Risa the Unlucky

 There once was an unlucky Lenian boy named Risa. Risa was born into a notorious crime family in Len. His mother had a gift for stoneworking and used it as a front for the rest of the family's crimes. His father broke in and out of Talis Jail not once, not twice, but three times. His older brother was the best poisonmaker in Len, and his twin sister was such a talker, a man with rubies for eyes gave her the rubies so that she would shut up.

But every time poor Risa tried to commit a crime, he got caught. He got caught trying to pickpocket the old lady down the street. He got caught trying to rob the fruit sellers. He got caught trying to trick people with the street game of having a ball under three cups. Every time Risa got caught, his dad would laugh, his mom would yell, and his siblings would smack him around.

Eventually Risa gave up. He was tired of always being the butt of the jokes. He left the household, vowing that he would make it big in Calis.

So he became a servant for one of the Houses in Calis. Every day, he woke up at the crack of dawn, was bossed around all day, and went to bed after the sun set. His hands and feet hurt, and if he messed up he was caned with a stick of bamboo taken from the garden. He was miserable, and he missed his family, but he didn't want to go back to his parents in Len without having made a name for himself.

The thing that made his heart lust the most was the pool in the backyard of the house. Every day, he saw the family lounge by the pool, the wall of bamboo creating privacy from the workers that rushed about inside the house. Whenever he could, Risa would peer through the bamboo at the clear sparkling pool and daydream.

Weeks passed and the craving in Risa's heart only grew. One night, he couldn't resist any longer. He snuck out to the pool and jumped in. It was cool and calm. It was just like he dreamed it would be.

Alas, Risa was an unlucky boy. The guard dog barked, the matron of the house screamed, and the entire household awoke to find this dirty Lenian servant boy in the pool.

He was fired immediately and caned with bamboo. Risa tried to fight back, fleeing with a big stick of bamboo and his ears red from humiliation.

By the time he returned to his parents' home in Len that night, he had a plan for revenge.

When he got home, he told his family what had happened to him. His dad laughed, his mother yelled, and his siblings smacked him around, but he didn't care. He told them his plan, and one by one they came onboard.

His mother set to work in the backyard while the others schemed indoors. Risa mapped out the house and gave the family members their tasks. A week later, their preparations were complete. His father, brother, and sister headed out into the night, while Risa stayed with his mother so that his bad luck could not doom the rest of the family. He twiddled his thumbs for hours anxiously.

Meanwhile, his father easily broke into the house of Risa's former employers. Risa's brother laid down a poisoned treat for the dog, who ate it happily and fell asleep. And Risa's sister held the big stick of bamboo that Risa had been caned with. She snuck over to the pool and sucked in, filling her giant lungs with a little, a lot, and finally all of the pool water.

A little while later, Risa heard a knock at the door, and opened it to find his family back from Calis. They rushed his sister out to the backyard, where she spat out all of the water into the stone pool that their mother had shaped into existence.

Risa gave them all hugs to thank them for their support, and then they all jumped into the pool together. Floating on his back with his family around him, Risa felt lucky at last.

From then on, Risa became the family schemer. They never let him near a mission in person, but with his quick thinking and planning skills, he had found his niche within the family.