Hello,

Here is the next chapter and it is more sibling stuff.

TFG

Chapter Ten

The first night in a new place was always the worst night for both of the L'Orange siblings. Both of whom were extremely light sleepers. Any new noise or new smell could instantly wake them up, and then it would take such a long time to fall back to sleep. New sheets and pillows were a constant source of exasperation, as the feel of them could take days to get used to. The only constant thing that either Duke or Ellie ever seemed to have was each other. It would take days before Ellie would even feel comfortable enough in her new surroundings to attempt to sleep alone, and then she would have to start the vicious cycle all over again and get used to another new bed. But this time, Duke and Ellie seemed to fall straight to sleep. It was perhaps the comprehension that this bed and these sheets were actually theirs, and not something that they would only have for limited time before moving on once again. The thought was obviously a comfort to the two siblings, as they had never had a place to call their own before.

That first morning was actually the first morning that either of them had been awoken by an alarm clock in a very long time. Once the irritating noise was turned off that's when they noticed the sounds downstairs. It sounded like someone was downstairs, which was strange as Duke and Ellie should have been the only two ducks in the house. All their senses suddenly went into overdrive and they climbed out of bed to gather what they felt was needed to confront the intruders.

The two siblings cautiously and quietly made their way downstairs fully armed and in their pyjamas. Everything needed to be taken slowly, as they had yet to assess their surroundings for anything that could give them away. Both the siblings were armed with their sabres, as well as a small handgun that fired mini pucks which they rarely used. And, because they had worked together for five years and Duke had trained her, neither had to talk at all to communicate with each other. That was why they worked so well together. They knew what the other was thinking and anticipated each other's movements.

With the stealth and practice of years of training and activity in the world of crime, the two crept towards the sounds, which seem to be emanating from the kitchen. It actually sounded like there were two people in there, and they weren't trying to be quiet at all. Once they were both in position on either side of the door, Duke gave a silent countdown before they kicked open the door and targeted the fools that had decided to break into the new home of two master thieves.

"Aw, they have awakened!" Master Duiken said gaily as a middle aged female screamed and dropped the ceramic bowl that she was washing.

"I thought you were both early risers, but Madam Isa, well she thought that you would probably want to sleep in with all the excitement of last night. I hope you don't mind, but I took the liberty of retaining Isa here, as I thought you would like to have someone here to keep the house in order. And, she is the best cook this side of Mallar," Duiken said in a very friendly manner as he gestured at the poor female who was still picking up the pieces of the ceramic bowl off the floor while looking at the two armed ducks in the door way.

"Now, why don't we put the weapons down and sit at the table to enjoy this lovely, home-cooked meal," Duiken said pointedly but still smiling.

The two siblings began to slowly lower their weapons, but they still didn't make a move to enter the room. Ellie had no idea what to make of this turn of events. She should have known that the Master of the Brotherhood would be able to come and go as he pleased. She should have also known that, once again, she would not be able to make another decision regarding her life. But Duke didn't seem to mind that much, once he got over the shock. He gestured for her to lower her weapon and to sit at the table, which he did without much fuss. Ellie followed suit as soon as she saw her older brother relax.

Once they were both seated at the small dining table in the kitchen Madam Isa brought over the rest of the food that she had prepared. Isa was a fairly unremarkable looking tan coloured female of average height and build. She must have been in her mid-forties and she seemed a little nervous around her new employers. When she had finished serving she then excused herself to clean the upstairs and to set out some of the new clothes for both Ellie and Duke to wear for their meetings that day. It seemed that Duiken had already filled their schedule for the day.

Over breakfast the Master of the most exclusive band of thieves explained more about the life they had entered into. It turns out there were only about fifteen thieves that were deemed good enough to be a part of this prestigious group. All of whom had to be Master thieves, and were constantly tested. These Masters could then bring in protégé thieves, small time thieves who they thought could handle the mantel of the Brotherhood of the Blade. These protégés had only a year to prove themselves with heists on selected targets, and if they were not deemed good enough, they were not elevated to the next level. The next level, the level that Duke and Ellie had entered at, involved knowing who was in the top ring of the Brotherhood. These were the thieves who decided everything that happened in the Brotherhood, and who knew who the Master of the Guild was. The fact that Duiken himself had brought the siblings into the Brotherhood spoke very highly of how much he valued them.

There was also a very large network of associates to the Brotherhood. These were things like lawyers, drivers, suppliers, bankers. Things that Duke and Ellie had so far had to find themselves. There were also links to various other criminal organisations and other professionals, if you so desired to use them. If you were in the Brotherhood you had access to a lot more than what you did being a solo thief, but you also had to pay a due to the Brotherhood for all of this protection. And it did not guarantee that if you were caught you could get out. But once you were in, you were in for life. As no one betrays the Brotherhood or one of its members. If you betrayed the Brotherhood, or one of its members, then there would be no place you could hide on the planet. They would find you. Therefore, only those who were the best and the most valued were ever admitted to its prestigious ranks.

Duiken then went on to tell the siblings that there were approximately four thieves in training at the moment. Each with their own master, who had handpicked them. This master would be responsible for training their own protégé and making sure that they were up to the standard of the Brotherhood. Duiken also informed the siblings that five of the current master thieves were going into retirement in the next year, so their numbers were going to be down. Hence, why the siblings had been brought in, as one of the masters who was retiring was one of their master planners. And both of the siblings had proven to be master planners, as well as some of the best all round experts that he had ever encountered.

"We were going to wait a few more years before we approached you, as I knew that you two would want to stay together. And we didn't feel comfortable bringing in a child. But, from what we've seen so far, you are both too good to not to be offered membership," Duiken said over his strong, bitter coffee gesturing to Ellie when he mentioned her, but he ended in a very grandfather like smile. The young girl had obviously impressed him a lot.

Once they were all finished breakfast, Duiken excused Duke and Ellie so that they could dress for the day. He was going to personally take them around to all their appointments, which seemed slightly odd to Ellie. She couldn't help but wonder why the most notorious and infamous thief on Puckworld would ferry them around like children. Unless he was to become their master for some part of some training. But, seeing as they were both at the top of their respective field, what could he possibly be training them for.

When she arrived in her pink bedroom she saw that Isa had indeed laid out her clothing and was actually still in the room. Neither of the females really knew what to do, as the younger of the two was actually the employer of the elder. Ellie tried to calm the older female by complimenting her on the breakfast that she had prepared for them. This did indeed seem to calm the older duck, but not by much. Isa then excused herself from the room that she had obviously managed to clean while they were eating breakfast. She then informed the girl that she would run the errands given to her by Master Duiken and that if she needed anything special all she needed to do was ask.

It didn't take long for the siblings to get washed and dressed in the clothes that had been left out for them. Ellie was actually a little shocked that everything that had been put in her wardrobe was in her size. She realised that the Brotherhood must have been researching the two of them for a while and very thoroughly if they managed to obtain her shoe size. Unfortunately, that research didn't extend to include her personal tastes.

Ellie didn't really like the clothes that had been chosen for her. They were a little too girly and young for her tastes. But, seeing as they had been chosen for her, she decided it was best to wear the yellow dress with the white collar and white shoes. The dress also had a matching coat, all in the same shade of yellow. Duke on the other hand had been given a wonderfully stylise grey tailored suit, with a white shirt. He was actually attempting to tie his green tie when he joined his sister on the landing.

"Not one word!" Ellie warned her brother as soon as he saw her.

"I was just going to say that you look adorable, Kiddo. Really cute," Duke said with a grin, causing his sister to narrow her eyes in a death glare. It didn't help that as soon as Master Duiken saw her he said the exact same thing. Ellie despised being called cute or any related synonym. She was a master thief, the top of her profession. She deserved the respect of everyone who operated within that sphere. Which was already hard enough when you were in fact female and ten years old. She made a mental note to demand that she and Duke go shopping for some better clothes, now that she could have a full closet. And, she was going to make Duke pay for the 'adorable' and 'cute' comment.

The rest of the day was taken up with meetings with various members of the Brotherhood which varied in levels of boredom and condescension. The siblings then had to meet the various tutors that they had to deal with to bring them up to the levels of social etiquette that Duiken demanded of his master thieves. Ellie was also introduced to her personal tutor for her school work, which actually made Ellie smile. It looked like she had been listened to last night, and Duiken was going to try and allow her some twisted sort of normality. The tutor, who was an older drake, was rather impressed with how advanced Ellie's studies had been. He told her that he thought she would be ready to take the GED within a year, if she continued at the pace she had been going.

When they were finished with the meetings Duiken then showed them around the gated community which served as the headquarters to the Brotherhood. There were several old, restored, townhouses which served as living quarters and offices. Many of which had been knocked together to make a bigger building, not that you would notice from the outside. There were also other buildings in the area which did not belong to the Brotherhood, and it was impossible to see what belonged to them and what did not. Altogether, this did give the illusion of normalcy from the outside. And, if you did not know what you were looking for, you would not know which building was used as the main headquarter of Duiken.

The two siblings were then invited into Duiken's study for a coffee before they were free for the rest of the day. He told them they would not be needed for the next week, as he wanted them to get comfortable with their new surroundings before thrusting them into the busy life of the Brotherhood. The old master had cakes and coffee already set up in his office for the three of them to enjoy, which he poured and served himself. Once they were all seated with cake and coffee, Duiken and Duke began discussing business. Ellie meanwhile was quiet, but observed everything. She had gotten more curious as the day wore on. Duiken was the best of the best, and from what he had told them, he did not get that involved with the lives of his newer recruits until they had proven themselves. True, Ellie and Duke had already proven themselves to be great thieves, but this level of attention was suspicious.

"It was very nice of you, Master Duiken, to show us around and take us to our appointments, but why are you giving us such special treatment?" Ellie eventually asked over her latte. This caused Duke to sputter out his black coffee. He knew his sister could sometimes be a little direct, but it so far had only been directed at Bennie and himself. He had no idea that she would ask the Master of the Brotherhood such a question.

"You are an astute young one, it's no wonder you have risen so far so fast," Duiken answered with a smile. He then looked at both the young thieves sitting before him. They were both excellent, and both looked like the two greatest thieves he had ever encountered, Stefan and Maria L'Orange. The old master couldn't help the sad sigh that escaped his beak, thinking of his former protégés.

"I am one of the thieves retiring soon. And, as I have said before, I was planning to hand the reins of my beloved Brotherhood over to your father. As I knew I could trust that drake above all others, as well as his wife, as a second in command. But, since their deaths I have not found anyone who I would trust enough to relinquish command. However, since you were trained by both your father and mother, and you in turn trained this beautiful young lady, I feel that you could be what I have been looking for. And, seeing you both, I feel like I am in the presence of Maria and Stefan again. I have watched you both for a long time, and I am impressed. And so is everyone else. I have had Bennie keep a closer eye on you as well. I would have done so myself, but your mother wanted distance from the Brotherhood, due to Stefan's murder. I really wish she had come to me. We could have helped. But she got very distrustful, and rightly so. Betrayal always sits deep within your soul, especially when it was by someone who you once trusted."

"So, what you're saying is that you want me to take control of this organisation. With my sister as my second in command?" Duke asked incredulously. He should have realised earlier that this was why they were being brought in, but it was too incredible to process.

"Who else would you trust enough to be your right hand? I am a little weary of your ages though. Which is why I'm going to stay on a little longer, to help you ingratiate yourself into my Brotherhood. I'm also going to have you working with some of the younger thieves soon, as well as start planning for some of the older thieves. Now, do you two have any questions?" Duiken asked with a smile. The two siblings eyed each other, communicating silently about the new information they had been given. Finally, both smiled at each other and turned to face the older master.

"Can we please get the name of a decorator?" Ellie said lightly, causing both the drakes to burst into laughter.

"She's determined to have her own place Master Duiken, put her own mark on it, and I refused to decorate the place myself," Duke said, his voice full of mirth.

"You just don't want to get your tail feathers dirty! I was all excited to go to get paint and everything, but he already vetoed that idea. And who bought me these clothes? I look like a doll!" Ellie said with a smile, causing the old master to burst into laughter once again. It had been a long time since he had laughed like this, he felt lighter than he had in years. And so did Duke and Ellie.

The security that the Brotherhood and Master Duiken was offering had obviously had an early effect on Ellie. She was looking an acting the way she did when Duke and Ellie were in private. So full of life and joy. It was exactly what she needed and Duke couldn't help but nudge his sister, to send her the message that he was right. That the both needed the Brotherhood. This caused another glare from his sister, although not as icy as that morning.

After a few minutes Duiken had managed to calm down enough to summon his personal assistant and relate the what he needed to the young drake. It didn't take for the assistant to return and inform the trio that he had made an appointment with an interior decorator for tomorrow afternoon. And, in the time that he was out of the room Duiken informed the siblings that the wardrobe and currently decorating style was curtesy of Madam Isa, who had a granddaughter around Ellie's age. She, therefore, based everything on what that girl liked. He also informed Ellie, who felt slightly bad now, that Madam Isa would have no hard feelings if she didn't like the choices that she had made.

When everything had settled down Duke decided to take his sister out for dinner, just the two of them. Something simple, that they both liked. Over dinner, Ellie made him promise that tomorrow they would go out to the best places in the city to buy new clothes and trinkets, once they had met with the decorator. Duke was then persuaded to take his sister to watch a movie that had just come out the week before. Usually the two siblings would not get to go out and watch a movie, only watching a movie when it played on the hotel's pay per view channels. And normally, they tended to attend more high culture events and enjoy hoi cuisine, as it helped them keep up appearances and select new marks. But, sometimes it was nice to let their feathers down and just enjoy things that other ducks their age enjoyed. To everyone else around them the two looked like any other brother and sister bonding over a terrible action movie and fast food.

The two got back to their house late and in good spirits. They could see that Madam Isa had cleaned what little mess they had already made. There was also a fridge full of groceries and a note attached to it, saying what times that Madam Isa would be in for the rest of the week. The older female then left instructions on how to contact her if they needed anything else, and where they could find the new cell phones that she had picked up for them. The housekeeper had even programmed all the numbers that they would need into the phones.

"Master Duiken really does think of everything. And he seemed to have hired someone who would be doing the same," Ellie said as she finished reading the note out loud while looking over the two black, top of the range cell phones as her brother was boiling the kettle for tea. Duke couldn't help but laugh at the statement. And he couldn't help but smile when his sister took her tea and walked out of the kitchen. The sound of a piano scale then reached him, causing the older duck to relax and enjoy his new surroundings before he retired to his bedroom, without his sister. He heard her stop playing and go into her own room. With any luck she would be able to spend the entire night in her own bed.

True to his word, Duke did take Ellie to the appointment with the interior decorator. The two left around mid-morning, after another wonderful breakfast made by Madam Isa. The housekeeper was so on top of everything that she knew about the appointment already and had ordered a town car to take the two into the Central City for the day. It seems that the Brotherhood also had a couple of drivers on hand for the use of their master thieves. Once they arrived at the beautiful office building right in the centre of the business district Duke didn't get to say another word. The interior designer and his younger sister took complete control, and had blue prints, swatches, catalogues and everything else out before he even took a seat. At first the decorator was a little taken aback that his new customer was a ten-year-old girl, but once he realised how much money she was going to spend he became very enthusiastic. The flamboyant drake called over for coffee to be served while he worked with his new client.

After the four hours spent with the interior designer Duke took Ellie to a little bistro for a late lunch. It was in the most upmarket shopping district of Central City, where all the designer boutiques, and upscale department stores were located. He had promised her a new wardrobe and he was going to deliver on that promise, before they had to get back to work. Although, after the four hours with the interior decorator and during his third hour walking around clothes, shoes, and accessories he was beginning to reconsider his promise. He had no idea that his sister could be such a girl.

Normally, Ellie would only replace something if she had grown out of it or if it had been ruined. And she would only go for sensible and reasonable items, as they couldn't carry much with them. But now that she had her own home, and her own walk in closet, it seemed that Ellie was determined to fill it in one day.

"Come on, Kiddo, how much longer is this going to take?" Duke asked as he was made to hand over his credit card for the seventh time that day. He felt so grateful that they had booked the town car for the entire day, or else he would have had to carry all of his sister's purchases himself.

"You promised me that we could replace that awful, childish wardrobe today. Are you really going to go back on another promise?" Ellie answered coolly, giving the cashier a curt smile as she looked at the two siblings communicating in a language that she didn't understand.

"Okay, Kiddo, where's next?" Duke asked with a sigh.

"Underwear and make-up," Ellie said with a smile.

"Oh no, no, no, no, I'm not going to go into a lingerie store with my baby sister. And there is no way I'm letting you wear make-up. Not until you're at least sixteen!" Duke said, suddenly going all paternal.

Since Ellie had never known her father, and since there was such a big age difference between the two siblings, Duke often felt that he was more Ellie's father than her brother. And it was moments like these that made him feel it even more. He knew that his sister was growing up, and would be a teenager soon. He knew that one day he would have to deal with bras, make-up, high heeled shoes, menstrual cycles, and, more worryingly, other drakes. That was his biggest fear as he knew his sister would grow up to be a beautiful duck, just like their mother. But that didn't mean that he was going to deal with any of it today.

"You agree with me, don't you?" Duke suddenly asked the bewildered shop assistant, "My baby sister is too young for make-up and I shouldn't have to go to a lingerie store with her?"

"You're too pretty to need any make-up, and if you want, Sir, my friend works in the lingerie department of Birdgorf. She could easily help your sister, and we could wait and get a coffee," The shop assistant said with a smile towards both Ellie and Duke. This caused Ellie to roll her eyes, of course her brother would get a girl during their shopping day. Everywhere they went ducks threw themselves at him, and it didn't help that he was such a flirt. It was the dark eyes and feathers, he looked rather exotic. It also helped that he could speak several other languages fluently. In the end she agreed though, as her brother had kept to his promise and it had been a long day.

When she had finally gotten her own credit card from Duke, and left the drake with the eager shop girl, Ellie went across to Birdgorf's to find the lingerie department. She didn't need any bras yet, and didn't really have any reason to go to the actual lingerie department, but the trip did make her feel more grown up. It was fairly easy to find the friend of the shop assistant, as she was expecting her. And she was very helpful, so Ellie left a rather large tip before wandering over to the cosmetic department with her purchases. And she really shouldn't have been surprised to find her brother waiting for her, after all, he knew her better than anyone else.

"What happened to the shop girl?" Ellie said as she looked over some eye shadow.

"Meeting her for a drink later," Duke said with a smile as he signalled for one of the older cosmetic ladies. The two then made a deal, Ellie could buy one palette of eye-shadow and no other cosmetics. This made the girl ecstatic, as she always wanted to own some cosmetics.

After shopping for a further two hours both of the siblings were beat and headed back to their house. Once there, the driver and Duke brought in all of Ellie's purchases while Madam Isa gushed over all the new, nice things that she had gotten that day. The older female then helped put all the purchases away, while telling the younger girl what colour eye-shadow and piece of jewellery she should wear with each item of clothing. Duke then surprised his sister further by handing her a box from a very expensive jewellery shop. He told her that she needed to accessorise her new clothes, and that they're mother's pearls wouldn't go with everything. He then handed over the receipt before she could ask for it, to prove that he had bought the items rather than stolen them. It had been a running joke between the two for years, and a gift was always followed by a receipt.

When everything was put away, and the two had had a light dinner, they both went upstairs to finally check out the private training area. It was wonderful and more than the two could have asked for. There were weights, uneven bars, targets, training circles, and a lot more. It was everything that they could have needed to stay at the peak of physical fitness and to help hone their skills further. The two wasted no time in donning some protective clothing and face masks to practice their fencing skills.

Over the next week the two siblings got into a routine that they were never able to get into before. They would wake early, go for a run or an early morning swim in the Brotherhood's private pool. By the time they arrived back, Madam Isa had arrived and prepared breakfast. After breakfast the interior designer would come by with a host of tradesmen and Ellie would take charge, while Duke escaped to his office to look over some paperwork that Master Duiken had sent over. Around lunchtime the older master would drop by to discuss things with Duke and Ellie, and join them for lunch. The afternoon was taken up with classes and meetings with tutors, while Madam Isa kept an eye on the tradesmen who were still working on the house. In the evening the two siblings would train together again after dinner. Ellie would then go down to the piano and practice while Duke read next to her, or he would head out for the night, secure in the knowledge that his sister was safe.

This routine didn't last long though, as the house was finished in five days, and Duke and Ellie had to finally be put to work. The two siblings had met all the master thieves that worked with the Brotherhood during their first day, but they had yet to meet any of the protégé thieves that were training at the moment. And, since Duke was going to take charge soon, he needed to meet who he would be commanding.

The meeting place was one of the newer training areas that had been set out to train the newer thieves. It was basically a warehouse building near the waterfront and away from the Brotherhood headquarters. It seemed that the protégé thieves were given room and board in an apartment building in this area rather than the gated community where Ellie's and Duke's house was located. Duiken had explained that these protégé thieves were not yet members of the Brotherhood and therefore could not be trusted with any of the secrets yet. If the council of Master thieves and the Guild Master decided they were good enough, these protégés would then be given room and board in the boarding house in the gated community of the Brotherhood. This was where all the younger thieves lived before they had earned one of the houses that belonged to the Brotherhood.

The siblings entered the warehouse and immediately started to take stock of their surroundings. The area was large and almost empty, except for a lot of security equipment. There were also five other ducks and one raptrin situated around a wall that was covered with computer screens. And each one of the assembled avians were so focused on the screens that they did not notice the entrance of the small group.

"Gentle-drakes," said Master Duiken with all the authority of the drake in charge of an international and exclusive crime syndicate, gaining the attention of all the assembled avians. There a general murmuring of a formal greeting to the aging master as well as a quiet hum of interest about the two younger ducks accompanying him.

"Now, I would like to introduce you all to Master Duke and Mistress Eleanor, both of whom are highly accomplished young master thieves." Ellie couldn't help the cringe that came with the title of Mistress, though she did keep her face as passive as possible. She was at least fifteen years younger than everyone else that was assembled, and showing weakness in front of these apprentice thieves would not help her cause.

"It has been decided by the Brotherhood that these two will be overseeing the jobs that the Brotherhood has picked for you to perform. And, I expect you all to give them your full attention and cooperation, for they will be reporting your progress to the other Masters. Now, I have other things to do, I expect you to give these two your undivided attention and respect," Master Duiken finished with absolute finality. He then gave a quick bow before exiting the building, leaving the L'Orange siblings to evaluate the assembled thieves.

It took maybe two or three beats after Master Duiken walked out the building before the explosion of speech happened. They were all the complaints that both Ellie and Duke had expected when Master Duiken had explained what they were going to be doing for the next few months. They were too young, too inexperienced, why should anyone have to take orders from them. Luckily, Duke had always been someone who could command the attention of the room when he wanted to. Ellie had so far never achieved this skill.

Within a few minutes Duke had managed to introduce himself and Ellie more fully, as well as get basic information from everyone. He also able to find out what each of the avians present seemed to specialise in. there was someone who understood security systems, one who focused more on explosives, two who were all-rounders', and one who was a driver.

"And what are your specialities, I mean, what makes you two, especially that duckling, equipped to command us?" The raptrin, Falcone, said. He was a tall raptrin, and a caramel brown and white colour, with an air of pretentiousness that was not earned. All this together made Ellie take an instant dislike to him.

"Well, I've been a thief for the last fifteen years, I believe that is your combined larceny experience. And Ellie here has been a training since she was three and active since she was seven. Together we have pulled more jobs than you'll ever pull in your life. We've gotten into places that you wouldn't even dream of attempting to rob. We've stolen some of the most precious loot on Puckworld. Just the two of us, so I suggest that you shut up and listen to what we have to say, or you'll staring at a judge as he hands you your sentence."

This once again caused silence amongst the assembled apprentice thieves. Especially under the penetrating glare of a hardened criminal, which is what Duke essentially was.

"Guys, can we dispense with the peeing contest, and get on with planning this job, please?" Ellie asked dryly, already sick of the nonsense that she was having to put up with. Thankfully, Duke, the driver and hacker, all agreed with her. And with that both Ellie and Duke launched into the target, and their general idea of how to get things done. They, of course, opened the floor to suggestions, which there were none of. They then gave everyone a specific job and told them that they would meet again in five days to go over what they had learned and what would be there next move.

After they had left the warehouse district Duke and Ellie headed back to their new home to change for the ballet that evening. It seemed that one of the targets was a great contributor to the Grand Mallarin Ballet, and so would be in attendance. It would be a great chance to get some first-hand intelligence on the older duck. But first, they had to have dinner.

It was the first meal they had shared together, and alone, since they had come to the brotherhood. Every other meal had included Master Duiken, sometimes with another Master in tow or Isa. But this time it was just the L'Orange siblings in their newly redecorated dining room. The food had been left on the table and in the hot box under the sideboard, with a note from Madam Isa that she would take that night off every week, after she had prepared their meal.

The meal was quite light, but very quiet, as both the occupants of the dining room had something else on their mind. Ellie was trying to digest her discomfort from the day's events, as well as going through in her mind everything that needed to be done. While Duke was also thinking about the heist, the people they had to work with, and how, when she was deep in thought, he could see the female that his baby sister would grow into. This thought made him a little uncomfortable and he began to see that maybe his baby sister did need more in her life than who they had been socialising with recently. And maybe he did too.

"You know, Kiddo, you did a really good job on this room," Duke said at last causing his sister to pause and look around at the light and airy room.

"Thank you," Ellie answered with a small smile before looking back down at the food she was merely pushing around her plate.

"So, what do you think of the new crew then?" Duke asked, trying to engage his sister in conversation and pull both of them out of their individual thoughts.

"Honest opinion?" Ellie asked putting down her fork and looking her brother in the eye. It really didn't matter if she did lie, he could always read her like an open book. Duke consented to allowing her to give her true opinion of those that they would be commanding, as he respected her insight. She was very good at seeing details and at evaluating the true character of a person. That was why she was the best.

"Jesh, the explosives guy, I would trust him. He seems very insightful and meticulous. The hacker and driver, they have potential, but one is constantly doubting himself whereas the other is over confident. But I think they are good at what they do, and will work well together. The other two, I have my doubts. The raptrin is cocky and egotistical, and won't take well to being told what to do. Kee, though, he strikes me as someone who will cut corners and do the very minimal. That could cause problems."

"You didn't like Falcone or Kee then?" Duke asked taking a sip of his wine.

"Not at all, I wouldn't trust them," Ellie answered plainly. She couldn't help but observe her brother as he digested this information. Hopefully, he'll take it to heart and she wouldn't have to work with either Kee or Falcone, they gave her a bad feeling.

"Well, enough of business, are you looking forward to the ballet tonight?" Duke asked after a few moments of silent contemplation.

"I know you are," Ellie answered with a smirk.

"What can I say, Kiddo, I love dancers. The way they move, the flexibility, the rhythm, the stamina…" Duke said with a shit eating grin, letting her know that he was no longer talking about dancing, but about the transferrable skills that Duke seemed to enjoy. Every time they went to see a dance show Ellie knew that she would be going home alone, as Duke had a habit of picking up one of the dancers and not being seen until the next afternoon.

"Hey, hey, hey, enough already. You do realise you're talking to your baby sister and not another guy, right? And could you please show a little bit more respect. These females work so hard to perfect their craft and you're just talking about them as if they are performing some soft core porn. Besides, how would you feel if you heard someone talking like that about me?"

"Well, I'd run them straight through, and make it so that no one could ever find their bodies, considering you are all of ten years old," Duke said very seriously.

"I don't mean about me now, I mean, when I'm older. How are you going to handle me dating, after all, it could happen in a few years," Ellie said matter-of-factly while taking a delicate sip of her wine. She watched as her brother seriously considered this thought.

"I would respect your decision, as a sensible, bright, and wonderful duck. Then I'd run through whatever male dared look at you that way. Unless, of course, they proved themselves to me. After all, I would only let the best thief in the world, other than me, take my baby sister from me," Duke finished with a caring smile. Though it was not returned.

"Why would you assume it would be another thief?" Ellie asked confused.

"Well, who else do you talk to other than thieves. And besides, who else would understand you but another thief? Come on, Kiddo, we better get going or we'll miss the curtain," Duke said, as he stood up and handed his sister her coat.

And, although Ellie was looking forward to the ballet before she sat down to dinner with her brother, now she was not so enthused. She could see her life stretching before her, and those thoughts weighed her down too much. Even the promise of an exceptional ballet could not lift her spirits. But, she kept that hidden from her brother, whose spirits were so high that she couldn't bear to bring him down too.

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