Closed Fishing for Thieves (Eleazar)

[Caela Dorin]

x

13th Spring 514AV

Caela wasn't working until evening. With a need to do something to pass the time, the dancer had headed in the direction of the Docks. It was an area that she couldn't help avoiding these days. Spring brought more foreign ships to the waterside city, new stories and wonders to captivate Caela's interest so she couldn't help but be drawn to the areas in and around the Docks. She had a specific destination in mind though, a purpose rather than just aimless wandering. The Seaside Market was her attraction today. The dancer thought that they were far enough into the season to start getting some good items in and she was hoping to find something worthwhile.

She’d received her wages from Merv the previous evening and so her purse was bulging on her belt. There was the risk of someone trying to rob her but she was confident that she’d be able to hold them off. Well, she hoped that she’d be able to stop anyone anyway. All she had to do was try to avoid jostling people too much and keep a hold on her purse. The dancer wasn’t going to lose her pay to anyone that easily and she was more than ready to protect herself if anyone tried. Anyone with eyes could see the dagger that was stuck through her belt. The young woman hoped that the weapon would be a deterrent and it was plainly visible, the dark hilt of the blade showing up against the pale skin of her midriff. Such visibility had been part of the reason why she’d unbuttoned and tied the end of her shirt. The rest of the reason was that she wanted to expose skin for it to start to tan. She was always thinking of appearance after all.

The young woman had worn a shorter skirt than usual to expose as much leg as possible and there was hardly buttoned any of her shirt meaning that her legs and her cleavage were being ogled by nearly every person she walked by. By the time she reached the market, the dancer had tuned out everybody’s stares and was just focused on where she was going. She wend her way between a number of stalls selling fish and other items that disinterested her, heading for the nearest stall that held jewellery. Anything that could add to her appearance in a tasteful way was what she was interested in. The girl was considering trying to pick up some sort of exotic scent for special occasions and maybe some exotic clothing but she had no idea what might be on offer today. She was just going to have to wander around searching.

Caela stopped at the jewellery stall and began to browse casually. She wouldn’t be able to tell if anything was fake but she was still allowed to look. She patted her purse to reassure herself that it was still there before lifting a necklace to her neck to see how it looked in the mirror the stallholder had provided.

x

[Eleazar Victor Syroin]

The Market really was bustling with activity that day. A heave of bodies pumped back and forth over the packed dirt, merchants already in full flow bragging their wears, the stench of fish pervading the air. It was certainly a welcome change from winter glum mused the teen. As seemed to be thought be many of those whom he was eyeing up, pockets heavy with coinage from a hard day's work. A reassuring sign of the city relaxing back into it's normal rhythm after the harsh season before, at least to those who knew the maiden beast that was Sunberth well enough. The creature of veined streets and moving people was beautiful to watch like a drunk whore seducing you in only to break your nose if you stared too long. Thus was life, humming softly to himself, Eleazar combed the passing mob with his eyes for a suitable target. It wasn't too cold today, sun glaring down on him judgementally only to be distracted by the odd wisp of cloud that dared float in front of it's grace. It had been a busy morning and the food stalls were now crowded with hungry locals. Lunch wasn't his target this time around though, having already pinched a healthy breakfast of two apple and a half eaten roll, the thief doubted he would hear his belly complaining for at least another bell. No, what he was looking for at the moment was a way to pay his rent. A 'way', he almost missed as she sauntered past his hiding spot. Blonde, beautiful and showing off a fair amount of skin, the teen nearly missed the sizeable purse that bounced along with her form with his eye focusing on other parts of her figure. Eyes still following the maiden as she continued on her journey, Eleazar weighed up his options. On one hand; she was very pretty, female and had a knife on her person. On the other hand; even if, by some cruel fate, every coin in that purse were to be a copper, he could still be making a fair profit. Beside which he needed a change of pace from the usual picking the pockets of the drunks at the tavern, a challenge if you will. Cheeks and ears tarnish a rusty pink, the thief joined the stream of people keeping his distance from his target. The woman was keeping a firm grasp on her purse as she weaved through the crowd, smart lass. She wasn't as naïve as to let her guard down with so many people around, so she wasn't new to the city. Hmmm.... interesting. Watching the woman stroll casually by the fish and weapon stalls, Eleazar picked up his pace so not to be left behind in the crowd. Weaving in amoungst the pool of shark elbows and sharper weapons, the thief gained sight of her once agin. She had stopped to look at a merchant's wears, said greedy man grinning as he sunk his singular eye into the bare skin before him. Her back was to the mob of bodies, dagger hanging by her side as she glanced over the most likely faux glass necklaces before her. A quick check around confirmed the local predators of the market had not decided to act yet, Prefect. Hovering near a clothing stall, the teen began to plan out the best method of attack. Mid ponder Eleazar caught the glare of a pigfaced hired out help a few stalls down out the corner of his eye. Unable to pinpoint the exact reason said pigfaced thug was glaring his way, he simple grinned at the man and gave a small wave at him, this earned him a distinct snort. The guards weren't complete idiots, they knew to remember a face after the fourth time he had been caught stealing. Too bad the new stream of foreign merchants didn't know any better, Eleazar would have a many an easy picking over the next few days if he played his cards right. Speaking of which it was time for him to get moving, least the blonde decide to venture onwards. Slipping away back into the throng, the thief circled back to wander past the woman's back. The gangly lad almost stopped dead in his tracks when his target casually petted the pouch before lifting up one of the gem necklaces to her shoulders, oblivious to the eye full the stall owner was getting. Smirking slightly, Eleazar picked up his pace as he passed her on his right; his left hand grabbing hold of the purse, his right quickly sliding her own dagger out of it's sheath. The act was over in a tick; blade tearing through the cord that held the bag to her belt before clattering of the ground as the dark haired teen raced away through the crowd, ducking into the first alleyway he saw. It was a shame the foolish lad had yet to realise that the route he had chosen, lead him to nothing but a dead end.

[Caela Dorin]

x

OOCShort, sorry :/

The dancer frowned as she positioned the necklace, turning slightly so that she could look at it from different angles. It seemed too gaudy now that she could get a good look at it and she didn't think that it would be worth the coin the stall owner would want for it. She wouldn't bother buying it but if she showed interest then the seller might try to interest her in other items, he might unwittingly point out some true gems. He might also grow flummoxed the longer she was in his presence. He was already staring at her although Caela was pretending not to notice.

She allowed a hand to brush against the opening of her shirt, somehow managing to show off more skin. She had to stop herself from smirking when she saw his mouth loll open. "How much?" she asked casually, not really caring. The seller seemed to remember himself as he quoted a price that made her raise her eyebrows. Far too much for such tat. The young woman took one last glance in the mirror and lowered the necklace. As soon as it was down her brain caught up with what her eyes had seen and glanced back up at her reflection, just in time to see the movement of someone passing behind her. At the same time, her belt seemed to become lighter and something clattered by her feet. She patted her hip only to find that her purse was gone. Whirling, she caught sight of the man who'd begun to run from the scene, making himself stand out as the culprit in the process. She also spotted her dagger at her feet and picked it up again.

"Hey! Come back here!" Caela called after him, pursuing him without a thought. She pushed her way through the crowds, her passage made easier by the path the thief had unintentionally opened for her. She didn't even have a chance to think that the pursuit was probably pointless, her rage wouldn't allow her. When he ducked into an alleyway, she followed him and felt a wave of triumph when she realised that there was nowhere he could go. It was a dead end. Her smile was one of grim triumph as she realised that she had him cornered. The dagger was still in her hand and she brandished it now.

"You bastard! What gives you the right to take my purse?" she screamed at him, advancing. "That's my money and I want it back, you thieving little vagik!" It was all bravado really. She couldn't really use the dagger, she had very little experience or training using the weapon and she couldn't really fight so if he came at her, she was pretty much screwed. He didn't know that though and Caela wasn't going to parade that fact in front of him. She was hoping that he would be too frightened to test her skills but then she wasn't sure she was that intimidating. Maybe she'd be lucky and her appearance would work to her advantage, it wouldn't be the first time. But it was all based on luck.

x

[Eleazar Victor Syroin]

The cries of distress behind him only brought glee to the face of the escaping criminal. This was what he enjoyed most about stealing, the thrill of the chase. Running until your lungs gave out then running some more, stopping only once the adrenaline died down. It made Eleazar feel alive, like he had a purpose in his otherwise worthy life, even if that purpose was to tick off every merchant in the market. Cantering into the nearest alley way, the glee was quickly washed from his face as he met a dead end. Shyke. Skidding over the loose ground to a stop, Eleazar turn to exit the alley when a figure stopped him. Blonde, female and angry, the previous owner of the bag of money he had clutched in his hand had him cornered. Petch. Petch. Breaking out into a cold sweat, the thief slowly began to edge away from the enraged female. Dirty teeth chewing the inside of his bottom lip bloody, what to do what to do. The blonde quickly solved that problem as she advanced on him, wielding the knife in his direction issuing out threats. What was he going to do? Panic then not die, not dying was extremely high on his list of things to do that day. Okay he was panicing now what? Ill concealed terror coated the teens face, pale green eyes flitting between the blade and the woman's chest before stopping at her face. Rolling his lips over each other, a silent scream clung to the inside of his throat making him want to gag. Petch. Quacking in his boots, another step backward had the thief's back bounce of the alley's wall sending an icy jolt down his spine. Tensed up and breathing hard, his grip on the purse tightened as the taste of tin coated his mouth. Eleazar had to move now or this was going to get nasty very quickly, for him at least. Running for it was no longer an option with the woman blocking his only means of escape so he would have to deal with her first. With one worn boot kicking of the wall behind him, the thief threw himself at the woman. One hand aimed to grab over the one wielding the blade, other other hand fisted up for a punch, although as long as the lassie was sober it would be an easy dodge. Scared out of his mind, the teen hadn't accounted for just how fast he could get up to speed; making it likely if the maiden dodged he would with a mouth full of dirt and a bruised nose. Now it was up to the blonde to make her move. OOCShort I know. Sorry. Have fun with Eleazar.

[Caela Dorin]

x

Caela Dorin

Her intimidation tactics had worked. She could see the fear in the young man's eyes and she hoped that it would be enough to make him relinquish her purse. If he did, she might just consider sparing him. Might. She'd much sooner teach him a lesson so that he wouldn't repeat such a thing in future. Her motives for wanting to hurt him weren't entirely good though. She wanted to just hurt him. Caela wasn't in a mood to be kind, he had tried to rob her after all. It didn't matter that he was young, probably younger than her. She wanted to crush him. She just didn't know if she was able to do it. If he was able to defend himself then she wouldn't have a hope.

She continued her advance, hoping that he'd drop her purse sometime soon or else she'd have to make good on her threat. He didn't look ready to drop anything any time soon. His eyes kept straying to the blade but that wasn't the only place they kept straying towards. Her intimidation wasn't as complete as it seemed. The young woman wanted to cross her arms over her chest but that would mean putting down her weapon. She continued to approach him until he stepped back into the end of the alleyway. When he was truly cornered she began to worry. People did desperate things when they were trapped and seeing as he was backed up against the wall and Caela was blocking the way out...

The thief flung himself at her, wildly grabbing for the knife while attempting to punch her at the same time. It was clumsy, and as she'd expected desperate. Giving a short cry of surprise, she dodged out of the way, her knife dropping from her fingers. The girl cursed emphatically, furious with herself for dropping the weapon. She could only hope that the idiot would collapse in a heap. "What? Have you got shyke for brains? Give me the bloody purse before I smack you senseless," the dancer hissed before throwing herself at him, hoping that she could catch him off guard enough to actually succeed in attacking him.

x

[Eleazar Victor Syroin]

As expected the woman was caught off guard by his sudden lunge, shrieking she had dodged out the way dropping the blade in the process. However unfortunately for him, his own lunge had also threw Eleazar completely off balance. Faltering forward his nose soon met the ground with a painfully and mildly bloody thud. The bag of money he had been holding onto flew from his grasp clinking down a few feet away. Hand clutching his nose, Eleazar was half way between getting up again to go get the purse, when the woman threw herself at him. The extra weight sent him from a crouch straight down to stomach on the ground face in the dirt sprawl, not a comfortable position to be in when you were supposed to be robbing someone. Although having an attractive blonde woman in revealing clothes lying on top of you was near enough any man's dream, the squashed teen being no exception. Face raw red from the soft lumped lying below his shoulder blades and the stones scratching at his face, Eleazar squirmed and wriggled for freedom. Getting one scrawny arm out from underneath the attacking females mass, he threw it up to where he hoped her head was, grinning sadistically when it found the woman's luscious locks. Curling his finger in the bright coloured hair, the thief pulled with all his might, attempting to either A) pull the woman off of himself or B) get enough room to roll over and give himself the more dominant position. Arching his back up, his other arm made it way underneath himself to help lever himself upwards. The little push was good but unless he got the lady off him, he was going straight back down again to enjoy the taste of dirt sandwich for the second time.

[Caela Dorin]

x

Caela Dorin

Her would-be thief had proved just how incapable he was of fighting her. He'd ended up on the ground without her having to lay a finger on him. Once he was in such a prone position, Caela was sure to set her hands upon him. The dancer had leapt upon his back, straddling him as she pressed his face into the dirt. She had to regain her balance once he collapsed but she was confident that she had the upper hand in this situation. For the moment. If she'd had the presence of mind to pick up her blade first then she wouldn't have had to face any opposition but she didn't and she didn't think that this man would just lie quietly beneath her as she tried to take back what was hers.

"That was pathetic," she sneered, pressing on the back of his head to grind his face into the dirt a bit further as he began to wriggle beneath her. Her eyes moved upwards, landing on the place where the purse had fallen. She made to move to grab it but she found her hair grabbed and tugged it painfully. A gasped curse left her lips as she tried to lessen the pull but her scalp still burned where hairs were pulled loose from the flesh. The pain made her cry out and she scrabbled at his hand to try to free her hair but he continued to pull. Not only that but he tried to raise himself as she found herself suddenly off balanced by his movements. The young woman wrapped an arm around his neck, trying to strangle him and regain her balance at the same time.

"Let go!" Caela wailed, tugging his head back forcefully by his neck. He was a stubborn bastard but she was certainly going to make him pay. First taking her purse and now ruining her hair? He was definitely going to die. She was going to hurt him once he let go. She was going to get her knife and she was going to punch him full of holes. She was going to get her purse back as well. If he'd just lie still of course and do absolutely nothing to defend himself. That was highly unlikely but a girl could dream.

x

[Eleazar Victor Syroin]

The arm that suddenly slung itself across his neck was an unwelcome surprise for the teen. Off guard to the attack, Eleazar's pale green eyes bulged in their sockets as his air way was crushed between a surprisingly muscled arm and the female's body. Gasps spluttered out from between trembling lips as his neck was bent back further by the enraged woman. Any apologies or pleas for release he might had were lost to the shuddering wrenching of his empty lungs. Shyke. Shyke. Shyke. He had really gone and done it now. The blonde hair was all but forgotten about as long, bony fingers clawed at the arm trying to decrease the number of black spots entering the thief’s vision to no avail. Nails, short and ragged from years of biting them down, left only the faintest of the red lines to compliment bruised fingerprints appearing against the woman's flesh. Giving up on that method, he swiftly resorted to punching at the offending limb whilst his other hand went for her wrist.Digging his fingers down his own throat, he was able to slip around the blonde's wrist, gripping as tightly as he could. Tugging at the limb however did nothing, what ever this woman did for money, it was certainly physical. Most likely a harlot or a dancer judging by her clothing, maybe both. Either way she probably ate a good deal more than him and had the upper hand in strength because of it. Shyke. Trying to kick at her from behind did nothing good either, her form was sat far to forward upon his back for even his toes to reach her despite how he strained his legs. Squirming and clawing in her hold as his face went purple and world became more and more blurred, Eleazar threw his body to the right in the last ditch hope that he could maybe roll her off his back or at least loosen her hold a little. OOCShort I know but Elea is kinda useless in this position. Try not to kill him too much.

[Caela Dorin]

x

Caela Dorin

She hadn't really thought about why she was doing it when she'd put her arm around his neck, maybe to alleviate some of the tug on her hair. As he sputtered beneath her however, she realised that his air supply was being cut off. Caela took some grim satisfaction from strangling him, pulling harder to try to increase his suffering. Serve him right for deciding to rob her. Perhaps he'd learn to choose his targets a little more wisely in future, like not robbing her!

Her hair was released from his relentless tugging and instead his fingers scrabbled and clawed at her arm. his dirty nails bit only slightly into her flesh, leaving red trails in their wake but not drawing blood. She winced at the pain but her grip didn't relent. Instead, she squeezed harder, hoping to stop the scratching all together when the thief grew too weak to fight back. The young man resorted to punching her arm, weak blows hitting her flesh. Pulling began at her wrist but she refused to let go, knowing that if she kept this up then she'd have to win. If she kept this up, he'd be dead.

Do you really want to kill him though? she asked herself as her victim's weak but persistent struggles continued. He had tried to rob her, true but he was only trying to keep himself afloat. He clearly wasn't good at thieving but maybe he wasn't good at anything else either. In Sunberth, you did what you had to in order to survive and this youth was doing just that. He was trying to survive and she was trying to kill him because he'd taken money from her. It was what she needed to live but still there were worse things he could have taken, or tried to take. The dancer found herself torn, unable to decide if she would let him live or die. Her indecision made her grip loosen. She didn't know if it was a desperate last move, or if it was just him taking advantage of her weakened grip but the thief moved abruptly beneath her. His sudden movement to the right had her pitching to the left, gripping his neck more tightly again to try to regain her balance. The young woman just succeeded in pulling him over with her except that he was partly on top of her now.

Her hands unwinding from his neck, she shoved him hard to try to get him off of her and wiggled out from under his form at the same time. She might have a chime, or only a few ticks before he recovered enough to come after her so the dancer did her best to recover quickly. Once free of him, she was on her feet, retrieving first her purse and then her blade. A sigh of relief escaped her as she achieved normality once more before she remembered that this wasn't over yet. Her eyes flickered back to the young man, unsure how she should deal with him. She still wasn't completely sure that she wanted him dead, punished certainly but not necessarily dead.

The girl held the dagger ready, hand gripping the hilt too tightly for easy use. His life on a knife's edge... The dancer shook her head. No, she wouldn't kill him. She didn't think she had the nerve anyway. Instead she aimed at kick at his side.

x

[Eleazar Victor Syroin]

His last minute move actually worked, the body above him tumbling to the left. Unfortunately the hold around his neck didn't loosen, if anything it tightened, dragging him along with the woman's momentum. Still retching for air from his new position on top of the woman, Eleazar's limbs finally refused to move for him as the world got darker around the edges. He barely even felt the offending arm vanish and his face hitting the ground as the blonde throw his weight from her. It was only after the heaving in a few lung fulls of air that the colourful became clear again. Pushing up from the dirt, Eleazar wearily sat watching as his target picked up her blade and purse again. He wasn't about to stop her, too focused on taming his ragged breathing and blessing the sweet taste of air in his lungs. Strangulation wasn't an entirely foreign thing to him but it wasn't as frequent as the other things people did when they caught him, thankfully. Rubbing at the bruises blooming happily on his neck, he locked eyes with the woman who had caused them. Looking a little more roughed up than before, she was still stunning to look at. The anger burning behind green eyes and weapon only put a slight damper on the sight. Trying to pull his face into a flimsy grin as his eyebrows slanted upwards, Eleazar slowly rose to his feet. Hands up by his shoulder in surrender he backed away from the blade, chest heaving in and out deeply. “Ay....Ay...Ay give.....give up. Et's yers. Ay don't want no troub-” The last word was cut off as he descended into a coughing fit, rasping between coughs that bent his form in two. Blood rushing to the his head as he battled the waves of convulsions his chest made, the ground seem to spin beneath him. Petch, there goes his breathing pattern out the window. Sucking in air through his mouth, waiting then forcing them out through his nose, Eleazar began to find the waiting period shorten drastically. He needed to calm down. Sweat dripped from his forehead as he brought himself upright again, hyperventilating straight back in another coughing fit. His ringed hand slapped firmly over his face whilst the other gripped tighter and tighter into his side. A few chimes passed before it seemed his body was done with trying to hack up his lungs. Weary and breathless, Eleazar slowly looked up to see if the woman had stuck around. If she had any sense she would be long gone but he had really managed to piss her off before so who knew.