Invitation

Melania: ...You're right. We have never ordered these before.
Melania: But I guarantee they will all work!
Melania: The security companies on King's Road have all introduced CCTV monitoring system.
Melania: As long as the tapes are changed continually, everyone coming through the door can be recorded and ...
Security Guard A: These are useless to Ramirez.
Security Guard A: Melania, you are too young. This is not how Ramirez works.
Security Guard A: The only thing your dad would do is to put a broom at the door.
Security Guard A: We hear the sound of it falling down, we go catch some thieves. That's how security works.
Guards of the Ramirez start laughing.
Melania has to wait till they stop before she talks.
Melania: Mr George, of course I remember that legendary broom which helped us catch the Great thief, Johnny ...
Melania: Father applied an auto-reset spring on it and covered it with flashlight cruciate flower pollen.
Melania: You checked everyone touching it and caught him in the tube station.
Melania: But the little trick won't work for another time.
Melania: We can't tell the clients that our security plan is about a broom!
Their laughter only grows.
Security Guard A: No no no, those fancy "plans" are not what we need...
Security Guard A: The name of Ramirez speaks for itself, miss. Don't waste your money on devices!
Security Guard A: Just use your brain and put some brooms.
Melania: Of course!
Melania: As an arcanist, of course I could imaginatively put the sticky balls in the ventilation ducts to gum up every thief who tried to invade ... and I did that too!
Melania: Yet do you know what the world is saying about us these days?
Ms. Acey: Unplanned, unprofessional, sensationalism. Values their performance more than the safety of custody.
Melania: Thank you for the prompts, Ms. Acey.
Melania: Ramirez desperately needs to shake off the negative image from the last failure.
Melania: We need more conventional means and more rigorous planning. We need CCTV, cameras, and 24/7 patrol rotation ...!
Melania: Gentlemen! We can no longer rely on brooms!
Fiennes: What's happening here?
The guards shut their mouths immediately.
They turns back to work in a haste.
Meanwhile, a person walks across Fiennes out of the blue. Even his footsteps sound cocky.
Iverson: Well, the professionalism of your staff needs to be improved.
Melania: Mr. Iverson from the New Humans...?!
Melania: Uncle Fiennes, why ...
Fiennes: He had to come in here.
Iverson: Humph ... Don't tell me you didn't get my mail.
Iverson: I'm here to give you this.
Iverson takes a handbook out of his briefcase.
Melania: Guidance on Security?
Iverson: First edition.
Iverson: Ramirez's transformation speaks for itself.
Iverson: As the union representative for the private security industry, I am glad to see you finally wake up and go back to the right path.
Iverson: I heard that you even received an order to protect "Mainedonty"...?
Fiennes: You jealous?
Iverson: Chuckling Don't get me wrong. New Humans will never be interested in such an arcane exhibit of unknown origin.
Iverson: I am here to invite you ... invite Ramirez to join the editorial board of Guidance on Security.
Melania: Editorial board ...?!
Sadly, her surprising face looks inappropriate among all people in Ramirez.
Fiennes: Fantastic. A new job falls into my lap, even before an unemployment claim.
Fiennes: Is it possible to have pennies from heaven?
Iverson: No worries. There are experts to review and compile. All you need to do is to provide some references for the entries to be completed.
Iverson: For example, your security plan, ordering channels ... and strategies to deal with unexpected situations.
Fiennes: Sounds like trade secret to me.
Iverson: Peer assistance. Our plans will also be documented in the Guidance.
Iverson: If you have a basic understanding of the word "sharing", you should know it's fair.
Fiennes: But what can we learn from your useless plans?
Fiennes: When Ramirez was here, you paid countless efforts to steal it from us. This is just another excuse.
Fiennes: Save the paper to wipe your arse, Iverson.
Fiennes snorts, waving his arms trying to throw the handbook of Guidance on Security in the air --
But he gets interrupted.
Melania: Wait, Uncle Fiennes.
Fiennes: Leave it to me, Melania, I know how to ...
Melania: You asked me to decide, didn't you? Ramirez needs more peer support, rather than getting angry about the past.
She takes one step forward.
Melania: Mr. Iverson, I think your proposal makes a lot of sense. I would like to join your editorial board.
Iverson: ... Huh, who are you? A relative of Finnes?
Iverson: Is Ramirez running out of talent like this? Put a bird in charge?
Her hand awkwardly stops in the halfway.
Ms. Acey: Should I bite him, Melania?
Melania: It's okay, Ms. Acey.
Melania: ... Mr. Iverson, I really like your vision for Guidance on Security. It reminds me of Hilbert's axioms of geometry.
Melania: To build an unbreakable theoretical edifice, where there is no loopholes for thieves to exploit.
Melania: A rigorous security plan is born out of countless hours of liberation, and we do need peer review. I'm looking forward to working with you.
She reaches her hand further.
Iverson: ... Couldn't believe it I'd hear "rigorous" and "plan" in Ramirez one day.
Iverson: You're determined not to repeat the mistakes made by the last head of security. Am I right, Miss?
Melania: ...
Melania: Yes, I am. I will lead a new Ramirez.
Melania gets that handshake from Iverson.
What a seemingly good ending to a story.
Iverson: Fantastic, young lady. I believe it would be a pleasure to work with you.
Iverson: I can't wait for the day Guidance on Security is published, with your name on the cover.
Melania: ...Wait a minute. Published?
Melania: You mean, you're going to publish the guidance?
Iverson: Of course!
Iverson: It is necessary to let the public know how rigorous and pioneering our private security industry is. It will also raise the profile of the industry.
Melania: But it also allows everyone to buy it.
Melania: If a thief gets it, he or she will have an idea of the security plan of all the security companies, right?
Iverson: No. Guidance on Security is flawless.
Iverson: Even if the thieves know ... they will have to surrender to the strict security measures. Publication is a deterrent for them.
Melania: But there are flaws in every system. Even the most rigorous mathematicians and logicians face the challenge of the first incompleteness theorem.
Melania: Mr. Iverson, I think ...
Iverson: Enough! Don't act as a student. We are security officers, not armchair strategists.
Iverson: There's no way that a thief can compete with Guidance on Security ...
Iverson: Just like a prisoner could never escape from the Gatling machine guns and the cold waters of San Francisco Bay, even if he had a map of Alcatraz.
Fiennes: But what if that kind of thief really exists?
Fiennes: Like the one who committed two crimes in London and in Paris simultaneously ... the international thief, Sean?
Fiennes comes back with a newspaper in his hand—this devoted security officer has already taken a patrol in the exhibit hall.
Iverson: Huh? Are you talking about that little arcane thief?
Iverson: Wasn't he caught five years ago?
Fiennes: Clearly, according to the newspaper, he was not.
Fiennes: Melania, you better check this too.
Melania takes the newspaper from him, confused. The headline catches her attention immediately.
Melania: "Silent for five years, the international criminal 'Sean the Great Thief' comes back ..."
Melania: "More than ten media outlets have received warning letters of crime simultaneously ..."
Melania: "He is going to steal the Mainedonty on display at the Methodist Central Hall, Westminster."
That news stuns her. She puts down the newspaper.
Melania: Isn't that ... the exhibit we need to protect this time?

Melania: One week to go before the exhibition ends ...
Melania: Ms. Acey, we caught a lot of thieves, burglars, and copycats these days, but none of them was Sean.
Melania: Is he really coming? Or is it just a prank?
Biting her nails, the new person in charge of the security company walks back and forth in the exhibition hall.
The shoulder bag gently pecks at her student.
Ms. Acey: Calm down, Melania. He is waiting for us to make mistakes.
Melania: I know. I can't panic. But the more I tell myself that, the more nervous I am!
Ms. Acey: You're reinforcing it.
Ms. Acey: Some sleepy popping beans may be helpful. You've been awake for too long.
Melania: No. I prefer a green fluffy balling excitant, the maximum dose.
Melania: I keep thinking about where Sean would intrude, and where to escape ... but even if I exhaust every corner of the hall, I always feel like something is missing.
Melania: I heard about Sean. Five years ago, he stole all over Europe. Only Father could stop him.
Melania: Nobody knows how Father made it ... but he predicted every move Sean made.
Melania: But I ... I can't even think as Father did!
Melania: I could come up with a plan and another, but they're all dead. I can't breathe life into them, and make them go beyond imagination.
Melania: They're just too common, too mediocre. They won't stop Sean! Gosh. We're dealing with an arcane thief who can be in London and in Paris at the same time!
Melania: What if he finds the blind spots in CCTV? What if he breaks through the magnetic-inductive line of defence in the drains? What if he escapes the trap of sticky balls in the ventilation ducts?
Melania: What if he casts an arcane skill that we don't know? Like ...
Melania reaches her hand into the shoulderbag.
When she takes back her hand, an antique coin lies quietly in her palm.
However, the Mainedonty in the exhibition case behind her is nowhere to find.
Instead, a pack of Walnut sleepy popping beans lies on the silk surface in the case, looking at her with the funny face on the pack.
Melania: Like ... a telekinetic arcane skill?
Clap, clap.
Applause rings out in the hall without warning.
Fiennes: You could have won it if you were Sean the Great Thief, Melania.
Melania: Uncle Fiennes!
Melania: My apologies ... I, I was just checking if the exhibit is safe ...
She stuffs the antique coin into her shoulder bag.
The Mainedonty goes back where it belongs—the cabinet, safe and sound.
She is lucky. The security guard didn't pay attention to her but focusing on the outside.
Melania: ... Would ... would you like a sleepy popping bean...?
Fiennes: Thanks, but no thanks. I brought you coffee.
Fiennes passes her a paper cup. It does somehow reduce the awkwardness in the air. However…
Fiennes: Was that your arcane skill, Melania?
Melania almost spills all her coffee into Acey's mouth.
Melania: I ... sound of drinking coffee
She gulps down the coffee as if this can help her escape from this situation.
Obviously, she failed. It only ends up with a scalded tongue.
Fiennes: Don't be nervous. I'm just curious.
Fiennes: The exchange incantation the Ramirezs passed down through the bloodline ...
Fiennes: I watched your father pulling the trick many times in the past. He tried it with many things, like his peer's wig, a staff's lunch bag, or the sugar cube in an unfortunate business partner's coffee cup.
Fiennes: As you can imagine, your father wouldn't give us any explanation on how he did it or why. He would hate to diminish his image as a genius.
Fiennes: But I'm glad to see you doing the old trick, Melania. Increasing your incantation's range through a handbag … That's clever.
Melania: Please don't joke about me, Uncle Fiennes.
She clears her throat awkwardly.
Melania: It's been years since I cast this arcane skill in front of others ... The last time was before Ramirez was founded.
Fiennes: That should be five or six years ago. Weren't you young back then?
Melania looks down with her heel rubbing the ground as if a stain on the marble tile suddenly became the most interesting thing in the world.
Melania: At that time ... I used to play the game of treasure hunt with Father. I would hide and he would find, just as an arcane skill exercise.
Melania: But not a single time did I win.
Melania: When I checked the hiding place nervously, all I could find was a note left by Father. It read, "You lost!"
Melania: He was always proud, "You're ten years too early to defeat me, Melania!"
Fiennes: ...Classic Ramirez.
Melania: But as Ramirez's business grew, we seldom shared these moments.
Melania: He stayed in front of the sandbox all day, simulating various incidents. I could do nothing but watching him through the window.
Melania: It was Ace- A mentor who spent most of the time with me as I grew up.
Melania: I could never defeat him. Never keep up with him. Not even know what he's thinking.
Melania: And Father was always immersed in his own world.
Melania: ... Uncle Fiennes, as a friend of Father, you must be tired, right?
Fiennes: I'm just a businessman.
This businessman can't help sighing when mentioning his old friend.
Fiennes: Your father has led a high-profile life. It had nothing to do with his arcanist identity. He was born this way. A performing artist might be the right word. He has nothing similar to the regular security guards.
Fiennes: He outshines all other peers and outstands all ordinary people.
Fiennes: Thus he got a bad name in the industry. After all, the existence of genius will only bring comparison and hurt others' feelings.
Melania squeezes the peper cup in her hand.
Melania: That's why I agreed to join the editorial board. I make plans, try to be rigorous, and careful in all things ...
Melania: I do not want to ... be like him again.
Fiennes: Don't push yourself too hard, Melania. You've already done a great job.
Fiennes: Iverson will also be shocked if he has your plan. It is a plan that his stupid brain can never think of even with all life long efforts.
Melania: But for Sean ...
Fiennes: He is also nothing but a thief.
Fiennes: Have faith in yourself, your plan and all you have devoted into, Melania.
Melania: ...Well. Thank you, Uncle Fiennes.
Melania: I am not a child anymore. I have to protect everything of Ramirez, in my own way ...
Melania: Going to check the cameras again right now!
Fiennes: Anything for you. I'm heading back to the monitoring room.
Fiennes: Another tough night.
The two in charge of the security company force themselves to gather strength and go back to their position.
Another tough night suffering from the mental torture brought by that thief who took forever on the way here.
A breeze, so tender that could hardly be noticed, quietly blows in the empty hall. It is not supposed to be noticed, if everything goes well.
Melania: ...?
Melania: Something's wrong. Why is there wind ...
Melania: ... Sean?
She runs to the cabinet the moment she noticed it.
But in the next second...
Melania: Um ... Oh my ...
Melania: I'm tired ...
Ms. Acey: ...
Ms. Acey: Melania, Melania!
Melania: Um ... Ms. Acey ... Don't bite ...
Melania: ...
Melania: ... I fell asleep?! When?!
She stands up, stunned.
The hall is still clean, bright and tidy.
The only difference is the empty cabinet where the Mainedonty should be placed in.
That glass cabinet reflects Melania's face, panic-stricken.
Melania: Impossible! ... Where did he come in? The drains? The ventilation ducts? The front door? What trick did he use? Hypnotic spray? Invisible hat? Hover shoes? Why was there no alert?
Melania: Is it because I took Mainedonty out once ... but I did put it back ... No way!
The alarm finally works but at an inappropriate time.
Guards rushed in with panic faces.
Security Guard B: What happened?!
Security Guard C: The cabinet is empty! Sean took away the Mainedonty...?!
Security Guard B: I was at the front gate all the time! There was no suspicious person!
Security Guard C: Miss Ramirez, what on earth has happened here?!
They all turn to Melania, don't know what to do.
The young head of security stands there, like a deer in headlights.
Melania: I ... I don't know ...
Security Guard B: How? You are the one nearest to the cabinet!
Melania: ... I ... I have no idea ... I ... saw nothing ...
Melania stumbles backwards hastily, grabbing her hair.
Melania: Sure enough. Even with all my planning, something was still missing ...
Melania: I have completely no idea what tricks he used and where he intruded ...
Melania: I ... can never think as Father did ...
Melania: There is nothing I can do ...
Melania: ...