Well folks, I had a spark of inspiration. I would tell you that I'm going to try to finish this fic, but my track record with updating schedules is… bad. Anyway, I've had a few ideas and we'll see if I can actually do this.

I hope you're having a great day tho, and if not, maybe this makes it a tinge better!

Sage followed Toss into a dark hallway of the old brick Drylliad house.

"The Yellow Cuts? That what you call yourselves?" He asked, stepping over a thin rope set like a trip wire on the ground.

Toss shrugged and turned the corner. "It's what everyone whose anyone calls us."

So he had an ego, Sage deciphered. These Yellow Cuts meant something to him.

As Sage trailed Toss around the corner and into new light, his eyebrows shot up on his forehead.

The Yellow Cut headquarters were something to behold.

They appeared to be standing on a balcony, overlooking a circle of remains of abandoned prison cells, which had been set up like small bedrooms for the Cuts. In the center of the floor, was a ramshackle sort of family room, complete with a patchwork sofa, a clearly stolen dining table, and a currently empty firepit. Lining the walls of the balcony were cloaks and ropes, not to mention weapons of every sort, some likely taken from Roden's military's own armory, with others made of wood or cobblestone. A pole took off from the far side of the wraparound balcony, the only way to the ground floor.

The place appeared to be empty however, despite it's strangely grand design.

"Rollo!" Toss shouted, "Where the hell is dinner?"

Sage chuckled. "I don't think anyone's home, bud."

But Toss just smirked at that. "Rollo! I'm gonna murder you, you little son of a-"

"Angel?" A curly-haired boy not much older than Fink popped out from behind the sofa, holding a bag of potatoes and a loaf of bread. "I got dinner, don't worry."

Toss cocked an eyebrow and began marching toward the other end of the balcony, toward the pole to the floor, and Sage trekked off of him. "Then why the heck is it not being set and prepared?"

"Ben and Ken ain't back from theys mission yet, and I suck at kitchen stuff," Rollo explained, placing the food on the table.

Toss sighed. "Whatever. And I guess Viv or Payton haven't checked in yet?"

"Nah," Rollo said as Toss motioned for Sage to follow him down the pole. Sage tracked the names they'd mentioned, counting the number of kids in the gang so far.

Toss, Rollo, Ben, Ken, Viv, and Payton.

Sage wrapped his hand around the iron pole and prayed he was still as agile as he used to be in war times. Awkwardly sliding down the pole, he touched down the ground floor with a light thud that sent dust fluttering up around him.

And for the first time, Rollo noticed Toss's new shadow. "Who're you?"

"I'm Sage," He stepped forward, not letting Toss introduce him first. If there was one thing Sage knew about thief life, it was that the only way anyone would care about you was if they remembered you. "I'm a pickpocket."

Toss turned around and glanced at him, quizzically. "Sure, bud." And then he returned to Rollo. "He'll be a good baseman."

"But I'm the baseman!" Rollo declared, heat growing on his freckled cheeks.

Toss cocked an eyebrow, waiting for him it to click in his head.

After a moment, Rollo's heat became excitement. "Wait, really? I'm being promoted? To what?"

"Well, you're going to train Sage first." Toss informed him, dropping down on the sofa. "And then I thought you could shadow me, see how the jobs really done. I need a good distractor anyway, with this next job coming up."

What next job? What was a baseman? And how the hell was a kid gang so intricate? Then again, at Rollo's age, Sage had already developed an elaborate scheme of stealing to survive. This was all that really was for them, right? Survival?

A banging sounded throughout the old building and Rollo dived under the dining table, leaving Sage to peer into what was happening. From what he could see, a trap door lay underneath the table that Rollo unlocked with surprising speed.

Seconds later, two identical dark-skinned teenage boys crawled out of the flooring, dragging a bag that clanged and clacked every time it shifted slightly, implying to Sage they were carrying weapons. Likely, heavy ones.

Rollo slipped out on the ground floor and the two boys followed him, closing the trap door behind them. The only distinguishable difference between the two teenagers was a long scar that ran across one of theirs face. Otherwise, they looked like cloned fifteen-or-sixteen year olds.

Toss nodded at the boys. "Anyone we should be worried about?"

"Nah," The one without the scar shrugged. And then he noticed Sage. "Who's this?"

Before Sage could interfere and attempt to impress the pair with a sarcastic comment, Toss filled in. "Sage. Our new baseman."

"Nice," The one without the scar extended a hand, a light smile riding upon his mouth. "I'm Ben and this is my brother, Ken."

Sage was worried his handshake might be too firm for the boy, but Ben showed surprising strength as he greeted Sage, his fingers tightening around Sage's in a hard pulse.

On the other hand, Ken paid Sage no mind, instead dropping off his sack of weapons inside one of the prison cells made up as a bedroom.

"Hey boys," An authoritative, female voice rang out from above them. "We're home."
Sage looked up and tried not to appear too surprised. Two young women stood on the balcony, each dressed up as if they were noblewomen, complete with jewels dripping on their necks and long velvet gowns that Sage figured Amarinda would like. Though they both appeared sure of themselves and happy to be in a thieve gang house, one, in particular, struck Sage. The taller one had long mahogany-colored hair and she wore a smile of mischief yet humbleness as well.

Toss rolled his eyes. "Come on down, dinner'll be ready in a few minutes."

As the two girls walked to the pole end of the balcony, they shed their rich clothing. Their jewels came off and were dropped from above to their respective prison cells and they peeled off their dresses, revealing pants and loose shirts underneath.

The tall girl took to the pole first, sliding down with a graceful ease Sage could only dream of. She nodded at him when she touched down. "Hey. I'm Payton." She gestured the second girl heading down the pole. "That's Viv. You must be the new recruit we're in desperate need of."

"I'm Sage," He flashed one of his signature trickery grins.

Payton folded up her dress and smiled at him as if she knew something he didn't. "So what do you? Steal? Spy? Attend the laundry?"

Judging by the way Rollo took the girls clothing and carefully stored it away underneath the sofa, that's exactly what Toss intended for Sage to do.

But Sage rarely did what was intended of him.

He held up a scrawled map and a fading silver necklace, which seconds ago had been in Payton's pocket. "I'm a pickpocket."

Payton's eyes grew wide, impressed before she regained her composure. "Good. We need one of those. No one we've had since Cregan has ever been any good."

Cregan?