Okay! So here's my Thief story! I'm going to try to work my way up to the events in the newest Thief game and go from there. Certain things may get changed or tweaked for the stories sake but please don't hate me for it. Also, just going to go ahead and put it out there, I'm not a huge fan of Erin. So she will probably not fair too well in this story, if you couldn't tell by the description. This is rated M for future gore and smutty smut.
Chapter 1: The Job
The night was crisp and cool as the city prepared for yet another festival. That's all they seemed to do anymore. They had a party for every season, every constellation, every birthday for the rich hoity-toity's with the spare gold to throw around. He scoffed from his perch on a rooftop; the shadows from the chimney hiding him from view. He watched them for only a moment longer before turning and making his way to the inn four streets over. There was a visiting noble from another town he didn't care about, but nobles often like to show off their wealth, so even someone just popping in for a visit would have some valuables laying around.
He crossed the road from overhead via a thin, long board and approached a window. He crouched down and peeked through the dirty glass. It was clear. He jammed his window hook into the bottom of the pane and pushed down, the leverage popping the lock relatively easily. He slipped in silently, and though this wasn't exactly the room he was looking for, whoever was staying here had a few nice things too. He rummaged through the drawers quickly taking anything he found with value and worth his time. A silver pen, a gold watch and cufflinks, some jewelry.
What stopped him were soft footsteps coming up the nearby stairs. He froze, listening to see if those feet were headed his way. He rolled his eyes. Of course they were. Quick as a flash he waved his hands over the candles to extinguish them and shut himself in the wardrobe. The slats in the wood allowed him to see the young girl open the door and quietly shut it behind her. She had long, wavy hair that was somewhere in between a deep red and dark brown and her eyes were the color of cold steel. Her lack of jewelry and dirty clothes told him she wasn't a noble. Petty thief maybe?
She didn't light the candles which was the first thing that piqued his interest. She moved frantically in the darkness, looking in the drawers he had already cleared, under the bed in a few boxes, and on the vanity that was already stripped. She was trying to be quiet, but compared to him she was about as stealthy as a bull in a china shop.
"Where is it?" She cursed to herself. Her eyes scanned the room and stopped on the wardrobe. He could see the cogs turning in her head as she approached the door. He pulled his cowl up tighter on his face, every muscle in his body tightened, waiting for the precise moment. Just as her hand reached for the knob he threw the door open, causing her to fall backwards onto the floor. He covered her mouth with his hand and pinned her body down with his.
"Scream and I'll kill you." He growled. She nodded her head beneath his hand slowly, her intense eyes never leaving his. "You're going to close your eyes and count to five. When you open them I'll be gone, and this never happened. Got it?"
Before he could get a response from her, there was a loud knock at the door. "Room cleaning." A tired voice said from the other side. He missed the sounds of the footsteps from knocking the girl to the floor. His eyes darted to her and he quickly hauled her to her feet and got behind her. He curled his fist in her hair and pulled a sharp dagger from his belt and held it to her neck. "Tell them to go away." He snarled in her ear. He preferred not to use violence, especially on women, but if this got him out cutting her throat and stuffing her body in the wardrobe he felt it beneficial to both parties.
"No thanks! Come back in the morning." The girl said. Though her eyes were filled with fear her voice was clear and smooth, void of anything that would rise suspicion.
He heard the footsteps and the soft creaking of old cleaning cart wheels leaving down the hall. "Good girl." He whispered. He felt her shiver in his hands. He waiting for silence before shoving her forward. She hit her knees and before she could spin around he was back out the window he came in and flying across the rooftops, putting as much space as he could between himself and the inn.
Three days passed before Garett decided to leave his clock tower again. The things he had gotten from the wrong room paid off decently, but he needed more if he was going to get the parts to keep the clock running.
The rumor was that the clock tower was haunted. It had been broken for years before it suddenly started working again, and it kept working with no one going in or out or making any repairs or maintenance. The superstition kept the guards and citizens away. And he didn't mind the work if it paid for his privacy.
He waited for night fall and made his way to the Crippled Burrick. He slipped in through the window and climbed into the rafters, watching Basso get nervous always got a smirk out of him. The round man was the closest thing he had to what some people might label a 'friend'.
"Basso." He sniggered from his perch.
The man jumped in surprise when he looked up to see the masked thief up in the ceiling. "Garett, you taffer! How many times to I have to ask you to use the damned door?" He leaned against a shelf to calm his racing heart and shook his head while Garett seemed to float down silently from above.
"I don't like doors." He said absent mindedly, looking around the room.
"I suppose you're here for a job?"
"I suppose I am."
"Well then." Basso said, straightening his belt. "I've got just the thing. The Thief Taker General is overseeing the preparations for some big noble's party at that new pub down by The City Bank this weekend, as a personal favor to the Baron." He shuffled around some books and papers, looking for something specific. "And on his person, he will have a certain ring that carries the Baron's seal that dons all the Baron's documents and orders. My client wants it for forging papers to-"
"Don't care." Garett interrupted. "I don't like politics." He mused. "I only care about the pay. The clock's springs are getting rusty and they'll break soon if I don't replace them. The last thing I need is having some mechanic stumble into my traps and get his head cut off"
Basso chuckled at him. "It's good to know that the people that matter don't change." He handed him a parchment with a roughly drawn map on it. "I don't know how you'll get it from him, but if anyone can do it I guess it's you, Master Thief."
Garett took the map and looked it over. He looked Basso in the eyes and nodded. "I'll be back." He said simply and turned to leave.
"Use the door, Garett!" He called after him, knowing full well that he wouldn't.
The weekend of the Thief Taker General's visit and Garett was still without a solid plan. He had the place scoped. Getting in or out wasn't the problem. It was getting that ring off the General. He groaned in frustration as he watched the various maids and kitchen workers going in and out. Soon the Madame of the Blooming Rose would be stopping by with the girls so the choices could be made on 'entertainment'. He used the term 'madame' loosely. If he couldn't figure anything out tonight that meant breaking into the General's house. And he would rather strike here where it was safer with civilians than a manor full of armed guards. Thieves and swords didn't get along.
As he scanned the people he was surprised to see a familiar face. The girl from the inn was wearing a serving uniform and helping carry tables and chairs into the main hall of the pub. He didn't know why he remembered her, just that he did. For whatever reason he decided to watch her, thinking that maybe he could use her. She seemed pretty level headed at the inn. And if she was a petty thief, well, if she scratched his back maybe he would scratch hers somewhere down the road. A pretty girl like herself would have a much easier time getting close to the General than he would, especially surrounded by people.
As he made up his mind he pulled his cowl over his face and swooped down from the rooftop and tailed her, waiting to catch her alone. His opportunity came while everyone else was decorating she was in the kitchens, hauling large, heavy cast iron pots onto the stoves. He was impressed with her strength. She stopped for a moment and put her hands on her hips, taking a quick break from the labor.
"Hello again." He purred from the shadows.
She whipped around quickly, her eyes darting to every shadow. He almost chuckled. She had passed over him twice and didn't see him. She backed up to the stove, her eyes narrowing. "Who's there?" She said in that smooth, even tone.
He emerged from the shadows, keeping a safe distance between them. Her grey eyes widened. "Don't scream." He warned, his hand hovering threateningly over his dagger.
"It's you." She hissed.
"It's me." He said. "I would say sorry for soiling your plans back at the inn, but I'm a thief, not a liar." He picked up an apple out of the basket and turned it around in his hands.
"What are you doing here?" She asked. The smoothness in her voice quivered, her tough act was failing her. "What do you want?"
"A favor." He said simply.
"Oh well sure thing buddy ol' pal. Anything to help a friend!" She threw her hands up incredulously. Her sarcasm surprised him.
"The Thief Taker General will be here tonight. He has the baron's ring and I need it." He said, trying to stay on track. He only had so much time.
She scoffed. "What's in it for me?" She crossed her arms in front of her.
"The Master Thief Garret will owe you one favor." He said, taking a bite from the apple.
"Well the not-so-master thief Alia can't pay her rent with favors." She chided at him with a raised eyebrow.
"So you are a thief." He said, amused.
"Aspiring." She admitted, looking at the ground. "Working for money honestly doesn't pay jack shit. So I decided to work more dishonestly. You feel me?"
"Is that why you're dressed as a servant?" He said mockingly.
She glared at him. "That's why I said 'aspiring', you ass." He was admittedly entertained by her attitude and foul mouth. All of a sudden a sly grin spread across her face. "I have an idea. I help you, you train me."
He stopped mid chew and locked eyes with her. "No." He said harshly. He remembered what happened with Erin and he wasn't going down that road. Not again.
"Aw come on!" She said pleadingly. "You wouldn't approach me for help if you didn't think I was useless right? I'm pretty decent and I know I can get better!"
He turned on her angrily. "You are a mere convenience. That's it. I don't see anything to you besides a pawn to get my pay, got it?"
Her eyes narrowed. "Good luck getting the ring yourself then, prick. That's my price. Pay it or go fuck yourself." She slid past him and left the kitchen. He cursed himself for losing his temper. If he had just played a little nicer than he could have had her eating out of the palm of his hand until he could find an opportunity to ditch her. He returned to the shadows and climbed into the rafters where he could observe the party from above and hopefully come across a new opportunity.
As the party went on he moved from place to place above the throngs of people. He was trying to come up with a plan, even if it was an improvised one. The General already arrived and was strutting about like a peacock, taking his favor to the baron a little too seriously. The madame had arrived and was parading some of the girls around, the general drooled over the younger ones, as he had a particularly barbaric taste.
"Come here, girl!" He motioned to Alia, who plastered a fake smile on her face and obeyed.
"Yes, my General?" She said with a slight tilt of her head.
The Thief Taker watched her as she approached, his eyes obviously seeing something he liked, which Garett found odd. Alia was built like a woman, not a little girl.
"Now where," The General mused, curling his mustache. "Have they been hiding you?" He looked at her lecherously. "I want something strong to drink." He said, watching her backside for an uncomfortably long time after she accepted her task and headed for the kitchen. She returned a short time later with a cup of wine and a small plate of cakes on a serving tray. He watched as she got closer to the general she tripped and threw the platter all over him.
Garett's eyes narrowed in the darkness of his perch. She tripped on nothing. Literally nothing, she did it on purpose.
"You stupid slut!" The General bellowed as Alia frantically apologized over and over, wiping off his chest and arms with a towel. He reared his hand back as if to strike her. "Get out of my face before I string you up!" And like a flash she was gone and out the door. Only Garett, from his view from above saw the sly smirk on her face as she held the towel close to her chest.
**Okay so there's chapter 1! Please let me know how it is so I have the motivation to keep going. I NEED TO BE CONSTANTLY VALIDATED AND IM SORRY.