The perfect place

[matthias]

This was the perfect place to steal, he thought.
Matthias, age 20. Brown hair and eyes. Medium height. Slender. Makes a living off the living of others. He is a nomad, traveling from town to town, area to area, taking what he pleases. Ever since his family died 14 years ago, this was the only way he thought he could live.

This was the first time he had been in Thala, and from the looks of it, he liked it. He'd make the general area his domain for the next few days. He was too good to get caught. Right?

[erryn]

Eryyn watched the young man from a distance. Stupid. Probably thinking he could stay around here without paying. Theif, no doubt - he made that far, far too obvious. Just the way he was staring hungrily at the nobles and upperclass members of society walking by made it clear. He'd never get anything like that.

He approached the man. "Hey!" he called. "You!"

[matthias]

"Who the......?!"
Someone had walked up to him.....an official?
........no, he didn't think so.....

[erryn]

"Really. Relax."
Erryn regarded him with a cold, critical stare. His voice was low as he said, "You won't steal anything with those nerves."

[matthias]

"Observant, I see...... did you come over here to critique me, or report me?"

Mathias looked at him. He was younger than him, but seemed to have an air of confidence about him.

[erryn]

"Neither, I think." Erryn smiled at him, but it was sarcastic. "To warn you. Thieves here... stay together. You're not the first to think that this place is an easy target, and try to strike it alone. Well, yeah, you earn something here or there, but in the end, the thievery gangs aren't too happy with you. So, you have three options."

He held up his pointer finger. "One, you can join a group of theives. Not easy."
He added his middle finger. "Two, you can be terribly careful and make sure no one notices that you steal. In a place like this, even less easy."
And his ring finger. "Three, you can act like you are now and make it dreadfully obvious who you are, without joining a group, and let them drive you out of the city - if you're lucky - or kill you - if you're unlucky. This one, my friend, is the easiest of all."

He smiled again. "So now! Which is it, hm?"

[matthias]

"An interesting proposition....." Matthias thought for a moment. ".....I would go with joining a group of thieves, but I myself am more active, and don't stay in one area for to long. Seeing as how this town is a just a little bit difficult to traverse, I think I'll just switch places, like I have been doing for the past 14 years. Just one question: Who are you, and why do you offer me these options? Are you a member of a certain group of thieves looking for new recruits, or the town augury?"

[erryn]

Erryn nodded with a single jerk of his chin. "Good choice. I don't see someone like you fitting in here. And as of your question..."

He paused, thinking. "I suppose you could say I'm a theif, but many would argue that I'm not. I'm definitely accepted, and I'm allowed to steal if I want to - no bands of theives would hurt me for that. I might be the town augury, but maybe I'm not. I don't know. I've just always been here, and I have a problem with seeing people hurt themselves."

[matthias]

"Enigmatic, aren't you? I'm not sure who....or what......gave you the good grace of being allowed to steal to your heart's desire, but you must certainly be blessed. And if my way of living is considered hurtful to myself, so be it. I don't expect to live a full life. And seeing how I am obviously not welcome in this town, I beleive I'll make my way out of here. By your leave....."
Matthias turns his head to the stranger.

[erryn]

"I didn't mean any offense," Erryn said calmly. "I was only trying to help. You would have ended up dead on a street corner with a knife sticking out of your back if I hadn't said what I just said to you. But, if you want to be angry with me for it, fine."

He hesitated, then added, still to the stranger's back, "May I ask where you'll go now?"

[matthias]

"........I think I'll go to the Aranian capital, Quefi. I never had the nerve to go there before, because of the amount of guards, but hearing you out has made me rethink my stance. I am still quite inexperienced. Therefore, I think I'll go there and reteach myself in this delicate art of thievery, or begin a new life, where I might actually work for money. Whichever option I choose, I am still undecided as of now. I still search for my true role in life."
Matthias stopped.

[erryn]

Erryn nodded slowly, thoughtfully.

"Maybe you should straighten out," he said. "Work for you right to live. Trust me, sometimes it just isn't worth it." As he said that, his lips thinned and he cast his eyes sideways to the ground. Ugh. The bad memories that brought back... and those words...

You're nothing more than a parasite, you know! Leeching what others rightfully earned from them! Nothing more than a parasite!

He shuddered, and quickly looked back to the stranger. "Trust me. Trust me. It isn't worth it."

He smiled, this time in earnest. "Good luck, at any rate. Whichever way you go."

[matthias]

Matthias noticed the stranger shudder out of the corner of his eye. Maybe they weren't so indifferent, he thought.
"...........thanks. Good luck to you, too."
And with this Matthias set out to the road from Thala to Queri, thoughts racing in his head. Who was that person.......?

[erryn]

Erryn watched the man - he never did learn his name - walk away and finally disappear in the crowd. He sighed.

Well. That was that.

He turned around and walked away.

occ comment: If you're going to Queri, why don't you take the "Queri to Thala" road?