Day 88 of Winter 515 AV
The Azure festival, a nighttime celebration of … something. Brandon wasn't entirely sure what exactly was the reason for the festivities, as he'd never really been all that interested in cultural event of any kind, but if he had to guess, he'd say it was in honor of Zintila. Although, the Star festival in Spring was already dedicated to her. Syna too had a special festival in her honor -in Summer, obviously- and Leth had his own party in Fall. So... what was being celebrated during the Azure festival? All the aforementioned gods? It certainly was possible; Lhavitians liked their festivals after all, so he wouldn't put it past them to have claimed one festival a year for the gods was not enough, so they needed another one. Obviously an excuse to throw a party, but he couldn't imagine any Lhavitian now or back then arguing about it.
As a result of the festival, the streets were even more crowded than they otherwise were, filled to the brim with celebrating people having donned fancy clothes, as well as a mask. Brandon was no exception, though he was not up and about to party, oh no. This was a great opportunity for work; picking pockets, to be specific. Honestly, this was a perfect scenario for him; the crowd was dense, allowing for a quick escape when necessary, along with the option to blend in easily. And more importantly, due to the festivities, no one was paying all that much attention to their surroundings. He didn't need a distraction, he didn't even need to be as cautious as he otherwise had to be. The festival itself was one huge distraction, it was his cover.
Brandon's choice of clothing had been rather brazen for a thief though; the pants and shoes might not have been conspicuous, but the bright orange vest with flame pattern embroidery certainly did stand out. However, that was exactly the point. Brandon believed that you could become invisible by standing out. Not in all situations of course, but in this particular one, he was certain that the colorful vest would allow him to avoid detection. After all, if one noticed their purse had been stolen, they wouldn't expect someone dressed so conspicuously to be the culprit. No, the suspect was without a doubt some shady figure in clothes that were plain and inconspicuous. Admittedly, plain attire would stand out way too much during this festival, however, that didn't change the reasoning of the average person.
As such, Brandon gracefully moved through the crowd, slipping through gaps others would have overlooked. Despite the streets being packed, he did advance rather quickly, a result of his experience as a pickpocket. Crowds were his refuge and shelter, they were his prey and nourishment, but they were also his means of transportation. Crowds were not an hindrance to Brandon, and thus they did not hinder his movements. If he had to draw a parallel, he'd describe it as himself being a leaf caught in a gust of wind. He merely went with the flow without really forcing matters. Or more accurately, he made use of space available to move, not forcing the crowd to make room for him -as that usually had the opposite effect, in his experience- while still moving along with the crowd.
He slipped past a woman in a colorful dress, a purse swung over her shoulder, dangling beside her hip. Brandon wasn't too sure what he'd find inside, but obviously there had to be a wallet in there, among other things. There was a clasp lock on it, but Brandon's nimble fingers had it opened instantly without a problem, and immediately after, wasting no movement at all, his hand fished out a small coin pouch hidden within. Even when there were a multitude of other small objects in there -small hand mirrors, make-up, and what else have you- the wallet was singled out within less than a tick. Brandon's light touch made no sound, nor did it stir the contents of the handbag, or alarm his target. Picking pockets was all about finesse and swift fingers; Brandon was a master of both.
Just as smoothly and stealthily as it had entered, his hand exited the purse again, depositing the wallet in the pocket of his pants, and then he had passed the unfortunate woman, walking by as if nothing had happened. The whole of the act took him perhaps a tick, maybe a little more, of such tremendous level was his skill. He allowed a small grin to part his lips, then swiftly moved along the currents of the crowd.
The Azure festival, a nighttime celebration of … something. Brandon wasn't entirely sure what exactly was the reason for the festivities, as he'd never really been all that interested in cultural event of any kind, but if he had to guess, he'd say it was in honor of Zintila. Although, the Star festival in Spring was already dedicated to her. Syna too had a special festival in her honor -in Summer, obviously- and Leth had his own party in Fall. So... what was being celebrated during the Azure festival? All the aforementioned gods? It certainly was possible; Lhavitians liked their festivals after all, so he wouldn't put it past them to have claimed one festival a year for the gods was not enough, so they needed another one. Obviously an excuse to throw a party, but he couldn't imagine any Lhavitian now or back then arguing about it.
As a result of the festival, the streets were even more crowded than they otherwise were, filled to the brim with celebrating people having donned fancy clothes, as well as a mask. Brandon was no exception, though he was not up and about to party, oh no. This was a great opportunity for work; picking pockets, to be specific. Honestly, this was a perfect scenario for him; the crowd was dense, allowing for a quick escape when necessary, along with the option to blend in easily. And more importantly, due to the festivities, no one was paying all that much attention to their surroundings. He didn't need a distraction, he didn't even need to be as cautious as he otherwise had to be. The festival itself was one huge distraction, it was his cover.
Brandon's choice of clothing had been rather brazen for a thief though; the pants and shoes might not have been conspicuous, but the bright orange vest with flame pattern embroidery certainly did stand out. However, that was exactly the point. Brandon believed that you could become invisible by standing out. Not in all situations of course, but in this particular one, he was certain that the colorful vest would allow him to avoid detection. After all, if one noticed their purse had been stolen, they wouldn't expect someone dressed so conspicuously to be the culprit. No, the suspect was without a doubt some shady figure in clothes that were plain and inconspicuous. Admittedly, plain attire would stand out way too much during this festival, however, that didn't change the reasoning of the average person.
As such, Brandon gracefully moved through the crowd, slipping through gaps others would have overlooked. Despite the streets being packed, he did advance rather quickly, a result of his experience as a pickpocket. Crowds were his refuge and shelter, they were his prey and nourishment, but they were also his means of transportation. Crowds were not an hindrance to Brandon, and thus they did not hinder his movements. If he had to draw a parallel, he'd describe it as himself being a leaf caught in a gust of wind. He merely went with the flow without really forcing matters. Or more accurately, he made use of space available to move, not forcing the crowd to make room for him -as that usually had the opposite effect, in his experience- while still moving along with the crowd.
He slipped past a woman in a colorful dress, a purse swung over her shoulder, dangling beside her hip. Brandon wasn't too sure what he'd find inside, but obviously there had to be a wallet in there, among other things. There was a clasp lock on it, but Brandon's nimble fingers had it opened instantly without a problem, and immediately after, wasting no movement at all, his hand fished out a small coin pouch hidden within. Even when there were a multitude of other small objects in there -small hand mirrors, make-up, and what else have you- the wallet was singled out within less than a tick. Brandon's light touch made no sound, nor did it stir the contents of the handbag, or alarm his target. Picking pockets was all about finesse and swift fingers; Brandon was a master of both.
Just as smoothly and stealthily as it had entered, his hand exited the purse again, depositing the wallet in the pocket of his pants, and then he had passed the unfortunate woman, walking by as if nothing had happened. The whole of the act took him perhaps a tick, maybe a little more, of such tremendous level was his skill. He allowed a small grin to part his lips, then swiftly moved along the currents of the crowd.
Credit goes to Engghaen