• Memory • Common Interests (Graded)

[Toan]

Ymiden 24 708,
MidTrial

Location: The Commercial Circle

The weather had been remarkable granted Ymiden proved to be warmer when it usually first started, the fair generosity of sunshine mixed with only some clouds made it a perfect day. Why would it be so perfect? Because on such occasions with favorable weather, there came out favorable resources to fish from naturally. But the kind of 'fishing' Toan liked to do didn't involve lures and rods, least not in the manner that fisherman themselves tended to use. No Toan preferred a different style of fishing honestly, where pockets proved more profitable than any body of water. Within the streets of the Commercial Circle he prowled casually along, he looked at all the people that passed by blatantly with somewhat narrowed eyes. Knowing that some would probably scrutinize his behavior, he didn't care that they would take notice of his hard long stares. Probably because he didn't like anybody here, nobody in particular really made an effort in changing that. People often remarked upon his 'attitude' problem too, that didn't change the fact he liked none of them.

Nobody understood where it all stemmed from, where the root of the cause truly was. Yet as much as he wanted Aserilin to croak and die, part of him felt conflicted about what he would do afterwards. He didn't want the man dead in all honesty, just gone and out of his life so the abuse would end. Whenever, not if, Toan seemed to say or do something he didn't like, Aserilin made sure he was well aware of that with an episode of well mixed blows and words. It had been the main reason why Toan hated the bastard almost ungodly so, and why the boy worked so hard to live out on his own. If he could manage to stake a claim for himself, while out among the streets, then he wouldn't have to rely on the benediction of his 'father' to survive. The young thief finally lowered his eyes, his fingers mindfully pressed at the surface of underneath his right eye. The swelling had gone down the other day thankfully, therefore the bruising should've started to fade away by now. Out here on his own he probably looked filthy and scruffy, since he didn't really have any other clothes to change out of. Those that were waited back at home, and Toan would've rather been a dirty mongrel; than face another beating out of Aserilin yet again.

As he passed by one of the stalls that had been set up in the street, he eyed the food that happened to be put on display. Much of it had been fruits and vegetables grown locally, with some exotics from other towns available for purchase as well. He'd stopped in his tracks now that his attention had been caught by the fruit, his stomach mindful to point out he had yet to eat earlier today. "Go on, get!" A voice boomed from before him as a large and heavy man shooed him away, Toan quickly darted off for an alley nearby as he went to hide for some Bits and wait the peddler out. The man seemed to think he had been gone and wasn't going to return thankfully, as the thief hid at the corner of the alley watchful and determined. He would get himself something to eat, of that he was undoubtedly sure of of course. He just had to wait for the right time to make a move and run for it.

He watched a couple Bits more, expecting the Peddler to be distracted sooner or later.

[Navyri]

⌘ Common ⌘ Rakahi ⌘ Euthic Sign ⌘ Grovokian ⌘

Navyri had been prowling along the market place, hand hovering slightly over a ring sitting out on display as she greeted the vendor. Dressed in red, she stood out among the bustling citizenship, the dark silken cowl draped over her head and wrapped around her neck to block the sun. She was asking the price, finding the merchants were so much nicer when you looked as though you had money to spend, and when the vendor bent down to pull out his lockbox, her fingers lowered casually, feeling the tiny band press against the palm of her hand. Navyri laughed at a joke the man said, smiling coyly as her grasp wrapped around the tiny piece and she leaned forward to direct his eyes elsewhere. She had to move confidently to avoid suspicion and kept her face an unassuming, kind facade.

From behind her, a man shouted and her blood ran cold, "Go on! Get!"

Her hand lifted neatly, leaving her prize and she was preparing her lie when she turned around to spot a heavy set man shouting at a boy in rags. He looked worse for wear and must have been no older than eighteen or so. Navyri stepped aside, watching as he slunk off to a dark corner, but what he did next caught her eye. He was watching the man that had sent him away, like a hawk watching its prey. He was buying his time, and while she found it a bit amateurish, Navyri had been in his shoes multiple times. Even now, she could get caught, and when the jeweler spoke, she nodded to feign agreement, “Ain’t nothing worse than liars and thieves.”

She offered a distracted smile, still watching the boy, the wheels in her mind turning with a new plan, “Nothing worse.” Snapping her attention to the vendor, she sighed dramatically, “I can’t believe this is what the world is coming to! It just disgusts me. Now I’m all worked up. What if he tried to take my gold! Or your beautiful work? You need to be careful,” Navyri motioned towards the ring she had come so close to stealing, “I’m not feeling very safe... Will you be here tomorrow? I am not comfortable walking away with your treasures, knowing some thug might attack me in the alley!”

The vendor began sensing he would be losing a customer and gave an irritated look in the boy’s general direction, but nodded in understanding, “A beautiful woman like you… You can never be too careful these days. How about I save you a piece? Bring one of my better works to market tomorrow?”

“That... “ Navyri gave a thankful smile, “That would be lovely… I think I’ll grab a few things for dinner and be on my way. You’ve been too kind.”

Kindness… The thing that so many men were willing to offer. Navyri gave a tug to the mental teether she shared with her familiar, Curio, and was flashed an image of the marketplace. He was circling overhead, invisible to those around him, and she weaved through the crowd like a dancer. After some idling, she snaked towards the alley the boy was in and gave a soft command to the spirit owl, sliding into the opening, “Hello.”

When the food vendor was distracted, Curio swooped down and snatched up an apple, flying off with it. To a mindful eye, it would have looked as if it had just floated away, but when Navyri held out her hand, it was dropped into her palm and she held it out to the street urchin, “Hungry?”

The darkness of the alley cast a shadow upon her, her blue eyes glowing in the darkness, the food held out as a tantalizing offer in her dark claws, “Don’t worry, darling. I won’t tell. Now… how would you like to make some money?” Navyri pulled down her shroud and smiled, something mischievous swirling in her bright eyes. “I could use a little help.”

[Toan]

Toan's sight had been primarily zoned out onto the peddler's own stall when he went into hiding, as he'd done this plenty of times before to plan a perfect hit and run. In order to make it out here on his own he had to be fast, quick and agile with his moves if he wanted to get away unscathed. Sometimes he'd be caught though, and luckily he'd only gotten away with some modest beatings. Nothing like what his 'father' liked to do to him though. When a woman took to approach him at first he backed away just a little, cautious of the attention he'd unintentionally brought upon himself. Had she noticed him earlier? Did that mean his cover would be blown entirely? An apple seemed to just drift through the air nonchalantly, as though an otherworldly force brought it to her upon whim. When it had landed in her would be darkened claws she displayed, Toan looked up into her brightly lit blue eyes with curiosity and distrust.

Who was this woman? And did she just use some kind of magic? Toan could only guess her to be a sorceress of a sort, a kind of woman that had a few tricks up her sleeve. Though he couldn't help but hesitate in his silence Toan's own stomach pleaded him to take the damned apple, since it'd been the first thing he'd ate all day. Hesitation led to eagerness as he swiped it out of her hand without a pause, his childlike eyes still fixated on her as she promised silence about it. Why? Why help a street urchin like him? People like her were far more dangerous than the ones that shunned and pushed him away, they were a variety of things that Toan had come to learn as he survived out here. Users. Abusers. Manipulators. There were many shades of characters in Etzos, so where exactly did this unusual woman seemed to fit within the picture?

Even when he didn't want any further part in dealing with her, the fact she'd mentioned money proved interesting to him. A tactfully put way of pitching it made him curious enough, therefore after he'd chewed the first bite of his apple after a few Trills; Toan swallowed the sweet and savory fruit hard before he finally inquired of her idea. "What's the job?" He'd managed to say before his teeth sunk in for another bite of the apple, he had to admit he did practically owe her a favor for getting him a late breakfast. Plus the fact that money in itself would be nice to have, it'd prolong the inevitable return back to Aserilin's home. Any amount of time bought in delaying that was worth the trouble for Toan. "How would I 'help' exactly?" He chimed after another hard swallow, his eyes went from the apple to her with avid curiosity upon her. Then of course he had to ask the final question that really mattered, the one that Toan always liked to ask when doing practically any sort of favor for someone.

"Is it going to be fun or dangerous?" Admittedly when he asked that his eyes could've glinted with enthusiasm, as he would listen to her answers he'd work on the rest of his apple eagerly.

[Navyri]

⌘ Common ⌘ Rakahi ⌘ Euthic Sign ⌘ Grovokian ⌘

“What’s the job?”

Navyri’s smile widened and she clasped her hands together, her long claw-like nails visible; painted black. “I’m so glad you asked.” How old was this young one? Navyri moved forward, watching with a pleased expression as he enjoyed the apple, and took in his scruffy appearance, much like a kicked puppy, “It’s rather simple, really.”

“Every criminal needs their distractions to succeed. Sometimes that’s a bit difficult to do alone and with a full market… Double the challenge, double the reward.” Navyri reached out, lifting a hand and showing it off, as one might to do a wild animal, and used her thumb to wipe a speckle of juice that had stuck to his jaw, “As for fun and danger,” The Naer removed her hand and poked him the chest before turning around to face the alley’s opening, “That’s entirely up to you now, isn’t it?”

She pulled away and leaned against the stone wall, crossing her ankles and waving around to the people who carried on, preoccupied with their children or their barters to care of two onlookers, “I would like you to pick a fight with someone. Bump into them, surprise someone, I don’t care about the specifics,” The boy already looked like a mess, it could give him an intimidating edge if he could hone it, “When people stop to watch, I will dip into their pockets so… The bigger you can get the crowd, the more purses can go missing,” the young woman smiled, peeking a look at the youth beside her, “In turn, we will split the money. I’m not asking you to fight them, just… prod around. Stir some attention…. Unless you have any different ideas?”

It would be interesting if he had something to consider. Navyri wasn’t above humoring new ideas, and waited, curious as to if he would accept her offer.

[Toan]

When she brought up the speech about distractions Toan reserved his need to cut to the chase, this lady seemed too critical to just blatantly cut off without hearing out entirely. From the idea she'd pitched his way it seemed that the worst he'd be doing is physical labor, nothing overly dangerous compared to whatever high hopes he originally had set. Still he didn't see any particular reason why he shouldn't take the offer, granted having the coin in his pocket guaranteed a longer independence. As he took another few chunky bites of the apple he nodded, a manner to show that he more or less agreed with her and had been willing to pitch in. Since this was going to be pulling double duty and distracting an entire mob of people in the market, he'd have to be crafty about it while the real work was being done fishing for purses.

When the unusual woman drew in closer and proceeded to wipe away the juice upon his cheek, Toan froze as he looked strongly into her eyes for a brief moment. Just as she pointed and turned to face away from him he wiped the rest of lips with the back of his forearm, a glance given to the remaining core of the apple before he merely tossed it aside. "So just create a distraction for the entire marketplace. Can't be too hard given my reputation around here." He reckoned with a wry smile in his approach to her, Toan stood next to her with eyes out into the opening where the marketplace resided. As the lady suggested for him to pick a fight though his lips broadened into a wider grin, for an idea that sounded simple it definitely seemed right up his alley. He glanced over to her after a few Bits and then looked back out to the street, and with a given shrug he answered her last question. "Just one. Make sure you rob that prick that chased me off, all of his precious valuables so that he'll suffer for it." With a last look to Navyri he shot the wide grin to her one last time. "See you in a few."

Just as he murmured this he leaned into a dart that led him to run around the corner back into the market area, determined to blatantly run into the first person he'd come across. It was a crowded place after all, he only needed to run into just one of the locals there. Rather quickly he'd already waltzed into this pompously dressed man as his lady shrieked from shock, the majority of those around him already caught into the scene as both men went into a quick tumble down. "Whoa damn! Watch your self!"

"I say! What sort of crude act is this?!" The guy commanded as he rose to his feet dramatically, Toan had already pushed himself up and away from the guy. "You filthy rookid street rat, you should mind where you're going!"

"Street rat? Fark you ass wipe!" Toan bellowed with a reddened face as he lunged at the guy, his hands balled into fists with the neck of the man's coat reigned in. "You wanna see street rat, I can show you just that!"

"Get your hands off my husband!!" The woman finally stepped in as she deigned it necessary to save her own pitiable excuse of a man, hopefully by now the partner in crime Toan agreed to work with found her chance to get started by now.

[Navyri]

⌘ Common ⌘ Rakahi ⌘ Euthic Sign ⌘ Grovokian ⌘

She thought it amusing that he wanted revenge and nodded her head, “Why, of course.” Rob the prick of everything, yes, but she wasn’t going to narrow the possibilities to only him. Still, convincing this poor boy had been easy - now she just needed to execute her plan. The Naerikk turned towards the crowd, observing as her new accomplice began his part. His tactic was simple and he shoved into a man. The rest was predictable, but just what she needed.

Navyri slipped forward, eyes darting to each face that turned to view the scene. Behind a stall she disappeared, the keeper distracted as the rustling had knocked some of his goods from the table and now risked being trampled. She looked for the man the street rat wanted to personally attack, weaving behind him. He specialized in produce, so Navyri wasn’t feeling overly confident on finding any outstanding valuables, however, she dipped her fingers in the man’s purse all the same. The close proximity and excited electricity of the crowd was a good distraction, but she knew she had to move fast. Pulling a knife from beneath her shirt, the Naer cut into the leather pouch, her hand poised underneath to catch the coin. It spilled quickly into her palm and she had to rush to tuck it into her own pocket or she risked dropping it on the ground. Before she could draw suspicion, Navyri was moving on, refusing to stay in one spot.

The jeweler had caught most of her attention, but she made her way back around, cutting more purses and fading away once more - a wisp within the crowd. It was a bit hard to gauge how long the street rat would keep the attention of his audience, some cities unfazed by ruffians - others, enjoying any moment for conflict. Such was the nature of humans.

Navyri cut two more purses and swiped a few rings from a stall. When she made her way around to the jeweler that she had been talking to, she found him cursing in agreement with a man, displeased by the scene, but stood with his arms crossed. A sweet excitement settled into her bones and she dropped a single silver nel to the ground, crouching behind him as if to pick it up, blue eyes honing in on the small wooden lockbox that no doubt had a few treasures. Her eyes briefly flickered around, sensing the crowd’s attention beginning to change and extending a hand around the corner of the stall and underneath it, nails barely scraping against the wood.

Biting her lip, her heart was pounding and she thought she was going to lose her chance, freezing when the stall keeper shifted his weight, but his attention was still up at the fight that had erupted. Guards would be coming soon, she didn’t have much time.

Hand enclosing the box, she grinned and pulled carefully, pleased with its weight before shoving it under her cloak, snatching up her silver piece and retreating. That was all she was going to be able to retrieve and she beelined for the alley, Curio flying over the street rat and giving a sharp screech before flying to the skies once more. A strange sight, no doubt to see an owl in midday, and would very much be seen as an omen to some. Navyri smiled, catching the eye her accomplice and disappeared into the shadows. It was up to him to detangle himself from his own mess, as per their agreement. She would wait for only a few bits, as her generosity was fleeting. It was up to him to hurry, otherwise, the Naer would abandon him and not look back. Wasting her time was not worth rewarding.

[Toan]

Their bickering had, naturally, grown worse when Toan proceeded to call his wife a wagon nagging whore in front of the guy. That definitely gave cause for the man to put his hands to use, and thus the fist fight between them ensued as Toan felt himself get a face full from the poor sod. There had been plenty of "Bloody fire fight," and "By the Fates," tossed around from the watching crowd as Toan grappled the man's shoulders. They more or less faltered into a manly teetering dance with one another, as Toan didn't really push or shove nor try to really fight the individual. Sure he did throw a couple of punches, but when one of those punches missed and he felt himself caught on the man's shoulder; Toan felt his entire backside collide one of the stalls nearby.

That's it. Now he's pissed.

The thief tackled the miserable dote as hard as he could, determined to knock him off his feet for being the lightweight he was. Not just that but for also punching him, and shoving him into things, and calling him names which was even worse! Toan had nearly had it from that point on, and clearly his wife had plenty to add into the situation. As the thief found himself on top of the guy he felt something leathery pelt against his shoulder and head, as the wife had taken to the defense of her beloved rather than be the helpless broad most women tended to be. Well... this certainly wasn't unfolding the way he wanted it to, and what with the way people were chanting for guards vividly Toan knew his time was almost up. The moment he'd let up he'd found himself tossed to the ground away from the guy, finally able to get away Toan twisted to his front side and pushed himself up.

Luckily he'd sprung into a run fast enough to get away with an easy merge into the crowd, although the people gathered definitely made it difficult to push through. Cowardly as he would've came off as to the majority, he believed enough time had passed for him to clear out. Especially if the guard were on their way, that alone was incentive enough for him to run off before he'd been caught. Once he finally squeezed past the swarm of clustered people he could hear the taunts of the couple, nearly loud enough to hear above the ambiance of people gathered around. They'd almost successfully brought him back into the fray with their words, had the thought of sweet payback not kept him focused on the current goal in mind. He'd made his getaway at last, all that remained was meeting his fellow thief for his share of the cut.

Toan ran with eyes quick to dart down the alleyways, until he'd almost passed up the one he'd spotted Navyri within. She'd almost looked ready to turn around and leave, that is until he finally came down the alleyway with heavy pants and a pair of a bloodied lip and bloodied nose. "Hey!" He called out to the woman before he finally closed in, his eyes quick to search for the spoils now that he'd reached her in the nick of time. "How'd we do?" The poor boy quipped with a wry smile, curious to learn just how well of a reward they'd be making off with from this.

[Navyri]

⌘ Common ⌘ Rakahi ⌘ Euthic Sign ⌘ Grovokian ⌘

A single pair of footsteps thundered behind her as the Naer was moving down the alley, and she arched her head at the sound, a smirk playing at her lips. He was breathless, sucking in loud gulps of air and looked pleasantly flushed, blood dripping from his nose and lip, “Hey!” he was smiling, “How’d we do?”

She arched a brow, partially surprised he had made it in time, “My, my,” she mused, hand lifting as she turned to gently cup his chin, “What a mess you’ve made,” She let her bright eyes roam for a moment over his face, noting just how young the poor thing was, and let her hand fall away, “Come along now.”

While she would have preferred to leave him during the distraction, she had offered a cut of whatever spoils they were able to retrieve and the Naer was feeling confident in her work, the heaviness of the lockbox adding a reassuring weight to her arms. She headed deeper into the alleyway, a sound of a few jostling goodies in the container enthusing her every step. Curio had taken to the skies and just as they were about to emerge from the mouth of the alley, Navyri tensed and she grabbed the boy’s arm, yanking them against the wall.

Before he could say anything, she pressed a hand to his mouth, two guards briskly walking past. The mental image she had received from her familiar had been difficult to decipher, as it took her a tic to comprehend aerial views, “That was close,” she muttered, pulling her hand away from the battered boy and then, as if remembering his injuries, gave a horrified look at the blood on her hand. She was about to wipe it on her clothes, but thought better of it, and her palm hovered awkwardly until she pressed her lips in a thin line and gripped the box once more, “Alright,” Blue eyes leveled on the male, “Do you know anywhere safe and… private we could open this? I’ll need some time to pick the lock.”

[Kasoria]

Review Rewards

Navyri, The Thievin' Get

Points awarded: 15xp

Knowledge:
Acting: Draw From Personal Experience
Pickpocketing: How to Use Verbal Distraction
Pickpocketing: Use Income Prejudice to Go Unnoticed
Pickpocketing: Take Advantage of Kindess & Trust
Pickpocketing: How to Utilize Chaos as a Thief
Negotiation: Imply They Will Lose Your Business
Linguistics: The Local Dialect of Etzos
Lockpicking: Find Privacy Before You Begin
Persuasion: Offer An Incentive

Loot: 100gn from the purses and a ring worth 50gn, when you sell it, plus a lockbox that you have yet to open (add it and the ring to your inventory!)

Renown: Mmmm... okay, we'll call it 5, but it's mainly among the underworld and only those who would hear the story... somehow

Toan, Thievin' Shite

Points awarded: 15xp

Knowledge:
Stealth: Lurking Around Corners
Stealth: Observing Those Unaware of Your Presence
Acting: Bumping Into Another To Cause A Scene
Unarmed, Brawling: Always Be Ready For A Fight
Unarmed, Brawling: Put Your Anger Into Your Fists
Endurance: Taking A Punch To the Face
Endurance: Being Beaten By A Handbag
Running: Making A Break For An Escape

Loot: 100gn from the purses

Renown: Mmmm... okay, we'll call it 5 as well, for the same reasons

Notes:
Navy, you were only eligible for NINE Knowledge Lores, here. Eight for being part of a Collaboration, plus one more for every post after that... of which you did one. So that would have been a total of nine, not ten. Which actually works out well, since I had to remove the second Lockpicking Lore you requested. "Hidden Locks Hide Better Things" didn't really strike me as anything to do with the actual discipline of picking locks: that would look more at home with Detection, discerning something based on something else.

Aside from that, it's a shame this didn't go any further. You and Toan seemed to hit if off well, and your cunning scheme was quite delightful to see play out. I liked your scrappy, gritty style as well, Toan. Nice to see someone else plahying the Etzos street rat angle, and in such a raw fashion. Not bad at all. Keep it up!