*Before you read, please note that the main character's name is pronounced "Nwahr." Not "Noyr."

Banditry

Three hooded figures prowled across the rooftops of the Trade District, expertly leaping and twisting from uneven surface to higher and lower ones with ease. One's cloak was black, one was brown, and the last was white. As the figure in black scaled a particularly tall chimney and slunk along the peak of its roof, the figures in brown and white started to fall behind.

"Noir, wait up!" the figure in brown called, her voice quiet but urgent as she and the figure in white hurried after their black-clothed companion.

Noir turned to see the others quickly trailing to catch up. Her lips twisted in a wry smile as they came level with her, breathing a little harder than her. She glanced between each, her stormy gray eyes meeting first the brown-cloaked girl's amber eyes, and then the white-cloaked boy's icy blue. "Shall we take a break?" she asked smoothly, a teasing hint to her voice.

The boy in the white cloak threw Noir a dirty look but said nothing.

The girl in brown gave Noir a slight glare. "No need to hurry. It's not like the Trade District is going anywhere."

Noir gave her hood a quick tug, making sure it covered her head, and then she pulled the hems of her fingerless gloves, making sure they fit snugly. "No need to be moving at a snail's pace, either."

"Not everyone is as fast as you," the white-clothed boy murmured mutinously.

Noir sighed. "Right. Not everyone is as slow as you two. Come on."

The three continued until they reached the roof of the inn of the trade district. By unspoken consent, they drew to the brink of the thatched roof and dropped into crouches, edging to look at the busy street below. Three pairs of slit-pupiled eyes gazed at the pedestrians below. All three frowned in unison and drew back, sitting on their heels and exchanging looks.

"Busier than usual," the boy observed.

"Brilliant, Blanc," Noir said sarcastically. "Any other groundbreaking remarks to add, Marron?" she shot to the other girl, who pursed her lips at the sarcasm. "No? Good. Now, any ideas?"

"We should probably just go to a less busy street," Blanc said coolly.

Marron nodded in agreement.

Noir sighed. "Fine. But I wonder what's stirring up all the commotion down there, anyway?" she wondered out loud. Her companions merely shrugged, and Noir shot them disapproving looks before sneaking back to the edge to peer at the unusually large crowd on the street. Her gray eyes suddenly brightened with interest. She glanced behind her and beckoned to Marron. "Psst. Marron, come look."

The amber-eyed girl cautiously crept forward and looked down as well. "What?" she asked.

Noir smirked and flicked her hand towards two men on horseback in the middle of the crowd. "Just enjoying the scenery," she winked mischievously at her companion.

Marron followed Noir's gesture and spotted the men. She looked at them critically and shrugged.

Noir raised her eyebrows in question.

Marron simply shrugged again. "Looks like they might be what's drawing the crowd."

"With good reason, too," Noir smirked, returning her gaze to the men.

Noir smiled slightly. A couple of high nobles, no doubt. They were finely dressed, and their horses were of the grandest quality. And actually, so were the riders. One was blonde, sturdily built and muscular. He wore a red cape over his light armor. He was quite good-looking in a kind of common way that everyone would find attractive. His companion was like his opposite. He had raven hair, slicked back. He wore green over his lean form. His features were sharper, and it was him that Noir's gray eyes kept flicking back to.

"Attractive, don't you think?" Noir asked conversationally.

Marron considered. "The blonde one, you mean? He's rather good-looking."

Noir frowned. "I meant the dark-haired one."

"The dark-haired one?" Marron repeated, looking at the man she referred to. She made a face. "He's alright. Matter of taste, I suppose."

Noir grinned. "Matter of taste?" She looked down at the men on horseback. Her eyes travelled over the features of the man in green. "Delicious," she smirked.

"Scandalous, Noir," Marron teased lightly, sending the gray-eyed woman a mock-shocked expression.

Noir held back a laugh. "But back to important things… You know what's even more delicious?" Marron didn't answer, giving Noir a questioning look. The woman in black flicked her hand towards the men again. "Look at their saddles. Notice the pouches tied there? Money bags. They look full. And heavy. Their horses are going to fall over with exhaustion if they have to keep carrying such burdens."

Marron's mock surprise was replaced with true shock. "You want to rob them?" she gaped.

Blanc drew closer. "What's going on?"

"Noir wants to rob those men," Marron said incredulously, gesturing.

Blanc's blue eyes followed the gesture and frowned. "Really? Is it safe?"

"Probably not," Noir smirked. "Does that stop me? Not particularly. Not in any case that I can remember. Coming?"

Marron and Blanc exchanged anxious looks.

"No?" Noir asked. She shrugged. "Your loss, my fellow scoundrels. I shall see you later, perhaps. I've got some gold to catch." She slunk to the back of the building and scaled down it, her leather boots touching down on the cobblestones of the alley in between two buildings. She made sure her black hood was in place, tugged on her fingerless gloves, and then emerged in the crowded street, mingling with the crowd easily, unnoticed by the other pedestrians.

Above, Marron and Blanc peered down upon the crowd, anxiously watching for their friend.

"She's going to get caught, isn't she?" Marron asked worriedly, nervously tugging on a strand of brown hair that poked out from under her brown hood.

Blanc grimaced at the thought. "She'd better not," he muttered, blue eyes flicking over the crowded street below. "Hadn't we already decided to go to a less crowded street?"

Marron nodded. "You know Noir." The two fell silent as they saw a figure in black carefully twist its way through the crowd, never once bumping into anyone as it drew closer to the horse riders.

Noir wove through the crowd, careful not to draw too much attention to herself. A small knife was in her hand, hidden under the folds of her black cloak. She drew nearly level with the black mare the dark-haired man rode. This was going to be more difficult than she had thought: the man was sharp-eyed, eyes constantly moving and keeping a wary eye on his surroundings. His blonde companion seemed to be talking loudly and heartily, gesticulating at ladies or merchants at random, evidently trying to amuse his dark companion. It appeared Noir's target, however, wasn't even listening. That made Noir smirk. She hovered nearby for a few moments, pretending to be inspecting a sign in front of a shop while she waited for the moment when she could cut that bulging bag of gold.

The dark-haired man glanced away from the everyday strollers to say something to his blonde companion, and Noir dashed forward. The silver flash of her knife was nearly imperceptible as she slit the bag just below the buckle binding it to the saddle. It fell into Noir's waiting hand, and she was off just as quickly as she had dashed forward. With a satisfied smirk, she slipped the promisingly heavy bag into her cloak, pleased with herself. That is, until—

"Halt there, thief!" a voice demanded from behind her.

Noir's blood ran cold and she froze for a split second. Then she broke into a sprint, not bothering to look back and see her pursuer. All she had to do was outrun them and get lost in the crowd. She ducked her head, made sure her hood was still in place, and dodged the buyers and sellers that crowded the street. Noir skidded around a corner, sped behind a wagon showing produce, rolled under a stall showing jewelry, then sprang to her feet and raced into an alleyway. She retreated to the back of it, crouching in the recessed shadows beside the wooden gate that closed off the end of the alleyway. Her heart hammered, slightly frightened by the close call. She absentmindedly tugged on her hood once more.

Her heart seemed to stop as the raven-haired man dashed past her alleyway. She waited a moment, sure he had lost her. Then he returned, peering into the narrow alley.

Noir let out a low curse, wondering how he had managed to trace her here. She stood quickly and vaulted over the wooden fence behind her. She landed neatly on the other side, somersaulting and then springing to her feet in one swift movement. She was now leaving the Trade District, instead entering Cathedral Square. She nearly tripped over a pair of children (no doubt from the orphanage) as they ran past. They stopped for a quick moment, staring at the black-hooded figure. Noir caught herself from falling and ran on, hoping to throw off her follower by entering one of the gardens.

She could no longer hear footsteps behind her. She dared to slow her pace a little as her feet left the cobblestones of the square and met well-kept grass. She kept running and glanced behind her. She let out a relieved breath as she saw no one. She faced forward again and came face-to-face with the man in green. She tried to skid to a halt and avoid running into him, but her forward momentum had not yet stopped, and she tripped only a few feet from the man. She braced herself to collide with him, but she did not. Instead, the thief fell through him and landed heavily on the ground. Shock flooded her. What had just happened? She quickly sat up, looking wildly around. The man was gone. No, he wasn't gone. He was approaching her, but only now was he entering the garden several yards away. But how could that be? She had just fallen through him, and now he was barely catching up to her?

"Too easy," he murmured. "Everyone always falls for that." The man stood over her, looking wrathful. Noir couldn't help but admire him from the ground. She tried not to laugh as the word crossed her mind again… delicious.

Noir jumped to her feet and started to slowly back away, her feet light on the grass. "Thank you for the lovely chase, but I really must be going, my lord," she said airily, but her voice held a slight warning.

"Your Majesty."

"What? Oh, no need to stand on ceremony. I know I'm awfully stately and magnificent and majestic, but there's no need to call me Majesty," Noir said quickly, flashing the man a quick grin as she continued to back away.

"I am Your Majesty," he growled. "Not my lord. Your Majesty."

Noir froze as everything clicked into place. Why the street in the Trade District was so crowded today. Why this man and his companion were so rich and finely dressed. Noir swallowed as she realized she had just pickpocketed a prince of Asgard. With a flourish, she dipped herself into an exaggerated mock bow, her cloak spreading as she held the black fabric with one hand as the other crossed over her heart. "My deepest apologies, Your Royal Highness. But surely as a prince, one bag of gold shan't hurt to go missing?" she asked cheekily. She didn't wait for a response as she abruptly turned and broke into a sprint again. No use.

A hand wrapped around her skinny upper arm, and her cloak was yanked to hold her back. Noir gasped as she felt the tight knot at her shoulder come undone, and the black cloak came off. She whipped around, indignant.

The prince held her cloak in one hand. He raised his eyebrows as he looked at her, no longer hidden by the travelling cloak.

Noir gritted her teeth. She wore a worn black tunic of thick black cloth, various leather straps that held a myriad of knives and lock picks, black pants and black leather boots. Her hair was black as ebony, and her skin was ash-pale. But it was her cat ears and tail that the prince raised his eyebrows at. Both had been hidden under the black cloak, but now it was obvious that she was a neko, a generally disliked, but often rare, breed of humanoid.

The prince let out a slight scoff. "Well, that explains a lot." He looked at the black cloak in his hand and began rummaging through its folds for his bag of gold. He frowned when he couldn't find it in the many pockets. He looked back at the neko with an accusatory glare. "Where is it, neko?"

Noir smiled wryly. "I think you might be looking for this?" She patted the pouch, securely strapped to her leather belt.

His eyes narrowed. "Give it to me, thief."

Noir pinched her lips together and her brow creased. This man could have her flogged. Or thrown in the dungeons. Or hung. Like her brother, Gris. None of those prospects were particularly thrilling. She reluctantly began loosening the leather thong that bound the purse to her. The prince watched her every move, as if making sure she didn't make another escape attempt. With a quick smirk, she flicked her wrist, tossing the bag suddenly towards the man. She expected him to fumble it or simply miss it altogether. She was surprised when he caught it easily.

The prince kept his eyes on her as he carefully weighed the bag in his hands. "Where's the rest, thief?"

Noir raised her dark eyebrows at him. "What do you mean the rest? It's all there, Your Majesty."

The prince gave her a dark look. "I asked you where the rest of it is, neko. Don't play with me."

Noir frowned. How he could tell that some of the gold was missing, she wasn't sure. With a sigh, she reached into a pouch that held a few lock picks on her belt and picked out the dozen gold coins within. She stepped forward and held out her open hand.

The prince gave her a mistrustful look and scooped up the coins. Noir's hand tingled when his skin made contact with hers. She fought to keep her tail and ears from twitching excitedly.

The prince dropped the coins into the bag again and weighed it in his hands once more. He appeared satisfied. "I could have you executed for this, you know," he informed her. As if she didn't already know that. The neko girl simply nodded glumly. "Should I have you punished for this, little bandit?"

Noir smiled humorlessly. "Why do I get the feeling there's no right answer to this question, Your Highness?"

He smirked slightly. "Probably because there isn't. Nice to see all nekos don't have only dust for brains."

Noir frowned slightly. "No, we've got some other stuff up here, too." She tapped her temple. "We've got some catnip, salmon, and mouse pelts. Some of us even have a little yarn and random shiny objects." She sent him a mutinous glare. She knew the ideas most people had about nekos. They thought they were good-for-nothing mischievous thieves that were simply cats on two legs instead of four. Which was why they were shunned. Which was why they were often thieves and bandits. It was a vicious cycle that seemed never ending and impossible to break. But nekos couldn't break out of the mold they were placed into.

The prince gave her an appraising look, as if thinking that maybe this particular neko had something besides dust and catnip and yarn for brains.

"Can we just… let this go, Your Highness?" Noir asked hopefully, vaguely gesturing to the bag of gold in his hand.

The prince glanced down and then back up at her. "Shall you stop pickpocketing innocent people on the streets?"

Noir couldn't help but laugh a little. "Your Majesty, it's the only way nekos can make a living. We can't obtain regular jobs. No one will hire us. So, no. I shan't."

The prince nodded slowly. "In that case, I suppose we can forget about this incident. Just promise you won't steal from me again."

Noir considered a moment. "You have my word."

The prince wavered for a moment, then smirked. "Word to the wise, neko… you'd probably have a better chance of swiping gold from my brother Thor. He wouldn't notice his gold was gone for an hour afterwards, and wouldn't possess the skill to track you down once he did."

Noir raised her eyebrows and grinned. "I'll keep that in mind, Prince Loki," she purred. "And thank you for not tattling on me to your father that the big bad kitty took your allowance."

The prince shot the neko a warning look. "I can still tattle if I so choose. Don't push your luck, neko."

Noir smiled. "Apologies, Majesty." She dipped into another exaggerated bow, not quite as impressive now that she wasn't wearing her cloak to spread regally.

Prince Loki scoffed and began walking away.

"Can you find your way back to the Trade District, Highness?" Noir called after him.

"Perfectly well, thank you. I am the one who is second in line for ruling this city. I'm sure I know it well enough, Bandit," he called back nonchalantly.

Noir's black tail tip twitched in amusement as the prince walked away, disappearing back towards the Trade District. She watched him disappear out of her line of vision, and didn't turn as she heard some bushes behind her shake as something tumbled out of them. Blanc and Marron drew up to her sides.

"You alright?" Blanc asked. "He didn't hurt you?"

Noir grinned and giggled. "I think he's shot me through the heart with an arrow."

Marron looked at her incredulously. "What?"

Noir laughed at the confused looks on her companions' faces. "Ah, my friends… That is what I call banditry. The fair Prince Loki may or may not have just stolen my heart."

Blanc gave her a disapproving look and picked up Noir's black cloak from where it had been discarded on the ground. "Put your hood back on, Noir. Did you even get your hands on any gold?"

Noir sighed as she took her cloak from Blanc and retied it, flipping her hood over her head again. "No, I had to give it back." She paused as she started to straighten her cloak. She reached into one of the pockets, full when it should have been empty. She pulled out a green handkerchief, the same color that the prince had been wearing. It was folded up, and when the neko unfolded the cloth, a dozen golden coins fell out of it.

The three nekos exchanged incredulous looks and dove to collect them all from the grass.

"Oh, yes, I'm in love," Noir sighed dreamily as she tucked the coins into her pocket again, tucking the green handkerchief in as well.

"Noir, you're a neko. And a thief. Two things that simply don't mix with royalty," Marron scolded her. "They don't let thieves lay their sticky fingers on the key to the prince's heart."

"I don't need the key to his heart," Noir said breezily. She smiled devilishly. "Living on the streets, I've become pretty handy with a lock pick."

Note from LoquaciousQuibbler: Based on an E-Card on Facebook. I don't know if I plan to make this into a serious fan fiction series, but I wanted to write something kind of fun that takes place before all the madness of Thor and Avengers and Thor: the Dark World. I was also jonesing to write a story about a neko. Killing two birds with one stone, so to speak. And did I totally steal names of places from World of Warcraft's Stormwind to make the places in this story? No. Not at all. *wink* Yeah, I'm nerdy…

Please let me know what you think of this story, and if you think I should continue it. The more feedback I get, the more likely I am to continue.