Amilyn held her breath and carefully picked her way over to the man's side, making very sure to sidestep the splattered ground and not inhale. Unfortunately, it seemed like the man had fallen asleep on his right side, which was where most people tended to tie their money pouches, but she checked his exposed hip anyway, just to be sure. No such luck.
If only the man hadn't fallen asleep with his back to the wall; it would've made things a whole lot easier for her, Amilyn thought as she eyed the man's current position and tried to ignore the...stuff stinking up the middle of the alley. Just one simple push and he'd be on his back, she'd have her coin, and she'd be out of this alley, counting up her earnings for the day, instead of trying to figure out whether he'd wake up if she tried to pull him onto his front.
Figuring she might as well try, she began straightening him out to make it easier to tip him over and tried not to exhale too quickly. This mainly consisted of pulling his legs out straight before pulling and pushing on his shoulder and back to lay him flat on his front. He barely even stirred at his change in position, though she had to take a moment to push down the urge to retch, breathing as shallowly as possible through her mouth. Amilyn only lifted his other hip long enough to ensure there was a coin purse present, unsheathe her dagger, and cut it loose. Once she'd gotten what she wanted, she let him lay in the dirt, practically threw her dagger back into its sheathe, and got out of there as quickly as she could.
Back in the streets, Amilyn waited until she was well on her way back to her rooms before she tentatively inhaled through her nose again, relief swamping her when the air was clear of the smell of sick. She ambled almost cheerfully back towards the Sunset Quarter with her hands in her pockets, loosely gripping the coin she hadn't yet had a chance to put away. Once back in her room, she dropped quietly to the floor and pulled out her newly-earned Mizas to count out what she'd gotten.
Two Gold, five Silver, and eight Copper from the other pickpocket. A Gold, six Silver, and three Copper from the lady. Eight Silver and two Copper from the drunk. All in all, three Gold, nineteen Silver, and thirteen Copper. It wasn't exactly a bad haul, but she'd probably have to head out again in a few hours.
Amilyn sighed as she tipped the Mizas back into her coin pouch. She wasn't entirely sure it'd been worth dealing with the drunk in the alley, but easy money was easy money. Maybe next time, she'd just take a risk on someone else instead. |