As soon as that woman subdued the two with her quick action, the young pair found themselves in a peculiar situation.

  Neither of them ever expected to be found one day — even though they had put their plans into action, it had all ended up being a useless effort on their part.

  A few minutes passed, and the duo couldn’t find a way to relax. In an attempt to change that, Aidan offered to repair Sophie’s prosthesis, still attached to her body. Meanwhile, the girl kept her steady gaze on that woman, who was attentively inspecting their hideout.

  The older woman was surprised by all the trinkets those two had collected. Even though they were nothing more than scraps and old, useless runes, it was amazing that two young people had managed to survive in those conditions.

  TZZ

  — “Hey! Watch it!” — Sophie shouted as she felt a small jolt on her shoulder.

  — “Sorry. Not much I can do, especially with it still connected to you,” — he muttered as he concentrated.

  — “I don’t really have a choice, okay? If you manage to fix it fast, we can… you know, figure something out.” — she whispered to him, trying to keep her voice down.

  — “You don’t have to be so subtle. You’re terrible at it anyway. Besides, it’d be a useless effort to attack her again.” — he stated calmly, describing the situation.

  — “He’s right. If you try again, it won’t work — trust me.” — the woman warned after overhearing their side conversation.

  She circled the area, avoiding stepping on some of the scattered items on the floor. It was unpredictable what one might find there — a complete mess.

  — “So, you two live like this? I must say, I’m impressed. No one would’ve made it this far under such conditions, especially being so young.” — she acknowledged their mutual survival skills.

  — “Hmph... if that’s what you think...” — Sophie averted her gaze to the side.

  — “Alright, it’s done — again.” — Aidan said as he finished the emergency repairs.

  The woman had her attention drawn back to the young duo. As she approached in a slightly invasive manner, she ended up startling both.

  She examined Sophie’s runic prosthesis closely and immediately judged its many flaws.

  — “Not bad — if you ignore the fact that this thing is complete junk in its current state.” — she remarked, sparing no insults.

  — “Hey!” — Sophie exclaimed as the woman touched her prosthesis.

  — “It’s completely rusted. Bathing it in oil might loosen the joints, but the forearm connections are shot — same with the rune support.” — she observed during her inspection. — “Also, you need to replace this connector, girl.”

  — “Those were impressive observations, but given our condition, that’s the best we can do.” — Aidan commented, clearly impressed.

  — “You did the best you could — that much I can see. I presume you planned to use my rune for one of these little creations, right? I must say, they’re impressive. Even if they’re made from useless scraps, you managed to make great use of them. Let me guess — you’re the brains, and she’s your scavenger.” — the woman presumed.

  — “Scavenger?! I brought all this stuff here!” — Sophie snapped.

  — “That explains why you’re on the cavalry’s wanted list. An impressive combination, I must admit.” — the woman complimented again.

  Aidan continued his meticulous observation of the woman, his eyes returning to her wand.

  — “I guess we’re just delaying the inevitable, huh? Why don’t we get to the formalities before you do what you came here to do?”

  — “And what do you think I came here to do, young man?” — the woman asked him, intrigued.

  — “What else would a member of the Magic Commission be doing?” — he replied with a revealing question.

  It was something that was starting to become an inconvenience for her, yet once again, she was impressed by the boy’s intelligence.

  — “And what gave away my ‘disguise’?” — she asked, admitting it.

  — “Unless you stole that wand the same way she did, that’s the only explanation. I recognized the details — it’s a bit different, but the symbolism is the same. The carvings on the wand — it’s subtle, but not too hard to decipher.”

  — “If you say so... and to think I told my dear not to go with something so flashy. But who can control him...” — she muttered.

  — “So she’s important? That doesn’t explain why she’s here. Did she come to turn us in?” — Sophie asked, confused.

  — “About that, I’m not sure. But as your partner suggested, why don’t we go through the formalities? Could you tell me your names?” — the woman asked directly.

  — “I’m Nobody, and he’s an Idiot.” — Sophie replied with a fake name and a rude tone.

  — “Peculiar names. So, Miss ‘Nobody’, what led you two to live in a hole this deep?” — the woman pressed on with more questions.

  — “Why do you care? If you’re really important, aren’t you going to turn us in? Then why waste time talking?” — Sophie said seriously and rudely.

  — “What? I’m not nearly as boring as those cavalry folks. Then again, you’ve been giving them quite the headache lately. Impressive, I must admit. How long have you been doing this sort of thing?”

  — “Long enough to survive.” — Aidan replied.

  — “Hey!”

  — “Relax, Sophie. If she really wanted to turn us in or do something, she would’ve done it already. Besides, it’s better to answer her questions and avoid any more misunderstandings.” — he suggested.

  — “Smart boy. You should listen to him more often.” — the woman said.

  A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  — “Yeah, right...” — Sophie mumbled.

  — “What an interesting pair — an impulsive yet skilled thief and a brilliant mind, though limited by resources.”

  She briefly stepped away from the pair.

  — “Let me ask you something — why are you doing this? Is there a purpose? Or is it just youthful rebellion?”

  — “It’s more a matter of survival. As you can see, it’s just the two of us.” — Aidan commented.

  — “And we’re doing just fine.” — Sophie added.

  — “Correction — you were doing fine. Until now. If someone as curious as me managed to find where you are, someone more focused will find this place sooner or later. Whether their intentions are good or bad… well, you’ll find out soon enough.” — the woman remarked, picking up an old rune from the ground.

  — “And you? What did you come here for?” — Sophie asked.

  — “My intentions? Good question, girl... what could I do with you two? I could turn you in — maybe get some sort of reward. I could use this to rub in Row’s face... but I doubt two kids would be worth much. Maybe a pat on the back and a handshake…”

  — “And the other option?” — Aidan asked, making a brief assumption.

  — “That one’s worth a thousand gold coins. From what I can see, you’re just two lost kids. The same ones who gave the local guard and their captain a headache. An impressive feat, no doubt — but it brought unwanted attention. Enough to put one of you in their crosshairs...”

  The woman revealed a paper with a brief description.

  — “‘Young Thief...’” — Aidan read aloud. — “Looks like you got famous after all.”

  — “If you say so... But that’s not a problem, since I’ve never been caught.”

  — “Until now, right?” — the woman added, making the girl avert her gaze. — “I think I know what you’re missing — or at least I can guess. You lack ambition.”

  — “Ambition?” — Aidan questioned, unfamiliar with the word in this context.

  — “Tell me — where do you see yourselves in a few years?”

  — “In a new hideout, maybe?” — Sophie replied sarcastically.

  — “Is that it? Just running forever? Have you never wondered if there’s more out there for you than living in the past?”

  — “What are you getting at?” — the boy asked, crossing his arms.

  — “If there’s something I hate, it’s seeing people waste their potential. Young ones like you should at least be under the care of an orphanage — or better yet, studying at the Grand Academy...”

  As she mentioned that, an idea came to her.

  — “How about this — why don’t we make a deal?” — she suggested.

  — “What kind of deal?” — Aidan asked, showing interest.

  — “Wait, you’re considering negotiating with her? We don’t even know who this woman is!” — Sophie cut in before the conversation went further.

  — “That’s true... I haven’t introduced myself — or removed my disguise.”

  With a brief circular motion of her wand, the rune resonated with her magic and caused her disguise to disappear.

  Her hair shimmered with a radiant silver hue, and her clothes shifted into a more elegant style, hinting at her social status.

  — “A pleasure to meet two new promising souls. The name’s Ver?nica Leffay.” — she introduced herself, raising her hand as she revealed her identity.

  Sophie thought it was an exaggerated show, unlike Aidan, who promptly stood up, removed his gloves, and offered a friendly handshake to the woman.

  — “Oh my... it is really you?!” — he said, surprised to recognize her.

  — “Is she important?” — Sophie asked, still uninformed.

  — “Important? She’s more than that! Like I said — she’s a member of the Magic Commission. But she’s also known for her creations and contributions to the development of runes — giving magic a whole new purpose and way to be used properly!” — he said excitedly.

  — “I see at least one of you recognizes me. I’d recommend catching up on your reading, young lady.” — she added, giving her a quick wink. — “Now that you know who I am, may I bring up that deal I mentioned earlier?”

  — “Absolutely! Go ahead!” — Aidan gave her the floor.

  — “It’s not something too complicated. I’d say it could benefit both sides. I can offer you the chance to start over. That includes clearing your friend’s record — for a time. When I mentioned the security increase, I wasn’t kidding. They’re determined to put an end to this crime wave. After all, the City’s security doesn’t play around.”

  — “Why the sudden concern? They haven’t caught me yet, so it’s not really a problem for me.” — Sophie replied proudly.

  — “Please, let me finish. You may be skilled at throwing them off your trail, but you can’t keep doing that forever. From what I can tell, you’re both about fifteen. In a year, you’ll be considered adults. Do you really think the punishments will still be lenient, even if you’re young?”

  She offered her honest opinion, making Aidan think.

  — “So... what are you proposing?” — the boy asked.

  — "As I said, what I hate most is seeing others' potential wasted. If you prefer, you can come with me; you’ll get a chance to start over, and I can also settle this issue that bothers an old friend of mine and use it to rub it in his face."

  — "You mean... come with you, as your apprentices?!" Aidan asked, surprised.

  — "Partially, it could save me another headache. However, you’re not ready to be my apprentices, but I can offer you some support so you can go your own way afterward," she explained.

  — "We accept!" Aidan said immediately.

  — "Wait!" Sophie retorted instantly. "Isn't this going too fast?"

  — "Are you kidding? It’s not every day someone like Ver?nica Leffay offers an opportunity like this!"

  — "Maybe, but isn’t this all driven by emotion?"

  Noticing that both needed to talk, she decided to step aside for a moment.

  — "I’ll give you space to talk, but as the young man said, offers like this don’t come often, especially from me."

  Opting to wait outside the hideout for a while, she left them to resolve their issues.

  They moved closer to each other again, pulling their chairs near the messy table.

  — "What’s wrong? Did you give up using your brain?" Sophie asked.

  — "Or maybe you're not using yours. Don’t tell me you considered turning this down?" Aidan shot back, questioning his friend's lack of logic.

  — "Well, maybe? Doesn’t this sound too good to be true? I mean, if she’s as important as you said, why would she come here?"

  — "Because you stole her wand?" he reminded her of her previous theft.

  — "That, but it’s not relevant right now... Anyway, since I did that, don’t you think she could do something else to us? Like turn us in?"

  — "Sophie, between us, she could’ve done that from the start. We never had a chance against her with what we’ve got."

  She stood up for a moment and looked to the side, thoughtful.

  — "Listen, I know you’re suspicious because of the life we lead and her position, that’s understandable. But we can’t waste this opportunity."

  — "You’re the idea guy, I don’t know what to say, but I’m not sure it’s a good idea," she commented, still showing doubt.

  — "This could literally be our only chance to change our lives. We can’t keep acting the same way. Like she said, it’s only a matter of time before we’re caught by someone else, or something worse could happen. Not to me, but to you," he said, concerned.

  She noticed, beyond her friend’s excitement, a tone of worry. The idea of leaving wasn’t a big issue, but she didn’t fully trust that woman.

  — "Is that what you really want?" she asked directly to Aidan.

  — "No, but if there’s a way to improve our situation, I’m willing to accept," he responded, determined.

  She lowered her head and sighed deeply.

  — "Alright, but if this goes wrong, I’ll throw you in the sewer next time."

  — "Deal."

  They both exchanged a fist bump.

  After the discussion, Aidan called Ver?nica back inside.

  — "So, what do you say?" she asked again about her previous offer.

  — "We accept," Aidan replied without hesitation.

  She then looked at Sophie, who again crossed her arms and looked away.

  — "You heard him..." she responded uncertainly.

  — "I’ll take that as a yes, young one. You remind me of an old friend of mine, closed off, distrustful of everything, not easily opening up to anyone, but willing to do what’s best for others, am I right?"

  — "Think what you want," Sophie replied coldly.

  — "Alright, now that everything’s settled, it’s time to pack your things."

  With her wand in hand, she focused her magic on a small rune, making everything around them be absorbed, leaving only what she considered garbage.

  — "Wow! She also stores things?" Aidan asked, surprised once again.

  — "She does much more than that, my young friend. It’ll be easier than sorting through what’s unnecessary, and I’m sure you’re attached to your creations. I understand how that is. Quick question, are you familiar with teleportation magic?"

  — "A little," the young man replied.

  — "I’ve been a victim of its failures," Sophie remarked, throwing a hint.

  After getting somewhat unsatisfactory answers, she grabbed both their wrists.

  — "In that case, hold on tight. You might feel a little vertigo," she advised.

  — "Wait, what are you--"

  Before Sophie could finish her question, the magic from her wand activated, a white aura surrounded them, and they disappeared from that place.

  Double Trouble)