3 Chapter 3

When the boy woke up, he yawned drowsily, wincing at the pain in his neck. After sitting up, he carefully stretched it to ease the ache before pushing the trashbags aside to crawl out of the hole in the wall.

Standing up, he stretched his body a few more times.

"Of course, I should have expected it. Sleeping in such a dump would obviously be unrefreshing," he murmured to himself as he kicked the trashbags over the hole. Rearranging it distractedly, he carefully inspected himself.

'I'm fine. The trashbags weren't touched. Was I really imagining stuff?' He wondered silently and looked over his head. The sun was leaning towards the west, indicating that it was the afternoon already.

Clapping his hands, the boy cheered tiredly to himself, "Time to get to work! Nothing better making a living to brighten up your day... Am I right, uh, Cecil?"

Shaking his head, 'Cecil' sighed, trudging to the entrance of the alley. "Ah, I really can't believe that I have so little human interaction that I'm talking to myself now. I pity you, my friend. Not only do you have to deal with me, you also have to deal with my terrible naming skills. What a pity, what a pity... I have no need for your pity, so give me your money instead."

Chuckling, Cecil brightened up an peeked around the corner. Noticing that there was nobody who was paying attention to him, he strode out into the sunlight, welcoming the warmth that hugged his back.

'Is this what mother's hug used to feel like?' He wondered mournfully. 'Living on the streets has almost made me forget... ah! What am I doing? Thinking such depressing thoughts right after waking up, what's going on today? No, no, focus. Today, you are going to steal... shoes! Yes, I'll do shoes!'

With a hastily-prepared goal in mind, Cecil stuck himself to the edge of the streets as he made his way over to the shoemaker's shop. The business was run by a small family, and though they weren't extravagantly wealthy, being the only shoe shop in the entire town did bring in benefits. Therefore, Cecil didn't feel that bad about stealing from them.

Peering in through the windows, Cecil ducked behind the wall as a group of customers exited the shop. Eagerly, he focused on their voices as he tried to get an idea of what they were talking about.

"-hat? They're raising the taxes again?! Unreasonable! Making a living is already hard enough, are they trying to bleed us dry of our money?!"

"Must be those darn nobles again. Hey, hey, you know how my sister married a noble? She told me recently that there's been rumors going around that the king is stepping down! They're raising taxes because they want to host a big party or something."

"Really? That's great news! Assuming it's true, that is. It was about time that he let one of his children take over. Any clue as to who? I think the eldest, Prince Falcion would be the natural choice."

"He would! He's a kind and generous prince, and he has always sympathized with us poorer folk! Alas, he disappeared a few years ago and still hasn't returned, so it probably wouldn't be him. Any other ideas as to who? If it's Prince Albert, I think it's safe to say we're doomed..."

"No clue, she mentioned that the king was considering something different this year, but it's kept hush-hush in the Royal Palace. In any case, Princess Evanthe would-"

Their voices soon became too quiet to hear as they ventured further and further away from the shoemaker's shop. Cecil listened intently to see if he could catch anymore, but he caught himself and sighed.

'Priorities, priorities. Shoes first.'

Closing his eyes in concentration, Cecil began to sketch out a plan.

Cackling like a madman, Cecil giddily took pleasure in the chaos of the successful heist as he ran behind the corner with his new boots. Stumbling a bit since they were the wrong size, he corrected his balance and plastered himself to the wall with a grin. He even used his hand to cover his giggle when someone finally noticed what had happened.

"It was that darn thief again! He must've done this! Only he would have the sheer nerve to even attempt something like this! Quick, my friends, check your wares!"

"Of course it was him! Just who else in this town would be able to get away with setting a fire on the streets in broad daylight? It was a blessing that nobody was even in that building!"

"I bet the price on the thief's head is going to rise again... Hey, Jeff, want to help me catch that thief tonight?"

Finally, the shoemaker noticed something amiss.

"It was me! He stole from me! One of my newest commissions are gone!"

The merchants all crowded around the shoemaker, patting his back and expressing their sympathies although their eyes glimmered with glee at the prospect of a merchant losing business. Surely, customers would hesitate to place an order at a shop with a history of theft. Even if it didn't impact the merchants in the slightest, they were at least glad it wasn't themselves who were robbed.

"Don't worry, buddy! You'll be fine since you're the only shoe shop in the town. You can make up the money from the theft with more sales!"

"Yeah! No worries!"

Cecil took a deep breath to calm his excitement at causing trouble, letting his breathing fall more even before he slipped away deeper into the alley. His footsteps barely echoed against the concrete, and he took special care to conceal himself from any passing pedestrian. Humming a merry tune to himself, he plopped himself down on some old stairs that protruded from a chipped doorway.

He grabbed a relatively clean, glass shard from off the floor, and gosh, were they common around town. He tested the sharpness of the glass against his finger, letting a single drop flow out before he wiped it away with his thumb. Satisfied, he bent down to adjust his boots to be more comfortable.

He was right to be cautious, but the person tailing him was much more skilled at concealing their presence. So well, that Cecil didn't even notice them until they were only twenty steps away from himself.