"Shhh!" hissed Berty, "Someone's following us!"

"A boomin' bomb'll take care of them!" said Bart, getting out another 'boomin' bomb.'

Their pursuit rounded the corner and nearly ran into them. It was a girl weilding a very strange weapon: a lute. "Wow! I actually caught up to you!" she said excitedly.

"Not a step further or we'll use this boomin' bomb on you!" said Bart, holding it up, ready to throw.

"This is so exciting! This'll make the greatest song!" she continued.

"You're asking for it!" said Bart.

"Wait!" Berty shouted and shoved Bart out of the way. "What did you say about a singing song?"

"Oh right!" said the girl, "My name's Annallee. I'm a bard. Or, at least, I will be, once I write something good enough. That's why I followed you. I think you two would make great subjects for a ballad. Maybe several!"

Berty posed thoughtfully. "A blinkin' ballad about I, Berty, World Renowned Thief?" There was a flash of light and loud noise behind him.

Annallee clapped her hands together. "Yes, and people all over the country could hear of your grand adventures!"

"All over the country..." Berty mused.

Bart stumbled back towards them with his hair standing on end and stars circling his head. He shook his head to clear it. "That's one big boomin' bomb..."

"Seeing as we are great and generous sorts of thieves," Berty declared, "We'll let you acompany us in our travels to record our stories ories."

"Really?" Annallee gasped. "Yay!"

Volidan Del Akutuer, Master Treasure Hunter and Explorer, was feeling absolutely rotten. Most people got at least a few hours out of being drunk before feeling the less pleasant effects. It had been fifty minutes and he had a hangover. It really wasn't fair at all. Now his head hurt and he remembered all too well what had happened to his dear, lovely, fake crown. Those two thieves would pay for what they'd done. What were their names? Blinky and Bip? They would pay dearly...

"So what does a good ballad have?" Berty asked. "After all, we wouldn't want to disappoint our audience..."

"Well..." Annallee thought about it for a little while. "I guess every story starts with a hero. Since it worked for Robin Hood, you could be the hero, Berty. And any hero should have a sidekick too. That'd be Bart. Then we need a villian, a cute and lovable animal companion, and... oh yeah, I almost forgot! A love interest!" She peered at Berty. "You wouldn't happen to have a girlfriend or something, would you?"

Berty shook his head. "Never had the time for that sort of thing, what with becomign a famous thief and all. I love Bart like me own brother, though!"

"Er... Well, a love interest isn't really required anyway."

"Oh. Right ight," said Berty. "Now what about the other two? I figure igure there're probably a lot of folks who don't like us much, but where d'ya find an animal?"

"Well, I know of one that'd fit, but I don't quite know where he is right now," Annallee answered. "I'm sure we'll be able to find him again. Alberto and Pico -"

"Who're they?" Bart cut in, "Are they the villians?"

"No," Annallee answered, "They're extranious characters that'll probably worry a lot if I don't tell them where I'm going before this story gets on it's way. Drat that!"

"Hey.." Bart wondered aloud, "That sounds kinda like the sort that get killed off halfway through the story, don't they?"

"No! No no no!" Annallee said quickly, "No killing off my friends! We'll just go someplace else than them so they won't get involved in the first place!"

"Okay, I guess," Berty said, "But I was kind of planning to stay in Muse a while longer. After all, we already got this crownin' crown."

Annallee looked up at the crown on Berty's head. "Um... is that paint peeling on it?"

"Eh?" Berty took off the crown and looked at it.

"I think it's broke, Berty," Bart said.

Little gold paint flakes fell off of it. Underneith was a dull aluminum crown. "W-worthless?! It's worthless?! All that work stealing it, and it's wrothless?!"

Annallee squeaked in surprise at the sudden rant. "I-It's okay, really. All good heroes have their setbacks..."

"......" Berty tossed the crown away. "Maybe so," he conceeded, "But what'll we sell for the potch to get an inn room?"

"......"

"......"

".....! I know!" Annallee declared, "We could probably stay at Pico's mom's house, if we can sneak in quietly. She doesn't like people showing up late at night, but if she doesn't know, it can't hurt her, right?"

Berty clapped her on the back, "I'm already glad we let you join up!"

Berty followed Annallee, wondering if she was lost. After all, how could she possibly mean a place in the highest class part of the city? She finally stopped. "This is it!"