** Arramel's Chapter **

My lips curled to reveal my teeth as I glared at the drunken sot in front of me. Trust some high and mighty 'Lord' who had a little too much money to burn tonight to mistake ME for a 'lady of the evenin'. So what if I was wearing pants? It wasn't a CRIME for cryin' out loud! Still if he tried to touch me once more . . . I growled.

"I dun know what ye want, go t'other way!" I snarled, trying not to talk like his lot. When you weren't born to it, street talk was hard to get used to. He reached his hand out, alcohol-bright eyes looking at me expectantly. He tried to move forward, but stumbled over himself. His outstretched hand failed for something to keep him upright, and grasped on my shoulder. I ground my teeth, and my nails bit into my palms and I squeezed my hands tight to distract me enough from the idiot so I could get out of there without killing him. Killing a Lord isn't the smartest thing to do at the best of times! Especially not when you're new to a town you wanna stay in for a while. He steadied himself and then looked at me, a goofy smile spreading across his face. I knew that look . . .

By the time his hands had moved enough for me to recognize their course of action, my elbow was smashing into his nose, while that hand grabbed his left wrist, and the other hand yanking a dagger out of its sheath. He howled in pain, and jerked away, and I let him go, grimacing. Fortunately for me, he was too drunk to remember what I looked like, but I had broken his nose, so there'd be a search soon. I put my dagger back as I took off running.

I had a hit planned tonight, needed some cash, and also needed to bribe my way into the local Thieves' 'guild' here. If I didn't, I'd have a lot of heat on my back if I stole anything they hadn't authorized. My eyes scanned the buildings down the alleys I flew through. Even though I was new, I had taken it upon myself to memorize the map of this city I'd found in my father's library. There!

I stopped abruptly in front of the door. A Pawn shop. Not too big of a hit I'm overstepping my place, but big enough it shows what I'm made of. I had to do this carefully, or I'd get in trouble. The Watch had already passed, so I was free for about ten minutes. I pulled out a pair of lock picks, and my fingers caressed the appropriate ones. Within seconds, I was disappearing through the door. I closed it behind me for safety. If I needed to make a quick exit, the cellar provided the perfect escape.

I quickly scanned the room, my night vision gracing me with the ability to take stock of my surroundings. Okay. Quickly, I went to work. Any of the really expensive items would be noticed right away, and it also had to be non-nondescript for easy, non-traceable sale.

My chest ached with longing as my gaze flitted over some expensive jewelry. But I just grabbed some small metal statues, some clothing to wrap up my choices, and then headed over to the beckoning safe.

The large padlock was more show then it was safe. It was off quicker than the door! I reached in and got the semi-precious stones inside, simple and pure-metal jewelry, as well as some cash.

My heart froze in my chest when I heard the back door open. It was almost silent, which meant the person who was doing it, wasn't supposed to be here. With great care, I closed the safe, slipped the lock back on, and gently locked it, all trying to refrain from making a noise. Whoever it was, they were massive. This tall silhouette showed up against what little light was in here, and I knew I had two options. Stay, and allow them to discover me, or ease my way over to the door, and then bolt. I chose the latter. Wrapping everything up swiftly so it wouldn't clink, I secured it under neath my clothes, and then edged over to the door, trying to fade in as if I were a shadow within a shadow. When I reached the door, they were carefully looking through, then turned suddenly.

Damn. I'd either been spotted, or they knew the place had been hit. I felt for the doorknob, and took off, feet hitting the ground silently, but fast. They took off after me, but I turned a corner, and scaled the wall, pressing my body flat against the roof. They turned the corner, and kept running, only pausing at the next intersection of alleys.

I got back to the ground, and then walked calmly in a distorted path to where I knew the Thieves' 'Guild' had to be. It was the only logical place that gave them accessibility, without being too close to the best targets. I had already made my tentative ventures to not only get a someone to vouch for me ((the thief told me where to show, and when to make my appearance. He'd seen me in action once, and I gave him my loot in exchange for a good word)) but to know how much I should bring in as an offering.

I slipped into the empty-looking warehouse, being careful not to disturb the thick layer of dust. I grabbed onto the railing that went around the entire wall, and eased myself along there. I was guessing veteran thieves got a better access point, but hey, it was probably all part of a test. I reached the other side of the building, my arms beginning to ache. Not even all my apparent training had prepared me for using them this much! I let myself down carefully, and squeezed through the nearly imperceptable hole in the wall. I found myself in a tiny room. With a sigh, I felt along the floor for a loose floorboard, and then pulled on it. It came up with a section of the floor, to reveal a ladder. Tch, of course they're not going to make it easy on you! I thought bitterly to myself, and started my descent. When I reached the bottom, I was in a medium-sized tunnel, barely big enough for me to walk hunched over.

The tunnel forked off several times, but a 'watermark' on the wall directed me which way to go each time. Finally, I reached a door, which I opened and emerged into a dimly lit room. It had no doors, and a stone floor. Other than that, it was empty. I closed the door behind me, and studied the floor. The stones looked too dark to have started that way naturally, and I got the feeling this was another test. Sure enough, the walls had holes in them. Great. A trap. So I had to make it to the other side without stepping on the wrong stone! I looked behind me to see what looked to be a constellation of stars on the back of the door. It wasn't anything I recognized, until I smirked. So that's the pattern! I followed the exact layout, and reached the other side. pressing my shoulder against the wall, I pushed.

It gave way beneath my weight, and I stumbled into a brightly lit room. The room had a lot of pillows in jewel tones, and had two other doors to it. The man who directed me, smiled slightly, and whispered into this other man's ear. The other man was dressed in a bright blue, and he looked at me curiously.

I pulled out all of my spoils, but didn't approach him. Instead, I spread them out on the ground before me, silent. I knew this game all too well. If I moved, that'd be a threat and the guards on either side on him would have my neck.

Just then, an angry-looking woman burst through the door, shattering the silence. First impression: she was tall. Second impression: she was armed. And she looked very dangerous.

**Hey guys! Arramel here. I hope you enjoyed the start of our new story! This is actually a collaborative effort Jowen and I have been tinkering with for a while, so we're re-writing, editing and improving pieces that have already been written, and will start to continue once we run out of material.

Every other chapter will be written by me, and the rest by Jowen. Since this is a collaboration, the header at the top will tell you who's point of view we're looking out from. The chapters switch characters, so that's to help you not get confused. Next chapter, you see what's going on through Jo's eyes.

We're not going to run into Briar, Daja, Tris and Sandry for a bit yet, so bear with us as we set the story!

Thanks for reading!

- Arramel **