Chapter One Part Two: Thief!

"We're in."

Quickly slipping her tools back into her sleeve, Aramis ran over to where Athos already waited, kneeling with her hands interlocked, and stepped onto the hands, jumping upwards with a small boost from Athos, she grabbed a pipe, pulling herself up. "Ay, Porthos!" she whispered, "Le's go, we're in."

"Oh! Whoops, sorry Aramis." Appearing over the lip of the roof, Porthos reached down, grabbing Aramis's outstretched arms, pulling her all the way up, before jumping down, gracefully leaping from pipe to pipe before landing on the ground next to Athos. Quickly stretching, touching her toes before opening the door a crack to check for anyone inside, and slipping through. In strong comparison to the dark alley, the room in which Porthos had entered was bright and airy, several forward facing windows letting in the first early morning rays of light, and casting a warm glow about the room. Generally, the room was quite clean, no errant hairs or dust settling on the counters, even the odd mouse running through stopped to tidy up before entering. The only thing marring this sense of cleanliness was the flour lightly coating the counters and floating though the air. The source of the flour was four large sacks stacked up in a corner, the top one upright and open. Towards the front of the room there were several wooden counters pressed against the wall, breaking in the center for a western saloon style swinging door. On the far wall two large stone ovens sat, each having a toasty fire underneath, warming the room and baking several loaves of new bread for the morning. On a day closer to summer, this would likely have made the room swelteringly hot, but in the cooler temperatures of autumn, it was a perfect fit. There were two other exits in the room, both of which Porthos noted (always a good idea to know where your enemies could come from), a door in the back of the room likely leading to living quarters, and a spindly, spiral staircase right next to it. Finally having decided that the coast was clear for the moment, Porthos began her journey across the floor to the saloon doors, walking on her toes, she rather resembled a ballerina dancing as she lept to avoid the creaking planks that had caused trouble in the past. Reaching the doors, she slipped under them, sliding silently into the front of the shop. She came out behind a new counter, this one containing the register as well as many breads and pastries. The front windows were open, but the door was not, keeping customers at bay. And although some might have spotted Porthos as she quickly grabbed five, long baguettes from yesterday's basket, the day was still too young for many to be awake. Her prize tucked under either arm, she slid back into the previous room, managing to avoid the creaky doors. Something small and brown scuttled across the floor, "ah shoot, mouse" she whispered to herself "please go away, please go away," she pleaded with the creature, who refused to listen, instead running over and biting her toe deeply. "Gah!" she grunted in pain, keeping as quiet as she could. Shaking her foot, the creature was flung off, landing in the flour, but the damage was not yet done, as she stumbled backwards, until, SQUEAK, suddenly rang out through the house like an alarm bell, she had accidentally stepped on a creaky plank! Heavy footsteps sounded on the floor above her. "Darn it." she muttered under her breath and, abandoning all pretenses of secrecy, ran out the door shutting and locking it behind her. "Go go go!" she shouted as she left the bakery, her companions instantly alert. Throwing the baguettes high in the air, Aramis appeared on the roof, snatching them and disappearing once more. Running over Athos jumped into Porthos's already waiting hands, grabbing the pipes overhead and hauling herself up. "What 'appened?" she asked, a bit stressed by the suddenness of their escape.

"That stupid freaking floor happened!" Porthos replied, clearly miffed by the experience. A loud banging noise began hammering at the door, someone was clearly trying to get out. "Athos, you got yer sword?"

"No, dang it. I left it at my post!" she frowned, before sighing, "It's fine, I'll jus' make another. Le's go." Reaching down to Porthos, she waited for her to jump to the pipes as well. Porthos however was already running down the alley to where the sword lay, leaning down to scoop up the sharpened stick, "Aramis!" she cried, hurling the stick towards the roof, the other girl popping out and snatching it. Suddenly the door burst open, a large burly man barreling out, wearing an apron covered in flour, clearly the owner of the bakery. "Get back here!" he bellowed at the girls, rushing over to where Porthos had grabbed the pipes and was pulling herself up. "You thieves!" he grabbed at Porthos's legs, trying to pull her down. Glancing down quickly, Porthos stepped on his upturned face, using it as a step to reach the pipes, and leaving a smear of blood across his forehead from her toe, though for the most part it had stopped bleeding. "Argh!" he shouted, but the girls were already gone, leaping across the rooftops once more, laughing giddily at their narrow escape, their prizes clutched tightly. The morning sun had risen high in the sky, the world had awoken, and the three daring musketeers were free and ready to continue their journey. But even as they did so, a carriage was driving towards the house, a small person inside with a mysterious package. "I wonder what these ones will be like." A little gloved hand drew back the carriage curtains, the figure inside staring at the cobblestone streets and the people bustling about their days, and sighed. "Probably just like everyone else," the curtain dropped closed, and the carriage traveled on, the world left unknowing of the secrets hidden just beyond the curtain, hiding inside the little gloved figure.

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