Blacklight Thief

By: Aubrie1234

It didn't take long for Alex to find what he needed (or realize with a sense of embarrassment that most of what he needed he could find in the Clock Tower) and soon he had returned. Garrett was still on the bed, but he hadn't undressed. His quiver and bow were off to the side, though, so at least there wasn't a chance the thief would attack him. Unless he had another weapon, but Alex knew nothing in this time could truly hurt him. They didn't even have guns, bullets, or tanks. How would they be able to take him out if they tried? They wouldn't.

"Hold up your foot." Alex spoke, kneeling. Garrett ignored him, causing Alex to roll his eyes and hold up the thief's foot himself.

"Stubborn b*st*rd."

"More like ungrateful." Alex gently moved the foot back into its natural place. It wasn't broken, only twisted, so it would only need to be held it place and have some elevation to heal. There would also need to be a cold compress, which Alex guessed he could substitute with the Water crystals (the blue arrowheads). And, despite the pain it was probably giving him, Garrett never made a sound. Alex had to admit, the guy had a lot of will to hold up like this. Either that or he was pretty prideful.

The virus slid the boot off as gently as he could and winced at the purple swelling around the thief's ankle. It was going to take quite a while before Garrett was going to be able to get back on his feet, that was for sure. He wrapped the ankle in some cloth (rags, really) before tying a Water crystal (he had gotten it from downstairs on the worktable) to it with rope. Because the crystal wasn't as cold as he would like but wouldn't loose its temperature, Alex estimated that they could be applied for around 20 to 30 minutes instead of the usual 10 to 20. He would also have to take off the crystal for the rest of the hour, then put it back on again. That was the usual treatment for a bad sprain as his knowledge told him.

"Hand me my pillow." Garrett didn't move. Alex growled, allowing his eyes to flash red. They had gone back to normal when he had left, but the thief was running his anger up without trying. Reaching over (which took a bit of effort, having to hold up Garrett's foot and reach for the slightly out-of-reach pillow at the same time), Alex grabbed the ball of fluff and propped it under the smaller man's ankle (Garrett was short for a man, even Alex thought so).

"Because it's a bad sprain, you'll be stuck to bedrest for about 4 to 6 weeks, depending on how it heals."

"4 to 6 weeks." Garrett's voice was dull and deadpanning, but had an incredulous air to it.

"Yep. Keep it elevated with something cold and it should heal in no time." Alex stood up, "How did you get so injured? And just how bad was the fall?" Garrett said nothing. Alex expected this and shrugged.

"Fine, be that way. Here are some apples," he picked up a bag he had put on the floor and tossed it to the thief, "and get some sleep. I'll be up again to change the compress soon." Alex laid on the floor and tugged on his blanket before going to 'sleep.' He expected nothing to happen until he woke up, but suddenly his head was lifted and laid onto something soft. Briefly coming out of his hibernation state, Alex opened an eye. His pillow was still under Garrett's foot, but the virus' head wasn't laying on a pillow or the floor. His head was laying on Garrett's folded cape, moved from the human's body to under the younger man's head. Alex was surprised and knew he didn't need it, but was grateful all the same. He gave a smile to the thief's turned back and hibernated again.

Why had he done that? Why had Alex come back and taken care of him? Why did the kid not leave? Why did he, a heartless taffer, give up his cape so Alex could sleep comfortably? None of it made sense to Garrett as he ate the two apples in the small sack. But at least his foot felt better. Alex knew what he was doing, but having to not steal for weeks? Garrett's fingers were twitching just at the thought of it. Thieving was his way of life, soft of a hobby but also a job. Not doing it for weeks like Alex implied made him feel miserable. The fact that he would also have to rely on the kid for most things made him angry. He could take care of himself, even if he had a broken bone or two, but somehow a sprain set him back more than any bone could. But he did acknowledge that, if he had broken his ankle, it would probably be just as bad, if not worse.

His feet were vital to his job. Without them, he couldn't run, couldn't sneak... It was be clumsy and awful to do it all on your hands, especially if you used said hands to pick locks and steal things off of moving people. It would be impossible to do all that a thief could do with just your hands. He could only hope his ankle healed faster than 4 weeks so he could get back to his job, his hobby, his lifestyle. But until then, he knew he would have to rely on Alex to keep the money coming in.

And speaking of money, he wondered how the younger man had managed to get so much gold all at once. He should have gotten at least some silver, but there had been nothing but gold in the pouch. What had the kid sold to get so much gold? A guard's sword? A rare metal? There were many possibilities. And as Garrett looked over his shoulder at the sleeping man, he wondered what else Alex could do. He had immense strength and wasn't even fazed by Garrett's punch to the throat. He was also fast, having been able to dodge a Blunt arrow and grab a Fire arrow out of the air. And the red eyes, they indicated Alex was hiding something darker than Garrett could see. The thief hadn't been unnerved for a while, not since Shalebridge (he winced at even the thought of the Place-That-Must-Not-Be-Named), though he was nowhere near as unnerved as he had been then. Yet Alex still unnerved him.

He was still awake when Alex woke up and changed his 'compress,' as the younger man had called it. Garrett stayed awake through the whole day, too wired over his contempations over Alex to sleep (he also changed his clothes to feel more comfortable), and was still awake when the moon rose in the sky to signal the night to come.

"Haven't slept a wink, have you?" Alex asked as he put the compress on.

"No." Garrett admitted, then turned to the other man, "Since you're going to take care of me, I guess I could teach you the ropes. Go get some more food and we'll start in here." Alex gave a nod and left the thief alone once again. Jenivere also came in with her usual matchbox, tilting her head when she saw Garrett in bed.

"Hey girl." he spoke softly, "Do you mind bringing that over here?" Jenivere ruffled her feathers slightly, but complied, dropping the box on his chest before resting on the headboard above. Garrett turned the matchbox over to see the tiny scrawled message.

'Heard you had a fall during the heist. You up for some more tonight? -B'

"Send this back." he held the matchbox to her, "He'll get the message." Jenivere gave a soft caw and took the box in her talons before flying off. Garrett hoped Basso would understand, at least. Not too long after the magpie left, Alex came back in. A large bag was slung over his shoulder and the thief raised an eyebrow.

"I got enough for us to last a few days." Alex gently put the bag on the floor, "What's my first lesson?"

Fighting the military and Infected, disguising yourself, and walking around like a normal person/not attracting attention were Alex's main guidelines to sneaking. He didn't realize how tough Garrett's were, but he quickly learned. He had to adapt to stay on top, after all, though what the thief had him go through was mostly made up of repetition and patience, such as trying to sneak up on Garret from behind without being heard or seen. Alex was not known as a patient man, however.

"Enough." Garrett sighed, rubbing his forehead in irritation. Alex was doing better from when he had started a week ago, but he was never patient enough. He continued to move too fast and made noise because of it, causing the Master Thief to hear him and failing the exercise each time. But other than that, Alex had done very well.

"If you can remember what I taught you, I think you might be ready for your first heist." Garrett adjusted his sitting position, "You just have to keep quiet and stay patient." He winced as his foot moved a little, but it wasn't as bad as it was a week ago. That was good, he was getting better and would probably be able to stand soon.

"I can do that." Alex crossed his arms, "Your hearing is just too good."

"It has to be if I don't want to get caught." the thief said, "Now go to the Crippled Burrick and see Basso. You'll have to mention my name to get to him, but he should be able to get you on your first mission."

"Got it. Need anything while I'm out?"

"Just the money you get."

"Will do." Alex smiled, "Just keep your part of the deal."

"We'll see." He watched Alex leave, and once the younger man was out of sight, Garrett slipped a paper out from under his pillow. He had asked Basso to send him the map of the place Alex was going to rob. It had been orchestrated between the two thanks to the help of Jenivere and Garrett had taken the map to see who well Alex could do without it. It could have been a stupid choice, but Garrett felt that Alex's supernatural abilities would have covered that.

Alex walked down the street in his normal form, following the signs that led to the tavern. He had heard of the Crippled Burrick several times, but had never been there. At least he now knew of someone Garrett trusted (somewhat) and where he got some of his jobs. Perhaps the virus could not only learn more about Garrett from Basso but also more about magic, since the thief hadn't divulged anything when Alex had asked.

Spotting the building, Alex quickly went inside. A bell rung above the door as it was pushed and attention was attracted to him. Alex willed himself to keep his eyes from going red and went over to the counter. There was a bartender there and other people were around, trying to get themselves drunk, including a few guards. Alex raised an eyebrow, but didn't comment on it.

"Here for a drink?" asked the burly man at the counter.

"Sort of. Do you have something called a Basso?" Alex kept his voice low to make sure he wasn't overheard. The other man blinked, glanced around with his eyes, then nodded.

"Go around back. I'm sure you can find a barrel or two back there." Alex was curious, but did as he was told. He left the tavern through the front, unafraid of what awaited him. In the back, there was another door with a small window at the top. He knocked and a plank that had been blocking it slid back, revealing a pair of eyes.

"The bartender said I could find a few barrels of Basso back here."

"Come in." The plank closed back and the door opened. Alex was allowed inside and found that the back was much different that the front. He was directed downstairs past the revelry of drunk thieves and crooks to the basement.

"Hey there." Basso greeted, Jenivere on her perch, "I've never seen you around before. You wanted to see me?"

"Sort of. Garrett sent me."

"So you're the 'new apprentice.'" Basso gave a chuckle, "I never thought he'd take someone in, not after what happened."

"What do you mean?"

"It's nothing. Here's what you need to do." Alex went over and took the offered paper, "Usually you would be given a map to get around, but I wasn't able to get one."

"'Steal the Whitechapel Diamond.' Where can I find it?"

"Oh, don't tell me..." Charles Mistry groaned. Alex didn't get why the man sounded like that until Basso answered.

"A noble, Charles Mistry, bought it a while back and has it in a safe somewhere in his house. He hasn't been back for a few days and is assumed dead or disappeared, so this would be the perfect time to go grab it."

"Alright... I'll be back soon." Alex slipped the paper into a pocket and left.

"What were the chances?"

"One in how many there are in the City, which I assume is around 75,000 or more."

"You're not helping."

"Charles?" Alex asked as he left the tavern, "Are you willing to go along with this?" The man sighed.

"I had no family left and lived alone with the exception of housekeepers, so stealing from me... I don't care, truly." he shrugged, "It would have happened anyway or it would have been auctioned. If you need my help at all, I'm willing."

"Then I guess it's time we prove to Garrett what we can do."

"I hope he doesn't get into trouble..."

"How can he with a sprained ankle? He can't even stand!"

"He's a thief, a shadow man. He can do anything he wants."

"Enough. Charles, where can I find your house?"

"In Auldale, on the other side of the river. It's to the East." Alex gathered biomass into his legs and released it as he jumped, allowing him to reach the roofs. To keep from making too much noise, he used his Glide ability to land softly. It was now time to see if he could steal the Whitechapel Diamond with Garrett's training, along with his own abilities. And, as he looked over his checklist he had been given, he noted to talk to Basso about Garrett upon his return. There were a lot of things he wanted to learn about the thief to get to know him better and earn his trust. It may be the only way he would be able to get home.

As a note, I don't like cursing, so I sort of cover it up in my stories when I do. So sorry if you guys don't like that, but it's something I do. I like how the Thiefverse uses 'taffer' instead of cursing, so I won't cover that up, but since Alex (and most of the voices of the people he's eaten) isn't from there, you'll get some of his bleeped-out curses as well. As usual, if I made a mistake or made them too OOC, tell me and I'll fix it. Now, please read & review!