Netori: Stealing The Hero's Party!

A race of many beginnings and ends, none the same and yet a perfect balance; demi-humans–neither day nor night, but the equator line, cast half in the sun's rays and the other moonlight. However, no stranger to the extremes like a raging centaur obsessed with killing or a half-bunny human who excelled at sorcery, they held exceptions and not just in the extremes.

"What are you doing?" And one such demi was now being bothered by one-half of her blood.

"Helping you, what does it look like?" Responding to his sister, Monty picked up a scrub and began cleaning the dishes that the two had left dirty last night.

Suspicious about her brother's sudden change in behavior, Lincy glared at him, unsure what to make of the situation. But then it hit her.

"What did you do?!" Grabbing his hand with a look of pure terror, she forced him to turn around and look him eye to eye. "Did you break something? Or Stole from our piggy bank again?! No…wait, did you get in a fight with someone?!"

Feeling the ulcers on his knuckles, Lincy brought them closer to her face to cast a healing magic spell. Mumbling in arcane words she had no real understanding of, Lincy breathed a glistening green gust of healing that quickly healed her brother's knuckles right up.

Holding his hand for a while longer, she stared at them with nothing but worry. Turning them, even lifting his sleeves, she tried to spy more injuries but was quickly brushed off by her brother.

"I'm fine! Don't touch me…" Taking a step away, Monty glared at Lincy with a look only found in an annoyed pair of siblings. "And fine, I had a fight with someone, but you don't have to worry about what I do all the time."

Taken aback by his words, Lincy's eyebrows narrowed. Reaching forward once again, she tried to grab hold of Monty's hand but the boy quickly pulled himself away again. Feeling stuck in the pose from which she was about to pull him, Lincy glared at her brother some more, before she set herself upright and responded to his harsh words.

"I'm your sister okay? I have every right to be upset! And if you're free enough to roam around and get in fights, then why not get a job instead!" Lincy complained and swiftly turned to clean the dishes again.

Standing away from her for a moment, Monty wanted to scream to his sister that he did have a job, but realizing that doing so would tumble the illusion that he was just a lazy guy mooching off his sister, he decided not to do so.

'Thank the goddess she can't count or else those increasing coins in our piggy bank every other night would've broken the illusion already.' Assuming that Lincy would force him to give up what he does at the Maze, Monty moved beside his sister and began helping her with the dishes again.

"By the way," nudging her with his shoulder, Monty had her gaze back to him. "My friend Ray…I don't think he's gonna be coming over any time soon, but if he does, can you tell him to go away?"

"Hmm?" Her eyebrows frowning again, Lincy's curiosity grew in the matter. "Isn't he your friend? Won't telling him to bugger off ruin your relationship?"

"Just do as I say," Monty responded, his eyes fixed on the scrub and plates.

'What's going on?' Lincy wondered, her mind racing for possibilities, but her thoughts, like always quickly trailed off to musing about the fantasy book she was currently in the process of reading. Scrubbing the dishes without even realizing it, the demi-pup girl forgot about her conversation with her brother in a matter of minutes.

Monty on the other hand, glancing sideways at his sister was just thankful for Lincy's bad memory and lack of situational awareness. Had she been a human, his lies would've been caught fairly easily.

From slipping gold in their piggy bank to giving people money to spend on her sister's winter clothes stand, just like his sister, the boy was far more mature than he needed to be for his age, but that was the reality of many children living in the lower city.

"Well anyways…What do you wanna eat tonight?" Pressing a thumb to her chin, Lincy's thoughts hopped onto another topic again. "I heard Rose isn't coming back for a week or two so no fresh eggs or lambs, unfortunately. But! We can still get chicken by weight from the regular butcher."

"Didn't he try to sell you rotten stuff last time?" Monty's reminder turned Lincy's face green from revulsion. With a chuckle, Monty turned his head to look at his sister, his hands still scrubbing the dishes. "Let's stick to our garden veggies for a few more days, alr–"

A sudden knock on the door cut Monty's sentence in two. Turning his head in the direction of the front door, he wondered if it was Ray. Not entirely used to visitors either, Lincy thought the same. However, instead of telling him like she'd promised, she tapped Monty's shoulders and then joining her hand in prayer gestured to him to handle his friend himself.

"Sure…" Throwing the scrub into the sink, Monty quickly rushed down the kitchen and through the hallway before eventually making it to the front door. Grabbing hold of the doorknob he was ready to quickly open it and then push Ray out as he tried to get in.

'I may have to teach this idiot another less.' Ready to take the fight right outside his front door, Monty opened the door but was instantly disappointed.

Standing before him was the chosen of the goddess and the new nobility in the upper city, Raven 'Phordite, an orphan much like himself. Right beside him was Tanya, peeking at him with a gentle smile.

"Can we come in? I wanted to talk to you," Raven said, already moving Monty to the side and barging right in while the boy was distracted looking at Tanya, waving.