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Post by loralee16 on May 3, 2017 20:12:46 GMT 1
Judea
A palomino stallion shuffled lazily down a back alleyway in Santugan, dust spiraling slowly up with every step he took under the blinding desert sun. Judea squinted up at it for a moment, cursing the fate that had led him to be born in a desert city and not somewhere more welcoming. His head was still pounding from the previous evenings revelries, and this excruciating heat was not helping. He briefly considered just going back into the cool shade of the abandoned building he called home, but dismissed this idea as his stomach reminded him that there were more urgent matters at hand. Pickings had been slim lately, and he was almost out of money. If he wanted to eat tonight, he had to do his job as a respectable member of Santugan and rob someone blind; hangover or no hangover.
Steeling himself, he gave a deep sigh and picked up his pace a bit, and then stopped in the shadow of the wall and then end of the alley, next to a bustling main road. It was a good spot; the shadows, combined with how well his coat blended in to his desert surroundings, made him nearly unnoticeable unless someone was actually looking for him. His keen, judgmental eyes scanned the crowd, searching for a suitable target. He didn't like robbing the poor, as they rarely had anything of value on them and it wasn't worth his time. Target someone too rich, however, and they would quite possibly be able to bribe the guards to find and imprison you. Middle class was the best; hardworking folk who had a decent amount of money, but nowhere near enough to buy protection in this dangerous city. He leaned against the wall and prepared himself to wait. Sometimes it took all day to find the perfect target. Hopefully, they would pass sooner rather than later.
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Post by WildTable on May 4, 2017 2:34:08 GMT 1
Kamaria
Kamaria strolled through the crowds on on of the main ways. She had ventured out of the slums to do a little shopping, and perhaps lift a few wallets. She smiled to herself as some of the shaggier creatures, not made to live in this climate, turned accusing eyes to the sky and glared at the sun. She had always loved the heat. Her reddish orange coat shone in the sunlight, and the grey fabric draped over her flanks flowed as she walked. It was not a fine cloak, but it was serviceable, and Kamaria had never really cared too much about what she wore. Her white tail was braided rather prettily, a detail her raccardi, Quill, had insisted on. She humored him when he decided to spend time on such things, though she considered them to be quite frivolous.
She paused to examine the bread at a stall on the edge of the road. Her golden anklets hung on her foreleg and gleamed in the light. "Those are rather pretty miss," commented the baker. "My wife would like them. How much?" Most things could be bought in Santugan, especially from the poor.
"They aren't for sale. They were my mothers, and I could never part with them. I will take some bread, though. A nice round loaf, fresh," replied the red dun mare politely. She paid promptly and, when the baker had his back turned, swiped the contents of the till. When she had her bread and her score, she moved along, looking for anything else she might need.
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Post by loralee16 on May 5, 2017 8:03:20 GMT 1
Judea Fortunately, his patience paid off quicker than he had expected. In the throng of people, through the collection of beggars, thieves, and the odd wealthy sap surrounded by an entourage of guards and attendants, he found exactly what he was looking for. A tubby pinto stallion, a little on the short side. Obviously well fed, but his plain, well-worn cloths indicated he was firmly middle-class. In addition to that, he was carrying a large saddlebag, and Judea watched as he stopped at several vendors and bought high ticket items. Perhaps he was a merchant with a newly-arrived caravan; in any case, his target obviously had coin to spend, and Judea licked his lips in anticipation. It would, hopefully, soon be HIS coin to spend.
Casually stepping out into the crowd, he put on his nonchalant, confident attitude as he gradually window-shopped his way up the street to his target. He made careful not to appear as though he was watching, following, or otherwise keeping his eye on the unknowing victim. He stopped at several stalls, flirting shamelessly with several shop keeps and stopping at a disgruntled-looking bakers to spend his last copper on a sweet pecan roll. If only he had a partner; someone to cause a distraction. Oh well. Judea was used to working alone. The target was now at a high-end silk merchants, looking over the different colors and patterns. Munching casually on his pecan roll, he strolled over to the booth and pretended to admire the fabric that the merchant was looking at. "Now, that is a beautiful piece of cloth!"
The pinto jumped a little, and then gave a nervous laugh. "Y-yes, I suppose it is. It- its for my daughter."
Judea gave a dazzling smile, "Oh I'm sure she'll love it! She must be very beautiful, if she comes from such handsome stock as yourself!"
"W-well, I wouldn't call myself particularly handsome. Luckily for her, she got her mothers figure, haha. All I gave her was my c-coloration."
Judea's grin widened as he realized that the pinto had just practically dropped the bag in his lap, gift wrapped and with a bow on top. "Well, if your going to spend so much on fabric for your daughter, you should certainly make sure it will compliment her complexion!"
He turned his head, stomped his foot to accentuate his words and and authoritatively called, "Merchant! Sir! This gentleman needs to make certain that this is the right fabric before he buys it! Come, help me drape him in it! Only the best for my dear friends daughter!"
Amid the pintos weak protests, Judea and the slightly hesitant merchant stripped the stallion of his cloak and bag and began draping him in the fabric. When he was satisfactorily covered in it, Judea lead him over to the mirror. "See, now you can have such a better idea of how it will look on her! What do you think, sir? Isn't it fabulous?"
The pinto stuttered and stared at himself, apparently trying to decide. The vaguely perplexed silk merchant watched the pinto, making sure his goods were not ruined. While they were both similarly occupied, Judea gleefully edged towards that saddlebag, getting ready to make a break for it.
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Post by WildTable on May 5, 2017 16:06:51 GMT 1
Kamaria
The red dun mare smiled to herself when she noticed the pinto. Not the type of mark she would have put much effort into today, except that he dropped his bag on the ground at the urging of a handsome palomino. It was just too easy for the young mare to resist. As the stallions walked to a mirror to view the effect of the silk on his coat, she casually walked over to the dropped saddle bags and, without missing a beat, slid them onto her back. They were bigger than her own saddle bags, so they hid them nicely when they settled over the drab brown fabric. She was sure to drop a few coins on the ground, more as a tip than anything else. The fat old pinto wouldn't fall on hard times from this theft, but she hadn't missed that the silk was for his daughter. In that moment, he reminded her of her own father, and she simply couldn't take everything he had on him. So she dropped enough to pay for the silk, but kept the rest. There was plenty in the bag.
Without a backward glance, the red mare with the white tail slipped away into the crowd, melting away before the poor pinto discovered his loss.
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Post by loralee16 on May 5, 2017 20:24:00 GMT 1
Judea Judea quickly turned to grab the coveted bag and make a break for it; he would eat well tonight! Perhaps even indulge in the luxury of some fine company. His excitement turned to utter disbelief, however, as he was just in time to see a dun mare drop a few coins on the ground, and melt into the crowd...WITH HIS PRECIOUS SADDLEBAGS. He stared, open-mouthed in disbelief, for a few long seconds, before his mind had fully processed what happened. He-he had worked hard for those bags! They were his! His stomach growled angrily at him as he watched his next meal saunter away into the crowd.
When he finally snapped back to reality, he realized he must act fast. The mare was only getting further away and the pinto would soon notice his money was gone. Glancing towards the stallion and the merchant, he was relieved to see them both preoccupied with untangling the stallion from the silk. He briefly considered grabbing the coins that the mare had inexplicably dropped; but there was no time. Stepping away quickly, he kept his head low and his eyes on the mare. He tried his best to look casual when he heard the pinto's distressed cry of "Thief! Help!" far behind him. The guards took one look at the pinto's tattered cloak, and made no move to assist him. It was as Judea had predicted; no one would move to help a poor man in this city of thieves. If only he could get his bags from the mare, he would be in the clear.
He tailed her until they reached a less crowded area, with few guards around. He casually walked up next to her, falling into stride and smiling wide, turning on his charm. "Hello, beautiful miss! I think, if you'll forgive me mentioning, that you are currently in possession of something that does not belong to you." He gave a flirtatious wink and stepped a little closer.
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Post by WildTable on May 7, 2017 5:25:06 GMT 1
Kamaria
Kamaria turned toward the stallion. She'd noticed him tailing her, but hadn't been too worried about him. He didn't look like the dangerous type, though she didn't doubt that he would be upset that she stole the bags. "I don't believe that they belong to you either. Or were you planning on returning them to that poor man?" she asked. She looked him up and down as she said this, evaluating him. His golden coat was rather attractive, but there was something about his eyes that bothered her a little. They were fiery, and expected elicit a response. His flirting was obvious, but she wasn't completely immune to flattery. Very few could resist responding to being called beautiful, regardless of her opinion of the one delivering the flirtatious compliment.
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Post by loralee16 on May 8, 2017 23:16:04 GMT 1
Judea Returning them? Hah. Not a chance. "Well here's the thing, princess. It was quite the quick and subtle move there, snatching those bags away. I can admire the work of a master thief like that. However, you never even would have had the chance to get anywhere near those bags, if I had not persuaded our dear pinto friend to drop them for a moment. As you can see, getting those bags was a marvelous heist, grandly orchestrated by myself, and you happened to be a lucky opportunist who saw an opening. However, since I did do most of the legwork, its only fair I take these bags back from you, don't you think?"
He eyed the mare, trying to gauge her response. He firmly believed most problems could be solved with diplomatic discussion, but if she refused to release those bags...well, he would do what was necessary to ensure he ate tonight. That was the hard reality of the streets of Santugan. Though, he mused, it would be such a waste of a pretty mare if it came to blows. He hoped it would not.
"However, since you were so wise as to capitalize on this opportunity, it is only fair that you get a cut of the rewards. I'm not an unreasonable person, you see. I'd be willing to split it with you, say, 80/20." He grinned and eyed the saddlebags, starting to reach towards them. They were so close, it was almost maddening.
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Post by WildTable on May 9, 2017 4:32:51 GMT 1
Kamaria
She swung her body away from him, moving the bags out of his reach. "Whoa whoa, hands off. It's not my fault you took your eyes off the prize. Even an amateur could have swiped these bags from you." She was now walking sideways, making sure to keep him well within her line of sight. He was desperate, she could tell. Probably hadn't had a decent meal in a while. Oh well, not her problem. "And what do you mean, hard work? You stripped that poor, gullible man naked in the street, then swaddled him like a baby! Not as if you had to out run anything either." She didn't trust the look in his eyes. Hardly anyone on the streets of Santugan was above fighting, and she would rather this didn't come to blows. Though if he thought she was a sweet little thing who'd faint at the sight of blood or give in after one kick, he had another thing coming. "I think I'd rather keep my treat. But I'm feeling generous. Here, buy yourself some food," she said, removing two large coins from the saddle bags and tossing them to him. "And don't call me princess," she finished. She turned again to face forward and picked up her pace to a lively trot. It wasn't fast enough to attract attention, but it would gain her a little distance. When she was sure there was a good crowd between them, she slipped down an alleyway, breaking into a brief run until she made it to the next street, where there were more people to help her blend in.
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