Well, here's another round robin of Seito's and mine.

This is to be a private round robin--something like an ill planned collabrative writing project where anything can happen. Seito and I shall post the story, but you, dear readers (if you even exist xD), may comment if you wish.

Please do note that the characters we use belong respectively to Seito and me.

Anywho, onwards to the fun! xD

The girl looked up through the criss crossing branches thoughtfully. The sky was blue through the leaves and inviting. How she would love to dance in the sky...

A boot flew at her head. "Get your head out of the sky and get to work!"

Sellah was a dreamer. She often dreamed that the prince of the sky would swoop down in his chariot of light drawn by winged horses and spirit her away...

The second boot flew at her head. "The next time you're getting the stilettos!"

Sellah flinched and snapped out of it. Boots were one thing. Stilettos were deceiving. They seemed flimsy and harmless, but they had a barbed tail--the ever pointy, ever fatal heel. Sellah wondered how any woman could rightly walk in those shoes.

She sighed and went back to work, scrubbing at a stain in a shirt. Scrub, scrub, scrub. The stain would never go away. Sellah had warned the lady not to spill the wine on the shirt, had warned that if it happened anyways she was to soak it straight away or else could not dream of having it clean again. Of course, Sellah had not been heeded. She sighed again and stared at the road.

If only her prince charming would come up that road and spirit her away...

She put her head down and resumed scrubbing at the perpetual stain, resigned to simply dreaming. But had she looked for a moment longer, she would have seen a shadow flash across the road.

Kait or Kuro as he liked to call himself when he was out on a run, jumped gleefully from the window to the green grass below. This place had been a gold mine. There was enough gold that he stole to support his entire family for weeks months!

Kait darted back to the den.

At the edge of the town there was a dusty old shed. It was covered in vines and looked like all it needed was a strong wind to blow it over. If one looked closely at it, one could see the words "Jack of Trades" carved into one of the walls.

Kait slipped into the shed as quickly as he could unnoticed. Then he rolled back the fake grass padding and open the combination lock to the trapdoor hidden underneath. The door sprung open and he slipped through the door, rolling the fake grass over the top and then slamming the door closed hearing the lock click shut. Then Kait made his way down the ladder.

At the bottom of the tunnel, it opened up to a spacious underground den. A giant living room in the middle which branched out into several other rooms and hallways. In the living room, a girl with sun-kissed brown hair and pale yellow eyes was reading her book.

"Back already Kait?" the girl asked looking up from her book.

Kait grinned. "Yup. Did you doubt my skills, Hikage?"

Hikage smiled. "No not all."

Missy paraded up and down the room in her new sundress. She moved about to test the fit of it. The dress flowed about her gracefully.

"I'll say, Sellah, I think you've done right," she cooed to Sellah through the mirror.

Sellah shook her head and picked up a dress on the floor to hang it properly on a hanger. "You're so easily pleased, Missy."

"Lies! I am of extraordinary taste! It takes much to please me!" she said haughtily. "You are simply modest. You can make dresses fit for Paris! You simply won't admit it." Missy winked at her.

Sellah smiled. It was true. Sellah was a good seamstress. She dreamed of perhaps striking out and leaving this place. She could seek her own fortune. She could make dresses that noble ladies would kill for instead of Missy...

"Sellah? Are you listening? Blue ribbon or yellow ribbon?" Missy held the ribbons to her hair.

There she was again--dreaming. Besides, Sellah liked Missy. Although she could be terribly overbearing at times, she was great fun. Missy was also her dear friend. "Blue."

Knock! Knock! Knock!

Three important knocks sounded on the front door. The two rushed down to open it. Well, Sellah rushed down, and Missy pranced after her to see who it was.

A grand herald stood in the doorway. He gave an elaborate flourishing bow and handed her a very impressive looking scroll. "Their majesties send their compliments and hope that you will honor them by attending the Seven Grand."

He gave another fancy bow and departed.

Missy rushed over to peer at the scoll over Sellah's shoulder and screeched in delight. "A ball! And not just a ball, seven of them! And not just any of them, the Seven Grand! Oh, Sellah, we have to go!"

She grabbed Sellah's hands and the scroll fell from her hands, forgotten. She twirled around madly, singing about the ball happily. "And it'll be so much fun! Of course, we won't be noticed by the Prince. One musn't go for such a reason. But we shall get to dress up and dance and what fun! Oh and the dresses! Sellah, you will have the most beautiful gowns--!"

"You mean you will have the most beautiful gowns."

"Of course not. I will take your second best ones. I could not deprive you of your wearing your work, silly."

"But I do not mean to go," Sellah protested.

"But you must! I will not have it any other way," Missy declared. And Missy always had her way.

Sellah sighed.

"Oh by the way Kait. There's a ball coming up," said Hikage.

Kait's eyes gleamed at the thought of a new potential target. "Tell me," he said.

"The Seven Grand hosted by the our King and Queen of this fair country. Unlike normal balls, this one shall be held for seven days and seven nights. Nearly all the nobles have been notified by now. I do believe this is the Queen's way of attempting to find a bride for her son," explained Hikage.

Kait grinned. "In other way a prefect target."

Hikage smiled. "Yes I do believe so."

"So shall we go as guest or as entertainers?" asked Kait. He waved his hand and produced a magic flower for Hikage. Hikage giggled.

"Why not both?"

Kait and Hikage looked to see the third edition to their family: Asho. "One night we could be entertaining everyone with Kait's magic and 'Moon' sharpshooting and then the following night we can just be guests. And it's much easier then having Hikage having to use her noble birthright to get us an invitation," explained Asho.

"That should work," said Kait.

Hikage came from long line of nobles. If anything she already had an invitation waiting for her at home. However her father didn't need to know that was associating with 'common' folk much less 'thieves'. (They wouldn't accept any gold from her). She actually didn't do any stealing. (Kait gave back most of it anyways). Hikage decided after meeting Kait that she would much rather be helping her friend steal items instead of being locked up at home all the time.

Kait on the other hand, was your common street rat kid. He was an expert at magic and of course stealing. He met Hikage back when he was little kid and stealing from her house was his first big job. The two became fast friends.

"So," said Asho, leaning down next to them. "Up for the challenge?"

"Mother, I've told you before, I don't want a ball," the prince beseeched his mother.

"Well, you aren't getting a ball--you're getting seven. Besides, you are to be King. You must learn humility and learn to accept what you do not want." The queen was ever regal and haughty. She plopped onto her chair with a royal grace and smoothed out her skirts. "My dear son, you will attend these balls and find a wife."

"But I don't want--"

"And learn humility." The queen snapped her fan shut, closing the matter. The prince slunk out of the room with a defeated air.

The queen smiled to herself and sighed happily. "Ah, to be young and a ruler!" She laughed.

The servants standing by the door had learned long ago to tolerate the queen's antics without staring. If one stared, one's stares would be returned--and that was the thing one wanted to avoid the most of all. For, the stare of the queen meant that one's life was about to be turned upside down purely for her amusement.

One pitied her son whom was inevitablely subject to the queen's attentions.

* * *

The queen was taking a stroll in the garden followed by a large entourage of servants, fanners, and for some strange reason bird keepers carrying large, colorful, tropical birds. She approached her son who had been sulking by the fish pond, tossing pebbles into it.

"Stop that, dear, you're making the pond cleaner's job more difficult," she reprimanded him. However, the queen actually cared nothing for the pond cleaner's job; she simply used the excuse to get her son to stop acting childishly.

"You don't care about the pond cleaner's job. You're just using that excuse to make me stop flicking pebbles."

"For the sake of this conversation, I do care about the pond cleaner's job." She snapped her fan open and fluttered it about, making herself appear more agitated than actually fanning herself. "Now stop this foolishness and tell me what entertainment you would like for the Grand Seven."

"I don't care. You probably have something in mind, and now you want me to suggest something so you can squash it out and parade your choice about." He lay down on the stone bench.

"Nonsense, darling. Your opinion is very important to me."

"Fine. Then get clowns."

"Clowns! No uncivilized clown is entertaining at my son's Grand Seven! No, we must have magicians!"

"See, I told you. Fine. Now leave me to mope in my misery." He slumped quite pathetically.

Hikage smiled quietly to herself. In a kingdom like this, rumors and gossip spread faster then an eagle swooping down to grabs it's prey. It wasn't even a day since Kait and Asho made their plans and already things were going their way. Hikage supposed she would play the nice innocent little girl who introduces the group of entertainers to the queen.

It was be nice to liven things up just a bit. Here everything was quite dull and boring, much like her 'cage' back home. The most interesting thing would be who the prince might get married to. Of course when that was over, life would become even more boring. Something different would be nice for a change.

Hikage hummed quietly to herself as she skipped away towards the hideout.

***

Black Angel was not happy. Not one bit. She didn't know how on earth she let Asho talk her into this. She knew the important of stealing gold to get what they needed to live on.

Magicians at the upcoming ball. Black scowled. That not only meant she had to perform but to wear a dress too? Asho owned her big time.

She knocked on the wooden door of a run down house in the dirtier parts of the towns. The door creaked open and two pairs of identical eyes stared back at her. "Rei, Rai, up for another job?"

***

Kait sung to himself in a joyous mood. He got to perform as magician once again for the grandest balls in the country. Hikage had came quickly with the news that the queen had been looking for magicians as entertainers. That please Kait very much. It wasn't often he got a chance to perform one his best skills instead of stealing.

Kait flicked his wrist and produced a flower which he gave Hikage. Hikage smiled amused. She liked watching Kait get ready for a performance. It was interesting. Along the way he would often show her a trick he had just made up.

"Ne ne Hikage. Look at this trick," Kait said with a bounce. "I call this one the vanishing vase."

"I would like a simple gown. Flattering but simple. I want to be able to enjoy myself without being bogged having everyone comment on how extravagant my dress is." Missy was lying on her bed, describing her gown to Sellah. She sat up and looked at Sellah seriously. "Because they will, you know. They do it every time I wear one of your dresses."

Sellah sketched in a few more lines. "Nonsense. My dresses are beautiful because you are the one wear them." It was true in a way. Missy was terribly beautiful. She could have worn rags and had a fad take off.

Missy allowed herself a smile. "That's half true. But I bet you could even make a flattering dress for my mother." She giggled.

"Missy!" Sellah sounded shocked.

"I'm simply stating the facts. Mother is not young. She can't wear dresses that are the height of fashion anymore."

Sellah shook her head.

"Oh Sellah, my darling!" A musical voice drifted up to them, growing closer. The door burst open to reveal none other than Missy's mother.

"Love, have you heard about the Seven Grande?"

Sellah and Missy exchanged looks with each other. Missy's mother was a civil woman, but she generally never extended much warmth--much less gushed--to Sellah. "Yes, we answered the door."

"And are you planning on attending? Oh--! Are you designing Missy dress?" She had spotted Sellah's sketchbook.

Sellah nodded but then paused. "Well," she explained, "this is Missy's dress, but I don't plan on attending."

Missy shot her a look. Then looked at her mother sweetly. "Do tell Sellah that she must come, Mother. It would be a fine affair. And I really do protest that she must sit at home while I am about having fun."

"Of course. I agree with you completely. All three of us must go."

Missy's eyes widened. "But Mother..."

"And, dear talented Sellah, would it not be a fine affair if you might make me a dress?"

* * *

Missy groaned and buried her face in a pillow. "I don't believe my mother is coming to the Seven Grand with us."

"With you," Sellah corrected. "Now that I have fourteen dresses to make, I most certainly won't be able to go."

"Fourteen?" Missy's pillow dropped.

"Well, seven for you and seven for your mother means fourteen dresses, doesn't she?"

"We never expected fourteen! Maybe two or three at the most, but even one of your dresses would be beyond one's wildest dreams!" Missy protested.

"Well I'm going to make seven for both of you. I refuse to do less for you, and if I give you seven, I must be fair and give Madame Deliah the same."

Missy crawled over to her. "If you are fair, you will make twenty one dresses and attend yourself."

Sellah shook her head. "Missy--"

She cut her off. "You aren't going because you think it won't be fun because I'll run off to flirt with a boy and you'll have no one to talk to. Firstly, I would never run off and leave you alone like that. Secondly, there are a lot of boys who would die to talk to you."

"Missy--" Sellah tried again.

"Let's have a wager." Missy ignored her protest. "If you can avoid a boy's glance while wearing one of your dresses, you don't have to go. But if a boy so much as looks at you, you've got to come."

"But of course a boy will look at me--"

"So confident, aren't you?" Missy threw her a mischievious wink.

"Gah." Sellah's face fell into the pillow.

"I take that as consent."

((You know for a moment I had wandered into the wrong round robin thread xD))

Hikage was despairing. Somehow Kait had convinced her to go dress shopping for the ball. Now Hikage was content with just wearing the same dress for every ball, but Kait wouldn't heard of it. Hikage didn't have time to think why Kait was concerned on what she wore so much, before he dragged out the den and towards the market.

So here she was, standing in the marketplace. Hikage whimpered to herself, feeling the stares of everyone. It wasn't so much as she was shame to be in the lower parts of the town, but rather the fact that everyone was looking at her.

Dress in pale blue long sleeve dress, decorated with gold buttons and trimmed with white lace, Hikage stood out like a sore thumb. If she had know Kait was going to take her to the marketplace, she would have wore something more casual and not as fancy. (Peasant clothes, as her father would harshly put it).

"Hikage! I think I found a dress for you!" Kait called to her.

Hikage smiled weakly. She would have to admit that the dress she found in the marketplace here, were quite beautiful. But first things first, "Kait can we find something more comfortable for me to wear first? I don't want to stand out anymore then I already do."

Kait smiled in understanding and dragged her off to the nearest clothes store.

***

Black found herself back in the den. Rai and Rei agreed to work with them. So that part of the plan was taken care of. She had no idea what exactly they were going to steal from the palace, but it was bound to have something of value. Black personally did not like stealing, but it was a lot better then her old job. She swore to never walk down the path of death again. Not since she met Asho.

Speaking of Asho, he was sitting in the middle of the den. Strangely Hikage and Kait were no where in sight.

"They're out shopping," Asho explained, answering Black's unspoken question.

"Ah."

"You okay?" Asho looked up from his book.

Black nodded. "I just get a feeling that this heist is gonna be a long one."

Sellah picked at the elaborate sleeves--if the gauzy layers of fabric could even be classified as such--and wondered to herself why she had designed such a scandalous dress. A good deal of the dress was sheer and floated about her like a flower's petals in bloom. Well, that is what she intended it to be. However, she also intended for Missy to wear it.

The effect on Missy would have been alluring with her coy fluttering eyes and whatnot. Sellah spoiled the effect by trying to arrange the layers of gauze so as to conceal herself a bit more.

The breeze toyed with Sellah's hair, and a stricken look crossed her features. A horrifying thought had occured to her--the wind.

"Now stop making your face like that," Missy scolded, "You'll scare everyone away."

"Missy... the wind," she whispered.

Missy shrugged. "So?"

Sellah clung to Missy's arm pathetically. "I can't do this. I don't strangers. I don't like socializing. I don't like socializing with strangers."

"Silly." Missy patted Sellah's arm. "You're going to have to get over it. When you have your dress shop, you're going to have to talk to the customers, and I hardly think you'll be close acquaintances with all of them."

Sellah hung her head, defeated.

Missy grinned at her and nudged her. "Look, here comes one!" she told Sellah in an excited whisper.

Sellah looked at her miserably.

"Oh no you don't. And if you purposefully try to be woeful to scare the boys off, you're going to automatically come to the Seven Grande."

Sellah sighed and turned to look at the stranger.

He was tall, but didn't seem to fill out his frame completely. He didn't slouch, but he walked without that certain air that tall people generally commanded. He was of a slender, lithe form--built like an acrobat. His complexion was fair, a mark of an aristocrat. His clothes screamed the same thing as well, although in a more subtle way. They were very well made, Sellah noticed; however, they weren't the usual flamboyant and flashy things the gentry wore. His face was finely sculpted, shaped elegantly. Shockingly white blonde locks framed his face in an unruly but nonetheless aesthetic manner. But for all these charms, the stranger carried a forgettable air. When one looked at him, one did not particularly notice him unless they took a special interest. Perhaps it was the way he carried himself. Perhaps he lacked confidence. Perhaps he was simply like Sellah and disliked socializing with strangers.

The stranger had his back to her and was now talking with a waiter. The waiter saw her and nodded at the stranger. He turned...

And looked at her.

Sellah could feel her face flush. She turned to Missy--only to find that Missy had deserted her. Then she thought of how ridiculous she looked standing in the middle of the room in the scandalous dress and flushed more at the thought.

The stranger was beginning to walk towards her.

She scanned the room desperately and spotted Missy sitting on table in the corner. Missy winked at her. I win. Sellah didn't care about the wager. She didn't care if she had to attend the Seven Grande. She wanted to get out of there and avoid the surely impending Great Awkward Space.

She reached Missy and tugged Missy's sleeve hurriedly. "Alright. You win. Let's go." And she pulled a giggling Missy from the cafe.

((Really doesn't know what do to @.@))

Rai blew a long bang out of her eye. She was currently doing a one handstand on top of a chair's back while balancing a vase in one hand and a book at the top of her feet. Strangely this was how she used to mediate and think about things.

Right now the so call heisted that Black had told her about was on her mind. While Rai enjoyed a good challenge, she was a tad bit worried. On the heists that Rei and her had been on, they had never attempted to steal from somewhere like palace. It was a thought that never even occurred to them at first.

Rei on the other hand had been jumped at the idea and quickly agreed.

Rai did see the logic in her brother's reasoning. The palace was bought to have expensive items, all that they could sell for a high price. They were running short on money and each day it was struggle to find food. In some ways Rai was relieved that Black and told them about another heist. While it was wrong and illegal to do, Rai knew Rei and her wouldn't survived if they didn't steal every so often.

But stealing from the palace... it was instant death if they were caught. At least if they were caught stealing from a noble there was chance of life in prison. So much to risk so much to lose. One wrong factor could change everything in their life. Rai bite her lip. Her body trembled slightly, almost causing her to lose balance.

"Stop worrying Rai."

Rai glared at her brother. Rei was always the impulsive one. He would jump into things without thinking things through. Even if he did think things through, he would only thing a few steps ahead and not the entire big picture like Rai.

"That's easy for you to say, Rei," she grunted back.

Rei was tossing a knife back and forth, catching it quickly. "Look we'll end up starving if we don't take this job. I mean we have the skills that Kait and Black has to pull off a major heist on our own."

Rai set down the vase and let the book fall into her hand before straighting herself out, with her feet flat on the ground. Brushing aside the annoying bangs again, she nodded. "Fine. But I still don't like the idea."

A long red cape danced in the wind. It's wearer pulled at it irritably. Yes, the wind did make him look dramatic and dashing, but that was a far miss from the mark he was aiming for. Or course the cloak being an unmissable scarlet red wasn't exactly helpful either, but it had been dark and he couldn't have possibly been able to tell what he had been grabbing.

The wind howled fiercely, this time making him freeze instead of making him look majestic. He clutched the cloak tightly around him. Well, at least he had grabbed something warm.

He leapt lightly down from the roof and disappeared in the streets' shadows.

But the flash of conspicuous red caught the eye of another.

* * *