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"Charming the Tiger"

India; Sly had hoped it would be a lot longer before he had to set foot in that country again, but when he and his team received a rumor that a long-lost part of Clockwerk had been uncovered, they had to investigate. They didn't expect that they would be walking into a trap, and that Sly would fall into one of Rajan's traps.

Rajan; a spice trader and a thief had crossed paths with the Cooper gang before, when he possessed the wings that once belonged to the great owl. They managed to defeat him, but this time, the large tiger had been waiting for him. He had been training, he was stronger, faster, his time in prison had hardened him just a bit more than Sly expected, so that when the trap fell, he knew there was no way out.

"Sly? Sly! Can you hear me?"

The microphone lodged in the raccoon's ear roused him from his unconsciousness. He groaned and shook his head as he awoke. His eyes were blurry and he rubbed his hand across his face, that last trap contained a spice that distorted his vision, he remembered the puff of purple smoke that exploded in his face. "Yeah. Yeah, I can hear you Bentley." He said, trying to get back onto his feet. He had been simply tossed into this cell without much thought. Looking toward the window, he could see the night sky glowing outside and approached the windows. He grabbed two of the bars, disappointed that his hands couldn't even fit around them but still shook it to no avail. "It would seem I'm in some trouble."

"You don't know how good it is to hear your voice, Sly." Bentley responded. "Now, according to my research, your homing beacon is coming from the south-western side of Rajan's complex, but you're closer to the center than the outer wall, so we may not be able to get in there so easily."

"I'm feeling dizzy, and weak."

"That's probably from the black spice in that trap you triggered." He said. "It'll take a little bit for it to clear out of your system. Can you give me a description of the cell you're in?"

"Ahh... let's see." Sly said as he paced the cell, blinking to let his eyes clear some. "It's about twenty square feet. The bars on the windows are about twice as thick as the bars on the door, but it's pretty secure."

"Are there any beds? You might be able to use a spring or a part of the mattress as a weapon or a tool."

Sly glanced around and frowned. "There isn't even a toilet in here, how's a guy supposed to stand this pressure?"

"Very funny. Very well, Murray and I will try to construct a plan to get you out of there. Remember that Rajan's biggest weakness is his pride; his ego might be a means for you to escape too."

"Great. I'll keep you posted."

Sly tapped the mic just as the doorway at the end of the cell block clanged open loudly. Rajan ducked a bit so that his turban missed the top of the door's frame but his hands remained folded behind his back. Rajan was indeed bigger than he was before, his shoulders toned and broader, he wore the same purple pants, or similar ones to the last time they met, but he still had that dark chuckle.

"Well, well. Sly Cooper, back for me once more I see." He said.

"You've got a funny way of throwing a welcoming party, Rajan. Still up to the same old tricks?"

"Oh no, I have many new tricks. And now, I have you. I am a very happy man."

Sly smirked, Bentley was right, Rajan was still very full of himself. Maybe he could play it to his advantage. His eyes spotted the gold plated key tied to the tiger's belt. "I can see that you are, and I can see that you've been training. So why don't you tell me where the Clockwerk part you found is, and I'll be on my way with it."

"You are a fool! There is no Clockwerk part, it was simply a ruse to lure you into my grasp!" He growled and flexed out his arms, his muscles toning a bit with the stretch. "And now you are mine."

"That... wow, Rajan, I never would have guessed. You've outwitted me, pulled the wool over my eyes and got me imprisoned. I am impressed!"

"Heh. Why, thank you. It took a full year of planning to set that trap up for you. I hope the spices aren't hurting you too badly. It is some potent stuff."

"Yeah, well I'll--" He paused. "I'll... try to recover. That trap was a work of genius!"

Rajan's smile widened. "Do you want to hear how I came up with it?" He asked. "It was really quite simple I--"

"Oh, there's no need to go into symantecs." Sly said, approaching the bars. "What I'd really like to know is what sort of training have you been doing? You're looking a lot more... foreboding than the last time we met."

"Oh, well... it is nothing to brag about, every morning at dawn, I awake, climb the mountain, then run back down to my compound. I eat no less than twenty quail eggs as my daily diet, well... quail eggs and steak."

Sly felt his expression drop into the territory of 'impressed'. "That is a lot of protein." He admitted.

"Yes isn't it?" Rajan slung his arms out and flexed them, showing a rather impressive musculature now that he was doing it purposefully. "I have grown quite a bit since last we battled."

"So you have." Sly agreed. "I've never seen so many... large stripes."

Rajan's eyebrows perked slightly as his eyes fell back to Sly. "You are a fan of stripes, Cooper?"

"Well, as a criminal, you'd think I'd stay away from stripes... but yeah, I find them very attractive." He said as he leaned against the bars, eyeing the tiger from head to tail.

With a smirk, Rajan slung his shoulders back, letting the vest he wore slip off of them and into his hand. His torso was indeed lined with stripes, and as he turned his back toward the racoon, Sly was impressed at the array of patterns that crisscrossed the tiger's shoulders and spine. It definitely seemed like there were more there than there was the last time. Sly awkwardly cleared his throat. "Oh yes... impressive." He muttered.