Summary: "You cannot be lonely if you like the person you're alone with." With nothing left to live for, Sanhi's life suddenly changes when she decides to move to the town of Defiance. She soon gets herself caught up with the Tarr business and ends up falling for Alak. Only, she finds problem with one thing. His infatuation with some human, Christie. (Starts in season 1, medium burn, slight Christie bashing)

THIS GOES FOR THIS CHAPTER AND ALL OF THE CHAPTER THAT FOLLOW!

I DO NOT OWN DEFIANCE OR ANY OF THE CHARACTERS YOU RECOGNIZE FROM IT. IT IS SOLELY THE RIGHT OF THE CREATORS AND WRITERS OF THE SERIES. I DO HOWEVER OWN MY CHARACTERS INCLUDING CAMILLE, SAHNI, AND EMAHL.

SANHI POV

I remember the first time I watched Emahl practice picking pockets. We were at a boarding house in New California, where I used to live with my parents. He was using a mock person that was dressed in merchant clothes. There were these tiny bells sewn into the suit of clothes and they rang if he did it wrong. I was lying on the floor in the next room, watching through a small hole. I was near eight when he had taken me off the streets to the house. I had spent the past two years as a helper at a blacksmiths shop, but the blacksmith had been killed when he was attacked by a hellbug. I did pick up the skill of making small edged weapons as well as slim throwing spikes before the incident.

Nine years later I was squatted beside a vegetable cart, watching the market crowd. I was the best pick pocket in the city. I only worked a few days every week and was very careful who I stole from. I finally stood and walked into the crowd. I followed close behind a couple of merchants who had slipped inside a Johns bar for a drink. It was quite easy to follow them once they retuned walking unsteadily. When they staggered into another merchant I slid closer. My left hand moved as my right brought the tiny, razor sharp hooked bladed knife up and sliced the leather thong holding the merchants scrip pouch. My left hand swept the pouch down and into the inside pocket sewn into the waist of my leather jacket. I continued walking and made my way to the other side of the market square. I squatted down against the stone wall and went back to watching.

It was a couple of hours later that I slipped into the boarding house. I moved through the crowd to the bar counter, picking up a cup of before heading to a vacant table. I was wolfing the stew down when a newer man names Greg walked up with two others. He sneered, "Sanhi, a lady, one of your kind, was robbed in the market square today."

I glanced up, "I don't steal from Catithans."

He snarled, "Put them on the table, girl."

I looked at them and pulled six merchant belt pouches out and put them on the table, "See, no lady's pouch."

He grinned reaching for my stolen pouches, "Not bad for a Casti. I will just…"

I shifted and moved, my hands blurred, the left stabbing a tiny strait bladed knife into his left hand as my right stabbed another into his let. I yanked my right hand to the left cutting his thigh as he screamed. I was off the bench with my left hand striking into his throat, sending him to the ground clutching his wounded trachea. "Gwóla pókwa péle she?!" (Were you born stupid?)

I slipped the tiny knives back into my sleeves and slipped the belt pouch off. I pulled the dagger lodged in his leg out and tucked it behind my belt. I retrieved my stolen pouches and then the abandoned bowl. Silently walking across the kitchen, I put the bowl away.

I looked around and walked into the lodge keeper's office. I walked into the counting room and crossed to the desk.

The Sensoth, keeper, Toni smiled and turned from the painting he was looking at, "Have you come to pay me Sanhi Thoch?"

I grinned and slid the six pouches across the desk. I watched as he poured the scrip onto the desk. He counted, split them, and pushed the larger pile back to me. I pulled my own meager belt pouch from another hidden pocket and dumped the remaining scrip into it. I smiled at Toni, "Bihalazhwe je." (Thank you very much)

I left and went up onto the sleeper floor and into the flat that I shared with Emahl. He scowled, "you should be out working Sanhi."

I grinned, "I finished early."

He smirked, shaking his head a little. Emahl was half human half Castithan. His mother was raped by a human during the war and, despite backlash, decided to keep him. She died a few years back and had left him on his own. I think the real reason he even helped me was because of her. Emahl had the air of a benevolent angel. He had large blue eyes that are like two lavender pools. His fine, straight, white hair was neck-length and is worn in a dignified, uncomplicated style. He was over six feet tall and has a lithe build. His skin, china-white, make his pointy chin look menacing. His wardrobe is simple and dignified, with a lot of orange and black.

The next afternoon, we received a frantic knock on our door. Emahl was gone to work and I was in the middle of lunch. When I opened it, I saw Camille, another Casti boarder who lived with her adopted parents. When Camille slipped into the flat wide eyed I knew it was trouble. She was very smart and like me she refused to officially train for anything beyond picking pockets. She was thirteen but looked much younger.

We moved back to the kitchen table. I had just picked up my bowl when she whispered, "Jariss turned Petri over to the Casti's for stealing." Jariss was one of the lawkeepers in town that was paid off every now and then to keep the pick pockets out of trouble. Petri was a Castithan man who was often scrutinized by our kind.

I looked at her and then carefully put the food I had been eating back on the table. "When?"

"Yesterday."

My eyes narrowed, "Is he on the wall?"

She looked into my face, "They strung him up this morning." She looked away, "They beat him and cut him up good Sahni."

I closed my eyes, "The theft was just supposed to be a small one, no one was supposed to know who did it. Jariss was the one to set it up. I told you guys he couldn't be trusted!"

She cleared her throat, "They left a note saying that from now on they would treat every Casti theft the same way."

"Shtako." (shit) I, mumbled looking at her, and then nodded, "Stay out of the all the marketplaces. They will be looking for anything to pin on us."

Camille nodded, "I still have plenty." She hesitated, "What are you and Emahl going to do?"

"Emahl doesn't steal, so no need to worry about him. Me on the other hand, why would I do anything?"

When Camille finally left it was well past the time for Emahl to come home. After waiting for a while I went in search of him. I finally came to the market place where most of the Castithan populace is during the night. I came to an abandoned alleyway when I saw his coat. I Rn to him. He was face down in a puddle and convered with blood. I didn't have to be an Indogene to tell he was dead. I'm not heartless, but I didn't cry right then in the middle of the street. In my world. You don't have time to cry. I slipped into one of the bars and asked Jacob, a human who worked there, whether he had seen Emahl that night. He asked around for me before he came back to the place I was seated. "They say Emahl took some noble lady's purse."

I looked at him as something in the pit of my stomach settled. He looked at the crowd and then into my face, "Master Harris caught him and said he was turning him over to Nahmo Hanlan." I nodded at him and went back to our, now just my, flat. I sat on his make shift bed and cried, non-stop. I had fallen asleep when there was once again, a knock at my door. Camille's voice rang through the door "Open up Sanhi!"

I mumbled "umya ksa myunda, usha ksa myunda!" (not now, not ever) before rolling over. The knocks persisted and only got louder. I growled and marched to the door. I opened it to be greeted by a battered and scratched up Camille. I sighed and pulled her in to dress her wounds. When I finished cleaning her, I went to a small set of drawers and came back with a small jar. She hissed, "I hate that stuff."

I smiled as I began to apply the cream, "If you would stop getting hurt, I would stop putting it on."

She cuffed me, "You just like me smelling of flowers."

I laughed and looked into her face. "This time it was close Camille. It's getting harder to pick."

She nodded, "I'm sorry to hear about Emahl. Everyone knows he doesn't pick, especially nobles."

I shook my head as I pushed her towards the set of drawers, "They were just looking for a scapegoat."

She opened a drawer and started dressing. When she was done she looked at me, "I am not quitting because they want to start playing big bad Castithans."

I nodded and she sighed, "You know how close it came to me having to… to be a whore."

I nodded again and she looked down. "I guess I could get a real job."

I grinned, "Baker Simon likes you."

She grinned at me, "That is because he likes my sweetbread better than yours. So, what are you gonna do now?"

I shrugged. "I heard that little town. Defiance I think, is pretty relaxed. Might want head that way, you know?" I nodded at her and she gave me a quick hug before turning to leave. I sighed, resting my head against the pillows in Emahls room. Maybe I would head East towards somewhere new. Towards Defiance.

SO! What do you think so far? Do you like it? It's kind of a medium burn romance. Meaning it isn't WHAM BAM LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT, but it isn't exactly going to take 2 years two develop. Anywho! Review and such so that I know you enjoyed it.