78th Spring 515 AV
The end of spring was approaching, and that signalled the approach of the heat. With summer on the on the horizon, the weather was already starting to get warmer and more humid. Hot weather and humidity were definitely not on Zoe's list of things that she liked. She woke up from bed, just like any other day in Sunberth. Things went on as usual, with merchants getting robbed, goods being stolen, and people getting kidnapped and killed. But the warm seasons were always the best for a larcenist such as herself she had discovered much earlier on, several seasons ago.
People generally carried more money, and dressed lightly, with as little clothing as they could, hoping to attain some form of comfort from the heat and humidity. Whereas in winter, they would be dressed in layers of cloth, which could make thieving from a tad troublesome. Working at night was an option, but one would find less people wandering out at night, considering how dangerous the city was, once darkness fell. If you were not capable of defending yourself, you would not want to find yourself out in the streets at dark.
The fair-haired thief was looking for an opportunity for some warm food in her belly. She still had money, of course, but why spend unless you need to? It was best to save the money for when you really need it. Food can be stolen, rather easily as well. The trick was to know when and who to steal it from.
Some merchants who possessed enough cash to spend often hired mercenaries or sellswords to guard their merchandise, and stealing from those could land oneself into a particularly nasty if not fatal encounter. The poorer ones however won't be able to afford such a luxury. These were the ones ripe for the taking, and even then it was all about time and skill. These were the ones you stole from if you valued your body parts.
She made her way into the Castle Commons, proceeding to make her rounds around the rows of stalls lined up in the area. Gazing through, her eyes picked out which were the stalls that were protected, and which were not. Crowds of visitors and townspeople alike made the area alot more populated than it actually was. That was a good thing. Crowds provided opportunities to blend in, during, before, and after a steal. Cries of "Fresh and piping hot bread here!" among others like “Come see the newest clothing from foreign cities!"
Merchants and hawkers alike were crying out their wares, hoping to attract the crowd to purchase their wares. Zoe's ears twitched at the particular calling from the bread and pastry stall. She could use some of that freshly bread right now. Just the thought of her eating it made her drool, but she hastily recollected her drool, swallowing it down dryly.
She had to focus, but it was proving to be difficult, as her stomach protested loudly with a series of grumbles. Looking towards the bakery stall, she noticed that there wasn't much of a crowd there at all. That won't do. She would surely be spotted if she attempted thievery of any sorts while the owner had his eyes on her. She needed a distraction.
The denizens of Sunberth were really stingy with their mizas. But it was understandable as money was difficult to come by in this poor dirty city. You would find that they would only be willing to spend their coins on products from stalls that were deemed good enough by others. She would be the one to have to attract some attention this way. Slipping two copper-rimmed coins into her hand, she went up ahead to the stall, and purchased a loaf of fresh-hot bread.
Her stomach grumbled even louder as the fragrant aroma drifted up to her nostrils. Standing several paces away from stall, she took in a deep breath inhaling the aroma before taking a bite from the bread. It was slightly sweet, yet warm and fluffy. When she was about mid-way through, Zoe started on her plan. She remarked in a rather loud voice.
"Oh my, this bread is really delicious. I bet this goes well with some cheese. Mmm... It's warm and fluffy."
As ridiculous as it sounded to her, she was sure that there would at least be some that had their interest piqued and would then proceed to check it out. The bigger the crowd the better.
People generally carried more money, and dressed lightly, with as little clothing as they could, hoping to attain some form of comfort from the heat and humidity. Whereas in winter, they would be dressed in layers of cloth, which could make thieving from a tad troublesome. Working at night was an option, but one would find less people wandering out at night, considering how dangerous the city was, once darkness fell. If you were not capable of defending yourself, you would not want to find yourself out in the streets at dark.
The fair-haired thief was looking for an opportunity for some warm food in her belly. She still had money, of course, but why spend unless you need to? It was best to save the money for when you really need it. Food can be stolen, rather easily as well. The trick was to know when and who to steal it from.
Some merchants who possessed enough cash to spend often hired mercenaries or sellswords to guard their merchandise, and stealing from those could land oneself into a particularly nasty if not fatal encounter. The poorer ones however won't be able to afford such a luxury. These were the ones ripe for the taking, and even then it was all about time and skill. These were the ones you stole from if you valued your body parts.
She made her way into the Castle Commons, proceeding to make her rounds around the rows of stalls lined up in the area. Gazing through, her eyes picked out which were the stalls that were protected, and which were not. Crowds of visitors and townspeople alike made the area alot more populated than it actually was. That was a good thing. Crowds provided opportunities to blend in, during, before, and after a steal. Cries of "Fresh and piping hot bread here!" among others like “Come see the newest clothing from foreign cities!"
Merchants and hawkers alike were crying out their wares, hoping to attract the crowd to purchase their wares. Zoe's ears twitched at the particular calling from the bread and pastry stall. She could use some of that freshly bread right now. Just the thought of her eating it made her drool, but she hastily recollected her drool, swallowing it down dryly.
She had to focus, but it was proving to be difficult, as her stomach protested loudly with a series of grumbles. Looking towards the bakery stall, she noticed that there wasn't much of a crowd there at all. That won't do. She would surely be spotted if she attempted thievery of any sorts while the owner had his eyes on her. She needed a distraction.
The denizens of Sunberth were really stingy with their mizas. But it was understandable as money was difficult to come by in this poor dirty city. You would find that they would only be willing to spend their coins on products from stalls that were deemed good enough by others. She would be the one to have to attract some attention this way. Slipping two copper-rimmed coins into her hand, she went up ahead to the stall, and purchased a loaf of fresh-hot bread.
Her stomach grumbled even louder as the fragrant aroma drifted up to her nostrils. Standing several paces away from stall, she took in a deep breath inhaling the aroma before taking a bite from the bread. It was slightly sweet, yet warm and fluffy. When she was about mid-way through, Zoe started on her plan. She remarked in a rather loud voice.
"Oh my, this bread is really delicious. I bet this goes well with some cheese. Mmm... It's warm and fluffy."
As ridiculous as it sounded to her, she was sure that there would at least be some that had their interest piqued and would then proceed to check it out. The bigger the crowd the better.
