[The Great Bazaar] Hunter & Kelvic [Lucian, Open]

by **Jonathon DuFraine** on October 19th, 2011, 2:53 am

19th of the Day, Fall of 511 A.V

Jonathon grumbled sourly to himself. The damn merchants bought his hides at below his regular price; they'd probably sell it for twice the profit, too. Whenever Jonathon returned to the 'lawful and shining' city of Syliras, he fell unto misfortune. The miserable days of his childhood were spent here, and his money was always getting lost in the shops of greedy merchants. People often wondered why Jonathon chose to seclude himself; Jonathon often wondered why they didn't.

Still in something of a sour mood, but steadily trying to forget the sins of civilization, Jonathon pushed through the crowd in the bazaar. Must there always be so many people? Syliras's status as the population center of the world must be unchallenged. I wonder what the other cities of Mizahar are like...? He recalled the tales told by travelers of other cities; Zeltivar, Sunberth, Wind Reach...

As he thought, he wasn't looking where he was going...

by **Lucian** on October 19th, 2011, 3:07 am

Lucian had, remarkably, been rather successful in his profession as of late. It appeared he was getting the hang of this thievery business. He had learned early on that pilfering a few mizas, rather than going for the whole purse, paid off in the long run, as people generally didn't notice they had been robbed. A bitter smile touched his lips. What would she say if she saw him now,living off of the few mizas he took from others?

He gave his head a shake, forcing the thoughts away. She couldn't say anything, she couldn't see him. Why waste time thinking on something that wasn't going to happen? He slipped the four coins he had just taken out of a woman's purse into his pocket, the guilt of his actions hidden deep inside, locked away. He'd deal with them later..

Lost so far in his own world, he failed to notice the man turn into his path, colliding with him, taking a few steps back. "Ah! I'm sorry." He spoke quickly, not wanting to offend the other.

by **Jonathon DuFraine** on October 19th, 2011, 3:27 am

Jonathon, not really watching where he was going, felt a weight hit his chest; a rather light one, maybe one hundred pounds. The shorter man stumbled back a few paces, apologizing. Jonathon took a second to analyze the man and regain his balance. Noting his ragged appearance, Jonathon covertly put one hand on his hip. The gesture looked innocent, but it's true purpose was to assure Jonathon that his purse was still there. Finding himself still in possession of his mizas, Jonathon spoke.

"No need to apologize. I wasn't looking where I was going..." Still wary of the man's obviously street-worn clothing, he decided to prod further, for no other reason then that he felt like it. Used to seasons of life in the mountains, he failed to remember that not everyone who crossed your path was a weary traveler with a tale to tell.

"Not to insult, but you don't look like a man of much wealth. What are you doing in the Bazaar?" Jonathon watched him closely for a sign of guilt. Thieves were surprisingly common in Syliras, from what he remembered of the city, and it might be possible that he just found one. If he had, this might be an opportunity; either to get in good with the Syliran guards, or win a few mizas in blackmail. Or both; Jonathon had no qualms about backstabbing a criminal.

by **Lucian** on October 19th, 2011, 3:43 am

Lucian let out a soft sigh, glad to know the man wasn't mad. He hadn't had many good experiences with run ins with other people. Even though he had just bumped into the man, he was quick to check if his coin purse was still in his possession. Strange how people didn't notice when he did steal from them (normally), yet thought him a their when he hadn't done anything. Still, the man hadn't outright accused him of anything.

The comments on his clothing, and the question made the kelvic's lips curl up into a nervous smile. He was a terrible liar. He quickly thought over what he could say, his fingers twitching slightly. "Well, I work around this area." That wasn't a complete lie, he did work in the bazaar, if you could call it work.

"B-Besides," Damnit, he was starting to stutter. "Sometimes the stall vendors are kind enough to give a sort looking sod like myself a few free items." That had happened once, and it was only because the man hadn't wanted the boy to hang around too long, scaring away his customers.

by **Jonathon DuFraine** on October 19th, 2011, 3:57 am

Jonathon noted his particularly-nervous look; he was either afraid of being caught, or he was simply afraid of him. Jonathon recalled a friend of his saying that Jonathon could come off as frightening sometimes; it was probable that his time in the wilderness had only enhanced this.

"You work... around here?" He gestured around. "This is a place of merchants. The only people who work around here, besides them, are beggars and thieves. Unless you are one or both of the two..." Jonathon, with more thought, probably could have come up with a more upstanding job, but something about the man's nervous look made him want to press the issue. Maybe he really was a thief.

His next comment threw him off guard for a moment. Jonathon recalled one of the few times he had to resort to begging to survive; one of the places he had hit was the Bazaar. But as far as he knew, the merchants didn't hand out anything; the customers, maybe.

Jonathon smiled, a hint of bitterness present on his face. "As far as I know, merchants are unlikely to hand out anything for free, to anyone; let alone charity to scruffy urchins..." Jonathon's smile softened into a more mischievous one. "Unless you take it without them noticing, of course."

by **Lucian** on October 19th, 2011, 4:14 am

Lucian bit his lip slightly, knowing that the man had a point about the lack of work around the area. Maybe he shouldn't have said anything.. Or thought of something better than that. "And what if I am a beggar? What of it?" He hissed quietly, sorely wishing that the man would stop asking so many questions. He just wanted to go back to his apartment and hide away from all this.

Lucian sniffed lightly, catching something strange. Something that you normally didn't find in Syliras. It smelled fresh, like the woods. Frowning lightly, his concentration was pulled away from the conversation a moment, wanting to know where the odd scent was coming from.

"Hmm..You sound like you've done that before." He commented, hearing what the man had said about taking from the vendors. He brought his eyes back down to the man, frowning lightly. "You're not a thief are you?" He asked, wanting to see the other's reaction. It also threw some heat off of himself.

Catching the same scent again, he followed after it, sniffing lightly. It was coming from the man he had bumped into. "You.. Don't smell like you live in Syliras. Where are you from?"

by **Jonathon DuFraine** on October 19th, 2011, 4:29 am

Jonathon smirked. Now the man was on the offensive; he had something to hide. Other people might have begun wondering at this point why Jonathon had decided to pester the man this far. Jonathon didn't; he was confident in his own instincts, curious, and not afraid of making people feel uncomfortable.

"I've been a beggar before. You don't look quite desperate enough for that... but if you are, maybe I'm a potential donor. I have a few mizas to spare for people that need them." Jonathon hoped the lingering idea of alms might throw off the man. Jonathon was enjoying this verbal spar immensely; too much time in the woods left him with a thirst for such things.

Jonathon shrugged. "Maybe once or twice, but only when I needed it, to help someone else. Family." Jonathon's face hardened. "But I'm no thief." His face softened again as a shrugged once more. "Hell, I'm not even very good at the business."

Jonathon was thrown off guard a moment by the question. The man must have picked up on that from Jonathon; maybe his mannerisms? Or did Jonathon seem like a hermit even while among a crowd? "...I live outside, in the Bronze Woods, away from haggling merchants, thieves, and beggars. Well, the Woods are usually devoid of thieves, anyways; you'd be surprised how many bandits live there, compared to the amount of knights nearby."

by **Lucian** on October 19th, 2011, 4:49 am

Lucian's guard dropped slightly when the man mentioned that he might be willing to give him a few mizas. But that was if he begged for them, and he wasn't sure if he wanted to give the man the satisfaction. Damnit, he gave this air off that he knew exactly what Lucian was, and was just drawing this conversation out.

Still, a few extra mizas meant less time before he could eat again. Now, he had contemplated about transforming and staying a cat, maybe living as a pet for one of the residents, but he was more afraid of becoming a starving beggar's next meal. It wasn't unheard of, and he had seen people eating rats before.

The man admitted to stealing, but not to being a thief. Well, at least he had gotten out of the business."Really? I find it hard to believe, what with the confidence you speak about it with." To be honest, he didn't particularly care if the man was a thief or not. He was still trying to direct the conversation away from himself.

"I've heard of the bronze woods before. I used to have stories read to me about them." He didn't really want to admit that he couldn't read in front of this man. That would be more embarrassment than he could handle.

by **Jonathon DuFraine** on October 19th, 2011, 5:03 am

Jonathon watched his reaction to the offering of mizas, but he failed to deduce anything. Still, he was willing to bet that the man was thrown off on the inside, confused by the offer. He had no evidence to back it up, though, so Jonathon moved on.

"Oh, really?" Jonathon indicated himself, his bow strapped to his back, with light, loose clothing that was, if not in good repair, certainly not the clothing of a man down on his luck. "Do I look like a thief to you? And why would a thief live outside the city? There's nothing to swipe out there but game and lives. I take the former..." He patted his bow. "A hunter has no need for the mizas of other honest men. I may have stolen in the past, but trying to bring me down to your level isn't going to work."

Jonathon smiled slightly at the stories remark. "Did they say anything about the monsters living in the woods, or how dangerous it was? It's a hard life out there, but I'm honored to live it..." Jonathon considered a more biting remark, but decided to hold off for the moment and see how he reacted to everything else.

by **Lucian** on October 19th, 2011, 5:45 am

"Thieves can look like anyone." Lucian replied cooly as the man tried to say that thieves all looked like him. "Only a fool believes that someone dressed nicely wouldn't rob you blind if he thought he could get away with it." Which was true, he found. Most people were 'good' because they were afraid of being caught and facing the consequences.

Lucian felt himself bristle. His level? He walked up to the stranger, glaring hotly. "You have no idea what my story is, you don't know who i am, or what I've been through. Don't talk as if you know exactly who I am." Having finished, Lucian backed off, knowing that if he didn't calm down he'd start hissing at the man. Literally.

The young male took a deep breath, calming his nerves. " Yes, I've heard the stories of monsters and danger. And I think you're an idiot for staying out there." A slight smile tugged at his lips. "Though I'm envious of how content you are with your lifestyle.."