[Flashback] To Fool a Dishonest Man (Crismento)

[Avari]

Season of Summer, Day 15, 509 AV

The noontime sun shone full upon the massive, newly established monument to the Laviku at the center of the city, bathing the stately sculpture of the sea god in radiant golden light. Avari had to shade her eyes with one hand as she approached it cautiously from the direction of the docks and briefly paused at the base of the monument to whisper a quiet prayer to the father of her people. Lifting her head once her prayer was done, the Konti noticed that she was hardly the only one doing so. Several passersby had also stopped at the base of the monument to admire the sculpture and offer prayers to Laviku. In a city so focused upon exploring and dominating the sea, no one needed reminders that they depended on Laviku's mercy, protection, and bounty for their continued prosperity.

No matter how hard she looked, though, she couldn't find a tall, handsome blue-eyed man among them or anywhere close to the monument. Avari sighed.

No doubt she had arrived a little too early for her planned rendezvous with Samiir Jafa, the mysterious and talented liar and trickster with whom she'd spontaneously joined forces to cheat a gullible sailor of his money only a few days ago. Not only had Samiir Jafa shared the money with her fairly after their success, but he had, much to her surprise and delight, suggested forming a more permanent alliance. For someone still new to the city and the life of a thief, the opportunity to learn from and work with someone clearly more experienced than she in illicitly acquiring other people's money was exactly what she needed. Someone like him could teach her tricks she'd never imagine on her own and allow her to carry out more ambitious schemes than sitting in the marketplace telling false fortunes.

Patiently waiting for Samiir Jafa to appear, the Konti settled her wide-brimmed hat upon her head at a rakish angle and leaned against the side of the monument. Her stomach gave a little flutter when she thought she spotted him amid a knot of approaching sailors, before she realized it was someone else. It had been doing that every time she thought of him, and Avari couldn't understand why. Her heart beat faster too at the thought of him, which seemed rather unhealthy to her. She shook her head violently and devoted her attention to studying the people around the monument while she waited.

For there was certainly much to see. Avari's eyes darted from side to side, intent on keeping an eye on the old man with his granddaughter, the rowdy sailors, the devout-looking matron in a faded bonnet, and the fat merchant leading a pack-mule all at once. Like she had been teaching herself, Avari ran her eyes along their clothes and to their waists where many people hung their purses or money-pouches. Her gaze instantly fixated on the large, jangling purse dangling from the fat merchant's belt.

Without even thinking of it, she detached herself from the side of the monument and slowly drew near the merchant, her steps measured and slow. She could just see it now, how she had only to tug the purse open and reach inside for the coins. The fat merchant was busy urging his mule to walk forward; he'd never notice as she slipped by and relieved him of some of his money. Avari crept closer.

Then, all of a sudden, the mule let out a wild, ringing bray and lurched forward without warning. Avari jumped in the air in her surprise, causing the fat merchant to notice her presence. "What are you doing? You'll scare my beast leaping in the air like that!" he scolded her, before leading the mule away at a clatter.

His purse jangled all the way down the street until he disappeared around the corner. Avari gritted her teeth and turned around, defeated. She leaned back against the monument again, tilting her hat down over her eyes to shade her from the bright sunlight.

Just another sign that, if I want to make my fortune, I'll need someone like Samiir Jafa to help me make it, she thought wryly. Her stomach gave another of those irritating little flutters. I just hope he's coming today, as he promised...

[Crismento Miren]

While buttoning up his black jerkin and girding his belt around the waist, Crismento wondered towards what end the meeting with this Konti might lead him. This matter was on his mind ever since they had parted and the few days that he gave himself to think should have been enough for any sensible cautiousness to kick in and persuade him to abandon the idea and simply leave the woman waiting for him, however as he woke up that day he was still as excited about the opportunity as he was that night at the warehouse. The con artist felt certain that he would see the signs of danger if it turned out that he was being deceived, after all, he had been used before, and Ari did not appear to be anywhere near as capable as his mentor. After all, she did not know anything about the art, as their conversation had shown, though she did have tricks of her own, some of which were hovering just above his grasp. Before fastening his coin pouch to the belt Cris made sure to only take as much as he could have spared to lose, since he knew he would be having at least one thief around. The swindler’s hand brushed across a smooth sleeve of his shirt while in his mind he appreciated his own appearance. The man stood in stark contrast to his poorly kept room, which probably didn’t see too many renovations since it was first built after the Valterrian. Very few things in there weren’t half-broken or planning to rot and those exceptions were several articles of clothing, a backpack and a bigger pouch of coin hidden underneath a removable floor plank. Cris did not seek balance, but rather perfection in the areas that mattered for his ventures, and a place where he spent his nights did not. It was a bright and warm day outside and it seemed that those who did not wander the streets with business did so just to enjoy the weather. On his way to the Laviku monument the con artist only stopped in front of one store to see how he looked in the reflection in the window. He was met by his own cold look and after a brief inspection he nodded slightly to himself in satisfaction. A good start was a good sign. When he finally saw the statue, Crismento’s face lit up and a small smile appeared on his lips. He was yet to see the Konti and so his eyes searched for her among the passing crowds when suddenly his attention was grabbed by a cry of a startled animal. The swindler quickly recognized the lass that was being scold and with slight amusement in his mind as he imagined what might have happened, he followed her to the monument. ”A fine afternoon, my lady,” he greeted her loudly from afar, approaching with a light grin on his face. ”I am sorry to have kept you waiting for so long that you had to resort to such entertainment. I promise to do my very best and make up for that.” Cris leaned against the monument beside Ari crossing his legs and putting his hands on the belt. ”How have you been doing, my colleague? Have any thoughts, ideas or reservations passed through your mind during these few days? I have to be honest with you - I have never shared this work with anybody else before; however I believe that in such situations it is wise not to leave anything that could be said now for later, since later might not be as simple time as it currently is.”

[Avari]

Avari's heart beat faster when she heard a familiar man's voice above the murmurs and commotion of the passerby, and she quickly slipped off her wide-brimmed hat to greet the approaching Samiir Jafa. If she hadn't seen him smiling the exact same way at the sailor at the Kelp Bar only three days past, she probably would have succumbed to the charm and warmth of Samiir's easy grin just like the sailor had. The Konti had to remind herself that Samiir was a liar by profession, something that she had guessed the first time she laid eyes on him, and he could lie with his face and gestures just as easily as with words. One trickster knew another, and she could tell -- perhaps from pure instinct or possibly with some form of Konti perceptiveness or another -- that he was a good one.

She just had to make sure that he wasn't tricking her along with everyone else.

At the moment, she read no artifice in his smile, which she couldn't help noticing made his eyes sparkle like sapphires held up in sunlight, and allowed herself to smile back at him. He leaned against the side of the monument beside her, resplendent in dark-colored clothing similar to hers but finer and better-kept. His manner was charming and pleasant, but the way he hooked his hands on his belt made Avari wonder if he felt as wary of her as she was of him.

"Oh, no need to apologize," she replied, trying to imitate his urbane manner. "You were gone just long for me to learn a valuable lesson about what I should and shouldn't try to do on my own. One could say, uh, that you were gone for...for..." She floundered for words. "For, um, just the right amount of time."

Shyke, that wasn't smooth at all, she berated herself. That was positively rough. Why am I acting like this, anyway?

She coughed, attempting to mask her discomfiture, and turned her attention to Samiir's next comments. "I've been doing well, but in all honesty, I must admit that your offer of a partnership has been much on my mind. I haven't been at this, er, acquisitions business for very long, so I really wasn't sure what to think about how we would work together.

"I've never worked with anyone before either," she admitted candidly. "That fortune-telling business I do is a one-woman job, really. Picking pockets and cutting purses can be done very well with two people, I suppose, especially if the second person distracts the mark and takes the spoils afterward, so that the pickpocket can walk away clean after the job with nothing for a city watchman to find. But..." Avari looked the man up and down appraisingly. "After watching you in action in the bar the other night, I think your talents would be wasted just playing decoy or stuffing a stolen purse in your pocket. If you have something more creative than that in mind, then I am all ears."

A loud stranger's voice behind her startled her in the middle of her speech, and Avari jumped a little in startlement despite herself. Absorbed in thoughts about their partnership, she had forgotten for the moment just how public and crowded the Laviku Monument was. Darting a few glances to either side, she leaned closer toward Samiir and tilted her face closer to his, causing her cheeks to turn pink in the process.

In a low voice, she murmured, "I do have one concrete thing to contribute, though. This morning, I was walking along the docks and I think I spotted the perfect mark for...well, whatever it is we'll be doing. He's a trader by the name of...of..." Her brow creased. "Zieger? Zieler? Anyway, he's been talking to everyone about how he's going back to Syliras and planning to turn a huge profit there selling things for four times their price."

She mimicked the man's voice. "'Those knights keep everyone so safe, they trust everything someone tells them and they never suspect I'm cheating them under their noses!' If anyone's looking for a fast profit, that trader fellow is. Zieger or Ziebler or whatever his name is. He's so intent on making money in the future that he's not thinking at all about the here and now."

Spreading her hands wide, Avari continued, "I don't have any ideas as to what sort of trick to play on him, though. I was hoping you might have some ideas. He should still be at the docks at this hour. What do you think of perhaps taking a stroll together down to the docks and seeing if something suggests itself when you see him?"