Auntie toasts the VRMMORPG

Mia's Backstory

"Get ripped off by three orphans! Bet on the shell game!" Henry, wiry Mediterranean boy, strutted in front of a small stand and shouted to the passerby.

Mia set behind a fold-up table, slowly shuffling three cups in front of her.

Her brown bangs fell over her eyes, and she hid inside an oversized, shabby hoody. Next to her, Tom lounged lazily on a folding chair. The chair seemed comically small compared to his massive body. At the age of twelve, he had already passed the 6 feet mark. A sign leaned against him. "Support the Local Youth Center"

"Get your good deed of the day over with. Play with some orphans." Henry yelled.

An elderly woman strolled by, her eyes glued to Mia's Table.

"Oh, I love old school cons!" She exclaimed and stopped. "This is the old army game, where you have to guess under which cup the coin sits, right?"

"Yes, Ma'am. Indeed, take your chance for only one Euro. If you guess right, you get two bucks back. If you get it wrong, you can leave with the good feeling of having supported a worthy cause!" Henry said.

"Great! But aren't the cups usually the same color?" The salt and pepper-haired lady stared at the three mismatched mugs. "You shouldn't make it too obvious that you are going to switch the coin around. Or maybe this is a new approach in which everybody knows the trick, but you still have to execute it perfectly? How exciting!"

"Yes, Ma'am. We are the most honest swindlers around."

The woman laughed but secured her toaster-shaped handbag after she pulled out a fiver.

Mia showed her a dried white bean and put it under the red cup. Then the hands of the girl began to blur while the woman gaped.

Suddenly she stopped and lifted the blue cup. The bean was under it.

The woman clapped. "Excellent! Haven't seen a thing."

Mia started again and went even faster.

"Red, blue, green. Where is the bean?" Henry sang.

On the last note, Mia stopped and looked up.

"Uhm... green!" The woman guessed.

Mia lifted the cup, and the bean was under it.

"You are a natural, Ma'am! Congratulations on winning one Euro. Do you want to go double or nothing?" Henry asked.

"No, thank you, dear. I'll leave with a win, and you keep the five Euros. It's been a pleasure. Good luck with your fundraising."

"Thank you, Ma'am. Have a splendid day!" Henry waved after her.

When she had left, he counted their money again.

"Lady and Gentleman, we have enough to start our career in crime!" Henry grinned.

Mia shook her head. "We are earning all right, mate. Let's just keep this up a while longer."

"You'll be fifteen years soon. If the pigs catch us then, you would have to do real time. Now is the best chance for taking risks. We can do whatever we want and get away with only a slap on the wrist." Henry chirped. "What's your opinion, Tom?"

Tom shrugged.

"Mia?"

She sighed but nodded.

"It will be fun. We will be like Robin Hood, stealing from the mean rich and giving it to the poor orphans."

Only two days later, Henry had a plan, and Mia a new set of lock picks.

Their first target was Hazy Harry, a sleazy businessman and the owner of the gambling joint Gold Spring.