It was a little bit after breakfast three weeks into his life as a Toppat when he heard a familiar, Jersey voice call his name. "Hey, Henry. I would like a word with you."

Henry turned around and found himself standing before Chief Terrence Suave. Henry started and said, "U-uh! Hello!"

Chief Terrence smiled. "Don't be nervous little guy! I don't bite, I swear! Come on, let's go sit down, get to know each other!"

"Okay." Henry followed the chief through the hallways. He never really talked to the man, though he knew Dad Reginald was his second-in-command. Despite being Chief, he didn't walk like Dad Reginald did. He was looser and relaxed, his hands in the pockets of his black suit pants with his unbuttoned jacket pulled back by the action. His shoes, shiny and black but studded with little blue gems, glinted in the light as he walked. Henry almost felt as if he was walking with just another crew member. Well, he supposed that was fine, but at the same time, he was supposed to command respect. It was great being friends, but Dad Reginald always said that to be a good leader, you needed loyalty and love from and for your crew, sure, but your crew also needed to see you as a definite superior.

Henry's thoughts were interrupted as Chief Terrence opened the door to the bridge. He sat down at the pilot's seat and gestured to a chair nearby for Henry to take. As Chief Terrence checked the panel and pressed a few buttons, he said, "So, you've been here for a few weeks. I just want to get to know you. I've been hearing some very good things from the crew–even aside from Reginald! Which, I expected to hear praise from him, it's a given."

Despite knowing that was probably supposed to be a comment acknowledging Dad Reginald's parental relationship with Henry, it rubbed him the wrong way a little. Henry gained Dad Reginald's and Uncle Right's respect through hard work and skill, not just because Dad Reginald adopted Henry. In fact, they chose Henry because of his skills and budding talent. But, whatever. Chief Terrence was being nice. "Thanks," Henry responded.

Chief Terrence chuckled. "Aw, you're a little quiet. That's okay, though! How do you like it here, little guy?"

"Great," Henry admitted, a little excitement trickling into his voice. "I'm learning a lot!"

"Oh? What are you currently mastering?" Chief Terrence fiddled with the controls a little, but otherwise kept his attention on Henry.

"Pick-pocketing and shooting."

"Ah, yes, I can see that. Right is teaching you marksmanship, then? I see your hair is much different. Matilda's doing? Yeah, she's pretty good at that. We've only had Howie here for two years, and he's not that quick a learner, but I like the champ. Oh!" He sat up straight, as he had previously been slouching, which was really bad for his posture. "Do you want to know a thing or two about piloting an airship?"

"Sure!"

"Come here." He gestured for Henry to come closer. So, Henry got to his feet and stood by his side. "Now, see this screen here? It's searching for objects like helicopters, missiles, and waterfowl. Anything that can mess us up. This screen over here shows us anything of interest on the land below, like government vehicles or SAM turrets. Most of the time, we're able to spot these things before they actually get close enough to be an active threat, but sometimes we gotta employ some evasive maneuvers!" Chief Terrence winked and chuckled.

The chief gave Henry a brief, shallow explanation of the panel, all the buttons associated, and the yolk. What a weird name for a driving stick. Though, "driving stick" was probably an even weirder name.

Their conversation wove between the airship and piloting it, to the skills Henry was obtaining and mastering. Chief Terrence had been a petty criminal when he was in his teen years before joining the Clan. He wasn't the greatest shot, Chief Terrence himself would be the first to admit this, or the best thief, but he was good with people. The previous chief liked him, and so when he went missing, Chief Terrence took over.

"Reginald was just… the obvious choice as a second," Chief Terrence admitted. "People respect him, he's good at plans, and obviously has a smart head on his shoulders for people and new recruits, huh? Hey, maybe one day you'll be up there with him and Carol and Darius and all the other executives. We're all friends here, but someone's gotta be in charge, right?" He chuckled to himself. "Anyway, it was really nice talking to you, Henry."

"Thanks," responded Henry, a rather genuine, if small, smile on his lips. "You, too."

"That's what I like to hear! Now, I've gotta go back to piloting, alright?"

"Bye!"

"Goodbye!"

Henry pulled the chair back to its original place and left the bridge. Chief Terrence… was kind of a nice guy. A little relaxed around things he probably shouldn't be relaxed around, but nice.

Henry admired his bedazzled mirror-brush again. He just washed his hair, so it was a little shiny and still damp. He sometimes used the brush, but mostly liked using his fingers. Matilda told him that people shed a lot of hair, and tangles sometimes happened because hair that fell out wasn't properly brushed out and it knotted with hair still attached to his head.

As much as he loved this mirror-brush, he could do more. He had the pearl bracelet, Gameboy, and now a necklace and a handful of rings as well as a few hairclips. He'd picked up most of the small items from the ground or on tables when they caught his eye. So, most of the stuff he pickpocketed was money or the occasional wallet. He did find some faux gems, once. He got to keep them because they were "worthless." What was worthless about those diamonds? They shined in the light, though they were admittedly a little cloudy and translucent. But Henry liked them.

He heard footsteps approach the door. Instantly, the mirror-brush was in his backpack and his backpack was under his bed.

Howie stepped inside, a bag over his shoulder. "Howdy, Henry! Hey, Ah've been meaning to ask… what's with the bag?"

"Bag?" Henry parroted.

"Yeah, that backpack ya keep hidin'. Are ya afraid Ah'm gonna steal it or somethin'? 'Cause Ah won't, Ah promise. On ma honor, Ah'd never steal from a fellow Toppat," Howie vowed.

Henry shook his head. "No."

Howie shrugged and hung up his hat. "Alright, little buddy. Ah won't press. Just curious is all. Yer side of the room is kinda bare, but that's okay. Ta each their own." He set down his bag and walked into their shared bathroom.

Henry watched him go and then looked around the room. Indeed, Henry's side was bare. Howie pulled up posters and pictures and hung some items of sentimental value, like artifacts from the scene of a crime, or a nice scarf a girlfriend gave him. Though, from what Henry knew, this was probably an ex-girlfriend. Howie even had a horse-themed throw blanket and matching pillowcase. Henry's blanket and pillowcase were a plain baby blue.

Henry was tempted to bring out his backpack but stopped himself. There were plenty of things he could hang up as decoration. In fact, he still had his first target practice sheet. There were places where he could attach a few hooks and hang some of the stuff he pilfered. But… he didn't. Despite having a bed to himself and half a bedroom, he still refused to put up decorations. Rationally, he knew Howie wouldn't take any of his things, especially since they lived together. Where would he take them? To get sold and then for Henry to find out and there to be some sort of trouble? Nah, Howie was a very firm believer in "honor among thieves" and quite liked Henry. The only other people that would be in this room would be Dad Reginald or Uncle Right, and that's if they were summoning Henry. Howie wasn't in their room enough to have someone look for him there. So, why didn't Henry put up his things so he could look at them all the time rather than when he sneaked them out when no one was around?

Well, if Henry knew the answer to that he would have a solution by now.

Anyway, Henry should be getting ready for some shooting practice. Uncle Right promised to take him out today, and he didn't want to be late.

"Uncle Right?" Henry asked as he loaded the BB gun.

"Yeah?"

"Am I going to go to school?"

"Of course." The answer was instantaneous, as if he had been expecting the question. "Reg and I decided going to a public school would be best. You and I will still practice on the weekends, and you will come back each day to practice and use your skills."

Henry put the gun on safety and set his finger on the trigger guard. "Why?"

"You need to get an education."

"But, can't I learn here?"

"Continue. We will be 'ere to 'elp you, as you'll 'elp us. But Reg thought public school would be best. 'E said it's the best way to socialize you."

Pop! Henry watched as a can jumped from the wooden square it had been set upon. He cocked the gun again. "But you didn't say that."

"Nope."

"Why?"

"Public school won't teach you the skills you need. But I supposed Reg is right about 'ow it will socialize you."

Pop! A box splintered and wobbled from its perch. Henry cocked the gun. "Okay. Do you think I'll make friends there?"

"…maybe," Uncle Right conceded. "But remember: you won't be making many life-long friends in primary school. Stop."

Henry lowered his gun and activated the safety and set his finger on the trigger guard. He turned completely to Uncle Right. "Yeah?"

"This is important, so pay attention. No matter what, do not let anyone know you're a Toppat." Uncle Right's tone took a very serious turn. Normally, Uncle Right was serious. In fact, there were very few times where his mood seemed to be lifted even a little. But this look that he was giving Henry was a new brand that he didn't recognize from anyone–not even Dad Reginald when Henry messed up that pick-pocketing trick on the man who everyone then accused of attempted kidnapping and got the police involved. "You are a Toppat; you were brought into our ranks and you 'ave served us well with loyalty and skill and determination. But the Toppats are a clan of thieves, and if anyone finds out you're one, you won't go to any school without scrutiny–if they'll let you in at all. You won't be making the right friends and you will put us in danger. Understand?"

"Yes, Uncle Right."

"Good." He relaxed a little. "Continue. You start school in August and end in May."

Two more months of summer vacation. Huh. This was summer vacation. Well, it was fun, if grueling at times.

Here Reginald thought it was going to be easy. It would be just another plan to invest in the clan, something everyone would contribute to.

But, as Reginald waited slightly-less-than-patiently near the Bridge, he realized that not everything was this simple. Sure, infiltrating a prison to let out some captured Toppats or breaking into a vault wasn't simple, per say, or even easy, but it was something Reginald knew. He was used to making and enacting these plans–though a lot of his ideas were frustratingly shot down by Chief Terrance who thought they were "boring"–and so he took this certainty for granted. So, when Terrance's rambling inadvertently mixed with Reginald's consideration of Howie's actions earlier that day, the brilliant idea of adopting another crewmember came to mind. It really was a sharp idea if he said so himself. Who would hate the system more than parentless children ruled by it, after all? But Reginald very well knew he was not a father. In fact, he was not a big fan of children, and he didn't even have a romantic partner, but his idea had been brilliant, and the plan was to raise the kid as a community; to learn skills from everyone and be raised with the mindset and heart of a Toppat. Old enough to not require constant attention, young enough to grasp concepts and form emotional attachment quickly.

Now, Reginald knew that Henry was doing exactly this. In fact, right now, Right Hand Man was outside in some remote shooting range teaching Henry how to shoot. Just yesterday Henry spent a few hours with Matilda learning how to make and utilize a disguise, though he caught the boy simply following her like a duckling for a while. Howie was living in the same room as Henry and would be until he was at least eighteen; old enough to go on missions. Neither of the boys seemed put out by the fact, and Reginald often caught the two talking and doing chores together.

But now, as Reginald waited by the Bridge, he found that not all plans became a reality in a way he expected. He hadn't lied when he said he enjoyed teaching Henry; the boy was a quick and very focused learner. He wasn't well mannered at first, more a show of how he was raised than who he was, but that just made it all the more, well, interesting. But when Henry had woken from a nightmare, he left his room and went straight to Reginald for comfort and protection. Reginald knew Howie would have gladly helped Henry, and Henry had also taken a liking to Matilda who seemed more than able to calm him down. Henry and Right Hand Man went out to shooting practice every other day; they probably interacted more than Henry and Reginald. But, no. Henry's first response was to go to Reginald. To trust Reginald.

Oldmin spotted him from down the storage unit and approached him, a box under one arm. "Hey, uh, Reginald? Yeah, the bookstore, uh, had this for you."

"Thank you, Oldmin," Reginald said as he took the box. His crewmember walked past him into the bridge. Oldmin was never one for lengthy conversations and, being one who was good and reliable with gathering supplies, he was the go-to man when it came to shopping. In fact, their fellow crewmembers had made a habit of asking Oldmin when he was next going out and asking for a favor. Oldmin almost never asked questions nor did he turn down an offer, whether he got anything out of it or not. The only two conditions were that it not be used against the Toppat clan, and that they order it ahead of time. If unable to pay it ahead of time, then give him the cash required. Maybe he just liked walking through the town or going into shops?

Regardless, Reginald found himself walking through the storage area, the deceptively weighty cardboard box under his arm as he went. He got to his room quickly enough and turned on a light. A desk at the end of the room opposite his bed sat comfortably in the corner, a reading light sitting on the corner hunched over like a haggard buzzard, a short stack of papers to one side with a mesh cup-shaped holder heavy with office supplies next to it. Reginald had a tablet that contained everything he'd ever need; all the files, papers, receipts, everything. But quite a few of the things he kept were originals in folders in the drawers under his desk.

Reginald sat down and pulled one of the half dozen books he had ordered from its package. Most of it was plain orange with simple lettering that switched between dark at the top and light in the center and dark blue on the bottom. A few photographs cut and pasted next to each other like a film roll fit snugly between the first and second part of the title. There was nothing like reading to learn something, right? Well, there was advice from people with firsthand experience. There were plenty of people in the Toppat Clan with such experience. Some who were even learning as well.

But Reginald was, uh, too busy to ask them, and they likewise. So, while he had some time open in his day, he opened the book and glanced at the descriptor. "This parenting book shows you how to raise self-confident, motivated children who are ready for the real world. Learn how to parent effectively while teaching your children responsibility and growing their character. Establish healthy control through easy-to-implement steps without anger, threats, nagging, or power struggles. Indexed for easy reference."

Slowly, Henry's backpack filled with more and more items until there was little room left. The months had been kind to Henry, and he only slipped up a few times. Matilda's training in disguise and Howie's teachings of manipulation came in handy during this mess ups. If worse came to worse, Dad Reginald and Uncle Right were there to help. But they rarely helped. If Henry was to learn from his mistakes, he would need to pull himself out of them first, after all. Still, it was nice to know there were people who had his back. And, of course, it was nice to know people trusted him enough to know he had their backs, too.

Thomas Chestershire and Geoffry Plumb, two men who didn't often cross paths with Henry, quickly became great pals. Chestershire held an air of noble class, but somehow wasn't snobbish about it. He always wore a suit and two monocles for twice the class. He mostly stayed in the bridge with Oldmin reviewing paperwork and working with numbers and the ship. However, on a few occasions where Henry needed to go out, but Dad Reginald and Uncle Right were incredibly busy, one of them took him out.

Chestershire was giddy when it came to helping Henry refine his technique. Impressed with Henry's abilities at such a young age, he dropped hints at possibly learning how to go through some of the heists older members went through. These heists were incredibly dangerous and thus an eleven-year-old was not to even touch the plans with a six-foot-pole, but a little training never hurt. Well, it didn't hurt him, but Chestershire certainly got chewed out by Dad Reginald who knew Henry would use this newfound knowledge to conduct a heist of his own or sneak onto one. Henry promised not to sneak into anything or do anything stupid until he was old enough to do so, which thankfully let Chestershire off the hook… with a little more convincing from Henry and a warning not to do it again from Dad Reginald.

Geoffrey didn't work in the bridge, but he was seen with Chestershire more often than Henry would expect. Geoffrey was often the first to investigate a disturbance on the ship, and almost always had a good idea on how to deal with it. He was good at coming up with plans, and eager to do so. Henry found that he liked following Geoffrey around, watching him deal with various disturbances in technology or even scraps between Toppats who simply couldn't get along for one reason or another. Of course, most of these "scraps" weren't physical, but loud. If they did get physical, Geoffrey would call for reinforcements and the offending parties would get sent off somewhere far away from each other, first and foremost, and then dealt with. Those ones were scary, and Henry found he did not like breaking up fights. Watching Geoffrey do it was fine; he never panicked over it and knew how to handle the situation, between whoever it was. He also taught Henry about the different alarm systems, but not how to disarm them as that was Geoffrey's job, not a kid's. Of course, Henry managed to weasel a little bit out of him and soon enough the man was showing Henry exactly what he had to do to disarm and rearm an alarm.