Chapter Five
Before She Steals

"You speak with too much pride," Prosper shook his head in disappointment once they were nearing Canal Grande.

"I speak with confidence first, and then with pride when my assurance is proved." Rae glanced around an alley corner, then suddenly pressed her arm against Prosper's chest, pinning him against the wall. "Carabinieri," she whispered, pressing her fingers to her lips in a motion to show him not to make any noise. Clad in navy uniforms with white ropes and red ribbons, two officers passed by, arguing heatedly about a gondolier strike.

"Why did we have to hide?" Prosper asked when Rae finally moved again. "I mean, we haven't stolen anything yet."

"Just in case they're suspicious of two kids in black snooping in an alley at night. Plus, it adds some excitement to an otherwise boring steal."

"This is boring to you, is it?"

"Very. C'mon, try to keep up, here."

Prosper grumbled and caught up with Rae, who was strutting through the puddles with an air of importance. "Have you even picked out a house, or are you choosing by random?"

"Villa la Pisani."

"You picked that just now, didn't you?"

"Efficient, si?"

Prosper rolled his eyes. "Sure," he commented, his voice dripping with sarcasm. Rae stopped suddenly and Prosper rammed into her back.

"Here we are. Would you like to come inside, mi complice?"

"No grazie," Prosper snorted, looking up at the balcony above their heads. "And how do you expect to get up there?"

"Upper body strength and a strong lifeline—plus, you'll be down here to catch me if I fall."

"You're way too heavy."

"I love you too, Prop. Madonna, let's just go off and call her fat."

"I didn't say that!" Prosper spluttered, looking alarmed.

"I know, I'm teasing," Rae flicked out her whip. "If you hear sirens of any kind, then run."

"Thanks for the advice."

"No problem." Rae cracked the whip out at the rail of the balcony, pulling it taut. She grunted and jumped onto it, hooking her feet around the leather. Prosper watched worriedly as she shimmied up it, finally pulling herself over the side of the balcony.

"You alright?" Prosper called softly, making sure not to wake anyone that was sleeping in the home, oblivious to their midnight visitors. Rae flashed him a thumbs up, pulling her picks from her pocket. She carefully peered through the window before opening the door and slinking in.

Prosper danced from foot to foot nervously, chewing on his bottom lip. He shoved his hands underneath his armpits, trying to look preoccupied. Finally he slumped against the wall, thumping his head against it repeatedly. Hurry it up, Rae!

Rae tip-toed silently through the house, her light footsteps barely audible against the smooth wood. There's a red-flag right there, she thought to herself as she slipped a small statue into her sack. How did the boys not figure out that Scip0io was lying if he wears those boots all the time? You can't steal in heavy shoes, they make to much noise. QueiFessi… (A/N: "Those idiots..." I use fesso and fessi a lot, so that's a good thing to remember.)

Rae crept around the corner, and noticed a corridor of heavy, brass-handle doors. She tested the door, wincing when it creaked open. She glanced inside and fought back the urge to whistle with awe. The room was gigantic, with a silk canopy draped around a king-sized bed. The room was almost perfectly symmetrical, with dressers on either side, closets, and even separate bathrooms. Rae tried not to giggle as she stared at the sleeping couple, and old man and surprisingly young woman.

She softly clucked her tongue in disapproval before padding over to the woman's closest in search for some black clothes.

What she found made her absolutely hate the woman sleeping on the bed.

Furs. Lots of furs.

Rae emitted a low growl, snapping her head around and glaring at the woman. She ripped the furs from their hangers, knotting together the sleeves and hems until she had a large ball of silken animal skins. It was too big to fit in her sack, but she could very well carry it out to Prosper. She had only planned to take some of the woman's jewelry, but her patience and sympathy was long gone.

Rae didn't even leave the cherry wood box—she simply stuffed it into her bag, slinging it over her shoulder. She trekked over to what was clearly the husbands side of the room, making damn sure that he didn't have any furs either. She swiped some of his watches and a pair of cufflinks that had sapphires imbedded in them.

Don't get too selfish, she reminded herself when she reached for their safe. Her fingers curled up reluctantly and she tied her bag closed. She looked at the woman's closet once more before deciding that even if she had black clothes, they'd probably be much too big on her. "Sonno bene, monarca e regina," she muttered, slashing their silk canopy into long strips. "Sleep well, king and queen."

"Prop?" Rae called quietly once she was back outside. Prosper blinked sleepily before looking up at her, his eyebrows arched in anticipation.

"Che diavolo?" Prosper gasped, looking at the ball in her arms. "What the hell…? You stole their dog?"

"It's furs," Rae explained. "Catch, and don't let them get wet."

"Madonna, Rae!" Prosper whined once she had hit the ground. "And I bet you those 1500 lire that you didn't even get what you came for."

"The lady was too big anyway," Rae shrugged. "I would have searched more, but a thief can't get too greedy." She grinned to herself, remembering Scipio's excuse to take a break.

"Well, what did you haul?"

"A statue of an eagle, a good load of jewelry, some watches, cufflinks—We can sell those furs to a clothing shop and the accessories to the jewelry shop. The only thing going to Barbarossa is this little birdie—"

"He won't be pleased."

"—of gold and bronze."

"I lied," Prosper smiled. "Signorina Rae Cascato, I think it's fair to say the Thief Lord needs a new partner."

Rae fell quiet. "Si, si," she murmured softly, kicking a small stone into the canal. "I think so too."

Riccio picked up necklace after necklace, his mouth wide open. Bo lay proudly against Rae's legs, and Mosca was just sort of sitting there, blinking. Prosper and Rae exchanged smirks, giving each other high-fives.

"We need to tell Scipio about this," Riccio said finally, holding up a string of pink pearls. "He's going to flip!"

"You bet he is," Rae nodded, weaving a snake-chain between her fingers. "And if this doesn't convince him, I don't know what will." She raised her glass of grape juice. "We'll be living better in no time, boys."

The boys cheered and clinked their goblets together, smiles larger and brighter than the sun.

The next day, Rae washed her and Prosper's clothes while he cleaned his hair and even managed to comb it. She brushed her hair too, and then stuck on some long earrings and an opal ring to look a bit more presentable. Prosper even fastened a watch to his wrist and wore one of the fur scarves beneath his jacket collar, much to Rae's displeasure. But when you had to look the part, you had to look the part.

"Well…how do we look?" Rae asked when she and Prosper were finished.

Riccio and Mosca nodded in approval. "Like the son and daughter of a rich couple."

"Good. That's what we were shooting for." Rae had put the jewelry in a briefcase that Riccio had found left in a café, which Prosper now held under one arm. "Va bene, here's the deal. We're going to sell the jewels first, and then tomorrow we'll sell the furs. Then next time I raid, we'll sell the jewelry that we're wearing now, and et cetera. It's a whole cycle."

"Sounds like a plan," Mosca said firmly. "Boy, we're going to be rich."

"You've certainly thought this over well," Prosper commented as they waltzed through Piazza San Marco. Rae chuckled to herself.

"I've done this before, remember?"

"Yeah, yeah, don't rub it in."

"Now, rule one for tricking the snobs—you can't talk like a street kid. You have to speak in perfect Italian. And talk they way Scipio does—sort of arrogant and condescending. No slang, and try to hide your accent."

"Okay…I mean, yes."

"Very good. And you have to address everyone as Signor or Signora. No Signorina or anything. It's insulting to some people. And you introduce me after you introduce yourself, and no shaking hands. You bow your head a bit. Capisci?"

"Capisci."

"Also, don't call me by Rae. Call me 'sister' and things like that." Rae tapped her chin thoughtfully. "Actually, neither of our names sounds very Italian. Prosper definitely isn't Italian."

"What do you propose to call me by, sister?"

Rae clapped her hands delightedly. "That was perfect!" she crowed. "I'll be Adrianna, and you'll be Luciano. I think it fits you nicely."

"Last name, though?"

"Massimo," Rae replied without thinking. She blinked once and realized that wouldn't go over very well. "No, not Massimo…Marzetti. Adrianna and Luciano Marzetti."

"I've got it." Prosper nodded firmly. He stuck his chin in the air haughtily, and Rae giggled. "Signor, my name is Luciano Marzetti. This is my sister, Adrianna. My parents have sent us to sell some of the family jewels to your respectable business. We hear that you are the best jewelers in the entire city of Venice…"

"I don't think I can count this high," Prosper said in wonder, flipping through the lira bills. Rae chewed on a cake (which was now their way of celebrating a good haggle) and smiled contently to herself. "Scipio's gonna be so amazed…"

"Hey, Prop, why don't you head back to the Star-Palace? I've got some things I need to do."

Prosper raised an eyebrow at her but said nothing. "Alright," he said slowly. "I'll see ya later, I guess."

"Ciao," Rae called after him, and he waved back over his shoulder. When he was out of sight, Rae began walking across the square, lost in her own thoughts. So she naturally didn't see a primly dressed boy run right into her. The two of them fell to the ground, and Rae started mumbling apologies. "Uh, sorry, Signor, I wasn't paying attention and…Scipio?!"

The boy looked up in alarm. "Rae?" Scipio whispered. He went to run, but Rae swiftly caught his wrist and looked him in the eye. "Please don't tell the others," he pleaded, avoiding her gaze.

"I'm not going to tell the others, Scipio—I would have already." Scipio furrowed his brow at her in confusion. "Yes, I already knew about your charade. And I know for a fact that you're not stupid, so when I let you go you're not going to run away from me. I also know that you're in the need of a real thief's lessons, and I'm going to give them to you."

Rae released Scipio and he stood back and scrutinized her face, looking a bit more like the Thief lord and a little less like a scared rich boy. "Was this planned?" he asked with a small smile.

"Granted, I was coming to talk to you about this entire ordeal, but it seems like you've found me first." Rae looked around and talked softly, "You're not here with your father, are you?"

Scipio blinked slowly. "No, I came alone. I like to get out of the house. Wait a minute, you were coming to see me? Did you follow me home or something?" he hissed.

"No way!" Rae insisted, but Scipio looked suspicious. "Look, Scip, it's hard to explain, and something tells me you won't understand."

"I can try," Scipio said firmly.

Rae grinned and pulled on his hand. "C'mon, let's take a walk."

Rut-roh! Scipio's been found out...

But we all still love him! Please review, I feel unloved again. sobs

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