Buonasera, everybody! I hope this chapter can inspire your fingers to write some reviews!!! Only joking ya...you reading is good enough for me! I tried making this chapter long, but I'm afriad it came a little...short of long. Ah, well...what else can a muse-starved girl do?
Enjoy!
"And whatever you do, don't touch anything—he's got eyes like a hawk and there's a peephole in this portrait that he watches his customers through. And don't look at anything like you want it—and trust me, you'll want none of his garbage—but he's got a way of making people want to buy something they don't need. He could sell ice to an Eskimo, if he really wanted to."
Prosper explained the great inter workings of Signor Barbarossa's shop to Rae as they trekked across Piazza San Marco, toward the shop where the loot of the Thief Lord was turned to money—the window in the front was painted in ornate letters: ERNESTO BARBAROSSA—RECORDI DI VENEZIA.
Rae was tempted to say, "I know, Prop," but she thought better of it. How would she be able to explain that she had come from an alternate dimension where her new friends were characters from a book? She had hardly been able to sleep the night before; her mind had been whirling too much. How had it happened? Why did it happen? Did she need something here, in this particular Venice? Was she here to prevent something, or make sure that something happened?
Too many questions, and not enough answers. She had come to the decision that she wouldn't press the matter too hard—what did it matter if she strayed for a little while in this Venice? She flashed Prosper a smile, who grinned back and wiped his face with his hand, a habit she noticed that he had.
It wasn't like there was someone waiting back home for her—her mother had died from liver disease due to alcohol and her father had left them when she was five. She had inherited some of her mother's beauty, although she didn't "enhance" it the way her mother had.
"Remember what I said," Prosper whispered as they pushed open the door, causing dozens of little bells to jingle over their heads. (To which, Rae mentally snorted, seeing as she had been too preoccupied in her own thoughts to listen.) Inside, a small handful of tourists milled about. They touched sturdy statues with nervous fingers, as if the metal would shatter like glass.
Barbarossa appeared from behind a beaded curtain and—with surprising speed for such a heavy man—scurried past them towards them, whispering beneath his breath, "Wait in my office; don't touch anything, capisci?" His eyes lingered over Rae for a moment, studying the new face, before he began circling around the tourists, purring like a fat tomcat waiting for someone to pour it a bowl of milk.
Prosper nodded curtly and quickly dragged Rae behind the curtain into the smaller room that branched off from the main part of the store. Prosper sat down in one of the seats, but Rae simply leaned against wall, observing with a curious eye.
"Well then!" Barbarossa's loud voice caused the two of them to jump in surprise. The redbeard rubbed his hands together and sat down, his fat legs hitting the edge of the desk. "What have you today, hmmm? Glass jewels? Fake silver and gold?"
Prosper's face went stony and Rae tried hard not to laugh, attempting to keep her own poker face on. Prosper emptied the sack they had carried onto the desk, the ring of clinking metal echoing through the air. Barbarossa's eyes widened for a fraction of a second, but is was obvious enough that Rae knew that they were getting out of here with a lot of lire stuffed into their pockets.
Before Barbarossa even touched any of the loot, he raised an eyebrow at Rae, who froze like a hunted animal who heard the cocking of a gun. "And who are you?" Barbarossa barked. Rae crossed her arms and hooded her eyes coolly at Barbarossa.
"Rae," she said in a rather cold voice, her dark eyes impassable. Prosper winced at her tone and waited for Barbarossa to start yelling about the respect of elders, but instead he just harrumphed.
"Are you another little messenger that's going to break my items?"
Prosper bristled. "I told you before, Bo didn't—"
"Silencio. I know he broke it, you little urchin, and I'll have to deduct money for it."
"I'm the Thief Lord's partner," Rae interrupted. Once the words were out of her mouth, she saw both the redbeard's and Prosper's eyebrows shoot up, and she mentally kicked herself in the head.
"Really?" Barbarossa drawled. He looked Rae up and down again (why does everyone keep doing that? Rae thought sourly) before he shook his head. "Quite young to be a complice, a partner in crime, don't you think?"
"Yet I'm old enough to be only a messenger?" Rae countered, her eyes flashing. "He has sent me especially to watch over his loot. This was a good steal, and he wants a fair price."
Barbarossa looked as though he was going to say something snappish in reply, but Rae touched the handle of her whip—not enough to really threaten him, just enough to let him know that she was serious.
Barbarossa harrumphed again and began picking through the items; the brass spyglass, the small gold and silver gondola, a few intricate pink-gold spoons with flowers on them, and a medallion with a silver snake with two emerald eyes and a thin ruby tongue. His fat fingers traced over everything, inspecting from every angle—picking them, setting them down, then picking them up again.
While he looked over the small treasures, Prosper cast Rae a glance and mouthed the words, Partner?
I had to say something at least,Rae mouthed back, and Barbarossa's loud cough caused them both to jump again.
"Would you like me to tell you my best offer, or would you like to start with yours?" Barbarossa asked, lacing his sausage fingers together. Rae was surprised that was humanly possible with them being so thick.
"Give us your best offer." Prosper said evenly, although Rae could tell by the way he shifted in his seat that he was uncomfortable and nervous.
"I'll give you four hundred for the lot. Most of it isn't so valuable—the spoons and the spyglass are the most interesting."
"We want fourteen hundred for it all," Prosper said, "that or nothing."
Barbarossa looked like a tea kettle that was ready to start steaming. "Outrageous!" he shrilled, his pupils rowing quite small. "I offer you more than what I should, and you make absurd requests! Tell the Thief Lord to send me more mannered messengers, or my business days with him are over!"
Prosper blinked at Barbarossa, his stoic façade never faltering. "Fine then," he said simply, and very slowly he began to stuff the loot back into the sack. He added the medallion and the spoons last. Rae played along, standing up from her relaxed position as if they were going to leave.
Barbarossa sighed in defeat, slumping back into his armchair. "Fine," he muttered. "I'll give you twelve hundred for the entire lot." His piggy eyes flickered over their faces. "But that's only because of the spoons and the spyglass. You tell the Thief Lord to keep stealing items like this, and we'll have many future days of business together." The redbeard opened a drawer and fished out a few bills, swiftly flipping through them and handed a good portion to Prosper, who handed it to Rae.
"Thank you for your kind understanding, Signor Barbarossa," Rae said with a smile. Barbarossa couldn't sense the mockery in it, but Prosper sure could and he tried not to laugh. "We do appreciate your patience with us children."
"I daresay we did pretty well in there, eh?" Rae nudged Prosper in the ribs once they were outside, grinning like a fox. "Deserving of a treat?" She pulled him toward the small pasticceria next to Barbarossa's junk store, quickly ordering a heap of cakes to eat before he could argue.
A sudden sense of dread filled the young Venetian as she handed a few lire over to the cash register. A shiver crept up her spine, and she turned to look outside through the window. The beautifully decorated box nearly fell from her hands as she froze.
Victor…
"Let's get back to the hideout," Prosper said, snapping Rae out of her thoughts. "I'll bet Bo is bouncing around more than usual, climbing around like a little squirrel waiting for us."
"No!" Rae said quickly, grabbing Prosper's arm before he walked out the door. She spun him around so that his back was to the glass, where Victor couldn't recognize him. "I mean…let's have a little snack first, huh? I'm starving."
Prosper scratched his hair, clicking his tongue in thought. "I guess," he said finally, and Rae breathed a sigh of relief. The two kids sat down at a table, Rae making sure that Prosper's back was to the window and that she could watch the detective without looking suspicious. Prosper munched on a cake with chocolate icing, and Rae laughed as it coated the tip of his nose.
Pretty soon, Victor had disappeared into the crowd, just as the two orphans had finished their cakes and licked their fingers. Rae smiled with contentment as they began their journey back to the Stella. I can stop them…I can keep Prosper and Bo from being caught, and even teach Scipio how to really steal—I could actually be his real partner! Maybe he wouldn't really have to steal the wing for the money if I showed him how to steal bigger loots…and then he wouldn't ride the merry-go-round, and then he wouldn't be an adult!
'But would he be happy about that? Scipio doesn't want to be a kid, and you know that,' the voice in the back of Rae's mind scolded.
If he can really steal, he wouldn't need his father. He'll leave, and come live at the Stella!
Before long, she and Prosper were back at the Star-Palace, knocking on the old wooden door. After a few moments, the door opened a crack and a tiny voice asked, "Password?"
"Bo, open the door," Prosper said in exasperation. There was small squeak and the scuttling of feet. The door slammed shut suddenly, Prosper and Rae both jumping. "You can't let them in if they don't have the password!" they heard Riccio yell, and Bo argued back, "Riccio, I know it's them!"
Prosper banged on the door. "Oh, just let us in, darn it!" he demanded. "We've got money!"
At this, the door promptly opened, Bo's face excited face practically glowing. "How much?" he asked, his eyes wide.
"Enough money that we decided to celebrate with cakes!" Rae announced happily, handing a bouncing Bo the shimmering red box. (She had retied the yellow ribbon so it wouldn't lose any of its splendors.) The blonde boy skipped off, whooping joyfully.
"Scipio should be here in a while," Mosca said, rubbing his nose nervously. "We've been trying to clean this place up because he'll get mad if it's messy, and—" The black boy's rant was cut short as Rae pulled out the bills and dangled them in front of his face. He blinked once, his mouth dropping open. "How much?" he breathed, reaching out and touching the lire.
"Twelve hundred," Prosper said, smirking. "But probably because Rae was scaring Barbarossa."
"I don't think even Bo could soften that man's heart," Rae commented, pushing past the catatonic Mosca. She shrugged off her long black jacket—nearly as long as Scipio's—and threw it onto the extra mattress that Prosper had given up to her. (She had naturally protested, but Prosper simply shrugged and said that he'd sleep with Bo.)
Riccio waltzed over, eating a cake happily, powdered sugar all over his chin and the front of his shirt. "Weeb bweetter cwean wup," he mumbled through a mouthful of pastry. "Bor Scribwio wilb bwee mwad."
"We'd better clean up, or Scipio will be mad," Bo translated firmly, licking his lips to hide the evidence that he had stolen a cake too.
"You're one to talk, Bo." Mosca teased, tickling Bo's sides. He giggled and dashed away, hiding behind the golden-starred curtain. "Who leaves cheese for the mice?"
"And who leaves his nasty socks on the ground?" Riccio added, wiping off his mouth with the back of his sleeve.
"And who seems to miss the nice coat rack Scipio brought us every time he tosses his hat?" Prosper stared sternly at his younger brother, who squeaked and ducked behind the drapes.
"We should buy some food to celebrate," Rae suggested, tucking her long dark brown hair behind her ear. "We'll have ourselves a feast!"
Riccio snatched a few lire out of her hand, grinning triumphantly. "I'll go get it!" he crowed, flipping through the bills with mischievous eyes.
"In nessun modo! No way, Riccio!" Mosca objected, grabbing the money from the spiky-haired boy, who stuck out his lower lip sulkily. "I'm not letting you out there with this much money—you'll splurge on sweet candies and more cakes!"
"Would not!" Riccio stuck his tongue out at Mosca, who whacked him playfully across the shoulder. "You come with me, then, since you have no faith."
As soon as they left, ("Don't forget to ask for the password when he shows up!" Riccio had reminded them. "I can't even remember the password, Riccio!" Prosper had laughed.) Rae plopped down on the ground and began counting the lire. Bo came and sat next to her, 'double-checking' her counting --that's what he had said-- even though he couldn't make it after a thousand without help.
"You think he cheated us?" Prosper asked, brushing his cheek with the back of his hand.
"No—it's all here. How much was the thing that Bo broke?"
"It was just a little porcelain cup…not even worth twenty." Bo pouted, tugging on one of his curls.
"Good…he only kept thirty." Rae folded up the bills and tucked them into her back pocket. A feeling itched at the back of her mind, but she ignored it.
"Why don't we finish cleaning?" Prosper called, sweeping some dirt out into the alley. "Scipio does hate a dirty hideout—it'd be easier to keep clean if it wasn't so large. But of course, our Thief Lord won't have it any other way."
Rae smiled at him when a thought flashed across her mind. Our Thief Lord won't have it any other way… "Prosper, do you know a girl who calls herself Hornet?" she asked slowly. "Her real name is Caterina. Have you ever met her?"
Prosper glanced up from where he was collecting Bo's fans, which had somehow found their way over by Riccio's stuffed animals. "Hornet?" he mused, cocking his head to one side in thought. "No, I've never met a Hornet before. Why…was she a friend of yours?"
"No…never mind." Rae said absently, beginning to braid a long lock of her dark hair. No Hornet? Did I take her place? Rae began to wonder what day it was. What month?
"When's your birthday, Rae?" Bo chirped, jumping on Rae's back and wrapping his arms around her neck. Rae grinned and tapped his nose lightly with her finger.
"On Halloween," she replied, laughing as Bo compared the length of her hair to his height. "When's yours, angelo?"
"April 23!" Bo sang, holding a fistful of Rae's waist-length hair in the air. "Madonna, you're hair is long, Rae! Like Sleeping Beauty!"
"You mean Rapunzel, Bo," Prosper corrected, hanging up a stray coat. "Why am I the only one cleaning?"
The two ignored him, Bo still entranced by Rae's hair. "Or one of the water nymphs," the young one said thoughtfully, twisting a shock of hair around his little finger before letting it fall, resulting in a long curl. "Their hair comes down all the way to their ankles, and it brushes against the ground!"
Rae hoisted Bo onto her lap, separating three strands of his angel hair. "You mean the water nymphs that walk up the steps of the edge of the canal at night?" she asked with a grin, winking at Prosper. He smiled and shook his head, gathering up papers and other trash.
Bo gasped. "Have you ever seen any?" he asked in a hushed tone, as if speaking too loudly would scare away his chance to catch a glimpse of one. Rae began to braid the strands together, hiding her ear-to-ear smile from little Bo.
"While I've never seen one before with my own two eyes, I have seen their tiny wet footprints before. And in paintings too—nymphs are very beautiful, you know, but you'll find that you would never be able to capture one on a camera." Rae's voice was quiet and entrancing—even Prosper worked slowly, so he could hear her story.
"Why don't they show up on cameras?" Bo asked, drinking in every word that Rae said.
"Because cameras aren't good enough for them, of course." Rae said matter-of-factly, "Only an artist with a passion is worthy enough record a nymph's gorgeous image. And, you'll only see a painting of a nymph standing in front of a full moon—they only come out from the water on full moons, you see…Nymphs are proud, and they always feel as though the fair moon is challenging them. So they walk up the steps and dance in circles, singing their hypnotic songs."
"The full moon's tonight!" Bo exclaimed, touching his new braid. Rae glanced at Prosper, who blinked and quickly jumped to his feet. He continued picking up trash, a blush of embarrassment on his cheeks. "Let's go catch a nymph!"
"I have to admit, I've lived in Venice my whole life, yet I've never seen a nymph before," a voice called.
"Scipio!" Bo's ears perked like a puppy who heard its master. Scipio stepped out form the shadows, pulling his mask off, his eyes sparkling with laughter. "How'd you get in, Scip?"
"The way I always get in, naturally," Scipio said dismissively, waving a gloved hand around. He shrugged off his jacket and tossed it onto the coat rack, making it obvious that he planned to stay for a while.
"You're just in time," Prosper said, finally laying down on his bed in exasperation. "Riccio and Mosca should be back any minute. Any loot?"
"No loot, Prop. Bo, why don't you go grab the cutlery and goblets we kept? I am quite hungry, and the sooner we eat, the better."
"How long were you there?" Rae asked softly when Scipio sat down next to her, stretching his arms over his head.
"Mm, long enough."
Va bene! I do say I'm pleased with this chapter...I wanted to show some bonding between Rae and the gang...for now, I guess, mainly Prop and Bo...I wnated to make her a sister figure to Prop and maybe a bit motherly to Bo.
Review, favore!!