Hey guys, I'm back. Sorry for the delay. I'm kinda busy with school work. I know that is no excuse and I'm sorry for it.
Littlepinkling: thanks for reviewing! I'm glad you enjoy my work Hope you enjoy this one. :)
Leona2016: thanks for a faithful reader! I tried my best with Dís. Also, the next chapter will also be about Nori with Ori. It's own of your prompts; you know what I mean. I'll try to make it good.
Also, thanks for reading, favoriting (?), following, and alerting this story, everyone. It makes me so happy!Enjoy the story!
Disclaimer: I do not own the Hobbit, I'm just borrowing the characters for a bit.
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I.
Nori was a liar and a thief and he didn't care one bit. Not at all. If it helped to put food on the table for his brothers, he would gladly risk the guards and the idea of jail.
(He was rather proud of his audacity to steal a few coins from some people who had it easy and never worked a day for it.)
He first started when he was 47, a rather young age to start his line of profession. The star-haired Dwarf stole a small pouch of coins. Something small so that he won't get into much trouble if he was caught. Nori felt good. Really good.
(The git didn't need that small pouch. He had more than enough to spare. Nori checked. He was actually tempted to swipe a few more but he really didn't want to push his less-than-fortunate luck.)
He lied to Dori when he asked about the coins later that evening. He rather that his older brother never find out. Dori eventually stopped pushing and accepted the coins.
(Nori felt a twinge of regret when he noticed the weaver giving him odd looks throughout dinner. Maybe next time he goes through with his stunts, he'll just leave it on his big brothers desk. That was probably for the best.)
II.
"An' where are ya goin', thief?" Dwalin, Head of the City Guards, barked from behind the redhead. "Gonna steal 'nother purse?"
"I am going home, guard dog," Nori lied. "Jealous yeh can't? Got a lover waitin' for yeh? A master, perhaps? Yeh got a bone ta chew back at home?"
The burly guard snorted. "As if that's any of yer business. However, ah go' a bone ta pick wi' ya," he eyed the russet-haired thief. "Now off wi' ya 'fore I –"
"–cut off me head, I know," the thief rolled his green eyes. He wasnt really concerned with Dwalin. The oaf couldn't catch or detain him, not without a good reason anyway. And he didn't have any.
(Nori couldn't help it think of all the times Dwalin chased him or all the near captures or all the times he was caught.)
Still, when he hurried off, he didn't look backwards at the guard with such a ridiculous Mohawk as he took the left instead of the right turn that lead to his house he shared with his brothers.
(He heard from a source that his target would be at the local pub at the other side of town getting wasted. That would be the perfect opportunity to snatch a few money bags.)
III.
"Are you seriously joining this suicide quest, Nori?!" the weaver demanded as he watched his younger brother pack.
The thief scoffed, "As if, ya motherhen. I dun' wanna die."
After staring at each other for a few minutes (Nori couldn't help but fidget under the scrutinizing glare the weaver gave him; it was a reaction he never gotten rid of), Dori sighed. "I better pack. Ori'll want to go and I'll have to watch over the both of you."
Nori didn't ask how he knew he lied.
(Did the russet-haired dwarf have a nervous tic or something? If he did, he needed to get rid of it, or at least make it less noticeable. It wouldn't do for a master thief to be unable to lie and get away with stealing.)
IV.
When the Company stared at him after the elven chalice clanged to the floor, he shrugged, like he had no care in the world despite the imminent danger.
(He didn't mention that he was sweating like a pig in a hot midsummer's day or like a child that was caught stealing from the cookie jar despite the fact they were in the bowels of the cool mountain range.)
"I didn't nick it," he lied, licking his lips and shaking his head.
No one, not even the dumb goblins, believed him. Chaos erupted briefly as the goblins shrieked in their ears, echoing in the halls (if you could call it that) of the mountain, and tore into their clothes, the Goblin King screaming that they were elf friends (ha! As if any sane dwarf would be a friend of the weed-eaters!).
(Why was no one believing him nowadays? He was the Company's expert liar and thief; he should easily get away with it.)
V.
"Nori! Where is the Burglar?" Thorin growled as the Dwarf King finally separated himself from the treasury. Nori glanced up from his bent posture before going back to focusing on his knife, picking at his nails.
The thief shrugged, red hair glinting in the lamplight. "No idea, Thorin. Last ah saw him, he was wi' Bofur."
Nori didn't glance at the barrel his fellow thief hid behind. Bilbo gave him a thankful grin from the corner of his eye.
(At least he was getting his touch back again. Thorin didn't look that suspicious as he stalked away.)
(Nori didn't care what Bilbo was going to do unless it affected him or his brothers. Whatever he did was up to him and Nori won't stop the Burglar. Perhaps Bilbo was going to do something about the Company and snap them out of whatever was in them.)
+1
"So, you're leaving," Dori said dryly. The silver-haired brother watched the more reckless of the Ri brothers with a sharp eye. "Again."
The redhead shouldered his pack more securely. "Yup, ah'll be visitin', Dori. Dun' worry 'bout me."
"That's not helping, you know."
"Motherhen."
"You won't be stealing again, will you, Nori?" there was a warning tone in Dori's voice as the weaver narrowed his eyes at his thief of a brother.
"Why would I?" Nori rolled his eyes. He continued when Dori kept glaring. "Fine. Ah won't."
He wasn't lying this time. He had his money from the quest. He didn't have to steal anything for the rest of his life.
(And if he was being honest, he couldn't stand to be anywhere near the treasury where he spent most of his time with the Company looking for that blasted Arkenstone, much less Erebor and it's surrounding lands where so many had lost their lives. He just needed time to get over the memories that assaulted him on a daily basis.)
(Dori and Ori could take care of themselves without him. They had to when he disappeared for months. They could do it again while he recollected himself from the broken bonds he had with the deceased Durins.)
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Shadow: You really need to work on your lying skills, Nori.
Nori: *snorts* Yer one ta talk, Shadow. Yeh stutter and smile when yeh lie! Yer not supposed ta smile.
Shadow: Well, it's not my fault I can't control my face. It tends to do that, as you very well know.
Nori: Ah've noticed. Shouldn't yeh be sleeping now?
Shadow: I think you're right. I better head to bed before I wake up late for school tomorrow. Good night!