Private Tales Caught red-handed

[Maeve Moonbright]

Nere Ashorn

Maeve had left for the outer city in the early hours of the day, before her brother had even waken up, as it has become routine for her over the past few years. However, as the day went on, she had yet to find a suitable target for her goals. Her stomach growled, sweat accumulated in the back of her neck, and she grew more anxious by the minute, thinking about Sorin left all alone at home. Last night, she'd returned empty handed, and she didn't want a repeat of that today.

She leaned against a wall and let out a sigh of frustration. Her eyes scanned the crowd one more time, and as if the gods had answered her unspoken prayers, she spotted the potential perfect mark, a young woman with tattoos decorating her body, of about the same height as Maeve, who didn't appear to be armed. As far as she could remember, she'd never seen this woman before, which was good - new arrivals were always the easiest targets, she'd learned over the years.

She pushed herself off the wall and into the busy crowd, blending in as best as she could, and made her way over to the woman, sparing only quick glances to keep track of her movements.

As she approached, she bumped into the woman, as if by accident, stealthy reaching for any valuables in her person she could lift with ease.

 

[Nere Ashorn]

Alliria was a mess of a city, and Nere loved every square foot of it! The architecture was a nightmare of stone spires and wrought iron gates, towering so high above that one got dizzy looking for their rooftops. Rich greenery sprang up in every crack and cranny between the sleek white buildings, flowering bushes and fruiting trees that Nere had only ever read about. There was so much to see, so many wares to sample, that she couldn't possibly see it all in one trip. It was overwhelming. So she'd gone out that day with the express purpose of getting lost, and so far she was doing a marvelous job of it.

The throng of people Nere was swimming through was thick, all going somewhere and at different levels of urgency. The people in the crowd were as varied in shape and size as the buildings above but, just like the buildings, they had one thing in common. Everyone was very skilled at not running in to each other as they went about their separate businesses.

Except for the woman who shouldered into Nere, and then glanced away as quickly as she'd come. Nere recognized the maneuver. It may have been her first day in Alliria, but there were plenty of scoundrels and thieves on the docks of other shores. Except this wasn't a scoundrel or a thief, on second glance, she was just a girl.

The valuables that the thief girl would find on Nere's person were as follows: a sleek metal pen of dwarven make, a nice (but worn) pair of leather gloves, a silver plated kohl container, and about three gold's worth of loose coins. It was a happy haul, by most considerations.

Nere let the things be taken, but did not let the girl go. She stepped in front of her in her own expert maneuver and placed a hand on the young elf's shoulder. Nere wasn't any taller, but she had the weight of a warrior, and it would be difficult to push past her.

"Girl, you look like a good sort, could I ask for your help?" Nere said with as much oblivious cheer as she could muster. The smile on Nere's face was not cruel, but she didn't loosen her grip on the girl's shoulder. "Do you know the way to the Wild Lamb Inn, in the outer city? Of course, I'll pay generous for the guide work. More than you cut from my purse just now."

Then, she did something unwise, and let go of the girl. Taking one step back, Nere waited to see what the answer would be.

 

[Maeve Moonbright]

Maeve could barely believe everything she'd lifted from this person. A haul to rival some of her best weeks of work. She couldn't contain the smile that formed on her lips – Sorin would eat well tonight, and if need be, tomorrow's meal would be guaranteed as well.

She let herself get caught up planning what she'd be able to bring him for dinner, sure that this would be the extent of her interaction with the tattooed woman, so it came as quite the shock when she felt a firm hand on her shoulder and glanced up to see her victim had stepped in her way.

Her stomach dropped and every muscle in her body stiffened, her heart pounding so hard and fast she was sure everyone in the street could hear it. She felt much like a cat with its back arched, fully expecting the woman to strike her or yell at her, at the very least.

However, when the woman spoke, she sounded cheerful, not angry in the slightest. She was smiling, even, and Maeve was confused for a moment. Was this a mere coincidence? Had she really not noticed her belongings being taken? Maybe she really did need help finding her way around the outer city and had approached someone who conveniently bumped into her?

The answer came just a moment after, and the young half-elf swallowed hard as the woman revealed she was aware of the theft.

She forced her body to relax and it took all she had to stop herself from darting away once the grip on her shoulder was released.

This was... Too good to be true. This person was offering her money, more than she'd just pickpocketed off of her, just to bring her somewhere, and with no punishment for her misdeed? This kind of thing didn't happen, especially not to Maeve. It had to be a trap.

Still, it was an offer she couldn't refuse. She needed the money, for Sorin's sake. If it was a trap, well... She'd fought her way out of worst situations before, she could handle herself.

She cleared her throat, hoping her voice wouldn't give away how shaken she was, but she didn't know how to proceed – should she apologize? Return the stolen items? Pretend nothing happened? She settled on the latter. Maybe by bringing less attention to it, it'd fade from the woman's memory. "Uh, yes. Yes, I know the way, I'll take you there. Follow me."

 

[Nere Ashorn]

And follow Nere did. She gave a slight bow to the girl and waved her forward in a lead the way sort of gesture. "What should I call you, by the way?" She asked as she kept pace behind her newfound guide. "My name is Nere Ashorn. I traveled a long way by sea and then by land to trade in this city."

Nere slowed down a bit as she pondered something. She gazed up at the strips of sky that hung blue between rooftops and balcony gardens. "And I'm not noble born," she added. Then chuckled at the abruptness of her own words, a short but clear laugh. She glanced back down at the girl, a wistful look on her face. "Sorry, I've just been getting mistaken for that a lot lately."

Her eyes were not on the young girl as they went. She was looking at the walls of the buildings around them, the people in the crowd, the banners and signs hung above doors. Wherever the girl took her, Nere would be a step or two behind. Or three, if something particularly flashy at a nearby vendor's stall caught her eye. Still, somehow, there was the sense that Nere would be able to find the girl again if they ever got too far apart. She moved with a purpose that was difficult to shake, even when her attention seemed split.

 

[Maeve Moonbright]

As they made their way through the crowded outer city, Maeve remained unsure about her new companion. She was coming to terms with the idea that this likely was not a trap, as she’d originally feared. It would be hard to pull something like that off in broad daylight, and by the way she observed their surroundings as they walked, the woman seemed to genuinely be new in town, so the chances of her having local allies to help her in an ambush were low.

Still, she kept a careful watch on her, and when asked for her name, she debated giving a pseudonym, eventually settling on revealing only her first name. That way, if Nere really was a dangerous person, she would have little means to tie her back to Sorin. “I’m Maeve,” she replied finally, after hesitating for a noticeable amount of time.

Learning that the woman had traveled far to get to Alliria piqued her curiosity. She’d never been outside the city, and her lack of formal education left her quite ignorant of the world outside. She had some foggy memories of her parents telling her about the land her elven father hailed from, though the details of those accounts were long lost to time (the bitterness she held towards her father didn’t help with that - she avoided thinking of him as much as she could). Against her better judgment, she found herself speaking up again, “So where do you come from?”

 

[Nere Ashorn]

"The great Bayou Garramarisma!" Nere replied with a grandiose sweep of her hands. She flopped her tattooed arms back down. "Though I never understood the name, it's more of an archipelago, really. A big island that's so wet it's turned into lots of little islands."

A donkey pulling a cart passed them by, and Nere swerved off to the side some to give it room.

"How should I describe it...?" Nere fell silent, pondering her own question. She plodded steadily along, not trailing behind anymore but staying right next to Maeve. After passing a few more market stalls, she finally spoke again. "The bayou is the place people go when they've got nowhere else to be. It's the last place in Allir." She seemed satisfied with that answer, though in telling it she realized her own earlier lie. While it felt like like strange land, truly the swampy island wasn't that far away from the city. The only reason it had taken Nere so long to arrive was because she had gotten kidnapped by pirates along the way, which happened from time to time. She didn't think to mention the pirates, not considering it a very interesting story.

"Sorry, if I made it seem more grand than all that," Nere admitted. A shadow fell over her face then. Though her voice stayed easy and light, she couldn't keep her brows from knitting together, turning blue eyes stormy. "Not many merchants here will do business with a Garramarisman. I find it's easier to work with Allirians if they believe I'm from somewhere further away."

 

[Maeve Moonbright]

“It sounds pretty awesome, actually,” Maeve replied, trying not to let her wistfulness show in her voice. If it weren’t for Sorin, she would have loved to travel, maybe visit the bayou Nere spoke about. However, she would never even consider leaving him, and bringing him with her could cause more instability and danger than he already had in his short life. Above everything, she wanted him to be safe and comfortable, and if she had to sacrifice some of her wishes for that to happen, she was fine with it.

“Don’t worry, your secret is safe with me,” she offered her companion a small smile despite herself. People not willing to give you a chance based on who you are - yeah, that was something she could definitely empathize with.

The girl realized she’d stopped paying attention to their path in favor of their conversation, and though that didn’t cause her to make any wrong turns (she’d been in these streets for many years, she could find her way to most anywhere blindfolded if need be), she was surprised when she finally looked back to the streets to find they were only a couple minutes away from Nere’s destination. And even more surprisingly, she found herself feeling disappointed by the realization. In the end, their talk had been pleasant, and she didn’t have many friendly encounters these days. “Oh, uh, the inn is just around this corner.”

 

[Nere Ashorn]

They didn't quite slow down, but Nere noticed something like hesitation as the girl took them through the last bit of the journey. She knew they were nearing the inn because this part of town was starting to look familiar to her, with less crowded marketplaces and more subdued passerby's quietly hurrying along to their next place of business. As Maeve mentioned they were reaching the last turn, something wasn't sitting right with her.

No, wait. She was just hungry. An audible growl emanated from Nere's midsection, and she guiltily pressed a palm against her protesting stomach.

"Er, actually, can we make a detour?" She stopped her stride and pointed at an open door just a couple of buildings away from them. The smell that wafted out from the door was a pleasant mixture of baked goods and hot beverages, and a wooden sign swung high above named it the Sweet Spring Cafe. The cafe had the same lovely white walls as every other building, but potted flowers hanging from spokes high above gave it a splash of color. "A bite to eat sounds good right now."

Nere did not actually wait for an answer. Something in there smelled like baked raisins, and her stomach had made up her mind for her.

Maeve Moonbright

Spoiler: OOC

Sorry for the late post on this! I had a very busy week ene