"I was starting to think that you'd run off with the crown and left me."
I could hear the relief in the girls voice, which made it all the more entertaining to squash her hopes and watch her plunge into a pit of despair.
"He did"
I stepped out of the fog with my brother at my side, and slowly we advanced on the girl who scrambled backwards in fright. We were menacing, we knew it. It's why we fell into our line of work. People who looked like us don't become florists, or musicians. Chaos and destruction follow us like a shadow, we lavish in the pain of others. Seeing the absolute betrayal and misery in the young girls eyes caused a smile to rise to my lips.
"No! He wouldn't!"
I left the threatening smile on my lips, while my brother stood at my elbow glaring at the girl. Image was a very important factor in our specific workforce. We had to inspire fear and terrify our victims into subordination. I like to play the man who enjoys misery, and taunt our victims and horrify them with how lightly I seem to take my actions. My brother, on the other hand, is the silent, deranged type, who never says a word, but his glare says it all.
"See for yourself"
I gestured grandly out at the lake, where Rider was currently tied to a boat unconscious, so we could make Blondie think her new boyfriend had abandoned her. Of course, knowing Rider, he probably would have eventually. He could never see anything through.
My brother and I waited for the tears to come, for the girl to fall apart. We wanted to see her break before we took her back to the old woman. It was our favourite part of the job.
What happened next, was in some ways, completely expected, in others, well, it shocked both of us.
She called out to rider on the boat, or at least, I think she did.
"Eugene"
She said it softly at first, so it didn't truly sink in that she was shouting out to Rider. My brother nudged me, a confused look on his face as we both tried to comprehend what on earth was happening around us.
"EUGENE!"
She shouted to him, and that was when I knew that she really was calling for Rider, who, I realised, was lying to one of us.
I figured he must be lying to my brother and I, because, when trying to impress a pretty girl, who would pick the name "Eugene" as an alias? I couldn't help it, I clutched my sides and roared in laughter. Out of the corner of my eye, I glimpsed my brother suppressing his own laughter, an uncharacteristic smile tugging at his lips.
Blondie continued to ignore us and pine after her lost lover.
To think, the "charming and dashing", devil-may-care thief we had worked with for all these years, actually had a name such as Eugene.
But then again, we can't talk.
There's a reason we only go by "Stabbington Brother's".