"So," Rae began, having come down from her giggly, headache-induced high. She was now walking with her hands in her pockets, her hair falling from behind her ear to curtain her bashful face.
"Why the hell was I running down the alley in front of you?" the young Thief Lord asked with a sly grin.
"Yup."
"What about you, Cara? Running like the devil was at your heels! It's not safe for a girl to wander alone when the sun's up, let alone in the middle of the night."
She sent him a stern look. "I was running from enemies. And my name is Rae. Or whatever. Not Cara. Call me what you want in private, but in company you better behave," she said sharply. "Capisci?"
"Whatever you say, Cara." She growled at his impertinent tone and stepped in front of him, hands on her hips. He crossed his arms and lifted his chin, glaring down at the short girl. "What?" he asked.
"Look,"—here she poked him in the sternum—"you are not going to call me that in public, or else I'll tell whoever can understand English that you keep flirting with me." This is so lame. Who cares about simply flirting nowadays except a self-conscious teenage whimp? Dork Lord is right... Oh, I can't say that to his face... Her lips twitched.
"Blackmail? Please." Scipio rolled his brown eyes and chuckled, pushing her slightly as he passed by. She examined her nails, otherwise unmoving, waiting. She knew he'd be back in a moment. Sure enough, he turned around a moment later, having seconds thoughts. "Fine. I'll stop completely if you don't tell."
She grinned and turned, skipping past him, tugging his ponytail teasingly. "Good boy."
The Thief Lord chuckled. "Now look who's flirting," he teased.
"I wasn't flirting!" she said, sharpish. She could feel her cheeks heating, and for a moment she floundered for some way to get out of the awkward situation. She "It bothers you, doesn't it? Pulling your ponytail, I mean."
He blinked. "Huh? How'd you know?" he asked stupidly.
"Kind of obvious, smart one. It bothers most people. Why not you?" She fingered her own ponytail absently, as if to say, 'Most people, including me.'
He seemed not to know what to say, but brushed the scene off quickly. "Whatever you say, Car—I mean…Rae."
She smiled. "Don't get into the habit of calling me Cara, or people will be suspicious even if I am silent."
He laughed freely. "Don't worry, they won't hear me."
For a few more minutes, they walked in companionable silence; the only sounds were the click of his boots (which added a good four inches to his already taller-than-average height) and Shasta's happy puddle-romp. The three finally stopped in front of a door that clearly said 'NO ENTRY'.
"Here we go," Scipio said. A rope hung from the top of the door, and he pulled it twice. A few seconds passed, then he pulled it again.
The door was flung open by a boy who Rae guessed to be Riccio—the spiked hair and rotten teeth gave it away. "Hey, Scip!" Riccio chirped, ignorant of the fact that his friend wasn't alone. "You're late again, you know."
"Sorry, Riccio," Scipio said. "I ran into someone. Meet Rae, and Shasta." The girl and dog stepped into the light. "Guys, meet Riccio."
"Welcome to the Star Palace," Riccio said gallantly, snatching her hand and blowing a kiss. "We're sponsored by the Thief Lord and we're just a big happy family of orphans and runaways. May I take your order?"
Rae smiled. "Cute," she remarked.
Thief Lord sighed and rolled his eyes. "Skip this, Riccio, let us in."
"Whatever," Riccio said cheerfully as he let them pass through the doorway. Just as he was closing it, he peered out to make sure no one was watching. When he was sure that the coast was clear, he shut the door with a snap and locked it. Then he caught up with Rae and Shasta. "The Thief Lord brings in every orphan and runaway he meets. He's given Bo two kittens already, you know! Soon we'll have all of the Merciful Sisters' kids here!"
Rae nodded absently, eyes firmly locked on the back of Scipio's imperious head. The smell of burnt pasta and grapes wafted in on the draft, and so followed the sound of rambunctious chatter. Scipio stopped abruptly, causing Rae to slam into his back. "You go ahead. Don't tell anyone about her yet. Understand?" Riccio nodded and skipped on ahead as if nothing had ever happened.
"You're really bony, you know that?" Rae moaned, rubbing her nose.
Scipio seemed in pain as well as he leaned gingerly against the wall, but he ignored her remark. "Alright. Rule number one: No one ever, ever follows me home." His voice was chillingly cold.
She nodded even though she was thinking, But I know where you live!
"And when we're in public—that means, anyone other than the guys in that room—call me Thief Lord."
"Sure thing."
"Lastly, but the most important; you cannot tell a living soul about this place, Capisci?"
"Approvazione."
He hesitated for a split second, then put a hand on her shoulder and looked her in the eye. "Don't tell anyone about the flirting, remember? That's our secret."
She looked up at him through demure lashes. "Of course I remember. What do you take me as?"
His grip on her shoulder tightened for a moment, sending another rush of chills through her body, and she was accutely aware of each of his fingers digging into her shirt, the heat of his palm warming her skin. He withdrew his hand, and all the feelings were gone just as surely as the light when one flipped a switch to Off."Time to meet the others," Scipio called, already walking down the hall.
Rae hurried after him and came out into a large hall; silence fell as soon as she appeared. Scipio raised his arms, gathering everyone's eyes to himself. "Everyone, this is Rae. Rae, meet Hornet, Mosca, Prosper, and last but definitely not least, Bo." Bo had just run up, and Scipio caught him in his arms and twirled him around. The six year old giggled and everyone else said their greetings. Rachel tried to look suave, but inside she was squirming with glee. She was meeting the characters that she had only dared dream about meeting.
"Do we have a spare mattress?" Scipio asked.
"As a matter of fact, we do," Hornet said. "You can have it, Rae."
"Thanks." The two girls beamed at each other.
"What about dinner?" Mosca asked. "Only enough for six."
"I'm fine, don't worry," Rae replied, feeling a bit nauseus. She hid that with a reassuring smile.
"Alright. You're missing out on the best pasta ever, though!"
Bo and Rae ignored Mosca and grinned at each other. "D'you know any stories?" The little boy asked.
Rae smiled. "I know a lot, I guess."
"Can you tell me some? Now?" His eager smile was heartwarming, but his brother cut in quickly with, "No. Eat dinner first, then play."
"But—"
"Bo!"
"Guys!"
The Thief Lord took advantage of Rae's occupied state and strolled to the head of the table, flopping down into the chair set aside for him. "Explore if you like," he said uninterestedly, waving a lazy hand. For a moment their gazes met and she clenched her jaw. He had said it like a command, and she didn't take kindly to the look in his arrogant eyes, either. Finally, she turned heel and stomped out of the room.
Though mad, she did explore. She found an empty box up where Box Five would be (judging from her mental reenactment of Phantom of the Opera) and decided to make it her own. Then, she folded up her coat and used it as a pillow. It was surprisingly warm in the small, closed-off room; her eyelids slid shut and her headache finally went away in time for her to plunge head-first into dreamland.
Scipio searched the entire upstairs for Rae, with no luck; he was about to give up, and a feeling of sadness swept through him. What if she didn't like it here, and left? he thought to himself. He felt as if the wind had been knocked out of him, and he leaned heavily against a door, letting his head fall back to bump against the wood. The door swung open, and he just barely caught it before it slammed or he fell on his face. He straightened up and looked around the room--and then he spotted her, curled into a small ball in a warm corner of the room. He crossed the room quickly and knelt beside her, touching her arm. His chest swelled as her face crumpled slightly in her sleep, and a soft sound reverberated through her chest.
Scipio brushed her hair away from his face and leaned down to whisper in her ear, shaking her shoulder. "Rae... Rachel... Wake up, Cara!"
He nearly jumped out of his skin as she sat bolt upright, exclaiming, "Forty-two! The answer is forty-two! I was listening, I swear!"
He burst out laughing and sat back on his haunches. "Wow, Melantha, did you fall asleep in school or something?"
She chose to ignore that statement, but the blush rising in her cheeks betrayed her. "So, Melantha is your name for me now?" she asked, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.
He shrugged. "I just want to be thorough. Anyway, I came to say goodbye, I'm leaving for the night." He held out a hand and they helped each other stand. "Thanks for not telling about the flirting," he added seriously.
"No problem," she said, yawning.
Again, he put a hand on her shoulder, dangerously close to the sensitive skin of her neck. She stiffened, holding her breath carefully. Nevertheless, his scent was already suddenly at the forefront of her thoughts. "Tell the others I'll be back tomorrow, and I might not have any loot," he said. She nodded. "I'll be back, Cara." As he turned, his fingers brushed the bottom corner of her jaw—it was unintentional, obviously, but Rae still felt as if she'd been struck by lightning.
When she finally managed to mumble a dazed, "Goodbye, Scipio," he was already gone.
"Kind of a long goodbye," Hornet commented as Rae came out of the stairwell and into the main auditorium.
"Your point?" Rae asked, sitting. "He wanted to clear a few things up and tell me to tell you that he'll be back tomorrow and might not have loot."
"Dang," Mosca muttered. "He hasn't been bringing any lately, and our money's low."
"Stop whining." Hornet yawned. "As for me, I'm going to turn in. Let's go get your mattress, Rae."
"But I just sat down!" Nevertheless, Rae stood and followed Hornet out.
"So," Hornet said hesitantly as the two girls struggled with the mattress in the stairwell. "What do you think of our Thief Lord?"
Rae thought for a moment and tugged the mattress as it snagged on the broken hinges of the door. "From what I've seen—not much, mind you—he's dark, mysterious, arrogant, and conceited."
Hornet didn't seem to know if she should grin or be in shock. "Wow," she managed. "Harsh."
"Yeah, well, I'm tired. Not in the best of moods, you know? Might be blowing it out of proportion." Rae shrugged and shoved the mattress in the corner. "My way to get in a better mood is to go steal some stuff. Want anything?"
Hornet blinked. "You. Steal?"
Rae nodded. "Yup. I could get you something, anything!"
The other girl hesitated and bit her lip. "I guess I'd like a nice hair ornament…"
"A pretty accessory to make Prosper notice you?"
"Hey!" Hornet turned bright red, but smiled sheepishly when Rae raised her eyebrows.
The new girl laughed and turned on her heel. "See you later, but don't stay up," she advised, and walked back into the stairwell.
Hornet shook her head and went into the hall to find a box where she could look down on the rest of the theater, where Prosper was lounging in a chair, listening to Bo, Riccio and Mosca chatting together. Her eyes became glazed as she fell into a daydream, but still she caught every single color of Prosper's hair where the lights hit it, the dusky color of his skin in the gentle glow, the way he smiled at Bo...
Unbidden, Hornet's hand went up to her hair. She blinked at herself, and then scowled and spun around.
"Oh, grow up!" she said to herself, but couldn't hold a straight face for long.