To catch a thief... you need be much faster.

Tran planted his back against a wall, and stood there, attempting to slow his breathing. His heart pounded, and adrenaline coursed through his body as he pulled off his hat and bandanna mask. He felt heightened and alert, every sense working overtime. As his breathing slowed, Tran allowed himself a small laugh. He looked down at the loaf of bread he was holding. It was slightly crushed from being squeezed, but it was still very edible.

Fifteen minutes earlier he had snatched this prize from a vendor in the Markets. The vendor, a fat Hylian man, had seen the sloppy grab and yelled for the guards. Tran had taken off running through the crowd, ducking between legs and dancing around groups of shoppers. There had been two Castle Guards patrolling in that area, and both had gone rushing after the young thief. Tran had known he could out run the guards, if only he could get out of their sight long enough. He ended up climbing up a pile of boxes, and making a jump for a low roof. The guards had run past, shouting "Stop!", but were unaware of Tran's maneuver. He had jumped down, then ran to the Goron Slums to hide. That was where he was now.

Tran shrugged his shoulders to dropped his pack on the ground. He reached inside and pulled out his jacket, still rolled up. He placed the loaf of bread in the bottom of the pack, and replaced the jacket. A very sleepy Click crawled out, blinking. Tran shook his head and let out a bark of laughter.

"You crazy lil' animal. You can sleep through anything!" Click looked at him and cocked his head to the side, before starting to clean his front paw. "Come on, Click. We need to go hide for a bit." As Tran put his pack back on the small red squirrel scurried up onto his shoulders and sat there looking around curiously. Tran walked around for a bit. In one side of the slums, he found a tight corner to hide in. He sat down on the dry ground and closed his eyes.

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His eyes opened suddenly. It was still light out, but something was off. Tran stood up quickly and looked around. He heard Hylian voices; curt and disciplined. Guards. No.. they can't have found me... they didn't see me... did they? They didn't, I know they didn't. But what if they did see me? What if they know where I am... WHO I am!... No, they didn't see me... His heart raced as fast as his thoughts. Today was the closest he had ever come to being caught, and now guards were in the slums. This was not just a patrol, these guards wanted something. Tran listened carefully, then started walking away from the guards voices. He turned and headed towards the market once again. It should still be crowded... With the guard voices fading behind him and the bustle of the market ahead, he briskly walked into the crowd and disappeared.

Tran walked through the market, his eyes ever open and his hands ready for a pull should he see a rupee pouch or something worth stealing. He moved smoothly through the crowd until something caught his eye. A glimmering robe trimmed with wires made of some silvery substance was on the back of a fat Hylian noble. This man stood out from the crowd and obviously saw himself as being better than those around him. Where he walked market goers moved out of his way. The ideal target. Tran began to tail this fat noble man and soon saw where a bulging rupee purse was hanging from his thick leather belt. Tran moved in closer, and pulled out his dagger. Two quick steps forward, a quick slash of the dagger and Tran was off. He moved into an ally between some small shops and looked at his prize. He opened the top to reveal... pebbles. Oh no... Tran spun around, but his way was blocked by two large Gorons in black cloths. The Gorons grabbed him, on to each arm, and pulled him deeper into the ally. Tran couldn't speak, he couldn't even beg for his life. He was paralyzed by fear. At the back of the ally the Gorons stopped and threw Tran to the ground. He sat up and pulled out his dagger. It wouldn't do much against these monsters, but it was a small comfort nonetheless. From down the ally came the noble. He nodded to the Gorons then turned to Tran with hard eyes.

"I have been watching you. That was a nice pull, but next time don't stare so intently at the prize. I hope my... friends... didn't hurt you too badly. They tend to get a tad rough. Come with me now, child. I have a proposition for you." The man turned and walked away. Tran got to his feet and started to follow. The Gorons must have sensed his hesitation, because they shoved him forward. Tran started to walk.

"I guess I don't have a choice..."

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Tran stood in a large, brightly lit room. His shabby clothing stood out in this expensively decorated place. Before him stood a large dark desk, made of wood stained a rich mahogany colour. Behind the desk sat the noble. His cloak had a dark hood, which was pulled down over his eyes, casting an ominous shadow over his face.

"Sit." One of the large Gorons pushed Tran forward, where a small chair with short legs sat. The chair had a stiff back, and was incredibly uncomfortable to sit in. This entire room was designed to make visitors feel small and weak in the face of the mighty noble. Tran looked up at the Hylian. Now that his fear had abated, he felt only defiance. Tran had been free all his life, and had never followed authority. He did not plan on starting now. The noble leaned forward, arms spread wide on this desk, with the palms of his large hands pressed down on the immaculate surface.

"As I told you, I have a proposition for you. Should you choose to listen, stay seated. Should you wish to leave, you are free to go." As Tran began to rise the man continued speaking, a smirk barely visable on his face. "But should you choose to leave I will have you know that every guard in Castle-Town will be searching for a thief of your exact description." Tran sat back down, eyes hard. The noble smiled, and his white teeth sparkled. "Good choice, child. Now, listen carefully. I am in need of someone of your skills. You see, I am a very rich man. But even the richest man wants more. It is called greed, and it will eventually consume everyone alive. There is no escape, so I choose to embrace it. Now,a friend of mine is also a very rich man, and I need to you to fix that. You will break into his house tonight. He will be at a party in his honour, thrown by yours truly. Break in through the back door and bring me the three bags of rupees. I know exactly how much is in them. You may think this is a bluff, but I can assure you it is not a risk worth taking. If a single rupee is not accounted for you will regret it for the rest of your life." One of the Gorons handed Tran a folded piece of paper. Tran unfolded it to reveal a marked map of the town. "Go to that location after dark. Remember, back door, second floor. Move fast. My friends here will go with you to the house, and will relieve you of the rupees when the job is done. Should you leave their sight even once before entering the house then the show is over, and you will not see light again. Should you complete this job to my satisfaction, you may be rewarded. Should you not complete it... well, I don't see the point in repeating my threat yet again. Do you understand?" The man sat back in his chair, and began to fiddle with the large gemmed rings on his left hand. Tran nodded. "Good. Now, leave. I shall see you in the morning."

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Tran sat between the two Gorons in an ally in the Slums. The two silent watchers stared at the hylian boy intently. It was only a few hours until sun set, and Tran needed his rest. He closed his eyes and leaned back against a wall. Dreams of cutting the smug smile off the nobles face filled his mind, and he involuntarily smiled.

As the sun dropped below the buildings one of the two Goron guards roughly shook Tran awake. He opened his eyes and swatted clumsily at the annoyance.

"Push off, won't you..." He shook his head and stood up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. Today had not been a good day. He looked over his supplies and patted Click on the head. The small squirrel looked at him angrily for disturbing its sleep then crawled deeper into the backpack. "I'm ready. Try and keep up." Tran stepped quickly, following the map to the rich part of town. The streets here were almost dead; just a few Hylian and Zora street cleaners were still out and about. Tran stuck to shadows and managed to avoid them, but the Gorons, who walked down the center of the street, got a few strange looks. Soon Tran reached the target house. He hopped a fence to get into the backyard (the Gorons opened the gate and walked through) and crouched down in the shadows populating the garden in the back of the property. Tran surveyed the house carefully; there were no lighted windows, and no visible guards on this side of the house. He assumed there would be guards inside, but could not be sure until he entered. The windows were paned with glass, but looked to be shuttered from the inside. How will I get in without making a scene? Ah. There it is. On the second floor the windows were different. They consisted of two parts, each hinged on the outside. These windows were designed to open outwards, presumably to enjoy the weather. At the moment they were shut, but they may be Tran's best choice. He scanned the walls below them. On the left of the back door, beside a pillar supporting the back doors entry there was a garden. From this garden grew a length of ivy. Generally gardeners kept this ivy pruned and trimmed, but it seemed as though they had let it grow. The ivy spanned the wall, and came within two feet of one of the second floor windows.

"I'm going now. Don't leave without me." Tran smiled nervously and tied his bandanna his face, just leaving his eyes revealed. He ran, crouched, across the lawn, moving between shadows as quickly as he could. Upon reaching the ivy he stopped and looked around. This garden was completely cut off from view of the road; no one would be able to see him climbing. Tran grabbed a handful of ivy and tugged; it held. He removed his boots and placed them in his pack, then began to scale the wall carefully. He used his toes to grip the vines as best as he could, and pulled himself up with his arms. It's a good thing I'm little... The climb was difficult, and Tran cut his feet repeatedly on the wall and vines, but he made it within reach of the window. He moved as close as he could, then pulled out his dagger. He jammed the blade into the gap between windows and moved it around until he found the latch. It was hard to tell, but Tran was hoping the latch was simple. He jerked upwards with the blade, and felt the latch disengage. I wonder how much longer my luck will hold... When he pulled the blade out of the gap, the window swung open on well oiled hinges. He put the dagger away then grabbed the wide sill with both hands. When he let go of the ivy, he began to fall backwards, but managed to hold himself in place with the tips of his fingers. Now sweating profusely, Tran had to move quickly. He moved one hand forward and grabbed the inside of the window, then moved his other hand forward to do the same. He shook his head, then slowly, gripping between stones with his bleeding toes, walked his body directly under the window. Mustering all his strength, Tran managed to scramble inside. He sat an on he ground, his back to the wall below the window, and caught his breath.

He wiped sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand, then pulled out his boots. No more walking barefoot. Poor toes... Now where do I go? All he knew was that the prize was on the second floor, but this house looked huge. Tran had never been inside a nobles house before, and knew not where to even begin. Well, gotta start somewhere. He looked around. The room he was in appeared to be a study of sorts. He stood up and walked to a large rich desk, much like that of his employer. It was covered in stacks of paper and wells of ink. The papers were all neatly written, but appeared only to be business related. Tran didn't understand many of the words and phrases, so he left them where they were. There was an attractive black pen laying on the desk, though, so Tran took that. NO one said I couldn't take more... This room was very heavily decorated, but contained nothing of interest to the young hylian. No bags of rupees here. He walked to the only door in the room and stopped. Tran placed his ear on the key hole and listened. The house seemed to be completely devoid of noise. He tried the knob, and opened the door.

Now standing in a dark hallway, that went both to his left and right, Tran looked around quickly. If I were a lot of rupees, where would I be... He could barely see 10 feet in this darkness, the only light coming from a small window at the end of the hallway to his left. He moved towards it, slowly and quietly. To the left of the window there was another door. Tran tried the knob and it opened. Inside was a bedroom with two outside windows; this room was obviously on the back corner of the house. The bed was a huge four poster, with two mattress' and lush red coverings. The walls were adorned with too many pictures, all portraits of serene looking old men staring away into the distance. Each picture had a name and date, but none of this meant anything to the thief. He looked around. There was a massive chest of drawers beside the bed; Tran went there. He opened a few drawers and shuffled around inside them. They contained nothing more than cloths. This house is boring. He looked around the room one more time. Nothing was out of the ordinary, even by his lower class standards. Tran shook his head and went back to the hallway.

He walked to the right this time, away from the window, ever alert for noise or movement. There was a door on the left wall, near the middle of the hallway, and one more at the far end. Tran went to the far door and opened it. Before him stood a massive circular staircase, extending in both directions. This too was not his target. He went back to the middle door and touched the knob. His Sense went crazy. The door opened inward, seemingly on it's own, and before him stood a guard. The guard was a large Goron in red robes, holding a massive hammer. Tran shouted and back peddled away from the Goron, just as the hammer crashed into the floor. Although the impact seemed to shake the house, the floor was not even dented. "What the...?" The Goron swung again, but this time his hammer tore a chunk out of the door frame. The Goron took a step forward.

"You should not be here. Do not move and you will not die." His voice was deep and rasping; it chilled Tran to the bone. I can't stay here... I'll get arrested... I know the guards want me... maybe they'll kill me! Maybe I'll be locked away for ever! The young hylians mind was racing, and his fear grew with every passing second. The Goron lowered his hammer and stood there, menacingly. It was still incredibly dark in the house, and Tran could see the Goron squinting to get a good look at him. He moved his hand slowly to his pouch and opened it silently. Inside was a Deku Nut. He grabbed it in a moved his hand slowly back up to his waist. He slowly stood up. The Goron shouted at him to not move, and Tran threw the nut on the ground with all the strength he could muster. He closed his eyes before the flash, but the Goron was not so lucky. He stood there stunned by the Deku Nut as Tran ducked under his legs and into the room. Before him stood what seemed to be a treasury. On the floor by the back wall, beside countless other treasures were the three bags. Tran ran over and opened them up. The red gleam from inside startled him. There was more money here than he had ever seen. Grabbing the bags, which were surprisingly light, Tran ran back out and slid under the Goron's legs, who was still unable to move, before taking off down the hallway. He ran back into the study and to the open window. Waving frantically, he caught the attention of his employers Goron's, who walked over to the window. Tran tossed the bags out the window, where they were caught by the large silent guards. He then climbed up on the sill and turned around. He reversed the procedure of getting into the window and managed to scramble back over to the ivy. With his boots on the descent was incredibly difficult. He scrambled down, losing his footing more than once, but made it to the bottom without dying. He walked, panting over to the Goron's and looked up at them. Without warning a rock hard fist collided with his jaw. Tran crumpled, out like a light.