M'karo slipped through the crowds, following her target.
She slipped past a guard then doubled back for a moment. Her hand slipped out and she pulled the key from his sash. She doubted it would ever be of use but humiliating a guard was always fun.
She tucked the key in to a bystander's belt then continued on.
She caught up to her target and her hand danced for a moment, undoing the lashed leather then a small purse fell in to her sewing basket.
M'Karo turned in to the small abbey and smiled at the abbess. "Hello Amber."
"Good morning Abbess. I have some silks to donate and I may have some gold, a man put a purse in the basket but I haven't checked it."
"Please, take them through."
M'Karo did as the woman asked and handed the silk filled basket to one of the sisters as she slipped the purse out surreptitiously.
She checked the purse and her eyes widened. It was filled with three dozen platinum discs, half again as many gold discs, and four blue gems each the size of the tip of her pinky, the facets scintillating in the light from the stained glass window and the candles.
She didn't know what her cut would be and decided to just put two of the platinum discs in the collection box and tucked the rest back in to the bandages that she used to hold her burgeoning breasts in place. She didn't like how her human half made her body develop faster than her elven mother had expected her to and binding them down made her feel a lot less self-conscious.
She slipped out of the back of the abbey and played her fingers over pebbles set in to a statue where the last lord of the city had been buried.
A secret door opened next to a grating for the old city's noble escape route and she entered the tunnels.
When she arrived back at the Golden Turtle—the inn her mother ran—she stopped to kiss her mother and asked, "Is father here?"
Her mother smiled and ruffled the girl's silvery-gold bangs. "No, he's at your grandfather's. Did you drop off those silks?"
She nodded then took out the purse. "Look! I took this off that pompous ambassador that never paid his bill last time."
Her mother took nine of the gold coins. "That covers his bill. And those look like star sapphires but your grandfather would know better. Run off and show him."
"Yes, mother."
She went downstairs to the storage area then back into the old tunnels.
Her night attuned vision let her see the way without needing lights and she tapped out her personal code then the day code.
The door opened and a smiling giant picked her up, squeezing her as he kissed her forehead.
The bristles of his beard made her laugh. "Lemme down uncle Eiko."
He did so as he asked "What've you been up to?"
"Trifled the ambassador who stiffed mother, pilfered a key from a guard, dropped off some silks, and I donated to the abbey."
"Good for you."
She pulled her hair back in to a ponytail then she found her father and grandfather having ales in front of the fireplace.
"Princess!"
Her grandfather did the same as Eiko had done and swung her up in a hug. Though she was already closer to six feet tall than she liked, her father and grandfather towered over her even in their bare feet. Rumor was that her great-great-great-grandfather had raped a giant to get his children in hopes of having the strongest sons possible.
When she was let go, she kissed her father hello then pulled a table close and poured her take out. "What's this worth?"
"Who did you take these off?" her grandfather asked as he took a small magnifying device out of his pocket. His day cover was as a goldsmith and his rings were legendary.
"That ambassador that didn't pay his bill."
Both of the males nodded thoughtfully, proud of her for getting the payment and damaging the man's ego some.
"These will fetch five thousand pieces easily and these platinum coins are worth a hundred pieces each." He looked thoughtful then said, "Even though you're not a full thief yet we'll give you full cut."
She brightened. "Can I buy my armor now?"
"Yes, but you're not getting it fitted yet," her father said.
"Why not?" she asked petulantly.
"because your mother thinks you're still growing," her grandfather said. "Now, let's see, your cut would be fifty nine hundred pieces and your armor will be forty eight hundred so the difference is eleven hundred." He pushed out six of the platinum pieces then pushed out one of the gems. "We'll make this in to a nice necklace for you and this will be divvied out on your allowance for the next year."
She nodded, somewhat annoyed then smiled when the serving girl for the Deep Tavern set a mug of mulled cider in front of her.
M'Karo took a slip then wiped the foam off her lip. "It's got those purple apples in it this time."
They smiled at that then their conversation went back to the job they had just been hired to do.
She wished she could do jobs then sighed.
