Chapter Text
Chapter 1
"One Signature with extra Vodka."
The friendly bartender raises his bushy eyebrow, eyeing me with surprise. "That's more alcohol than your usual, Springwell. Anything the matter?"
I shake my head, grinning widely. "Nothing wrong at all, Frogue, I'm just glad to not be banned from the pub anymore since the little incident two weeks ago."
"I wouldn't call it little," he grumbles. "You almost blew up the whole building!"
"Emphasis on the almost, my friend," I hum, swinging my legs on the counter. I blow a strand of blonde hair from my face with as much nonchalance as one can muster. "May I have the Signature cocktail, or must we discuss on my past actions more? It seems to bring you much pain."
"I'll bring you your cocktail, Springwell, but much more of that cockiness and I'll have to kick you out again."
He starts mixing liquids and herbs. While I wait, I glance around the pub. It's busy today, with the usual guests at their usual tables. I learned some of their names a while ago, but I tend to forget what's not important to me.
A girl in a red hood is laughing at something a redhaired girl just said. I think their names were Oyster and something to do with a crystal, or maybe it was Pearl and Gem? Probably the second option, it sounds more realistic. The two always struck a distant, familiar memory of a time a while away from now, but I can never pinpoint on what. Sometimes, I think it's because I've seen them before in my old town, but that would be a strange coincidence, so maybe it's because they look similar to people I've met before.
I never linger on it for too long.
Frogue hands me my cocktail, then heads towards the back kitchen to make his signature pulled pork sandwhiches. I continue to spectate the people around me. At a farther table, there sits two men, cackling at some stupid joke. The taller one with scars spreading on his face and arms repeatedly hits the back of the one in a red sweater (I swear I've never seen this man wear anything else. How many versions of this sweater does he have?), who tries to swat his arm away, losing his glasses in the process.
I always found this pair interesting, also because they used to live in the village next to mine when we were little. I never interacted with them much, but I always saw how close they were as they grew up. It's obvious that their friendship grew into something more, but neither of the idiots will admit how hopelessly in love they are with each other.
Good thing I never plan to fall in love, the thought of going all soft and growing too attached to someone makes me sick. But that doesn't mean I don't enjoy shipping others, especially the clueless ones.
I sip my cocktail, watching Red Sweater and Tall Guy continue to stupidly flirt with each other without realizing it. At one point, Tall Guy says something that makes Red Sweater blush insanely hard that I almost spill my drink in laughter.
"Ohhh Scotty boy!" An irritating voice says.
The voice fills me with both annoyance and joy as I spin around to see Avid head towards with a wide grin and outstretched arms. Cleo- my childhood best friend -and Drift walk next to him, rolling their eyes in sync.
Avid tries to tackle me in a hug, but I smoothly sidestep him so he trips and falls instead. Without helping him up, I head towards Cleo and drift, nodding in greeting.
"Rude," Avid mutters as he rises.
"You know I don't like hugs, only tripping into strong mens arms," I smirk. "You know that."
"And yet I still try," he sighs.
In apology, I offer him the rest of my drink. Cleo steals it before Avid can take a single sip, chugging it all for herself. Apparently, no one seems to be on Avid's side today, but it's just so fun to rile him up. It's hard not to find him cute when he gets especially furious, cause he simply doesn't have the ability to look intimidating.
"Hello, my darling friends," I say, dramatically spreading my arms wide open. "What's the plan for today?"
"Nothing fun, Scott," Cleo says in her fun British accent. "Drift and I agreed to keep a low profile for at least the next week if we want the knights off our backs, especially the Lion Knight, Owain. He's a pain in the arse."
I groan in annoyance, "We can't do anything fun anymore with him around. He's way too good. Sometimes I can't even enter a bar without feeling cautious. This is the only pub that allows active and retired criminals to drink peacefully! It's getting boring having the same drink all the time and looking at the same people, isn't it?"
"You're lucky I let you in at all, Springwell!" Frogue calls from the back kitchen. Apparently, he's been listening in on our conversation. "You're quite the trouble in this kingdom. Do you realize how much money I've had to turn down these past few months to keep you from being taken? More than what you've made on all your heists! It's a good thing for you I'm loyal, but sometimes you're such an annoying bastart that you make me seriously consider it."
"I love you too, Frogue!" I call back, grinning. There's no other appropriate answer other than flattery and jokes when it comes to him.
I hear him mutter under his breath in response, but I only manage to catch the word idiot, which is perfectly enough to figure out what else he’s saying.
Cleo clears her throat. “Anyway… Avid said that since we have to lay low on heists, we might as well try to have fun- oh Gods, are Scar and Grian flirting again? Please tell me they’re dating now.”
Oh, so that’s what their names are. It’s a good thing Cleo bothers to remember them for me.
I shrug, “Nope, not dating yet. I haven’t seen them kiss once.”
“Holy shit,” She says in disbelief. “They’re completely blind, aren’t they?”
I nod, crossing my arms. “And here I thought Grian’s new glasses would at least help him a little bit, but nada.”
“Can you two stop spying on people's love lives and focus on our own?” Drift says, annoyed.
“Absolutely!” Avid claps, “how is it going with you and Shelby? Did you manage to ask her out yet?”
“No,” Drift deflates immediately. “I’m incapable of doing that. I can’t even flirt properly.”
“Poor you,” I yawn, “Seems like the talent of flirting is only for the most attractive of people.”
“Oh stop it,” she snaps, “You keep on saying how good you are at flirting, and how everyone loves you, but not once have I seen you try to settle with one person. Doesn’t it get tiring flinging around from person to person? When was the last time you tried being truly in love with someone?”
I barely hear Cleo warn Drift to back down as I still. The world tunnels around me until I’m not in the pub anymore, but in a field of poppies.
When was the last time you tried being truly in love with someone?
I hear a faint, joyous laugh in the distance. I see a figure waving at me, urging me to follow him.
I so wish to follow him.
“Red looks good on you,” He used to say. “You should carry poppies in your hair more often.”
I’m snapped back to the present in an instant, colder than before. My back is rigid as I stare numbly down at Drift.
I try to shrug, but it comes out stiff.
“I have no time for love,” I spit. “I find no pleasure in it, and I have no patience for it. Love is for the dumb and the weak, but if you’re so eager to fit in that category, then go ahead.”
I shove past her, ignoring Avid as he calls after
“Scott, come on!”
“I need some air,” I mutter, pushing the doors open and allowing the cool wind to hit my face like a wall of bricks.
I welcome the silence of the night as I walk down the street, hands relaxed by my sides.
As soon as I find a passerby, I dip my fingers into his pockets before he can bat an eye. I manage to grab a pouch of coins and a poorly wrapped sweet. I pop the candy in my mouth and spin one of the coins smoothly between my fingers. The initial sharpness of my anger had already disappeared as soon as I stepped outside the pub, but I still decide to spend an hour jumping from one rooftop to another while memories spin in my head.
Unwanted memories of a past life I wish to forget.
There was a knock on my cottage door, but I didn’t bother answering. He always entered my house without waiting for me to open the door for him.
“How are we doing this morning?” He asked.
I smiled softly at him, “Tired.”
“How come?”
I leaned against him, closing my eyes for a brief moment. “I wish to leave this place, my dear. I am tired of the constant war we are forced to face. Even Cleo, who is an undead creature, cannot handle it anymore.”
“But you know we cannot leave,” he said, sounding guilty. “This is our home, we have to protect it.”
“Why us?” I turned to him. “Why not leave it to someone else for once? Why can’t we be selfish for once? Why must we suffer?”
“Because if it isn’t us, then it is someone else, and selfishness isn’t who we are. We are mischievous, sure. We are annoying and a pain, but we are not selfish.”
I sighed, “you are too kind sometimes, you know that?”
He chuckled, “I prefer that than being seen as a villain.”
That was one hundred and ten years ago. A long time to some, but a short time to elves. Our long age is supposed to be a blessing, but for me, it’s a curse. A longer life to live only means more memories to hold.
The last of the rock candy dissipates in my mouth, leaving me with a sour aftertaste that desperately needs to be washed out with water, but I don't bother heading to the drinking fountain, since I've found a comfortable spot on this roof.
I hear laughter down below, and curiosity makes me lean over the rooftop I’m sitting on to see who exactly is so loud at night.
A pair of hooded figures walk down the street, elbowing each other and snickering over inside jokes and funny faces. They look drunk enough for me to steal much more than a pouch of gold from them.
I slide down the roof and land soundlessly on the cobbled street, sneaking up behind them until I’m close enough to snatch whatever is inside their pockets.
I successfully steal a beautiful pair of earrings from the first hooded figure. The earrings look expensive enough to sell for thousands on the Dark Market. I pry the pockets of the second person, but come up with nothing. His pockets are empty, which is annoyingly smart, but what’s strange is how weird he feels... It’s almost like he’s made of slime.
Wait…
Empty pockets, expensive earrings, hooded figures, feels like slime…
These two are rogues!
Familiar ones, at that.
Mae and Cee still don’t notice me standing right behind them as they continue to laugh and stumble, the alcohol settled deeply into their system.
“Idiots,” I mutter. “You two are absolute idiots.”
Cee jumps at my voice, spinning around to face me. His gooey features are not a shock to me anymore, as I’ve seen him a thousand times.
In short: He’s a Slime, a rare species from the Western Lands, and even rarer in Skyblue Kingdom.
It’s stereotypical of people to think that slimes are simply undefined globs with arms and legs, but Cee is quite the opposite. Even though it’s one hundred percent slime, his hair still manages to look well kept and fluffy, along with handsome blue irises and a soft mouth. He’s slim-built and almost as tall as me, with strong arms and perfect hands that have stolen way too much from me than I’d like to admit.
I’m lucky to say that I’ve kissed him a few times before, when we were both too wasted to care for the world around us. He’s quite a good kisser, and I’m a liar if I said I wouldn’t kiss him again, but we both agreed that we didn’t want anything serious.
That’s another thing I like about him.
He never wants anything serious.
Besides, kissing while blackout drunk was never going to end up in a healthy relationship anyway if we were interested in one in the first place.
“Scott!” Mae exclaims beside him. I’ve been so focused on Cee that I forgot she was there.
She hiccups into a fit of giggling, slumping against me for a hug. I spit out red strands of her hair that get in my face and push her away, maybe a bit too harshly, but I have no remorse for anyone who invades my personal space.
“I thought you two were out on a heist today,” I say, crossing my arms. “Why the slack?”
“We decided it was too dangerous since Owain, Bek, Katie, and Graecie are guarding the palace walls tonight. They’re all quite scary, and Graecie has a successful streak of catching me more than once,” Cee explains in a slurred tone. “The only reason why I’m not in prison is because she keeps on forgetting that I’m a Slime, which means I’m much more slippery to hold on to than the average rogue.”
I raise an eyebrow, “So you decide to drink yourselves drunk instead?”
He shrugs, “What else can we do? The gambling dens are closed tonight, so no Farkle, and Mae insisted on going out for a drink tonight, so here we are.”
I sigh, “you should’ve invited my friends and I. We don’t have shit to do either.”
Mae tilts her head, far too aware for a drunk person. “Have you gotten in an argument with them lately?”
“What?” I blink, “No… not really.”
“Hm,” she frowns. “But you’re only ever truly alone when you’re mad at someone. Otherwise, you’d have at least one person with you.”
“And how are you so sure of that?” I say, suddenly defensive. “You don’t know me, Mae.”
Sensing my guarded tone, Mae backs down, snapping her mouth shut and making a motion with her hand of locking it tight and throwing an invisible key away.
“Thank you,” I sigh, turning back to Cee, who I’ve always liked more. “My friends and I are at Frogue’s pub, if you’re interested, and no, I’m not taking you home this time if you get too drunk.”
“Aww,” he teases, “but I simply love it when you carry me in your arms.”
I roll my eyes, not in the mood to tease back. “Whatever, Cee. I’ll be leaving you two.”
I salute them with a low bow before disappearing into the shadows once again, Mae’s pricey earrings safe in my pocket.
Planning a heist without friends proves to be quite the challenge. Usually, I'd have Avid and his brilliant brain assure me that he'd manage the security cameras so I'd be able to sneak in and out of whatever place we're infiltrating with no trouble. Drift would distract the knights with her charm, if you could call it that, and I'd have Cleo at my back with her twin revolvers, shooting at anyone that got too close.
In general, the planning would go much more smoothly, but I'm just an elf with the ability to sneak in and steal. I don't have the smarts of Avid or the aim of Cleo, and I don't even have the special charm of Drift, since every knight knows my face anyway.
Groaning in annoyance, I shut the maps and blueprints and throw them in a dusty corner of my hideout. I climb up the ladder that leads to my main house, where I really can't do anything but water plants, eat, and sleep. I have no furniture unless you count the hundreds of potted plants that line all sides of my small house, some new, some old, but all overgrown enough to grow on walls and hang from the ceiling.
Cleo always tells me to remove some of them, but it's like removing my own children! I might be a prick, but never towards my plants, they're simply too dear to me.
Speaking of Cleo, she barges into my house without even knocking.
"Oh, hello..." I don't even finish my sentence before she's grabbing me by the shoulders and dragging me outside my own living quarters. She pulls me all the way back to the pub, slams the doors open there too, and orders me to sit down.
With no intention of having my head bashed against the table, I do. Doing my best to look unbothered so the people around us don't pry too much, I hiss at her to stop stomping around and tell me what's going on.
She does not sit down beside me.
She does not calm down.
I groan, hating myself for what I'm about to do. I close my eyes, muttering an incantation under my breath. I feel my head grow hot- signs of the blue strands of my hair glowing and floating crystals forming around me like a crown -and my mind go blank. In the short burst of magic, a vine breaks through the wooden floor and wraps itself around Cleo's waist, forcing her to sit down beside me.
It's all done in a second, and in the next, the vine is already crawling back down in the ground, repairing the floor as it takes its leave. The tables around me pause their conversations, but not even ten seconds pass before they're minding their own business once more.
I fully expect the glare from Cleo, but I don't regret my actions. "You needed it."
"I did not," She huffs.
"Uh, yes you obviously did. You were stomping around like an angry chicken."
She stares at me with wide eyes. "Did you just compare me to a chicken?"
"I did and I will do it again if you don't tell me why you felt the need to literally drag me outside of my home and back to the pub..." I glance around to notice for the first time that Drift and Avid aren't here. "And where are the other two?"
"Drift is wallowing in guilt," the undead woman shoots me a glare. "Which is initially why I came to get you along with Avid, but on our merry way, we ran into some... trouble."
My eyes narrow, "what kind of trouble, exactly?"
She looks me dead in the eye when the next words come out of her mouth. "Avid was taken prisoner by knights."