1 Chapter 1: Desire

"It is the anticipated pleasure, not the desire, that makes that otherwise irrational action rational,"

Bernard Gert, Morality

It has been 4 weeks now that I have been rotting in this cell. With no desire left in me, why would I not spoil? Passion is what drove my actions, Desire is what painted my heart, and fascination is what filled my mind, but to take that all away? It is the equivalent of death, my body is nothing but a husk. Every day, I listen to the dripping of water hitting the top of my head, and the rattling of my chains indicating that this body's ambitions shall forever be sealed away…. The sensation I once felt is now long gone, the sensation that I once felt… the sensation that started it all was: thrill.

In the Fall of 1920 in North London, for the first time in many years The Museum of Blossoms, an old museum, was filled to the brim with dukes, nobles, and high-class gentlemen to bear witness to The Diamond of Eizbella that has been shipped from France to be displayed here in the fifth floor of the museum for the upcoming years. The diamond captured the eyes of every man, its shape was brilliant, its color was pure, its shine was glamorous calling to you, "grab me!" and to be grabbed it shall… The clock struck 11 pm and the sea of black top hats headed towards the exit, but I stayed, my eyes glued to the diamond, my mouth dropped a little, my pupils expanded, and my right arm rose, but before I knew it he appeared. Balancing on the beams of the room he looks down upon me and grins. The thief bows and tip's his charcoal black top hat. I don't remember when, but the crystal-clear diamond was already in his hands. The guards rush into the room shouting,

"The Diamond!! Quick! Do not let him get away with it!"

The thief leaps from the wooden beam and lands next to me with grace.

"It seems I have caused you trouble; alas, if you remain here I would feel guilty if you are punished, would you care to join me?"

It seemed I truly didn't have a choice. I offered my arm to the thief,

"Very well"

He grabs my arm and rushes towards the glass window, covering his body with his deep crimson coat, and leaps through it, at that instant time, slows down for me as I see the faces of the guards getting further and further away consumed by the night's darkness, even though I was falling from such height, even though I am now considered a criminal, even though I am trusting this complete stranger it didn't matter what so ever… My heart is beating with a different tempo, my fingers are twitching with excitement, and my face has formed a giant smirk for I felt a sensation I never knew I desired, the thrill of the chase! The thief and I land in a pile of hay breaking our fall. He gets up before me,

"My apologies for that awful landing! However, we do not have time to dwindle"

The more I gazed at this thief, the more I felt it was wrong for me to call him that, no, it would be beyond disrespectful to plainly say he is a thief, he was a gentleman thief… a Gentleman Burglar.

He signals me to follow him and we slip into the shadows of the alleyway. The moonlight could not reach us and the voices of the guards that were once in hot pursuit slowly faded away. We continued to walk for a good hour without a word being exchanged, the gentleman was highly cautious even so he never lost his composure,

"We have finally made it good friend"

My pupils expand in awe, the residence of this gentleman is breathtaking, with walls made of white marble that stand tall, a garden filled with many foreign and indigenous flowers, and even exotic animals roaming this man-made enclosure of a garden. I continued to walk into the Palace, inside was glamorous as the exterior. In the middle of the hall, a spiral chandelier is hung, decorated with rubies and fancy scented candles. In the corner, he gestured for me to sit on the red velvet cushion couch.

"Thank you for your hospitality, but are you not worried that you will be tracked down,"

"Oh it's my pleasure, and don't fret, a Gentleman Burglar leaves no tracks but a calling card, more importantly"

"I need to show hospitality to my new partner in crime, that is what you agreed to, no?"

"Yes that is what I agreed to"

The gentleman places a tray of tea cups on the table and takes off his mask bowing,

"Very well, I, Waldo Cantrell, shall teach you how to become a gentleman" He takes a seat across from me, neatly next to him are his white mask, crimson cloak, and his charcoal black top hat. He takes a cup of tea and leans back, crossing his legs while raising the cup and taking a sip of the black tea.

"Since now I have introduced myself, tell me your name, good sir"

"Edward, Edward Williaman," I said without hesitation.

He puts down his cup of tea, unfolds his legs, and leans in

"Right now, you are not a wanted man, no one managed to get a good look on your face. If you do follow this path, there are many risks to it, some are worse than death. And how old are you anyway? 20? 24?"

"22"

"You still have your future ahead of you, do you really wish to jeopardize it?"

I stare down at my cup of tea seeing my own reflection, nothing special, short combed black hair, an average nose, small lips, and deep green eyes. Usually lifeless, this time flickering with a different resolve. I do not get it myself, but it only feels right that I accept. It was one of those once-in-a-lifetime opportunities where I would be awake amidst the night kicking myself for not accepting it… although I sensed a terrible fate awaited me in the end I, in the end, let my desires take over,

"I fully understand"

He pauses for a minute, I stare at Mr. Cantrell at the time, he didn't look that much older than me, probably in his 30s, with an ivy league cut, dark brown hair, black eyes, clean shave, and a defined jawline. His figure was also quite impressive, standing at 190 cm.

"Very well, let us clean up today's job" He gets up and grabs his outfit, and heads towards the library. It was a huge library decorated with paintings, vases, photos, and all sorts of lighting. He approaches a giant painting on the wall, raising his arm, he pushes the painting opening up a walkway that leads to spiral stairs going down. We begin our journey down the stairs. Breaking the silence I asked him a question that has been on my mind that entire time,

"Mr. Cantrell"

"You can call me Waldo from now on"

"Alright, eh, Waldo, why do you trust me?"

"Reasons, many I can not say, but mostly because I saw something in you, something that shouted to me to take you in, something telling me that you need help, something telling that you are bonded with shackles, that, that…"

That was the first time I ever heard him be lost for words.

He takes a deep breath

"Something that has locked away your cravings, and I will make it my duty to find the key and crack open that lock… Ah! We are finally here!"

My heart skips a beat as I bear witness to something that I feel should not exist. It was a lair of a thief, with brightly lighted blue walls this room was divided into many different sections each was fabulously hard to grasp in its own right. Workstations filled with inflation tools. looms that string with colors of red, white, and black. Drafting tables filled with thousands of blueprints from every small and narrow alleyway to detailed structures of every bank. However, what drew my heart the most was the room in the back, the treasury. Grand treasures of famous kings, queens and war heroes all reside here, treasures that the general public would never be able to see again, yet here I am witnessing a magnificent collection of diamonds, pearls, rubies, paintings, swords, daggers, crowns, the idea of worldly desires is the embodiment of this "vault." Continuing to explore the treasury I almost collapsed from shock, right in front of me was: The Ruby Necklace of The Eastern Queen, The Crystal Flower of Colombia, The Gold Rapier of The Spanish King, and now The Diamond of Eizbella. National treasures that have been stolen by one man.

"It is a marvelous collection, do you not agree?"

To think this man was that Gentleman Burglar. This was after all my first time witnessing a Gentleman Burglar, but to meet him? This is a man who the police have been trying to capture for 14 years. Leaving behind no trace, no clue, or even a mess Just a mere calling card. Even mocking them by announcing the time he will strike. Every act of thievery that he has done was committed with such care, such elegance that it would almost seem he was the true owner of the treasurer and merely doing it for fun. He is a man who humbled those who do not appreciate their privilege, stole from those who are corrupted, and punished the wicked,

"You are… Arshan Yuured…"

"Oh?"

"I-"

"Well done for figuring that out! A quality of a thief is a keen sense of perception"

"Now that you've figured out my identity, tell me, what drives the Gentleman Burglar's actions?"

What drives a thief's actions? Looking back at this moment I felt lost in a sense of void, empty… empty void… but one thing reached out to me,

"Desire"