[attr="class","danny"]a pang of pain tugs on his heart at the sight of a ring. danny's always been a dreamer, an optimist, and marriage has always been one of those dreams. but he could feel it slowly fading away — marred by worries and anxieties and what-ifs.

he thinks of Serena Malcolm, of someday marrying her.

but until then, it'll remain a dream.

"wow you came really prepared. kinda feel like i'm letting you down here."

his tone's still playful. with a chuckle, he nods.

"right yeah i can do this. no problem. definitely."

after a moment, he asks:

"oh. what are our names?"

[attr="class","noodles"]nina larson // [x]

[attr="class","danny"]"it'll be easy."

her words and clear expertise eases his nerves just enough for a smile to appear. he nods, exhales once more, then steps out of the car, somewhat ready for the job.

they should definitely be acting like they're engaged but the thought doesn't even occur to danny. he's too focused on the job, on the details, and on not failing.

tilting his head over to his partner, he nods and says:

"i'll follow you."

[attr="class","noodles"]nina larson // [x]

[attr="class","danny"]it's both eerie and impressive at how fast her demeanor changes. he's caught off guard by it, clearly, as he struggles to mirror the change on his own. he mulls over it as they approach the store.

thankfully, his natural nervous expression works relatively well; it plays into their act, and as danny approaches the counter after her, the staff behind it give him looks that he doesn't bother decrypting.

"i'm not lying to you, love."

no one approaches, so he clears his throat, then almost yells:

"can someone please help us out?"

[attr="class","noodles"]nina larson // [x]

[attr="class","danny"]fuck, this feels awkward. but what was that thing again? good cop/bad cop? it's the only thing he can think of in the moment so he assumes the role with relative ease.

raising a hand, he waves at everyone and flashes them an apologetic expression.

"sorry! sorry. love, i'm sure someone will be here soon."

selling the act, he places his hands on her shoulders, rubbing gently to help calm her. he looks behind him at the security officer, then back at the lady behind the counter.

"i bought the ring here. surely there's something you could do to check if it's real, right? we have the receipts and everything."

[attr="class","noodles"]nina larson // [x]

[attr="class","danny"]anxieties grow with every passing second, adding to the tension that weighs on his shoulders. he does his best not to nervously look around, to assess the situation, but he's new, inexperienced, and he's bound to fuck up.

thankfully, he doesn't, at least not yet.

"of course, love."

taking her purse from her, danny waits a few more moments before eyeing the security guard and manager as they walk out from the back.

slowly, as naturally as he could muster at the moment, he starts taking small steps in the direction of the back, hoping she could make enough of a distraction for him to slip away.

[attr="class","noodles"]nina larson // [x]

[attr="class","danny"]danny manages to sneak to the back. as soon as he's there, he exhales, though it does little to relieve both tension and nerves that rest upon his shoulders.

they don't have much time, so danny flips the purse open and out comes the klefki. it floats up, confused for a moment before realization strikes him.

"right. the safe. this way...i think."

he stumbles along before coming across a large safe. he's watched enough movies to know there may be alarms attached to it, so he hangs back and allows klefki to get to work.

not long after that, it clicks open, and danny's quick to rummage its contents out and into the purse.

"good job, klefki!"

he recalls it, then heads back out.

[attr="class","noodles"]nina larson // [x]