Completed Another Year, Another Puzzle

[Amora Jade]

Season of Summer, Day 6, 513 AV The morning rose slowly, as all morning seem to in Sunberth. The deafening sounds of crying children and sick elderly always flooded the building in which Amora and her mother presided. Their apartment was small and worn, as usual in these parts, but they managed to make it their home since even before she was born. Now that there were only two people living there, instead of four, it seemed to them a luxury. For countless generations, their family had been prone to all sorts of criminal mischief; therefore, after a couple generations they had migrated into this city of lawlessness so they could live and survive as they wished without law authorities watching their every move. Amora's mother, Rayana, was a master fence that could sell stolen goods to nearly any good man. Her brother, Raul, had made his way into a government hired position as an assassin, so he rarely returns home. Her father, Ajak, was a burglar who was murdered when Amora was a small child. As for Amora herself, she found her position into the family as a petty thief and is trying to work her way up. This day seemed as any other day to most people here, but for her mother and herself it seemed a bit more special. It was Amora's nineteenth birthday. Rayana had saved her daughter's gift for several months and was excited to give it to her. "Wake up!" her mother's shout had startled her and forced her into the floor on the opposite side of the cot in which she slept. Every year she had to look forward to being woken up like a prisoner, yet every year it seemed to catch her off guard. She pulled herself back onto her bed and rubbed the sleep from her eyes before she looked up to her deranged mother with a sarcastic smile, "Good morning, Moth-.." She couldn't get the last sound out before a small lock box was shoved into her stomach. After having the breath nearly knocked out of her, Amora took the box from her mother's hand, and from nearly between her rib cage, and held it to where she could examine it. "Happy birthday, love" Rayana smiled and walked to the small fire pit where an iron pot hung between two short steel poled and began to stir the stew she was cooking inside. As she handled her present and tried to open it, Amora realized that half of her gift this year was to figure out how to pick the lock on the box. Every year her mother found some sort of strange way to make her work for her present. She didn't believe anyone deserved anything they didn't work to receive (even if the work wasn't exactly honest.) Excitedly, Amora sprung up and found her small backpack which contained a tool kit fitted for a thief. Inside the kit she found the tools she needed to pick the lock and began to get to work. Carefully she inserted a long metal pick and began to try and open the lock. She jumped and pulled the tool out quickly when she felt the lock was stronger than the pick. This wasn't the ordinary locks she was used to opening, it was much more advanced. She sighed and decided that she would try again after she got something to eat. Chicken and vegetable soup made from her mother was her favorite meal. She swallowed the bowl-full down quickly and filled it up again. Though her mother wasn't very affectionate on most days, Rayana always set this one aside to show her daughter how much she really loved and needed her. Considering Amora was all she really had left in her life, she was sure to take extra care of her, even if she was unaware. After slowly enjoying her second bowl of soup, she was satisfied and turned her attention back to the box. This time she didn't mess with the lock, she just looked at the box. It wasn't much, just a plain old metal square box, but there was a beautiful red flower painted on the top whose stem reached down to the bottom and whose leaves stretched across the top. Her curiosity for what may be inside grew as the morning crept by and the sun found it's way higher in the sky. On her last birthday she received a necklace with a small pendent that had an even smaller lock on it. It took her only a few hours to open it and inside her mother had painted a portrait of them together. Unfortunately, the necklace was lost when she was caught trying to pickpocket an overly-aware fat man who was a bit tipsy. He had pulled her up from the ground by the neck of her jacket and before he threw her, he grabbed the necklace. Ever since that day she had been looking for that man, but suspected he had left the city. This time she wouldn't lose her gift, she would be much more careful. Again she began to pick at the lock, this time much more slowly and carefully until she was able to move a single pin into the position she needed. Scared to move on and a bit stiff from sitting there an hour to only get on pin into position, Amora sat down the box carefully, with the pick still inside, on a small wooden table so that she could return later at start from where she left off. For the last few years Amora had pondered the idea of bringing an animal companion home to keep her and her mother company, but worried she wouldn't be able to feed and nurture it properly. Now that her mother was bringing home more food and they seemed to be getting back on their feet (as well as a poor family could in Sunberth) she decided they needed someone to help protect them, considering their lack in fighting skill. On that note who better to protect them than a war dog? They're strong, loyal, and don't ask for much in return. With the thought in mind, Amora made her way to the local kennel to take a look at the dogs they had to sell, though she wouldn't be buying one at the until she knew she could afford it. She entered the establishment cautiously, trying not to catch any attention. She hated having to explain why she was there if she wasn't going to spend any mizas. She walked around and looked at the horses, then the dogs. There were all sorts of dogs there, some seemed very behaved and the others, not as much yet not completely out of control. They were beautiful and many looked very strong, but after over-hearing a conversation between the owner, Killroy, and a customer, she turned and left the building. The prices weren't completely outrageous, but it was too much for her to spend at that moment. -- The day turned to night for what seemed to Amora to be a blink of an eye. She headed back home and her mother had another soup ready to eat. Potato and cabbage, not a favorite but it sure hit the spot. Her busy day almost made her forget about the box, but once she remembered she was too sleepy to continue to mess with it. Season of Summer, Day 7, 513 AV The morning rose the same as the last, but this one had nothing special planned. Amora woke up later than usual and didn't even take time to eat before she started messing with the lock box again. She had dreamed of what might be inside, maybe her mother conned some poor sap out of some gold, maybe she bought her a better dagger, or maybe she found the necklace she bought for her last year. She began to carefully work the pin into the lock until she could feel the second move up, then the third a little while later. There was only one pin left to move when the pick broke in half. Frustrated, she threw the box down and it popped open. At first she just looked at it because she was ashamed her frustration got the best of her and she was afraid she might have broken what was inside. Luckily her mother had left while she was still messing with the lock and she didn't witness the unappreciative act. Slowly she crawled onto the ground and picked up the box, closing her eyes until she pointed to where she could see inside. She opened her eyes, almost afraid of what she might see, just to see that there was nothing in it, or on the ground where she dropped it. Rayana opened the ragged door to the apartment and received a very disappointed and frustrated look. Amora stood up and sighed, "This is the best year yet, you really did surprise me." Her mother laughed and hugged her, "I hope you like your box, I painted it just for you." Amora laughed and hugged her mother back, nodding. She really did appreciate it, even if it caused her a headache and two afternoons.

[Twister]

.

Experience Award

Amora Jade

Grade :

Experience: 2 Larceny

Lores: Birthday Tradition: No Gift Without a Struggle, Sunberth: Killroy's Kennel, It's The Thought That Counts

Miscellaneous: 1 Painted Averag Metal Lockbox (Jammed Lock)

Comments: A simple enough thread, and a very sadistic mother. I would suggest that you submit family NPCs and the like to the Help Desk to make them official, especially if you intend to use any again in the future. Also, which government did your brother work for? There is none in Sunberth.

If you've any questions or concerns about your grade, drop me a PM!
.