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Post by Dareynn Payne on Aug 3, 2009 17:30:18 GMT -6
Dareynn slunk through the dark alleyway, barefoot and clothed in raggy pants and a dark shirt. His dark hair was tied back so it didn't get in his way; he'd had a few close calls because it had gotten in his eyes.
The Lower City was quiet at the moment; the sun had just gone down, settling a thick black blanket of darkness overhead. Not many people would be out, but that was how Dareynn wanted it to be. Sure, there weren't as many people to steal from, but there weren't as many people that could catch him, either.
Not that he'd been caught lately; the last time he'd gotten caught, he'd been thirteen years old. Four years ago; a long time for a thief. With an inaudible sigh, he glanced out of the shadows and onto the street; none of the passersby looked to have a lot of coin on them. That was the problem with the Lower City; people were dirt poor, most worse off than Dareynn himself.
He almost felt bad taking from them, but his people, those who depended on him, needed the coin he planned to acquire and the food he would buy with it. The treasury wasn't particularily low, but he didn't like to spend all that money; what if something really bad happened, like one of the Courts burned down? If that happened and he was out of coin, he'd have a real problem.
Sure, The Dancing Dove was well protected, but he didn't want to take any chances with fires or other mishaps. The only ruffian dumb enough to try to mess with the Court of the Rogue was sure to die in a horrible, excruciatingly painful way, but...if that person managed to actually do damage, Dareynn needed a back up plan.
So here he stood, in a dark alley, waiting for someone that looked like they had a relative amount of wealth to pass by.
This could be a long night... [/color] |
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Post by pike on Aug 5, 2009 14:22:01 GMT -6
It wasn't often one could get caught shimmying through a merchant's window and manage to make a run for it, but Pike Rhyfer was trying her best. Of course, a merchant would fasten alarm spells to the latch, wouldn't he? It was precisely the sort of thing Pike's mother would do if she had any money worth pinching, and Pike shouldn't've put it past that blubbery old cloth dealer, either. But she had to admit, it was more interesting this way.
Behind her, the shouts of frustrated guardsmen and the pound of leather boots started to fade. She realized, with just a twinge of bitterness, that she simply wasn't worth the chase. She hadn't even stolen anything. No guardsman would want to run into the thick of the lower city for a girl caught at the window, even if the merchant did pay them for their trouble. It looked like the start of a disappointing night after all.
That was when Pike remembered the side street that wound behind the market, meeting up some two streets ahead. They weren't abandoning her, they were flanking her!
That was more like it.
She'd have to take the roofs home--and keep out of the merchants' row for a few days. Or she could go to his shop the next morning... Pike broke into a long, slow grin, and turned abruptly, slipping into an alley to her left. She was elated, buzzing with half formed machinations. If she didn't have one last, desperate shred of caution in her body, she would have felt inclined to whistle.
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Post by Dareynn Payne on Aug 5, 2009 20:02:45 GMT -6
Dareynn turned as he heard someone enter the alleyway behind him; who...?
Oh; it was Pike. Of course she'd be out, thieving. Dareynn turned and walked over to her, noting a slight tension and deciding it best not to talk unless the girl did. She might be in trouble, and talking would be unwise if that was the case...
He raised a questioning eyebrow, the rest of his face blank. He wasn't one for much facial expression, so even that was a bit of a stretch for him. He had let one of the daggers near his wrists slip into his hand so he was ready if they were attacked. [/color] |
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Post by pike on Aug 5, 2009 21:37:33 GMT -6
Pike's friends used to say her face was an open book--her brother more accurately compared it to a book thrown into a fire, stamped on, then dropped down a well as a warning to others. She struggled to keep it composed as she registered who happened to be sharing her alley. It never really embarrassed her to be caught at thieving until it was brought to Dareynn's attention--it gave her the faintest feeling of letting him down.
She sighed and jerked her head toward the street.
"Making meself scarce, your Majesty," she said, keeping her voice low. Good, the corner of the building had just enough handholds to be manageable. "Jumped-up merchant must've tipped the guardsmen, but they'll give up soon enough. Ah... I've trouble with windows," she added, unnecessarily. It wasn't windows that were her problem, she was told, over and over; it was her tripping up spells in parts of town she'd no right to be in.
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Post by Dareynn Payne on Aug 7, 2009 8:58:20 GMT -6
Dareynn nodded when she said she was making herself scarce. Listening to the rest of what she said, he wondered if he should tell his people to start going out in, at the very least, groups of two. The merchants and richer folk of the Lower City (ha, like they could be called rich...) had seemed to wise up a bit lately, putting more spell alarms on their windows and doors, making it harder for the thieves to break in.
That had definitely put a dip in the Court of the Rogue's income. Dareynn leaned against the wall, wondering what to do. Oddly enough, what bothered him the most about what she said was her calling him majesty. He'd never liked titles; he wanted his people to think of him as one of them, not someone who was unapproachable that wouldn't do anything for them. "Well, l-" he cut off mid-sentence, thinking he heard something.
He closed his eyes and held up one hand--the one not clutching the knife--to let Pike know to be quiet. If he had heard something, speaking might get them killed.
Crunch.
There it was again. A foot on gravel, just outside the alleyway. Dareynn's heart skipped a beat, adreniline coursing through his body. Barely aware of what his body was doing, he crouched, ready to spring at anyone who attacked them. He opened his eyes and gestured to the opening, hoping Pike understood that someone was there.
Sure, a fight hadn't been what he'd been looking for, but it would work. He hadn't been out in a while, and a fight was the perfect way to stretch his legs. |
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