The River Runners

by **Adriana Sparrow** on February 16th, 2019, 5:03 am

Winter 47, 518 AV

The last time she had been on one of the ferry's that transported people to the different sections of the city was after her mother had died. She took a few coppers that mother had left and bought her and her brothers way across the river, to the Rotten Ruins they now called home. This section of the city was the best, most useful, in her opinion. It had the Castle Commons, rife with people and shops and stalls. It had the library where she could learn, and it had her own home located where she thought was the safest place for two homeless children to reside. This way, she didn't really have to cross the rivers, which also meant she wouldn't have to pay to do so. A couple of coppers may mean nothing to most of Sunberths citizens, but to Adriana, it meant food to fill her stomach, and that was not something she was willing to give up.

But there was a whole city out there, an entire city that she was basically barred from because a boat charged her coin for passage. She wondered if there were other ways across the rivers, but she had never seen a bridge, and the river was must too large to cross without a boat. Adriana may know how to swim, but that length of water, rough with its currents, was certainly a death sentence for the young girl. And so it seemed her only option were the boats.

She had also tried to figure out a way to stow upon the ships, hiding and avoiding the fee. But she didn't know much about the ships, and the huge things did not look easy to get onto, let alone find a place to hide. She would surely get caught, thrown in jail, or worse, depending on the situation.

Her father, when he was still around, used to ride the boats everyday, twice a day, if not more. His work required him to travel to different parts of the city than where the family lived. Two charges a day, Adriana thought, she couldn't even image how quickly that would add up in fees. She could not understand why the city did not have other ways across these rivers? Why divide a city like this. It turned the place into three cities, rather than one unified one. Maybe the separation of the districts held a light to why the city was so at war with itself.

Today she sat on the riverbed, at the edge of the Rotten Ruins, looking across into her old neighborhood, Riverside. She liked it there. The house wasn't as nice as before Bae was born, but she felt like she had a family there, at least before her father disappeared and her mother went paranoid. She say one of the Svefra ferry's docked nearby on the other side of the river. She wondered when it began moving again, what its next destination would be. She wondered if they ever just left, via the river, and never looked back.

Word Count: 511

Code credit to Itt.

by **Adriana Sparrow** on February 17th, 2019, 1:53 am

She wanted to cross the river. She wanted to go and visit the home she lived when her family was still hole. The Riverside home was nice, she had her mother, when she was sane, her father when he was around and her brother before he knew the dangers of the world. It also happened to be the home where her father never came back, her mother got so paranoid of the outside word she locked herself inside and Bae never got to be the child he deserved to be.

She had always wondered how her mother survived after father disappeared. She didn't work, yet the gangs never came to retake the house. She didn't know much about how the world worked back then, but since her death, she's had to learn. She knows exactly how much it costs to rent a home. And she knew the gangs in Sunberth, who owned everything and everyone in the city in some respect. They wouldn't let a woman and her children skate on rent. And her parents were far too poor to own a house outright. She knew.

Bue she had been thinking over the past few seasons. She left the home empty when she took Bae away. But she never found any money. She couldn't figure it out. Her only thought was that her parents had some secret savings hidden somewhere that still have to be in the house. If she could find the leftovers of that savings, maybe she could give her brother a better life, depending on how much money was there.

It was a high hope, and it had some risk. It would cost two coins to cross the river and back via the Sevfra boats. Meaning if she found nothing, she would be two very important, coins down. She only had a few anyway. She was hoping, praying, to anyone who would listen, for something to be there.

Adriana was still in the Rotten Ruins district. Although she could see the boats in the river from here, they did not actual dock and load near here. She would have to go to the Castle Commons and the river junction there to board. At this point in the river the water split in three directions, one emptied into the ocean to the east and the other went north south, up to the Park, and down through the city continuing out its boundaries.

She set out on the walk then. One of the boats had departed from across the river and was headed back to the Castle Commons dock. The boats were slow and the walk was short, she would make it in time. As she walked she fingered the coins in her pocket. The make a soft clink when moved, and the sound made her nervous. If she were on the outside looking at herself, she would see an easy target and if she heard that noise, she would see an easy pickpocket.

She pulled he hand back, she knew the coins were there, she didn't need to fumble with them. It took only a few chimes to reach the docks. The boat wasn't quite there yet, but a small crowd had already gathered to board. Travel was massive in the city, maybe she should start working on one of the ships. She bet they made a ton of money.

The crowd waiting was a solid number of people, maybe ten, fifteen. She didn't feel like counting. Though, an idea did strike her as she approached the group. Maybe she could pickpocket her fare back. Not now, here and on the boat she could watch them, see which ones had money and at easy access. And if there proved to be anyone, she could grab coins from them at they crowded off the boat. Crowds worked when pickpocketing.

Word Count: 640

Code credit to Itt.

by **Adriana Sparrow** on February 17th, 2019, 5:20 am

The boat soon docked, and she always looked up at in awe. She always forgot how big these things were, and could never understand how they managed to float in the water, staying above and not sinking immediately. The filed on with the rest of the passengers. Walking on the ramp up to the ship she saw a man collecting the fee. She stuck her hand in her pocket once more, jingling the two coins nervously.

It was soon her turn and the man said nothing to her. His hand was out and expectant, probably numb to this action by now. She pulled out one little coin, and reluctantly dropped it into his hand. Immediately it closed, and disappeared into a little bag at his hip, before shooting out again once more, ready for the next passenger.

She kept walking onto the ship, the plunk of the wood beneath her feet, hollow sounding, shocked her ears. She was so used to the solid, earthy ground of the city, this rocking, hollow beast was always so new and foreign to her.

She looked about the boat. It seemed so much smaller once she was actually on it. Probably because it was separated into sections and levels. From this deck she couldn't actually see either end of the boat. She would have to climb the steps to either side, she guessed, going one deck upward. There were a few archways that led below the ship. She was a bit curious to see what rooms, and what valuables lie in them. But, she was sure these were areas patrons were not allowed, and on a boat, there was no where to go, no place to run to, no way to escape. It was much too risky for her experience.

No, the safer bet would be to watch the other passengers. They would get off on the other side of the river, where there would be a world to run through. She needed to see if there were any people here that had easy access to their coins. At the very least she might be able to steal the two coins she would be paying for this boat ride.

She walked to the edge of the ship, leaned against the side that overlooked the water. The air was still, but she soon felt the boat start to churn underneath her. They must be beginning to turn, to start the short journey across the river once more.

She wondered why these sea people would choose to travel back and forth on a small river when they could be exploring the open seas. She'd been to the ocean before, to the beach. She felt the ocean spray on her face and she could only describe it as refreshing and soft. She liked what little of the ocean she had seen. Why would these people choose such a boring lifestyle, compared to what they could have.

She settled against the wood of the boat, turned inward, away from the water. Her focus was on the people, at the moment, she would have time to watch the river a bit later, once she had found a worthy victim, if she could.

Word Count: 533

Code credit to Itt.

by **Adriana Sparrow** on February 18th, 2019, 2:36 am

The other passengers milled about the boat. Most went to the edge, like she did, to watch the waters move underneath them. Others leaned against the walls of the boat that separated this deck from the upper one. A couple stood talking to each other, and another man seemed to be arguing with the seaman who took her money.

She wondered what they could possibly be arguing about. The seaman did not look even slightly fazed, and while the man was not full out raging, red faced, he did seem mildly upset. He was waving his hands and his brow was furrowed, but his voice was not yet loud enough to reach Sparrow in her current location. She wanted to hear, so she moved in, casually, a bit closer, this time leaning against one of the walls.

Once she knew she was within range, she looked away from the pair, and off into the perpendicular distance. This way her ear was trained in their direction, but she was not looking at them and arousing suspicion.

"Look, I know you have it because its not in my pocket anymore!" the man exclaimed. The seaman just looked at him. "I had two coins coming on to his boat, and now I have none, okay? How am I supposed to get back home?" The man seemed exasperated.

The other man simple shook his head, "You gave me the fare, I'm not giving you it back. I have to make a living." He mostly seemed blank, but there was a hint of annoyance in his voice.

Waving his hands again the passenger continued, "I must have accidentally given you both coins! Please, sir, I cant get back to this district without it." It was almost sad, the man seemed pretty lost. But the seaman just looked at him and shrugged.

The man who had lost his money left the conversation then, and went to collapse against the boat for support. Adriana felt for him, but this was not her problem, and even more she knew the man had no money, and therefore was not worth any more of her time.

Next, her attention went to the speaking couple. They were older, middle aged at most. The woman seemed ragged, but she was smiling, and the man held the woman's waist as they stood close to each other. Such happiness and content was rare for Adriana to see. It was nice, and she was interested in their conversation.

Unfortunately, as they were so close to together, their voices were rather low. She would not be able to hear much of their talking, but maybe she could get some words in. She pushed up from the wall she leaned against and began walking to the other side of the ship, slowly. Her path would take her past the couple, rather closely, and with luck and timing she could hear a sentence for two.

"Oh, Danny's going to love his present. Do you think the shop still has it?" The woman started. The man smiled and nodded, his wife still jabbering on. "Its so perfect... you still have the money right?" She asked him.

"Yes, ma'am," he replied and patted his chest. A muffled jingle came from under the cloth.

Adriana was too far past them now to hear the continuation of the woman's talking. It was clear she was excited. It was also clear the couple had some money. Unfortunately, the man appeared smart, and hid the money away in a spot where Sparrow would not be able to reach without alerting the man of her touch. She needed an easier target.

For now, she returned to her original spot on the ship. This time, though, she looked out at the water. They were about halfway across the river now. It would not be too much longer until they docked on the other side. She still needed to scope out the other passengers, but for now she wanted to watch the water. This was the deepest part of the river, the middle, and the water looked mesmerizing as it churned under the boat and hit roughly against the sides. The boat cut through the water like ti was nothing but air, and the water bowed to its movements. White peaks churned on the tips of the waves as they crashed against the ship, until returning to their calm dark blue.

Word Count: 743

Code credit to Itt.

by **Adriana Sparrow** on March 4th, 2019, 2:51 am

But soon her sightseeing was over. The boat ride across was not a long one, and she needed most of the time to examine her potential targets. She turned, then, to survey the guests once more. She ignored those she had already watched, though she felt a twinge of sorrow for the coinless man as her eyes swiftly passed over him.

She turned her attention so a small, fat man. He was dressed nicely. Well, nicely in Adriana's standards at least. He was probably not the richest of the men in Sunberth, after all he was taking a public boat across the river rather than a private one. But she thought he looked like he managed something or someone at some capacity, and clearly made a liveable wage from it.

He was a twitchy one, his hands always moving. He would scratch his oily head with his stubby fingers and then thrust them into his pocket where she could see his fingers once again moving around in the cloth. He was clearly messing with something in his pocket. Whether it was coins or useless junk, Adriana did not know. However based on his appearance, she put the bet on it being money - or at least something with some kind of value that she could perhaps pawn off later.

At this point she had decided on this man as her victim of petty theft. There were a couple of other people on the boat but they didn't matter at this point. She had given them a quick look at they seem rather regular. This did not mean these other had nothing to take, it was simply more likely that this stubby man here had something either more valuable or something in general, compared to the others.

She turned back to the water then. They were coming up on the dock on the other side of the river. She could see Riverside to the north coast and she wondered if she could spy her old home through the fog of the water. It was doubtful, unlike their first home the Riverside home was not actually on the water.

She would soon need to position herself near her target. Everyone always seemed so rushed to get off the boat, she never understood the rush, why couldn't they just patiently wait? Well, it didn't matter. Their impatientness aided her cause. They would all mash up together and the man wouldnt think twice about someone touching him. She would be able to pick his pockets without thought.

Code credit to Itt.

by **Adriana Sparrow** on March 6th, 2019, 12:25 am

The dock was getting closer, she could see the waiting people on the wood, ready for the boat to arrive to take them back across the river. She left her perch then, and went to where to passengers had begun crowding up to get off the boat. She pushed her way through them a bit, attempting to get as close as possible to the short man. It worked well, the people around her did not take much notice of her and she managed to take a stand next to the man, at his right, a tiny bit behind him. She could see his pocket, his hand was in there, jingling around. He would need to remove his hand or else there was no way she was going to be able to pick his pocket. She hoped he was fiddling simply because the group was standing still, and hoped as well that once they started moving to disembark, he was remove his hand as well.

The boat came to a stop then, by the dock, but the group needed to wait for the crew members to put down the ramp, allowing them off the ship. It took them a moment, and while she waited she watched the people waiting for the boats arrival crowd up just like they were on deck. People were so impatient. Instead she watched the men put down the ramp. They were strong, heaving the wood and placing it down. She wondered if it was hard for them, or if they had simply done it so many times its was nothing anymore. She figured it was probably the latter.

They were done before she knew it and as soon as the ramp hit the deck the passengers were moving and pushing to get back on land. For a moment Sparrow was battered between the people, but she quickly found her feet once more and was pleased to notice the mans hand had removed itself from his pocket and was aiding his pushing to get off the ship.

She had lagged, just barely, behind him due to her short distraction, but no one had gotten between them yet, so she was able to make a quick stride to return to his side. She purposely bumped into him a couple times and noticed he did not register her touch. She smiled interally before quickly dipping her hand into his pocket nearest her.

Sure enough he felt something in there and closed her small fingers around it before pulling her hand back out. Straight it went into her satchel where she dropped the nick nack, or whatever it would end up being into the bag and out of sight. It felt a big big, certainly bigger than a coin, it was almost the entire size of her hand. The shape, from what she could tell, was strange, and it felt light despite its size. She would be able to look at it later.

The interaction lasted less than five seconds, and before they knew it everyone was off the boat and escaping in their own separate directions. She watched as the couple turned down one street, away from the river, perhaps towards whatever shopped that held their present. The coinless man did not wander immediately, instead he watched with a sad face as the other passengers boarded the ship. After a few moments he turned and walked with his head down towards the ground slowly in another direction. She felt for him a bit and hoped he managed to find a way home.

The small man walked quickly away from the river, he seemed nervous. She watched as he stuck his hand into his pocket once more. At this point he was farther away form the dock, but Adriana had walked in a similar direction as him. He realized his pocket was empty almost immediately and a panicked look spread across his face. He instantly began to pat his other pockets, hoping it had somehow transfer itself to another. When those came up empty too, he circled himself, looking at the ground, and then looked back up to the ship that was beginning to pull away. He started to run towards it, his hand up as if trying to pull the massive ship back to shore.

Adriana's gaze did not follow the man as he helplessly ran back to the boat. She kept on her way, moving farther and farther from him until she was completely gone and would never see the man again.

Code credit to Itt.

by **Adriana Sparrow** on March 6th, 2019, 12:42 am

She was headed to the Riverside district, to her old home to find the money she was almost sure her mother had hidden somewhere in that house. It had been a couple of seasons since the family lived in the home and finding the money, if it even existed, was a long shot. It would more than likely someone else lived in the home now and she would not be able to get in. She knew some about lockpicking, but it was not very advanced. Even if she was able to get in she would have to locate the hiding spot and hope no one have found it before her.

While she had convinced herself the money existed, she had not convinced herself that she would be able to find it. She could only hope. Either way, she headed the way of the home and once she was within the district and far from the docks and the man she had stole from, she took out the item she had pickpocketed to take a look.

Initially she was disappointed. It was just a shell, an empty, though larger than she had seen before, snail shell, though made from wood. It was a bland color, beige with a bit darker of a color on the inside from lack of sunlight. The outside was ridged like she had seen on snail shells as a child playing in the plants and dirt. It was spiraled towards the center. Nothing was interesting about it except its size, and she almost missed the carving on it.

On one side of the sell a small face was carved. It was a simple face, nothing too detailed and she wasn't sure what the point of it was. It looked nothing like the small man she took it from, or any real person in general so it couldn't be some weird portrait, she thought. Maybe it was a child toy. Maybe Bae would like it. She didn't know.

The small man seemed very panicked that he had lost it. While they were both on the boat he often messed with it. It clearly was important to him, though Adriana could not comprehend why. She would keep it either way. Maybe she could learn more about it. Maybe it was a rare shell and worth some money? Or maybe at the very least Bae would enjoy it for a few weeks.

She stuffed it back into her satchel then. There was nothing more she could see in it now, and she was approaching her old home.

Notes :

Code credit to Itt.

by **Madeira Dusk** on April 18th, 2019, 7:52 pm

Grades Awarded!

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Adriana Sparrow

Skills

Planning: 3xp
Logic: 3xp
Philosophy: 1xp
Investigation: 3xp
Observation: 5xp
Tactics: 1xp
Stealth: 2xp
Larceny: 4xp

Lores

Rotted Ruins: prime real estate for homeless youth
Philosophy: a city divided is a city at war
Pickpocketing: what makes an easy mark
Lore of a first experience aboard a boat
Tactics: plan of retreat
Stealth: blending in to a larger crowed
Larceny: desensitizing a target with repeated touches
Larceny: picking pockets
Lore of the mysterious snail shell item

Awards & Retribution
+Mysterious Snail Shell

Notes
You rarely see the analytical side of thieving in this game. I really like how Adriana thinks as she looking for opportunities and evaluating people. She comes across as a hard-bitten girl just doing what needs to be done. Excellent read. :thumbsup: