The Two Thieves

As usual, Fuller's Inn was packed.  Sailors, fresh off ships from across the sea, gambled away their paltry earnings at card tables, while the few merchant patrons sipped wine before retiring upstairs to their rooms.  Fuller's was one of the few inns that could boost of attracting customers from both classes, and whether by chance or skill, its proprietor held great pride in this fact.

Fuller himself was a small, slight man, with forgettable features and small, pale eyes.  He was unassuming, the kind of man who could easily fade into the background and be forgotten.  What he lacked in presence, however, he made up for in voice.  His voice was loud and commanding, the kind which filled up a room and permitted no interruption.  When the thieves entered the inn, Fuller was using this voice to argue with a merchant over the price of a bottle of port.

The thieves appeared to be two boys, young teenagers, dressed in ragged, ill-fitting clothes too thin for the winter night.  The first had a round face capped with copper curls, and blue eyes that scanned the room with a puckish light.  There was a frankness about him which made him instantly likeable, and a mischief that made people check their belongings as soon as he was gone.

The second boy was his opposite in nearly every aspect.  He was all secrecy and solemnity, with a tall, thin figure that was nearly wraith like.  Most of his face was hidden, shadowed by a wide-brimmed hat.

Without so much as a glance the two separated, each to his own task.  The first continued to scan the room, a playful smile tugging at his lips; the second edged closer to the bar as he dared without attracting Fuller's notice.

Finally the first boy stops beside a card table.  Six large men sit around it, dockhands, and beers liter the floor around them.  Standing close behind one of the largest men, the boy watches silently as the game unfolds.

"Two point," the man announces, dropping a pair of wooden chips into the center of the table.  The boy cranes his neck, studying the five cards clutched in his meaty fist.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," the boy declares loudly, "No way you win with that hand."

"What?" the man slurs, turning around to look at the boy.  When their eyes meet, the man's face flushes red with anger.  "You!"

"Mind if I have a sip?" the boy asks cheerfully, plucking a beer off the table.  As the incredulous dockhands look on, the boy tips his head back, taking a long swig of beer.

He then promptly spat it back out, spattering the man in front of him.  "You call this beer?" he demands with feigned indignation.  "I've drunk from puddles that tasted better than this."

"Damn brat!" the man spits, toppling his chair over as he lunges forward.  He makes a grab for the boy, but the teen is already racing away with a whoop of delight.  

The man charges after him, and soon the others at his table join, pushing past drunken sailors and toppling tables in their haste to catch the miscreant.  Soon the entire inn had dissolved into a drunken brawl, the boy leading it as a conductor does an orchestra, untouched by the chaos.  The merchant uniformly hid behind their barstools, save one, who, brandishing a bottle of port like a scepter, stood atop his stool and called loudly for order.

His cries were not heeded, however, and the boy continued to lead his wild chase with childlike glee until a hand closed tight around his wrist.  He was yanked back around to reveal Fuller himself, breathing hard, with a dark bruise already forming on his right cheek.

"You little bastard!" Fuller snarled, satanic fury in his eyes.  "You'll pay for this, you-"

"Hey everybody!  Free refunds!" a high pitched voice shouted over the din, and Fuller's cash box flew through the air, spilling marks and coins as it went.

The second boy stood behind the counter, behind where the cash box had previously sat.  His hat had fallen off and was held in one hand, revealing pale brown hair and a pair of mismatched eyes.  A cocky smirk completed the look of arrogant intelligence on his face.

Fights broke up as sailors dove for the money, scooping up fistfuls in their large fists.  Even Fuller released his captive, desperate to save his earnings from the clutches of his customers.As soon as the first boy was free, both thieves bolted from the inn.  The first boy wasn't missed until over an hour later, when Fuller had finally secured his money, and the second not at all.