Okey Dokey, my friends. After sharing that I was considering leaving the story with just the two fun little chapters, I got several comments asking me to continue. So, here we are, on Chapter 3. Now, I decided if I am to continue this story, we must have a little plot to it. So… here we go. We are no longer just having cute fluff, though I promise we'll get back to that as well. Just… in a little while. Here we go with a little bit of plot, my friends.

Roguery

Noir felt so giddy and breathless when Prince Loki left her. She let out a tense, shaky breath before slipping her fingerless glove back onto her trembling hand.

That was it. She was never washing her hand again. Loki Odinson, Prince of Asgard, had kissed it. Just the thought made her giggle softly to herself. Marron and Blanc would have disapproved of her little excited bounce and childish grin.

The grin disappeared just as quickly as it had come as she recalled her fellow scoundrels and the fact that Marron and she were supposed to have returned to their hideout together after stealing food. She had totally forgotten all about the brown neko after nearly being caught by the baker, and then the little stroll with the prince. "Blast, she's going to have my hide… if Blanc doesn't first" she muttered mutinously, glancing at her surroundings. She wondered if she should go back to the Trade District, or if she should return to their hideout to see if she had returned there. She deliberated for a moment, then dashed off towards their hideout.

While en route, she drew the pair of green handkerchiefs Prince Loki had given her out of her cloak and made a knot to hold them together. She laughed at her own silliness as she slipped the silky fabric around her neck. She looked down at herself and nodded, satisfied. The makeshift green kerchief was unobtrusive, fairly comfortable, and was the only flash of color on her otherwise obsidian outfit. Perfect. She quickened her pace as she drew closer to the shack that was her destination.

She jogged up to the porch steps that led to the front door, but didn't climb them. Instead, she dropped into a crouch and frowned at the three wooden steps. They were the doorway to her and her friends' humble abode. What you had to do was wiggle the second stair out of place, and there was a shallow shaft that would be revealed, leading to an underground safe room. But the second step was loose. Whoever had used the secret entrance last hadn't replaced the entryway fully. She and her friends were always careful to replace the step fully to prevent others from stumbling on their small stash of food and money by chance.

Noir's heartbeat sped slightly and she moved the step quickly and dropped down the passage, tucking into a neat somersault as she hit the bottom and then popping back to her feet with a knife in her hands. "Blanc?" she called through the underground gloom.

No response. Noir's cat pupils expanded, trying to take in as much light as she could.

"Hello? Blanc?" She and Marron had left him to guard their meager stash of coins and food. Where was he now? Noir walked to the corner of the room, where she knew an oil lamp sat on a bench. With a little difficulty, she managed to light it, then held it up. Her mouth dropped open in shock, and her gray eyes widened in dismay.

Loki made his way slowly back to the Trade District, hands in his pockets and his head full of the neko. The thought of her made him smile slightly. She was so… peculiar. Yet irresistibly charming.

He was startled out of his thoughts of the little bandit as something hit his front. He stumbled back a little, and the figure that had bumped him fell backwards, landing on the ground. Loki glared down as the brown-cloaked figure scrambled to her feet, checking that her hood was in place.

"I'm sorry, my lo—" the brown-eyed girl's face went expressionless as she looked at the prince. "Oh, my gods… Your Majesty, I…" she dropped to one knee and knelt in front of him. "I'm so sorry, I was just looking for my friend, and wasn't looking where I was going."

Loki rolled his eyes. He was really getting rather tired of being bumped into. First the baker, and now this peasant girl. "Rise and be on your way," he said flatly, stepping around the still-kneeling figure and continuing on.

Marron jumped up as the prince disappeared out of sight, and she frowned. Did he know where Noir was? It didn't matter. She would have to find her friend herself. The prince of Asgard would never offer his help to a neko thief. She ran off, peeking into alleyways and calling, "Noir!"

She was so frantic that she didn't notice the pair of armed men that followed her at a distance, cold glares on their stony faces.

Noir whipped around as she heard the sound of someone removing the second step of the porch above, and heard the sound of someone dropping down the shallow tunnel. She prepared to throw her knife, but stopped as a figure in a white cloak appeared. "Blanc," she said in relief.

Blanc sighed in relief as he saw her. "Thank the gods…" he paused and glared at her. "Where the bloody blazes have you been?!" he exclaimed. He strode forward and shook her.

Noir was thrown off by his sudden emotion. Blanc was always quiet and reserved. "Where was I?" she repeated angrily, shaking the white neko off. "Where the bloody blazes have you been, Blanc?!" she demanded. "How did this happen?!" she asked, gesturing to the sight that had made her blood run cold when she first lit the oil lamp.

Blanc blinked and followed her gesture. His blue eyes widened in dismay as well.

The shelves, boxes, and bundles that had once held the three friends' belongings, food, and money, had been ransacked. Everything was in disarray, and evidently much of it was missing. Blanc quickly ran over and began rummaging through the mess. Noir joined him, accounting for what had been left. They exchanged slightly panicked looks as they peered into the empty sacks that had once held their food, and into the small box that had once held their coins. Both were empty. Blanc let out a quiet groan and scanned the rest of the ransacked pile. Everything that had had some kind of value was gone.

Blanc looked to Noir. "What happened?"

Noir's face hardened. "You're asking like I would know. I thought you were supposed to be the one guarding against other thieves while Marron and I went out."

Blanc looked defensive. "You two were taking too long. I got worried and went looking for—"

They both abruptly froze.

"Where's Marron?" Blanc asked in a hushed voice.

Noir swallowed. "I… I don't… I don't know… I lost her in the trade District after I almost got caught. I haven't seen her since," she admitted, guilt suddenly flooding her.

Blanc looked slightly confused. "So… wait, so you almost got caught in the Trade District… so you lost Marron then. But when did you come back here?"

"Only just a few minutes ago…"

"Then what took so long? Were you looking for Marron before you came back here?"

Noir slumped. "Oh, gods, this is all my fault," she breathed. "I lost Marron, you went looking for us, and someone stole our belongings… It's all my fault."

Blanc looked at her anxiously. "Noir, what are you talking about?" He reached out and touched her shoulder. "What happened that makes this your fault?"

Noir bowed her head. "I told you, I almost got caught in the Trade District stealing some bread. And then…. I saw Prince Loki again. We walked together and talked for a while, and I forgot all about you and Marron waiting for me. So while I was off gallivanting with Prince Loki, Marron was probably looking for me, and while she was probably looking for me, you got worried because we were taking too long. So you left here and searched for us. Meanwhile, some other rogues were searching for valuables in our hideout. And they found them. And it's all my fault," she whispered.

Blanc looked like he wasn't sure how to feel. "You were with Prince Loki again?" he asked suspiciously.

Noir nodded, feeling another wave of guilt. She closed her eyes and held back tears.

Blanc reached forward and touched the two green handkerchiefs around her neck, realizing what they were. "So you blame yourself for all this."

"Yes. Don't you?" she asked, sounding helpless.

Blanc shook his head slowly. "No, Noir. I don't blame you. Don't feel bad. You didn't know this would happen. We'll find Marron, and we'll find more money, and everything will be fine."

Noir sobbed once and buried her face in her hands.

"Noir," Blanc murmured her name and put an arm around her shoulders.

"Blanc?" she asked, her voice muffled by her hands. She paused in her sniffles and reached into her cloak. With trembling hands, she pulled out the rolls she had stolen, and untied the money pouch from her belt that held the silver and copper she and Marron had filched that day. "I… We still have a little to work with. I… I still have the bread I stole, and the money we got." She held them out to her friend, and he smiled slightly and took them.

"We'll be okay," he assured her.

Loki was in the Asgardian palace, loitering around the dining hall with a book while Thor ate plateful after plateful of food. He half-heartedly listened to the conversations of various warriors. Most were rather uninteresting: complaining about captains, their wives or lack thereof, broken weapons, assignments… Loki paused as a few warriors started saying something that caught his attention.

"…Diederik was nearly killed today by a little thief," a man was saying.

Another man snickered. "A little thief almost killed him?"

"She was a little devil, kicking and screaming and lashing out with tooth and nail after we wrestled the puny knife out of her grip. She gave him a nasty bite on his arm as he tried to cuff her hands. Her little canines sliced a vein."

"On the nine realms, how sharp were her teeth? Surely she wasn't some kind of vampire? We can't have those running around Asgard."

"Nay, not a vampire, but nearly as bad… little devil was a neko. You know their teeth can cause some damage when they put their minds to it, and they fight like demons if you get them riled up. We got the little thief, though. She's set up to be sold. Diederik is still at the healers', and they're making sure he didn't lose too much blood."

The men continued talking about their companion, joking about his incompetence and skill like friends often did about each other. But the second prince's face was fixed in a frown, thinking over their conversation. They had caught a little neko thief? Was it… was it his little neko thief? The idea of her being caught and sold made his stomach twist slightly in discomfort. Thieves who were caught and sold were usually put into slavery at a house as a maid, or sometimes hired as a slave to serve in the Asgardian palace. But his little thief was a neko. Which meant no noble would buy her and have her work in their house. The only people who would buy a neko were rich nobles who owned farms and plantations. Nekos caught thieving or other various forms of law-breaking were sent to work on plantations if they were bought. And plantation farm slaves were ill-treated, abused and often half-starved. They often didn't live for more than perhaps three years. Loki didn't like that idea.

And if there were no plantation owners interested in the little neko thief? She would probably be executed. A thought equally as abhorrent as her becoming a plantation slave. He couldn't help but cringe at the thought of the neko girl approaching a noose, never to make playful banter with him again. What was worse was that the odds of her being sold to a plantation were slim. The neko had a slight build, small and slender. No plantation owner would find use in her. No, if it was his little neko that had been captured by the soldiers, she would probably die. And soon.

"Loki?" Thor's voice startled him out of his reverie, and the younger prince blinked and looked around. "What is wrong? Is your book really so troubling that you take to crushing it in rage?"

Loki looked at his book. He realized that he was clutching it with such force that the tough leather binding was beginning to buckle. He relaxed his grip. "I… No, it's not the book, Thor," he muttered distractedly. "I just have… something I must do."

"What must you do?" Thor asked, sliding his empty plate away and standing up. He stretched his arms over his head and looked at his brother expectantly.

"Something you wouldn't be interested in or understand," Loki explained, throwing Thor an apologetic but firm look, informing Thor not to ask more on the subject. He shut his book with a thump and stood, walking out of the room with purpose, and an idea forming in his mind.

Noir and Blanc crouched in the doorway of a pub on a less-busy street of the Trade District, hoods drawn low over their heads so their faces were hidden, empty mugs in front of them as if they were common beggars. But they were not begging for money to replace what had been stolen from them. They were watching the passers-by with sharp eyes, waiting for the right person.

"There," Blanc whispered, jerking his head quickly to indicate what he meant. "Across the street, leaving the auction house."

Noir's eyes scanned the street, and she nodded in agreement. "I see him. What do you think, follow him?"

"We could… lure him. Persuade him, as it were," Blanc said slowly. His eyes didn't leave the Asgardian soldier that they discussed. "Any ideas on how to get him alone?"

Noir nodded. "Right… Blanc, I do believe I've been robbed." She raised her eyebrows and winked.

Blanc threw Noir an amused look. "Why, I do believe you have, Noir. I suggest you try to catch the rogue that robbed you." The white neko jumped up and dashed down the street at a sprint.

"Thief! Someone help me! I've been robbed!" Noir shouted, feigning franticness. She took a few steps down the street after Blanc, appearing desperate. Then she pretended to search the street for help, and rushed to the man in an Asgardian soldier's tunic. "Please, sir, help! That ruffian has stolen my purchases!"

The soldier looked down at her, then searched the street. He caught sight of the white cloak disappearing around a corner. "That way? The one in white?" he asked, gesturing.

Noir nodded. "Yes, him!"

The soldier saluted to her. "Yes, my lady, I shall catch him." The soldier ran off down the street, and Noir followed closely with a satisfied smirk.

"Oh, the cleverness of me," she murmured as she followed the soldier into a maze of back alleys, following the end of a white cloak. As the soldier dashed into a small alley, he was suddenly sent sprawling backwards onto the dirty cobblestones as Blanc decked him. Noir knelt and drew her knife, pressing it to the soldier's throat as Blanc set his foot on the man's chest, holding him down.

"Excellent, Noir," Blanc complimented nonchalantly, as if she had simply done an impressive card trick rather than helped lure and take down an Asgardian soldier.

"Thank you, and the same to you, Blanc," Noir said smoothly, then glared at the soldier, who looked terrified as he realized he had been tricked.

"What—what do you want from me?" he asked.

"Information about any people who were arrested today," Noir said simply. "How much do you know?"

"I know… I know a little," he admitted, shaking slightly as Noir's dagger was pressed flat against his neck, sliding threateningly.

"Spill the information or we spill blood," Blanc ordered, staring down at the man. "Was there a neko girl dressed in brown?"

The soldier hesitated, looking between the female in black and male in white.

"Come now," noir said in a coaxing voice. "Just tell us if she was arrested, and what happened to her."

The soldier swallowed nervously and stammered. "Y-yes, a little neko wearing brown and with brown hair was arrested by two guards after she was spotted thieving. She… she almost killed one of them, but she was arrested. I—I think she's going to be put on the slave market—but that's all I know! Let me go!"

Noir glanced up at Blanc, and they exchanged worried looks at the news of Marron.

"Let him go," Blanc murmured, removing his foot from the soldier's chest.

Noir reluctantly drew her knife away from the man's throat, and she slunk backwards, releasing the man from his capture. He immediately stood and dashed away.

Noir looked at the ground, guilt flooding her again. "So now we're out of food and money except for a few coins and rolls, and Marron's going to be sold after she got arrested because of me," she grimaced.

Blanc sighed. "Noir, quit blaming yourself. It's not your fault."

Noir shook her head. "What are we going to do, Blanc?"

Her friend was quiet for a moment. "We're going to save her, of course. We're going to rescue Marron. And then we'll just… rebuild our stash. We'll be okay, Noir."

Note from LoquaciousQuibbler: Okay, so there we are with Chapter 3. Not the greatest thing I've ever written, but we're just building up some story here. So… I'll be writing Chapter 4 here pretty soon, and I'll have it up. Just know that I will be continuing with Noir and Loki's adventures.

My favorite part of this particular chapter was their luring the Asgardian soldier away… I think it's rather clever the way they did it. Perhaps I should be worried about my innate knowledge of trickery and thievery tactics… Hmm. Oh, well. Comes in handy when writing. My other favorite part was Loki worrying about Noir… or rather "his little neko thief." He still doesn't know her name. XD

So, please favorite, follow, and review… I know there are people reading this now: you were begging me to continue. So no skimping out on your reviews ;) My PM Inbox is also open to suggestions, questions, comments, or just talking to me about whatever.

And Happy Halloween, everyone; see you next chapter