Of Cats and Dogs - rp

[spirit_queen]

"The glassmaker's been working on something big for a rich, fat cat, I think," Lucy said to Remy, lifting his chin defiantly. "And I know a back way in, I'm just not as good at staying still and finding the right hiding spots as you... if you give me a little, you'll get more for that thing than you would from this old temple bowl, even if you give me a small bit of profit for showing you the back way." He was also hoping that if he saw Remy in action, he could pick up on some of the older boy's secrets.

The glassmaking Master was a man who was relatively rich, at least among the Avians, as his work was often desired by the cats. However, he had a nasty reputation when it came to thieves, and few had tried to take something from him without losing a finger or two when caught.

[Miranda_]

Remy however was an accomplished thief, and should therefore be able to escape unscathed, and with something to show for his efforts.

"Sure I can," Remy replied, lazily. "I can give you some smoking stuff too, if you like. I bought some from the Ebony Triad and I've still got loads left."

The gangs went by the name of triads, each with a different colour. Not simple colour names like "black" or "red" however; they were called things like "Ebony" and "Scarlet" instead. The triads all fought with each other, when they weren't trading or selling to each other; not just merchandise and drugs, but prostitutes, as well. It was a lucrative but dangerous racket for a prostitute to be involved with a triad; Victor was, when he was desperate for money to buy opium, but he was well aware of the risk involved.

[spirit_queen]

Despite the money, Lucy refused to get involved with the triads as a prostitute; it would mean he'd never get out again, and he didn't want that job, that life. if he had to scrounge for money, he'd rather be like Remy, who he looked up to a lot, as it turned out.

"You got the good stuff, right? I've been going mad with cravings for days," sighed Lucy. "But don't think you can distract me with drugs; still gotta get money, gotta mouth to feed," he said, once again trying to be brave and defiant to the older teen.

~

Taka ran off, then returned with some branches, a knife, and some leather cords. She efficiently began to make a pair of sturdy crutches, as she'd been doing for the past day or so; Fanella had found with a huge relief that her daughter was good with her hands, and had set her to work on various items like this.

In a flash, she had them ready and brought them over tot he cat. "Here you go! Mama taught me how to make these."

[Miranda_]

"Sure, you can have a small percentage of the money, once I sell the item," Remy replied. He shot a look at Victor; he had a pretty good idea where the magpie was headed soon, and his worked out on the spot plan included that. He had begun to scheme as soon as Lucy had suggested the Master glassmaker.

"We'll go to the place right now, and find a good place to hide," he said to the younger boy. "That is all important."

~~~

Ari took the crutches and hauled herself upright with some effort. She could not put her right ankle to the ground, but the crutches meant that she didn't have to. She experimentally fluffed her tail, which had gotten flattened in the fur a bit while she had lain down.

[spirit_queen]

"Cat tails are so looooong," Taka observed, her eyes going side.

~

"Okay, If we go now, I'll show you the back way in, and you chose a spot," ucy said. His face was very round and cute, despite the bags under his eyes and the extreme pastiness. His nose was buttony, but larger at the tip than in the bridge, a part of himself he detested above all else but actually looked surprisingly nice on his round face.

At the moment, his black eyes sparkled with adventure and mischief; finally, he'd get to see Remy in action. Maybe he could learn something, and, if he did, he hoped he'd never have to sell his body again; submission didn't sit well with him. He hated being used like an object or animal, hated quietly accepting beatings; if he had to scrounge for a living, he'd prefer to be a tricky thief, because at least then he was the one in charge, for the most part.

[Miranda_]

"Depends on the cat," Ari replied, her eyes sparkling with fun.

"Lynx's don't have long tails at all, but most other cats do. I'm a cheetah, so my tail is very long."

~~~

Remy followed Lucy to the workshop of the Master. The Master was present, as he nearly always was, but Remy was an expert at getting himself into places unnoticed. He took Lucy inside too, and soon found a place to hide both of them.

"Now, we wait," he said, glancing at a nearby clock. "Won't be long; we just have to sit tight here and wait for the Master to leave. He'll go any minute now, I promise you."

[spirit_queen]

"But he never leaves his work unattended," whispered Lucy, wondering what Remy was getting at.

The master was a large man with quite the beer gut. He lumbered around, huffing and puffing, in his hot workshop. He was making a large glass sculpture of a panther of some sort for some noble or other, so far as Lucy could tell. It was, of course, beautifully crafted, and sparkled becomingly in the half-light escaping from the windows and from the fire used to heat the glass.

He kept glancing surreptitiously at the clock, however, when when it finally hit noon, he left, just as Remy had promised. Lucius was so stunned his mouth hung open with a tiny 'click' sound as his dry tongue reluctantly separated form the roof of his mouth.

~

"Can I touch it?" Taka asked. "And is it true cats only wag their tails when they're irritated?"

[Miranda_]

As the Master left his workshop, Remy smirked at Lucius. "Told you so," he said. "Now, we need to take something that's small enough to carry and also to conceal. Not the statue; he'd notice that was gone cuz he's still working on it. He should be gone for twenty minutes to half an hour; still, no sense in taking more time than we have to."

At noon, Victor had arrived at the Master's residence, which was on the side of the workshop. This was a usual arrangement; the Master was a regular client of Victor's and paid well. Victor didn't like his work in the slightest; he wasn't the slightest bit interested in men, but he did need the money. He disliked having to sleep with the Master especially; the man was fat, ugly and smelled of sweat. He sighed heavily as he waited to get it over with.

~~~

"If you like," Ari replied. "And yes, that's true... but not always. Sometimes, the tail keeps still, but the cat's still angry. That's when you have to watch out."

[spirit_queen]

"How did you know he'd be gone?" Lucy asked, amazed. He lithely hopped down from their hiding spot and strode in, looking about for baubles to steal that might be less noticed. He found a paperweight and a small, palm-sized but intricate sculpture of a horse rearing and took that, too.

The Master Alessandro met the smaller boy as scheduled. No words were exchanged; he just grunted and indicated his room; Alessandro always just wanted to satiate himself then get back to work. His house had wonderful pieces in it, som of which were pieces made by himself, some of which were rugs and ceramic pieces by others. But beneath the supposed glamor were hints of a man living beyond his means; water staining in the roof from an old leak here, cracked floorboards there, the scurrying of a rat or large bug over there, and more.

~

Taka reached out and gently touched the large, fluffy tail. "wow, it's stronger than I thought; mine is actually fluffier than yours," Taka observed in wonder. "Before you came here or went to the army, what was your life like? Were you one of the rich cats or the working cats?"

[Miranda_]

"Easy; I happen to know that Alessandro has an appointment to meet a wh'ore at this time," Remy replied, smugly as he went around the room taking only the small items that would not be noticed and slipping them into the pockets of his capacious coat.

Victor didn't speak, just silently followed the Master to his room. Once there, he held out a hand palm side up for the money to be paid in advance before services rendered.

~~~

"My family is, or was, fairly well off," Ari explained. "My mother expected me to act in a ladylike manner; to do embroidery or sit quietly in the parlour reading something suitable. My father would have chosen a husband for me, had I remained there. I had an older brother, who was killed in the war. I kept his clothes and sword in memory of him; once I had made up my mind to run away, I put on his clothes, cut my hair and took the sword and ran away to join the army."