Pia was not sure what to say.. they had a plan. It was given that such a venture should carry a risk. Logically, they should move on. But Pia did not quite see it that way. It was probably her fault the twins had been nabbed. She had done a half done job, and now someone else had to pay. The twins would be doing jailtime. Because of her. Maybe her life on Shokushu did play a part. If there was a way of that cursed planet, and she had the chance to get one of her friends of, she would never, ever forgive herself for abandoning them.

"It must have been my fault..", she said. "I thought I had them, but obviously not. One of the guards must have realized something was wrong.. or maybe there was a third.. or whatever. The bottom line is.. it was my responsibility to keep everyone covered, and I failed."

She felt the words leave her mouth, feeling harder and clearer than her own thoughts. "I may have a chance to get them loose. To do so, we need to either intercept the car they are being taken away in, or failing that, get to the station. Correction. I need to do so. You guys must proceed, get ready to split on a moments notice. It is best I do this on my own"

Because I am a voluptarius..

"..both because I am the one responsible, and because I on my own is more likely to succeed. Believe me, it is better the less you know, just like it is better the less I know about the escape plans to Mexico. Do we know which police station they will be taking them to?"

Greg said nothing as if ignoring what was being said as he drove along though it was Johnny who regarded her in that instant. "There were but the two guards, we double check more than a few times as we plannned for the job. How is this your fault? The twins knew the risks before we acted, as did we all. They would no sooner expect anyone to come after them then I would expect it. Free there's more that we can do, arrested, well ...

"I won't risk loosing you as well."

"Station," Greg chimed in as he ignored what was being said. "I doubt we could get back in time to intercept a car."

"What could you hope to do to realease them anyhow? Your best bet is sticking with us and getting to Mexico. They should be well cared for given their cut, better than doing God knows what to try and save them."

Johnny explained, or at least he tried to. Greg from the front seat asked if they were going to drive on or turn around causing Johnny to regard Pia for a moment as if deciding or seeing if she would say anything relevant that would change his mind.

Pia was not good at fast decisions. Not at all. In fact, she had an awful track record when it came to that. Give Pia a book,let her research a little, plan ahead.. She could be methodical, focused.. Had she not spent months experimenting with magic? Was she not working on Aegirs autobiography in return for his help with escaping? Had she not quietly fought against the school and the monsters, even when just letting go and surrendering to her fate had been easier. But this was not the situation now. No, Pia did not even know all the details, how could she decide what was the right thing to do.

The wise thing was to back out. She opened her mouth to speak.

"The station.", she said, surprising even herself. "L-look.. I won't lie. This.. this will be difficult, but it will be my risk alone."

Suddenly she seemed to gain some strength, some resolve. Dammit! She could fix her own mess! "You don't need to know what I am about to do. Let us just say I will work some black magic, and leave it at that."

Time to learn what a voluptarius really can do, I guess.
"I need to do this now. Both the guards have my description. If we wait, I cannot do anything."

"You believe in that stuff?" Greg said gruffly.

Johnny looked at Pia, he seemed to be caught up in a degree of thought. He studied her face as if seeing if the answer was there and may have seen her determination written there. He nodded just once then patted her leg softly.

"Turn around."

"What? Not you too -"

"Turn around. If Pia thinks she can handle this then let her try."

Greg grumbled under his breath. He did, however, turn the car around and began to head in the opposite direction. Johnny turned towards her though. "You're wrong about one think, you won't be the only one at risk I'm going with you, no arguements. Greg, drop us off a block away from the station and park out back."

Greg simply nodded. Though before long he was pulling over to the side of the street to let the pair out.

"No!", Pia protested. "Look.. Both guards saw me. They will have my description anyway. You and Greg are safe. If we shall make it to Mexico, we need at least two who the police aren't looking for!"

But Pia's protest was useless. Johnny was obviously not the one who let a woman face risks on her own. If he only knew what she was used to facing!
Pia bit her lips as she walked with him towards the station. What to do now?

What she would do was obvious, actually.
There was a little alley to the left. She tugged at his arm. "Johnny.. there is one thing, actually, that you can help me with.. Let us slip in there for a second.."

Johnny didn't seem to be having any of it. By his recollection a single person wouldn't have too much trouble making it to Mexico of course he had the Frezno Diamond on him which may or may not influence Greg's reaction.

But he had been caught up with his own thoughts, probably considering what Pia was considering to get the twins out of the station. Thus he had delayed a second when she spoke as his thoughts were pulled back to the present.

He regarded the alley for a second figuring that perhaps she was thinking about sneaking in but he could not make any sense out of what she was planning on doing. He was coaxed into the alley. He glanced at her profile.

"What can I assist you with?"

He asked as he regarded her in that instant.

Even as they were heading into the alley, Pia was closing her eyes. She was rummaging through her memory, remembering her first lessons in magic. TO succeed, she would have to use magic, strong magic, probably sexual magic. She had no idea exactly what would happen, but magic was her only edge, she had to use it for what it was worth.

She also had to make Johnny stay back. His presence would ruin everything, bring her chances down from slim to non-existent. He had a strong desire to protect her. She guessed that was good, but right now, it would damn them both.

Her hands were moving, fingers moving to emulate mystic gestures. Mumbling, she uttered a few magic incantations. SHe was hoping to create what was known as a positive magic polarity, to draw mana to herself.

She moved into the alley, Johnny moving with her. As he wondered about her next move he noted her arcane gestures, though he had not been versed in the arts he did watch with a bit of curiousity or was that wonder as he caged how she would go about things.

He glanced over his shoulder back in the direction they came from to estimate whether or not they could be seen by passer bys and had deternined that a little further would be more ideal where they wouldn't stand out as much.

Energy began to pool towards Pia, she could feel the flow of mana being drawn into her though she couldn't quite figure it out there was something missing to it.

"What's the plan?" Johnny asked as he turned towards her. "We can't actually go in their with guns blazing."

OK.. I can feel mana flowing.. that is good. BUt there is something.. something is amiss. I can't quite..
Pia tried searching with her mind, looking inward. What was wrong? One quite probable reason was that Pia was not quite aroused now, more nervous and exited. Her magic abilities were sexual. Her libido and her mana were interlocked. Using magic was pleasure to her, pleasure feed magic, and sensual pleasure gave the highest buzz.

Or the magic of wherever here was did not taste or feel the same way. Or possibly this was merely an elaborate fantasy, created by her mind or Aegirs, and that this reality was flawed in that aspect.

Whatever. Pia had to do something, and just trust her abilities to hold up.

"I.. I will go inside. I can do this, I am certain!", she lied, hoping to make her lie become the truth. "You can.. Go circle the building, please! Be careful, I just want to know if there are any other entrances, and if there seems to be some sort of activity there. I need five minutes more before I am ready."

There were several reasons to Pia's theories. Things may have been imperfect, perhaps Aegir had not been able to conjure up how the sensation of mana felt or at least had been delayed in finding the right information. It was close but there had been something wrong with it, she could only hope that magic didn't work differently here though their was no knowledge injected into her mind about that.

She was aware that Aegir could download memories straight into her mind. He could probably erase them as well or surpress them in some way though he never did so with her ... at least she couldn't remember not that she would if he had.

Johnny surmised her words then nodded in compliance. He looked at the building briefly before flickering his gaze back to her. "Five minutes, not a second longer." He stated this plainly before he took her arms within his hands, stepping closer to her, looking down into her eyes.

She had the feeling that he was going to kiss her, his lips lingered so close to hers, though at the last minute he smile. "Five minutes ..." He released her arms as he spun around to head further down the alley to check matters out more thoroughly.

Pia felt like she was throbbing as he left. With erotic mana swirling around inside her, the close kiss, denied at the last second, was enough to inflame her again. She would need that. She would need to be horny, on the edge, on the prowl. She was not s skilled caster, but she would have to hope she could use it to get through what she had to do.

Which meant, that yes, she would probably have to seduce her way past the police. Hopefully, her magic would help her do that. This was something she believed Johnny would rather not know about. Did he suspect she had done the same at the museum? Probably, or she would not have been chosen for the task. Yet it would be better if he did not know for sure, she sensed.

Pia let her hands slide over her body. She would need to keep her flame burning. Imagining herself in the arms of a lover, she caressed herself, cupped her breast, even moaning a little. She could not abandon herself completely, lest Johnny or a passer-by should see her.

Fortunately for her know one witnessed her in the alley as this wave of heat enflamed her being. What transpired here, between her anyway, had been kept a mystery. Johnny may have suspected but he did not know. Thinking back to their talk before the heist she had to wonder if such matters had been assumed given what he had said.

Perhaps it was understood what she was doing but he wanted no knowledge of it or maybe he was ignorant of things. There were those sorts of people that were oblivious to most matters. Was he one of them? Or had he been smarter than she gave him credit for and said nothing? Only time would be certain she supposed.

Despite the recent arrests there were only three officers in the station. One was busy on the phone while another jotted down the details of his report flipping back occasionally to check his notes. The third, a burely fellow with a scared right hand addressed her as he glanced up from behind his desk and just happened to glance in her direction.

He was fairly attractive, better than the other two though even they weren't too bad, just inattentive at the time it seemed.

"Miss? Can I help you with something?" The large man asked as he brought his attention of his green eyes upon her.

The magic, fueled by lust, bolstered Pia, added an energy, a sort of strenght she did not usually posess. This did not mean she was not nervous. Quite the opposite. She knew if she paused to think too uch, her resolve would fail and she would flee.
Yet it did give hersome momentum, some edge, and perhaps that would be enough.

It was hard to tell if it worked or not, as it was a subtle spell she was weaving, but perhaps she did glow a little, perhaps she did have something intangible about her to draw and fix attention. Hips swaying slightly, feet moving easily on high heels, she moved towards the unoccupied officer. Inwardly, she was muttering an incantation, just something to focus her mana, make it stronger.

She had experienced that when she had an abundance of mana, it would sometimes affect those close to her. She hoped she could do so now.

"Yes, Officer, I believe there is..", she said, smiling broadly. She placed herself in front of his desk, hip leaning towards it. Come on!, she mentally demanded. Look at me! Let your eyes linger on my body, let them follow my curves, stray across my chest, follow my neck up until you see my mouth! Then.. Look at my eyes! I am all woman! You want me..
No idea if her puny attempt at influence would do anything, but she still focused her thoughts on it, tried to make her inner power match both the image she wanted to project and whatever he might desire.

Leaning closer, talking lower, almost conspirational, she continued. "I am here to discuss a couple of men, twins, that have been arrested.. then.."
Her voice went lower ".. you might wish to take me into custody.."

Her face was rather close, her chest pushed forward and her voice an almost inaudible purr.

The officer's eyes followed her as she moved across the room, first lingering on her breasts and cleavage then drifting upward as if his attention had been captured by her mental command. His lips curled back into a smile, albeit briefly for he seemed pleased with what he observed.

Hungrily his eyes lingered on her as her words eechoed in his mind. He paused as if he had been struggling with her words, fighting the suggestion but he rose, still keeping his gaze on her. His eyes drifted downward, flickering to her chest where he caressed his gaze against the softness of her flesh. He grinned as he entertained a though then nodded onced.

"I'm placing you under arrest ..." he announced as he stood, the swell of an erection poking out against the front of his pants though he seemed unashamed by this. "Let's go."

He seized her by the elbow and began walking towards the back of the room though at that point one of the other officers glanced up from his report. "O'Rouke, where are you going?"

The large man flicked his gaze towards Pia then back. "I'm placing her under arrest, she's a street walker."

The other man seemed a bit skeptical as he cast his gaze at Pia. Not that she could be one but it seemed odd to him that someone would just come to them to be arrested. Perhaps she came in for something unrelated and was recognized as one but in that case what crime was she breaking? What proof? She wasn't breaking the law now as far as he was concerned and chances were they'd have nothing on her unless they could tie her to something else.

"Right ..." He repeated though his gaze lingered on Pia as he spoke. Then he spoke to his associate without looking away from her. "You're just looking to have some fun on government time. I wouldn't mind tapping that though."

He too stood up as he drew forward, his eyes dipping down her body then back up. "How much?"

The third officer did not seem to notice the scene as of yet being oblivious to it.

"You think I want..?"
So they thought she was a prostitute? Not what Pia had been thinking off, but it would do, she supposed. It was kind of embarrassed, really, but it kind of made sense.
She should have been insulted, or embarrassed, or something, but she resumed her role, adrenaline pushing her forward. Adrenaline and magic, she supposed.
She could feel it glowing inside her, feel it course through her, flow along with her blood. Connecting hearth, sex, erogenous sones and flowing along her spine. Air seemed electric.
She tried channelling it outwards, towards the two keeping her attention. She had to keep the illusion up somehow. She wished she was better at thinking things up on the fly.
"..."

"..oh. No. YOU are not paying me anything. Let us just say SOMEONE thinks you deserve something extra.. You know.. for being helpful and all."

Pia still maintained an almost purring voice, but inwards, her raced faster. She hoped she had managed to pique their curiosity as well as other parts, let them do the guessing. Hopefully. Pia was painfully aware that she was skating on thin ice.