Information

Robbie has a minion!

Thea the Smilla

Robbie
Legacy Name: Robbie

The

Hydrus Telenine
Owner:

Vain

Age: 15 years, 9 months, 6 days

Born: July 19th, 2008

Adopted: 11 years, 6 months, 2 weeks ago

Adopted: October 6th, 2012

Pet Spotlight Winner
November 6th, 2011

Statistics

Level: 3
Strength: 10
Defense: 11
Speed: 27
Health: 13
HP: 13/13
Intelligence: 11
Books Read: 11
Food Eaten: 0
Job: Unemployed

work on me pls

Most people call me Robbie, seein’ as it’s my name and all. I also go by street-urchin and muck snipe, albeit not by choice. There’s a certain stigma around pickpockets, beggars and burglars, you see; but I like to think of myself as a breaker of stereotypes, as such. Some people grow up holding a silver spoon and what-not, and I was born to steal that cutlery, you get me?

Been this way for as long as I can remember; leave a kid alone in life and they’re bound to end up a criminal, one way or another. It really is a testament to my good character that I didn’t turn out some psychopath who kills harlots and the like.

Basically, long story short, my parents were both vagrants living in a dank little alley, caught up in debt to a local crook by the name of Dom. Being poor, they couldn’t afford the money so the bloke offed ‘em. Took me in as a tiny little pocket-robber to do his dirty deeds. After seven years of hard labour I finally worked my way up the ladder of ill-gotten gains. This lead to more and more difficult jobs until, eventually, Dom hand-picked me for his biggest heist yet. And that, my friends, is where things got interesting…

Rain buffered down at the windows as Dom laid his plans out before me; just me alone. Sure, he had stronger bandits, maybe people he trusted more, but noone was smaller or craftier than me. The mark had only one weak spot, one point of entry with no guards and no locks. Easy pickins, he said. The item? ___ The catch? One of the richest men in the city was said to keep it hidden away at the top of his mansion, in a secret compartment.

So there I was, getting prepped for the challenge of a lifetime. My lifetime, at least; I’m sure creating the____ in the first place was a lot tougher. Anyway, as I took a bite out of my biscuit, the door creaked open and in strolled Dom like he owned the place. I mean, he did own the place, but that wouldn’t have stopped the air of superiority that seemed to follow him everywhere. Sitting down next to me, he put his arm around my shoulder and pulled me in all chummy-like.

“Eatin’ a bitta lunch now are we, Robbie?”, his gravelly voice sent chill down my spine

“Aye sir, gonna be top of my game tomorro-”

Dom cut in, “You’d best-be, son. There’s no room for mistakes. Now I’m lettin’ you in on the biggest heist this city’s every seen. Not only is it a fortune most men don’t dare dream of, but it’s also a test. For you. If you screw this up or, god forbid, if you betray me.. Well, let’s just hope you don’t, huh? .” His words grew rigid and coarse, but his tone hardly changed at all. "I trust you more than you probably know. I only say all that nonsense to make sure it’s well-placed, know what I mean? I’ve been betrayed before, I can handle that. But you, you’re like a son to me. Don’t make me regret this, yeah? Besides, you’ll be making more money than you’ve ever seen.” He slid out from the bench and started towards the exit.

I got back to eating as Dom shut the door behind him, his words echoing in my head. You’re like a son to me, the nerve. Sent shivers down my spine just thinking about it. Truth be told, I wasn’t always as charming as I am now. Used to be I was just some frightened little orphan who did what he was told. Tell you what though, everything changed the next day; the day of the heist.

Fear and zeal frenzied in my chest as the task ahead dawned on me. I had my reservations about going back to Dom with the ___, you see — I was probably better off just stealing it for myself — but either way I needed to get to the bloody thing first. Windows, balconies and overhangs were scattered across the mansion’s walls; plenty of places to climb, but all of them dangerous. All of which lead to a single oversized chimney right at the top; my point of entry. At that point, it was less about plotting a safe course and more about finding the least-deadly one.

The grounds housed a shed around the side of the mansion, and it was there that I’d be able to make my initial entry. Clambering up the adjacent building’s various footholds and decorative bits, I found myself high enough. With a kick and a grunt, I ejected myself swiftly off the side, then down to the shed below. I crouched down at the tip of the roof and spied out any guards in sight; luckily there was only a couple. That was to be expected, though. Big spiky gates are enough to deter most miscreants and robbers. Good thing I’m not most people, eh?

Getting in was just the easy part, and getting past the guards wasn’t gonna be too much strife. I simply had to wait for a blind spot in their patrol pattern and I was across the yard in no time. Once again I felt that all-to-familiar sense of impending doom and gloom in my heart as I set one foot down against the foundation. The metal barring across the window was so cold to the touch I thought my fingers might fall off there and then. Savouring my last moment on solid ground, I hoisted myself up and began to scale the wall; my sights set on the chimney and my mind focused on the prize waiting inside.

A chilling night wind bristling at my back and certain death waiting for me below; what better way to spend an evening right? “Don’t look down, don’t look down”, I constantly willed myself. It might seem cliche, but I tell you right now that it works. That is, until you look down. My gut lurched as I did, and I was only one storey up. With all my strength I held my course. But with every metal creak or strong breeze a new butterfly burst into life within my stomach. Even-still, I wasn’t about to back down now. I continued on with my reluctant adventure until I reached the tippy-top of the building. It was time to get into that chimney.

Nothing but cold air was piping out of the chimney; Dom said no one ever spent any time up there so lucky his informant was right. I gripped at the inside edge of the crevice and lowered myself down. I pushed my back up against one side and my feet against the other, shimmying my way down slowly but surely. Took a fair bitta strength, and good thing I don’t weigh much or I’d have fallen straight on down, but eventually I found myself at the base of the chimney. I was safe from any more dangers, other than a bit of soot poisoning I s’pose.

Apparently the __was in a hidden compartment behind some books. What Dom’s tipster failed to mention was that the top floor was a bloody library. It was gonna take forever, especially considering I couldn’t just flail the books ‘round the place due to the need of stealth and all. With a huff and sigh I got to pulling each book back and peering behind. Wouldn’t you know it, every single book I’d take out housed a nice little rectangle of wood behind it; no secret compartments to be found.

Ten minutes or so in and I was already losing all will to go on. To think that scaling the side of a building wasn’t the hardest part of this stupid heist. I leant against the wall and sat down in frustration. Clenching my eyes shut, I wracked my brain for a solution. As I opened them again, they were drawn to a large painting across from me. Lots of reds, browns and yellows flecked across the piece; it was a view of a great raging blaze across a cityscape painted from the perspective of inside a building. The fires swept all over, but inside it was rather peaceful: a quaint little table with two chairs and a single mug of some steaming drink. Linen and cloth was bundled up at the bottom left of the scene, and on the other side something that caught my eye; a messy pile of books. I felt like an idiot for even considering the ___ might be hidden behind the painting, but it was either that or trying to scramble up the side of a bookcase for the next hour.

I got to my feet and crept on over. Any attempt to slide or move the painting at all was fruitless; must’ve been bolted down or something. Biting my lip, I considered what to do. On a whim, I began to feel around the sides of the canvas and, much to my surprise, found a tiny bump after a bit of frisking. I pushed it in and heard a satisfying click before the whole thing began to swing outwards on some sort of hidden hinge. I dodged back out of the way and stared in awe at the sheer wealth before me: display cases of jewelled necklaces, rings and daggers; a couple of open chests, seemingly filled to the brim with gold coins; and finally the prize I’d been waiting for all along. The ___. It was easily worth more than anything else in the safe, probably altogether. All of that compacted into a ___ no bigger than my hand. And now it was mine.

Fuelled by glee and greed, I began snatching up the more expensive looking jewellry before nesting the ___ away in my last spare pocket. Now was time to escape; no sense in hanging around, basking in the glorious riches, any longer than I had to. I made my way out of the vault and pushed the painting to a close. The wind was brisk and harsh as I unlatched the window and climbed out. I might’ve been heavier in the literal sense, but I felt lighter than air on my journey down.

As I reached the bottom, once again I waited for the guards to swap shifts and crossed over to the shed. I scaled up the shed and dropped over the other side. I pondered what to do with the treasure I now carried among my pockets, but it didn’t take long for arrogant-me to make a decision. No way was i going back, this was my only ticket to a proper honest life. So there I was: richer than I thought ever possible and on-track for freedom. No more picking pockets, climbing up darn buildings and certainly no more of that scum, Dom. I really thought it was the first day of the rest of my life.. Makes you wonder where it all went wrong from there, eh? Story for another time, I s’pose.