choosing to sit down as quietly as she could. Her plate was already made for her, and the others had politely waited until she'd sat down before they'd started eating. The clinking of silverware whittled away at the silence, though the atmosphere remained tense.
While everyone else was busy eating, Robert remained in his leaned back position, refusing to touch his food. Mid-bite, Sophie noticed his smile, and she slowly set her fork down so that she could turn her full attention on him.
"Is there something wrong?" She asked, trying not to let her voice shake.
"I'm disappointed that you chose to stay." He began, his eyes unmoving. "I assume you are aware of that."
Sophie had known the minute she'd walked into the room that he was going to try and argue with her. She just hadn't expected it would be this soon.
"Yeah, I sort of guessed you felt that way." She answered.
"I'm not going to make your life easy here. What you're doing is a mistake, and you haven't even begun to consider the dangers. By working for Cleo you've put me in a difficult situation." He tapped his hands on the table, and for a moment the rapping of his fingers was the only noise in the room. "In this line of work, a mistake made by you could cost me more than my job."
"There's your incentive to be the best teacher you can be." Sophie replied seriously. She met his eyes determinedly, accepting his challenge without backing down. She wasn't going to let him bully her out of her dream. "If you don't want me to screw up, teach me how to be as good as you are."
Robert smirked, though his eyes didn't leave her face. "Being a thief takes more than just having the guts to cut off all of your hair. I don't expect you'll make it through my training."
"Challenge accepted." Sophie answered, and Teddy giggled next to her. Robert glanced at him and his smile immediately faded.
"If that's how you're going to be, then let me lay down some rules. To start, you are no longer to consider yourself a girl. Part of being a thief means learning how to disguise yourself, and the more ambiguous you are, the better you'll blend in. You will start behaving like a male, and Cleo's taken it onto herself to help you change your wardrobe."
"Excuse me?" Sophie asked incredulously. "I have to act like a what?" She bit her lip, wondering if he was doing this just to be cruel. She'd hoped Teddy had misunderstood Robert's comment about her being like a boy. "There's no other way for me to learn how to disguise myself?"
"It's ridiculous how little you know." Robert sighed, and his smirk faded from his face. "There are people in this business who would be very interested to know that you are the daughter of Susanne and Gerard Parker. People who are more influential than Cleo, and by influential, I mean dangerous. Your parents stole from a lot of important figures, and they've yet to be forgotten."
"Cleo knows about this danger?" Sophie felt her determination begin to falter. She'd just begun to realize how far she'd gotten in over her head. "Why didn't she tell me about it?"
"You know now." Robert's eyes narrowed. "Why? Have you already changed your mind? It's not too late to go home."
Taking a deep breath, Sophie calmed herself down. She was going to have to figure everything out in small steps. This world was new to her, and she was just going to have to take it slow.
"No, I'll agree to your terms. If I need to pretend to be a boy, I will. For the time being." Her reply was as steady as she could make it.
Robert watched her carefully, his smile turning into a frown. He pushed away from the table, and paused in the middle of the kitchen. He looked like he was about to say something before he exited the room altogether.
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Sophie muttered, clenching her fists. She stood up from her seat as well, and charged out of the kitchen. She wasn't done speaking with him yet,
While everyone else was busy eating, Robert remained in his leaned back position, refusing to touch his food. Mid-bite, Sophie noticed his smile, and she slowly set her fork down so that she could turn her full attention on him.
"Is there something wrong?" She asked, trying not to let her voice shake.
"I'm disappointed that you chose to stay." He began, his eyes unmoving. "I assume you are aware of that."
Sophie had known the minute she'd walked into the room that he was going to try and argue with her. She just hadn't expected it would be this soon.
"Yeah, I sort of guessed you felt that way." She answered.
"I'm not going to make your life easy here. What you're doing is a mistake, and you haven't even begun to consider the dangers. By working for Cleo you've put me in a difficult situation." He tapped his hands on the table, and for a moment the rapping of his fingers was the only noise in the room. "In this line of work, a mistake made by you could cost me more than my job."
"There's your incentive to be the best teacher you can be." Sophie replied seriously. She met his eyes determinedly, accepting his challenge without backing down. She wasn't going to let him bully her out of her dream. "If you don't want me to screw up, teach me how to be as good as you are."
Robert smirked, though his eyes didn't leave her face. "Being a thief takes more than just having the guts to cut off all of your hair. I don't expect you'll make it through my training."
"Challenge accepted." Sophie answered, and Teddy giggled next to her. Robert glanced at him and his smile immediately faded.
"If that's how you're going to be, then let me lay down some rules. To start, you are no longer to consider yourself a girl. Part of being a thief means learning how to disguise yourself, and the more ambiguous you are, the better you'll blend in. You will start behaving like a male, and Cleo's taken it onto herself to help you change your wardrobe."
"Excuse me?" Sophie asked incredulously. "I have to act like a what?" She bit her lip, wondering if he was doing this just to be cruel. She'd hoped Teddy had misunderstood Robert's comment about her being like a boy. "There's no other way for me to learn how to disguise myself?"
"It's ridiculous how little you know." Robert sighed, and his smirk faded from his face. "There are people in this business who would be very interested to know that you are the daughter of Susanne and Gerard Parker. People who are more influential than Cleo, and by influential, I mean dangerous. Your parents stole from a lot of important figures, and they've yet to be forgotten."
"Cleo knows about this danger?" Sophie felt her determination begin to falter. She'd just begun to realize how far she'd gotten in over her head. "Why didn't she tell me about it?"
"You know now." Robert's eyes narrowed. "Why? Have you already changed your mind? It's not too late to go home."
Taking a deep breath, Sophie calmed herself down. She was going to have to figure everything out in small steps. This world was new to her, and she was just going to have to take it slow.
"No, I'll agree to your terms. If I need to pretend to be a boy, I will. For the time being." Her reply was as steady as she could make it.
Robert watched her carefully, his smile turning into a frown. He pushed away from the table, and paused in the middle of the kitchen. He looked like he was about to say something before he exited the room altogether.
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Sophie muttered, clenching her fists. She stood up from her seat as well, and charged out of the kitchen. She wasn't done speaking with him yet,
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