The Life of Thieves

Fix the Damn Laptop

The redhead moaned in frustration as her 5 year old piece-of-junk computer suddenly turned into a blue blank screen, slamming the screen shut and tipping it over the side of the bed, to fall onto the carpet with a soft thunk. She let her frustration get the best of her, but she wasn't going to chuck a whole laptop across the room.

Hiccup, a skinny but rather dashing boy of 18, with his fat headphones covering his right ear and the other tucked behind because he was expecting the girls distress call eventually, said, "toss it over here." It was standard procedure by now, as hiccup knew Merida well enough to know what her frustrated sounds indicated. A ruffled grunt and a laptop slamming shut was clear enough that this was his area of expertise.

Hiccup sat on his worn out swivel chair with 3 computer screens, angled all to face him. The only light that illuminated the side of the room he was in came from his monitors and fancy little light-up keyboard that Merida found ridiculous in contrast with how bright the damn boy made his screens, all 3 of them.

As Merida sat up from the twin sized bed, barefoot on the carpet, A snowy haired boy walks in, the air growing chilly.

As the door swung open, Jack pushed in a large frame, about up to his rib cage in height as he pushed it on the ground, the carpet not making it quite easy. "Change of plans, guys."
"Before you say anything," The Redhead said, "Hiccup needs to fix my laptop. Then we'll do whatever you want us to do with," she gestures to the frame, "that."

Hiccup got up from his seat before she could finish her sentence, not bothering to acknowledge it. "Woah woah woah," he exclaimed, "why is that still here?" He asked.

"I was just getting to that," the white-haired boy started. "You see, Punzie managed to get the painting to the buyers, but... they hated the frame."
Hiccup scoffed, "So you just gave them a plain canvas of a 200 year old painting???"

"No, of course not," he began. "I just gave them the one we got off the painting in our living room."

"Jack, we got that frame from target."

Jack shrugged. "They took it, and we can resell this bad boy. The bad news is, that painting from target is completely ruined because apparently it was attached to the frame."

Hiccup raised his arms in exasperation. "IT'S FROM TARGET." He exclaimed. "How could you put a $20 plastic frame on a $7mil painting?!"

Jack only shrugged. "Our job is to satisfy the customers. I'd say this was a success."

Hiccup sighed a long sigh. "Merida, would you-," instead of letting him finish, to which he was going to say tell Jack how stupid he sounds, she shoves her laptop into his hands.

"Hand you my laptop? Of course." She said.

Hiccup rolled his eyes, pushing his hair back. Sometimes, despite their nearly flawless record of never messing up, they messed up. Quite often, really, and Hiccup was far more concerned than anyone else about what a plastic frame might to do a painting that was over 200 years old, and what those buyers might do if his concerns were correct.

When Jack decided that Hiccup had given up, he pushed he frame back into the conversation. "Anyway, until we get a buyer, I want to keep the frame right there." He pointed to the space above hiccups laptop and the plethora of mattresses.

Their fortress was quite extravagant as it was, and surprisingly enough, a fancy, expensive frame would not be unfit to the scenery. Decorated with fairy lights, lava lamps, and countless of Rapunzels very own paintings, their studio was full of symbols of their adventures that made anything feel welcomed into the collection. Its brick walls and urban atmosphere welcomed the frame with open arms.

"It's Rapunzels birthday soon, and I thought we could frame one of her paintings in this." Jack said.

"I like that idea," Merida chirped in. "The oil one with the bear and the flowers would look nice up there."

Even Hiccup couldn't argue, it would be special enough for Rapunzel as her art never got to leave the underground tunnel they called home. They might as well have made the kindest member of the group feel as special as she was.

"Great. I take Hiccups silence that he agrees," She elbowed him softly. "Now, fix my damn laptop."

These chapters are quite short and I recognize that, but it's mainly because the plot is developing and all of this is an introduction. I haven't written a story in a while and I've never been quite good at getting on with a plot, but I've actually developed something, and this is what I have to offer until I can introduce it. Rapunzel hasn't popped in, but she'll be here as soon as chapter 3 is out. I'm really excited to start talking about their powers and how t helps them as thieves, it really is something I find to be the most original piece of writing I have to offer. I have yet to include their purpose, but all of that will be tied together when Rapunzel shows up. I just want to give you all this for now.
~Li✨