Scipio Returns

chapter 1 "The Thief Lord's arrival"

"Hey kid! Halt!" cried a voice from behind. Scipio Massimo ran on, ignoring the weight of the bag he grasped.

"I'm not a kid!" He yelled, fleeing to an ally. He took a deep breath.

It was not the first, nor the second, but the fifth time he had to steel. Scipio, the has-been thief lord, was now a true thief. It had not been easy, but he was one.

He hadn't seen the gang since they went to Ida's. When he had decided not to become an adult, and to desert his true calling on the Merry Go Round of the Merciful Sisters, he had decided he wouldn't let being a kid bother him. He was fourteen, too young to have a job. Too old to be bossed around.

"That'll teach you," he breathed threateningly as the fat shop owner hurried down the road, puling up his trousers.

Scipio pressed hiss cheek against the stone wall. The loot he had stolen was just what he needed. He sighed when he thought of Prosper, Bo, Riccio, Mosca, and Hornet all happily living at Ida's. He would have gladly taken a bed if his personality didn't consist of sneaking, thievery, and mystery.

"Stupid kids," muttered Scipio. "Don't know what their missing." Scipio grabbed his loot and ran in the direction of Ida's.

"Ida where's Blacky?" asked Bo, referring to his cat.

"He ran upstairs Bo," called Ida, washing her dishes.

Hornet laughed as she watched Prosper arm wrestle Mosca, losing horribly. Riccio grinned wickedly as Mosca pressed Prosper's hand to the coffee table.

"HA! I win again Prop!" cried Mosca. Prosper groaned as Mosca flexed his muscles.

"Hey try me Mosca," said Hornet. Mosca groaned and Riccio smirked.

"Arm wrestling? YOU? Yeah right, this is an all boy sport Catty, no girls!" Riccio laughed as Mosca nodded an agreement.

"Shut up hedgehog or are you too embarrassed to admit you've never won before?" asked Hornet smoothly.

"Yeah right I'll take you on!" Scipio sat in the window, admiring Hornet's forceful shove as she sat down, ready for anything Riccio would bring.

"Nice one," Scipio whispered as Hornet forced his hand down. He was hidden in the shadows on the steps outside. Riccio scowled as Hornet did a victory dance. Prosper grinned too, watching with fascination as Hornet twirled around and picked up a giggling Bo. Scipio crept up to a spot on the grass and looked up at Hornet's window. Time to get inside.

Crawling stealthy, he threw a rope up to the window. Grasping it, he got up. Barely. Then he got inside, where Hornet's room, filled with books and a small air mattress was visible. He noticed that she wasn't there.

Scipio grabbed his loot bag and pulled the books out he was about to put them next to her bed as he always did, when he heard someone's familiar gasp behind him. He felt his cheeks burn scarlet behind his mask, as red as a tomato, as black as the midnight sky.

"What are you doing here?" She demanded. Scipio relaxed. Same old Hornet.

"Robbing the house Hornet, duh!" Scipio smirked. Hornet scowled.

"Wouldn't put it past you 'Thief Lord' but seeing as your a lying git with no real life..." Hornet smiled. She walked over to the bag of books and picked it up. She pulled a book out, and stroked the spine.

"Well Mr. Massimo, are you staying or what?" Hornet glanced at his boots. "or do you have better appointments to keep tonight involving you snogging your boots?" Hornet laughed and led Scipio downstairs.

So she had gotten cockier. Hmm. Scipio never liked Hornet's attitude, but he liked her ambition. She was a real hornet if you got right down to it. Scipio stun her a little too much.

"Hey guys, look who showed up tonight!" Before Scipio could stop her, she flicked a light on. Scipio felt himself blush as Prosper and the rest of the gang stare at him.

"Scip what are you doing here?" Bo bounced over to Scipio. He stared at him closely.

"Yeah Thief Lord. And why are you-?" Mosca looked at Scipio's boots. Then he relised that Scipio was indeed fourteen again. Prosper said nothing, but glanced at Hornet who had retreated to her usual sofa. She was reading a book.

"Yeah I'm fourteen. Turns out the Conte and the Contessa both cheated me. They fixed it up properly and let me on." Scipio pretended to be tying his shoe, when he realy was looking at Hornet. Her book hid her face.

"Hornet, what's wrong?" asked Prosper. Scipio clenched his fists. Prosper had always amazed Scipio with his sensitivity to girls. Scipio hated him for it, probably because he could never be that considerate to Hornet.

"Oh...ummm..." Hornet stopped, and shook her head toward the door. She walked out, and Prosper fallowed silently.

"So much for the return of The Thief Lord," muttered Scipio as he heard Hornet and Prosper go upstairs. What was up?