Flashback The Beggar Becomes a Thief [Nickolai Marin]

[Black Onyx]

Day 80, Spring, 512 AV

Her young form pressed closer into the ragged black cloak that was nothing really but rag with holes within them. She appeared no more than just seven to the eye, but in reality she was only a year old and thrust out into the world at just a young age with no one to rely on. She leaned against one of the crate near the docks, her brown eyes wide with fright for the most part as she looked on at the people as they moved about their business. No one really paid attention to the black hair child as she grasped in her hands the apple core that had been thrown at her from some laughing sailor after he had made some joke about orphans only being good for fish bait. For the most part every one scared her, especially those with their black cloaks, for her parent’s death was still a fresh memory burned into her mind. Their blood splattered over the floor and their wide open eyes glazed over with death as shock was written upon their faces. In truth, the young equine was still in shock over the whole event that had transpired during the night. As far as she had known, everyone had loved her parents, so she didn’t understand as to why her parents were dead.

She grasped the apple core tighter before she lifted it to gently nibble on the fruit, trying to eat whatever was left of the quickly browning fruit. Her heart was heavy and her stomach was empty and everyone just seemed to ignore the young orphan that had taken up residence upon the docks, sleeping beside the crates with her back turned against them so no one could sneak up and stab her in the back. She feared for her life, her life that her mother had spent her last moments protecting, would it be all for naught if this was all she could manage to get to eat? A look of despair settled into her brown hues as she slowly moved to sit down beside the crate, her back pressed to it as her teeth worked away at the apple core to get the last of it off. She had begged all morning to just get even this small morsel so Black wasn’t going to waste it just because it had mostly been eaten, a small bit of food was better than nothing right about now.

Silently she peered out at the sea as the blue waves rolled up onto the beach below, the sun reflecting off of its surface and the corners of her lips turned downwards. Would she end up, dead in amongst those waves sometime soon? Starved because no one was kind enough to give her anything more than just some apple core? She brought her knees up to her chest as she tossed away what was left of the apple, which was a couple of seeds and the stem really and she wrapped her arms around her legs, pressing them closer to her chest. The last few days had been really hard upon her. To suddenly go from having a loving family to none at all, it was a shocking process and her grief welled up inside as she pressed her forehead to her knees, a sob coming quickly to her lips. She wanted her parents back, she wanted the awful events leading up to her parent’s death to not happen and most of all, she wanted food, something that would sustain her longer than just a few measly chimes. Tears began to flow freely from her closed eyes as her shoulders shook with the sobs that bubbled their way up. She could no longer hold in her grief and it had finally settled into her mind that her parents were no longer coming back, that they truly were dead.

[Nickolai Marin]

What was he doing here?

In all the years of his life, the young larcenist had never done anything as rash or stupid as this. Due to his own mistakes...his own sloppiness...he had been caught in the act of breaking into a rather wealthy individual's home. Nickolai fully assumed that his face had been seen; which inspired a flight away from his beloved home of Zeltiva. Although his upbringing was full of trials and a pronounced lack, the young larcenist absolutely adored the maritime city. Yet, when push came to shove, he had to sacrifice it all as a consequence for his actions. Nickolai had to run away...and to Sunberth he fled. For years, he tarried amongst the thieves and downtrodden, honing his craft in order to better learn from his grievous mistake. Cockiness would never again characterize his heists; only care and meticulous planning.

However, despite fully being aware that a return could potentially spell a swift and utter demise, Nickolai felt compelled to make his way back. There were just too many important things there to simply turn away from: people he loved...people he missed...As such, the young larcenist threw caution to the wind and made his way back home. Of course, as opposed to being the short-haired, bare-faced young man that left, Nickolai now sported a full beard and had allowed his hair to grow to his shoulders. What's more, he took it upon himself to perpetually walk about with his hood raised; as to better veil his identity. Upon arrival only days prior to the present, the young larcenist began to search for those he cherished most; only to be sorely disappointed.

His parents, the sole family he had left in Zeltiva, had each left the city on their own accord. Nickolai's sire sailed north to Mura, as typical, whereas his mother took to the Kabrin and was bound for Syliras. What's more, Shalita, the love he had forced himself to let go, was nowhere to be found. It was as if she simply disappeared without a trace! This worried the young larcenist beyond words, but there was not much he could do in the way of investigating without revealing who he was. This fact was almost maddening...but he willingly bore it upon his shoulders. As he walked along, his destination was not even remotely clear. Nickolai was simply wandering aimlessly about, lost in his thoughts and worries. However, there was a sound which roused him from his contemplations: a sound that he was all-too familiar with.

Crying.

Turning, he faced the source of the noise only to see a young child. She was draped in the most tattered of cloaks and had all the tell-tale signs of a street urchin. After all, Nickolai would know one at a glance: for he literally was one for many years. Whilst gazing upon her, the young larcenist began to blur past with present...and for a moment did not see her, but himself. That was enough to arouse a pity so strong that it compelled the young larcenist forward. He said nothing whilst approaching, and ultimately came to a halt only a pace or so away. Lowering himself to one knee, Nickolai then reached out to the child whilst speaking in a gentle tone. "Little one..." he began, "...are you alright? Do you need something to eat?"
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[Black Onyx]

Black had zoned out of it as she simply cried, her hair hanging around her head in knots, her pale skin dirty from the amount of nights that she spent on the hard surface of the docks. Her feet was bare and dirty as all hell and she was beginning to smell more like the ocean and salt the longer that she spent around the docks. All of that didn’t matter to her, in fact, it was just the simple grief of her dead parents that had seemed to over-whelm her to the point that she no longer paid attention to the fear of the strangers walking passed. No one ever really paid attention to the orphan girl with nothing to her name except the air that she breathed. In fact, she didn’t think anyone would ever really pay attention to her unless it was the man that killed her parents, the one that had ruthlessly slaughtered them before leaving behind a simple rose of death. In this case, he had left behind two roses, one for each of her parents and he had pressed it firmly into the palms of their hands. As he had left, their blood continued to spill across the floor and even as she tried to push it back to them with her bare hands, they didn’t come back to life. She could still smell their blood upon the edges of her now torn and tattered cloak.

It was only then did she hear a male’s voice call out to her that she started in fright, a small cry of alarm upon her lips as she pushed her form back into the crate as the words, ”Don’t kill me!” flew onto her lips. Her wide brown eyes took in the male’s appearance and as she cowered against the crate behind her. Her eyes reflected the death that she had seen first-hand. As she quickly drew in breath, her form quaking in fear, she slowly began to realize as he mentioned food, that this was not the man that had killed her parents. The other man had been taller in stance and she didn’t think that he would stop to offer food to a child, a child that he had killed the parents of no less. At this thought, her quaking figure would slowly ease as her gaze flickered to view the hand that had been held out to her and she couldn’t help but wonder why he would stop to even ask her about whether she wanted something to eat.

She angled her head slightly so then she could view the people walking behind him, none of them paid any attention to him or her and so she turned her attention back to the male, pulling the tattered cloak around her tattered appearance. Even her clothes had holes in them; they were even baggy upon her now as she was steadily growing skinnier by the day. Slowly, the young child would nod her head, she was hungry her stomach growled and it felt like it was clenching in pain from the lack of food. She would then edged towards him as her gaze looked him over, she wasn’t exactly sure whether he appeared threatening or not, but at least he didn’t look as if he had roses on him. ”D… Do you have food to spare mister?” She asked hesitantly before she lunged forwards to grasp his hand that had reached out, ”Oh please tell me that you do! I… I’m so hungry!” Her brown eyes widened as they pleaded with him, begged him for some small morsel of food to spare. ”I’ll just settle for scraps, please tell me that you have something s...sir!”

[Nickolai Marin]

The response of the youngling was one that Nickolai did not anticipate in the slightest. As opposed to answering his inquiry directly, she all but threw herself back away from his hand; pressing her body up against the crates as if fearing for her life. The words she cried struck the young larcenist to the core and took him back even more to the days of his youth. He remembered that fateful evening that he had selected a Nuit's room to breach...and how he had pleaded for his life upon meeting him. All these things caused the pity welling within the young larcenist to grow and grow. "Easy now little one." he said, his tone just as soft as before. "No harm will come to you. I will not hurt you, this I swear."

As the words escaped his lips, the youngling then sprang forward and wrapped her tiny fingers about his outstretched hand. Now he could clearly see her face as she eagerly accepted his offer and pleaded for food. Upon closer inspection, he could see the effects of malnourishment already. The first question that sprang to mind was to inquire about her parents' whereabouts...but seeing as though she was lying at the docks, he sincerely doubted that they were in the picture. She was probably alone and left to fend for herself...and Nickolai knew full well how cruel the streets could be. While Zeltiva was great in numerous respects, its denizens were capable of a coldness that made the North seem warm. They could walk on by without giving the slightest care about the wellfare of the downtrodden.

This was the Hell Nickolai grew up in...and so it seemed there was another just like him.

"I don't have any food on my person," he admitted, gently closing his fingers about hers, "but come with me and I'll get you a warm meal at the Grotto." These words were met with the warmest smile that the young larcenist could muster before he rose to his feet. Still holding the youngling's hand, he then posed a question; one very simple in nature. "And what might your name be, little one?"
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[Black Onyx]

"I don't have any food on my person," The male admitted and a disappointed sigh crossed her lips as she rolled back onto her heels. While his fingers closed around hers she hung her head, was she always going to be this hungry? She asked herself as she almost missed his next words. Her head snapped up so then she could properly view him as she was beginning to simply think that he was playing tricks on her. Actual warm food at the Grotto? Would they even allow her inside dressed as she was? She hesitated as she looked down at her own appearance, her clothes was only a small testimony to how she looked, she imagined that her face looked even more worse off. The young child had seen people go in and out of that very place and they looked good in appearance, not like herself which was just basic rags. She didn’t really want to give up these clothes though, because they were the only reminder that she had of her parents, for her parents had bought these clothes for her a while back. Slowly she straightened up into a standing position as he offered her a warm smile, it was the first smile anyone had ever given her since she had started begging for food.

Again, she hesitated, unsure as to whether this was a trick, but she decided that if it was, he probably wouldn’t be acting very nice. He probably would have fed her to the fishes already just like what that sailor had said; she didn’t want to be fish food. He then asked for her name and she bit her bottom lip as she looked down at her bare feet, suddenly finding something interesting about them. She didn’t know why her parents had called her like they had, but people tended to laugh at her when she gave it to them, saying that she was the black sheep of Zeltiva. She wasn’t a sheep either! No! She was a horse, a baby horse, that’s what her parents had said. They had said that she was their baby horse, but now they were gone… She almost started to cry again, but she held it in as she sniffled lightly and brushed away her tears, tears that had very well made tracks of their own on her dirt stained cheeks. ”M… My name is B..Bl…Black. That’s what my ma and pa used to call me anyway.”

As she felt his guiding hand lead her through the city, she looked up at him with wide brown eyes and not for the second time that day did she wonder as to why he was helping her. He was nice and he didn’t appear threatening in any kind of way, so her hand gripped his much more tightly, her second hand joining in on the grasp. ”W… What’s your name… M…Mister?” She asked him more so out of curiousity rather than it was simply polite to ask. Her parents had wanted her to be polite, but ever since their death, she had just forgot all about that. What was the point? No one really spare her a second glance, especially when they took note of her appearance. She then glanced at the other people that they were walking by and some even seemed to frown down at her as they passed, something that had started when she had started begging. At this, she pressed closer into the strange male's side, ducking her head and hoping that her knotted hair would hide her dirt and tear streaked face.

[Nickolai Marin]

At first there was no response, but the young larcenist could clearly see that the youngling was disappointed to hear that he did not have any food on his person. However, in a fraction of a second, the somberness of her expression brightened and her attention snapped to his face. Nickolai caught himself almost chuckling aloud, for he "fondly" remembered those days when the concept of a warm meal brought such a response from himself. Upon standing, the youngling shared with him her name; and Nickolai couldn't help but grin. In all his years of stealing, never before had he heard a name that invoked the image of a nocturnal heist. Black...Black the Larcenist! Black the Avaricious! Whilst amusing himself about her name, Nickolai began to guide her along.

His strides, albeit long, were slow in pace. This was due to the fact that the young larcenist was taking into consideration her size...and her state. She seemed worse for wear, to say the least, and Nickolai wouldn't have been surprised if she collapsed after a few steps. As such, he moved at a moderate pace whilst keeping his fingers laced about her own. This way, should she fall, he would be right there to catch her. When she inquired about his own name, the young larcenist hesitated for a moment. Speaking true carried the risk of later biting him square in the arse...but then again, who would believe the word of a stray child? Damning the potential consequences, Nickolai then decided to show a shred of honesty. "My name is Nickolai. Nickolai Marin." he began, looking down to her.

"However, when we are around people, please call me Alexander. I much prefer that, okay Black?" With that said, he gave her attire another look...and noted her pronounced lack of shoes. Oh no, this absolutely would not do. Now, Nickolai did not have a mountain of Mizas at his disposal, but what he did have was experience. He knew Zeltiva like the rear of his hand; and also knew where to break in to steal some decent clothes. The young larcenist simply could not leave this child unable to fend for herself...He'd never be able to live with himself. So, as they neared the halfway mark between the docks and the Grotto, Nickolai posed another question. "Have you ever considered taking what you need?"

It was such a simple, yet loaded question...and would most likely set the tone for the remainder of their encounter.
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[Black Onyx]

Black had felt something within him tense, almost like he was hesitating and she almost thought that she had said something wrong. Instead he responded to her question and he had said that he was… Nic..ko…lai? She angled her head to the right as she tried to form the word with her lips, the word kind of tripped her up and she had to say it in her head a few times. Suddenly he then asked her to call him another name while around people. He had two names? How come he got two names and she only got one? It was also another tricky name and she pouted for a moment as she also tried to form this one. She lightly tugged at his hand then as her brown eyes looked up at him. ”Can I just call you NiNi when we aren’t around people and then can I call you Al when we are around people?” She asked the male, her parents had always said that you shouldn’t go around calling people names when they already had one. If they already had one, then you should use that name, but what if she asked for his permission before calling him by a different name? That would be acceptable right?

It was at this point that her foot caught a hold of a simple rise in the street and she tripped, her two hands tightly grasping the male’s hand so then she wouldn’t completely fall to the ground. Slowly, she pulled her legs back underneath her form and stood back up moving with him once again along the streets at their slow pace. ”Why do you get two names and I only get one?” She asked him in a tone that suggested that this was unfair. In truth she just wanted to keep talking to him, for he sounded a lot more interesting than she did. How did he get two names? She wondered as he began to speak about taking what she needed. She looked up at him and pondered this for a moment, looking back at their path as she became silent. ”Well…” She started before it dragged off. Her parents hadn’t told her not to do it and they hadn’t said anything about not taking things. NiNi said taking things that she needed though and she wondered if taking food was what he meant, cause she needed food.

”Ma and pa never said anything about taking stuff, so I dunno.” She normally did cling onto what her parents said and seeing as they hadn’t said anything about taking things, she really didn’t know. ”I tried to take an apple once.” She nodded her head to try and make him understand, ”She had loads and loads of apples!” She exclaimed as one of her hands let go of his to hold it out wide of her form to try and emphasis how much apples the woman had. As she did this, she fell again and her one hand clung onto his own as she pulled herself back up into a standing position, her hand soon re-joining to clasp his hand tightly. ”I tried to take one cause I was really hungry and she yelled and yelled and yelled!” Her voice grew louder which each yell that she said before it dropped to her normal tone. ”So, I put the apple back and she hit me over the head with a stick and told me to scurry back into the gutters where I came from.” She said sadly as she leaned into him, remembering how much the bump on her head had hurt. ”Honestly, I didn’t come from the gutter. Ma, pa and I used to live in a…” Her words drew off as she tried to remember how to say apartment, instead she substituted it. ”In a place, not the gutter.”

[Nickolai Marin]

Ah, the mindset of children.

Only moments after he had introduced himself did Nickolai find that a new name was being request of him..."Nini" and "Al". Never before had anyone conceived such abbreviations to his identities; and to be honest they tickled the young larcenist to the very core. Unable to help himself, a light chuckle escaped his lips...before his arm was suddenly tugged by the tripping form of Black. This seemed to confirm Nickolai's initial assessment of her physical wellbeing; and true to his initial thoughts, he was right there to catch her when she tripped. "Careful there." he said in reference to her stumbling before adding: "You're the first to ever devise such nicknames for me...So of course, you may call me NiNi and Al."

It was then that the youngling posed another question. This one required him to think for a moment, as Nickolai had to piece together the best answer for a child. "Well, when someone is born, they are typically born into what's called a Family. It's more than just a mother and father; but includes sisters, brothers, cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents, etc. The whole entire Family shares a single name, which is the second one. Then, when someone is born, they are given a first name. However, sometimes there are families that have no names, so there are those who don't have two names. Understand?" he explained, looking down to see if his words had made any sense to her young mind. After this, Nickolai awaited the breaking of the silence which had claimed the youngling...

And then watched with amusement as she set about telling her story with the flailing of her arms and nearly tripping again. "Alright, c'mere." he said, finally weary of how much she tripped. Bending over slightly, the young larcenist slipped his hands under her arms and plucked her up. He then sat her upon his left arm and proceeded along down the street like normal. "Hang on...And now there's no more tripping." he commented, before contemplating how to respond to her tale. "Black...You are young. So young that working like an adult is out of the question. Pleading for food or money will only get you scraps from those few with pity...But you can instead take what you need."

"Now you see, when you had tried to take the apple, you were caught. This is because you did not know how to properly Steal...But if you want, I can show you how it's done. I'll teach you how to make sure your belly is always full and that you can afford a proper bed to rest in." he said, ultimately coming to a halt just a block away from the Grotto. The young larcenist then placed his full attention upon the youngling in his arms before giving a confident smile. "With a name like Black, I'd almost say that you were born to Steal..."
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[Black Onyx]

"Alright, c'mere." He said as he picked her up into his arms and she laced her arms around his neck resting her head upon his shoulder as they walked. She was silently listening to him as he explained about why she was caught because she didn’t know how to properly steal and that with a name like Black she was born to steal. She nuzzled her head in close as she thought about this for a moment, the rhythmic steps of NiNi’s comforting in a way, that was until he had stopped. She hadn’t been able to trust anyone the day that her parents died, until today. He was comforting and he was looking out for her, well she guessed that that was what he was doing, especially seeing as he offered to teach her to steal to stay alive and sleep in a bed. ”Well, ma and pa said that I was born because they loved each other.” She nodded her head at this, her head pulling back just a little to look into his eyes with her own brown hues. Indeed, that was what they had told her a couple of months before they had been killed, but could she really steal?

She thought about this for a moment before she nodded her head, ”If I can steal properly, then I won’t get hit on the head and I will have a full stomach? I’ll even get to sleep in a bed again?” It almost sounded too good to be true to the young child and she thought about this for a moment. ”Is that why you have two first names? One is because...” Her voice drifted off as she looked around before she lowered her voice to whisper into his ear, ”Because you steal?” She pulled back so then she could look at his face for a moment. He looked like he was doing well if he was stealing. Did that mean that she would do well if she started stealing? It was tempting and she had to say that if it meant she didn’t have to beg for apple cores from sailors that threatened to use her as bait then she would be happy to steal. Finally she nodded her head again, ”I’d like to learn how to steal, that way I won’t have to starve… Right?” She had asked the last bit almost hesitantly, she didn’t want to assume that she wouldn’t go hungry, cause she didn’t exactly know that the life of someone who stole was like.

Black seemed to back-peddle a bit in their conversation as she gasped with a slow realization and said, ”I have two names too! Ma said that my first name was Black and that my family name was O... Onyx, but you have two first names.” She angled her head at this, it was slightly confusing but then again if Al was because he stole things, then it would make a little sense. So what was the other first name about then? NiNi was the first person to actually explain to her as to why the woman had yelled at her, in fact, he was the first person to try and help her understand anything. If her parents had been around, then they would have explained to her such things. At this thought, she sniffled again and buried her face into his shoulder, a mumble upon her lips, remembering to use the name Al because they were around people. ”Al… You’re so nice to me, you’re the first person to ever really tell me these things since my parents died... The last person that talked to me said that I was only good for feeding the fishes.”

[Nickolai Marin]

For the first time in the young larcenist's life, an oddity crashed down upon his mind like a mighty wave. It compelled him to think of this child's immediate welfare...and also how she would fare in the days to come. Typically speaking, Nickolai looked after himself first, last, and everywhere in between. While there was the rare exception, the young larcenist was not the sort to stick his neck out for those he did not know...and yet, here he was, compelled to look after the little one in his arms. Perhaps it was because he saw so much of himself when he looked at her; or perhaps it was simply maturity...whatever the case was, Nickolai was coming to terms with the fact that he would look after Black so long as he was in Zeltiva.

He would show her how to survive in this hellish world...just as his mentor had done for him. 'Talk about irony, eh Leon?' Nickolai said to himself, casting a thought to the deceased thief. He then looked down and gave the little one a slight pat on the back, saying: "I'm sure that your parents were absolutely right. Their love explains how you got here; but your name may as well be your purpose. Black, you could have it all...Food, Warmth, Happiness...All you have to do is reach out and take it." The young larcenist then paused before giving Black a slight nod. She had quite a few questions to ask, and bounced up and down the conversation topics like...well...a child. However, Nickolai simply chuckled lightly and answered all that she asked.

"Yes, I have two names because I steal. I take what I want from whoever I want." he began, flashing a wide grin that brimmed with pride. "However, when you take things, people will get upset. They will try to find you and take back what you earned. So, you'll need a second name; one to hide who you truly are from those who will come after you. That's how it is with me...my parents gave me the name Nickolai, but I took the name Alexander because I steal." As the words escaped his lips, the youngling made an excited remark about her surname...before burying her face into his shoulder. She spoke, mumbling as if she were about to cry; a fact which stirred Nickolai's heart.

Reaching up, he gently gave her hair a stroke before he resumed walking; taking slow paces forward all the while. "The last person who talked to you was a prick." he breathed, before continuing. "Honestly, Black, I was once where you were...I was practically alone and starving. I had no one who cared; and the entire world looked down on me like I was scum. However, I was lucky enough that someone found me and taught me how to survive...and now, I'll teach you how to survive. Now come now, show me a smile! It's time to fill that belly of yours!"
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