out cold.
“By the way, did you hear about the news?” Deborah suddenly asked her twin sister.
“What news?” Abigail retorted.
“Klenia and Shayna are getting married.”
Abigail blinked. “And I'm supposed to care because...?”
“Well, because we know them, no?”
Abigail gave her a meaningful look.
“I mean sure, their friends trussed us up and they ruined our scheme. But we did the same beforehand, so it means we're even. And we had fun, right? Right?” Deborah added.
“Just keep quiet and strip your waitress.”
They got down to work. First, they removed the black heels. Then, they worked together to strip one woman, then the other. Deborah was unbuckling the pants and pulling them off, while Abigail was taking off the waistcoats and the shirts.
The first cocktail waitress was wearing a white full cup side support bra and white panties; the second one was wearing a black full cup side support bra and black panties.
“The tape! Quick! Quick! Quick!” Abigail exclaimed.
Deborah gave her a roll of silver duct tape and took a second roll for herself. They quickly taped the women's wrists and ankles, then they tape-gagged them.
Finally, they grabbed two black trash bags. They shoved each brown-haired waitress up inside one bag, covering their entire bodies, though leaving the bags slightly open over the face to allow the unconscious women to breath. Then, they dragged the two cocktail waitresses further under the bushes to conceal them.
After a quick change of wardrobe, Abigail and Deborah were now looking the part of two innocuous cocktail waitresses.
“High five, Abbie!” Deborah said, rising her two hands.
Abigail sighed.
Then she high-fived her.
**************
The guest was wearing a blue knee-long long-sleeved bouffant dress and white high-heels. She had loose shoulder-long brown hair, a tanned skin, and blue eyes. The tips of her hair were rounded outwards.
Judith ambushed her a few minutes ago. Indeed, the woman was walking alone in the woods near the garden party. The guest probably wanted to enjoy the cool of the night, and a little peace and quiet away from the noise of the garden party.
Now, the brown-haired woman was forced to remain quiet under the threat of the gun Judith was pointing at her.
“Now, take off your clothes.” Judith said.
“Wh... What?”
However, because of the threat of the gun, she had no choice but obey.
The guest removed her shoulders from the dress, and let the garment slide on the ground. She also took off her high heels.
Once she was down to her white lacy demi-bra and white tanga, the guest stopped stripping. She was slightly shivering.
“Are you cold? Or is it fear that makes you shake?” Judith said to her. She continued talking without waiting for an answer: “Turn your back, and do not turn around under any circumstances. Understood?”
The woman complied in silence.
Time passed.
“Uh... Miss... Are you still here?” the guest finally asked with a timid voice.
“Yes. You can look now.” Judith answered.
The guest's eyes widened when she saw that Judith was now wearing her blue dress.
“But you put on my dress... I don't understand...” she stammered.
Judith rolled her eyes.
How can someone be so dense? “I'll explain to you. My parents are very poor and I dreamed of going to the ball...” she ironically said.
The guest looked at her with a dumb-founded expression.
Judith socked her in the jaw, knocking her out with one punch.
Idiot.
The tall black-haired woman grabbed her white t-shirt, that she had just discarded.
Cutting my t-shirt into strips to make bonds, now that's a good idea...
She used the strips to tie the woman's ankles, knees, and wrists; then to gag and blindfold her. Finally, she dragged her under the bushes.
There... She should be out of sight...
Judith put on the white high-heels.
Now, time to work.
She left her victim behind and returned to the garden party.
Abbie and Debbie are already here. Perfect!
She approached the fake cocktail waitresses. None of the guests had noticed that they were newcomers. A good chunk of them were already slightly drunk anyway.
“Everything is in control?” Judith asked her two younger sisters.
“Yes.” Abigail answered.
“Also, Judie, do you know the big news?” Deborah added.
“What?”
“Klenia and Shayna are getting married!”
Judith blinked.
“Ignore her, please.” Abigail intervened.
Judith looked at Deborah. “Well, I've received the announcement...”
“Big sis, please, don't humour her!” Abigail begged.
“But...” Deborah started to say.
“Abbie's right, Debbie. Do I have to remind you that we're here to steal the jewels of the party's hostess?” Judith interrupted her.
“But...”
“Fine, we'll write a greeting card. And now, stay focused!”
“Yay!”
**************
“It will never work.” Yuna commented.
“Of course it will!” Cynthia objected. “You just need to smile more!”
“Here comes another one...” Presa intervened, pointing at the white minibus. “Play the part! Play the part! Alexie, are you ready?”
Presa's girlfriend nodded. Then, she raised a cardboard sign on which: 'Car breakdown! Please help!' was written. Presa had another sign on which: 'HELP!' was written. Both women waved their signs at the vehicle.
They succeded.
The minibus stopped and parked next to them.
Two of the passengers exited the vehicle. Both were women. The first girl had black hair, chestnut eyes, and a white skin. The second had shoulder-long loose black hair, brown eyes, and a white skin. Both were of average size and build, though with cute soft round faces.
The two women were wearing the same clothes: a fancy white button up shirt with long sleeves and a tight collar, a black knee-long skirt, and white shoes. They were musicians.
“Hello! My name is Asuka, and this is Akkiko. You seem to be in trouble...” the woman with the short black hair said.
“Yes! You are our saviours!” Presa exclaimed.
Thanks to a quick glance inside the car, the blonde noticed that there were three more people in the van. They were all women and were all wearing the same clothes as the first two musicians.
The driver also had black hair, although hers were midback-long and tied into a ponytail. She had soft grey eyes and a white skin. Segmented bangs were framing her face. The woman on the passenger seat had loose long light brown hair. Her eyes were green, and her skin was tanned. Some long strands of hair were resting on her shoulders. She was taller than her black-haired colleagues. The third woman, on one of the back seats, had bushy collarbone-long red hair, light grey eyes, and a white skin. She was smiling and the blonde noticed that she had a slight gap in her teeth, which was strangely making her look somewhat cuter.
“Say... Are you an all-women orchestra?” Presa suddenly asked.
“Yes. Though it's called a musical quintet. A clarinet quintet, to be more accurate.” Asuka explained. “Akkiko and I are violonists, Nobuko is a violist, Emmanuelle is a cellist, and Sabine is a clarinetist. Our instruments are in the back of the minibus.”
“Interesting...” Presa commented. Her smile widened. A part of her mind was formulating a plan.
Yuna casually positioned herself next to the driver's door while Cynthia was taking place next to the passenger door, and Alexie took place next to her girlfriend, facing Akkiko.
“Anyway, there are no words strong enough to express how glad we are to come across you and not someone else...” While talking, Presa put her hand on Asuka's shoulder.
A little embarassaed, the black-haired violonist answered: “Well... It's not much...”
“On the contrary.” Presa swiftly moved her hand and grabbed a nerve between the woman's neck and shoulder. She pinched it.
Asuka froze. Her eyes widened, then rolled back. The effect of the nerve-pinch was near-instantaneous. Out cold, the musician crumbled in Presa's arms. Her face fell on Presa's breasts.
“It is much...” the blonde softly said.
Alexie suddenly jumped Akkiko. While she wasn't a special combattant, she trained with Presa. She immobilized the violonist with a sleeper-hold. Akkiko tried to struggle, but she could only desperately flail her arms to no avail and gurgle.
At the same time, Yuna and Cynthia were opening their respective door. Nobuko, the black-haired violist, and Emmanuelle, the light-brown-haired cellist, didn't have the time to react. They were sprayed with a generous dose of paralyzing gas. The eyes tearing up, they were coughing and couldn't move, let alone drive away the minibus.
The last remaining musician of the quintet, Sabine the red-haired clarinetist, screamed in fear and tried to exit the minibus. However, by the time she managed to open the door on the opposite side of the minibus, Cynthia was already blocking her path. The clarinetist stopped in fear.
Cynthia was maybe shorter than her, but it didn't prevent her smile from petrifying her victim. “Just do yourself a favour, and give up...” the pig-tailed woman said.
The clarinetist gave up. “What... What do you want from us?” she stammered
“Nothing much. Just your minibus. And your clothes. And your ID cards. And for you to take a nap.”
**************
Three neck pinches later, Nobuko, Emmanuelle, and Sabine were also blissfully unconscious. Alexie managed to knock Akkiko out by herself with her sleeper hold.
Emery rolled her wheelchair to better witness the scene. Her special combattants were currently dragging the unconscious musicians away from the road, out of sight.
“A perfect display.” the black-haired woman commented. “And now?”
“Now, we're going to steal their clothes.” Presa said. “It will help us cover our tracks.”
Emery didn't question her logic. Since she was now in a wheelchair, she knew that she didn't have the legitimacy to impose her orders anymore.
“Don't worry. We will help you get dressed.” the blonde added.
“What?”
“Well, we're supposed to play the part of a quintet. So we will have to all wear the outfits if we want our cover to work.” Presa gently laid Asuka on the ground, the time to make a gesture of the hand. “Just picture it: the disabled clarinetist. The glorious story of a wheelchaired woman who didn't let her handicap prevent her from reaching her dream of becoming a musician. Yes, people will eat that up!”
Emery groaned in annoyance. “Fine! Suit yourselves!”
She watched Presa grab Asuka under the shoulders again.The black-haired former assassin realized that this was going to be her life now. A cruel irony...
She pointed at Akkiko, who was stirring and moaning. “This one's regaining consciousness...” she commented. The effect of the sleeper-hold were wearing off.
“No problem!” Cynthia, who was dragging Emmanuelle by the ankles, answered. She momentarily left her burden.
One nerve-pinch, and the violonist was back to slumberland.
Emery was watching the bustle, feeling slightly dismayed. “They better be quick...” she muttered to herself. “I want to be done with it...”
Yuna and her partners were indeed quick at stripping their victims.
In no time, the five musicians were stripped down to their underwear. The shoes were taken off first. Then, the skirts were pulled off. Finally, the fancy tunics were unbuttoned and removed.
“These women's clothes are our ticket to leave the Province...” Presa commented.
They didn't know yet where they would be going: somewhere in the Federation or in another country. But they were free, and would choose on the way.
**************
A little while later, a new quintet of fake musicians drove off in their stolen minibus while wearing their stolen black skirts and white tunics. Emery's wheelchair, which was foldable, was stored in the vehicle's trunk.
“This is a bit tight on the bust...” Presa commented.
“Tight collar...” Cynthia complained.
Emery was sitting in silence in the back seat of the middle and Alexie was curiously checking the instruments stored behind the seats.
“Keep focused and stop acting like children!” Yuna said to her three partners.
**************
Inside the car that Yuna's team was leaving behind, on the backseats and the front seats, the five members of the musical quintet were huddled together. Though, given the fact that they were only wearing their underwear, no one would currently be able to guess their profession...
Asuka, the violonist with short black hair, was wearing a pink full-cup bra with a floral pattern on the top half and matching panties. Akkiko, the violonist with shoulder-long black hair, was clad in white briefs and a matching t-shirt bra. Nobuko, the black-haired violist, was wearing striped blue and white boyshorts and a matching padded bra. Emmanuelle, the cellist with light brown hair, was clad in peppermint hipster panties and an aqua blue balcony bra. Jasmine, the red-haired clarinetist, was wearing coral bikini panties and a mango push up bra.
The five musicians were bound with ropes and gagged with tape. Their ankles were tied. Their wrists were bound behind their back. Finally, another rope was tied around their arms to pin them to their sides. Thick strips of tape were covering their mouths, which were filled with one sponge each.
By now, they were all conscious again: they had woken up from their nerve-pinches.
The musicians were mewling and moaning in their gags, and trying to make noise by hitting on the car's interior with their bare feet. Their eyes were teary because of the humiliation and the frustration.
However, they weren't deluding themselves. The windows of the car in which they were locked were covered with cardboards to prevent people from seeing who was inside. Even if they were making noise, it would probably take hours for them to be found.
And indeed, they were found two hours later by a patrolling police car, though by this point their muggers were already far away.
**************
Two nurses were walking in the corridors of the basement of the clinic in which they were working.
Both nurses were wearing the same uniform: white slip-on shoes, a white knee-long nurse-dress with puffy shoulders, short sleeves and white cloth belts around the waist, and a white nurse hat. A badge with their name on it was pinned on the left breast of the dress.
The first nurse, called Stephanie, had closely-cropped ear-long pointy chestnut hair, a light skin and light brown eyes. She had an athletic body. The second nurse, called Nicole, had shoulder-long blond hair, a white skin and blue eyes. The edges of her hair were also pointy, and there were two longer locks falling on her forehead. The rest of her hair was kept in place by two hair clips. She was thinner than her colleague.
“And once again, we're the ones who are sent to retrieve the supplies in the storerooms of the basement...” the blond nurse complained.
Stephanie pretended to flex her right arm and smiled. “It's not my fault if I'm so strong, the other people with their puny arms need me to carry the furnitures...” she joked.
Nicole chuckled. “Well, at least working with you makes it more tolerable...”
The two nurses suddenly stopped when they noticed the figure in front of her.
The woman was wearing a hospital gown and was prostrated on the floor. Her position made it almost look like she was prostrating before the two nurses.
Stephanie and Nicole looked at her with dumbfounded expression.
“Uh... Who are you?”
“Are you okay? What are you doing here?”
The woman raised her head and smiled.
The two nurses still had their dumbfounded when someone suddenly striked them from behind. Each woman was hit with the edge of the hand in a precise part between the neck and the shoulder.
“Ugh!”
“Guh!”
Out cold, they dropped on the floor.
**************
Stephanie and Nicole woke up to realize that they were lying on the cold tiled floor, with only their underwear to cover their bodies.
Stephanie was wearing tight figure-hugging white panties and a camellia balconette. Nicole was clad in an amethyst brassiere and lilac boyshorts.
Each nurse was tied in the same way. A pentagram bondage was tightly immobilizing their upper-body, and their arms and their wrists were tied behind their backs. Another rope was binding their ankles. Their feet were also tied by a rope wrapped around their soles. They were strictly hogtied: a rope connecting the bonds of their feet and their wrists was forcing them to raise their legs, and their heels were almost touching their elbows. A big thick strip of brown tape was gagging them.
“MHHHHHH!”
“Mffff! Mmmhhh!”
They glared at the two women who assaulted them and divested them of their uniforms.
“Pretending that we were the victims of food poisoning was an ingenious idea, if I do say so myself...” Lily commented while adjusting her nurse hat.
“Indeed. Just like our idea to wait until the night, sneak out of our room, and hide in the storerooms to grab a few nurses...” Rue added while smoothening her nurse dress.
While they technically weren't under arrest, the two former bodyguards of Cérès knew that they were on thin ice, as they used to be the main enforcers of the now disgraced politician. Their perspectives were bleak and be court-martialled was actually the most positive scenario for their future if they stayed in the Federation. Therefore, they decided that their best course of action was to hit the road and leave the country...
Now, they simply had to leave the building while taking advantage of their new disguises, and steal a car.
And that was what they did.
“So. What do we do now?” Rue asked while her accomplice was starting up the car who belonged to Stephanie. “You want to get your revenge? I heard that they would all be gathered at the wedding...”
Lily shook her head. “Are you kidding? Each of these women is a fighter and if Hieron comes as well, security will be tight. Might as well surrender immediately to the police... We saw how this whole 'revenge thing' ended up for Cérès or Reka. Or for us for that matter. I think I'll pass.”
“Then, we leave the country for now.” Rue concluded. “I have a few friends in Okéanis.”
**************
In the international airport of Olympus City, Agria was spying on Theophano Eudokia with the pocket mirror of her powder case.
The heiress of House Eudokia was talking with a few sharply-dressed businessmen. They were about to board a plane. The special combattant needed to be able to hear what they were going to say to each other during the flight.
I simply need to find a disguise allowing me to board the plane...
The special combattant was watching the area.
She noticed the flight attendant who was entering the restrooms. The woman had a tanned skin, black hair tied into a bun with a red ribbon, and blue eyes. There was red lipstick on her lips. She was wearing a light blue jacket with a dark blue collar, a button up white shirt, a brown-and-yellow bowtie, a blue skirt, and black high-heels.
Agria estimated that she and the stewardess were sharing a roughly similar size and build. The special combattant entered the restrooms, following her latest prey.
**************
“Sweet dreams...” Agria muttered while exiting the restrooms.
The special combattant was now wearing the flight attendant uniform, and had lipstick on her lips, although she had pinned a 'Trainee' badge on her jacket.
The real flight attendant was left seated on the toilet seat. She was only wearing her bright hot pink bra with lacy edges and matching bright hot pink panties. Her wrists and her legs were wrapped with grey tape, and she was tape-gagged, her head resting against the tiled wall.
The special combattant had written 'Out of Order' on the door of the stall in which the flight attendant was hidden. The stewardess' lipstick and the roll of tape Agria used were left discarded on one of the sinks.
Agria boarded the plane that her target was supposed to take.
“Do you know if we got the new visa slips on board yet?” another flight attendant asked her.
Agria quickly checked the inside of the plane. She noticed Theophano Eudokia.
Perfect!
“I'll see what I can find out...”
**************
The hotel's elevator reached its destination.
“There you go.” the man said.
Cleo gave him an adorable thankful smile. In her line of work, her cute appearance was one of her biggest assets. She knew that this guard would never suspect her. She then exited the elevator.
The special combattant was pushing a wheeled tray table on which there was food. She was wearing the hotel's servant uniform, which was different from the usual maid unifom: It was a dark green button up short-sleeved tunic, with a yellow collar and a yellow stripe on the front where the buttons were, a dark green knee-long skirt, and white slip-on shoes.
The real maid was hidden in a storage room. She was a woman with short light brown hair and a white skin. She was bound in a seated position to a thin pillar, and was only wearing a white knee-long underslip with light pink-edges and straps.
Her waist was bound to the thin pillar with ropes, making her back rest against the pillar, and her wrists were tied behind the pillar. She was cloth-gagged with a piece of cloth preventing her from spitting the clean socks filling her mouth.
The maid was deeply asleep, and would remain asleep for a few hours, because of the drug Cleo injected her. Her chin was peacefully resting on her chest.
Cleo looked for the right room.
Room 203... she thought to herself.
When she arrived in front of the door, Cleo whispered in the hidden microphone pinned to her collar.
“I'm about to enter Irene Eudokia's room. I will place the bug on her purse.”
“Perfect.” Hieron commented in her earpiece.
“I don't know what she's up to, but we will make sure that she won't be able to use Cérès' disgrace to grab more power. Finish the mission, and I'll be just in time for the wedding.”
**************
Klenia's and Shayna's wedding was beautiful. The dresses were gorgeous; and the setting, lavish.
The ceremony was concise, and ended with a long passionate kiss.
A lot of people made the trip to congratulate the newly-weds.
Of course, there were all their close friends, most of them met as part of uniform stealing hijinks. Zia. Amber, Clover, and Posy. Hana.
Macha came too, although she mostly stayed in her corner with her friend.
Salomé was here as well. She was happy to be included.
There were also all their former partners and allies from back when they were part of the rebellion. Thorn was taking care of the buffet. Hieron, Morgan, and Thalès came in the greatest secrecy to avoid attracting the attention of the press on the wedding.
Agria and Cleo stopped by briefly and quickly left.
Klenia and Shayna received wedding cards from the people who weren't able to come in person. 'Boss Carnela' sent one from Okéanis, wishing them a long and prosper life. Lena Jud sent another, from Frontier. Even Judith and her two sisters, Abigail and Deborah, sent one to let them know that they were letting bygones be bygones.
There were finally acquaintances, friends of the friends, accompanied by their families. It meant that there were other children, therefore Zoé wasn't alone and had playmates.
Aster smiled when she saw a van park nearby.
“Great! The entertainers for the kids are here!”
Aster came to greet the two women and shook their hands. The first woman had ocean-blue eyes. Her armpit-long hair were tied up into two high twin-ponytails. She had a soft heart-shaped face and a delicate nose. She was wearing a black leotard with black fishnet tights and black ankle boots. To cover the upper-part of her body, she was using a white shirt and a black suit jacket. The edges of the sleeves and the collar of the jacket were purple. And of course, she had the inimitable black top hat. The second woman had shoulder-long reddish brown hair, a slightly tanned skin, and chestnut eyes. There was a silver piercing on her chin. She was wearing a bright crimson fitted coat, a white shirt and a black bowtie, white gloves, black pants, and black shoes.
“Amelie and Megan, right? You're just in time!” Aster said. “Please allow me to show you the way...”
“Thank you.”
Klenia and Mikani shared a glance. They waved and smiled awkwardly at the magician and her assistant when they passed near them.
“Do you think they recognized us?” Klenia whispered through her gritted teeth.
“Hopefully not. They were blindfolded.” Mikani whispered back. “Just smile, wave, and don't talk in front of them.”
“We'll give them a big tip, just to be sure.”
“Yes. A very big tip.”
**************
Selena looked at the gigantic step pyramid that used to be a temple. Pakal was said to be one of the oldest nations of the world, with a rich culture. Now that she was witnessing their architecture, she definitively agreed. “They say in the brochure that it was built by the first emperor of the Pakal Empire, Ce-Manco Topiltzin K'etzal K'oatl...” the redhead read aloud.
Lucina chuckled. “Seriously? That is his real name? And I thought that Constantin Basileus was very pretentious...”
“We have to respect the cultural differences.” Selena objected.
Lucina pointed at the outfits she and Selena were wearing. “You mean, like the hideous clothes fashion of these tourist clothes?” Indeed, Lucina was wearing a tacky bright yellow t-shirt with a palm trees pattern, aviator-style gold-tone sunglasses, brown capri pants, and white sandals. Selena was wearing a blue short-sleeved t-shirt with a pattern of brighly-coloured flowers, just as tacky as Lucina's (though in a different way), with beige capri pants, black sandals, and a big camera with a leather strap.
“Is it my fault if they were our size?” Selena objected.
“You do realize that we don't need to steal clothes anymore?”
“It has become a habit, okay?” the redhead defended herself. “Besides, we needed their money. So why not take the clothes as well?”
Lucina shrugged. “It makes sense, I suppose. Let's just agree to only do it when we need money.”
“Agreed.”
Epilogue:
It was the beginning of a new era.
The generalization of mixed patrols and of tactics to counter disguised infiltrators brought the end of the Uniform Stealing peak in the Federation. While the practice never disappeared, as such a good tactic would never be given up on, it became rarer, more exceptional.
Primrose and Yusufa quit their jobs in the police force to start their own private security company, specialized notably in foiling uniform stealing tactics. They were joined by other agents of law enforcement and security companies who had been mugged for disguise at one point in their career, and therefore had experience in this area. Among others, there were Piper, Annabeth, Katniss and Madge. Their business soon became booming.
Reka could never walk again. Due to her many crimes however, her injury didn't justify a remission and she received a lengthy prison sentence. She never tried to escape. Wardens said that she was spending most of her time seated in silence, lost in her memories, probably remembering better times.
Coral, Helen, Kjelle, Karin, and Amara, as well as Max Shroud, were all sentenced to a lengthy prison term. Without Reka's leadership or an outside help, they weren't able to escape this time.
Lucina and Selena continued travelling the world and became involved in many implausible shaenigans in the Federation, Okéanis, Frontier, and many other nations. Among other things, they involved taking the place of a masked fighter named Firecat during a wrestling tournament, interrupting a ballet recital, ruining a baseball game, and somehow infiltrating a rebel army then a secret organization purely by chance.
Amy ended up in the prison in which Jewel was already locked. The wardens ordered her transfer to another prison when they noticed that the henchwoman was spending all her time bullying her former boss. Her fondness for swirlies didn't go unnoticed.
Lizéa and Tiffany got married in prison. Due to being more indirect accomplices, they received a slightly less lengthy prison sentence. They were intending to settle together after serving their term. Even though they couldn't buy a villa, they had enough money in hidden bank accounts to buy a cosy little house.
Aeris wrote two books in prison, one being her autobiography and the other a spy novel taking inspiration from Lizéa's team's exploits. Both became best sellers. She sent all the money to her family and her daughter.
Due to her young age, Yuki received a lighter sentence than her accomplices. While in prison, she reconciled with her family.
Emery, Yuna, Cynthia, Presa, and Alexie disappeared from the face of the earth. Nobody ever heard from them again, at least officially. Some said they were killed, others that they left the country, and others that they changed their names and were living somewhere in the Federation under fake identities.
Cérès refused to face the humiliation of a trial. Thanks to an accomplice, she managed to get her hands on a poison capsule. Ironically, she chose to die the same way as the leaders of the Olympian government whom she helped overthrow – and for the exact same reaon.
Rue and Lily crossed the border. They were hired as consultants by the Okéani government.
Hieron, Thalès and Morgan had enough influence to reform the government of the Federation, getting rid of its corrupt members. House Eudokia remained a power to be reckoned with in the political arena, but contrary to what the Eudokias were hoping, they weren't able to use the fall of Cérès to grab more power.
Thorn continued handling the business of the
Demeter & Sillo Associates, as collected and reliable as ever.
Mary served her sentence, receiving a remission thanks to some good words from Klenia, Shayna, and Venia, relayed by Hieron. As soon as she was free, she returned to her home country of Okéanis. She reconnected with relatives and was able to find a honest job... as a humble fisherwoman on a fishing trawler. Still, it was better than being a slave, and she ended up liking her new lifestyle.
Julie returned to work at the hospital with a newfound confidence. There was a persisting rumour that she knew something about Emery's whereabouts, but nobody was never able to prove anything.
Amber continued working as a waitress in Southern Cross, until she became a head waitress and then, finally, the manager of her own bar.
Clover and Posy remained librarians, although their two adventures with Mikani changed their outlook on life. They often visited their new friend to help her take care of Zoé, who was regarding them as two of her 'mothers'. There were also rumours of two vigilantes sometimes taking matters into their own hands to stop criminals of Southern Cross, which often involved people being mugged for disguise in the crossfire.
Macha and Hana decided that they were better off as close friends. Once their studies were over, they set up a start-up together. Hana kept in contact with Mikani, and was becoming more and more confident as time passed.
Zia finished her medical studies. She became a renowned surgeon.
Venia returned to live in Naïad, often visiting her sister and her friends. She founded an association to help former victims of the human trafficking business recover.
Aster put her infiltration days behind her once and for all. She continued managing her flower shop. Thanks to her partnership with Thorn and his
Demeter & Sillo Associates, business was booming. She continued to cherish the memories of Aaria and Dimitri.
Klenia and Shayna moved in together. While they weren't living under the same roof as their friends anymore, their house was located near Aster's shop, and they visited them almost daily. The two women were happy together, and found a well-balanced and healthy lifestyle. Klenia mostly left her uniform stealing shaenigans behind her in order to dedicate herself to the most important person in her life, even though she allowed herself to go on a little jaunt from time to time. Shayna never stopped supporting her. A new security company founded by former policewomen proved to be a worthy opponent.
Mikani chose to remain a full-time employee in Aster's flower shop. The salary wasn't fabulous, but it was enough to live decently while raising a child, especially since Aster, Klenia, Shayna, Clover, and Posy were helping her. She settled in the house next to the shop, with her adopted daughter. She kept in contact with Hana, Amber, Clover, and Posy.
Aster, Klenia, Mikani, and Shayna were sometimes hearing news from the foreign countries. In Okéanis, 'Boss Carnela' finished toppling the last remnants of the human trafficking rings. In Frontier, Judith, Deborah and Abigail were still making the headlines with their various heists. Lena Jud had rebuilt her life in another part of the country with her girlfriend Zara. Simon and Jezebel Solomon's criminal empire ultimately didn't survive their humiliation: it collapsed and they were forced to go in hiding. Aster was still in contact with Salomé, who was now living in Olympus City and was working as a consultant in Foreign Affairs for the Federation's government. The tall lanky woman was handling the news well.
Zoé, last descendant of Constantin Basileus, adopted 'Noyokaze' as her new family name. She was raised by four loving mothers, and two eccentric aunts. The Basileus bloodline definitively vanished from the official records.
Aster, Klenia, Mikani, and Shayna would often gather together to remember the times of their adventures, and to honour the memories of all the people whom they lost on the way - Dimitri, Kora, Aaria, and many others... Zoé listened to all their stories.
Ultimately though, she didn't become a uniform stealer.
She became a social worker, specialized in helping children... and, secretly, the author of many uniform stealing stories.
**************
THE END...
… THANK YOU EVERYONE!
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Author's note: So this is it. What started July 2018 finally comes to an end roughly two years later. And even though it was rowdy at times, it still was a fun ride. Saying good bye to these characters is a little hard, but I'm glad I was able to finally achieve this project! At least, I know I will have no regret...
One last time, I wanted to thank all the people who supported me while writing these stories. Especially tirepanted, escercito sconfitto and Trackman who took the time and made the effort to comment after each new post. Big thanks to them! Though I of course also thank all the people who took the time to write a comment, such as meditions142, dummy76, Mr. Peaky Blinder, torreken...; and every person who took the time to read my stories.
Feel free to leave one last comment if you want.
For the anecdote, all the on-screen Uniform Stealing scenes in this last part are inspired by scenes from mainstream medias. If you have nothing better to do, I'm curious to see if you can guess them all. 
(Though to give a clue, with one exception, they are all from animes, mangas or comic books.
) and amusing to see Piper and Annabeth return. And they were about to uncover the key to defeating the uniform steals, too! Poor gals... Also, Agent Moonlight returns - the ladies haven't used that one in a while.
.... I like it. Sometimes I regret the absence of studies about the USB psychology 
