'Well, isn't this just peachy?' My lips pursed together in a thin line. I had been in Werites Beacon for barely twelve hours and already I was in jail. Sis' was going to be livid when she got the news.

The door at the top of the stairs swung open with an eerie creak and footsteps trailed down into the basement. From the uneven rhythm I assumed there was more than one pair and as Will turned the corner I saw three other people behind him.

The white haired guy who looked my age raised an eyebrow when he saw me. "This is the thief?" He asked pointing.

I snorted. What did he expect, a half naked woman with huge boobs and a flawless body? "Sorry to disappoint you." I muttered under my breath. "But I just happen to not be Mary-sue."

Will shot me a look that clearly said to shut up. I only shrugged at him, closing my mouth like he silently asked. "Yes," he replied to the boy (or man, depending on how you looked at him), "and despite her appearance she's quite skilled."

I puffed out my chest in pride. "Damn rights I am. Runs in the family." I gloated.

Again, Will glared at me. I shrunk back into the cell, legs drawn up to my chest. "Stingy old geezer."

The blonde girl behind the boy stepped up to the bars. She peered inside curiously and gave me a smile. I blinked at her and wanted to ask why she would do that but before I could she spoke, "What's your name?"

The question somewhat surprised me. Why did she care? It's not like I was anything useful to them. "Name? Oh, Sandor. Alex Sandor."

"Sandor?" They repeated. All of them sounded shocked.

I cocked my head and let my legs fall, suddenly feeling like a change of events was coming. "Yeah, why? You know someone with that last name?"

A dark haired woman nodded. "Yes. Are you related to Moses Sandor?"

"Moses?!" Quick as a rabbit I leaped off the ground and waved my arms around. "You know him?! Really?! Where is he?!"

"Hold on a minute." Will placed his fingers to his temple and began to rub it in slow circles. "You're related to Moses?"

"Yeah, he's my cousin. I came to the Legacy to look for him." I explained.

He sighed and I swore I heard a low 'That makes a lot of sense.' Come out from under his breath. With a grunt he lowered his hand and crossed his arms, giving me another piercing glare. "Why are you searching for him?" It wasn't a question. It was a demand and I honestly feared I'd be harmed if I didn't answer it.

"Well," I started slowly, not really knowing how to word it, "To be truthful, uh... well... It's kinda hard to explain to you because you don't understand the traditions, so I'll make this as short and basic as I can. I need to take him back home to our tribe because our uncle, the chief, died and we need to choose the next successor between the eldest kids of his siblings."

They were silent for a moment until finally the blonde piped up. "Then why did you steal things from the village?"

I wanted to hit her. The urge was so powerful I actually had to clench my fist to stop myself. What kind of a stupid question was that? Could she not tell I was a thief? Thieves had a natural urge to take things they thought were valuable. Money was especially important. My ability to lie and worm my way into large sums of gald was only a single skill among the rest of the thieves in the world. How did they do it so easily? Hiding those items of precious wealth? Simple. They wore long baggy clothes that they could stuff things into. Just like me.

I nearly screamed 'thief' with my outfit. No wonder she was blonde. She certainly acted like it.

The white haired boy placed a hand on the girls shoulder. "Shirley, look at her. She's a low-life, a scum. A rat from the sewers who comes up to pick the meat off of our bones for her own good fortune—"

"Alright! Alright!" I raised my hands in the air. "I get the picture! Why do you gotta be such a hater? Would it kill you to simply say 'Oh, Shirley, can't you see? She's a thief! Stealing is what she does for a living!'?" I glared at him and he gave one right back.

"Now, now..." Will tugged him away from the cell before he went ape on me and levelled his gaze with my own. "I don't know whether or not I should trust you with that story. For all we know, you could be lying to get out again."

I shook my head. "No, no! I promise it's the truth! Thief's honour!"

They stared at me.

"Oh, c'mon!" I whined, stomping my one foot. "What if you bring me to him and I prove it? I swear I won't steal anything on the way! Pretty please? I need to talk to him!"

The swordswoman, who I noticed was part of the Valens family line, turned to the sheriff of town and leaned up to whisper something in his ear.

I arched my head, wanting to catch what she was saying, but my hearing wasn't anywhere near good enough to make out little whispers like that.

Whatever the Valens girl said seemed to please the man. He nodded briefly and cast his eyes over towards me. Swiftly he pulled out a key from his pocket and began opening the cell door. "Alright, we'll bring you to Moses. But no stealing and no running off. Got it?"

"Clear as a bell." I saluted.

--

Meeting my cousin after four years of being separated turned out to be one of my least favourite moments in life. Our family—Sandor—used to live on a separate island together off the far coast between the Crusand Empire and Gadoria. It was only when the war started did part of us leave. My father was one of the four children from the head chief of the Sandor clan. He left with his youngest brother to Gadoria to live away from the fighting that was starting on the island.

Moses' mother, the eldest child of the chief, was supposed to become the next tribal ruler when grandfather died, but she fell ill and her body was too weak to do anything with such stress. So the second in line, our uncle, took charge. He became the next chief and that went on for a long time until he became sick too. It was a disease that seemed to run in the family. A lung problem where the breathing became lapsed until finally the organs just quit working and you suffocated. It was uncurable so far, and when uncle died, my father told me to go and find Moses. Although he had left his island years ago in search of sacred eres (a common legend in our family), he was the only child from his mother. My father was to bring my older sister and the eldest son of the other tribe on Gadoria to the island and wait for Moses and I's return.

I had no plan when Will, Senel, Shirley and Chloe brought me to the camp the bandits had at the base of the lighthouse. I thought it was going to be easy. I would explain the situation to him and hopefully he'd understand and come along willingly.

Unfortunately, life doesn't work that way when it's a Sandor you're dealing with.

Upon reaching the camp, I placed my hands in my jacket pockets and whistled. "Not bad, not bad." I commented while watching the half naked men running around.

Will sighed, seeming to dislike the view. "Yes, Moses has quite the gang here, doesn't he? They're a strong group and loyal to him too, but they cause so many disturbances..."

"I wasn't talking about the size of it." I grinned slyly. "I was aiming more to how good looking they all were."

Behind me, Shirley started to giggle. I heard Senel scoff and Chloe choke on her spit. Will, obviously not finding the joke funny, landed his fist on the top of my head. It made a reassuring 'THONK' and I cried out, sidestepping away from him. "The hell was that for?!" I demanded.

He frowned. "For being a pig." Those being his final words, he turned and began walking off towards a tent near the one side of the camp.

I snorted. "Well excuse me for having hormones." Shirley yet again laughed and Senel shook his head sighing.

"C'mon." He said, pointing towards where Will was standing. "That's Moses' hut."

We made our way to the white tent, getting stares of all kinds from the bandits in the area. Some of them said hello to me, remembering me from the last name I came to visit. I felt a little embarrassed that I didn't grow much. I was still the same height I was long ago. A seventeen year old girl standing at a mere five feet. No wonder people looked down on me. Metaphorically speaking of course.

"Alex?" I turned at my name and beamed when I saw who said it.

"Csaba!" I cried. Gleefully I leaped over to the teal haired man and fell into his outstretched arms.

Csaba laughed, holding me tight against him. After finally letting me go he put some distance between us but kept his hands on my shoulders. "How are you? It's been what, four years now?"

I nodded and rubbed the back of my neck. "Yeah, sorry about now visiting sooner. But you know what it's like back home. Always searching, running around to find my beast..."

"Ah, still haven't made a pact yet?"

"No." I sighed. "It sucks. I'm part of a beast tamer clan and yet I haven't found my right spirit. Moses got his when he was only five and Sis' was ten when she found hers. I feel so... left out."

Csaba shook his head. He hugged me again and smoothed down my spiked hair. "Don't worry; I'm sure you'll find it soon. After all, it's searching for you too. Now," he looked up to Senel and the others and gave them a cheerful smile. Out of all the bandits I knew, Csaba was always the brotherly one. There was something about him that made him stand out in a kind and gentle way, "why is everyone here?"

Will crossed his arms. He leered at me. "We came to bring her to Moses and confirm the story she told us. Since you know her, I assume she is in fact Moses' cousin then?"

"Yeah, why? You didn't believe her before?"

"Not when she was behind bars, no."

A look of horror spread on Csaba's face. He looked down at me with those scared eyes. "What does he mean 'behind bars'?"

I laughed nervously, taking a step back from him. "Well, see, I kinda... got caught stealing... again... so... when they came they recognized my last name and... yeah... heh heh..."

"Oh, Alex. How many times have you been told to—?"

"Did someone say 'Alex'?"

'That voice.' I thought. I knew it well. Four years apart would never make me forget such an accent when I lived with it myself. Before I could react I heard a loud 'YAHOO!' and the next thing I knew I was being spun around, my feet above the ground.

"AGH!!" I screamed while Moses spun me round and round. He had his strong arms around mine, stopping me from deflecting his attack. "PUT ME DOWN!!"

He did, thankfully, and I wobbled forwards a few steps until my cousin's hand on my shoulder levelled me.

When my vision stopped swimming I was able to see Moses clearly. Inwardly I gasped. He had changed a lot from four years ago. His red hair was still as wild as ever and he wore that silly grin I loved so much. Yet somehow I knew he was a different man. The fact he wore no shirt didn't faze me. Most men in our tribe didn't either. Sometimes women didn't too. It was the tattoos on his arm I blinked at, and the eye patch covering his left eye I questioned.

My reaction to seeing a family member after so long of being parted was the opposite of Moses'. Unlike me, who simply took in the sight before me, he grew tears in his eyes and had to cough, wiping them with his arm fast. "I—it's been since forever, Cuz'!"

My eye twitched. 'Cuz'?' "Uh... yeah... You uh... look... different..?"

He laughed, hand slamming down on my head. The bastard was a foot taller than me. The last time I was there he had only been a couple inches! I mentally cursed him and his height genetics from his dad's side. "Yeah! I do, don't I?! Well if it makes you feel better, you look completely the same!" Again he laughed, hand beginning to ruffle my hair.

I practically had a seizure my twitch was so strong. How insensitive was he? No, better yet, how stupid was he?! I tried keeping my voice cold as I replied gruffly. "When I said different I meant handicapped."

His friendly gestures stopped. The hand on my head disappeared and suddenly I was being yelled at. "What'cha mean 'handicapped'?! Here I am bein' nice and tellin' you how much I missed ya and you go sayin' I'm retarded! God damn midgets just never change! Always a bunch of jerks!"

I scowled. "For your information, I have too changed! And the so called 'jerk' part you claim I have comes from the same side as the family we share so I guess that makes you one too you stupid rock head!"

On went the bickering. To the side watching with looks of mild amusement the others only hung their heads. Senel looked at Csaba with raised eyebrows. "Do they do this often?"

"Oh yeah."

The fighting went on for a few minutes longer. By then it was reduced to simple name-calling. None of which were any good or smart.

"Girly!"

"Pig!"
"Shorty!"

"Insensitive ass!"

"Bitch!"

"Asshole!"

From down the road, Norma's ears perked at the sound of Moses' voice yelling at someone. Someone... feminine? She keened her hearing. No, it wasn't Chloe, and it sure as hell wouldn't be Shirley screaming back. If not them, then who?

Curiously, she wandered towards the noise. Nobody in their right mind that was a decent looking woman would go near Moses beside herself and the others. After all, he looked like a wild bush man that had come out of the jungle.

"Hey." She greeted her friends as she neared them, startling Shirley. She wasn't surprised to see them all together at the camp. They had been coming together as a group a lot lately. "What's going on?"

Chloe shook her head and sighed. "I wish I knew. It's all a little confusing."

Norma tilted her head. She pushed between Senel and Will and stared at the sight. Moses was practically frothing at the mouth in rage, face burning as bright as his hair, and screaming the most idiotic insults she had ever heard to a girl half his size.
"You have no ass!"

"Oh, yeah?! And what're you doin' looking there, huh?! Perv!"

"I wouldn't be caught dead lookin' at you of all people! You ain't got no body to check out!"

"Hah! Like you should be talking! I bet you haven't gotten a woman yet 'cuz they all know you're so small!"

"Whadda mean small?!"

"Your dick you dumbass! It's probably the size of my pinkie finger!"

"WHAT?! You little brat! I'll kick your ass back to Gadoria!"

Norma cocked an eyebrow and looked back over her shoulder to give everyone else a blank stare. "What, did Red get a girlfriend or something?"

The Sandor's fighting ceased immediately. Together we spun around and glared heated daggers at her. "We are not a couple!"

Norma yelped, wincing at the anger. "Okay, okay. Geez, sorry I asked..."

As if we had never been interrupted, we went back to fighting after Moses said a cocky, "I wouldn't date someone as masculine as her anyways!"

Senel just sighed. "Will... do something, would you? They're getting annoying."

Being the eldest in the group, Will decided that yes it would be best if he was the one to put an end to the bickering. Especially since he had very... effective ways in doing so.

Rolling up invisible sleeves, the researcher stepped forwards and with two iron fists, slammed them on the cousin's heads.